Prologue

The wind whipped fiercely at Celes' face as she rode through a long, grassy stretch of a field. Her hair waved somewhat elegantly behind her and her slender fingers held tight to the reins... of a Chocobo.

'I have to find it,' she thought with determination as she tightened her grip on the blue leather. 'That city... Albrook... he said he'd meet me there...'

She let out what would have been a sigh if it wasn't for the air lapping in her face. She didn't really know where she was going, and all she could trust was her instincts. Besides, she was young... and the world was a dangerous place.

Looking quickly behind her, past her fluttering white cape, Celes read the sun's position in the sky. It was about 7 p.m.

'When it gets dark I won't have anywhere to go.' Furrowing her brow, she bent herself closer to the body of the Chocobo to pick up speed. "Let's make haste," she whispered, as though she was talking to a companion in the wind. "I don't know how long he'll wait for me."