The Laser War
"Hey Stahn, look at this," requested Rutee Katrea. She shoved an old leather bound book at him. "What's this.The Diary of Christina Maria Katrea III: Laser Wars XXXXVII?" asked Stahn
"Yes," said Rutee. "I'm writing a book on the 47th war with Laser, and my mother's diary has a lot of information on it. I've prepared my transcripts of the book. Do you want to read it?"
"Sure," replied Stahn. He picked up Rutee's notebook and began to read.
* * *
"Chris, are you really going?" inquired Christina Maria Katrea II, the queen of Carinz. Standing before her was a slim youngster in royal dress.
The girl sighed. "Mother, I'm 19 years old, hardly a child anymore. Besides you always told me that I'd have to go to Sienegald one day to return to your family estate, so why not now?"
The resemblance between the mother and daughter were uncanny. Both had midnight colored hair and amethyst eyes. The daughter could even hold her own against her mother in their family style of combat, the Kat style. But perhaps the most striking resemblance would be that they both shared the Pisces Zodiac sign.
Sent to Carinz as a young woman, Christina Maria Katrea II was to marry its young king to create a bond between the 'Magic Island' and her home of Sienegald. The agreement had been to send their eldest daughter back to Sienegald to inherit the Katrea estate.
The eldest daughter in question was Christina Maria Katrea III, who preferred being called Chris. She had always been eager to go, to escape her mother's overprotectiveness. It would be a relief to get away from all that.
"I'm just worried," admitted Christina, "Laser broke out of her seal again and you know what that means honey."
"That's why I've got to go," stated Chris. "I must fight her like our ancestors before me."
"Well.Ok." replied Christina. "But be careful. Mind your manners. Kiss your grandmother for me. Be wary of your magical powers. And above all, do not under any circumstances cast Tempest."
Chris cut in, "Yeh, yeh, I know. If I cast Tempest, I'll die. I can only use it in an extreme emergency and only if I have an heir. Now can I go mom?"
"One minuet," said Christina. She pulled out a sword that was sheathed to her belt, and handed it to Chris. "Take our family treasure, the Swordian Atwitght."
Chris said goodbye to her parents, twin brother George, and her little sisters Leslie and Paula. Then, she went to the harbor at San Jose and got on a boat to Darilshied.
As the boat sailed on, Chris looked at the sword in her hand. "Like you can't buy weapons in Sienegald. They'd probably be more effective than this thing. It's nearly 1000 years old for Pete's sate."
Suddenly, she heard a voice. "Humph, what you see is not always what you get. Appearances can be deceiving. The voice was definitely a woman's and sounded testy.
"What was that?!" shouted Chris, dropping her sword. It sounded as if the sword had spoken.
"It was me.Atwight," admitted the sword.
Chris nearly fainted. "How can you talk? You're a sword. Or am I going insane?"
Atwight let out a sigh. "You are not insane and yes I can talk. We have a long way to Sienegald, so I'll explain everything about me on the way."
* * * By the time they retch Sienegald, Chris knew everything about the Aeth'er Wars and Swordians. It was true they arrived in Sienegald, but not in Darilshied. The ship had run aground near Cresta, and they had to walk to the capital.
On the way, the two talked about life. Chris spoke of her childhood, and especially her relationship with Paula, the baby of the family. Atwight told stories of her service in the E'rther Army, and her love for a young warrior named Dymlos. Along the rout, they also were forced to fight the monsters that attacked them.
After about an hour, they retch Darilshied. The first order of business was to trade the Lens they had received from monsters in for Gald. In the Oberon Corporation shop, Chris saw a young man. He had black hair and purple eyes like her, but while hers were a bit darker than his - - her midnight and amethyst to his black rose and violet. As she walked closer, she saw him conversing with a man who looked exactly like him, only he had a cane and was walking a dog. Chris guessed - - correctly as it would turn out - - that he was blind.
"Alex," said the boy who could see, "what are you going to do? You know Laser is uprising, and father would rather you be a warrior than me?"
Alex let out a sigh. "Father doesn't understand. I can't see, so I can't fight. Hugo, you are Chaltier's rightful wielder," he told the other boy.
Just then Hugo noticed Chris in the doorway. "Are you also a Swordian master?" she inquired.
"Not really. My brother Alex is the older son, but he is blind. That means everything is thrown on to me. But my mother died in childbed, so my father hates me," lamented Hugo.
Chris then said, "I'm sorry, Hugo.that's your name right?"
Hugo looked at Chris and answered by saying, "Yes. It's Hugo Gilchrist, Duke of Darilshied Sienegald and master of the Swordian Chaltier. And you would be?"
Now Chris didn't like to be outshone by anyone. She had to make her answer much better than his. "Christina Maria Katrea III: Lua Miral," she answered, "Princess of Carinz, Duchess of Cresta Sienegald, and master of the Swordian Atwight."
Alex told Hugo, "Yo, brother we better treat the princess with respect. How about I take her back to the mansion, while you get Jason and Belinda."
Chris then said to him, "Please don't call me princess. My brother is the one who will be king one day, my job is just to return to Sienegald to my mother's family estates."
Alex sighed. "Well, let's go then, see ya' later bro."
Hugo walked off, and Chris went with Alex. He seemed to know every street in Darilshied by heart, despite being born blind.
"It's because of Maya," said Alex when she asked.
"Who's Maya?" asked Chris. "An old girlfriend?"
Alex cleared his throat. "Maya was my mother's name. After she died, and I was about 5 or so, my father brought me a seeing eye dog. I named her Maya after my mother."
"Is that her?" wondered Chris pointing at Alex's dog.
"No." answered Alex. "She died 3 years ago. Maya wasn't exactly a puppy when I got her. This rascal's name is Miranda, after the mother of Jason, who helped me out much as a child."
They soon retch the mansion. Because they had taken a leisurely stroll, Hugo was coming up with two others about his age at the same time. The first was a man with blond hair and blue eyes. The other was a woman with green hair, and purple eyes framed with glasses. Both had swords of archaic design sheathed to their belts.
"Chris, meet my childhood friends Jason Aileron and Belinda Felice. Jason and Belinda, meet Chris Katrea, a comrade of ours in this war," introduced Hugo.
After shaking hands, all of them went inside. The first thing they did was head to the office of Hugo's father, Alexander Gilchrist I, President of Oberon Corporation.
"Son," stated Alexander gruffly, "I know why you're here. It's about Laser. Even thought Alex is older, I guess I'll let you go. There's no reason for my angel to risk his life because he's blind."
Alexander took a sword out of the cabinet and handed it to Hugo. Then, they retreated to Hugo's room to plan strategy.
Hugo, Jason, Belinda, and Chris put their weapons in the center of the table. The four Swordians glowed brightly in their elemental colors.
"It's nice to see you all again.especially you Dymlos," whispered Atwight.
"Aww.Atwight. If I was still human, you know I'd be blushing now," said Dymlos, who belonged to Jason, the joker of the group.
Chaltier, Hugo's Swordian, stated, "We should really get down to business, 'eh Clemente."
"We still need Igtenos," replied Clemente, whose master was quiet and shy Belinda. "Now what's the fastest way to find him and his master and get them here?"
Hugo and Jason decided to put their heads together-literally. When Chris asked about it, Belinda sighed. "They always do that to think. Now he should be the Prince of Phandaria, so we should just call the castle and ask him to come."
"Oh, no," exclaimed Hugo, "not on my phone bill. My father'll kill me."
"I didn't say on your phone bill. Watch this," said Belinda
* * *
RING. . .RING. . .RING. . .
In Castle Phandaria, Prince Sark picked up the phone. The operator announced, "I have a collect call for the Prince of Phandaria from Belinda Felice of Sienegald. Do you accept the charges?"
"DAD.." screamed Sark, "should I accept the call?"
The king poked his head in for a moment just to say, "Sure son." Then he returned to the movie he was watching with the queen.
"Ummmm.ok," answered the prince.
Then Belinda's voice was heard on the line. "Hello, I'm Belinda Felice from Darilshied. We need your help. The sorceress Laser is uprising again, and we need to unite the you-know-whats."
"I know," said Sark. "I'll get Igtenos and come right away."
Both hung up. Belinda was wearing a big smirk on her face and gave Hugo an 'I told you so' look, obviously from the fact that he didn't have to pay a cent.
"Hugo," asked Chris, "why does your father call Alex his angel?"
Hugo looked down and said, "There are six kids in my family. Marisa is the oldest. Melissa and Alicia are a year and 2 years younger. Then came Alex a year later, and finally me and my twin sister Allissa a year after him. Since Alex is the eldest son, he should be the heir. But since he is blind, he can't fight or do office work. So I'm the legitimate heir. But as I said, my mom died in childbed, and dad hates Allissa and I."
Chris looked at him. She couldn't really sympathize with him, both her parents loved her. But she could still try to cheer him up. So she said, "How about I treat you guys to the best restaurant in Darilshied. Just tell me where it is."
Everyone went outside. Just then, Sark flew in on his Pidgeot. He greeted everyone, and then joined them as they went to eat.
* * *
For several weeks, the five saw heavy action. Laser's evil monster army was attacking the city. These were not the usual monsters found in Sienegald. Made by Laser's magic, they did not use Lens as a source of energy. But our heroes had no trouble slaying them.
But after a month, disaster struck. Thomas Aileron, Jason's father, took the five to his bridge club in Harmentz. While they were away, a fire broke out in Darilshied as a result of Laser's army. When our heroes returned home, they went right to the hospital.
Thomas's wife, Miranda, had been out shopping with Hugo's sisters when the fires broke out, and Alex was at his special school. But other family members weren't so lucky. Belinda's parents died of a lack of oxygen, for they had been trapped in the attic. Chris's grandmother had died of severe burns, as had her aunt who was visiting. Her baby cousin, who had been sheltered by his mother's arms, was being cared for by Chris until his father could be contacted.
The only other victim still alive was Alexander. He was burned severely though. The doctors said he hadn't long to live, so he called in his children one by one to talk to them.
Hugo was called in last. When he looked into his father's eyes, he saw tears.
"I'm sorry, son. All these years I have.been unfair to you. I just.loved your mother so much. I shouldn't.have taken my anger.about her death.out on you," coughed out Alexander.
As Hugo began to cry, his father said, "Don't shed a tear Hugo. I'll be with your mother soon, and will finally be happy. Take care of Alex for me."
Hugo left the room and sat down by Chris and her cousin Lukas. She was playing peek-a-boo with the baby as the doctor was calling his father. Chris saw tears cascading down her friend's face.
Hugo explained what happened. After he finished, Chris-still grieving herself-burst into tears. Jason had a few to spend, as did Belinda. But Sark seemed to be crying the hardest of all.
"What happened?" asked Jason. With none of his family dead, he was crying the least of all.
Sark stopped crying. "I got a call from home. My parents and two younger brothers were killed in a fire that broke out in the castle. That witch." He slammed his hands on the table.
After Sark calmed down, they all went to the Inn to sleep. The next day they went to the king and received the coordinates to Laser's hideout.
The hideout was on an island near Carinz. Chris called her mother, and she agreed to meet them there. Since Thomas was helping Miranda clean up the mess left by the fire, Queen Christina was the only Laser war veteran left to help them.
They met on the island and headed towards Laser's fort. The sorceress herself was sitting on her throne, laughing like Kefka after he poisoned Doma castle.
"So.you fools have come to face me. Do you really think you can win?" she inquired.
Christina stood up. "That you killed my old boyfriend in combat was despicable enough. But to kill my mother, sister, and comrades when they were at home.that's unforgivable. I'll have my revenge."
Laser knew what that meant. She had heard that line by countless members of the Katrea clan, and the same thing always followed. "You mean you'll sacrifice your life to kill me?" she exclaimed.
Christina said nothing. She just closed you eyes and brought her aura up to protect her from Laser's attacks. She extended her hand, and a ball of light appeared. Suddenly, she drew her arm upward and the ball of light soared into the air over Laser's head. "TEMPEST!" screamed Christina. Then, the spell struck.
The brilliant colors almost blinded the five young warriors. When the light cleared, Laser lay bleeding on the ground. Christina lay weakly only a few feet away.
"Mother!" yelled Chris. She ran over and cradled Christina in her arms.
"Chris, I'm sorry. My desire for vengeance got the better of me. Please take good care of the estate. And live a long and happy life." Then, she was gone.
No there wasn't a girl in the next room who could be crushed by a boulder when freed from a trap, or a dragoon recovering from being possessed. As Chris held her mother in her arms, Laser rose and let out a Kefka laugh. Chris rose from where she was sitting, and raised Atwight for battle.
"No mortal can best the great Laser," the sorceress claimed.
Chris looked determined. "Maybe not, but it can't hurt to try. This is for my mother, ETERNAL FREEZ." Suddenly, for Laser, time froze. She was then sent back to her sealed prison, on a far away island, where no man could reach her.
Christina's body was taken to Carinz, so she could be buried in the place her husband would be when he died. The others returned to Sienegald and Phandaria to take charge of their family estates.
* * *
"What a story," said Stahn. "That was really my dad fighting with the group, wasn't it?"
Rutee answered, "Yes. Your dad, my parents, Philia's mom, and Garr's dad. It has been the same every Laser War, our ancestors and the Swordians. Let's go, I want to show you something."
They went to a small stature outside of town. On it read 'In loving memory of the victims of Laser War XXXXVII. May your deaths be always in our hearts to remind us of the cruelty of Laser.' Then Rutee put a bouquet of flowers on it and said, "May you all have found peace in death."
Rutee stood up and wiped away a tear. "Only one good thing came of this whole Final Fantasy cliched fiasco," she stated.
Stahn wondered, "What was that?"
"My parents, in their grief, reached out to each other for comfort. They fell in love and married 4 years later. I was born 2 years after that," she replied.
Stahn put his arm around her shoulder, and held her close. Rutee lay her head on his chest. "I love you, Rutee," he whispered.
Suddenly, she put her arms around him, and kissed him passionately. "I love you too," she whispered back. Then she kissed him again as Stahn held her close to him. As the sun set on the land of Sienegald, the two youths were finally expressing the love they had hid from each other for so long.
The End - - - -
Just a little short I cooked up with to tell about how Rutee's parents met in the first place. I don't think I'm the only one who wondered about that. It's somewhat connected with my Addicted to Trouble series. Tell me if I should change this to a multi-chaptered story with more detail of these events instead of a short story told by Rutee. I'd also like to advertise a little fic I'm placing in the game crossover section. It's a ToD story with little twists (items, spells, and plot devices) similar to a Final Fantasy. You really don't need to know about Final Fantasy to read it (since all Final Fantasy games are completely different).
"Hey Stahn, look at this," requested Rutee Katrea. She shoved an old leather bound book at him. "What's this.The Diary of Christina Maria Katrea III: Laser Wars XXXXVII?" asked Stahn
"Yes," said Rutee. "I'm writing a book on the 47th war with Laser, and my mother's diary has a lot of information on it. I've prepared my transcripts of the book. Do you want to read it?"
"Sure," replied Stahn. He picked up Rutee's notebook and began to read.
* * *
"Chris, are you really going?" inquired Christina Maria Katrea II, the queen of Carinz. Standing before her was a slim youngster in royal dress.
The girl sighed. "Mother, I'm 19 years old, hardly a child anymore. Besides you always told me that I'd have to go to Sienegald one day to return to your family estate, so why not now?"
The resemblance between the mother and daughter were uncanny. Both had midnight colored hair and amethyst eyes. The daughter could even hold her own against her mother in their family style of combat, the Kat style. But perhaps the most striking resemblance would be that they both shared the Pisces Zodiac sign.
Sent to Carinz as a young woman, Christina Maria Katrea II was to marry its young king to create a bond between the 'Magic Island' and her home of Sienegald. The agreement had been to send their eldest daughter back to Sienegald to inherit the Katrea estate.
The eldest daughter in question was Christina Maria Katrea III, who preferred being called Chris. She had always been eager to go, to escape her mother's overprotectiveness. It would be a relief to get away from all that.
"I'm just worried," admitted Christina, "Laser broke out of her seal again and you know what that means honey."
"That's why I've got to go," stated Chris. "I must fight her like our ancestors before me."
"Well.Ok." replied Christina. "But be careful. Mind your manners. Kiss your grandmother for me. Be wary of your magical powers. And above all, do not under any circumstances cast Tempest."
Chris cut in, "Yeh, yeh, I know. If I cast Tempest, I'll die. I can only use it in an extreme emergency and only if I have an heir. Now can I go mom?"
"One minuet," said Christina. She pulled out a sword that was sheathed to her belt, and handed it to Chris. "Take our family treasure, the Swordian Atwitght."
Chris said goodbye to her parents, twin brother George, and her little sisters Leslie and Paula. Then, she went to the harbor at San Jose and got on a boat to Darilshied.
As the boat sailed on, Chris looked at the sword in her hand. "Like you can't buy weapons in Sienegald. They'd probably be more effective than this thing. It's nearly 1000 years old for Pete's sate."
Suddenly, she heard a voice. "Humph, what you see is not always what you get. Appearances can be deceiving. The voice was definitely a woman's and sounded testy.
"What was that?!" shouted Chris, dropping her sword. It sounded as if the sword had spoken.
"It was me.Atwight," admitted the sword.
Chris nearly fainted. "How can you talk? You're a sword. Or am I going insane?"
Atwight let out a sigh. "You are not insane and yes I can talk. We have a long way to Sienegald, so I'll explain everything about me on the way."
* * * By the time they retch Sienegald, Chris knew everything about the Aeth'er Wars and Swordians. It was true they arrived in Sienegald, but not in Darilshied. The ship had run aground near Cresta, and they had to walk to the capital.
On the way, the two talked about life. Chris spoke of her childhood, and especially her relationship with Paula, the baby of the family. Atwight told stories of her service in the E'rther Army, and her love for a young warrior named Dymlos. Along the rout, they also were forced to fight the monsters that attacked them.
After about an hour, they retch Darilshied. The first order of business was to trade the Lens they had received from monsters in for Gald. In the Oberon Corporation shop, Chris saw a young man. He had black hair and purple eyes like her, but while hers were a bit darker than his - - her midnight and amethyst to his black rose and violet. As she walked closer, she saw him conversing with a man who looked exactly like him, only he had a cane and was walking a dog. Chris guessed - - correctly as it would turn out - - that he was blind.
"Alex," said the boy who could see, "what are you going to do? You know Laser is uprising, and father would rather you be a warrior than me?"
Alex let out a sigh. "Father doesn't understand. I can't see, so I can't fight. Hugo, you are Chaltier's rightful wielder," he told the other boy.
Just then Hugo noticed Chris in the doorway. "Are you also a Swordian master?" she inquired.
"Not really. My brother Alex is the older son, but he is blind. That means everything is thrown on to me. But my mother died in childbed, so my father hates me," lamented Hugo.
Chris then said, "I'm sorry, Hugo.that's your name right?"
Hugo looked at Chris and answered by saying, "Yes. It's Hugo Gilchrist, Duke of Darilshied Sienegald and master of the Swordian Chaltier. And you would be?"
Now Chris didn't like to be outshone by anyone. She had to make her answer much better than his. "Christina Maria Katrea III: Lua Miral," she answered, "Princess of Carinz, Duchess of Cresta Sienegald, and master of the Swordian Atwight."
Alex told Hugo, "Yo, brother we better treat the princess with respect. How about I take her back to the mansion, while you get Jason and Belinda."
Chris then said to him, "Please don't call me princess. My brother is the one who will be king one day, my job is just to return to Sienegald to my mother's family estates."
Alex sighed. "Well, let's go then, see ya' later bro."
Hugo walked off, and Chris went with Alex. He seemed to know every street in Darilshied by heart, despite being born blind.
"It's because of Maya," said Alex when she asked.
"Who's Maya?" asked Chris. "An old girlfriend?"
Alex cleared his throat. "Maya was my mother's name. After she died, and I was about 5 or so, my father brought me a seeing eye dog. I named her Maya after my mother."
"Is that her?" wondered Chris pointing at Alex's dog.
"No." answered Alex. "She died 3 years ago. Maya wasn't exactly a puppy when I got her. This rascal's name is Miranda, after the mother of Jason, who helped me out much as a child."
They soon retch the mansion. Because they had taken a leisurely stroll, Hugo was coming up with two others about his age at the same time. The first was a man with blond hair and blue eyes. The other was a woman with green hair, and purple eyes framed with glasses. Both had swords of archaic design sheathed to their belts.
"Chris, meet my childhood friends Jason Aileron and Belinda Felice. Jason and Belinda, meet Chris Katrea, a comrade of ours in this war," introduced Hugo.
After shaking hands, all of them went inside. The first thing they did was head to the office of Hugo's father, Alexander Gilchrist I, President of Oberon Corporation.
"Son," stated Alexander gruffly, "I know why you're here. It's about Laser. Even thought Alex is older, I guess I'll let you go. There's no reason for my angel to risk his life because he's blind."
Alexander took a sword out of the cabinet and handed it to Hugo. Then, they retreated to Hugo's room to plan strategy.
Hugo, Jason, Belinda, and Chris put their weapons in the center of the table. The four Swordians glowed brightly in their elemental colors.
"It's nice to see you all again.especially you Dymlos," whispered Atwight.
"Aww.Atwight. If I was still human, you know I'd be blushing now," said Dymlos, who belonged to Jason, the joker of the group.
Chaltier, Hugo's Swordian, stated, "We should really get down to business, 'eh Clemente."
"We still need Igtenos," replied Clemente, whose master was quiet and shy Belinda. "Now what's the fastest way to find him and his master and get them here?"
Hugo and Jason decided to put their heads together-literally. When Chris asked about it, Belinda sighed. "They always do that to think. Now he should be the Prince of Phandaria, so we should just call the castle and ask him to come."
"Oh, no," exclaimed Hugo, "not on my phone bill. My father'll kill me."
"I didn't say on your phone bill. Watch this," said Belinda
* * *
RING. . .RING. . .RING. . .
In Castle Phandaria, Prince Sark picked up the phone. The operator announced, "I have a collect call for the Prince of Phandaria from Belinda Felice of Sienegald. Do you accept the charges?"
"DAD.." screamed Sark, "should I accept the call?"
The king poked his head in for a moment just to say, "Sure son." Then he returned to the movie he was watching with the queen.
"Ummmm.ok," answered the prince.
Then Belinda's voice was heard on the line. "Hello, I'm Belinda Felice from Darilshied. We need your help. The sorceress Laser is uprising again, and we need to unite the you-know-whats."
"I know," said Sark. "I'll get Igtenos and come right away."
Both hung up. Belinda was wearing a big smirk on her face and gave Hugo an 'I told you so' look, obviously from the fact that he didn't have to pay a cent.
"Hugo," asked Chris, "why does your father call Alex his angel?"
Hugo looked down and said, "There are six kids in my family. Marisa is the oldest. Melissa and Alicia are a year and 2 years younger. Then came Alex a year later, and finally me and my twin sister Allissa a year after him. Since Alex is the eldest son, he should be the heir. But since he is blind, he can't fight or do office work. So I'm the legitimate heir. But as I said, my mom died in childbed, and dad hates Allissa and I."
Chris looked at him. She couldn't really sympathize with him, both her parents loved her. But she could still try to cheer him up. So she said, "How about I treat you guys to the best restaurant in Darilshied. Just tell me where it is."
Everyone went outside. Just then, Sark flew in on his Pidgeot. He greeted everyone, and then joined them as they went to eat.
* * *
For several weeks, the five saw heavy action. Laser's evil monster army was attacking the city. These were not the usual monsters found in Sienegald. Made by Laser's magic, they did not use Lens as a source of energy. But our heroes had no trouble slaying them.
But after a month, disaster struck. Thomas Aileron, Jason's father, took the five to his bridge club in Harmentz. While they were away, a fire broke out in Darilshied as a result of Laser's army. When our heroes returned home, they went right to the hospital.
Thomas's wife, Miranda, had been out shopping with Hugo's sisters when the fires broke out, and Alex was at his special school. But other family members weren't so lucky. Belinda's parents died of a lack of oxygen, for they had been trapped in the attic. Chris's grandmother had died of severe burns, as had her aunt who was visiting. Her baby cousin, who had been sheltered by his mother's arms, was being cared for by Chris until his father could be contacted.
The only other victim still alive was Alexander. He was burned severely though. The doctors said he hadn't long to live, so he called in his children one by one to talk to them.
Hugo was called in last. When he looked into his father's eyes, he saw tears.
"I'm sorry, son. All these years I have.been unfair to you. I just.loved your mother so much. I shouldn't.have taken my anger.about her death.out on you," coughed out Alexander.
As Hugo began to cry, his father said, "Don't shed a tear Hugo. I'll be with your mother soon, and will finally be happy. Take care of Alex for me."
Hugo left the room and sat down by Chris and her cousin Lukas. She was playing peek-a-boo with the baby as the doctor was calling his father. Chris saw tears cascading down her friend's face.
Hugo explained what happened. After he finished, Chris-still grieving herself-burst into tears. Jason had a few to spend, as did Belinda. But Sark seemed to be crying the hardest of all.
"What happened?" asked Jason. With none of his family dead, he was crying the least of all.
Sark stopped crying. "I got a call from home. My parents and two younger brothers were killed in a fire that broke out in the castle. That witch." He slammed his hands on the table.
After Sark calmed down, they all went to the Inn to sleep. The next day they went to the king and received the coordinates to Laser's hideout.
The hideout was on an island near Carinz. Chris called her mother, and she agreed to meet them there. Since Thomas was helping Miranda clean up the mess left by the fire, Queen Christina was the only Laser war veteran left to help them.
They met on the island and headed towards Laser's fort. The sorceress herself was sitting on her throne, laughing like Kefka after he poisoned Doma castle.
"So.you fools have come to face me. Do you really think you can win?" she inquired.
Christina stood up. "That you killed my old boyfriend in combat was despicable enough. But to kill my mother, sister, and comrades when they were at home.that's unforgivable. I'll have my revenge."
Laser knew what that meant. She had heard that line by countless members of the Katrea clan, and the same thing always followed. "You mean you'll sacrifice your life to kill me?" she exclaimed.
Christina said nothing. She just closed you eyes and brought her aura up to protect her from Laser's attacks. She extended her hand, and a ball of light appeared. Suddenly, she drew her arm upward and the ball of light soared into the air over Laser's head. "TEMPEST!" screamed Christina. Then, the spell struck.
The brilliant colors almost blinded the five young warriors. When the light cleared, Laser lay bleeding on the ground. Christina lay weakly only a few feet away.
"Mother!" yelled Chris. She ran over and cradled Christina in her arms.
"Chris, I'm sorry. My desire for vengeance got the better of me. Please take good care of the estate. And live a long and happy life." Then, she was gone.
No there wasn't a girl in the next room who could be crushed by a boulder when freed from a trap, or a dragoon recovering from being possessed. As Chris held her mother in her arms, Laser rose and let out a Kefka laugh. Chris rose from where she was sitting, and raised Atwight for battle.
"No mortal can best the great Laser," the sorceress claimed.
Chris looked determined. "Maybe not, but it can't hurt to try. This is for my mother, ETERNAL FREEZ." Suddenly, for Laser, time froze. She was then sent back to her sealed prison, on a far away island, where no man could reach her.
Christina's body was taken to Carinz, so she could be buried in the place her husband would be when he died. The others returned to Sienegald and Phandaria to take charge of their family estates.
* * *
"What a story," said Stahn. "That was really my dad fighting with the group, wasn't it?"
Rutee answered, "Yes. Your dad, my parents, Philia's mom, and Garr's dad. It has been the same every Laser War, our ancestors and the Swordians. Let's go, I want to show you something."
They went to a small stature outside of town. On it read 'In loving memory of the victims of Laser War XXXXVII. May your deaths be always in our hearts to remind us of the cruelty of Laser.' Then Rutee put a bouquet of flowers on it and said, "May you all have found peace in death."
Rutee stood up and wiped away a tear. "Only one good thing came of this whole Final Fantasy cliched fiasco," she stated.
Stahn wondered, "What was that?"
"My parents, in their grief, reached out to each other for comfort. They fell in love and married 4 years later. I was born 2 years after that," she replied.
Stahn put his arm around her shoulder, and held her close. Rutee lay her head on his chest. "I love you, Rutee," he whispered.
Suddenly, she put her arms around him, and kissed him passionately. "I love you too," she whispered back. Then she kissed him again as Stahn held her close to him. As the sun set on the land of Sienegald, the two youths were finally expressing the love they had hid from each other for so long.
The End - - - -
Just a little short I cooked up with to tell about how Rutee's parents met in the first place. I don't think I'm the only one who wondered about that. It's somewhat connected with my Addicted to Trouble series. Tell me if I should change this to a multi-chaptered story with more detail of these events instead of a short story told by Rutee. I'd also like to advertise a little fic I'm placing in the game crossover section. It's a ToD story with little twists (items, spells, and plot devices) similar to a Final Fantasy. You really don't need to know about Final Fantasy to read it (since all Final Fantasy games are completely different).