The following is a Final Fantasy 9 fanfiction by Kaiya Beck and The Pink Tonberry. Yay for legal stuff! Some of the characters in this fanficiton belong to Square Soft. Marco, Kavi, Hope, Jade, and other incidental support characters belong to the respective authors of this fanficiton. Please do not distribute this document without my express permission.

The Pink Tonberry

mercybrand@hotmail.com


After 'Happily Ever After'
A Fine Mess

"Try it again, Kavi," the young prince implored. As he stepped back toward his friends, he watched the little female black mage bow her head in concentration. His teeth chattered while he glanced sidelong at his friend Jade, who huddled on the icy ledge nursing a twisted ankle. He'll be alright, the prince thought to himself. Jade's fallen off rooftops before. Aa little slide down an ice slope won't keep him down. Or, at least he hoped it wouldn't.

For the fourth time, Kavi, the black mage, unleashed a fire spell on the sheer wall of ice. She hoped to melt it enough to make it scalable, or at least bring down a piece of the wall so Prince Marco could jump onto the path above. Sadly, it proved to be of no use. The fire spell did indeed melt some of the ice and vaporize the snow, but nothing fell and only a sheer, unclimbable wall remained. Drooping defeatedly, Kavi turned to offer her companions a shrug in apology.

"You tried, Kavi," the prince offered in sympathy. Before he had a moment to consider another method of escape, the young woman behind him pushed him aside and bore down on the little mage.

"And you're absolutely sure you don't know an ice spell, a water spell, or-anything useful?" she asked, waving her hands in the air. Kavi could tell Alexia was upset. The young knight's cheeks, already pink from the cold, were flushed with anger and the utter frustration of being helpless. Alexia, the daughter of two of Alexandria's most prominent knights, seemed to believe there was no situation that she couldn't get out of with her sword and some cunning tactics. Well, Kavi thought, you've met a problem fighting won't solve.

Pausing a moment to straighten her hat, Kavi replied in a small voice, "You know I have problems with other elemental spells. We we don't have enough room in case something, you know, misfires."

Stretching his uninjured leg, Jade remarked in a bland voice, "You remember the ballroom floor incident, don't you?"

Alexia turned on the young rogue with a frown. Of course she remembered that incident -- despite how much she wanted to forget it. At the request of several other guests, Kavi attempted a simple ice spell to form delicate icicles from the ballroom's chandelier. Unfortunately, as any of her other elemental spells but fire tended to do, the spell misfired and coated the ballroom floor in a thin, slick layer of ice. Guests hit the floor right and left. Even guards who had run in to investigate the commotion fell to the floor and slid to a stop against the other fallen guests. Kavi was mortified, but Alexia suffered the worse embarrassment. She had taken only one step to assist an ambassador to her feet. Suddenly, her own feet left the ground, came level with her head, and then everything slammed into the banquet table jarringly. The entire banquet table slid, crashing against the wall in a horrific, disastrous clatter. Some attendees laughed, others whooped as they fell to the ground too, still others ran to help Alexia to her feet from under the mess of fallen dishes and decorations. It had been utterly embarrassing.

Shuddering, Alexia turned away and pretended to shiver. Of the four, only she and Kavi were wearing attire marginally suitable for being in the Ice Cave. If Prince Marco had kept his royal robes, rather than shedding them as soon as he was a safe distance from the castle, he wouldn't be freezing his tail off right now. While Alexia paced on the small ledge and mulled over her thoughts, the other three began to calculate how long they'd been stuck down in the pit. "You're sure that moogle could be trusted to deliver the missive to your cousin, Prince Marco?"

"Yeah, well, MogNet hasn't let me down yet." Even to him, his answer seemed uncertain. "And what's with this 'Prince' business? You only call me that when you're mad. Don't be mad at me, Alexia. I'm not the one who was yelling and caused the cave-in."

"Yeah, Lex. Thanks a lot," Jade grumbled while indicating his bruised leg.

Kavi seemed to be the only sympathetic face of the group, but with a black mage, how could you tell? Again, Alexia frowned and went back to her pacing. She wouldn't have to yell at the Prince if he'd just listen to her. What would the Queen say about him being in this dangerous place? Being stuck together as they were simply proved her point. Balling up her frustration into a metal-clad fist, Alexia drove a punch into the solid wall of ice to vent. The impact stung, but it felt good to relieve some of that negativity. As she pulled her hand away, she noticed a dark silhouette about half a foot into the ice.

"Hey, what's that? Do you guys see this?" She indicated the dark, obscure shape. Kavi waddled forward, careful not to slip on the ice. Intently, she peered through the translucent wall.

"I think I do see something. Stand back, I'll try and melt it out." Alexia complied quickly and Kavi raised her arms and then thrust them forward. "FIRE!"

When the steam dissipated, Kavi exclaimed excitedly, "It's a chest! Oh! I wonder what's inside!"

Striding forward, Alexia drew her sword to pry the metal-braced chest from the ice wall. She had to chip at the wall a couple of times before finding a corner for leverage against the chest. With all her might, she pulled back on her sword and the chest jumped free. Kavi pounced on it to keep it from sliding off the ledge. Then, she sat back to examine it. "Well, I don't see a lock. Oh! It's open."

Marco and Alexia crowded close to see what was inside. From his resting spot against the wall, Jade craned his head to get a peek as well. "What is it?" he called out anxiously.

"It's just a potion," Alexia sighed.

"Well, if nothing else, we can heal Jade's ankle now. Hand it to me, would you Kavi? Thanks." After the black mage handed the vial over, Marco carried it to Jade. "Is this the kind you drink or rub on?" the prince asked, sniffing the uncorked bottle.

Alexia rolled her eyes and strode across the ledge. "If you paid more attention to your alchemy lessons, Prince Cedric Marcus til Alexandros, you would know, wouldn't you?"

"Mrowr!" Jade countered with a grin. "I'm the one who got hurt, Lex. I don't see why you're being so catty."

With a rough tug, Alexia pulled Jade's injured leg straight, eliciting a sharp gasp of pain from the young man. "This might sting a bit," she hissed, shooting Jade a less-than-sincere smile.

Making a makeshift chair out of the empty chest, Marcos dropped into a seated position across from Kavi. Both of them sat with their chins in their hands, looking thoughtful. Marcos would certainly forgive Alexia for her bad mood. He was certainly used to her moody outbursts by now. It wasn't doing anything for anyone else's spirits, though. Was there a diplomatic way he could tell her to shove it? No, at least not in a way that would help their situation, anyway. Everyone had to deal with being trapped however they could. It was only a matter of time before they were rescued. he hoped.

Heavy humidity clung to his arms like a second skin. A frown touched his light pink lips and for a moment he considered rolling his sleeves down again, but the late summer heat was just too oppressive. At least on chocobo-back he got a bit of a breeze. The wind was absent from the Gunitas Basin today, leaving the hot, sticky air to stagnate.

Hope had more favorable places in mind in which to spend his time, but he'd received an urgent message through MogNet from his cousin. His younger cousin, Prince Marco of Alexandria, had requested that he come quickly and discreetly. Of course, Hope had no chance of obfuscating the truth from his mother. She was a powerful genome with the rare ability to read other genome's minds. Hope had inherited these powers to an extent, but certainly not enough to hide his intentions. His mother, Mikoto, had met him at the door of their hut in the Black Mage Village with his father's traveling hat in hand. She had placed it on his head and wished him a safe return.

Tilting his pointed red mage hat, Hope scanned the cliffs that lined the basin. His light blue eyes searched for any sign of the cave entrance that the message indicated. Urging his golden chocobo forward, he spotted the mouth of the Ice Cavern just off to the right. "Faster, Bobby Corwen," he leaned forward, spurring the swift bird on. "We've dallied too long already."

Hope wheeled the chocobo about and swung down before the bird had stopped moving. Holding his hat in place, he sprinted for the cavern entrance and allowed his eyes a moment to adjust. He could sense his cousin inside, but a sudden feeling of danger warned him to proceed carefully.

Inside, the cavern glittered fascinatingly, with flower-like blooms of ice on the floor and enormous icicle stalactites forming curtains of ice across the ceiling. Hope rolled his sleeves down, glad that he'd decided to wear his heavy traveling robe and hakama rather than changing into something lighter. Summer on this continent, he knew from experience, could be downright miserable.

The fair young man hadn't walked five steps before he heard voices. Although the words were indistinct, he recognized the voices echoing off the cavern walls. Foucsing his mind upon his cousin, he followed the path until the voices came from directly below. One branch of the path must have fallen away, he surmised. Otherwise, everything else in the cavern looked undisturbed.

Peering over the ledge, he saw three figures below. One of them, Prince Marco, could easily pass as a younger brother. His cousin, like him, had genome blood granting him fair hair, skin, and, of course, a long, dexterous tail. Unlike Hope, Marco wasn't a full-blooded genome, though. He was the child of Hope's uncle Zidane and the Gaian Queen Garnet til Alexandros the 17th.

One of the other figures turned out to be the daughter of the Queen's personal guard. Young Lady Alexia Steiner had just been granted her title as a knight of Alexandria a few months ago. According to Marco's letters, the title had gone straight to her head. Alexia had taken to bullying and criticizing Marcos even more than she had when they were both children. Hope wondered idly how long his cousin's patience with the fiery knight would hold out. If nothing else, Marco was long-suffering. Then again, when it came to Alexia's overbearing attitude, there was a good deal of suffering to be had. Maybe it is just puberty, Hope mused with a smile.

The last figure Hope knew only by reputation. Marco spoke highly of Jade, the son of an actress and one of his late uncle's friends. Jade used to follow Marco everywhere any chance he had. Apparently, that much hadn't changed. Recently, Jade had been hired as a delivery boy in the city of Alexandria. In recent letters, Marco openly resented Jade's job because it kept him away for days at a time. From what Hope could gather, life in the castle was rather lonely for the young prince, despite having the constant companionship of his personal guard Alexia and several servants. Life in the castle was much different from the cozy, close-knit society of the Black Mage Village.

"Hello, down there," Hope called.

Everyone jumped to attention and glanced up to see Hope smiling down at them. "Hope!" "It's about time." "Yay!"

Just then, from Hope's perspective, a wide-brimmed black mage hat shuffled into view. With the ribbons and two small bells hanging from the tip, Hope had no doubt who the black mage was. "Kavi??! What are you doing here?"

Two, shining yellow eyes peered up heavy with guilt. "H-hello, Hope," Kavi called meekly from behind her gloved hands.

As one of only two female black mages in the entire world, Kavi was protected carefully by every member of the Black Mage Village. She was literally key to the future of their race. How she escaped the watchful eyes of her guardians was beyond Hope. Maybe I should keep an eye on her from now on. "Kavi," he said sternly, "Mr. 288 would be beside himself seeing you in a place like this. Do you know how much everyone worries for you? You simply can't go adventuring like this. It's irresponsible."

Alexia bumped Marco in the side with her armored elbow. "That sounds familiar, doesn't it?" she said just under her breath. Marco dipped his head sheepishly.

The female black mage nudged the snow into a little pile with her toe. Any retort that came to mind was weak, so she didn't bother. As usual, Hope was right. She was lucky she hadn't been injured at all. As it was, Jade was kind enough to break her fall, even if it meant twisting his leg. She mumbled an apology and crowded behind Marco for defense.

Hope's expression softened and he shook his head sadly. "We will talk about this later. Right now, you all need help out of there. Stand back, please." As everyone crowded onto one corner of the ledge, Hope drew out a palm-sized opal from the pouch at his side. Humming in his concentration, he drew an arcane symbol in the air and then unleashed the spell with a whispered, "Blizzara."

Ice shot down into the ledge from above. Large spear-like crystals seemed to sprout from the floor, pointing out from the center of where the spell originally touched down. The sound of the ice forming was like the cracking of a hundred eggshells. After they formed, the spears of ice resonated like delicate chimes.

Everyone gazed at the spell's effects in wonder. Kavi watched with a touch of jealousy. Aside from the eldest black mages, Hope had the most powerful black magic in the village. Kavi wanted to approach him for lessons, but the genome always seemed so busy studying and tending his dwarf trees -- that is, when he wasn't traveling. Kavi envied that more than Hope's power. She wanted his freedom to travel and study in foreign cities. It had taken her a good deal of bargaining just to visit Prince Marco in Alexandria again. She was supposed to be accompanied by one of the villagers at all times, but like Marco, she slipped away from the watchful eyes of her guardians for an adventure, and, predictably, she almost died for that little bit of adventure.

While Hope watched, Marco scaled the stalagmites nimbly. Jade followed close behind the prince. Though his ankle was still somewhat tender, Jade had little trouble climbing and then hopping onto the ledge beside Marco and Hope. "Thanks man."

Hope inclined his head. "Please don't mention it. You're Jade, right? My name is Hope Terra. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine." Jade smiled as he stepped forward to take Hope's hand.

From below, Alexia cleared her throat loudly. Marco smiled, as did Hope, sharing one of their private jokes. "I have a rope on Bobby Corwen's saddlepack. Wait here and I will retrieve it."

"You brought Bobby Corwen?" Marco followed his cousin with an eager step. "It's been so long since I've seen her! How's Boco doing? Have the eggs hatched yet?" The questions trailed off after the two exited. When they returned, both cousins were laughing and Hope unwound the long, magically reinforced rope.

"As you can probably guess, everyone has been tending those eggs very carefully. I think they're going to hatch soon. You can hear the chicks from within making little 'peeps'." Hope handed one end of the rope to Marco, held a section of it himself, and then tossed the loose end to the girls below. "Can you both climb? Kavi, if you need help, I can cast a Float spell."

The little black mage swung her arms as she considered it. She'd never tried climbing a rope before. She wasn't entirely sure how strong she was, but it could be worth a try. "Let me try first," she called up. "Alexia, will you catch me if I fall?"

With a curt nod, Alexia stepped forward to spot the black mage. "You have my word. Twist the rope along one leg and you can use it to anchor you as you climb." Tentatively, Kavi followed the older girl's advice. Though her progress was slow, Kavi made it halfway up the rope before she had to rest her arms. A breeze tore along the wall, causing her to swing. Kavi whimpered and clung tight to the rope. Just before the wind threatened to blow her hat off her head, it eased. Everyone held their breath as Kavi shook in fright, suspended about a dozen feet in the air.

Forcing down a swallow, Kavi called out, "I-I'm okay. I don't think I can climb anymore, though. My arms feel like they're going to give out!"

"Marco, Hope! Can you support both of us up there?" Alexia had a plan in mind, but she wanted to clear it with the guys above.

"How are you doing, Marco?" Hope asked over his shoulder.

Marco dug his heels in and tested his grip. "Kavi's pretty light, but Alexia's in armor. I know for a fact she's heavier than I am."

"I heard that!"

"Don't yell!" Marco called back down. "Remember what happened last time?"

"Maybe I should just cast the spell," Hope murmured.

"Hey, if you need another hand, I'm pretty strong for my size," Jade offered.

Marco nodded. "With the three of us, we should be fine. What do you think, Hope?"

His cousin nodded once. "Make it so. Jade, grab the rope between Marco and me. Do your best not to slip."

Together, they held the rope as Alexia pulled herself up to where Kavi held on for dear life. She urged Kavi onto her back by hanging directly under her. When she was certain Kavi had a firm hold, she began climbing again. Alexia was thankful for the strength training on which her mother insisted. Kavi wasn't terribly heavy, but pulling both the mage and herself up the rope proved to be a challenge. Finally, they reached the lip of the path and the men hauled them up the rest of the way. Alexia rested on her knees while Kavi lay sprawled beside her, panting out of exhaustion and nerves.

Marco wound the rope as Jade and Hope stepped forward to tend the girls. "Hey, you two alright?" Jade asked as he offered a hand to help Alexia to her feet. The young knight brushed his hand away and stayed on her knees. Jade pursed his lips and tucked both hands deep into his pockets.

Hope helped Kavi into a sitting position and dusted the snow from her pink robes. "You did well for a first try," Hope said in a soothing voice. Kavi stared at him with hopeful eyes.

"Really? You think so?" It was the first time she ever remembered Hope praising her. The fear and fatigue was quickly forgotten in a self-conscious little giggle. "I have to admit, I was a little scared." Hope smiled kindly and pushed Kavi's hat askew playfully. As she straightened her hat, the genome stood and walked over to Alexia.

"That was very brave, Alexia. You do your title proud." Alexia's reaction was almost the same at Kavi's. When Hope offered her a hand to help her feet, she accepted eagerly.

With a bow, she paid Hope her thanks. "It was my duty, Hope." The adoration in her voice when she spoke Hope's name struck Jade directly in the heart and sent him sulking over to Marco's side.

The prince glanced up, regarding his best friend with concern. "Are you okay, Jade?"

"Yeah. Just I'm cold, that's all. So, is that it?" He asked, quickly changing the subject from his own well-being. "Are we heading out now?"

"Well, I would like to see what else is in the cave. I wonder if there are any more chests. I've heard there's a sword in a chest hidden here somewhere. Wouldn't that be great to take home as a souvenir?"

"I dunno. I think I have enough to take home with the memory of three friends and a half ton of ice falling on me," Jade grumbled.

"Oh, it wasn't that bad," Marco chuckled, prodding Jade in the side. "How about you, Kavi?"

Climbing to her feet, Kavi patted the snow off her bloomers. "I would like to explore, too. If that's okay?" She turned to Hope, deferring to his opinion.

The older genome considered the situation for a moment. "It is dangerous for you here, Kavi, but if I stay with you, you should be fine. What is your opinion, Alexia?"

The young knight shook off a doe-eyed stare and said brightly. "Yes, definitely. Whatever you want to do, Hope."

Jade pulled his headband down over his eyes and brooded behind Marco.

"Well, that's four to one. I guess we'll keep exploring. C'mon Jade. This was your idea in the first place, remember?" If Marco knew the reason for his friend's sudden turn of mood, he played it off very well.

"Next time I suggest going out onto an adventure," Jade whispered to Marco, "Just kick me, okay?" With that, the moody rogue led them deeper into the cavern.

The next few chests they encountered just off the main path held nothing. A couple looked as if they'd been burned. Jade temporarily forgot his grumpiness as he kept an eye out for anymore chests. Marco paused from time to time to peer at the ledges below the main path. Little else but suspicious lumps of snow seemed to remain, however. It seemed as if the cavern had been picked clean by previous adventurers.

Disappointed, Marco's tail etched a meandering line on the cavern floor as it dragged along. Jade stopped in a high-ceilinged room with a zig-zagging path carved into the wall. The path led to an exit high above. With a sigh, Jade turned back to Marco. "I think that's it. Up there is the exit to the steppes. I can't believe this place has been ransacked already!"

The rest of the group filtered into the room, peering at the spectacular ice formations along the wall. It looked as if a waterfall had been stopped mid-flow. Small, shining droplets hung frozen in time from long, dagger-like icicles.

"What a disappointment." Marco slumped. "I'm going to be in so much trouble just for nothing!" He noticed his cousin at his side and considered his enigmatic smile. "Why are you smiling, Hope?"

The older genome glanced upward. "You. Why are you trying so hard to be like your father, Marco?"

"Huh?"

"That's what you were thinking." Hope leaned toward Marco and tapped his forehead. "'I'll never be like my dad.'"

There was no use denying it. Hope understood him entirely too well. He always had! So, here it came, the speech about 'being himself'. Marco was so tired of hearing that line. He didn't want to be himself. He was bored with being a prince- - of always having to be on his best behavior. He didn't want to study to be king. He was afraid his time to take the throne was coming too quickly. His mother's health and mental state had been dwindling since his father died nine years ago. His beautiful, gentle mother was only a ghost of her former self. If his father was such a great man, why shouldn't Marco strive to be like him? And this this, according to all of the stories Sir Steiner and Lady Beatrix, Lady Freya, Great-Uncle Cid, Uncle Marcus, Baku, the servants, everyone, this is what his father Zidane was all about! Marco wanted to be that for himself and all of Alexandria.

"Marco, you can't be who you're not. You'll put too much stress on yourself trying." Hope rested a hand on his back. "Just remember that you're your mother and your father's child. If-"

Hope was cut off as Kavi jumped back with a gasp. "There's something in there!" The black mage pointed up at a dark mass suspended in the ice.

"What is it? Is it a chest?" Jade asked while running over.

Alexia strode to Kavi's side. Slowly, Hope and Marco drifted over to join them as well. Kavi pressed her hands against the ice and studied the shape carefully. "Not a chest, no. I think it's-"

"It's a black mage," finished Hope.




Author's Note: *tosses the fanfic to Kaiya* Catch! Let's see what you can do with a Black Mage on ice, baby! Bwah ha haa!