Author's Note: This is the first fanfiction that I've published in a very long time. This is also the very first Final Fantasy story I've written. I hope that you enjoy it and you're always welcome to express your thoughts and feelings about it to me as you see fit!
I was. . .just a simple girl. A simple, average, ordinary girl. I'd spent the bulk of my life growing up in a place called Lowtown, beneath the streets of Rabanastre. Some people looked down on this place. Other people wanted to break free. To me, though, it was the place I called home. It had a mysterious quality, this dim place. This. . .town underneath a town. I knew this place inside and out. I knew every shadow, every corner. I knew the face of every person who lived there. So it surprised me one day when I encountered something. . .no, someone who I'd never seen before.
It all started on a Wednesday, halfway through the week. I remember because I had just gotten off my shift at a place I worked called "Migelo's Sundries" and I wouldn't have to be back at work for a couple of days. We sold simple stuff there such as potions, phoenix downs, etc. . .The work wasn't difficult, but I worked so much that I was just happy to be able to have a breather for short time. Things had been difficult for me since my mom passed away. Now that was a day I remembered. . .
My mom had been on her way back to Rabanastre, traveling on foot. When I woke up that morning, she was gone. I was twelve at the time, certainly old enough to stay home by myself. She'd left me a note telling me she'd be back soon. I ended up venturing above ground, into the streets of Rabanastre. I just wanted some fresh air, wanted to bask in the sunlight for a while. Basking in the sunlight took a terrible turn, though.
Out of nowhere, there was all this wind. It wasn't your normal, standard wind. No, this wind was. . .unnatural. People gasped and pointed, covering their mouths with their free hands. At first glance, we all thought it was a tornado heading straight for the city. My first thought was about my mom. Where was she? How was she? Was she safe? Then I could almost hear my mother's voice in my head saying "Lydian, you get home to Lowtown right now!" That voice was right, wasn't it? If a tornado ripped through the city, going beneath the ground would be safer than being up here.
I almost complied with that mental command when I came to a realization. That tornado. . .it wasn't a tornado! It was. . .this huge, strange ship in the sky near the city. It was scary, like a monster up above. People were frantic as this huge thing started fighting with other airships so close by. It was like some kind of war was being waged on the outskirts of the city. I couldn't move from that spot. All I could do was watch as the events unfolded. At the end of the day, peace was established between Dalmasca and the Archadian Empire. Also, at the end of the day, my mom was found dead.
Apparently she was nearby when the fighting broke out and was crushed by the remnants of an airship that exploded up above. She was the only civilian casualty seeing as anybody else who died was actually out there fighting. After that, I was all on my own. I was alone and lost and I stayed under the ground for a whole year, blending into the shadows of Lowtown. One day, though, it hit me. My mom wouldn't want me to be this way, to simply be existing. She wouldn't want me to live half a life. So I started venturing back into Rabanastre.
Eventually, I got a job and became somewhat of a workaholic. After all, who was going to support me if I didn't? Sure, people had been kind enough to help me out after what happened to my mother. However, I didn't want to continue inconveniencing them. I wanted to find a way to stand on my own two feet. For the most part, I'd been successful. I just needed that couple of days worth of rest and I'd be right back to my resilient self.
So I left the store in what was late afternoon or early evening. The sun was growing lower in the sky like it was going to set soon. As I made my way down the streets, I observed how beautiful Rabanastre had become. The city seemed to flourish the past six years under the reign of Queen Ashelia. I admired her for her strength. We all knew the story about how she'd lost her father and her husband and somehow managed to return to the throne after peace was finally established with the Archadian Empire. Yes, the city was a sight to behold and so was she. If she could be strong, so could I.
Making my way to the door that would lead me down to Lowtown, nothing seemed different about today. I'd done the same things, seen the same people, had some of the same conversations. I didn't expect for anything to change anytime soon. I didn't think that anything groundbreaking would occur. Wow, was I wrong or what? Sometimes there is just no way to know that your life is about to change. Sometimes you just don't know until change comes knocking on your door. In my case, though, change didn't come knocking on my door. Change kind of caught me unlocking my door, put its hand over my mouth, and dragged me in!
I'll back up to explain that part, though. You see, I took the stairs down into Lowtown after work and started walking home. It wasn't the same home my mother had raised me in, no. Queen Ashelia had arranged for expansions to be made to Lowtown for the people who either wanted to continue living there or couldn't afford to live anywhere else. I moved into my own place as soon as I could after the expansions were finished. There were just too many memories in the home I had shared with my mother. . .My apartment was small and modest, but it was mine. I politely greeted people as I walked by them and continued on my way. I came upon what had to be one of the brightest areas of Lowtown, this bridge of sorts that allowed passage over this area of water that drained from up above in Rabanastre. It was a bit peaceful to me with the sound of the water and the beautiful vines that grew on the walls. I enjoyed walking through there on my way home.
When I walked through, though, I continued on my way to the darker area where my home was located. It was quiet. Most people in this area were either in their homes minding their own business or doing something elsewhere. I didn't see anybody else in sight. Pulling my keys out of my pocket, I reached down to unlock the door. My long, light brown hair started to fall over my hazel eyes and I pushed it back behind my ears. With that done, I turned the key and pulled it back out of the lock. The door was just opening when it happened. That was when a hand came out of nowhere and ended up over my mouth. The next thing I knew, I was being pulled into my apartment and the door was kicked shut behind me.
I heard footsteps fast approaching and I heard them passing by. I tried to scream for help, but it was muffled by the hand that was still firmly held against my mouth. That was when I did the only thing I could think of to do. I lifted my foot and stomped down hard on the foot of the person who was behind me. "Ow!" I heard a male's voice say. The next thing I thought of was to maim this person so I could get away. I grabbed a vase that was sitting next to the door and. . .well I sat it back down. That was my grandmother's vase and my mother would come back from the afterlife and make me sorry if I broke that.
He reached for me and I panicked. So I grabbed the next closest thing I could find, which was the coat rack. I was fully prepared to swing with all of my strength and make a run for it when I heard him talk again and say "Wait, please stop!" I don't know why, but his words stopped me mid-swing. I paused about two inches from his head even though common sense says you should swing with all your might if some stranger puts their hand over your mouth and pulls you into a secluded place. Relieved that I had stopped, he reached over and turned on the lamp. He raised his hands in front of him, palms up, to show me that he wasn't up to any funny business.
It felt like all of the air had left my lungs. Seeing the face of this stranger seemed to make all of it just whoosh right on out. He seemed to be about my age. If he was older than me then it wasn't by much. He was taller than me, but not too tall. He had long dark hair that was pulled back into a neat braid. He also had these deep eyes that were. . .they were kind. They were kind eyes that somehow told me that he wasn't going to hurt me. Overall, he was handsome. He was very handsome. So why in the world was this handsome stranger with kind eyes suspiciously pulling girls into dark places?
"Who are you?" I asked, still a little wary and holding onto the coat rack.
He kept his hands extended in front of him in an attempt to assure me he was harmless. "My name is. . .Lamont. I apologize for my untoward actions, ma'am," he said as he took a step forward.
"Lamont?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "Tell me, Lamont, who are you and what in the world are you doing here?"
He was dressed like a typical person you'd find walking around the streets of Rabanastre or even Lowtown. He was definitely not from Lowtown, though, since I would've seen him before now. Maybe he'd somehow wandered down here and lost his way. There was something about him, though. It was something different. He didn't seem like a typical person. The way he spoke, for example. It wasn't the accent that did it, no. I'd met my fair share of people who had an accent compared to how I talked. The way he spoke was just too refined and proper for an ordinary person, though. So why in the world was somebody like him in a place like this?
"I am," he began, but didn't get to finish. That was when the footsteps I'd heard move away earlier came back. With them there was a pounding on the door. Lamont made a quick move to lock it before they could try the knob, reaching past me and the coat rack I was still holding. "Does there happen to be a second way out of here?"
"Umm, there's a door in the back. W-What's going on here?" I asked as I shook my head in confusion. Before I finished the sentence he was already out of the room. I looked over my shoulder at the door and was surprised when Lamont suddenly reappeared and grabbed my hand.
"Come," he said as he looked into my eyes.
We don't always know when we make a decision so big that it will alter our lives. Take my mom, for example. She had no idea that when she left home that morning, it would be for the last time. Now picture me. There I was standing there with one hand holding a coat rack and the other being held by a handsome stranger who was obviously running from whoever these people were who were now trying to break down my door. When the word "okay" left my mouth, I didn't know that this would be the start of something so big.
As soon as I agreed, Lamont once again ran toward the back. This time, however, he was pulling me along with him. We didn't have that far to run, but we were only halfway out the room when I heard the door was kicked in. I didn't look to confirm it. However, I didn't need to since one of the guys who had done it caught onto the back of my shirt when I was on my way out the back door. Without stopping to think about it, I wiggled my hand free of Lamont's and grabbed the coat rack with both hands. I brought it up over my head and slammed it down directly behind me as hard as I could.
Hearing a groan and the sound of the perpetrator falling to the ground, I glanced over my shoulder and saw that I'd knocked him unconscious. I immediately grabbed Lamont's hand and we made a run for it. I could hear the sound of their footsteps behind us. They were fast, yes. I had one advantage over them, though. I knew Lowtown like it was the back of my hand, both the old parts and new. Running right on by people who were shocked and confused, I sprinted toward the corner up ahead and turned right. I came to the end of that alley and made a left before I blended into the shadows. As difficult as it was, we both held our breath so we wouldn't give away our location as the men ran right on by, turning left and disappearing from sight.
As soon as they were gone, we carefully and quickly made our way through Lowtown. We blended into the shadows and tried to put as much distance between us and them as we could. When we felt safe enough, we finally made our way up into Rabanastre. Night had fallen by the time we emerged just outside the South Gate. I slumped against the wall and slid to the ground, trying my best to catch my breath. Who in the world was Lamont? Who in the world were those guys chasing us? And most importantly, what had I somehow gotten myself into?
Disclaimer: I do not proclaim to own Final Fantasy XII nor any of the characters or places from the game. I do take full responsibility for Lydian, though, and this story in general. Thank you.