Thank you, all reviewers. I have decided to edit my story.
It might be long, but trust me, you'll finish reading it before you know it!
A Song I'll Never Forget
The army was resting in the ruins of a castle for the night. They had just fought the hardest battle they had ever encountered before, and had won, just barely. Everyone had worked together then, and they had pulled through with no casualties, under the guidance of Absol, their tactician. Now, everyone was enjoying the warmth of each other's company, having dinner and talking.
"Play for us!" Fiora shouted to Nils.
Nils sat down on a stone statue, and began to play an improvised tune on his flute. Around him, people stopped talking. They turned and listened in wonder. The small, thin tune wreathed around the cold marble of the castle, and did wonders, bringing warmth to the dreadful place. It was enchanting, how a mere song could hold so much beauty.
The three Pegasus Knight sisters were sitting together, enjoying the music, which was swelling with joy and strength.
"I don't think I'll ever forget this tune," Florina sighed happily, leaning her head on Farina's shoulder. "Or this day."
"I guess it is quite nice," Farina replied.
Wil sat down on a stone step and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he found Rebecca next to him. He smiled, feeling the world grow alight with a beautiful joy beyond description. For a long time now, he had felt a strong liking for her, but just could not bring himself to admit it.
Closing his eyes again, he continued to listen to the music. Yes, this was a day he would never forget.
The next day, the situation was nothing like that. The army was on a wide plain, fighting bandits.
"Hello, Wil," Eliwood called over to the archer.
Wil looked up. "Oh, hello," he replied. "You'd better not make too much noise. Out here on these plains, the enemies would be able to hear us from a mile away. But of course…we could have a little chat. Absol hasn't gotten us to move for quite a while, and the bandits are kind of far. And it's really getting very boring out here. So...anything to talk about?"
"I was just looking at this ring which my father gave me quite long ago," the lord answered, producing a shiny little object from his pocket. He gave it to Wil to examine. "He found out by decoding some ancient instructions that it can unlock a gate to the spirit world if a dead person wears it. But trouble is, he doesn't know how to activate it."
As Wil looked curiously at the ring from all sides, a loud shout sounded from somewhere.
"Eliwood! Quick go southwest! Kent needs help with some bandits!" Absol's voice shouted desperately from far on the field. "Oh, noooooo...He's taking serious damage...quick, Eliwood!"
"Alright, I'm going!" Eliwood shouted back. Without waiting, he turned southwest and ran towards a struggling Kent.
"Hey, Eliwood, your ring..." Wil called after Eliwood, but he was already in the thick of battle. Shrugging, he slipped the ring onto his left hand and continued to wait.
Two hours later…
The army was winning, and a thick fog was rolling in from the mountains. Wil looked about blindly. Even with eyes as sharp as his, he could not see further than a few feet around. He continued to walk around uncertainly.
Suddenly, Wil heard a loud shout as a bandit came crashing through the fog. He swung his axe down hard on Wil's head, and stars exploded all around in his vision. Wil was in too much pain to panic. Quickly, he turned and ran in the other direction, through the thick fog.
And all of a sudden, he found himself trapped. He was at the edge of a cliff. The bandit swung his axe again, and it met with Wil's left arm.
Wil doubled over in pain, fighting to stay conscious and keep his balance. One wrong step and he would fall to his death. Ignoring the immense pain he felt, he strung an arrow and shot it at the bandit. The arrow embedded itself in the bandit's right arm, but he recovered quickly from the pain. Roaring, the bandit charged forward, straight at Wil. This was it, his final moment on the battlefield…
The bandit was suddenly knocked down by a person with a long, thin weapon. Wil watched, half dazed, as his saviour fought with the bandit, taking harsh blows, but dealing out even more powerful ones. There was not one, but two people there, though he could not make out who they were.
All of a sudden, Wil felt the ground give way below his feet. He immediately grabbed the edge of the cliff before he fell, rocks showering onto him as he held on for his life.
But how long could he hang on like this? Oh, Saint Elimine! Have mercy on me! He thought desperately.
As if in answer to his silent prayer, someone took hold of his left hand and began to pull him upwards. Relief swept over him once he was safe on the ground again. He looked at the person who had saved him twice, but a shadow was all he saw in the fog.
"Er…thank you," Wil said uncertainly. The person showed no sign of hearing his thanks, and instead took off into the distance, hampered by the injuries the bandit had inflicted. Wil stared after, feeling puzzled.
In another hour, the battle was over. They had just won again, but he did not sense the celebratory mood there had been the last time. Running back, he suddenly realized something was very wrong—the ring was missing. The only time when it could have been lost was when the mysterious person had saved him from falling. The ring had probably slipped off, and the person who had saved him had taken it. Suddenly drowning in panic, he ran dizzily on. What's Eliwood going to do? It's precious to him!
Absol called the army together.
"You have all fought very well," Absol announced, sounding very solemn. Wil felt an ever-growing sense of dread in his heart. Why exactly was she so sad?
He knew in a moment. "Four amongst us have fallen," she said with conviction.
Marcus rode into their midst, carrying Serra's body. Her clean white robes were bloodstained, and blood flowed from a single large wound in her side. An arrow wound.
"She…I was too late to save her," Marcus explained, bowing his head in sorrow.
Everyone was greatly saddened by this. Yes, she had been irritating, but Wil found she could be nice to talk to when she was in a good mood. But now, she no longer existed…
Then, Sain rode forward, holding Erk. There was a great thick gash in his neck, blood still pouring from it. Many turned away from the sight.
"I don't know why I didn't try harder to protect him!" Sain cried. "I should have died instead of him!"
"Blame my horrible strategising," Absol sighed.
Then, Florina rode forward with her sister Farina in her arms. Her eyes were red from crying.
"Why…" She cried hopelessly. "Sister…I will miss you…Will you still remember yesterday night? I never thought for once I would lose you so soon…"
Absol sighed, beyond even hope. She tried to blink tears out of her eyes. "I'm so sorry, everyone," she said dejectedly. "So sorry."
Then, Priscilla rode forward with someone who looked sickeningly familiar. And when Wil's eyes fell upon the person she held, he felt all light and joy and warmth disappear from his life, like fleeing daylight in an eclipse. For she held Rebecca's body in her arms, her eyes still wide with shock.
Wil took in a shuddering breath and felt the world spinning around him. Rebecca was gone forever. Dead. The night before now seemed no more than a distant memory. He would never feel that kind of joy again, and he would never get to tell her about his true feelings. Why hadn't he done so earlier? What would it have cost him?
Unable to think of doing anything else, he ran forward, pushed past the talking people, and took Rebecca's lifeless body from Priscilla.
"Rebecca!" Wil shouted desperately, filled with empty hope. "You can't have left yet! There's so much you haven't done!" He was helpless against the tears he felt welling in his eyes. He didn't fight them. Nothing was worth anything now, not even his dignity.
Taking hold of her hand, Wil suddenly felt a small, cold metal object. His immense sadness was briefly overcome by curiosity. Pulling it closer, he saw what it was. Eliwood's ring. How had it gotten there? Unless…
Suddenly, he understood. Rebecca had been the person who had saved him.
Why is it that you let me live, just to know you have died?
Wil took Rebecca's body into an embrace. She felt almost alive. So close to him, yet so distant now. Just a breath away… If only this were all a dream, a nightmare from which he could wake, and find Rebecca safe, so he could finally tell her how much he actually loved her…
Wil felt a presence behind him. Turning, he saw Matthew looking on, as if her were struggling to keep pain from showing in his eyes.
"I hate to see…see it happen again," Matthew sighed. "Wil…you mustn't linger on it too long. But…I know exactly how you feel right now…"
Matthew turned suddenly and ran off.
Wil looked down at Rebecca's eyes, still open from the moment she had taken her final blow. He would not dare take the ring back. It was important to Eliwood, but it was a symbol of how she had saved his life.
But she no longer lives, a voice told him in his head. This is only her body. Her soul left long ago.
No. Whether it was only her body or not, he would leave the ring on.
"I should go now," Wil said to himself, trying his best to stop thinking over what he had lost, which he knew he would never regain. Matthew was right. He shouldn't linger on it too long.
The next morning, the army was at the graveyard of the nearest town—Wil's hometown, Pherae. Wil gave a long sigh as he looked around at the field of white tombstones. This was where he used to play when he had been younger. This place only held fond memories for him, for it was where he had first met Rebecca. But now, it would also be the place where he would see her face for the last time.
As Eliwood walked past him, he asked, "Where's my ring?"
"Oh, it's with Rebecca," Wil replied. "Let her keep it, for memory's sake."
Eliwood, seeing how grief-stricken his archer friend had become, decided to let it go. He knew how much it meant.
Suddenly, Wil remembered what Eliwood had said about the ring earlier. "It can unlock a gate to the spirit world, didn't you say?" he asked hopefully, suddenly feeling a spark of hope in his heart. "If we manage to make it work, can I go through the gate and get Rebecca's soul to come back?"
Eliwood looked up. "Ah, how much you've changed," Eliwood replied. "You used to deny having any feelings for Rebecca, but now, everyone can see that you do." He paused before going on. "Yes, you can. But to get a soul to return is not as easy as you think. You must make the person remember something from our world, something more beautiful than life down there in the spirit world. And everyone in the spirit world has forgotten just about everything. You must remind them of something etched so deeply into their hearts that they haven't forgotten it, even after passing through the gate."
Wil sighed. But still, there was a chance, if only a tiny one. If only he knew how to make the ring work…
The group went to the four graves that had been prepared. They gaped like four mouths waiting to swallow the dead bodies and take them into oblivion. Wil turned away. He couldn't bear to think of Rebecca being buried in one of them.
"Don't be so sad, Wil," Lucius said, walking to him. "I believe they will be given a good second life because they've done so much good. You must believe that, Wil."
I believe that, Wil thought. But it's still a loss to me.
Lucius came closer. "Life and death is hard to understand, isn't it?" Lucius asked. "One moment, it's like this, and the next, it's changed. Very hard to understand."
Wil nodded, looking at the four bodies laid down on the ground nearby. He looked away again. All the loss he had felt earlier suddenly came flooding back, and once again, he struggled against tears. It was too soon, just too soon.
Finally, the four bodies lay in the holes, and the army knelt down around, praying and mourning. Wil ran up to Rebecca's grave and looked at her beautiful, peaceful face once more. He knelt down beside her. A soft moaning breeze washed past as he took hold of Rebecca's left hand.
"Rebecca…I don't know if you can hear me, but…I …love you. And I wish I had told you earlier…" he sighed. Letting all the memories of the times he had spent with her rush back into his mind, he was filled with an overwhelming, sad kind of nostalgia, and loss beyond compare.
A sudden heat at his fingers made Wil let go of Rebecca's hand. And as he looked down, he saw that the ring was blazing with light. Behind him, a few gasped. The light grew steadily, half blinding him. Wil staggered back, against the pulling force which seemed to be dragging him in slowly.The two behind him held him back, but the force was too strong. Suddenly, the three of them were pulled into the light, and they were speeding through the brightness, confused.
They landed on a patch of soft, vivid green grass in the midst of a vast garden which never seemed to end. Flower bushes grew all around, surrounding fountains and sundials. And above, the blue sky was endless.
"What's this place?" Florina asked, enchanted.
"This...the spirit world," Nils replied softly, standing up. "My sister tells me a lot of stories about this place..."
The place looked like paradise to Wil. Standing as well, he looked about. A few people sat here and there on the grass, picking flowers or staring up into the blueness of the sky. Was this really how it was like to be dead? The spirit world was beautiful beyond compare.
"Rebecca must be here!" Wil suddenly exclaimed. "The ring...It must have brought us to the spirit world!" Turning, he saw the same large, bright portal, but now, a force was pushing them away slowly. "Hope we can get back," he muttered.
"Farina," Florina whispered back. Without waiting, she ran towards a girl picking flowers from a bush. Wil followed after, not wanting the three to get separated. Nils did so as well.
"Farina...Farina! Come back with us, please!" Florina cried to her. The girl, who turned out to be Farina, turned and gave Florina a mildly questioning glance.
Florina froze. "You...don't remember who I am?" she gasped, dread filling her voice.
Wil quickly went up to Florina and Farina.
"Remember what?" Farina replied in an eerily misty voice.
"Please! You must remember something about where you came from!" Florina persisted. "Just something! You must come back with us! Fiora and I, we're waiting for you!"
"Where else is there other than this beautiful garden?" Farina asked. "Who're you?"
Florina gasped painfully. Tears fell from her eyes, and her body was wracked with sobs. "How is it possible?" How could you forget me?" she asked hopelessly, sitting down. Wil had no idea what to do. He just remained standing there, feeling her hopelessness.
Nils quickly ran to the two of them.
"Oh, Nils," Florina sighed, wiping tears away. "My sister doesn't remember me! But I want her to...just come back with us..."
Nils sat down next to Florina. "Florina...I know how sad I'd be if I couldn't get my sister to go back," he replied. "But...don't cry."
Suddenly, Florina began to cry for real after hearing those words. "She must come back! I love her, that's all that matters!" she screamed.
Wil, too, sat down by her side, sympathising with her. "I know...when you love someone, you'd do anything for them," he sighed. "We can't give up now."
Florina looked at the two at either side of herself. In her eyes, Wil saw a hint of thankfulness. "Farina," she tried again. "Don't you even remember your sister?"
Farina looked up. "No, I don't know what 'sister' means," she answered. Florina let out an audible sigh. From the way she looked, it seemed that all her hope had left. Tears began to fall from her eyes again. Immediately, Nils turned to her.
"Don't be sad. When I'm sad, there's something I do that can always make me feel happy again," he said. "Because it's what I love to do most. You see, when you do what you love to do, it can help chase all sadness away."
Pulling out his flute, he began to play a slow, smooth tune on it.
Slowly, Wil recognised it as the tune which he had played the day before, in the castle ruins. As the tune unfolded and grew, he began to recall that night in all its beauty. He recalled the vivid feelings he had felt that night. That night, when the three Pegasus Knight sisters had been so close. That night, when Rebecca had sat next to him...
Before he knew it, tears were welling in his eyes. It was a beautiful song, he thought. More beautiful than even the garden. A small feeling of hope appeared deep in his heart, like a spark kindling a flame.
Suddenly, Farina's expression was changing. She no longer looked dreamy now. Only remembrance flitted across her eyes, and true, deep emotions of love, and memory.
"Florina..." she whispered. Suddenly, she jumped up as if a door had been unlocked in her mind, a door kept closed till now. "Florina! I remember you!" she cried, her voice full of love. "How could I ever, ever forget you, dear sister?"
The two of them embraced each other, suddenly remembering the night before.
"Farina," Florina whispered in reply. "You still remember! Last night. I felt a beautiful emotion last night, like nothing could go wrong, and that song suddenly made me remember it."
"Me too," Farina replied softly. "Me too."
Upon seeing this, Wil felt a deep emotion stirring in him as well. It was so wonderful to see them back together.
Then, three people came running towards them. Nils continued to play with every bit of feeling he had. And Wil realised that the three people were Serra, Erk, and...Rebecca! Relief and endless joy washed over Wil. Rebecca, he thought happily. Beautiful, kind Rebecca.
Suddenly, Nils' song ended. The three people had arrived where they were.
"Play it again!" Serra squealed. "I remember that tune! I've heard it before!"
Not hesitating, Nils held up the flute again and started to play the simple melody, which seemed so much like a rushing, sparkling river.
Erk's eyes widened with surprise. "Yes...I remember this song!" he exclaimed, a smile curving his lips. "It was so beautiful...and I remember you, Serra!"
"Yes," Rebecca shouted. "I remember this song! I remember last night!"
Wil quickly stood. "You must come back with us, to the land of the living again," he said. "To the life you left so early!"
The four spirits looked around at the spirit world. "But...it's such a nice place..." Serra sighed. Wil's heart sank.
"But...I remember...everything," Erk replied. "All my friends...I-I'll come with you!"
"If Erky's going, so am I!" Serra shrieked. The use of his nickname made Erk smile. Wil felt the flame of hope in his heart grow brighter.
Florina let go of Farina as she turned to look around. "This place is very nice," Farina said. "But I liked being with my sisters, and feeling true love. I'm coming."
"And...Wil, of course I'll come!" Rebecca exclaimed, tears streaming from her eyes. This made the joy swell in Wil's heart. She is coming, he thought. She is coming back.
Nils stood, still playing the flute. Without stopping, he ran back into the portal. His figure vanished into the brightness.
"Alright, we've got to follow," Wil said. Taking hold of Rebecca's hand, he shut his eyes, ran past the repelling force and entered the portal.
The bright light filled his vision, then suddenly, he was back in the graveyard. Rebecca let go of his hand and drifted back to her body. All around, the people of the army were staring from him to Rebecca's spirit.
"Wil? How--" someone asked aloud. "Florina? Nils?"
Florina and Nils went to either side of him. "I-I can't explain," he said.
"Wil, you got my ring to work, didn't you?" Eliwood asked, beaming. "And the three of you led those four back!"
"That was thanks to Nils," he replied, looking over to the young bard.
"Really, Nils? You really did?" Ninian half shouted, half cried. She ran forward and embraced her brother, tears in her eyes.
"It was by accident," Nils replied, putting his arms round his sister. "But…yes, they returned! They came back!" Both were weeping with joy and love.
"Hey, look!" Fiora shouted excitedly, pointing behind them, where the graves had been dug. The four who had originally died were standing, and Wil never thought he would see them so again—Serra, smiling very sweetly, Erk, still with the lingering sadness in his eyes, but smiling all the same, Farina, her familiar smile on her face, and Rebecca, her smile the brightest of all, her eyes revealing the boundless joy she felt.
And in a moment, everyone was talking, to each other, and to the people who had come back to life. Wil just ran forward to Rebecca. She looked up, mildly shocked, before Wil pulled her into a tight embrace, one he wished would never end.
"You don't know how happy I am that you're back," Wil sighed, closing his eyes.
"I probably don't," Rebecca agreed, her arms still around him.
Wil sighed again. "I should have told you long ago…" he said softly. "And I hope you don't mind." Then, finally, he said it. "I love you."
Rebecca gave a short gasp of surprise. "You…really do?" she asked, sounding genuinely shocked.
"Yes," Wil replied, hoping he hadn't done anything wrong.
Suddenly, Rebecca began to laugh. She let go of Wil, who did the same, puzzled.
"I never thought I'd hear that from you," she finally said after she had calmed down. "Now, since you actually said it, I'll take it to be true. Because…I love you too, Wil."
Suddenly, all of his troubles seemed to vanish. All that mattered now was that Rebecca loved him too. He stayed frozen to the spot, unsure of what to do.
Suddenly, a voice behind made him turn. "You did well, Wil," Lucius said. "No one's actually been able to enter the spirit world and leave before, let alone bring four people back to life."
"I don't know…It was Nils, actually…"
Lucius smiled. "Like I said, life and death is hard to understand. One moment, it's like this, and the next, it's changed. No one's done what you did before. It's impossible. But it seems that today, that fact, too has changed," he replied in a mystifying tone.
As Wil heard those familiar words again, he smiled. Life and death, it had changed again. Had it been for him alone? He wondered, turning back to Rebecca.
"I always knew it," Eliwood said, coming up to him. "You told her, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did," Wil replied, looking on. "And I'm glad I did."
"Oh, where's my ring?" Eliwood asked, suddenly. Both looked over to Rebecca. But the ring was no longer there. Had she lost it? Or had it been destroyed after being used?
"Oh, don't worry," Eliwood said to Wil, seeing the worry on his face. "It has served its purpose."
"Hey, Rebecca," Wil shouted. "I'm quite sure they'll be planning a celebration after what happened today. Let's get back to the rest."
"I wouldn't mind," Rebecca replied. Without waiting for a response, she grabbed Wil's hand and ran along the pathways, leaving the graveyard behind.
The next night, the sky was clear. Stars sparkled high like tiny glittering gems over the plains. Down below, the music that rose from the army's camp seemed to reach all the way up to them.
Down on the plains, Nils was playing, once again, the beautiful tune which never failed to move Wil. Now, Nils had taken to writing two singing parts to be sung along, and he had gotten Ninian and Serra to sing with his playing.
"A star so small, a star so bright, sings softly on its own
Singing, singing in the night, it's dark velvety throne.
It's cold, alone, its weak glow shines, stark in the icy sky
So sad, so sad, the star's soft song becomes an anguished cry.
The winds howl loud, the clouds blow past, and hide the lonely gem
Within some sing, "We hear you!" And the star is hearing them.
Soon the clouds unmask the night, and dancing round the moon,
A hundred stars have joined the one in singing out its tune."
The last bar of the song was sung with such feeling that everyone felt like crying. Filled with emotion, Wil began to clap for the performers, as did the rest of the army.
"It's so…beautiful," Rebecca said beside him, tears sparkling in her eyes. "Perfect!"
Wil had not forgotten that this had been the song that had brought Rebecca back from the dead. A song so beautiful deserved honour from the heavens, and even the stars.
Looking up, Wil saw the three Pegasus Knight sisters, sitting close together, their joyful faces lit by the bright firelight. He saw Serra talking animatedly to Priscilla and Erk. And he saw Rebecca, her eyes sparkling like emeralds. She leaned on his shoulder and sighed.
And Wil knew, even after his death, he would never forget this night.
So, what do you think? Is my ending alright? Hope you enjoyed it (still) for the emotion stuff. Reviews please!