He was led Through a maze of identical corridors to a large set of wooden doors with the imperial seal carved into it. The doors opened and he was thrown inside. "Untie him." A gravelly voice said. "He is our guest not our prisoner."
"I'd hate to see how you treat your prisoners." Cid said looking up to where the voice had come from. The source was no other than the emperor himself. "Why have you brought me here?"
"I have a proposition for you." Gestahl said. "And I think that you'd better listen."
"One question first." Cid said. "Why? Why are you doing this. Do you want another war, why are you taking over all of the entire continent?"
"One can hardly rule the world when he cannot even control the whole of the island that his empire originates." Gestahl said as he stood and began walking to a door behind his throne. "Now down to my proposition." he opened the door to reveal Celes tied up and guarded by five soldiers.
"Celes." Cid said.
"So you do know her." Gestahl turned back to Cid. "I have come across a number of espers."
"What?!" Cid said. "Esperes!?"
"Yes. Ten in all. I want to know if we can transfer their power to humans just like before the war of the Magi. I have heard of your name over and over. People say that you are a brilliant scientist. So. . ."
"What?"
"If you do my research for me I won't harm your daughter." Gesthal turned to the five guards around Celes. They all put their swords in non-vital places. "If you refuse I'll have them stab. Can you bear her screams as she bleeds to death?"
"Alright I have no choice. I'll do your research."
Three Months Later
"Yes Cid what is it." Gestahl said into the receiver of the phone. "You'd better have a damn good excuse to save your daughters life."
"I've done it." Cid said. "I've figured it out. The espers power."
"What?"
"I've found out how to extract magical power from the espers."
"Well done. Will it transfer to a human safely.'
"I don't know. I haven't tried yet."
"You will test it on young Celes."
"What!?"
"Just an incentive to get it right the first time. Do you think that I would actually let you test it on one of my men?"
"I will do as you wish. Only for Celes."
"How touching. Do it tonight. Do it right now. Get it over with. I want the results first thing tomorrow morning."
Gestahl laid back down on his bed. He dream was finally about to be within reach.
"Cid what is it." Celes asked. As she opened her eyes. "Is something wrong?"
"No nothings wrong." Cid said. "Go back to sleep."
Celes closed her eyes and a few minutes later she was asleep. Cid brought in his machines that he had made especially for this task. He never thought that he would have to test it on Celes. H brought in a jar of green glowing liquid. At least it looked like liquid but by the way it moved when shaken, it was clear that it wasn't liquid. It moved far too slow. This green stuff was the essence of the espers. The source of magical power.
He hooked up the machine to Celes' arm and began pumping the green substance into her blood. She stirred a bit but, then laid still. Cid checked her pulse, it was normal. He breathed a sigh of relief, as he turned the machine off. He wheeled it out of the room and did not return until the next morning.
Smoke wafted under the door to Celes' room. Cid hurriedly opened the door ready to put out a fire. He found Celes sitting up in bed, there was no fire in the room, and Celes was laughing.
"Cid." She said. "Look what I can do." She held out her hand and a small ball of fire appeared floating over it. It moved around the room before finally going out. "What is this?"
"It's magic Celes." Cid said. "You are the first person to use magic in over a thousand years."
Another ball of fire appeared over her hand, she stared at it. "Magic." She whispered. "Magic."
"Well" Gestahl said "Did it work?"
"Yes. She can use magic, and it did not harm her."
"Good." Gestahl laughed. "Good."
"No about your proposition." Cid said. "You said that if I figured it out you'd let Celes go."
"Oh no." Gestahl said evilly. "You must have misunderstood. I want all of the espers' power. I want you to suck then dry. I want all of their power. All of it. Until have it. You will never leave this castle."
Celes looked up at the stars again, they were twinkling more brightly than ever. The wind had picked up, bringing the small of desolation crashing against the cliffs below her. After that day she hadn't seen Cid very often anymore. The emperor had, had her shipped off to a military training camp for the next eight years where she refine her ability to use magic, and trained to be a soldier. The Emperor said that she would be the first new mage knight. That was how she had become a general at the age of sixteen. Now looking back at all she had done she decided that she deserved to die. All of those horrible things that she did because she was afraid for Cid's life.
She had never found out who had killed her mother. or why. She suspected that is was the empire silencing her, in her years of training she had heard of a woman that had started mass protests against the empire because, of her husband being killed in the war that they had started but, she had no way of knowing if that was her mother or not.
Now there was nothing left. Nothing to keep her here, nothing worth staying for. She walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down once more. She turned around raised her hands to from her sides until they were parallel to the ground. The wind pushed against her back as if trying to keep her from falling. She took a deep breathe and left herself fall backwards. As she fell towards the water below she looked up at the stars twinkling in the sky.
She imagined that there was one for each of her friends, Cid, her parents, Locke and the others. She closed her eyes comforted by the thought that she would soon have a star of her own next to those of all the people that she loved. AS the sound of the water crashing against the rocks grew louder she smiled. Cid was right. It did lift her spirits.
This story is copyrighted. so don't even dream of thinking of using it without my expressed permission or else I can and will sue you for large ammounts of cash
I think that Celes is my favorite character in final fantasy 3. Probably because she suffers so much and rises above all of the things pulling her down.
