Although the girl survived, she is wounded and still unconscious so Cecil takes her to the nearby village of Kaipo, a desert oasis.
Rydia and Cecil. Cecil is the first character of the cast with whom Rydia establishes a connection and their relationship will change greatly in the course of the game. Given the premise of Cecil being the murderer of her mother, the beginning was far from great. Luckily improvements are just around the corner.
The first time Rydia wakes up, Cecil tries to establish a contact with her. Whilst he tries to make amends, Rydia refuses to tell him her name. On this occasion however, she doesn’t run away. Although she doesn’t trust Cecil yet, she might think that if his intention had been to kill her, he would have probably already done that. Still, it is as if she needed a proof. And that will come soon.
That night the duo is attacked by a group of soldiers from Baron, who were given the order to eliminate all summoners left with the pretence that they are too dangerous. This obviously means Rydia has to die. Ever since the Mysidia mission, Cecil had begun to question his king’s orders and considering what happened in Mist he refuses to handle Rydia over and fights off the guards.
Cecil’s act wins him the trust of Rydia. To her, he is no longer a bad person, but a person who is repenting of what he has done. She realises he hadn’t the intention to hurt anyone, but he simply carried out the orders he had received. Also, going against the king’s orders has a high price; from this point Cecil will be considered a traitor of Baron.
Rydia, convinced that Cecil is truly sorry for how things went in Mist and that he is telling the truth, finally tells him her name and agrees to join him. As a gifted seven-year old child, Rydia tries to help Cecil in the best way she can. While she always accompanies him, he is the adult and she is the kid. At this time, Cecil acts as a sort of big brother to Rydia, taking care of her and protecting her from Baron1.
From this moment onward, Rydia will embark in a series of adventures around the world, that will make possible for her to experience new things and meet many new people.
- Cecil: The sage’s spells are a boon. But I still worry for Rydia. [After Tellah has joined the party] [↩]