Chapter 1: The Barmaid and the Chick with the Sword --------------------------------------------------- It was lucky for Seyla that she left as quickly as she did, because it was only ten minutes into her long journey and she was already worrying her head off. If she hadn't already started to rise into the air, there was no way she could have gotten up the courage to take off in this frame of mind. What was she thinking, going back to Doma? And what was she going to do once she got there? Miguel had already told her that Kefka had been defeated... Anyway, it was a long trip to Doma, and she hadn't navigated a balloon in years, she was bound to get lost before she got anywhere near the castle... Maybe she should just go back to Kohlingen and tell her family that they had been right. She wasn't cut out to be and adventurer, she never had been. She should have stayed in the village, and 'tee-heed' at the men's 'hero' stories like all the other normal girls..... She cursed herself for ever having given in to her adverturous soul. She didn't even _like_ being a mercenary, she had only done it to prove to the guys that she could.... and some proof: she had run away from the most important battle of her life and hid in a hole for almost two years. She was a failure... ************* Seyla looked up at the sky. Her self abuse had taken the greater part of a day. She found herself rather tired and very hungry. Putting away her painful memories, she opened up her duffel and took out a couple of dried mushroom strips (wich looked and tasted exactly like unsalted beef jerky) and some candied rose petals for flavor. Having eaten what little she could afford if she was to survive the trip, she stretched out in the canoe shaped basket of her balloon and dreamed. ************* She was walking along the grasslands and she could see Doma Castle through the thick greeen haze. There was a powerful energy flowing through the castle and Seyla could feel it permeating her very being as it seeped slowly through her pores. She felt stronger with every step toward the edifice. As she approached the castle, she could see a row of Magitek-armored soldiers advancing toward her. She thought of what would happen if Doma Castle were still occupied. ************* And then she woke up. The first thing Seyla was aware of was a ravenous hunger, even though she had eaten right before fallingasleep: her stomach was empty and cramped, and her mouth and throat were parched. The second thing... ... She was being fired at! Seyla looked over the edge of the basket just in time to see a solider on top of Doma castle fire a bolt, which struck directly into the middle of her balloon. "...Doma already? How long have I been asleep?" Seyla probably could have answered her own question, had she not been so busy frantically trying to gain some control over the inevitable crash of her balloon. She managed to land on top of the castle relatively unharmed. She would eat, she told herself, just as soon as she was out of danger. Working quickly, she packed all her belongings, including her weapons, into her backpack. It was no longer her style, (and only ever her style by situation, not by coice) to fight her way in anywhere, occupied or no. She did, however, keep one MiThrill Claw out, it would be of use with what she was about to do...She tied together the cords of her balloon and firmly attached them to the ledge. The she swung the the other end over the edge of the roof, and proceeded to climb donw using her rope and one claw. near the top of the castle, she caught a glimpse of a very familiar-looking woman it the window. For the life of her, she couldn't place the face, but from simply the air of the woman, there was no doubt in Seyla's mind that she was the one in charge of the castle. The stone-set window was too small to climb in, however. She would just have to use the front door. Thus decided, she climbed the rest of the way down the wall, being careful not to be seen through any of the windows. On the ground, Seyla quickly packed away her calw, and made her way around to the front of the building, where she met a man with a very curious look about him. For some reason, Seyla thought that he would fit well with... a white spandex outfit and a cat's head sword??? Seyla subtely shook her head, presented her unarmed hands, and asked to see the lady of the house. "And you are?" the man piped up. "Seyla Austere." Seyla replied, as if to insinuate that he was a greater fool than ever had lived for not knowing her name. The man eyed her curiously for a moment, and the bouced off, coming back some time later wit hthe woman from the upstairs window. "Can I help you?" the woman asked. Suddenly, Seyla was thrown into flashbackland. She was back in her hometown, getting a drink at the bar. Even though the place was full, and people were having to stand, Selya vividly remembered that there were always two empty seats on either side of her. "Women are supposed to stay in the village. They aren't good for anything else but sittin' and lookin' cute, and, of course, servin' the men..." they used to say. And thusly, they would avoid Seyla, the odd one, the woman fighter, like the plague. All, that is, except the barmaid. Yes, that was the woman standing facing her. She would sit and listen to Seyla's stories as if they were her own adventures, with an gleam in her eye the like of which Seyla had never seen. Seyla had once though of inviting her along on one of her campaigns, she remembered, but, not wanting to impose the hardships and rejection of her lifestyle on anyone else, she had ignored the thought. And now her she was, face to face with that barmaid, now the mistress of Doma castle, the place she had come to to face her past.... Realizing that the woman was still staring at her, expecting an answer, Seyla searched her mind for a name: Sarah, Susie, Sally, Sandra... "Sascha," she said, "what a surprise!" "Do I know you?" Sascha replied. "Oh, of course, you shouldn't. I just... I lived in Kohlingen a long time ago. I wonder if it's changed much since I left." Sascha smiled. "Yes, it has, as a matter of fact. I burned it to the ground!" she said triumphantly. Seyla stared blankly at Sascha for a moment, and, much to everyone's surprise, began to laugh.