Author's Note: I messed with timing of events a bit. Also, I've always cast Quina as a girl. It's rather irrelevant.

The sound of the harp wove between the beat of the raindrops as they hit the drooping tent. Despite its large size, there was not nearly enough room for the group dancing and laughing beneath it. At the tables, the King of Burmecia shook his head and talked politics with a boisterous Regent Cid, who had clearly had too much to drink already. Groups of Burmecian soldiers, Cleyran refugees, and others with a tie to Freya danced under the tent, dangerously close to wobbly tables with glasses of wine to be spilled. Others crowded the tables to avoid the rain, but mostly, Freya saw the people she loved gleefully dancing in the rain around the tent. Queen Garnet was in the arms of King Zidane, who was twirling her surprisingly elegantly. Eiko, looking much more grown up than the last time Freya had seen her, was charming the young Burmecian boys, who were all fussing around her while she danced. Steiner even appeared to be enjoying himself, for once out of his armor and looking presentable, doing a slightly uptight dance with Beatrix.

Freya was watching them all, her heart aglow, when she felt a soft touch on her back. "Freya? Have you had enough to eat?"

She smiled up at Fratley. "Of course. I was surprised to get so much time to myself, but the music is so superb that everyone seems to be occupied."

"Shall we rejoin the party?" He asked, extending a clawed hand. Freya took his hand and followed him towards her friends.

"Freya! Dragon Knight of the hour. Done stuffing your face?" Zidane joked as she approached.

Freya smirked. "Just keep pretending you know how to dance, Monkey-tail." She replied. She signaled the harpist, who nodded and transitioned to a different song. "Let us show you how it is done."

She took Fratley's raised hand and began to do a traditional Burmecian dance, which he immediately fell into. Despite his lack of memory, Fratley was skilled at the dances of their people. She supposed it was muscle memory, and if that was what caused him to grow to love her again too, then she was fine with that for sure. They couldn't stop smiling the whole night, being rowdy in the rain with their favorite people on Gaia. It turned out that a wedding was a welcome distraction.

Freya and Fratley had planned it decently far enough ahead to be sure that the invitations would reach all the corners of the Mist Continent with time to spare. They wanted to be sure that everyone they loved would be there- especially Freya's guests, who were coming from Alexandria, Lindblum, and various other places. She knew, too, that some guests would be hard to track down, such as the illusive Amarant. She was fairly sure he received the invitation, but he did not make it to the wedding. She was rather surprised, but fortunately, the rest of her friends all made the long journey to see her.

That is, all of her friends except for the one that was blatantly missing that night. His absence was felt by all- not only just his team, his best friends, but all of the people who knew his story or had met him along the way. Whether they received him with fear, or malice, or indifference, many people of many different races had come to admire him over time. They grew to accept him and understand him. He had worked so hard for that.

Somehow, news hadn't reached Freya herself very quickly. It wasn't long before the wedding at all that she received mail from an apprehensive moogle. "You might want to sit down, Kupo." He had told her. Clearly, he knew him, too. Him. Vivi.

Freya had read the letter quickly, but she did not move after. She stared at it, watching the letters blur on the paper. She was not sure if it was the rain from the sky or the puddles forming in her eyes.

"Freya?" Fratley asked. She heard his footsteps approaching. "What is the matter?" She did not turn around.

"Kupo… it's bad news." The moogle said, looking awkward and upset.

"Perhaps you should go inside, out of the rain?" Fratley said to the moogle, motioning behind him to his home. "I'm sure it was a long journey to deliver. You should rest tonight."

The moogle nodded slowly, looking conflicted. Before he left, he set his hand on Freya's leg. She moved her head ever so slightly to peer down at him.

"He lived a life that touched so many, Kupo. He won't be forgotten." With that, he retreated to Fratley's hut.

"What is it?" Fratley tried again. He peered over her shoulder a bit at the letter, trying to see who it was from.

"It's Vivi," Freya had said. Her voice had sounded so strange, so forced. She felt like she was choking. "He's dead."

Fratley looked alarmed and put his arm around her. "Dead? But he was so young! What happened?"

"Young by our standards, but not by his. A black mage only lives so long. He actually lived a long life…" She trailed off. Suddenly, a twisted smile appeared on her distressed face. "How cruel! For what he had to be considered a long life. For him to have lost everything- his grandfather, his friends, to have seen so much death and so much destruction, only to have everything end so abruptly! How can that be called a long life? How is that fair?"

Fratley watched her carefully. "I did not know Vivi terribly well," He had admitted. "When I met him, his eyes were sad and confused. But," He reached his hand to sweep Freya's hair from her overflowing eyes, "I think that he lived a full life, because that is not who he was when we saw him last."

"No?"

"No. He was happy. Think about it. Yes, he was hurt a lot in his young life, but he was also an inspiration to many others. He helped the Black Mages and everyone to understand each other. He made sure that Kuja's army did not leave a legacy of division and hatred in our world. And-" Fratley broke into a grin, "- Do you remember seeing him with his children when Zidane returned? If he had been complete before, he was beyond bliss then."

It was a wonderful image. Freya smiled through her tears, picturing it.

She thought of that moment at the wedding, however fleetingly, when she saw Vivi's children. She was surprised that they had made it, or that they had even wanted to come; they did not know their Auntie Freya very well. Or so she thought.

"I am glad you all made it. I appreciate you coming." Freya said to them later that evening.

"We wouldn't miss it, Auntie Freya." One of them said, their yellow eyes shining. It reminded Freya of the happy light in Vivi's eyes.

"Dad would be here too." Another said.

Another shook his head. "You're wrong. He is here."

That's how they all felt that night, Freya realized later. The kids had gone to bed, the crowds dispersed, and the former adventuring teammates huddled around a candlelit table.

"It's still raining, of course." Zidane complained.

"It's Burmecia." Freya replied dryly.

"Pass me some snacks." Eiko demanded, peeling off her shoes and tossing them to the wet ground. She tucked her feet below her.

"I thought that we tucked the children into bed." Steiner commented, looking away hastily when Eiko narrowed her eyes in his direction.

"For your information, I'm not a child."

"You are definitely no more of a lady then before." Steiner looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Right before Eiko protested, Freya said, "Steiner, are you making a joke? You? How times have changed."

The group laughed, and Eiko threw one of her shoes at Steiner and grinned. "Ask all those Burmecian boys who kept trying to dance with me if they thought I was a lady!"

"Uncle Cid and Hilda are going to have their hands full soon." Dagger remarked, softly enough that Eiko did not hear.

Fratley poured mead for Freya and himself as Quina joined them. "Food was yummy, yes?" She asked.

The group gave various noises of approval while Fratley said, "Definitely, Quina. Thank you for cooking. I haven't had your splendid cuisine since we were all last in Alexandria."

"I think that is the last time I had it, as well." Steiner agreed. "You know, we're always looking for great royal chefs."

Garnet and Zidane smiled and Quina looked thoughtful. "Perhaps if I stayed in Alexandria, we all see each other more."

"There is always too much time in between." Freya agreed.

"I wish that we saw each other all the time." Eiko said, unusually quietly. "I never want to miss you guys."

The group nodded quietly, and Zidane added, "Even if we miss each other, we know we can be together again. Especially for important things like this. And we'll never forget each other, no matter what happens."

There was a pause, and then, "We are all thinking about Master Vivi."

Freya sipped from her mead, eyes down. Eiko wiped her eyes a bit. Dagger and Zidane smiled sadly.

"He is very missed." Quina said, looking at Steiner.

"That's truer than anything." Zidane said, leaning back in his chair.

Freya was glad to have her friends altogether for the first time since Vivi's death. It was long overdue. They spent the hours talking about their journeys and their memories of Vivi. They talked about the present, their successes and their struggles. They talked about their hopes for the future. By the time there was a possible glow of daylight through the rain, Eiko was asleep in her chair, and Freya knew she would never forget watching the night of her wedding turning to morning with all the people she loved.

Some time later, the newlyweds had settled into their life and a daily routine. Freya returned home one afternoon, having finished her work with the Dragon Knights early, to find a moogle waiting. It had been a while since she had received any mail, and she was simultaneously excited and axious. Was it one of her friends? Was all well? Was it bad news?

"Mail, Kupo!" The moogle smiled at her.

"Thank you." Freya said, accepting the letter. She unfolded it to see that it was from Zidane and Queen Garnet.

Freya,

We know that it has been some time since you have heard from us. We hope that everything has been well, and you and Fratley are enjoying married life! While we do not want to inconvenience or worry you, we do request that you visit Alexandria as soon as possible. We will tell you more then!

"Was this all?" Freya asked the moogle, knowing he had probably read it. She imagined moogles got bored delivering letters and at least checked for some spicy gossip.

"Yes, Kupo. But they also said that if you preferred, they would send an airship, Kupo."

"That won't be necessary," She replied, feeling nervous. "I shall accompany you back to Alexandria. I won't be missed here for a short period of time."

The next day, after the Knights had been notified and she had entrusted Fratley with the safety of Burmecia, she set off with the moogle to Alexandria. After traveling the world, she was not worried about the journey at all; she knew it would be a breeze. However, she was very concerned about the Queen and Zidane. She hoped that the news was happy, but she feared that such an urgent summons could only mean bad news. The journey took several days, and Freya's apprehensiveness did not subside. When she finally arrived at the castle, she introduced herself to the Knights of Pluto at the ferry and was promptly escorted inside with a "We've been expecting you. Please wait here." She waited in the entrance hall, wondering what was going on and dreading the worst. She started when she heard footsteps above, and the unmistakable sound of heels on marble. Garnet and Zidane descended the stairs, looking to be in fantastic health. Freya approached them, feeling her heart lighten. Then, she saw what Garnet was holding.

"We wanted to tell you in person." Garnet said. Zidane said nothing, but grinned from ear to ear. Freya reached her hand forward and gently touched the cheek of the small baby. Suddenly, everything seemed different. Vivi's death had seemed to make everything stop; even the happiness of her wedding had been marred by the sense of loss she couldn't shake. Somehow, looking at this baby, she felt a bit silly. If anything, she was shocked she hadn't realized it before. It was as Fratley had said- Vivi had extreme sorrows but also astounding triumphs in his life. No matter what happened, he moved forward. Freya, as well as the others, had almost forgotten that lesson. It all made sense again, looking at this new life.

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Girl." Zidane said as Garnet handed the baby to Freya.

She cradled the baby, mesmerized. "Have you named her?"

The King and Queen exchanged smiles. "What do you think of Vivi?"