Edge's Quest

Chapter Three: The Past Five Months

"You must be joking."

"Honest! I'm telling the truth."

"Yeah, right. There's no way that that happened."

"I'm not lying! Kain and I ran in on this ogre gone mad, and he said he could handle it. He jumped, and didn't come down for awhile. I destroyed the thing with Blitz, then looked for Kain. And since we had been in the caves under Eblan… well, we were pretty enclosed. Apparently, Kain jumped a bit too high, and got his helmet stuck in the roof of the cave!" Edge chuckled slightly, remembering the event. Rydia laughed, her soprano giggle sounding almost musical.

"Poor Kain," Rydia said after she had sobered a bit. The image of the serious Dragoon screaming at the Eblanians to get him down was a bit much.

"So… what's been going on with you?" Edge asked with a slight grin, leaning toward her on his elbows.

Rydia's smile darkened to a small frown, a shadow overcoming the bright features of her face. "Nothing, Edge."

Edge of Eblan wasn't stupid. He had been skirting Rydia's life for the past five months since Zeromus' defeat the entire night. The two had enjoyed reminiscing about earlier times on the walk to Baron from Mist, and had even run across a few common monsters and dispatched them together. Just like old times… Edge thought to himself as he studied Rydia's face. His emotions were still in a whirl from sunset. They had reached the village of Baron about three hours later, just as the sun had begun to set.

~*Flash to earlier that day, as the city of Baron looms before Edge and Rydia*~

"I'd say we made pretty good time," Rydia commented, looking over the city she remembered so vividly from the ordeals with Golbez.

Edge seemed a little distant in his reply. "Yeah… the sun's just going down."

Rydia laughed lightly. "Something troubling you, King?"

He smiled his dashing smile, but still seemed preoccupied. "No, Rydia, noth—wait. I have an idea." Edge seemed to snap back into the present. "Do you trust me?" he asked intently.

Rydia wore a look of confusion on her face. "Edge? What? Why do you—"

The smile broadened, making his face all the handsomer. "Yes or no, Lady Rydia?"

The Caller shook her curly green hair. "I trust you, Edge."

He winked at her. "Good. Then come with me."

Edge grabbed Rydia's hand and pulled her away from the town. He was still smiling, and Rydia still looked confused. She was having trouble keeping up with the ninja, holding up her silk dress in one hand, the other grasped in Edge's. She opened her mouth to have him slow down, but he stopped. They were at the foot of a hill.

Edge bowed and kissed her hand. "My Lady," he whispered to her.

"Edge," she warned as usual against his advances, however hard to resist.

Edge laughed, the clear tenor echoing slightly. "I mean nothing of the sort, good Lady. Come, climb the hill with me. The site at the top is something to see."

Rydia looked warily at him. "I swear, you get stranger by the day."

Edge laughed again. "Glad to hear it, Ry-chan. Now, come on, or we'll miss it."

The two climbed the hill. As they reached the summit, Edge stopped his green-haired companion. "Close your eyes, Rydia," he said mysteriously.

"Edge—"

"Close them."

Rydia sighed, and closed her luminous green eyes. Edge took her hand once more, and guided her to where he thought was the best view. He let go of her hand, and checked the perspective, and moved her again.

"Edge, what are you doing?"

"Just makin' sure you see it right, Ry-chan. Rosa told me about this, and I just had to check it out. It's not perfect unless you see it right."

"See what?"

She felt his presence close behind her, his hands on her shoulders. His voice was serious. "Open your eyes, Rydia."

Rydia's eyes adjusted to the new light, and she gasped in delight. "Oh, Edge… it's beautiful…" Her voice trailed off as she admired the view.

The sun was setting behind Castle Baron, making the castle look even more majestic. It's crimson and orange rays illuminated the town below, giving it an almost magical quality. Rydia could see so far, she felt freer. The breeze that blew quietly against her caught in her green shawl and she could swear, as she closed her eyes again, she was flying. She also felt safe for the first time in months with Edge so close to her. She leaned back against him. "Thank you, Edge. For setting me free. For being my friend."

Edge smiled a gentler, more meaningful smile. He couldn't understand his actions. Edge was a self-admitted womanizer, and here he was – a beautiful woman so close to him, and all he did was keep his hands on her shoulders. "Always, Rydia. Always."

~*End Flashback. Back to the Baron Tavern, in the private booth where Edge and Rydia are sitting.*~

"Rydia… talk to me."

"I-I can't."

"I'm your friend, remember? I won't hurt you, or betray you. You were going to die, Rydia. I can't accept 'nothing' as a reason to believe there was no way out." Edge stared at her intensely. Rydia could feel his sharp eyes upon her.

"I… I don't understand it myself. I helped build Castle Mist, along with a lot of other wizards. Cecil appointed that man you threatened, Blaine, as Chancellor. I…" Rydia fell silent. She didn't like the idea of telling Edge, who had always had a thing for her, that she was interested in other men. The feeling of his comforting hand on her shoulder helped her speak. "I guess I was taken by his charm. He… he wanted to marry me. I said no, that I didn't know him, that I was only a child. He's… a lot older than me – older than any of us, except for maybe Cid – he didn't understand. He tricked me into staying, hoping to win me over.

"One night, he came to me, and kissed me."

Edge winced at this, but Rydia didn't notice.

"I… I thought my first kiss would be nice, with someone… nevermind. I—it was horrible. I felt guilty after I stopped his kiss, that I had betrayed some unseen agreement or something by kissing him. He… he tried to… to…"

Tears started to roll down Rydia's cheeks. Edge closer to her and hugged her reassuringly. Sure, he might be a womanizer, over-emotional, and mysterious, but this was his friend. He needed to know more about the man who had hurt Rydia so he could kill him.

"I reacted. I Called Chocobo."

Edge shook a little in silent laughter. The thought of the regal and handsome Chancellor Blaine being attacked by a Summoned Monster was quite comical.

"He yelled… and his voice did something to me. I lost my will. I was lethargic. He left me in my room, all the while screaming at me. He called me a child, told me that I'd never be normal. I… I didn't know what to do. It was as if he had control over me. I decided to leave.

"I packed in secret, leaving all the clothes and items that he had given me, taking only what I had brought with me to the castle. I was almost at the door, and he appeared from thin air… as Palom used to do. He shouted at me, and I fainted. I woke up in my room, devoid of will and feeling. I could never escape.

"And then you came. You were so… familiar to me – the clothes, complete with dark orange cape, the mask… even the Murasame. Blaine had been angry you had brought it, thinking it a threatening gesture to Baron from Eblan. I discouraged him, of course, but it seemed I felt more alive then I had in weeks. After all, Cecil hadn't visited for a while, since he was over in Damcyan helping Edward… and so was Rosa, and Kain was in Eblan…" Rydia wiped tears from her eyes.

"He threatened me when I said I wanted to take you up on your offer to visit. He… said he'd hurt me. I don't know why I was afraid… I am a Caller, I could've called Bahamut or Odin and taught him a lesson. But…I was afraid. His voice took away my conscious freedom… but I couldn't sense magic and… The words to my magic vanished in my head…

" After a couple months, I finally figured I had no way out. Blaine had trapped me in his castle, refusing to let me leave until I married him. I don't love him, Edge…"

Edge nodded understandingly. "Of course. You did nothing wrong."

Rydia nodded, smiling at Edge's encouragement. "I wanted to leave, so I jumped. You know the rest." Edge opened his mouth to speak, but Rydia cut him off. "I know what you're thinking. Poor Rydia, stuck in a castle, all her needs taken care of, what does she know about hardship?"

Edge shook his head. "No, Rydia! Not at all. I was thinking more along the lines of how Blaine controlled the most powerful, and beautiful, black sorceress in the world, and how he's going to die for hurting you."

"But—"

"Listen to me, Rydia. You are an intelligent, kind, incredibly strong, beautiful woman. Nothing anyone says will change that."

Rydia sniffed, looking Edge in the eyes. "Really?"

Edge grinned. "Really." He stood up from his seat, bowed to Rydia, took her hand and kissed it in a gentlemanly manner. Helping her up, they linked arms in a mock serious way, leaving the restaurant pretending to be Lord and Lady.

They stood outside, in the dark town, for it was now late, and looked at the star-filled sky. "Where do I go from here, Edge?" Rydia asked with a sigh. She shivered slightly in the chill night air of early spring.

Edge's perceptive eyes noticed both the sigh and the shiver. He gallantly took off his dark orange cape with a flourish, bowing deeply before the Caller. He then wrapped the cape around her, and said, "There's always room at Eblan, my friend."

Rydia looked him in the eyes, trying to determine if he was serious. The mirth that Edge always seemed to have sparkled there, as well as his determination to help his friend. "Oh, Edge!" she cried, and hugged him. "Thank you!"

Edge was having difficulty returning Rydia's affection. He knew if he did so too eagerly, he might just turn his charm on full blast… and then something might result that he didn't want to happen. He returned her hug lightly, then pushed her gently away and whispered, "Always."