2It was raining when it happened.
"Grr… Come on…!"
They were gripping each other's hands so tightly, it was as though the very notion of letting go was blasphemy.
Dysren could feel his hands screaming from the strain. His right hand clung so desperately onto the edge of the cliff, bits of rock and dirt falling off and into the seething ocean below. His left gripped the hands of his mother, whom he'd grabbed out of instinct. He were now caught on hanging off of a rock, trapped between a hard place and something worse.
If only fate were cruel enough to make that the only problems.
"Agh…!"
"Mother!"
"…Oh, gods…"
I looked back down. The petrification curse—a tome that, thankfully, was far too rare—was still working its way up her legs. Up her body. Up towards—
She looked up at me, her brown eyes trying to stay calm.
"Dysren—look at me. Look at me." She was pleading. "You have to let me go."
"No!" I snapped. "I can still get you up. I can—"
"It's too late!" she fired back. "Besides, if this stuff gets to you, too, then…"
Then her expression softened—heartbreakingly so.
The stone grew over her stomach.
"…gods, I am so proud of you."
Dysren realized what was going to happen. "No."
"Always have been."
The stone crossed her chest.
He shook his head. He could feel the tears amidst the rain. "No. Mother, don't—"
The stone spread into her heart.
And in that very moment, Alyah knew she was already dead.
She smiled poignantly as she let go.
"I love you, son."
Dysren could only stare in horror as his mother—the one who brought him into the world, cared for him, watched over him—plummet into the churning sea far, far below.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
I woke with such a start that I accidentally caused the bookshelf to tumble over.
"Agh!"
Cr-CRASH!
Pulling my arm from the mess, and already wide awake, I took a step back to survey the mess I'd created. "Ah, man…"
"What the hell was that noise…?"
I looked over my shoulder. "Sorry," I called.
The hell was that dream, anyway…? I thought as I got to work putting things back. Something about Dys…
Author's Note: Sheesh, working with an iPod touch to write this whole thing is harder than it should be.
In case you're probably confused by what you read, here's a short summary. Basically, Bluefield was experiencing a long-buried memory from Dysren (this iteration of FEA's Avatar) in the guise of a nightmare. This memory in particular involves him losing his mother in a Grimleal attack along the border between Ylisse and Plegia. Points to whoever can name the similarity to another video game here.
Please leave a review for the story. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this little oneshot. :)