Disclaimer: Sadly, I only own Final Fantasy in the land where the pigs fly and the cows jump over the moon.
Chapter Three: Not Alone
By the time Celes was ten, she had mastered her low-level ice and cure spells and had learned basic sword fighting techniques. Being only ten, she still wasn't old enough to receive her Rune Blade, but she had memorized the Runic chant:
"Hale ca, runi men ca la. Ala den que met ca la, runi ca."
The mark on her hand would glow when she chanted. She never did it in front of others, nor did she practice her magic in public. It was suppose to remain a secret. Only her instructors and high-ranking officers knew of her abilities, other than Gestahl and Cid, of course. Maj. Palazzo knew also because he was Gestahl's personal advisor.
Celes found that she enjoyed physical exertion. It provided a release of her stress. She had been doing strength training since she was seven, and was already as strong as some of the thirteen-year old boys. Surprisingly, most of the boys didn't seem to mind her much. One in particular even managed to befriend her, though he was seven years older.
Celes had met Leo Cristophe on the training grounds when she was eight. One of the rowdier boys was hassling her, trying to get some kind of reaction out of her. Leo had been fencing with his partner, but when he saw what was happening, he quickly approached the boy and swept his feet out from under him.
"You're training to become a soldier, so start acting like it!" he yelled. The boy ran off, and Leo turned to Celes. "You all right, Celes?"
"Yeah, thanks. How'd you know my name?"
"Seeing as how you're the only girl here, everyone knows who you are," he replied with a kind grin. "I'm Leo, Private First Class."
From then on no one gave Celes a hard time when Leo was around. He became like a big brother to Celes, and she looked up to him. The ambitious young man rose steadily through the ranks, though, and when he was seventeen, Leo was promoted to sergeant. Celes saw less of him after this, but she was kept busy with her studies and her training and didn't notice much.
Two years passed since she met Leo. She was running the agility course one day, for the third time, when she saw five heavily armed soldiers walking across the grounds, escorting a young girl Celes' age, if not slightly younger. The girl had light green hair and a sad expression on her face. There was one officer among the soldiers, Lieutenant Nathan Vilas. He strode over to Master Chief Neal. They spoke for a moment, then Neal called out.
"Chere! Get over here, on the double!"
Celes wondered what this was about, but figured she'd find out soon enough. She hurried over to the two men, and saluted to Vilas and Neal.
"Yes, Master Chief?"
"It seems you have your first assignment, Chere. This is Terra Branford," he said, gesturing to the other girl. "She's joining us in our training sessions from now on. You two will be partners, and you are responsible for her. If anything happens to her, all blame will be placed on you. Understand?"
"Yes sir," she responded.
"Chere," Vilas addressed, "we feel that you are ready for a bit more responsibility. Along with this assignment, we're promoting you to Private Second Class. This gives you a limited authority over the other recruits. We'll be watching closely to observe how you handle this position, so use it wisely."
"Yes sir, Thank you, sir." Celes saluted sharply.
Vilas handed her the patch that would indicate her new rank to be sown onto the sleeve of her uniform. He then seemed satisfied, and posted the four guards at various positions in the grounds, probably to keep an eye on the mysterious newcomer. Once he left, Neal spoke to Celes more informally.
"Celes, this is a big job. Terra is very important to Emperor Gestahl. Personally, I wouldn't put such a responsibility on a ten-year old, but orders are orders," Neal said sympathetically.
"I'll do my best, Master Chief."
"Alright. If you have any problems, or just questions, you can come to me," he said.
"Yes, sir," Celes nodded.
"Congratulations, Private Second Class Chere," he said, smiling.
"Thank you sir."
Neal walked away, leaving Celes with the strange girl.
"Hi, Terra. I'm Celes."
"Hi," the other said softly. She sounded sad.
Celes almost asked the girl if she was ok, but remembered the lesson that she was being taught; emotions are weaknesses, and that included showing compassion for another's wellbeing.
"I didn't know there were other girls in the Empire," Celes noted.
"There aren't. I'm the only one." Terra suddenly looked up at the taller girl with eyes as green as emeralds. "Besides you, I guess. I didn't know either."
"Why are you here now?" Celes asked.
"They want me to train. To learn to…hurt people," Terra said, looking back at the ground. "I have…powers that they want to use," she explained.
Celes wanted to ask her if she meant magic, but decided against it. They would have told me if I was supposed to know, she reminded herself.
"Why are you here?" Terra asked. "I didn't think girls were allowed in the army."
"They're not…technically. I…can't tell you why," Celes admitted honestly. She had strict orders not to tell anyone about her M-Tek or Rune abilities. She even wore gloves on her hands to cover the Rune mark.
"Oh." Terra sounded disappointed.
"Come on. Let's go run around the track for a while."
"Ok."
They did, but Terra tired quickly. Celes still had a lot of energy, as she usually did, and decided to get Terra a practice sword from the equipment room.
"Here. Do you know how to sword fight?" Celes asked.
"No."
"Ok. I'll teach you."
She handed Terra a sword and showed her how to hold it and how to parry different attacks. Terra was actually beginning to enjoy herself, forgetting the purpose of her training. After only an hour of practice, Terra was able to parry all of Celes' attacks, though they were executed at a leisurely speed.
"Very good," a voice said from behind Terra. "You're a fast learner."
Celes saluted. "Maj. Palazzo."
Terra turned around and also saluted, though less sharply than Celes.
"And you're a good teacher, Celes," Kefka continued. "The two of you will make an excellent team."
"I think we will, Major," Celes agreed, stealing a glance at Terra. The girl looked frightened, though Celes couldn't think of a reason why.
"Terra, this is Maj. Kefka Palazzo, personal advisor to His Majesty," Celes informed her. "He's an exceptional swordsman…among other things," she continued, alluding to his magic.
"Above average, but I wouldn't say exceptional," Kefka corrected. "Not yet. Besides, young Leo is already a match for me," he said, smiling. "I'll have to train harder."
Celes chuckled, knowing well the seventeen-year old's reputation with a sword.
"And, if I'm not mistaken, you're well on your way, Celes," Kefka commented.
"Perhaps, but I still have a long way to go, sir."
"Oh, you're being modest." Kefka paused and simply smiled at the aspiring warriors. "Anyway, I must be on my way. Terra, it was a pleasure meeting your acquaintance, and I hope to see more of you," he said with a strange smile. "And Celes, always a pleasure."
"You too, sir," she replied with a more informal salute.
Kefka bowed his head slightly to the girls, and continued on his way. Celes turned to Terra.
"Anything wrong?"
"I… I don't like that man."
"Kefka? I mean, sure, he can be a bit goofy sometimes, but he's not that bad. How come?"
"I don't know. I just…get a bad feeling from him."
"Hmm… Well, you're probably just stressed because it's your first day here."
"Yeah, maybe…"
"Come on. Let's practice a little more, then we can go get some dinner."
"Ok."
From that day on, Celes and Terra stuck together, instantly becoming good friends. Terra attended the same classes as Celes, and trained with her every day. She slowly got stronger, and could keep up with Celes a little better.
All the boys were surprised when Terra showed up out of nowhere, and even more surprised when they saw that she was Celes' friend. They harassed the green-haired girl from the start, but never got too close because Celes was always right there to stop them. It reminded Celes of her bond with Leo.
Celes took her orders to protect Terra deadly serious, and often got into fights with the boys on her account. The results were broken noses, twisted arms, and black eyes, though only on the boys' side; Celes never got a scratch. Nor was she reprimanded for her actions, because it she was just following orders.
((ooo))
The next few years were demanding for Celes, because her training intensified greatly. Her swordsmanship was exceptional for such a young student, and she took to learning other weapons as well. She could also conjure up greater amounts of ice with more control as her magic gradually became stronger. Terra stayed with her (though unaware of her magical gift), but had a harder time. She didn't have the strength and stamina that the aspiring warrior had.
"Alright class. You've all learned the basic defense techniques of sword to sword combat. Over the next few weeks, we're going to build on that skill, learning how to defend against other types of weapons, including dual swords, Bo staffs, spears, flails and nunchakus, and even projectiles, all with a sword. This week we'll focus on the Bo."
Instructor Towne took a Bo from the wall, as well as a wooden shaft for a substitute sword.
"Now, the novice students will be defending with these rods, while the more advanced student will handle the staff. And in order to show you all what I mean by defend, I'll need two of you to demonstrate."
He glanced around the room.
"Nick, take the Bo. And, for the sake of an effective demo, Chere, here's your sword."
"This is a stick," Celes complained jokingly as she took it in hand.
"Live with it," Towne retorted with a grin. "No injuring people for you today."
"Aw, you take all the fun out of it."
"Just spar, Chere."
The two students took their stances. Nick struck high with the right end of the Bo, then the left. Celes easily parried both, then blocked the lower right/left attacks he made. Nick spun the Bo over his head, slashing to the right, and did the same to the left, both parried.
He repeated the move to the right again, but this time he rotated his entire body around lowering the right end in an attempt to sweep Celes off her feet. She saw the attack coming, though, and performed a one-handed cartwheel over the Bo, using her rod to instead sweep Nick off his feet in the middle of her vault. Nick landed on his back, shocked to see Celes already on her feet with her 'sword' pointed at his throat.
While her classmates cheered, Celes offered Nick her hand to help him stand. When they were both on their feet, Towne praised their demonstration.
"Very good. Very brief, but very good. Thank you, Nick and Celes. Now, I obviously don't expect the rest of you to go vaulting across the floor to evade an attack," he said, sending Celes a questioning yet awed glance, "but you get the idea. Now, novice students, pair up with an advanced student."
As the others paired up, Towne beckoned Celes. "Why is it you're not in my advanced class?"
"Because I'm only thirteen?" she ventured.
"Age matters not, as you've so aptly demonstrated countless times over."
"I have to stay with Terra," Celes said simply.
"Ah yes… Speaking of whom, I think she's waiting for her partner. That is, unless you want to practice defending…"
Celes grinned. "I'll get my Bo, sir."
The blonde picked her staff (which was turning out to be her favorite weapon) and went over to her friend.
"What was that about?" Terra asked.
Celes shrugged. "Nothing. So, are you ready?"
Terra nodded.
"Ok. I'll go slow. And try not to think of it as a Bo. Really it's not unlike a sword. The attacks are in essentially the same places, it's just that the motions are different."
"Alright."
The two were thirteen, and were developing into attractive young teens. Celes' blonde hair was slightly longer than shoulder length, and she kept back in a ponytail, as was required by Imperial standards for the two girls. Terra's green hair was a little longer than Celes', also tied back. Both wore brown uniforms, standard issue for cadets, but Celes' sported the PSC's red and black rank insignia on her right arm.
The boys, now around the hormonal ages of fifteen and sixteen, started to notice the girls more. Celes was unapproachable by all means, but they began hounding Terra nonstop. One advance on Terra was made by a foolish young man, whose arm was promptly broken by Celes. Again, the young blonde was never punished. The guys finally figured out that Celes was dangerous, and stayed away from Terra when she as around.
One night, though, after working out in the indoor training facility, Terra started back to her dorm without Celes. The blonde had been held back by one of the officers to chat, and Terra insisted that she would be fine by herself.
She was wrong, however. A group of four boys saw her alone, and approached her.
"Hey, Terra! What are you doing out here this time of night, and all alone?"
"Go away, Scott, I don't want any trouble."
"Oh, we won't be any trouble."
"I don't want to have to hurt you," Terra warned.
"You? Hurt us? Please." Scott grabbed her arm, but his sleeve erupted in flames. "AAHHH! What the hell?"
He shook his arm, trying to put out the fire, but the flames held strong. He flung off the shirt, finding his arm badly burned.
"You little bitch, you can use magic?" Scott asked angrily.
"I warned you," she replied softly.
She tried to walk away, but was confronted by the other three. One of them, Paul, reached for her, but he found his arm suddenly twisted painfully behind his back.
"OWW!"
"What did I tell you guys?" a voice said from behind them. "I told you to stay away from her!"
"Well, if it isn't Terra's bodyguard. Stay out of this, Chere," a boy named Fisher commanded.
She twisted Paul's arm even more.
"AAHH! Gods, she's strong," the unfortunate boy whined.
"That's Private SC Chere to you. Now get out of here, before I kick your asses," she spat.
"You can't take us all on, Celes," the fourth, Bobby, said as he and the other two approached her.
"Can't I?" Celes began muttering something they couldn't understand. It sounded like another language.
Scott, Fisher, and Bobby started towards her, but froze…literally. They began shivering uncontrollably. And they could see their breath. Frost accumulated on their faces, and they jumped back in shock. She held back on a full spell, only wanting to frighten them.
"Wha— What? Celes can use magic, too? Damn it, I'm gonna kill you, bitch!" Scott screamed.
"Alright, break it up! Chere, let him go!" a voice ordered. Lt. Vilas happened to be passing by when he saw the fight. "Just what the hell is going on here?"
"They attacked us using magic," Scott accused, showing Vilas his burned arm and frostbitten face.
"You what?" Vilas exclaimed, turning towards the girls. "Chere, you had specific orders!"
"Yes sir, I know. But—"
"Enough. I'll deal with you later," Vilas said angrily.
"Excuse me sir, but with all due respect, I believe I have the right to explain myself," Celes stated daringly.
"Watch your tongue, Chere. Don't forget your place." He sighed. "Start explaining."
"I may have disobeyed one order, sir, but I did it following another."
"Really? Enlighten me," he said, intrigued.
"I was only protecting Terra, as ordered."
"Y… you were protecting Branford?"
"Yes sir, I was."
Vilas thought for a moment, studying Celes.
"Guards!" he called to the men accompanying him. "Take these boys to the infirmary. Then detain them until further notice."
"Yes sir."
"Chere, Branford…come with me," Vilas beckoned.
When they reached his office, he asked Celes, "Why?
"Sir?"
"Why did you disobey a direct order just to protect Terra?" He seemed more curious than angry.
Celes was confused. "I…prioritized, sir."
Vilas raised an eyebrow, but remained silent, waiting for further explanation.
"I was given orders to watch over Terra, and that any harm to her would result in my punishment. I…interpreted that as meaning protect her…by any means necessary, sir." Celes was pausing to choose her words carefully.
Vilas was astounded at the thirteen-year old's insightfulness. This was something he could only hope to find in men twice her age.
"You…interpreted…your orders?"
"Yes sir. For Terra's benefit."
"...Impressive. You're going to make a fine officer one day, Private Chere."
"Thank you, sir," Celes replied, surprised by his compliment.
"Those four will be dealt with. You…continue on. Dismissed."
Celes and Terra saluted, and exited the office. Vilas made a phone call.
"Yes, this is Lt. Vilas. I'd like to request an audience with his Majesty. It's about Celes."
((ooo))
Celes and Terra walked back to the dorm they shared. Once inside, Terra took Celes by the arm.
"You never told me you could use magic."
"…It was classified. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. But now that you know, I guess there's no point in secrecy. I was artificially infused with Magitek when I was a baby. I was given ice as my element."
"Wow."
"Anyway, you didn't tell me, either. Well, not directly. I kind of guessed the first day you came."
"I was told not tell anyone, but I could use it if I absolutely needed to. I don't know where my powers came from. I was born with it."
"Really? Cool."
"I can only do fire and cure, though."
"I know what you mean. I'm only just starting to learn cure. I guess it took longer for it to surface."
Terra was excited. "This makes me so happy! Now I know that I'm not alone!"