Memories of Alcauld
Prelude
It was a freezing cold winter night, as cold as the nasty Trabian winters that raged up north. An icy gale cut sharply through the young woman's outer layer of furs and into her skin. In her arms was a tiny bundle of cloths and she wrapped her arms protectively around it, clutching at the bundle as though the wind would use its frosty fingers to prise her precious cargo out of her arms.
The wind continued its relentless assault, striking indiscriminately at rock or human. The young woman stumbled head-first into the snow in exhaustion, but still she held on tightly to the cloth bundle. Her face was scrunched up in grim determination as she struggled to her feet and waded through the knee-deep snow until she finally stopped.
Before her was a huge circular building with ivory and blue walls, and it stood sturdy in the swirling snow storm that seemed to grow in velocity and ferocity with every passing minute. Standing at the snow-capped metal gates was another young woman – she had long black hair that hung down to her waist, a porcelain-like complexion and the strangest amber eyes that seemed to glow with a golden light.
The amber-eyed young woman took the other woman's hand in her own and led her through the gates into the little room. A fire burned brightly in the brick fireplace, spreading its comforting warmth and diffused orange light all around the room.
"Ah, Raine. I knew you were coming." The tawny-eyed woman greeted her shivering friend as she shut the gates and then the door behind her, keeping the chilly draft out. "What could be the matter?"
Moving closer to the fire, the woman named Raine shook the snow out of her ash-blond hair and watched as the stray snowdrops that flew onto the metal grille of the fireplace melted into minute puddles that seemed to shift in shape before her very eyes. She blinked and turned her striking emerald eyes onto her friend's amber ones.
"Do you see that, Edea? The water speaks again – it shifts its shape to speak again." She whispered and bit her lip, uncertainty flitting across her face.
"That could very well mean nothing." Edea said as she slowly turned her eyes away from the luminous green of Raine's eyes and let them fall onto the melted snow on the grille. "You worry too much, Raine."
"No, listen to me." There was a slight urgency that rose in her voice now. "I know very well what the shifting waters mean, and I am deeply troubled by what I can see in the future. I need your help."
Edea paced the length of the room, her brow creased in a frown. All was quiet save the crackling of the fire and the two women's breaths. The small wooden door in the corner suddenly creaked open and a small boy of about five poked his head through quietly.
She stopped her troubled pacing and looked up. The boy tilted his head to one side and his brown hair glinted golden.
"Come here, Squall." Edea sighed and beckoned the boy to her side.
The boy named Squall padded softly across the room and fitted his tiny hand into Edea's own hand. He looked up at Edea and then turned to look at Raine by the fireplace in silence, his grey-blue eyes taking in the strangeness of the scene quietly.
"Yes, I do know what the shifting waters mean myself. But are you sure?"
Raine looked up from the dancing flames and nodded, the fire lending an ethereal glow to her already incandescent emerald eyes and making her seem quite otherworldly. All this while, the cloth bundle was wrapped tightly in her arms, but now, it moved slightly and let out a tiny whimper.
"I know, Edea. I know what will happen. I'll need your help when it does happen, which will not be very far into the future." Raine unwrapped the cloths to reveal an infant, a little girl sleeping peacefully.
"Please, take my daughter in when it happens. I do not know exactly when and how, but you will know when it takes place."
Edea studied the sleeping child's face intently – she was a beautiful girl, with delicate features that looked neither distinctly Anglo-Saxon nor entirely Asian; her skin was creamy white in colour and her gently curling hair was a mixture of white-blond and deep brown; a very unusual-looking child but beautiful nonetheless.
"Of course, Raine. You needn't worry about the child. And her name?"
"Her name is Marie."
At this, a clap of thunder sounded and the sleeping child awoke with a sharp cry. As she opened her eyes, Edea saw that like the rest of the child, the eyes were strangely beautiful; a light brown flecked with aquamarine and sapphire. Marie wailed long and loud and Raine stroked her daughter's head soothingly.
Unknown to both women, another pair of eyes was studying the swaddled infant as she cried heartily. The boy Squall stood by Edea all this while, looking at Marie quietly as his bright slate-blue eyes drank in the details of the scene. He was particularly fascinated by the peculiarly coloured baby, although he did not know why.
Raine slowly got to her feet and wrapped her child up again in the cloths.
"We must be going." She walked to the main door and held the now-quiet child closer to her chest. "Remember, Edea. Remember Marie."
She pushed the wooden door open slightly and immediately, the vicious wind ripped at her furs, threatening to pull them all off. Squall clutched on to Edea's hand tightly as the glacial wind whipped his silken brown hair across his eyes.
"Yes, Raine. I promise. Now go, and take the best care." Edea smiled comfortingly at her friend. "Be strong always."
"Good-bye, Edea. Thank you." And the door slammed shut behind her, the last image Edea saw of her friend Raine was that of a slim figure and her child struggling in the torrential snowstorm that seemed to grow in rage.
"Aunt Edea, who was that woman and that child?" Squall spoke for the first time as he tugged at Edea's hand. "Why did that baby look so odd?"
Edea knelt down and brushed his silky golden brown hair out of his eyes. She stroked his forehead and then turned her amber eyes to look out of the window into the endless sea of white outside.
"She is a very special lady, Squall, and that baby is a very special baby."
He nodded his head but didn't seem satisfied with Edea's answer. Nevertheless, he let go of her hand quietly and slipped back through the door where he came from. As Edea stood there alone and watched the crackling fire die out to become faint, glowing embers, thoughts swirled about in her own head, a snowstorm raging in her mind.
Outside, the storm became fiercer and yet more snow fell out of the sky and made the snow on the ground deeper. As the storm swirled about in Edea's mind, so too did the storm whirl outside. Outside, on the Alcauld Plains, the storm seemed that it would never stop.
NB: My stab at trying to create a couple of new characters to join the much- loved FF8 cast. New characters can either make or break a story, so we'll see how this one goes! :) crosses her fingers- Please read and review – every single comment will be GREATLY appreciated! Oh, and for those who wanna check this out – http:www.kasia-misou.blogspot.com. This will probably be updated more frequently, and unfinalized chapters can also be found here sometimes. Thankyou!
It was a freezing cold winter night, as cold as the nasty Trabian winters that raged up north. An icy gale cut sharply through the young woman's outer layer of furs and into her skin. In her arms was a tiny bundle of cloths and she wrapped her arms protectively around it, clutching at the bundle as though the wind would use its frosty fingers to prise her precious cargo out of her arms.
The wind continued its relentless assault, striking indiscriminately at rock or human. The young woman stumbled head-first into the snow in exhaustion, but still she held on tightly to the cloth bundle. Her face was scrunched up in grim determination as she struggled to her feet and waded through the knee-deep snow until she finally stopped.
Before her was a huge circular building with ivory and blue walls, and it stood sturdy in the swirling snow storm that seemed to grow in velocity and ferocity with every passing minute. Standing at the snow-capped metal gates was another young woman – she had long black hair that hung down to her waist, a porcelain-like complexion and the strangest amber eyes that seemed to glow with a golden light.
The amber-eyed young woman took the other woman's hand in her own and led her through the gates into the little room. A fire burned brightly in the brick fireplace, spreading its comforting warmth and diffused orange light all around the room.
"Ah, Raine. I knew you were coming." The tawny-eyed woman greeted her shivering friend as she shut the gates and then the door behind her, keeping the chilly draft out. "What could be the matter?"
Moving closer to the fire, the woman named Raine shook the snow out of her ash-blond hair and watched as the stray snowdrops that flew onto the metal grille of the fireplace melted into minute puddles that seemed to shift in shape before her very eyes. She blinked and turned her striking emerald eyes onto her friend's amber ones.
"Do you see that, Edea? The water speaks again – it shifts its shape to speak again." She whispered and bit her lip, uncertainty flitting across her face.
"That could very well mean nothing." Edea said as she slowly turned her eyes away from the luminous green of Raine's eyes and let them fall onto the melted snow on the grille. "You worry too much, Raine."
"No, listen to me." There was a slight urgency that rose in her voice now. "I know very well what the shifting waters mean, and I am deeply troubled by what I can see in the future. I need your help."
Edea paced the length of the room, her brow creased in a frown. All was quiet save the crackling of the fire and the two women's breaths. The small wooden door in the corner suddenly creaked open and a small boy of about five poked his head through quietly.
She stopped her troubled pacing and looked up. The boy tilted his head to one side and his brown hair glinted golden.
"Come here, Squall." Edea sighed and beckoned the boy to her side.
The boy named Squall padded softly across the room and fitted his tiny hand into Edea's own hand. He looked up at Edea and then turned to look at Raine by the fireplace in silence, his grey-blue eyes taking in the strangeness of the scene quietly.
"Yes, I do know what the shifting waters mean myself. But are you sure?"
Raine looked up from the dancing flames and nodded, the fire lending an ethereal glow to her already incandescent emerald eyes and making her seem quite otherworldly. All this while, the cloth bundle was wrapped tightly in her arms, but now, it moved slightly and let out a tiny whimper.
"I know, Edea. I know what will happen. I'll need your help when it does happen, which will not be very far into the future." Raine unwrapped the cloths to reveal an infant, a little girl sleeping peacefully.
"Please, take my daughter in when it happens. I do not know exactly when and how, but you will know when it takes place."
Edea studied the sleeping child's face intently – she was a beautiful girl, with delicate features that looked neither distinctly Anglo-Saxon nor entirely Asian; her skin was creamy white in colour and her gently curling hair was a mixture of white-blond and deep brown; a very unusual-looking child but beautiful nonetheless.
"Of course, Raine. You needn't worry about the child. And her name?"
"Her name is Marie."
At this, a clap of thunder sounded and the sleeping child awoke with a sharp cry. As she opened her eyes, Edea saw that like the rest of the child, the eyes were strangely beautiful; a light brown flecked with aquamarine and sapphire. Marie wailed long and loud and Raine stroked her daughter's head soothingly.
Unknown to both women, another pair of eyes was studying the swaddled infant as she cried heartily. The boy Squall stood by Edea all this while, looking at Marie quietly as his bright slate-blue eyes drank in the details of the scene. He was particularly fascinated by the peculiarly coloured baby, although he did not know why.
Raine slowly got to her feet and wrapped her child up again in the cloths.
"We must be going." She walked to the main door and held the now-quiet child closer to her chest. "Remember, Edea. Remember Marie."
She pushed the wooden door open slightly and immediately, the vicious wind ripped at her furs, threatening to pull them all off. Squall clutched on to Edea's hand tightly as the glacial wind whipped his silken brown hair across his eyes.
"Yes, Raine. I promise. Now go, and take the best care." Edea smiled comfortingly at her friend. "Be strong always."
"Good-bye, Edea. Thank you." And the door slammed shut behind her, the last image Edea saw of her friend Raine was that of a slim figure and her child struggling in the torrential snowstorm that seemed to grow in rage.
"Aunt Edea, who was that woman and that child?" Squall spoke for the first time as he tugged at Edea's hand. "Why did that baby look so odd?"
Edea knelt down and brushed his silky golden brown hair out of his eyes. She stroked his forehead and then turned her amber eyes to look out of the window into the endless sea of white outside.
"She is a very special lady, Squall, and that baby is a very special baby."
He nodded his head but didn't seem satisfied with Edea's answer. Nevertheless, he let go of her hand quietly and slipped back through the door where he came from. As Edea stood there alone and watched the crackling fire die out to become faint, glowing embers, thoughts swirled about in her own head, a snowstorm raging in her mind.
Outside, the storm became fiercer and yet more snow fell out of the sky and made the snow on the ground deeper. As the storm swirled about in Edea's mind, so too did the storm whirl outside. Outside, on the Alcauld Plains, the storm seemed that it would never stop.
NB: My stab at trying to create a couple of new characters to join the much- loved FF8 cast. New characters can either make or break a story, so we'll see how this one goes! :) crosses her fingers- Please read and review – every single comment will be GREATLY appreciated! Oh, and for those who wanna check this out – http:www.kasia-misou.blogspot.com. This will probably be updated more frequently, and unfinalized chapters can also be found here sometimes. Thankyou!