Chapter 12: Journey's Eve

They left for Lloyd's house the very next day. Her mother was quite adamant about coming with them. The mere thought of leaving her behind was practically ludicrous. Her father didn't even begin to try to talk her out of it although Leona suspected that he might have wanted to.

Leona noticed that her mother was quicker to anger. Any gentlemanly thing her father did for her was interpreted as trying to baby her or somehow treating her differently due to her pregnancy. It was a completely illogical sentiment especially since these were activities that her father always did habitually. She must have been just like this when she was pregnant with her—she felt for her father. It was also a testament to his patience. She often wondered where his limits were. As long as she'd known him, she'd never seen him reach them.

It was still morning when they arrived at Lloyd and Colette's house. Surprisingly enough, the house was full of activity, the remaining kids still living there going about their chores. Lloyd wasn't there, unfortunately. He'd started out bright and early on some errand or other. Colette was hard at work compiling a list of necessary groceries needed for the house.

Perhaps it was for the best that both parents weren't there to hear the news. Leona found herself reciting the same story she'd told her father, but it was different when it was to Lucas' mother. She spared her no detail and she could barely stand to look Colette in the eyes.

"My goodness," Colette said after she took a moment to soak in the information, "He's always been so closemouthed when it comes to asking for help. He could be anywhere. I haven't the slightest clue where to start looking for him."

It wasn't a question of whether or not they should even begin looking for him, but rather where they should start looking.

"Let's not jump to conclusions," her mother said to the worry-stricken Colette. "We know that Lucas has been showing these odd symptoms whenever he fights certain creatures, dark particles are somehow drawn to him. I suspect those are the very essence of the creature that was just defeated. Has anyone seen such creatures before? Any that you might have seen close to the house? Perhaps they were specifically targeting him."

Colette shook her head. "I haven't seen anything like that around here. Then again…I'm not always with him. Well, you know how boys get—they like to do things on their own especially hunting. Used to be we would go out together all the time, but lately…"

"Who knows how long this phenomenon has been happening?" her mother said. "Leona might have stumbled upon it happenstance. But those three times may not have been the only time it has occurred."

"And I missed all of that?" Colette asked wondrously. "He always looked fine, acted like himself, nothing out of the ordinary." She was clearly perplexed by the circumstances.

"Let's wait until Lloyd gets back. He may know something we don't," Regal said.

"Indeed," her mother said agreeing with him unquestioningly. She took a seat now at the same table that Colette was sitting. "He may be able to shed some light on the situation."

Leona was immediately struck by how easily the adults had simply assumed that Lloyd should have all the answers. It made no sense. If Colette is here more than Lloyd than he probably knew even less. Yet they were settled in their decision to wait for his return. Was she missing something?

They seemed at ease. They started talking about the kids, how has it been going lately, etc…What happened to the sense of urgency? Anything could be happening to Lucas and…

"Leona, why don't you go check and see what the kids are doing? I know you're worried about Lucas, but there is little we can do at this point," her father said to her.

Of course her father must have noticed her festering frustrations and he essentially told her that her presence was no longer needed. At least that's how she interpreted it. Wordlessly, she left them to their fireside chat and went looking for Ludovic, Cecil, and Cathe. She hoped to run into Cathe first, but instead, she stumbled upon Ludovic who evidentially was done with his chores for the day. He sat on the porch on the swinging chair.

He was writing something in a notepad. He would write a few words, pause, look to the skies thoughtfully and then begin writing again. Leona stood there watching him for a good minute and he failed to notice her.

"Hi, Ludovic," Leona said.

He was clearly startled, comically so, much to Leona's amusement. She hadn't known a way to get his attention without startling him. He dropped his pen and almost his notebook.

"H-Hi," he replied shyly but politely.

She still couldn't make out his eyes and now he was looking down again.

"What are you doing?" Leona asked with innocent curiosity.

"Umm…writing…" he answered her.

"Well, I know that much," Leona said. She felt quite bold around him, perhaps she was feeding off his timidity. She strolled across the porch and sat down beside him without further ado. He seemed to stiffen in her presence. "What about?"

Leona half expected him to hide it, but he let out a resigned sigh, "I was writing a song for Lucas to sing to me."

"Oh? You do that a lot?"

"Everyone knows he can sing, but…he won't do it in front of people."

"You mean to tell me that he's too shy to do it?" Leona asked. That didn't seem right at all. Especially considering that he had no qualms doing such things for her not too long ago.

Ludovic simply nodded.

"But then why are you writing a song that you'll never hear?"

"I won a bet."

"Another bet…" Leona said starting to see a kind of pattern with his behavior. "What kind of bet?"

"Well…" Ludovic said looking away, "He made me promise not tell anyone about it."

"It's not anything bad, is it?" Leona asked.

"No, just embarrassing…for him at least. So now, he has to sing a song of my choosing."

Leona couldn't figure out just what Ludovic must have been better than Lucas at doing. She realized then that she knew almost nothing about him. Maybe…

"Anything that you're particularly good at?" Leona asked.

She saw the end of his mouth curve up a bit. "A sudden interest in me…is very suspicious. I'll tell you what I like to do…"

Perhaps it was a bit too on the nose…

"Writing," he began slowly, "Helping people, and, well, I've always wanted to start my own garden…just like you."

"Starting a garden? Well, that's easy. You just have to do a bit of research first, find the seeds you want, a little soil and viola, you have yourself a garden."

"But…where would I find seeds?"

"Catalogs. And then you just have to get someone to order it for you."

"Is it…expensive?"

"Sometimes, but no it usually isn't. You know what you want to grow?"

Ludovic shook his head. "I like all flowers the same. Each one has its own unique beauty."

"You've seen all flowers?" Leona asked.

Ludovic shook his head, "I've not seen one that I dislike… I doubt I ever will."

"What about tulips? You think those are pretty, right? You even gave me a pendant."

"I got that for you, it was your birthday. Nothing to do with me. I know that you really like those particular flowers."

"So it was true when you said you'd see me looking out to the garden…"

Ludovic only nodded.

"You're a very observing person."

"People tell me that a lot."

Leona sat back on the swing and then looked upwards. "Notice anything odd about Lucas?"

"Yes…"

"Well?" Leona asked when he didn't expound.

"We share the same room so I know if he's sleeping or not…and he hasn't been, at least not uninterrupted. He has these nightmares whenever he manages to sleep…and he gets all feverous. Told me not tell anyone."

"How long has that been happening?"

"For almost a year…"

"What?" Leona said caught off guard. "For that long?"

Ludovic simply nodded. "He tells me about his dreams, about a shadow woman who follows him wherever he goes, inescapable. Sometimes she's not following him, sometimes she simply talks to him. He's needed for something, but she's never clear on just what, but it feels urgent. It's weird because she's not actually talking…it's like sensing her intentions. Something is wrong, something is dreadfully wrong at least that what she tells him if nothing is done soon…and he starts to suffocate, or maybe he's stabbed repeatedly, or maybe he's falling off some cliff…in some way he dies then he wakes up."

"Does the shadow woman have a name?" Leona asked.

He shook his head "no".

"Ludovic, that woman is real and she's kidnapped him for some reason."

Leona couldn't tell if the other was shocked by the news, but he looked up at her now, his head tilted upward towards her. "Do you think…?"

"No," Leona said shaking her head, "Don't even say it. It wouldn't make sense for this person to go through all that trouble only to do that at the end. Besides, it's starting to make a little more sense to me now. Lucas mentioned he knew his role now and that woman has been trying to communicate with him for quite some time. This was the end result. He must have accepted whatever she needed for him to do."

"We need to find him…" Ludovic said with more emphasis in his voice than usual.

"He's not in danger of dying—

"He's alone with someone he barely even knows. He must be terrified…He's not in his right mind. He would not simply leave without telling anyone. He would have told you out of all people…but he didn't."

"Me out of all people?"

Ludovic shook his head. "You're…um…friends with him, right?"

"Oh, I see."

The side of his mouth curved up again and Leona still wasn't able to interpret such subtle expressions from him.

"There he is," Ludovic said pointing.

Leona looked up suddenly expecting to see Lucas for some reason, but instead it was Lloyd. Ludovic had already set down his pen and paper and was traversing down the three steps of the porch. It must have been something that happened regularly because Lloyd had already stopped his advance for the rushing Ludovic who was soon hugging him outright. She could hear Lloyd's excited voice from here and they were well into a conversation by the time they made it to the porch.

"Aw man, we really need to cut your hair, kiddo."

Leona watched as Lloyd ran a hand through his ridiculously long bangs pushing it away from his forehead and just like that she could finally lay eyes on his face, a face that was quite similar to his father, Leona realized immediately. Identical eye color, the way he smiled which both were doing at the moment—it was an interesting revelation. But Ludovic was quickly trying to brush his bangs back down again much to Lloyd's amusement.

"You little devil, I bet you've been doing all sorts of things to make your mom forget about cutting your hair. I won't forget, however. By tonight if she doesn't get around to it, you'll just have to suffice with me doing it."

"But…you can't even cut a straight line!"

Lloyd laughed at this. "That's right. You'll either have a good haircut or an embarrassing one—the choice is yours."

One could see the horror in Ludovic's eyes and for a moment, at least, she felt for his predicament. Then again, having hair covering up most of his face was a bit ridiculous…

"Leona!" Lloyd said suddenly noticing, "What a surprise. You came all the way out here by yourself? I can't imagine either of your parents being okay with that come to think of it."

"No, they're here too," Leona clarified, "We came on a Rheaird."

"Oh? Even better. What's the occasion? I haven't seen Regal out of the office since your birthday. Wait, is it a holiday or something? I totally forgot—

"No, no, it's something really…important. You should go in, they'll fill you in."

Lloyd's smile suddenly became more somber as she spoke and his eyebrows creased just a bit. Somehow she must have given something away from her tone of voice.

"Well, alright, let's go see what the issue is," he said stepping over to the door and opening it easily. Perhaps the door was never locked.

Leona and Ludovic followed him through to the dining room where the three other adults sat. Though they wanted to see how Lloyd was doing first, he wanted to cut right to the chase. There was something wrong and Lloyd wanted to know everything. This time Regal was retelling what Leona had already said twice much to her relief. Still, however, after all was said aloud, she found herself looking at Lloyd. Who knew one's eyes could become so…intense? It wasn't in any accusing way, but she did feel a bit self-conscious. No one had to tell her twice, he wanted to take action. He wanted to come up with a plan in that instant. He wanted to do a lot of things all at once.

"Is there anything else you can think of that might help us?" Lloyd asked her.

Then she told them the conclusions she'd drawn from Ludovic earlier and finally, she spoke of Clarion. She hadn't thought of it until now because that woman had clearly been focused on her, but perhaps she was connected.

"Wait, that's wrong," Lloyd said as she said aloud the prophecy. Everyone was looking at Lloyd now wondering how he would know such things. "No, it goes, the seed of the one who saved the world will destroy it."

"Now where did you hear that?" Regal asked.

Lloyd looked at the other for a moment before responding. "It was just a dream. Well, many dreams on many occasions, but after a while, I never had it again."

"After awhile? When exactly?" Regal questioned.

"If I'm not mistaken, when Colette was first pregnant. It's been awhile, I know, but I remember it as clear as day."

"Perhaps that holds some significance," Raine said, "But in any case your version makes more sense. Maybe this Clarion was intentionally withholding information. Taken into account what we know about the dreams Lucas was having, this so-called prophecy was speaking of Lucas."

"But we all know that it wasn't just 'one'. It was all of us."

"My experience with prophecies is that they're rarely perfect and they're always extremely vague. Take them with a grain of salt," Raine said. "Elven prophecies, anyways."

"And do you recognize this one?" Lloyd asked.

"You heard one, you've heard them all. This one stinks of elven influence. It makes reference to a seed, a nature-based metaphor as opposed to coming out and simply saying child."

"And elven prophecies concern humans as well?" Regal asked.

Raine shook her head. "That's where I'm most puzzled. Those prophecies are supposed to exclusively be about elves. It could just be a coincidence, pure and simple. This shadow lady may well be an elf throwing in prophecies for theatrics, perhaps misleading her true intentions."

"Clarion could be the same shadow lady. Is that possible from what they look like?" Lloyd asked to Leona.

"They're both women, both seem like their heights are similar—it could be…" Leona answered.

"Though this still doesn't tell us where we should be investigating first."

"I would say Heimdall, but there's no way they'd allow any humans to enter their settlement. Regal feels sure that Lucas is no longer in Altamira."

"If we don't know where to start, then we look everywhere," Lloyd said as if it was the most obvious plan in the world.

"That would require a bit more…manpower," Raine said looking at him incredulously.

"What do we have to lose? We might stumble upon something else along the way."

"I think we all know what we're going to do next," Regal said.

"Let's hope everyone's up for the impossible task of searching everywhere for a needle in a haystack," Raine said sardonically.

It was amazing to Leona how her parents who were perhaps the most logical people she'd ever met, agree with Lloyd's farfetched plan with little fuss. Anyone else, and her mother would be chewing that person out for the lack of forethought.

"Still easier than bringing two entire worlds back together," Regal said as an afterthought and everyone agreed with him.

Now they were making plans, but as she listened, she realized that they were forgetting something.

"What about me? What will I do?" Leona asked.

"You wouldn't mind Leona staying here for awhile, would you," Raine said, "It'd be dreadfully boring to leave her back in some empty house in Altamira.

"Oh, of course, Leona can stay. I think I'll sit this one out guys," Colette said, "Someone has to look after these kids while everyone's away."

"I also think it's a good idea that someone is here just in case Lucas shows back up here," Raine said.

"Given his resourcefulness, I wouldn't be surprised. Here we are searching high and low for him and he managed to get his own self out of trouble," Lloyd said with a laugh.

"Something tells me it won't be that easy," Regal said.

Leona couldn't believe it. They were actually going to exclude her from the search. Where was all that talk about independence? When it got right down to it, they still thought of her as a little girl who needed supervision. Yet when it was Lucas, he was treated like an adult. She'd gotten to know him a little better after a few days and he didn't seem any more mature than she. Perhaps he was a little more knowledgeable about the world…maybe he knew how to get to places by heart…but still! She listened to them talk until she could stand it no more.

She left the dining room and went back outside. She'd not seen Cecil or Cathe the whole time and she was no longer looking for them. As she stepped down from the porch, she looked at her surroundings. Lucas and his family really did live in the middle of nowhere. They were surrounded by forestry and there were lone paths that probably led out to civilization. Having nothing else better to do, she decided she'd venture forth just a little in a straight line—however far she dared and then turn back around. Perhaps she was simply trying to confirm to herself that she was capable, whatever the case, she could not convince herself to simply stay put.

Of course Lucas wouldn't be out there a few minutes away from his own house. That would be ridiculous her logical mind told her. Yet she continued to traverse forward in a linear direction. Should she turn back around now? Or maybe a few minutes later. Then, however, the forest opened up into a meadow, brightly lit because of the position of the sun at the time. There in the center of it stood a woman, Clarion. She wore the same dress, had the same hairstyle as before. It was as if time was irrelevant to her. I have to tell everyone! But she stopped in her tracks when the woman beckoned her closer.

"Come, child. I must speak with you of urgent matters."

"Is it about Lucas?"

"The seed," Clarion confirmed. "He is the seed. Had I known, I might have informed you before, but now it is too late."

"You thought the prophecy was about me?"

"Out of all the children, you are most associated with nature—I made an assumption and that is always dangerous."

"But all you could make is assumptions. That prophecy is far too vague."

"Such is the way of prophecies even the most important ones. We are blessed to have even a hint. Now it falls to you to stop it from coming to fruition."

"Me?"

"Yes, you are the most suited."

"How is that? My parents…their friends…they're far more capable—

Clarion shook her head giving Leona pause. "No, their journey is done. Despite their best efforts, they are destined to fail. They will turn against you. You must harden yourself for the road ahead. It is paved with hardships."

"Turn against me? My parents would never do that."

"And I hope that is truly the case. Go to the Triet Ruins. There you will find what you seek."

"Lucas will be there?"

"If all goes as foretold, yes, he should be there. You must make haste."

"But how—

Even before she could finish her sentence, Clarion silently disappeared from her sight. There would be no more questions. She had the most important answers anyway. Even if it didn't make any logical sense, she felt as if she could not tell her parents. What were the consequences for disobeying the prophecy? The Triet Ruins were one of the places that they planned on searching. When she left, they were already discussing the places they would go to and who should go where. Even if she didn't tell them outright, they'd eventually be there. And there was always a chance that Clarion's warning proved true and they did turn against her. What was the harm of checking things out herself? She'd already traveled far to the tournament in Meltokio. Traveling was doable and she was more than capable of defending herself. But more than that, she felt responsible for Lucas' predicament. Had she simply followed her instincts the first time she realized something was amiss, perhaps this entire debacle could have been avoided. Now she was being given a chance to correct the problem on her own. Admittedly, she wanted to take that. The only problem was whether she could do such a thing alone.

It was only then that she became aware of footsteps behind her. Was it her parents? Her cover may already be blown. Maybe she'd spent too much time away from the house and they were now looking for her.

"So you're telling me all we have to do is go to the Triet Ruins?" said a very familiar girl's voice.

Leona turned on her heels and beheld Cecil and Cathe. Cecil was the one who had spoken.

"You heard everything?" Leona asked surprised.

"Don't look at me like that—Cathe was the one who came up with the idea of spying on you."

Cathe smiled, "And my instincts were right."

"I say we go to the ruins nab my bastard of a brother and drag him back home kicking and screaming. Then we can see the look of utter surprise on all our parents' faces."

My mother looking surprised? That would be a sight to see… "You make it sound so simple," Leona said. "But does anyone even know where the ruins are?"

"It's almost a straight shot from here and a couple days of traveling on foot," Cecil said with a nod, "We should be there in no time. Now c'mon while there's still daylight!"

"Geez, Cecil, we at least need to get a little prepared," Cathe said exasperatedly. "Be right back. You two stay here. I want draw any attention if I go back to the house and get all the essential stuff so we won't starve."

"Amenities," Cecil growled. "Fine if it'll make you dandelions feel better."

Cecil stood with crossed arms as Cathe hurried back to the house and for a good while, Leona was left alone in the presence of Cecil. She was silent as she looked at Leona. Leona felt as if she was being sized up right then and there. She wondered if she was "passing" any of her standards.

"You seem like a good solid fighter. We'll need that for the ruins or so I've heard. Don't worry, Leona, we'll get him back and he will be made to explain his transgressions."

Something told her that the other truly meant to follow through on that last part. She would hate to be in Lucas' shows when they found him in that case. It was no longer an "if" but a "when". She knew it was dangerous to feel this way, but she was confident of their success now that she someone other than herself to count on. Cecil might be a bit of loose cannon, but she had enough stakes in the task that Leona didn't feel as if she needed to worry about her motivations.

AN: Yeah, I know, I was a bit late, but the free time I did have was spent entertaining family and then it was back to work. Hopefully, I'll have the proper time this weekend...We'll see. Anyways, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. We're finally getting to the meat of the story. I totally wish I had pics for all these characters because I see them so clearly in my head, but, oh well, you'll just have to suffice with my written descriptions...

MacinJack: Warm and fuzzy feelings. Thank you.