XXII: What if...
Zalitz steered his tiny ship towards Luca. Alone on in the middle of the ocean, he had nothing better to do than think. 'What's keeping us in Luca anyways.' He thought as he pondered Wakka's offer to join the Aurochs. 'Grandpa would love Besaid. It's a beautiful little town. And why am I kidding myself waiting for the Goers to sign me?' The entire way home, he drove himself mad with questions. He ran his fingers though his short brown hair as he racked his brain; trying to weigh out both options. 'If I stay in Luca I'll be a merchant for the rest of my life, but in Besaid... the island's beautiful, Tidus is there, the Aurochs... and Rikku.'
He pictured her in his mind. A girl he'd met only four days ago. She was amazing. She was beautiful and so much fun, full of life. Every minute he spent with her was exciting.
Zalitz reached Luca around dusk. When he entered the small cabin he found his grandfather sitting in his rocking chair before a crackling fire in their fireplace.
"Zalitz. You're home!" The old man's face lit up with joy. Zalitz gave his grandpa a hug and sat down on the floor beside his chair with his legs crossed. "How was your trip?"
"Oh grandpa, Besaid is wonderful." Zalitz's eyes glowed with excitement as he described the beautiful island. "The people are so nice, and the island is gorgeous. Everyone lives in little wooden huts... they can because it never gets cold there."
Flitt smiled watching the excitement on Zalitz's face. "Tell me, how is Tidus?"
"He was so happy to see his friends again... oh, and he asked Yuna to marry him the morning after we arrived."
"Really?" Flitt felt such compassion for Tidus. "He's such a nice boy, he deserves all the happiness in the world."
"And I met Coach Wakka of the Besaid Aurochs. He thinks I'm a really good blitzball player." Flitt rocked in his wooden chair as Zalitz went on and on about Besaid. "And I met a girl. Her name is Rikku."
"A girl?" Flitt perked his ears as Zalitz told him about Rikku.
"Grandpa, she's so nice, and fun. You'd like her."
"Sound's like you had quite a visit." Flitt commented as he rocked steadily.
Without hesitation, Zalitz spoke the next immediate thought that came to his mind. The thought he'd been obsessing over since he left the tiny island. "Grandpa, I want to go back."
Flitt stopped rocking. He thought about his grandson's words, and they frightened him. Luca was his home. He was born there, and has lived there ever since. He rarely even traveled, and if he did, it wasn't very far.
Zalitz saw the concern in his grandfather's tired eyes. "Grandpa, I know you love Luca, but there's nothing here for me."
"What about the business?" Flitt said. "How will we earn a living?"
"There are merchants in Besaid." Zalitz offered. "And I would play on the blitzball team too."
"Zalitz, my son, I'm so old. My tired bones, they don't want to move."
"Grandpa, you always complain about the cold dry air here. In Besaid, it never gets cold, and the air is always moist and warm. You'd love it."
Flitt was stubborn in his old age, but he loved his grandson dearly. Zalitz was all that Flitt had. "It would make you happy?" Flitt asked after a long silence.
Zalitz looked up into his grandfather's eyes. "It would make me very happy." He said with a smile on his face.
That night Zalitz laid in his bed with the faint yellow glow of a candle by his side. He wrote a letter to be sent out first thing in the morning.
"Dear Tidus," It read. "I have some very exciting news. My grandpa and I will be moving to Besaid. I'll have to save some money for a few weeks, but I hope to be back soon. Tell Rikku I said hi. See 'ya soon. -Zalitz."
He blew out the candle as he lay in bed too excited to sleep. 'You'll love it grandpa. I promise.'
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Thanks for reading.
Darcee :)
Zalitz steered his tiny ship towards Luca. Alone on in the middle of the ocean, he had nothing better to do than think. 'What's keeping us in Luca anyways.' He thought as he pondered Wakka's offer to join the Aurochs. 'Grandpa would love Besaid. It's a beautiful little town. And why am I kidding myself waiting for the Goers to sign me?' The entire way home, he drove himself mad with questions. He ran his fingers though his short brown hair as he racked his brain; trying to weigh out both options. 'If I stay in Luca I'll be a merchant for the rest of my life, but in Besaid... the island's beautiful, Tidus is there, the Aurochs... and Rikku.'
He pictured her in his mind. A girl he'd met only four days ago. She was amazing. She was beautiful and so much fun, full of life. Every minute he spent with her was exciting.
Zalitz reached Luca around dusk. When he entered the small cabin he found his grandfather sitting in his rocking chair before a crackling fire in their fireplace.
"Zalitz. You're home!" The old man's face lit up with joy. Zalitz gave his grandpa a hug and sat down on the floor beside his chair with his legs crossed. "How was your trip?"
"Oh grandpa, Besaid is wonderful." Zalitz's eyes glowed with excitement as he described the beautiful island. "The people are so nice, and the island is gorgeous. Everyone lives in little wooden huts... they can because it never gets cold there."
Flitt smiled watching the excitement on Zalitz's face. "Tell me, how is Tidus?"
"He was so happy to see his friends again... oh, and he asked Yuna to marry him the morning after we arrived."
"Really?" Flitt felt such compassion for Tidus. "He's such a nice boy, he deserves all the happiness in the world."
"And I met Coach Wakka of the Besaid Aurochs. He thinks I'm a really good blitzball player." Flitt rocked in his wooden chair as Zalitz went on and on about Besaid. "And I met a girl. Her name is Rikku."
"A girl?" Flitt perked his ears as Zalitz told him about Rikku.
"Grandpa, she's so nice, and fun. You'd like her."
"Sound's like you had quite a visit." Flitt commented as he rocked steadily.
Without hesitation, Zalitz spoke the next immediate thought that came to his mind. The thought he'd been obsessing over since he left the tiny island. "Grandpa, I want to go back."
Flitt stopped rocking. He thought about his grandson's words, and they frightened him. Luca was his home. He was born there, and has lived there ever since. He rarely even traveled, and if he did, it wasn't very far.
Zalitz saw the concern in his grandfather's tired eyes. "Grandpa, I know you love Luca, but there's nothing here for me."
"What about the business?" Flitt said. "How will we earn a living?"
"There are merchants in Besaid." Zalitz offered. "And I would play on the blitzball team too."
"Zalitz, my son, I'm so old. My tired bones, they don't want to move."
"Grandpa, you always complain about the cold dry air here. In Besaid, it never gets cold, and the air is always moist and warm. You'd love it."
Flitt was stubborn in his old age, but he loved his grandson dearly. Zalitz was all that Flitt had. "It would make you happy?" Flitt asked after a long silence.
Zalitz looked up into his grandfather's eyes. "It would make me very happy." He said with a smile on his face.
That night Zalitz laid in his bed with the faint yellow glow of a candle by his side. He wrote a letter to be sent out first thing in the morning.
"Dear Tidus," It read. "I have some very exciting news. My grandpa and I will be moving to Besaid. I'll have to save some money for a few weeks, but I hope to be back soon. Tell Rikku I said hi. See 'ya soon. -Zalitz."
He blew out the candle as he lay in bed too excited to sleep. 'You'll love it grandpa. I promise.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for reading.
Darcee :)