Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, creatures or locations from Final Fantasy 8 – they all belong to Squaresoft.

Aftermath

Chapter 5

A chill wind blew across the Galbadian Plains, biting into exposed flesh without mercy. Stunted trees and scrubby heather hugged the ground as if trying to get out of the way of the wind. The iron-grey sky, heavy with pregnant clouds, hung above a pale road which snaked its way through the moorland.

In the half-light which oozed its way through the blanket of cloud, two silhouettes formed by two humans mounted on chocobos, slipped out of the main gate of Deling City and headed South. The riders were well shielded from the elements by their thick cloaks, but the sight of the icy sky made them both shiver. By unspoken agreement, they hurried their mounts down the road, as much to generate warmth as to put some distance between themselves and the city.

Cid stole a glance at his wife from under the hood of his cloak. He wondered what thoughts were moving through her mind, and whether they resembled his own. He was forcibly reminded of the previous journey they had undertaken, the one which had forced them into each others' company and had ended with them vowing their eternal love.

The circumstances could not have been more different, he reflected. On their previous journey they had been running for their lives; now they journeyed through choice rather than necessity. And that escape had taken them through the unforgiving desert, although the landscape which surrounded them now was hardly more inviting. His only consolation was that this time they were properly provisioned for a long journey, and had sufficient funds to replenish their stocks when necessary.

Their destination was, as yet, uncertain. They were seeking a suitable building in which to set up an orphanage, but where such a place might be located they had no idea. There were places they wished to avoid at all costs, however. The oasis in the Dingo Desert, the site of their first declarations of love, was now buried beneath the Galbadian prison, rendering a sentimental journey out of the question.

But it felt good to be on the road again. Whilst he was busy thinking, his subconscious was processing the information reaching his brain through his eyes and ears. He was vaguely aware of the movement of small animals in the heather, and absentmindedly guided his chocobo around a pot hole in the road. The shrill, lonely cry of a thrustevis came to him on the wind. There was no life like that of a traveller, he thought, no life which suited him better.

Edea kept her eyes firmly fixed on the distant horizon, seeking only the next crest of a hill, or bend in the road. Little in the way of coherent thought filtered through; she simply let her mind drift, paying scant attention to her surroundings or her companion. After years of having to be constantly alert, her brain was grateful for the chance to be idle. She was happy to let Cid set the pace, and lead the way.

Yet, unbidden, images flickered behind her eyes, the past replaying itself like an old movie. She and Cid had remained in the little town on the Monterosa Plateau until they were sure that Senet had recovered completely. Leaving him behind was the hardest thing she had ever had to do, yet she recognised that taking him along would have been far harder on him. Still, they had promised to write to one another, so now she had two correspondents to keep in touch with.

Thinking of letters brought her thoughts naturally to Raine. The younger woman continued to send letters regularly, writing with her customary cheerfulness of Ellone and Laguna in almost equal measure. She had included a sketch of the two of them with one of her letters. Edea had never met either, but she felt somehow drawn to the picture, as though the people depicted on the page were vitally important to her life. She had had the thin sheet of paper framed to protect it as she handled it so often.

However, Raine's most recent correspondence had been full of wedding plans. Laguna had finally declared his feelings, and Raine had accepted his offer of marriage. Edea had not had time to read Raine's latest letter, as it had arrived just before they departed. It was tucked hastily into the top of her backpack, to be enjoyed at some later point in the day when she had enough time to do it justice. They had spent the last month in Deling City, debriefing the President on the war and handing over the reins of leadership to Galbadia's generals. It had seemed best that they leave Deling for several reasons, not least because the generals did not want them breathing down their necks.

In the last week or so, rumours had begun to filter out of Esthar of a resistance movement which was working against Adel. Then, just the day before, a letter had arrived from Doctor Odine, the creator of so many of Adel's most powerful weapons. It confirmed the existence of the anti-Adel faction, and pledged Odine's support to the plot. It was dated several weeks previously, and had had a difficult journey judging by its dog-eared appearance. Odine was obviously risking his life by sending it.

No longer a central part of Galbadia's war effort, Cid and Edea knew no more of the details. How Odine planned to overthrow Adel remained a mystery to them, but they were happy to have it so; if they were to fall into Adel's hands on their journey, it was safest for them to know as little as possible.

Suddenly, Edea became aware that Cid was calling a halt. The bleak moorland still stretched away in every direction, but they were close to a large sheltering rock which would make a good resting place. Cid had already dismounted and was pegging his chocobo's reins to the ground to stop it running away. Edea silently followed suit, throwing down some greens for the chocobos, and then joining Cid by the rock.

'I'm exhausted!' exclaimed Edea in surprise. 'I'd never have thought riding could wear you out!'

Cid laughed. 'Have you forgotten our last chocobo journey already?'

'No, of course not! But we were riding a bit faster on that occasion – and through the desert. I expected to get tired then.'

'I suppose so. It's nice to be travelling again – and nice to be just the two of us,' said Cid, giving his wife a tender smile.

Edea nodded in agreement. 'Very nice. I can't remember the last time we spent time on our own.'

So saying, she rested her head on her husband's shoulder and closed her eyes.

'Can we just stay here? Please?!'

'I'm afraid not, my dear. We have an orphanage to find, remember?'

'We could build it here…….'

'What with? Heather?'

'Hmmm, I see what you mean. Oh, well, Cid, we'd better make a move soon, then.'

'Hmmm, we'll definitely have to move soon……..,'

Cid leaned his head back against the sheltering rock, then let it roll to the right so that he could look down at his wife. That was the type of banter he remembered his parents engaging in when he was a child. Just gentle teasing, nothing deep and meaningful; a simple way of making a connection with one another. It was something he and Edea had never had enough time for in all the years of their marriage. But that was about to change, now, he thought. This was their chance to make a fresh start, to begin their marriage anew.

Edea broke his train of thought by sitting up straight.

'Come on, lets get something to eat – I'm famished!' she cried.

'Me too, now you come to mention it!' replied Cid with a wry smile, as his romantic daydreams tattered and blew away on the wind which still howled through the heather.

They continued chatting as they shared a little of their food and water, revisiting the list of essentials for the building which would one day become an orphanage. When they had finished, Edea gathered up the remains of their cold meal and repacked the saddlebag. Within a few minutes they were on the road again.

*********

They travelled on by easy stages stopping briefly in Timber before catching a passenger ship to the Centra continent. Edea felt that the sea voyage was the best part of their journey so far. She stood in the bows for hours at a time, letting the sea breeze blow through her long, dark hair. The sea itself held a fascination for her and she never tired of its ever-changing moods. Cid, on the other hand, remained in their cabin feeling ill.

The chocobos were as pleased as Cid to disembark, warking with pleasure as their large feet finally touched firm ground. Edea shook her head at the three of them in exasperation. As they mounted and rode away from the little harbour town, she regaled Cid once again with the glories of the sea but without gaining a syllable of agreement.

'I might as well talk to the chocobos!' she exclaimed eventually.

'No,' replied Cid, shaking his head, 'they agree with me.'

Edea laughed despite herself and Cid joined in. As her merriment subsided, she looked Cid full in the face, as if seeing him for the first time.

'Let's make a promise,' she said earnestly. 'Let's promise to laugh like that at least once a day from now on. Hyne knows, we've had little enough to laugh at lately.'

'We should renew our vows and add that in,' Cid agreed, and began speaking in a solemn voice. 'I, Cid Kramer, do promise to create at least one hilarious situation every day for the amusement of Edea Kramer. Your turn.'

Laughing, Edea repeated the extra vow. 'Now you have to kiss the bride,' she said, 'if you can catch her!'

With these words, she dug her heels into the sides of her unsuspecting chocobo which suddenly sprang away as if a t-rexaur were after it. With a shout of surprise, Cid urged his own mount into the chase.

A/N – well it took a while, but I hope you thought it was worth the wait. If you liked this chapter, or even if you didn't, please leave a review and let me know what you think of it.