Promises Woven in Red and Gold
So I wanted to do something for FE Rarepair Week Summer 2017 Edition. I had some ideas floating around involving Faye/Celica, but it took longer than I would have liked before I was able to craft everything together into what it hopefully an engaging and compelling story.
I hope you all enjoy this!
Part 1: Promise
Prompt: Sun
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"You really have to go?" Faye's voice was soft. Pleading.
Anthiese smiled back, her face lit in the orange glow of the setting sun. But she also lowered her gaze, refusing to meet Faye's.
"Yes, I do," she said. "I never stay in one place for too long. My dad's job keeps him moving all over the place. Staying here for two months is already a lot longer than normal, to be honest."
Behind Anthiese came the sound of a car's engine starting up, the sound shattering the quiet of the evening and serving as a harsh reminder that soon she would be gone from Faye's life – for good.
"Oh..." Suddenly it struck her that now, on the cusp of saying goodbye for real, she didn't really know what to say. Good luck? See you soon? All of that sounded ridiculous.
And it wasn't what she really wanted.
She wanted Anthiese to stay. She wanted the quiet girl she'd come into her life so suddenly to become a close friend to not leave just as suddenly.
"I..." Faye began, wringing her hands. And then suddenly, it struck her. "Anthiese, wait here, okay?"
"Huh?" She blinked and tilted her head to the side. "What's the matter?"
"Just – hang on!" Even as she yelled over her shoulder, Faye was already turning and dashing back into her room. Pulling open her bedside drawer, she threw open her treasure box and rummaged about it for a couple of seconds.
Panting, she dashed back out the front door of her house, half-worried that her father had already bundled her into the car and driven off. But Anthiese was still there, hands clasped behind her back, waiting patiently.
"Here!" She blurted out as she neared. "This is for you!" And taking Anthiese's hand, she pressed her gift into it.
"A... ribbon?" Anthiese curled her fingers around it, letting one end fly free in the evening breeze. The ribbon was the colour of woven gold, and it shone in the evening light. "Wow! It's really pretty!"
"I know! My grandma gave it to me as a gift a few years ago. It'd go great with your hair, don't you think?" Faye beamed at her for a moment before the smile faded. "It's my favourite ribbon, so take good care of it, okay? And... I hope when you wear it, it reminds you of me."
"Anthiese!" Her father's voice came from the car. "Hurry up and say goodbye! We've got a flight to catch!"
"Faye, I..." Her friend smiled at her as she clutched the ribbon close to her chest. "Thank you so much! But I don't have anything to return the favour – Ah!" And suddenly, she was scrabbling at her neck, and the necklace she always wore was now unclasped and in her hands.
"Anthiese?" Faye blinked.
"Here," she smiled. "This is for you. This... was a gift from my mother. And I want you to have it."
Faye's eyes widened. She'd heard Anthiese talk about her departed mother before, and how much Anthiese missed having her around. She shook her head frantically. "No! I can't take something so precious from you!"
"I want you to have it. It's because it's so precious that it makes a good gift. So... please."
"Anthiese..." Slowly, she reached out a hand to take the silver chain. A crimson pendant dangled at the end, sparkling in the light. "Thank you. I'll be sure to treasure it."
"Anthiese!" Her father's voice was an annoyed yell now.
"I have to go." She took a step back, half-turned towards the care before pausing. "Good bye, Faye. I really enjoyed the time I spent with you. I don't know if I'll ever see you again, but-"
"We will."
"Huh?"
She smiled as wide as she could manage. "We'll see each other again. I promise! I don't know how long it'll take, but... no matter what, I'll find you again!"
"Faye..." Anthiese took a deep breath, and then nodded as a smile appeared on her face. "All right! I'll see you again, one day! It's a promise!"
And so a promise was made. On the roadside, lit by the fiery glow of the setting sun's rays, two children made a vow that they would come together again. One day...
"My feet are killing me," Faye groaned as she staggered towards the doorway of her apartment building, trying to balance four bags of groceries without dropping anything.
She had done well so far, but now her next obstacle loomed ahead of her – the sliding door that required her keycard to open. The keycard that was currently sitting snug in her pocket's cardholder.
"Oh boy." Casting about, she confirmed that yes, her memory of the last few hundred times she had passed through this doorway was accurate, and there was nowhere to put her bags down for a moment so she could fish her pass out. So she could either stand there looking like an idiot waiting for some kind soul to help her out, or try to wiggle her arm into a position to grab her keycard.
Neither option looked all that appealing.
"Oh, here, let me." A soft voice came from behind her and Faye twisted her neck to look behind her. A girl roughly her age walked up, her own keycard in hand. A soft beep, and the doors swung open.
"Thanks," Faye said as she flashed the redhead a grateful smile. The girl returned a smile of her own before her gaze became more concerned.
"Er... are you sure you're okay with all those bags? Would you like some help?"
Faye opened her mouth to say that she was fine, but then common sense asserted itself and told her that if someone was offering to help, there was no good reason to turn her down.
It wasn't like the girl was going to run off with her groceries or anything.
"Thanks for the help!" She said with a glad smile. "Here, these bags are the lighter ones."
After the girl had picked up two of the bags, Faye nodded in the direction of the lifts. "I live on the third floor."
"Oh, that's a coincidence! Me too!"
"Huh, really?" Faye frowned as the lift doors opened and she stepped inside. "I... don't think I've seen you before though."
"Oh, that's no surprise." The girl shifted the bags she was holding to a more comfortable position. "I just moved in a couple of days ago, and I barely had the chance to leave my room, what with all the unpacking I had to do."
"Well then," she smiled. "On behalf of everyone else living here, welcome to Ram Gardens!"
A short chuckle. "Why, thank you!"
No more words were exchanged until they reached the door to Faye's room. With the lesser burden of only having to manage two bags, Faye was able to retrieve her keycard without fuss and open the door to her room.
"Thanks again." She said as she pushed open the door. "You can leave the bags on the table over there."
The rustle of plastic told her that the bags had all been set down, and Faye turned back to face her Good Samaritan.
"Heading off now?"
"Yes, I am." The girl pointed. "I live just down the hallway Room 304, so... well, if you ever find yourself in need of anything, feel free to stop by."
"I'll keep that in mind." Faye smiled back as the girl stepped out of the room and closed the door.
Once alone, Faye blinked and scratched at the side of her head.
"Whoops," she said to the empty room. "Forgot to introduce myself. Or ask her name."
Oh well. No big deal. I'll probably run into her again soon enough. I can ask her then.
In fact, it was almost a week before Faye saw her again. She had just been through a long hard day of work and she wanted nothing more than to go home and collapse onto the bed. Just as she stepped through the doorway of her block, the lift dinged softly and she saw the girl step out.
"Hi!" She smiled and waved. "Nice to see you again. Heading somewhere?"
"Oh yes," the girl nodded and smiled. "I usually visit the park around this time."
"Well, don't let me keep you!" With a friendly wave, Faye let the girl pass her before stepping into the lift herself.
Another week passed, and Faye slowly learned that her new neighbour was a creature of routine, at least insofar as her park visits were concerned. Every day, at 6:30 she would head out for her walk, and on days where Faye was able to note the time she came home, it would be around an hour later.
Faye began to adjust her own schedule, trying to arrive at the lobby of their apartment building just a little earlier so she could catch the girl on her way out, if just so she could say hi and chat for a couple of minutes before they each went their own ways. Once she stopped by the local café on the way back to get some coffee to share with her before she headed back.
"Or would you prefer tea?" Faye shrugged and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I'm afraid I still don't know what you like or... well, much about you."
"Coffee is fine," the girl laughed as she accepted the cup. "It's funny, isn't it? I don't know you very well either, but it's still nice to be able to talk with you like this."
"I used to be pretty poor at making new friends." Faye sighed. "But then... well, I don't want to go into the details but I realized that I couldn't go on like that, so I made an effort to be more outgoing."
"Well, I'm glad that's the case, if it led to me meeting you." The girl looked out the entrance to the apartment. "By any chance, are you free now? I'm heading to the park, so... would you like to join me?"
"Well, why not?" She didn't have anything on at the moment, and spending time with her new friend seemed as good an idea as any.
The sun was already starting to sink into the horizon, casting everything in an orange-red glow as the two of them continued their stroll down the path.
"I always liked sunsets," the girl said as her gaze travelled out to the pond and the light sparkling off the water. "They're... I don't quite know. Soothing, perhaps? They remind me that life is better if every once in a while, we slow down and take the time to rest."
"Hm... I'd have thought it was because of the sunset reminded you of your hair." Faye took a glance at the vibrant locks that flowed down her back. "They're both really pretty, after all."
"Why, thank you." And she was graced with a pleasant smile and a soft laugh.
Later, while they were seated on a park bench, Faye chuckled.
"I just realized we've never actually told each other our names!"
"So we haven't," she returned the laugh. "It's a bit strange, though. I don't know very much about you, but for some reason I feel comfortable talking to you like an old friend."
"Yeah, me too!" Another laugh. "Isn't that weird? But we probably should still tell our names to each other, huh?"
"Yes, probably." Stifling a giggle, her new friend offered her hand to shake. "My name is Celica. It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise," she said as she accepted the offered hand. "And I'm called Faye. It's nice to... Everything okay?"
Celica's hand had gone limp as Faye had said her name, and she was now staring, wide-eyed. Faye frowned slightly and took a quick glance around her, looking for the source of Celica's distress. She couldn't find anything and so she turned back to her, a question in her eyes.
"Faye..." She said the name slowly, as if testing it out, letting the sound linger on her tongue. "I... I have something to tell you."
"... Go on."
"Celica is my name now, but I... changed it from something else. Back when I was a child, my name... I went by Anthiese."
For a moment, neither of them moved.
And then her hand had slipped out of Faye's grasp and Celica was rummaging through her purse. At the same time, Faye had automatically reached for her neck and began pulling at the cord that hung around it.
And then she was holding it up the light – the red pendant that had been given to her as a gift so many years ago. It sparkled, seeming to glow with its own inner light as it caught the rays of the dying sun. At the same time, Celica had brought it out – a worn golden ribbon, grasped tightly in her hand.
There was a silence for a long moment. Faye was the first to break it, with a choked laugh that seemed to merge into a sob. "So you kept my gift after all." She felt a strange sensation in her chest, like she was being filled so full that she was on the verge of bursting – and yet, it wasn't an unpleasant sensation at all.
"Well, so did you," Anthiese – Celica said as she held the ribbon close to her chest. "...I can't believe it. It's been so long... no wonder we didn't even recognize each other first."
"Seven years..." Faye took a breath as she stared down at the ribbon. "It's been seven years."
"I tried to find you. After I... left." Celica shook her head. "But all I could find was news about the fire... nothing about where the former inhabitants had moved to."
"It was awful. I nearly..." Even now, if she thinks about it, she can remember the suffocating heat, screams for help, the choking, acrid stench. But now wasn't the time to think about such things. "But that's all in the past."
"It is." Celica nodded and smiled at her. "For now, Faye. It's nice to see you again."
"Welcome back, Celica." Faye reached out to grab her hand, and Celica's grip tightened on hers as well. "It's been too long."
Seven years ago, bathed in the light of the sunset, two girls made a promise to each other.
Today, under the gentle glow of the evening sun, two women fulfilled a promise to each other.
Chapter End
Author's Notes: I am a complete sucker for the 'childhood friends drift apart for several long years, then find each other again' storyline. If anything, that's why I'm a little disappointed with the way Echoes proper handled it, but eh. This story is its own beast.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, and I welcome any comments of critiques you might have to make!