Note: Okay... sorry for the long wait! I just want to thank you to those who reviews this story since the beginning of the chapter and I hope that I will hear more feedbacks from you peoples! Anyway, thanx again! ;)
Chapter 10 - Enter Calik
Amongst the beautiful green grass, he stood, calm and collected as he was before. Nothing could disturb him from his serenity and his fresh take on breathing marvelous air. There were moments that he wished it would never end, but the silence overwhelmed him at times and now wished he was back to where he had begun. Above him, clouds darkened his shadow and no longer did it reflect his figure and around him, the grass blew hard and he could hear the wind against his ears.
And then....
He opened his eyes. He was back where he was; back to the place where boredom was often felt. Zell rubbed his eyes with his clenched fists and sat up from his place on the stiff bed. He heard the door opening. Glancing quickly to the right of him, where the window gave light to the sun peeking in the horizon, he sighed deeply in his throat.
"Zell?" a soft voice called. The voice sounded familiar and at that moment, he knew it was a woman calling to him. He turned his head towards the direction of the voice and noticed Selphie walking to him with a basket full of apples hanging from one arm. She took one apple from the basket and showed it towards him to see. "I have breakfast for you," she whispered. She was unwilling at first to see him, yet her heart would not let her. Her heart forced her to see his face one last time.
The blond soldier was silent. Why would she take all the trouble in the world to feed him when he had one more day left until his heart no longer held that ache he had for her?
Selphie neared closer to the bars and squeezed her arms in between them to give the apple a little closer. "These apples are fresh from Your Highness' garden. Methinks you will like this so."
"I am not hungry," was Zell's cold retort. He could not face her. He dared not see the sadness in her eyes.
The handmaiden frowned. Tears fell from her eyes and it streamed down her face like rain. Selphie put the apple back in the basket and looked down in shame. Unable to face the suffering any longer, she turned and prepared to leave, when Zell's voice broke into the silent air.
"Perhaps it would be decent for us to speak with each other."
Selphie paused, never turning around to face him and listened on as he continued to speak.
Zell stood up and walked nearer towards her. He gripped the bars tightly, looking down in pain, as emotions finally began to stir in his heart. One by one, tears fell from his eyes and dropped peacefully on the gray earth. He could not speak, yet he forced himself to. "Sel-Selphie...." His voice trembled at the call of her name. "I wish you could stay by my side until the day that I die," he spoke. He shivered, knowing the truth that she would not dare go near him. He hung his head deeper and whimpered, no longer could he contain the emotions in his heart.
Selphie turned around slowly and noticed him sink lower in the ground. She quickly went to his side and wrapped her tiny arms around him, feeling the warmth of his body. She could not kiss him for the bars were in the way, instead, she stroked his disheveled hair, feeling him shiver underneath her embrace. Her own emotions began to show. She closed her eyes and began to cry. "Why-? Why do you wish to die so? I- I wish you would join us and so shall you live."
Zell shook his head and looked up, grief-stricken with tears. "I wish it were that simple, Selphie, but I shan't. My whole life dedicates mostly on my Duke, my master and I can not betray him!" He leaned forward and buried his head near her chest. "Do you not love me? Is that why you did not wish to be near me for what I have chosen? Have you thought that I wished to die than be with you?" When she did not answer, he continued. "That is certainly not the matter that I wish. In my heart, of course I wish to be with you."
The handmaiden looked away, unable to see into his eyes any longer. "Your heart mostly belongs to the Duke, not to me." With those words spoken and without another glance towards the man she loves, Selphie turned and walked away, never again making another attempt to see into his eyes that were once seen with love and sincerity.
Zell watched her leave as more water of grief struck across his face. There was never a day that he laid there and passioned himself in sadness for the woman he loves. He wanted to call out her name, but his lips were trembling with so much fear that he was unable to do so. His eyes flooded with tears and his hands shook as it gripped tightly around the cold bars. It was the day before he was due for death and for the first time in his life, knowing only to mask his face of his emotions, Zell Dincht wept.
**********
In a contented sigh, she wiped away the tears from her eyes and bravely faced the dark path ahead. She stood outside the courtyard, waiting to find herself again, but every moment she thought about Zell hanging with his neck tied around a rope, it made her cringe and suffer more. She looked up into the night sky. Groups of stars, constellations, danced in even numbers while their shining tails beamed in her eyes. Wind blew around her, her brown hair fluttering about freely in untangled knots. The moon's ethereal glow lighted the dark path that she wished to take, but cannot move to. Every path she took, she knew she would end up in the same place again (sound familiar?).
Her thoughts were easily distracted when a shadowed figure riding on a horse strolled towards her. The figure was lying on the horse's back as it slowly walked her way. A moan escaped the shadow's face and Selphie, easily frightened with the noise, backed away slowly, yet the small palomino continued to stride to her. It stopped only a few meters away, watching, waiting for her to come. However, despite her efforts to try, Selphie could not move her legs. She stood there, surprised and confused as the happenings unfolded before her. She was startled to notice the shadow jump from the horse and fall on the ground. He/she stumbled to her, holding something in his hand. There was an arrow shot through his arm and Selphie did finally come near. The light of the moon made her see who it was and she noticed that he was a young man, not much older than herself, wearing a Balbadian armor. He fell on his knees and the handmaiden was soon shocked to see another arrow shot at his back. Blood seeped through his thin armor and poured like rain on the grass. Selphie ran to his side and grabbed hold of him, helping him back up on his feet.
"What has happened?" Selphie asked, leading him inside the castle. She looked behind him, hoping for more of the Balbadian men, but there was no one else. The young man was all alone.
The young man did not answer. He looked up and lifted up his arm with something in his hand and lent out his hand to her. "I trust it that you are the handmaiden of the Queen?"
Selphie could only nod.
The young soldier shoved a piece of paper in her hand and groaned as the pain surged through his body. He straightened up himself, hoping to face her and smiled. "Give this to the Queen and tell no one." He fell back and the handmaiden attempted to help him back up, but the young man just pushed her out of the way. He backed away from her and smiled. "I have served my purpose," he said, before falling on his back as the arrow finally completed its task. The young man closed his eyes, smiling in pride and happiness that he had finally finished his mission. He can now join his brother in peace.
Selphie watched wide-eyed towards the fallen body of the young man. She glanced at the paper in her hand, turned around and called for the Queen.
****************
The moon shined heavily upon his brow, waking him up from his peaceful, yet, none so desired sleep. There was never a day that he wished he was with his beloved and his Queen. If only he had told her that neither King, nor battle can hold his love for her. He would do whatever it takes to go back to the past and prevent him to go to war so he can stay with her. He felt guilt towards the young Riley, knowing now that the young soldier had been captured during his mission to send the message to the Queen. In his eyes, he could see Riley being killed slowly by the most deadly weapons used by the Estharians against their enemies, which were the bow and arrows.
He glanced towards his only companion left. Sharn Kaiser sat beside him, his eyes rested and fatigued. They have run many miles to escape the clutches of their enemy and since then, Seifer and Sharn have done nothing but hide inside a cave of some sort.
"How fine are you?" Seifer asked, standing up slowly.
Sharn opened his eyes and nodded in answer. "Sir, I am but well." He closed his mouth again and took a few more deep breaths. He clutched at his chest and exhaled deeply, then grabbed at his leg and gazed at it for a moment.
Seifer removed his sword from his sheath and examined the young man sitting on the floor carefully, clutching at his leg. "Weapon have you?"
"Aye, sir," he answered. The young soldier reached inside the back of his trousers and took out a small knife, then showed it to his Captain.
"That will not do," the blond said shaking his head, disappointing the young man completely and his hands quickly reached the other side of his belt and took out another sword, which was slightly the same size as his Hyperion and handed it to the three and ten lad. "This belonged to Lorlith. This is as decent as that pint-sized knife of yours. I cannot defend you on my own, so you alone must protect yourself with it, understand?"
Sharn took the sword gratefully. Lorlith's sword, which was slightly thinner than the Hyperion was at best easy for him, since it was lighter and held more power for him to move around. Sharn immediately regained the courage in his heart and his pride became more visible. He stared back at Seifer and smiled. "Thank you, sir," he whispered.
As if an older brother to his younger brother, Seifer patted the thirteen-year-old boy's back and smiled. "We can make it alive, Sharn, if you and I work together, got it?"
Sharn nodded.
The blond Knight, after the lecture he gave the young man, left his spot to check if the way has been cleared for them to walk out of the cave. There was simply no point in staying in the cave for any longer. He longed to return to his Kingdom and be awake with his Queen again.
When he was sure that no one was nearby, Seifer signaled for the young man to follow him. Sharn immediately obeyed and once again, they found themselves on the run for survival in the forest as if the Hunter was hunting the prey.
****************
The news quickly reached the Queen once she received the letter from her Handmaiden. Quistis' hope gleamed as her frown faded to replace it with a smile of joy on her face. She read the letter over and over again, making sure she was not dreaming and when she was certain that the letter was from him, she clutched the letter nearest to her heart and sighed. Soon, her Knight was coming home. Quistis walked to the window and stared at the bright moon winking back at her. She glanced at the letter again and touched the contours of the black ink still wet from the writing. She imagined her beloved Knight writing the letter with all his heart and no one else's.
She placed a hand on her stomach and smiled. "My dearest, soon, your father wilst come home back to us. We will be a family again," she whispered to the life inside her.
***************
Hoping to find the end of their escape, Seifer paused and looked around. He expected to return to where they once ran away from, however, the place they found themselves in were unfamiliar to him. A waterfall sat a few feet from them, pouring clear crystals on a small pool with a large school of fish. A tropical jungle scene was now visible before them and Seifer felt the disappointment rising in his heart and his mind. His fear began to rise, but fell once realizing that a young lad was with him and he must be brave for Sharn's sake. In truth, Seifer was the only hope for them left. He glanced behind him at Sharn, who stared back at him with innocent eyes.
Then, he heard the hum of a woman's voice nearby. Seifer and Sharn looked into the pool and, like magic, a woman appeared through the waterfall and strode towards the deep end of the water, carrying a large vase made in ceramic. Her voice was ecstatic and Seifer found himself infatuated by her. He has never seen such a beautiful creature all his life. Her hair was the colour of honey and her eyes gleamed like diamonds, mimicking the pure crystal water.
"Quistis?" Seifer whispered to himself.
"There they are!" a voice growled in the distance, interrupting Seifer's disloyal thoughts. Seifer and Sharn jerked their way to the voice and noticed a few men running towards them dressed in Estharian armor. One man aimed their arrows towards them, mostly at Sharn and shot it with complete accuracy. Seifer threw Sharn on the ground, grabbed him by the arm and dashed away from the enemy.
They ran through the woods, breathing heavily and once again, they were back into the bushes of the old Balamb trees still lingering in the forests. Shadows lurked, danced and faded and the moonlight, as Seifer could tell, was beginning to change into dawn. He let Sharn free from his grasp so the young lad could run on his own and led them both through some more bushes. Pass the sycamore and the Douglas fir and then, lastly, an odd shapely tree. Instead of turning a right from the odd shaped tree, Seifer led Sharn to the left of the tree and when their hopes were beginning to rise, Seifer tripped on something hard and fell back, falling many meters on a large hill that did not seem to end. Sharn was able to stop himself before he could fall and could only watch as Seifer fell distance away from him and was heading straight to a rock. Sharn ran after him, but the slippery rock did not allow him. Sharn too, found himself falling after the blond man.
Seifer attempted to dig his sword into the soft earth, yet could not, for he was falling much too fast and little time was administered for him to on to something. He could see Sharn falling after him and then falling away from him on another direction. Seifer cursed some untamed words and clawed at the ground, but it was to no avail.
Suddenly, something hard hit him on the head. His falling abruptly stopped and the only thing Seifer could remember was falling unconscious on the ground, the blood from the back of his head slowly dripping on the leafy floor. His only thought before he found blackness was his Queen, his love and his companion.
****************
Two figures walked cautiously towards the stiff body. One kicked his foot at it, but did not receive any response. The other, after examining the handsome face for a while, looked at the other one.
"What shall we do with him, brother?" she asked, her voice soft and kind. Her dark tresses flew behind her as her eyes met the dark figure looming over the body. She frowned as she watched her brother kicked the body's foot again, making certain that it would not wake up to attack him. "Hoy, brother?" she called.
Her brother looked up as if waking up from a trance and nodded. "Yes. We shall bring him to the Healer," he suggested, grabbing the body's arm. "Help me, sister," he said.
The girl grabbed the other arm and helped her brother lift the body up into a standing position. Once they both succeeded in bringing him into that position, they carried him slowly, but surely towards their village.
****************
Cold water startled him from his long sleep. He stood up quickly, his eyes just adjusting to the light and looked around. Water dripped from his face and his eyes were just beginning to find its focus. He noticed two figures staring at him, yet he could not quite understand who they were. One man, tall and large than the other, approached him carefully and nodded his head towards him.
"Hello, I am Nero Preja of the Thunder village. Welcome stranger to our home," the man spoke with a deep accented voice. The man can tell that the welcoming man was trying his hardest to speak his language. Who was he?
"Uh... hello," he said, unsure of what to say. Where was he? "What has happened?" he asked, clutching the pain at the back of his head. "Why am I here?"
"This young man here," Nero said, turning to the man, shorter than him. He placed a hand on the young man's shoulder and smiled proudly at him, then glanced back at the stranger. "Weyon and his sister found you lying on the ground. They carried you all the way here so we can care for you."
The stranger nodded his head at the younger man and lifted his foot to turn his whole body towards the two. He was bare from head to toe and the only thing that kept him from being seen 'fully' was the warmth of a brown, furry blanket. He wrapped the blanket tighter around him, suddenly conscious of his condition and frowned. "Where are my clothes? Did I not wear clothes?"
Weyon nodded soundlessly and walked over to the very end of the bed. He kneeled down and grabbed a tunic and brown trousers from a large tin box and handed it to the stranger. "Here, your clothes. Me and sister give this to you as welcome present." Each of his sentences was cut and was carefully being said by the young man.
The stranger glanced at the shirt handed to him and looked back at the young man. "Thank you," he murmured. He looked around; confusion suddenly gleamed in his eyes. "Who am I?" He looked at the two people standing in front of him.
Weyon and Nero looked at each other. The Healer glanced at the stranger first and frowned. "You have forgotten who you are, stranger?"
The stranger nodded. "Yes. I do not know who I am or why I am here. Do you know who I am?"
Nero shook his head. "It does not matter now. You can stay here with us and so shall you be called, Calik."
"Calik," the stranger with no memory murmured to himself. Weyon glanced at his father and said nothing. Obviously there was something in his mind that he certainly did no approve of.
The stranger, now known as Calik, quickly put on his tunic and trousers and glanced at the two. After careful examination, Nero waved his hand towards Calik and led him out of their hut. Calik was surprised at how many people were walking around, wearing similar attire as he and when he was finished finding himself into a whole new world, his eyes fell upon a lovely woman. Her eyes were the perfect blue, almost reminding him of someone he knew; yet he could not quite put it. Her hair was the perfect honey as they swayed against the warm air. Their eyes met for one moment as if time had slowed down for them. Calik smiled and quickly took his eyes off of her when he noticed Nero staring at him.
Note: AIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!! Who is Calik? Well, you can probably guess who. Oh man now what? Oh, this is just getting better and better! Stay tuned!!!!!!!
Chapter 10 - Enter Calik
Amongst the beautiful green grass, he stood, calm and collected as he was before. Nothing could disturb him from his serenity and his fresh take on breathing marvelous air. There were moments that he wished it would never end, but the silence overwhelmed him at times and now wished he was back to where he had begun. Above him, clouds darkened his shadow and no longer did it reflect his figure and around him, the grass blew hard and he could hear the wind against his ears.
And then....
He opened his eyes. He was back where he was; back to the place where boredom was often felt. Zell rubbed his eyes with his clenched fists and sat up from his place on the stiff bed. He heard the door opening. Glancing quickly to the right of him, where the window gave light to the sun peeking in the horizon, he sighed deeply in his throat.
"Zell?" a soft voice called. The voice sounded familiar and at that moment, he knew it was a woman calling to him. He turned his head towards the direction of the voice and noticed Selphie walking to him with a basket full of apples hanging from one arm. She took one apple from the basket and showed it towards him to see. "I have breakfast for you," she whispered. She was unwilling at first to see him, yet her heart would not let her. Her heart forced her to see his face one last time.
The blond soldier was silent. Why would she take all the trouble in the world to feed him when he had one more day left until his heart no longer held that ache he had for her?
Selphie neared closer to the bars and squeezed her arms in between them to give the apple a little closer. "These apples are fresh from Your Highness' garden. Methinks you will like this so."
"I am not hungry," was Zell's cold retort. He could not face her. He dared not see the sadness in her eyes.
The handmaiden frowned. Tears fell from her eyes and it streamed down her face like rain. Selphie put the apple back in the basket and looked down in shame. Unable to face the suffering any longer, she turned and prepared to leave, when Zell's voice broke into the silent air.
"Perhaps it would be decent for us to speak with each other."
Selphie paused, never turning around to face him and listened on as he continued to speak.
Zell stood up and walked nearer towards her. He gripped the bars tightly, looking down in pain, as emotions finally began to stir in his heart. One by one, tears fell from his eyes and dropped peacefully on the gray earth. He could not speak, yet he forced himself to. "Sel-Selphie...." His voice trembled at the call of her name. "I wish you could stay by my side until the day that I die," he spoke. He shivered, knowing the truth that she would not dare go near him. He hung his head deeper and whimpered, no longer could he contain the emotions in his heart.
Selphie turned around slowly and noticed him sink lower in the ground. She quickly went to his side and wrapped her tiny arms around him, feeling the warmth of his body. She could not kiss him for the bars were in the way, instead, she stroked his disheveled hair, feeling him shiver underneath her embrace. Her own emotions began to show. She closed her eyes and began to cry. "Why-? Why do you wish to die so? I- I wish you would join us and so shall you live."
Zell shook his head and looked up, grief-stricken with tears. "I wish it were that simple, Selphie, but I shan't. My whole life dedicates mostly on my Duke, my master and I can not betray him!" He leaned forward and buried his head near her chest. "Do you not love me? Is that why you did not wish to be near me for what I have chosen? Have you thought that I wished to die than be with you?" When she did not answer, he continued. "That is certainly not the matter that I wish. In my heart, of course I wish to be with you."
The handmaiden looked away, unable to see into his eyes any longer. "Your heart mostly belongs to the Duke, not to me." With those words spoken and without another glance towards the man she loves, Selphie turned and walked away, never again making another attempt to see into his eyes that were once seen with love and sincerity.
Zell watched her leave as more water of grief struck across his face. There was never a day that he laid there and passioned himself in sadness for the woman he loves. He wanted to call out her name, but his lips were trembling with so much fear that he was unable to do so. His eyes flooded with tears and his hands shook as it gripped tightly around the cold bars. It was the day before he was due for death and for the first time in his life, knowing only to mask his face of his emotions, Zell Dincht wept.
**********
In a contented sigh, she wiped away the tears from her eyes and bravely faced the dark path ahead. She stood outside the courtyard, waiting to find herself again, but every moment she thought about Zell hanging with his neck tied around a rope, it made her cringe and suffer more. She looked up into the night sky. Groups of stars, constellations, danced in even numbers while their shining tails beamed in her eyes. Wind blew around her, her brown hair fluttering about freely in untangled knots. The moon's ethereal glow lighted the dark path that she wished to take, but cannot move to. Every path she took, she knew she would end up in the same place again (sound familiar?).
Her thoughts were easily distracted when a shadowed figure riding on a horse strolled towards her. The figure was lying on the horse's back as it slowly walked her way. A moan escaped the shadow's face and Selphie, easily frightened with the noise, backed away slowly, yet the small palomino continued to stride to her. It stopped only a few meters away, watching, waiting for her to come. However, despite her efforts to try, Selphie could not move her legs. She stood there, surprised and confused as the happenings unfolded before her. She was startled to notice the shadow jump from the horse and fall on the ground. He/she stumbled to her, holding something in his hand. There was an arrow shot through his arm and Selphie did finally come near. The light of the moon made her see who it was and she noticed that he was a young man, not much older than herself, wearing a Balbadian armor. He fell on his knees and the handmaiden was soon shocked to see another arrow shot at his back. Blood seeped through his thin armor and poured like rain on the grass. Selphie ran to his side and grabbed hold of him, helping him back up on his feet.
"What has happened?" Selphie asked, leading him inside the castle. She looked behind him, hoping for more of the Balbadian men, but there was no one else. The young man was all alone.
The young man did not answer. He looked up and lifted up his arm with something in his hand and lent out his hand to her. "I trust it that you are the handmaiden of the Queen?"
Selphie could only nod.
The young soldier shoved a piece of paper in her hand and groaned as the pain surged through his body. He straightened up himself, hoping to face her and smiled. "Give this to the Queen and tell no one." He fell back and the handmaiden attempted to help him back up, but the young man just pushed her out of the way. He backed away from her and smiled. "I have served my purpose," he said, before falling on his back as the arrow finally completed its task. The young man closed his eyes, smiling in pride and happiness that he had finally finished his mission. He can now join his brother in peace.
Selphie watched wide-eyed towards the fallen body of the young man. She glanced at the paper in her hand, turned around and called for the Queen.
****************
The moon shined heavily upon his brow, waking him up from his peaceful, yet, none so desired sleep. There was never a day that he wished he was with his beloved and his Queen. If only he had told her that neither King, nor battle can hold his love for her. He would do whatever it takes to go back to the past and prevent him to go to war so he can stay with her. He felt guilt towards the young Riley, knowing now that the young soldier had been captured during his mission to send the message to the Queen. In his eyes, he could see Riley being killed slowly by the most deadly weapons used by the Estharians against their enemies, which were the bow and arrows.
He glanced towards his only companion left. Sharn Kaiser sat beside him, his eyes rested and fatigued. They have run many miles to escape the clutches of their enemy and since then, Seifer and Sharn have done nothing but hide inside a cave of some sort.
"How fine are you?" Seifer asked, standing up slowly.
Sharn opened his eyes and nodded in answer. "Sir, I am but well." He closed his mouth again and took a few more deep breaths. He clutched at his chest and exhaled deeply, then grabbed at his leg and gazed at it for a moment.
Seifer removed his sword from his sheath and examined the young man sitting on the floor carefully, clutching at his leg. "Weapon have you?"
"Aye, sir," he answered. The young soldier reached inside the back of his trousers and took out a small knife, then showed it to his Captain.
"That will not do," the blond said shaking his head, disappointing the young man completely and his hands quickly reached the other side of his belt and took out another sword, which was slightly the same size as his Hyperion and handed it to the three and ten lad. "This belonged to Lorlith. This is as decent as that pint-sized knife of yours. I cannot defend you on my own, so you alone must protect yourself with it, understand?"
Sharn took the sword gratefully. Lorlith's sword, which was slightly thinner than the Hyperion was at best easy for him, since it was lighter and held more power for him to move around. Sharn immediately regained the courage in his heart and his pride became more visible. He stared back at Seifer and smiled. "Thank you, sir," he whispered.
As if an older brother to his younger brother, Seifer patted the thirteen-year-old boy's back and smiled. "We can make it alive, Sharn, if you and I work together, got it?"
Sharn nodded.
The blond Knight, after the lecture he gave the young man, left his spot to check if the way has been cleared for them to walk out of the cave. There was simply no point in staying in the cave for any longer. He longed to return to his Kingdom and be awake with his Queen again.
When he was sure that no one was nearby, Seifer signaled for the young man to follow him. Sharn immediately obeyed and once again, they found themselves on the run for survival in the forest as if the Hunter was hunting the prey.
****************
The news quickly reached the Queen once she received the letter from her Handmaiden. Quistis' hope gleamed as her frown faded to replace it with a smile of joy on her face. She read the letter over and over again, making sure she was not dreaming and when she was certain that the letter was from him, she clutched the letter nearest to her heart and sighed. Soon, her Knight was coming home. Quistis walked to the window and stared at the bright moon winking back at her. She glanced at the letter again and touched the contours of the black ink still wet from the writing. She imagined her beloved Knight writing the letter with all his heart and no one else's.
She placed a hand on her stomach and smiled. "My dearest, soon, your father wilst come home back to us. We will be a family again," she whispered to the life inside her.
***************
Hoping to find the end of their escape, Seifer paused and looked around. He expected to return to where they once ran away from, however, the place they found themselves in were unfamiliar to him. A waterfall sat a few feet from them, pouring clear crystals on a small pool with a large school of fish. A tropical jungle scene was now visible before them and Seifer felt the disappointment rising in his heart and his mind. His fear began to rise, but fell once realizing that a young lad was with him and he must be brave for Sharn's sake. In truth, Seifer was the only hope for them left. He glanced behind him at Sharn, who stared back at him with innocent eyes.
Then, he heard the hum of a woman's voice nearby. Seifer and Sharn looked into the pool and, like magic, a woman appeared through the waterfall and strode towards the deep end of the water, carrying a large vase made in ceramic. Her voice was ecstatic and Seifer found himself infatuated by her. He has never seen such a beautiful creature all his life. Her hair was the colour of honey and her eyes gleamed like diamonds, mimicking the pure crystal water.
"Quistis?" Seifer whispered to himself.
"There they are!" a voice growled in the distance, interrupting Seifer's disloyal thoughts. Seifer and Sharn jerked their way to the voice and noticed a few men running towards them dressed in Estharian armor. One man aimed their arrows towards them, mostly at Sharn and shot it with complete accuracy. Seifer threw Sharn on the ground, grabbed him by the arm and dashed away from the enemy.
They ran through the woods, breathing heavily and once again, they were back into the bushes of the old Balamb trees still lingering in the forests. Shadows lurked, danced and faded and the moonlight, as Seifer could tell, was beginning to change into dawn. He let Sharn free from his grasp so the young lad could run on his own and led them both through some more bushes. Pass the sycamore and the Douglas fir and then, lastly, an odd shapely tree. Instead of turning a right from the odd shaped tree, Seifer led Sharn to the left of the tree and when their hopes were beginning to rise, Seifer tripped on something hard and fell back, falling many meters on a large hill that did not seem to end. Sharn was able to stop himself before he could fall and could only watch as Seifer fell distance away from him and was heading straight to a rock. Sharn ran after him, but the slippery rock did not allow him. Sharn too, found himself falling after the blond man.
Seifer attempted to dig his sword into the soft earth, yet could not, for he was falling much too fast and little time was administered for him to on to something. He could see Sharn falling after him and then falling away from him on another direction. Seifer cursed some untamed words and clawed at the ground, but it was to no avail.
Suddenly, something hard hit him on the head. His falling abruptly stopped and the only thing Seifer could remember was falling unconscious on the ground, the blood from the back of his head slowly dripping on the leafy floor. His only thought before he found blackness was his Queen, his love and his companion.
****************
Two figures walked cautiously towards the stiff body. One kicked his foot at it, but did not receive any response. The other, after examining the handsome face for a while, looked at the other one.
"What shall we do with him, brother?" she asked, her voice soft and kind. Her dark tresses flew behind her as her eyes met the dark figure looming over the body. She frowned as she watched her brother kicked the body's foot again, making certain that it would not wake up to attack him. "Hoy, brother?" she called.
Her brother looked up as if waking up from a trance and nodded. "Yes. We shall bring him to the Healer," he suggested, grabbing the body's arm. "Help me, sister," he said.
The girl grabbed the other arm and helped her brother lift the body up into a standing position. Once they both succeeded in bringing him into that position, they carried him slowly, but surely towards their village.
****************
Cold water startled him from his long sleep. He stood up quickly, his eyes just adjusting to the light and looked around. Water dripped from his face and his eyes were just beginning to find its focus. He noticed two figures staring at him, yet he could not quite understand who they were. One man, tall and large than the other, approached him carefully and nodded his head towards him.
"Hello, I am Nero Preja of the Thunder village. Welcome stranger to our home," the man spoke with a deep accented voice. The man can tell that the welcoming man was trying his hardest to speak his language. Who was he?
"Uh... hello," he said, unsure of what to say. Where was he? "What has happened?" he asked, clutching the pain at the back of his head. "Why am I here?"
"This young man here," Nero said, turning to the man, shorter than him. He placed a hand on the young man's shoulder and smiled proudly at him, then glanced back at the stranger. "Weyon and his sister found you lying on the ground. They carried you all the way here so we can care for you."
The stranger nodded his head at the younger man and lifted his foot to turn his whole body towards the two. He was bare from head to toe and the only thing that kept him from being seen 'fully' was the warmth of a brown, furry blanket. He wrapped the blanket tighter around him, suddenly conscious of his condition and frowned. "Where are my clothes? Did I not wear clothes?"
Weyon nodded soundlessly and walked over to the very end of the bed. He kneeled down and grabbed a tunic and brown trousers from a large tin box and handed it to the stranger. "Here, your clothes. Me and sister give this to you as welcome present." Each of his sentences was cut and was carefully being said by the young man.
The stranger glanced at the shirt handed to him and looked back at the young man. "Thank you," he murmured. He looked around; confusion suddenly gleamed in his eyes. "Who am I?" He looked at the two people standing in front of him.
Weyon and Nero looked at each other. The Healer glanced at the stranger first and frowned. "You have forgotten who you are, stranger?"
The stranger nodded. "Yes. I do not know who I am or why I am here. Do you know who I am?"
Nero shook his head. "It does not matter now. You can stay here with us and so shall you be called, Calik."
"Calik," the stranger with no memory murmured to himself. Weyon glanced at his father and said nothing. Obviously there was something in his mind that he certainly did no approve of.
The stranger, now known as Calik, quickly put on his tunic and trousers and glanced at the two. After careful examination, Nero waved his hand towards Calik and led him out of their hut. Calik was surprised at how many people were walking around, wearing similar attire as he and when he was finished finding himself into a whole new world, his eyes fell upon a lovely woman. Her eyes were the perfect blue, almost reminding him of someone he knew; yet he could not quite put it. Her hair was the perfect honey as they swayed against the warm air. Their eyes met for one moment as if time had slowed down for them. Calik smiled and quickly took his eyes off of her when he noticed Nero staring at him.
Note: AIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!! Who is Calik? Well, you can probably guess who. Oh man now what? Oh, this is just getting better and better! Stay tuned!!!!!!!