Disclaimer: I… don't… own… Squaresoft… There! I said it! happy???

4. Flashback

Seifers POV

She had left two days ago and now I have some time off.  Should I visit them?  Squall, Quistis, Cid, Edea…  Too much painfull memories about her.  I know it wasn't her fault.  She was under mind control.  But I don't think I'm ready to face her yet.

~****~

"Would you read us a bedtime story?  Please, Matron?"
"Of course I will, Seifer." She smiled down on me.
"Yeay!!!" All of us yell.
"Once upon a time, in a far away land… there was this beautiful Sorceress named Auria.  She lived in a huge palace, together with her knight, Strife.  One day she was kidnapped by an evil Sorceress Daphne.  Daphne was more powerful because of her black magic, but Strife followed her to get back his Queen.  The brave knight left the safety of the palace to help his beloved Auria.  He went to the Dark Woods of Neverland.  There he met one of the five Elements.  She was Earth.  The Earth Fairy told him:

'To find the one you seek
You have to reach a mountain's peak'

And she was gone.
Strife crossed the Woods and climbed the highest mountain, Mount Doom.  There he met the second Element, Air.  The Air Fairy gave him the riddle:

'Continue your jouney
To a secret spot
I can tell you this
It's very hot'

And she was gone.
On the other side of the mountain were volcanoes.  The secret spot had to be around there somewhere.  So Strife went looking.  After a week had passed he still hadn't found it, but he didn't give up.  He had to help  his love Auria.  And all of a sudden he noticed a small entrance to a Fire Cavern (some say it's the one that still exists in Balamb).  Inside the cave he met the third Element, Fire.  The Fire Fairy also gave him a little riddle:

'You've almost reached the end
Follow the river to the next Element'

And she was gone.

So he followed the river through the rest of Neverland.  It took him almost two months to reach the spring, the home of the fourth Element, Water.  And the Water Fairy said to him:

'If you want to find the last
Look into your past
For what you need
Is yourself indeed'

And she was gone.
This time Strife had no idea what the riddle meant and he wandered through Neverland for a year, without finding the fifth Element.  And one night in his sleep, he saw a blue light.  The fifth Element was inside him, it was his soul.  And he knew where to go.

When the fearless knight woke up, he left immediately to Daphne's castle.  It was guarded by the most powerful monsters in the whole wide world.  But Strife fought them off like they were nothing.  He was the bravest warrior of that time.
Once inside the castle he defeated Sorceress Daphne in a long, tough fight.  The faithful knight freed his Queen and they lived happily ever after."
All was quiet.
"Matron?" I asked.
"Yes?"
"When I grow up I want to be a knight."
"And I want to be like Sorceress Auria!" Quistis said.
"That's fine, my children, but it's time to go to bed now."
"Sweet dreams, Matron.'
"Sweet dreams…"

~****~