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A Legend's Journey

Chapter 13

That afternoon, Raine asked if they could visit the square for a little while. Auron helped her with her blue cloak, then he put on his great red coat, belted it, then began attaching the high collar.

Raine asked softly, "Why do you wear that, Auron?"

He paused for a moment before answering. "This - scar. People can be frightened by it."

Suddenly she was in front of him, blue eyes aflame. "Then people are stupid!" She fairly spat out the last word.

He was a bit taken back by her reaction.

Blue eyes firing sparks, she said, "That is a badge of honor! If they haven't the sense to see that it stands for all you have given to them for so long, then they deserve to be scared!"

Quieter, she reached up, gently touching the long scar, she said, "It is a badge of honor, Auron."

More softly yet, "Your face is beautiful."

'Is there any wonder that I love this woman so much?' he thought, holding her close.

They left the compound and entered the square. It became evident immediately that the news of their engagement was well known. Every female had to see the ring. Nan was practically beside herself, her tongue actually failing her for once. They eventually wandered back towards Nahon's tent.

Auron decided to stop in to show Nahon the ring on Raine's hand, not knowing of Raine's private visit. The proprietor was extremely pleased at the gesture and gave nothing away. After a few minutes, they moved on.

Soon Raine was beginning to tire, so they stopped briefly by Bana's tent for a container of juice and turned toward the villa.

As they walked, Auron slowing his long stride to match her smaller one, he asked, "Are you sure you feel strong enough for the wedding tomorrow? I can change it if you'd like."

"You bet I do – and you'd better not change a thing! Not even a flock of Chocobos could keep me away!" The laugh that he loved to hear bubbled up from her throat.

Neither was aware of the many pair of eyes watching them or that many ears were close enough to hear.

Auron was uncomfortable with showing his emotions in public, but he squeezed the hand he was holding and they resumed their walk back to the compound.

More buzz. A wedding! Tomorrow! Nan was hyperventilating.

Her blue cloak with scarlet trim was hung beside his scarlet coat with blue trim on the coat tree near the door. It looked natural as if that was the way it was supposed to be.

Raine turned to the man who stood behind her and melted into his embrace. His hands slowly roamed up and down her back, his chin resting lightly on her head. This time tomorrow they would be wed. There were no happier two people anywhere.

After long contented minutes, she looked up into his face and said, "There is no way I can tell you how much I love you, Auron. I just don't have the words."

A low rumble. "We'll have the rest of our lives to see who can come up with it first, because I can't either."

Their moment together was interrupted by loud cries and screams in the square. "Fiends!! Fiends!!"

Auron quickly donned his coat and grabbed his blade. "Stay inside!" and raced out of the compound.

There was a mad rush of people fleeing the square. Auron turned in the opposite direction of their flight, blade resting on his right shoulder and saw the reason for the panic.

'Two varuna! How had they made it this far west? This is going to be a tough one! Hope Kimahri is near!'

Eying the two huge fiends calmly, Auron assumed his perfectly balanced battle stance and had his massive blade at the ready. 'Kimahri, hurry up and get here.'

The crowd of people had stopped running and had turned to watch the battle about to take place at the edge of the square.

One varuna began advancing on its quarry, hissing loudly. Auron waited, waited, then his blade sliced through the air at lightning speed and found its mark. The badly wounded fiend emitted an ear-splitting screech and lashed out at its enemy. Auron leaped back and the razor-sharp claws missed. Growling hisses spoke of its rage.

The second varuna began moving in. Auron watched both of them, waiting to make his best move. He had hoped his could finish one before the other started in but that wasn't happening. 'Kimahri, where are you?'

He saw the first varuna faltering, its wound sapping its considerable strength. Seeing an opening, Auron was a blur as he moved toward the wounded fiend and landed a series of attacks, the blade flashing in the sun.

The varuna let out a piercing dying scream that made the blood of those watching run cold. It began to collapse.

The second varuna, seeing its chance, lashed out at Auron, claws raking a deep gash in his bare left shoulder; blood began to flow.

Auron cursed under his breath. 'You left yourself open, Auron! Watch it!'

As the remaining varuna was withdrawing from its first attack, Auron leaped forward and hit it with an array of spinning, whirling moves that took a heavy toll on the fiend, but Auron momentarily lost his footing in the slippery mess leaking from the varuna he had just killed.

As he tried to regain his footing and balance, a yellow blur raced past him toward the huge fiend, wielding his small practice sword. Raine swung it with all her might and actually dealt it a blow strong enough that gave Auron time to recover, blood now dripping steadily from the gash on his upper arm.

Raine!!! Auron was horrified that she was so close to this extremely dangerous creature! He screamed for her to get back as he hit the angry monster with a series of moves that defied every law of gravity, his sword seeming to move in all directions at once. The varuna let out a blood-curdling howl of rage, screeched its death knell and collapsed on the ground.

The battle was over. There was total silence in the enormous square. People were completely stunned at what they had just witnessed! The Legend himself taking on not one, but two terribly fierce fiends and killing them both. With a timely surprise assist from his bride-to-be. It was an unbelievable spectacle that no one would ever forget. The story would be told even in the far reaches of the land.

Auron was shaking from the fear of seeing Raine so close to the monster. She suddenly crashed into him, grabbed him around the waist and held onto him with all the strength in her small body.

After a moment, he pried her loose. With harsh intensity in his voice, he rasped, "Raine!! Raine, you can never do that again! Never!! It could have killed you with one swipe!"

He looked down into blue eyes that were terrified yet ferocious at the same time. "I saw you fighting two of them so I got the sword and I thought it was going to hurt you when you fell. I – I had to stop it..."

Then more firmly, "I wasn't going to let it hurt you, Auron." There was steel in the blue of her eyes. 'She may be little but she is fearless.' And he looked at her with new respect on a whole new level.

She picked up the sword from the ground where she had dropped it. It was so pitifully small compared to the blade he had slung over his right shoulder. But it had dealt a strong blow to a strong enemy in the hands of a woman defending the man she loves.

The people began edging back into the square, still stunned into silence at what they had witnessed.

Julan appeared. "Ohhh, nasty gash there, Sir Auron! Let's tend to that, shall we?" as he tried to steer him toward the villa.

Auron resisted. "There may be more. It is most unusual for fiends to be this far west. Especially as there are so few of them nowadays. I'll keep watch until patrols can be readied."

Tanaka approached and said, "We've sent someone to raise the alarm, Sir Auron. Some of the other men and I will keep watch."

"Thank you, Tanaka. Fiends can move more quickly than you expect and can be on you in an instant. I appreciate your help, however, I think I'd better stay with you, just in case."

Julan said, "Well, at least let me bind that for you." His deft fingers quickly had it bound, then he dug around in his pouch until he found the potion he wanted and handed it to Auron. "Drink this."

The potion did help. Auron had given no outward sign of it, but he had begun to feel a little light-headed and his shoulder hurt like blazes. He sighed. 'And I thought I had gotten my last scar.'

Suddenly an infuriated Ronso was beside him. "Auron all right? Kimahri should have been here! Let friend down!"

Auron knew that to let a friend down was the most cardinal of sins to a Ronso.

"Kimahri, you did no such thing. There hasn't been a fiend around here for many months. No one suspected these would pop up now. I didn't expect it, either."

Kimahri looked at the corpses in the square. "Two??"

Auron nodded. "Varuna."

Kimahri looked back at his friend. "Auron very lucky. Two varuna extremely bad!"

Auron rumbled something that was supposed to be a chuckle. "I had a little help."

Kimahri's gold eyes were puzzled.

Auron gestured toward the outer door. Raine was just standing there, practice sword still in her hand, the point of the sword still on the ground where she had drug it behind her. It may have been a small practice sword, but it was still too big for her handle. Unless she thought Auron was in danger.

Kimahri gasped.

Auron rumbled again. "Yeah."

"I slipped in the goop from the first one and the second one started to move in. Raine flew out of nowhere, knocked it back and gave me time to regain my footing."

Kimahri looked at Raine for a very long moment. When he looked back at Auron, he growled, "Kimahri remember not to make Raine angry!"

Authorities from the Town Center began to arrive, each having to importantly inspect the remains of the two fiends. "As if any one of them could even identify what he was looking at!" Auron muttered.

Auron and Kimahri exchanged glances and moved to the sidelines out of their way and began making their security plans. Alsa was already scouting outside the town walls and it was agreed that Kimahri would join him. Auron would keep watch from within the square and nearby streets.

The authorities, having made their show, were beginning to drift over to where Auron was standing. Most of them were scared of him to begin with and the sight of the Legendary Warrior fresh from battle, blood soaking through the bandages on his arm, his terrifying blade unsheathed and resting on his shoulder, his eyes and face stony, was almost more than they could face.

"Sir Auron, we are deeply in your debt." "The people of this town are truly fortunate to have you here!" and more of the same.

Auron merely nodded without bothering to respond further and they finally went on their way. He snorted, "Hmmph! Wonder if it would ever occur to any of those geniuses to set a watch?!"

It was Kimahri's turn to snort. "Wouldn't hold breath!"

Auron spied the one person who would actually know what to do making his way through the crowd on a Chocobo - Marin, the head of the town's meager security forces. As soon as Marin spotted him, he made straight for him.

Auron caught sight of Raine as the Chocobo came closer. A smile touched his lips. "She'll take on a Varuna with a dull practice sword, but she's afraid of a harmless Chocobo." Kimahri rumbled.

Marin dismounted and approached him. "Thank the gods you were here, Sir Auron. What happened?"

Auron gave him the short version and told him that Alsa was already out scouting and that Kimahri would be joining him momentarily. He himself planned to maintain watch in this area.

Marin's surprise showed. "Varuna? This far west? Hmm."

"You have my thanks, Sir Auron, Kimahri. Please tell Alsa, in case I miss him. I should have known that you would already have security in place! I see the dignitaries have already left."

"Yeah." Snort!

"Okay. I've got some men coming to remove these two from the square." Looking at the two piles in the street, "They sure make a mess, don't they?"

He nodded and remounted his Chocobo, and turned to his duties. Auron knew Marin would make the most of whatever he had to work with. He had good instincts.

Kimahri thumped Auron on his chest, growled and set off to the closest town gate, his huge weapon slung over his shoulder. Auron watched the receding figure of the Ronso Warrior. "Be safe, my friend," he muttered.

Auron looked toward the villa. Raine and Julan still stood as he had last seen them. He wanted Raine to go into the house and stay there, but he wasn't quite sure how he was going to accomplish that if she didn't want to.

He moved to her side. Looking into those beautiful blue eyes, he saw the tiny beginnings of tears. Switching his blade to his left hand and shoulder, he wrapped his right arm around her and held her close, prying eyes be damned! He rested his chin on the top of her head as she clung to him tightly, shaking.

"Auron, I've never been more afraid in all my life!"

He just held her until her shaking began to subside. A kiss on her head and he stepped back from her. "Everything is okay now. Alsa and Kimahri are scouting outside the walls and I'll keep watch from here for a while, just in case. I'd like it very much if you would go inside now, but don't go up on the roof. I'll probably be in shortly, okay?"

Raine realized that she was a liability to him right now, so she agreed to return to the villa. The adrenaline that had fueled her blazing run and attack on the fiend had left her feeling weak and shaky. She turned and slowly walked toward the outer door, dragging the sword behind her.

Auron didn't even try to hide the smile that lit his face. 'Auron, you better watch yourself! She just might be able to whip your butt!'

A careful check of the surrounding countryside failed to reveal any trace of other fiends, so Alsa and Kimahri returned to the square. Marin, making his endless rounds, entered the square just after the Ronso returned. He listened to their assessment and was greatly relieved. There was nothing like having two seasoned, world-class Warriors and one certified Legend at hand in an emergency. He knew his pitiful little force was mostly useless at best, but they were brave men who would do their best.

"I'm in you debt. Thank you. The people of this town don't know how fortunate they are that they didn't have to depend on me and my lot!" A nod and he was off.

Auron said, "He's a good man," and got two affirming grunts.

"I think I'll go in now. This shoulder is not happy!"

Alsa grunted, "Auron be careful. Not make Raine mad!"

Auron glared at Kimahri and got a Ronso-styled grin in return.

A thump on Kimahri's chest and Auron left.

Inside the villa, Raine had taken her shower and sat in one of the big chairs, legs tucked under her. She had thought over the events of the afternoon and knew that Auron would probably be angry with her, but she knew without any doubt that she would do exactly the same thing again given the same set of circumstances.

She also knew that she was so tired she could hardly move. Soon her head rested in the curve of the chair back and her eyes closed.

That's how Auron found her when he entered the villa. He stopped in the doorway, drinking in the sight before him. He exhaled forcefully. She had no idea of the danger in which she had placed herself today, but he knew that it hadn't mattered to her. She would have defended him to the death if she believed he was in danger.

In fact, he had been in danger. But he had a razor-sharp weapon in his hand that weighed more than she does, a weapon he was a master in handling. He believed that he would have won the battle in any case, but she had made sure, had given him the time he needed to assure a win.

Quietly, he returned his blade to the wall. 'That will need a good cleaning!' but he wouldn't do it tonight. He hung his coat and went to get a shower. The hot water felt good everywhere except on his shoulder and it was throbbing.

He put on clean clothing and straightened the bathroom quickly. 'Well, looks like I need to see Julan.' He quietly slipped out the door and walked to Julan's home.

Ringing the bells at his door, Auron apologized for disturbing the Healer. "Nonsense, Sir Auron, nonsense! Hurting a bit, is it?" as he began to examine the jagged wound. "Yes. Hmmm. Hmm. This will sting, I'm afraid, but it will help stop the bleeding and will kill any bacteria or poison that may be in it."

Auron thanked the monks for the years of his training as Julan poured a fiery liquid over his arm. It was several moments before he could breath again. When he opened his eyes, Julan was peering at him, eyebrows raised. "Very good, Sir Auron, very good! That usually gets all sorts of interesting reactions!"

"Julan, I never knew you were an evil man!"

Julan laughed merrily. He checked the wound which had indeed stopped bleeding. He wrapped it carefully. Finished, he said, "That needs to be changed in the morning. I'll stop by if you'll give me another cup of your excellent coffee."

"If having another cup of coffee with you will bring me the luck the first one did, you are more than welcome."

Auron took his leave and returned to the villa. He passed Marin, endlessly moving, trying to be everywhere at once. 'Good man!'

Inside the villa, Raine stirred as he entered the door and opened her blue eyes. "Are you okay, Auron?"

"Yes. I just saw Julan and he has dressed the wound again. He'll check on it in the morning."

She had unfolded herself from the chair and was holding him tightly around his waist. He lifted her chin and kissed her with a sweet intensity that surpassed anything Raine had ever known.

He said tiredly, "I'm going to have a large glass of sake and then I'm going to retire. I can't wait until tomorrow."

Tomorrow. Tomorrow was their day. And she could hardly wait!

"I love you, Auron. Tomorrow will be the happiest day of my life. I'm going to my room now. I'll see you in the morning."

Her kiss left him breathing hard.