First posted fanfic (more like first fanfic good enough to post). This will end up being a long one so please bare with me guys :D. Comments and stuff are welcome, everything is copyrighted to their respective owners (which means the text is copyrighted to me :( )

This is a tale of death and suffering; of remarkable people who chose to stand against the darkness; of knights fighting the legions of evil; of princesses pure of heart… Most importantly, this is tale of human beings seeking love, hope and truth despite the barren reality they lived in.

Prologue

She lies against the ground, amidst a sea of armored corpses, the rain falling on her graceful face. A pool of blood grows under her abdomen, drenching her cerulean battle-gown, but she smiles at the blue sky, slowly blinking as her vision begins to blur. An emerald pendant lies in her hand, gripped tightly between her failing fingers.

"No pain…. This isn't so bad…" she whispers, smiling.

Suddenly, she feels something warm on her face: "What's this? Tears?"

Her warm tears mix with the falling raindrops, glistening her skin to a luminous glow.

Clunk…Clunk…Clunk

She tilts her head to the side, her long blonde hair spreading like a wing behind her. She sees him, running up to her with his hand on his shoulder; his red armor dented and broken; his movements hampered by scores of wounds.

"My lady! Ashe! Where are you? Ashe!", he shouts at the sea of bodies. He turns around, frantically, his other hand still on his shoulder. He suddenly spots her, and hurries over to her side.

"No…. No… This can't…My lady…. I told you to stay back…" he cries, slamming the ground with his fist.

She reaches out with her arm, slowly, and caresses his face gently:

"I never listen to orders, you know that… Orders make life boring. And we're past formalities Zack… " she replies, still smiling.

"Don't cry Zack, I don't want my last memory of you to be of you being all sad"

Zack forces a smile, tears still dripping from his eyes: "I'm going to save you, I've got to, you're going to marry Angeal and have…. Children… and be happy"

Ashe puts a finger to his lips: "Be still… You're still in denial over us? You know I don't love him…"

Zack turns away and whispers: "Don't say that… I… I… I love you but… I couldn't save you" he whimpers, wiping his face on his gauntlet.

Ashe slowly pulls herself off the ground, grimacing at the pain in her abdomen, causing Zack to rush over to support her.

"What the are you doi-"

Ashe leans forward and seals her lips on his. The rays of light from the sun cause the falling raindrops to glow in a million different colors, sending vibrant reflections everywhere except at Zack's black, spiky hair.

"You have already saved me Zack" she manages, smiling. "Hold me"

Zack pulls her close; he smells the scent of wildflowers coming from her hair, and inhales deeply.

"The sky is so blue" she whispers.

"I'm going to find the evil in this world… a-and destroy it for good. And then I'll come to find you, where ever you are. I vow it"

A long silence, Ashe smiles and closes her eyes.

"You're so wishy-washy".

"Will you wait for me till then?" replies Zack, turning his head away.

She pulls back and holds his face, and Zack rubs against them gently, trying to catch all her warmth.

"I will…", she says, her tears falling without her being aware of it.

A mist surrounds the two lovers, and Zack watches as fragments of Ashe's body fall of and rise into the air, as a mixture of emerald feathers and pink petals.

"No… No, not yet, please!" he pleads.

Ashe smiles and shakes her head, standing up with him.

"Don't cry… Here, take this" she takes his hand and places the pendant in his palm. Zack gazes at it, and then back at Ashe.

"This way… I'll be with you, always. When you're lonely, take it in your hands... And think of me," she grins at him. More fragments run off her body, and she shivers

"It's getting cold…"

Zack pulls her back into his arms, shuts his eyes and cries into her shoulder. He wanted to awaken from this nightmare; he wanted to escape.

She strokes his hair gently, soothing his pain.

"I'll be waiting for you… Until then" she seals her answer with a last kiss, before disappearing in his arms into a thousand feathers and a thousand petals, rising up in the air. Zack's arms realize that she's no longer there, and he watches as her fragments disappear, only to lower his head to try and stop the tears. The rain continues to beat against his armor, forming a pool of sadness beneath him.

Suddenly, a ray of sunlight lands on his face, and he lifts his face at this consoling beam of warmth. Turning, he sees Angeal walking over, his white armor dented, with a look of disbelief and canger on his face. Zack tried to call out to him, but Angeal simply shook his head and walked away, despite Zack's calls to him.

Zack gasped for air as he sat up on his bed, grabbing his head his hands. He looked at the clock and realized that it was still late at night. Sighing tiredly, he pulled himself out of bed: his whole body was drenched in sweat, thanks to the nightmare that had plagued him for the last 10 years, since Ashe had died. Gazing out of his small countryside house, Zack repeated the same motion he always did to calm himself: he got himself a glass of water, put on his bathrobe, and went outside on the porch to sit under the night sky. The nightmare never changed- Ashe was dying over and over again every night, and the image of Angeal's face was still raw in his mind as it was 10 years ago at the battle of the Cerulean Plains. Sometimes, the nightmares would go away for a while, but never permanently. Sooner or later, they would return to plague him.

Zack yawned and ruffled his hair; he realized that the prince of Arkadia would be visiting soon, supposedly to strengthen the bond of friendship between the Empire and Ivalice; but privately, everyone knew that he was bringing tidings of war- a threat of submission, to say the least. Zack smiled and shook his head: his quest on the defeat of evil had not progressed very much at all; arresting bandits was his main job out here in the countryside. He rarely visited the city: the place had too many memories and reminders for Zack's liking.

Glancing at his suit of armor in on its stand, he stood up and went to his table. Lighting a lamp, he re-read the letter that he had received from his cousin- his niece would arrive next week as well, from their home in Arkadia, and his cousin had asked him to take her in for the duration of her visit. Zack looked closely at the photo his cousin had sent: Alicia had dark brown hair, and wore an armored corset on top of a shirt and pants;a warrior-tomboyish that made Zack smile. She really bore an uncanny resemblance to Ashe, even to the emerald pendant that was slung across her neck.

Zack swallowed. The memories were pouring in