Reunion by Kigaeno Moondancer 17 Sept 2004

Place: Burmecia
Date: 17 March 1800 ( the day Freya returns to Burmecia after defeating Kuja and Necron)
Rating: R?
Characters:
Freya Crescent, dragoon
Fratley Irontail, dragoon
Gray, Burmecian soldier
Kigaeno Moondancer
Claire, Moon Maiden

The rain fell down over her helmet the covered her face, as she walked alone back to the gates of her birthplace Burmecia. Freya watched the gates open as she was seen approaching, and then her friend Gray walked out from one side, a solemn looking smile on his face, "You came back."

"Of course I did, just like I said. I'm going to make sure things are right.." she gave a sigh, slinging her spear around and placing it to her back, and entered the gates with Gray at her side as she entered, "I just wish..."

"Hm?"

"Nothing. What's news here?" Freya looked over the streets. It looked as if the monsters had been driven from the city that were here during the attack, and civilians were sifting through various structures that had been damaged. Some were already being repaired slowly.

"There was problems when the Mist returned, we had a series of attacks from the dragons in the mountains. I fear that the King, who was actually still alive when I returned, was killed during the first of those attacks." Gray stopped as Freya kept walking, "I shouldn't leave the gates."

Freya was shocked to find out that the King escaped Cleyra only to be killed here. But if the King survived could Fratley have as well? She didn't even know if he'd been in the city at the time, "How did he surv.. ? What about Fratley and the Prince?" she turned and stopped to stare at him.

"Fratley escaped with Puck and Miss Claire. A cleyran by the name of Kigaeno portaled a number of people out before the summoning destroyed Cleyra, including the King."

Freya didn't even hear his last few words, she was already turned away and had taken a few steps, "Where is he Gray?"

"I don't know.. he spends a lot of time overseeing things so he could be anywhere." Gray sighed a bit as she ran off into the city, knowing the situation that had occurred with Fratley's memory, and hoping that his old friend wasn't setting herself up for disappointment.

Running through the city, she would stop periodically and ask who had seen him, and from time to time got vague directions about where he was. Finally she caught site of him from the distance talking to two other people. One of them she recognized as the harpist from Cleyra. A twinge of jealous went through her as she remembered that Gray had mentioned she had escaped with him, but she put it aside. The other person he talked to was a tall burmecian with strangely greenish mottled fur, wearing a long sand colored coat and a staff.

As she approached, their conversation became clearer.

"They're meeting right now. Since Kildea came back I think its between you and her." Claire was saying, mostly to the male in the long coat, "If it means anything, I spoke up for you..."

"Having fought alongside you I am inclined to agree Kigaeno." Fratley spoke next. So this was the cleyran that had saved the group from the temple?

"Thank you dear Claire." Kigaeno moved a hand up to touch Claire's cheek affectionately and Freya felt some relief, hoping that the two of them were involved and that Fratley hadn't found anyone else.

At this point she couldn't keep herself from interrupting, "Fratley?" she stood behind him and felt a flush of emotions as he turned his head to look at her.

Fratley nodded back to her, "Miss Freya, I'm glad you got out as well."

Freya? The one people had been talking about who was fighting against Kuja. Kigaeno nodded politely in understanding, "We'll be off now. Come Claire, meal time is almost over, we'll need to return." With a nod to the others as well, Claire left with him, glancing back periodically and looking nervously at the pair.

The looks didn't go unnoticed by Freya but she put it aside for now, she was just happy to see him alive and well again. But now that she was here she had no idea what to say. Last time she had her speech all worked out, but now everything seems so very awkward, "Do you remember?" was all that she could think to say.

"I'm sorry Miss Freya, I wish I did." Fratley felt the same odd emotions come over him as the first time he had seen her, first time he remember at least, and suddenly wanted to run again.

It wouldn't have been possible to do so even if he tried, because the next thing to happen was her suddenly throwing her arms around him and pulling him into a hug, nearly knocking him off his feet as he took a step back and his hat went flying. Tucking her head down over his shoulder, she obsessively latched onto him without saying a word. Was she crying?

"Um.." he brought his arms up around her and looked around a several curious onlookers, before reaching a hand up under the back of her helmet and giving her head a scritch before pulling her back. She wasn't going to let go easily, "Freya, stop crying, this is not going to help."

She moved back a step and wiped her eyes with one hand, "I'm sorry." the last thing she wanted to do was smother or push him away by being too desperate. She picked up his hat for him and handed it back, and he put it back on his now rain drenched head, snugging it tightly.

"Miss Freya." he broke the silence again as he saw her looking slightly ashamed at her outburst, "Would you like to join me for something to eat?"

Freya nodded quietly and Fratley gave her a gentle smile, "It won't be much Miss Freya, there isn't really any good food left in the city, but we can talk and I can ... get to know us."

She really wished he'd just call her Freya, but nodded again and slowly moved both her hands to take hold of his, trying hard not to make him uncomfortable. She had to think of him as well, and it couldn't be much easier for him than it was for her. He quietly led her back towards the palace to find something to eat.

Freya played with her food as she sat across from Fratley at the small table in one corner of the palace's kitchen, hardly a romantic or even enjoyable setting, but it was at least solitary for now. Puck had nearly demanded Fratley and Freya take this day and the next day off from any imagined duties when he found out Freya was back; it was nice for her to know he was still bent with getting them back together.

"Not hungry Miss Freya?"

"Just Freya.." she corrected him, she couldn't stand to be referred to so properly by him another time, "And I am. I'm sorry for being like this." she began to nibble on her meat with visible effort.

"Freya.." Fratley was over half way done with his food, doing rounds of the city all day was exhausting, though the sporadic monster attacks had greatly went down since the Mist once again went away, "How long have you known me?"

She was somewhat encouraged by his curiosity, "Since late 1792.. " she sighed wishfully, "I was training to be a dragon knight, you had finished yours training. You.. helped me out a lot."

"What was I like?" Fratley needed to know about himself almost as much as he needed to know about her.

"You were at the top of your rank.. actually you were better than most of your instructors by the time you finished training. It was uncanny, and I.. sort of got a crush on you. I managed to get myself under your training even though you weren't an 'official' trainer." Freya spoke with pride, both in him and the fact she had roped him in. But then again she was now quite well known herself, maybe even more so than him.

"You sound like you're giving me more credit than I am due." Fratley half smiled, "I appreciate that."

"We became friends but you insisted that we not get close until I was no longer your student, you said it would be... inappropriate." Freya giggled remembering how she had practically followed him around.

"And it would have been." Fratley's smile widened, "I suppose its nice to know that I am apparently honorable."

"Honorable enough to wait a week after graduation before asking me officially to go with you, yes." her smile matched his and she reached across the table to poke at him lightly.

Her smile vanished slowly afterwards however, "You had to leave less than a year later.. and you were gone for a long time. I followed to find you when I heard you had been killed, that was three years ago... it was three years ago today Fratley."

"Really..." he stared into her eyes and tried to somehow remember. Nothing. He gave a deep sigh as he finished his meal, and decided he couldn't take any more of that history for now, "How about your adventures lately? You were responsible for quite a bit."

"She cleared her throat and held back her emotions as she poked some more at her half eaten cooling food, "Ah. Ok. Only if you tell me what you do remember since you've returned after though."

After a long discussion about what had been during the war, Freya followed Fratley to his room, "I guess I will leave you be here."

"Where are you sleeping Mi... where are you sleeping Freya?" Fratley caught himself before referring to her properly again.

"I'll go see if our... my home is still in tact."

"That won't do; it may be destroyed. Go ahead and sleep here tonight and we'll both go look for it tomorrow."

Freya's eyes widened a bit at his statement and wondered hopefully if he was already trying to hit on her again, until her thoughts were broken by a brush of his hand on her cheek, "You can have the bed Freya." It wasn't that it didn't tempt him, not even that he didn't want to take advantage of her. It was more that he just didn't know how to act in any intimate situation with her. After all, what if he did something differently and it made her nervous?

Removing his hat and coat, Fratley took a seat on the floor leaning against the bed, and with a sigh Freya removed her own armor and pulled herself under the covers on top of the bed. Oh well, maybe next time.