Hello, and thank you for reading my one shot piece on Rydia from Final Fantasy 4.

THis was something that was required from me a few years back, and still to this day I love slipping back into Rydia's mind. THe idea of summoning is a combination of what I felt from the original release for the SNES watching her sprites as well as the opening scene for the DS release with her summoning her dragon.

I hope that you've enjoyed this. Please leave a review, they are encouraging and inspiring, good or bad.

As normal, none of the characters belong to me, they are products of Square Soft (now Enix)

"Slow down your turn and keep your hands further apart. Keep your words clearer! You're going to falter in your control if you don't keep your rhythm right." Instructions were being barked out more than right was being done, it seemed to the young Summoner, Rydia, who was entranced in what seemed like a complex dance involving her completing fluid spins and arm motions, all while chanting.
The young woman seemed to be around sixteen, possibly even as old as eighteen, dressed in revealing green clothes. Her hair was matted, in her normal fashion, swept up to the side. Her fair skinned face was covered in dirt and sweat, but despite all this, a look of pure determination was set on her face.
Every time something was pointed out wrong with her summoning techniques, she would correct it. There was a broad range were faults could lie. She could be pronouncing something wrong, or have her her movements off, even if it was by a fraction. None the less, each time she altered herself to match the words of her teacher. It was strenuous work, but she was determined to perfect her skill. She was the last of the Summoners, and she had a legacy she had to uphold, and friends she had to aid.

….Her friends….
…How were they? ….

The Summoner found herself wondering what had been the fate of her traveling companions she lost almost ten years prior. She had last been traveling across the ocean with Cecil, Edward, Yang, and of course, a handful of sailors, but they had become separated in the water. The frightening memory was forever burned into her mind. The sky had become dark, and the water started to open into a whirlpool as far as the eye could see. She had only been seven at the time, small framed as well, and the wind was blowing fiercely. She had been trying her best to hold onto the ship as the waters moved them to and fro. She probably would have been able to ride out the storm if she hadn't been so taken aback from the giant serpent rising from the midst of the whirlpool. Force of the waters hitting the ship caused her to lose her grip for just a moment, and the wind pulled her off the large boat.
It had been so terrifying falling into the raging waters, she was scared of dying. She didn't know how to swim, and she just kept sinking further and further down into the dark depths of the ocean. From there, her memory became fuzzy, but there was one thing she still remembered clearly, the long, majestic body of the Leviathan swimming towards her.
When the child had woke, she had found herself in Feymarch, the Land of the Summons. Her life had been spared by the King of the Summons, Leviathan. Sh was just a child, and he could sense her innocence when he found her. There was also the face he could sense the magic within her, her herritage of the Summoners within her.

From that day forward, Rydia had been spending her days there in Faymachr training. The Land of Summons was filled with all the monsters that were called out in battle, and they were all willing to help her. The beasts and creatures there were amazing, so many she recognized from her fallen villager's days of summoning. Some there felt like old dreams, monsters she had once known but had forgotten in her self afflicted amnesia when she was found and picked up by Cecil. Others she didn't even know existed, they were just thought to be folk tales, legends.
The Land of Summons was rich in a magical history, and Rydia was ever so grateful she was allowed to become stronger here and learn. It was tough work learning the dances that were used to entice her magical abilities. She had spent many days in the library of the city pouring over books that contained the chants for different monster summons, many that were long and complex. She wanted to learn all this. She even practiced her black magic, which she found easier and easier to conjure as she became more skilled in summoning. She wanted to do all this so she would no longer be a weak child. She wanted to be a strong and independent woman so that she could help her friends again.

"Almost Rydia, just keep your spin a little tighter at that part there and don't let your cape tangle you up this time."
Positive feedback! The green headed girl didn't let this go to her head though as she kept up her dance. After a few more attempts to clean up her summoning, her and her teacher finally felt she was ready to give the real deal a go.
"Oshæ NÉca-" The Summoner started her chant, slowly moving her hands in front of her in a circular motion. From there, her chanting started to get more intense. Her words became more powerful with emotion. Her dancing matched the power behind her voice as her movements became more and more complex, and visually stunning. At moments in her dance, it seemed the ghost of some creature was appearing around her, dancing with her.
The dance and chant took about a minute to complete from start to finish, and as she came to the end of it, her words started to pour out like a flowing river at a rapid speed. She pulled into what would be considered a pirouette, spinning as fast as she could as her words came to a mute. The ghost that had been dancing with her at this point, had become notably more solid. After three spins, her hands rose above her head as she gave one final spin.
"Mist Dragon: Radiant Breath!" She called out, thrusting her hands forward. Energy seemed to erupt out of her palms in a flash of light. In that moment, a gush of wind pushed past her and a roar filled the sky as the long, white, snake like body of the mist dragon moved through the air past her.
She had done it, she had accomplished another summon to perfection. A feeling of joy washed over her as she crumpled to her feet, exhausted from her days of relentless work.
"Cecil…" She panted, her breath was labored from hours of practice, and her voice dry from chanting for so long. "Cecil, I did it… Just wait a little longer, I'll help you and protect you this time…. I'm not a child anymore."