Epilogue


It was a pleasant spring day, more akin to the days that the world had known in the past. The sun was shining brightly over a cloudless blue sky, and a light breeze blew through the trees, smelling of flowers. With Kefka dead, the world could recover. Already the plants seemed healthier, and most of the monsters had inexplicably vanished after the destruction of Kefka's tower.

Somewhere near Thasma, in a sunny field, a healthy looking man and a smiling young girl stood together in front of a tombstone. Other than the simple words "Encia Arrowny" on the front, it was completely unremarkable, but that didn't matter to them. They stood in silence for some time, just enjoying the day and each other's company.

Relm finally broke the silence. "Thanks for taking me, dad. I can call you that, right?"
Clyde smiled. After all this time, it felt good to smile. He was beginning to enjoy more of life's simple pleasures. Maybe Setzer's take on things wasn't so wrong after all.

"Of course, Relm."

Clyde had finally taken responsibility. He still had to make up for all the lost time, but he was greatly looking forward to it. For some reason, getting to know his little girl was the most exciting adventure of his life.

Strago and Setzer watched the father and daughter from afar.

"I can finally rest now knowing that Relm is in good hands. I'm getting old... too old to take care of her, Setzer."

Setzer looked at Strago in surprise. "What are you talking about? I thought you had at least a good century in you yet. You're gonna be around when Relm gets married to me, right?"
Seeing Strago's look, Setzer backed away. "Kidding! Just kidding!"

THE END




Author's Notes:

Well, that's it. Not the best story in the world, but it's the first I've actually finished. I wrote it because I had this idea about Setzer and Shadow that wouldn't leave my head, so I had to do something about it. I never intended for it to be so angsty, but I guess that's what happens when you write about Shadow.

I tried to have everyone act in character. I figure that Terra doesn't curse much, but she was getting frustrated in that particular case. Writing dialog for Cyan is a complete nightmare for me, so I hope that didn't turn out too bad.

Also, I decided to name Clyde's wife Encia in homage to the anime Escaflowne. The Encia from Escaflowne was actually in a semi-comparable situation, so I thought it was appropriate.

Oh well, hope you enjoyed it.