Blood, Magic, and Moonlight

[kitsunemoonstar]

Title: Blood, Magic, and Moonlight
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Spoilers/Warnings: AU Pairing: Seiftis
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VIII or its characters.
Summery: A lost princess, a knight without a lady, intrigue, and a quest to return home.

Blood, Magic, and Moonlight

Quistis let out a deep sigh of relief as she finished repairing Calista's gown. With that task finished and the dress hung up in the wardrobe, Quistis was free until morning. Her mistresses had turned in early this evening and left instructions not to be wakened until late. That was fine by Quistis. It would give her more time to spend with Seifer. It did not take long for Quistis to slip away from the Carrentes' quarters and thread her way through the palace and out to the terrace.

It was already dark out, but there was enough moonlight around that she could see well enough. She cast around the terrace trying to locate Seifer. Catching sight of him in the shadows, she stepped forward. Seifer smiled and pulled her into his arms. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"You're one of the strongest women I know. I can't imagine what it must be like to come back to your home and yet not be able to acknowledge the fact that it was your home or be able to assume your rightful place here."

She blinked up at him. Seifer smiled.

"I suppose I should call you your highness now." He cupped her cheek. "Princess Quistis Cariad Serian. You'll always be my Cariad though."

Quistis stared up at him, holding her breath. How had he figured it out? What was he going to do now? And it felt so good to be called by her own name. She bit her bit. Seifer just kissed her forehead again.

"Don't look so worried. I know you can't confirm or deny your identity for me. And I'm not about to go rushing off with that information and get you in hot water with the Carrentes." Seifer smiled. "But I wanted you to know that at least someone knew who you were."

She didn't know what to say. Seifer leaned in and kissed her gently. He twined their fingers together.

"Come on. I want to show you something."

He led her through the palace to a wing that Quistis was quite familiar with. It might have been redecorated since she had lived hear, but she still recognized the Royal Wing. Seifer pulled her into one of the suites that hadn't been in use when she'd lived here. The collection of rather dusty trunks and paintings propped up against a settee caught her eye immediately. Seifer gave her a little push towards it. She reached for one of the painting covers, pulling it off.

"Oh."

Her own face stared back at her, though much younger. It was the last formal portrait painted before her parents had died. She reached for the cover on the other painting to reveal the family portrait that matched it.

"Where did you find these?" Her fingers absently traced the features of her mother's face.

Seifer smiled gently. "In the attics here. I found a couple of other things that should belong to you now."

He'd assembled an odd assortment of things. The paintings, her mother's jewelry chest, her father's personal stationary kit complete with wax and seals among other things. Familiar items, but ones she hadn't seen in years. Seifer seemed completely content to watch her go through everything, sometimes telling him about an object or a memory when she could. Mostly she was just silent. Eventually though, she tore herself away from the artifacts of her former life.

"Thank you, Seifer."

"It's not a problem, Cariad."

She stretched, wincing when her back popped with the movement. Seifer frowned at that. Something flashed in his eyes, but he hesitated before speaking.

"Please don't hit me, but would you like a hot bath?"

It came out rather rushed. Quistis bit her lip. That sounded absolutely lovely. She rarely got a chance to have a bath rather than simply washing off with a pitcher of water, and to be able to soak in a hot bath was unheard of. It was so very tempting, and she trusted Seifer.

"You don't mind?"

"No. I know better than to get in between a girl and a bath." He grinned. "Come on, I'll show you the bathroom, and you can soak to your heart's content."

Being up to her neck in hot water was absolutely blissful. True enough Seifer didn't have any bubble bath or bath oils, but Quistis wasn't about to complain. He had a really nice bathtub. It was deep enough that she could have hot water up to her neck, and there was enough room for her to stretch out. It felt so good to be able to simply lay back in the tub and soak in the hot water and not have to worry about hurrying up or having to move on to her next task. It also finally gave her a chance to really process all that had happened. Seifer knew who she really was. The total ramifications of that hadn't entirely sunk in until now.

The big question really was what Seifer was planning on doing. He had said that he wasn't going to go rushing off with that information, but it did sound like he had some sort of plan. He had made it clear several times that he was not at all happy about the fact that the Carrentes were controlling her like they were and that he saw her as under his protection. So he was going to do something with the knowledge. However, unless he knew how to break the gaes spell that bound her, Quistis could not see what he could do with that knowledge that wouldn't end badly.

She was also a little concerned that even if he told someone what he had found out about her, they would not believe him. She was assumed to be dead after all, and it had been years since there had been any real sign of Quistis Serian in the world. As far as she had been able to tell since coming to court, the fact that she was dead had been accepted by everyone. She had been mourned, and then people had moved on. Quistis rather thought that she could prove who she was, but only if she could talk about herself, and until the gaes was broken, she couldn't do that.

Quistis sighed, trying not to dwell on that stumbling block. At least not right now. Taking a deep breath, she ducked under the water. When she surfaced, she set to work washing her hair. The water was beginning to cool down, and she wasn't going to miss the opportunity to really get her hair clean. Honestly, she would kill for the opportunity to use a bathtub like on a regular basis. This was pretty close to paradise in her mind.

Soft footsteps distracted him from the book he'd picked up once Quistis had gone to take her bath. Seifer looked up to find her lingering in the door way, wrapped up in his robe. He grinned at her.

"Feeling better?"

She smiled at him. "Yes. Thank you. That was lovely."

He smirked. "I know. You only love me for my bathtub."

Quistis shook her head. "Not only for your bathtub."

That admission wasn't one he'd expected. When he pulled her into his arms, she came with out any protest or resistance. She fit there perfectly, her head resting against his shoulder. Seifer pressed a kissed to the top of her head. What he wanted was to keep her here with him and keep her safe from any of the Carrentes' scheming. He wanted to be able to give her family back. Seifer knew that both Rinoa and Selphie would be thrilled to know that Quistis was still alive.

However, he was also very aware that any of those things could cause problems for Quistis. As long as she was bound by the gaes spell, she was in danger. Quistis sighed and snuggled closer in his embrace, her eyes fluttering shut.

"Tired, Cariad?"

"Exhausted. I should probably go."

He wasn't ready to let her go. "When do you have to be back?"

"Not until morning really. But I should get some rest."

Seifer smiled and scooped her up in his arms. "I think we can manage that."

He carried her over to his bed and set her on top of the covers. "I'll take the chase lounge. Get some rest, sweetheart."

He kissed her forehead. She blinked at him eyes wide then bit her lip. Seifer recognized it as her habit before taking some sort of risk.

"We could share the bed," she offered. Quistis met his eyes and smiled. "It is your bed after all."

It did not take long for the two of them to be cuddled under the covers together. Quistis fit perfectly against him, her back pressed up against his chest. Seifer draped an arm over her, holding her close. His lady was asleep within minutes, but Seifer found sleep more elusive. In part that was due to the woman in his arms. He really didn't want to miss a moment he had with her. Watching her sleep was rather fascinating anyway. Asleep, Quistis was completely at ease and at peace. Seifer wondered how long it had been since she'd slept in a real bed.

He had to convince her to see Matron. The gaes needed to be removed. Because one of these days he wasn't going to be able to let her go when their time together was up. And he had the feeling lately that Quistis didn't want to leave either. He sighed softly and closed his eyes, listening to her breathe. Eventually he drifted off to sleep.

Seifer woke when Quistis shifted beside him. He blearily opened his eyes to find the room lit with pale pre-dawn light. Beside him, Quistis looked both sleepy and rather mussed. He could resist. Seifer leaned in and kissed her.

"Morning, sweetheart."

She smiled shyly at him. "Morning."

His Cariad sighed slightly and slipped out of the bed. He watched as she unplaited her braid, brushed out her hair, and braided her neatly. Within moments she had slipped her servant's livery on over her shift. She started searching for her shoes.

"Cariad?"

"Yes?" she looked over at him with a smile.

"Can I introduce you to my foster mother?"

She froze. Seifer climbed out of bed and crossed the room towards her. Taking her hands in his, he leaned in to kiss her again.

"Please? There's a chance she might be able to break the gaes spell or know how we could do it."

Quistis bit her lip. "Maybe. Seifer, it's one thing for a servant girl to slip off and meet with a man. That's not going to cause the sort of talk that will necessarily grab her employer's attention. Meeting with another woman will. Especially if it's a woman who is the head of another household."

He squeezed her hands gently. "Trust me?"

"When? It can't be this morning, and I don't know when I will be able to get away next."

He sighed. "I'll figure something out. See if you can figure out the next time you can get a couple of hours off. I suppose it doesn't matter if we break the gaes, but if we don't right then, I don't want you in danger."

Quistis nodded. "All right."

She stepped away from him then turned back, catching his hand in hers.

"Seifer, thank you. For everything. You didn't have to do any of this."

He smiled down at her, tucking a wisp of hair behind her ear. "I knew you were something special the moment I met you. I wasn't about to just let you go then, and I won't lose you now.

His Cariad wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He held her close until she finally pulled back. Quistis met his eyes.

"I love you, Seifer. Not matter what else happens with all of this, please know that."

She slipped away before he had a chance to respond to that. Seifer found he couldn't do anything except watch her go. Once she was out of sight, he found himself pulling out clothes for the day. Seifer didn't think he was going to get back to sleep. Besides, he had things to do today. He was not about to let this go on longer than he had to. Matron wouldn't be awake just yet, but there were a few other things he needed to get in order.

If he was going to reintroduce Princess Quistis Serian to the Royal Court, it would not hurt to have some information on hand. Including everything he could find out about the Carrente family. They were going to be leveling some very serious charges against the Carrentes, and it would not hurt to be prepared. Besides, it would keep him distracted until Matron was awake. The sooner he could arrange her meeting with Quistis the better. He would nip down to the kitchens to grab something to eat and then set to work on research. Maybe he could enlist Lord Adama's help with that again. He seemed to have a much better grip on the intricacies of Galbadian nobility than Seifer did.

Quistis was going to get to go home if it was the last thing he did. Seifer was willing to take the fight to the Carrentes if he had to, but this was going to end, and sooner rather than later.

She practically floated back to the Carrentes' rooms. Quistis felt so incredibly happy at the moment. For one thing it was absolutely wonderful to be called by her own name, even if Seifer still called her Cariad on a regular basis. Part of her could hardly believe that this was happening. That someone knew who she was and wasn't using it against her. Of course, that did not mean she was out of the woods yet. The gaes spell had yet to be broken, and Quistis was well aware that until that actually happened she was still stuck with the Carrentes and in danger. But it was more progress than had ever happened before.

Silently slipping back into her mistresses' rooms, Quistis began to go about her daily tasks. She mentally reviewed the girls' schedule. She was not going to be able to slip away again today. Calista and Aurelia were actually not doing much today except for having their wardrobe updated and expanded. Which meant that Quistis would be spending her day sewing for the most part.

What she hadn't expected was all this would end up taking place in Countess Oriana's rooms along with all of the other Carrente girls who had come to Summer Court. It was very clear to her that Oriana was looking at her end game and was not pleased with the progress most of the girls had made. Only one of them had gotten anywhere close to being engaged as of yet, and most were having quite a bit of trouble pursuing their chosen targets. Quistis did her best to not look pleased at that.

Of course, that did mean that most of her day was spent listening to Oriana give instructions to the girls involved. It was very clear that Oriana was done playing around, and she wanted her various relatives betrothed in short order, no matter what they had to do. It made Quistis sick. She wasn't worried about Seifer. She knew him well enough to know that he wasn't about to fall for any of these schemes, and he wasn't about to get involved with anyone except her. But it did make her worried. Maybe she should mention this to Seifer the next time she saw him.

When she finally was released from her duties, Quistis slipped down to the servants' hall to get some dinner. She ate quickly. The young woman had two reasons for that. She wanted to see if she could catch Seifer, and she wanted to slip out to the beach for at least a few moments. The sea was calling her again. Seifer was nowhere obvious when she went looking for him, so Quistis settled for going out to the beach. There were clouds on the horizon, and she knew that a storm would be blowing in soon.

She took a deep breath as the wind whipped around her, feeling her tension ease slightly.

"I was looking for you."

Quistis turned to find Seifer standing behind her. She smiled at him.

"Hey."

He pulled her into his arms. "Hey. Do you have some time?"

"Not much. But I was looking for you as well." She took a deep breath. "The Carrentes are about to up the ante in the courtship arena, and not all of their tactics are exactly above board."

Seifer shook his head. "I'll let Matron and the others know. We'll keep an eye out for trouble. When do you think that you can get away long enough to meet Matron?"

She bit her lip, thinking. "Tomorrow, mid-afternoon, probably. Calista and Aurelia are going on a ride with Rinoa and some of the other ladies. I should have a couple of hours then if we're lucky."

He nodded. "All right. That sounds like a plan. Meet me at my quarters?"

"I can do that."

Smiling, Seifer leaned in a little to kiss her. "Good."

He walked with her back towards the palace, their hands entwined. As they reach the place where they would go their separate ways, Seifer leaned and kissed her again. When he finally pulled away, Quistis found herself breathless. Seifer smiled at her and tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'll see you later, Cariad."

She watched him go before heading back to her mistresses' rooms. Quistis pressed her fingers to her lips gently. Moments like this almost always felt dream like. She had never expected to find anyone like Seifer even when she had been free from the gaes. The man could exasperate her at times, but she had to admit that he also understood her better than many people. They could bicker constantly, and then Seifer would turn around and do something completely delightful for her. She felt like herself with him. Just Quistis, without any of her other baggage.

With a soft sigh she slipped back into Calista and Aurelia's rooms. Neither of her mistresses was present, and Quistis took a few moments to collect herself before finding something to do. She was laying out their nightdresses when Aurelia returned to the room. The girl shot Quistis a smug little smile, and Quistis bit her lip. Something was going on. This was not good.

She helped Aurelia out of her gown and into her nightdress. After hanging up the velvet gown, Quistis moved to take down Aurelia's elaborate hairdo and brush out her hair. When Calista returned shortly after that, Quistis repeated the process with her. Both of the young women were acting smugly superior in a way that sent a shiver up Quistis' spine. Something had changed from this morning. She sought her own bed feeling anxious. She needed tomorrow to go well. It felt like she was running out of time.

The next morning dawned overcast, and Quistis woke feeling nervous and twitchy. She found that she had no appetite and hurried to get her morning chores done. She had just finished helping Calista and Aurelia dress when Oriana swept into the room flanked by two other men. Quistis fought down the urge to run.

"Well, Quisty, it sounds like you've forgotten your place. I am rather disappointed in you."

Someone had noticed her meetings with Seifer. Quistis winced. She hadn't been as careful lately about making sure she hadn't been seen. This was not good at all. Oriana smiled at her.

"I thought you could do with a reminder of just what your role in all of this is. Come here."

Oriana ordered her to stand in place, and then ordered the two men to begin. Quistis closed her eyes, bit her lips, and tried to brace herself. This would not be the first time Oriana had her beaten in punishment, but it had been quite awhile, and she had the feeling that this beating would be worse than normal. She did her best not to give Oriana any satisfaction by vocalizing her pain. Her attackers were good though. When they were done, all of the bruises would be in places easily covered by her servant's livery. No one would be able to tell at a glance that she had been beaten.

Finally the beating ended, and Quistis swayed on her feet. She was going to be useless for the rest of the day. Oriana smirked.

"You will stay in these rooms until Calista and Aurelia return from their ride. Then we'll decide what to do with you. I wonder if his desire to protect his whore might induce Sir Almasy to consider marrying Aurelia. It certainly would be something to consider."

Quistis felt herself go cold. This was not her worse nightmare, but it was close. She did not want to be used as leverage against Seifer, and she especially did not want to be used to force him to marriage. Oriana just smiled.

"Come along, girls. Best not be late."

They swept out of the room leaving Quistis alone and trapped.

He had begun to be worried thirty minutes after Rinoa and the ladies of the court had left. Quistis should have been here by now. Once Seifer found himself pacing back and forth through his quarters, he decided that he needed to see if he can find her. He knew that most of the Carrentes were out on the ride, so it should be safe enough to go to the wing where they were housed. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, Seifer went alone. If he needed help, he'd get it later, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself.

There did not seem to be anyone much around when he arrived at Aurelia and Calista Carrente's rooms. He knocked softly at the door but got no answer. He tried the doorknob. It wasn't locked. Quickly checking to see if there was anyone else in the hallway who might see him, Seifer slipped inside. He didn't see anyone in the sitting room area of the suite, and there were no sounds either. Seifer headed for the bedrooms.

He would have missed her if she hadn't whimpered. The little alcove where he found Quistis was well hidden. She was on her knees attempting to change her clothes, but what immediately caught his eye were the bruising beginning to form on her back.

"Who the hell did this to you?"

His voice made her jump, and he immediately cursed himself. Any movement probably hurt her. With gentle hands, he raised her to her feet and pulled the shift the rest of the way down. She was swaying slightly on her feet which made him frown.

"We're going to see Matron. Now."

Quistis shook her head, laying a hand on his arm. "I can't leave these rooms. Not without killing myself. I'm trapped here until they get back."

He scowled at that, trying to figure out if he had enough time to run get Matron before the Carrentes got back. He did not think that his lady was up for a confrontation. And he didn't know if she would be here after the Carrentes got back. Something had caused this reaction from them. Carefully, steering her towards one of the padded chairs in the room, Seifer gestured for her to sit.

"What happened?"

She bit her lip, a slow blush spreading across her cheeks. "Someone saw us together and told Oriana. She doesn't know that you know who I am, but she does think that we're lovers."

And she had responded by having Quistis beaten. No wonder his lady had been so secretive. Then he caught the shift of something in her eyes, and his scowl deepened.

"What else?"

Quistis looked away. Seifer gently cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him.

"Cariad?"

Her eyes were terrified. "They want to use to me to force you to marry Aurelia. You have to promise that you won't let them succeed. You can't let them trap you too."

His fingers curled around hers. "This is not over yet, Cariad. You are not going to stay bound to them forever. I am going to make sure that you are freed sooner or later."

Before she could protest, Seifer leaned in and kissed her gently. "I love you. I won't let you suffer when I can do something to change it. Do you need anything? I'm going to go get Matron. If we're lucky, we might still have enough time to do something."

She shook her head. "I'll be fine. You'd better hurry. I don't know how much time we have."

Seifer headed for the door. He paused a moment before leaving, turning to look at her.

"Quistis, if you're not here when I come back, I will find you." He held her eyes for a long moment.

She nodded. Seifer left the rooms, waiting until he was out of the wing where the Carrentes were housed before breaking into a run. He needed to find Matron as soon as possible. Thankfully, he had a good idea of where she would be. Still, her solar was almost completely across the palace from where Quistis was. But when he arrived at the solar door, slightly out of breath, Matron immediately knew that something was wrong.

"Seifer?"

"I need you to come with me now, Matron. We don't have much time."

She gracefully rose to her feet. "Is it the girls?"

"Not exactly. I'll explain later."

He led her through the hallways and corridors of the palace as fast as he dared. It would do Quistis no good to attract attention right now. As long as she was under the gaes spell, the Carrentes could make her lie or refuse help. Now that they knew he and Quistis were involved, he wouldn't be surprised if they took steps to make sure that he and Quistis would not be seeing each other again.

Seifer froze as he reached the wing of the palace that Carrentes were housed in. Both Aurelia and Calista were there, dressed in riding habits. He'd run out of time.

"Seifer?" Matron's voice brought him to his senses.

"Just a moment, Matron. I need to check something."

The next ten minutes were the longest in his life. Not in the least that he had to make nice with Aurelia and Calista. By the end of it, Seifer was holding on to his temper with the most tenuous of threads. He returned to Matron seething.

"Let's go back to you solar."

She frowned at him, laying a hand on his arm. "Seifer?"

"We're going to need some privacy."

The trip back to her solar was silent. It wasn't until they were safely inside with the door shut that he began to speak.

"They moved her. I don't know what they've done to her, but they probably haven't kept her alive this long to just kill her now. But they found out that we've been meeting, and I don't know what they'll do to her."

Matron took a seat. "This is your lady and your sorceress we're talking about?"

Seifer nodded.

"Her name is Quistis Cariad Serian. She's Rinoa's cousin. The one you were originally supposed to teach. She's also Idalia's daughter, Matron." He was pacing as he explained.

His foster mother went pale. "You have proof of that? Any of that?"

Seifer nodded. "Of all of that and more. But without her there to confirm all of this, it is useless. They could always produce another servant and have her lie. Or use the gaes to force Quistis to lie. And now I don't know where she is."

Edea wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "We'll find her, Seifer. Tell me everything you know. We'll start from there."

Quistis hadn't let herself hope when Seifer left. She was pretty sure that her luck had run out. There were a few things that she did want to do though before Oriana came back. She had the feeling that she would not be living in these rooms after today. Moving slowly so not to aggravate her injuries, Quistis crept towards the little alcove that contained all of her possessions. It took her about ten minutes, but she managed to pack her things up in a neat bundle with most of her treasures hidden safely away. The one thing she kept out was the silver and moonstone pendant Seifer had given her.

That she slipped on and hid under her clothes. She wanted it close to her for several reasons. Seifer had given it to her for one. And there was the small chance that because it had been in his possession he could use it to find her. He knew several sorceresses after all. But it was mostly for the comfort of having some sort of touchstone that would connect her to him. Quistis had no doubt that she was not going to like what was to come at all.

Oriana's return along with her bully boys before Seifer managed to come back did not surprise Quistis. She was more or less ready for them and didn't struggle as they escorted her out of Aurelia and Calista's rooms. While Quistis did try to pay attention to just where they were taking her, she eventually lost track. What she did know was that the room she was eventually shoved into was stone with only a small, narrow window. There was a pallet on the floor and that was it. With a sigh, Quistis curled up on the pallet.

There was nothing she could do at the moment. She gently touched the pendant hidden under her shift. All she could do was wait. Either Seifer would find her, or she would figure out some way to contact him. She bit her lip. Her biggest fear was that Oriana would go ahead with the plan of using her to force Seifer to marry Aurelia. It made her sick to think she would be used to trap Seifer like that. She hoped that her warning would be enough to keep him from doing anything stupid like agreeing.

Closing her eyes, Quistis tried to relax. She needed to be ready for whatever happened next and fretting herself into a state would not help her at all. She was not going to let Oriana win this time. The woman had kidnapped her, taken her identity, stolen much of her free will, made her a servant, and kept her prisoner for years. Quistis was not about to let her take Seifer as well. No matter what she had to do in order to prevent that. If Oriana thought she was going to win this time around, she was gravely mistaken.

With a soft sigh, Quistis let sleep claim her. She doubted that she would sleep well, but rest was rest. Even so, she found herself waking up every so often. She tracked the passage of time by the changing light filtering in through her narrow window. She knew she'd been in her all of the morning and most of the afternoon. Part of her was worried about just how long they were going to leave her in here and if they were going to feed her. Part of her was just glad to be left alone. Still, she hated not knowing what was going on.

It was well into the evening when someone finally brought her something to eat. It was just water and rather stale bread, but she ate it anyway. It was maybe an hour later that Oriana finally appeared again. Quistis did not rise to her feet when the woman entered her cell. Moving hurt with all of her bruises, and Quistis was not willing to give Oriana any deference she did not have to. Oriana smirked down at her.

"Well, I do have to admit that you somehow have made quite a conquest. None of the other ladies at court have manage to so much whiff of interest from Sir Almasy. Then again I suppose you do have things to offer him that ladies don't."

Quistis knew she was flushing. Despite the fact that their relationship had not gone beyond kisses and sleeping in the same bed once, she had to admit that she was far more intimate with Seifer than was really proper. Still, despite that she kept her silence. Oriana continued.

"I suppose that shouldn't surprise me. Even so, I'm afraid it won't do you much good. Still, I figure letting you think about it for while can't hurt. Tomorrow, you may be taking a little trip. We'll have to wait and see just how fond Sir Almasy is of you. Mistresses are easy to comes by after all, though admittedly he does seem genuinely attached from my reports." Oriana gave a delicate shrug. "Of course, Rinoa's personal court does seem rather softhearted all around. I suppose that shouldn't surprise me."

Quistis bit back both her anger and her fear. She did not want to antagonize Oriana without purpose. She hurt badly enough after the beating; she didn't need to have Oriana make things worse somehow. Things were bad enough already. Oriana shook her head.

"We'll just have to wait and see how tenderhearted he is." She smiled at Quistis once again. "And don't try to escape. There will be consequences."

Once again Quistis was left on her own with just her thoughts for company. She neatened her pallet slightly before settling to sleep again. It wasn't like there was anything else she could do. Pulling her one blanket up over her shoulders, Quistis closed her eyes. One of her hands wrapped around her pendant, holding it close. She hoped that Seifer had a plan to deal with this. Because if he didn't, she was going top have to do something drastic, and she rather doubted he would like that. Actually, so far all of the drastic plans she had come up with weren't things that she liked very much either. But she wasn't going to let Oriana trap Seifer too, no matter what it took.