This chapter was serious business. Had to blast Florence + the Machine and everything! …and copious amounts of bagpipes. I never said I wasn't eccentric.
Freida_right, you helped keep me sane through the writing of this, lol. Many thanks :P
And many thanks to Moonclaw for the cookie, and to all the rest of you writing Edge/Rydia fic ;) (SO SHAMELESS I KNOW)
And to all of you still reading this—Thank you~ lol
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Chapter Twenty
Rosa was standing in the center of the room with her slim, pale arms folded against her chest. Her expression was grim, her lips pursed. Rydia found it hard to meet her friend's eye, and stepped around her.
"You said you would explain later," Rosa pointed out, refusing to be avoided. "It's later."
Rydia sighed and sat down at the table, spreading her hands out across the tabletop. "We're going before Leviathan and Asura," she repeated.
"To what end, Rydia? You look eager but uncertain, and it's worrying me," Rosa complained, sitting down in an adjacent chair and taking one of Rydia's hands in her own. Rosa's hands felt cold atop her own. "Tell us—what is it that you brought us here to do?"
Rydia was keenly aware of Cecil and Edge slowly approaching the table, also waiting for an explanation.
"Golbez is more powerful than we realized," Rydia explained hesitantly, glancing at each of her friends. "He has so many allies. I thought it would be best to seek more allies of our own."
"More allies?" Cecil asked.
"You asked Astrid in Baron to do something for you, didn't you?" she asked. "To gather whoever was still alive to help us?"
"To find whatever friends we had left, yes," Cecil confirmed.
"Black told us that a summoner must earn the true name of an Eidolon before being able to summon them. Rydia, is this what you're planning to do—place yourself in danger?" Rosa asked.
"It's a test of wills," Rydia hedged.
"And what exactly comprises a test of wills?" Rosa persisted.
Rydia took a deep breath. "It's a challenge."
"A battle?" Cecil asked.
Rydia smiled weakly up at him. "Of sorts."
"You're going to challenge the Lord of All Waters and the queen of the Feymarch?" Edge balked.
"It is the only way to gain their trust and permission," Rydia explained. "We have to challenge them. It is a test of strength and will."
"We? We have to challenge Leviathan?" Cecil asked, in disbelief.
Rydia nodded resolutely. "The test is mostly for myself, but as my companions, you must also be proven worthy of the task."
"And you neglected to tell us about this until just now," Cecil said, suddenly annoyed.
"I didn't because I thought it was necessary, and because we need them, Cecil," Rydia argued. "Who knows what will happen if we fail to find the last Crystal? Who knows what will happen if Golbez opens a path to the moon?"
"We have to battle the Lord of all Waters," Edge repeated, beginning to pace.
"He's actually much nicer than he sounds," Rydia added, glancing in the prince's direction.
"Rydia, he's been responsible for the sinking of ships and the deaths of countless sailors," Rosa protested. "How could he possibly be the kind soul you've described?"
"Who the Eidolons are in the Upperworld is not who they are in the Feymarch. He's nothing like an evil sea dragon."
"But that's who we'll be fighting—the sea dragon. We will be fighting the king of the deep," Cecil said. "Rydia, what if he kills us?"
Rydia looked away. "Asura would never let that happen."
"To you, maybe," Edge argued. "But you volunteered us for a battle that we didn't agree to, a battle that could potentially kill us, and you didn't even bat an eyelash."
"How is this any different from half of the things we've done lately?" Rydia asked, instead, looking up at him intently. "We've climbed towers and battled monsters without knowing if we would be dead in the morning. The Eidolons won't kill us," she added.
"You are valuable, but not the rest of us," Rosa pointed out, her lips pointed downward in a frown. "What if they're not feeling as generous toward us?"
"It will be alright," Rydia insisted. "I've challenged all of my Eidolons personally—how could the five of us fail?"
"You had to battle all of your Eidolons alone?" Rosa asked incredulously.
"It is the way of things," Rydia said simply.
The five of them fell silent for a time, each absorbed by the enormity of Rydia's news.
The opening of the door behind them, made each of them jump and stare at the door with wide eyes.
Shiva appeared before them, the long dark rope of her braided hair draped over her shoulder down to her knees. She wore an unreadable expression, but her entire demeanor spoke of forthcoming peril.
"You're to come with me," she informed them, throwing the door wide with one hand, her fingers barely alighting on its surface.
Ifrit was standing like a living bulwark behind the lithe ice summon; and the five humans followed Shiva out the door and into the light of the unnatural sun like hesitant children. Ifrit had not abandoned his disguise and still appeared to Rydia and the others as a giant of a man with meaty fists and arms that could easily crush a man's skull. Cecil, Rosa, and Kain all blanched in his presence, afraid to step much farther beyond the threshold of the house. Rydia glanced peculiarly at each of the Eidolons, wondering at their behavior. There was an expectant sort of atmosphere settling over these proceedings, and it was starting to make Rydia more nervous than before. It was as if the Eidolons were holding their breath—hoping, but not daring to hope—at the same time. Hoping for what, exactly?
Shiva walked as a dancer, each step thoughtfully placed and executed as she briskly led them down the street. While they walked, she began delivering instructions, which Rydia and the others were expected to assimilate without repetition. There were more Eidolons out and about on this day than the one before it, and Rydia smiled at a few whom she recognized. She received several raised brows, at least from those brave enough to reveal their forms to the small band of humans on their journey to the king and queen. The rest observed the procession from the safety of their hoods.
"When you enter the throne room, speak only when spoken to," Shiva continued, and Rydia had to pinch herself for not giving the Eidolon her complete attention. "Do not make eye contact unless permitted, and if you are asked to do something, no matter how strange—you must do it."
This last, elicited looks of surprise from all but Rydia who had grown accustomed to the ways of the Eidolons over the years.
"Rydia, I'm not so sure—" Rosa tried to dissuade her friend, but Rydia would not be gainsaid.
"We need them, Rosa. I need them."
They approached the library, and Halcyon* stood near the doors, which were already opened before the party. He dipped his well preened head of golden feathers as Rydia passed by him and all of a sudden she had the notion of herself as a princess returning to a land she'd long departed. It made her feel unexpectedly important, but she soon discarded the fantasy to plunge after Shiva into the darkened interior of the hallowed halls that held the knowledge of Summoners and Eidolons alike.
Books and scrolls filled the rooms from floor to ceiling just as before, and the scent of the lamps pervaded the space. They descended the two of the library's staircases to arrive at the antechamber to the throne room. Shiva bade them all to wait and went ahead without them, entering the throne room by leave of the guards who stood at the doors.
After several minutes, she returned, and gestured the party of humans forward. Rydia stood foremost, as this was her home, and led the others into the adjacent room.
She did not recall the throne room being this large, and she felt just as overwhelmed by the space as by the person waiting within it. As it was, Asura seated on her throne was resplendent. The queen was wearing garments dyed a deep teal with stars embroidered along the hem and sleeves in threads of gold and silver. In the light of the room, the stars glittered in swells and waves as if the celestial bodies truly inhabited her garments.
Rydia led the others in a deep bow, and when she straightened, the queen was studying her with a shrewd gaze and a wise smile.
"So the fated heroes have come at last to seek the favor of the ancient ones," she announced with a light, startlingly demure, voice. "I've been expecting you."
It had not escaped Rydia's notice that there was one important person absent from the room, and the look on her face must have betrayed her question, because the moment she'd opened her mouth to ask it, the queen raised a graceful hand to silence her, shaking her head.
"The rules have changed, Little One," the queen informed her. "No one speaks to Leviathan until they've first spoken to me. What is it you wish to ask of me?"
"Your Majesty, I need your wisdom and your aide."
"So I thought."
"Your Majesty, I've seen what Golbez has done, and what he will continue to do. I can't protect the last crystal, and the people of this world, without your help."
Asura smiled in her human guise, her long dark hair coiled into braids that had been elegantly looped and pinned atop her head like some fine work of art.
"It will not be easy for you," she warned, her eyes like agates. "Are you sure you wish to proceed?"
Rydia inhaled deliberately through her nose and exhaled just as slowly. "Yes, your majesty, I am sure."
"And you know what is required, as the Code demands?"
"Yes."
The queen stood, the folds of her gown draping to the floor and fluttering in the presence of some invisible force. And then, all at once, the queen discarded her human disguise, appearing before the five of them in her true form. Her teal garments slipped from her shoulders revealing a tawny vest and arm bands of gold, while her skirts pooled at her waist. She was tall and fearsome and her three faces presided over them like judges weighing their deeds against their worth.
Rydia had always known Asura was an Eidolon of many faces, but had never really known what that meant until now. Not only did the queen have more than one face, but she had more than one pair of arms as well. It was as if three persons inhabited one body; separate, but inseparable. The first of Asura's faces was pale and serene with arms folded in her lap as if in prayer. The second was of dark complexion and wore a perpetual grin, a pike balanced in her hands; while the third had brows poised in anger and a sneer that craved violence, two curved scimitars in each of her hands.
Rydia found this transformation startling and felt her hair stand on end.
"Very well, daughter of Arya; child of the Feymarch. I accept your challenge," the queen decreed from the mouth of the serene, her voice booming throughout the throne room as Rydia imagined it might in a grander hall.
The presence of Asura had changed beyond her appearance. Rydia sensed it as a pressure in the air. A tremendous power—a force that felt as though it were a wall. The queen had made no move, but her magic felt as threatening as any sword.
The five companions fanned out across the room from the queen; and all the while, Rydia's mind was racing, trying to recall anything of use about the queen and her magic. There was something specific she was trying to remember, that one elusive memory. The queen had no element, that much she knew; and as such, she had no discernible weakness. How were they to defeat her? Rydia certainly didn't want to take arms against her if she could help it.
"Rydia, how do we proceed?" Cecil hissed at her from the left. She was loathe to break eye contact with the queen lest she miss something, but she spared him a quick, helpless glance. His hand was hovering over the hilt of his sword, her hesitation the only thing preventing him from drawing it. Rosa and Kain were also eyeing her, poised for readiness.
Rydia had no strategy to offer them, as she was still trying to ascertain one herself. She studied the queen for a few minutes more, the magic in the room building to near unbearable levels.
The queen closed her eyes, spreading her arms wide around her like someone wading out into the tide, buoying themselves against the waves. A blue glow emanated from her fingertips and around the honeycombed ground at her feet. Rydia held her breath as Asura brought her magic to bear, moving her hands in intricate signs as the blue glow covered her from head to foot.
"White magic," Rosa murmured, letting out a breath she'd also been holding.
White? Rydia wondered. The queen's magic didn't look like any white magic Rydia had ever seen, but she trusted Rosa's assessment.
"Rydia, how are we supposed to defeat her?" Cecil asked again. "When you said a test of wills, I wasn't sure you meant it this literally."
She slowly shook her head, thinking.
"Nothing yields nothing," the queen reminded her with a faraway voice, shifting her stance.
"I'm with Cecil," Edge muttered at her from the right. "I'm all for a staring contest, but this is a little extreme."
Rydia speared him with a glare, and in that moment, became aware of a change in the queen's manner. It happened in the space of a blink, a blur in Rydia's vision.
The space where the queen had been standing was no longer occupied. Instead, she had appeared at Rydia's right, and Rydia felt herself tense involuntarily out of surprise. It was fortunate for the ninja that he was as quick on his feet as he was with his words, because he had drawn his blades the instant the queen had set her sights on him. Now, he was dodging and sidestepping the queen's relentless attack, while Rydia hopped out of the path of their blades.
The queen wielded the two curved scimitars against him, each sweeping the air in deadly arcs; a dance of death all directed at the ninja prince. Edge, two swords in hand, had joined the queen in her dance; stepping, sidestepping, rolling, and redirecting the strokes of her blades. It was all in the careful footwork and the rhythmic clanging of their swords, that Rydia found she could not peel her eyes away. Asura would catch his strokes and counter, trying to ruin his center of balance, and just as quickly, Edge would adjust his footwork, redirecting her momentum.
But then—with one unexpected lunge, the queen swept just below one of his own blades, slicing the tendon above his knee. The wound wept blood, and Edge stumbled, unable to support his weight.
Before the queen could level another of her attacks and take advantage of his peril, Edge managed to pull his feet beneath him at a crouch and repel another of her blades with force. The brunt of her attack knocked him backwards with a grimace, and as the queen was reversing her momentum, Edge dropped one of his own swords, making signs with the fingers of his left hand. Rydia had seen Edge cast his magic often enough, that she knew what he was doing before she felt him summon his magic to the fore. She had been envious for a few days now, the speed at which he could cast his magic, and he remained true to form. He took on a blue cast much the same as the queen, the glow of magic upon him. All of this happened within moments, and just as quickly as he'd stumbled to the ground, Edge had released his magic against the queen. A wall of water materialized out of the air between himself and the queen, and the roar of the ocean pealed against the throne room walls as the torrent of water erupted in Asura's direction, both inundating and repelling her. The flood deposited her on the other side of the throne room where she lay sprawled on the floor before angrily pushing herself to her feet, wet hair clinging to her face.
Rydia wished she could be half as swift. Nonetheless, what she had just witnessed had been quite a spectacle, and she looked over at the ninja with concern, noting that his wounded knee was preventing him from standing. She flicked her gaze back to the queen when she heard the serene face of the queen begin chanting, her hands moving in deft signs. She was once again enveloped in the blue glow of her magic, the dampness from Edge's flood being erased from her as if it had never happened.
"I will not make this easy for you," one of her other voices jeered at them. "I promised you that. You will fight or you will die."
Cecil had put his hesitation aside, and he held his sword steady in his hand.
Rydia watched him, saw the look he shared with Kain, and how the two of them adjusted their grips on their weapons. Whatever they were about to do, it would be in tandem.
Rosa was chanting softly, and Rydia noticed Edge return to her periphery, on his feet once more.
"I see you understand, now," the queen said with a snarl, striding toward them. She was wearing the face with the perpetual grin, and had the pike leveled in their direction. The disturbing look in her dark eyes was not a side of the queen that Rydia had known existed, and she wondered who the queen would choose as her next victim.
Cecil lunged before the queen could get close enough for Rydia to find out, and Kain was a second behind in joining him. Cecil's sword struck Asura's pike, knocking it aside, and Kain caught the queen's scimitars with his axe when the queen spun, and attempted a swipe at his legs. The queen's defenses were tight, her movements quick and sinuous, and with four arms engaged in combat against the two men, the knights were having difficulty finding an opening to exploit.
As Rydia watched, a decades' worth of memories were tearing loose of their tethers. As much as she respected her queen, she would not stand idly by while her friends were in danger. Rydia began to chant and felt the Feymarch augmenting her magic like a lens warps light. First Bio, then Blizzaga—and then a quick dodge as one of the queen's attacks strayed dangerously close to her perch.
She began again, words streaming from her lips, a ceaseless surge of syntax beckoning the crystals' magic to herself. She had forgotten how the Feymarch enhanced the quickness of her casting, made it easier to command her magic exactly as she required. It produced a sort of high, an adrenaline rush. She then cast Thundaga—dodged again—and was aware of Cecil taking a blow from one of Asura's blades, a jagged slice through the seam of his gauntlet. Thundaga erupted from the throne room ceiling with all the fury of a storm at high summer. Cecil and Kain jumped back, but the queen took the magical onslaught in stride, channeling the lightning from head to toe and shaking out her arms as if it had been nothing but a slight tingle and not a column of white flame. Nonetheless, the queen's serene face began chanting, bathing herself with white magic yet again.
Dismayed, but not thwarted, the men renewed their attacks, and Rydia observed that Edge had joined them as well. The battle carried on this way for several minutes while Rydia began casting once more. Firaga—Blizzaga, and both in succession. Neither of them did much to deter the queen, and in fact, her speed had increased while Cecil and Kain's had slackened. They were tiring.
Kain had been so preoccupied with the queen's swords, and with his own movements coming in slow jerks, that he was not prepared when the queen lunged and the vicious two-pronged end of the pike drove between the plates of his armor between pauldron and breastplate. Asura yanked the pike out of his shoulder to block Cecil's next attack and the dragoon sank to the floor—Edge and Cecil carrying on without him.
It wasn't long before Kain had returned to his feet, but Rosa's voice was hoarse from casting, and Rydia knew this battle was nearing its end. She was sure, at this rate, that the end wouldn't be to their liking. Edge was bleeding now from a gash on his forehead, and Cecil's sword arm was straying to his side more often than it was raised to strike the queen. The men were trying to conserve their energy, attacking only when provoked, and dodging when necessary.
"A paladin should know—victory is not always won with swords," the menacing face of the queen jeered at Cecil; lunging at him with both scimitars, which he repelled with his shield, faltering backwards.
Rydia studied the queen, wondering at her words. Victory is not always won with swords, but magic hadn't helped either. How could they possibly defeat an opponent whose healing came on the heels of their injury? If there was a way to reflect—Reflect! It had been so long since Rydia had cast white magic of her own, that she had completely forgotten the extent of Rosa's capabilities. She cursed her own slowness of mind as she rushed to Rosa's side, waiting until the white mage had cast Cura and opened her eyes, before explaining her plan.
Rosa's eyes widened in disbelief; she stared at the queen and then back at Rydia again with the most curious expression on her face. "How could I have forgotten?" she balked, and then closed her eyes again to begin the incantation for the spell so integral to Rydia's plan.
Cecil and Kain were both burdened by their own armor in their current state of fatigue, and even Edge, who had speed enough to match the queen, was stumbling from wounds he had received from her blades. Rydia wished Rosa would cast faster, that she would hurry up. The men wouldn't be able to last much longer.
Rosa spoke the final invocation, and this time it was her white magic, not the queen's, that enveloped Asura. It coalesced into the form of a convex shield, and then a glistening pale mirror of green. In it, Rydia could see herself and Rosa, but through it, she could also see the queen. Would her plan work?
The queen disengaged herself from the swords of Cecil and Edge, and took several strides backwards, her weapons lowering.
Everyone tensed, and Cecil raised his shield, expecting danger.
Instead, Asura's serene face began chanting, her eyes closed in contentedness. She invoked her magic and it reflected off of the mirror Rosa had cast. The queen's magic selected Kain at random, healing each of his wounds at once. The queen cast again, and this time it was Cecil who reaped the benefit. The queen carried on this way until each of the companions was sound and whole again.
"At last," Asura sighed, resignedly. "You have figured it out."
The men lowered their weapons and each turned to look at Rydia.
Rydia looked back at them equally perplexed.
"Your majesty, does this mean—"
Asura nodded with a small smile, and gestured each of them to put away their weapons. "There is no further need of those," she told them. "You have proven to me all that I needed to ascertain."
"But—" Rydia began in protest until Asura silenced her with a gesture.
"It was your strategy that ended this battle, Rydia my child. Strength of arm and of magic are one thing, but a sound mind makes all the difference," Asura informed her. "These are good companions you have found, both strong and true. Allow me, too, to lend my strength to your cause. Summon me whenever you have need."
Rydia was so stunned she nearly forgot to bow, and when she did it was in a jerk and pull fashion. "Your Majesty, thank you," she managed to say.
The queen's smile broadened. "Surely, there is more for us to speak on, but not today."
"Your Majesty, what about Leviathan?" Rydia inquired.
"You require rest," Asura told her. "To challenge both he and I on the same day is far too impetuous. Recover your strength and return tomorrow. Then, we shall have words."
"Your Majesty—again—thank you," Rydia said.
"It is my pleasure to assist those worthy of my aide, and it has been far too long since any such persons have tried," she answered. "Now, go. Return tomorrow, and we will continue our conversation."
The five humans bowed and retreated to the throne room doors, each of them perplexed. Shiva awaited them on the other side, looking anxious, even more so when she saw the looks on their faces.
"Well?" she asked, once the doors had been closed again. She looked each of them up and down. "You're all still alive—does this mean you have bested the queen?"
Rydia smiled and Shiva gazed at her with some intensity. The Eidolon then looked to Cecil for confirmation and when she found it, a look of utter amazement took its place on her face.
"Unbelievable," she murmured and turned swiftly on her heel to lead them up the library stairs. Her robes fluttered behind her at the speed she was walking, and every now and again she would shake her head and glance over her shoulder at the five humans.
The instant they exited the library's doors, a small crowd of Eidolons was waiting for them.
"Ramuh!" Rydia shrieked out with delight, rushing forward to clasp the Eidolon around the waist.
He chuckled heartily and returned her embrace. "Rydia, my child. Here, I've been hearing stories of you having returned, and I finally have a chance to see you. And Black's just told me—the queen! Imagine that!" he said, holding her at arm's length to look at her anew. "Have you grown recently?" he asked, squinting at her.
Rydia slid a hand through her green hair and giggled nervously. "It's possible," she said. "Ramuh, the queen has agreed to help."
"Has she?"
Rydia leaned back and eyed Ramuh shrewdly. "Why do you sound so surprised?"
His laugh was deep and warm. "Not surprised, so to speak. Merely interested."
"Rydia, you really did it, didn't you?" Black asked, appearing from behind Ramuh's robes.
"I'm sure there will be more to tell after tomorrow when the king has made his decision," Mist's calm voice intervened. "Give the humans some room, please."
"Thank you," Shiva said exasperatedly, pulling Rydia by the shoulder. "Leave the five of you alone for more than a minute, and the whole of the Feymarch will be here demanding a re-telling."
Rydia furrowed her brow, but her confused smile never left her lips. "Why is everyone so amazed by what we've just done?" she asked.
As Shiva led them back to the house, she offered one simple explanation: "Because you've done what's never been done before."
They entered the house they'd lodged in the night before, and found food waiting for them on the table. Ifrit's stony face was absent this time around, and the room had been organized so that there were mattresses on the floor instead of the traveling mats they had been using for weeks.
"I don't understand," Rosa said all of a sudden, looking around the room. "We've only been gone a few hours. I couldn't sleep now—not by a longshot."
Ramuh entered the house behind them. "Rest and sleep are not always one and the same," he informed them. "Please, sit."
When the five of them had reluctantly done so, Ramuh took a stool and did the same. Shiva remained by the door leaning against the frame.
"Now, then. I imagine you have some questions."
"Who are you?" Cecil asked. "You are a new face to us."
"Pardon me," the elderly Eidolon apologized with a grand gesture. "My name is Ramuh. And you must be Cecil, the man I've heard so much about. Is it true that you and your small band of friends and warriors alike have managed to come so far on your own?"
"Not on our own," Cecil replied. "We had help along the way. Rydia, with the help of you, the Eidolons, has been a savior to us more times than I can count."
Ramuh smiled and winked at Rydia. "And now you have the help of the queen of the Feymarch. A feat not easily accomplished, I'd imagine. Was she severe upon you?"
Rydia glanced at her companions and saw everyone share a quick, but grave look. "She did not make it easy for us, no," Rydia answered.
"That's an understatement," Edge grumbled under his breath, until Rydia kicked him swiftly under the table.
"Tomorrow you face the king of the Feymarch, and that is a challenge you must prepare for with your spirit as well as your body. The queen wishes to test the merit of a person's intellect, but the king probes much deeper. You must be willing and committed to your quest if he will agree to lend his aid to the same cause. He will not for anything less than absolute and unwavering determination. Do you think you can do such a thing?"
"We have no choice," Rydia replied. "I won't leave here until he has agreed to help."
Ramuh chuckled. "Rydia, my dear, you were nothing if not determined, but what of your friends? Will their hearts' intent line up with your own?"
Rydia caught Cecil's eye, and nodded. "We are together in this, Ramuh. There's no turning back for us."
"Then you've already won half the battle," Ramuh assured her. "As for the rest—you'll need all the respite tonight can grant you. If you found the queen's challenge difficult, the king will be less amicable."
Rydia raised both of her brows, and a feeling of dread settled over her. "He'll be more difficult a challenge?" she asked.
"He isn't considered the Lord of All Waters for no reason, my dear."
"Did you come here to frighten us or encourage us, Ramuh?" Rydia inquired, a little perplexed.
"Oh!" he exclaimed, patting his knee. "I never meant to discourage you! Merely to prepare you for what is to come. You can't set out to face a challenge with half-hearted intentions!"
Shiva let out a strangled groan. "I'm sure the five of you will perform admirably," she informed the rest of them. "Ramuh, you asked to be here because you wanted to hear of Rydia's travels. Why don't you ask her about that, instead of scaring the humans?"
"I'd rather enjoy that," Ramuh reflected, peering at Rydia and the others. "In fact, I'd enjoy to hear a bit more about the people in Rydia's company. We don't have many visitors, you see."
Rydia glanced at everyone a little apprehensively. "Is that alright?" she asked.
Cecil and Rosa merely returned her glance with mystified expressions. Clearly, all that had transpired in the last two days was still somewhere beyond their comprehension. "Of—of course," Cecil said, when he realized Ramuh was eagerly awaiting his reply.
"Well, then!" Ramuh said happily, "How's about you tell me what happened among the dwarves? That was where you rushed off to when last we saw you, Rydia, was it not?"
Rydia smiled, and so began the recounting of her adventures from the last several weeks with Cecil and the others. The telling lasted most of the afternoon, and somewhere in the middle of the day, more Eidolons had entered the small house to hear the tales of Rydia and her companions. Questions abounded until Rydia was at a complete loss for words. Who did they think Golbez really was? What were the Crystals really being obtained for? Did humans really fly the skies in silly wooden contraptions?
Cecil, Rosa, and occasionally Edge, took their turns in the telling, and Ramuh listened to all of it enraptured, especially where it concerned their most recent battle with the queen.
At last, when evening had fallen over the Feymarch and everyone truly was exhausted, Shiva shooed everyone out, and bade her leave.
"I'll come for you in the morning," she told them with a wan smile. "Prepare yourselves."
Rydia had managed to ward off her dread of the challenge with Leviathan for the entire day until that moment. In truth, it was a battle that worried her more than a little; in fact, quite a lot. Now, only Ramuh remained, and Rosa was rubbing her eyes, having trouble keeping them open. Cecil was rubbing her shoulders in the attempt to keep her awake out of politeness, but even Edge, whose headache had seemingly returned, was looking like sleep was not far off.
"Ramuh, I think it's time we did rest," Rydia told him, her voice feeling hoarse from all of the storytelling.
"Of course, of course," he said, absentmindedly. Rydia was staring meaningfully at the door behind him, but Ramuh failed to comprehend.
"Ramuh," she tried again. "Tomorrow, could we talk? I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open," she explained, trying for as much delicacy as possible.
"I have an idea," he said instead, and Rydia sensed the patience of everyone in the room begin to teeter dangerously close to protest.
"Yes?" she was almost afraid to ask.
"It doesn't require your strictest attention," he assured them. "In fact, it may help ease your worries."
Ramuh gestured to the mattresses on the floor, and no one had to ask twice. Ramuh walked to the table in the center of the room once everyone had settled, and lowered the lamp to a faint glow.
"I have a tale to share with you," he began with a smooth and melodious voice. "It is a tale of heroes long gone, and of an impossible victory—one that relied solely on the bonds between those who undertook a great and perilous journey. It reminds me, I think, of the journey the five of you have found yourselves upon…"
Rydia listened for a few minutes, but soon found herself drifting farther and farther away from the story and away from the room. Images were streaming through her mind as she wandered into the endless plains of dreaming, but they were not the worried dreams of someone about to enter into battle with a being out of legend. Rather, Rydia fell asleep to the sound of Ramuh's rich voice, and all that entered her thoughts was an all-encompassing and soothing peace.
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A/N:
*Halcyon was the Chocobo Eidolon from TSL, if you recall.
At last! That took way too long to write. Trying to decide what of the Feymarch to keep and what to cut was rather…difficult.
Next chapter will be the final chapter in the Feymarch and then we're moving on.
This means I have to write another battle scene, doesn't it. …incoherent grumbling.
Oh well! Thanks again for reading, everyone! :)
HAPPY SPRING!
~Myth