Epilogue: After the Battle
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The tower was just a little too still for Rai's liking. Dharma and Sheila were out running errands, left undone for several weeks, and the twins were in another room studying. At least, that's what they were supposed to be doing. He decided to go check on them.
He pushed the door to the other room open to find Porom, alone at the table, asleep on her pile of notes. He wasn't really shocked; Porom hadn't been sleeping well lately, and, for that matter, neither had her brother. Too much was going on in the world, and they were both loathe to miss a single moment of it. Just yesterday evening, an invitation had been Teleported to their house for a wedding; none of them had been able to sleep for their excitement, because it was Cecil and Rosa's wedding.
A little over two months overdue, but hey; better late than never, as they say.
So, naturally, Porom had fainted. However, Palom was missing, and it bothered Rai intensely. Since his sister couldn't seem to stay awake, he'd started waiting for her to fall asleep and then slipping out of the tower while she wasn't looking, and no one seemed to know exactly where he was going yet.
She'll be angry, Rai thought, hesitant about waking his niece from her nap, but I'd better get her up. Porom really needs a few days off. Can't say for Palom, though...
"Porom, wake up," he commanded, shaking her gently. She bolted up with a yelp, one of her index cards glued to her cheek, and looked defensively around the room for something to attack. She sighed with relief when she saw it was only her uncle, and peeled the index card off her face.
"What is it, Uncle?" she asked tiredly, returning the card to her ruffled stack. "Did I fall asleep again?"
"Indeed, Porom," Rai agreed. "You didn't sleep very much last night, did you?" he guessed.
"Well... No. I was too excited about the wedding and all," she admitted, rubbing her eyes.
"Perhaps this trip to Baron will be a welcome vacation for you; you and your brother need to rest a little more. All this is too much for two six-year-old children."
Porom giggled. "We're seven now, remember?"
"Oh, that's right," Rai realized. "The memory of an old man! I'm sorry. By the way, where's Palom?"
Porom pointed across the table. "He's right—" She turned to look, expecting to see her brother asleep as well, and made a tense gurgling sound as her breath caught in her throat. Over her initial surprise, her face grew red and her eyes narrowed.
"Oh, that brother of mine!" she yelled, jumping out of her chair and storming out the door.
"You know where he is?" Rai asked.
"I've got an idea," Porom informed angrily.
Actually, she knew exactly where her brother was. He was out back, in the garden, playing with a new friend of theirs. Her name was Lisa Bronn, and she was training as a red mage at a local academy. She was also seven, and only one magic level behind them; she was one of the most talented students at her school. She almost always wore yellow, and her soft light-brown hair was always pulled back from her face with a matching ribbon. She also had a knack for mischief and silly pranks, which was why Porom supposed Palom liked her so much. Lisa seemed to find them both very interesting, whereas the other children their own age didn't seem to want to hang around them.
Porom had met Lisa first, several weeks earlier, when things had finally settled down in Mysidia. Lisa had approached her with a concerned look on her face and a bunch of daisies and violets in one hand.
"My cousin Flora owns that bakery on the corner where you and your brother always hang out; she hasn't seen you in a long time, and she's a little worried about you," Lisa explained.
"We've been busy," Porom had informed stoically.
"Well, everyone had heard about what happened to you guys in Baron. We didn't know... something like that could actually happen," Lisa added, picking her words carefully, not wanting to offend Porom.
"Well, it was, er, pretty scary, I guess," Porom agreed, not sure which words to use either.
"Uh... These are for you and your brother, by the way," Lisa said shyly, handing the flowers to Porom. "It's kinda silly, but I just wanted to give you something."
"Oh, thanks! They're really pretty; I like them," Porom insisted. "Hey, do you want to come over to my house and play with us for a while?"
"Sure! I'd love to!"
And that was how Porom and Lisa had become friends. That was also when Palom had started skipping school and showing up late to dinner to hang out with her. Porom was currently the only other person who knew much about it because she was the one who had introduced them and, though he was a pill for skipping, she didn't really want to get her brother or only other friend in trouble.
Meanwhile, Lisa and Palom were, indeed, in the garden. Lisa was sitting on a stone bench, listening to Palom's heavily exaggerated version of his adventure up Mount Ordeals.
"So I looked him straight in the eye and—do you know what I said?"
"No, I don't; what did you say?"
"I said to him, 'You know something, Scarmiglione, you don't scare me! Eat my Fira spell!' So I cast my Fira spell on him and all this fire started raining down on him. Fwoosh! Pow! Boom! Kabam! And then he was all like, 'NOOOOO! I can't believe that you beat me...!' And then he fell over the side of the cliff. End of story."
"Wow! That's so cool! You and your sister are so brave."
"Oh yeah; we're good," Palom concluded with a grin. "Wanna hear how we helped Cecil become a paladin?"
"Yeah! Oh, this one's gonna be great!"
"Okay, so we finally got rid of that creep Scarmiglione. And then—"
"Palom Faraxhae! There you are!"
Palom and Lisa both grimaced. He looked over his shoulder to see Porom and Rai storming around the corner.
"Busted," he groaned. "Maybe you should get out of here, Lisa."
"I don't think I can; you're uncle's staring right at me."
"Darn; I'm sorry."
Palom felt terrible for getting Lisa into this; he hoped his uncle directed most of the punishment at him instead of her.
"So, is this where you've been running off to everyday?" Rai asked gravely.
"Uh... Yeah..."
Rai raised his eyebrow at his nephew and turned to Lisa. "Aren't you supposed to be in school young lady?"
Lisa shook her head. "It's recess, sir," she informed, giving him her most winning smile and batting her hazel eyes sweetly.
Rai gave a small smile and patted her head. "Fine. Run along, then. But I don't want to see you back here anymore, understand?"
"Yessir," she agreed and slid off the bench. "Bye, guys," she called over shoulder as she ran from the garden. "I'm sorry!"
Rai turned back to Palom once she was out of sight. "Well, you did pick a good one. I thought you didn't like girls; what made you change your mind?"
Palom pouted indignantly. "I didn't change my mind. We're just friends. Really!"
"Hmph. Sure you are," Porom teased.
"Both of you, stop it," Rai commanded. "Palom, if you don't sit still and do your work, how do ever expect to become a great sage, like Tellah? As great as he was, even he had to start somewhere."
"Tellah loved to goof off," Palom pointed out flippantly.
"Not the point," Rai scolded. "For your incompetence, you're going to have to do twice as much as your sister until you catch up with her."
"Twice as much?! But she's ages ahead of me! I'll never catch up with her!"
"Then I suggest that you get started."
"But that's so unfair!" Palom whined.
"I think it's very fair," Porom interjected demurely.
"No one asked you, Porom."
"You shouldn't have skipped school, Palom."
Rai sighed. Here they go again. "Let's just get back inside. We're all wasting time." He turned and walked back to the front door.
"Wait for us!" Porom yelled, running after him.
Palom walked slowly, savoring his last few moments of freedom. He felt overwhelmingly happy that Lisa wasn't there to see that; he felt like such an idiot. A rustling in the bushes nearby caught his attention and he turned to look, wondering if an animal was caught. Instead, Lisa toppled out of the bush, fading leaves stuck in her hair.
Palom felt his heart skip a beat. "What are you doing here? How much of that did you hear?" he demanded.
"All of it," Lisa answered.
"Oh... I'm such a loser..."
"Are you kidding? You handled that really well. You really are brave."
"You really think so?"
Lisa answered with a benevolent grin. Palom's spirits rose again.
"Hey, Lisa, if I'm late for dinner again, my mom's gonna cream me. How about you come over to dinner at my house tonight? I don't think anyone would mind," he suggested, feeling pretty good about himself, despite his looming punishment.
Lisa grinned. "Sure! I'd love to! When should I—"
"I'll come for you after school," Palom interrupted. "You can walk home with me and my sister. We can have a snack and do our homework and stuff. Think your mom would let you?"
"I think so. I'll wait for you outside the academy, okay?"
"Okay; see you then."
Heh; girls aren't as icky as I thought they'd be, he thought smugly as Lisa ran out of the garden, waving goodbye. I love it when she smiles; she's so pretty when she smiles.
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"It really stinks that we have to go away again," Palom complained the next morning as he and his family walked down to Devil's Road. "I mean, it's not that I don't want to go or anything; I just thought we might be staying in one place for a while."
"I know what you mean, son," Jackie agreed. "I don't think that things on the Blue Planet will really be settled again for several years."
"Years?" Porom asked, unable to believe her ears.
"Kingdoms have been destroyed; thousands of lives have been lost. It may take generations for kingdoms like Eblan and Damcyan to get back to where they were. They weren't just attacked: they were completely destroyed," Mira explained.
"For how hard Mysidia was hit, we didn't lose much compared with other kingdoms around the world," Jackie added. "Despite everything—the lies uncovered, the new kings and queens, the revelations, the trust between the leaders of our world—all eyes have been critically cast on Baron."
"Indeed," Mira continued. "Cecil and Rosa are very brave to step up to the challenge of running that particular kingdom."
"Why's that? It's just Cecil and Rosa. Everyone trusts them, right?" Palom pointed out.
"Not necessarily. If they make one mistake, there are still many people who will point their fingers at Baron and say, 'You see? Baron's still trouble; nothing's changed.'"
"Why would someone do something like that?" Porom asked. "After all that they've done for the Blue Planet—that's just awful!"
"Go and talk to families like the Steels," Mira suggested. "There are many families who can't believe that families like us would support Baron at all. Bjorn Steel can't see how we aren't crying violently for Cecil's deposition."
"But then, Bjorn Steel is a radical; and a stubborn one at that," Jackie added. "His kids didn't travel halfway around the world with Cecil, now did they?"
"No, I guess you're right, Dad," Palom agreed. "It's still not right. Who did they think was going to be the new king of Baron, anyway? Cecil deserved it."
"He certainly did," Mira agreed. "It surprised me to hear that we had missed his coronation the other month."
"I think that Rydia and maybe Edge were the only others there for it," Jackie added. "There was barely even a ceremony of any kind; they just made him the king and got on with their lives."
"Cecil never really had time for ceremony, anyway," Porom pointed out. "He's too busy and straight forward to waste time on formalities. There's too much that needs to be done in Baron, anyway."
"So, if he's to busy for ceremony, why didn't he just marry Rosa then?" Palom asked.
Porom whacked him again. "Because that's what he wanted everyone there to see, duh!"
"All of the Light Warriors haven't all been in one room at the same time, have they?" Jackie asked.
"Oh... I guess not," Porom agreed. "Maybe we'll actually get the chance to just... talk about what happened together for a while."
"Not many people have been invited," Mira added. They included a guest list with their invitation, and it's strictly close friends and other important people. I think the ceremony will be public, but I don't think we'd be leaving the castle."
"The people of Baron do need a boost in morale," Jackie pointed out. "These people have put their trust in Cecil for years, before this mess ever started; they adore him, and the probably adore Rosa as well. This is going to do them a lot of good."
"Changes in management are always a little hard to get used to," Mira concluded as they turned the corner to the building which housed the entrance to Devil's Road. "Things have already begun changing in Baron, and it's only been two months. For the first time in over a year, I'm happy to finally say that things are going to be okay. For everyone. Devil's Road is even easier to traverse these days."
The twins sighed together.
"Thank goodness," Porom said with a smile.
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Porom was slightly surprised, with the wedding only three days away, that Rosa had made it such a point to spend time with her every day. Almost as soon as they had arrived in Baron, the future queen had practically kidnapped her.
"I've been dying to spend time with you, Porom," Rosa said. "We haven't really spoken since the night that we left, have we?"
"No, we haven't. I've really missed, Rosa."
"I've missed you too," Rosa agreed, hugging tightly. "We're going to spend a whole lot of time together this week; I promise."
"You don't have to do that; you're getting married in three days. You must be really busy with wedding stuff. I'll be okay," Porom insisted.
"It's not a bother at all. I've been looking forward to you coming for weeks!"
"Really?"
"Trust me, Porom: we're going to have a great time together. Tell me, what would you like to do first?"
Porom thought about it for a minute. "...Can you help me with my Curaga spell?" she asked.
"Of course."
So Rosa went off with Porom and spent an hour an a half helping her memorize the incantation for the Curaga spell.
"CURAGA!"
Rosa clapped her hands. "That was perfect! You've been practicing, haven't you?"
"I sure have! That's my first Ga-level spell," Porom informed proudly.
Rosa sighed and reached out to stroke Porom's hair. "You and your brother really are great mages. I've never seen someone so young learning Ga-leveled magic. How's your brother doing with his magic?"
"He just learned Firaga last week, but I'm still farther along in my studies; as usual."
"Don't sound so down about it. He is a boy after all," Rosa pointed out with a playful wink.
"Huh?"
"Believe me, I know. I first met Cecil and Kain when we were about your age; they weren't the most diligent workers either."
Porom raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I think you're lying."
"You'd think so, wouldn't you. Boys change; Palom won't always be such a slacker. He's got to grow up sometime."
"You think so?"
"I'd bet money on it."
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation and Rosa sighed, annoyed that someone dared to intrude on her time with Porom.
"Come in," she called. A young woman stuck her head in the room and dipped her head respectfully to her.
"I don't mean to interrupt, Lady Rosa, but the tailor needs to see you; just a few last minute fixes on your wedding dress, ma'am. It shouldn't take long."
Rosa rolled her eyes. "Damna—Nuts," she muttered, censoring her language. "Tell her that I'll be right there."
"Of course," the maid agreed, nodding again as a sign of parting, and left.
"I thought the dress was done," Rosa sighed. "Porom, would you like to come with me to see it?"
Porom's face lit up like a candle. "I would! I'd love to!"
As they walked through the halls together, Porom tried hard to remember where she was. However, this was a part of the castle that she was not familiar with.
"I thought I knew the whole castle," she said sadly. "How do you know where you're going?"
"Well, I have lived here my whole life. You know exactly where everything in Mysidia is, but I get a little lost there myself."
"Oh. I get it. Hey, I wonder if anyone else is here yet?"
"I suppose we'll find out soon enough."
At length, they came to a door and Rosa knocked on it. Someone inside called that it was unlocked and she opened the door. Beyond was the main room of the castle tailor's apartment of workrooms. Several assistants were busy mending hems, joining pieces of cloth together, and embroidering flowers and crests on shirts of dark red silk. The head tailor sat at a large table in the corner, going over some papers. But when Rosa walked in, no matter who was doing what, they all dropped their work, rose form their seats, and bowed respectfully to her.
"Please, don't do that," Rosa requested, her face flushed. "I'm not even queen yet! It's so unnerving!"
"Best get used to it, my lady," the tailor cautioned. "From now, everyone who sees you is going to bow instinctively."
"I know, but—never mind. You needed to see me? I thought we finished the dress a week ago."
"So had I; I just want to make one more check over it, to make sure there's no last-minute problem to fix. I'm so nervous about the whole thing that I keep—Oh, you've brought a friend, I see," the tailor said, noticing Porom for the first time. "Who might this young lady be?"
Porom was about to tell the tailor her name, but an unseen voice interrupted her.
"That would be the sweet, talented, and utterly adorable Porom Faraxhae," the familiar voice informed. Though the speaker was hidden, her voice seemed to be coming from behind the front door. Everyone turned to see as the door swung shut, revealing a woman, a little younger than Rosa, wearing a bright yellow sundress that complemented her blue eyes and light green hair.
"She's a gifted mage," she continued, allowing her friends to recover from their surprise. "You'd best not underestimate her."
"Rydia!" Porom cried happily and dashed over to the summoner. Rydia caught her and swung her up in the air, setting her back down with a thump after a single revolution.
"Ah! Wow, you're heavy," Rydia gasped, kneeling down in front of her. "You've gotten taller; how old are you and your brother now?"
"We're seven," Porom answered, beaming proudly.
Rydia sighed. "My gosh, you're pretty," she said quietly, and Porom looked away shyly.
"No, it's true," the summoner insisted. "Anna was pretty too... One of these days, when Rosa and I are old and wrinkly, you'll be the most beautiful woman on the Blue Planet, won't she, Rosa?" she asked, rising to her feet.
"Most likely, my dear friend," Rosa agreed, embracing Rydia. "You got here so fast; we only sent the invitations yesterday."
"Yeah, the Falcon's no Enterprise—and it certainly isn't the Lunar Whale—but it suffices."
"The Falcon... So you've been in Eblan these past few months?" Rosa guessed suspiciously, taking Rydia's hands and searching them. On her left ring finger, she found a simple gold ring crowned with two small sapphires and a larger emerald between them. She raised her eye brow at Rydia, who pulled her hand away and hid it behind her back.
"Well... I didn't have a place to stay, so..."
"You could have come here; we'd have been happy to have you. And besides: Edge isn't here. Awfully hard not to run into him in his own kingdom, wouldn't you agree, dear?"
"I've been here already..." Rydia answered dumbly, and sighed when it became clear that Rosa was not impressed. She decided to change the topic. "It is a nice ring, right?"
"Yes. Very nice, indeed," Rosa agreed; she surreptitiously glanced down at her own engagement ring of gold and diamonds and sighed wistfully.
Porom was still making an attempt to listen—airships and fancy rings were pretty fascinating, even if she didn't understand what was going on—but she had wandered over to the far wall, where bolts of fine, beautiful clothes were lined up in rows. She didn't think she had seen so many different colors or textures or even so much fabric in one place before. Her first natural instinct was to reach out and touch each one, maybe even tug some lengths off the rolls to play with, but she kept her hands clasped tightly behind her back.
I'd love to know where all these different fabrics come from. And how can you get so many different shades of blue? I didn't know you could have so many blues! It boggles the mind! I'm feeling a little dizzy... So much fabric... So many colors... I can't believe I never knew about this place; it must be the most amazing place in Baron!
Palom must never know about this place. He'd make a horrible mess and then I'd get in trouble.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" the tailor asked, jarring her attention away from the rainbow of cloth.
"Yes, I am... Where do you get so much fabric?" she asked. She looked down at her own cotton dress—red and white striped, as usual—and her cloak of thicker, coarser, sturdier green. "I thought there was just cloth; I didn't know there were so many different kinds!"
"Most of what you see on the wall was made here, in Baron, by our local cloth-weavers. Others, like the finer silks, are imported. We have things from all over the world on our wall," the tailor explained.
"Wow..." Porom tried hard to wrap her head around the idea that most of these cloths were made within the city, that only a fraction of what she saw came from somewhere else. It sounded like a whole new dimension with its own rules, language, and inhabitants. Not to mention that the people in this room had the power to measure, cut, fold, and shape each of these cloths into different kinds of clothing—from a simple cotton shirt all the way up to Rosa's wedding gown. It seemed a kind of magic, and these tailors the most amazing mages in the world; their power seemed greater than anything she herself could ever learn.
"I wish I could do all that," she lamented as she thought about all this. "I don't think I could ever lean as much about fabric as you do. I wish I could though..."
"Rosa and I can teach you," Rydia offered. "She taught me how to sew when I was about your age; it's a handy skill, no matter where you are or what you happen to be doing."
"You could do that? I'd love to learn!" Porom said, nodding her head eagerly.
"Of course we'll teach you," Rosa agreed. "We'll get started while I try on my dress... again." She turned to Rydia and sighed. "It seems like years since I taught you how to sew; it's surreal."
Rydia tilted her head to one side. "But that was years ago. Ten years, remember?" Rydia insisted.
Rosa shook her head. "Rydia, that was just a little more than a year ago; it hasn't even been 18 months."
"Oh... I'm still stuck on Feymarch time; never mind," Rydia said sadly.
Porom didn't understand exactly what was meant, but she got a good idea. Rydia felt—bluntly—a little detached from the Overworld. Like the whole kingdoms that had been destroyed, some people—like Rydia—might never be able to go back to the way they were before. Porom knew herself that she and Palom would never be the same after being petrified for almost six months; they seemed normal enough, but they were definitely different in very subtle way. As for Rydia, ten whole years out of the loop... That made her time as a stone statuette look like a five-minute time-out in a corner. She wondered just how left out the summoner truly felt and if there was anything she could do for her.
However, Rydia shook off her mistake and regained her natural composure. "We need to find some old scraps of cloth, a few needles, and some thread," she insisted, her blue eyes scanning the workshop for her listed materials. "If we're gonna teach Porom how to sew, we need to start now."
Huh. When they came up with the term "unsinkable", they must have meant either my brother or Rydia. And it was probably Rydia. She and Palom are a perfect fit after all. The thought made her smile, and she decided firmly that from now on, she would strive to be a lot more like Rydia.
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Palom and Porom could not believe it. They stood at the window of their room, near the bottom of the eastern tower, and watched as grape-sized drops of rain fell down in torrents.
"This is even more not fair than me having to work twice as hard as you, Porom," Palom growled, stomping his foot impatiently. "Porom, make the rain stop!"
Porom whacked his head. "You know that I can't change the weather! Pull yourself together."
Palom rubbed the sore spot and growled again. "I mean, come on; it's their wedding day! They don't deserve this! There's got to be something someone can do to fix this."
"I don't feel bad for Cecil and Rosa: I feel bad for all the people. Remember what Dad said about the people needing a morale boost from this wedding? They won't be able to come today, because of all this rain," Porom pointed out sadly. "That's the unfair part."
"So... What happens now?"
Porom shrugged. "Get ready anyway, I guess."
"You just really want to get into that green dress."
"It's such a pretty dress; it's the first solid-colored dress I've ever really liked."
Palom rolled his eyes. "It's just clothing. You wear clothing every day. What's so special about it now?" Though he had to admit that it was a nice dress. Porom seemed especially proud of it, because she had sewn the lace to the sleeves and hem mostly by herself.
About thirty minutes later, they walked out of their room together to see what was going on. The tower seemed to be pretty still; they didn't even see their parents out yet.
"I wonder hoe we're gonna get all the way over to the throne room with all that rain," Palom wondered.
"I could always cast Shell over us; that could work." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "SHELL!"
An iridescent pink sphere materialized around them, slightly distorting everything on the other side of it.
"First time I've ever used this spell," Porom remarked, pleased that the spell had executed itself perfectly.
Though the sphere followed their movements, Palom reached out and pushed his hand beyond it to turn the door knob that led out of the tower. The door swung out, letting the spray of the heavy rain come pouring in the door and splattering against the sphere instead of them.
"I hope it holds up under the rain; it's coming down really hard," he observed.
They took a deep breath and marched out into the rain, treading carefully over the wet ground; Porom had to lift her skirt above her ankles so that the hem wouldn't get wet. In order to get where they needed to be, they needed to go in another door, up a stairwell to a platform, and down another flight of stairs to the big room where they had fought captain Baigan so many months earlier.
The platform they had to cross happened to be the first place they had been after being revived; it was their first full view of Baron and the village beyond the castle wall. But it had been sunny and warm that day; they both expected the castle grounds to be dark and dreary with rain. As they emerged form the stairwell and onto the platform, they were surprised to see the main courtyard filled with hundreds of people. Some of them had umbrellas, some even had Shell spells similar to the one Porom had cast protecting them. Others still had no covering at all, though they stood in the rain and waited patiently anyway. The twins had to stop and stare at them all for a moment.
"They came anyway." Palom sounded like someone had knocked him over.
Porom thought that she was going to cry. "Cecil and Rosa are so lucky," she said. "Even if the rest of the world is against them, the people of Baron are behind them, one hundred percent."
Curse the rain! She thought spitefully. These people don't deserve this in the least! I hope they'll all be okay...
They might have stayed and starred all day, but the Shell began to fade, forcing them to finally race across the platform and into the large reception area at the bottom of the other flight of stairs. As they emerged into the room, hey found that several of their friends were already there. Closest to them was Edward—officially the king of Damcyan—killing time by tuning his harp. Edge the ninja stood over him, watching the process with interest. Yang and Cid were pacing the hall anxiously, seeming to be off in their own worlds. Rydia stood by herself in a corner on the other side of the room, looking out a window. Edward and Edge noticed the twins first and smiled warmly.
"Sleep well, kids?" Edge asked cheerily.
"Yeah, I guess," Palom agreed as the Shell finally wore off. "Did you see al those people out there?" he asked, jerking a thumb back the way he and his sister had come.
"They're kinda hard to miss," Edge answered. "I can't believe that so many people showed up; I think most of Baron's populace is out there."
"Their courage is inspiring," Edward remarked, plucking at one of the strings on the harp and, displeased with the sound, returned to adjusting the tune. "The love they hold for their king and queen is enough to lift heavy hearts all around the world. It gives us all hope."
"Not everyone in Mysidia seems to think so," Palom insisted. "Do you think things will ever be the same again? Mom and Dad don't."
"I don't think so. Many of us are rebuilding from the ground up," Edward pointed out. "But we'll definitely be back in the swing of things, eventually. Just wait and see."
Meanwhile, Porom had wandered over to stand by Rydia. Today, she was wearing a kimono of green silk, embroidered with flowers of gold thread; she looked like a queen, herself.
"You're always so beautiful," Porom remarked, obeying her instincts and reaching out to touch the fine silk.
"You're beautiful too," Rydia insisted. "You did a good job with the lace; you caught onto the sewing thing fast."
"Thanks. So... The ring, the kimono, staying in Eblan—are you and Edge getting married too, or something?"
Rydia smiled and winked. "Don't tell anyone else yet; they'll all freak out."
"Will you invite everyone for that too? 'Cause Palom and I would love to be there for that."
"It's a lot farther than a trip across Devil's Road."
"We won't care."
Rydia sighed and leaned her head against the window pane. "Time sure goes by fast," she said quietly.
"It does," Porom agreed. "Sometimes, I forget how I got involved in all of this, and it takes me a while to remember it all. There's so much to remember."
"Now that I think about it," Rydia mused, "it was about this time last year that we were shipwrecked. In fact, I think the one-year anniversary is tomorrow."
"Do you think that's why Cecil and Rosa picked today for the wedding?" Porom asked.
Rydia grinned ruefully. "Perhaps; maybe they just pulled a date out of the air. They certainly didn't pick it for the weather."
Porom made a thoughtful noise and thought for a moment. "If tomorrow's the one-year anniversary of the shipwreck, then that means that the day after tomorrow—no, the day after the day after tomorrow is the day that Palom and I met Cecil for the first time. "
"Wow," Rydia said reverently, staring out the window at the rain. "A lot happens in a year, huh? Even when you weren't a part of it."
"Uhuh," Porom agreed. She knew well what the summoner meant; a lot had happened over those several months, and she hadn't been there for a good deal of it either.
"Well, I guess that doesn't matter as much. We're here now, and we're going to move forward, aren't we?"
"Yeah! You bet!" Porom said, nodding. She also leaned against the window and smiled, feeling full of conviction. "I'm going to be the best white mage in the world one day," she decided. Rydia reached down and tousled her hair.
"I don't doubt that in the least. You'll do great."
Porom grinned. Mom was right. Things really are gonna be okay for everyone. We're gonna put the Blue Planet back together; and even though it'll take time, it'll be better than before. I know it.
For the first time in her whole life, she was filled with hope; from the top of her head down to her feet. She couldn't wait to get back home and get started.
This is going to be fun.
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(Insert MAJOR fanfare here!)
I'M FINALLY DONE!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!?!?!? AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!! XD XD XD XD XD T.T T.T T.T
Okay, I'm calming down now; after all, I'm not so sure about that ending.
Let me explain my excessive absents: lately, I had felt like I was beginning to get re-addicted to fanfiction, and I never like that. Luckily, Lent started and I figured that it was the perfect reason to kick start my fanfiction rehab. After all, fanfiction is fun and all, but when it starts eating your life from the inside out it becomes a pain and no fun anymore. So I've had my time off, worked on some independent stuff, and I'm feeling ever so refreshed.
And now for a very serious question for all of you who have really enjoyed this story. I feel like this one was one of the best I've ever done, and I'm very proud of it. However, I've been thinking that I'd like to do some more with this branch of the FFIV story, but it doesn't really belong as a part of this story; I mean, it's already 23 chapters long!
So, my question is: how would you guys like a sequel, or even two?? I need feedback, because I had this great premise for a sequel, set about 12 years after this story, but I don't want to waste my time if no one wants to read it! Please answer in your review!
And now, I have stuff that I promised I'd finish this year, and I need to get back on it. I'll wait for at least two "yeses" to the sequel to get started.
Sincerely,
Freida L. Right!