Note: Hey, where are my Seiftis fans? Why aren't any of you reading this? J/k! LOL. Anyway, the last time we left off was...*gasp* Seifer kissing Terris! Woah! Let's see... here you'll find out if they ever went through with it or not so hold on to your seats everyone!
Chapter 13 - In The Heat of Battle
In the midst of the morning light, a hand stretched out as another day broke out into the fields. She rested her tired arms on the bed and turned her head towards the window. The curtain freely flapped about, welcoming the morning breeze inside the small quarters. Months passed and still no news of her Knight. That one fateful day when the King returned from the search, he had shook his head and frowned, giving no sign that he has found his faithful companion among the dead or even among the living. Tears suddenly soaked her charming face. She lifted her hands up to wipe the wetness from her skin and sat up from bed. Bringing her eyes down to her body, she placed a hand on her stomach and sighed. Soon, the child will be born into the world, without a knowledge of his real father. He will only know his father as ruler of Balbadia and not as the courageous knight who fought bravely and died a hero. She had a reason to believe now that he had died.
"Your highness?" Quistis glanced up and noticed her left handmaiden approaching her with a smile. Her silken raven hair flowed down her back and her midnight blue dress showed her perfect complexion. It makes Quistis wonder sometimes why Rinoa was never a Princess or related to any type of royalty.
"Yes?" the blond Queen answered quietly.
Rinoa kept her smile and walked towards her slowly. With a little curtsey, she glanced at Quistis' large stomach and grinned. "How is the little one in there?" she asked, her Scottish accent showing.
Quistis nodded, keeping her hands on her stomach. "He is kicking rather widely, but it shows how strong he is, like his father."
The raven-haired girl smiled and nodded. She knew everything about whom the father was; yet she kept it quiet in front of the Queen. She would be very angry if she mentioned that Selphie had told her about it. "Yes." She paused and opened her mouth again to speak. However, before she could speak once more, she noticed the Queen was hunched over forward and was touching her stomach in pain. Water seeped from her dressing gown and to the floor. Rinoa's eyes widened. It was time now. "Your highness!" she yelled. She ran beside the Queen and took her hand, leading her back to her bed. Carefully, she helped her up on the bed and laid her down. Quistis yelped in pain, clutching at her stomach and feeling the baby move wildly. Rinoa had already left quickly to get the King and the older handmaidens who were more experienced in delivering a baby.
Quistis closed her eyes tight and clenched her fists in agony, the palm of her hands reddening as she tightened her hold on the bed sheets. Another pain raged through her body. She opened her legs wider and screamed as loud as she could.
A few seconds later, the King and three handmaidens, including Rinoa entered the room. Irvine immediately set his place beside Quistis, grabbing her hand for support. The oldest handmaiden, Edea, who had been a mother to Quistis since her mother died, took her place to where the baby was being taken out. Rinoa and another handmaiden both stood on either side of the older woman. Edea glanced at Quistis and smiled.
"Quistis dear, I want you to close your mouth as tight as you can and start pushing after my count, all right?" she said.
The blond nodded. She gripped Irvine's hand tight and closed her teeth together, then closed her eyes and waited for Edea's count. Once she heard the older woman finish her counting from three to one, Quistis pushed as much as she could with all the strength she could muster. Edea told her to push and Quistis did as she was told. Irvine stood, comforting her with all he could and trying not to think of his crushed hand against Quistis' strong grip.
After what seemed like hours, Quistis gave her one last sigh and closed her eyes shut, resting her head back on the pillow. A baby's cry was heard nearby and a few gasps and 'awws' could be heard. Irvine leaned down and kissed his wife's forehead. She smiled, feeling the kiss. Sweat poured from the sides of her face and tired eyes closed tight. Quistis took one glance at his son and went to sleep after many hours of labor.
The spectators present in the room smiled longingly at the baby held now in Irvine's arms. A strand of blond hair stood on end and small, twinkling eyes blinked a couple of times, before stretching out his tiny hand and crying as much as he could. Edea slowly cut the cord attached to its stomach and placed him back to his father's arms. Irvine rocked him back and forth and smiled lovingly at the baby in his arms. He glanced at Quistis sleeping on the bed and grinned.
"What shall you call him?" came Rinoa's voice after a quiet solitude.
Irvine shook his head. "I do not know, but I may call him Seifer, after my good friend who died bravely in battle. However, I will let my wife name him." He gave the baby to Edea and sat down beside Quistis on the bed. Irvine placed a hand on her forehead and stroked her hair gently. "Sleep well, my dear wife," he whispered. "I will wait until you awake for the name of the baby. For now, he will be somewhere safe."
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He suddenly sat up from bed as if waking up from a nightmare. However, he did not wake up from a dream. He woke up from something else. He felt something odd. Seifer glanced at the sleeping form beside him and reached up to stroke its fur. A head sprang up suddenly and looked towards him, its eyes glowing in the darkness.
"It's all right boy, there is nothing to worry about. I'm just going for a walk." He stood up and grabbed his long coat from the ground and put it on slowly. He grabbed the sword given to him by the blacksmith as a 'wedding gift' for the two couples. The blond haired man walked out of his tent and stared into the distant horizon. Another morning had come and another day for a little walk and to think. How long has he been waiting for his past to come? How long has he been exiled from the village he has known? The woman he had forced to marry did not seem like the one for him. His memories kept coming back to that same woman and though blond, Terris did not compare to the beauty this woman was. Her long blond hair, her piercing blue eyes, her supple lips and off shoulder dress and jeweled crown made her real in his heart, but his eyes made him believe something else. Seifer walked through the forest and made his way to the lake. Somehow, the lake made him remember about the past and about this woman that appeared in his mind every night. For months, he has been alone in the world and though he has his chocobbo as a companion, it did not feel the same being with someone.
Upon arriving, Seifer sat down on the ground and stared down on the clear, blue water. The wind blew his hair back and the cold weather made him shiver. It was, as usual, very quiet in this area. The waterfall ahead was the only thing that made a noise as it splashed against the rock below. He sighed and stared at nothing for a few minutes, before he was suddenly interrupted by a crunch from behind. Seifer grabbed his sword from its hilt and stood up as fast as lightning, aiming the sharp end towards a small and delicate neck.
"Are you going to kill your wife, Seifer?" she whispered, the voice muffled from the frightened breathing she made.
Seifer frowned and put his sword back in its sheath. He turned around and sighed. "What are you doing here, Terris?" he asked.
Terris took a deep breath, hugging herself. "I was just worried about my husband, that's all." She walked up beside him and stared at the waterfall. "Seifer, I missed you."
The blond shook his head. "No, you are forced to miss me so I can come back to you," he replied.
The blond woman frowned. "That's not fair. I do love you so, Seifer. I can't stop thinking about you- even after a few months. You have no idea how much I cried when you left without a word."
"I'm sorry, Terris, I cannot love you back and I have already spoken to you about it. I need to find myself and who I am. I feel like I do not know who I am and I need to know." Calik glanced to the woman and placed a sympathetic look towards his bride. He remembered rejecting sleeping with his wife, for him, it didn't feel right. It was as if someone else was there waiting for him, but who? Nero had literally pushed him out the door and banished him from the village when he heard these words spoken. For months, he has lived in exile in a deserted cave, with his only companion, who could take him anywhere on the land, sea and mountains. He had never seen one so rare. While living in the village, he had seen different types of the birds which could walk on two legs, some, Nero had explained, could only walk on sea, some on land and some high in the mountains. But the one Calik found, was special. It gleamed with a golden colour and could walk on any place he wished him to walk on. He patted the Chocobbo's furry neck and leapt up on its back, without taking a glance at Terris. "You best go home. Your father will wonder where you have gone off to."
Terris shook her head. "I want to come with you."
Calik turned his head towards her and frowned. "This is no time to be stubborn, Terris. There are many dangers lurking in this forest and I have seen many."
The blond woman clenched her fists at her sides. "Tell me then! Where will you go?"
The man shook his head, adjusting his sword at his side. "I am not certain. But I know I have to go somewhere. You need not come with me. I can only endanger your life. Terris, I am not the man for you and you are not the woman for me. I'm sorry." He grabbed the reigns of the Chocobbo and kicked gently at it sides into a trot. Without another glance, he commanded for the Chocobbo to go faster and headed North through the forest. Terris watched in fear and sadness. She loved him and will always love him.
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The rays of the sun spread throughout the desolate fields. The people of Balbadia woke up from their dreams, but one had awakened with a start from his nightmare. With tired eyes, he looked around wearily, calling his lover's name, but she would not respond. He glanced to his side, hoping she was there, but she was not. His nightmare. The nightmare he had last night, often meant something. A man dressed all in black, with thousands of men, gathered at the hilltops of the Gressollar Fields, just West of Balbadia. He wished it was only a dream, but he felt the worst.
A large blast startled him. Zell frantically called for his lover and she came out of the privy with glowing and frightened eyes. "Zell! What was that blast?!" Selphie yelped, running quickly to Zell's side. She wrapped her arms around him and shivered.
Zell stroked her back and frowned, shaking his head. "I do not know, Selphie. However, I know it means danger. We must leave this castle at once."
"Where will we go?" Selphie looked up and frowned. "Any city is in danger of this war between them. Oh Zell!" She buried her face against his chest. "Why does war have to happen? Why do men have to die to prove something?"
Zell closed his eyes. "I do not know, Selphie, but there is not time for us to question these for it will be long until we find the answers to them. Let us pack quickly and head for Timber."
Selphie nodded and headed for the closet to grab a large bag made of Moose Skin. She gathered all her important belongings quickly inside, including Zell's extra clothes and looked at him, who was already dressed in his tunic and pants. After a few seconds, they were now walking through the isolated streets of the Fish market. The two looked around cautiously, careful not to run into Estharian Soldiers. They had thought that the Soldiers already made it inside the town, but Selphie and Zell were not staying long to find out. Zell took Selphie's hand in his and led her out, with Selphie's instructions on where to go, since she knew the City well. They turned a couple more streets, until they found the source of the blast. It cracked open a wall and, much to Selphie's shock, bodies were scattered on the floor from the blast, many which were women and children. She wished they didn't have to pass this way, but there was no other way to go to the back gates.
"They are using their cannons," Zell spoke, his voice shallow in her ears. Selphie heard another shot, one that started farther away, but was soon getting closer and closer. She held tightly unto Zell's hand and looked up in fear, imagining the large cannon landing on her and Zell. "Don't worry, they attack in different places, not the same one. If we keep close to the damages, then we are safe."
Selphie nodded silently. She told the blond to turn left and he did so, gripping tightly and gently at Selphie's hand. She saw a few more dead men and women surrounding the grounds of the courtyard. There was a man whose head had been severed due to the explosion and a woman, who was holding a child, both dead, with their arms and legs blown away. Selphie took deep breaths, trying her hardest not to feel ill. Is this what war is? Death? Murder to many innocent lives?
They passed a couple more bodies, when they heard a faint cry in the distance. The faint cry of a small child. Selphie glanced at Zell, her eyes glowing in shock. Zell understood what she meant and led her to the source of the cries. At the corner of the courtyard, they found a small girl, about three years old, kneeling next to her mother, crying. Her hair was disheveled, but luckily, there were no injuries on her, only some blood in her hands, probably from touching her mother's bloody face. Zell and Selphie moved towards her. Selphie kneeled next to the girl, while Zell went to her mother to check on her pulse. Zell glanced at Selphie and shook her head.
"It will be all right now, little one," Selphie whispered, picking up the three year old in her arms. "We will take care of you." Zell stood next to her and grinned at the little girl. The girl only sniffed, more tears flooding her eyes. Selphie wiped her tears away and hugged her close. "It will be all right now. You will be safe with us. What is your name?" She pulled back to look into her eyes.
The little girl said nothing for a while, until she opened her mouth to speak. "Nadia," she replied, rubbing a hand over her tired eyes. Selphie smiled and kissed her cheek.
"It will be all right now, Nadia," Zell said, taking Selphie's free hand. Selphie held tightly on the girl and headed for the right direction, leaving Nadia's dead mother behind. Selphie chocked back tears with all her strength. How can this have ever happened? Do not they understand that little children are the future? How can children have a future if they die in the war?
The thickness of the smoke from the blasts still lingered in their nostrils as they finally made it to the back gate. The air grew stale and cold from the dead that laid flat on the floor and Selphie could still smell the thick smell of blood from the carcasses that were now filled with flies searching for their meal. She glanced at Nadia, who had now fallen asleep in her arms. The little girl must have cried for hours, she thought as she watched Zell quietly opened the gate. She could hear the creak of the wooden door and she inhaled the smell of green grass in the open air. Selphie paused for a moment and glanced towards the castle.
"I hope the Queen and her son made it alive," she spoke. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Selphie glanced back in front of her and found Zell nodding.
"I'm sure she and her son made it alive. Right now, we need to protect this girl," he said, nodding towards Nadia. "She has seen too much."
Selphie nodded and followed Zell out into the quiet fields of future.
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The war had grown brutal. Quistis clutched tightly at Russell and ran through the dark hallway. Another blast almost sent her to the ground, but she prevailed and kept on running. How did it come to this? She was awakened by a blast and before she knew it, Rinoa burst inside, with the baby in her arms and handed him to his real mother. "Follow me," she had said. Quistis had no time to question, so with all her strength, followed suit as Rinoa led her to one of the secret rooms she barely knew about. When they turned a corner, the dark haired girl suddenly disappeared, leaving her all alone. She did not know where she was going, but she knew she had to get there somehow. Ahead, she heard muffled voices. Quistis paused suddenly and squinted her eyes to see two figures, one a man and the other a woman. She hid behind a wall, close enough for her to hear the resounding voices of the two.
"Where are they now? Why have you lost them?" a deep voice spoke, sounding rather annoyed. Quistis turned her face silently towards the figure. The man did not look that tall, but he seemed to be wearing the cloak of Royalty.
"I do not know, but I'll find them," a woman spoke. Quistis found the voice awfully familiar, but she could not quite put it. She heard it before.
"Yes you do that. I do not want to kill you, but if I have to, I will."
"No, please do not do that. I love you, you know that." The blond watched as the two embraced, making Quistis wince. Something was definitely mysterious. She knew the voice. Why can she not name her?
The man stooped his neck low and kissed her on the lips passionately. "I know you do. But sometimes I do need to kill you if I need to and you give me no choice." She heard a knife being sheathed from his side. Quistis gasped as the knife went right through her heart. She could hear the woman gasp in shock and despair as she fell on her knees. The man only watched with a cold, reacting nothing to the woman who was falling dead on the floor. "You are useless," he spoke, then turned and never glanced at the woman again. "I'll look for her myself!" His voice echoed throughout the desolate hallway. When she was sure he was gone, Quistis slowly crept towards the body of the woman and was shocked beyond belief. Rinoa laid on the ground with the knife still lodged through her heart. She had blood from the corner of her mouth and Quistis could not help but feel remorse and angry at the same time. How could she have done such a thing? She was to lead her to the man ready to kill her and her child? She knew she deserved something, but not to die. Quistis frowned, tears now flooding her eyes.
"Rinoa... I wish you had never done it. Was this all because of that man who killed you? May the Gods be with you," she whispered.
"Yes and soon your son will be," a deep voice said. Quistis turned around and gasped. The man had never left. Was this all a big lie? Was Rinoa really dead? As if reading her thoughts, the man stepped forward and shook her head. He glanced at the dead body of the girl. "She was beautiful, but I should not have given her to the job to be your Handmaiden. I believe she had grown fond of you, which is why she grew useless. I guess I have to do it on my own now." He drew a long sword from his side and looked at Quistis and the baby.
Quistis clutched tightly at the child, the baby now crying as loud as it wanted. She could tell the baby was hungry. "Hush now, little one," she whispered to him. "You will be fed soon."
"Give up the child now, Quistis and maybe I will let you live. Maybe." He grinned, his eyes glowing with the mixture of red and orange.
Quistis frowned and shook her head. Without another glance, she quickly turned around and ran as fast as she could back towards another direction. Maybe if she kept running, she'll eventually find a way out. She could hear the footsteps of the man, just close behind, but there was no time for her to listen. She needed to escape from him. Fast, or her son will be at the end of the man's deadly blade.
GoodGurl: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Who will save poor Quisty from harm? Seifer? Remember, he may not have gotten his memory back. Irvine? He went off to fight in the war, didn't he? Or just a mysterious stranger? Find out on the next chapter! Yeay! Almost done!!!!!!!!
Chapter 13 - In The Heat of Battle
In the midst of the morning light, a hand stretched out as another day broke out into the fields. She rested her tired arms on the bed and turned her head towards the window. The curtain freely flapped about, welcoming the morning breeze inside the small quarters. Months passed and still no news of her Knight. That one fateful day when the King returned from the search, he had shook his head and frowned, giving no sign that he has found his faithful companion among the dead or even among the living. Tears suddenly soaked her charming face. She lifted her hands up to wipe the wetness from her skin and sat up from bed. Bringing her eyes down to her body, she placed a hand on her stomach and sighed. Soon, the child will be born into the world, without a knowledge of his real father. He will only know his father as ruler of Balbadia and not as the courageous knight who fought bravely and died a hero. She had a reason to believe now that he had died.
"Your highness?" Quistis glanced up and noticed her left handmaiden approaching her with a smile. Her silken raven hair flowed down her back and her midnight blue dress showed her perfect complexion. It makes Quistis wonder sometimes why Rinoa was never a Princess or related to any type of royalty.
"Yes?" the blond Queen answered quietly.
Rinoa kept her smile and walked towards her slowly. With a little curtsey, she glanced at Quistis' large stomach and grinned. "How is the little one in there?" she asked, her Scottish accent showing.
Quistis nodded, keeping her hands on her stomach. "He is kicking rather widely, but it shows how strong he is, like his father."
The raven-haired girl smiled and nodded. She knew everything about whom the father was; yet she kept it quiet in front of the Queen. She would be very angry if she mentioned that Selphie had told her about it. "Yes." She paused and opened her mouth again to speak. However, before she could speak once more, she noticed the Queen was hunched over forward and was touching her stomach in pain. Water seeped from her dressing gown and to the floor. Rinoa's eyes widened. It was time now. "Your highness!" she yelled. She ran beside the Queen and took her hand, leading her back to her bed. Carefully, she helped her up on the bed and laid her down. Quistis yelped in pain, clutching at her stomach and feeling the baby move wildly. Rinoa had already left quickly to get the King and the older handmaidens who were more experienced in delivering a baby.
Quistis closed her eyes tight and clenched her fists in agony, the palm of her hands reddening as she tightened her hold on the bed sheets. Another pain raged through her body. She opened her legs wider and screamed as loud as she could.
A few seconds later, the King and three handmaidens, including Rinoa entered the room. Irvine immediately set his place beside Quistis, grabbing her hand for support. The oldest handmaiden, Edea, who had been a mother to Quistis since her mother died, took her place to where the baby was being taken out. Rinoa and another handmaiden both stood on either side of the older woman. Edea glanced at Quistis and smiled.
"Quistis dear, I want you to close your mouth as tight as you can and start pushing after my count, all right?" she said.
The blond nodded. She gripped Irvine's hand tight and closed her teeth together, then closed her eyes and waited for Edea's count. Once she heard the older woman finish her counting from three to one, Quistis pushed as much as she could with all the strength she could muster. Edea told her to push and Quistis did as she was told. Irvine stood, comforting her with all he could and trying not to think of his crushed hand against Quistis' strong grip.
After what seemed like hours, Quistis gave her one last sigh and closed her eyes shut, resting her head back on the pillow. A baby's cry was heard nearby and a few gasps and 'awws' could be heard. Irvine leaned down and kissed his wife's forehead. She smiled, feeling the kiss. Sweat poured from the sides of her face and tired eyes closed tight. Quistis took one glance at his son and went to sleep after many hours of labor.
The spectators present in the room smiled longingly at the baby held now in Irvine's arms. A strand of blond hair stood on end and small, twinkling eyes blinked a couple of times, before stretching out his tiny hand and crying as much as he could. Edea slowly cut the cord attached to its stomach and placed him back to his father's arms. Irvine rocked him back and forth and smiled lovingly at the baby in his arms. He glanced at Quistis sleeping on the bed and grinned.
"What shall you call him?" came Rinoa's voice after a quiet solitude.
Irvine shook his head. "I do not know, but I may call him Seifer, after my good friend who died bravely in battle. However, I will let my wife name him." He gave the baby to Edea and sat down beside Quistis on the bed. Irvine placed a hand on her forehead and stroked her hair gently. "Sleep well, my dear wife," he whispered. "I will wait until you awake for the name of the baby. For now, he will be somewhere safe."
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He suddenly sat up from bed as if waking up from a nightmare. However, he did not wake up from a dream. He woke up from something else. He felt something odd. Seifer glanced at the sleeping form beside him and reached up to stroke its fur. A head sprang up suddenly and looked towards him, its eyes glowing in the darkness.
"It's all right boy, there is nothing to worry about. I'm just going for a walk." He stood up and grabbed his long coat from the ground and put it on slowly. He grabbed the sword given to him by the blacksmith as a 'wedding gift' for the two couples. The blond haired man walked out of his tent and stared into the distant horizon. Another morning had come and another day for a little walk and to think. How long has he been waiting for his past to come? How long has he been exiled from the village he has known? The woman he had forced to marry did not seem like the one for him. His memories kept coming back to that same woman and though blond, Terris did not compare to the beauty this woman was. Her long blond hair, her piercing blue eyes, her supple lips and off shoulder dress and jeweled crown made her real in his heart, but his eyes made him believe something else. Seifer walked through the forest and made his way to the lake. Somehow, the lake made him remember about the past and about this woman that appeared in his mind every night. For months, he has been alone in the world and though he has his chocobbo as a companion, it did not feel the same being with someone.
Upon arriving, Seifer sat down on the ground and stared down on the clear, blue water. The wind blew his hair back and the cold weather made him shiver. It was, as usual, very quiet in this area. The waterfall ahead was the only thing that made a noise as it splashed against the rock below. He sighed and stared at nothing for a few minutes, before he was suddenly interrupted by a crunch from behind. Seifer grabbed his sword from its hilt and stood up as fast as lightning, aiming the sharp end towards a small and delicate neck.
"Are you going to kill your wife, Seifer?" she whispered, the voice muffled from the frightened breathing she made.
Seifer frowned and put his sword back in its sheath. He turned around and sighed. "What are you doing here, Terris?" he asked.
Terris took a deep breath, hugging herself. "I was just worried about my husband, that's all." She walked up beside him and stared at the waterfall. "Seifer, I missed you."
The blond shook his head. "No, you are forced to miss me so I can come back to you," he replied.
The blond woman frowned. "That's not fair. I do love you so, Seifer. I can't stop thinking about you- even after a few months. You have no idea how much I cried when you left without a word."
"I'm sorry, Terris, I cannot love you back and I have already spoken to you about it. I need to find myself and who I am. I feel like I do not know who I am and I need to know." Calik glanced to the woman and placed a sympathetic look towards his bride. He remembered rejecting sleeping with his wife, for him, it didn't feel right. It was as if someone else was there waiting for him, but who? Nero had literally pushed him out the door and banished him from the village when he heard these words spoken. For months, he has lived in exile in a deserted cave, with his only companion, who could take him anywhere on the land, sea and mountains. He had never seen one so rare. While living in the village, he had seen different types of the birds which could walk on two legs, some, Nero had explained, could only walk on sea, some on land and some high in the mountains. But the one Calik found, was special. It gleamed with a golden colour and could walk on any place he wished him to walk on. He patted the Chocobbo's furry neck and leapt up on its back, without taking a glance at Terris. "You best go home. Your father will wonder where you have gone off to."
Terris shook her head. "I want to come with you."
Calik turned his head towards her and frowned. "This is no time to be stubborn, Terris. There are many dangers lurking in this forest and I have seen many."
The blond woman clenched her fists at her sides. "Tell me then! Where will you go?"
The man shook his head, adjusting his sword at his side. "I am not certain. But I know I have to go somewhere. You need not come with me. I can only endanger your life. Terris, I am not the man for you and you are not the woman for me. I'm sorry." He grabbed the reigns of the Chocobbo and kicked gently at it sides into a trot. Without another glance, he commanded for the Chocobbo to go faster and headed North through the forest. Terris watched in fear and sadness. She loved him and will always love him.
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The rays of the sun spread throughout the desolate fields. The people of Balbadia woke up from their dreams, but one had awakened with a start from his nightmare. With tired eyes, he looked around wearily, calling his lover's name, but she would not respond. He glanced to his side, hoping she was there, but she was not. His nightmare. The nightmare he had last night, often meant something. A man dressed all in black, with thousands of men, gathered at the hilltops of the Gressollar Fields, just West of Balbadia. He wished it was only a dream, but he felt the worst.
A large blast startled him. Zell frantically called for his lover and she came out of the privy with glowing and frightened eyes. "Zell! What was that blast?!" Selphie yelped, running quickly to Zell's side. She wrapped her arms around him and shivered.
Zell stroked her back and frowned, shaking his head. "I do not know, Selphie. However, I know it means danger. We must leave this castle at once."
"Where will we go?" Selphie looked up and frowned. "Any city is in danger of this war between them. Oh Zell!" She buried her face against his chest. "Why does war have to happen? Why do men have to die to prove something?"
Zell closed his eyes. "I do not know, Selphie, but there is not time for us to question these for it will be long until we find the answers to them. Let us pack quickly and head for Timber."
Selphie nodded and headed for the closet to grab a large bag made of Moose Skin. She gathered all her important belongings quickly inside, including Zell's extra clothes and looked at him, who was already dressed in his tunic and pants. After a few seconds, they were now walking through the isolated streets of the Fish market. The two looked around cautiously, careful not to run into Estharian Soldiers. They had thought that the Soldiers already made it inside the town, but Selphie and Zell were not staying long to find out. Zell took Selphie's hand in his and led her out, with Selphie's instructions on where to go, since she knew the City well. They turned a couple more streets, until they found the source of the blast. It cracked open a wall and, much to Selphie's shock, bodies were scattered on the floor from the blast, many which were women and children. She wished they didn't have to pass this way, but there was no other way to go to the back gates.
"They are using their cannons," Zell spoke, his voice shallow in her ears. Selphie heard another shot, one that started farther away, but was soon getting closer and closer. She held tightly unto Zell's hand and looked up in fear, imagining the large cannon landing on her and Zell. "Don't worry, they attack in different places, not the same one. If we keep close to the damages, then we are safe."
Selphie nodded silently. She told the blond to turn left and he did so, gripping tightly and gently at Selphie's hand. She saw a few more dead men and women surrounding the grounds of the courtyard. There was a man whose head had been severed due to the explosion and a woman, who was holding a child, both dead, with their arms and legs blown away. Selphie took deep breaths, trying her hardest not to feel ill. Is this what war is? Death? Murder to many innocent lives?
They passed a couple more bodies, when they heard a faint cry in the distance. The faint cry of a small child. Selphie glanced at Zell, her eyes glowing in shock. Zell understood what she meant and led her to the source of the cries. At the corner of the courtyard, they found a small girl, about three years old, kneeling next to her mother, crying. Her hair was disheveled, but luckily, there were no injuries on her, only some blood in her hands, probably from touching her mother's bloody face. Zell and Selphie moved towards her. Selphie kneeled next to the girl, while Zell went to her mother to check on her pulse. Zell glanced at Selphie and shook her head.
"It will be all right now, little one," Selphie whispered, picking up the three year old in her arms. "We will take care of you." Zell stood next to her and grinned at the little girl. The girl only sniffed, more tears flooding her eyes. Selphie wiped her tears away and hugged her close. "It will be all right now. You will be safe with us. What is your name?" She pulled back to look into her eyes.
The little girl said nothing for a while, until she opened her mouth to speak. "Nadia," she replied, rubbing a hand over her tired eyes. Selphie smiled and kissed her cheek.
"It will be all right now, Nadia," Zell said, taking Selphie's free hand. Selphie held tightly on the girl and headed for the right direction, leaving Nadia's dead mother behind. Selphie chocked back tears with all her strength. How can this have ever happened? Do not they understand that little children are the future? How can children have a future if they die in the war?
The thickness of the smoke from the blasts still lingered in their nostrils as they finally made it to the back gate. The air grew stale and cold from the dead that laid flat on the floor and Selphie could still smell the thick smell of blood from the carcasses that were now filled with flies searching for their meal. She glanced at Nadia, who had now fallen asleep in her arms. The little girl must have cried for hours, she thought as she watched Zell quietly opened the gate. She could hear the creak of the wooden door and she inhaled the smell of green grass in the open air. Selphie paused for a moment and glanced towards the castle.
"I hope the Queen and her son made it alive," she spoke. She felt a hand on her shoulder. Selphie glanced back in front of her and found Zell nodding.
"I'm sure she and her son made it alive. Right now, we need to protect this girl," he said, nodding towards Nadia. "She has seen too much."
Selphie nodded and followed Zell out into the quiet fields of future.
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The war had grown brutal. Quistis clutched tightly at Russell and ran through the dark hallway. Another blast almost sent her to the ground, but she prevailed and kept on running. How did it come to this? She was awakened by a blast and before she knew it, Rinoa burst inside, with the baby in her arms and handed him to his real mother. "Follow me," she had said. Quistis had no time to question, so with all her strength, followed suit as Rinoa led her to one of the secret rooms she barely knew about. When they turned a corner, the dark haired girl suddenly disappeared, leaving her all alone. She did not know where she was going, but she knew she had to get there somehow. Ahead, she heard muffled voices. Quistis paused suddenly and squinted her eyes to see two figures, one a man and the other a woman. She hid behind a wall, close enough for her to hear the resounding voices of the two.
"Where are they now? Why have you lost them?" a deep voice spoke, sounding rather annoyed. Quistis turned her face silently towards the figure. The man did not look that tall, but he seemed to be wearing the cloak of Royalty.
"I do not know, but I'll find them," a woman spoke. Quistis found the voice awfully familiar, but she could not quite put it. She heard it before.
"Yes you do that. I do not want to kill you, but if I have to, I will."
"No, please do not do that. I love you, you know that." The blond watched as the two embraced, making Quistis wince. Something was definitely mysterious. She knew the voice. Why can she not name her?
The man stooped his neck low and kissed her on the lips passionately. "I know you do. But sometimes I do need to kill you if I need to and you give me no choice." She heard a knife being sheathed from his side. Quistis gasped as the knife went right through her heart. She could hear the woman gasp in shock and despair as she fell on her knees. The man only watched with a cold, reacting nothing to the woman who was falling dead on the floor. "You are useless," he spoke, then turned and never glanced at the woman again. "I'll look for her myself!" His voice echoed throughout the desolate hallway. When she was sure he was gone, Quistis slowly crept towards the body of the woman and was shocked beyond belief. Rinoa laid on the ground with the knife still lodged through her heart. She had blood from the corner of her mouth and Quistis could not help but feel remorse and angry at the same time. How could she have done such a thing? She was to lead her to the man ready to kill her and her child? She knew she deserved something, but not to die. Quistis frowned, tears now flooding her eyes.
"Rinoa... I wish you had never done it. Was this all because of that man who killed you? May the Gods be with you," she whispered.
"Yes and soon your son will be," a deep voice said. Quistis turned around and gasped. The man had never left. Was this all a big lie? Was Rinoa really dead? As if reading her thoughts, the man stepped forward and shook her head. He glanced at the dead body of the girl. "She was beautiful, but I should not have given her to the job to be your Handmaiden. I believe she had grown fond of you, which is why she grew useless. I guess I have to do it on my own now." He drew a long sword from his side and looked at Quistis and the baby.
Quistis clutched tightly at the child, the baby now crying as loud as it wanted. She could tell the baby was hungry. "Hush now, little one," she whispered to him. "You will be fed soon."
"Give up the child now, Quistis and maybe I will let you live. Maybe." He grinned, his eyes glowing with the mixture of red and orange.
Quistis frowned and shook her head. Without another glance, she quickly turned around and ran as fast as she could back towards another direction. Maybe if she kept running, she'll eventually find a way out. She could hear the footsteps of the man, just close behind, but there was no time for her to listen. She needed to escape from him. Fast, or her son will be at the end of the man's deadly blade.
GoodGurl: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Who will save poor Quisty from harm? Seifer? Remember, he may not have gotten his memory back. Irvine? He went off to fight in the war, didn't he? Or just a mysterious stranger? Find out on the next chapter! Yeay! Almost done!!!!!!!!