Author's Note: Well, this is it! The last chapter of this way epic thing that spiralled far out of my control haha. Hope everyone enjoyed it. I don't believe that I will be writing another long FFIV fic like this for awhile, because I'm focusing now on my 30kisses claim of Kain/Rydia and my MountOrdeals claim of Kain/Rydia, and also our new smut community. :D So watch out for those things, most not coming to but we'll see when I get a new inkling to write a long FFIV fic again!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, because you guys really made this possible! And extra special thanks to my amazing and awesome beta reader Lassarina Aoibhell for not only being a ridiculously good beta, but also being a great friend (and co-mod!)

What I Can Be

Rydia got to her feet, trembling uncontrollably, unable to tear her eyes away from the pair kneeling on the rock-littered ground in front of her. Rosa was gently stroking Cecil's cheek, and when Rydia took a hesitant step forward, the White Mage looked up at her.

Rosa's eyes were full of unshed tears, glittering in the growing sunlight as the clouds that had hung over the mountain for so long finally parted. Cecil lifted his head as well, but instead of glancing at either his wife holding him nor the shaking Summoner standing off to one side, he merely turned his gaze up towards the heavens, as if searching for something.

When he brought his head back down, he looked at Rosa, and he was smiling for the first time in a long time.

"It's gone," he said, although Rydia was sure the words didn't really need to be spoken. The heavy atmosphere of decay and erosion was gone from the summit of the mountain, and the familiar buzz of magical activity had returned. Rydia felt nothing from the cave of KluYa, which she found odd, but shrugged the feeling off, because she knew so little about the peak as it was.

"What happened?" Edge asked, stopping beside Rydia and staring at the two still holding each other on the ground. "I don't understand."

"The pendant fed off of mystical energy," Rydia said, biting her bottom lip slightly before glancing up at the Ninja. "It used up all of Cecil's magic, and when he didn't have enough to sustain it in the way it needed, Rosa jumped in, and then it consumed hers too."

"Wait," the Ninja held a hand up. "What do you mean by consumed? As in, it ate the magic? Completely?"

"I don’t believe it," Kain muttered, shaking his head, rays of sunlight glinting off of his blue breastplate.

"Yes," Rosa nodded, interjecting for the first time. Her voice was low and soft, and the wetness that had been gathering in her dark eyes finally spilled out over her cheeks, but Rydia didn't think the tears were sorrowful ones. The Queen of Baon was smiling down at her husband, the flush spreading across her cheeks making her glow. "I sacrificed my magic to the pendant."

She and Cecil stared at each other, both smiling, and Rydia looked away, uncomfortable to be watching such an intimate, private moment. Edge was staring at Rosa as if he wanted to ask why she did it, and Rydia didn't think he quite understood what had motivated the White Mage. Rydia herself was still shocked from the emptiness around Rosa, but she knew in her heart that it had been the right decision, and she knew Rosa felt the same way.

No magic was worth what Cecil's life was.

There was a long silence as the group readied to depart from the mountain. Porom was staring up at Rosa with a look that bordered on adoration, and Rydia was glad to see that the young mage's respect for the Queen hadn't lessened now that Rosa could no longer practice the art of healing. Palom, however, was looking much more dubious, wearing an expression that mimicked Edge's.

"Let's go," Cecil said as Rosa helped him to a standing position. "I think we all want to get off this mountain."

He was unsteady on his feet, but seemed to gather his strength quickly, and when he caught Rydia staring at him he flashed her a gentle smile, the sparkle in his eyes seeming to apologize for everything that had happened due to the pendant's aura. The emerald-haired woman smiled back, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

The walk back down the mountainside was far quicker and more peaceful than the trek upwards had been. They encountered no more undead creatures, and Rydia was glad, because she had used up so much of her mana that she didn't think she could cast another spell without completely collapsing. She could feel the exhaustion draining on her and eating away at her energy, but she pushed on, refusing to give into the mystical depletion.

She tripped slightly as they exited the mountain path and entered the green, lush forests again. Kain's hand grabbed her elbow, steadying her, and she was fiercely glad for it. His fingers felt so good against her bare skin that she didn't want him to remove his hand, and when he did, she slid her arm back to wrap her fingers around his.

Cid was glad to see them on the Louise, and at Cecil's request they set off immediately towards Baron. Rydia couldn't blame the king for wanting to make sure that his country had been safe in his absence, and after Cid had left to start the airship's engines, Cecil had leaned over the railing, his hair blowing softly in the breeze.

Rydia put a hand to his shoulder, and was glad when he didn't jump in surprise.

"Thank you," he said, glancing back at her.

"For what?" she asked, leaning in beside him and wrapping her arms across her chest. "It was Rosa who saved you."

"Yes," the King of Baron nodded. The white film was gone from his eyes, and the lines had disappeared from his face. Rydia was glad that the pendant's hold on her comrade had been only temporary, and seeing her friend restored to his old self made her feel more complete than she'd felt in a long time.

"But you stayed by my side," Cecil continued, quirking up one corner of his mouth at her. "Even when I lost myself. And I need to thank you for it."

"No, you don't," Rydia whispered, feeling close to tears. Cecil reached over and put a hand on her shoulder, and his touch was once again warm and comforting. He met her gaze and smiled again, squeezing her shoulder resolutely, and she merely nodded, unable to vocalize more for fear of losing control over her emotions. They stood that way for another minute, before Cecil dropped his hand back down to his side and strode off across the deck in the direction of his wife.

Rydia stayed by the railing, her fingers grasping the wood tightly. Below them, Mysidia passed by underneath a fog of fluffy clouds, the Tower just barely recognizable amidst the trees that surrounded it. She could feel motion behind her, and when she didn't hear any footsteps, she knew it had to be Edge. He moved to the wooden boards comprising the side of the airship to stand beside her, looking out over the sparkling blue waters.

"So," he said.

"So," she repeated, glancing up at him. It took him awhile to meet her gaze, but when he did she found that there was no hardness around his eyes and no anger to the depths.

"What do we do now?" he asked, sounding somewhat lost.

"You go back to Eblan," Rydia said gently, gingerly putting a hand on his forearm, which bristled slightly under her touch and then relaxed. "And you rule it like you know you should."

He looked defeated yet resigned, like he had expected this answer. He let out a long sigh and then dropped his head slightly.

"What will you do?" he inquired softly. "Will you go back to the Land of Summoned Monsters?"

Rydia pursed her lips and thought for a moment, because it was a question that she had been asking herself as well, and she wasn't sure that she really had an answer. But she knew deep down in the pit of her stomach that she would never go back to the Land of Summoned Monsters, and that her time there was finished, and perhaps she had known this from the beginning of the journey.

"No," she answered slowly.

"Then where?"

She looked over at Cecil and Rosa, who were standing by the railing on the opposite side of the deck. The King of Baron had his arm around his wife's waist, their heads close, and then Rosa laughed softly at something Cecil said, lacing her fingers around his arm and pulling him closer. The emotion between them was so strong and so obvious that Rydia felt a sharp pang in her heart, followed closely by a clear memory.

She laughed softly, shaking her head as she stared down at her hands resting on the railing. Edge didn't hear the chuckle, and he was still expectantly waiting for an answer when she turned her head back up to him.

"Baron," Rydia told him, unable to stop the grin that split her face. "I'll go to Baron."

This answer seemed to confuse him, and he looked over at Cecil and Rosa. Then he shifted his gaze to the figure standing beside Cid, and he scowled, his face darkening.

"I see," he said icily. Rydia wanted to reach out to him, but didn’t, because she knew it would only irritate him.

"Edge," she said, and he looked back at her. "I'm sorry."

He stared at her and Rydia could see him swallow hard.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I'm sorry, too."

He walked away, glancing back at her only once. Rydia watched him retreat into the cabins. She knew he would be alright in time. He would move on to find a new woman to lust and obsess after, and he would make her Eblan's Queen, and he would cease to remember the hollow feeling he felt today.

The thought made her feel better, and she stayed at the railing for a long time, looking over the ocean as it passed below, sighing as the salty breeze swept back through her curls.

She stood alone for a long time, and then she heard someone call her name. She glanced back to see Kain standing near the entrance to the cabins, his arms folded across his chest. Rydia smiled at him, took one last look at the waters rippling beneath the clouds, and then moved to follow him into the cabin, the door shutting behind her with a resounding click.

-fin-