Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Painful Miracles ❯ Don't cry, young one ( Chapter 12 )

Don't cry, young one

Icarus' boots crunched over the old snow as she made her way into town. Her thoughts were on her father, her heart aching for him. Her hand grabbed a necklace around her neck that had a small gold cross hanging off the chain. Her hand clasped the cross, fingers closing around the cold metal. Vincent had given it to her on her birthday when she turned 15. She had never taken it off. He said it was for hope, even though neither of them had never had much of it. Gods she missed him....so much. She had always thought him to hard on her. Always yelling at her to be stronger, train harder. She had gotten mad at him countless times by the way he pushed her, but now she knew why he had. Now she knew why she couldn't remember her past and why it only haunted her dreams.

Icarus stopped suddenly and she squeezed her cross tighter. The snowy paths of the village that led from store to store, home to home were lined with bodies. The white snow stained red with blood. As Icarus walked deeper into the village she began to notice that by each body, written in blood was that persons name.

.:Who did this? How sick was that person?:. Icarus thought disgusted by the scene. Icarus heard a small whimpering cry. and walked toward the noise. It was coming from a small playhouse in the front yard of a large house. Icarus peeked in one of the windows only to be met with the fluffy material of a teddy bear that had been thrown out the window and had hit her in the face.

"Please go away! Don't kill me..." Came a small voice. Icarus smiled warmly, picked up the bear from the snow and walked into the play house, having to duck to get into the small room.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you. My name's Icarus, I live in the mountains." Icarus explained in a quiet whisper, holding out the teddy bear to the girl. The girl took it, a bit hesitant and cuddled it to her chest.

The little girl was no older than 6 or 7, with shoulder-length chestnut hair and hazel eyes. She was wearing a light pink church dress that was now covered in blood. Her cheeks and hands were covered in blood as well. She looked very frightened.

"What's your name?" Icarus asked gently, kneeling down into a squat to be eye level with the child and so she wouldn't bump her head on the roof of the little home.

"Wind. My daddy named me it....but he's dead now." The little girl answered. Icarus smiled warmly, amazed at how well this girl was taking this. The little girl looked up at Icarus, a tear coming down her cheek. " I knew they would die... all of them. I knew I would meet the monster from the mountains my daddy told me of... but you don't look like a monster.

Icarus gave her a questioning glance. "You knew all these people would die?" The girl nodded.

"I knew because that's my gift. I see miracles." The little girl smiled, her eyes turning from hazel to a cotton-candy pink.

"How is this a miracle?" Icarus' chest began tighten with tears as she spoke. Those tears would never be shed.

"This is only the beginning of the miracle." Wind began. "But the hope of this miracle rests in your hands, Icarus the monster-lady." The little girl said, putting a small, cold hand on Icarus' cheek.

"Wind, you should get away from here. Go get help." Icarus ordered.

"It won't do any good. They are at the base of the mountain, waiting for you. Waiting for survivors." Wind spoke, tears running freely down her cheeks. "Besides, I can't go..."

"Why not?" Icarus looked at Wind, concerned.

"Because, I cannot walk anymore." and before Icarus could ask why, the Wind un-tucked her legs from beneath her dress and Icarus saw that her right leg had been hacked off by what looked like an ax of some kind. Icarus also saw the pool of blood that the child was sitting in. She mentally slapped herself for not noticing it earlier.

"I'll carry you." Icarus told her.

"No. I won't make it, and they have an ambush waiting for you. You'll lose to them if you have to protect me. They have your daddy...." Wind held up a hand to stop Icarus from picking her up.

Icarus bit her lip to hold back tears, realizing that the small child had accepted death...knew she was going to die. Wind had barely lived...She would never know the joy of living beyond this... The little girls small, cold hand came to rest on Icarus' cheek.

"You don't seem like a monster to me. You're more like an angel..."Wind's breath was becoming shallow from the blood loss, and her eye lids slipped over her pink eyes. "Before I return to the earth, I want you to have this..." Wind held up her blood covered hand a pulled a ring off of her little ring finger and handed it to Icarus.

"It was supposed to be for my daughter, that's what my mommy said, but my life ends here." and with her last breath she whispered a prayer and joined her family in the lifestream.

Icarus held the ring in her hand and walked from the play house. She stood outside of it, thinking of the small girl. What she had said was making Icarus think as she studied the ring. It was gold, with an angel on it. The angel's dress was made of pink rose stone, the hair of gold. The details of the face, hands, and harp were glorious down to every last detail. and on the inside of the band was the name "Wind Majestic".

.:that was her name..:. Icarus smiled and slipped the cool ring onto her right ring finger and continued down the mountain. She was ready to face whatever waited for her there.

Icarus walked down the mountain, silent as if in a daze. Her heart ached from the days losses and she could shed no more tears.

She reached the bottom of the mountain and as the child had said, there was an ambush waiting for her there.