White. Like a wedding dress.
Nadeline had opened her eyes to see...the beach. Except the sky was full of clouds. No, that wasn't right, everything had just been dark, right? Where was she? She let out a slight groan as she sat up, sand warm beneath her. What was going on? Where did everyone else go? As she opened her mouth to call out for her friends, a seagull screeched. She then sat up, dusting the sand off of her, and she realized she was wearing a wedding dress. What in the name of ivalice was going on? As far as she could see, she was alone. Whatever was going on, though, she didn't like it. Her rapier was gone, too. She wondered if the person that took it was the same that put her in this dress. She bundled it up the best she could and began trudging down the beach. Gods the dress weighed a ton.
Is that all you have to complain about, princess? Savayna's voice echoed in her head.
She stopped in her tracks. That was Savayna. But...she didn't see her anywhere. Gods, this was getting annoying.
Aww, look at that, how cute. Emiri's voice joined in.
Great, she finally went crazy. So where were Jaakuna and Wesley? Are they going to make fun of her, too?
As if. Bitch thinks she's all high and mighty. Jaakuna's voice scoffed.
Unbelievable. So selfish. Savayna's voice laughed.
It must be nice to be so free. Emiri's voice added.
I envy her. She gets to have it all, and still has the gall to complain about things? Wesley's voice joined in.
Nadeline picked up her dress and began walking again, though she noticed it got heavier the more they spoke.
Struggle, struggle! Savayna taunted.
Even so, this is nothing. Emiri noted.
Unlike Miss Princess, we know what it is to struggle. Jaakuna snarked.
We know what it is to lose...what could she possibly understand? Grant had now spoken.
"You can talk all you want." Nadeline spoke as she kept walking, though she was having a considerably difficult time. "I know I'm selfish. I know I think I'm better than everyone else." She told them, at this point just dropping the dress and trudging along. "I know all that already. Keep trying, though, it's adorable."
Oh, I know something~ Emiri sang.
At that point, the ground beneath Nadeline shifted, the sand going towards the sea. The waves crashed at her feet, making the dress heavier and harder to walk in. At that point she figured she may as well walk around naked, but no matter what she tried, she couldn't get it off. What was going on?
What, you think you can take it off? We can't erase our memories. Savayna chided as the sea dragged Nadeline back.
"I know that! Shut up!" She yelled, trying to pull away.
Hehehe, you're scared. Emiri giggled.
Ah, you can't swim, can you? Wesley said.
Oh? Miss Perfect has a weakness? Jaakuna asked.
As they spoke, the water was already to her waist. Nadeline ignored them for the most part, but it seemed the harder she fought, the more difficult it got to move. At this rate, she would be swallowed by the sea.
Red. So much red.
Grant had opened his eyes to find it everywhere. He recognized the room, somehow he had been taken back to Rozarria. This was his father's room. He always found a fondness for the color, Grant remembered. He slowly stood up, looking around. Someone was on the bed--but who? He approached the figure slowly, and stopped when it shifted. The blankets fell off, revealing a woman with jet black hair, same as his, and incredibly soft, brown eyes. She looked at him for a moment, and then smiled.
"Mother...?" Grant asked somewhat uncertainly.
"Who else were you expecting, darling?" She asked him with a slight giggle. "Come sit with your mother, you look like you've seen a ghost!"
That would make sense. Grant reached out for her, touching her shoulder, and it felt real. She looked real. Felt real. She even had the same lilac perfume he loved. No, this wasn't right, something was wrong. He shook his head, backing away from his mother's concerned look. He backed up into a vase, knocking it over, though he tried to catch it and failed. It shattered once it hit the floor, the glass spreading everywhere. That had been his mother's favorite. He looked back to her bed, only to see her lying down. Her face was so pale, her eyes rather glassy. Her hands were folded together on her stomach, and she looked so frail.
"No...Mother...Mother!" Grant called as he went to her taking her hand.
She seemed to hear him, her eyes slowly traveling to him. "Oh my little Grant...I'm so sorry I won't get to see you grow up..." Her voice was raspy, quiet, almost inaudible.
He knew this scene. He knew what would happen next. That didn't stop the tears from falling as she slowly closed her eyes, the last of her life fading. Twice he had been forced to watch her die. What kind of sick joke was this? A flash of lightning temporarily blinded him, and before he could do anything, she had disappeared. Where had she gone? What had happened? He looked around, desperate to find her, only to hear a blood curtling scream. It sounded like Reia--was she here too? He shoved the doors open, running down the hall, stopping just before his father's study. Sure enough, there was Reia, hands over her mouth, tears down her young face. And there was his brother, knife in hand, standing over the body of their fallen father.
No, no, not again, anything but this. Roland looked first at Reia, the girl completely broken down and a sobbing mess, then at Grant, frozen in terror. Dear gods, why was he being forced to relive these moments of his life? Another flash of lightning, and now things had changed yet again. He was now in the gardens, and he remembered this too. Emiri stood before him, a bag of her things in one hand. "I can't live like this anymore!" She yelled at him, shaking her head. "I'm not...I'm not a doll...I'm not to be used as everyone pleases!" He wanted to tell her he was sorry. He regretted never saying so.
It was then he realized what was happening. Another flash of lightning, another moment of regret in his life. He was relieving it, over and over. What kind of hell had he been dragged into?
Blue. Was that the sky?
Emiri had opened her eyes, but she didn't believe what she saw. The sky was above her, a few clouds floating by here and there and looking overall pleasant. It was a startling difference from the darkness that was Nabudis. Had she been teleported somewhere? The wind was pretty strong, now that she thought about it. She was definitely outside. She sat up slowly, her hair getting picked up by the wind. As she searched herself, she found her bow, bag, and quivers missing. As she stood up, she noticed that she had been lying down on what seemed to be glass. Not only that, but as far as the eye could see, all she saw was sky. She was high up. Very high. Her knees buckled and she had to close her eyes to prevent herself from having a complete panic attack. So she had somehow gotten in this weird place way high up. Big deal. No problem. Yet as she tried to assure herself, she felt her whole body tremble. She found herself completely frozen, wind blowing against her. Oh boy she was starting to feel nauseous.
"Emiri!"
Her eyes snapped open, and on instinct she looked down. She let out a rather terrified squeal, though she then spotted Jaakuna hanging off the edge of the floor. Oh no. She needed to help him. Somehow. "Jaakuna...!" She called out to him, though as she tried to move forward she found herself literally paralyzed by her fear. "Hang in there! I...I'm coming to get you!" She assured him rather pathetically.
"No rush, babe." He told her, though she told tell that was a big fat lie. He realized this and looked at her. "Just...take it one step at a time. Focus on me, okay?" She would nod, and force herself to slowly--ever slowly--move one foot forward. One step. Two steps. Her knees wobbled again, and she accidentally looked down. She let out a cry of terror as she sank down to her knees. This wasn't fair at all, how the hell was she going to manage to get to him? Oh boy, she was going to lose it right here. "Emiri, listen to me." His voice called out to her, and she looked at him. "Look at me. Look at me and nothing else." He would then smile. She nodded, and would begin slowly making her way towards him.
"Fallen petals have a use after all." Mtra repeated, her expression one with much more seriousness behind it. "Though I can say this much: Michel the Chamomile is indeed a member--a high ranking one at that. You should be proud. Him, Meli the Camellia, and Lola the Magnolia...all such beautiful flowers in their garden. But the most beautiful of all has to be that of the Forgotten Flower, the Blue Rose." She hinted to him, placing a hand on her hip as she pointed to a flower close to the pair. Unlike other plants, this one was a vibrant blue, clearly unnatural. "Where are they located? Everywhere. Where are they gathered? In the shadows of the sun. If you have to ask, you need not know. But if you need to know, you have only to ask." She walked over to the blue blossom, plucking a petal.
She let it fall to the ground, and a flurry of blue petals burst from it. They danced around in the wind, multiplying and fusing together, forming a human shaped figure. They then slowly started falling off, revealing a woman of striking beauty. Once all the petals had fallen, they swooped together and formed a rose in her hair. "A father concerned for his son. How I envy that." She stated, her voice rather sultry. She eyed Francis with amber eyes. "You are dismissed, Mtra. You will be of no use to Sir Sicarius." The viera bowed deeply, winking at Francis, and she too would take her leave, back to Eruyt. "An Archadian Judge, do you wish to pluck one of my flowers from their homes?" She asked him.