Princess Nina and Her Love
By Father M.J. Hulk
Opening Words: Hello once again, my children! Father M.J. Hulk here with you again! Welcome to my latest work: A Breath of Fire 1 Ryu/Nina story! I hope you think it stands up to my other work! And remember… good reviews give our God incredible powers! So if you review well, I will take you to the Grand Church too. Enjoy! ^_^
Tock: The tower standing tall and surrounded by trees, not unlike Tower Isengard, on a bluff five miles east of the city of Carmen, where time stood still. From here, time was controlled throughout the land. For centuries the tower laid quiet, assuring normal flow of time. But all that has changed of late.
An evil woman named Cerl, henchwoman of the evil Dark Dragon King, Zog, took over the tower and froze time in Carmen, as bait to lure the Light Dragons into the open, so that they may be destroyed by the Dark Dragon armies. Her plan went along without fail… at least, it did, until the day before our story opens.
An azure-haired youth named Ryu, bearing a dragon-shaped scar on his forehead, had come to Tock with his seven companions, all from different tribes. They forced Cerl out of Tock and caused her to take refuge in her Southern Fortress. It was there that feelings of love were finally realized between Cerl and her old boyfriend, Alan. But alas, it was too late.
Cerl perished with her castle, and charged Ryu's group with restoring order to Tock once again. It is here that we join our heroes: at the entrance to the control room.
Ryu looked over at his friends. "So… who wants to put the key in?"
"I'll do it," offered Karn. "After all, there may be a trap set, and you'll need me to take care of it."
"I think I should do it." Bo said. "I'm the quickest of us all… if anything happens, I can dash away instantly."
"You know what, I think I'm going to do it after all." Ryu decided. "I mean, after all, I am the hero."
"Who said anything about you being a hero?" Bleu huffed.
"Well, this is MY journey after all."
"I don't think so." The sorceress retorted. "This journey is all of ours. And to be honest, I think I should do it, because I deserve all your respect for getting you out of that mess in Prima!"
"I disagree," Ryu shot back. "I was the first member of this party, you know."
"What has THAT got to do with anything?" Bleu argued.
"I'll do it, since I'm the richest!" Gobi declared.
"I wouldn't let Gobi do it." Ox said solemnly. "Knowing him, he'll take the Time Key and sell it."
"You guys, stop fighting please…" Mogu pleaded meekly.
Nina stood off to the side, watching them bicker. It annoyed her that, when they were all on a journey where their lives were always on the line, they couldn't even decide on a simple thing like this. Finally, she grabbed the key out of Ryu's hand and started up towards the platform.
"Hey!" Ryu called. "What are you doing?"
"Let me handle this, Ryu." Nina called back. "After all, none of you can seem to decide."
Ryu and his friends had no choice but to follow Nina to the base of the platform where the Controls rested. Nina studied the lock for a moment, and then carefully worked the key into the hole.
There was a click, and then the tower began to rumble as the controls got to work. The room went dark, and a mirror opened wide before them, showing the city of Carmen. Slowly, the people returned to their normal ages and began to move around.
"There we go!" Nina said triumphantly. "Time has been restored in Carmen! Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
The mirror vanished and light fell back on the control room. "Now all I have to do is take the key out, right?" She tried to turn the key to remove it, but it wouldn't move. She pulled harder, then she put both hands on it and pulled.
"Is something wrong, your highness?" Mogu asked.
"Nothing…" Nina grunted, struggling with the lock. "It's… stuck…AAAH!" she cried out as the key came flying loose in a shower of blue sparks. The tower began to rumble again, more violently this time, and the controls themselves seemed to be shaking from the inside.
"Umm, something's not right here…" Nina said, looking around.
"Well, get out of there!" Ryu cried. "Come on, quick!"
"Ok, I'm coming!" she said, but before she could move, a swirling portal opened between her and her friends, blocking her off. "Uh oh…"
"Nina!" Ryu exclaimed. "Bleu, use your warp magic! Get her out of there!"
The portal began to suck itself in violently, and Nina was beginning to fall into it.
"I can't reach her!" Bleu cried, flinging her wand left and right. "I can't do it!"
"Um, guys, a little help here?" Nina called desperately, hanging onto the control tower for dear life.
Time and space have started to distort.
"I can dig underground and go get her," Mogu offered.
"No! There's no time!" Ryu said. "Nina! Can't you hover over to us?"
"I… don't wanna let go!" Nina screamed over the wind. "I can't let… goooo!" This last word she cried out as the wind wrenched her from the controls and she was pulled into the center. She screamed and writhed in the center of the vortex, and then she vanished.
"Nina! No!" Ryu screamed. "Come on we have to follow her!"
"It's too dangerous!" Ox warned.
"I'm not going in there!" Gobi said.
"Come on, before it disappears! Go Go GO!" Ryu shoved everybody into the portal and followed them in. He screamed in pain as the wind seared through his body, and then, blackness.
Ryu and his companions are caught in the middle.
They fell downwards in darkness for Landon-Knows how long, and when the light returned, they screamed louder as they saw the earth rushing up to meet them. They crashed to the ground in one big heap.
"Ow… I think I broke myself…" Karn moaned.
"My back…" Bo groaned.
Mogu praised his lucky stars that he had landed on top. Or else he would have been crushed by everyone and surely killed.
"Where are we?" Ryu wondered after everyone had detached themselves from everyone else.
"It looks like we're in Tunlan." Ox observed, indicating the pristine floating palace that shimmered in the distance.
"Do you think Nina's here?" Karn asked.
"I hope so." Ryu answered. "The portal must have dropped us off at the same place, so she probably IS here. Come on."
Ryu led the group into the city of Tunlan. "I LOVE this music!" Mogu cried. "It's so nice…"
"Well, we didn't come here to listen to music, son." Ox said.
Ryu began asking the girls of Tunlan if they had seen Nina. "She's about my height, she has white wings, and blond hair."
"Are you talking about the woman with wings?" One of the girls asked.
"Yes! Do you know her?"
The girl pointed. "She is in that house."
"Thank you!" Ryu exclaimed and he dashed into the house the girl had pointed to. And to his delight, Nina was there!!! "Nina! Oh my God, Nina!" He cried, running up and hugging her. "I was so worried about you! I thought something awful had happened to you! Are you okay?"
Nina stared back at him blankly. "Who are you?"
Ryu was confused. "What?"
"I said, who are you? I don't know you, and my name isn't Nina."
"Come on, Nina, snap out of it." Ryu said, shaking her by the shoulders. "You had a nasty little fall, that's all. Come on, it's me, Ryu!"
"I do not know anybody named Ryu. And I said my name ISN'T Nina!"
"What is it then?" Bo asked, who had come up beside her.
She scratched her head. "I have no idea."
"You'll not get nothin' out of her, boy!" Rasped a voice from the corner. Ryu turned around to see two old women sitting at a nearby table. "She's got amnesia. Don't remember nothin'."
"Do you know anything about this girl?" The other woman asked.
"She's my friend!" Ryu exclaimed, perplexed. "And we've been traveling together, and we went to Tock and then she got sucked into the portal and we followed her and came here!"
The woman arched her eyebrow. "Oh? Traveling in time? So that's how she came here…"
"Why? How long has she been here?" Bleu asked.
"A very long time." Said the woman. "She just fell from the sky one day. She just wandered around the city, so we figured we'd give her shelter here."
"Is there anything we can do to cure her condition?" Bo inquired.
"Don't know of a cure for amnesia, young hunter…" the other woman said. "You'd best consult a doctor."
"Well, where's the nearest doctor?"
"Don't know."
Ryu was exasperated. "Well, thank you for your help." He turned and stormed out, and the others followed him.
"So what do we do?" Karn asked as they followed him out of the city.
"I don't know! I have no idea where to find a doctor, and we probably…"
"Ahem…" whispered a deep voice. The group looked around.
"Who said that?" Ryu called out. "Show yourself!"
"It was I…" said the same voice, and Ryu followed it to see a tall figure standing in the shadow of the Dragon Shrine, wrapped entirely in a blue robe. "I couldn't help but overhear your problem."
"Haven't I seen you before?" Ryu asked. "I thought I saw you in Grimfowl Woods."
"I get around," the figure said casually.
"You're a very suspicious man," Bleu observed.
"Ha! Am I? Well then you've got no business spending time with me! Be off then."
"No, wait!" Ryu said. "You said you could help us?"
"I did."
"So… could you?"
"I could. But I want something from you, first."
Ryu became defensive. "What is it?"
"Nothing, really… I'd just like to know where you're off to, ultimately. It's all right, you can trust me."
"We're aiming to overthrow Emperor Zog, King of the Dark Dragons." Mogu said before Ryu could think about whether or not to tell the man.
"Really?" The man seemed quite interested. "And you, boy… you are a Light Dragon?"
"Yes."
"Is that right? Well, I've got no business hindering your quest. The doctor you seek is in the city of Carmen. He lives at the north end of town."
"Thank you very much sir." Ryu said gratefully.
"You are welcome. Now then… be off with you! Don't want to keep you from your big mission!"
"Thank you sir! Goodbye!" Ryu called as he and his group left Tunlan.
"Oh it's not goodbye, young Dragon…" the man whispered. "Not in the least."