The Double Moon
Selphie and her Garden Festival committee ran around the grand ballroom to check on the final touches to the SeeD celebration ball held in honor of Balamb Garden's heroes, and nothing in the school that night looked more splendid than the great, cavernous room decked with her choicest decorations. Lavish-looking blue silk banners covered the walls with the words "BOOYAKA! CONGRATULATIONS!" in gold, while the mirror-like marble floors were covered in white rose petals, a Balamb tradition which signifies victory. The tables were covered only with the most luxurious Estharian linen, and a beautiful Shumi vase on each one would be adorned with Winhill's most radiant and fragrant flowers. Students were dancing to the 'Waltz of the Moon' being played by Balamb Garden's resident orchestra, and our heroes gallivanted around the place signing autographs and taking pictures with admirers who have come to know of their recent victory.
On one corner, a colorful assortment of hors d'oeuvres and delicacies flown in from all over the world graced the silverware on the long table. From Balamb Fish tartare to Foie Gras de Chocobo salad, to Goat Cheese and Galbadian ham canapés and Fastitocalon caviar toasts to deviled Cockatrice eggs with Funguar tips sautéed in butter, from Winhill greens quiche and Estharian duck filo parcels to Dollet's lobster mousse spiked with cognac, and to FH oysters soaked in Dollet's best liqueur, every appetizer imaginable simply was there. The Asian section of the table was impressive as well, with its appetizing assortment of Balamb's best sushi and the Shumi Village's delectable dimsum. In the main course section of the buffet table, a large platter of roasted cockatrice in a Dollet cognac butter sauce stole a few glances from passersby, and the piece de resistance—roasted Ruby Dragon au jus with mashed potatoes, was gazed at hungrily by a group of SeeD boys who locked their eyes on the cart that carried the luscious meat to the buffet. Another dish of steaming Anacondaur tenderloin red wine stew was being brought to the table, and Dollet's best shellfish served with a delicate beurre blanc soon followed. Of course, the committee never forgot the hot dogs, fearing that Zell might throw a fit if they hadn't added it to the menu.
Selphie took a deep breath and sighed. "Irvy, isn't it beautiful?"
The long-haired cowboy who stood beside her took his hat and placed it on her head. "Darlin, you know that anything you set your hands on becomes all pretty and cute, but in my eyes you are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen all night."
Selphie blushed a deep crimson. "Oh Irvy, that was so sweet..." and before she could say anything else, the cowboy swept her into a deep, long, passionate kiss.
"I love you Seffie. I always have..." and the cowboy once again shared a kiss with his childhood friend.
Dazed by the kiss, Selphie suddenly broke from Irvine's grasp when she noticed someone filming her. "Zell! Hey! Don't sneak up on us!" she said while trying to pry the camera out of the blonde's hands.
"Sorry Selph, but this tape will make Garden history. Gotta catch this Kodak moment, you know! Hey! You two really look good together! By the way, I came here to tell you that Matron just arrived." With that, Zell took off, taking the videocam with him. Selphie and Irvine chased after the martial artist until they saw Quistis chatting with their orphanage mother. She was beautiful, with her raven-colored locks and her sleek, powerful frame. It seems as though she had never aged, compared to the pot- bellied fossil that was the headmaster. Then again, she was a sorceress after all.
"...Matron it is such an honor to have you back," continued the instructor as she chatted with Edea.
"As long as I am with my children, it will always be an honor to take care of all of you."
"Matron! We missed you!" Selphie said as she gave Matron a bear hug that was quite strong for a girl of her size.
"Selphie, my dear, how much you've grown," Matron laughed as she felt the hyperactive girl's constricting grip. "Although I must remind you that I am no longer sorceress, so my hips won't be able to take much of your hugging."
"OH! Sorry..." Selphie blushed as she slowly released the ex-sorceress from her python embrace.
Irvine then took the sorceress hand and kissed it politely. "Matron, welcome back!"
"Why, thank you Irvine. Hyne my children, I've missed all of you! I still feel guilty for attacking you back at Deling and Garden."
"Matron, don't feel bad. We all know that you never wanted to hurt us," replied Quistis.
"I know, my children. I was a sorceress, after all, but I wasn't strong enough to drive Ultimecia out of my system."
Quistis, intrigued by Matron's words asked, "Matron, are you saying that it was possible for you to protect yourself from Ultimecia?"
"Yes, it is possible. If a sorceress is powerful enough to block out another one's powers, especially mind-control powers, she can go scot-free without ever having to worry about possession."
"That means..."
Selphie and Irvine, who were listening to the conversation all the while, suddenly though aloud, "Rinoa!"
Edea turned to the couple. "Rinoa? You mean the girl who received my powers? What about her?"
This time, it was Irvine who spoke to Matron.
"Well Matron, since Rinoa is now a sorceress and all, I reckon' you could help her develop her magic skills and all. You know, mebbe you could help her prevent Ultimecia from controlling her again, like binding her powers or something like that."
"Irvine, I've tried. I've tried it before. I've made concoctions and potions of all sorts just to make my powers stronger, but I could never produce something powerful enough to inhibit or strengthen my powers. There is a sorceress though, who was able to achieve such a spell, but I haven't heard from her in almost 17 years."
Quistis came up with an idea, "Matron, what if we found this sorceress? Do you think we would be able to convince her to make a binding potion?"
"My child, that is possible, but you might like to consult her husband if you really want a good potion. Her husband may be a knight, but what most people don't know is that sometimes, but very rarely, a knight receives powers that exceed the power of the sorceress. He becomes a sorcerer- knight, so to speak. When such a thing happens, the sorcerer-knight must make love to his mistress to make their bond and their powers stronger. So far, in all of magic history, there have only been 2 sorcerer-knights. My friend's husband is one, so hopefully, if you do find him, ask him for the potion. The only problem is, the couple is hiding from Ultimecia."
Zell, who had finished eating a mountain of hotdogs, approached the group and came to a halt when he heard the word "Ultimecia."
"Ultimecia?!? Yo! I thought we nailed that witch!"
Edea explained, "Ultimecia will never die. You killed her in the world of time compression, so the Ultimecia before that can always come back to resurrect herself to possess some present day sorceresses once more."
"But Matron...does that mean we cannot stop her?" Selphie asked with a very rare worried look on her face.
"Children, have you ever heard the legend of the Double Moon?"
The orphanage gang scratched their heads in unison and told Matron, "What legend?"
"First of all, since you have been to Esthar, you might have seen the logo emblazoned on their flag. You might have noticed that there are two heavenly bodies on it—a crescent moon and a full moon hovering over the city of Esthar. Yes, the smaller circle is no star. It is a moon," she said to confirm her doubts.
Edea continued, "You see, according to the legend, a family with power of an unknown magnitude will bear a child that will mimic all the characteristics of his father and another one who will resemble his mother closely. According to the tale, the father is supposed to be a sorcerer- knight, and the mother a very powerful sorceress. It also says that only the child of the father has enough power to bring the evil of ages to an end."
Quistis interrupted Edea, "Excuse me Matron, but do you think Ultimecia is the said evil of ages here?"
Edea paused for a while and looked at her four children. "Yes, she is. For centuries, she has seeked girls with Ellone's power to seek the clan and destroy them. Fortunately, she was unsuccessful. However, when the child of the Double Moon appeared, she discovered the family's true identity, possessed the mother, and almost killed the child. The child, however, was offered protection by the family's Guardian Force, and was left at my orphanage. For years, the child stayed at my house until he was 4 years old. Then, he just disappeared. At the time, I was possessed by Ultimecia, so I really don't know what happened to him. I remember his parents giving me some kind of memento, but I just can't remember what they looked like. Possibly a side-effect of the Guardian Force, don't you think? I took care of him before sending him to one of the Gardens. As the parents specifically told me to junction their Guardian Force, I practically forgot everything about him. Oh, I feel so horrible!"
Quistis tried to comfort Edea. "Matron, don't worry about him. If he is still alive, we will find him for you. That is, if Headmaster Cid allows us to engage in another mission like this."
"Oh Quistis, will you do that for me? Please do so! I can't bear to face my sister knowing that I might have killed her child!" she sobbed.
"Matron, you have a sister?" suddenly asked Zell.
"Yes Zell, I do. I just didn't want all of you to worry too much about me."
Irvine, who remained silent all this time, decided to ask Edea about the boy, "Matron, so you are saying that we had another friend in the orphanage."
"...Yes."
Selphie, excited by this exclaimed, "Really!!!! So does that mean that there is another guy in the orphanage gang?????"
"Selphie, the boy was rarely with you. This was probably the reason why you don't remember him all too well. I even forgot his features."
"...How sad..."
Quistis stepped up to Matron, "Matron, can you at least describe the boy? Eye color? Hair color? Any unique features? Anything at all?"
"No, I'm sorry. I must have forgotten everything under the Guardian Force's influence."
"But Matron, I thought that sorceresses don't need Guardian Forces," said a confused Zell.
"The Guardian Force the boy's parents gave me had the power to protect me from Ultimecia. Surprisingly, I was still possessed by the sorceress."
"So, I reckon this is much like lookin' for a needle in a haystack, ain't it?"(Guess who said this.)
"Yo! Maybe we can help Matron get her memory back, like we did in Trabia Garden."
"Zell, I don't know for sure how this can work, but we should give it a try."
"OH!!! I have an idea!! What if we all took Matron tomorrow to the orphanage? Maybe that will help her jog her memory back!"
"My children, I thank you for you concern, but really, you have defeated Ultimecia. I don't think she'll be coming back for a very long while."
"Speaking of Ultimecia, how do we deal with Rinoa, you know, if she is possessed again?" asked Quistis who grabbed two champagne glasses from a passing server while handing the other one to Matron.
"Well..." said Matron as she took a sip from the luxurious beverage, "we can always ask Ellone to pass her powers to another sorceress, provided that we find one. By the way, where are Rinoa and Squall?"
The gang looked at each other, shook their head, and said, "We don't know."
Selphie, who now had Zell's camera in her hands, loudly said, "Oh look! She's out there on the balcony! Gasp! ...and with Squall!!"
Zell who began running towards the couple, felt a hand out of nowhere grab his neckline. It was Irvine.
"Zell, you gotta give those two some alone time."
Zell sighed.
"Oh man! Don't you see, they're going all mushy!"
Irvine just stared at him.
"Oh...alright! But the next time I see a love scene like that, don't stop me."
oooooooo
Second chapter finished! Third chapter coming up!
Selphie and her Garden Festival committee ran around the grand ballroom to check on the final touches to the SeeD celebration ball held in honor of Balamb Garden's heroes, and nothing in the school that night looked more splendid than the great, cavernous room decked with her choicest decorations. Lavish-looking blue silk banners covered the walls with the words "BOOYAKA! CONGRATULATIONS!" in gold, while the mirror-like marble floors were covered in white rose petals, a Balamb tradition which signifies victory. The tables were covered only with the most luxurious Estharian linen, and a beautiful Shumi vase on each one would be adorned with Winhill's most radiant and fragrant flowers. Students were dancing to the 'Waltz of the Moon' being played by Balamb Garden's resident orchestra, and our heroes gallivanted around the place signing autographs and taking pictures with admirers who have come to know of their recent victory.
On one corner, a colorful assortment of hors d'oeuvres and delicacies flown in from all over the world graced the silverware on the long table. From Balamb Fish tartare to Foie Gras de Chocobo salad, to Goat Cheese and Galbadian ham canapés and Fastitocalon caviar toasts to deviled Cockatrice eggs with Funguar tips sautéed in butter, from Winhill greens quiche and Estharian duck filo parcels to Dollet's lobster mousse spiked with cognac, and to FH oysters soaked in Dollet's best liqueur, every appetizer imaginable simply was there. The Asian section of the table was impressive as well, with its appetizing assortment of Balamb's best sushi and the Shumi Village's delectable dimsum. In the main course section of the buffet table, a large platter of roasted cockatrice in a Dollet cognac butter sauce stole a few glances from passersby, and the piece de resistance—roasted Ruby Dragon au jus with mashed potatoes, was gazed at hungrily by a group of SeeD boys who locked their eyes on the cart that carried the luscious meat to the buffet. Another dish of steaming Anacondaur tenderloin red wine stew was being brought to the table, and Dollet's best shellfish served with a delicate beurre blanc soon followed. Of course, the committee never forgot the hot dogs, fearing that Zell might throw a fit if they hadn't added it to the menu.
Selphie took a deep breath and sighed. "Irvy, isn't it beautiful?"
The long-haired cowboy who stood beside her took his hat and placed it on her head. "Darlin, you know that anything you set your hands on becomes all pretty and cute, but in my eyes you are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen all night."
Selphie blushed a deep crimson. "Oh Irvy, that was so sweet..." and before she could say anything else, the cowboy swept her into a deep, long, passionate kiss.
"I love you Seffie. I always have..." and the cowboy once again shared a kiss with his childhood friend.
Dazed by the kiss, Selphie suddenly broke from Irvine's grasp when she noticed someone filming her. "Zell! Hey! Don't sneak up on us!" she said while trying to pry the camera out of the blonde's hands.
"Sorry Selph, but this tape will make Garden history. Gotta catch this Kodak moment, you know! Hey! You two really look good together! By the way, I came here to tell you that Matron just arrived." With that, Zell took off, taking the videocam with him. Selphie and Irvine chased after the martial artist until they saw Quistis chatting with their orphanage mother. She was beautiful, with her raven-colored locks and her sleek, powerful frame. It seems as though she had never aged, compared to the pot- bellied fossil that was the headmaster. Then again, she was a sorceress after all.
"...Matron it is such an honor to have you back," continued the instructor as she chatted with Edea.
"As long as I am with my children, it will always be an honor to take care of all of you."
"Matron! We missed you!" Selphie said as she gave Matron a bear hug that was quite strong for a girl of her size.
"Selphie, my dear, how much you've grown," Matron laughed as she felt the hyperactive girl's constricting grip. "Although I must remind you that I am no longer sorceress, so my hips won't be able to take much of your hugging."
"OH! Sorry..." Selphie blushed as she slowly released the ex-sorceress from her python embrace.
Irvine then took the sorceress hand and kissed it politely. "Matron, welcome back!"
"Why, thank you Irvine. Hyne my children, I've missed all of you! I still feel guilty for attacking you back at Deling and Garden."
"Matron, don't feel bad. We all know that you never wanted to hurt us," replied Quistis.
"I know, my children. I was a sorceress, after all, but I wasn't strong enough to drive Ultimecia out of my system."
Quistis, intrigued by Matron's words asked, "Matron, are you saying that it was possible for you to protect yourself from Ultimecia?"
"Yes, it is possible. If a sorceress is powerful enough to block out another one's powers, especially mind-control powers, she can go scot-free without ever having to worry about possession."
"That means..."
Selphie and Irvine, who were listening to the conversation all the while, suddenly though aloud, "Rinoa!"
Edea turned to the couple. "Rinoa? You mean the girl who received my powers? What about her?"
This time, it was Irvine who spoke to Matron.
"Well Matron, since Rinoa is now a sorceress and all, I reckon' you could help her develop her magic skills and all. You know, mebbe you could help her prevent Ultimecia from controlling her again, like binding her powers or something like that."
"Irvine, I've tried. I've tried it before. I've made concoctions and potions of all sorts just to make my powers stronger, but I could never produce something powerful enough to inhibit or strengthen my powers. There is a sorceress though, who was able to achieve such a spell, but I haven't heard from her in almost 17 years."
Quistis came up with an idea, "Matron, what if we found this sorceress? Do you think we would be able to convince her to make a binding potion?"
"My child, that is possible, but you might like to consult her husband if you really want a good potion. Her husband may be a knight, but what most people don't know is that sometimes, but very rarely, a knight receives powers that exceed the power of the sorceress. He becomes a sorcerer- knight, so to speak. When such a thing happens, the sorcerer-knight must make love to his mistress to make their bond and their powers stronger. So far, in all of magic history, there have only been 2 sorcerer-knights. My friend's husband is one, so hopefully, if you do find him, ask him for the potion. The only problem is, the couple is hiding from Ultimecia."
Zell, who had finished eating a mountain of hotdogs, approached the group and came to a halt when he heard the word "Ultimecia."
"Ultimecia?!? Yo! I thought we nailed that witch!"
Edea explained, "Ultimecia will never die. You killed her in the world of time compression, so the Ultimecia before that can always come back to resurrect herself to possess some present day sorceresses once more."
"But Matron...does that mean we cannot stop her?" Selphie asked with a very rare worried look on her face.
"Children, have you ever heard the legend of the Double Moon?"
The orphanage gang scratched their heads in unison and told Matron, "What legend?"
"First of all, since you have been to Esthar, you might have seen the logo emblazoned on their flag. You might have noticed that there are two heavenly bodies on it—a crescent moon and a full moon hovering over the city of Esthar. Yes, the smaller circle is no star. It is a moon," she said to confirm her doubts.
Edea continued, "You see, according to the legend, a family with power of an unknown magnitude will bear a child that will mimic all the characteristics of his father and another one who will resemble his mother closely. According to the tale, the father is supposed to be a sorcerer- knight, and the mother a very powerful sorceress. It also says that only the child of the father has enough power to bring the evil of ages to an end."
Quistis interrupted Edea, "Excuse me Matron, but do you think Ultimecia is the said evil of ages here?"
Edea paused for a while and looked at her four children. "Yes, she is. For centuries, she has seeked girls with Ellone's power to seek the clan and destroy them. Fortunately, she was unsuccessful. However, when the child of the Double Moon appeared, she discovered the family's true identity, possessed the mother, and almost killed the child. The child, however, was offered protection by the family's Guardian Force, and was left at my orphanage. For years, the child stayed at my house until he was 4 years old. Then, he just disappeared. At the time, I was possessed by Ultimecia, so I really don't know what happened to him. I remember his parents giving me some kind of memento, but I just can't remember what they looked like. Possibly a side-effect of the Guardian Force, don't you think? I took care of him before sending him to one of the Gardens. As the parents specifically told me to junction their Guardian Force, I practically forgot everything about him. Oh, I feel so horrible!"
Quistis tried to comfort Edea. "Matron, don't worry about him. If he is still alive, we will find him for you. That is, if Headmaster Cid allows us to engage in another mission like this."
"Oh Quistis, will you do that for me? Please do so! I can't bear to face my sister knowing that I might have killed her child!" she sobbed.
"Matron, you have a sister?" suddenly asked Zell.
"Yes Zell, I do. I just didn't want all of you to worry too much about me."
Irvine, who remained silent all this time, decided to ask Edea about the boy, "Matron, so you are saying that we had another friend in the orphanage."
"...Yes."
Selphie, excited by this exclaimed, "Really!!!! So does that mean that there is another guy in the orphanage gang?????"
"Selphie, the boy was rarely with you. This was probably the reason why you don't remember him all too well. I even forgot his features."
"...How sad..."
Quistis stepped up to Matron, "Matron, can you at least describe the boy? Eye color? Hair color? Any unique features? Anything at all?"
"No, I'm sorry. I must have forgotten everything under the Guardian Force's influence."
"But Matron, I thought that sorceresses don't need Guardian Forces," said a confused Zell.
"The Guardian Force the boy's parents gave me had the power to protect me from Ultimecia. Surprisingly, I was still possessed by the sorceress."
"So, I reckon this is much like lookin' for a needle in a haystack, ain't it?"(Guess who said this.)
"Yo! Maybe we can help Matron get her memory back, like we did in Trabia Garden."
"Zell, I don't know for sure how this can work, but we should give it a try."
"OH!!! I have an idea!! What if we all took Matron tomorrow to the orphanage? Maybe that will help her jog her memory back!"
"My children, I thank you for you concern, but really, you have defeated Ultimecia. I don't think she'll be coming back for a very long while."
"Speaking of Ultimecia, how do we deal with Rinoa, you know, if she is possessed again?" asked Quistis who grabbed two champagne glasses from a passing server while handing the other one to Matron.
"Well..." said Matron as she took a sip from the luxurious beverage, "we can always ask Ellone to pass her powers to another sorceress, provided that we find one. By the way, where are Rinoa and Squall?"
The gang looked at each other, shook their head, and said, "We don't know."
Selphie, who now had Zell's camera in her hands, loudly said, "Oh look! She's out there on the balcony! Gasp! ...and with Squall!!"
Zell who began running towards the couple, felt a hand out of nowhere grab his neckline. It was Irvine.
"Zell, you gotta give those two some alone time."
Zell sighed.
"Oh man! Don't you see, they're going all mushy!"
Irvine just stared at him.
"Oh...alright! But the next time I see a love scene like that, don't stop me."
oooooooo
Second chapter finished! Third chapter coming up!