Chapter 8: A Long-Kept Secret Revealed
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It was around 10:00 when Mysidia finally came into view. The plain was empty and lit with silvery moonlight, and the sound of waves crashing on the shore came from every direction; the calm, soothing sound had lulled the twins to sleep some time ago. Exactly how they were able to do this was beyond Cecil.
"They must be pretty tired to be able to sleep through this bumpy ride," he said. He was tired too, but it wasn't easy to fall asleep on the back of a running chocobo.
"Well, after elemental archfiends, paladin trials, and sword-lessons, a six-year-old child can sleep through anything," Tellah pointed out.
"True," Cecil agreed, looking down at Porom, who was seated in front of him and fast asleep. She had remained so for the past four hours.
"I certainly hope the Mysidians let me into the city this time; the first time I tried, they tried to stone me to death."
"Nonsense. You're a paladin now! Of course they'll let you in."
After another half hour, the chocobos finally halted before the city wall. Cecil and Tellah dismounted, carrying the twins in their arms, and sent the chocobos on their way. They would instinctively find their ways back to the forest they had come from, and the local monsters wouldn't dare attack something so fast as the sprinted back in the night. The large yellow birds could run tirelessly all day if they so chose; other days they wouldn't move an inch.
The two men walked into the dark, moonlit city and found the streets sparsely occupied by late-night wanderers. Upon walking through the gate, several people looked up and began whispering.
"Who's that?" "Doesn't the blonde guy look like the dark knight? It can't be!" "Isn't that Palom and Porom Faraxhae? The two kids who disappeared?" "I wonder who the old guy is." "I'll bet the dark knight hauled the twins off somewhere and left them for dead; then these nice guys found them and brought them back." "No, the blonde guy is the dark knight! He's just wearing new armor. Can you believe it?"
Tellah could tell from the way Cecil wilted and sighed that the whispering stung. "Don't listen to them, Cecil. They didn't watch you take the trial."
"I know, but it still feels like someone stabbed my heart," Cecil insisted, holding Porom tighter like a teddy bear. She mumbled something, but didn't wake up.
"Come along." Tellah took Cecil by the arm and led him down the street. "Let us find out where these two belong so they can return to their mother. She's probably worried sick."
When they came to the tower, they were slightly surprised to find Dharma standing guard outside. He seemed to have fallen asleep, leaning against the door. At his feet was a bright paper lantern.
"Dharma? Is that you?" Cecil asked. The black mage snorted and shifted his weight, but didn't wake up. Cecil stepped up beside his and shook his shoulder.
"Dharma, wake up; it's Cecil."
Dharma yawned and his yellow eyes appeared as slits from under his hood. "Cecil's not here," he mumbled and closed his eyes again.
"Dharma, wake up!" Cecil shook Dharma hard and the mage woke up with a shout.
"Gah! Wha—? I wasn't sleeping! I'm not tired!" Dharma looked around dazed, and then saw Cecil for the first time.
"Huh? Who are you?"
"Dharma, it's me, Cecil."
"No, Cecil's a…" Dharma looked again and realized that it was, in fact, the same face.
"Oh my gosh! You're back! The Elder had said you were on your way back. Who's the old guy carrying Palom?"
"This is Tellah, the sage," Cecil introduced. Dharma gasped in shock.
"Tellah?! Wherever did you find him?!" Dharma cried; if he had skin, he would have paled.
"Um, he was on Mount Ordeals. We found him and he came along with us. Why? You sound so alarmed."
"He's been missing for, for—"
"For 23 years, yes I have," Tellah answered blusterously. "You haven't changed, Dharma."
"You know each other?" Cecil asked. How old was Dharma?
Tellah and Dharma were silent for a moment, staring at each other. Dharma finally cleared his throat nervously.
"The Elder was expecting your return… Follow me," he said in a resigned tone. He opened the door and slinked inside. The two men followed him in.
What's making them act so strange? Cecil wondered.
Down the long, shadowy hall they walked, to where the Elder was waiting before the tall stair case. Sheila stood beside him, holding a lighted candle.
"Sir," Dharma said at almost a whisper, "Cecil has returned victorious, just as you said."
"I told you so," Rai smiled. "And the twins?"
"Both here, sound asleep."
"Aha. Who is this fourth? He was not with you when you left."
"Feh," Tellah scoffed. "You of all people should know, Rai."
Rai's brunette eyebrow rose. "I don't recognize you."
"Well I barely recognized you. But it has been 23 years."
"23 years…?" Rai's eyes flew open. "Tellah? Could that really be you?" He sounded like he almost couldn't believe it.
"We can talk later. It's nearing eleven o'clock, and we are all very tired."
Rai looked like he wanted to protest, but he didn't.
"Cecil, can you carry both the children?" he asked.
"At the same time? Sure, without my other things."
"Leave your belongings and armor here; you'll be spending the night here. Return the twins to their home. Dharma, escort him back, please."
"Yessir," Dharma agreed, bowing respectfully.
"And you," Rai said, turning back to Tellah, "leave Palom with Cecil and come with me. I want to talk to you."
"Certainly," Tellah consented grudgingly. Sheila ran to take the boy from the sage and he hurried up the stairs with Rai, vanishing into the study.
"They must be exhausted," Sheila thought out loud, gazing down at Palom. She laid a gentle, sisterly kiss on op of his head. "I'm just so glad that they're safe," she added.
"Our journey was exciting and productive," Cecil agreed, letting Dharma take his shoulder bag. "Dharma, what's with you tonight? You hated me before, and now your being so nice."
"I admit that I had no faith in you, and that I didn't think you would pass the test. Shoot, I didn't think you'd be accepted. But now that you've returned with this grand new armor and your sword of light, I have to say that I was a bit… judgmental," Dharma explained.
"We were both a little harsh on you. We admit that we were wrong to condemn you so quickly," Sheila added. "It only burned harder when our Elder sent the twins with you without telling their mother. We were so afraid for them; they're like our own—"
"Wait a minute, did you say their mother didn't know?" Cecil asked, alarmed.
"No, she didn't," Sheila informed, shaking her head. "Our Elder, her own older brother, promised that he wouldn't send them with you, but he lied to her and sent them with you anyway."
Cecil looked like he would faint. "Oh no… I'm in so much trouble!"
"No, no you're not," Sheila insisted. "Our Elder went to her and implored her—"
"Commanded her," Dharma corrected.
"Yes, commanded her to spare you. He says that the fault lies with himself and that he will take the blame. He knows that you didn't know he had deliberately gone behind his sister's back."
"His sister?! Then Palom and Porom are—"
"His niece and nephew? Yes, yes they are," Sheila informed.
"Anything else he didn't tell me?"
"I don't know. He's done a lot of lying about this, but he's convinced that it's all destiny," Dharma explained. "We don't know what he's talking about; we think he might be stating to crack. I mean, the raid did take a tremendous toll on him. He has had this position for a long time; everyone loves him, but it may be time for him to pick a successor. Are you ready to go, then?"
Sheila handed Palom over to Cecil, who took him in his free arm. "You were saying something about them before I interrupted you," he remembered. "Something about them being just like your own…?"
"Oh, I was saying that they're like our own brother and sister," Sheila finished. "They come to school here, instead of in the other magic schools since their uncle is the Elder and because they're so advanced. We see them every day, and we are their primary teachers, so we're quite close to them. But because Dharma and I are either too young or too old to view them as our children we see them as little siblings."
"Cecil, let's be off. The sooner we get these two home, the better," Dharma called from halfway down the hall. Cecil turned and followed him.
"Thank you for taking such good care of them," Sheila called after him. "Thank you so much!"
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Mira was roused from her fitful sleep by loud banging on her door. She jumped up from her bed and ran to answer it. She opened the door and saw Dharma standing beside a tall, blonde man who seemed vaguely familiar man.
The blonde man carried her children in his arms.
Mira gasped, not sure whether to laugh or cry with joy. "They're home! They've come home!" She snatched Porom away and held her close, kissing her hair ceaselessly.
"Why doesn't she stir? Is she alright?"
"She's fine," the man assured her. "They're both fine; they're just sleeping. They've had a busy day."
"Come in, come in, both of you," Mira insisted, taking the blonde man's free hand and pulling him inside. Dharma followed them.
She wiped her eyes and gazed up at the man, who seemed to glow like a star in the dark. "So… You're Cecil, the dark knight who destroyed half our town, stole our crystal, and took the paladin trial to redeem yourself?"
"Yes, that is me."
Mira sobbed, covering her eyes with her hand. She stood there, crying into her hand for a minute, unable to say anything.
"I understand that the Elder went behind your back to send your children with me," Cecil said sadly. "I apologize; I didn't know."
"I… I…" Mira sobbed, trying to get a breath. "I wanted to kill you. For everything you had done, and for taking my children, all I wanted to do was nail you with my Firaja spell. I thought for sure that my children would die, and that you would die as well."
"And then all would have been for nothing," Cecil added.
"Tell me, sir, did my children do well, as my brother claims they did?"
"You have no idea what they have done for me. If they hadn't been there, I would have perished without a doubt."
"Were they brave and strong?"
"More so than anyone so young should be expected to be."
"I suppose I shall speak to my brother again; I promised that I would never speak to him again if they were hurt. They seem to be just fine."
"Ma'am, I really do feel partially responsible for this; I've caused you a lot of pain. If there's anything I can do?"
"Help me put them to bed," Mira requested. "That will be enough."
Cecil nodded.
"Palom's room is the last one down the hall. Watch your step; he's got things all over the floor," she warned. "Oh, Dharma, help yourself to some biscuits and milk, if you want. She and Cecil started down the hall and branched off to different rooms. Forgotten Dharma trudged to the kitchen.
As Mira had warned, navigating Palom's room was a tricky business. But then, navigating any six-year-old's room can be difficult. He finally reached the bed, still unmade, and made quick sense of the blanket and pulled the end down to the foot board. He set Palom down on the mattress, half expecting him to wake up suddenly. The child stirred and mumbled something about oatmeal cookies, and the rolled over on his side, still sleeping and tangled in his red cape.
Cecil shivered; he had been holding one or both of the twins for so long that he felt empty and cold without their warm little bodies so close to him. He rather missed it.
He reached down around Palom's neck an undid the clasp the held his cape. He slipped the cape out from underneath him and folded it across the footboard, where the boy could easily reach it in the morning. He finally pulled the blanket up to Palom's shoulder and stood back, just staring at him. The boy smiled and subconsciously pulled the blanket tightly around himself.
Mira came into the room then and stood in the doorway, watching Cecil watch her son. He was sad; she could feel it. She watched him kneel down beside the bed and take Palom's hand in his own. He held it for a long time, whispering something even though the sleeping child wouldn't hear.
He loves them, Mira realized reluctantly. He doesn't want to leave them. And... Surely they don't want to leave him. Not after all I know they've been through.
After what seemed like a long time, Cecil reached over and messed Palom's brown hair. He also leaned over and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. He finally stood p and began moving toward the door. He noticed Mira standing there and blushed.
"Your children are amazing," he said. His voice was shaking. "I'll miss them terribly."
"I wouldn't be surprised if they said the same of you," Mira added. "I'm sorry for harboring such hatred for you. You protected my children, and you delivered them back to me in one piece. Any man who can do that is genuine, I think. They can be very difficult."
"I think they enjoyed themselves, but I wouldn't ask you—or them—to allow them to continue with me on my journey."
"Where is your journey taking you next?"
"Back to Baron, to find a friend of mine and acquire an airship. I've heard little of my home country for months, but I understand that it's becoming a cesspool. It's no place for small children."
"But you wish they could come?"
"…It would be incredibly dangerous, but I would do anything to have them accompany me."
Mira thought about this. Perhaps it was a selfish desire, but he loved the twins; let alone their magical abilities.
"I have no doubt that you would protect them if they did go with you."
"Thank you… It's getting late. Dharma and I should go. Before I go, I don't think I've gotten your name yet."
"I'm Mira Faraxhae," she introduced, offering her hand. Cecil shook her hand warmly. A few hours ago, she would never have forgiven herself for accepting him. Now that she had seen him, had looked him in the eye, she felt sick for feeling such malice for such a kind person.
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Rai jumped up from his chair so suddenly that he nearly knocked his steaming cup of tea on himself.
"The Meteor spell?! Are you daft, Tellah?!"
"Well, what if I am?" Tellah demanded. "I'll stop at nothing until this Golbez person lies in ashes. And if I die first, so be it. At least I tried; which is more than what you can say for yourself."
"Really, Tellah. Anna's death was a terrible thing, and you've always been one for revenge, but don't you think you're going a little too far?"
"Of course not," Tellah said coolly. "Even if it wasn't my daughter, this man is evil and must be stopped. If it wasn't my daughter, it would have been someone else's; someone who would not have had the knowledge or assets to slay him, no matter how badly he thirsted for revenge."
"You should not thirst for revenge at all," Rai countered.
"You never did believe in revenge; I never understood it."
"You always did believe in revenge; I never understood it."
"Can we agree to disagree, then? Like we always did?"
"Tellah, it's not that simple now. This man is controlling Baron, stealing the crystals, and manipulating the people; he has great power and he is using it for evil. All this news you bring from these far-off places—Baron, Damcyan, Fabul, even Mist—it's all very troubling. I hardly think that chasing the forbidden spells is a worthwhile way to spend your time."
"I don't want all of them. I just wanted Meteor. And now I have it. I'm done with the forbidden spells. You know that I've always been entranced by Meteor."
"A terrible weakness. I hope you haven't been giving Palom any fancy ideas about these spells. A braggart like him will be after them as soon as he's mastered all the –Ja leveled spells."
"He is a Faraxhae, isn't he? He can handle it. Besides, we both know what powers you possess."
"I don't speak of that anymore."
"You don't speak of the Blitzkrieg anymore? Why not?"
"If I did, think of the trouble it could cause."
"I prefer to think of the power it could grant you access to."
"I thought you just wanted revenge."
Tellah flipped his purple-tinted glasses down and looked Rai straight in the eye, his trademark-violet eyes glinting mischievously.
"Revenge is one of many things I want, Rai. It would take me all night to list them all."
"Tell me more of your travels," Rai requested, sitting back down in his chair. "What other news do you have for me?"
"Plenty. Let's see… Where was I?"
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Palom woke up feeling different, but very comfortable. He opened his eyes to darkness, wondering where he was. The last thing he remembered was bumping along on a chocobo with Tellah.
The material he was sleeping on and under felt wonderfully soft; far too soft to be rock or even grass. He felt the thing on top of him and realized that it was a blanket. The thing under him was a mattress, and a pillow.
He sat up straight, looking around for someone. His eyes adjusted to the faint light and he could see that he was back in his room, as if he had never been gone and his whole adventure had been a dream.
But it couldn't have been: he was still dressed and he was still wearing his shoes.
Feeling pretty scared, he threw off his blanket and ran to the door, stumbling over his toys as he went. He ran down the hall to Porom's room and went inside, praying that she was there. She was, still sound asleep. He ran to the bed and jumped on it, shaking his twin.
"Porom! Porom, wake up! Wake up!"
Porom came around slowly, rubbing her eyes and yawning.
"Where am I?" she asked drowsily.
"We're back home, in your bedroom, in Mysidia," Palom informed. Porom bolted up, confused and scared as he was.
"How did we get here? Where are Cecil and Tellah?" she asked.
"I don't know. Do you think they left Mysidia already?"
"Where would they have gone?"
"I dunno, but what if they did? They need us!"
"Let's try the tower," Porom suggested. She jumped down off the bed and started searching for her shoes and cape. She found her shoes by the bed and tugged the on, not bothering to fasten them, and threw her cape around her neck, fastening the clasp as she ran for the door. Palom ran after her, not bothering to get his cape at all. He had his shoes on his feet already; that was enough.
They burst out the door, headed for the tower as fast as they could go. Somewhere behind them they heard their mother calling their names; she was probably running after them, but they didn't stop to look. They finally came to the tower and ran in, not caring if they were waking anyone up.
"Cecil! Are you here?" Palom yelled, praying that the knight would appear from somewhere.
Cecil stepped out of the shadows and into the hall, rubbing his eyes, but looking surprised to see them. His hair was a mess, and he wasn't wearing his armor.
"What are you doing—"
The twins crashed into him and they all fell on the floor. They were clinging to him and crying as if someone had just died.
"Please don't go! Don't leave without us!" Porom begged through sobs.
"What are you talking about?" Cecil asked, holding them close and trying to calm them down.
"We woke up and you weren't there and (sob) and we thought you had left us alone here and you were never coming back!" Palom cried. "We don't want you to leave us here! We want to stay with you!"
"We love you, Cecil! You're like our big brother! Please let us go with you when you leave!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa; calm down, both of you. I'm not going anywhere yet."
The twins sniffed in unison. "You're not?" Porom asked, taking deep breaths.
"No, I'm not. I'm not leaving until tomorrow."
"But that's so soon!" Palom protested. "We won't have any time to pack or anything!"
"It's five o'clock in the morning. Didn't you look at a clock?"
The twins looked away sheepishly.
"Your mother is standing in the front doorway," Cecil informed.
"Sheila and Dharma are on the veranda too," Porom added.
"Look, I want you guys to do something for me, okay?" Cecil asked.
"What is it?" Palom asked.
"I want you to go home with your mother, get back in bed, and go back to sleep. I'll still be here in the morning."
"But we're still going with you when you do go, right?" Porom asked hopefully.
"Ah… I'll think about it."
The twins wilted. "That always means no," Palom whined.
"It means I'll think about it. Maybe you can come," Cecil reasoned. "I'll talk with your mother about it."
"I have a better idea," said a voice behind them. The twins looked over their shoulders and saw their mother standing over them, looking peeved.
"It was probably a shock, waking up so disoriented. If you two want, you can stay here," she offered.
The twins beamed. "Do you really mean it?" Palom asked.
"On one condition: I don't' believe I got a hug when you got home." She knelt down and embraced her children for a long moment.
"We're sorry we couldn't tell you about all this," Porom apologized.
"Elder said that we only needed his permission and then he ordered us not to say anything to you," Palom explained. "We really wanted to say something, but we couldn't."
"I know just how you feel," Mira comforted. "I'll have to have a little chat with him…"
"So we can stay with Cecil for the rest of the night?" Porom confirmed.
"Yes, dearest one, you may," Mira said. Kissing them both on the forehead.
Sheila and Dharma sighed, relieved that the commotion wasn't anything serious, and went back to bed. They wondered vaguely why Tellah and the Elder hadn't come out to see what was going on.
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Cecil fell asleep sitting against a wall with Porom in his arms and Palom resting his head on his leg. It wasn't the most comfortable way he'd ever slept, but he was glad to have the twins with him again. As early as it was, his mind was busy trying to fabricate a way to include the twins in his journey to Baron. Surely there was a way.
After a while, the nearby clock chimed 7:00 and the twins began to stir. Sheila and Dharma came out of a door on the veranda, came down the stairs, and went through a nearby door. It was still again, and then voices from upstairs on the veranda woke them all up. Palom sat up and yawned, rubbing his eyes.
"I dreamed that Scarmiglione was offering me oatmeal cookies…" he mumbled.
Porom looked around and seemed to remember where she was and what had happened. She smiled happily and snuggled closer to Cecil, who squeezed her and gave her a kiss on top of her head.
"Hey, who's up there?" Palom wondered, looking up at the veranda. Cecil and Porom looked upward and listened to the conversation.
"...think that? Just because she may have known Hurricane doesn't mean anything."
"That's Tellah," Cecil poointed out, wondering what the sage meant by Hurricane.
"I never said that it was her, I was just curious. It is a possibility."
"And that's the Elder," Porom added. This conversation was getting more and more interesting with every word; the three of them barely breathed, lest they missed something.
"You've got a lot of nerve accusing Sammy. We were thousands of miles away! Anna was only--what?--17 when this happened! We had nothing to do with it."
"Jackie was an old friend of yours, and he betrayed you bitterly. A lot of people have been suspicious since he vanished... And I'll admit that I was one of them."
"I couldn't kill my baby sister's husband! Nor could I let my wife kill him."
"My, what an example you must be setting for the twins. How ever did Anna turn out so well? Or did she believe in revenge as much as you?"
Tellah growled and stomped his foot on the veranda. "Why should I have to set an example for them? They aren't my children; they aren't even coming with us to Baron, if Mira can help it."
"Your children, they are not--and for that, I am greatful. But they are your niece and nephew, brother."
"Listen to me, Rai: I have been trying to forget about this place for 23 years. And I came this close. And now, for the first time since I was Cecil's age, I actually had need of some things here, so I came back for a few days. If I knew that coming back would bring me in close contact with you, I wouldn't have come at all."
"Did I really make you that mad? And what was it all over? Can you even remember now?"
There was the sound of footsteps and a door slammed. The conversation was over.
Cecil and the twins all sat ridged, trying to process the amazing conversation they had overheard. Somewhere inside him, Cecil felt like he had come out on top of something. Tellah was a Faraxhae all along! The temper, the spells, the purple glasses—it was all right there the whole time!
The twins, however, didn't look so excited. They looked stunned and slightly hurt. Tellah was their uncle? Where had he been for so long? And why did he seem so angry all of a sudden?
Rai was coming down the stairs, looking tired and utterly defeated. He was rubbing his forehead with his hand, worried. He sighed and wiped his eyes. He glanced around and noticed after a second that the three were all wide awake, staring at him in disbelief.
"Good morning everyone," he said tiredly. "Good to see you kids back okay."
The twins were silent. Either they had nothing to say to him for what he had done to them, or they couldn't think of what to say about what they had just heard.
"Elder, I think you owe all three of us an explanation for all this," Cecil stated for them.
"Oh… You heard all of that, didn't you," Rai guessed.
"Most of it, yes," Cecil agreed.
Rai sighed again.
"Come on, all of you," he said flatly, beckoning them to follow him to a nearby door.
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Ooh! Family tension! This is just getting juicier and juicier by the moment!
Don't miss the little gag in Palom's dream: "Come to the dark side; we have cookies!"
By the way, THE OLYMPIC OPENING CEREMONY IN BEIJING WAS AWESOME!!
(Gasps for breath)
It was just lovely! If you didn't see it, try to catch parts of it on NBC's Olympics pages; it lasted from eight to midnight, though, so set aside some free time to watch the whole thing, if you want. A good deal of it was the countries parading in.
Also, 08-08-08 happens to be the 2-year anniversary of Final Fantasy Four-and-a-Half's publishing! For those of you who don't know, that was my first real epic fic. I published the first chapter on August 8, 2006. Ah, what a small world…
Feel free to check it out too. It has a small prologue called "Offbeat" and a sequel called "Paladin Wars". Palom and Porom are in these stories too, but nothing crosses over; this is on a completely different plane.
Oh! And this is the eighth chapter fo this story! The eighth chapter, published on 08-08-08, along with everything else...? I love big coincidences like this. X)
Also, I think that Dharma has a Chinese accent. I don't think that's very important, but you might like to know that.
Jai-Jing!