Author's Note: This time's the last time. I'll save most of the big notes for the end for space purposes, though I'll go ahead and say that I finally got to the epilogue scene here, which was obviously something I needed to tweak for this fic. Also, there are two specific background ships that I'm quite fond of, so that was fun.

Chapter Five: Rebuilding

The first year was…difficult, but that had been expected.

They needed to build new homes and storerooms and all the other necessary facilities. Meals had to be rationed carefully. Hunting and fishing provided a good amount of food, but they had to pace themselves. Figuring out what plants grew in the area—and which could be safely eaten—was another challenge, as was making sure everyone had enough clothing and blankets.

But…after the initial hurdle, things became more manageable. Eventually, everyone had what they needed. And once they knew they were stable, it was so much easier to be happy—to thrive. It was nothing short of a miracle, but…everyone had worked together, and they'd done it, somehow.

Children had been born here. They, along with the ones who'd been very young at the time of arrival, were growing up in a land where they'd never have to suffer. And that was truly the biggest sign of how far they'd come.

Now, it was nearly five years since they'd stumbled upon the ruins of Centralia. She and Serenoa were sitting together on a stretch of the nearby beach, watching a few other people relax nearby. Hossabara was leaning against Erador, and they watched Picoletta teach some of her tricks to a few Rosellan children. Roland and Hughette were slowly wading along the shoreline, carefully guiding their small, dark-haired daughter through the shallowest parts of the water. Cordelia smiled at her niece before quickly turning to heal up a young Rosellan boy who'd scraped his knee on some driftwood.

Serenoa had never fully recovered the use of his legs. It had been hard for him to adjust, but he could get around with the use of a wheeled chair several people had chipped in to build for him. Jens had also crafted him some specially-made crutches with footholds at the bottoms and braces along the front; he could use those to shuffle short distances.

And…sitting in Frederica's lap was their son, Levi. He was almost a year old now, and he could take shaky steps and speak a few words. He'd fallen asleep leaning against her, and Serenoa smiled as he leaned over to absently stroke Levi's hair. It was pink, like Frederica's, but he had his father's deep blue eyes.

"I'm glad his hair is as beautiful as yours is," Serenoa had whispered, shortly after Levi was born. The memory stuck with her—it reminded her of the first time they'd met, when he'd flattered her hair back at the harbor. That was the first time anyone had ever told her that her heritage made her beautiful, after all.

"…Serenoa?" she said, bringing her attention back to the present. When he glanced up at her, she continued, "I apologize for the suddenness of my question, but…do you ever think back on Norzelia?"

"Well…I do sometimes," he admitted. "It's hard to forget the place I grew up. But…when I look around us and see how far we've come, I don't want to go back. This is our home now, and I wouldn't change that for anything."

"Neither would I." She briefly smiled down at their dozing child before continuing. "I just…think about how much we had to do to get here, I suppose. But that makes it all the more rewarding, don't you think?"

"It does," he agreed, leaning over to put an arm around her.

"Frederica! Serenoa!"

They glanced up at the sound of their names, and Frederica smiled when she saw Eden stumbling towards her. She was now just over five years old, and she was an eager, excitable young girl. Frederica had spotted Naomi earlier when she and Serenoa were on their way to the beach; she must've brought her daughter with her.

At any rate, Eden was covered in sand, but she didn't seem to care. Instead, she was grinning and holding something towards them. When she got closer, Frederica could see she was carrying a pair of large, round shells, and she proudly gave one to each of them.

"My mommy likes to tell me about what happened when I was a baby," she said, glancing down at Levi with a grin. "She said you two helped us get here! So I wanted to get you something!"

"They're lovely, Eden," Serenoa replied, carefully running his fingers over the one she'd given him. "Thank you."

"I'll treasure it always," Frederica agreed fondly.

Eden beamed in pride. "I'm glad you like 'em! I thought they were pretty, too. Just like your necklace!"

Frederica smiled, carefully shifting Levi so she could hold her pendant in one hand. She still wore it on a daily basis, even after all this time. It would always be something she kept with her, and she wondered, as she sometimes did, how her mother would feel if she could see them now.

"Thank you," she murmured. "I got it from my mother, a long time ago. She's the one who gave me the courage to lead us here."

That was true enough. Freeing the Rosellans at the Source had been Frederica's own idea, but she knew it was what Orlea would've wanted. She liked to think her mother would be proud of her; Frederica was simply following in her footsteps.

"Then I guess I need to thank her, too!" Eden glanced up at the sky and shouted, "I'll get you a present, too!"

They both laughed gently at the girl's earnestness. It really was a small moment, but…it, too, was a sign of the progress they'd made. After everything they'd gone through, weren't moments like this well-deserved?

Frederica nodded to herself. She wouldn't change anything about their journey, difficulties and all. They were finally in the place they belonged, and that was what mattered.

Author's Note x2: All right, some more fic talk here! I wanted to fix up the Morality ending while still leaving a bittersweet note to it. So, Serenoa lives, but he's still paralyzed from the waist down. I think that makes a pretty good "compromise."

And yes, Eden is supposed to be the little girl we see in Frederica's epilogue. I introduced her earlier just so I could flesh her out a tiny bit.

Anyway, now all we need to do is wait for Squeenix to patch this into the game, and then everything will be perfect. Come on, guys, I already did the writing for you. Get on it! (I'm kidding. Mostly.)