DISCLAIMER: Final Fantasy VI and its characters are wholly the properties of Square Enix. This story is written purely for entertainment and not profit.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: We've finally arrived at the last character, and it's none other than the bride herself. Quite a bit has already been revealed from the resolutions of the other characters, but just like her introductory text in the actual game indicates, there is far more to her than what meets the eye. Enjoy the longest of all the characters' resolutions!

Resolutions

Written by daBOSSz

Chapter 9: Celes

It took quite a bit of willpower for Celes to finally release Mog from their hug and let M3 leave her temporary chambers. Throughout the past half hour, every member of the family had been paying her visits while she continued her preparations for the ceremony. M3 had been the last, and by the time of their visit, the twenty-four-year-old bride could no longer hold back the tears of joy welling up in her eyes that she had been fighting against.

The general in her had refused to cry, but Celes Chere had always been more than just a general, and the friend in her eventually overruled her military toughness. She did not cry when Sabin complimented her strength nor when Cyan praised her for her honor. She did not cry when Gau and Relm fawned over how gorgeous she looked in her gown or how much they admired her and Locke's relationship as a model for their own. She did not cry when Setzer credited her with helping him rediscover his potential, even giving him a laugh when he joked with her about how the two of them should already be happily married to each other. However, the aggregation of all her friends' visits combined with having not seen M3 since she became engaged to Locke finally sent Celes' tears flowing. She had to apologize to Umaro for smudging some of her makeup onto his fur, but the yeti took it in great stride.

Celes re-approached the vanity and wiped the tears from her face. As she re-applied the tiny blemishes of makeup that her tears had slightly smeared, thoughts about how fortunate she had been started running through her mind.

She was not even supposed to be alive at this moment, let alone marrying the man who rescued her from the brink of death. For all the victories she had been responsible for while serving under Emperor Gestahl, her decision to uphold honor over duty instantly sent her to her execution. She did not know why fate had brought Locke to her that day—she was even prepared to die with dignity—but his genuine desire to keep her protected even while knowing she was the enemy stunned her enough to give him a chance. After all, it was honor that brought her to him, and it was honor that he showed in saving her.

Little did she know it would be the best decision she would ever make.

Locke and she survived a false accusation of betrayal. They then survived the literal apocalypse. They survived his wounded heart. They survived over a year of her guilt-ridden drama. They rebuilt their lives around each other, strengthening the bonds that had started forming on that fateful day in the basement of the South Figaro manor that now stood only steps from their current home. It was still baffling to wonder how exactly they did it, but somehow, some way, they had permanently latched onto each other's hearts and reached their wedding day.

Celes smirked at imagining what Locke might be feeling at the moment, venturing a guess toward the likelihood that he was fussing about his annoyance and discomfort over adorning his wedding garbs. He would certainly not gripe about it out in the open, especially not on his wedding day, but she knew him well enough to safely assume that he was probably counting down the seconds until he could shed his current attire for something more suitable to his free-spirited personality.

Her chamber doors opened, and Terra stepped back in.

"I think those three were gushing about your dress more than Relm was," Terra remarked, earning a slight giggle from the bride as she sat back down and let her companion continue to prepare her for the ceremony.

To say that Celes was thankful for Terra would be the biggest understatement anyone on the planet could make. Locke may be the one who held Celes' heart, but Terra was the one who shared her soul. Ironically, for a woman who claimed that she could not understand love throughout much of her life, Terra had taught Celes more about love than anyone else she had ever known. Celes may have learned about compassion initially from Cid, but it was Terra's influence that finally helped her understand the full extent and impact of her emotions.

Celes remembered the evening before the group assaulted Kefka's tower when she first confided in Terra. It was the first time that the general in her had openly shared her genuine fear, expressing her hesitancy over the very likely possibility that their ragtag team would not survive their final mission. It was also when she realized the chance that, even if they did succeed, Terra's esper lineage may prevent her from existing beyond the end.

While she expected some sort of nervousness on Terra's part, Celes was genuinely surprised that Terra was more motivated than the others to carry forth with their objective. Terra confidently declared that she had found too many reasons to fight—the orphans of Mobliz, the future of the planet, and especially the well-being of their mismatched family—to allow fear and sorrow to hold her back. Her confidence projected onto the group once the fight began, and her selflessness in sacrificing her remaining strength to guide the group out of Kefka's tower was the reason any of them lived to tell the tale.

Life without magic was a learning process for everyone, but nobody expected that Terra would have the smoothest transition; after all, she was the only one who lost an entire half of her lineage. While Celes, Strago, and Relm all suffered from withdrawal symptoms, casting off her esper side wound up making Terra feel as though she had been completely freed from the all the burdens that magic had caused her. This, in combination with the guilt that they both shared, was why Terra became the beacon that Celes leaned on for both physical and emotional support in a post-magic world.

Guilt for serving as a Gestahlian commander first crept into Celes shortly after the dust had settled on Kefka's defeat. Although she had stayed with Locke in South Figaro, Celes frequently traveled to Mobliz—especially when Locke was away on his adventures—to seek out Terra, feeling as though nobody else matched the former esper's level of empathy. They openly discussed all of their regrets about being used as puppets under Gestahl's power-hungry moves and the strangeness in their bodies of suddenly living without magic, bonding even tighter over their sorrows and awkward changes. Her hope was that, by mutually confiding their remorse, Celes would find the outlet she needed to rid herself of her past burdens.

Tragically, her guilt wound up sinking her deeper into a depressive state, and Celes desperately tried to seek out distractions to dispel such feelings. This was why she did not hesitate to take Edgar up on his offer to become a general for Figaro; even though it meant returning to her old line of work, Celes felt it would be a welcomed interruption from her increasingly nagging repentance. Unfortunately, she grossly miscalculated, and as her regrets continued to pile up around her, she began losing more control over her emotions.

Celes' internal strife manifested itself into an aggressive exterior, culminating in weeks of angry outbursts from dawn through well-after dusk. The Figaro army took a large brunt of it when she let her rage loose on them during their training sessions, refusing to show them any signs of satisfaction at any of their progress. When she could not dissipate her frustrations at work, she carried them home to Locke, lashing out at him over every tiny fault she could find. Externally, she knew she had become a raw nightmare, but internally, she was desperately screaming for help, trying to find any method possible to destroy the demons from her past that refused to leave her alone.

During this turbulent time, the only person who she could not bring herself to be angry with was Terra, and to this day, Celes still did not fully understand why. It felt almost as though her visits to Mobliz—sometimes alone and sometimes with the army—became a calming mechanism. As if by intuition, Terra knew the chaos that had polluted Celes' mind was from her unresolved guilt, and it was Terra who empowered her through messages of love to regain enough strength to avoid being swallowed by her augmenting rage. She later learned that Terra had also counseled Locke, urging him to avoid giving into any dark thoughts he may have had about losing faith in their relationship, which further solidified her already-resilient bonds with the former esper.

When Locke surprised her by asking Edgar to grant her leave, Celes initially showed him her frustration; however, when his response was unexpected praise, the walls that her ghosts had surrounded her with to keep him out began crumbling. Afterward, it took only a few days for him to break through the stubborn barriers that had been erected, and once he did, she gave herself to him completely. Celes cried harder than she had ever cried; even Cid's death had not caused her to shed as many tears compared with the much-needed breakdown she had in front of Locke.

She remembered the comfort of his arms when he held her tightly. She remembered his soothing words, offering her instant forgiveness and reassuring her that he would fight her demons alongside her. She remembered feeling a new wave of guilt, one that replaced the remorse she held for serving under Gestahl with the remorse she now harbored for attempting to tear apart the man who loved her. Then, just as quickly, she remembered how he sternly and affectionately ordered her to absolve herself of that newfound guilt, adamantly insisting that there was no longer anything left for him to exonerate.

Gradually, with Locke's expertise, Celes let go of her past and channeled the lessons she had learned in productive ways to yield far more positive results. For the first time ever, she began to actually enjoy her work as a general, taking time to know her soldiers rather than treat them solely as chess pieces. When Edgar noticed that she was back to her old self, he did not hesitate to promote her to head commander of Figaro's entire army. She felt secure enough to refortify the ties that she shared with the other members of their mismatched family, including paying Strago frequent visits and being inspired by his own strength after she received the news of his illness. Most importantly, she allowed herself to start falling for Locke all over again, and once their spark was reignited, Celes made sure this time that it would stay lit.

As Terra put the finishing touches on her wedding gown, Celes realized yet again the enormous number of blessings that she had been dealt. Six years ago, she had been a day away from her execution. She was not supposed to be rescued, but she was. She and her rescuer were not supposed to fall for each other, but they did. She was not supposed to survive throwing herself off the cliff on Solitary Island, but she did. Then, after bonding with a group of unlikely heroes and saving the world from the most vile and shrewd madman—feats that were never supposed to happen either—her guilt should have torn her apart from her love and brought about her doom, but he actually chose to stand beside her and helped her conquer the ghosts of her past. She did not know what she had ever done to deserve so many blessings, but she had long since vowed to never acquiesce to her guilt again.

Terra finished her work, and Celes reached into the vanity's drawer to grab the final item she insisted on wearing for the wedding. She unfurled the navy-blue bandana—the same one that had found its way to her via the seagull when she regained consciousness on the beaches of Solitary Island—wrapping it around her forehead and under her hair. She knew it would stand out from her all-white wedding attire, but the item was simply too priceless to her heart for her to exclude.

"You look so beautiful," Terra complimented upon placing the translucent veil atop her head over the bandana. "Okay, it's time. Ready?"

Celes stood up and gave herself a final glance in the mirror. She would never openly display any vanity, but she truly did look gorgeous. Terra had come through for her once again.

The bride turned around and enveloped Terra in a warm, tight embrace, pressing their cheeks together and burying her head in Terra's neck while rocking her green-haired friend back and forth and refusing to release her.

"Thank you," Celes whispered. "I'll never be able to repay you for everything you've done for me."

"We're sisters," Terra remarked in return. "We'll always look out for each other."

As if making good on her word, the moment they parted from their embrace, Terra grabbed a handkerchief and dabbed the corners of Celes' eyes to prevent any tears from running down and smudging her makeup for a second time. This brought out a slight giggle from the bride as she fought back even harder to keep new tears from forming. Terra then handed Celes the silk bouquet that Cyan had made before guiding her out of the chambers and down the hallway until they reached the doors to the throne room. They stood off to the side while Terra gave her final instructions.

"Everyone is ready," she informed. "The moment you hear the music, the guards will open the doors. You'll know exactly how to march. Trust me."

That comment brought about a look intrigue from Celes, but she did not ask any questions. She simply responded with a nod for Terra to exit into the throne room first, leaving Celes alone to await the start of her moment.

As she waited, Celes closed her eyes and let her memory drift back to several months ago when she finally knew this day would be realized.

Locke brought her on his latest treasure hunt, telling her that he had discovered something previously hidden within the caves of Mt. Zozo. They trekked through all the caves, yet they found nothing. They decided to take a break at the peak before heading down.

"You know, when we found Cyan here, we were so focused on him and our mission that I never took the time to admire the view," Celes commented, staring off into the distance.

"Well, now you get a chance to enjoy it," Locke remarked from behind her.

Celes detected a hint of nervousness in his voice, and her intuition kicked in.

"Locke?" she asked, turning around. "Is everything okay?"

He walked up to her and took her left hand in between his two.

"Celes," he began speaking, "we met in a deep, dark room under a giant mansion in South Figaro. It was both figuratively and literally the lowest point for either of us at the time. But this mountain…this is the highest point on the planet. It's also the highest point that a man like me can reach by himself."

It was at that moment when he dropped to one knee and pulled out a silver ring from one of his pockets. Celes could only gasp in shock.

"But with you," he continued, denying her a chance to put her surprise into words, "there are no limits to how high we can climb. This is the treasure that I discovered hidden here. It's yours if you're willing to take me higher. Let's see how high we can reach…together."

"Yes!" she exclaimed without a shred of hesitation almost instantly after he finished speaking. "Of course I'll marry you!"

Music started playing in the throne room through Edgar's noiseblaster tool, which Celes knew he had long ago reconfigured to broadcast and entertain instead of confuse. The soothing hymn brought her back to the present, and she steadied herself for the big moment that was now only seconds away. She took a few deep breaths as the doors were pulled open from the other side, then stepped forward into the aisle, revealing herself in her full bridal gown for everyone to see.

What froze her in place was not the presence of her family though, despite their eyes and smiles glued to her. It was not even Locke, whose jaw was wide open as he stared at her, unable to blink. Instead, it was the figure standing off to the side of the twin thrones: a blond-haired damsel dressed in an elegant opera gown who looked like her carbon copy.

"Maria…" Celes mouthed, knowing that the entire room saw her stunned expression as she did so.

Everyone who was present, including the opera performer, broadened their grins and nodded in her direction. Celes beamed back in response, giving herself a few seconds to soak in both the surprise and the scene as a whole. Once the feeling of astonishment washed over her, she found the resolve to begin her walk down the aisle, never dropping her smile.

As soon as Celes took her first gradual steps, Maria's melodic soprano voice bellowed throughout the throne room in perfect harmony with the music.

"O my hero, my beloved,

We shall never be apart,

The promises of perennial love

Yet sing here in my heart..."

A distant memory of her own performance triggered in Celes' mind, and she instantly recognized that some of the lyrics had been changed.

"Through the darkness, we're the starlight

Shining brightly from afar.

In hours of despair, I offered my prayer

That you're my evening star."

She continued her walk and redirected her attention to Locke, who still had not taken his widened eyes off her.

"As my final vows exchanged

Shall now grant my heart to you!

With you being here to quiet my fear…

Your love guides me anew."

She could no longer hold back the tear in her eye. With both of her hands gripping the bouquet, she allowed the droplet to cascade down her face.

"I am thankful, my beloved,

For your tenderness and grace.

I see in your eyes, so gentle and wise,

All doubts and fears erased!"

As she neared the twin thrones where Locke was standing, Celes briefly closed her eyes and simply let Maria's voice carry her through her final steps.

"Though the hours take no notice

Of what fate might have in store,

Our love, come what may, will never age a day.

We're now forevermore!"

She reached Locke just as Maria finished her last words. It was precisely as Terra had predicted: she knew exactly how to march. She turned to face Locke, finally able to fully observe the amusing sight of him dressed as elegantly as a grand duke.

"Hey," was all Celes managed to say.

"Hey," came Locke's response, "and wow!"

Celes had to suppress a giggle. His words may have been simple, but they were pure Locke.

Edgar stepped forward from between the twin thrones, taking his place to officiate the wedding.

"How's that for a surprise?" Edgar quietly quipped at her. "She rewrote those lyrics just for you, you know."

"I'll make sure to thank her later," Celes replied graciously.

"Fantastic," Edgar acknowledged in a soft murmur. "Are you ready?"

Both Celes and Locke gave their king friend a nod.

"Then let's begin."

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I planned to have Maria sing at the wedding from the moment I started brainstorming this story. After all, is there any song that's better for Celes to walk down the aisle to than her own theme? Of course, I couldn't keep the actual lyrics, since those are about a love lost instead of one that is found, so I had to rewrite a few lines. Also, I based my rewrite on the GBA lyrics (which sound smoother) instead of the SNES translation.

That covers every character's individual resolution, but this story isn't over. There will be three more chapters to wrap up the entire tale, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy the rest of it.

As always, please feel free to leave me feedback. I love hearing from you! Until next time!