Disclaimer : Final Fantasy and all the characters within the game are
property of Square soft and not me, obviously. I noticed there weren't any
Final Fantasy 4 fics and I just had to write one using my favorite
character, Rydia! I try to stay close to the canon of the game, but I add
in my own characters and plot for originality and flavor.
Please review this story after reading. I really value the viewpoints of my readers, be it positive or negative. I'm not the only one reading the stories I write, so it assists me greatly when readers can share their thoughts freely with me. It helps me improve as a writer and helps you by providing you with higher quality fan fiction to read.
----------------------------
The foamy sea churned wildly in the harsh wind, rocking the boat up and down as it sailed on its course towards the kingdom of Baron. Rydia leaned over the side of the boat, watching the fish swim past, underneath the sparkling blue water. Rydia was a young girl of no more than seven years of age. Her face was rounded, her stature small, and her facial features still very immature and childish. Her hair was a bright green, and held together with a white daisy clip. She wore a dark green and white striped shirt and a pair of loosely fitting, slightly tattered, dark blue pants. No one could tell from her meek appearance that Rydia was a sorcery genius, capable of casting both white and black magic spells.
"Are we there yet?" asked Rydia with a look of pure boredom on her face.
"Calm down Rydia, it will be awhile before we reach Baron," said Cecil in his usual authoritative tone. Cecil was at the helm of the ship with Yang. Cecil always looked rather scary to Rydia, clad in his midnight black Dark Knight armor. The armor looked smooth and polished, its reflective black surface drawing the onlooker into the mysteries of its depth. Cecil still had his helmet on, hiding his face beneath a horned mask. Yang turned the wheel of the ship, keeping it on course. Yang was a karate master of the kingdom of Fabul. He was an extremely well built man in his late twenties, with a queue of black hair neatly braided down to his neck. He seldom wore shirts, and only wore the dark red sackcloth pants of a monk.
Cecil paced back and forth nervously, looking up towards the sky occasionally. Rydia knew Cecil was worried about their trip to Baron. Would they be able to sneak into the castle? Would they be able to stop Golbez before he collects all of the crystals for his own unknown yet nefarious purposes? On top of all their troubles, Rosa, Cecil's girlfriend, had been kidnapped by Golbez. Rydia really liked Rosa the most out of all her traveling companions. Rosa was sweet, kind, and above all, understood Rydia.
"Here Rydia, why don't I play you a song to cheer you up?" asked the soft spoken prince Edward. Edward had long tressettes of golden blonde hair, curling downwards in spirals and resting on his shoulders. He wore a reddish-brown crushed velvet shirt and matching trousers. Edward was not wearing his usual beret, but instead let his hair free. Strumming at his golden lyre and leaning up against the ship, Edward hummed a few notes.
"Please do play something for us," said Rydia. Rydia knew that Edward was still very depressed about the death of his true love, Anna. Cecil too, was quite upset, although he didn't show it. Rosa was taken by Golbez during the siege of Fabul, and Cecil was powerless to stop it from happening. Rydia knew of their pain and sorrow since she too had lost her loved one, her mother. It was experiences like these that had matured Rydia's mind far beyond her body. Edward began to strum the golden threads of his lyre, singing a delicate, yet sad, melody. The notes wafted in the air, seemingly in tune with the sounds of the waves rising and falling in the ocean.
"For I searched in the forest, through the darkness. For I searched across the desert past the parched sands. For I knew I would never escape this sadness. My treasure is lost, and I go to distant lands."
A seagull flew past, catching Rydia's attention. Something in Edwards' song plucked the heartstrings of the little girl the way no other song ever had. Rydia knew that she was far from home and would be heading straight into the mouth of danger. Although, it really wasn't like there was a home to go back to. Her village had been burned down unwittingly by Cecil. Rydia knew deep in her heart that Cecil was not to blame; that he didn't know the package he brought to her village was filled with Bombos. But, the fact that her family was gone could never be reversed. The images of the hellish flames consuming her childhood home haunted Rydia during both her sleeping and waking hours. In an instant, everything she held dear was reduced to ash, and blown away by the uncaring winds of fate. Rydia looked up at the sky and noticed that storm clouds were brewing.
"That's rather strange, Cecil, it was sunny and clear just a few minutes ago," said Yang, gazing up at the now blackening sky. The clouds overhead were billowing masses of black and gray, crackling with electricity.
"I don't like the looks of things," said Cecil.
Edward had sunk too far into the depths of depression to even notice what was going on around him. Cecil and Yang barked orders at the crew to brace the ship should a storm hit them. Rydia was feeling very scared and panicky. The storm simply got worse, as lightning streaked across the sky, sending shockwaves of sound ringing through the air. The waves around the ship got increasingly violent, rocking the ship up and down helplessly. Rydia found it hard to maintain her footing, and found a piece of rope to hang onto so that she wouldn't fly overboard. Yang tried manning the wheel of the ship, using all of his upper body strength to guide the ship through the maelstrom of lightning and wind.
One of the crew men sitting at the crows nest called out as loud as he could, staring out of his telescope in pure astonishment.
"I...I don't believe it! It's the Sea King! It's...Leviathan!"
All of the crew men gasped and rushed to the front of the ship. Before their very eyes they saw the King of Monsters, the sea serpent Leviathan, rise from the ocean. Leviathan was a gigantic white serpent, the width of his body being almost the size of the ship. As Leviathan emerged from the murky depths of the ocean, the foamy water slid off his large scales, causing each scale to glisten. Tendrils of blood red spikes jutted out from the monsters skin, each individual spike as long as a knight's lance. Leviathan released a deafening roar into the air, striking pure fear into the hearts of Rydia and the others. A tidal wave soon ensued, engulfing the ship and washing away several hapless crew members into the unforgiving ocean depths. Rydia gripped her length of rope tightly, determined not be washed way by the ferocity of the storm. Edward was nearby, holding onto a post on the side of the ship. His lyre had already been knocked away.
"Hang on everyone, try to brace yourselves!" yelled out Cecil who was standing next to Yang, helping him steer the ship.
A bolt of lightning hit the back of ship, sending fragments of wood and metal flying in all directions. Several crew members were flung into ocean, some injured directly by the ferocity of the lightning blast. Rydia began to cry. She did not want another crisis. She did not need another disaster to befall her, where her loved ones would leave her again. Strangely, Rydia heard a quiet voice whisper to her. Confused, as there was no one near her, Rydia looked around in a panic.
"Rydia my sweet, I've come for you," said the murmuring voice, echoing throughout Rydia's mind.
Another massive tidal wave rocked the ship. Rydia lost her grip on her piece of rope and began to slide across the deck. The ship was slowly sinking into the ocean, as it was now broken into several large pieces.
"Rydia!!!" screamed Edward reaching out with his hand to catch the young girl. Rydia reached out for Edward, but her arm length was too short. Their hands came within inches of each other, but Rydia had been sliding away too fast for Edward to catch her. Screaming at the top of her lungs, Rydia fell over the side of the ship into the black waves of the churning sea. Yang immediately let go of the ship's steering wheel and ran over to the side of the ship, diving in straight after Rydia.
"No! Yang! Don't do it!" yelled out Cecil, but it was too late. Yang had already gone over the edge. Another tidal wave rocked the boat, this one swallowing poor Edward in its wake. Cecil watched helplessly as Edward fell into the ocean, swallowed forever under the unforgiving waves. The sky roared with thunder, as the merciless Leviathan receded back into the ocean.
Rydia was underwater, her vision filled with a frantic array of debris from the ship and drowned crew members. Panicking, Rydia tried to swim upwards to get some air, but found that something was pulling her down into the ocean. She struggled with all her might to try and swim upwards, but her small body could not put up much of a fight. Rydia felt light headed due to the lack of oxygen. The same voice that had spoken to her before spoke up again.
"I've come for you my sweet Rydia, don't be afraid..." said the voice.
Rydia's vision began to fade as she slowly blacked out. Her thoughts became errant as she was pulled down into the depths of the dark ocean.
Yang...Cecil...Edward...Rosa
I don't want to see any more of my friends hurt.
I don't want to see any more of my loved one's to leave me.
I want to be a normal girl again...
Where are you mommy?
Why couldn't I have gone with you?
I don't want to be this lonely anymore...
Just as Rydia's vision was about to leave her, she stared down into the depths of the ocean. A massive maw was rising towards her. It was the sea serpent Leviathan, preparing to swallow her up. Unable to move, however, Rydia was swept up into the mouth of Leviathan. Rydia soon blacked out.
----------
Rydia's eyes fluttered open, her vision still blurred and her head spinning. Rydia immediately coughed up sea water, her lungs heaving for air.
"Are you alright my dear?"
Rydia could not recognize this voice, this soft and gentle female voice. Raising her head up, Rydia caught sight of a strange looking woman with three faces. She was wearing an elegant, sparkling white dress and a strange necklace with a sun on it. Rydia was terribly frightened, not knowing where she was. Looking around, Rydia noticed that she was in a very spherical room. The walls seemed to be made of luminescent rocks that pulsated different colors. Rydia noticed several strange looking creatures wearing dark colored robes standing around her.
"Do not be frightened my dear, I am Asura, Queen of the Monsters," said Asura, her voice soft and tranquil.
"Where am I then?" asked Rydia, her voice quivering.
"You are in the land of summoned Monsters. The King Leviathan has brought you to us," said the Queen.
Please review this story after reading. I really value the viewpoints of my readers, be it positive or negative. I'm not the only one reading the stories I write, so it assists me greatly when readers can share their thoughts freely with me. It helps me improve as a writer and helps you by providing you with higher quality fan fiction to read.
----------------------------
The foamy sea churned wildly in the harsh wind, rocking the boat up and down as it sailed on its course towards the kingdom of Baron. Rydia leaned over the side of the boat, watching the fish swim past, underneath the sparkling blue water. Rydia was a young girl of no more than seven years of age. Her face was rounded, her stature small, and her facial features still very immature and childish. Her hair was a bright green, and held together with a white daisy clip. She wore a dark green and white striped shirt and a pair of loosely fitting, slightly tattered, dark blue pants. No one could tell from her meek appearance that Rydia was a sorcery genius, capable of casting both white and black magic spells.
"Are we there yet?" asked Rydia with a look of pure boredom on her face.
"Calm down Rydia, it will be awhile before we reach Baron," said Cecil in his usual authoritative tone. Cecil was at the helm of the ship with Yang. Cecil always looked rather scary to Rydia, clad in his midnight black Dark Knight armor. The armor looked smooth and polished, its reflective black surface drawing the onlooker into the mysteries of its depth. Cecil still had his helmet on, hiding his face beneath a horned mask. Yang turned the wheel of the ship, keeping it on course. Yang was a karate master of the kingdom of Fabul. He was an extremely well built man in his late twenties, with a queue of black hair neatly braided down to his neck. He seldom wore shirts, and only wore the dark red sackcloth pants of a monk.
Cecil paced back and forth nervously, looking up towards the sky occasionally. Rydia knew Cecil was worried about their trip to Baron. Would they be able to sneak into the castle? Would they be able to stop Golbez before he collects all of the crystals for his own unknown yet nefarious purposes? On top of all their troubles, Rosa, Cecil's girlfriend, had been kidnapped by Golbez. Rydia really liked Rosa the most out of all her traveling companions. Rosa was sweet, kind, and above all, understood Rydia.
"Here Rydia, why don't I play you a song to cheer you up?" asked the soft spoken prince Edward. Edward had long tressettes of golden blonde hair, curling downwards in spirals and resting on his shoulders. He wore a reddish-brown crushed velvet shirt and matching trousers. Edward was not wearing his usual beret, but instead let his hair free. Strumming at his golden lyre and leaning up against the ship, Edward hummed a few notes.
"Please do play something for us," said Rydia. Rydia knew that Edward was still very depressed about the death of his true love, Anna. Cecil too, was quite upset, although he didn't show it. Rosa was taken by Golbez during the siege of Fabul, and Cecil was powerless to stop it from happening. Rydia knew of their pain and sorrow since she too had lost her loved one, her mother. It was experiences like these that had matured Rydia's mind far beyond her body. Edward began to strum the golden threads of his lyre, singing a delicate, yet sad, melody. The notes wafted in the air, seemingly in tune with the sounds of the waves rising and falling in the ocean.
"For I searched in the forest, through the darkness. For I searched across the desert past the parched sands. For I knew I would never escape this sadness. My treasure is lost, and I go to distant lands."
A seagull flew past, catching Rydia's attention. Something in Edwards' song plucked the heartstrings of the little girl the way no other song ever had. Rydia knew that she was far from home and would be heading straight into the mouth of danger. Although, it really wasn't like there was a home to go back to. Her village had been burned down unwittingly by Cecil. Rydia knew deep in her heart that Cecil was not to blame; that he didn't know the package he brought to her village was filled with Bombos. But, the fact that her family was gone could never be reversed. The images of the hellish flames consuming her childhood home haunted Rydia during both her sleeping and waking hours. In an instant, everything she held dear was reduced to ash, and blown away by the uncaring winds of fate. Rydia looked up at the sky and noticed that storm clouds were brewing.
"That's rather strange, Cecil, it was sunny and clear just a few minutes ago," said Yang, gazing up at the now blackening sky. The clouds overhead were billowing masses of black and gray, crackling with electricity.
"I don't like the looks of things," said Cecil.
Edward had sunk too far into the depths of depression to even notice what was going on around him. Cecil and Yang barked orders at the crew to brace the ship should a storm hit them. Rydia was feeling very scared and panicky. The storm simply got worse, as lightning streaked across the sky, sending shockwaves of sound ringing through the air. The waves around the ship got increasingly violent, rocking the ship up and down helplessly. Rydia found it hard to maintain her footing, and found a piece of rope to hang onto so that she wouldn't fly overboard. Yang tried manning the wheel of the ship, using all of his upper body strength to guide the ship through the maelstrom of lightning and wind.
One of the crew men sitting at the crows nest called out as loud as he could, staring out of his telescope in pure astonishment.
"I...I don't believe it! It's the Sea King! It's...Leviathan!"
All of the crew men gasped and rushed to the front of the ship. Before their very eyes they saw the King of Monsters, the sea serpent Leviathan, rise from the ocean. Leviathan was a gigantic white serpent, the width of his body being almost the size of the ship. As Leviathan emerged from the murky depths of the ocean, the foamy water slid off his large scales, causing each scale to glisten. Tendrils of blood red spikes jutted out from the monsters skin, each individual spike as long as a knight's lance. Leviathan released a deafening roar into the air, striking pure fear into the hearts of Rydia and the others. A tidal wave soon ensued, engulfing the ship and washing away several hapless crew members into the unforgiving ocean depths. Rydia gripped her length of rope tightly, determined not be washed way by the ferocity of the storm. Edward was nearby, holding onto a post on the side of the ship. His lyre had already been knocked away.
"Hang on everyone, try to brace yourselves!" yelled out Cecil who was standing next to Yang, helping him steer the ship.
A bolt of lightning hit the back of ship, sending fragments of wood and metal flying in all directions. Several crew members were flung into ocean, some injured directly by the ferocity of the lightning blast. Rydia began to cry. She did not want another crisis. She did not need another disaster to befall her, where her loved ones would leave her again. Strangely, Rydia heard a quiet voice whisper to her. Confused, as there was no one near her, Rydia looked around in a panic.
"Rydia my sweet, I've come for you," said the murmuring voice, echoing throughout Rydia's mind.
Another massive tidal wave rocked the ship. Rydia lost her grip on her piece of rope and began to slide across the deck. The ship was slowly sinking into the ocean, as it was now broken into several large pieces.
"Rydia!!!" screamed Edward reaching out with his hand to catch the young girl. Rydia reached out for Edward, but her arm length was too short. Their hands came within inches of each other, but Rydia had been sliding away too fast for Edward to catch her. Screaming at the top of her lungs, Rydia fell over the side of the ship into the black waves of the churning sea. Yang immediately let go of the ship's steering wheel and ran over to the side of the ship, diving in straight after Rydia.
"No! Yang! Don't do it!" yelled out Cecil, but it was too late. Yang had already gone over the edge. Another tidal wave rocked the boat, this one swallowing poor Edward in its wake. Cecil watched helplessly as Edward fell into the ocean, swallowed forever under the unforgiving waves. The sky roared with thunder, as the merciless Leviathan receded back into the ocean.
Rydia was underwater, her vision filled with a frantic array of debris from the ship and drowned crew members. Panicking, Rydia tried to swim upwards to get some air, but found that something was pulling her down into the ocean. She struggled with all her might to try and swim upwards, but her small body could not put up much of a fight. Rydia felt light headed due to the lack of oxygen. The same voice that had spoken to her before spoke up again.
"I've come for you my sweet Rydia, don't be afraid..." said the voice.
Rydia's vision began to fade as she slowly blacked out. Her thoughts became errant as she was pulled down into the depths of the dark ocean.
Yang...Cecil...Edward...Rosa
I don't want to see any more of my friends hurt.
I don't want to see any more of my loved one's to leave me.
I want to be a normal girl again...
Where are you mommy?
Why couldn't I have gone with you?
I don't want to be this lonely anymore...
Just as Rydia's vision was about to leave her, she stared down into the depths of the ocean. A massive maw was rising towards her. It was the sea serpent Leviathan, preparing to swallow her up. Unable to move, however, Rydia was swept up into the mouth of Leviathan. Rydia soon blacked out.
----------
Rydia's eyes fluttered open, her vision still blurred and her head spinning. Rydia immediately coughed up sea water, her lungs heaving for air.
"Are you alright my dear?"
Rydia could not recognize this voice, this soft and gentle female voice. Raising her head up, Rydia caught sight of a strange looking woman with three faces. She was wearing an elegant, sparkling white dress and a strange necklace with a sun on it. Rydia was terribly frightened, not knowing where she was. Looking around, Rydia noticed that she was in a very spherical room. The walls seemed to be made of luminescent rocks that pulsated different colors. Rydia noticed several strange looking creatures wearing dark colored robes standing around her.
"Do not be frightened my dear, I am Asura, Queen of the Monsters," said Asura, her voice soft and tranquil.
"Where am I then?" asked Rydia, her voice quivering.
"You are in the land of summoned Monsters. The King Leviathan has brought you to us," said the Queen.