Freya Crescent
Feb 10, 2013 19:31:21 GMT -6
Post by Freya on Feb 10, 2013 19:31:21 GMT -6
U-uh, Excuse me, kupo? What's your name, kupo?
A moogle?
Freya hefted her spear over one shoulder, smiling a little at the familiar sight.
"My name is Lady Freya Crescent."
Is that what everyone calls you, kupo?
"Simply 'Freya' will do." She replied, crouching down to the moogle's level.
They were fairly common back home, but nowadays it was rare to see one wander past the safety of its shop.
A sight for sore eyes,indeed-any reminder of home was a pleasant surprise.
That's a great name for a girl, kupo! You... are a girl, aren't you, kupo?
My,wasn't this question familiar...many people,for whatever reason, found it difficult to differentiate between male and female Dragon Knights, quite possible due to their bulky uniforms."Yes,I believe I am.Do you mean to tell me I look like a man?"
She meant as a joke,but it still irked her a little that it was apparently so difficult to tell...
O-of course! I was just... messing around, kupo! Ahem. Anyway, kupo. Uh. How old are you, kupo?
Freya's lips twitched upwards a little. "Don't you know that it's rude to ask a lady's age?" She straightened her helmet. "I am one and twenty years old,if you must know."
Really? Everyone lately seems to be strange, kupo... so... no offense...but what species are you, kupo?
"I am," She said,standing and drawing herself up to her full height,"A Burmecian. I...take it you have not seen any others like me,then."
She looked away. It was a long shot,but it had been a while since she'd seen any of her own people. Any news would have at least helped put her mind at rest...
I knew that... It's just this light in here, kupo... my eyes can't focus... what do you look like, kupo?
Freya stepped forward.
"Is that any better?"
I-interesting...Which world is your home, kupo?
"I come from the kingdom of Burmecia,on Gaia."
I see... That's an interesting looking weapon, kupo. What do you call it, kupo?
"This is my javelin,"she said,fondness showing through her voice as she held the weapon out for the moogle to see.
"No two dragon knight's spears are the same. The Royal Armoury makes them all unique,however small the difference."
Cool! Do you know any attacks, kupo?
"Well,I wouldn't make a very good knight if I didn't know my way around a blade..."
She looked around. No;it would be simply reckless to demonstrate any attacks in this area.
"I will describe them to the best of my ability,then."
That's not bad, kupo..! Can you tell me anything about your past, kupo?
“My past? Where to begin...” Taking a deep breath, the Dragon Knight began to recount her story.
“I do not ever remember a time when I did not want to be a dragon knight,” She admitted,looking towards the sky, "and there was certainly enough incentive for me to become one. Dragon knights are the protectors of Burmecia, and though the war with Alexandria had ended six years before my time,it had not been forgotten." She shifted her feet to a slightly more comfortable stance,her spear weighing on her shoulder. It was probably best not to go into the politics of the time. If the moogle had never heard of Burmecia, it probably wouldn't care for the kingdom's relations with other countries.
"Dragon knights were still needed, so I trained,and earnt my place among Burmecia's protectors. It was here that I met him." Freya paused, not particularly comfortable with the next subject and not entirely sure why she was talking about it with a moogle.
"Sir Iron-Tail Fratley. He was not much older than me, and yet was legendary in our ranks for his skill. We...fell in love."
She closed her eyes. "But the mists of war still hung over the three kingdoms.Sir Fratley recognised this, and left on a journey to improve his skills for when Burmecia would need them most. I did not take his departure...well." She admitted.
"I was but a selfish child back then, growing up in peace and knowing nothing of the darkness but the type settles after sunset and has no reason to be feared. I let my heart get in the way of my duties and left Burmecia, vowing not to come back until I had found him.
She almost laughed. "I am not quite sure what I thought when I did that. Maybe I thought that if I could find him, we could exchange vows in front of Master Gizamaluke, and live in peace.I travelled far and wide for any word, and trace of him. I met so many people, but all they told me was rumours of his death and all they showed me were his footprints. Five years I went on like this and all I had to show for my efforts were shadows. I spent more time in pubs than I care to remember,but it was in one such establishment in Lindblum that I met the person who would set me back on track.
Freya smiled slightly. It hadn't been a great reunion;he was a friend she'd made on her last visit to Lindblum, and the first thing she did was offer to kick his butt.
"He was a brilliant actor and a terrible flirt, and a better friend than anything else. Zidane Tribal has a habit of making friends wherever he goes with almost everyone he meets,even if they happen to be jaded Burmecian knights with a slight chip on their shoulder."
She started slightly. "Ah! I do apologise; I believe I've deviated from the story a little. We both took part in the Festival of the Hunt,but the celebrations that followed were interrupted by a Burmecian solidier. I know not how he managed to make his way to Lindblum with his injuries,but he managed to deliver his message before he passed on. In my absence, Burmecia had been besieged. I could ignore my duties no longer: my homeland was in peril and what else could I do but rush to protect it? The destruction at Gizamaluke's Grotto should have been warning enough."
"I was a fool." She said quietly. "When we arrived, there was nothing left but a shadow. Brahne had set her sights on Burmecia, and had brought my nation to its knees with an army of black mages. I was a fool," she reiterated, "for not listening to the rumours that she might invade. I was a fool for thinking that I myself would be enough where the Burmecian army had failed. Even with Zidane, Vivi and Quina, I was too late. The black mages knew no mercy - civilians lay fallen in the streets and in their homes where their families hadn't escaped fast enough. Man or woman, young or old,soldier or civilian, none were different in Brahne's eyes. It was a massacre, and we didn't stand a chance against her."
Freya looked down, and thought of blood on stone pavements mixing with rain, and the despair that lay thick and heavy in the sodden air. No; Freya would not forget that day anytime soon.
"For you see, Brahne had taken with her her general, a woman feared across the continent as the strongest swordsman that lives. She was unmatched in battle, was general Beatrix, and-" Her claws clenched into fists around her spear. "-she toyed with us. Struck as down where we stood and, by some whim of fate, left us barely alive. I...I retained consciousness just long enough to see That Man leave, Kuja. The mastermind behind these pointless wars. The only good thing to come of this was that the King-Reis bless his soul-and many of the Burmecians had escaped to Cleyra. The city of illusion, impenetrable and pacifist. Surely,I had thought,the King would be safe there."
Freya laughed,but there was no humour to be found in her voice. "Again,I was a fool. We dragged ourselves across the border and found a way into the city. The tempest that protected Cleyra had begun to subside - we made our way up the trunk, fearing Brahne or Kuja had reached there before us. But the town was safe, and within it the King and many refugees were unharmed. By the Gods, Cleyra was beautiful. It did not, though, last forever.
She paused,breathing deeply. It wasn't easy to tell this story; the wounds weren't yet entirely healed and her failure still stung in her mind.
"Brahne, who else? With Kuja and his black mages, they must have done the same to the Antlion that they did to Master Gizamaluke, drove it berserk and made it turn on it's masters. We defeated it and saved Prince Puck, and I resolved to protect Cleyra where I had failed Burmecia. I couldn't fail again.
I partook in an ancient ceremony to strengthen the sandstorm-a dance, one old enough that it was shared by both kingdoms. As a dragon knight, they thought I would be able to help boost the power even further, but something went wrong. I often wondered if it was I who caused the strings to snap or the crystal to fail, but I didn't miss a step. When we went down to the trunk to find the cause, we found an ambush. Alexandrian soldiers had crawled up the trunks, a diversion for the black mages invading above. We ran back up, tried to get to the cathedral as fast as we could to protect any survivors but we were surrounded. We couldn't...we couldn't protect the Cleyrans and ourselves at the same time."
Freya closed her eyes.
"Then, after all those year, he came back. When I needed him most, Fratley was there, with us in Cleyra. He'd left to become stronger. And oh,he had-he cut through the black mages as easily as if they were Mu's. Oh, Fratley...He had not appeared to have aged a day since I last saw him. But he had, so much. Something had happened to him,something terrible enough to make him forget his own past. He forgot his achievements, his family, his love. I'd found only footprints of him before, echoes in the ground where he'd been long ago. But what stood in front of me then was a shadow of the Fratley I had known. For so long I'd dreamed of our reunion, and we found it amongst death and destruction and he didn't even remember my name. I wish...I wish he had been rude, or angry, so I could have retaliated. He was...sorry. Sorry for something he could not remember. So I let go. I was happy in the knowledge that he still lived, that my search was over at long last. But the price was too high."
Freya remembered that she had cried, then. All she'd dreamt of, all she'd worked towards and searched for had been torn away in a matter of minutes. Freya was reserved. Freya was stoic and Freya was a Dragon Knight but she'd lost her composure for a few, horrible minutes when her world came crashing down about her ears.
"It's ironic,is it not? I finally found him;the man whom I have dreamt of endlessly, and he could not even recall my name. I didn't go after him. I had missed my chance when he left Burmecia, to go after him now would be a fool's errand."
She laughed slightly.
"I could not save Burmecia. Fratley was lost to me and I failed Cleyra in the end, too. General Beatrix beat us down once more and I don't remember hating anyone more in my life that I hated her then. When Brahne was done with Cleyra, all that was left was a burning stump were that beautiful place had once been. After that, we made out way to Alexandria as stowaways, to save Dagger. I swore revenge against Brahne and Beatrix on there, but again, we arrived too late. I wondered," She almost laughed,"If I was cursed. The princess lay motionless in her room, and Kuja was to blame.We could not save her, but our enemy could. I put aside my differences with the general that had destroyed my kingdom so that we may save Dagger and everyone else. It wasn't easy, but our friends escaped. I remained in Alexandria while Zidane and our friends made their way to the outer continent. Just like Zidane - he managed to pick up more friends on an almost deserted continent." Shaking her head, she smiled slightly. " One of which was rather insufferable, I can tell you. Not many can manage to be such a pain in the rear and a good friend as Amarant Coral. Ah, but don't tell him I said so-I would never hear the end of it. Zidane stopped us from fighting at the Alexandrian harbour and I'd like to think that we got off on a rather good foot. Why, he was almost nice to me in Treno! Reis knows that affection from Coral is about as common as a Friendly Yan..."
"From there onwards, it was a race against time to try and stop Kuja. He destroyed Alexandria and when we went after him, he managed to trap us and coerce Zidane into retrieving an item for him." She shook her head in disgust. "We began to find out his true intentions. For you see, Kuja wasn't just an arms dealer. He was an angel of death from another world called Gaia, sent to incite war and destruction to help replace Gaia's souls with those of Terra... It was certainly a lot of effort to find this, too - we had to break the seal keeping Gaia and Terra separate, and travel to the other world. Here, Zidane found the truth of his origins. Like Kuja, he had been created help Terra assimilate Gaia. There were more like him, fellow Genomes, but...they were empty. Soulless. Zidane confronted their-his-creator and after the nature of his past was revealed, he lost himself a little. The great Zidane Tribal, who lead us all through thick and thin, through Oilevert and Ipsen's Castle and the near destruction of the Mist Continent rather lost his way for a moment.Who wouldn't? It didn't take long to convince him that he wasn't alone, however. From there, we all went together to take down Garland and save our planet."
Freya smiled. "From there, things passed rather quickly. It was Kuja who killed Garland, before finding out that his lifespan was limited. His motivations changed from ruling the world to destroying it very fast after that. He tranced, and we managed to escape before he destroyed Terra itself. When we returned to Gaia, we followed him at the Iifa tree. With the Mist once more coating the world, where else could he be? We ended up in the Crystal World, the origin of both our planet and countless others, and we planned to end this, once and for all. If he destroyed the crystal, he would destroy everything. In his desperation, he used Ultima on us, and everything faded to black. It wasn't over, though; Kuja's madness had summoned Necron-Death himself. We fought - we fought and we won - and ended up back on Gaia at the Iifa tree. Zidane stayed behind to try and find Kuja and the rest of us parted ways."
She sighed. It certainly was a long story, and to try and do it justice would require more breath than she wished to spare here.
"I returned to Burmecia. Prince Puck crowned King, and I a hero. Fratley was waiting for me, and we rebuilt best we could. Cleyra was little more than a blackened stump, but Burmecia could be helped. Together, we could make up for failing to protect our country before. We could rebuild our relationship, try and recover any memories he had left. He said he loved me, but he still did not remember. It was him," she said, gesturing to her tail," that gave me this ribbon. Although it seemed familiar to him he couldn't even remember-"
She shook herself. No use getting upset over it, after all. He'd lost the one she'd given him, but she still wore that strip of fabric proudly on her tail.
"-Well, the time came that we would all reunite in Alexandria to watch a production of of 'I Want To Be Your Canary.' It was somewhat unspoken that this was to commemorate Zidane, too. He had not yet returned from the Iifa tree, and we had begun to fear the worst- Dagger had taken it the worst out of all of us, I think.
"I bid farewell to Burmecia, and made my way towards Alexandria.
Like Burmecia, it had rebuilt since I last saw it, and was doing well under Dagger's rule. Steiner and Beatrix had finall got together - I believe Zidane would have teased him terribly if he had been there- and Eiko had been adopted by Regent Cid and Lady Hilda Garde. Amarant was his usual antisocial self, and Quina was doing what s/he did best. Vivi...Vivi was with us no longer, but his sons made the trip to the performance. It was a rather good show, to be honest; Tantalus are as good as actors as they are thieves. It figures Zidane would make such an entrance too, waiting until the very climax of the play to reveal himself."
Freya laughed.
"I've never seen Dagger run quite so fast before. The two embraced in front of the whole of Alexandria, and it was quite the end to the reunion. But I never made it back to Burmecia."
She paused, wondering quite how to explain this. "By the time I reached Popos Heights, I could sense something was not quite right. Darkness had covered the land, far too early for the time of year. And the dragons...Something had turned them mad." She shuddered. "The Grand Dragons-I've never seen them so enraged. I tried to get back to Gizamaluke's Grotto to see if the moogles knew anything but I passed out before I could reach it. I woke up in an unfamiliar land, and I've been searching for my home and friends ever since..."
Hmm... well, could you tell me what kind of person you are, kupo?
"I would say that I was the amiable sort, but I have been told that I am sometimes a little confrontational at times." She laughed inwardly. She had quite a temper when riled, and she was sure that most of her friendships had started with some form of a fight. "Given that I am not insulted, I am usually rather level-headed. As a dragon knight of Burmecia, I would be a liability in the field if I let my heart get in my head too often but perhaps..." she thought for a moment of Zidane, who would rush headfirst into any chance to protect his friends, consequences be damned, "it would not be all that bad if I let it, once in while..."
Freya will usually use rather formal,almost elevated language, but will occasionally break from it if annoyed in favour of more usual speech. Almost loyal to a fault, Freya will go to great lengths to protect her friends and country. Although the despair she feels at her previous failure to protect Sir Fratley and Burmecia weighs heavily on her, she keeps it to herself for the most part. As a dragon knight, she is also sworn to help those in need.
...Oh, kupo... Then... what side do you fight for, kupo?[/color][/b]
"My loyalty lies with Burmecia, but I fight for my friends and myself,too."
I don't mean to seem like I'm prying, but what dreams and aspirations do you have, kupo?
Well,Freya wished for a lot of things. She dreamed of a happier time buried far in her past sometimes, before darkness and fire and smoke coiled above Burmecia, before Fratley left or, sometimes, before she found him in Cleyra.
Would it have been better to travel forever, to never find him but be safe in the knowledge that she was still dear to his heart and in his memories?
Sometimes, just sometimes, she wished she'd found his bones, bleached and bare and picked clean in some Reis-forsaken desert. At least then she would have had closure. The Fratley that walked with her during the rebuilding of Burmecia sometimes seemed like a stranger wearing his name and face. He didn't remember, and she tried in vain to find any pieces of the Iron-Tail she remembered that still remained.
"I wish to better myself as a knight, to find my friends and see Burmecia in its full glory once more," she said finally,
"and...to never be forgotten..."
Ah, that makes sense, kupo... sorta... well, what do you like, kupo?
"I like a good pillow under my head every once in a while," She said. "As much as I love travelling, I often miss my home and its comforts. Tea tastes so much better when brewed properly over a stove..."
And oh, how she missed home,sometimes. Burmecia was in every downpour when she slept under the stars, every tea leaf dried and soaked and strained and it was set into her bones, like her friends were etched into her very heart. There was an undeniable pull she felt, a longing for that blasted land of eternal rain or the comrades she'd fought alongside.
Still, Freya was a knight, and knights do not bow to despair.
She would find them soon,she was sure...
Me too! Then, what do you dislike, kupo?
"I do not wish to be forgotten." She said quietly. "To leave this world and having left not even a footprint in the sand..." If she ever died, she wanted to at least live on in the memories of those around her, for there to be something to be remembered by.
"For I fear that to be forgotten...is worse than death."
I'll remember that... what's your weakness, kupo?
"My weakness?" Freya held her hand to her chin in thought. "Why, it would have to be this... separation from all I know. At least back home, I knew that home was always there for when I decided to return. My friends I knew were safe and Fratley and I were together once more,but none of that is certain anymore..."
N-not that I'd ever attempt to use that against you or anything, kupo...! Er... next question! W-what is your strength, kupo?
"My strength would be what has been keeping me going for all this time,"she murmured. "Whenever I begin to waver, or cast doubts upon myself,I simply have to think of what it is that I'm fighting to regain." The grip on her spear grew tighter. "Burmecia, Sir Fratley... I have failed to protect them before,and by Reis I will not let it happen again."
I never would have guessed, kupo! So, tell me, kupo.. What's the secret password, kupo?
ADMIN BLOCKED
Ah, well I am afraid I must go, kupo. One last question before I do, kupo. How did you find your way here, kupo?
I stumbled upon it whilst looking for a good roleplay site on Google!
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Cbox/User Name: Freya
Current Characters Accepted: N/A
(Gosh, my word count on this is higher than all my english coursework thus far combined. If only Victorian literature was as fun to write about...)
A moogle?
Freya hefted her spear over one shoulder, smiling a little at the familiar sight.
"My name is Lady Freya Crescent."
Is that what everyone calls you, kupo?
"Simply 'Freya' will do." She replied, crouching down to the moogle's level.
They were fairly common back home, but nowadays it was rare to see one wander past the safety of its shop.
A sight for sore eyes,indeed-any reminder of home was a pleasant surprise.
That's a great name for a girl, kupo! You... are a girl, aren't you, kupo?
My,wasn't this question familiar...many people,for whatever reason, found it difficult to differentiate between male and female Dragon Knights, quite possible due to their bulky uniforms."Yes,I believe I am.Do you mean to tell me I look like a man?"
She meant as a joke,but it still irked her a little that it was apparently so difficult to tell...
O-of course! I was just... messing around, kupo! Ahem. Anyway, kupo. Uh. How old are you, kupo?
Freya's lips twitched upwards a little. "Don't you know that it's rude to ask a lady's age?" She straightened her helmet. "I am one and twenty years old,if you must know."
Really? Everyone lately seems to be strange, kupo... so... no offense...but what species are you, kupo?
"I am," She said,standing and drawing herself up to her full height,"A Burmecian. I...take it you have not seen any others like me,then."
She looked away. It was a long shot,but it had been a while since she'd seen any of her own people. Any news would have at least helped put her mind at rest...
I knew that... It's just this light in here, kupo... my eyes can't focus... what do you look like, kupo?
Freya stepped forward.
"Is that any better?"
I-interesting...Which world is your home, kupo?
"I come from the kingdom of Burmecia,on Gaia."
I see... That's an interesting looking weapon, kupo. What do you call it, kupo?
"This is my javelin,"she said,fondness showing through her voice as she held the weapon out for the moogle to see.
"No two dragon knight's spears are the same. The Royal Armoury makes them all unique,however small the difference."
Cool! Do you know any attacks, kupo?
"Well,I wouldn't make a very good knight if I didn't know my way around a blade..."
She looked around. No;it would be simply reckless to demonstrate any attacks in this area.
"I will describe them to the best of my ability,then."
- Jump
"I could not call myself a Dragoon if I didn't know how to do this..."
Freya jumps high into the air,for a turn making herself impervious from ground-based attacks for a post,but more vulnerable to any in the air. When she has finished charging her attack, she launches a spear of energy down on her foe and returns to the ground.
Damage: Medium
Cooldown: 3 posts - Reis's Wind
Freya prays to Reis to cast regen. Restores 4 HP to herself and allies every post until its end.
Duration: 3 posts.
Cooldown: 6 posts. - Dragon Breath
Calls on power of dragons to unleash a gale of scalding air at the enemy.
Damage: High.
Cooldown: 6 posts. - Cherry Blossom
Throws her spear at the enemy, unleashing a storm of razor-sharp petals around the enemy.
Range: short
Damage: Medium.
Cooldown: 5 posts. - Lancer
Freya leaps forward and slashes at the enemy in an attack that may drain MP as well as health.
Range: Medium.
Damage: Low.
Cooldown: 3 posts. - Trance!
"I can only use this in times of great need...It does,however,give me access to a dragon knight's most powerful skills."
Allows Freya access to High Jump (see below)
Cooldown: 10 posts - High Jump
Boosted version of Jump. Freya jumps far higher and releases a hail of energy spears every two spears. Not particularly accurate or powerful, but they lead up to a final dive that deals extreme damage if it hits.
(Only available while in Trance)
Duration: 6 posts
Damage: Extreme
When finished, High Jump automatically ends Trance. - Dragon's Crest
"The more dragons I've slain,the more powerful this technique becomes..."
Calling upon her abilities as a dragon knight and the dragons she has slain, Freya inscribes a crest on the ground that unleashes an immense magical attack on her foe.
(Due to the amount of dragons she has killed thus far, the damage is currently at medium,but may rise to high if she kills a fair few dragons on boards)
Damage: Medium
Cooldown: 6 posts
That's not bad, kupo..! Can you tell me anything about your past, kupo?
“My past? Where to begin...” Taking a deep breath, the Dragon Knight began to recount her story.
“I do not ever remember a time when I did not want to be a dragon knight,” She admitted,looking towards the sky, "and there was certainly enough incentive for me to become one. Dragon knights are the protectors of Burmecia, and though the war with Alexandria had ended six years before my time,it had not been forgotten." She shifted her feet to a slightly more comfortable stance,her spear weighing on her shoulder. It was probably best not to go into the politics of the time. If the moogle had never heard of Burmecia, it probably wouldn't care for the kingdom's relations with other countries.
"Dragon knights were still needed, so I trained,and earnt my place among Burmecia's protectors. It was here that I met him." Freya paused, not particularly comfortable with the next subject and not entirely sure why she was talking about it with a moogle.
"Sir Iron-Tail Fratley. He was not much older than me, and yet was legendary in our ranks for his skill. We...fell in love."
She closed her eyes. "But the mists of war still hung over the three kingdoms.Sir Fratley recognised this, and left on a journey to improve his skills for when Burmecia would need them most. I did not take his departure...well." She admitted.
"I was but a selfish child back then, growing up in peace and knowing nothing of the darkness but the type settles after sunset and has no reason to be feared. I let my heart get in the way of my duties and left Burmecia, vowing not to come back until I had found him.
She almost laughed. "I am not quite sure what I thought when I did that. Maybe I thought that if I could find him, we could exchange vows in front of Master Gizamaluke, and live in peace.I travelled far and wide for any word, and trace of him. I met so many people, but all they told me was rumours of his death and all they showed me were his footprints. Five years I went on like this and all I had to show for my efforts were shadows. I spent more time in pubs than I care to remember,but it was in one such establishment in Lindblum that I met the person who would set me back on track.
Freya smiled slightly. It hadn't been a great reunion;he was a friend she'd made on her last visit to Lindblum, and the first thing she did was offer to kick his butt.
"He was a brilliant actor and a terrible flirt, and a better friend than anything else. Zidane Tribal has a habit of making friends wherever he goes with almost everyone he meets,even if they happen to be jaded Burmecian knights with a slight chip on their shoulder."
She started slightly. "Ah! I do apologise; I believe I've deviated from the story a little. We both took part in the Festival of the Hunt,but the celebrations that followed were interrupted by a Burmecian solidier. I know not how he managed to make his way to Lindblum with his injuries,but he managed to deliver his message before he passed on. In my absence, Burmecia had been besieged. I could ignore my duties no longer: my homeland was in peril and what else could I do but rush to protect it? The destruction at Gizamaluke's Grotto should have been warning enough."
"I was a fool." She said quietly. "When we arrived, there was nothing left but a shadow. Brahne had set her sights on Burmecia, and had brought my nation to its knees with an army of black mages. I was a fool," she reiterated, "for not listening to the rumours that she might invade. I was a fool for thinking that I myself would be enough where the Burmecian army had failed. Even with Zidane, Vivi and Quina, I was too late. The black mages knew no mercy - civilians lay fallen in the streets and in their homes where their families hadn't escaped fast enough. Man or woman, young or old,soldier or civilian, none were different in Brahne's eyes. It was a massacre, and we didn't stand a chance against her."
Freya looked down, and thought of blood on stone pavements mixing with rain, and the despair that lay thick and heavy in the sodden air. No; Freya would not forget that day anytime soon.
"For you see, Brahne had taken with her her general, a woman feared across the continent as the strongest swordsman that lives. She was unmatched in battle, was general Beatrix, and-" Her claws clenched into fists around her spear. "-she toyed with us. Struck as down where we stood and, by some whim of fate, left us barely alive. I...I retained consciousness just long enough to see That Man leave, Kuja. The mastermind behind these pointless wars. The only good thing to come of this was that the King-Reis bless his soul-and many of the Burmecians had escaped to Cleyra. The city of illusion, impenetrable and pacifist. Surely,I had thought,the King would be safe there."
Freya laughed,but there was no humour to be found in her voice. "Again,I was a fool. We dragged ourselves across the border and found a way into the city. The tempest that protected Cleyra had begun to subside - we made our way up the trunk, fearing Brahne or Kuja had reached there before us. But the town was safe, and within it the King and many refugees were unharmed. By the Gods, Cleyra was beautiful. It did not, though, last forever.
She paused,breathing deeply. It wasn't easy to tell this story; the wounds weren't yet entirely healed and her failure still stung in her mind.
"Brahne, who else? With Kuja and his black mages, they must have done the same to the Antlion that they did to Master Gizamaluke, drove it berserk and made it turn on it's masters. We defeated it and saved Prince Puck, and I resolved to protect Cleyra where I had failed Burmecia. I couldn't fail again.
I partook in an ancient ceremony to strengthen the sandstorm-a dance, one old enough that it was shared by both kingdoms. As a dragon knight, they thought I would be able to help boost the power even further, but something went wrong. I often wondered if it was I who caused the strings to snap or the crystal to fail, but I didn't miss a step. When we went down to the trunk to find the cause, we found an ambush. Alexandrian soldiers had crawled up the trunks, a diversion for the black mages invading above. We ran back up, tried to get to the cathedral as fast as we could to protect any survivors but we were surrounded. We couldn't...we couldn't protect the Cleyrans and ourselves at the same time."
Freya closed her eyes.
"Then, after all those year, he came back. When I needed him most, Fratley was there, with us in Cleyra. He'd left to become stronger. And oh,he had-he cut through the black mages as easily as if they were Mu's. Oh, Fratley...He had not appeared to have aged a day since I last saw him. But he had, so much. Something had happened to him,something terrible enough to make him forget his own past. He forgot his achievements, his family, his love. I'd found only footprints of him before, echoes in the ground where he'd been long ago. But what stood in front of me then was a shadow of the Fratley I had known. For so long I'd dreamed of our reunion, and we found it amongst death and destruction and he didn't even remember my name. I wish...I wish he had been rude, or angry, so I could have retaliated. He was...sorry. Sorry for something he could not remember. So I let go. I was happy in the knowledge that he still lived, that my search was over at long last. But the price was too high."
Freya remembered that she had cried, then. All she'd dreamt of, all she'd worked towards and searched for had been torn away in a matter of minutes. Freya was reserved. Freya was stoic and Freya was a Dragon Knight but she'd lost her composure for a few, horrible minutes when her world came crashing down about her ears.
"It's ironic,is it not? I finally found him;the man whom I have dreamt of endlessly, and he could not even recall my name. I didn't go after him. I had missed my chance when he left Burmecia, to go after him now would be a fool's errand."
She laughed slightly.
"I could not save Burmecia. Fratley was lost to me and I failed Cleyra in the end, too. General Beatrix beat us down once more and I don't remember hating anyone more in my life that I hated her then. When Brahne was done with Cleyra, all that was left was a burning stump were that beautiful place had once been. After that, we made out way to Alexandria as stowaways, to save Dagger. I swore revenge against Brahne and Beatrix on there, but again, we arrived too late. I wondered," She almost laughed,"If I was cursed. The princess lay motionless in her room, and Kuja was to blame.We could not save her, but our enemy could. I put aside my differences with the general that had destroyed my kingdom so that we may save Dagger and everyone else. It wasn't easy, but our friends escaped. I remained in Alexandria while Zidane and our friends made their way to the outer continent. Just like Zidane - he managed to pick up more friends on an almost deserted continent." Shaking her head, she smiled slightly. " One of which was rather insufferable, I can tell you. Not many can manage to be such a pain in the rear and a good friend as Amarant Coral. Ah, but don't tell him I said so-I would never hear the end of it. Zidane stopped us from fighting at the Alexandrian harbour and I'd like to think that we got off on a rather good foot. Why, he was almost nice to me in Treno! Reis knows that affection from Coral is about as common as a Friendly Yan..."
"From there onwards, it was a race against time to try and stop Kuja. He destroyed Alexandria and when we went after him, he managed to trap us and coerce Zidane into retrieving an item for him." She shook her head in disgust. "We began to find out his true intentions. For you see, Kuja wasn't just an arms dealer. He was an angel of death from another world called Gaia, sent to incite war and destruction to help replace Gaia's souls with those of Terra... It was certainly a lot of effort to find this, too - we had to break the seal keeping Gaia and Terra separate, and travel to the other world. Here, Zidane found the truth of his origins. Like Kuja, he had been created help Terra assimilate Gaia. There were more like him, fellow Genomes, but...they were empty. Soulless. Zidane confronted their-his-creator and after the nature of his past was revealed, he lost himself a little. The great Zidane Tribal, who lead us all through thick and thin, through Oilevert and Ipsen's Castle and the near destruction of the Mist Continent rather lost his way for a moment.Who wouldn't? It didn't take long to convince him that he wasn't alone, however. From there, we all went together to take down Garland and save our planet."
Freya smiled. "From there, things passed rather quickly. It was Kuja who killed Garland, before finding out that his lifespan was limited. His motivations changed from ruling the world to destroying it very fast after that. He tranced, and we managed to escape before he destroyed Terra itself. When we returned to Gaia, we followed him at the Iifa tree. With the Mist once more coating the world, where else could he be? We ended up in the Crystal World, the origin of both our planet and countless others, and we planned to end this, once and for all. If he destroyed the crystal, he would destroy everything. In his desperation, he used Ultima on us, and everything faded to black. It wasn't over, though; Kuja's madness had summoned Necron-Death himself. We fought - we fought and we won - and ended up back on Gaia at the Iifa tree. Zidane stayed behind to try and find Kuja and the rest of us parted ways."
She sighed. It certainly was a long story, and to try and do it justice would require more breath than she wished to spare here.
"I returned to Burmecia. Prince Puck crowned King, and I a hero. Fratley was waiting for me, and we rebuilt best we could. Cleyra was little more than a blackened stump, but Burmecia could be helped. Together, we could make up for failing to protect our country before. We could rebuild our relationship, try and recover any memories he had left. He said he loved me, but he still did not remember. It was him," she said, gesturing to her tail," that gave me this ribbon. Although it seemed familiar to him he couldn't even remember-"
She shook herself. No use getting upset over it, after all. He'd lost the one she'd given him, but she still wore that strip of fabric proudly on her tail.
"-Well, the time came that we would all reunite in Alexandria to watch a production of of 'I Want To Be Your Canary.' It was somewhat unspoken that this was to commemorate Zidane, too. He had not yet returned from the Iifa tree, and we had begun to fear the worst- Dagger had taken it the worst out of all of us, I think.
"I bid farewell to Burmecia, and made my way towards Alexandria.
Like Burmecia, it had rebuilt since I last saw it, and was doing well under Dagger's rule. Steiner and Beatrix had finall got together - I believe Zidane would have teased him terribly if he had been there- and Eiko had been adopted by Regent Cid and Lady Hilda Garde. Amarant was his usual antisocial self, and Quina was doing what s/he did best. Vivi...Vivi was with us no longer, but his sons made the trip to the performance. It was a rather good show, to be honest; Tantalus are as good as actors as they are thieves. It figures Zidane would make such an entrance too, waiting until the very climax of the play to reveal himself."
Freya laughed.
"I've never seen Dagger run quite so fast before. The two embraced in front of the whole of Alexandria, and it was quite the end to the reunion. But I never made it back to Burmecia."
She paused, wondering quite how to explain this. "By the time I reached Popos Heights, I could sense something was not quite right. Darkness had covered the land, far too early for the time of year. And the dragons...Something had turned them mad." She shuddered. "The Grand Dragons-I've never seen them so enraged. I tried to get back to Gizamaluke's Grotto to see if the moogles knew anything but I passed out before I could reach it. I woke up in an unfamiliar land, and I've been searching for my home and friends ever since..."
Hmm... well, could you tell me what kind of person you are, kupo?
"I would say that I was the amiable sort, but I have been told that I am sometimes a little confrontational at times." She laughed inwardly. She had quite a temper when riled, and she was sure that most of her friendships had started with some form of a fight. "Given that I am not insulted, I am usually rather level-headed. As a dragon knight of Burmecia, I would be a liability in the field if I let my heart get in my head too often but perhaps..." she thought for a moment of Zidane, who would rush headfirst into any chance to protect his friends, consequences be damned, "it would not be all that bad if I let it, once in while..."
Freya will usually use rather formal,almost elevated language, but will occasionally break from it if annoyed in favour of more usual speech. Almost loyal to a fault, Freya will go to great lengths to protect her friends and country. Although the despair she feels at her previous failure to protect Sir Fratley and Burmecia weighs heavily on her, she keeps it to herself for the most part. As a dragon knight, she is also sworn to help those in need.
...Oh, kupo... Then... what side do you fight for, kupo?[/color][/b]
"My loyalty lies with Burmecia, but I fight for my friends and myself,too."
I don't mean to seem like I'm prying, but what dreams and aspirations do you have, kupo?
Well,Freya wished for a lot of things. She dreamed of a happier time buried far in her past sometimes, before darkness and fire and smoke coiled above Burmecia, before Fratley left or, sometimes, before she found him in Cleyra.
Would it have been better to travel forever, to never find him but be safe in the knowledge that she was still dear to his heart and in his memories?
Sometimes, just sometimes, she wished she'd found his bones, bleached and bare and picked clean in some Reis-forsaken desert. At least then she would have had closure. The Fratley that walked with her during the rebuilding of Burmecia sometimes seemed like a stranger wearing his name and face. He didn't remember, and she tried in vain to find any pieces of the Iron-Tail she remembered that still remained.
"I wish to better myself as a knight, to find my friends and see Burmecia in its full glory once more," she said finally,
"and...to never be forgotten..."
Ah, that makes sense, kupo... sorta... well, what do you like, kupo?
"I like a good pillow under my head every once in a while," She said. "As much as I love travelling, I often miss my home and its comforts. Tea tastes so much better when brewed properly over a stove..."
And oh, how she missed home,sometimes. Burmecia was in every downpour when she slept under the stars, every tea leaf dried and soaked and strained and it was set into her bones, like her friends were etched into her very heart. There was an undeniable pull she felt, a longing for that blasted land of eternal rain or the comrades she'd fought alongside.
Still, Freya was a knight, and knights do not bow to despair.
She would find them soon,she was sure...
Me too! Then, what do you dislike, kupo?
"I do not wish to be forgotten." She said quietly. "To leave this world and having left not even a footprint in the sand..." If she ever died, she wanted to at least live on in the memories of those around her, for there to be something to be remembered by.
"For I fear that to be forgotten...is worse than death."
I'll remember that... what's your weakness, kupo?
"My weakness?" Freya held her hand to her chin in thought. "Why, it would have to be this... separation from all I know. At least back home, I knew that home was always there for when I decided to return. My friends I knew were safe and Fratley and I were together once more,but none of that is certain anymore..."
N-not that I'd ever attempt to use that against you or anything, kupo...! Er... next question! W-what is your strength, kupo?
"My strength would be what has been keeping me going for all this time,"she murmured. "Whenever I begin to waver, or cast doubts upon myself,I simply have to think of what it is that I'm fighting to regain." The grip on her spear grew tighter. "Burmecia, Sir Fratley... I have failed to protect them before,and by Reis I will not let it happen again."
I never would have guessed, kupo! So, tell me, kupo.. What's the secret password, kupo?
ADMIN BLOCKED
Ah, well I am afraid I must go, kupo. One last question before I do, kupo. How did you find your way here, kupo?
I stumbled upon it whilst looking for a good roleplay site on Google!
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Cbox/User Name: Freya
Current Characters Accepted: N/A
(Gosh, my word count on this is higher than all my english coursework thus far combined. If only Victorian literature was as fun to write about...)