Prelude;

"No! No! No!" A middle-aged Guado shouted angrily as he watched a young girl on the back of a crimson dragon soar through the air. "Firailc, you must concentrate. Plan your attacks. You are too rash."

"Rash? Rash! I'll give you rash you little freak!" Firailc raged as the wind whipped her blood red bangs around her scotch-gold eyes; mixing occasionally with the short, raven dark spikiness that was the rest of her hair. She leaned in close along her mount's neck ridge and urged him faster, hurtling at breakneck speed toward the Guado below. He shrieked and took off as fast as he could toward a tower a few hundred yards away.

"Firailc! NO! HELP!" He screamed as the dragon's claw misses him by a scant inch. He hit the dirt, tumbling down a small incline, and jumped back to his feet.

"HOLD STILL! I'M TRYING TO KILL YOU!" Firailc shouted as she turned her dragon in for another dive. The dragon hit the ground just above the man, pining him by his cloak with one razor sharp talon.

"HELP!" The man squealed, wriggling to get free.

"I won." Firailc said smugly as she jumped to the ground a few feet from his shoulder.

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!" He continued to shout. Three Guado guards raced forward and surrounded her.

"RELEASE HIM!" One shouted as he poked a rifle at her.

"Hey! Hey! Back off!" Firailc said as she waved them away. "It's just a joke." She snapped her fingers and her mount took flight, heading for the stables on the other side of the field.

"My dear, you should not take what Trime says to heart." An elder Guado said as he came out of a three-story building nearby.

"Lord Vrin!" The Guado said as they all bowed deeply to their leader.

"Rever." Firailc said, grinning at him.

"Trime is only trying to improve your skills." Lord Vrin said as he smiled in return. Trime, the middle-aged Guado, glared at Firailc as he brushed at his clothes to rid himself of some dirt and grass.

"Yeah, only trying to get me kicked out by giving a bad report. When's supper?" Firailc asked as she walked off with the Guado leader toward the building he just came from.

"In an hour. I don't suppose you'd care to help me take care of official matters until then?" Lord Vrin offered. The entire building looked much like a Gothic church.

"Why not?" She replied shrugging and they entered the Lord's office in the very back of the building.

"I take it you finished all your video games?" He laughed as he took a seat behind his desk.

"Yep. Speaking of which, I want that game Drakenguard they've got out." She commented, settling on the edge of his desk and picking up half a stack of legal documents.

"I'll send Trime to get it first thing in the morning." He said, an amused glint entering his eye as he watched the human girl sort through the papers. Her outfit was somewhat odd for a dragon rider, but she refused to change. Her black leather trousers disappeared into the tops of calf-length boots, real loose at the top but form fitting at the bottom with wide, flat heels of about a quarter inch. She had a spiked belt tight enough to cut off circulation around her left knee, just above the joint, and three belts rested around her waist. One was actually through the loops on her pants, but the other two angled sharply in opposite directions so that they formed 'X's on both her extreme lower stomach, a couple inches above the juncture of her long legs, and across her butt. On the first belt, on her left side, rested an empty scabbard she refused to get rid of. Her sleeve-less shirt was made of the same material as her pants and hugged every curve, but had an oval slit just over the valley between her breasts.

"Oh, here. You'll have to answer this inquiry. They want to know what to do about the Lupus attacking Bevelle at every turn." She said as she handed him an envelope. Chuckling, they set to work and finished all the papers in just a little over a half hour.

"Sir?" A young Guado appeared in the doorway to see them laughing at some joke Firailc has just told.

"Ah, Trevin. Come in. Is something the matter?" Lord Vrin asked as he composed himself and beckoned the boy in.

"Sir, Lord Raptor Ronso wishes for Lady Sfitavi's presence." Trevin said timidly, giving Firailc a shy smile.

"Tell the Lord I'll be there as soon as my stuff is acquired." Firailc said, winking at Trevin as she hopped off the desk and strided out. Lord Vrin dismissed the young boy and shook his head, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of his stomach.

"Hey Firailc!" A young girl called as she raced to catch up. She too was Guado.

"Hey Leyad. Sorry, but my presence has once again been requested." Firailc chuckled at her friend's crestfallen face.

"But we were supposed to go do some shopping today!" Leyad whined in distress.

"I tell you what, when I get back we'll shop straight through for a week. I promise." Firailc offered. Hesitating, Leyad finally took a deep breath and nodded. Most of Firailc's missions took weeks, sometimes even months to complete.

"All right, but no skipping off!" Leyad warned.

"On my honor as a Rider of the Calm Lands of Spira." Firailc said firmly as she placed her right hand in a closed fist over her heart. They shared a giggle and then Leyad helped Firailc pack her stuff. The quicker she left and finished her job the quicker she could get back.

"All set? Got everything packed?" Trevin asked nervously as he paced by the front door. Firailc bid farewell to her friend and walked up.

"Yep. All ready to go. Is Ripper saddled and waiting for me?" Firailc asked as she followed him out into the middle of the Calm Lands. There were no fiends in this area anymore due to the heavy dragon rider training and practicing activity so the walk was in silence with only the sound of the winds as company.

"Hey, are you going to answer me? Where's my dragon? Why isn't he saddled and waiting?" Firailc asked in confusion as Trevin turned back to her.

"I'm truly sorry my lady. Lord Sever forbade me to disobey him." Trevin said apologetically. Looking at him in confusion she abruptly sensed something behind her and spun just in time to see a huge Anything Eater bearing down upon her. She immediately dropped her pack and entered a fighting stance, bringing her knuckles up sharply.

"What do you think you're doing? Why does Lord Sever want me dead?" She demanded as she dodged the fiend's attack and did one of her own for around 6000 points of damage, bringing its HP down to less than half.

"Not dead, just with him." Trevin said from directly behind her. She didn't have time to spin around again when she felt his hand close over her mouth with a cloth in it. Her senses went fuzzy and then faded. The last thought through her mind was Not dead, just with him? What?

"Oh, ugh. I'm going to throw." She murmured hoarsely as consciousness crept upon her once more. Wherever she was, it's cold and reminded her of a dungeon with its stone walls, dampness, and musty smell. In one corner was a small pallet of a three-inch thick mattress, a comforter, and a pillow. Groaning at the tightness in her head as nausea threatened close to the surface, she dragged herself to the mattress and rested for a few minutes before attempting to move again. In the space of time between, she fell asleep.

"Get up!" These words were punctuated with a sharp kick to her leg and she sat upright, instantly regretting the quick movement as her stomach threatened to make her revisit a rather liquid breakfast.

"Lord Sever says you are to come with us." One of the guards barked as she turned to face them. She slowly, carefully, rose to her feet and followed them silently, taking in her surroundings. Everyone here seemed to be perfectly human, except for those in the cells around her. They moved up a flight of stairs into the bright sunlight and she had to squint her eyes for a few moments to get used to the bright sun. They were obviously in a desert and if her memory was correct, it was smack dap in the middle of the Sanubia Desert to be exact. They led her to a building a few hundred yards off and then down another flight of stairs to a cramped office with only one desk and a lot of machina lining the walls.

"Someone said you called?" Firailc asked sarcastically.

"Ah, Lady Firailc Sfitavi. It is my pleasure, and the pleasure of Al- Bhed everywhere, to welcome you to Bikanel Island Home." The dark haired Al- Bhed leader declared cheerfully as he turned in his chair to face her. Bronze met emerald and a clash ensued. In an instant Firailc was lunging across the desk in an attempt to pummel him when three guards appeared and dragged her back down, wrenching her arms behind her and forcing her to her knees.

"You're the one!" She cried angrily. "You're the one who killed them!"

"I assure you my dear, it was not as you may have been told to think." Lord Sever replied as he got calmly to his feet and walked around. Bending at the waist, he cupped her chin in his hand and stared her in the eyes. "You're the one who killed them."

The simple way he said it, with no whimsy or arrogance or dark tone, rocked her to the core and she froze in surprise and shock.

"W-what?" She asked helplessly, her eyes wide.

"You, my dear, are not what anyone thinks and I am here to find out just what you are. I was there when your village was destroyed. You and I are two of the few who made it out and still live, that is why you remember me." He said as he straightened and picked up a memory sphere from a drawer in his desk. He dismissed the guards and sat the sphere before her, stepping away. Hesitantly, she reached out a trembling hand and pressed the small button closest to her. Instantly she was submersed in memory.

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A/N I know, a bit of a cliffhanger. I hate them myself, but it seemed as good a place as any to break off for now. Review please. Hey, I did say please!