(no subject)

[wavering-blade.livejournal.com]

Characters: Beatrix, Ashe, Tifa
Summary: One last set of memories
Location: Memoria
Date: February 1804
Warnings: None yet?

As Beatrix once again recognized the environment that appeared, she braced herself for another vision of her own, even if she knew that no amount of bracing would make a difference.

She stood in the palace, having just fought the group of enemies who had seen fit to make themselves a thorn in her side for quite some time. She told them to leave, but one--Zidane, that was his name--rebutted her.

"Hey, wait a minute... You're the general of this kingdom. As the general of Alexandria, what is your sworn duty!? Isn't it to protect Dagger-your Princess Garnet? I'm sure you know who's sitting over there." The words took her by surprise, and for the first time, she took a good look at the prone body in question. Upon doing so, her eyes widened in shock.

"It can't be... Princess..." She took a breath, attempting to regain her composure, though it was difficult to do. "So, it was true" she spoke aloud, "The queen really did mean to kill her..." She had known that, of course. The queen had said it to her, personally, and had seemed not to even notice Beatrix's shock at the declaration. But somehow in her heart, Beatrix hadn't believed the queen would call for the death of her beloved daughter. Up until that moment she had held out hope...

And there the memory faded, leaving Beatrix to blink confusedly as she found herself once again in the company of her two companions through these odd events.

"Another memory," was all she said, though she was unable to keep the fact that she was shaken from her face.

Comments

[heartofheaven.livejournal.com]

For all the other memories, they had been unable to see what the others had experienced. This time was different. Tifa couldn't help but gasp as she saw the blond boy with the monkey tail admonishing the general. And that unconscious girl... Queen Garnet, then called Princess Garnet.

The shock on Tifa's face was obvious as she responded to Beatrix. "I saw it," she said. "But that was your memory... Why could I see it?"

[mademyresolve.livejournal.com]

Ashe was equally shocked; she recognised the blond from the network, and Garnet... The Queen had meant to kill her? But surely, her own mother wouldn't do such a thing? She didn't understand at all.

"I also saw it," the princess confessed, none of the prior memories had been so open, so visible - so why was this happening now? It didn't make sense, and only vexed Ashe even further.

[wavering-blade.livejournal.com]

The fact that the others responded to the memory was just as startling to Beatrix as the fact that they saw it was to them. She briefly looked back and forth between the two women's surprised faces before responding.

"I don't know." She tried to think of a reason why they should be able to see it when none of them had been there when it happened. It was more than a bit disturbing that these two now seemed privy to information maintained only in her mind. "I'm not sure why that should be so different from the others..."

[heartofheaven.livejournal.com]

"Maybe it's because we've been here together for some time," Tifa suggested, though the idea didn't appeal to her at all. "Or maybe we're going deeper into Memoria..." That idea didn't appeal either.

She couldn't think of a positive reason for this. Imagining the other two women witnessing the entirety of one of her memories made Tifa's stomach sink.

[mademyresolve.livejournal.com]

The prospect of having her own memories so openly viewed wasn't exactly thrilling Ashe, either. There were some things which were too private for sharing. No sooner had she ended that thought when the scene shifted again - she was standing aboard the deck of the Strahl, surrounded by her allies and overlooking her city, Rabanastre. To the left, the ruin of Bahamut loomed, Dalmasca newly freed from Imperial clutches. Staring out upon the Resistance fleet Ashe stood silent, elation washing over her. Basch, beside her, took up a communicator not unlike their own devices.

"The battle is over," he declared, impersonating Gabranth. "As of this moment, we have signed a cease-fire with Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca, Her Royal Majesty." With that, he handed over to Larsa.

"Attention. This is Larsa Ferrinas Solidor. My brother Vayne has died with honor in battle. The Imperial Fleet is now under my command." Prepared to announce herself after two years of her people believing their princess dead, Ashe steadied herself, though the familiar burning of tears began at the corners of her eyes.

"This is Ashelia Dalmasca," she proclaimed aloud with authority, pride. "I confirm what Judge Magister Gabranth and Larsa Solidor have said here. Please stand down your attack. The war is over. Ivalice looks to the horizon. A new day has dawned. We are free!" Overwhelmed by those words and the fact she was finally declaring them, she began to weep, Basch placing a supportive hand upon her shoulder.

The memory fading, Ashe looked to her companions. "Did you... see that?"

[wavering-blade.livejournal.com]

Beatrix replied with a simple nod, having found the experience of being surrounded by someone else's memory almost more disorienting than the moments she had been wrapped up in her own. It also didn't help that this vision of Ashe's involved an announcement of the death of a man she knew to be very much alive, but that perhaps was a different point.

"I did."

[heartofheaven.livejournal.com]

Tifa nodded too, finding it incredibly strange to hear the names of people she had heard of before, but as though from a history book she didn't know. Recognising some of Ashe's allies was equally strange. It made her wonder if she really knew any of them at all. They all had their own histories in their own worlds, and Tifa had only heard a tiny fraction of it.

Caught up in her thoughts, she didn't notice the change in scenery until it was too late.

Mideel. A small town where the Lifestream had gushed out of the earth and washed up a young man... They found him being cared for in the clinic. Sitting in a wheelchair with his head lolling, unaware of the world, was Cloud. Tifa knelt down at his side and called his name, trying to snap him out of it, to no avail.

"Please, Cloud... Talk to me..."

Her friends gathered around them, concerned.

"You okay?" Barret asked.

Tifa looked at them, her face wet with tears. She took a deep breath. "Yes... I'm sorry I had you all worried. And I have something I want to tell you all... I don't care about anything else, only Cloud... I... want to be by his side..."

In normal circumstances, she wouldn't have been able to admit that, but these weren't normal circumstances. Cloud had Mako poisoning, and Tifa couldn't bear to leave him. Her friends understood.

Tifa blinked as the memory vanished, then her cheeks turned scarlet. "I'm guessing you saw that too."

[wavering-blade.livejournal.com]

This one was yet another sad thing, and Beatrix had indeed seen the whole scene, though to be honest, it would have been easy enough to imagine as much information as she'd been presented just then even if the other players in the scene hadn't been present. Unsure of anything to say, she simply nodded at Tifa's words.