34 Go to Hell
As Yuna and Tromell faded into the distance, we all silently watched until I turned to Wakka. I was really agitated right then, and I probably could have been nicer. "Really, Wakka? I mean, getting angry just cause you found out Rikku's an Al Bhed? You guys got along just fine till now!" He was immediately defensive. "That's different, I mean," I cut him off. "Well I don't know much about the Al Bhed, but I do know that Rikku's a good person!" Wakka scowled at me. "Lu?" He went to her for help in the argument. She didn't give it, at least not to him. "Just think of this as an opportunity to learn more about the Al Bhed." She was very calm and collected. "Ha!" Wakka marched away, towards the inn. We followed him, with no where else to go. I gave one last glance in the direction that Yuna had disappeared into. A chill ran down my spine, and I hurried to a private room.
I sat on the bed and rested my head in my hands. I took several minutes to just breath slowly and deeply. I was shaking, and every instinct I had was telling me that that whole situation was just plain old wrong. And Seymour, he was bad news. I was completely sure of it. And yet I stood by and watched her go to marry him. I banged my fists against the bed, and then turned around and flung myself onto it, smashing my face against the pillow. I tossed and turned all through the night, and barely got a wink of sleep. It was a terrible night.
The next morning, we assembled in the lobby, after a hearty breakfast. Wakka was cold to Rikku, and she to him. Wakka and I were on good terms again, though. "We have waited long enough." Auron announced. It was like a breath from heaven to hear that. I wanted to rush out the door and run as fast as I possibly could until I caught Yuna. But that would be of no use. So instead I followed Auron and the others out the door, and we began the trek through the snow. It was easy to know where to go, because there was a valley with steep mountains on either side, so we just traveled through the valley.
I was astonished when Lulu fell into step with me. She had never done such a thing ever before. "I hope you're not too mad at Wakka." "Nah...I was just really upset yesterday, that was all." She nodded in understanding. "Do you know what his problem is, anyway? His head is hard as a rock. It's because of Yevon, isn't it?" I asked. "Well, there's more to it than that." Her voice was slightly hushed, to make sure Wakka didn't hear our conversation. "Wakka doesn't like the Al Bhed because of his Brother, Chappu." "Oh, right...He used a machina weapon...and got killed by Sin." I got so angry when I said those words. "Damn you, Jecht!" I cursed under my breath.
"What?" Lulu asked, a bite to her voice. "Nevermind." I said. "Um, Lulu, what is Sin? I mean, well, is it a person?" Lulu took a moment to answer. "Sin is the punishment for, and the incarnation of crimes we have committed. There's no need to know what it is, so no one asks. You run or fight. That is really all you can do. There is no sense in brooding over it." I frowned. "What, that's all? I mean, you don't even wonder?" Lulu rested her forehead in her palm, like she did whenever I asked a question that she considered to be stupid. "You really do come from a world where there is no Sin." With that, she left me and caught up to Wakka.
As soon as she left, Rikku took her place. "Sorry about Wakka." There was sympathy, and just a touch of humor in my voice. "He didn't have to be so mean, you know?" She sounded a bit angry, but suddenly, she changed demeanors. "Hey, do I look like Yunie?" I raised an eyebrow. "You see, my dad's sister is Yuna's mom...so, we're cousins!" I looked over at the blonde who was practically dancing alongside me. "Wow, cool! So, you're guarding your family, then."
"Yuna's not the only one I want to protect. We Al Bhed want to protect all of the summoners, you know?" One side of my mouth tilted up. I was amused that these people that Wakka hated so much wanted to protect summoners. "Well, it's not like you can protect all of them by yourself. And anyway, they have their guardians. They'll be fine." When I said that, she squinted at me.
"The summoners...you could say that they...sacrifice themselves to bring happiness to Spira..." She seemed more distraught then I thought that she should be. "Sacrifice themselves?" "You know, the pilgrimage..." She trailed off.
"Yeah, it's hard, especially for Yuna, but you know, she's real serious about being a summoner. The pilgrimage kinda means everything to her. So you shouldn't say that she's sacrificing herself." My answer back then was so clueless. Apparently Auron had been listening in on our conversation, and he put himself between Rikku and me. "Rikku, give us some time." He ordered. I caught a glance from her to him that actually looked grateful. There was no reasonable explanation for such a look, as far as I knew, so I assumed it was my imagination. I know now that it was not.
"Do not complicate matters." He stared straight ahead. "Or you will find yourself trapped. Youth is for making mistakes, but this is a situation that you must not make a mistake in." He knew that I had an undeniably impulsive streak, and also that I wanted nothing more than to defend Yuna. Then it had come to the point that I wanted to protect Yuna much more than I wanted to go home. Yet I was helpless on both accounts.
"I don't need you to tell me that." I said in a low voice. That was the end of that little exchange, and I soon found myself walking alone. "Come on, guys! We need to go faster!" I yelled. That, however, changed nothing. I rubbed my hands across my arms, trying to ward off the cold. It took a day of traveling, but I was pleased to find that by evening, we came to a very long bridge, and beyond it was the ice temple of Macalania.
A Guado and a man stood outside the temple. When we approached them, the man said, "Ah, Lady Yuna's guardians. I was just about to send for you. Lady Yuna arrived late last night." I let out a quiet sigh. At least she was safe. "Lady Yuna is currently in the Cloister of Trials with Lord Seymour, I do believe." "Let's go!" I went inside, with the others close behind. Immediately upon us entering, a distraught woman rushed out of a back room. "Lord Jyscal! A sphere, Lady Yuna's belongings!" She saw us and grabbed Auron's arm and dragged him into the room. We all followed the woman, with no other option. She closed the door, so that no one else who had seen her display, would not know what went on in the room.
Yuna's room was small yet luxurious, and her few things were neatly stacked on a table beside her bed. On the carpeted floor was a sphere, and I assumed it was the same one that she had been watching at the inn on the Thunder Plains. The woman played it for us. A Guado showed on the image, and though he looked similar to them all, I could tell that he was that Maester Jyscal guy.
"What I am about to tell you is the unclouded truth." He spoke to us. "I swear it on my honor as a Guado. Listen to me very carefully, for I shall tell you the truth about my son, Seymour. His mind is closed, even to me, a Maester of Yevon. I can feel flames of darkness burning in his heart. He is using Yevon, the Guado, and even summoners. If he is not stopped, he will surely bring great destruction and chaos to Spira. Whoever is watching this, I implore you to stop Seymour! Stop my son. I cannot, because I will leave this world soon, killed by my own son."
The recording ended abruptly. As I watched the sphere, all my feelings about Seymour were confirmed. And then I knew that he was just manipulating Yuna, and she was falling right into his sadistic trap. Then, I knew for sure, I was going to kill that monster, before he ever again laid a finger on Yuna.
"I'm gonna kill him!" I growled. I burst through the door, dashed up the stairs, and navigated my way through the already solved trials. The others were hot on my heels. It wasn't long before we reached the anteroom. Seymour was waiting outside the chamber of the fayth, and when he heard all our racket, he turned around, surveying us.
"Seymour!" I spat. Seymour looked at me coldly. "Please be silent. Lady Yuna prays to the fayth." I bared my teeth. "Make me!" Seymour smirked at me. At that moment, the chamber's door slid up, and Yuna stepped out, tired. Yuna searched the room, confused. "Why...?" "We saw Jyscal's sphere!" I explained. "You killed him!" I was addressing Seymour. He smiled this gross, evil smile and looked over at Yuna. "What of it? Lady Yuna, you certainly you knew of these things, did you not?"
Yuna stammered something unintelligible, and ran past him down the steps. "Why did you come here?" Seymour asked. "I came...I came to stop you!" Yuna's gentle voice was charged with determination. He advanced towards her, and she backed away. I moved in front of her, brandishing my sword. The others gathered around her in a protective circle. "Ah, of course. The code of the guardian. Protect the summoner, even at the cost of one's life. How admirable." He came further towards us, but I didn't back down.
"Well then, if you are offering your lives, I will have to take them." "No!" I rushed forward to attack him, but he sent a barrage of flames my way. I had to roll on the ground to put them out. As soon as I could, I jumped up and back into the fray. It was amazing how one man could be so dangerous, against so many of us. He flung his elemental powers around like it was child's play.
Auron and I looked straight at each other, and we both knew what move it was time for. We had used it occasionally along the highroad. One of us distracted the fiend, and the other would stab it in the back. It was not honorable, but fiends needed no honer. And Auron and I both knew that Seymour deserved none, either. Auron swung is katana at Seymour, who ducked to avoid having his head removed, but then I yelled as I plunged my sword deep into his body.
He howled and fell to the floor. I yanked my blade out of him, and kicked him in the back, getting his blood all over my boot. "That's for trying to marry Yuna, you psycho!"
"What have we done? We killed a Maester!" Wakka bemoaned. I looked over at Yuna. She was unscathed, unlike the rest of us. She went over to Seymour. "Yuna...you would pity me now?" That was what he said with his dying breath. She closed his eyes, and then stood to send him. The floor was covered in ice, and I later learned that she had been taught to send on ice and snow while she was in the chamber of Macalania's fayth.
She began to send him, but the Tromell ran in with two other Guado. As he took in the sight, he yelled, "Stop! What happened here?" Yuna paused in her sending to look at Tromell. I got defensive, realizing how bad it looked. I glanced down at my sword, dripping with the Maester's blood. "It's not our fault! Seymour was gonna kill us! We had to fight back!"
"You did this?" Tromell signaled for the Guado to get Seymour, and they lifted his body gently and began to carry it out of the room. "Stay away from him, traitors!" He slammed the door, leaving us alone. "Traitors..." Yuna fell to her knees, mourning. "We're finished!" Wakka covered his face with his hands.
"Now hold on just a minute!" I shouted. "Seymour's the bad guy! We'll just explain to everyone what happened! And show them that sphere!" Auron gave me a look that pretty much told me to shut up. "It won't be that easy. Let's get out of here." We hurried through the cloister, but when we got to the exit, Tromell and many Guado guards awaited us.
"Give us a chance to explain." Auron said to them. "No need. I already know what I'll tell the other Maesters. Lord Seymour was the leader of the Guado before becoming a Maester." I knew he wasn't letting us go. "Wait, watch the sphere in Yuna's room!" I said, hoping it might give us a chance. "You mean this?" Tromell held up the sphere. Then he threw it to the ground and crushed it underfoot. "No!" Yuna cried desperately.
"The Guado take care of Guado affairs." Tromell wasn't finished with his thought when Kimarhi barreled through the guards. "Run!" Auron needlessly told us. The Guado produced magic like their leader, though only ice. They ran behind us shooting at us, so I ran right behind Yuna and blocked as many icicles as I could with my sword, though some of them pierced me. Out of adrenaline, I kept running. The others weren't having much more luck. Lulu shot lightening at them, knocking off a few. I suddenly stopped running and drove my sword through another, and Auron and Kimahri followed suit. Wakka protected Lulu in the same way that I did Yuna. Rikku just ran.
It didn't take that long to vanquish our enemies, but we still hurried on, leaving a trail of Guado bodies behind us. At that point, I was getting used to killing more than just fiends. And it had felt so good to drive my sword through the back of that monster that tried to marry my summoner.
