DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES.
***
Seu Tara and I walked in comfortable silence through the village, I noticed that it was much quieter than yesterday, I guessed it was because the Selkies were preparing for battle, I tried my hardest to forget the impending danger and focus on the pleasure of Seu Tara's company. I soon found myself glancing in her direction more and more often, as if I was making sure that she was still walking beside me. We walked for hours, not really knowing where we were going, when the sun was at it's highest point and we were too tired to continue walking we laid down in the sand to rest, "Seu Tara?" I asked.
"Yes," she replied sounding very calm.
I sat up to face her "what does your name mean?" I asked.
Seu Tara continued to stare at the clouds in the sky "my name? It's derived from the ancient Selkic words "seugo," meaning fierce, and "tarapov," meaning love," she replied
I crawled over to her and looked deeply into her eyes for a moment, her faced turned an adorable shade of pink. "I can see it in your eyes. You have a truly loving heart and you are very strong willed, your parents were very wise to name you as they did."
Seu Tara sat up and pushed me away "I swear if you keep making me nervous like that I won't be able to concentrate at all during the battle."
I couldn't hide the my surprise "you're going to fight?"
Seu Tara looked a little annoyed with me "is it so strange for a woman to fight for her village?" She snapped.
I panicked "no, no! Not at all,"I exclaimed waving my hands stupidly "you just seem like such a gentle person that I didn't expect it."
She giggled at me "hehe, I made you nervous. Now we're even," she said.
I smiled, I couldn't beleive I had much of an effect on her "how did you learn to fight?" I asked casually.
She gazed into the distance "both of my parents were caravaners, my mother taught me the arts of healing and my father trained me in the arts of war."
I noticed a tone of despair in her voice when she spoke of her parents, I was afraid to ask but I did anyway "did something happen to them?"
She sniffed " when I was thirteen, my parents were in the mushroom forest. In the final battle against the Malboro, my... My mother was eaten alive!" She broke into sobs and I instinctivly held her in my arms. "My father barely made it home, he took only one step off the boat before he collapsed, the elder only managed to speak with him long enough to hear the story, before my father died."
Her tears came faster, I felt terrible for opening this old wound. Seeing Seu Tara in such pain broke my heart, I wanted nothing more tan to comfort her, and before I knew what I was doing I could taste the salt of her tears as I pressed my lips to hers.
***
At first I was surprised and I almost pushed him away but the feeling and the taste of his lips calmed me and made my senses go wild all at the same time, and my sadness melted away as if it was all a dream. He pulled his face away and looked at me with his icey blue eyes, I was trapped in speachless ecstacy.
Suddenly the sound of a horn broke the silence, it meant that the monsters were begining to break through, I grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him back towards the village. "So the war is begining," I thought.
"Seu Tara, what's happening? have the monsters arrived?" The boy shouted.
I continued to run "they've been spotted by the watchmen, they will arrive very soon," I answered breathlessly.
"Then we don't have a moment to spare," I heard the boy say as his hand slipped out of mine, as I turned to see what he was doing, he lifted me into his arms and ran like demons were chasing him.
When we arrived just outside of the village the boy was completely out of breath "what a foolish thing to do, tire yourself out just before a battle," I thought.
"Warriors of Lueda!" The voice of the elder rang out over the clearing, "the enemies we face are great in number and very powerful, however, we Selkies are just as strong, if not stronger, than they. What's more our speed, our cunning and our unity will raise us to victory today!" A roar of cheers flooded the desert "now come my brothers and sisters, for Lueda!"
I could feel it, the subtle spell the elders words spun, the courage it inspired in the hearts of the people, he handed me my racket as he walked past, I gripped it firmly in my fist. I turned towards the boy, he was fiddling with the knot on his bag and mumbling about how tight it was, finally he untied the knot and drew his weapon, but it was not what I had expected, from the bag the boy pulled a slender sword. A Selkie weilding a sword was unheard of, but then again so was a Selkie raised by Clavats.
"What do you think of it?" He asked, "I had to make it myself, but I think it turned out nicely," he said examining the blade.
"I'm not the best judge when it comes to swords I'm afraid," I said.
The boy looked at me and smiled "oh yes that's right, I suppose it's quite unusual for a Selkie to use a sword isn't it?" I nodded, "maybe someday, I'll learn to use a racket, but for now it's probably best if I use the weapon I'm used to."
I nodded again "this should prove interesting." I thought.
***
My heart was pounding at the thought of battle, the adrenaline filled my body, with my weapon in hand and Seu Tara by my side I was ready for anything.
I was surprised by how long it took for the monsters to come into sight, the sun was beginning to set over the desert when I saw them, I counted fifty, mostly scorpions, but I was sure there were more.
"CHARGE!!" The elder bellowed, followed by numerous battle crys as every Selkie in the clearing ran towards their enemies.
As I drew closer I chose my target, a scorpion "better to start small," I thought. I raised my blade and brought it down, slicing through its tails and drowning it in its own poison. The excitement was overwhelming, my adrenaline high senses had me killing scorpions before they could emerge from under the sand. Suddenly a feirce wind stired the sand at my feet and I heard the sound of wings, soon the wind was so intense I could barely see.
"Gravity!" I heard a voice shout, almost instantly the wind stopped and an enormous Zu slammed to the ground and was swarmed by a group of warriors.
After many more scorpions I decided to go after a more challenging opponent, I scanned the battle field "jackpot! Chimera!" I thought charging my new foe, I leapt and swung my blade at the beast's head, but I only removed the tip of a horn as it jumped away. I hit the ground harder than expected, pain shot through my leg and I realised the chimera's serpentine tail latched on to my ankel, just as I severed the tail the chimera lunged at me with its uncut horn. I was unable to move my sword to defend, my damaged leg wouldn't permit me to leap away, all I could do was stare as death approached.
Suddenly the beast flew backwards as if struck with great force, it landed in the sand, stone dead. I turned to thank my savior and saw Seu Tara standing behind me with her racket raised.
"That's the last of them then," she said, I looked around and to my surprise it was true; all around there was nothing to be seen but dead monsters and exausted Selkies. Seu Tara helped me up and walked me back to the village.
