Dreams were said to be the window of the soul, and for Julia, her dreams had often been her source for inspiration. She had never written another song that matched the status "Eyes on Me" achieved, but that didn't stop her from creating new songs and helping singers achieve their dreams.
One morning, she was busy crafting another song. She struggled to string the lyrics that would reflect her vision. "and so it goes… on and on…if I should leave...this loneliness behind..."
"What's the title?"
Startled, Julia turned her head to see Caraway standing beside her. "You surprised me!"
"I just wanted to surprise you." He lightly dropped a peck on her cheek. "What's the title of your next song?"
She crinkled her brows. "I don't know… does Melodies of Life sound nice?"
"Anything you create is brilliant." he grinned. "Where did you get the inspiration for that song?"
"Oh, I had a dream about a young man with tail who was about to save princess from killing herself. He runs to her only to find out she was going to cut her hair."
"Wow. What a dream! And where does the song fit?"
She laughed. "It would make a great background theme, wouldn't it?"
He embraced her, and she savored his familiar scent. Safety. Warmth. Happiness.
Caraway had further risen in the Galbadia Military and was assigned to even more grueling tasks. But that didn't stop him from seeking or spending time with his family.
"I'm sad I can't spend more time with you and Rinoa."
She kissed him. "Don't be. I married you with the knowledge that you married the Galbadia first."
He grumbled.
"I love you, Fury. Your job wouldn't make me love you less." She assured him.
He looked into her eyes and hoarsely murmured, "They're going to send me to Trabia for a couple of days. I'm going to miss you."
"Oh, darling."
Every lovemaking experience with her husband had been wonderful; and She relished every memory she had lain in his arms and cried out for her joy.
He had just reached his own climax when she unexpectedly wondered if the experience would be the same with him.
No. Why am I even thinking of him right now.
She loved her husband, and she had loved a young soldier named Laguna Loire.
She had loved both men differently, and her fate was with the man whose arms she laid in.
It was dark when Julia opened her eyes. She was all alone in their bedroom. Caraway had tucked her beneath the blanket and left a rose with a note by the bedside table.
"It gets better and better."
Fury
She smile at the gesture. lucky bastard.
Knock. Knock.
"Mommy, can Rinoa come in?"
"Come in, dear."
Rinoa eagerly entered her room. She mused how she was the mother an energetic and bubbly preschooler. The tiny girl was her exact replica. "Mommy, read Rinoa a story!"
"What story?"
"The Sorceress Knight!"
"Sorceress what?"
"Sorceress Knight!" Rinoa handed her a badly worn magazine… and it looked familiar.
Wasn't this the magazine Fury read years ago?
She held the magazine in her hands. "But this isn't a story book, Rinoa."
"Sorceress Knight!" she repeated, not hearing her mother's protests.
Caraway was not fond of the Sorceress Knight movie. He had banned Rinoa from seeing it and Julia herself had no interest in watching an independent film. How could her daughter gotten the idea of the "Sorceress Knight?"
She casually flipped through the worn pages of the thick volume. It was an old Timber Maniacs magazine dated 4 years ago. Some of the entries were illegible. The pages were badly worn that the other pages had already fallen apart. As if Ifrit had poured Hell's Fire. She wondered where Rinoa could have found such a worn out magazine
"But there's no Sorceress Knight here darling." She reasoned, hoping her daughter would forget about the fictional hero.
Rinoa frowned and snatched the magazine from her. The girl flipped through the pages and found what she was looking for. Satisfied, she returned the magazine and pointed at the face of the Knight that had captured her five-year old heart and squealed. "Sorceress Knight!"
Julia took the magazine once more, and she was unprepared for the sight that greeted her. Laguna. It was ironic that the Knight who had captured her daughter's heart was also the same one who captured Julia's years ago.
She couldn't understand the torrent of emotions that fluttered across her heart as her eyes skimmed the text.
Ex-Galbadian Soldier and the Sorceress Knight Star Laguna Loire Reveals All.
The triumphs and heartbreak of the young president who rose from obscurity to become the most powerful man in Esthar
Interviewer: It's great to have you Mr. President!
Laguna: (laughs) Just call me Laguna, Mr. President feels awkward. I'm still getting used to it.
Interviewer: Certainly Laguna! We'd like to thank you for having an interview. We know it's a pretty hectic time for a president.
Laguna : Nah, no worries! Its all about learning and setting your priorities. And I always wanted to be interviewed by Timber Maniacs! Man, I read your stuff even while I was still a soldier.
Interviewer: We're glad to know that you're a TM Fan! So how does it feel like to be the newly elected president of Esthar? Would you care to share how you rose to such power?
Laguna: Well, it's hard. Nobody tells you how hard it is, but it's hard! I never really expected to be the President. I'm just some dude from Winhill who went to Esthar to rescue my Ellone. I ran out of funds and agreed to star in an indie film (coughs) "Sorceress Knight". I earned enough cash to continue my journey. I found Ellone but I had to send the Sorceress to the moon first.
Interviewer: What an adventure! You became a Sorceress' Defender to a Sorceress's Slayer! So I'm curious, who is this "Ellone"? Is she a lover?
Laguna: Haha. Oh no! Ellone is a little kid who found me when I was washed ashore in Winhill.
Interviewer: Washed ashore? So you're not from Winhill? Do tell Mr. Laguna!
Laguna: It's a long story. But years ago, I was a Captain from Galbadia. I was deployed to inspect a ruins nears Centra. My group was cornered and the best option was to jump off a cliff. I had a bad landing though. My leg cramped and I hit a rock during my fall.. The next thing I knew I woke up in a town called Winhill.
Interviewer: So Ellone was the one who nursed you?
Laguna: No, it was my wife Raine who nursed me.
Julia stopped reading. Wife. It hurt. Even though it shouldn't hurt her. She didn't stop reading the interview. She couldn't stop. She wanted to know what had happened to the man who left her.
Interviewer: Married! Oh yes, that explains the wedding band on your hand. Would you care to tell us your love story?
Laguna: Ah… so where was I? Right, I woke up a couple of weeks later. Months, actually. I had a pretty long sleep, huh? Turns out Raine nursed me. Winhill was infested with monsters back then, and I decided to stay and exterminate them. Raine and I bantered like cats and dogs. But I eventually developed feelings for her. We got married and started a little family with Ellone. It didn't last long. Adel's men came back to Winhill and kidnapped her.
Interviewer: and we all knew what happened. You rescued Ellone and became the Esthar president. But what happened to your wife? Why isn't she with you?
Laguna: I sent Ellone back to Winhill after I was elected. I.. received news that Raine died.
Interviewer: Oh! I'm sorry. My condolences.
Laguna: And we were just about to start to have a family… so if you ever have a wife, always love her, okay?
Interviwer: you betcha! But don't mind if I ask, was there any woman before you met your wife?
Laguna: Yes.. yes there was. Before I was deployed, I spent a wonderful everning with her. She wasn't my girlfriend, but I loved her. Military men receive a promise ring after graduation. I gave mine to hers. I even gave her My Promise Ring. I wanted to return to her after the mission. But….
Interviewer: But?
Laguna: I wrote her several letters. Never got a reply. When I recovered from my injuries, I wrote her a lot of letters… Still no response. I sent it to where she worked, I asked the Galbadians stationed in Winhill. No response. Months later, I learned she married someone else.
Interviewer: Yikes. Now that hurt! So was it your broken heart that led you to your deceased wife's arms?
Laguna: Raine was… Raine was irritated with me, but she always supported me. Eventually I saw good qualities with her, that I wanted her to be my wife. Ah please don't think I used her to forget my pain with…. Her. I allowed myself to heal before I courted my wife. I wouldn't marry her knowing another woman stood in between us. I loved the one I left behind. In fact, in seemed like a dream. She was a very popular I was some dork who stood by the corner. I was so surprised that she wanted to talk to me. That was one of the best night of my life. Despite what happened, I'm still wish for her happiness.
Interviewer: Do you have any news about the ladylove you left, or who left you?
Laguna: She pursued her dream, and I heard she has a daughter. I'm actually very happy for her. I haven't written another letter.
Interviewer: Hm, why don't you think of this interview as your letter to her? What would you like to say?
Laguna: Her husband might get mad. (Laughs). I have a lot of respect for him. I always did, even when I was still in the Military Academy. No, I don't think she needs to read another letter from me. But if she does read this, then great! Always aim for your dreams. Don't chicken out!
Interviewer: And there we have it! Thank you very much for your giving us your precious time President Loire. We hope to have future interviews with you.
Julia held the magazine for quite sometime. Rinoa sensed and knew that her beautiful mother was no longer the same. "Mommy?"
"Call Uncle Hugo and give it to me when he answers." she instructed.
Hoping to please her mother, she ran to the telephone and dialed her uncle Hugo's number. Seconds later, Rinoa handed her mother the phone.
"Julia, what's wrong?"
"Sorceress Knight." She murmured. "The Sorceress Knight is alive."
Hugo dropped the call and Julia knew he understood what she meant.
The cryptic message wasn't cryptic. Hugo had dropped everything in his schedule and rushed to the Caraways' Mansion. The butler opened the door and welcomed him.
"I've come to see Julia."
"She's expecting you." The butler replied, and he guided Hugo to the Piano Room.
"Should I inform General Caraway that you're here?" the butler's voice trailed.
"It's better if you don't." he advised.
Julia was sitting by the Grand Piano. He noticed the badly worn Timber Maniacs Magazine in her hands.
"He's alive."
Julia looked at the magazine and smoothed the crinkled pages. "This was published a year after my marriage. It's odd. I know you collect magazines. The Galbadia has a lot of them. Why haven't you told me about this edition?
Silence.
The tear drops splattered on the page Laguna was featured. "I know it with my whole heart that I love my husband, yet I don't understand what I'm feeling right now. Something doesn't feel right! I don't understand why it took me four years to know that Laguna was still alive, that he had married a woman named Raine, that he became the President of Esthar…..that he had been writing me letters!"
Julia glared at him. "He wrote me letters…. Through you! Why didn't you give them to me?" She sobbed. "You knew how much I despaired when he he didn't come back. Give me his letters, Hugo! Give them to me!"
Hugo's face was unfailingly calm in her hysterics. He knew he could no longer hide from her the truth. "The letters no longer exist."
She wanted to punch him in the face. "Why?"
"He ordered them to be burned Julia."
"Who?" she demanded.
"Your husband." Hugo answered with brutal honesty.
Author's Note:
TADAH!
It's amazing how unexpected a piece of work unfolds itself. I originally planned this chapter to end... but scenarios popped up. Dialogues came out of nowhere, and the only choice I had was to write. The idea for Sorceress Knight came to me when I was reading the FF8 Wikipedia. Apparently, Seifer was inspired to be a Sorceress Knight after watching The Movie. When I learned it was Laguna who played the hero (I can't remember other details from the game now). I knew I found a plot device to let Julia know how Laguna was still alive!
My original plan was that Julia and Rinoa would be at a bookstore. Julia would find a Timber Maniacs magazine, read it and discover Laguna was still alive. When the Sorceress Knight idea came up, I knew Rinoa would be the one who would give her the info that Laguna was still alive. Hence, the scenes written in this chapter!
One thing that didn't change was the magazine interview in this story. I knew I had to keep it. And I'm glad I did! :D
Your Eyes on Me is about to end. It has one chapter and one epilogue left.
Everything will be revealed in the next chapter, and the epilogue is going to wrap everything neatly.
Thank you for reading this story!
** Another note:
I've rewritten earlier chapters to enhance the story experience. I've changed some titles as well (chapter 1).
I also have plans to compile this story and publish it (for free, of course!) on Amazon, or host it on my own blog .