Final Fantasy is copyright Squaresoft.
Aurelia ran from the children, crying her eyes out. They continued to follow her, even though she tried to turn and dash out of their sight. Elfaine, her best friend, followed close behind them, holding out his toy sword to dispatch her attackers... Or at the very least get them to back off.
Aurelia was a farmer's daughter, the youngest of five. Elfaine's family had moved to Cornelia not long after Aurelia was born, bearing good tidings from the elven lands and it's capital, Elfheim. His parents were the first ambassadors from the elven lands to Cornelia, a high honor in both Elfheim and Cornelia.
Elfaine was a little taller than Aurelia, with messy blonde hair that almost always looked dirty. His eyes were translucent green, as all elves' are. Aurelia, on the other hand, was a stark contrast. Where he was bony and skinny, she was still plump like a baby. Her light skin was peppered with reddish freckles, her long red hair was always in a tight braid, and her blue eyes were as fair as the skies.
Their clothes differed as well, although this was to be expected. Elfaine wore khaki shorts that were just a shade or two darker than his skin. He often wore a loose blue shirt and sandals or short boots, but on hot summer days that Cornelia was often prone to, he could be seen with nothing but those shorts on, frolicking with Aurelia in the ocean.
Aurelia, however, usually wore a light woolen dress that came down to her knees. It was buckled with a leather belt that once belonged to her eldest brother, Edmund. He had since married and started his own family out further than the rest of her family would venture, on the road towards Pravoca. The dress was, in actuality, one of her father's old shirts, but as the family was too poor to afford much but food, they never let Aurelia know this.
Today, Jack, Dean, and Annette-three of the meanest children in Cornelia-were teasing Aurelia. Annette was quick and sprightly, and was occasionally seen whipping around a piece of old rope as a weapon. Dean was bulkier than the other two, but certainly stupider. He was reminiscent of an ape in his stature and manner of play. He also spoke very little and was very slow. And then there was Jack. Jack was older than the rest, around eight or so while Annette was seven and Jack was six. He had a wooden toy sword and a bandanna around his head like a pirate. Elfaine and Jack had already had several tussles that week, about twice as many as usual, and Jack's gang thought that they could rile Elfaine up some more by picking on his "girlfriend", Aurelia. Of course, Elfaine and Aurelia protested that they weren't "in love" or "kissing in a tree", but they taunted and teased her just the same.
Aurelia dashed into the forest, trying to get away from Annette who was hitting her with her rope. Occasionally Annette's rope would get tangled in a tree and she would have to go and rip it out. Aurelia glanced this way and that, looking for the hiding place she and Elfaine had found. There was no way these three could find it, but she had to hope Elfaine would know where she was going.
She ducked into a large thicket and slid down into an underground passage, sprinting as soon as her feet hit the ground. Strong beams on the ceiling shifted slightly as the other children ran across, lighting the passageway with the afternoon sun. Aurelia turned left, then right and finally stopped at the top of a set of wide dirt stairs. She blinked, obviously surprised. This had been another series of tunnels just yesterday. She barely heard Elfaine's footsteps in the corridor as she descended the stairs. The afternoon sun shone green in the cavernous room, and Aurelia admired the way the dust and pollen drifted down and caught the light. Her eyes caught on two prisms hovering on a slab of stone. They glowed with such internal ferocity that she thought they were strange lamps for a moment. Then when their light did neither flicker nor fade, Aurelia wondered what these strange things could be.
Elfaine ran after Jack, cursing Aurelia's weakness. She just couldn't ignore those troublemakers, couldn't just come up with a good comeback like he could. And now she was probably running into those tunnels without him, where she might run into one of those goblin-things. He had been able to beat them off before with his sword, but Aurelia was always defenseless and useless. When one would come at her she'd just scream and run away, just like with Jack and his buddies. She had no sense of timing or even brains for battle, whether it was verbal or physical. Elfaine was eighteen human years old, but looked like a nine-year-old. He acted much older than other nine-year-olds as well. Aurelia was only seven and by the time she was eighteen he'd act as though he was nearly thirty. Of course, he'd look like an fifteen year old, and might even try to act like one, but try as he might, Elfaine knew that he would outlive his best friend and everyone else in this town.
Jack had sent the other two ruffians after Aurelia, while he waited for Elfaine at the edge of the forest. Elfaine scoffed at the human's ridiculous plan to stall him and clubbed the younger boy with the flat of his wooden sword as he ran by. If they thought that he was going to show off like usual and let Jack get away with his usual debonair shit, they definitely had another thing coming.
Aurelia stretched her hand towards one of the floating crystals, which turned pale pink and flickered with images. She could only catch a few, and those she caught made little sense. A young red-haired woman wearing white robes was saying something. It almost looked like she was praying angrily. Another: a man wearing midnight blue robes and a wide-brimmed hat was looking at her sadly, his eyes glowed yellow but she could not see his face. Another: a man in red armor with copper hair was wielding a sword against a great lizard. Aurelia fancied it was a dragon, but she was unsure. Another: a boy with light brown hair and... was that Elfaine?!
Good, the other hooligans had run past the tunnels. Elfaine ducked into the thicket and slid down into the passage, letting gravity give him a little boost to his speed. His footsteps were loud in the tunnel as he searched for Aurelia. He did not dare call her name but ran right, then left and stopped suddenly at the top of a set of wide dirt stairs. Aurelia was stretching her hand out to a pair of glowing things, transfixed by their glitter and glow. What a fool she was! Didn't she know was magic looked like! Didn't she know that she could be hurt by whatever that was!
He ran down the stairs and tucked his sword into his belt, grabbing Aurelia by her outstretched hand and throwing her away from the dangerous magic. Aurelia shook her head and gasped to see him standing before her, as if he was a figment of her imagination come to life. "Aurelia, don't go touching things you don't know about!" He whispered fiercely.
"But... Elfaine..." She seemed speechless.
"No 'buts' Aurelia! You could have gotten poisoned or cursed or worse!" He drew a finger across his throat. She watched him in horror. "This could be bad magic! We'll get the white wizard from town to come here and look--"
"Elfaine, no!" Aurelia shouted. "This is good magic, I know it." He looked at her skeptically. "Really, Elfaine." She looked at him pleadingly. "Trust me?"
Elfaine groaned and fell to his knees. "I'm such a sucker. Alright, what's so great about these glowy things?"
That night, after her mother had tucked her in and blew out the candle, Aurelia took the crystal out from under her shirt, although she kept the glistening chain around her neck. It glowed faintly now, but she knew it was something that she needed to keep.
Aurelia was glad Elfaine took the other one, she would've felt lonely if he hadn't, but she wasn't sure why. As she drifted off to sleep, Aurelia felt a certain amount of confidence instill itself within her. And she dreamed a wonderful dream.
A boy several years older than her stood on a great ship, his red hair waving in a brisk wind. Aurelia reached out to comfort him, as he looked sad for some reason. He shivered against the cold wind and she tried to warm him, but could not get any closer. His blue eyes looked nearly gray, reflecting the stormy sky. Behind him and to his right, another boy sulked in a corner of the deck. His hair was black and stringy, his face pale and sickly. His eyes glowed faintly yellow, like the weak sun. He stood and walked over to the red-haired boy, a tear drying on his pale cheek. He looked to be about Elfaine's age, his eyes glimmering with the same intensity as the crystal hanging from his neck. The red-haired boy scolded the other, but she couldn't hear him say anything. The pale one tucked the crystal underneath his shirt and pulled his coat closer around his thin frame. The red-haired boy fingered the silvery chain that hung under his shirt and smiled weakly, as though he was determined to succeed at whatever he was doing.
Aurelia ran from the children, crying her eyes out. They continued to follow her, even though she tried to turn and dash out of their sight. Elfaine, her best friend, followed close behind them, holding out his toy sword to dispatch her attackers... Or at the very least get them to back off.
Aurelia was a farmer's daughter, the youngest of five. Elfaine's family had moved to Cornelia not long after Aurelia was born, bearing good tidings from the elven lands and it's capital, Elfheim. His parents were the first ambassadors from the elven lands to Cornelia, a high honor in both Elfheim and Cornelia.
Elfaine was a little taller than Aurelia, with messy blonde hair that almost always looked dirty. His eyes were translucent green, as all elves' are. Aurelia, on the other hand, was a stark contrast. Where he was bony and skinny, she was still plump like a baby. Her light skin was peppered with reddish freckles, her long red hair was always in a tight braid, and her blue eyes were as fair as the skies.
Their clothes differed as well, although this was to be expected. Elfaine wore khaki shorts that were just a shade or two darker than his skin. He often wore a loose blue shirt and sandals or short boots, but on hot summer days that Cornelia was often prone to, he could be seen with nothing but those shorts on, frolicking with Aurelia in the ocean.
Aurelia, however, usually wore a light woolen dress that came down to her knees. It was buckled with a leather belt that once belonged to her eldest brother, Edmund. He had since married and started his own family out further than the rest of her family would venture, on the road towards Pravoca. The dress was, in actuality, one of her father's old shirts, but as the family was too poor to afford much but food, they never let Aurelia know this.
Today, Jack, Dean, and Annette-three of the meanest children in Cornelia-were teasing Aurelia. Annette was quick and sprightly, and was occasionally seen whipping around a piece of old rope as a weapon. Dean was bulkier than the other two, but certainly stupider. He was reminiscent of an ape in his stature and manner of play. He also spoke very little and was very slow. And then there was Jack. Jack was older than the rest, around eight or so while Annette was seven and Jack was six. He had a wooden toy sword and a bandanna around his head like a pirate. Elfaine and Jack had already had several tussles that week, about twice as many as usual, and Jack's gang thought that they could rile Elfaine up some more by picking on his "girlfriend", Aurelia. Of course, Elfaine and Aurelia protested that they weren't "in love" or "kissing in a tree", but they taunted and teased her just the same.
Aurelia dashed into the forest, trying to get away from Annette who was hitting her with her rope. Occasionally Annette's rope would get tangled in a tree and she would have to go and rip it out. Aurelia glanced this way and that, looking for the hiding place she and Elfaine had found. There was no way these three could find it, but she had to hope Elfaine would know where she was going.
She ducked into a large thicket and slid down into an underground passage, sprinting as soon as her feet hit the ground. Strong beams on the ceiling shifted slightly as the other children ran across, lighting the passageway with the afternoon sun. Aurelia turned left, then right and finally stopped at the top of a set of wide dirt stairs. She blinked, obviously surprised. This had been another series of tunnels just yesterday. She barely heard Elfaine's footsteps in the corridor as she descended the stairs. The afternoon sun shone green in the cavernous room, and Aurelia admired the way the dust and pollen drifted down and caught the light. Her eyes caught on two prisms hovering on a slab of stone. They glowed with such internal ferocity that she thought they were strange lamps for a moment. Then when their light did neither flicker nor fade, Aurelia wondered what these strange things could be.
Elfaine ran after Jack, cursing Aurelia's weakness. She just couldn't ignore those troublemakers, couldn't just come up with a good comeback like he could. And now she was probably running into those tunnels without him, where she might run into one of those goblin-things. He had been able to beat them off before with his sword, but Aurelia was always defenseless and useless. When one would come at her she'd just scream and run away, just like with Jack and his buddies. She had no sense of timing or even brains for battle, whether it was verbal or physical. Elfaine was eighteen human years old, but looked like a nine-year-old. He acted much older than other nine-year-olds as well. Aurelia was only seven and by the time she was eighteen he'd act as though he was nearly thirty. Of course, he'd look like an fifteen year old, and might even try to act like one, but try as he might, Elfaine knew that he would outlive his best friend and everyone else in this town.
Jack had sent the other two ruffians after Aurelia, while he waited for Elfaine at the edge of the forest. Elfaine scoffed at the human's ridiculous plan to stall him and clubbed the younger boy with the flat of his wooden sword as he ran by. If they thought that he was going to show off like usual and let Jack get away with his usual debonair shit, they definitely had another thing coming.
Aurelia stretched her hand towards one of the floating crystals, which turned pale pink and flickered with images. She could only catch a few, and those she caught made little sense. A young red-haired woman wearing white robes was saying something. It almost looked like she was praying angrily. Another: a man wearing midnight blue robes and a wide-brimmed hat was looking at her sadly, his eyes glowed yellow but she could not see his face. Another: a man in red armor with copper hair was wielding a sword against a great lizard. Aurelia fancied it was a dragon, but she was unsure. Another: a boy with light brown hair and... was that Elfaine?!
Good, the other hooligans had run past the tunnels. Elfaine ducked into the thicket and slid down into the passage, letting gravity give him a little boost to his speed. His footsteps were loud in the tunnel as he searched for Aurelia. He did not dare call her name but ran right, then left and stopped suddenly at the top of a set of wide dirt stairs. Aurelia was stretching her hand out to a pair of glowing things, transfixed by their glitter and glow. What a fool she was! Didn't she know was magic looked like! Didn't she know that she could be hurt by whatever that was!
He ran down the stairs and tucked his sword into his belt, grabbing Aurelia by her outstretched hand and throwing her away from the dangerous magic. Aurelia shook her head and gasped to see him standing before her, as if he was a figment of her imagination come to life. "Aurelia, don't go touching things you don't know about!" He whispered fiercely.
"But... Elfaine..." She seemed speechless.
"No 'buts' Aurelia! You could have gotten poisoned or cursed or worse!" He drew a finger across his throat. She watched him in horror. "This could be bad magic! We'll get the white wizard from town to come here and look--"
"Elfaine, no!" Aurelia shouted. "This is good magic, I know it." He looked at her skeptically. "Really, Elfaine." She looked at him pleadingly. "Trust me?"
Elfaine groaned and fell to his knees. "I'm such a sucker. Alright, what's so great about these glowy things?"
That night, after her mother had tucked her in and blew out the candle, Aurelia took the crystal out from under her shirt, although she kept the glistening chain around her neck. It glowed faintly now, but she knew it was something that she needed to keep.
Aurelia was glad Elfaine took the other one, she would've felt lonely if he hadn't, but she wasn't sure why. As she drifted off to sleep, Aurelia felt a certain amount of confidence instill itself within her. And she dreamed a wonderful dream.
A boy several years older than her stood on a great ship, his red hair waving in a brisk wind. Aurelia reached out to comfort him, as he looked sad for some reason. He shivered against the cold wind and she tried to warm him, but could not get any closer. His blue eyes looked nearly gray, reflecting the stormy sky. Behind him and to his right, another boy sulked in a corner of the deck. His hair was black and stringy, his face pale and sickly. His eyes glowed faintly yellow, like the weak sun. He stood and walked over to the red-haired boy, a tear drying on his pale cheek. He looked to be about Elfaine's age, his eyes glimmering with the same intensity as the crystal hanging from his neck. The red-haired boy scolded the other, but she couldn't hear him say anything. The pale one tucked the crystal underneath his shirt and pulled his coat closer around his thin frame. The red-haired boy fingered the silvery chain that hung under his shirt and smiled weakly, as though he was determined to succeed at whatever he was doing.
