Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ The Life of Erin Tribal ❯ Chapter 41

The Life of Erin Tribal Chapter 41

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A/N: Oh my...! This is going to be one LONG chapter! My longest EVER!!!

DarkHolyKnight: Once again, thanks bunches for reviewing!

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"Setzer! Harry!" she exclaimed, running over to them and claiming that as their place to eat.

"Hi Erin."

"Hey, want to continue on with us?" Erin asked.

"We don't have an airship anymore! The Blackjack is gone."

"Setzer! Come on!" Erin pushed. "The Setzer that I know never gives up on a challenge!"

"Of course not! This IS a place that I know that has an airship and it's near here..." Setzer started.

"Then let's go! But after we eat!" Erin interrupted, just as Celes, Edgar, and Sabin brought over their food.

"Hey Setzer!" Celes exclaimed. "Hi to you too Harry."

"Hi Celes," both guys replied in unison.

Edgar, Erin, Celes, and Sabin all ate their dinners and headed out of the pub, now joined by Harry and Setzer. Setzer guided them out of the town, and down the rough coastline to a cave that seemed to be sealed.

"Are you sure THIS is it?" Erin asked, examining it.

"Totally sure."

Erin saw something that was a spot hard to see on the wall. She pressed it and the door opened.

"Right, that's how you do it!" Setzer exclaimed, walking up behind her. "Let's go!"

They headed in, and Setzer lead them through the cave, or, as he said, tomb. He eventually started a puzzle and solved it in minutes. He eventually led them into a small room with a large monster guarding the other passageway.

"Figures there'd be a guardian," Harry whispered, drawing several cards.

"Wait! This thing is undead! I mean, we ARE in a tomb right?" Erin suggested.

Celes seemed to be chanting something, and then looked at them. "It's not undead. I just used Scan on it. It's as alive as you and me. The spell told me though that it usually strong magic."

Everyone nodded when Celes seemed to be done explain. However she wasn't. "I can use Runic to protect us from the magic. Erin, heal us right after this thing uses a spell, or I'll just absorb it."

"I understand," Erin complied, "Can I fight regularly until then?"

"If you want!" Celes replied hastily while dodging an attack from the monster.

Erin drew her sword and made a sharp swipe at the beast. He roared in anger and appeared to be aiming an attack right at Erin. She couldn't get out of the way in time and felt herself hit the ground. There was a sudden flash as Celes took in a spell the beast had used unexpectantly, and she then used a Cure 2 on Erin.

The rest of the battle went easily, and Edgar finished it off with his lance. Setzer lead the group into the following large room. In the room was an airship. From the looks of it, the ship was much smaller than the Blackjack.

"Amazing..." Erin whispered.

"Isn't it though?" Harry asked, a huge smile planted on his face.

"This beautiful ship is called the `Falcon'," Setzer breathed, and then put on a more serious tone of voice, "It's amazing it's still here!"

Harry nodded his head in agreement, and started to walk towards it.

"Daryl used to own this ship before... before..." Setzer started to choke up.

"Setzer?" Sabin asked.

"Before she went missing..." Setzer finally finished. "We had a race to see which ship was faster, the Falcon or the Blackjack. Daryl's ship won."

"We only know this..." Harry interrupted from over by the airship, "Because when Setzer and myself got there, she was gone. Setzer waited and waited fro her, but she never came in. During that time, she was marked as missing, and after Setzer finally stopped waiting, she was pronounced dead."

"Should we get going?" Edgar asked as cheerfully as possible.

The rest of the group nodded and walked onto the ship. Setzer headed over to the wheel and gripped it tightly. Fresh tears were clearly visible on his cheeks. He was clearly trying to hide them, although he wasn't succeeding very well.

"You okay, Setzer?" Celes asked.

Setzer just nodded as he flicked a few switches and the ship groaned to life. For the first time, Erin realized that there was an exit to the cave in front of the airship. She walked up to the front of the ship, the spot she had claimed as her regular spot on the Blackjack. And probably soon to be her regular spot on the Falcon.

She heard footsteps behind her and figured that everyone but herself and Setzer had gone below deck.

Several minutes later, she heard footsteps once again.

"Hey."

Erin jumped and looked behind her to see a grinning Harry.

"You scared me!"

"When you stand like that, you look just like the young princess of Alexandria in Gaia."

Erin glared at him but said nothing.

`Of course I look like her!' Erin shouted in her head. ` I AM her!'

"Anyways, no one knows where to go. Not even Setzer. Do you know of anywhere?"

"Relm. We should find her. I feel like something is missing without her around."

"Where would she be?" Harry asked curiously.

Erin thought for a moment, and then replied. "When mom and myself were in Albrook, one of the people mentioned something."

"What?"

"A painted sold a portrait of Emperor Gestahl to Owzer in Jidoor. A young painter."

"Relm Arrowny."

"Exactly. Go tell Setzer."

"Got it!"

Harry walked off and Erin went back to staring into the distance, mind going over what she'd just said. When Erin started to look closer, she could've sworn that she sat something in the distance flying towards them.

"Setzer! Harry!" she shouted to the two. "Something is flying TOWARDS us!"

"What?!" Harry shouted, running back over to Erin and looking over the railing.

Erin pointed out at the ever-growing figure and ran back to Setzer.

"Setzer! I'm gonna go get the others. Stay at the wheel and don't let the thing get to us before I get back up!" Erin ordered, knowing that she was showing her royal side a bit.

Setzer simply nodded, his face set with determination. Erin ran down the stairs, noting that they had the same exactly way of going down as the Blackjack's. As she got down, she finally got a look of what this ship looked like inside, but instead of marveling at it, she knew that there wasn't much Setzer and Harry could do alone. When she spotted the rest of the group talking merrily in a lower part of the floor, she ran up to the railing and looked down at them.

"Everyone!" she yelled down.

They all looked up at her, and realized that she had a face full of worry.

"What, Erin?" Sabin replied.

"All of you need to get above deck NOW!" she simply shouted, and ran back to the stairs and waited for the adults to catch up.

They quickly did so and the three headed back upstairs. They soon found Harry struggling to keep the monster at bay, and Setzer carefully flying the ship.

From the wheel, Setzer pulled out a few cards and threw them sharply at the monster. Erin ran to join Harry and started to aim a Fire 2 spell at the monster. It hit, and hard. The monster started the scream in pain as another spell landed. It flew away quickly and Harry fell to the floor panting. Erin cast Cure 2 on him and his energy came back.

"Thanks guys," he said.

"No problem. Now, let's head for Jidoor as fast as possible!" Erin exclaimed.

"Got it!" Setzer said.

Erin looked back out in the distance and saw the demon flying away.

"So, the legends are true..." Edgar whispered just loud enough for the group up front ot hear.

"What legends?" Erin and Harry both asked.

Harry stood up so that he could hear them better.

"Bro, you don't mean THOSE legends, do you?" Sabin said, staring at his brother.

"Yes, those legends Sabin. The legends say that when the world comes to ruin, horrible monsters will be unleashed. And to the ones who defeat the eight legendary dragons a great reward will be theirs. There will also be a demon that roams the sky."

"And what does legend call this `demon'?" Harry asked.

"Legend calls him Doom Gaze. I'm sure if we were able to locate Strago, figuring he was still alive, he may know some more about him," Edgar explained. "That's all that I know from the books in Figaro."

Erin sighed as she saw the sun go down in the distance. This had been a long day for sure. Erin walked away from the rail, all eyes following her. They just figured that she was tired, which was partly true. Actually, she wanted some time alone.

As Erin finally got a chance to explore, she figured that the adults and Harry should have the rooms. She'd just claim a couch again. Erin sat down on one of the velvet-cushioned couches and sighed, mingling with her backpack to get it open. When it opened, she realized that she still had that magicite in there.

She grinned and pulled out what she had really wanted in there in the first place. She opened it and flipped past all the entries until she reached the one she'd made on January 26, 1996.

`January 26, 1996,

Tomorrow is my seventh birthday. Just last year, I never would've imagined I would still be alive today. Not after what happened to me that night.

Before I start to tear up and blotch this page, that man has started to come around again. I've given up on hiding, as he always finds me anyways. But, last February, I started to have these dreams that he was being nice to me.

Great, I'm starting to tear up again. One of these days, I'm going to go back to that world I was on to see all my friends again. We still need to finish off Kefka!

Uh-oh, Kuja (that man) is coming in!

Erin. M. Tribal'

Erin felt fresh tears wanting to flow, and she finally noticed a few blotches on the page.

`January 28, 1996,

So much has happened in the past two days! I turned seven yesterday, and also came back to this world yesterday. It's sometimes weird to realize the time differences between the two worlds! When I came back here, it was still broad daylight.

Anyways, so far everyone is alive. Well, we have run into many friends. We would be mom (Celes) and myself. So far we've found Sabin, Terra, Edgar, Harry, and Strago. Terra never joined us. She had to take care of the orphan kids in Mobliz. I feel really sorry for those kids!

We're on a new airship, as the Blackjack fell apart. Which I kind of figured, as I FELT it breaking apart! This new ship is called the Falcon. It's much smaller than the Blackjack, but should still be able to hold all our friends. Also, it's mostly white, whereas the Blackjack was mostly black.

Tomorrow we are going to try and find Relm in Jidoor. Oh yeah, we ran into this demon when we started towards Jidoor. According to Edgar, it's part of legend. Lets see if I remember what he knew of the legend correctly:

When the world comes to ruin, horrible monsters will be unleashed. And to the ones who defeat the eight legendary dragons a great reward will be theirs. There will also be a demon that roams the sky.

The demon that roams the sky is the one that we ran into. Edgar says it's called Doom Gaze. I guess if we want any more information, we should find Strago. Maybe we'll do so after we find Relm.

Anyways, it's getting very late and it's going to be an early start. Oh yeah, one more thing! I bought this Magicite called Sraphim. It has yet to be used, as I still have it in my bag!

Woah, this is my longest entry yet, and it's ending here!

Erin Marie Tribal

PS: Sorry about the abrupt ending last time, Kuja came in. He was telling me about something, I don't remember what now. I wasn't even halfway paying attention, as it was also late when I did that.'

Erin sighed as she put the journal back into her bag. She heard someone come downstairs, but didn't go see who it was. After several footsteps down some stairs, she finally looked over and saw everyone, except Harry, standing there.

"Hey Erin," Setzer yawned.

She waved in response and started to stare at a spot on the floor. She felt someone sit next to her and an arm wrap around her.

"Erin, don't worry, it's okay," a soft voice whispered.

Erin leaned into the person next to her, recognizing the voice as Celes'.

"Everything's not okay. It never will be. Everyone, please don't tell Harry this, I don't want him to know what I'm about to tell you."

"What is it Erin?" Edgar asked, sitting down on the other couch with Sabin sitting next to him.

Erin sighed, knowing she was about to give out her most prized secret. But they needed to know.

"Everyone, I'm actually a princess."

There were a couple of gasps, probably from the Figaro Brothers.

"Yes, it's true. Sabin, I know mom told you some of the story, but not all of it."

"Yeah, she did," Sabin replied.

Celes kept her arm around her adoptive daughter as she felt her softly crying.

"My mother... she's changed. When I was first crowned princess to the public, she was nice. But after that night, everything took a sudden turn for the worst."

"What happened Erin?" Edgar asked the girl.

"My father died suddenly, and a man started to come as an audience to my mother. This was about a year before I first came here. About January 14, 1994, on my sister's tenth birthday. But, we were celebrating together, because my birthday is January 27, just thirteen days later," Erin explained, still crying. "After that, I would avoid this man. I found out his name was Kuja, and both mom and Terra have met him."

"Erin, was he that man with your mother that day in Vector?" Celes asked Erin.

Erin slowly nodded. "Yes, he was. He's the one who caused me to have the scars I still have from that day."

Erin leaned out of Celes' grip and brushed her finger over the one she had at the base of her neck.

"We all thought that you were going to die, but somehow you made it out of it," Celes explained.

"Erin, that's horrible!" Sabin exclaimed.

"I know. When that happened, something inside of me was saying that this was it. That I was going to die, right then and there. That was on January 27, 1995. On my sixth birthday," Erin explained, brushing away tears, but new ones still fell freely. "And then, after that day on the Blackjack, I returned to my home in Gaia. Oh yeah, Gaia is where I'm actually from."

Erin looked around and finally realized Setzer was still standing. She scooted over a bit and showed him that he could sit down next to her. He nodded and did so.

"Anyways, I woke up about three weeks after the accident and I was a mess. I was told later it was a miracle I was still alive. My sister was the one who comforted me through that, along with the female general of the Alexandrian Knights, Beatrix. Through those long weeks I suffered horribly until I had made a full recovery. After that, they still helped me out, and that's one of the only reasons I'm here with all of you now."

Everyone nodded in response, and Erin knew that they were all glad that she was with them.

"This year, my sister and myself had separate small parties. Just yesterday, I turned seven years old. I've been keeping a journal, and the last entry I had made until just recently was on the twenty-sixth of January," Erin stifled a yawn through that, and then continued. "You know, last year, those dreams I was having, the ones all of you kept on talking about?"

"Yeah?" Setzer finally said.

"They weren't dreams. They were nightmares. They involved Kuja, and another man. Garland I think his name was. Kuja was treating me nicely, and taught me my first white magic spell when I was two. That was something Garland was supposed to be doing supposedly. But, after Kuja taught me my first one, Cure, in the dream Garland took me away and shouted at Kuja," Erin felt herself starting to cry again. "He was asking him what he was doing to me. Kuja told him that he was doing what I should know, and that's teaching me my white magic."

Erin knew she was skipping part of it, like the mentioning of Kuja saying that he'd already taken Harry and Relm to good homes. She didn't know if they were the same Harry and Relm that all of them knew.

Edgar sighed slowly, all of them stifling yawns.

"The next one I had was actually right before we went to the Floating Continent. It involved Kuja and myself again, except he was taking me on this weird ship and brought me to Gaia," she explained, and then sighed. "There's also something I want to tell you, and again, promise you won't tell Harry. Also, if and when we find Relm, don't tell her."

They all nodded and continued to look at her.

"The first dream I had was actually back when we had returned to Figaro Castle, after the fights in Narshe. You know, when we first met Cyan and Gau?" she said.

"Yeah, we remember," Edgar said.

"Well, when we spent the night at Figaro that night, that's where I had my first one, like I said before. This time, it involved when I was first born, I think. Well, after they'd gone through this naming process again..." Erin started, wondering how to put what she was going to say next into words. "The next child they named... was... someone named Relm. That's such an out-of-place name that I think it's the same Relm we first met in Thamasa. The same Relm that gave me this necklace. The same Relm we are going to try and find tomorrow."

Erin held up the necklace she'd never taken off for the past year except for baths and such. "They named her Relm May Tribal, and said that she was a black mage. Oh yeah, my real name is Erin Marie Tribal, and I'm a white mage. Which I think you already guessed!"

This got a small smile out of everyone, including Erin, who had finally stopped crying.

"Well, there was one other child that day. His name was Harry, and I think it's the same Harry that is currently flying this airship. He was named Harry Lee Tribal, and was called a knight. I'm wondering if this is the reason that he's such a good fighter, and why I'm so good with healing us."

"It might be Erin," Celes suggested.

Erin nodded slightly, and continued. "Hey Setzer, I want to ask you something."

"What?"

"When you first met Harry, did he have a necklace like this?" Erin asked, taking off her nametag.

Setzer took the necklace from her and examined it. "Yes, he actually did. I met him several years ago, about when he was two and a half. Back then, I had just started construction on the Blackjack. When he was about four years old, he finally took it off and hid it. Okay, so he gave it to me, and I still have it."

Setzer handed Erin her necklace back and she put it on. Setzer started to fidget with his jacket. He pulled a necklace out of one of the pockets and handed it to Erin. Erin examined it and gasped.

`This is... just like the one I saw in the dream!'

"This is the same one I saw in that dream! Back then, they were way too big for us, and they still somewhat are. But I know for sure, this is that same one."

"You know Erin, Locke gave me something back when we first went to Thamasa..." Celes started.

"What?" Erin interrupted.

"He gave me a necklace that he said he'd found in Strago and Relm's house while you two were upstairs. I have it somewhere here..." Celes finished, and dug into one of her pockets and pulled out a necklace.

Erin took it from her and examined it, still holding Harry's in her left hand.

`Relm May Tribal. Born January 27, 1989. 2 of 3'

Erin silently gasped and she read the text that was on Harry's.

`Harry Lee Tribal. Born January 27, 1989. 3 of 3'

She set the two down on the floor and scooted of the couch carefully, knowing that she had that skirt on. Doing this allowed more room on that couch, and more room for Erin to move. She again took off her own necklace and looked at it carefully.

`Erin Marie Tribal. Born January 27, 1989. 1 of 3'

"Erin Marie Tribal. Born January 27, 1989. 1 of 3," she repeated out loud.

"What does this mean, Erin?" Edgar asked.

"It means that Harry and Relm might me my real siblings," Erin said, yawning. "Okay, it's really getting late. I think we should all head for bed for now."

"I'll show everyone to their rooms. Even one for you this time, Erin," Setzer said, standing up.

Erin looked up at the man and smiled politely.

"No thanks, I'll be fine out here. Just get me something to stay warm with, like a blanket or something. When we find Relm, she'll probably want to stay out here as well, so probably prepare something for her," Erin explained, standing up.

"Will do," Setzer said just as they felt the airship come to a stop.

"Looks like we're at Jidoor!" Sabin exclaimed, getting up as well.

Everyone else got up and waited as Setzer brought out a few blankets.

"Good night, everyone. I'll let you know if I have a dream okay? I trust all of you that you wont tell anyone," Erin said, sitting back down on the couch.

They all nodded and headed back up to the higher part. Several minutes later, there were sounds of doors closing and Erin finally got up again and grabbed the three necklaces off of the floor. She put her own back on, and put the other two in her bag. Also, she one of the blankets on the other couch, and finally grabbed her own and made out a makeshift bed on the couch.

After getting comfortable, there was a sound of footsteps on stairs once again and she looked up to see Harry standing there.

"Hi Harry," Erin said as calmly as possible.

"Hey, just thought I'd let you know we're at Jidoor. Well, see you tomorrow!" he exclaimed, sounding very tired. He waved and headed back up.

After a few minutes, another door closed and she finally went to sleep, hoping that she wouldn't have to tell the adults tomorrow that she had had a dream.

However, she was wrong. Very wrong.

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A/N: What'd I say, it was long? Well, sorry if there's a little lack of action in this chapter, but I ended up making this more of an explanation one. And let me tell you now, this took every ounce of thought to come up with. Also, I need to rewrite that whole before game part still. Maybe I'll do that now, I have an urge for writing. Well, or else I wouldn't have written all that! Also, if it seems at points I'm ignoring some characters, I'm really sorry. But sometimes it's really hard to include characters all the time!

Anyways, please review!