[Final Fantasy IV] Every Light Casts A Shadow, Chapter Two: Homecoming
Pairings/Characters: Kain Highwind, plus cast
Rating: R (overall)
Warnings: Spoilers. Violence and language. Occasional sexual content.
Notes: This fic belongs to the Lucis Ante Terminum arc. Like that arc, it was conceived prior to FF4: The After and may contradict additional canon presented in that game. I make no apologies for this. Chapter list is here.
Summary: Though it is possible to return home, it is rarely possible to return affairs to their previous state. Sometimes the only course of action is to move forward.
Wordcount: 7300 this chapter.
Beta: celeloriel, first_seventhe, and evillotto
Kain stood in the prow of the Moon's Blessing, gazing at Ostia Harbour as it rose up in the east, a towering mass of grey stone clearly defined against the horizon. The wind ruffled his hair, thick and sticky with salt spray. He focused on the tiny dark figures on the docks, milling about like a colony of ants. They gradually grew larger as the ship approached, recognizably men and women who went about their daily business.
Behind him, the sailors shouted to each other, their words torn away by the swift wind that snapped the canvas sails in their rope bonds. Kain tilted his head back, staring up into the endless blue expanse of sky. Are you up there somewhere, Valvalicia, drifting on the whims of some wind? Or have you gone to Hell as a fiend rightly should? He thought he saw a hint of her shape in a rippling cumulus cloud, a suggestion of flowing hair and a voluptuous shape. Her lips had always been cool against his skin, the sense of air flowing all around them even in a closed room as she moved on top of him, her hair whipping in a vortex of wind. The direction of his thoughts led him to a predictable physical response, and he damned her influence over him for the thousandth time.
They drew closer to the shore. The sailors scrambled about to adjust sails at the helmsman's direction as he guided the ship alongside the escort boat. Kain simply stood watching as his homeland drew closer. All told, he'd been gone from Baron nearly three years, not counting their very brief sojourn for Rydia to learn to summon King Odin's spirit. Much could change in even a few months.
The ship docked, and Kain went belowdecks to retrieve his few belongings. A few of the sailors nodded to him as he passed, and he forced himself to smile and nod back. It was hardly their fault that he was so unaccustomed to any human company that the ship felt like more of a prison than ever Golbez's dungeons had.
Over the course of the three-week sea voyage, he had read over the packet of letters his friends had sent during his self-imposed exile on Mt. Ordeals. It had taken him days to summon the courage to approach them, for fear that he would find within their pages an endless font of recriminations and accusations, but it seemed he had misjudged them. Rydia had sent two very sharp-toned missives, berating him for shutting himself away when what he needed was to be around people in order to heal. If you want forgiveness, then have the spine to step forth and ask for it, she had written in her angular, slanted script.
Cid's single letter had covered three times as much paper as both of Rydia's combined, rambling about the new airships he was building, and a short postscript threatening dire harm if he continued to upset Cecil and Rosa this way. Cecil had written three letters, his plain clear handwriting a relief to Kain's eyes after Cid's untidy scrawl. He wrote of various developments within Baron, of rebuilding the country and undoing the harm Caignozzio had caused. The Dragoons prospered, he wrote, wanting only a strong captain to lead them again. Kain snorted and set that aside; he had no intention of resuming command of the Dragoons. Baron did not need a traitor to lead its elite forces. Such a thing would be foolish in the extreme. A man who had so easily fallen to the influence of evil was not to be trusted in a position of command; what if he were to slay the King and take the Queen for his own, or influence Cecil to continue the wars Golbez had begun?
He had read Rosa's five letters slowly, then re-read them again several times. He fancied that the parchment smelled faintly of her perfume, lilies and roses. She wrote in a flowing, elegant hand, legacy of her tutoring as a nobleman's daughter. Where Cecil wrote of his hopes that Kain would return and resume command of the Dragon Knights, Rosa wrote of simpler things: how the fields were lush and green again, the simple peace of spending a spring evening atop the towers of the castle, with the land of Baron spread all around. I hope to see you soon, but do not rush to return on our account. You must do what is best for you. Cecil prays daily for your swift return. I pray you will find the peace you seek. Stay safe. We miss you. He had had to set the letter aside then, swallowing hard against an unaccustomed lump in his throat. Why did she have to be so damned forgiving and understanding? It only made his own failings the more obvious.
He gathered the letters and packed them neatly in his bag once again. It did not seem right to leave them behind, though he was not entirely certain he would keep them, once ashore. Finally, with no small amount of nervousness, he once again donned his Dragoon armour. It was easier to wear the armour rather than carry it, and he was still technically a Dragon Knight. The steel felt heavier than usual as he settled the pieces in place.
He made his thanks to the captain of the ship and made his way down onto the wharf, dodging the handlers unloading cargo from this and other ships recently arrived at the port. He could rent a chocobo from the stable here in town, or perhaps take a chocobo coach to Baron City. He turned toward the western side of town and walked swiftly, ignoring the catcalls of the prostitutes that plagued the dock district and dodging the efforts of a footpad who sought the contents of his purse.
"Kain!" The booming voice preceded the powerful slap to his shoulder by mere seconds, and was followed by a grunt of pain at the contact between flesh and steel. Kain staggered under the force of the greeting, barely keeping himself from lashing out with his weapon as he turned.
He saw a large, stockily built man with bushy red hair, a voluminous red beard, and enormous thick glasses beaming at him. "Cid," he managed to say. He had been hoping to get through Ostia and up to Baron City without meeting any of his old friends; it would have given him time to get used to the land again.
"You're just in time to get a ride back to Baron City with me. I was here pickin' up some materials for my new class of airship. Dragon class, they'll be! And you've gotta see the improvements I've made to the Falcon and the rest of the Red Wings!"
Cid grabbed Kain by the arm and hauled him off through the controlled chaos of the wharves, chattering the whole way. Kain remained silent. He was reminded of the times when he was a small child, tagging after Cid in the airship yards as the engineer fiddled with this piece or that, always trying to improve his "babies." King Odin had once said, laughing, that he only need worry when Kain wasn't tagging after Cid or watching the Dragon Knights train, for it meant he was somewhere with Cecil, doubtless engaged in some mischief.
Cid led him to a beauty of an airship, gleaming pale oak and bright mythril trim, with the name Lady Fortune emblazoned on the side in elegant, stylized black script. It was a slim, sleek model, clearly designed for speed rather than cargo capacity. Kain took a moment to admire the design before climbing the ladder up to the deck. Cid had already gone ahead and was berating one of the technicians. Kain caught snatches of the tirade amid the clanging of the crew preparing the ship. "Retarded chocobos are more skilled . . . don't suppose I could've got a crew with the sense of a half-eaten grape . . . be making adjustments to the autopilot system without sufficient crew on board to handle it if this dunderheaded plan had gone awry!" He smothered a grin. Cid hadn't changed a whit.
The technician being duly chastised, Cid wasted little time in getting the ship off the ground. It sliced through the air, heading toward Baron. Kain marveled at the speed of it, nearly half again swifter than the Falcon they had used previously. The wind streamed past him, far cooler here than in Mysidia, even in the height of Baron's summer. The air rushing over his skin brought to mind memories of Valvalicia, who had delighted in taking him soaring above the clouds whenever the whim struck her; he had never been quite sure if she planned to return him safely to the tower or if her sense of humour would lead her to drop him from dizzying heights just to see how well his Dragoon training handled it.
"She's a beauty, ain't she?" Cid asked from just behind his shoulder, and Kain started in surprise, having nearly forgotten the presence of the crew.
"An improvement over the older models," Kain replied.
"We'll be home to Baron City in about four hours." Cid grinned at the expression on Kain's face.
"Four hours to cover a two days' journey on a chocobo? You really have improved them."
Cid slapped him on the shoulder and moved off to harangue another of his crew about the way he was handling the rudder. Kain leaned on the rail and watched Baron fly past underneath them. When he had ridden airships under Golbez's command, the smallfolk of Baron had run to hide themselves from the airship, lest they should attract the attention of Golbez to their settlement. It had not sat well with Kain, for King Odin had taught him and Cecil that terrorizing the smallfolk was a good way to find oneself quickly dethroned. He was pleased to see that children were jumping and pointing up at the airship, calling to each other to see it whip past.
The journey passed uneventfully, and they landed just to the south of Baron City in mid-afternoon. Cid strode up to where Kain was standing, looking at the city with a mixture of longing and reluctance. "Come on, we'll rent a pair of chocobos to take ourselves through the city. Cecil and Rosa will want to see you."
Kain mumbled something noncommittal and followed Cid down off the airship, where the crew was unloading boxes of supplies. Cid left his first mate in charge of the unloading and headed straight for the livery stable at the edge of the city. A few moments later, he had the reins of two large, docile chocobos in hand.
"Well, let's go!" Cid heaved himself into one chocobo's saddle. Kain mounted the other and turned it toward the long, broad boulevard that bisected Baron City north to south, running the full length of the city.
The accents of his homeland fell strangely on his ears, after two years of solitude and the company of Mysidian sailors on the ship. Here in the city, he could smell neither forest nor sea nor the rotting hulks of undead. He didn't miss the stench of the latter, but it was strange to smell so many people all around. The smells of cooking, of discarded night soil and animals assaulted his nose. Mysidia, for all its heat, had been a far cleaner city. Kain could barely identify the streets they rode past. It felt as though he'd been gone far longer than two years.
They made their way through the main market of Baron, crowded now with vendors crying their wares and buyers strolling from stall to stall, pretending disinterest in the goods they bargained for. The raucous sounds of so many people shouting and talking assaulted his ears, and Kain had to fight the urge to clap his hands over his ears to block it out. He clutched tighter at his chocobo's reins, wondering if it might not be a better idea to turn tail and flee back to the mountains. Cid seemed unaffected by the din, bellowing greetings at people as they passed. Kain recognized a few of them as those who worked with Cid in the airship yards, whose footsteps he had dogged as a child until finally the time had come for him to begin training with the Dragoons.
Slowly they made their way up the long, gentle slope that led to the castle, built on the highest point of land at Baron City. As they drew closer to the castle, the streets grew quieter. The houses were taller and more elegantly designed, spaced farther apart on the streets. Here nobles vied for space facing the main boulevard. Kain saw one household which was hosting a party of some sort, the garden filled with young women in bright dresses flitting about like a flock of confused butterflies.
They came to the end of the city and the slope of the road grew steeper as the chocobos plodded up the last half-mile toward the massive stone walls of the castle. The wooden gates, built of the trunks of many trees lashed together with iron bands and pegs, were partially open. He saw four soldiers in the familiar uniforms of Baron posted outside the open side of the gates, keeping an alert watch on the road. They waved at Cid as he approached.
"Afternoon, Cid!" one called.
"Hey there. Busy day?" Cid reined in his chocobo, and Kain drew his to a halt behind Cid's. The bird bobbed its head irritably. Kain scratched at its neck, and it warked at him.
"Not so much. Who's your friend?" A second guard took two steps forward and peered up at Kain. His eyes widened. "Is this…?"
"I'm Kain Highwind," Kain said quietly. The guard's eyes widened before he seemed to recall himself and snapped to attention, saluting.
"Welcome back to Baron, Captain Highwind, sir!" he said.
Kain blinked. The other three guards were also saluting. "At ease," he said awkwardly, and looked at Cid.
"Well, let's go. The King will want to see you." Cid nudged his chocobo, and the bird obediently moved forward. Kain steered his own chocobo after Cid, thinking of the number of times his tutors had said those same words to him--usually when the cook complained of tarts missing from the kitchen, or some similar piece of mischief.
Cid dismounted in the courtyard, handing the reins off to one of the stable boys. "See that that gets returned to the livery stable at the south gate," he told the lad, handing over a few Gil. "His too." He jerked his head in Kain's general direction.
Kain swung his leg over the chocobo's back and dropped to the ground, his armour clanking faintly as he did so. A second stable boy ran up to take his chocobo's reins. He adjusted his bag of possessions over his shoulder and followed Cid toward the inner gate of the castle, which stood wide open to admit whatever traffic passed through the outer courtyard.
Amid the many greetings heaped upon Cid, he saw several suspicious glances cast at him, men whose faces he vaguely recognized. Some had been under Cecil's command before the incident at Mist. He did not see any Dragon Knights, which made him wonder about Cecil's letter stating he needed a new captain for the elite troops.
"Is there somewhere I can clean up?" he asked Cid. "It's not exactly polite to appear in front of the King this way."
Cid paused and glanced back over his shoulder. "Yeah, you can use the workshop, I guess. I don't know if your rooms are prepared." He detoured off to the right, and Kain followed him through the winding hallways until they reached the oil-spattered workshop that was Cid's domain.
There was little enough he could do to improve his appearance in a short time, but he could at least remove the worst of the grime from his armour with an oiled rag. As Cid slept in his workshop more often than not, there was a small bathing chamber in an alcove. Kain managed to rinse the worst of the salt from his hair and skin, shivering at the chill of the water, and change into the one set of clothes he'd kept folded neatly in his bag so as not to get them coated in salt. Cid waited impatiently for the first five minutes, but then got distracted by a set of plans on a nearby table, and left Kain to finish his ablutions in relative peace.
Having managed to tame his hair into some semblance of order, Kain donned his armour once more and took a slow, deep breath to prepare himself. "Cid?"
"What? What? Oh, you're ready? About time." Cid set down the plans and nodded briskly. "Let's go, then."
Cid headed straight for the throne room, waving cheerfully at those who greeted him but not stopping to chat. Cid barged right through the castle without bothering to announce himself until he reached the guards in the reception room outside Cecil's throne room. "Halt!" one of them shouted, reaching out his sword to bar the way as his partner did the same. "State your name and business."
"I'm Cid Pollendina, you blind bat, and I'm here to bring a visitor to the King!" Kain could have sworn Cid's hair and beard stood even more on end than usual at being questioned.
The guard's gaze turned toward Kain. Kain saw recognition dawn on his features, followed by an ugly scowl. "It is generally not a good idea, Engineer, to bring armed traitors into the throne room," the guard said.
Cid was reduced to outraged stuttering at this development. Kain sighed. "Did you truly expect the men entrusted with His Majesty's safety to simply let me in?" Kain glanced covertly to his left and right, to see if the guards had yet summoned aid.
"Well then let me in, you nimrods, and we'll see what the King thinks of this!" Cid shouted, finally managing to put his sentiments into coherent syllables.
"You, yes. The traitor, no." The guard glared at Kain, who deliberately took five steps backward. The second guard opened the door to the throne room barely wide enough for Cid to squeeze through, and both of them bracketed him as he did so, slamming the door shut in his wake and immediately resuming their guard positions. Kain ignored them. He could destroy the entire castle guard with minimal effort, did he so choose. Bloodshed at this juncture would be in poor taste, and useless besides. Instead, he stood at attention and started reciting the names of the captains of the Dragon Knights to himself in chronological order. The last time he had waited thus outside the doors of the throne room, Cecil had been presenting the Water Crystal to the false King. Kain forced away the shudder that rippled down his spine and resumed his mental recitation. The four Fiends were dead; their power held no sway over Baron now.
A loud thump on the door echoed through the antechamber. "Admit Captain Highwind immediately, by order of the King!" Cid shouted from the other side.
"Lay down your weapon," one of the guards said, gesturing vaguely with his blade.
Kain made a significant show of setting his spear against the wall and holding up his hands to display them empty. He did not feel it particularly necessary to notify the guards of the dagger in his boot or the knife at his belt. If they cared enough to ask, that would be another matter entirely.
They did not, and they grudgingly stepped forward to open the door. Cid was waiting just inside, all but hopping up and down with impatience. Kain repressed a groan upon realizing that the throne room was filled with noblemen. He had chosen an ill day to return, indeed.
He followed Cid up the aisle between the noblemen. As soon as he emerged from the crowd, Cecil sprang to his feet, obviously ready to rush down off the dais. Kain went to one knee. "Your Majesty," he said, bowing his head. "I apologize profoundly for disrupting your audience." He could hear the muttering of the nobles behind him.
Cecil checked his rush, but he did continue down the stairs. "Rise, Captain Highwind," he said formally.
Kain stood, and Cecil gave him a solid thump on the shoulder by way of greeting. Kain grimaced slightly. He was clearly going to need more padding beneath his armour if this sort of greeting was going to be customary. The old padding had worn thin during their travels.
Kain struggled to keep his gaze from the woman descending the steps from the dais with a slightly waddling gait that was completely unlike the light, graceful steps he remembered. Rosa smiled up at him, her hands resting lightly on the mound of her stomach protruding beneath her white gown.
"Welcome home, Kain," she said, holding out her arms.
Rather than respond to her open welcome, he went to his knees once more, head bowed. "Your Majesty."
Rosa smiled her same sweet smile. "I'm so glad you've come back. Are you feeling better now?"
"Let's discuss this where we can all sit down. You especially," Cecil said, resting one hand lightly on Rosa's shoulder. She held out her hand to Kain once more.
Kain shook off the shock of seeing her again, and seeing her so obviously pregnant, and took her hand to kiss it. "My apologies for my deplorable lack of courtesy, King Cecil, Queen Rosa," he said formally, aware of the glares of the throne room guards behind him.
"Let us sit and finish the day's business," Rosa said quietly. "I think we all have many things we need to discuss."
Cecil seemed ready to protest. Rosa squeezed his hand and he sighed. "Find a seat for Captain Highwind," he instructed the nearest of his guards.
The guard led Kain to a seat in the back of the throne room, where he could see naught beyond the silk-clad backsides of Baron's nobility. It did not matter. Had he been questioned on the proceedings, he would have been hard-pressed to name the complaints brought forth.
He knew they had wed. He had made his peace with it, or so he thought. Yet when he envisioned his homecoming, he had not thought that he would be faced so immediately with the results of that marriage. He wondered what had driven him to leave the peace of Mt. Ordeals behind. Each place he had been since his departure had been progressively harder to bear. Perhaps he was best suited to a life of contemplation after all.
He shook himself out of his reverie in time to hear Cecil dismiss the audience. He rose with the nobles to bow to the King, who proceeded down the central aisle with his Queen beside him.
"Captain Highwind," Cecil said, pausing next to him. "It would please us if you would accompany us, and tell us of your travels."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Kain said, bowing and holding the bow as Cecil and Rosa left the throne room. He waited until they had passed through the wide double doors before following.
He found the King and Queen stopped in the antechamber. Cecil was studying Kain's spear where it stood propped against the wall. "Captain Highwind," he said, and Kain winced.
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"May I inquire as to how the Captain of the Dragon Knights proposes to defend the King without his weapon?"
"Your Majesty, I acceded to the wishes of your guards in leaving my weapon here."
"Take up your weapon, Captain."
Kain retrieved his spear and resumed his place at the end of the King's procession.
Cecil and Rosa slowly led the way to the eastern tower, flanked by a half-dozen of the Palace Guard and the same number of ladies-in-waiting. Kain followed them silently, observing as the guards they passed saluted Cecil respectfully. He also noticed that many of the guards with senior rank insignia gave him looks ranging from wary to outright distrustful. He didn't blame them. He'd have looked at a traitor the same way.
The procession paused just outside an oak door elaborately carved with the crossed swords of Baron's crest. Rosa turned to her ladies-in-waiting with a smile. "Please leave us," she said. They curtsied and departed.
Cecil led the way into the chamber, nodding to his guards to remain outside. The King's suite appeared little changed from King Odin's day. The room was furnished in an informal style, with heavy but comfortable couches.
Kain remained standing while Cecil and Rosa seated themselves on one of the couches. An awkward silence descended upon the room, broken only by the occasional sound of the guards shifting outside the door.
"Will you sit?" Rosa asked him quietly.
"Your Majesty has bidden me remain armed, that I might defend him." In truth, he was grateful that the helm concealed his face from them, and any expression that might betray him. Still, he took care not to look overlong at the Queen.
Cecil made an impatient noise and rose to his feet. "Stop being so absurd, and let me help you with that." He reached for the fastenings of Kain's cuirass.
It was strange, to have another's help as he removed the layers of steel armour. He had grown so accustomed to the awkward process of donning and removing the armour by himself that he had nigh forgotten how much more smoothly the process went with assistance.
There was an armour rack in a small niche off to the side. Slowly the armour took shape there until the entire mass was properly arranged. Kain avoided Cecil's eyes as they worked, and said nothing. Several times it appeared that Cecil might be about to speak, but each time he opened his mouth, Kain busied himself fussing with a piece of armour. At length Cecil ceased trying, and devoted his attention to arranging the armour just so on the stand.
A maid was just setting a tray of tea and dainty sandwiches on the table when they returned to Rosa. The maid bobbed a quick curtsy to the King and Queen, but Kain noticed that she was staring at him as she hurried out, pulling the door shut behind her.
Rosa poured herself a cup of tea, and then poured a second. He watched as she added two spoonfuls of sugar and a twist of lemon. She offered the second cup of tea to him. He took it with a smile and thanks, vaguely bemused that she remembered how he took his tea. Cecil poured himself tea and took one of the sandwiches, sitting back on the sofa.
The awkward silence descended once more, broken only by the faint sounds of tea being drunk and the clink of cups against saucers. Kain waited them out, forcing himself not to watch Rosa, though he was aware of her every motion.
"Did you find what you sought on Mt. Ordeals, Kain?" she asked him at last, setting her teacup down. Beside her, Cecil shifted restlessly. She rested one hand on his knee, her golden eyes intent on Kain's face.
"I don't know." Kain drank the last of his tea and set the cup aside. "It is very peaceful up there."
"If one discounts the undead roaming about," Cecil muttered.
"They left me alone, for the most part. They do not go near your father's sanctuary."
"Did you go in?" Cecil asked, frowning slightly.
"No. That is your place, and your father's. I stayed outside."
"All winter?" Cecil's voice held a note of protest. "Twice?"
"I had a cabin." Kain shrugged.
"You should have come down and stayed in Mysidia," Cecil said reproachfully. "The Elder would have given you a place to stay."
"Cecil," Rosa murmured. "That wasn't the point."
Kain looked at her, surprised. She smiled at him. He couldn't help noticing that once again, she had her hands folded over her stomach, as though to reassure herself that her child was still there.
"There is nothing particularly interesting to speak of regarding my time at Mt. Ordeals," he said. "What has been happening here?"
Cecil launched into a discourse about the process of reviving Baron and rebuilding its armies, air fleets, and everything else that had gone awry both under Caignozzio's unfortunate stewardship, and the months when they had all been gone and no one had remained to run the country. Kain listened intently, making appropriate comments. Cecil had always been one for ideals, even as a Dark Knight, trusting in the loyalty of the people of Baron and the system of laws and taxes to support itself. His idealism shone clearly in each of the improvements he proposed. Kain could not but wonder how the nobility was handling these proposed changes. His memory of Baron was of a staid, formal atmosphere, ill inclined to change. He kept those thoughts to himself, not wanting to darken his homecoming with unpleasant thoughts.
When Cecil at last ran out of improvements or planned projects to discuss, the sun was sinking and the room had grown darker. Rosa looked outside. "It will be dinnertime soon. Cecil, will you help me up?"
Cecil immediately jumped to his feet and offered his hand to help her up. Once on her feet, she turned to Kain. "Please join us this evening. We have missed you. Will you be staying here now?"
"I don't know," he said, and saw her smile dim. Cecil frowned. "I don't know if this is where I belong."
"Of course it's where you belong. This is your home!" Cecil's frown deepened into a full-blown scowl.
"You always have a place here," Rosa said, "whether you stay or go."
"Thank you." Kain bowed to both of them. "Ah, if I'm to join this dinner this evening…"
"All of your old things have been moved to the top floor of the western tower," Rosa said with a smile. "We've been saving it for you."
Cecil's old quarters. Kain forced a smile. "Thank you, Rosa." He waited for them to leave, Rosa leaning heavily on Cecil's arm, before he retrieved his armaments and headed for the west tower.
All in all, the castle had not changed much in his absence, save for the faces he saw as he crossed the courtyard. He ascended the stairs in the west tower to the top floor, passing his old rooms on the way. When he entered Cecil's old room, there was a maid smoothing down the bed linens. She offered him a hasty curtsy. "Welcome back to Baron, Captain Highwind."
"Thank you." Kain smiled at her. The maid curtsied again and hurried out of the room.
Kain set his armour on the stand that had been provided, where once Cecil's black steel armour had hung, and looked around him at his new quarters. The little touches that had made this room Cecil's had vanished, replaced by his own belongings. He had little difficulty imagining Cecil and Rosa moving the small keepsakes themselves, rearranging them just so. The miniature of his father sat on the dresser, painstakingly dusted. Next to it was a small glass box containing his mother's locket. There was a tall, narrow wooden case in the corner that contained his father's ceremonial spear, hung with seven of the crimson tassels that signified honours bestowed by the king. No other Dragon Knight in Baron's history had earned so many.
His own spear was remarkably bare of the same.
He removed the wrinkled, worn clothing from his bag and dumped it into the corner. He would have to remember to have the maid take it down to the laundry tomorrow.
The windows drew his attention next, and he walked over and opened the shutters. He could see half of Baron City from here, the buildings tinted red in the glow of sunset. It was something of a relief to be home, to smell the familiar scents of Baron and hear the accents he'd known all his life once more.
However, he couldn't shake the feeling that this homecoming was going far too smoothly, anxious throne room guards notwithstanding. He had expected rather more resentment. After all, the false king had ruled with an iron hand for that last year, and Kain had served him loyally and well. Cecil's kingship he could understand; Cecil had been Odin's unofficial heir for many years before Caignozzio slew the King. He could also understand why Cecil, Rosa, and Cid would welcome him home. It was the people of Baron who concerned them. The nobility had not been best pleased with his actions during Golbez's interregnum. After all, forces under his command had devastated Damcyan, nearly wiped out Fabul, and crushed Eblan.
He shrugged off such thoughts and turned to the dresser, rummaging for fresh clothing before heading downstairs into the bathing rooms in the basement. Decades ago some engineer had discovered hot springs in the caverns beneath the castle and had tapped into them to provide the castle with a perennial supply of hot water for bathing. Kain stripped and slid into the bath, sighing deeply as he sank into hot water up to his chin. Mt. Ordeals had a great deal to recommend it in the way of solitude, but not as much in the way of amenities such as regular baths. He had had quite enough of bathing in icy mountain streams for now.
He bathed himself and shaved away three weeks' growth of beard before dressing in fresh clothing. He returned to his room to set his much-worn garments aside for the laundry. As he passed the mirror, he caught a glimpse of himself and stopped, surprised. It had been quite a while since he'd seen his own reflection in aught save a rippling mountain pool, or else encased in armour. He looked far older than he remembered looking before the journey to Mist. Much had happened, true, but he was still surprised.
He returned to the main area of the castle, where a very young soldier in the castle livery saluted him. "Good evening, Captain Highwind. The King asked that you join him for supper. This way, please."
Slightly bemused, Kain followed the eager young man. He hadn't been gone from Baron so long that he'd forgotten where the formal dining rooms were.
His escort led him to the smallest of the formal dining rooms, which seated about twelve if Kain recalled correctly. The doors to the room were closed. His escort rapped sharply upon the door, which opened immediately.
His escort gestured him in. As Kain stepped through the portal, the guard inside drew a deep breath and spoke in a loud voice designed to cut through the chatter in the room. "Captain Kain Highwind, of the Dragon Knights of Baron!" he announced.
The room fell instantly silent.
Kain saw four nobles sitting frozen in their seats, some in the midst of raising wineglasses to their lips. Across from them were some of Rosa's ladies-in-waiting; he dimly recognized the plumpest as being Lord Vyran's eldest daughter, but could not recall her name. Also seated among them was Rosa's aunt, Violet Farrell, who bore a striking resemblance to her niece. The others were strangers to him. Rosa was seated at the foot of the table, and Cecil at the head. Kain bowed first to the King, and then to the Queen.
"Please, sit," Cecil said, gesturing at a seat to his right. The nobles glared at him as he made his way around the table to the indicated seat. Kain bit back a sigh.
Once he was seated, Cecil rose and held up his glass. "A toast to welcome back my very dear friend, Kain Highwind!"
The nobles rose dutifully, lifting their glasses to the toast before drinking. Kain took the barest sip of wine. It was going to be a very long dinner.
Even for a formal dinner, conversation was horribly stilted. It seemed the nobles had been making noise recently about how someone should be appointed permanently to lead the Dragon Knights, and each had his own candidate to present. Kain kept his mouth shut and concentrated on not looking at any of them, praying that Cecil would have the good sense to keep silent. The last thing this dinner needed was an incident based on Cecil spontaneously restoring him to the position.
"But really, King Cecil, something needs to be done." Lord Vyran's multiple chins were wobbling as he gestured with his fork. It seemed he had only grown fatter during their absence--a remarkable feat, given his corpulence during their youth, when he had served as their tutor for a year. "The Dragon Knights are the pride of Baron. They need a strong leader. You have been putting us off for two years with vague mentions of something to be done, and have yet to do so!"
"I appreciate your concern, Lord Vyran. In fact, I have been reviewing candidates--" Cecil's conciliatory speech was interrupted by a sharp, wordless sound from Rosa's end of the table. She looked up at Cecil with wide golden eyes.
"I think…I need to go lie down," she said, her gaze fixed intently on Cecil's face. He paled slightly. Kain felt his stomach clutch in a moment of sheer panic. Only when he felt the pain in his hand did he realize how hard he had gripped the arm of his chair.
"My lords, please feel free to stay and finish your dinner," Cecil said graciously as he rose and hurried to Rosa's end of the table. The nobles scrambled to their feet, Lord Vyran nearly upsetting his chair as he heaved his bulk out of it. "Kain, if you would?"
Kain rose and set his napkin aside, forcing himself to walk slowly and calmly toward the King and Queen. He and Cecil helped Rosa up and Cecil escorted her from the room with an arm held gently around her waist. The ladies-in-waiting trailed behimd them like a flock of confused birds. Once they were out in the hallway, Rosa leaned more heavily on Cecil. "Please send for the midwife," she said quietly. "It's time."
"Lilian, see to it," Violet ordered, and Kain watched Lord Vyran's daughter lumber off. "Now then, Your Majesty, let's see about getting you upstairs."
Violet stepped forward to help Rosa, but Cecil scooped her up in his arms and started walking quickly. Kain followed, ignoring the curious looks of the servants. Rosa's golden head was resting on Cecil's shoulder, her arm wound about his neck.
They gained the King's chambers without further incident, startled guards leaping to hold doors open for the King. Kain waited just outside the doorway while Cecil laid Rosa gently on the bed and hovered uncertainly. Kain backed away, but as his hand touched the door latch, Cecil turned and saw him. "Please don't. Stay," he said, controlled panic evident in his voice.
Reluctantly, Kain stayed where he was, until the rushed footsteps on the stairs prompted him to move out of the way. One of Rosa's ladies-in-waiting was leading a rather frazzled-looking woman in her late forties, trailed by an eager girl with a halo of red curls and an infectious smile. Lilian Vyran was heaving her not-inconsiderable bulk up the stairs after them.
"Thank you for coming so quickly, Lissa," Rosa said, sitting half up.
"No need to thank me, Your Majesty," the woman said, setting down the satchel she carried. She turned to Cecil and Kain. "Out, both of you," she ordered, making a shooing gesture with her hands. "This is woman's work."
Cecil started to protest. Kain grabbed his arm and steered him toward the stairs. "She's right, you know," he said as he nudged the paladin to force him to move far enough down that he could pull the door shut. "It is woman's work they're doing."
Cecil rubbed his forehead. "I should be there with her."
Kain nudged him again so that he moved down the stairs, and followed him into a sitting room on the next floor. Moving like an automaton, Cecil staggered toward the nearest couch. Kain headed for the cabinet on the opposite side of the room and poured two hefty glasses of brandy, handing one to Cecil as he perched on the edge of an overstuffed wing chair. Cecil swirled the liquor in his glass. "This doesn't seem like a good idea," he murmured.
"Takes the edge off waiting, or I have heard it said that it does." Kain took a sip and savoured the smooth burn as it slid down his throat and into his stomach. He blinked and studied the glass. "King Odin's personal store?"
"Yes." Cecil took a small sip, sighed, and leaned back against the sofa. "How are you so calm?" he asked a moment later. "You..."
"I'm not." Kain took another sip.
Cecil looked at him. "I remember what you said in the Tower of Zot," he said.
"Yes." Kain reminded himself it would be a bad idea to gulp down the rest of the brandy.
"Do you still feel that way?"
"It will not be an issue."
Cecil sighed. "Kain--"
"Leave it," Kain said curtly. "Drink your brandy, Cecil. I will worry about my own problems."
Cecil took a reluctant sip from his glass. They sat in brooding silence for several hours. Eventually Kain fell asleep, his head falling back against the chair.
He woke suddenly when he heard footsteps on the stairs, leaping to his feet and reaching for a spear that wasn't beside him as he was accustomed to it being. Cecil also stood up, though he did not appear to reach for his weapon. The rising sun behind him limned the Paladin in pure, glowing light, and Kain blinked to clear the glare from his eyes.
The younger of the two midwives rushed into the room, stopped short, and dropped into a deep curtsy. "Your Majesty," she said tremulously. "You have a son."
Cecil rushed past her, his boots thudding on the stairs as he raced up to his room. Kain rubbed his eyes, rolling his head to loosen muscles knotted from sleeping in the chair. The midwife hovered near the door.
"Do you wish an escort home, miss?" he asked her, and she started.
"Oh. I just live in midtown," she said quickly.
Kain frowned. "Midtown is a long walk. I will escort you home to see that no harm comes to you."
"I will leave whenever Mistress Lissa is ready to leave, sir. I will be fine."
Kain sighed. "Very well. A good morning to you, then." He moved past her to the stairs and turned left to head downward.
"Won't you go see the new prince?" she asked.
Kain struggled not to give in to his temptation for bitter laughter. "No. I imagine I will meet him soon enough."
He returned to his quarters in the western tower. The maid was already there, letting in fresh air and light. Kain greeted her and began to tug off his boots.
"Is there anything I can get for you?" she asked him.
"Nothing." Kain started to unlace his tunic, then paused. "Actually, if you would send someone to wake me in three hours' time, please."
"Yes, sir." She curtsied and left the room. Kain undressed and lay down upon the bed, ignoring the morning sunlight that peeked through the shutters to illumine his room. He closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep, steadfastly pushing away images of Rosa smiling up at him with his son, their son, in her arms.
Rating: R (overall)
Warnings: Spoilers. Violence and language. Occasional sexual content.
Notes: This fic belongs to the Lucis Ante Terminum arc. Like that arc, it was conceived prior to FF4: The After and may contradict additional canon presented in that game. I make no apologies for this. Chapter list is here.
Summary: Though it is possible to return home, it is rarely possible to return affairs to their previous state. Sometimes the only course of action is to move forward.
Wordcount: 7300 this chapter.
Beta: celeloriel, first_seventhe, and evillotto
Kain stood in the prow of the Moon's Blessing, gazing at Ostia Harbour as it rose up in the east, a towering mass of grey stone clearly defined against the horizon. The wind ruffled his hair, thick and sticky with salt spray. He focused on the tiny dark figures on the docks, milling about like a colony of ants. They gradually grew larger as the ship approached, recognizably men and women who went about their daily business.
Behind him, the sailors shouted to each other, their words torn away by the swift wind that snapped the canvas sails in their rope bonds. Kain tilted his head back, staring up into the endless blue expanse of sky. Are you up there somewhere, Valvalicia, drifting on the whims of some wind? Or have you gone to Hell as a fiend rightly should? He thought he saw a hint of her shape in a rippling cumulus cloud, a suggestion of flowing hair and a voluptuous shape. Her lips had always been cool against his skin, the sense of air flowing all around them even in a closed room as she moved on top of him, her hair whipping in a vortex of wind. The direction of his thoughts led him to a predictable physical response, and he damned her influence over him for the thousandth time.
They drew closer to the shore. The sailors scrambled about to adjust sails at the helmsman's direction as he guided the ship alongside the escort boat. Kain simply stood watching as his homeland drew closer. All told, he'd been gone from Baron nearly three years, not counting their very brief sojourn for Rydia to learn to summon King Odin's spirit. Much could change in even a few months.
The ship docked, and Kain went belowdecks to retrieve his few belongings. A few of the sailors nodded to him as he passed, and he forced himself to smile and nod back. It was hardly their fault that he was so unaccustomed to any human company that the ship felt like more of a prison than ever Golbez's dungeons had.
Over the course of the three-week sea voyage, he had read over the packet of letters his friends had sent during his self-imposed exile on Mt. Ordeals. It had taken him days to summon the courage to approach them, for fear that he would find within their pages an endless font of recriminations and accusations, but it seemed he had misjudged them. Rydia had sent two very sharp-toned missives, berating him for shutting himself away when what he needed was to be around people in order to heal. If you want forgiveness, then have the spine to step forth and ask for it, she had written in her angular, slanted script.
Cid's single letter had covered three times as much paper as both of Rydia's combined, rambling about the new airships he was building, and a short postscript threatening dire harm if he continued to upset Cecil and Rosa this way. Cecil had written three letters, his plain clear handwriting a relief to Kain's eyes after Cid's untidy scrawl. He wrote of various developments within Baron, of rebuilding the country and undoing the harm Caignozzio had caused. The Dragoons prospered, he wrote, wanting only a strong captain to lead them again. Kain snorted and set that aside; he had no intention of resuming command of the Dragoons. Baron did not need a traitor to lead its elite forces. Such a thing would be foolish in the extreme. A man who had so easily fallen to the influence of evil was not to be trusted in a position of command; what if he were to slay the King and take the Queen for his own, or influence Cecil to continue the wars Golbez had begun?
He had read Rosa's five letters slowly, then re-read them again several times. He fancied that the parchment smelled faintly of her perfume, lilies and roses. She wrote in a flowing, elegant hand, legacy of her tutoring as a nobleman's daughter. Where Cecil wrote of his hopes that Kain would return and resume command of the Dragon Knights, Rosa wrote of simpler things: how the fields were lush and green again, the simple peace of spending a spring evening atop the towers of the castle, with the land of Baron spread all around. I hope to see you soon, but do not rush to return on our account. You must do what is best for you. Cecil prays daily for your swift return. I pray you will find the peace you seek. Stay safe. We miss you. He had had to set the letter aside then, swallowing hard against an unaccustomed lump in his throat. Why did she have to be so damned forgiving and understanding? It only made his own failings the more obvious.
He gathered the letters and packed them neatly in his bag once again. It did not seem right to leave them behind, though he was not entirely certain he would keep them, once ashore. Finally, with no small amount of nervousness, he once again donned his Dragoon armour. It was easier to wear the armour rather than carry it, and he was still technically a Dragon Knight. The steel felt heavier than usual as he settled the pieces in place.
He made his thanks to the captain of the ship and made his way down onto the wharf, dodging the handlers unloading cargo from this and other ships recently arrived at the port. He could rent a chocobo from the stable here in town, or perhaps take a chocobo coach to Baron City. He turned toward the western side of town and walked swiftly, ignoring the catcalls of the prostitutes that plagued the dock district and dodging the efforts of a footpad who sought the contents of his purse.
"Kain!" The booming voice preceded the powerful slap to his shoulder by mere seconds, and was followed by a grunt of pain at the contact between flesh and steel. Kain staggered under the force of the greeting, barely keeping himself from lashing out with his weapon as he turned.
He saw a large, stockily built man with bushy red hair, a voluminous red beard, and enormous thick glasses beaming at him. "Cid," he managed to say. He had been hoping to get through Ostia and up to Baron City without meeting any of his old friends; it would have given him time to get used to the land again.
"You're just in time to get a ride back to Baron City with me. I was here pickin' up some materials for my new class of airship. Dragon class, they'll be! And you've gotta see the improvements I've made to the Falcon and the rest of the Red Wings!"
Cid grabbed Kain by the arm and hauled him off through the controlled chaos of the wharves, chattering the whole way. Kain remained silent. He was reminded of the times when he was a small child, tagging after Cid in the airship yards as the engineer fiddled with this piece or that, always trying to improve his "babies." King Odin had once said, laughing, that he only need worry when Kain wasn't tagging after Cid or watching the Dragon Knights train, for it meant he was somewhere with Cecil, doubtless engaged in some mischief.
Cid led him to a beauty of an airship, gleaming pale oak and bright mythril trim, with the name Lady Fortune emblazoned on the side in elegant, stylized black script. It was a slim, sleek model, clearly designed for speed rather than cargo capacity. Kain took a moment to admire the design before climbing the ladder up to the deck. Cid had already gone ahead and was berating one of the technicians. Kain caught snatches of the tirade amid the clanging of the crew preparing the ship. "Retarded chocobos are more skilled . . . don't suppose I could've got a crew with the sense of a half-eaten grape . . . be making adjustments to the autopilot system without sufficient crew on board to handle it if this dunderheaded plan had gone awry!" He smothered a grin. Cid hadn't changed a whit.
The technician being duly chastised, Cid wasted little time in getting the ship off the ground. It sliced through the air, heading toward Baron. Kain marveled at the speed of it, nearly half again swifter than the Falcon they had used previously. The wind streamed past him, far cooler here than in Mysidia, even in the height of Baron's summer. The air rushing over his skin brought to mind memories of Valvalicia, who had delighted in taking him soaring above the clouds whenever the whim struck her; he had never been quite sure if she planned to return him safely to the tower or if her sense of humour would lead her to drop him from dizzying heights just to see how well his Dragoon training handled it.
"She's a beauty, ain't she?" Cid asked from just behind his shoulder, and Kain started in surprise, having nearly forgotten the presence of the crew.
"An improvement over the older models," Kain replied.
"We'll be home to Baron City in about four hours." Cid grinned at the expression on Kain's face.
"Four hours to cover a two days' journey on a chocobo? You really have improved them."
Cid slapped him on the shoulder and moved off to harangue another of his crew about the way he was handling the rudder. Kain leaned on the rail and watched Baron fly past underneath them. When he had ridden airships under Golbez's command, the smallfolk of Baron had run to hide themselves from the airship, lest they should attract the attention of Golbez to their settlement. It had not sat well with Kain, for King Odin had taught him and Cecil that terrorizing the smallfolk was a good way to find oneself quickly dethroned. He was pleased to see that children were jumping and pointing up at the airship, calling to each other to see it whip past.
The journey passed uneventfully, and they landed just to the south of Baron City in mid-afternoon. Cid strode up to where Kain was standing, looking at the city with a mixture of longing and reluctance. "Come on, we'll rent a pair of chocobos to take ourselves through the city. Cecil and Rosa will want to see you."
Kain mumbled something noncommittal and followed Cid down off the airship, where the crew was unloading boxes of supplies. Cid left his first mate in charge of the unloading and headed straight for the livery stable at the edge of the city. A few moments later, he had the reins of two large, docile chocobos in hand.
"Well, let's go!" Cid heaved himself into one chocobo's saddle. Kain mounted the other and turned it toward the long, broad boulevard that bisected Baron City north to south, running the full length of the city.
The accents of his homeland fell strangely on his ears, after two years of solitude and the company of Mysidian sailors on the ship. Here in the city, he could smell neither forest nor sea nor the rotting hulks of undead. He didn't miss the stench of the latter, but it was strange to smell so many people all around. The smells of cooking, of discarded night soil and animals assaulted his nose. Mysidia, for all its heat, had been a far cleaner city. Kain could barely identify the streets they rode past. It felt as though he'd been gone far longer than two years.
They made their way through the main market of Baron, crowded now with vendors crying their wares and buyers strolling from stall to stall, pretending disinterest in the goods they bargained for. The raucous sounds of so many people shouting and talking assaulted his ears, and Kain had to fight the urge to clap his hands over his ears to block it out. He clutched tighter at his chocobo's reins, wondering if it might not be a better idea to turn tail and flee back to the mountains. Cid seemed unaffected by the din, bellowing greetings at people as they passed. Kain recognized a few of them as those who worked with Cid in the airship yards, whose footsteps he had dogged as a child until finally the time had come for him to begin training with the Dragoons.
Slowly they made their way up the long, gentle slope that led to the castle, built on the highest point of land at Baron City. As they drew closer to the castle, the streets grew quieter. The houses were taller and more elegantly designed, spaced farther apart on the streets. Here nobles vied for space facing the main boulevard. Kain saw one household which was hosting a party of some sort, the garden filled with young women in bright dresses flitting about like a flock of confused butterflies.
They came to the end of the city and the slope of the road grew steeper as the chocobos plodded up the last half-mile toward the massive stone walls of the castle. The wooden gates, built of the trunks of many trees lashed together with iron bands and pegs, were partially open. He saw four soldiers in the familiar uniforms of Baron posted outside the open side of the gates, keeping an alert watch on the road. They waved at Cid as he approached.
"Afternoon, Cid!" one called.
"Hey there. Busy day?" Cid reined in his chocobo, and Kain drew his to a halt behind Cid's. The bird bobbed its head irritably. Kain scratched at its neck, and it warked at him.
"Not so much. Who's your friend?" A second guard took two steps forward and peered up at Kain. His eyes widened. "Is this…?"
"I'm Kain Highwind," Kain said quietly. The guard's eyes widened before he seemed to recall himself and snapped to attention, saluting.
"Welcome back to Baron, Captain Highwind, sir!" he said.
Kain blinked. The other three guards were also saluting. "At ease," he said awkwardly, and looked at Cid.
"Well, let's go. The King will want to see you." Cid nudged his chocobo, and the bird obediently moved forward. Kain steered his own chocobo after Cid, thinking of the number of times his tutors had said those same words to him--usually when the cook complained of tarts missing from the kitchen, or some similar piece of mischief.
Cid dismounted in the courtyard, handing the reins off to one of the stable boys. "See that that gets returned to the livery stable at the south gate," he told the lad, handing over a few Gil. "His too." He jerked his head in Kain's general direction.
Kain swung his leg over the chocobo's back and dropped to the ground, his armour clanking faintly as he did so. A second stable boy ran up to take his chocobo's reins. He adjusted his bag of possessions over his shoulder and followed Cid toward the inner gate of the castle, which stood wide open to admit whatever traffic passed through the outer courtyard.
Amid the many greetings heaped upon Cid, he saw several suspicious glances cast at him, men whose faces he vaguely recognized. Some had been under Cecil's command before the incident at Mist. He did not see any Dragon Knights, which made him wonder about Cecil's letter stating he needed a new captain for the elite troops.
"Is there somewhere I can clean up?" he asked Cid. "It's not exactly polite to appear in front of the King this way."
Cid paused and glanced back over his shoulder. "Yeah, you can use the workshop, I guess. I don't know if your rooms are prepared." He detoured off to the right, and Kain followed him through the winding hallways until they reached the oil-spattered workshop that was Cid's domain.
There was little enough he could do to improve his appearance in a short time, but he could at least remove the worst of the grime from his armour with an oiled rag. As Cid slept in his workshop more often than not, there was a small bathing chamber in an alcove. Kain managed to rinse the worst of the salt from his hair and skin, shivering at the chill of the water, and change into the one set of clothes he'd kept folded neatly in his bag so as not to get them coated in salt. Cid waited impatiently for the first five minutes, but then got distracted by a set of plans on a nearby table, and left Kain to finish his ablutions in relative peace.
Having managed to tame his hair into some semblance of order, Kain donned his armour once more and took a slow, deep breath to prepare himself. "Cid?"
"What? What? Oh, you're ready? About time." Cid set down the plans and nodded briskly. "Let's go, then."
Cid headed straight for the throne room, waving cheerfully at those who greeted him but not stopping to chat. Cid barged right through the castle without bothering to announce himself until he reached the guards in the reception room outside Cecil's throne room. "Halt!" one of them shouted, reaching out his sword to bar the way as his partner did the same. "State your name and business."
"I'm Cid Pollendina, you blind bat, and I'm here to bring a visitor to the King!" Kain could have sworn Cid's hair and beard stood even more on end than usual at being questioned.
The guard's gaze turned toward Kain. Kain saw recognition dawn on his features, followed by an ugly scowl. "It is generally not a good idea, Engineer, to bring armed traitors into the throne room," the guard said.
Cid was reduced to outraged stuttering at this development. Kain sighed. "Did you truly expect the men entrusted with His Majesty's safety to simply let me in?" Kain glanced covertly to his left and right, to see if the guards had yet summoned aid.
"Well then let me in, you nimrods, and we'll see what the King thinks of this!" Cid shouted, finally managing to put his sentiments into coherent syllables.
"You, yes. The traitor, no." The guard glared at Kain, who deliberately took five steps backward. The second guard opened the door to the throne room barely wide enough for Cid to squeeze through, and both of them bracketed him as he did so, slamming the door shut in his wake and immediately resuming their guard positions. Kain ignored them. He could destroy the entire castle guard with minimal effort, did he so choose. Bloodshed at this juncture would be in poor taste, and useless besides. Instead, he stood at attention and started reciting the names of the captains of the Dragon Knights to himself in chronological order. The last time he had waited thus outside the doors of the throne room, Cecil had been presenting the Water Crystal to the false King. Kain forced away the shudder that rippled down his spine and resumed his mental recitation. The four Fiends were dead; their power held no sway over Baron now.
A loud thump on the door echoed through the antechamber. "Admit Captain Highwind immediately, by order of the King!" Cid shouted from the other side.
"Lay down your weapon," one of the guards said, gesturing vaguely with his blade.
Kain made a significant show of setting his spear against the wall and holding up his hands to display them empty. He did not feel it particularly necessary to notify the guards of the dagger in his boot or the knife at his belt. If they cared enough to ask, that would be another matter entirely.
They did not, and they grudgingly stepped forward to open the door. Cid was waiting just inside, all but hopping up and down with impatience. Kain repressed a groan upon realizing that the throne room was filled with noblemen. He had chosen an ill day to return, indeed.
He followed Cid up the aisle between the noblemen. As soon as he emerged from the crowd, Cecil sprang to his feet, obviously ready to rush down off the dais. Kain went to one knee. "Your Majesty," he said, bowing his head. "I apologize profoundly for disrupting your audience." He could hear the muttering of the nobles behind him.
Cecil checked his rush, but he did continue down the stairs. "Rise, Captain Highwind," he said formally.
Kain stood, and Cecil gave him a solid thump on the shoulder by way of greeting. Kain grimaced slightly. He was clearly going to need more padding beneath his armour if this sort of greeting was going to be customary. The old padding had worn thin during their travels.
Kain struggled to keep his gaze from the woman descending the steps from the dais with a slightly waddling gait that was completely unlike the light, graceful steps he remembered. Rosa smiled up at him, her hands resting lightly on the mound of her stomach protruding beneath her white gown.
"Welcome home, Kain," she said, holding out her arms.
Rather than respond to her open welcome, he went to his knees once more, head bowed. "Your Majesty."
Rosa smiled her same sweet smile. "I'm so glad you've come back. Are you feeling better now?"
"Let's discuss this where we can all sit down. You especially," Cecil said, resting one hand lightly on Rosa's shoulder. She held out her hand to Kain once more.
Kain shook off the shock of seeing her again, and seeing her so obviously pregnant, and took her hand to kiss it. "My apologies for my deplorable lack of courtesy, King Cecil, Queen Rosa," he said formally, aware of the glares of the throne room guards behind him.
"Let us sit and finish the day's business," Rosa said quietly. "I think we all have many things we need to discuss."
Cecil seemed ready to protest. Rosa squeezed his hand and he sighed. "Find a seat for Captain Highwind," he instructed the nearest of his guards.
The guard led Kain to a seat in the back of the throne room, where he could see naught beyond the silk-clad backsides of Baron's nobility. It did not matter. Had he been questioned on the proceedings, he would have been hard-pressed to name the complaints brought forth.
He knew they had wed. He had made his peace with it, or so he thought. Yet when he envisioned his homecoming, he had not thought that he would be faced so immediately with the results of that marriage. He wondered what had driven him to leave the peace of Mt. Ordeals behind. Each place he had been since his departure had been progressively harder to bear. Perhaps he was best suited to a life of contemplation after all.
He shook himself out of his reverie in time to hear Cecil dismiss the audience. He rose with the nobles to bow to the King, who proceeded down the central aisle with his Queen beside him.
"Captain Highwind," Cecil said, pausing next to him. "It would please us if you would accompany us, and tell us of your travels."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Kain said, bowing and holding the bow as Cecil and Rosa left the throne room. He waited until they had passed through the wide double doors before following.
He found the King and Queen stopped in the antechamber. Cecil was studying Kain's spear where it stood propped against the wall. "Captain Highwind," he said, and Kain winced.
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"May I inquire as to how the Captain of the Dragon Knights proposes to defend the King without his weapon?"
"Your Majesty, I acceded to the wishes of your guards in leaving my weapon here."
"Take up your weapon, Captain."
Kain retrieved his spear and resumed his place at the end of the King's procession.
Cecil and Rosa slowly led the way to the eastern tower, flanked by a half-dozen of the Palace Guard and the same number of ladies-in-waiting. Kain followed them silently, observing as the guards they passed saluted Cecil respectfully. He also noticed that many of the guards with senior rank insignia gave him looks ranging from wary to outright distrustful. He didn't blame them. He'd have looked at a traitor the same way.
The procession paused just outside an oak door elaborately carved with the crossed swords of Baron's crest. Rosa turned to her ladies-in-waiting with a smile. "Please leave us," she said. They curtsied and departed.
Cecil led the way into the chamber, nodding to his guards to remain outside. The King's suite appeared little changed from King Odin's day. The room was furnished in an informal style, with heavy but comfortable couches.
Kain remained standing while Cecil and Rosa seated themselves on one of the couches. An awkward silence descended upon the room, broken only by the occasional sound of the guards shifting outside the door.
"Will you sit?" Rosa asked him quietly.
"Your Majesty has bidden me remain armed, that I might defend him." In truth, he was grateful that the helm concealed his face from them, and any expression that might betray him. Still, he took care not to look overlong at the Queen.
Cecil made an impatient noise and rose to his feet. "Stop being so absurd, and let me help you with that." He reached for the fastenings of Kain's cuirass.
It was strange, to have another's help as he removed the layers of steel armour. He had grown so accustomed to the awkward process of donning and removing the armour by himself that he had nigh forgotten how much more smoothly the process went with assistance.
There was an armour rack in a small niche off to the side. Slowly the armour took shape there until the entire mass was properly arranged. Kain avoided Cecil's eyes as they worked, and said nothing. Several times it appeared that Cecil might be about to speak, but each time he opened his mouth, Kain busied himself fussing with a piece of armour. At length Cecil ceased trying, and devoted his attention to arranging the armour just so on the stand.
A maid was just setting a tray of tea and dainty sandwiches on the table when they returned to Rosa. The maid bobbed a quick curtsy to the King and Queen, but Kain noticed that she was staring at him as she hurried out, pulling the door shut behind her.
Rosa poured herself a cup of tea, and then poured a second. He watched as she added two spoonfuls of sugar and a twist of lemon. She offered the second cup of tea to him. He took it with a smile and thanks, vaguely bemused that she remembered how he took his tea. Cecil poured himself tea and took one of the sandwiches, sitting back on the sofa.
The awkward silence descended once more, broken only by the faint sounds of tea being drunk and the clink of cups against saucers. Kain waited them out, forcing himself not to watch Rosa, though he was aware of her every motion.
"Did you find what you sought on Mt. Ordeals, Kain?" she asked him at last, setting her teacup down. Beside her, Cecil shifted restlessly. She rested one hand on his knee, her golden eyes intent on Kain's face.
"I don't know." Kain drank the last of his tea and set the cup aside. "It is very peaceful up there."
"If one discounts the undead roaming about," Cecil muttered.
"They left me alone, for the most part. They do not go near your father's sanctuary."
"Did you go in?" Cecil asked, frowning slightly.
"No. That is your place, and your father's. I stayed outside."
"All winter?" Cecil's voice held a note of protest. "Twice?"
"I had a cabin." Kain shrugged.
"You should have come down and stayed in Mysidia," Cecil said reproachfully. "The Elder would have given you a place to stay."
"Cecil," Rosa murmured. "That wasn't the point."
Kain looked at her, surprised. She smiled at him. He couldn't help noticing that once again, she had her hands folded over her stomach, as though to reassure herself that her child was still there.
"There is nothing particularly interesting to speak of regarding my time at Mt. Ordeals," he said. "What has been happening here?"
Cecil launched into a discourse about the process of reviving Baron and rebuilding its armies, air fleets, and everything else that had gone awry both under Caignozzio's unfortunate stewardship, and the months when they had all been gone and no one had remained to run the country. Kain listened intently, making appropriate comments. Cecil had always been one for ideals, even as a Dark Knight, trusting in the loyalty of the people of Baron and the system of laws and taxes to support itself. His idealism shone clearly in each of the improvements he proposed. Kain could not but wonder how the nobility was handling these proposed changes. His memory of Baron was of a staid, formal atmosphere, ill inclined to change. He kept those thoughts to himself, not wanting to darken his homecoming with unpleasant thoughts.
When Cecil at last ran out of improvements or planned projects to discuss, the sun was sinking and the room had grown darker. Rosa looked outside. "It will be dinnertime soon. Cecil, will you help me up?"
Cecil immediately jumped to his feet and offered his hand to help her up. Once on her feet, she turned to Kain. "Please join us this evening. We have missed you. Will you be staying here now?"
"I don't know," he said, and saw her smile dim. Cecil frowned. "I don't know if this is where I belong."
"Of course it's where you belong. This is your home!" Cecil's frown deepened into a full-blown scowl.
"You always have a place here," Rosa said, "whether you stay or go."
"Thank you." Kain bowed to both of them. "Ah, if I'm to join this dinner this evening…"
"All of your old things have been moved to the top floor of the western tower," Rosa said with a smile. "We've been saving it for you."
Cecil's old quarters. Kain forced a smile. "Thank you, Rosa." He waited for them to leave, Rosa leaning heavily on Cecil's arm, before he retrieved his armaments and headed for the west tower.
All in all, the castle had not changed much in his absence, save for the faces he saw as he crossed the courtyard. He ascended the stairs in the west tower to the top floor, passing his old rooms on the way. When he entered Cecil's old room, there was a maid smoothing down the bed linens. She offered him a hasty curtsy. "Welcome back to Baron, Captain Highwind."
"Thank you." Kain smiled at her. The maid curtsied again and hurried out of the room.
Kain set his armour on the stand that had been provided, where once Cecil's black steel armour had hung, and looked around him at his new quarters. The little touches that had made this room Cecil's had vanished, replaced by his own belongings. He had little difficulty imagining Cecil and Rosa moving the small keepsakes themselves, rearranging them just so. The miniature of his father sat on the dresser, painstakingly dusted. Next to it was a small glass box containing his mother's locket. There was a tall, narrow wooden case in the corner that contained his father's ceremonial spear, hung with seven of the crimson tassels that signified honours bestowed by the king. No other Dragon Knight in Baron's history had earned so many.
His own spear was remarkably bare of the same.
He removed the wrinkled, worn clothing from his bag and dumped it into the corner. He would have to remember to have the maid take it down to the laundry tomorrow.
The windows drew his attention next, and he walked over and opened the shutters. He could see half of Baron City from here, the buildings tinted red in the glow of sunset. It was something of a relief to be home, to smell the familiar scents of Baron and hear the accents he'd known all his life once more.
However, he couldn't shake the feeling that this homecoming was going far too smoothly, anxious throne room guards notwithstanding. He had expected rather more resentment. After all, the false king had ruled with an iron hand for that last year, and Kain had served him loyally and well. Cecil's kingship he could understand; Cecil had been Odin's unofficial heir for many years before Caignozzio slew the King. He could also understand why Cecil, Rosa, and Cid would welcome him home. It was the people of Baron who concerned them. The nobility had not been best pleased with his actions during Golbez's interregnum. After all, forces under his command had devastated Damcyan, nearly wiped out Fabul, and crushed Eblan.
He shrugged off such thoughts and turned to the dresser, rummaging for fresh clothing before heading downstairs into the bathing rooms in the basement. Decades ago some engineer had discovered hot springs in the caverns beneath the castle and had tapped into them to provide the castle with a perennial supply of hot water for bathing. Kain stripped and slid into the bath, sighing deeply as he sank into hot water up to his chin. Mt. Ordeals had a great deal to recommend it in the way of solitude, but not as much in the way of amenities such as regular baths. He had had quite enough of bathing in icy mountain streams for now.
He bathed himself and shaved away three weeks' growth of beard before dressing in fresh clothing. He returned to his room to set his much-worn garments aside for the laundry. As he passed the mirror, he caught a glimpse of himself and stopped, surprised. It had been quite a while since he'd seen his own reflection in aught save a rippling mountain pool, or else encased in armour. He looked far older than he remembered looking before the journey to Mist. Much had happened, true, but he was still surprised.
He returned to the main area of the castle, where a very young soldier in the castle livery saluted him. "Good evening, Captain Highwind. The King asked that you join him for supper. This way, please."
Slightly bemused, Kain followed the eager young man. He hadn't been gone from Baron so long that he'd forgotten where the formal dining rooms were.
His escort led him to the smallest of the formal dining rooms, which seated about twelve if Kain recalled correctly. The doors to the room were closed. His escort rapped sharply upon the door, which opened immediately.
His escort gestured him in. As Kain stepped through the portal, the guard inside drew a deep breath and spoke in a loud voice designed to cut through the chatter in the room. "Captain Kain Highwind, of the Dragon Knights of Baron!" he announced.
The room fell instantly silent.
Kain saw four nobles sitting frozen in their seats, some in the midst of raising wineglasses to their lips. Across from them were some of Rosa's ladies-in-waiting; he dimly recognized the plumpest as being Lord Vyran's eldest daughter, but could not recall her name. Also seated among them was Rosa's aunt, Violet Farrell, who bore a striking resemblance to her niece. The others were strangers to him. Rosa was seated at the foot of the table, and Cecil at the head. Kain bowed first to the King, and then to the Queen.
"Please, sit," Cecil said, gesturing at a seat to his right. The nobles glared at him as he made his way around the table to the indicated seat. Kain bit back a sigh.
Once he was seated, Cecil rose and held up his glass. "A toast to welcome back my very dear friend, Kain Highwind!"
The nobles rose dutifully, lifting their glasses to the toast before drinking. Kain took the barest sip of wine. It was going to be a very long dinner.
Even for a formal dinner, conversation was horribly stilted. It seemed the nobles had been making noise recently about how someone should be appointed permanently to lead the Dragon Knights, and each had his own candidate to present. Kain kept his mouth shut and concentrated on not looking at any of them, praying that Cecil would have the good sense to keep silent. The last thing this dinner needed was an incident based on Cecil spontaneously restoring him to the position.
"But really, King Cecil, something needs to be done." Lord Vyran's multiple chins were wobbling as he gestured with his fork. It seemed he had only grown fatter during their absence--a remarkable feat, given his corpulence during their youth, when he had served as their tutor for a year. "The Dragon Knights are the pride of Baron. They need a strong leader. You have been putting us off for two years with vague mentions of something to be done, and have yet to do so!"
"I appreciate your concern, Lord Vyran. In fact, I have been reviewing candidates--" Cecil's conciliatory speech was interrupted by a sharp, wordless sound from Rosa's end of the table. She looked up at Cecil with wide golden eyes.
"I think…I need to go lie down," she said, her gaze fixed intently on Cecil's face. He paled slightly. Kain felt his stomach clutch in a moment of sheer panic. Only when he felt the pain in his hand did he realize how hard he had gripped the arm of his chair.
"My lords, please feel free to stay and finish your dinner," Cecil said graciously as he rose and hurried to Rosa's end of the table. The nobles scrambled to their feet, Lord Vyran nearly upsetting his chair as he heaved his bulk out of it. "Kain, if you would?"
Kain rose and set his napkin aside, forcing himself to walk slowly and calmly toward the King and Queen. He and Cecil helped Rosa up and Cecil escorted her from the room with an arm held gently around her waist. The ladies-in-waiting trailed behimd them like a flock of confused birds. Once they were out in the hallway, Rosa leaned more heavily on Cecil. "Please send for the midwife," she said quietly. "It's time."
"Lilian, see to it," Violet ordered, and Kain watched Lord Vyran's daughter lumber off. "Now then, Your Majesty, let's see about getting you upstairs."
Violet stepped forward to help Rosa, but Cecil scooped her up in his arms and started walking quickly. Kain followed, ignoring the curious looks of the servants. Rosa's golden head was resting on Cecil's shoulder, her arm wound about his neck.
They gained the King's chambers without further incident, startled guards leaping to hold doors open for the King. Kain waited just outside the doorway while Cecil laid Rosa gently on the bed and hovered uncertainly. Kain backed away, but as his hand touched the door latch, Cecil turned and saw him. "Please don't. Stay," he said, controlled panic evident in his voice.
Reluctantly, Kain stayed where he was, until the rushed footsteps on the stairs prompted him to move out of the way. One of Rosa's ladies-in-waiting was leading a rather frazzled-looking woman in her late forties, trailed by an eager girl with a halo of red curls and an infectious smile. Lilian Vyran was heaving her not-inconsiderable bulk up the stairs after them.
"Thank you for coming so quickly, Lissa," Rosa said, sitting half up.
"No need to thank me, Your Majesty," the woman said, setting down the satchel she carried. She turned to Cecil and Kain. "Out, both of you," she ordered, making a shooing gesture with her hands. "This is woman's work."
Cecil started to protest. Kain grabbed his arm and steered him toward the stairs. "She's right, you know," he said as he nudged the paladin to force him to move far enough down that he could pull the door shut. "It is woman's work they're doing."
Cecil rubbed his forehead. "I should be there with her."
Kain nudged him again so that he moved down the stairs, and followed him into a sitting room on the next floor. Moving like an automaton, Cecil staggered toward the nearest couch. Kain headed for the cabinet on the opposite side of the room and poured two hefty glasses of brandy, handing one to Cecil as he perched on the edge of an overstuffed wing chair. Cecil swirled the liquor in his glass. "This doesn't seem like a good idea," he murmured.
"Takes the edge off waiting, or I have heard it said that it does." Kain took a sip and savoured the smooth burn as it slid down his throat and into his stomach. He blinked and studied the glass. "King Odin's personal store?"
"Yes." Cecil took a small sip, sighed, and leaned back against the sofa. "How are you so calm?" he asked a moment later. "You..."
"I'm not." Kain took another sip.
Cecil looked at him. "I remember what you said in the Tower of Zot," he said.
"Yes." Kain reminded himself it would be a bad idea to gulp down the rest of the brandy.
"Do you still feel that way?"
"It will not be an issue."
Cecil sighed. "Kain--"
"Leave it," Kain said curtly. "Drink your brandy, Cecil. I will worry about my own problems."
Cecil took a reluctant sip from his glass. They sat in brooding silence for several hours. Eventually Kain fell asleep, his head falling back against the chair.
He woke suddenly when he heard footsteps on the stairs, leaping to his feet and reaching for a spear that wasn't beside him as he was accustomed to it being. Cecil also stood up, though he did not appear to reach for his weapon. The rising sun behind him limned the Paladin in pure, glowing light, and Kain blinked to clear the glare from his eyes.
The younger of the two midwives rushed into the room, stopped short, and dropped into a deep curtsy. "Your Majesty," she said tremulously. "You have a son."
Cecil rushed past her, his boots thudding on the stairs as he raced up to his room. Kain rubbed his eyes, rolling his head to loosen muscles knotted from sleeping in the chair. The midwife hovered near the door.
"Do you wish an escort home, miss?" he asked her, and she started.
"Oh. I just live in midtown," she said quickly.
Kain frowned. "Midtown is a long walk. I will escort you home to see that no harm comes to you."
"I will leave whenever Mistress Lissa is ready to leave, sir. I will be fine."
Kain sighed. "Very well. A good morning to you, then." He moved past her to the stairs and turned left to head downward.
"Won't you go see the new prince?" she asked.
Kain struggled not to give in to his temptation for bitter laughter. "No. I imagine I will meet him soon enough."
He returned to his quarters in the western tower. The maid was already there, letting in fresh air and light. Kain greeted her and began to tug off his boots.
"Is there anything I can get for you?" she asked him.
"Nothing." Kain started to unlace his tunic, then paused. "Actually, if you would send someone to wake me in three hours' time, please."
"Yes, sir." She curtsied and left the room. Kain undressed and lay down upon the bed, ignoring the morning sunlight that peeked through the shutters to illumine his room. He closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep, steadfastly pushing away images of Rosa smiling up at him with his son, their son, in her arms.