Cheering Up. By Partially Crazy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy 4. That belongs to Square. I am simply a fan that likes to play Final Fantasy. Now, without further ado, the story!

This is my first story. Please, do not be too harsh…

OK, since this site doesn't take .wps files, and I don't have any of the other things, I have to use Notepad. Blah.

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Edward stared at the corpse in disbelief. He couldn't believe that one moment, he would be in pure bliss, with Anna as his queen. His queen of Damcyan. The next moment, all was lost, as Golbez's Red Wings struck and raided the castle. They had the distinct air of taking no prisoners, and smelled of bloodlust, waiting to be unleashed.

Some of them ran directly to the top floor, brutally killing the royal guards as they made their way up. When they arrived, everyone did what they could to ensure the family's survival. However, it was all for naught, as the arrows of the Red Wings were too much for the people to bear. The king and queen, rebelling as much as they could against the flurry of pointed death, blocked their only son from harm. Soon, they also went down, leaving Edward as the only royal family left. A particularly strong and adept Red Wing got his bow ready and fired…

Anna was only a few steps away from Edward as the arrow lunged through the air, cutting it effortlessly to make its path clear to the head of the sorrowful prince. Anna's love was about to die. She had only a few seconds to do something.
She loved Edward with all her heart. He sang her love songs while she reclined by Kaipo's lake. She had made up her mind.
She jumped in the way and…

That was all Edward managed to remember about the past few minutes. Now he was shivering in the corner, near a healing pot, renowned for its magical powers. Was it able to cure lovesickness? Edward was unsure, but was fearful to find out. Soon, he heard the door of the top floor open.

"Anna?"

Edward went to check what it was. It was all that he feared. Anna's father would find out, and go into a rage. Tellah always had an immense hatred of him. He was unsure why, but he thought that Tellah, as a father, had a need to protect his only daughter. Now that she was dead, he had vowed to find the one responsible. Edward just happened to be standing by…

"You! Anna ran away because of your treachery!"

Edward backed away, but Tellah was faster, in his rage to destroy his sunshine's murderer. Soon, while Tellah beat Edward close to death, a voice struggled to say a message. It was only when Edward could taste his death when the voice yelled.

"Father! Stop!"

Tellah forgot about giving Edward his coup de grace, as he ran over to his daughter's side. It took only a few minutes until Anna finished her tale. She breathed her final breath, and told Edward how much he meant to her. After that, she gasped, and her head fell downward, her eyes slowly shutting.

Edward did remember that a blue-cloaked man had destroyed the throne. Golbez, that's what his generals called him. Golbez soon made off with the Fire Crystal hidden in the Crystal room upstairs. Afterward, they left Edward to die. Edward told this story to his new comrades. Tellah, now knowing who his daughter's killer was, ran off in a fury to avenge Anna. The prince sobbed over the limp remains of his fiance.

Rydia, the little girl accompanying the group told him not to be sad. She had lost her mother, the person so very dear to her heart. She had cried her sorrows out every night, but she became brave enough to fight her own demons.
However, the same could not be said about Edward. The very reason he became a bard was because of his parents. They were quite cruel to him, lashing him whenever he failed to learn, degenerating him when he proved to be an incompetent ruler. Singing offered him a chance to escape. He wanted to just fly away from the walls of his castle. He wanted to see the world. He would leap into the forbidden cascades of the land…

But that purpose was gone now.

Anna was dead.

That night, while Cecil and the group were resting in the tent they set up near the Antlion cave, Cecil swore he heard sobbing outside, where the campfire they placed was. Cecil went outside his tent, and saw Edward, outside, near the ocean, looking at the remaining bits of Damcyan Castle. At first, Cecil thought that Edward was still reeling from the blow he gave him to stop he whining, but he clearly saw that wasn't the case. Edward had lost his only comfort. The sole reason he even desired to live was gone. He never wanted to be a king, but he wanted to be a king for Anna. Edward soon kneeled down onto the grass, letting his tears fly away into the wind. Cecil was concerned. He sat down next to Edward, and asked him,

"Edward, are you okay?"

"Yes, Cecil. I'm just fine." Edward said in reply. "Why is it that you ask?"

"Edward," started Cecil. "You mustn't let this all get through to your head. The entire world as we know it is in danger."

Edward responded. "Cecil. You do not understand how I feel right now. The only thing I've ever loved is gone now. Even the very people who offered me food and clothing have risen up to the heavens. Do you realize how it feels to have lost everything?"

"Surprisingly, yes."

Edward perked up. It wasn't normal for another person to experience the same things he did. No one had their entire family die valiantly so that they may live. At least no one he knew.

"Edward, I never even knew who my father was. My mother died soon after I was born, and no one even showed any care for me, except for my friends. The king took me in soon after I was born, and my friends, Kain, Rosa and even the royal engineer made sure I had a good life. I soon forgot about my mysterious past, and even started many new chapters in my life. You shouldn't let this one thing keep you down forever."

Edward paused a moment, letting Cecil's speech sink into his head. He somehow felt stronger now. "… How about we cremate Anna tomorrow? She always said that that would be the way she would have wanted to leave this world."

"That sounds good, Edward."

The next day, the group took a day to pay respects for Anna, Edward and Rydia making a song of goodbye as Anna left the world, and all of them saying their respects. Edward threw the ashes into the ocean afterward. The left for the Antlion Cave afterwards. Edward was scared about the monsters in the cave, but felt braver,
thanks to Cecil's speech. They rested in a magical field in the cave. Then, while Rydia was fast asleep, Edward crawled out of the tent to see Cecil, warming himself by the fire.

"Cecil?"

"Yes, Edward? Is it another rant again?" Edward was somewhat picky about their resting spot.

Edward then gave Cecil his gratitude. "Cecil, I just want to thank you. You've taught me that I shouldn't let my past get in the way of my life. And you've also taught me that no matter how sad you feel, there's always a person who feels the same way. Thank you."

The two shook hands.

"No problem, Edward."

The two soon lay down, looking at the ceiling of the cave.

"Cecil, do you think I can tell you my problems?"

"Don't worry, Edward, I'll always be here for you."

Cecil then turned over, Edward followed suit. Soon, they brought their faces closer together, until, they lips finally met. Cecil felt a breath of passion, of the likes not even Rosa gave him during their first kiss. Edward felt an air of protection, like Cecil would never let any harm befall him. The two spread the arms around each other, heightening the force of the kiss, as they moved their bodies into sync. Soon, Cecil broke off.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I guess I just missed Rosa a bit."

"Well, you do remind me of Anna, I think…"

"We are quite alike. Don't you think?"

Edward nodded, and was about to add something, when Cecil put his index finger on his lips, and moved his head towards his face romantically. They kissed again. The second kiss wasn't nearly as intense as the one they just shared, but somehow to them, it felt right.

Soon after they obtained the Sand Ruby and cured Rosa, they were on their way again, heading towards Mt. Hobs. However, the trip through the fields were different, as while the white mage was sometimes distracted with something else,
the dark knight and bard would sometimes hold hands along the way.

They didn't let go.