Cold as Ice- Mist
Authour's Note: ^_^; don't worry, I'm not ending it yet. There's a lot left to do here; it won't end anytime soon. And I'm gonna work harder on updating this on a regular basis. Feel special! I took a story-writing hiatus but this story wasn't covered by it ^_^ I must love my readers, huh?
The elevator platform stopped, and the pair realized they were on the world map, just beside the exit of the Ice Cavern. That exit happened to be blocked by a rather large root. Being as they were on the World Map, however, they couldn't communicate with each other. They headed off to the nearest Area Map so they could converse.
That happened to be the Dali Mountain Observatory. That was blocked off by a large root as well, however, so they went to Dali and entered the town.
Amarant looked around uncomfortably as they entered. Freya noticed this discomfort and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I don't like this place," he replied. "It's...small."
"Of course," she chuckled. "It's just a little farming village, after all."
A small child ran up to them, looking up at Freya. She smiled down at him, and he said, "Hi, Miss. I seen you before."
"I've been here before," she told him, kneeling so they were eye-to-eye. "With the man with the tail."
"I thought so." He glanced up at Amarant, and stepped to the side, away from the large man. "Um...welcome to Dali," he said, sounding uncomfortable, and then he turned and ran off.
"Oh, wait!" Freya called out, but the child didn't hear her. "I needed to ask him about the roots blocking the Cavern and Observatory."
"Who knows," Amarant sighed. "Let's just find that idiot Zidane and kill Kuja."
"He probably thinks we're dead, doesn't he?" she realized. "We really should find him then."
"We won't find him here. Let's go look."
"Wait. I want to ask around about the roots that are everywhere."
He shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll be waiting at the inn." He turned away and walked through the inn door. She gazed after him for a moment, then turned away, glancing over the small town.
Seeing the boy that had addressed her previously, she ran up to him and said, "Excuse me, Young Sir."
He looked up at her and smiled. "Oh, hello Miss."
"Do you know anything about the big roots that have sprouted out of the ground so suddenly?" she asked. "Or know anybody who could tell me?"
The boy paused for a moment, thoughtful, and finally responded, "My mommy might know."
"Could you show me where she is?"
He pointed to the vegetable field where, Freya knew, an old woman would be tending the harvest. "She's there."
"Thank you very much, Young Sir." She gave him a kind smile, and then walked off to the field. Sure enough, the old woman was out there tending it, but in the corner was a younger woman, staring at the airfield in which airships took off and landed. Freya stepped up to her and greeted with, "Hello, Madam."
The woman looked at her. "Oh, hello," she smiled.
"I was wondering if you knew anything about the large roots that have suddenly sprung from the ground."
"Oh...those... No, I don't know anything. They just appeared all of a sudden. Have you looked at the valley lately? It's covered in Mist!"
"What?" Freya's eyes widened.
"Aye! Mist! There's mist monsters everywhere! And here we thought it was gone for good!"
The Mist was back! That couldn't be a good sign, not at all. Amarant needed to hear this. Freya bowed her head slightly to the woman with a, "Thank you, Madam," and left, heading back to the inn.
Amarant, true to his word, was waiting for her just inside. He looked over as she entered and she ran up to him, looking panicked. "The Mist is back!"
"What?" His tone was flat, though.
"The Mist! It's back, it's covering the valleys again. Do you think that has anything to do with the roots?"
"Maybe." He sounded unenthused, though.
"We really need to ask Zidane about this. I'm sure he knows for certain."
"How are we going to find him?"
"...I don't know..." A thought hit her suddenly, and she said, "The Observatory! We could find the Airship with it!"
"It's blocked off."
Her face fell. "It is, isn't it? Maybe there's some other way in?"
"Maybe." He didn't sound like he meant it, though.
She sighed. "We should sleep on this. Hopefully a new day will bring some new ideas."
He nodded wordlessly and walked into the bedroom. Dali's inn only contained one bedroom, with four beds. She blushed faintly as she realized she'd be sleeping in the same room as Amarant, but then pushed the thought out of her head and followed him.
~
Freya didn't sleep very soundly. She woke up in the middle of the night, and realized she'd been crying. Over what, she couldn't remember; her dream faded with her first painful pang of consciousness. She closed her eyes and rolled over onto her side, pulling the covers over her head. She paused as she realized she could hear the soft sound of Amarant snoring. A faint giggle escaped her mouth as she thought, 'He snores like Fratley.'
She sighed, then, at the remembrance of Fratley. His memory was painful, but she couldn't let him go. She had to believe that he still loved her. If he didn't, then who would? Who else was there for her?
After a while, she decided that she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, so she got up. She walked to the window, which looked out at the city's ground level, and gazed up. If she got really close and craned her head upward, she could see the stars in the sky. It was too difficult to watch for any long period of time, though, so she turned away from it after a while.
Her eyes passed over Amarant's sleeping form as she turned, and she stopped, gazing down at him. The large man looked oddly out of place, under the soft white linens of the bed. She walked over to the bedside and looked down at him.
He was adorable when he slept, in the manner that a troublemaking child is. She let a soft smile cross her face, as her mind connected him with Fratley once again, though there was no real connection to make.
Why did she keep doing that? He wasn't like Fratley at all, but every time she saw Amarant, she thought of him. Or whenever she thought of Fratley, her thoughts strayed to Amarant. Why?
She loved Fratley, didn't she?
"I must just miss him..." she sighed resignedly, as she walked back to her bed to attempt again to fall back into slumber.
Authour's Note: ^_^; don't worry, I'm not ending it yet. There's a lot left to do here; it won't end anytime soon. And I'm gonna work harder on updating this on a regular basis. Feel special! I took a story-writing hiatus but this story wasn't covered by it ^_^ I must love my readers, huh?
The elevator platform stopped, and the pair realized they were on the world map, just beside the exit of the Ice Cavern. That exit happened to be blocked by a rather large root. Being as they were on the World Map, however, they couldn't communicate with each other. They headed off to the nearest Area Map so they could converse.
That happened to be the Dali Mountain Observatory. That was blocked off by a large root as well, however, so they went to Dali and entered the town.
Amarant looked around uncomfortably as they entered. Freya noticed this discomfort and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I don't like this place," he replied. "It's...small."
"Of course," she chuckled. "It's just a little farming village, after all."
A small child ran up to them, looking up at Freya. She smiled down at him, and he said, "Hi, Miss. I seen you before."
"I've been here before," she told him, kneeling so they were eye-to-eye. "With the man with the tail."
"I thought so." He glanced up at Amarant, and stepped to the side, away from the large man. "Um...welcome to Dali," he said, sounding uncomfortable, and then he turned and ran off.
"Oh, wait!" Freya called out, but the child didn't hear her. "I needed to ask him about the roots blocking the Cavern and Observatory."
"Who knows," Amarant sighed. "Let's just find that idiot Zidane and kill Kuja."
"He probably thinks we're dead, doesn't he?" she realized. "We really should find him then."
"We won't find him here. Let's go look."
"Wait. I want to ask around about the roots that are everywhere."
He shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll be waiting at the inn." He turned away and walked through the inn door. She gazed after him for a moment, then turned away, glancing over the small town.
Seeing the boy that had addressed her previously, she ran up to him and said, "Excuse me, Young Sir."
He looked up at her and smiled. "Oh, hello Miss."
"Do you know anything about the big roots that have sprouted out of the ground so suddenly?" she asked. "Or know anybody who could tell me?"
The boy paused for a moment, thoughtful, and finally responded, "My mommy might know."
"Could you show me where she is?"
He pointed to the vegetable field where, Freya knew, an old woman would be tending the harvest. "She's there."
"Thank you very much, Young Sir." She gave him a kind smile, and then walked off to the field. Sure enough, the old woman was out there tending it, but in the corner was a younger woman, staring at the airfield in which airships took off and landed. Freya stepped up to her and greeted with, "Hello, Madam."
The woman looked at her. "Oh, hello," she smiled.
"I was wondering if you knew anything about the large roots that have suddenly sprung from the ground."
"Oh...those... No, I don't know anything. They just appeared all of a sudden. Have you looked at the valley lately? It's covered in Mist!"
"What?" Freya's eyes widened.
"Aye! Mist! There's mist monsters everywhere! And here we thought it was gone for good!"
The Mist was back! That couldn't be a good sign, not at all. Amarant needed to hear this. Freya bowed her head slightly to the woman with a, "Thank you, Madam," and left, heading back to the inn.
Amarant, true to his word, was waiting for her just inside. He looked over as she entered and she ran up to him, looking panicked. "The Mist is back!"
"What?" His tone was flat, though.
"The Mist! It's back, it's covering the valleys again. Do you think that has anything to do with the roots?"
"Maybe." He sounded unenthused, though.
"We really need to ask Zidane about this. I'm sure he knows for certain."
"How are we going to find him?"
"...I don't know..." A thought hit her suddenly, and she said, "The Observatory! We could find the Airship with it!"
"It's blocked off."
Her face fell. "It is, isn't it? Maybe there's some other way in?"
"Maybe." He didn't sound like he meant it, though.
She sighed. "We should sleep on this. Hopefully a new day will bring some new ideas."
He nodded wordlessly and walked into the bedroom. Dali's inn only contained one bedroom, with four beds. She blushed faintly as she realized she'd be sleeping in the same room as Amarant, but then pushed the thought out of her head and followed him.
~
Freya didn't sleep very soundly. She woke up in the middle of the night, and realized she'd been crying. Over what, she couldn't remember; her dream faded with her first painful pang of consciousness. She closed her eyes and rolled over onto her side, pulling the covers over her head. She paused as she realized she could hear the soft sound of Amarant snoring. A faint giggle escaped her mouth as she thought, 'He snores like Fratley.'
She sighed, then, at the remembrance of Fratley. His memory was painful, but she couldn't let him go. She had to believe that he still loved her. If he didn't, then who would? Who else was there for her?
After a while, she decided that she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, so she got up. She walked to the window, which looked out at the city's ground level, and gazed up. If she got really close and craned her head upward, she could see the stars in the sky. It was too difficult to watch for any long period of time, though, so she turned away from it after a while.
Her eyes passed over Amarant's sleeping form as she turned, and she stopped, gazing down at him. The large man looked oddly out of place, under the soft white linens of the bed. She walked over to the bedside and looked down at him.
He was adorable when he slept, in the manner that a troublemaking child is. She let a soft smile cross her face, as her mind connected him with Fratley once again, though there was no real connection to make.
Why did she keep doing that? He wasn't like Fratley at all, but every time she saw Amarant, she thought of him. Or whenever she thought of Fratley, her thoughts strayed to Amarant. Why?
She loved Fratley, didn't she?
"I must just miss him..." she sighed resignedly, as she walked back to her bed to attempt again to fall back into slumber.