Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story.
"Please!" Midori cried to the passing wagon, "Please, have you seen a young girl with light brown hair around here?"
The man in the driver's seat looked at them. A missing child was sad, but not unusual; but these people!! The woman wore a dress that reached to her feet, but had no flare, and must have been uncomfortable to walk around in. There was a roll-shaped pillow attached to the fabric at the small of her back and she wore some kind of sandals on her feet. The man had on a normal looking brown shirt, but the driver had never seen pants like those before. The boy wore the same style pants, but his shirt was an off-blue.
"You're not from around here, are you?" the driver asked.
"Well, no," Tetsyu replied. "We're not even sure where we are."
"Thought so," the driver nodded. He jumped down from the wagon. "I haven't seen the girl, but you can ride with us if you want. We're all going to Fanelia. Chances are, someone else'll pick her up and bring her there too."
********later that night*******
"Who's the Lady of Dreams?" Shuzu asked curiously, looking up from his plate of food that was rapidly diminishing in size.
"Ah, the Lady of Dreams," the Elder sighed, leaning his back against the wagon wheel. He put a pipe in his mouth and puffed it a few times before continuing. "She was a girl who came from the Mystic Moon."
"I heard she had three eyes and red hair!" a little boy exclaimed as he crouched closer to listen to the tale.
"No, no," a man reprimanded him, "She had long black hair and red eyes." He rolled his eyes skyward in an expression of exasperation, muttering, "Three eyes... where does he get this stuff..."
"Regardless of what she looked like," the Elder broke in, continuing his story, "she came from the Mystic Moon, and saved all of Gaia."
"She saved... Gaia?" Midori asked hesitantly. "How?"
"The Lady of Dreams can see the past and future. She led King Van and a Knight of Calie to defeat the evil Emperor Dornkirk and his Destiny Machine."
"Destiny Machine?" Tetsyu repeated, confused.
"It granted everyone's wishes," the Elder explained.
"Cool!" Shuzu replied. "Why'd they want to destroy it?"
"Because not everyone's wishes are the same," the Elder said, "and it caused wars to break out. Hundreds of people were killed in just the few minutes it was activated."
"What happened to her?" Midori asked.
"After it was destroyed, the Lady simply disappeared. A bright light came out of the sky and carried her away. Back to the Mystic Moon." The Elder puffed his pipe again. "While she was here, she united many nations against the Zaibach Empire, and laid the foundations for a planetary peace."
"She sounds like quite a girl," Midori said.
"She was... she was. I had never seen anyone so... peaceful."
"You saw her?!" the man who had scolded the child exclaimed.
The silence that fell over the camp was as stunned and complete as if the Elder had said he'd seen the face of God. Even nature seemed to hold it's breath.
"Yes, just for a moment," the Elder said. "I had been escorting a noble to the meeting. I don't know why, but I looked up, and there she was, sitting on the rooftop of the palace."
"She was looking at the Mystic Moon, her face upturned to the stars. The last of the sun's light shining on her golden hair. It shone like a sun by itself. She was wearing a long white dress that draped around her, like she was resting on a cloud.
"Then, as if she had known I would be there, looking at her, she turned and looked back at me. She must have known I would be there, at that very moment, because she wasn't surprised at all. Her eyes met mine in a second. I'd never seen a green like that before. I haven't since. It was like looking into the very heart of nature. Then, she smiled."
"And. at that moment. I knew. Her smile was gentle, but it was like all of Gaea rejoiced at it. The stars seemed brighter. The wind warmer. The flowers lovelier. Just by looking at her, I felt at peace. Happy. Alive."
"And then, she was gone. The setting sunlight swallowed her in it's golden embrace, and she was gone when it retreated."
The entire camp seemed to let out it's collectively held breath. The silence stretched into the night, claiming any attempt of reply or questions. Then, slowly, people began wandering to their beds for the night. Quiet as they thought about the Lady of Dreams.
"You should rest now," the Elder told the Kanzaki family. "It'll be a hard trip if we want to reach Fanelia by midday tomorrow."
Quietly, they nodded, still thinking about the story the Elder had just told.
"Please!" Midori cried to the passing wagon, "Please, have you seen a young girl with light brown hair around here?"
The man in the driver's seat looked at them. A missing child was sad, but not unusual; but these people!! The woman wore a dress that reached to her feet, but had no flare, and must have been uncomfortable to walk around in. There was a roll-shaped pillow attached to the fabric at the small of her back and she wore some kind of sandals on her feet. The man had on a normal looking brown shirt, but the driver had never seen pants like those before. The boy wore the same style pants, but his shirt was an off-blue.
"You're not from around here, are you?" the driver asked.
"Well, no," Tetsyu replied. "We're not even sure where we are."
"Thought so," the driver nodded. He jumped down from the wagon. "I haven't seen the girl, but you can ride with us if you want. We're all going to Fanelia. Chances are, someone else'll pick her up and bring her there too."
********later that night*******
"Who's the Lady of Dreams?" Shuzu asked curiously, looking up from his plate of food that was rapidly diminishing in size.
"Ah, the Lady of Dreams," the Elder sighed, leaning his back against the wagon wheel. He put a pipe in his mouth and puffed it a few times before continuing. "She was a girl who came from the Mystic Moon."
"I heard she had three eyes and red hair!" a little boy exclaimed as he crouched closer to listen to the tale.
"No, no," a man reprimanded him, "She had long black hair and red eyes." He rolled his eyes skyward in an expression of exasperation, muttering, "Three eyes... where does he get this stuff..."
"Regardless of what she looked like," the Elder broke in, continuing his story, "she came from the Mystic Moon, and saved all of Gaia."
"She saved... Gaia?" Midori asked hesitantly. "How?"
"The Lady of Dreams can see the past and future. She led King Van and a Knight of Calie to defeat the evil Emperor Dornkirk and his Destiny Machine."
"Destiny Machine?" Tetsyu repeated, confused.
"It granted everyone's wishes," the Elder explained.
"Cool!" Shuzu replied. "Why'd they want to destroy it?"
"Because not everyone's wishes are the same," the Elder said, "and it caused wars to break out. Hundreds of people were killed in just the few minutes it was activated."
"What happened to her?" Midori asked.
"After it was destroyed, the Lady simply disappeared. A bright light came out of the sky and carried her away. Back to the Mystic Moon." The Elder puffed his pipe again. "While she was here, she united many nations against the Zaibach Empire, and laid the foundations for a planetary peace."
"She sounds like quite a girl," Midori said.
"She was... she was. I had never seen anyone so... peaceful."
"You saw her?!" the man who had scolded the child exclaimed.
The silence that fell over the camp was as stunned and complete as if the Elder had said he'd seen the face of God. Even nature seemed to hold it's breath.
"Yes, just for a moment," the Elder said. "I had been escorting a noble to the meeting. I don't know why, but I looked up, and there she was, sitting on the rooftop of the palace."
"She was looking at the Mystic Moon, her face upturned to the stars. The last of the sun's light shining on her golden hair. It shone like a sun by itself. She was wearing a long white dress that draped around her, like she was resting on a cloud.
"Then, as if she had known I would be there, looking at her, she turned and looked back at me. She must have known I would be there, at that very moment, because she wasn't surprised at all. Her eyes met mine in a second. I'd never seen a green like that before. I haven't since. It was like looking into the very heart of nature. Then, she smiled."
"And. at that moment. I knew. Her smile was gentle, but it was like all of Gaea rejoiced at it. The stars seemed brighter. The wind warmer. The flowers lovelier. Just by looking at her, I felt at peace. Happy. Alive."
"And then, she was gone. The setting sunlight swallowed her in it's golden embrace, and she was gone when it retreated."
The entire camp seemed to let out it's collectively held breath. The silence stretched into the night, claiming any attempt of reply or questions. Then, slowly, people began wandering to their beds for the night. Quiet as they thought about the Lady of Dreams.
"You should rest now," the Elder told the Kanzaki family. "It'll be a hard trip if we want to reach Fanelia by midday tomorrow."
Quietly, they nodded, still thinking about the story the Elder had just told.