The recruiting for Chocobo Knights was one of the most vigorous and difficult tasks a young person could take up. Not only would a Knight have to be a fairly skilled warrior, they would need to have a connection with their chosen steed. It would usually be easier to become a Crusader, or perhaps even a Guardian to a young summoner. Elma wanted to be a Chocobo Knight. She had wanted to be one since she had seen a group of the soldiers, noble and majestic atop their armored beasts. Crusaders, she thought, were so...reckless, dangerous, and Guardians, the ones that managed to return...Elma remembered a young man from her home village of Kilika, who had come back from guarding his summoner, and she watched, sadly, as parents gently pushed their children away from him. "He's not right in the head anymore," they would whisper. "Seeing his summoner, the other guardians...being the only one left had to be hard for him." The first time Sin attacked near Kilika, the man swam toward it, waves crashing against him. "You can't leave me here alone!" he screamed, before the ocean, and Sin, wiped him away forever. Elma wondered why he had bothered to return at all. What was the point, if he was going to die anyway? It was futile, wasn't it? She knew about futility, about pointless deaths. Her father, stern and proud, clad in Crusader armor. "We'll win this fight, Elma," he said, kissing her forehead. "Sin is no match for the Crusaders." He had never returned from the battle. -------------- Given the often foolhardy nature of Crusaders, and the suicide mission of Guardianship, Elma decided her best chance of survival was the Knighthood. When she was sixteen, she left Kilika to go to the Chocobo Knight Headquarters, located near Djose. When she arrived, she blinked, surprised, at the sheer number of youngsters who had taken the same path as she had. Pushing her dark, troublesome hair from her face(her mother had never allowed her to cut it), she gazed around the area in baffled amazement. "I had no idea so many people wanted to join..." she mumbled to herself. One bumbling, short young man ran over to her, huffing and puffing until he found his voice. Elma raised an eyebrow. He didn't look suited for Knighthood at all; why would he be here? "We...we're lining up," he stammered. He performed the standard prayer, and she did the same. "You better too, alright? I've heard the commanders are really tough on new recruits." "Alright...thanks." She smiled at him, and he gave her an uneasy smile back. "My name's Clasko." "Clasko, hmm? I'm Elma." She followed him to the group, kicking at stray stones as they walked. She watched him stumble and quickly grabbed his arm before he fell. He gave her an apologetic grin, and she shook her head. "Why are you here, Clasko? No offense...but uh..." she trailed off, at a loss for the proper words. "Oh," Clasko laughed. "It's okay. I know I don't look much like a Knight...but, I love chocobos. I figured...that if I could be around chocobos, and help in the fight against Sin, I would...try my best." His eyes grew dark, troubled. "Everyone has lost something to Sin, you know." Elma thought of the young Guardian swimming to his death, of her father falling during his service to the Crusaders. "Yeah, I know..." --------------- "Recruits, fall in!" A sharp voice barked. The remaining stragglers scrambled to get into line. A girl, blonde and blue-eyed, stood next to Elma, glanced over at her and smiled. Elma saw the faint swirl in her irises, and found it beautiful. A half Al Bhed, she guessed. She had never seen many Al Bhed, but she didn't share that bias that everyone else did. She was always sure the Al Bhed would help the fight against Sin, if the temples allowed it. This girl was proof of her theory. "Hey," the girl whispered. "I'm Tyhlan...what's your name?" "Elma." Tyhlan smiled. "Cool. Um, heard anything about our trainer?" "No. I just got here." Tyhlan sighed in disappointment, played with a strand of loose hair. "Dryd cilgc..." she muttered, and then glanced up, startled. "Oh man, sorry. Uh, I slip up sometimes. You're not...I mean..." she trailed off, uncertain, and Elma didn't like the fear in her eyes. "It's who you are. You can't really change that, and even if you could, why would you? You shouldn't have to be something you're not, just because of other people. I don't have a problem," and then she added, "and your eyes are really pretty." Tyhlan grinned brightly, punched Elma in the shoulder playfully. "You're pretty cool, you know?" Elma tried not to wince at the pain blooming in her shoulder. "Thanks. Um...what does, 'dryd cilgc' mean anyway?" "It means...uh oh, look alive." "'Uh oh look alive'?" Elma asked in confusion. "No, no." the other girl pointed to a spot up ahead. "Our commander, I mean. She's here." Elma glanced in the direction Tyhlan was pointing and, at first, only noticed a shock of bright red hair. "I don't see her. Only her hair." "Stand up on the tips of your toes," Tyhlan muttered. Elma did so, and got her first glance of the young commander. She had expected a harsh, rough looking woman, but this person was lovely, almost delicate. She looked oddly comical in the strange armor, her red hair trailing behind her as she marched back and forth among the recruits purposefully, dark eyes glinting brightly. She looked almost too soft, too gentle to be there, but she moved like she was well-trained, honed to fight. "She's...not what I expected," Elma muttered to Tyhlan. "Not what I expected at all." "She's gorgeous," the other girl murmured. "I mean...wow. I thought she was going to look...well...really, you know, not gorgeous?" Elma raised an eyebrow and chuckled, softly. "Well, yeah." The sloppy line of recruits parted slightly to allow the commander room. Elma heard her ask names; she stood up straighter as she reached her, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Tyhlan's eyes had lost their playful glimmer, become hard and serious. The commander stopped in front of Elma, stared her down. "Name?" Elma noticed, now, that she held a recording sphere in her hands, and that her eyes weren't black, like she thought, but a deep, dark blue. "Elma, ma'am." "How old are you, Elma?" "Sixteen, ma'am." She saw Tyhlan shuffle next to her, impatient. "Sixteen, huh...younger than I was when I started." With that, she moved to Tyhlan, asked the same questions. Elma glanced behind her, and saw Clasko, nervous and pale. She gave him a reassuring smile. When the woman finished going through the ranks, she stood at front again. "I am Captain Lucil, your recruiter and trainer. Some of you may think you might be able to take advantage of me, that you think you have it easy since you're with a woman." Elma noticed the other recruiters smiling. "You are, sadly, incorrect. Ask the other Captains, cadets, and even the General, and they will inform you that I am the most difficult trainer you will have." The other recruiters nodded in agreement, and Lucil continued. "If it becomes too difficult, you are free to go. If you refuse to follow orders, you are more suited elsewhere. If you have the perserverance, the courage, and the patience, you can and will become a Chocobo Knight, you will join the ranks of the many people who fight and lay down their lives to defeat Sin. I am sure that you will all be able to do it, if you believe in that. One day, there will be an Eternal Calm. I don't know who will do it, if it's going to be us, a Crusader, or a summoner, but we're all going to try. Everyone has lost something to Sin. Remember that when you feel like giving up. Remember our mission." ------------------ Elma tried to pull her hair into a semblance of order, tugged at her new boots. The pressed shirt she was wearing felt stiff and itchy, the armor constricting. Standard Chocobo Knight cadet uniforms. Elma hated it already. "You okay over there?" Tyhlan asked. They had both been put in the same squad, with Clasko as well. The older cadets told them that they were going to have it hard. "Captain Lucil is really tough," one doe-eyed boy had said. "You poor newbies have it bad." His squad mates had nodded solemnly. Looking back on the hours they had spent running through Mushroom Rock Road, she had to agree. Poor Clasko had fallen twice, and she noticed the Captain's frown of disapproval as she fell behind to help him up. "You shouldn't," Clasko whispered. "I'll be okay. You just go on ahead. The Captain is watching." "Well, I'm not going to leave you here," Elma argued. "Get up. Just stay with me, okay?" She ignored the others, moved at a steady pace so that Clasko could run with her. They hadn't seen a chocobo, not even once. Elma had frowned when she saw the other trainees being led to the stables. It wasn't fair. And Captain Lucil wanted to speak to her too, right after she had finally managed to settle down, rest her tired muscles. Her bangs fell haphazardly over her face, and she growled in frustration. Even her own hair was plotting against her. "Ur hu...better get ready. Captain Lucil, dead ahead." Tyhlan said. "'Ur hu?'" Elma asked. "It means, 'oh no.' Here," she shuffled in her bag and handed Elma a dog-eared book. "An Al Bhed primer. So you can understand what I'm saying, okay?" Elma nodded, and put the book into her own bag as Lucil approached. "Uh, yeah, I'm gonna go, okay, Elma? I think Clasko might be...falling over something," Tyhlan said quickly, scampering off. "Traitor," Elma muttered sullenly. She stood up when the Captain approached. "Ma'am." "At ease, cadet." Lucil looked a little amused when Elma visibly relaxed. "So..." "Ma'am?" "You fell behind during the running today." "Yes ma'am." "Why is that?" Elma glanced at her feet, dark eyes glittering with unease. "Well, I..." she bit her lip. "Clasko, he kept falling and all, and I just...I just wanted to help him. He's my friend." Lucil frowned. "I do realize that, cadet. However, you can't let another person's failings be your own." "With all due respect, ma'am, he didn't fail," Elma said, trying to keep her voice from rising, "He's just not as fast. He might be good at something else." "He's not suited to be a Knight, cadet," Lucil began carefully. "He's the slowest in the bunch, and it's not good that you're falling behind because of him. You have a lot of potential." "Just because he isn't fast, and he's kinda clumsy, well, that doesn't mean he can't be a Knight, Captain! You said that we were going to try, I mean...didn't you? Everyone's lost something...you have to give Clasko a chance. It isn't fair to him to just give up." "And it isn't fair to you when you have to fall behind just to help him. Sometimes, you have to just look out for yourself. In a battle," Lucil said, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "you always can't look out for your comrades. You have to leave them to their own devices, you have to worry about you. If you're looking out for a comrade, and not paying attention, a Sinspawn can catch you, right in the back; Sin can wipe you away. I've seen it. I don't want Clasko to end up like that, but I don't want you to end up that way either, alright? During training, take care of yourself, for now. You have to let Clasko learn how to survive on his own. You're not to be his crutch, do you understand?" Elma lowered her gaze, hid her eyes beneath her unruly hair. "Yes ma'am..." "None of that." The older woman smiled weakly. "Everyone makes a mistake when they first start. Now..." she frowned, and Elma felt her hands, soft, brushing away the bangs from her face. "You really do need to cut your hair, cadet." Lucil tucked the wayward hair behind Elma's ears. "It'll get in the way like that." Elma felt her face heat up, and was grateful for her tanned skin. "Alright, Captain." She bit her lip, and Lucil stood up, brushed away dust with her hands. "You'll get it cut tomorrow. Remember, we're up bright and early. A few hours of running, and if you all do well, you'll see the chocobos." Elma moved a hand to her cheek, and imagined she felt the phantom touch of Lucil's fingers. "Yes, Captain. Thank you." ------------ "So, how did it go?" Tyhlan was juggling two apples; she handed one to Elma. "She told me that I shouldn't fall back anymore to help Clasko." "Oh, well, yeah. You shouldn't. What else did she say?" "She um, she told me I needed a haircut." "Ahh. Huh. Cilgc to be you." "It wasn't that bad," Elma said quickly. "I mean, she's actually nice. She didn't yell or anything. And well, she was really fair. She said we might see the chocobos tomorrow." "Cool! So, she's prettier up close, isn't she?" Elma shuffled uneasily. "Well, yes. But she should be respected. She seems like a very dedicated person." "Yeah." Tyhlan paused for a moment. "That's cool, I guess. So..." "Hm?" "Are her eyes blue or green, or black? I couldn't tell when she talked to us. They're really dark, like...fathomless." "Big word," Elma said dryly, ignoring the raspberry Tyhlan gave her. "Why do you care?" "Because she's gorgeous. You have to know eye color to properly assess someone's appeal." "You have a crush on Captain Lucil?" "Pfft. I don't crush. I...appreciate certain forms of beauty, alright? Hey, I'm not the one who got all blushy when she was mentioned." "What?" "Nevermind. So what color?" "Blue. Very...deep blue, like..." Elma searched for the words. "Kinda like...you know after the sun sets, and it's not any other color but that dark blue, before it gets pitch black? It's like...that. Or...like, the ocean, the deep end of it..." She trailed off, looked to the sky. Tyhlan laughed. "Now...that's a lot of elaboration. I think someone likes someone...." she began in a sing-song voice. "I don't! I mean...she's the captain...I respect her, that's all." "Uh huh, okay. Respect." Elma frowned. "We better get sleep. She said bright and early." ------------------ A/N:Well, that's the end of chapter one. This is harder than I thought. I hope ya'll don't mind the original character, don't worry, she's not a Sue. Also, I'm, of course, not sure if this is how the whole Chocobo Knight thing works, but I imagine it's something like the way an army works, except with big birds that go 'kweh.' Or 'wark,' whichever you prefer. Anyway, tell me what you think, because feedback makes me happy. Flames make me very sad though, so none of that. Al Bhed notes: 'dryd cilcg'- that sucks 'Tyhlan' - dancer. If you don't have an Al Bhed translator, ffx-2.net is the best place to get one, but I won't be abusing the usage of Al Bhed anyway(I hate opening my translator in the middle of a story, don't you?), so no worries.
Back to The Trouble with Understanding Index - Back to Final Fantasy 10 Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction