Haru 93: This is the fourth fan fiction in the ‘Golden Chamber’ series by me and Gildas Magnus, and my bits are in Italics again, while Gildas’s are underlined. Yay for continuity!
Gildas_Magnus: Remember, as of GC3, Gildas’ story is finished. His role in life has been played… and so we move on, to the story of Golden Chamber Four…
Freya looked up at the grey sky and swept her fringe out of her face, shaking off beads of rain as she did so. Since learning of Zidane’s death, she had returned to the only place she knew, the only place that ever felt like home – Burmecia. She had thought that this would make his passing easier on her, but in fact, it had simply made the ache in her heart grow yet more painful. Freya longed to hear his laughing voice again, so that she could melt into the sunlight of his smile. But he was gone. She fell to her knees despairingly.
Since Sir Fratley had left her, she had found no purpose in life…she had wandered aimlessly from town to town, before stumbling on a lively thief who was young and more than sure of himself. Zidane. She whispered his name to herself, ignoring the water soaking through the knees of her red dragon knight’s coat. And then she had found Fratley again, and to find out that he had no recollection of the very memories that she had cherished…To be forgotten, she realised, was worse than death. The only comfort was to feel Zidane’s arms wrapped tightly around her as she sobbed uncontrollably into his warm embrace. That was the first time she had ever cried. Now, as sparkling tears ran down her face like diamonds, this was the second.
A sudden surge of strength forced Freya to stand up again. It was so unlike her to wallow in her thoughts and do nothing but pity herself. She wandered over to the edge of the bridge she stood on, alone, and stared down into the foaming, merciless waters. Freya had always been strong and independent, but since she met Zidane her heart had been thrown open for the elements to ravage. Steeling herself, she knew she must once again take matters into her own hands, and bent her knees accordingly. One swift leap into the hurricane and she would soon be safe in the eye of the storm.
And then Freya was flying through the air, letting the breeze play over her face. Her hat was almost ripped away, but she clung on fast. She refused to change. When she was fully submerged in the unforgiving waters, all she could think about was how warm the water seemed. It gave her a dull ache rather than a sudden shock – much like the pain in her heart. She closed her vivid, green eyes, and let a few bubbles of air escape her in a silent scream. The inky blackness swallowed her as her extremities became numb, unfeeling, and prayed in her heart that she would soon be with the one she loved.
I didn’t really know what was happening. All I knew was that I was being pushed from every side, following the crowds without a purpose, without a goal. Through the streets of Twilight Town, they swept me along to the riverside, and I was bustled to the front, unsure of myself and depressed with the news of Zidane’s untimely passing. Blank was gone, too, and everyone was going away. Garnet had died too, apparently, and the Chocobo population was going down. Everything was so sad… why was everything that mattered to me disappearing from my life, and now I was being pushed to the banks of the River Shanks. A figure lay washed up on the shore. I’d seen her outfit before, I was sure of it. Then a tail flicked. The figure was alive! I’ve seen that tail before too… No! It couldn’t be! I ran over, shaking her awake. “Freya! Freya, please wake up!”
The doves cooed happily as I scattered bread over the roof. I watched as they flew around each other playfully, soaring through the clear, blue sky, and wished I could join them. I wanted to stretch my wings out and flutter away, over the sky. The air was fresh and cool, and I could smell newly mown grass, knowing that spring had arrived. Peering over the edge, I saw the castle’s gardeners hard at work, planting new buds that would soon begin to struggle against the earth to break into the sunlight. I felt just like one of those new buds, fighting against everything around me just for a snatch of light. I was slowly suffocating here.
Riku and I had been crowned. I was queen of Lindblum…it sounded so stupid to me. I had never been anyone important, and now I had had this royal title thrust upon me, along with millions of citizens to protect and lead. Whatever made Gildas choose me?
That had done it. I had let Gildas slip into my head again. Since his funeral, I had felt cold and numb, and had just blocked him out of my thoughts. It seemed like the only way to deal with his…passing. It used to be that whenever I thought about him, I would have to fight tears back. But my method was working; now it just felt like someone had thrown a bucket of water over my head. My knees went weakly and my legs shook, and I felt light-headed. I wasn’t sure how much of that was from me staring over the edge of the castle roof, so I sat on the floor, my back leaning against the wall.
Freya looked up at me, tears (or possibly just water) in her eyes. She simply blinked her eyes rapidly to usher the water away, and stood up, brushing her jacket down. “What are you doing here?” I blinked. “I live here. What about you?” She simply shook her head; she didn’t want to talk about it. “Where are we, again?” I adjusted my hat slightly. “We’re at the River Shanks, on the edge of Twilight Town. I’m really glad you came, Freya. I need to visit a friend of mine, but I don’t think I could deal with the monsters outside the Town.” Freya simply nodded, blinking back more tears. “I’ll help you. Where are we headed, anyways?”
After stopping off at the local Synthesis Shop to make myself a new hat, and Freya and I left Twilight Town. Thankfully, Balamb Garden wasn’t too far away, and the road through the fields was straight and simple, with guards posted every few hundred meters. We received very few monster attacks, and the ones we did Freya defeated in seconds. I was so glad she’d come with me, though she hadn’t spoken of how she came to be in the river. She’d tell me when she was ready.
As we reached the gates of Balamb Garden, I saw lots of students studying; maybe an exam was coming up soon. We entered the building, and I saw Quistis walking ahead with a boy with brown hair. “Just hurry up. You’ll never get through counselling if you can’t be on time. Dr. Kadawaki will be waiting in the Infirmary. Would you like me to come in with you?” The boy just nodded. She led him into a white-looking corridor. “There she is! Come on, Freya, let’s follow her.”
After a while of hunching against the stone wall, I could feel my bum growing steadily number, and so stood up, scanning the horizon. You could look out from this point and still not see the edge of Lindblum. And I had to rule it all – with Riku, obviously. I sighed deeply with my whole body, feeling my shoulders sag and my face fall. Footsteps from the roof door startled me, and I span round as the doves scattered in a flurry of white feathers. I stood up straight, shoulders back, just as I had had to practise all the time, but when I saw Zexion’s silver hair, I flopped down again, scuffing my shoe on the floor.
“You have a meeting in thirty minutes, your majesty. Riku told me you’d be up here. The Mayor of Twilight Town is most eager to discuss-” I held up one finger to silence him, and gazed into the sky again. “Have you ever wanted to just fly away?” I whispered. Zexion’s brow furrowed. “Excuse me? Your majesty, I would strongly advise that-” I shook my head, and he fell silent. “I want to fly. I want to unfold these great, feathery wings, and trust them completely as I just…fall. And then I catch myself…and I’m flying, soaring, gliding through the air effortlessly.” I smiled gently and walked past Zexion. “I won’t miss the meeting, Zexion. I can do some things myself, you know.” Looking back, I wasn’t sure how he took my words; as a mild rebuke at him? Or as an insult to myself, as I had intended it?
As we entered the Infirmary, a lady in a white doctor’s jacket walked around, looking at the boy with piercing eyes. “You saw her… kill him?” The boy nodded slightly. “She just, used magic, and killed him?” He nodded again. “Can you describe this girl to me, Lionhart?” The boy looked up at her. She had a rod, and was wearing Mage’s robes…” I jumped. “That’s Haru!” Quistis turned her head sharply. “Oh! You’ve arrived! When did you get here?” I shook my head. “There’s no time! If Haru’s killed someone… we need to get to her!” Quistis nodded gently. “She’s Queen of Lindblum now, that’s the best place to go.” I nodded to Freya. “Hold up. Squall should go with you. He needs to see the world again.” Quistis looked concerned, but sure of herself. “I’ll come too. I need to ask Haru a few questions of my own.”
The meeting with Twilight Town’s Mayor passed in a boring blur. I doodled on the corner of a page with my pen the whole time, ignoring the filthy glares from Zexion and the concerned gazes from Riku. Once everyone had left but Artania, Riku, Zexion and I, Zexion laid into me. “Beg your pardon, your majesty, but that was totally unprofessional! You should have been paying attention, taking notes, getting involved – doing something!” he cried. I stared up at him from my seat carelessly, and raised my eyebrows. “Oh, forget it!” he spluttered, “I might as well be lecturing a brick flipping wall!” With that, he stormed out, dragging Artania behind him.
Riku and I sat in silence. He took my hand and opened his mouth to speak, but I stopped him early. “Please, don’t. Just don’t…I know I messed up, but…I dunno. Today’s just a bad day for some reason.” Riku nodded. “Okay, but-” I didn’t listen, just stood up and walked out slowly, leaving Riku seated, his mouth dangling open.
I needed to find peace, solitude. I went to the bedroom Riku and I shared, and opened the walk-in wardrobe. At the very back, I pulled out a pair of slouch jeans and a plain t-shirt. Dressed in my old style of clothes, I slipped into town discreetly, and blended in with ease. Walking around town, ignored completely by everyone around, I finally breathed freely. Life at the castle was so stifling, but here I could be whoever I wanted to be. Riku just didn’t understand, as much as I hated to admit it…but I still loved him, obviously. I was just having a…rough time of things.
