The Next Chapter...Sephiroth Kingdom

Chapter two

Pov none

It was a pleasantly sunny day when the two knights had set out towards Yulia Road. The dirt path was well worn, dry, and dusty. Legretta and Van had traveled quite a bit from Daath as they headed towards Artimis Spring. However, it was slow going because of the monsters they encountered. There was an unusual amount of them attacking the path they traveled on. If this continued the two of them will have to travel an extra day before they arrived at Yulia City.

Legretta looked to the sky as they walked side by side stealing glances at Van every now and again. She would attempt to strike up a conversation, but she wouldn't know what to discuss, so they mutually traveled in silence. They hadn't spoken a word since the pair had left Daath, and it was causing an awkward tension between the two. Legretta wondered if she should say something to relieve the tension in order to cease the awkwardness between them. Van however had beat her to the punch.

"Legretta, how are you fairing?" Van questioned

"I'm well, thank you." Legretta replied

It may have filled the silence for the moment, but it had caused a now unbearable atmosphere begging for them to continue their conversation.

"Why did you join the order?" Legretta had berated herself mentally as the offending question left her lips. She knew the answer to the question already; why did she ask that of all things? Was she so desperate to save the conversation that she would ask that of all things?

Van turned his head towards her and raised an eyebrow.

"As you know it was to reshape the order and this broken world that is dominated and controlled by the score. Although there admittedly, is another reason as well."

This piqued Legretta's interest "What other reason is there? If you don't mind me asking, commandant, sir."

Van took a moment to think before he responded "It was to be able to simply do something and enact change. I had lost my home as you know; when I was young; along with my family. I had had enough of being powerless, so I left my home within the quithoth and enlisted in the Order to gain strength. It was a path that allowed me to have control over my life and the occurrences that affected it. That was, until I had discovered a way to change the world and free it from the wretched score that bound us to destruction. I will change this world and free it even if it is the last thing I ever do on this planet."

Legretta took a minute to process the new found reason recently presented to her. It made perfect sense from his point of view; to desire some semblance of control after such dire circumstances. She happened to know the feeling very well after being thrown into a war at a young age. However, those circumstances had allowed her to understand that you simply couldn't control everything that happens. You need to be able to adapt to the situations around you and act accordingly to escape the trap at hand. It just isn't possible to make everything come out the way you desire. Her mother made sure Legretta understood the concept more than anything else. Elizabeth raised Legretta in such a way, so Legretta would be able to adapt in any situation she encountered. Elizabeth wanted to make sure Legretta had the tools and mindset necessary to be able to survive and live her life no matter how hectic the world around her may become.

"I can see why that is a drive for your actions." Legretta nodded " I would have done the same if I was in your shoes, but I think we all need to understand that some things are out of our control. We can't make things the way we want them. I think that helps us grow as individuals. Having no control can be a good thing, even if it is unpleasant."

Van hummed " That may be true but,-Behind you!"

Van warned as he drew his sword. He grabbed Legretta pulling her past him and slicing the attacking wolf cleanly into two symmetrical halves. Van spun his sword around his wrist and took a slash at an approaching killer bee only to miss by a hair. Legretta took the opportunity to draw her fontech guns and shoot the bee in between the eyes making the oversized insect fall to the ground. They both stood tense until they were sure that the coast was clear.

"No harm came to you?" Van questioned as he looked Legretta over for wounds.

"I'm unharmed. Thank you." Legretta blushed. she cursed herself for being so inattentive. How could she have let herself become inattentive in the field? She can catch soldiers hiding two-hundred and fifty meters away for goodness sake and she allowed a black wolf and killer bee to get the jump on her. She needed to pull herself together and stop uncharacteristically spacing out.

Van nodded as he sheathed his sword still wary of his surroundings. After the attack they walked a short distance before the two decided to take a short break from their journey. The two of them took a seat below a large tree to shade themselves from the setting sun.

"We accomplished quite a distance haven't we? We should set up for camp before we loose light." Van advised as he looked towards the setting sun in the distance. Van set to work by pulling his sleeping bag from his pack and unrolling it claiming his spot under a nearby tree. Legretta however, had not done what Van had done. Legretta looked up into the branches above her and scoped out for a decently sized resting place within the tree's appendages.

"Did you forget your sleeping bag? If you did I have an extra for you to use Major." Van said with a teasing lilt to his voice.

"Ah, No thank you. I plan to sleep on that branch near the top of this tree. It allows me to stay out of sight of the monsters and is a great high point to see potential dangers that may come towards us from afar." Legretta countered. "Plus it can be quite comfortable. You should try it sometime." Legretta concluded with a smirk.

Van stood there with a slight frown on his face. He had become quite puzzled at her explanation for why she preferred to sleep in a tree of all places. For whatever the reason it was still strange for a human being to want to sleep in a tree over a warm sleeping bag that was safely placed on the ground.

"To each their own I suppose." Van sighed "I'm going to get some firewood keep watch over the camp Major."

Legretta nodded to Van as he walked into the brush to retrieve the needed fuel for the fire. She then took a quick look up spotting an easy route to the desired branch she was to rest on. Legretta climbed to her spot in the tree with little effort and no trouble. She had done this numerous times before when she was a child. During the civil war in the Sephiroth Kingdom as a child; she would be volunteered for the night watch and she found that it was easier to spot enemies from the tops of trees than it was from the ground with her small size. Her being a fontech gun user also allowed her to turn the tables on the opposing soldiers by sniping them from her position as well. Coming out of her thoughts Legretta settled on the surprisingly roomy branch and kept a look out waiting for Van to return from his search for firewood.