Somehow in the original version of this chapter, Rosa and Astrid were complete Mary Sues…I'm not sure how that happened. Hopefully all vestiges have been destroyed ;)
And after almost an hour raging against the computer for not loading fanfiction dot net (because even the website name got eaten like my page breaks), a friend recommended I use the force. I can honestly tell you all, that the force I'd really like to use right now would probably shatter not only the monitor, the harddrive, but also the adjacent window. Curse you dial-up. Someday our final battle will come. Someday.
Also, in the attempt to find a solution to the page break debacle…trying dashes this time… (for real, people, if you find one of my paragraphs that suddenly jumps POVs, it means there was supposed to be a break!)
Fact: I am not following After Years cannon, not explicitly, and I will fiddle with things a great deal. Names included. I view the game as something of a natural disaster with scattered delicious morsels that I will consume selectively and at will. I mean, Kain on a mountain top for 16 years? What is that? DUMB, that's what it is.
Continuity: In this version, I'm going with the idea that when the party returns to Baron after Zot and then goes questing for a way into the underground, they don't spend any time in the village of Baron…it's basically…arrive and fleeeee, and then come back…(Cid avoiding his daughter)
And the twins have not been forgotten ;)
(did it work?)
Chapter Thirteen
"This is the city?" Rydia asked, awed. They had left the stark world of the castle for the verdant one of the city surrounding it. Trees stood between buildings like sentinels, branches draping into the streets with a healthy bearding of moss. Homes and shops rose upwards with towers and turrets crowding the sky. Rydia spied ceramic tiles on the roofs that shone a warm mahogany in the sunlight. The city felt ancient and well-worn, very close.
Rydia barely had time to absorb her surroundings, as Rosa's quick pace made her have to hop to catch up. Something was on the other woman's mind.
"Rosa?" she huffed, almost running. "Where are we going?"
Rosa stopped dead in her tracks, chewing her lip. She seemed caught between which direction to take, and Rydia found that odd for one who had grown up in the city.
"The earful I'm going to get…" Rydia overheard Rosa murmur to herself.
They paused for only a moment before Rosa struck off again. Rydia was exhausted by trying to draw the other woman out and contented herself with waiting to see the cause of the white mage's worries. They traveled swiftly along the cobbled roads, but Rydia could feel eyes following their progress. She glanced from side to side and saw window shutters snap shut as they passed.
She looked at Rosa inquiringly.
"They're afraid," Rosa explained without missing a beat. "When the fiend Cagnazzo stole the throne, martial law became the form of justice in this city. I can't imagine what it's been like since Golbez's fiends were removed from the castle, but the people here are worried they might fall prey to Golbez again."
"But why are they afraid of us? Rydia asked. "We don't look like fiends."
"Golbez's forces were disguised by magic. No one knew…until too late. I don't think anyone expected to see me here alive. I've been gone for so long."
They had just passed what looked to be the city's marketplace, with a host of glances and whispers following them, when they were stopped by the only person brave enough to accost them.
"Rosa?" a young red-headed woman exclaimed from across the square. "Rosa!"
She dashed over to them—a girl of medium height with red hair that had been chopped straight at the shoulders. There was a light smattering of freckles below intense dark eyes.
"Astrid!" Rosa cried in delight.
The two women fussed over one another for a few minutes while Rydia stood awkwardly to the side. She was quite taken aback by the profuse use of high pitched exclamations—she had never seen this side of Rosa. Rydia glanced about and saw eyebrows raised on all the onlookers in the square.
"Have you been to see your mother?" the other woman asked, her voice finally lowering to normal pitches. "She was so worried when you left, and when Cecil last returned without you-we were all worried you'd been caught up in something terrible."
"It was…not the best of times," Rosa admitted.
"Where were you? Did Cecil come for you? No one really explained what happened, and the rumors coming out of the castle were so many that no one knew the truth," Astrid asked, deeply interested.
"He did—but not before Golbez had used me as a bargaining chip for one of the crystals," Rosa said vehemently. "We had all meant to escape this place, and in the end, we were all drawn into the net."
Astrid folded her arms across her chest. "Bargaining chip," she repeated. "Golbez had you? That spiky prick sure has nerve. Good thing you can always count on Cecil to rescue you, though," she added with a knowing smile.
"I don't rely on Cecil for everything," Rosa protested, "and I had no way of knowing if I would ever see any of you again."
"At least you can count on him for the big things," Astrid replied, unfazed. Then she shifted her gaze and caught sight of Rydia. She cast a curious look at Rosa, then back.
"Is your hair naturally that color?" Astrid asked.
"Astrid!" Rosa hissed, giving her a cautionary look.
Rydia blushed with embarrassment. "It's not entirely uncommon where I'm from," she explained a bit timidly.
"Where are you from, then, to have hair as green as grass?"
"The village Mist."
"Mist!" Astrid exclaimed with eyebrows raised. "I thought—"
Rydia felt her cheeks redden further. "I'm the last of that village."
Astrid's expression instantly changed, and her lips set in a grim line. She looked at Rosa with fury in her eyes.
"Those sons of bitches!" she shouted, shaking her fists. Other people in the square turned to look at the commotion, but most didn't seem at all shocked at its source. "All those people! To use MY friends to do it, too!"
Rydia felt a little flattered that someone else would rage on her behalf, but she was more taken aback than anything.
"Astrid," Rosa warned in a tone that brooked no argument.
The other woman released her breath in a huff, as if exhaling all the words she'd meant to say. Though she was biting back her words, the fury still blazed in her eyes. Rydia had a curious notion that the other woman reminded her of someone…
"I'm sorry for failing at introductions," Rosa hastily added, "Rydia, this is Cid's daughter, Astrid. Astrid, this is Rydia," she explained, clearing up the misunderstanding.
Astrid thrust out her hand, which Rydia hastily shook before nervously retracting her hand and absently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Puzzle pieces were beginning to fit together in her mind.
"You traveled with Cecil?" Astrid asked. "Even after…"
"He saved my life," Rydia answered, not sure what else to say.
Astrid nodded, unsurprised. "Were you one of the people who helped him rescue Rosa?"
"We were…separated," Rydia explained.
"Astrid, it's a bit complicated," Rosa interjected.
Astrid gave Rosa a measured look.
"Either way, thank you for whatever part you played. I've worried a great deal about my friends here," she told Rydia honestly, inclining her head in Rosa's direction. "Speaking of being separated," she added, giving Rosa her full attention again. "Where did that good for nothing father of mine go? Wasn't he with you when you came here for repairs?"
Rydia felt her stomach fall into her boots at the mention of the engineer, and she sensed Rosa's posture go rigid.
"We last saw him in the Underworld," Rosa began, her words tight.
Rydia admired Rosa's tact. It wasn't entirely untrue.
Astrid groaned. "Just like him to stay behind when there's work to be done! You tell him to stop tinkering with mythril and get back here already! There are a good number of ships that could use his attention—maybe then we could go after Golbez ourselves!"
"There are other ships?" Rosa asked. "Why didn't Golbez take them?"
"Defective. But only on purpose. When my father began to sense what was going on in the court, he sabotaged them. Spent most of his time trying to make it look like it wasn't his fault, but ever since then, I've been fixing them, readying them for combat."
"That's brilliant!" Rosa exclaimed. "Astrid, you truly are your father's daughter!"
The red-head smiled brightly. "I do my best."
There was an awkward pause that followed, and Astrid, misreading it, suddenly lit up with concern. "Skies above, you haven't been to see your mother at all, have you!"
Rosa made a face, frowning.
"No wonder you're so anxious. Go! It's been months since she's seen you. Here I am, wasting all your time…find me later if you can, Rosa!" Astrid said with a wave as she started marching away. "It was good to meet you, Rydia!" she called over her shoulder, and then was gone.
In the grand scheme of things, not telling Astrid the truth about her father was probably a mercy.
She saw how tense Rosa was, and knew what it must have cost her to hold back the truth, but now she knew the other cause for the woman's concern.
"Rosa?" she asked.
"Rydia, there's something I have to do. You don't have to come with me—but if you would like to walk around, you're perfectly welcome to. You'll be safe here."
Rydia weighed her options.
"Are you sure you don't want someone else with you when you speak to your mother?" Rydia asked.
Rosa's eyes took on a faraway quality. "No, this is something I have to do by myself."
"I'll take a look around, then," Rydia answered resignedly.
"There are gardens near the eastern wall, and if you get lost, just look for the castle," Rosa told her.
"Meet back at dusk, right?"
"At dusk," Rosa confirmed, and set off across the square, leaving Rydia behind.
Rydia stood where she was for a few minutes. It felt as though she'd been cut loose from a tether and was now directionless. She was delighted by the freedom, but also lost.
Now that she thought of it, she hadn't been on her own, able to walk around freely, since the Feymarch. Every other occasion, she'd been in the company of someone else or otherwise in danger of being torn to pieces.
She considered the market for an instant, but set the idea aside in favor of peace and quiet.
She left the square and meandered toward a lane that followed a stream that sliced through the city. It was lower here than on the main roads, a gradual stone embankment. The air was cooler and smelled of summer and growing things. There was a sweetness to it like fresh clipped clover and Rydia closed her eyes to take in the scent, finding it to be the first refreshing thing she'd smelled in months.
After weeks tarrying in sulfur, stale tower air, and smoke; to be among real grass and trees…it was ecstasy.
She followed the stream's path to a bridge that led through a wall. Beyond it stood blooming verbena and lilies.
Rydia was so overcome, she nearly lost herself in the moment.
To be in the real world again. To be among humans again!
But she still ached for the companionship of the Eidolons. She had her human friends here, yes, but their relationships had become strained, overshadowed by the threats they faced. And being in this city—this was their shared history, their stage, not hers.
She searched the garden for signs of others, and when she was satisfied she was alone, she began an incantation.
She left the world of summer behind, focusing on the summoning. The air around her chilled and frost dusted the tips of the grass that surrounded her.
"At last you've called," Shiva murmured, and Rydia opened her eyes, the summoning complete. Shiva wore robes of shimmering blue and silver that hung loose about her shoulders. She looked perfectly at ease, composed. She was just as Rydia remembered from the Feymarch only here she appeared in guise and not her natural self.
"We've left the underground," Rydia informed her. "But we've—we've lost some along the way," she began, but the tears had finally broken through her dams, trickling down her cheeks.
"The crystals," Shiva asked, her tone measured and deceptively mild. "Have they been retrieved?"
Rydia shook her head and Shiva's eyes narrowed as she knelt beside her.
"This is all hard news," she said. "Harder still to live it and not just tell it. I am sorry for the losses your people have suffered. It is a price of war."
"We were so close," Rydia hiccupped through tears. "So close, but then the cannons—the dwarves."
"Black told us of an explosion he sensed on his way down the tower. I had hoped to hear your voice again. In fact, we all worried we might not, it had been so long."
"We fled the tower," Rydia explained. "We fled, but as we were leaving Golbez—"
Here Shiva drew away, concern knitting her frosted brow.
"Did he find what he was looking for?" she asked.
"No, I don't think so."
The Eidolon relaxed. "I suppose we would have known by now if he had."
"But he headed us off—and if Cid, the airship engineer, hadn't saved us…"
"But you're above ground now, back in the realm of humans," Shiva interrupted her. "What is your plan now?"
"We've decided to try the tower again—from above ground."
"Surely you don't mean to fly, it will be guarded by air and they will see you coming."
"There are caves in a kingdom called Eblan that might join with the tower, and Cecil has decided we take the chance even if the caves are blocked."
"Caves, eh? But how many options do you have?" the Eidolon mused. "You've already tried from the bottom…"
"But Yang and Cid…" Rydia trailed off.
"I knew it!" a voice behind her shouted.
Shiva was on her feet at once, the rod she held billowing with icy steam, ready to attack this unknown person.
"Who are you!" Shiva demanded.
Rydia turned and realized who it was immediately. How could she not? The red hair—the flashing eyes.
She stood between Astrid and Shiva, her arms outstretched.
"So you ARE a summoner," Astrid noted with a hint of awe.
"Astrid—what?" Rydia asked, surprised at the intrusion.
"You mentioned my father among the fallen. You lied to me earlier. Why?" the young woman demanded.
"Why are you asking me this and not Rosa? I only met your father once," Rydia countered.
"Because your face betrayed the lie. What do you know?" Astrid pressed.
"He…" Rydia's voice faltered, but she found she could not hide the truth from Astrid. Lying had never been one of her strengths. "He went overboard. He closed the path to the underworld with a bomb and we haven't seen him since."
Astrid studied her intently, unmoving. "But you didn't see him hit the ground," Astrid probed.
Rydia frowned, thinking. "No. I didn't."
Astrid relaxed. Not much, but perceivably. "Stodgy old coot, that."
Rydia inclined her head, not comprehending. This was not the reaction she'd been expecting.
"He's not dead," Astrid informed her after she saw the look of confusion on Rydia's face.
"How do you—"
"It takes more than an explosion and a fall to kill my father. Man's made of adamant."
Rydia wasn't convinced.
"I thought something was suspicious when he didn't return with you. He said that he'd come up with a plan in case the first mission failed, but when he wasn't with you…"
"Astrid, he fell a long way…"
"Rydia, we practically live in the sky. He wouldn't have jumped without a back-up plan."
Rydia took a deep breath, hope surging in her chest. She wrestled with it, not wanting to get ahead of herself.
"And now I know why Rosa was so upset," Astrid mused. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Me and dad's crew will have your ship ready to go by tomorrow."
"Astrid…I'm sorry," Rydia offered.
"Don't be," the woman responded offhandedly. "I've gotten the truth out of you, that was all I really wanted."
Astrid then looked at Shiva whose stance hadn't relaxed much despite Rydia's intervention. "So…are you going to call off the attack?"
Rydia glanced at Shiva and nodded. Shiva lowered her weapon.
"Cold as death over here," Astrid complained, rubbing her arms. "Is that your magic's doing?"
Shiva frowned. "I command the power of ice. If you can't handle the cold, I suggest you leave."
Astrid held both of her hands up in surrender. "It's not a problem! It's just odd to leave summer behind and enter an ice box all of a sudden, is all."
She looked at Rydia, and then at Shiva. "Oh, sorry, I interrupted something, didn't I?"
Rydia gave her a tight smile but didn't have the heart to shoo her away.
"We have important things to discuss, yes," Shiva answered. "If you don't mind, we'd like to get back to them."
"Right! Of course!" Astrid announced a bit awkwardly, backing away. "It was nice meeting you…err…queen of the ice."
Rydia and Shiva watched her leave. When Rydia looked back at Shiva, her arms were folded across her chest, and her eyes were narrowed. "Humans…" she muttered.
The Eidolon turned her attention back to Rydia. "So tell me, child. Your human friends, are they treating you well?"
Rydia gazed out at the garden. All the recent arguments she'd had with her friends bubbling to the surface of her thoughts.
"Yes," she answered half-heartedly.
"They are having a hard time accepting you," Shiva discerned.
"I had thought…I had thought my return would have more of an effect on them. That I would be able to come back as an adult and be treated as one. They still treat me like a child."
Shiva smiled knowingly. "You still are a child, in many respects," she answered.
Rydia frowned. "You're not helping," she lamented.
"I believe you had a similar conversation with Black," Shiva added.
Rydia wanted to scream. Was nothing private anymore?
"Rydia, humans have an illogical love of time. When something doesn't fit their reality, they regard it as…something of a curiosity. I'm sure your friends still love and appreciate all that you do for them."
"I wish they'd tell me," Rydia muttered.
Shiva smiled. "And remember that you have us, even when it seems that you are alone."
"Thank you," Rydia told her honestly. After so many deaths, it was good to know that she still had someone.
"Good luck in the days ahead, Rydia. Don't hesitate to summon any of us when you are in need."
Rydia nodded, closing her eyes. She felt Shiva's hand on her chin and opened her eyes again. "Make us proud," Shiva told her.
Rydia smiled, tears still staining her cheeks, and spoke the words that ended the summoning. Shiva faded to a vapor and was gone.
Rydia sat where she was in the garden for a few minutes longer. She was not alone. She reminded herself of it again and again. Not alone.
She looked up at the sky and saw that it had turned to a golden hue. It was not yet evening, but she was eager to rejoin the others. The city held no real interest for her, and she was eager to collect her bearings.
She stood and left the garden behind, following the path back to the market. Once there, she realized she was completely lost. She hadn't really been paying attention to the turns Rosa had made when they were entering the city and now she couldn't recall which street to follow.
Look for the castle, she recalled Rosa saying…she peered above the tall buildings and saw spires rising in the distance. It was off to her right and some way away, but at least she had a general course.
She took off westward, taking several wrong streets, getting turned around, and spent so much time trying to navigate, that by the time she finally reached the castle gates again, it truly was dusk.
She was exhausted and was delighted that no one questioned her as she crossed the draw bridge and into the castle proper.
There were a number of thoughts crowding her head as she entered the foyer, but all of them fled when her path crossed with Kain's.
He missed a step and faltered to a stop once he saw her in turn. His eyes, un-obscured by the harshness of his helm, were vulnerable, startled.
He wasn't wearing his armor, she noticed, and seeing him wearing simple trousers and a loose shirt made him seem…smaller, less imposing. She didn't realize she was staring at him to intently, brows pinched together as if she were angry, and she immediately softened her expression.
She saw him relax his shoulders in response.
"Any word on when we'll be leaving?" she asked.
Perhaps relieved that she had chosen a neutral topic, he took a step forward, resuming whatever task he'd originally set out to accomplish.
"I'm checking on the engineers now," he said.
She nodded absently. She was already thinking two steps ahead.
Would they find the caverns blocked? How were they going to survive another foray into the tower without Yang? What would she do without his presence to ground her?
Kain had taken a few more steps, leaving Rydia to her musings, when he paused again. "Weren't you with Rosa? He asked, searching the doorway behind her.
Rydia looked behind her as well, half-expecting the devastatingly beautiful woman to make her entrance at any time.
"She stayed behind in the city," Rydia replied automatically.
Kain just nodded. "I see," he said, and Rydia detected a hint of disappointment in his voice.
She wasn't sure how to end the awkward conversation, but he solved the problem for her by walking away. She stared after him for a few minutes, curious.
There were so many dynamics between her companions that it was hard for her to keep track of them all. Most confusing of all, was her relationship to Kain.
Suddenly she remembered that she had meant to ask him a question—she had no idea where the west tower was!—but he had already ascended a staircase and left the foyer. She struggled between whether or not to go after him. She was tired of taking wrong turns, but some part of her pride refused to request help from him of all people.
Instead, she continued exploring. She took several more wrong turns in the process, descending staircases when she should have been ascending. There were hallways that led to balconies over court yards, but none of them led to the west tower. She returned to the foyer again and followed suits of armor and ornate marble pillars to a set of doors that she hadn't yet explored.
The doors opened to an unusual scene, and Rydia stopped in her tracks to stare.
There before her stood two statues, practically identical save for a few details. They were children captured perfectly in stone, each hair and strand of fabric on their clothing perfectly portrayed. They were pushing at each wall, arms outstretched, feet braced. If Rydia didn't know any better, she would have thought it an odd choice of decoration, but she was a user of magic.
She felt the tang of strong magic in the chamber, and a startling thought came to her. These were the twins who had traveled with Cecil. These were the two she had seen briefly in her visions. She rested a hand on the shoulder of one of the twins, and a jolt shot through her palm. She shrieked and jumped back.
What? She thought furiously. She tried again, timidly reaching out with her fingertips. This time she didn't flinch when the jolt met her skin. She focused. Yes, strong magic, she concluded. She could feel it pulsing. They had turned themselves to stone! But when the spell should have worn off, or by all accounts, been removed, they remained where they were unmoving.
But they were still alive—that she could tell. There was still a spark of consciousness buried deep within. She wasn't sure how she knew for certain, but a strong pull on her gut told her it was so.
"They saved our lives," Cecil's voice said sadly behind her.
She jumped again, but this time for a very different reason.
"Are you alright?" he asked, looking at her with concern.
"Fine," she answered, catching her breath.
Cecil stepped toward her, looking at the twins with remorse.
He set a hand on the girl's shoulder and closed his eyes as if remembering her in life. Rydia watched him intently, wanting to know if he felt what she had, but his expression revealed nothing.
"They sacrificed themselves to save us, and now they're trapped this way," he explained.
She let him grieve for a moment, not wanting to intrude on whatever thoughts he was entertaining, but she knew something he didn't.
"They're not lost," she told him softly.
He turned to look at her, disbelief at war with hope on his face. "What?" he asked.
"They're not lost," she said again. "There's still life in them."
"How do you know?" he asked.
"I can sense it through the stone. There's the strength of the spell encasing them, but beneath they sleep."
"Even Tellah couldn't bring them back, do you think you can?"
Rydia looked at the twins sadly. "I can tell you that they're still alive, but I don't possess the magic to break their spell. It was magic cast by twins, and different from my own. Someone who knew their incantations might be able to break it, but I can't."
"But they're really alive?" he asked again.
Rydia nodded, and Cecil reached out to grip her arm. The look he gave her was one of genuine relief. "I'm glad you're with us, Rydia."
"I'm glad to be back," she answered.
"With you gone, and then the twins…"
"I'm not going anywhere again," she assured him.
"Good."
They stayed in the chamber for a few minutes longer and then left the twin statues behind, returning to the foyer.
"Were you lost?" Cecil asked her while they walked.
"A little," she replied, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Follow me," he said, leading her through the hallways. This time, she made sure to actually remember which corridors he took.
"We'll leave tomorrow," he informed her.
"So soon?" she asked, dreading the return to the tower of Babil.
"We have no time to waste," he answered, leading her across another courtyard to a tall and wide tower that rose into the sky.
"Tomorrow then," she repeated, dolefully.
She hadn't realized that she'd stopped until Cecil had turned around and gripped both of her shoulders. She looked into his pewter eyes, feeling very tired.
"We'll get through this," he assured her.
"How do you know?" she asked.
"How did you know the twins were still alive?"
She shrugged. "I just…knew."
"It's your turn to trust me," he replied.
She stared into his eyes a moment longer, seeing the resolve there. She did trust him, always had.
"Tomorrow," she said again, mastering her doubts.
She squared her shoulders and forced a brave smile, and Cecil nodded in return. He released her shoulders and kept leading her up the tower stairs.
They might face death and uncertainty, but they also had each other, and Rydia had the Eidolons behind her as well. They couldn't fail. They couldn't.
…
A/N:
PHEW! Alright, moving on! Guys, I'm SO EXCITED that Edge is only two chapters away…you don't even know! I'm trying to contain my fangirlish glee, but…EEEEEEEEE!
Quicker update this time. Thanks again to all of my readers and reviewers! You guys are awesome :)