Origin of the Valkyrie Part 2 by Valkyrie Esker

"I wonder if anyone is home," Rythe thought aloud.

Her question was answered, as the door opened. An elderly man stood there, pushing about seventy, with obvious surprise on his face.

"Who are you?" He asked. "What are two lovely maidens doing here? I didn't see anyship."

"Excuse me, sir," I asked him, "But could we come inside?"

"Oh, forgive my manners! Please, come in!"

His house was just one room. There was a bed, a stove, a desk, and... pigeons?"

"They're my only means of communication," the old man explained. "I chose to stay here, after the Final Battle, to continue my research.

"I am Cid Longheart, former Magitek Researcher. How csan I help you?"

"Well, Mr. Longheart," I said, "You could start by telling us what is the name of this world."

Cid looked surprised. "What do you mean? This is Gaea. Now, who are you?"

I sighed. "Rythe, could you handle this one? That X-Zone wore me out."

"Sure, sis. Mr. Longheart, what do you know about alternate worlds?"


"Let me get this straight," Cid said as Rythe finished our tale. "You two are from another dimension, where you," he pointed to me, "are a warrior to your God, Odin, yet doubt he truly exists, while you," he pointed to Rythe, "are a prophetess, and a seer, from what I can tell, and are here to hunt down some legendary weapons that were scattered to many different dimensions, one of which are the kaisers of Prince Sabin of Figaro?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"And can you prove this in any way?" He asked.

Rythe's eyes glazed over, and was silent for a few moments. When she spoke again, it was with an etherial voice.

"You will soon be visited by a messenger of your granddaughter. She is anxious about your visit." Her eyes became normal again, and Cid and I stared.

A few minutes later, a pigeon flew in, carrying a piece of paper. Cid took it, almost not believing, and read the message. When he finished, he looked at us.

"I think you two should meet the rest of the Returners."

*****

The Falcon was truly a beautiful machine. The body of the ship was a gleaming black, with the word, "Falcon" in blazing red letters. Rythe and I stared in awe at the giant airship.

"Well," Cid asked. "What do you think?"

"I think," I said, "that I may like this world."

The Falcon landed, and a rope ladder was thrown down. Cid climbed up, so Rythe and I followed, albeit hesitantly.

"Grampa Cid!" A woman ran across and hugged the aged man. She seemed barely past twenty, with hair very similar to mine, and obviously skilled in battle.

She then noticed the two young women standing behind her grandfather. "And who are you?"

"I am Robyn," I introduced myself. "Third-level Valkyrie under Odin's command. This is my sister, Rythe." Rythe nodded to the woman, who seemed rather confused.

"Odin? The esper we found? I don't understand."

"Odin, is the All-father, the creator of all. I am his warrior."

"She's from another world," Cid explained. "We need to go to Figaro."

"Another world?" A young man walked up, his sandy-colored hair blowing in the wind. "Well, this should be an interesting tale."

"First, I must ask you something." I stated. "Do you two know of the Dragon Claws?"

"Oh, those things!" Celes said. "Sabin, Setzer, Edgar and I found them in Daryl's tomb. I think Sabin kept them, saying they were the best he'd ever found."

"Yeah, that's what he did," a white-haired man said as he jumped down from the mast. He seemed past thirty years of age, yet he was so full of life. "But those Tiger fangs were more powerful. Guess he liked the Holy Power in them."

"That's true, Setzer," Celes said. "I wonder what happened to them."

"Well, I need those Dragon Claws." I told them. "Will he give them to me willingly?"

Celes smiled. "Probably, but he'd want to fight you first. You seem fairly athletic, and he's always looking for a challenge."

"Why do I get the feeling," I asked, "That that search for a challenge is gonna keep me from the Dragon Claws?"

*****

A messenger ran into the throne room, and bowed to the King of Figaro.

"Your Majesty," the messenger announced, "I am pleased to report that Mr. Gabbiana, Cole, Longheart, and Ms. Chere have arrived. I have also recieved word that they bring two women, travelers, to make a request."

"Two women, eh?" The King asked, suddenly interested. "Well, tell them I'll meet them soon!"

"Yes, your majesty." The messenger ran off.

The King rubbed his hands. "Well, well. We have some new guests now."

"Yeah, and I'm sure you have no ulterior motive for meeting the 'fresh meat'." A thickly muscled man said, leaning against a wall.

"Oh, shut up, Sabin! Now, come, we must go greet them." He got up to go meet the 'fresh meat'.


The man who walked out of the throne room wasd nothing like I expected. He wasn't so mouch handsome as... beautiful. with his hair in a ponytail and those features on his face, I'd almost thought he was a she. His green cape and clothes almost hid his plate armor. He was soon followed by a bear of a man, someone who was obviously trained in combat. I just thought he was a bodygaurd.

"Welcome, guys!" The King called gleefully to his friends. "It's great to see you guys again! And who are these two beauties?" He asked, turning to us.

"May I present," Locke announced with an overly dramatic gesture, "the ladies Rythe and Robyn."

Rythe curtsied to the king. "It is a true pleasure, your majesty."

I, being a warrior before a woman, knelt to him, drawing amused glances from everyone. "Your majesty."

"Oh, cut that out!" Edgar shouted. "Just call me Edgar!"

I returned to my feet. "Yes, your... Edgar."

"Edgar," I asked, knowing this would decide my fate, "I am on a quest to find the legendary weapons. I understand you hold the Dragon Claws. Is it possible to have them?"

Edgar sighed. "My dear, if only I could! But you see, the Claws have become an heirloom, and I hope to see my child weild them someday."

I knew it was all just a bunch of crap, but I figured I could use this for a little fun.

"I see." I sighed dramatically. "I have no choice, then. King Edgar, I offer my womb to you. I will carry your child."

Edgar's jaw dropped. Locke and Setzer had looks of wonder and shock on their faces, Celes' had disgust at my decision, and Cid just looked... intrigued. But Rythe and the bodygaurd, they realized what I was planning, and were grinning.

"Wah, ah, well, are you sure?" Edgar finally sputtered out. "I mean, aren't you a little... young to get married?"

"My lord," I asked with a puzzled expression, barely able to keep a straight face, "I am fifteen now. All my friends are engaged, married, and with child. I am almost past my prime, and wish to hold my child in my arms."

"Ah, well, erm..." Edgar truly was fazed. Time to finish this.

"Besides, my lord," I said with a smirk, "I thought you were anxious to finally have some company in bed."

There was utter silence, then a loud booming laugh broke the silence. The bear was laughing! The others soon joined in, and Edgar flushed so hard, I thought his head would pop!

"Oh, she got you there, big brother!"

"Shut up, Sabin!" The King shouted while he flushed even harder.

I suddenly looked at the bear. "Sabin? You're prince Sabin?"

"Of course. And you want the Dragon Claws, right?"

"Correct, your highness."

"Just Sabin. And why should I give them away, little one?"

That "little one" remark just flared me up. I just blurted it out.

"Possibly because I can kick your ass."

The laughter stopped.

"Oh?" Sabin raised an eyebrow. "You can beat me? Well, let's settle this. If you can beat me, you get the Dragon Claws. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

*****

The battle was set. We were taken to a training ground, where a large circle was drawn in chalk.

"Okay," Edgar announced, "Here are the rules.

"Each combatant is allowed one weapon of their choice. The first to step outside of the ring, to surrender, or fall unconscious loses. Understood?"

Sabin and I nodded.

"Okay. Sabin, what is your weapon of choice?"

"My fists will be more than enough."

I see. And Robyn? I take it you'll want a spear?"

"Actually," I corrected him, "I will also fight barehanded."

The small crowd of warriors, gaurds, and one scientist all murmered at this turn of events. Fight barehanded? Was she mad?

"Are you sure?" The King asked, hoping to dissuade me. "Sabin has trained extensively in bare knuckle fighting."

"So have I. I figure we should be on equal grounds in this battle."

Sabin raised an eyebrow at this, but didn't say anything.

"Allright," the king of Figaro shrugged. "Have it your way.

"Let the battle begin!"

We circled each other, looking for a weakness in the other. Sabin seemed built for pure strength, but I could tell he was quick as well.

Finally, he attacked first. he delivered a quick punch to my face, which sent me sprawling for a second. But I recovered quickly, and countered with a quick jab combo. Sabin was definitely surprised by my power, and had a bit of trouble trying to land a punch. But then i made a fatal mistake.

I tried to punch his stomach. He grabbed my arm, and threw me across the ring, landing only inches from the border. So, he wanted to really fight, did he?

I faked being unable to move until he came within range, then did a sweep kick. He fell, and I tried to finish it with a quick punch to the skull. But he rolled, and got back to his feet.

"Heh..." He panted as he wiped away some blood on his lip, "you're pretty good. Very few could fight like that, and none your age. But now, the gloves come off. PUMMEL!" He ran, and threw three punches right at me. One landed on my face, two in my stomach. That was a strong technique, but I still wasn't finished.

"I see you're well-trained in hand-to-hand combat. But," I asked as I charged, "How do you handle feet?" I stopped just two feet from his body, then performed a spinning kick to his face. He did a quick turn in mid-air, then fell like a stone. And still he got up, albeit somewhat slowly.

"This fight could go on for hours," He said. He was panting, and seemed winded. "But I think I'll finish it now."

He stopped, just standing there calmly. I didn't know what he was doing, but I had a feeling it wouldn't be good. I ran, trying to reach him before he finished whatever he was doing. But I was too late. His eyes opened, and I could feel the pure power eminating from him.

"Time to feel the power of the BUM RUSH!" He was in front of me in the blink of an eye, and punched me with enough force to crush a wall. But he didn't stop there. Too fast for the human eye, he circled around me, delivering blow after blow, until he finally stopped. I couldn't hold it any longer. I fell to my knees, spent of all my energy. My eyes started to close, and I could feel sleep coming over me. The last thing I heard was Edgar's voice.

"The winner... is Sabin."

And then the whole world went black.

*****

I woke with a groan. Damn, I thought, I didn't know that it was possible to fight like that!

"So, your awake."

I put forth all ofmy power, and opened an eyelid. Sabin was there, watching over me from beside the bed.

"Wha- How long?"

"About two days. Frankly, I'm surprised; no one has ever stood up to my Bum Rush like that. Too bad you didn't win."

I groaned in acknowledgement. When I turned my head totry and face him, I saw my sister, sleeping in a chair facing the bed I was on.

"Yeah," Sabin said when he noticed where I was looking, "she's been watching over you since the match. She really loves you, you know?"

"Yeah..." It was a struggle to stay awake, and I was losing fast.

"Rest," Sabin said. "You took quite a beating out there. And sorry."

With that said, he left the room,and I fell into unconsciousness again.

*****

A few days later, after I almost went insane with tedium, I was finally allowed to get up out of bed. I quickly reequipped my armor (Odin, I hope Rythe was the person who undressed me), grabbed my spear, and went to breakfast.

The Dining hall of Figaro was immense, about half the size of the Court of Odin. All the residents of the castle were there, eating their morning meal. When I walked in, though, the entire hall went quiet as they stared at me. I could hear the murmurs that went through the crowd.

"Is that her?" "The one who fought Prince Sabin?" "She's so young!" "What was she thinking, fighting the prince?"

I ignored these murmurs, though, and walked up to the king's table, where The Figaro Brothers were waiting for me. I knelt to both of them.

"Your Majesties," I said, "I apologize for my behavior, and beg for forgiveness."

"Oh, come on, Robyn!" Sabin laughed. "Why should you apologize? You almost beat me in combat! I haven't had that much fun since Kefka!"

"Indeed," his brother added. "It's refreshing to finally meet someone who isn't afraid to put me in my place. Come, Robyn. Dine with us."

I smiled to the brothers. "As you command, your majesty."

I spent the next few days at Figaro. I was reluctant to leave, when the Dragon Claws were so close. But Sabin still refused, saying he won. So, I spent my time there training.

Edgar walked in on me one day, when I was practising with my glaive. I didn't even notice, I was too busy with my practise.

"Hmm," He said aloud, catching my attention, "I didn't know you were that good."

"Oh, Edgar!" I was so embarassed. "Sorry, I just-"

"Oh, shut up, woman, and let me train as well. I'm interested to see if you can beat me."

I smiled. "Is there some sort of rule somewhere, where the Monarchs of Figaro need to challenge visitors?"

I won't go into detail about the fight, for it lasted well over an hour. By the end, we had a bunch of people watching with interest.

"Is she mad?" One onlooker asked. "Doesn't the woman know she can't win? I mean, she tried to fight Sabin, and got beaten. Badly."

"I suggest you shut up, good sir." The man turned to see Prince Sabin watching the fight as well.

"Well, she can really fight," He remarked. "If she had chosen to fight with a spear, I think I'd' have lost."

The fight was drawing to an end, with Edgar on the defensive. To finish it quickly, I performed my Wall-jump attack on him, catching him in the chest, and falling to his knees.

"*huff, huff*, good job, Robyn." He slowly got up, and saluted me.

"Thank you, Milord."

At that moment, a messenger burst in.

"King Edgar, the rest of the Returners are here. They are waiting for you in the throne room."

"Very well," Edgar sighed. "Come, brother. We have guests. Are you going to join us, Robyn?"

"Erm, okay."

*****

The Throne room was filled with people. People of all ages and species, laughing and catching up. It truly was a happy place.

"Hail, friends!" the twins said in chorus. "it is good to finally get to see you all again," Edgar continued. "Yeah, things were just too boring around here!" Sabin finished with a laugh. We couldn't help but laugh as well. Brothers so different, yet so close.

"Hey, who's the woman?" A young girl asked. I had to stifle another laugh, she was only a few years younger than me! "She your next 'true love', Edgar?"

"Hardly," Edgar scoffed. "She's here to get the Dragon Claws, and fought Sabin to get them."

"This is Robyn," Sabin added, "Valkyrie of Odin. And these," he gestured to the crowd, "are the Returners."

A noble-bearing Knight stepped forward. He was garbed in a full set of armor, and his weapon, a katana, seemed out of place with his style.

"I am Sir Cyan Garamonde," He stated, "Retainer of Doma, the fallen kingdom. and it is thy pleasure to meet thee, fair maiden."

Hmm. An early english accent, if I could understand.

"Sir Knight," I spoke in a thick accent, "The pleasure tis truly thine. A fellow warrior is always welcomed."

Sir Cyan blinked. "Tis true? Thou speaks in the old tongue?"

"No, sorry," I shook my head. "I just felt like talking in your form for awhile."

He stared, then laughed heartily. "Aye, lass, tis truly a pleasure."

I smiled at him, and he left to go talk with Locke.

A boy soon approached. He had unruly green hair, and a wild look in his eyes.

"Uwaooo!" he almost cried. "Me Gau! You pretty! Me like!"

I smiled at his candor, or lack thereof. "Be careful, Gau. I can defend myself from the likes of you."

He smiled. "You fight Mr. Thou, and lose? Me can win if we fight." He walked off, leaving me wondering what he said.

Next up was the young girl who spoke earlier.

"The name's Relm," she said as she held out her hand. "Relm Arrowny."

I stared at her hand, not suring what she wanted me to do.

"Hmph. Not that educated, are you? Just how old are you, miss?"

At that, I smiled. "I am fifteen years of age now. Not that much elder than you, I'd imagine."

She just stared at me. "you're fifteen? You sure don't act it!"

"Well," I said, "maybe that's because you don't know how to act your age."

She flushed at this. "Well, uh, that is..."

Edgar laughed. "Don't worry, Relm. She is like that to new people. She actually offered her womb to me when we first met."

Relm stared, not believing. "What? You'd do Edgar?"

"I only offered to 'do' Edgar, as you say, to get the Dragon Claws. I must acquire them." I sent a meaningful glance at Sabin, who just turned away.

"Huh. I'm gonna have to hear the full story someday." She moved off to talk with Sabin about something.

Next came an elder. He moved amazingly well for his age.

"Strago Magus, at your service madam," He said with a bow.

"Ah," I said to him, "You truly must be strong, to live this long, and wise with all your years of experience. I'd like to learn from them."

Strago smiled. "Well, this is refreshing. A teenager who respects her elders." He sent a withering glance at Relm, who squeaked and hid behind Cyan in a comical fashion.

A black-clad man walked up.

"Shadow. Freelance Assassin." he said nothing more, and walked off.

"Don't mind him," Strago commented. "He has buried his emotions, but I think he'll change soon." He walked over to join relm.

The following Returners really surprised me. It was a little teddy bear with wings, flanked by a giant beast.

"Kupo, I'm Mog, Kupo!" the teddy bear spoke. "This is Umaro, the Yeti."

Umaro just grunted in acknowledgement.

"Hmmm... You are a spirit of the earth given shape, aren't you?" I asked Mog.

Mog started. "Well, kupo, that's a new one. But it makes sense, because Moogles are really in touch with the earth, and nature." He walked off, the Sasquatch close behind.

And the last one stepped forward. It was totally covered in robes, so that you couldn't tell who- or what- it was.

"I am Gogo," the thing said, "master of the simulacrum. It is a pleasure, Robyn." And then the shrouded one walked off.

"Hey," Edgar said, "where's Terra?"

"I'm here." a mature woman walked through the door, but stopped when she saw me.

"You... it can't be..."

"Terra?" Edgar asked, concerned. "What's wrong?"

Terra pointed at me. "She... She has magic."

"Wha- What did you say?" Istuttered. Me? Magic?

"I am half-esper, or at least I used to be, so I can sense Magical auras," the emerald haired female explained. "Now, who are you, and how is it that you have magic?"

"I- I-" the other Returners had surrounded me by then, all curious abot me as well.

I sighed. "I am Robyn, a Valkyrie of Odin. I do not come from this world."

The others blinked. The brothers had never heard my story, and the rest were a bit startled. Terra, though, didn't even raise an eyebrow.

"In my world, the God, Odin, the All-Father, has a goup of messenger-maidens called Valkyries. I am the newest, and youngest, recruit. The other Valkyries had trained me to fight, to be able to use all forms of weaponry, including my fists. Those six months were my happiest. But then came the Clerical magic.

"I am not sure if you've heard of it, but Clericalmagic is basically the power to ask the Gods to lend their power. Often, priests are the ones with clerical powers, but the Valkyries are trained to call upon Odin's will as well. ButI couldn't.

"Clerical power is based on your faith in the God's or Goddess'es existance. But I doubted Odin. I worked for Lord Odin, but I couldn't believe he was the God Odin. I still don't believe.

"He soon learned of my lack of faith, so he sentme on a quest of redemption. I was to find the weapons of Legend. The Twin swords, Masamune and Murasame, Gungnir, the Kris Knife, Magus Staff, Dawn Bow, Dragon Claws, and Excalibur. These are the main weapons, though more may have been forged."

"Excalibur?" Edgar questioned. "Why, I have the Excalibur!" He pulled out a blade, and handed it to me.

I examined it, but felt no power from it. "No," I said with a shake of my head, "this is not Excalibur. It is possible that some worlds hold weapons with similarnames, but only one of those dimensions holds the true weapon." I handed the sword back to Edgar.

"So," Terra asked, "You're here for the Dragon Claws?"

"Yes," I confirmed. "Sabin wouldonly relinquish them if I bested him in combat. He is truly a powerful martial artist, and that Bum Rush technique was a work of art."

"You survived the Bum Rush?" Relm asked, not believing my tale. "Come on, there is no way you could stand up to him!"

I smiled a little, then immediately delivered a spinning crescent kick to the pillar behind me. It crumbled to dust.

"But then again," Relm amended, "Anything's possible."

Strago chuckled. "I'm liking you more and more now, Miss Robyn." Relm just stuck her tongue at him.

"So anyway," Terra said, interrupting our little scene, "You lost. Does this mean you have to leave without them them?"

"No!" I almost shouted. "I cannot face Lord Odin without the weapons! I will stay here, until I can beat Prince Sabin and rightfully take the Claws."

"No, you won't."

Everyone looked for the owner of the voice, and Edgar was the one who found it. He groaned.

"For Goddess' sake, Ultros, why can't you just die?"

"A... a demon octopus?" I asked Edgar, totally confused about the large purple being standing at the entrance of the throne room.

"That's no ordinary octopus," Sabin said with a grimace. "That's Ultros. We'vee fought him before, and he always comes back. Always. We can't get rid of him!"

"Yeah!" the mentally-deficient sea monster shouted. "And I won't leave, until I get what I came for!"

"What's that?" I asked Ultros, with interest.. I had a glimmer of an idea...

Ultros looked confused. "Hey, what did I come for? The guy said something about a dragon..." He started mumbling to himself.

"The Dragon Claws?" Locke asked unbelieving.

"Uh, yeah, that's it!" The Octopus agreed. "Now, hand them over!"

I turned to Evereyone. "If I can get rid of this monster for good, can I get the Dragon Claws?"

"Honey," Celes answered, "If you can get rid of Ultros, you can get Figaro!"

"Yes," Sabin Agreed. "Peace is much more important than some silly kaisers."

"Okay." I walked towards Ultros, victory right in front of me.

I walked up to Ultros.

"Hey, what you want?" He asked me.

"Ultros, did you say you wanted the Dragon Claws?" I asked carefully.

"Duh, yeah! Some guy cloaked in black gave me 2,000,000 gold to get them! Real gold, not gil!"

"I see." Well, time to see if my plan would work.

"Tell me, Ultros, what do you know of other worlds?"

"Other worlds? I don't know, never seen one myself."

"Well, you're about to. X-ZONE!" The Portal to the X-Zone appeared right behind ultros.

Heturned around to see what just happened. "Hey, what the-"

Before he could finish it, I performed a crescent kick to his head, and he stumbled into the portal, to pop up in who knows where.

I walked back to the group. "Is that satisfactory?"

The others stared. Then, without a word, Sabin threw off the Dragon Claws, and tossed them to me.

"I'll take that as a yes," I replied smugly.

Meanwhile, in the nexus...

Ultros floated through the void, not knowing where he would end up. Finally,he saw light, and threw himself at the doorway.

*****

Gilgamesh was running through the field, knowing how pissed he would be if he was late. Suddenly, he heard something odd, but wasn't sure where it was coming from.

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

Gilgamesh's world sudenly got a whole lot smaller, as he felt the impact of a 150-lb. octopus land right on his back.

"Ooooowwww!" Gilgamesh cried. "That hurt!"

"ERg... Sorry." Ultros slowly got untangled from Gilgamesh's body.

"Yeah, I'm sure you- Hey, you're Ultros!" Gilgamesh exclaimed when he saw who fell on him.

"Yeah?" the Octopus asked suspiciously. "What's it too you?"

"Hey, how about great job oppurtunity?" He asked, hope blazing in his eyes. Finally, an escape from hell!

"Err, what kind of job?"

"Listen, does the name 'Macc Maverick' mean anything to you?"

****

A strange light shined out from the pack I wore. (It is a habit of mine to train with my full pack on, since I might not get the luxury of fighting without it someday. But I digress.)

"Umm, What is that?" Edgar asked tentatively. After seeing me banish Ultros, he became rather wary of my power.

"I don't know. I'll check." I shrugged off my pack, and opened it. The Scroll of Odin was shining.

"Oh, I forgot!" I exclaimed. "This must mean it's time to find the next Weapon is!"

"You're leaving?" Sabin sadly. "Must you go?"

"Well, no, if I don't mind living in fear of retribution the rest of my life." It seemed harsh, but it was true.

"Well," Terra asked," what does it say?"

"'Well done, Robyn. The Dragon Claws were forged for the monks who'd fight during Ragnarok, and they may see them again.' What does he mean, may?!" I asked indignantly and rhetorically, since the scroll couldn't answer.

"Robyn, the scroll," Edgar prompted.

"Oh, right! 'Until we see them again, you may use them as you wish. But now, it is time to move again.'" Now the scroll started to float, and a message magically appeared on it.

The Kris Knife, the Knife of Eternal Bleeding,
Look for a man on his dying bed,
In a world where the powers of nature are open for everyone.

The scroll rolled itself up, and fell to the ground. The room was deathly silent, as all considered what was just told.

"A... Knife of Eternal Bleeding?" Edgar asked, seeming concerned. "Robyn, are you sure that-"

"Yes," I cut him off. "Lord Odin has commanded, and I must obey. Rythe and I will leave as soon as we are ready." I turned and left the room, heading straight for my sister's room to tell her we leave.

Of course, by the time I had gotten there, she was already set. "Advantages to being a seer," she shrugged.

"Oh?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "So can prepare for the future by Seeing what's to come?"

"Of course," she agreed impatiently, knowing full well that she's explained this to me before.

"Well," I said with an evil grin on my face, "why didn't you prepare for THIS!" I reached for a pillow, and whacked Rythe in the head with it.

"Oh!" She cried, indignantly. "You're gonna pay for that!" She grabbed for anotherpillow, and soon, we had an all out pillow war going on, the corpses of dead feathers littering the floor. Sometimes, people forget that I am still young, and want to play sometimes as well. Even I forgot that sometimes.

Bythe end of it, we were laughing so hard, we never heard the door open.

"Well, well," came someone's voice, "looks like we missed all the fun."

Rythe and I turned in horror to see the Figaro brothers in the doorway, obvious grins on their faces.

"Man, Sabin," Edgar said dramatically, "the warrior of Odin and her Seer sister in a pillow fight. And I thought they were mature."

I blushed madly at this statement. After working so hard to get them to take me seriously, and appear mature, it all fell to pieces because of my adolescent tendencies. Damn my foolishness!

"Oh, quit it, Edgar," Sabin growled with mock severity. "You would be joining them in a minute if you had the chance!"

"Why are you guys here?" I asked quickly, hoping to distract them from what just happened.

"Oh," Sabin shrugged, "we just wanted to wish you good luck on your journey."

"And to give you this," Edgar finished, holding out a lance. "It's an Aura Lance, and should be much stronger than the steel one you have now."

"I thank you, Edgar," I said as I took the Lance. It seemed unusually light, but could feel the strength the inconspicuous weapon hid.

"Well," Sabin said, "we got to go now. So, good luck. Oh," He said just as he was walking out the door, "and good luck with your new weapon of choice," he indicated towards the half-beaten pillows. He and Edgar walked out the door, and Rythe and I just sat there, Blushing furiously.

Part 3