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: With every character's resolution now covered, the story must press on. A huge thank you to everyone who has been following this story through this point. I know FF6 doesn't have the largest fanbase, but there are plenty of dedicated fans out there, and I can only hope that what I'm writing is satisfying enough for you. Okay, onward!
Resolutions
Written by daBOSSz
Chapter 10: New Beginnings
"Friends, family," Edgar spoke, projecting his voice across the throne room, "we're gathered here to celebrate a day we've waited six years for: the matrimonial union of Celes Chere and Locke Cole."
The king took a quick scan across the confines to see smiles on everyone's faces (including Gogo, who could not hide his grin from Edgar despite his multiple layers of clothing). Seating was evenly spread out: Terra, Sabin, Setzer, and Gogo were on one side, while Cyan, Gau, Mog, and Umaro occupied the other. Relm had placed her easel in the middle of the aisle slightly farther back from the front row and was hidden behind her canvas, and Edgar could see from the rapid stroking of her brush that she had already begun to immortalize the moment.
"The journey that these two have taken to reach this day is, in many ways, a microcosm of all of our journeys through our lives," Edgar continued. "Their meeting, like most of our meetings with the people we encounter, was unplanned. They fell in love when they did not expect to. They've experienced their fair share of highs and lows, and throughout it all, they've shown us how the true strength of love can overcome any adversity. They define both dedication and resiliency."
Edgar then turned his focus back onto the bride and groom themselves.
"Celes, Locke," he said to them in a slightly toned-down volume that was still loud enough for the entire room to hear, "we all feel fortunate to have you be such an inseparable part of our lives, fortunate that you've been willing to share so much of your journey together with us. We know you don't need it, and we know it's clearly unnecessary for us to say it, but we still want to give you our collective blessing for your union."
Both Celes and Locke mouthed a joint "thank you" to the king before turning back to face each other.
"I shall now step aside and yield the floor to the bride and groom as they make their vows," Edgar finished up, nodding and taking a step back.
"Locke," Celes spoke first, "when we first met, you rescued me from certain doom. When the world ended, you became the hope in my hour of doubt. When our quest was completed, you made sure our story continued. When I succumbed to my darkness, you were there to pull me back into the light. When I didn't believe in us, you believed for both of us. You're the reason I'm standing here today, and you're the reason I want to stand beside you forever, as yours and only yours."
A few sniffles could be heard from the audience. Even Edgar himself was finding it difficult to not shed a tear, but he managed to maintain his cheerful smile.
"Celes," Locke began, "we met during a time in my life when little made sense. But soon, amidst all the chaos, you became my clarity. You healed my heart when it was wounded. You allowed me to be myself while your love and care made me a better version of myself, stronger and wiser than I'd ever been. There's no other person I'd want to spend forever with but you. I cannot wait for us to continue our journey side-by-side."
Edgar gave the attendees a few seconds to let their emotions out. As he looked around the room, he saw that everyone was now desperately trying to hold themselves together. Terra was already showing signs that she had been crying, Cyan was leaning forward with his head in his hands, Sabin was biting his lower lip, Gau and Mog were clutching each other while taking deep breaths, Setzer was rapidly rubbing his face, and even Umaro's and Gogo's eyes were starting to water. He could not see Relm's expression, but Edgar detected the slight trembling of the teen girl's arm as she tried to continue painting through the stirring moment.
Composing himself, Edgar stepped forward to resume his duties.
"Celes Chere," he spoke, "do you take Locke Cole to be your wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'til death do you part?"
"Of course I do," Celes softly answered with affection.
"Locke Cole," Edgar continued, "do you take Celes Chere to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, 'til death do you part?"
"Absolutely I do," Locke responded with equal warmth.
"Then by the authority vested in me as King of Figaro, I now pronounce you husband and wife," Edgar declared, then flashed Locke a slightly playful smile. "Just kiss her already, you big lug!"
Locke hooked his arms around Celes' waist and brought her lips to his, and as she responded by clutching him around his neck, the throne room erupted into cheers. For anyone who may have been watching from afar, it was difficult to believe that there were only nine guests and a few guards around, because the noise level suddenly made it feel as though an entire crowd had exploded in excitement.
"Here," Relm said, handing the painting to Locke. "It should be dry by now."
"Oh, my goodness!" Locke exclaimed. "Relm! This is beyond words!"
It truly was a magnificent painting that captured the wedding in almost picture-perfect realism. Not only had Relm managed to encapsulate the atmosphere exactly as it was set up, but her detailed depictions of everyone's expressions also accurately showcased the mood of the entire ceremony. Locke was completely flabbergasted by the reminder of her talent.
"Attention, everyone!" Locke called out, and the banquet hall was silent in an instant. "Look at what Relm painted."
Gasps were heard from every person as their eyes landed on the finished product.
"Relm, you did all this?" Celes, who had been speaking with Terra on the side, cried with joy. "It's…it's…"
"Oh, come on!" Relm responded slightly exasperated. "You act like you've never seen my art before."
Celes walked up to admire the painting for a few seconds before approaching Relm.
"Thank you," she said beamingly to the girl. "Locke and I will cherish this forever."
Relm temporarily dropped her spunky exterior and gave the newlyweds a genuine smile of appreciation.
"You're very welcome," the teen replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to paint this reception too."
She walked away as Locke placed the painting in the front of the room, on display for everyone to view for the duration of the reception. He then returned to Celes, who flashed him the radiant smile he always loved. The two of them panned their eyes across the hall that Edgar had set up to host their reception, seeing their friends now separated into smaller cliques with each holding their own conversations.
"We're so lucky to have them," Celes remarked.
"Yeah," Locke reaffirmed. "We definitely are."
"Sir Sabin," Cyan called out, walking up to his old friend. "My daughter has a favor to ask of thee."
"Lola?" Sabin asked. "What can I help her with?"
"As thou know, I have trained her in the art of bushido," Cyan replied. "Yet she wishes to further her skills by learning novel combat styles."
"Really?" Sabin said.
"Indeed," Cyan answered. "She believes she can grow stronger by combining her knowledge from bushido with other disciplines. Would thou be willing to take her on as another disciple?"
Sabin could only let out a small laugh at Cyan's question.
"Like you even have to ask, Cyan," he remarked. "Of course I'll train her!"
"How long have you three had that chocobo?" Setzer asked.
"He's been with us since the beginning, kupo," Mog answered. "We rely on him for pretty much everything, kupo."
"Hmm, he's getting up there in years then, isn't it?" Setzer questioned.
"Yeah, he is, kupo," Mog said. "But he's still very tough and strong, kupo."
"Oh, I have no doubt he is," Setzer remarked. "But I still want to propose something to you: how would the three of you like to team up with me for a while and entertain for the Falcon Casino? It'll make your travel faster, and your chocobo can take some time off."
Setzer watched as Mog gave him a look of intrigue. He had wanted to ask if M3 could come along with him for some time, but their paths did not always cross due to differing schedules.
"I'll need to talk with Umaro and Gogo first, kupo," Mog responded.
"Of course," Setzer reassured. "Take all the time you need. No rush at all."
"Thank you, kupo," Mog said smiling, then walked away to join in another conversation.
Setzer perused the room once Mog was gone, seeing all of his friends in the middle of their own chats. He started to wonder which group he should hitch himself onto next, but before he could even get a thought out, a voice from behind him caught his attention.
"So, you're the famous Setzer Gabbiani," the lady said.
Setzer's head turned and met her eyes.
"Maria," he acknowledged. "We finally speak."
"Indeed, we do," the opera star affirmed. "I heard you once pined for my affection."
"I may have," he chuckled, then decided to humor her a little more. "Perhaps I still do."
"Hah!" she gave him a slight snicker. "Don't push your luck, gambler. I'm here at the invitation of the King of Figaro to sing for the young lady who saved me from you."
"Oh, I know," Setzer shrugged. "Have you had a chance to speak with her yet?"
"Of course," she answered. "I owed her for what she did. It's hard to believe she's a general. To this day, the impresario continues to rave about her lone performance of my role."
"I owe her my gratitude as well," Setzer added. "She's a great motivator."
A brief silence fell between the two, providing Maria with the opportunity to steer the dialogue in another direction as both of them continued to keep their eyes on the room.
"So, I've heard that you've built quite the reputation for yourself," she said. "You wound up saving the planet, your airship casino is a sight for sore eyes everywhere, and you've used your earnings to aid in plenty of rebuilding projects."
"I'm just doing what I can," Setzer responded, unsure of how to handle her sudden praise.
"No need to be so humble," she teased. "You've shown the world you have a good heart. It's not a trait everyone possesses."
"What can I say?" he remarked. "I'm blessed to have such positively influential friends."
Maria turned her eyes in Setzer's direction and slowly approached him, drawing a slightly puzzled look across the gambler's face.
"You know, as much as I feared you all those years ago for trying to kidnap me, there was always a part of me that wanted to experience the thrill of riding on an airship," she admitted, and Setzer could see her cheeks turning slightly pink. "Perhaps it might not be out of the ordinary for me to request such a favor from you now?"
Setzer could only grin. Had he been six years younger, he would have jumped for joy at receiving such a request from the beautiful opera singer, but he was far more mature and composed now to respond in such a manner.
"Aren't you afraid I might kidnap you?" he quipped.
"Maybe," she answered. "But isn't gambling all about risk?"
That brought a laugh out of Setzer.
"I can't argue with that," he admitted. "If that's what you want, then I'd welcome you aboard."
The two exchanged smiles of appreciation.
Edgar scanned the room after another enjoyable chat. The reception was into its third hour by now, and the conversations never died down, highlighting just how much the family missed each other. While he indulged in his fair share of socializing, Edgar's main focus remained on Relm's progress with her second painting. As she started putting the finishing touches on it, Edgar knew it was time to move on with the plan.
Only a select few within their family knew what was about to happen. Edgar's eyes caught those who did and gave each of them a nod, signaling that the moment had come. They nonchalantly moved themselves into position, acting completely normal and raising no suspicions. Edgar himself returned to the front of the banquet hall.
Relm completed her work and brought it to Edgar. The king simply stared for a few seconds, still awestruck by the artistic talents of the sixteen-year-old. The reception was beautifully painted: the decorations in the hall were just as colorful as they actually looked, and every participant (including Maria) wore a different expression on his or her face that highlighted each individual's distinct personalities. Relm even made sure to paint both Strago and Shadow into the background, implying their spiritual presence.
"Unbelievable," Edgar remarked to the teen.
She rolled her eyes in response, but it was in a way that suggested she was both appreciative and playfully apprehensive about the compliment, a way that reflected the personality everybody loved about her.
"Look here, everyone!" Edgar called out to the room. "Relm has done it again!"
Every pair of eyes turned toward the painting, and multiple utters of "wow" could be heard.
"Relm," Celes spoke first before anyone else had a chance, "how do you keep outdoing yourself like this?"
"Come on, Celes," Relm responded in her distinctly sassy voice. "I just do what I love."
"Well, it looks incredible as always," Celes remarked, then glanced across the room to make sure she had everyone else's attention. "In fact, I feel like I should give you something in return."
Before Relm could respond, Celes walked up to the girl and handed her the silk bouquet that she had held for her wedding. This drew a look of confusion from Relm and puzzled stares from some of the others.
"Your bouquet?" the girl asked.
"Yes," Celes confirmed.
"Aren't you supposed to toss it for Terra, Maria, and me to catch?" Relm wondered.
"I'm choosing not to," Celes responded, placing it in the teen's hands and quickly stepping aside without giving her a chance to say anything else.
The moment Celes moved away, Gau moved in and gently took one of Relm's hands.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Relm finally managed to say with a mixture of surprise and bewilderment.
"Relm," Gau spoke, "Gau love you. We still young and learning. We still changing. But Gau know love for Relm won't change. Love for you permanent. We not Celes and Locke. We not ready yet. Gau don't even have ring yet. But when we ready, Gau want to know if Relm will marry Gau."
"You're supposed to get down on one knee, Gau!" Sabin lightheartedly instructed, earning a laugh from everyone in the room. Gau flushed red and kneeled as he was told.
Relm remained floored by the sudden proposal. Edgar watched as her expression shifted from shocked and confused to overwhelmed. The room was silent, but in a respectful manner, fully understanding how strenuous the moment could be for the teen artist.
"Uh…" she finally managed to utter after some time. "I don't know, Gau. I'd have to ask my grandfather how he feels about this first."
Edgar knew she likely expected Gau to flash a hint of disappointment and was likely even more confused when the feral boy's smile just grew wider. The king's eyes turned to the back of the banquet hall, knowing what was coming.
"No need, Lady Relm," Cyan's voice rose from the other side, redirecting everyone's eyes to follow Edgar's. The Doman warrior was holding up a scroll in his hand. "Your grandfather has already given his answer."
Cyan unfurled the scroll and began reading.
"I, Strago Magus of Thamasa, hereby grant my heartfelt blessing to the union of Celes Chere and Locke Cole. May their marriage bring eternal happiness. In addition, I inform all in attendance that the child Gau has sought me out to ask for my granddaughter's hand, and I have granted him my complete blessing to do so."
Cyan walked across the banquet hall and showed Relm the scroll. Edgar knew that anyone in their family who peered at the text would have identified it as Strago's unique handwriting and signature without a second glance.
After staring at her grandfather's words for several long seconds, Relm looked up at Cyan.
"How many of you were in on this?" she demanded.
"'Twas only Sir Gau, thy grandfather, Lady Celes, King Edgar, and yours truly," Cyan admitted.
"It's true," Locke said, and his expression showed his honesty. "Celes didn't even tell me she was going to do this. Terra?"
"I didn't know either," Terra responded, displaying the same surprised reaction.
Edgar watched Relm's eyes peruse the room, still refusing to believe what was happening. Approximately half a minute later, she finally returned her attention to Gau and took a deep breath.
"Yes, Gau," she answered him. "Yes, I will."
Gau swooped Relm into a tight embrace and rocked her back and forth. He did not kiss her, and Edgar knew it was because Relm disliked participating in overt public displays of affection. However, Relm, who always refused to show anything that could be considered a sign of weakness while in front of a crowd, did finally let her tears of happiness flow as she clutched Gau equally as tightly.
The entire room applauded for at least a whole minute while the two youngest members of the family shared their moment. Once the clapping had died down and everyone dispersed back into small conversation groups again, Edgar simply stood and internally reveled in the events of the day.
"You're amazing, you know that?" came a familiar lady's voice from his side.
Edgar turned to give his attention to Terra, noticing that the two of them were now in their own area of the hall away from the earshot of others.
"Putting together this wedding, setting up that proposal…" Terra continued, "doing all that while still running a kingdom around the clock."
"I can't take all the credit," he responded with sincere humility. "Castle staff did most of the work."
She walked a few steps closer to him, shifting her glance to their family once she had gotten near enough to be within his arm's length.
"You know, I've been thinking lately," she spoke again. "I've learned a lot about love in the time I've been with this family. I can understand much of it now, and I'm lucky enough to have experienced feeling love for the children all these years. But being here today and seeing how far romantic love can go…would it be selfish of me to want to experience that as well?"
"Not at all," Edgar replied, although he was a tad uncertain over what she was implying.
"In that case," Terra continued, "would it be a burden to ask if you're willing to show me?"
He had now grown truly confused. He stared at her for a few seconds, unsure if he had heard her correctly.
"Come again?" he asked.
"Edgar," she responded, still not looking in his direction, "I'm not afraid to say I've grown fond of you. Your support has helped me keep my promises to the children in Mobliz, but more importantly, your noble-hearted friendship has been priceless. I don't exactly know how to initiate a romantic partnership, and I don't have the experience of Celes or even Relm, but I'm willing to try it with you if you're willing to give it a chance."
Now Edgar was completely speechless. His mind, normally as steady as a leader's needed to be, was racing to piece together what Terra had just said, still refusing to believe what he heard. Was Terra, one of his dearest friends, asking for an opportunity to be with him? It made no sense to his brain, as it was usually he who initiated any flirtatious behavior.
"Terra, you don't have to do this," he said, finding his words jumbled. "I would never ask something like this out of you."
"But you're not," she reminded him. "I'm the one asking you."
She snaked one arm around his, further surprising him.
"Besides, when we first met, didn't you say you wanted to know if I was your type?" she playfully teased, and Edgar felt his facial expression shift from confused to incredulous at how she still remembered his first words to her. "Well, how will you know if we don't find out?"
He remained flabbergasted, but at least his mind was now starting to dig its way through the fog. As far back as he could remember, he had pursued every young lady who had crossed paths with him only to be forsaken for his forwardness. Now, one had finally offered him a chance, so why did he stay hesitant?
He knew why. This was not just any young lady; this was Terra, someone he greatly cherished. As much as he may have wanted a romantic relationship with someone at some point in his life, he valued her too much to jeopardize what they had already established.
"Terra," he addressed softly again, "you know that, as king, there won't be a lot of time for us to be together the way you may want. I cannot just abandon my duties."
"Yes, I understand," she acknowledged. "I don't plan on abandoning mine either."
"I'm also not very experienced," Edgar admitted. "You already know how quickly others run from my flirtatiousness."
"Then let's learn together," Terra suggested. "You and I can grow together."
Terra's persistence was the one trait that did not surprise Edgar. He still was not initially won over, but he did consider all of her words. Her friendship was still valuable, and redefining it as something else frightened him; however, after witnessing the events of today, he finally felt that the bond within their family was too tight for any risk to fracture them apart.
Catching a glance at Terra when her eyes met his, Edgar finally gave her his answer.
"Okay, let's try it and see what happens."
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Wow, I didn't plan for this chapter to be so much longer than the others, but the writer in me couldn't shy away from adding details to everything. As for those details...
The scroll that Cyan was holding up was handed to him at the end of Chapter 2. Eight chapters later, we finally find out its significance. Regarding Terra and Edgar's relationship, I debated whether or not I wanted them to get together; ultimately, I said "yes," but I wanted to capture how I thought they'd do it in accordance with their personalities and lack of experience.
How do you think I did? Please feel free to leave me your feedback. I always love hearing from you! Until next chapter!