Sea of Ice

Chapter Eight: As our paths part..

Seifer:

The gods were punishing him.

Seifer sat hunched on a smooth, stone bench inside one of the palace's larger gardens. His fingers ran repeatedly through his short golden hairs; starting at his bangs, sliding above his ear and ending to rub the base of his neck. Eyes were tightly shut with his chin tucked closely to his chest; defeated. His life was like a woven piece of rope. It held strong when used for its intended purpose--fate's plan--but when altered, cutting one of the fine threads, the rest of the rope soon frayed and snapped under the strain.

The gods were laughing at him.

He, like these eastern heathens, had turned his back on the gods he revered. Seifer left his preordained life; had altered that rope, and the threads were unraveling between his fingers despite how vainly he grasped at their ends. He never should have left Zamir. A life outside of the arid desert was never meant to be his. As a prince, a future pharaohs, it had been Seifer's duty to govern the land, honor the gods--continue the tradition, the bloodline. Yet he had broken the ways of old, and now the gods would punish them all for his transgression. They would bring war; they would bring death.

"May I?"

Seifer's head snapped up, vision slightly blurred as he struggled to focus on the thin frame standing politely off to his side. The blonde roughly rubbed a palm against his left eye to relieve the stinging sensation--he must have forgotten to blink, that's all. Ellone's friendly face and shy smile came into focus and Seifer found himself wrapped in silence as he blankly stared up into her unassuming blue-gray eyes. A slow frown began to tug at his features. The physical similarities between her and her brother were startling at times. Thinking about the brunet made the frown etch more deeply.

"Please, may I sit with you?"

"Oh," Seifer jerked out of his thoughts a second time and shifted sideways to give the young woman amble room to sit; which she did, picking a spot not too far away or too close to the blonde. Seifer's jade eyes seemed to follow her every action, absently watching her smooth the lavander-hued robes over her knees with nervous hands. Noticing the rapt attention, Ellone blushed; just the faintest touch of pink over her cheekbones.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Her voice came out soft as she peeked at him from the corners of her eyes. "My father often doesn't think things through, and he has been increasingly willful since Squall's return. He's very happy, but his energy is going into the wrong things.."

Pale fingers nervously twisted the dark purple sash around her waist, Ellone continued to flick fleeting glances at him. The hazy, thoughtful intensity in the man's jade eyes made her unable to meet his gaze too long before her heart would flutter and her cheeks redden. "I know it is not my place to tell you this, but Squall was never kidnapped. Four years ago he left because--"

"--I know." Seifer continued to frown, pain flashed through his eyes that never left Ellone's profile. "Why are you telling me these things?"

Ellone opened her mouth to speak, but a passing servant made her hesitate. An awkward silence stretched as she waited for the person to leave. When alone, Ellone stood and reached to take his large tanned hand with her smaller, pale one. "I want to show you something."

Unable to refuse, Seifer stood and allowed himself to be led by the short woman. She took him off the garden path and into the dense foliage. Ferns and tall grasses brushed at their waists as Ellone pushed aside branches--moving deeper and deeper; until they came to a small clearing next to a thin stream of slow moving water. All around them a vine grew, blooming with white flowers with dark blue centers. A pleasant aroma wafted off the flowers; a faint, calming scent.

Ellone sat down near one of the venturing vines and tucked her legs next to herself. She absent-mindly picked one of the white flowers and distracted herself with picking at the leaves to avoid meeting Seifer's inquiring eyes. "Please sit."

Seifer curiously surveyed the secluded spot, wondering what Ellone wanted to show him. He sensed no mistrust in her actions and so obliged her request by sitting down, facing the stream. He stretched his legs out and leaned back on his arms, forgetting his state of undress and that his physical appeal affected more than just Squall.

"Squall and I use to play here as children," Ellone admitted, still picking at the flower. "As we grew older it became a safe haven to be alone, away from servants and our father."

Seifer peer questionably at her, but chose not to comment. He failed to see any importance in her words. Ellone braved a smile and tucked the flower into her hair before reaching into the folds of her robe to pull out a familiar silver pendant; Griever. She protectively curled her fingers around the cross and gazed distantly at the grass. "You asked me why I told you those things. It's because I know I can trust you.."

"You don't know that," The words carried a hint of scorn.

"Yes, I do." Ellone calmly disputed. She opened her hand and held Griever out toward Seifer. "This is a sorceress's tailsman. Griever blessed it with a protection spell and I gave this to Squall the day he left, knowing it would always protect him as long as he kept it close--but it will only protect those that Griever deems worthy. I know it has protected you, so I know that Griever trusts you. I know that I can trust you."

Seifer firmed his jaw, directing a glare at his toes. "You shouldn't. You have no idea who I am."

Ellone head bowed slightly, sending the flower tumbling to the ground. After a moment she smiled and bravely raised her gaze back to his hardened features. "No, I don't know anything about you. But I think it's safe to guess you are not really Squall's servant.."

Tensing, Seifer glanced side-long at the young woman. How much did she know?

"You seem more like his friend," She spoke, unknowingly easing Seifer's tension. Ellone tucked the pendant in her robes and carefully picked up the fallen flower. She tried to replace it into her hair but it fell back into her hands. "It must be hard to try and adapt to the life of a servant, but I can understand why you two lied. With you being a westerner it would be hard for Squall to maintain a friendship with you." A sudden annoyance marred her face. "You must have noticed the dislike some people carry for your land."

Seifer chuckled, startling Ellone out of her mild scowl and causing her to curiously stare at him. Seifer grinned, a playful glint in his jade eyes. "Quistis doesn't hide it well."

Ellone's brows came together, the only physical sign of her inner frown. Seifer's grin widened at the action; so painfully similar to what Squall often did. Ellone did not notice his expression, instead pointing a very harsh look on the little flower in her palm. "Yes her."

The distaste rang clear in her tone of voice, and Seifer arched an curious eyebrow. "Who is she, anyway?"

"Daughter to High Lord Trepe, the northern kingdom."

Not exactly the most useful piece of information. Seifer decided to nudge her into continuing, "And her and Squall.. "

"Years ago my father made a deal with High Lord Trepe, an alliance to secure trade between the two lands. To ensure the treaty they arranged a future marriage between Squall and Quistis. When Squall disappeared, the lord was not pleased. He accused my father of hiding Squall to back out of the deal. We've been on shaky ground with them sense. Laguna kept Quistis here to ensure war would not break out. He doesn't realize but she tells her father everything that goes on here. She keeps tallys of all our goods, keeps tabs on any armed guards we send out. I don't trust her."

"So if Squall doesn't marry her.." The sorrow in Seifer's words did not escape Ellone's notice.

Ellone mutely stared at him, the raw emotion in her eyes storming. Seifer force himself to look away with a silent curse. He did not need any further explanation. The gods sought to make his life as difficult and unfair as possible.

"Are there arranged marriages in your land?" Ellone eased the topic in another direction.

"No," Seifer picked idly at the grass, not noticing the way Ellone edged near. "Taking a wife from another land is not frowned upon, but any children born would be considered unfit to rule. His blood would be diluted. It is important for a pharaoh to have strong blood. The more pure the blood, the stronger the connection with the gods. But the pharaoh still does choose who he wants."

Ellone frowned somewhat, lifting the flower up to her eye-level. "It must be nice.. "

Not when the pharaoh decides to bed your snake of a cousin, Seifer quipped to himself but said nothing, instead plucking the flower from between Ellone's fingers. He turned toward her, leaning close to place the white blossom carefully in her brown hair, ensuring it would not fall again. A charming smile appeared when the girl blushed gloriously. "Why do you think that?"

Ellone blinked furiously at him, and Seifer maintained eye contact to watch the blue and gray storm as the emotions rushed through in her eyes. They were just like Squall's; so beautiful--and that dark brown hair, even if long, had felt exactly Squall's silken strands. Seifer was not prepared for what happened next. One second he had been admiring her physical features, the next moment Ellone had moved forward to lightly press her lips against his in an innocent kiss.

It felt good, Seifer couldn't deny that fact. After feeling so hated by all the easterners, being thoughtlessly brushed aside by Squall, the kiss was the comfort he wanted. He closed his eyes and embraced what little solace the kiss brought. A hand lifted to cup Ellone's cheek and gently guided her closer to make the contact between lips more firm. When he attempted to deep the kiss a rustling in the grass caused Ellone to jerk away from him.

"I'm sorry," She quickly apologized while glancing around them to ensure they were still alone. "I was just thinking about how nice it must be, to choose to be with someone you like, instead of being forced to be with someone else. I really don't know what came over me and--"

"It's alright," Seifer chuckled softly, politely turning his eyes away from her embarrassed flush. His jade eyes focused on her hand, that at some point during their kiss moved to press into his bare abdomen. Ellone quickly retracted her hand and, if possible, flamed more brightly. "I tend to have that effect on people."

Ellone only half-listened, nodding mindlessly to his words. "You look very nice today." Another blank nod. "You smell good too."

Seifer had to bite down on his lower lip to keep from laughing out loud at her unintentional rambling. "Why thank you. I'm glad someone took notice."

Ellone was pointedly looking away from him, letting the silence thicken. Slowly the laughter died out from Seifer's eyes and tiny thread of guilt began to weave itself around his conscious. He did not want to feel regret for kissing Ellone back, or for feeling arrogant at the compliments she gave. Yet like a broken record, Seifer's thoughts came back to Squall. "I should go.."

"We both should return," Ellone echoed, standing to brush the grass from her robes. "Please walk with me, I wish to hear more about your land and your gods. We don't have much documentation on them here.."

Seifer again found himself unable to refuse her harmless request. Ellone was so kind and he couldn't stand the idea of hurting her feelings by turning her down. He stood in silence and let her led the way out of the garden.

After beating on the wooden table a few more times, Squall had finally pulled himself together and dragged his feet back to his room. He expected to find a fuming blonde beyond the curtains, but only emptiness greeting him. The loathing glare Seifer had given before his depature and been like a knife to the heart. The last thing Squall wanted was for the other man to be angry with him. They both had come so far, afterall. The thought of everything they had gained falling into pieces did not sit well with Squall. He had to find Seifer and apologize, to seek forgiveness. His heart was aching to explain himself to the blonde..

Squall had no idea where to look for the tall ex-prince. Seifer really had no where to go, so he shouldn't have gone far. The brunet wandered the hallways, peeking in various rooms and discreetly asking servants if they had seen the boisterous man. Only one pointed toward the large garden, speaking of recently walking past Seifer and Ellone sitting together.

Odd, Squall commented but put no further thought in to the image. He found the stone bench empty, but keen eyes noticed the disturbed grass leading off into the garden. Squall suddenly knew exactly where they were and headed down the invisible path that would lead to the hidden oasis. When he heard voices Squall hung back to try and spot the source--no harm in ensuring himself it was Ellone and Seifer before barging in and possible finding strangers instead.

Although spying what he hoped for, the sight made his heart cave in on itself. Unable to look away, Squall watched Seifer slip a flower into his sister's hair and her leaning forward to kiss him. The image burned in his mind--the movement of Seifer's hand on her face, of returning the kiss. Squall suddenly felt sick, turned and rushed out of the garden.

By the time Squall made it back to his room tears had marked out trails down his cheeks. He couldn't explain them. Squall had never felt the sickening twisting sensation in his gut or the heavy, painful thumping of his heart in his chest. The scene replayed itself over and over in his head. Seifer kissing Ellone. Again his eyes welled up with tears and Squall hastily wiped them away. Could the day get any worse?

"Squall?"

Yes, yes it could. Squall ignored the voice and leaned heavily against the frame of his window.

Footsteps sounded Quistis's approach. "Squall.."

Why did people take his silence as an invitation? Squall leaned his head against the wall, keeping his gaze and attention outside the window. He felt Quistis twine her arms around his torso from behind, but he paid them no mind. His mind continued to twist a knife into his heart by showing him the images again. Seifer kissing someone else--no longer did he acknowledge it was his sister. Why would it matter. Seifer had betrayed him. And after all his words of wanting to be together..

"You're mood is so dark," Quistis mused, head resting against his shoulder and lips near his ear. "Just what is it your are thinking about?"

Silence met her inquiry. Squall continued with his trainwreck of thoughts that had taken a hairpin turn. No, it was his fault, not Seifer's. He had unknowingly driven the blonde away. But it had been a string of misunderstandings--he had not meant to kick Seifer out of the room when Quistis came that first night; then at lunch he had only wanted to stop Seifer before he got himself into trouble. Why did Seifer have to make things so difficult? Why couldn't the blonde just slow down for a moment and let Squall try to work things out, instead of erupting in a fit every time an obstacle barred the way? A silent tear snuck out from the corner of his eye..

"Squall!" Quistis inquired in alarm, swinging around to stand in front of him, arms still wrapped about his chest. "What's wrong?"

"It's none of your business," He glowered, refusing to meet her gaze.

".. don't you ever feel the need to talk to someone? There must be so much going on in your head."

Quistis leaned against him, her arms shifting to wrap around his neck. Squall felt too tired, to weak in his heart to shove her aside. Eventually his cold attitude would deter her advances, but for now he pointedly ignored her. "They are my problems."

"I only want to help, Squall. You can trust me.. "

His glare iced over, and he tilted his chin down to fix her with the cold fury of his cobalt eyes. Trust her? Just like he had trusted Seifer? His heart bled but his anger soared. "Seems I can't trust anyone these days."

A pair of laughs sliced through the tension. Both Squall and Quistis turned their gaze toward the doorway to see Seifer and Ellone entering. The two men exchanged a heated glare while Quistis curled more possessively around Squall. Ellone had the decency to be embarrassed, quickly bowing her head in apology and tugging on Seifer's forearm. Squall blue-gray eyes flooded with his mixed feelings, which all came out directed at the blonde man in seething glare. It was half intentional. Squall wanted to share the sickening twist in his stomach. He wanted a fight.

It surprised Squall when Seifer didn't instantly fume in anger. The blonde looked angry for a moment, then his jade eyes softened and he looked away... defeated? Ellone dragged him back out of the room to give Squall and Quistis privacy. Squall scowled with obvious disappointment.

"Honestly," Quistis mused irritably while laying her head against Squall's chest--his cold front not deterring her in the least. "Why do you keep that man around? He is only going to continue embarrassing you.."

Squall finally acted, seizing the woman's wrist and with a cruel twist he flung her away. Quistis reeled backwards a few steps before stumbling over the folds of her dress. Hurt and outrage flashed over her face as she stared up from her fallen position on the floor. "Why do you treat me like this!? I have been nothing but supportive to you! I waited for your return all this time because I love you! Why do you keep pushing me away?"

"Leave me," Flat and emotionless, Squall turned back toward to gaze out the window.

"Squall don't do this! Please!" She was crying now, but even tears didn't seem to bother the stoic prince. "Please, I love you, I won't leave."

Quistis climbed weakly back to her feet and reached for him. Squall whirled on her, knocking aside her extended arm. "I said leave me."

Sorrow gave way to anger, and Quistis summoned up her pride and stood straight. Her head tilted back, chin in the air with arrogance. She took a deep breath. "You've change Squall." Was the only thing she spat out before leaving the room. Silence fully greeted Squall, and for that the brunet was thankful..

End Chapter.

AN: Aha, you all thought I had dressed Seifer up to seduce Squall..

Anyway. I'm not going to apologize for the lack of Seifer/Squall interaction. If people wanted smut there are plenty of tasteless fics out there to fill that need. I am not a fan of fics that just thrust two characters together in a mess of bodily fluids. I -like- plot. I -like- angst. I've had this storyline in my head for a long time, and I am not about to butcher it. As my first fic, it means something to me to finish it properly. I have to get out all these little icky story details, and if it bores you, go elsewhere.

As for those that DO like this story, the next chapter will be between Seifer and Squall; in the same room and the same time! I make no promises though. Their perdicament is only going to get worse, la la..