A/N: I will be utilizing material from both the LOTR books AND the movies. I also don't own the rights to either. This little project is what I will be doing in the midst of dog training and writing my own stuff. It's an outlet, more or less, and will be used to at least get my writing and creative juices flowing. I hope you all enjoy it!
"But what of Sin? I am a summoner, my lord, like my father before me! I am on a pilgrimage to stop the death that Sin brings. Are you…are you telling me that, too, is futile!" she shouted, "Grand Maester Mika, I am not alone! All the people who have opposed Sin…their battles, their sacrifices—were they all in vain?!"
The Grand Maester Mika shook his head. "Not in vain," he said, "No matter how many summoners give their lives, Sin cannot be truly defeated."
Yuna's breath caught in her throat. Sin cannot truly be defeated? The large monstrosity that plagued their world. The source of Spira's destruction, pain, and death. The monster that killed her mother. And, the reason her own father took to the path of a summoner and sacrificed his life to defeat it, hoping to vanquish it for good. Was his sacrifice truly in vain?
"The rebirth cannot be stopped," Maester Mika continued, "Yet, the courage of those who fight give the people hope. There is nothing futile in the life and death of a summoner."
"Never futile, but never ending," she heard Sir Auron say behind her from the ledge.
Maester Mika hummed. "Indeed, that is the essence of Yevon."
Yuna's eyes widened. "Lord Mika…" she breathed. Was the Grand Maester implying, that the teachings of Yevon were all a lie? That Spira was doomed to experience a never ending spiral of death? That no matter how much Spirans prayed, no matter how much they abide by the teachings, Sin would come back? Feeling faint, she grabbed the handle of the hover that currently held her.
"Yevon is embodied by eternal, unchanging continuity, summoner."
"No," Yuna shook her head, "No, that can't be right!" She refused to believe it!
"Those who question these truths—they are traitors!"
"Lord Mika!"
They reached their campsite in Macalania Woods, exhausted. From fighting their way out of the Via Purifico—a place that no one has ever survived—to fight Maester Seymour again, who had gained more energy and power from his killing of Maester Kinoc.
Auron had left the group to quickly scout their surroundings, least their pursuers were hiding, waiting to ambush them. Rikku, Tidus, and Wakka all sat down, the previous events and battles weighing on them. Only Lulu stood, her arms were crossed in front of her as they always were when they had a break, but her face was deep in thought. Always calm, cool, and collected. Lulu never let her emotions show. It was one of the reasons why Yuna looked up to her. The blue Rhonso guardian stood stoutly by her side, his arms crossed in front of him, and his yellow eyes peering ahead searching for any signs of danger.
Yuna was exhausted. Yes, she was tired from her battles. The aeon battle with Isaaru had taken up most of her strength, and their battle with Seymour had sapped her magic. But her heart was tired. She looked up at the dark, but sparkling, sky.
"Traitors…" she whispered, remembering what had transpired during her trial with the Maesters of Spira. Feeling overwhelmed, she started walking towards the exit of their campsite.
"Where you goin'?" she heard Wakka ask.
Yuna stopped and looked over her shoulder. "I…need to be alone, right now," she said, slowly, "I need…to think." She continued towards the exit.
Rikku took a few steps forward, as if thinking of following. "By yourself?"
Kimahri took his place behind Yuna.
"Oh, right. Kimahri."
The core of the large tree glowed bright when she entered the clearing of the pond. Kimahri, who had been walking behind her stopped at the entrance and turned around to stand guard. Yuna gently touched his arm as she passed him, giving him a silent thanks. Having been with her since she was a young girl, when her father left on his pilgrimage, Kimahri knew her well. Rhonso were creatures of very few words, and while Kimahri was no exception, she was grateful that he always seemed to know what she needed.
She walked to the edge of the pond. The water was clean and clear, and sparkled just as much as the sky. She slowly took of her boots and laid them by the edge. Slowly, putting one foot in front of the other, she stepped into the water. It was cool, but not cold, and refreshing. She welcomed the feeling. It soothed her tired and weary mind. What was she to do now? Where could she go? Could she even continue her pilgrimage now that she was branded a traitor?
"Traitors…" she repeated, bringing a clenched hand to her chest, "Traitors of Yevon. I never thought…"
That Yevon would betray her.
That Yevon would turn its back on its own people.
That Yevon was a lie.
How could she continue her pilgrimage knowing that knowing that even if she defeated Sin with the Final Summoning, it would always come back? Was there truly not a way to vanquish Sin for good? Was she doomed to be another martyr of Yevon like those before her? Lady Yunalesa, Lord Gandof, Lord Ohalland, Lady Yocun, and Lord Braska?
She paused, the water skimming the surface of her skirt. Braska. A large ache spread through her chest, and her vision blurred with tears. Her father. It hurt to think he sacrificed his life for nothing. She remembered when the halls of Bevelle lit up in celebration when he brought the Calm. She remembered how happy everyone was that Sin was defeated. She remembered…how sad she was that day. Yes, Sin had been defeated. But she also lost her father that day. It was hard to be happy when your father was gone. "What…do I do, now?" she whispered, looking up at the giant tree. It's core shimmering and glinting in the moonlight.
"What should I do?" Not hearing an answer, and not expecting to, her breath quickened. "What should I do!"
The core began to get brighter and brighter, so bright that Yuna covered her closed eyes.
'What's…going on? Where…am I?'
Her body felt light and buoyant, as if she were floating. She opened her eyes, blinking a few times as she did so. She was in a dark space filled with a sea of stars twinkling and glittering like the sun hitting the water's surface. Some of the stars were bigger, and shown brighter, than others, and stood out from the dark blue hues that mixed within the dark environment. Galaxies slowly swirled like a spiral, large and looming despite being far, far away. The place reminded Yuna of her time at Guadosalam when Maester Seymour displayed the sphere of Zanarkand. The only thing missing were the pyrefly-like meteors.
It was very quiet with all the stars and galaxies twinkling and glowing. Peaceful, but lonely. There didn't seem to be anyone else in sight. She took a deep breath. "Hello?" she called out, her voice echoing, "Is anyone there?"
Silence.
"Kimahri? Lulu? Wakka?"
More silence.
"Sir Auron! Rikku!"
She waited once more, only to be met with silence. Putting her thumb and index finger in her mouth, she whistled. The piercing sound echoed into silence. Just as the echoes died out, she suddenly heard the Hymn of the Fayth being sung, the voice young and boyish. A familiar small boy dressed in a purple hooded jacket appeared before her, his eyes hidden by the top of the hood. The fayth of Bahamut. The aeon she had just received in Bevelle before all Yevon broke loose. His appearance was ghostly, a reminder that he was not of the living world.
"Hello," the Fayth greeted.
She gave small bow. "I must thank you for the aeon."
"Don't thank me just yet," said the fayth.
Yuna's brow furrowed in confusion at his words. "Where are we?" she asked, after a moment.
"We are in the in-between."
"The…in-between?"
"The realm between realms."
'The realm between realms. Is this where Tidus was when he was brought over to Spira?' Yuna thought. Then, she remembered the events that had transpired after receiving Bahamut. "Please, I must know," she said to the fayth, "Is it true that even if Sin is destroyed with the Final Summoning, it will come back?"
The fayth floated silently before her.
"Is there no true way to defeat Sin?" Yuna continued, her resolve crumbling at the lack of response. "Is Spira truly doomed to exist in a spiral of death?"
…
…
…
"And if I say yes?" The fayth finally responded after what seemed like hours, "Would you quit your pilgrimage to live your own life?"
'Quit my pilgrimage?
The thought had occurred to her many times, the closer she got with Tidus. The mysterious young blitzball player who claimed to hail from Zanarkand, the ancient machina city that never slept. The son of Jecht, the renowned guardian that protected her father on his own pilgrimage. The young man, so free and open with his emotions and thoughts. Not a care in the world what others thought, and ignorant to Yevon and its rules and traditions. Yuna couldn't help but feel jealous. To be able to freely live his life with no attachments and full of laughter and fun.
'But…'
"Sin is eternal. Every time it's defeated, it will come back. It's an inevitable part of Spira's destiny. It's never ending," the fayth stated, "Knowing that, would you still be willing to continue your pilgrimage, Yuna? To obtain the Final Summoning and defeat Sin, as your father did before you?" The fayth needed to know her resolve. He needed to know if she and her companions were the ones to truly put a stop to the cycle of death.
"Continue my…pilgrimage?" Yuna's head bowed as she looked at the ground. "Is it even possible? Both my guardians and I have been branded traitors of Yevon."
"And yet, that did not stop the Al Bhed from utilizing ancient machina during Operation Mi'ihen."
Yuna shook her head, remembering that frightful and bloody event. Both Yevon and the Al Bhed had banned together, joining forces in the hopes to vanquish Sin for good with ancient machina—forbidden machinery that caused Sin to appear in the first place. Alas, the operation failed, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Spirans. So many lives were lost. Al Bhed, Yevonites, and Crusaders. All in the hopes to vanquish Sin for good.
"A lot of people died," she said.
"They died because they had hope," the fayth responded.
"Their hope was in vain."
"Hope is…comforting. It allows us to accept our fate, however tragic it is."
"Their hope led them to their deaths!"
"And that's different from one choosing to become a summoner?"
Yuna faltered.
"Will your hope in vanquishing Sin for good also not lead you to your death?"
"I…" she started, and then turned away from the fayth. She lifted her head to peer into the sea of white. "I live for the people of Spira. I would gladly die for them but…" She turned back around to face the fayth once more. "The Final Summoning is a…false hope. How could I continue believing in false hope?"
The fayth's shoulders slightly slumped over. This was becoming much more difficult than he originally anticipated. Her experience with Yevon has shaken her belief, and rightly so. She was born in the heart of Bevelle, the heart of Yevon, and raised as such. A person like her wouldn't throw away the teachings of Yevon so easily. Her father, Braska, was a priest of Yevon before he became a summoner. His guardian, Auron, a former warrior monk of Yevon before he became Braska's guardian.
And then came Jecht. The man who travelled from their dreamworld into the world of present-day Spira. The man who was imprisoned for being a troublemaker, now known as one of the legendary guardian of Lord Braska.
And also, the man who set the ball rolling in destroying Sin for good.
"Yuna," the fayth began, "Those who have the strength and will be capable of obtaining the Final Summoning to defeat Sin. Those whose will wavers, will not. If you choose to continue your pilgrimage, then our meeting here is done."
There was a long pause.
Could she really continue her pilgrimage? Knowing that Yevon was false and that Sin would always come back even if she used the Final Aeon? Yuna drew a hand to her chest, her face wrought with pain. Was she doomed to be another martyr? Like her father, Braska, before her? Could she leave her friends behind to celebrate the Calm? A bittersweet celebration know that she wouldn't be there to celebrate with them? Could she forgive herself when, not if, Sin came back and killed them? "I…" Yuna shook her head. "I…"
"I believe your lady summoner is in need of some convincing," an old, gruff voice interrupted.
Looking to find the voice, her mismatched eyes landed on a tall, lanky, old man that appeared from the shadows. He wore a long grey cloak with a silver scarf, and bore a blue pointed hat. In his hands was a long, wooden staff. He had a long white beard and bushy grey eyebrows that stuck out beyond his hat. His kind blue eyes, which were underneath bushy grey brows, held wisdom and of otherworldly knowledge.
Remembering her manners, Yuna gave a slight bow. "Hello."
"The pleasure is mine, Lady Yuna," said the man. Her eyes widened at the mention of her name, and the man chuckled. "Your friend, the fayth of Bahamut, has taken the liberty of telling me about your world. Spira sounds like a remarkable place."
"It can be, at times," said Yuna, a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Yes, he has also told me of your plight. It seems we are both on our own adventures to overthrow the evils of our world," the man said.
"Your…world?" Yuna said, looking at him with curiosity, "Who…are you, exactly? And where do you come from?"
The man lifted his head, a warm smile gracing his face. "I go by many names, my lady, but the one I am most commonly known as is Gandalf," he said, "And Gandalf is, well, me."
Yuna gave a bow to him, again. "It's nice to meet you, Sir Gandalf."
"Just Gandalf, will suffice," he said with a curt nod of his head, "As to where I am from, well, that tale is too long to tell, I'm afraid. But, Middle Earth is where I currently am."
"Middle Earth?" Yuna repeated, her brow furrowing in confusion. What an odd name.
The wizard's eyes turned grave. "Indeed. I have been sent here on behalf of the Lady Galadriel in search for help. I am afraid that my dear friend, and companion, is doomed to a fate that is tied to the One Ring. His life is currently in danger by the Nazgûl. Terrible, dark, beings—once living men—that bend to the will of their lord, Sauron."
Yuna covered her mouth. "Once living? Does that mean.."
"They are not unsent, Yuna," the fayth interrupted, "Their world is very different from ours. Fiends and the unsent do not exist in Middle Earth."
Yuna's eyes widened. "No fiends?" she gasped.
"It is true that we have no fiends, but we do have orcs and goblins, and anything of the like," said Gandalf, "And any men who have pledged their allegiance to Sauron and his army, which grows in numbers as we speak."
Orcs? Goblins? What were those? All she knew were the fiends that terrorized Spira, spirits of the unsent that never accepted their deaths whose hatred transformed them into terrible monsters. Of course, not all the unsent were doomed to prey on the living. Those with strong attachments to the world of Spira often retained enough of their sanity and conscious and walked free among the living. Those, however, were rare cases.
"And no monstrous leviathan, Sin, as you all call it," Gandalf added.
Yuna's mismatched eyes met Gandalf's blue ones. "A world without Sin?" she breathed. She began to feel lightheaded. A world without fiends. A world without Sin. Did such a place really exist? She turned to Gandalf, her mismatched eyes inquiring. "You said that you were searching for help?"
Gandalf's face turned dark. "Help those who oppose the dark lord Sauron and his armies. We must destroy the Dark Lord once and for all. Starting with his ring of power, the One Ring, which would give Sauron complete dominion over Middle Earth."
"A ring?" Yuna echoed, "How powerful can one ring be?"
"Enough to easily bring the entirety of Spira to its knees, I'm afraid," Gandalf said gravelly.
"I see," said Yuna with a nod of her head. She turned back to the fayth. "But, what does this have to do with me?" she asked, "Please, I must get back to my friends. I'm sure they are worried about me. I have caused them enough as it is." She cast her gaze downward as she remembered all the hard times they've gone through because of her. Her kidnapping at the Moonflow by the Al Bhed, taking on Seymour alone at the Macalania Temple, the Guado kidnapping her on at Home in Bikanel Island, her wedding to the unsent Seymour. She really had put her guardians through the wringer.
"I'm afraid you won't be going back to Spira, Yuna," said the fayth.
"What?"
"The Fayth have decided that in your current state, you won't be able to fight and defeat Sin," the fayth stated.
"But, why!" cried Yuna, "Why are you doing this?! Have I not already proven myself to you?" She took a deep breath. "Would you, too, deny a summoner on her pilgrimage?"
Gandalf, wisely remaining quiet, listened to the conversation in earnest.
"Actually, it is because of us that you can continue your pilgrimage," said the fayth, "Remember that it is the Fayth that bestows the aeons to the summoners, not Yevon."
"Then why—"
"I didn't say that you couldn't continue your pilgrimage, just that you couldn't in your current state," the fayth repeated, emphasizing the last part.
Understand his meaning, Yuna looked up at Gandalf and back to the fayth. "What must I do?" she said.
"A trial."
"A trial?"
"A trial that only you can take on," the fayth said, "It will not be like the Cloisters you have faced at the temples, and you will not need guardians on your journey."
"Well that, however, does not mean you would not need help at all, my lady," Gandalf interrupted, clearing his throat. He shot the fayth a knowing look. "Middle Earth will be new to you. All of the world, it's inhabitants—both the good and evil—you will need to know and learn. I do not expect one, such as yourself, to understand the dealings with the dwarves or the elves, nor deal with the likes of orcs, goblins, and trolls all by yourself."
"While I did have my guardians to protect me, and I had many, I assure you that I do know how to fight, Sir Gandalf," said Yuna, her tone gentle but firm. Leave it to Lulu, the black mage, to make sure that the young summoner she regarded as a sister was well versed in the art of black magic. Physical combat was not Yuna's forte, though she had picked up a thing or two from Auron and Kimahri during her journey thus far.
"Just Gandalf, my dear."
"And I am quite gifted in the arts of white magic, as most summoners are," she continued.
"Healing magic," Gandalf hummed, his blue eyes widened in surprise, "Perhaps there is a role for you after all. But let's not be hasty. Magic acts differently in Middle Earth than it does in your world. There are limitations and consequences to using magic and powers such as ours. Do not use more than you have to, and you must never use it for evil or for selfish gains."
"The same goes for your aeons. If you summon them with ill intentions, or if you rely too much of their power, you will suffer severe backlash," the fayth added. "You won't die," he clarified, "but you won't be able to do much for a while, either."
"What must I do?" Yuna repeated her question from earlier.
"Each of the fayth will be hidden about Middle Earth. You will need to find them and obtain them again in order to use them in that world," the fayth put is simply. "Think of it as part of your training. Obtaining all five aeons will be the key in coming home."
So, she was to start her journey over. A pilgrimage to find her way home back to Spira. But to be without her aeons from the very start in an unknown world? "How will I know when I come across a fayth?" she asked, "There won't be any temples, will there? And how will I know where to look?" The summoner's path in Spira is linear and known to all Spirans, but Middle Earth seems to be a much bigger world.
"The Hymn," said the fayth, "Listen for the Hymn of the Fayth. It will lead you to them."
"As far as where, well, I would guess that they would be somewhere along the areas of where my company may be. The south western parts," Gandalf spoke up, "You are right in thinking the vastness of Middle Earth. 60 years ago I was on another adventure with thirteen dwarves and a young hobbit with the intent to slay a dragon and take back the Misty Mountains in the north east. But…" He paused with a small queer smile. "That long tale is perhaps for another time. In any case, it wouldn't do you any good to have your fayth spread all about Middle Earth. No, that wouldn't do at all. Not enough time, for one..."
Refusing to allow herself to be distracted, Yuna pressed on. "And once I find all of the aeons, I can come home?" she asked.
"There will be one more test after you acquire the aeons," the fayth said, "But you'll have to see for yourself."
There was a change in the air as the planes of time and space shifted. Gandalf looked around with wonder. "It is almost time," he said with a knowing smile, "I am being called back. Come, lady Yuna. We must make haste." He offered her a hand.
Yuna turned toward the fayth and gave a small bow. "I won't let you down."
"It is time," Gandalf said again, with more urgency. Yuna placed her hand in his outstretched one, old and rough on her dainty soft one. He led her away into a shining light that seemed to glow brighter the more they walked.
The fayth of Bahamut stared after them until they disappeared.
"Good luck, Yuna."
Thoughts?