IIFA TO ALEXANDRIA

Chapter One: The beginning

There he was, all but devoured by the darkness of the pit where the Iifa Tree once stood. He lay limp and feeble beside the body of a man he may have been able to call his brother if the circumstance had not been so warped.

The corpse beside him was that of his kin, his enemy and the very reason he had been created. All he could do was mourn the loss of this soul with no one to comfort him. He was alone and she, well she, would be halfway home by now.

All he wanted, more than anything, was to be held by his beloved Dagger, known as to the citizens of Alexandria as Queen Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th. The name he had given her could not have been so apt at the moment for without her, he felt as though a cold, steely blade had been thrust though his heart.

He rolled over and climbed slowly to his feet, casting his eyes upon the body of the largely understood genome who lay lifeless. He knelt down and brushed a hands over Kuja's face, closing his eyelids for the final time.

"I'm sorry," he said, coming up to full stance. "I'll remember you. Farewell brother. "

He glanced up to see a narrow shaft of light breaking through the mass of tree roots rebelliously. Summoning all the strength he could find, he hoisted himself up through a narrow space between the roots. The light grew stronger and he knew then, that he could escape from beneath the ruined tree.

After hoisting himself up through more narrow spaces, he found the roots to be further apart. However, here they seemed to climb for miles and miles. He scurried upwards, moving as fast as his legs could carry him. He took a bold leap toward a vine, which he would surely have missed if not for that cursed monkey tail.

The light grew closer. And so he swung, climbed, leapt, crawled and all but flew up through the maze. It took hours, or at least that was how it felt.

When he broke the canopy once and for all, the light quickly began to dim. Here he was, out in the wilderness, with no way to stay warm. When his motley crew had spent an evening in Conde Petie, the day before most of them married each other (this is another tale), he had noticed the steep drop in temperature. With all his effort he climbed out of the ruins of that dreaded tree, he may just as well have stayed there.

He kicked the ground at his feet in frustration, only to hear a hollow sound as he did so. Looking down he could see a small, wooden instrument; a flute.

Eiko, he thought, for a six-year-old you're pretty smart. He knelt down and lifted the flute from the floor. With one sharp blast he could see a blur in the distance, a white blur, with a red pom-pom dangling from its head; a moogle at the speed of light.

Almost colliding with him, the creature quickly apologised. "Oh, Kupo! I gave myself a fright there. How may I help you?" he smiled and bowed so quickly it may well have been an involuntary spasm.

"I need a place to rest, I would like to purchase a tent if you have one. I'll pay." With the moogle as his audience, he then went through the small drama of turfing out his pockets, only to find there was a hole in the same pocket he would keep his money. "Uhh..." he managed.

"I know you!" chirped the small being, "You're one of Eiko's buddies right?"

"Yes," Zidane replied, now a little hopeful. "How did you know?"

"Uh, your flute has Eiko's name etched on it," he beamed, "that and I met you in Madain Sari, name's MoMogrio."

"Ah, hi again Momogrio," he replied, hoping it wasn't too obvious that he had no recollection of ever meeting him.

"Hi! Since we have mutual friends, I'll help you out Kupo! One tent, free of charge."Pulling poles, rope and canvas from a seemingly bottomless bag, Momogrio became an animated blur once more, taking all of thirty seconds to construct a suitable lodging complete with paraffin lamp and camp-fire."Goodbye!"

With no opportunity to say thank you or, hey, how would you feel about staying with me, I'm a little lonely?, he was off, a trail of dust beyond the horizon.

Zidane sat toasting a the contents of a small sack of kupo nuts, the moogle had been good enough to leave behind, over the camp-fire. As they cooked, he watched the sun fall into the sea and thought about the situation he had lead himself into.

"I'll return to you," he said out loud, "in the very name of this world I return."

As the nuts were cooked, he wrapped on in the small sack and bit into it. It was sweet and bitter all at once and not at all appetising, he was far to tired and vulnerable to hunt now so they would have to do.

I wonder just how far it is to Alexandria. He thought before shaking the very notion. He finished the kupo nuts, relieved to be through with them and crawled into the tent. The patch of ground he lay upon was rocky and uncomfortable but if a body needs sleep, it will sleep.

He woke up slowly, still weary after his ascent from the abyss. As he came round he began to form a plan. In all actuality ninety percent of it would be improvisation, the remaining ten consisted of this; get to Alexandria.

He had to get transport which meant he had to get to a town, the nearest being Conde Petie. He stepped out of the tent and stretched, only to find it gone a minute later. That was it, he was up so he'd best get walking.

Within a few hours he had found his way to the Conde Petie mountain path. As he dragged his body along the sun-parched causeway she was the only thing that kept him going.

Why did he have to send her away?

As he tried to figure out the rest of his plan, he remembered the Kirkboat, the symbol of Conde Petie. As one would expect it was indeed a boat but it was used for ceremonies such as weddings (again for another time). If he could only borrow it, he could venture home, surely Regent Cid could return it aboard one of his many aircraft.

As he arrived at the village, he looked at the Kirkboat with new-found admiration, it wasn't just a boat, it was a magnificent craft aboard which, with luck on his side, he would ride the waves toward Alexandria.

"Zidane!"

He heard his name being called and turned about swiftly looking for the source. The man, or rather dwarf, who called him was none other than Kelley Fingerwaver, one of the people present as witness to his marriage. "Not back for a divorce are ye?" he asked with a smile.

"No, although I guess you could say we are separated. I'm trying to return to Alexandria."

"Sorry pal, we kin help yae out wae a bed and a bit of grub, bit we cannae help ye get back tae Alexander."

"Alexandria," he corrected.

"Well whatever his or her name is, ye look done in, I'll go o'er tae the in an tell 'em you're stayin'."

At the inn a moonfaced dwarf looked him up and down. "Where's that bonnie lassie ye were here wae?" asked Margaret Miller, the innkeeper. "Ye widnae be here for yer honeymoon?"

"I wish we were. We got separated you see, I'm stranded on this continent and she's a million miles away." he informed her, sighing weakly.

"Awh cheer up, ye'll find yer way back tae her, what's fer ye wont go by ye ah always say. Now go and rest up, ye look exhausted."

It was mid-afternoon but after all that walking he had to rest, he was "done in" as Kelley said. He took a drink from the sink and looked at himself in the mirror, he looked awful. His eyes were bleary and his skin pale, sleep would do him well.

As he crawled into bed he wondered whether or not there was even a chance he might borrow the Kirkboat. It was a sacred relic of the dwarves, why would they just lend him it? Either way he would have to ask but now, now it was time to sleep, now it was time to dream.

The world melted away and was replaced by a poppy field. Flowers of the reddest red stretched on for miles and miles. They climbed over a small hill in the distance upon which stood a girl. She was beautiful indeed with skin as pale as winter snow and hair as black as night. She called to him but he could barely hear what she was saying.

He walked toward her, a walk which soon burst into a run. He ran as hard and fast as he could until he could finally hear her voice.

"Zidane, come to me." she beckoned.

And then the most peculiar thing happened, his steps would bring him no closer. As much as he ran he seemed to be only able to run on the spot. He had long broken a sweat but he grew no nearer.

A young black mage, the smallest of all he had ever seen appeared on his right side, emerging from a cloud of dark smoke. "What's wrong Zidane?" he asked.

"I can't get to her."

"Yeah," said Eiko, appearing suddenly on his left. "Don't you want to get to her. I know..." she smiled. "You want to stay here with me, don't you?"

"You really should hurry," said Amarant, as nonchalant as ever. "She's getting away..."

"I can't!" he cried frantically.

"Zidane can do it, Zidane needs to want it, to taste it." Quina said encouragingly as s/he pulled a mouthful of poppies and forced them into its gaping may. "Yum!"

"You made a vow to return," Steiner called, as he stood behind her. "Wont you live up to that solemn promise?"

"I...can...do...it" he managed to force out, with the speed of a carriage he tore toward her, no longer resigned to the same spot. He ran toward her, heart pounding, legs burning, he had to make it! He just had to!

He reached her, he held her; the world froze.

He woke up from the torturous dream, only able to call it a dream as he saw her face, in a cold sweat. "Dagger!" he yelled, much to the annoyance of the other residents of the inn. "I'm coming for you! I'm coming!"

He wilted and fell upon his pillow. Just as Steiner had said, he had made a promise; a promise he intended to keep.