My small fingers gently curl around the piglet I had found just outside of the city. It seems to be peacefully asleep in my arms, but I know better. I saw those boys throw stones at it when it was rooting through the garbage heap for food. Now, it's chest ballooned with swelling from the bruises.

Soon enough, I find a small tree stump to place the piglet on. It stirs and startles, it's squinted eyes flaring fearfully. I place my hands on it to soothe it. "Sh, I'm going to help you," I coo. Once calm, I bring back my hands and clasp them together.

"Cura," I whisper as a wave a hand above my head. White, glittering mist flows from my hands, following the motions I made, then tendril towards the baby animal. As soon as the mist makes contact with the piglet, it's wounds begin healing before my eyes until there is no sign it was ever hurt. It squeals happily and rubs it's tiny head against my hand.

"Aww, you're welcome, Little Piggy!" I beam as it trots off.

"Mair!" A man's voice calls. I turn around and see a bearded man in dark robes coming towards me.

"Elder!" I pop up and run to him, excited to see my master. I trip over my feet though and am about to fall face first when the Elder grasps the hood of my robe.

"Careful now, Mair," he chastises, but a wry smile forms on his face. "Excellent progress on your Cura spell, with that piglet that just took off." I beam proudly. "You're coming along very quickly with your magic," he praises.

"Really?" He nods.

"You may well become the next great sage of Mysidia. The gods know we need more wizards who are like you in this city," he says as he pats my head gently, ruffling my black hair. "Return for supper though," he tells me.

As I walk with the city Elder, it is quiet. Most Mysidians are now inside their homes, eating with their families. As for me, my home is with the Elder and the other Mages. It's always been like this. Suddenly, the man stops and turns to me.

"Mair, you're very talented. Someday, it is my hope that you become my apprentice." His apprentice? Never before has the Elder taken in an apprentice before! "Once you're of age, of course," he adds in. I nod rapidly.

"Yes, Elder, I'd love to!" He chuckles.

"Good. But, for now, I will need your help. A young pregnant woman arrived earlier this evening, asking for a place to spend the night. I've granted her quarters, especially with her being due any moment now." His green eyes bore into me. "You are to ensure that she is comfortable and has whatever she needs." I bob my head.

"Of course, Elder. I'll see to her." He sighs in relief.

"Thank goodness. I would ask the senior White Mages, but already, I can see their disapproval of the fact that the woman is here alone, and without her husband. She doesn't need to be the talk of horrendous gossip." True, the older mages can be pretty mean...

He points me towards the Hall of Prayer. "She's in a room in the hall there. I've had your meal sent there already. Please, don't leave her side until she has given birth and has been cared for." The Elder remains with me until reaching the hall, then we part ways as he ascends the stairway to the tower above, where he prays every day.

I wonder what he prays for.

Following his orders, I find the room and knock gently. "Come in," a woman says softly, so I let myself in. Inside, is a simple room, much like my own. A small desk and chair with several blank papers, ink, and a chocobo quill. A woven rug with the Mysidean emblems covers the stone floor. The room would be quite dark if not for a small fire in the hearth and the small window allowing in the light of the twin moons. And yet, there is enough light for me to make out the face of the person laying in the small bed.

The firelight illuminates her brunette locks, twisted into a loose braid. The woman's face is like porcelain, spotted with perspiration and exhaustion. The detail that most catches my attention though, is how huge her stomach is. The Elder was right when he said she would give birth soon.

I make my way to her, and as I near, she sits up and opens her eyes, showcasing vibrant crimson eyes. "Hi, I'm Mair," I introduce myself politely. "What's your name?" Her gaze stares at me with a puzzled expression.

"What are you doing here?" I cock my head to the side.

"Elder asked me to take care of you tonight."

"You're a child!" She gasps. "Why aren't you home with your parents?" I shake my head.

"This is my home. The Elder is my guardian."

"Oh..." She whispers, taking note of how I said 'guardian', not 'father'. "Well, my name is Selena." I smile brightly.

"Is there anything you need?" She shakes her head.

"Not at all," she says, returning my smile. "I'm just waiting for my little one to join the world." Selena rubs her stomach for emphasis. "I must say though, they sure love kicking me!" She waves me over to put my own hand on her stomach. After a second, I feel a light nudge.

"I felt a kick!" I cheer, making Selena beam.

As I eat the food the Elder left for me, Selena talks to me about how her grandparents were originally Mysideans, but chose to adopt a nomadic lifestyle of raising chocobo. She also reveals that she had been about to get married, that way she would be we'd before her child was born. However, fate was cruel, and her husband-to-be was thrown from the back of a chocobo he'd been training, and had his neck broken. In return, I tell her about how the Elder found me as a toddler on the beach years ago, and took me in as his own.

"That's horrible," she whispers. "What mother could abandon her own child....?" I shrug. To change the mood, I reveal my white magic training, and how the Elder wants to make me his apprentice someday.

"That's amazing," she compliments. "How old are you now?" I grin.

"I'm twelve." She smiles back.

"Only four more years then." I nod happily. The young woman looks as if she is about to add in another compliment, her face contorts in pain.

"Selena! What's wrong?" Her hands grab her sheets tightly, so tight that her knuckles are white.

"Mair... Get help... Find someone. T-tell them... The baby's coming..." Her mouth opens to release a scream, and I run out of the room and to the Elders's private quarters.

Banging my hand on the door, I shout, "Elder! It's the woman! Her baby's coming!" In an instant, the door slams open, and he appears, still wearing his robes.

"Right now?" He asks. I nod vigorously. He brushes past me, ringing the bells upon the doors of other mages as he runs through the hall. Soon enough, three other mages are trailing behind him.

When we return to Selena, her hair is drenched in sweat, and she's breathing heavy. The mages shove me out of the room, saying I'm "too young to help in this." And so, I wait out in the hall. Through the door, I can hear Selena's cries, and the Elder's calm and composed orders to the mages, as well as calming advice for the young woman.

After what feels like hours, the door opens, and a Mage lets me come in. Now in the bed, is Selena, holding two small white bundles, one on each arm. She looks exhausted. "Hi, Selena!" I greet her.

"Hey there, Mair..." She smiles wearily. "Looks like I had twins. Come see them." I have to stand on my tip toes, but my grin grows wider as I see the two babies.

"Aww.... They're so cute!" I squeal. "Are they boys, or girls?" Selena laughs.

"Both," the Elder answers for her. "A healthy little boy," he says, pointing at one. "And a healthy little girl." I look back at them. The baby girl has the same crimson eyes as her mother, but her brother has violet irises.

"Who's older?" I ask.

"My girl," Selena responds. "She's going to wind up bossing her little brother around so much."

"What will you name them?" The Elder asks. Selena thinks for a moment.

"I want to name my son Palom...." She says slowly. "And my daughter.... Porom." She smiles. "Yes, Palom and Porom; I love the names. These names suit them," she coos at her now sleeping infants.

"Indeed," the Elder agrees, his own smile bright. Selena hold the two bundles closer to her body.

"They're absolutely beautiful..." Her voice trails off, and her eyes close. Her head drops between her bundles, waking the infants. Palom and Porom being wailing.

"Selena?" The Elder asks, reaching over to shake her arm, but she doesn't stir. "Selena?!" A Mage presses his fingers to the mother's neck, then pulls them away gravely.

"Elder... She's passed.." Another Mage goes to her side. The Elder's expression turns blank.

"Her blood pressure skyrocketed. It happens sometimes during childbirth..." My eyes remain frozen on Selena's now corpse. She was just alive and smiling proudly at her babies...

"What of the infants?" A Mage asks. "With her dead, they'll die too without food-"

"Leave it to me," the Elder commands. "Thank you much for helping. Please though, retire for the night." The mages leave in silence, but my feet are frozen. I watch as the Elder scoops Palom and Porom into his arms. "Come now, Mair," he calls.

".... She was nice," I whisper. Now able to move, I make my way to Selena and raise a hand.

"Mair, no...." The Elder begins to say, but I ignore him.

"Cura," I breathe, waving my hand over her. I watch the shimmering mist move over her body, and I wait for her to sit up and smile again.

She never does.

The Elder gently sets the infants down on the rug, and kneels in front of my, putting his hands on my shoulders. "Mair... You need to know this. Once a person dies, even the most powerful white magic can't help them. It's not that your magic isn't strong enough, but it's just a fact of how magic works... You can't bring back the dead, Mair."