As Time Goes By

The crisp winter morning was chilly but nonetheless, a man appeared dressed in a long sleeved shirt and matching black trousers but that was all, not even a pair of shoes clothed his feet. As he emerged from the small, wooden house, he took a breath of the fresh air, closing his eyes for a moment. Every morning he was thankful for the Gods for letting him stay in such a beautiful place with no trouble. He frowned at that thought. He knew he had not lived here all his life and that Cid, the man who had raised him was not his father. He didn't know how he knew, but there was something in his mind telling him.

He sighed and pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He had some work he had to do. He walked across the dusty ground to where his tools stood in a standing bag. Beside the bag was a long, thin plank of wood suspended by two short, thick planks. The blond had made it himself. He grabbed a long piece of metal from the bag and held it up, staring at it with a frown. He put it down and turned around, bending down to gather some wood. He crouched down next to it, his eyes closed and hands clasped together. A burst of orange light erupted from his hands, streaking from his hands and lighting the wood into a roaring fire within seconds. The man stood a satisfied expression on his face. Once more, he reached for the metal and slowly placed it over the fire, softening it.

Cid was sitting in a rocking chair, fingers clasped around a cigarette while the younger man continued his work. Cid glanced at him with a small smile.

"Is that you working again, Eric?" He asked. Eric looked up at him and grinned.

"You know how much I love my work Father." He replied before he grabbed the hammer and started wielding the sword into shape.

"You're a fine blacksmith, that's for sure." Eric didn't look back again when he replied.

"I'm only a fine blacksmith because I know how to use the swords I make."

He pushed his hair out of his eyes and they caught the river, glinting in the weak winter light. For a moment, he was captivated. The river seemed almost magical whenever light sparkled on it. Like something out of a fairy tale.

"Well don't slack off now." Cid said suddenly with a hint of amusement. Eric raised an eyebrow and turned his face so his father could see. He did, however, return to his work.

The sound of a chocobo 'warking' caught both Cid and Eric's attention and they glanced up to see two men galloping towards them upon black chocobos. Eric frowned; not liking the look of him but Cid appeared and placed his hand on his shoulder for reassurance. Eric got the hint and set back to work as the men dismounted.

"Is this the home of Cid the weapon seller?" The taller one asked. Cid looked him up and down as he took a long draw from his cigarette.

"It is." He replied eventually.

"You are to give us weapons, as many as you can spare." The man continued. Cid sighed and rubbed his forehead, slowly shaking his head.

"Sorry, can't do it. I have none to spare." He explained. He had not noticed the smaller, larger one had moved around him to the door until he spoke.

"So what are all these then?" He asked, causing Cid to jump slightly and turn to him. He frowned as he stamped out his cigarette.

"I wouldn't touch those." He advised. "They are for King Rufus of Midgar." The black-haired one raised an eyebrow before he gave a sound of irritation.

"We couldn't care less about King Rufus, right Wedge?" He addressed the other. Wedge smirked slightly.

"Biggs hates him with a passion." Wedge explained as he walked into the door.

It was when he heard the door close that Eric dropped his hammer and entered the work shed through the other door. He stood with his arms folded and a scowl on his face.

"My father said not to touch those." He warned slowly as the man reached for him. The other jumped at Eric's presence but soon relaced when he saw Eric was weaponless. The door next to Eric gave a large crash as it was burst through, automatically bringing the blacksmith face-to-face with Biggs.

Biggs raised his sword and brought it down but Eric dropped to the floor and rolled across it. Wedge grabbed one of the swords from Rufus' pile as Eric grabbed the rope that held another pile. Standing on his feet, he pulled and the swords clattered to the ground. Instantly, he picked one up and stood ready.

Wedge was first to attack, charging across the room. Eric sidestepped and brought there weapons together with a clang. Wedge moved again, aiming for Eric's head but the blacksmith blocked it while giving the man a strong kick in the stomach. Wedge doubled over, dropping his weapon.

Eric turned on his heel and immediately blocked Biggs' attack. Biggs was a lot stronger than Wedge though and was soon driving Eric back. The blond snarled a little as he tried to move his weapon. As his back hit the wall, Biggs leaned over him. Eric smirked at the stupidity of the man and quickly brought his knee up hard into Biggs' groin. The man's eyes went wide as he moved away, howling in pain. Eric gave both a look of disgust before he started kicking them out of the shed.

Cid looked up when he heard groaning and stood with his hands on his hips. Eric forced the men to their feet and shoved them towards their chocobos.

"No weapons for sale today. Come back another time." He sneered. The men quickly mounted their chocobos and were gone in a flash. Cid turned to his son.

"That took you longer than usual." He stated. Eric laughed slightly.

"Normally it's just one guy who's either old or fat." He replied as he went back to work. Cid stretched, wincing as his back cracked.

"I think I'll go and lie down for a bit, are you nearly done?"

"Yes. I'll be in soon." Eric answered, putting his finished sword into a new bag.

"Remember to put the fire out." His father said as he disappeared. Eric sighed as he checked everything was where it should be before he grabbed the bucket and headed to the river.

The sea was unusually calm today as the small ship continued sailing. It was gliding along down a wide river and on the left was the edge of the land. They could easily land if they wanted to but they had orders from their queen to keep travelling this way.

Down in the cabins in a small room at the end of the corridor, two brunette women sat cross-legged on the floor with a plate in front of them. One was dressed in a long pink gown, the material showing her status as royalty. Her hair was slightly longer than the other's was and her green eyes sparkled with mystery and wisdom. She bit her fingernail in a bored manner as she waited for her maid to do her task. The older woman shook her hand causing whatever was held inside them to smack against each other. The green-eyed one lowered her hand as the other opened her fist and let the contents fall.

White rectangular stones landed all over the plate, different pictures showing on the surface. The older woman looked up into puzzled green eyes.

"What do they mean Elmyra?" She asked, edging closer and peering again at the pictures on the stones. Elmyra moved them around with the tip of her finger.

"Queen Aerith, you must keep travelling down this river we are on. When we land make camp. Keep watch on the sky and when fire falls from it, ride into the forest. There you will meet your fate."

"What fate?" Aerith questioned with a frown.

"The one that you shall be with is the one who will best you in battle." Elmyra replied calmly. Aerith looked up slowly, meeting her maid's eyes.

"Nobody has ever won against me before." She breathed. It was true, Aerith may have had the appearance of being delicate but she used that to her advantage. Elmyra smiled.

"Because you have not met the one yet." Aerith sighed and stood up, grabbing her thick fur coat and wrapping it around her. She needed fresh air to think.

She walked up the stairs at a reasonable fast pace and opened the door, immediately greeted by cold wind. Though she shivered, the air was not nearly as cold as what it was on the Northern Continent. The men greeted her pleasantly as she walked across the deck. She stopped at the edge of the ship and gazed out at the landscape.

As her eyes glanced across the land, they caught sight of a young blond-haired man crouching at the river, filling a metal bucket with water. Slowly he lifted his head and she could see from the angle it was that he was looking at her. She held her gaze for a moment, studying him closely. He lifted the bucket slowly, eyes still fixed on her until he snapped out of his thoughts and turned back up the path. Aerith unconsciously took a deep breath as she watched him before her eyes caught another site.

"We will land here." She ordered her men as she stared at the huge forest. The sailor nodded and passed the command around. Aerith glanced at the sky and felt butterflies in her stomach. When would the fires fall from the sky? Who would best her in battle? She stepped off the boat onto the soft sand of the bank and looked around. However long it took, she was sure she could live for a while in this beautiful landscape.