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

Aftermath

Chapter 9

Waves pounded against the rocks, their impact felt throughout the orphanage. An icy wind whistled around the ancient stones of the building seeking an entrance, but the lighthouse had withstood many such attacks over the years, and was not about to be beaten this time. Raindrops as sharp as knives joined in the assault, shattering against wood and stone, but the sturdy walls shrugged them off with ease.

Within, Edea and Cid sat on their new, matching armchairs close to the fire in their sitting room. Occasionally, a raindrop would find its way down the chimney and evaporate on the fire, hissing like an angry cat. The raging storm outside made its presence heard, but could not be felt. The howling of the wind had left them both feeling chilled, and Edea had made some hot chocolate to warm them before they went to bed.

Suddenly, above the noise of the storm outside, there came a pounding at the front door. Cid and Edea looked at each other in alarm. The orphanage was in such an out of the way place – no one would visit it unless they had business there. But what business would bring someone out on a night like this?

'Perhaps it's someone with a child?' suggested Edea.

'Our first "customer"?' Cid replied with a wry smile.

'Well, we're almost ready – we could put them up in our room for the time being.'

'We don't even know if it is a child,' Cid pointed out, as the pounding on the door was resumed. 'And there's only one way to find out if it is,' he said, standing and heading for the door of the sitting room.

Edea quickly picked up a lamp, and followed him. Until they knew who was at the door, she wanted to stay close to her husband.

Cautiously, the two made their way through the echoing corridors of their home. The lamp cast flickering shadows over the bare walls, making the familiar seem suddenly strange. Edea was surprised, and a little embarrassed, to realise how hard her heart was beating.

The front door stood before them, rigid and unyielding. Whoever was outside was certainly determined; the entrance hall echoed with the blows falling on the solid wood. Cid and Edea glanced at each other once more, and then Cid stepped forward.

'There's no need to knock the door down!' he shouted. 'Who is it, and what do you want at this time of night?'

There was silence on the other side of the door for a few moments, as if whoever was standing outside was surprised to have got a response. Then a man's voice reached them, faint and muffled, through the door.

'I've come to see Edea!' he called. 'I must speak to her! It's about Ellone!'

Edea frowned as she replied, 'I am Edea! What do you think I have to say about anyone called Ellone?'

'For the love of Hyne, will you let me it?! I'm going to die out here!'

The desperation in the man's voice was so evident that Cid held back no longer. He hurried over to the front door and pulled back the heavy bolts which held it fast. Finally, he turned the great iron key in the lock, and eased the door back. As soon as there was enough space between door and frame, a bedraggled figure darted through to stand dripping on the stone flags of the entrance hall.

*********

After supplying their unexpected visitor with some dry clothes, Cid withdrew to the bedroom, leaving Edea to interview the stranger alone.

Edea regarded the man before her as he sipped at the hot chocolate she had made. Of course, she had recognised him almost at once from the portrait Raine had sent, but she feigned ignorance of him and his mission. This appeared to have confused him, as she had intended. He had related his story clearly, in the manner of a soldier making a report, and all of the details tied in with the account she had received from Raine. Now, she was playing for time, trying to decide what to do.

'I've looked everywhere, but I just can't find her!' Laguna exclaimed. 'And now you're telling me she ain't here, either...'

'If I may ask, what happened to this Ellone?' Edea replied.

'She was kidnapped by Esthar soldiers,' he said, then correctly reading the question in her eyes, 'I've been travelling, tryin' all I can to get inside Esthar but...'

'They were looking for a successor to the Esthar sorceress, Adel?' she suggested.

'Yeah, yeah! Exactly it!'

'Is she your daughter?'

'No...but she's just so cute! Oh, I wish I could hear her voice!'

It was the note of desperation in his voice which, more than anything he had said, softened Edea's heart towards him. She could not completely forgive him for leaving Raine when she most needed him, but she could not blame him for seeking out Ellone, who was, after all, only a child. The little girl's plight, seized by a power she could barely comprehend let alone control, reminded Edea too forcefully of her own stolen childhood.

She turned to Laguna, opening her mouth to speak, but hesitated when she saw a dazed look cross his features.

'Is something the matter?' she asked.

'No...just the faeries...' he replied.

This answer did not really make anything clearer to her, but she let it go. She reassured him that she was the Edea he had been searching for and that she had known of his search for Ellone through Raine's letter.

'Raine wrote to you? When?' he demanded.

'She wrote on the night you left,' Edea replied. 'She was in labour, probably brought on by the stress of arguing with you……'

Her voice trailed off as she saw a new spasm of pain cross Laguna's face.

'I know I should have been with her, but how could I leave Ellone to the mercy of…… of Hyne knows what?'

He looked up into her face, his eyes silently begging for her understanding. Edea smiled to reassure him.

'Raine knew why you left. Please, don't tear yourself up over this any more.'

Laguna took a deep breath and nodded. 'I just wish I knew how to get into Esthar………' he said softly. Then he shook himself. 'So, if Raine wrote the night I left and she was in labour – she must have had the baby! Was it a boy or a girl? Did she say whether it looks like me?'

This was the moment Edea had been dreading. There was no way to break the news to him gently.

'I haven't heard from her since the night you left – and even that letter arrived late. She must be really busy with the baby.'

Laguna nodded, a little crestfallen. 'Yeah, that must be it! Well, thanks for the hot chocolate. Could I beg a bed from you, just for tonight?'

Edea smiled, and said, 'Yes, of course! We would be honoured to have you stay here.'

She was relieved that Laguna had taken Raine's silence to indicate that all her time was taken up with the baby. In contrast, Edea had begun to suspect something far worse, but it would be no good worrying Laguna about it now. He needed to be able to focus on rescuing Ellone.

*********

Laguna left early the next morning. Cid and Edea waved him off and then returned to completing the final preparations for the orphanage.

One of their major purchases was a television set which was set up in what would be a communal living area for the children. They kept up with the progress of the war by watching the nightly news bulletins, and that was how they learned both of Laguna's success in recovering Ellone, and also of the end of Adel.

The item was the top story of the day, and was introduced by a beaming presenter.

'Today's main story! The Sorceress War is over, as Sorceress Adel is finally sealed and transported to space for eternity………' The presenter's face disappeared to be replaced by a shot of three huge space ships resembling dragons, gripping something round and shining in their claws.

The presenter reappeared and said, 'And now we can go live to Esthar, where our reporter is talking to Sergeant Laguna Loire, the hero of the hour!'

'So, Sergeant Loire, you came to Esthar to find your missing daughter?' asked the reporter.

'Yeah, that's right!' replied Laguna, Ellone held tightly in his grasp.

'And how exactly did the capture take place?'

'Perhapz I can be ov assistanze in anzering zat qvestion,' came a voice, and the camera zoomed out to reveal a small, round man in black robes with a huge ruff around his neck.

The sight of him made Edea's flesh crawl and her smiling face transformed into a snarl.

'Odine!' she breathed at the same time as the reporter said, 'Ah, er, yes, er, Doctor Odine, thank you for joining us!'

Striding across the room, Edea jabbed at the on/off button of the television set.

'I don't want to hear anything that odious man has to say!' she snapped.

'Yes, dear, anything you say,' said Cid mildly.

Edea laughed at herself.

'Thank you, my loyal Knight, for putting up with me for all these years!'

'It has been my pleasure,' Cid replied.

A/N: well we're nearly there! Only one chapter left. Thank you once again for taking the time to read this, and please leave a review so that I know what you thought of it.