The Carrier and the Caster

"Edward!" a small voice similar to Marina's said. It was a five year old running towards him.

Then it blurred and he was lying on top of her in a large bed. They appeared to be in their late teens. "I love you" she told him. "I love you too" he said back. It blurred again....

"We must evacuate the people we can!" Senator Joseph shouted. Everyone agreed. "But what of the spells?" someone asked. "My daughter." Everyone quieted as the high priest spoke. "My daughter is The Carrier. We will seal her and her power into a newborn child. The Caster's memories will be sealed into his soul and his soul shall be sealed into a newborn as well. The High Priest has spoken. Do as I will." All of their heads bowed as the vision blurred and he was looking at Marina again. But now he remembered her as Marianna, Princess of Melekos and as Marina, Ex-Princess of Endor IV / pirate.

Unlike her, his appearence hadn't changed except for his eyes. They were no longer the hazel brown she had grown to love. They were a vibrant green full of life and power. Marianna loved her Edward so. But she wasn't just Marianna anymore just as he was no longer just her Edward.

The two lovers were merely the souls of who they once were. They couldn't take over their host's bodies but they could pass on their memories and power and through that, they knew their love would survive. They had waited a century to be reunited and at last their dreams had come true.

Edward touched her cheek softly and she leaned into his hand. "I think it's time we left these two alone, my love" he said softly. Marianna smiled. "Yes. It's their time now." Edward lowered his hand to grasp hers tightly and together their souls passed on into the next life.

When the white light that had suddenly enveloped Balthier and Marina disappeared, so did the barrier around the scroll. Balthier was lying on the floor with Marina secured tightly in his arms.

Cid ran to them and shook his Balthier's shoulders. "Son!"

Balthier groaned and cracked his eyes open. Cid sucked in a breath as he saw his son's new eye color. Marina moaned as she sat up. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and smiled innocently at Balthier. The new dark blue that encircled the ice in her eyes was strangely familiar to a distant part of Balthier.

Cid helped Balthier sit up. "What happened?" Cid asked. Balthier hesitated. "Uhm...It's a little difficult to explain." He looked at Marina as if asking for help.

"To put it simply... I hold the power of all of these scrolls you see" Marina said as she indicated the thousands of organized scrolls against the back wall.

"And I am the only one that can take her power and form a spell with it. But she has to give me her permission to do so" Balthier added.

Many of the soldiers mouths had fallen open but Cid had an unreadable expression on his face that Balthier didn't recognize but Marina did. It was the kind of expression that only a parent could make when they were worried that their child wasn't as healthy as he claimed he was or appeared to be. Cid embraced his son tightly. "I thought I'd lost you for real this time. I'm sorry I wasn't there when she died I just couldn't bring myself to watch her die and I powerless to stop it. I didn't want her to die alone but I knew she had you. It was only afterward that I realized that that was the most horrible thing I could have ever done to both of you and I regret it with every breath I take."

Balthier was too stunned to speak as his father spilled his guts. Balthier would never forgive him for leaving him alone to watch his mother die and then ignoring him as much as possible after her death. But knowing that Cid had cared about them in his own strange way and that he lived with the guilt of his mistakes every day of his life was enough to allow Balthier to get along with him in a civilized manner.

Cid pulled away from him after a silent minute and stood. He turned to his soldiers. "Lets get moving. We'll make camp by the river again."

Balthier and Marina stood up. "What are we going to do about the scrolls?" Balthier asked.

"I'll send a ship and some envoys back to retrieve them all. For now, we've had a long trip and everyone is exhausted."

Balthier nodded and the three began to follow the group of soldiers out of the cave.