Balamb Garden had always been the most beautiful Garden. The
designers had planted gardens everywhere they could in Balamb,
and run canals of water throughout the first level. Benches,
walls, and furniture was in soft shades of pastel that were
pleasing to the eyes.
In contrast, the other Gardens were rather plain. Galbadia was
militaristic, with elegant touches here and there, while Trabia
was small and plain.
And Trabia had been wrecked thoroughly. By Galbadia.
Selphie shook her head. There were few things that the cheerful
girl truly hated, but Galbadia was one of them. Even though the
orders had been given by Seifer and Ultimecia, she still held
them responsible.
But tomorrow, she'd be returning to her home.
Irvine had pleaded with her to stay. Selphie had been adamant
on her decision, though. It had always been her intent to return.
Squall had granted her permission, and the papers were already
filed.
She would be returning home to assume the duties of Headmaster,
and to rebuild Trabia.
With Xu and Quistis's help, a large sum of money had been put
aside for Selphie to use in the reconstruction. Selphie had
used it to buy large quantities of wood, metal, and tools. The
materials for Trabia lay even now in the belly of the dragon
ship Ragnarok.
Sitting up, Selphie shook away those thoughts, and smiled
brightly. She would miss her friends at Balamb, but Trabia had
always been her home.
"Sephie! There you are. I was wondering if we'd have to drag
you to the cafeteria. Rinoa's throwing a party for you."
Tunring around, the brown-haired girl grinned at Irvine. Him and
Zell stood behind her, wide smiles on their faces.
"Yeah, she ordered a cake from Balamb, and plently of eats." Zell
told her. "And everyone's down there waiting for you. Even
Squall."
"Sounds like fun!" Selphie bounced up from the springy grass of
the Quad, and favored both men with a thumbs up. "I'm going to
miss this place."
"You could always stay another month." the cowboy told her, his
brown eyes hopeful.
"You wish!" Selphie stuck out her tongue playfully. "Come Hyne
or Ultimecia, I'm going back home." It slipped out easily. She'd
meant to say Trabia, but...
"I thought Balamb was home?" Zell looked hurt.
"Yeah, it is, but... Trabia..." Selphie wrinkled her nose. "Ah,
come on, we've got a par-tay to be at." Grabbing the hands of
both men, she dragged them along towards the Cafeteria.
***
Five hours later, she ended up back in her quarters, exhausted
by the festivities. But she would be leaving in only three
hours. What sleep she would miss could be caught up on in the
Ragnarok.
Sighing, she ran a hand down the soft but tough fabric of her
jumper. It was bright yellow, the kind of color that always
made her happy. But she wouldn't be able to wear it in Trabia.
When she had gone back with Squall and the others, she'd almost
frozen to death. Only Irvine lending her his trenchcoat had kept
her from getting deathly ill.
Her new outfit lay on the table, left there by one of the students
assigned gopher duty. It consisted of a long navy blue skirt that
went down to the top of her boots, lined with soft fur. The top
was a turtleneck of the same color. And the long coat that went
over it all was white with snow lion fur lining the inside. In the
pockets was a pair of matching gloves.
The outfit had cost her half a weeks salary. It was fortunate that
she had squirreled a lot of her money away during the campaign against
Ultimecia, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to include food
rations and medical equipment with her savings.
The room she'd used for the past three months had been stripped
bare of everything. She'd hidden the mattress on board the
Ragnarok, along with the blankets, pillows and sheets. Even the
curtains had been hidden in the pillowcases. Non-perishable food
she had gotten from the cafeteria was sealed in packages in the
hold of the Ragnarok.
Selphie was taking no chances on running out of things. Even with
the supplies she'd bought, it was a sure bet she'd be short on
some things.
Bracing herself with one hand against the wall, she slid into a
seat. *All I need is a few seconds to get back some energy.* she
thought hazily. *I'll just lie my head down...*
***
Her footsteps sounded hollow on the stone floors of Ultimecia
Castle. Lightening flashed outside. Every time she peered out
the window, it looked like the world was falling apart. And
she supposed it was.
*Eyes in front of yourself.* she reminded herself sharply,
and resolutely set her eyes in front of herself.
Leading the group of three was Irvine. On either side of him
was Zell and Selphie. Elsewhere in the castle, Quistis, Squall,
and Rinoa were searching for more of the same monsters that held
the secret to unlocking their abilities.
Up, and up, and up they went. Down and around, up, and over.
Ahead of them, a long stone bridge led to a door. Selphie
noticed light behind the door.
Above them, the storm poured down its fury, soaking her to
the bone. Irvine escaped the worst of it, but Zell and Selphie
were both shivering in the cold night air as they walked
across the bridge to Ultimecia's lair.
Waiting for them were their companions. Squall, Rinoa, and
Quistis had already made it there.
"Is everyone ready?" Squall asked. He looked grim, and there
was something in his eyes that dissuaded Selphie from saying
or doing anything other than nodding.
"Then let's go." Quistis said. She gestured to Squall, and he
threw the doors open. Selphie fell into the semi-circle formation
that formed around Squall, and stepped through the door.
Then the world became a screaming sense of swirling. Selphie felt
the ground drop out from under her, and she saw a silver-haired
woman with black wings and a red robe that barely covered her.
She lashed out with her Strange Vision, striking at the evil
sorceress. Then she felt the world dissolve as she watched
Bahamut rear up and deliver his attack.
A clawed paw lashed out, striking her hard in the stomach. Claws
dug in, and she screamed weakly. Even as she reached for a
potion, she heard Quistis reacting. A Curaga spell banished the
pain, but she still felt weak.
Carbuncle was bouncing around inside of her, trying to get out
and use Ruby Light. But she knew what would happen. Support Magic
was necessary at the moment to protect them all... Raising her
hand, she called down Aura on Squall, who was in the process of
throwing a Phoenix Down onto Quistis's prone form.
"I shall Junction myself unto Griever!" screamed Ultimecia. Selphie
tried not to scream her frustration. The sorceress knew so many
ways to frustrate them.
*I'm going to die here.* she thought, blindly striking out with
Strange Vision.* Somewhere beside her, Squall held out the glowing
blade of Lionheart, and leapt forwards towards Ultimecia.
Then the world blurred, and she was in unendending blackness.
Ultimecia had changed again, and Selphie screamed. The
sorceress looked worse than all the monsters she'd ever seen
before. Where her head should be was a shell with blinding light
shining out. The rest of her body was a parody of the red gown
she had worn. And below, her head lolled around upside down, grey
hair streaming...
There was no mercy... and even as she was torn apart she was
screaming. Screaming, and fighting, and lashing out even as...
And she fell out of the chair onto the floor.
Selphie breathed hard, eyes shut. She took a moment to return to
herself. She was in her dorm room. Not Ultimecia Castle, not in
the void. Ultimecia would be dead for thousands of years. She
was... safe. The dreams could come again, but she was safe
for now.
Sitting up, she peered blearily at the clock. Then she gulped
and scrambled to her feet. "Iyeee! I've only got half an
hour to get to the Ragnarok!" she shrieked. In a flurry of
motion, she set to it.
***
Twenty minutes later, clad in the new fur-lined outfit and
feeling like she'd been sunbathing on Cactuar Island, Selphie exited
Balamb Garden. Sitting next to the Garden was the huge red shape of
the Ragnarok. Her friends stood beside it, waiting for her.
"Hey Selphie!" Rinoa beamed at her. Selphie smiled back. The blue-clad
sorceress stood beside Squall. The stoic Commander had an arm wrapped
around Rinoa's waist. "We couldn't just let you sail on off to
Trabia without a good sendoff, so we got you some presents."
"Cool! Prezzies!" Selphie clapped her hands. "Lemme see, lemme see!"
"Here." Zell handed her a nice bracelet with turquoise set in it. "I
picked this up when I was in Balamb."
"Thanks!"
"No problem." The martial artist stepped back to let Quistis step up.
The salmon-clad blonde smiled at Selphie fondly. "You were a very good
student for the few days I had you in my class, and a good comrade
the rest of the time. Since it's so cold up there, I thought you should
have someone who's supportive. I only junctioned once with Carbuncle,
but I know how much of a handful she can be... Here." A strange aura
appeared around Quistis, then dove into Selphie. She staggered slightly.
Quistis braced her. "He's a handful. Don't let him bully you."
/I'm no bully./ a baritone roar replied. /Greetings, young warrior. I
am Bahamut./
Selphie stared incredulously at Quistis. "You're giving me Bahamut? I
can't..."
"You'll be fine with him." Quistis assured her. "He's a good Guardian
Force for up north, at any rate."
"Thank you." Selphie replied, honestly touched. Quistis smiled, and
stepped back.
"This is a gift from Matron, Cid, and me." Squall told her shortly. He
handed her a box, and stepped back, hands shoved in the pockets of
his jacket.
"Thank you, and give Matron and the Headmaster my thanks." Selphie
didn't open the box. She reasoned that it could wait until Trabia.
"And you save the best for last." drawled Irvine, stepping up. "Close
your eyes, darlin'."
Faintly exasperated, Selphie obeyed. Then, before she could brace
herself, Irvine hugged her, and gave her a long, passionate kiss.
Dimly, she heard Quistis scold "Irvine Kinneas!"
The cowboy released her, leaving her reeling. She scowled at him,
and aimed a kick at his knee. He skipped backwards, favoring her
with a rogueish grin.
"Hmmph!" Rinoa pushed her way past Irvine, kicking him slightly
as she passed. "Meany." She winked at Selphie, and handed her a
package. "This ought to help out a lot. Good luck." The two
hugged, and Rinoa stepped back.
"Yo!" called one of the crewmen from the Ragnarok. "We're on a
schedule here! There's a blizzard moving in over Trabia in the next
six hours. If we don't leave now..."
"Uh oh! Got to go!" Selphie smiled cheerily at all of them. She somehow
managed to avoid looking at Irvine. "I'll send letters when I can..."
"Good luck!" Rinoa shouted after her.
"Be careful!" Quistis added.
"Good luck!" Zell yelled.
"Stay safe, darling." Irvine tipped his hat slightly. Squall just
gave her the SeeD salute. Selphie cheerily returned it.
As the Ragnarok lifted off the ground, and the hatch began to shut, she
shouted "Goodbye!" and favored them all with a salute.
***
The way things turned out, the blizzard was only half an hour away when
the Ragnarok set down by Trabia Garden.
The T-Garden students were quick at unloading, but Selphie heard the
crewmen grouching.
"You, hoist that one next! It's got the food supplies, we need to get
it under shelter first!" she shouted at a nearby student. The student
obliged, snagging a few of his former classmates and drafting them into
helping him lift the heavy container.
"Headmistress?" The head of the crew spoke, and she whirled around.
"Yes, Captain?" she replied.
"We've got two minutes left before the storm hits. We've got to lift
out of here soon, or we'll be stuck."
"We've still got to unload the rest of the supplies!" Selphie protested.
"Ma'am, I don't give a damn."
Selphie scowled at him. "We're unloading this stuff if I have to get out
Strange Vision and hold you all hostage until it's all unloaded. Got
that?"
The Captain, who was no match for a SeeD, nodded. He looked somewhat
paler.
"Hurry up!" Selphie turned around to shout at the students. "We've only
got two minutes til the blizzard hits!"
If they moved any faster, she couldn't tell.
Five minutes later, as the blizzard began to howl outside, the last of
the containers were of the the Ragnarok and into storage.
"Headmistress, this way!" called a lavender-scarfed student, grabbing
Selphie's arm. Selphie didn't resist, and let the girl pull her out of
the cargo hold and out of the Ragnarok.
The wind and snow hit her all at once, and she cursed herself for
forgetting that she'd need a hood. The students leading her wore long
cloaks of snow lion fur over their uniforms. As she followed them through
the snow, she dully wondered why they made Trabia uniforms with short
skirts. It seemed so ridiculous. During summer, they were fine, but...
Her thoughts trickled off as they reached the gates. The other students
were wrestling with them, trying to get them shut. A faint pressure in
her head warned Selphie that Bahamut was going to activate a junction
ability without warning or prompting.
"Get back!" she screamed over the howling of the wind. The students
obeyed her. Raising her arms, Selphie felt Bahamut howl within her, and
then...
With a mighty push, she shoved one of the gates shut. Then the other.
And as soon as it had come, it was gone. As Bahamut receded into the back
of her mind, Selphie felt her knees buckling. And she was... sinking
down... snow... ice... darkness.
designers had planted gardens everywhere they could in Balamb,
and run canals of water throughout the first level. Benches,
walls, and furniture was in soft shades of pastel that were
pleasing to the eyes.
In contrast, the other Gardens were rather plain. Galbadia was
militaristic, with elegant touches here and there, while Trabia
was small and plain.
And Trabia had been wrecked thoroughly. By Galbadia.
Selphie shook her head. There were few things that the cheerful
girl truly hated, but Galbadia was one of them. Even though the
orders had been given by Seifer and Ultimecia, she still held
them responsible.
But tomorrow, she'd be returning to her home.
Irvine had pleaded with her to stay. Selphie had been adamant
on her decision, though. It had always been her intent to return.
Squall had granted her permission, and the papers were already
filed.
She would be returning home to assume the duties of Headmaster,
and to rebuild Trabia.
With Xu and Quistis's help, a large sum of money had been put
aside for Selphie to use in the reconstruction. Selphie had
used it to buy large quantities of wood, metal, and tools. The
materials for Trabia lay even now in the belly of the dragon
ship Ragnarok.
Sitting up, Selphie shook away those thoughts, and smiled
brightly. She would miss her friends at Balamb, but Trabia had
always been her home.
"Sephie! There you are. I was wondering if we'd have to drag
you to the cafeteria. Rinoa's throwing a party for you."
Tunring around, the brown-haired girl grinned at Irvine. Him and
Zell stood behind her, wide smiles on their faces.
"Yeah, she ordered a cake from Balamb, and plently of eats." Zell
told her. "And everyone's down there waiting for you. Even
Squall."
"Sounds like fun!" Selphie bounced up from the springy grass of
the Quad, and favored both men with a thumbs up. "I'm going to
miss this place."
"You could always stay another month." the cowboy told her, his
brown eyes hopeful.
"You wish!" Selphie stuck out her tongue playfully. "Come Hyne
or Ultimecia, I'm going back home." It slipped out easily. She'd
meant to say Trabia, but...
"I thought Balamb was home?" Zell looked hurt.
"Yeah, it is, but... Trabia..." Selphie wrinkled her nose. "Ah,
come on, we've got a par-tay to be at." Grabbing the hands of
both men, she dragged them along towards the Cafeteria.
***
Five hours later, she ended up back in her quarters, exhausted
by the festivities. But she would be leaving in only three
hours. What sleep she would miss could be caught up on in the
Ragnarok.
Sighing, she ran a hand down the soft but tough fabric of her
jumper. It was bright yellow, the kind of color that always
made her happy. But she wouldn't be able to wear it in Trabia.
When she had gone back with Squall and the others, she'd almost
frozen to death. Only Irvine lending her his trenchcoat had kept
her from getting deathly ill.
Her new outfit lay on the table, left there by one of the students
assigned gopher duty. It consisted of a long navy blue skirt that
went down to the top of her boots, lined with soft fur. The top
was a turtleneck of the same color. And the long coat that went
over it all was white with snow lion fur lining the inside. In the
pockets was a pair of matching gloves.
The outfit had cost her half a weeks salary. It was fortunate that
she had squirreled a lot of her money away during the campaign against
Ultimecia, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to include food
rations and medical equipment with her savings.
The room she'd used for the past three months had been stripped
bare of everything. She'd hidden the mattress on board the
Ragnarok, along with the blankets, pillows and sheets. Even the
curtains had been hidden in the pillowcases. Non-perishable food
she had gotten from the cafeteria was sealed in packages in the
hold of the Ragnarok.
Selphie was taking no chances on running out of things. Even with
the supplies she'd bought, it was a sure bet she'd be short on
some things.
Bracing herself with one hand against the wall, she slid into a
seat. *All I need is a few seconds to get back some energy.* she
thought hazily. *I'll just lie my head down...*
***
Her footsteps sounded hollow on the stone floors of Ultimecia
Castle. Lightening flashed outside. Every time she peered out
the window, it looked like the world was falling apart. And
she supposed it was.
*Eyes in front of yourself.* she reminded herself sharply,
and resolutely set her eyes in front of herself.
Leading the group of three was Irvine. On either side of him
was Zell and Selphie. Elsewhere in the castle, Quistis, Squall,
and Rinoa were searching for more of the same monsters that held
the secret to unlocking their abilities.
Up, and up, and up they went. Down and around, up, and over.
Ahead of them, a long stone bridge led to a door. Selphie
noticed light behind the door.
Above them, the storm poured down its fury, soaking her to
the bone. Irvine escaped the worst of it, but Zell and Selphie
were both shivering in the cold night air as they walked
across the bridge to Ultimecia's lair.
Waiting for them were their companions. Squall, Rinoa, and
Quistis had already made it there.
"Is everyone ready?" Squall asked. He looked grim, and there
was something in his eyes that dissuaded Selphie from saying
or doing anything other than nodding.
"Then let's go." Quistis said. She gestured to Squall, and he
threw the doors open. Selphie fell into the semi-circle formation
that formed around Squall, and stepped through the door.
Then the world became a screaming sense of swirling. Selphie felt
the ground drop out from under her, and she saw a silver-haired
woman with black wings and a red robe that barely covered her.
She lashed out with her Strange Vision, striking at the evil
sorceress. Then she felt the world dissolve as she watched
Bahamut rear up and deliver his attack.
A clawed paw lashed out, striking her hard in the stomach. Claws
dug in, and she screamed weakly. Even as she reached for a
potion, she heard Quistis reacting. A Curaga spell banished the
pain, but she still felt weak.
Carbuncle was bouncing around inside of her, trying to get out
and use Ruby Light. But she knew what would happen. Support Magic
was necessary at the moment to protect them all... Raising her
hand, she called down Aura on Squall, who was in the process of
throwing a Phoenix Down onto Quistis's prone form.
"I shall Junction myself unto Griever!" screamed Ultimecia. Selphie
tried not to scream her frustration. The sorceress knew so many
ways to frustrate them.
*I'm going to die here.* she thought, blindly striking out with
Strange Vision.* Somewhere beside her, Squall held out the glowing
blade of Lionheart, and leapt forwards towards Ultimecia.
Then the world blurred, and she was in unendending blackness.
Ultimecia had changed again, and Selphie screamed. The
sorceress looked worse than all the monsters she'd ever seen
before. Where her head should be was a shell with blinding light
shining out. The rest of her body was a parody of the red gown
she had worn. And below, her head lolled around upside down, grey
hair streaming...
There was no mercy... and even as she was torn apart she was
screaming. Screaming, and fighting, and lashing out even as...
And she fell out of the chair onto the floor.
Selphie breathed hard, eyes shut. She took a moment to return to
herself. She was in her dorm room. Not Ultimecia Castle, not in
the void. Ultimecia would be dead for thousands of years. She
was... safe. The dreams could come again, but she was safe
for now.
Sitting up, she peered blearily at the clock. Then she gulped
and scrambled to her feet. "Iyeee! I've only got half an
hour to get to the Ragnarok!" she shrieked. In a flurry of
motion, she set to it.
***
Twenty minutes later, clad in the new fur-lined outfit and
feeling like she'd been sunbathing on Cactuar Island, Selphie exited
Balamb Garden. Sitting next to the Garden was the huge red shape of
the Ragnarok. Her friends stood beside it, waiting for her.
"Hey Selphie!" Rinoa beamed at her. Selphie smiled back. The blue-clad
sorceress stood beside Squall. The stoic Commander had an arm wrapped
around Rinoa's waist. "We couldn't just let you sail on off to
Trabia without a good sendoff, so we got you some presents."
"Cool! Prezzies!" Selphie clapped her hands. "Lemme see, lemme see!"
"Here." Zell handed her a nice bracelet with turquoise set in it. "I
picked this up when I was in Balamb."
"Thanks!"
"No problem." The martial artist stepped back to let Quistis step up.
The salmon-clad blonde smiled at Selphie fondly. "You were a very good
student for the few days I had you in my class, and a good comrade
the rest of the time. Since it's so cold up there, I thought you should
have someone who's supportive. I only junctioned once with Carbuncle,
but I know how much of a handful she can be... Here." A strange aura
appeared around Quistis, then dove into Selphie. She staggered slightly.
Quistis braced her. "He's a handful. Don't let him bully you."
/I'm no bully./ a baritone roar replied. /Greetings, young warrior. I
am Bahamut./
Selphie stared incredulously at Quistis. "You're giving me Bahamut? I
can't..."
"You'll be fine with him." Quistis assured her. "He's a good Guardian
Force for up north, at any rate."
"Thank you." Selphie replied, honestly touched. Quistis smiled, and
stepped back.
"This is a gift from Matron, Cid, and me." Squall told her shortly. He
handed her a box, and stepped back, hands shoved in the pockets of
his jacket.
"Thank you, and give Matron and the Headmaster my thanks." Selphie
didn't open the box. She reasoned that it could wait until Trabia.
"And you save the best for last." drawled Irvine, stepping up. "Close
your eyes, darlin'."
Faintly exasperated, Selphie obeyed. Then, before she could brace
herself, Irvine hugged her, and gave her a long, passionate kiss.
Dimly, she heard Quistis scold "Irvine Kinneas!"
The cowboy released her, leaving her reeling. She scowled at him,
and aimed a kick at his knee. He skipped backwards, favoring her
with a rogueish grin.
"Hmmph!" Rinoa pushed her way past Irvine, kicking him slightly
as she passed. "Meany." She winked at Selphie, and handed her a
package. "This ought to help out a lot. Good luck." The two
hugged, and Rinoa stepped back.
"Yo!" called one of the crewmen from the Ragnarok. "We're on a
schedule here! There's a blizzard moving in over Trabia in the next
six hours. If we don't leave now..."
"Uh oh! Got to go!" Selphie smiled cheerily at all of them. She somehow
managed to avoid looking at Irvine. "I'll send letters when I can..."
"Good luck!" Rinoa shouted after her.
"Be careful!" Quistis added.
"Good luck!" Zell yelled.
"Stay safe, darling." Irvine tipped his hat slightly. Squall just
gave her the SeeD salute. Selphie cheerily returned it.
As the Ragnarok lifted off the ground, and the hatch began to shut, she
shouted "Goodbye!" and favored them all with a salute.
***
The way things turned out, the blizzard was only half an hour away when
the Ragnarok set down by Trabia Garden.
The T-Garden students were quick at unloading, but Selphie heard the
crewmen grouching.
"You, hoist that one next! It's got the food supplies, we need to get
it under shelter first!" she shouted at a nearby student. The student
obliged, snagging a few of his former classmates and drafting them into
helping him lift the heavy container.
"Headmistress?" The head of the crew spoke, and she whirled around.
"Yes, Captain?" she replied.
"We've got two minutes left before the storm hits. We've got to lift
out of here soon, or we'll be stuck."
"We've still got to unload the rest of the supplies!" Selphie protested.
"Ma'am, I don't give a damn."
Selphie scowled at him. "We're unloading this stuff if I have to get out
Strange Vision and hold you all hostage until it's all unloaded. Got
that?"
The Captain, who was no match for a SeeD, nodded. He looked somewhat
paler.
"Hurry up!" Selphie turned around to shout at the students. "We've only
got two minutes til the blizzard hits!"
If they moved any faster, she couldn't tell.
Five minutes later, as the blizzard began to howl outside, the last of
the containers were of the the Ragnarok and into storage.
"Headmistress, this way!" called a lavender-scarfed student, grabbing
Selphie's arm. Selphie didn't resist, and let the girl pull her out of
the cargo hold and out of the Ragnarok.
The wind and snow hit her all at once, and she cursed herself for
forgetting that she'd need a hood. The students leading her wore long
cloaks of snow lion fur over their uniforms. As she followed them through
the snow, she dully wondered why they made Trabia uniforms with short
skirts. It seemed so ridiculous. During summer, they were fine, but...
Her thoughts trickled off as they reached the gates. The other students
were wrestling with them, trying to get them shut. A faint pressure in
her head warned Selphie that Bahamut was going to activate a junction
ability without warning or prompting.
"Get back!" she screamed over the howling of the wind. The students
obeyed her. Raising her arms, Selphie felt Bahamut howl within her, and
then...
With a mighty push, she shoved one of the gates shut. Then the other.
And as soon as it had come, it was gone. As Bahamut receded into the back
of her mind, Selphie felt her knees buckling. And she was... sinking
down... snow... ice... darkness.