[Final Fantasy IV] The Land Below
Characters/Pairings: Kain/Rydia, Asura, Leviathan
Rating: G
Warnings: Minor spoilers
Notes: 500 words. For mount_ordeals, themes #28 Land of Summoned Monsters and #67 Relaxation. Thanks to bottle_of_shine for reading over it for me.
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy IV belongs to Squaresoft. I own neither the characters nor the setting, nor do I make any profit from my fanfiction, which is purely for my own enjoyment.
Summary: Kain visited the Land of Summoned Monsters thrice.
The first time he went to the Land of the Summoned Monsters, he had four companions. The reddish light emanating from the walls and floor cast a strange hue over all of them, and turned Rydia's robes and hair the colour of rich earth. Kain could see that it unnerved Cecil and Rosa. Edge nigh leapt out of his skin each time the light shifted, struggling to cover his nervousness with a light patter of awful jokes.
Rydia relaxed as they journeyed farther into the cave, and to his surprise, Kain found that he was less tense as well. The heat and red tinge were the opposite of the icy pallor of Golbez's tower, and for the first time since Mist, he began to feel truly warm in a way the campfire had never managed.
When they faced the Queen of the Summons, a wave of primeval terror gripped him, and Rydia hissed as the edges of his gauntlets dug into her hand from where he clutched at her. Still, he did better than Edge, who would swear unto his last breath that the sound he uttered in no way resembled a scream of terror.
When they left, he knew they were glad to leave the strange subterranean realm behind, but he missed the fitful peace he had found there, and he saw Rydia's longing backward glance.
The second time he went to the Land of Summoned Monsters, only Rydia accompanied him. He found his second meeting with Asura and Leviathan no less terrifying than the first, but managed a courtly bow with reasonable grace. "Your Majesties," he said through a throat gone dry and tight.
"Dragon Knight." Asura smiled, but there was little comfort in it. "Welcome to our family."
Rydia's robes hid the fact that he was gripping her hand tightly enough for her wedding ring to dig into both their hands. "Thank you."
Rydia swore and pulled her hand free, rubbing her abused fingers gently.
Leviathan laughed. "Be patient with him, child. He will learn."
When they left, Cecil and Rosa welcomed them back with open arms. They raised three daughters and two sons, and if sometimes he saw Rydia gaze toward Agart with a longing expression, he did not mention it; nor did she, if she caught him at the same.
The third time he went to the Land of Summoned Monsters, he went alone, and with a heavy heart. He was an old man, now, and his limbs did not obey his commands as easily as they once had. When he reached Leviathan and Asura, he sank to his knees as a gesture of respect, and suppressed a groan of pain at the movement.
Leviathan studied him, seeming unchanged by the decades that had gone by, though it was hard for Kain to tell through age-dimmed eyes. "You wish to stay?" the ancient ruler asked.
"Yes."
"Very well."
He did not leave the Land of Summoned Monsters again.
Rating: G
Warnings: Minor spoilers
Notes: 500 words. For mount_ordeals, themes #28 Land of Summoned Monsters and #67 Relaxation. Thanks to bottle_of_shine for reading over it for me.
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy IV belongs to Squaresoft. I own neither the characters nor the setting, nor do I make any profit from my fanfiction, which is purely for my own enjoyment.
Summary: Kain visited the Land of Summoned Monsters thrice.
The first time he went to the Land of the Summoned Monsters, he had four companions. The reddish light emanating from the walls and floor cast a strange hue over all of them, and turned Rydia's robes and hair the colour of rich earth. Kain could see that it unnerved Cecil and Rosa. Edge nigh leapt out of his skin each time the light shifted, struggling to cover his nervousness with a light patter of awful jokes.
Rydia relaxed as they journeyed farther into the cave, and to his surprise, Kain found that he was less tense as well. The heat and red tinge were the opposite of the icy pallor of Golbez's tower, and for the first time since Mist, he began to feel truly warm in a way the campfire had never managed.
When they faced the Queen of the Summons, a wave of primeval terror gripped him, and Rydia hissed as the edges of his gauntlets dug into her hand from where he clutched at her. Still, he did better than Edge, who would swear unto his last breath that the sound he uttered in no way resembled a scream of terror.
When they left, he knew they were glad to leave the strange subterranean realm behind, but he missed the fitful peace he had found there, and he saw Rydia's longing backward glance.
The second time he went to the Land of Summoned Monsters, only Rydia accompanied him. He found his second meeting with Asura and Leviathan no less terrifying than the first, but managed a courtly bow with reasonable grace. "Your Majesties," he said through a throat gone dry and tight.
"Dragon Knight." Asura smiled, but there was little comfort in it. "Welcome to our family."
Rydia's robes hid the fact that he was gripping her hand tightly enough for her wedding ring to dig into both their hands. "Thank you."
Rydia swore and pulled her hand free, rubbing her abused fingers gently.
Leviathan laughed. "Be patient with him, child. He will learn."
When they left, Cecil and Rosa welcomed them back with open arms. They raised three daughters and two sons, and if sometimes he saw Rydia gaze toward Agart with a longing expression, he did not mention it; nor did she, if she caught him at the same.
The third time he went to the Land of Summoned Monsters, he went alone, and with a heavy heart. He was an old man, now, and his limbs did not obey his commands as easily as they once had. When he reached Leviathan and Asura, he sank to his knees as a gesture of respect, and suppressed a groan of pain at the movement.
Leviathan studied him, seeming unchanged by the decades that had gone by, though it was hard for Kain to tell through age-dimmed eyes. "You wish to stay?" the ancient ruler asked.
"Yes."
"Very well."
He did not leave the Land of Summoned Monsters again.