Ch3-5: Call of Duty
By the time Cecil reached the guest quarters, Golbez was gone.
He pushed aside the heavy bolted doors to reveal a tousled and empty bed that huddled in the dim light of the filtering sunset. The Paladin’s initial panic was instantly quenched at the sight of his uncle’s hunched form residing within the chambers. The ancient Lunar was calmly holding a hushed conversation with a little boy dressed in Baronian page attire.
If FuSoYa is not alarmed, then all must be well. But that shockwave of energy… it had to be Golbez!
Cecil stopped himself, waiting politely at the door for his presence to be acknowledged. To his amusement, it only took a matter of moments before the page boy glanced his way. As realization flooded the child’s face, his body shifted from a position of caution to outright awe.
“Your… M-Majesty?” The way the page’s eyes grew round, it was obvious that he had never met the Paladin King face to face before.
Cecil’s own expression sharpened.
Golden eyes? The boy of golden eyes. He is the page that was assigned to watch over Golbez’s activities.
“I hope that I am not intruding?”
If the two of them are here… where is Golbez?
“Ah, Cecil,” FuSoYa turned slowly to regard his nephew, eyebrows bristling. “What took you so long, boy?”
The page glanced quickly at the Lunar Sage, blinking at the lack of formality in the greeting. Cecil’s face remained pale with neutrality.
“Uncle…” The Paladin dipped his head forward in attempt to cover the tension in his voice.
“Where is Golbez?” the old Lunar finished, filling in the lingering question. Like a dragon swooping upon its prey, FuSoYa was right on target. Just as he always was.
Cecil lifted his green eyes to gaze on his Uncle’s grizzled face. “It was him, wasn’t it?”
“Elaborate?”
“The spell. I’m not all that magically inclined. But even I felt that spell as it was released,” The Paladin pursed his lips before continuing, “Then I discovered that Palom and Porom had been cured.”
“Indeed?” FuSoYa’s tone of voice spoke with little surprise.
“Uncle… we’ve been giving the children the best of Baron’s best in curative remedies and absolutely nothing has been able to heal them. Don’t tell me that one spell from one wizard could do what dozens of our mages could not!”
“He is Golbez,” the Sage nodded slowly.
Cecil swallowed, running his tongue over his lips.
“You act as if this is a bad thing? I could see making a fuss if he had cast something to harm someone. Did you not want the children to be cured?”
“Of course I did! It’s just… I’m not sure I understand. What exactly happened?”
“I have not actually talked to Golbez about it. We got him to bed to let him sleep off the backlash,” FuSoYa explained slowly. “When he woke up, he said he needed some fresh air and silence and that he wished to go to the battlements for a while.”
“You let him go alone?”
“Why not?” The Sage’s expression was sharp. “He knows his way there and back.”
“Yes… yes… of course…” Cecil gave a nervous frown.
“But I did talk to this young man here… he seems to have a pretty clear idea of what happened,” the Lunar made a motion towards the page.
The boy was still staring at Cecil, mouth slightly open.
The Paladin drew closer to the page and leaned forward, placing his palms on his knees to bring their eyes level. “Hello there, son. You’re Chase Westcott, if I remember correctly?”
The boy nodded quickly, eyes blinking in disbelief. “You… you’re really Cecil..!”
Cecil smiled.
“I… I mean… Your Majesty!” Chase gave a despairing look, covering his mouth with both hands.
“At ease,” the young King murmured in a coaxing voice. “I’ve heard all about your service to my brother Golbez. I’m very pleased with all your hard work. Is he difficult for you?”
“No, Your Majesty. Ben’s very kind to me!”
“Ben?”
“He likes to be called Ben… I don’t think he likes the name Golbez much anymore.”
“Is that so?”
Chase nodded quickly, “He’s nothing at all like the stories say he should be! Are you really sure he’s really Golbez?”
Cecil’s eyebrows arched in surprise.
This from the boy who supposedly sees the truth in all things? How curious.
“There’s no doubt in that, child,” FuSoYa’s face had grown uncharacteristically light.
The boy’s mouth became a small letter ‘o’.
“So, Mr. Westcott… may I call you that?” the Paladin began, a slight shimmer in his eye.
“Chase is fine Sir!” the page peeped.
“Mr. Chase then,” Cecil grinned. “Can you report to me what exactly happened today with Golbez?”
“I… told him not to go up there,” the boy’s face became troubled and afraid. “I told him he could get in trouble if he went into your room, but he wouldn’t listen. But Nodd snuck up there and he was trying to get him out.”
“Nodd?”
“That would be Golbez’s pet Hummingway child,” FuSoYa noted with a frown of distaste.
“I see…” Cecil’s face wrinkled.
“But we found Nodd,” Chase nodded firmly. “He was up in your room. And that’s when we saw the Mysidian children… they were really sick. I know we weren’t supposed to go in there… but we heard someone crying. I think one of them were sad in their sleep. So Ben went in to see.”
“And what did uh… Ben… do?”
“He took your Crystal sword and used it to heal them!”
FuSoYa gave a sound of understanding.
“Uncle?” Cecil pursed his lips.
“Of course…”
“Uncle?”
“The Crystal…”
“What about the Crystal?”
“It was the Crystal of Water that caused the wounds and illness. It would take the power of another Crystal to heal them,” the old Lunar finally said. “That is why the magic that was cast was so potent. Golbez tapped into the Crystal matrix to amplify his own power in order to create such a spell.”
The room fell into a thoughtful silence.
“Your Majesty!” Chase finally choked a frightened peep.
Cecil turned his head to regard the boy.
“Ben won’t get in trouble will he? You won’t High Treason him, will you?!”
The boy is really that concerned… and fond… of Golbez?
“No, Sir Chase. He is not in trouble.”
The page let out a deep breath. “I’m glad. He was really trying to help the mages that were hurt. He even made something to help the other sick people!”
“He… did?”
FuSoYa nodded gravely. One hand extended as he unraveled a small white cloth, holding it out to the young king. Much to Cecil’s horror… it was a pair of boxer shorts. With his initials monogrammed into them.
“Wha.. wha… where…”
“I hope these do not have any particular significance to you?” the Sage asked drolly.
Cecil’s face flushed quickly, his voice slightly strangled. “Where did you get…”
“Underwear,” Chase nodded curtly.
The Paladin King swiped out with one hand, snagging the offending garments. Instantly he felt it.
What’s this?
A tingle of woven holy magics rose and shifted through the material between his fingers. The look of surprise must have been evident on his face, for FuSoYa spoke up quickly.
“They have been enchanted. Enchanted with a copy of the same magic that was used to heal the Mysidian children.”
Cecil swallowed, blinking down at the boxers in his hand. “How… can that be possible.”
“Golbez is like his… your… father. They both posses the knowledge of locking spells into items for future usage,” the Lunar answered. “It is a series of advanced skills that is not very common even within the ranks of our people. But it goes hand in hand with things like Crystal making. And that is what he has done here.”
“Was it needed?”
“You felt the magnitude of the spell, Cecil.”
“I know… but…”
“Besides, it was holy magic. Casting magic of that sphere not only drains but physically harms Golbez.”
“What?” Cecil blinked up.
It was strange to think of someone like Golbez actually casting White Magic. And it spoke even more that the holy light might actually hurt him upon usage.
“Golbez was almost instantly rendered unconscious from the pain he endured. Therefore, reproducing this spell himself as many times as would be needed to heal all the wounded in this castle is not very logical, yes?” FuSoYa’s eyes were sharp, as if reading the Paladin’s very thoughts.
The Half-Lunar nodded slowly, the consideration sinking in. Finally, when he found his voice, the words rose in question.
“Uncle… if holy magic harms him… does that mean that he’s…”
“What? Finish your sentence, boy.”
“Well… you know… still dark?”
The Sage gave a grunt. “Golbez has been torn by both sides – dark and light – so often, I think he is honestly beyond them both. He just does not know it yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“You fear him Cecil. Do you not?”
“I fear his intentions. I don’t fear Golbez.”
“Then you are a fool.”
The Paladin’s mouth opened slightly. Then closed with a click.
“You would be wise to keep him under your hand.”
“So you mean he is…”
“Let me finish, boy,” FuSoYa grunted.
Cecil fell silent.
“I say to keep him under your hand. But not for the same reason you think I do.”
The Paladin nodded slowly, encouraging his uncle to follow up on the idea.
“Golbez… I do not know how to explain him. I only know the suffering I have seen him going through since his release from Zot. And it is immeasurable to anything I have ever seen another living creature put under.”
“Suffering?”
“Do you think that Zemus would allow those under his control to leave him so easily?”
“I…”
“Of course not. Zemus was a master in his forms of torture. To remain in the tower under his control was far less painful than to attempt to escape. He made sure of that.”
“How?”
“I do not know the details. I simply know that any creature that was chosen for Zemus’ plans was altered in many ways… mentally as well as physically… to ensure the greatest potential in performance and obedience to him,” FuSoYa looked down. “Your brother was twisted and formulated to become his perfect weapon. Thus, the extent of the alterations that were carried out upon his body and mind could only be left to nightmares.”
A shocked silence prickled over Cecil’s skin.
Chase was staring up with wide, golden eyes.
The Sage nodded finally, “I simply know… there are times that I look at Golbez and he does not even feel Lunar. Nor human. He feels like something else completely. And I blame this on the things that Zemus ordered to be carried out upon him in Zot.”
“I… had no idea.”
“Well, now you do. He may have been a Master of the dark forces, but his life has been anything but pleasant.”
“And now?”
“He seems to stay to himself if given the choice. Actually, it has been rather surprising to see him attempting to communicate with the humans in such a forward manner as he has. It is quite strange… to think he would willingly go out of his way to cast holy magic like this,” the Lunar shook his head. “I wonder if coming back to the Blue Planet might have been the best thing for him.”
“You speak as if it’s a condition that can be fixed,” Cecil frowned.
“Golbez is a strange case. His memories as his time under Zemus’ control are skewed and lost to darkness. As are most of his memories from his previous life,” FuSoYa explained. “I have a good idea that KluYa raised Golbez to be like the humans of the Blue Planet despite the powers I am sure the boy possessed even then. He was not always the evil Dark Lord that you know. As it should be obvious in the manner by which he tries to mend things between himself and you.”
“Me?”
“Can you not tell that he wants very much to get to know you? And to find your forgiveness.”
“He is… forgiven…”
“Really, now, Cecil?”
The Paladin pursed his lips, eyes lowering.
“Golbez… Benjamin Ya,” the Lunar stated, one syllable at a time. “He has been given a second chance very few have ever been. In some ways his mind still retains a child-like manner because there are many things he never learned before he was taken away by Zemus. But I believe in that part of him, our hope does lie. There is a good possibility that Golbez could become a very powerful ally to our cause. But only if there is one to guide him towards that light.”
Cecil blinked slowly.
“I have failed in this, Cecil. I find our minds more often at odds than in harmony. I tend to lose my temper and drive him further away. And it is my shame. I do care for the boy. There is a lot there to care for…”
“Uncle?” the young king looked to the Sage. It was very rare that FuSoYa admitted to feelings so openly.
“I took Golbez in as a way of making things up to KluYa. But now, I feel it may have been a mistake. There is very little I can do to understand Golbez, much less help him.”
“I don’t think so!”
FuSoYa scowled, “Have you asked him?”
“Well,” Cecil paused. “I haven’t actually spoken to him much.”
“Cecil,” there was a heavy sound to the ancient Lunar’s voice. “I ask you to keep him close under your hand and your care to lead him. You are his brother… and a Paladin. Perhaps you can do what I could not? Perhaps he will listen based off the respect that I know he holds toward you.”
“Toward… me? Are you certain?”
“Just tell me that you will try. If not for my sake… for your father’s name… and for your brother’s spirit.”
“Me? Redeem Golbez?” Cecil’s face set in a strange, pensive manner. After a long moment of thought, he nodded. “I… I suppose… it is my duty to… try?”
“Thank you, my boy.” The look on FuSoYa’s face became one of relief and subtle peace, “Thank you.”