(A.N: Hello! Ever heard of the short tale "The Little Match Girl" by Hans Christian Andersen? This is what this story is based off of, featuring Presea as our "little match girl". And yes, this is more suited for the holidays, but I'm not going to wait 7 months to post this. Hehe. Warning: No real spoilers, but character death.)
The Little Ax Girl
Although it wasn't a record snowfall like some years ago, it was snowing much indeed. That winter morning, Presea Combatir had set out to Meltokio from Altamira, crossing the sea by ferry, a journey that took all day. It was to deliver an important message from Regal, to the king of Tethe'alla. When she finally reached land, it was too late. Meltokio had already closed their gates, as it was just after sunset. And now, it was snowing.
They were doing construction work on the sewers, so Presea couldn't get through that way. There were small holes where the walls met the ground so that rain water could drain from the city, but she wasn't small enough to fit into them. The ferry had already left the dock. There were no other cities near Meltokio. Her only option was to wait outside of the gates in the freezing weather.
"It's so cold," she sang in a sing-song voice, rubbing her hands and stamping her feet at the same time. Her breath became frozen mist in the air. "It's so cold, it's so cold, winter is cold, cold is winter..." But soon, she stopped talking.
The sky was black, the only light being from the moon and the lights of the city. The white snow covered nearly everything in a blanket, but the blanket certainly wasn't warm. Oh, how she wished for a blanket...
"Oh! That reminds me," she said, and stopped stamping her feet to reach into the pocket of her winter coat, and pulled out a box of matches. She could start a fire. But looking around her, she realized it was impossible. There were no trees in the area. No wood. Nothing to kindle the flames.
She ignored that fact and slid the box open, pulling out one of the red-topped matches and striking it against the wall.
Ka-chick.
Staring at the little orange flame, she saw something.
A warm stove, the old kind that you fueled with coal and cooked food on top, but still lovely enough to lay out a blanket in front of it and fall asleep, bathed in warmth...
She reached out a tentative, gloved hand toward the stove, but the image wavered, and disappeared. All she saw was the smoking end of the match.
It had been enough to make her fingers warm. She reached into the box for another match.
Ka-chick.
A dinner table, set for three. At the center of it all, there was a platter of cooked, sliced turkey, surrounded by plates and bowls of mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing with celery, corn, and some other things that she couldn't find a name for. Two little lamps hanging above the table. A beautiful table cloth, with silver utensils and plates.
Her stomach growled. She realized that she had not eaten since that morning, and took a few steps toward the dinner table, which was bathed in warm light by the candles. But the image flickered, and she was staring at a cold, white wall.
She reached for another match. Ka-chick.
"Oh!"
A huge Christmas tree, lit up with white candles and tinkling crystal ornaments. Garland was resting lightly on the tree's branches, and a small statue of the Goddess Martel was perched on the very top. She was awestruck by the sheer size of this beautiful tree, and gazed at it, until the vision died like the flame on her match.
Feeling herself becoming sleepy, she looked up at the sky once again. The snow had lessened a little, but it was still so cold. There was a break in the clouds, showing a bit of the starry sky, and then- a streak of light. A falling star!
"Presea, look!" a very young Alicia shouted as she pointed out the window, at the sky. "Did you see that! A star fell out of the sky!"
"A falling star..." Presea replied, looking out the window as well.
"It was so pretty!"
"Do you know what it means when you see a falling star?"
"What, sis?"
"It means that somebody is dying."
"Somebody... is dying?"
"Yes. Somebody is dying and going to heaven to be with the Goddess."Ka-chick.
Somebody is dying.
And she saw Alicia.
"Alicia!" she cried. "Alicia! Come back!"
The flame died out. She didn't want the image of her late sister to fade away. She struck the matches she had left, one after the other, the spent ones lying around her.
Ka-chick.
"Alicia! Please come back! Don't leave me... don't leave me alone!"
Ka-chick.
"Don't leave me alone here! I'm so cold and lonely! Daddy's gone and you're gone, yet I want to be with you!"
Ka-chick. Ka-chick. Ka-chick.
Again
and again
and again
and again
and again...
"Presea..."
The girl looked up and saw Alicia, looking down at her with her arms open to her. Tears welling up in her eyes, Presea stood, and embraced her little sister.
And the flame died out.
The next morning, a crowd of people had gathered around something at the Meltokio gates, talking quietly amongst themselves.
"Poor little girl."
"It looks like she was trying to warm herself."
"Was she here all night?"
"Frozen... cold as ice..."
"Look at all those matches!"
Presea was lying motionless in the snow, the last match she struck still in her hand. She couldn't feel how cold it was anymore, nor could she hear the words of the passerby, nor did she know that it was morning and the gates had finally opened so that she could deliver the message.
But, there was a smile on her face.
I missed you, sis.