Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me.
Author's Note: I guess this is sort of an Anastasia rip-off, so I'll try to rephrase as many things as I possibly can and keep everybody in character, so this will be original. The italicized words are the narration and the regular print isn't. Read and review!
There once was a time, not so long ago, when we all lived in a magical world of luxurious palaces and magnificent parties. The year was 1916 and beloved son, Gast Cetra, was the King of the eastern continent. He was arguably one of the best rulers in the world, or so I've heard from the whispers of his people. You can only imagine how proud I am of my son-my Gast.
We were celebrating the 300th anniversary of the Cetra reign in a palace just outside of Nibelheim. Everybody was so alive. They all wanted the night to go on for eternity and so did I. To see my family so happy was so wonderful and gave me a peace that I have never felt before. I loved all these parties. It was rare I ever saw my family, now that I lived in Midgar. It had felt like a million years since I had seen them last, and it was good to all see them smiling.
On that night, my youngest grand daughter, Aeris, was the life and soul of the party. She had been dancing with her father as I had walked in. She waved at me, and came running towards me as I sat down on my throne. Aeris had a picture in her hands, and she was ready to shove it into my face. But, she didn't. Instead, she had stopped herself, remembering she was supposed to be acting like a graceful princess, and calmly placed the drawing in my hands.
"Thank you, Aeris. I shall keep it always." I told her, as we lightly hugged each other.
A young boy, looking to be eight-years of age with spiky-blonde hair, came sneaking out of the kitchen. He sunk his teeth into an apple, lightly munching on it as he watched grandmother and granddaughter exchange gifts.
She begged me not to return to Midgar, so I gave her a present that would make the separation easier for the both of us. Aeris gasped once she that a small, circular box was resting on the palm of my hand. I couldn't help, but laugh at her excitement.
"Is this for me? Is it a jewelry box?" She asked me. Her emerald eyes turned their attention away from me and the gift, to watch something that must have been going on behind me.
A man with a large mustache had also walked out of the kitchen. Unlike the boy, who was dressed in working clothes, this man had fancy tux on. Once his eyes had landed on the boy, he was furious. He roughly grabbed the boy's shoulders, pulling him towards the kitchen. "Cloud, you belong in the kitchen!"
Aeris's eyes returned. I opened the box with the necklace that was hanging around my neck. It opened slowly. It had her father and I dancing to our lullaby. "It plays our lullaby," she said.
"From now on, when you go to bed at night, you'll always have this by your side. When you open it up, you can pretend that it is me singing." I told her.
On the wind
Cross the sea
Here this song
And remember
Soon you'll be
Home with me
Once upon a December
I handed her my necklace, "Read what it says."
She smiled at me and brought the necklace close to her face. On it the metal, blue flower was engraved, "Always in Midgar." Aeris looked at me, her face lighting up.
"Oh, Grandma! Really?" She hugged me tightly, and I laughed hugging her back. If only things with would have stayed like that forever.
We would never be together in Midgar. A dark shadow had descended on the home of the Cetras. His name was Sephiroth. When we first knew him, we had all thought he was a holy man, but we were dangerously wrong. We had found out that he was a cruel and despicable.
"How dare you return to the palace?" My son yelled, pointing at Sephiroth angrily.
"But we are friends, Gast. You know that." Sephiroth laughed.
"Friend? You are a traitor. Get out! Go!" Gast yelled.
"Do you really think you can get rid of me so easily, Gast? Do you? It is I you will be the end of you. By the holy powers invested in me, your family is cursed. Mark me words, within the night, every Cetra here will be gone forever! My soul shall not be put to sleep until I see the end of all Cetras!" Sephiroth exclaimed. With his neon green material, Sephiroth managed to make a large chandler fall to the ground.
Consumed by his loathing for the Cetra family, Sephiroth sold his soul for the powers to destroy each and every one of them. From that night on, a darkness had been cast over our country that would soon destroy our lives forever.
Within the hour, all of us were running, trying to escape the palace and the guards. They all had turned on us and were ready to commit murder. Finally, when Aeris and I were ready to leave, we couldn't. "My music box!" She exclaimed, running for her room. I started running after her, not caring about the small
gift. Aeris was much more important to me. We had finally reached her room and begged her to hurry. She found in her doll house.
A boy came in, rushing us out of the room. "Hurry, please come this way, out of the servant's quarters." I heard a thump, realizing it could have been only one thing.
"My music box!"
"Go! Please, go!" The boy shouted, shutting the door.
A small cat tried peaking through the well-cleaned windows. "She's getting away!"
SOLDIERS burst through the door. "Where are they, boy?" he demanded. Before the boy could even reply, the SOLDIER hit him with his rifle, knocking the chocobo-haired boy out, with the music box right by his hand.
Finally, we were out of the palace and running. Both of us were tired and Aeris had been struggling to keep up me. We both stopped when somebody jumping on top of her ankle. "Sephiroth!" I gapsed.
"Let me go," Aeris cried.
"You'll never escape from me child. Never." He promised. There was hatred in his eyes that sent a chill down my spine, giving me more determination to help my granddaughter. Thankfully, the frozen lake had cracked, and he sunk. I don't think I have ever been so happy for Winter.
"Master!" the mechanical cat yelled.
"Caith, help me!"
At least we reached the busy trains. "Aeris, hurry!" A man grabbed my hand and helped me on. Aeris, however, hadn't been so fortunate. She kept running as our hands reached out for each other. It seemed like mere seconds when she had finally grabbed on to mine, but that relief was soon stolen from me as she could no longer keep up.
Aeris has fallen on her back with a loud thump. "No! Aeris!" I wanted to get off the train and go back to help her, but the main that had helped me before had kept me back.
Many lives had been corrupted and destroyed in that one night. My son and his family were now gone to us forever. And my Aeris, my sweet Aeris, she would never be with me. I suppose I've always known this, but I've kept searching for all these years, but I have never found her.
Yours Truly,
Elmyra Cetra
