Author's Note: Hey guys! So this is the first fanfiction I have actually felt brave enough to upload for the viewing of others, however it is not the first one I have ever written. That being said, Reviews are much welcome and I welcome any constructive criticism. Flames are plenty welcome but I will likely pay them no heed. If this story does not get any reviews or followers then I will likely not continue writing it because there will be no proof that anyone is actually reading and enjoying it so please review or follow, thank you! I would also like to give a personal shout out to a close friend of mine who looked this over after my revisions to spot any irregularities or grammar problems. That being said, we aren't perfect so if you spot anything that needs changing, please let me know. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy the first chapter of 'Bunansa Tre Son'!
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XII and all of its respective characters belong to Square Enix
Chapter 1: Something Special
It was the winter months in the grand kingdom of Archades and the cold had set about the bustling city as quickly as the seasons themselves had changed. Time seemed to come and go all too quickly as far as Cid was concerned. Doctor Cidolfus Demen Bunansa was the esteemed director of Draklor Laboratories and always had his hands full with conducting research experiments on the seemingly endless power of magicite as well as constructing new weapons for the empires vast and expanding military forces. So when he had received the news from his high messenger that his wife was in labor, getting away from his work was seen as a bit of a chore. However, it was his duty as a fair and faithful husband to be in attendance as his third child was born.
Doctor Cid strode down the marble halls of his laboratory with hasty steps as he neared the closest elevator, nodding to the occasional researcher as he passed. The Doctor was clad in his usual attire. A wine red vest made of the finest cloth, embroidered and hemmed with brilliant gold designs. The vest covered a dark dusty purple long-sleeved undershirt that bore a white frilled high collar, which was the only thing that poked out and was seen from under his vest. Over the vest, he wore a brilliant long coat of tasteful design bearing both the dusky purple once again along with the wine red. The coat was also lined along the edges and bared fine embroidery in gold trimming. His long white gloves were immaculately clean and bore no tarnishes or wrinkles. The snow white of his gloves matched perfectly with the white of his thigh-high boots. His boots unlike his gloves however, did bare some gold embellishment as a part of their carefully crafted design. His trousers (while mostly concealed by his boots) were a simple deep navy blue in color. His dark brown hair was cut and kept short so as to not get in his way during his studies. The chain that connected to his round-rimmed spectacles rattled slightly as he boarded the elevator and the creaky machine brought him down to one of the airship hangers where he could board a small passenger craft the rest of the way to his manor.
He knew that he really shouldn't be in all that much of a hurry. Babies did not come right away and labor hours were always long, sometimes even stretching into full days. However, he could not help but be worried. The baby was not supposed to be born for another month and yet here was word that it was already on the way? He feared that it was possible that the child would not survive, as was the case of most premature infants… he feared that he would lose yet another child.
When Doctor Cid's first son; Mathieu Cortar Bunansa was born, the man had been overjoyed. He lavished his attention on the infant, not even wanting to part with him and give him to the care of the nannies as he was called to work. This was his first child. The heir to his legacy. His entire world in one small, gurgling package and to Cid, the baby couldn't be more perfect. He had looked like his mother. Green eyes, fair hair that darkened slightly to a coppery tan as he grew. His days as a baby seemed to fly by just as the seasons did. The years passed in one big flurry. Mathieu grew to be six years old, a ball of happy energy the entire way. Whether it was running and dancing in the courtyards that surrounded the Bunansa estate or following his father's heels when he came home from a long day, begging him to tell him a story or play sword fighting with him, Mathieu that a well-loved little boy. Nothing could have been better as far as Cid was concerned, until sickness struck in the form of a mysterious and equally dangerous stomach infection. Doctor Cid had hired all the finest doctors and medical practitioners that he could find. He even hired several mages that specialized in white magic in particular. Nothing helped the young boy however and at age six, Mathieu Cortar Bunansa was cast into the ground in a fine-crafted casket. Doctor Cid and his wife, Helena Ried Bunansa wept for days. Cid had refused to return to work and he was sure (now looking back on the whole affair) that the death of his first son had cost Draklor a fair sum of Gil in the days that he had not showed up to work. But life went on in about a week and he fell easily back into the rut of work.
Rufius Lendo Dunansa was born nearly a year and a half after the death of Mathieu and his birth was of much celebration in the Bunansa household. Another son meant yet another heir for the Bunansa family as well as another source of happiness that drove the Doctor to being more proficient in his studies than he had been in months. The happiness of Rufius' birth however was short lived as when Doctor Cid left for a brief expedition near the boarders of Rozzaria, the infant boy merely stopped breathing one night and they were unable to revive him. When Cid had returned and heard of the death of his second son he was thrown in yet another loop of distress. He shut himself in his room for two weeks, blaming himself for leaving and not being there to aide in his son's revival himself. He would not speak to anyone unless it was his equally distressed wife. When he had emerged from that stoop of grief he had become rather hardened to those around him. Once a fairly content man turned cold. He worked as he should have, developing some of his most deadly weapons during that time. However, he felt the dark cloud that had shadowed his emotions lift when his wife announced that she suspected that she was pregnant for a third time and then just a few weeks later it was confirmed. But then, he felt afraid.
The pregnancy hadn't been a particularly hard one from what he could tell. His wife seemed just as cheerful and bright as she always had. She didn't have morning sickness or any particularly strong cravings for anything. At most, she just said that she was slightly uncomfortable. The baby did kick a lot however. Sometimes so hard, he found that her eyes were watering.
"The baby must be training for the imperial guard with how often it kicks. I wouldn't be surprised if this baby was born marching!" She would joke often. At the time (though genuinely concerned for his wife's comfort) he hadn't thought much of it. Now though, he was beginning to wonder if that was some tell-tale sign or something. He knew he was being rather irrational but as the small passenger aircraft approached his grand estate, he couldn't really find himself caring all that much. Doctor Cid was let into his mansion with several greetings from his servants that he paid practically no heed to. Normally he would actually stop and converse with his head butler, for he was rather fond of the man, but he was in a bit too much of a hurry to be bothered with pleasantries. Spotting a woman whom he recognized as his wife's midwife (at least she had been the last two times) he jogged up the stairs to where she stood, calling after her to assure that she did not run off before he caught up to her. She nodded to him politely.
"Good eve, sir."
"Yes, good eve." He replied rather gruffly. "If I may enquire, where is my wife?" Honestly, if Cid had taken the care to be even just a little more observant, he probably could have figured out the answer to his own question. But he was in no state of mind to be having rational conclusions. The midwife smiled.
"She is just down this hall. I must say, it was the fastest labor I have seen in a long time and I have been doing this for years. He had some trouble clearing his lungs at first, but he does seem healthy for now, definitely on the small side but that is to be expected of a premature infant." She rambled off to him, but Cid hardly took any heed to her words as he was already on his way towards the room at the end of the hall where several house staff were bustling in and out of the room carrying clean blankets in or dirty blankets out. The staff immediately parted out of his way as he crossed into the room where his wife lay on a large bed and beside her in an open cradle was a tiny infant. Helena flashed him a tired grin when he entered the room and he couldn't help the sheepish smile that adjourned his face in return. In just a brief moment he was at her side, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead as he smoothed back her sandy brown locks.
"You're late." She said simply. He was worried that she was angry for a moment until he saw the playfulness shining through her apparent exhaustion in her jade green eyes. Doctor Cid found himself chuckling lightly.
"I apologize for that. It probably took them longer than it should have to get me that message."
Helena laughed as well at this, knowing that it was likely true. The workers in Draklor hardly ever wanted to give their director messages right away unless they were sure that he was not 'busy' for fear of disturbing the good Doctor's research. Helena shifted her gaze to the cradle beside her, wearing a fond smile.
"Just look at him Cidolfus, he's beautiful. He's the first one we've had who really looks like you." Cid turned his attention towards the contents of the cradle and found that the smile he wore only grew wider as he drank in this infant's appearance. He was asleep, swaddled in warm cotton infant clothes and blankets. His tiny fists balled up close to his chest as he slept. He was so small, just as the midwife had said and his face was pinched and his skin was as red as a tomato but he could not see anything but perfection in his new son. His head was covered in dark hair that resembled his own shade but Cid was certain that it would likely lighten in color as he grew. 'If he grew…' He shook his head slightly as if to shake the morbid thoughts away. He had a good feeling about this son of his, this third son. He himself had been the third child born in his family and look where he was now. The head of Draklor Laboratories. His life had flourished when he had been originally thought of as nothing more than a spare to his families legacy. Yet he had pushed and clawed his way to the top, finding favor with his father through his brilliance. His third son would not have this trouble though. He was the third son, but also the only son left to Doctor Cid and he would ensure this child's survival even if he himself was killed in the process.
"He hasn't a name yet." His wife's quiet murmuring interrupted his thoughts. She was right, the boy had yet to be named. They hadn't even discussed names. They never did, with any of their children. He and his wife had a belief that when the child was born, their names would simply come to mind as if Faram himself was declaring definition of the child before them. However, looking down at the freshly born babe not a single title came was coming to his vast thoughts.
"Ffamran Mied." His wife said suddenly. Doctor Cid turned to her in confusion.
"What?" He puzzled. Helena's eyes focused on his.
"Ffamran Mied. I've always liked the name Ffamran… when I was a girl my nurse maid would always read me fairy tales and in my favorite story, there was a brave knight that defeated an entire pack of hellhounds to save the princess. That knight was called Ffamran." She explained. Doctor Cid nodded solemnly.
"And Mied…?" He inquired. Helena shrugged slightly.
"I know not why, but it just came to me." She admitted. Doctor Cid looked back at his son, who was beginning to awaken and fuss slightly. He lifted the baby into his arms carefully and cradled him gently as he quieted once more.
"Ffamran Mied Bunansa… it suits him nicely, I believe." He smiled as the infant opened his eyes for a moment to look at the man whose arms he occupied before yawning, scrunching up his nose slightly and closing them again. Cid felt his heart swell with warmth and adoration he had for this tiny baby boy. He knew there was something special about him. Something extraordinary bottled up in that small body.
"Oh Helena, he's going to do great things. I just know. It may not be rational but I can feel it. I hold in my arms a son of Archades who will change all of Ivalice." Doctor Cid declared and it was not an empty sentence. He truly believed that there was something different about little Ffamran. All he needed now was time to grow and nurturing to ease him into his place in the world and all Cid could hope was that he could provide the boy with everything he would need to reach the age where his boy could break out and show the world what a Bunansa was capable of. Yes he was certain that Ffamran Mied Bunansa, third son and heir of the Bunansa estate and family name was going to follow in his footsteps.