Disclaimer: I do not make any legal claim to any character or setting described within this or any fanwork I create. These are the property of SquareEnix.
Age 19: Kalm
The winter funeral was a small, quiet, stately affair. Even in death, Turks made certain to take great care of their own, especially when the man being laid to rest was a commander who'd been the only leader they'd ever known. Normally the only ones who would be present at these somber events would be whatever Turks were not currently on assignment.
Normally...
The Turks bearing Veld's coffin to the cemetery in Kalm were surprised to find General Heidigger waiting for them there, along with a slender young woman no older than maybe nineteen or twenty. She wore a somber, but stylish black dress and bore a bouquet of white flowers in her arms. Her long blonde hair was pinned neatly back, though the true radiance of its color was muted by the black lace veil which fell over it and her face.
Though caught off-guard by the presence of the General (who never attended a Turk funeral before in recent memory) and the strange girl, the Turks proceeded as they were supposed to, laying the coffin down and holding a short service.
At the end of it though, before the casket was lowered into the ground, the portly General ordered the Turks to wait. An angry protest started to rise up, but it was quickly quelled after Heidigger whispered something to a few of the higher ranking members in attendence, who in turn ordered their subordinates to give the girl her peace.
"What's going on? Who the hell does that girl think she is?"
"Bite your tongue. Heidigger says that's Veld's daughter."
"His daughter? I didn't know the commander had any family."
"You'd never think it after all his lectures about not getting into relationships and how he'll personally sack us if we ever get married or have kids."
"Was he being a hypocrite?"
"Y'know, I heard a rumor once he lost his wife and kids as part of some terrorist retalliation against some mission he ran back when he was our age, but I always thought that there were no survivors."
"Well think about it... If terrorists thought they killed all your family, but really missed one, wouldn't you want to do everything you could to keep that one hidden and safe?"
"Yeah... I guess it makes lots of things about the commander make sense now that you think about it."
As the Turks whispered among themselves, the veiled girl laid her flowers upon the casket and knelt down beside it. Though her words could not be heard, it was clear she was whispering something for her father's ears only. When she was done, she placed a reverant kiss on top of the lid , rose back up to her feet, and nodded to Heidigger, who stepped back up and started to escort her out of the cemetary.
She paused, though, as she came up to the Turks who had stepped aside to allow her some privacy. Because of the intricate lacework of veil, her distinguishing features were mostly hidden, and unless one was standing right in her face, they would be hard pressed to see even the color of her eyes. She stood there for a long moment, running her gaze down the line of black suits who came to honor her father. She lingered her gaze on certain individuals she knew for years only from files and pictures. Even though she never met a single one in person before this day, she felt like they were a part of her family...
Her gaze especially lingered on one Wutaian individual whose striking familiar features helped stand him out from the rest.
Her father's favorite...
And still very handsome...
Politely, without a word, the veiled girl bowed respectfully to them all, silently thanking them for taking such good care of her father. Then she rejoined General Heidigger and allowed him to continue escorting her out of the cemetery.