A/N: Just a quick one-shot story. This takes place before the group heads off to Memoria. Reviews are welcome as always. ^_~
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy IX or any of its characters or places.
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Land of Eternal Rain
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Burmecia. Her broken homeland. Returning here brought no happiness, no sign of joy, to the dragon knight's heart. Ever falling rain matted her silvery hair down against her face and neck.
Things had changed so quickly. Her country destroyed within a mere day.
She stood by the fountain. The only water the chipped stone basin contained was from the rain. Before her stood the hollow remains of her king's palace. It had been the pride of the city. Servants, visitors, officials, and villagers had once crowded the ornate hallways. The only occupants now were monsters and corpses. The walls had been ravaged by a variety of black magic spells.
Roofs of buildings and homes had caved in. Broken pottery, barrels, and statues littered the streets.
The last time she had been here, dead or dying people were strewn along the streets. She had seen too many of her old friends lying on the stone, their blood mixing with the water turning it a dull reddish brown. Clear puddles took the place of those bodies now. The corpses had been carried off by relatives and friends who had come back briefly for any sign of hope.
She had failed her country. She had deserted it to look for her lost love. A love who hadn't even remembered her name. Her own words echoed in her mind, To be forgotten is worse than death… Would Burmecia be forgotten by the world too? May if she had stayed, Burmecia would still be thriving. Maybe her people would be safe, instead of refugees in Lindblum. How could she be so selfish as to put herself before her kingdom?
A tear ran down her face, merging with the lingering raindrops.
"Don't blame yourself, Freya," Zidane said softly from behind her, "Kuja was the cause of all of this. Not you."
Her thoughts seethed with animosity at the mention of the man's name.
Kuja. He was the one who turned the great nations of the mist continent against each other. He had killed Garnet's mother and not to mention countless others, who were far more innocent than Brahne. Now, he was somewhere at the Iifa Tree. They weren't sure what he was doing, but it couldn't be anything good. Nothing good could come from that demon, not after all the things he had done.
"Are you ready?" Zidane asked calmly.
Her clawed grip tightened around her powerful spear. When they came back, if they came back, she would help rebuild Burmecia. She wasn't able stop its destruction, but she could try to bring it back to its former glory. She would give a home to both Cleyrans and Burmecians alike, and to future members of her race.
She gave a decisive nod before speaking, "Yes."
Zidane smiled, "Alright then, let's go get that bastard."
Kuja would pay for his actions. Freya vowed on her life and soul to avenge her kingdom and her people...
