A/N: It has been so long since I submitted anything here that I forgot the author's note :-P I realized after "Nema" made the astute observation that this story had a hint of Shakespeare, as well as reading Sargent Snarky's fic (which you should read after this if you haven't already) that I should probably explain myself. So here goes:
This fic was written for The FFIV Writer's Circle--Challenge I, a contest in which stories must incorporate a list of items/themes/symbols given prior to the contest. I always wanted to write an FFIV story loosely based on one of Shakespeare's plays but I never found the time nor the inspiration. Luckily I stumbled in the FFIV forums here (which you should check out if you haven't already) and found this contest, which has given me that push to write fanfics again.
Again, this story is based loosely on one of Shakespeare's more famous plays (see if you can guess which one, it probably won't be too hard :-P). The items I had to incorporate were: 1) mist/fog; 2) statue of an angel; 3) twilight.
Enjoy!
Cecil, The Dark Knight of Baron
by SpacemanSpiff
Dramatis Personae
Odin, King of Baron
Beigan, Captain of the Royal Guard
Other Royal Guards
Cid, Head of Royal Engineering
Other Engineers
Cecil, the Dark Knight, in service of Baron
Kain, his Lieutenant
Dimitri, close friend to Kain
Montano, Baron Ambassador serving in Toroia
Namingway, servant to Cecil
Rosa, Daughter to Cid, engaged to Cecil
Officers, Gentlemen, Messenger, Musicians
Herald, Sailor, Attendants, & etc.
-Act I-
Scene I—Baron. Town Square.
There was a particular chill to the night's air, and the waning moon threw ominous shadows about the town of Baron. The fog had just begun to settle as the watchtower called the midnight hour, a howl that echoed softly across the peaceful landscape and wandered off into the unknown. The last of the herald's voice dissipated into the melody of crickets that hid amongst the buildings, a pleasant chirping that lulled the town to a serene sleep.
The town square was an elegant design centered on a statue of an angel reaching with one hand towards the heavens, the other hand releasing its sword. Its face was carved with an expression of both delight and awe, as though capturing the moment that God's hand had reached through her. Her empowering stance towered over the two men that paced slowly by her. Their footsteps traced across the stone tiles that surrounded her towards a modest villa on the eastern corner of the square. A muffled crunch escaped one man's boot, and one less melody was played into the night.
"I can't believe he took it from me," one man said to the other. His steps were more commanding than the other, though they implied a lack of composure. "It was rightfully mine. I should be the one sleeping in the tower with that whore of his."
"Are you so right to hate him, Kain?" the other man replied, the hood of his robe shifting towards his friend.
"Oh please," Kain replied with even more disgust. "If ever I did dream of such a matter, abhor me. You're just like all the rest."
"That's not true!" The man halted and held a hand before Kain to stop him. Facing each other, the moon gave them an opportunity to speak soberly, without hiding the truth behind a cloak. "I've followed you out here on a whim thus far, with little to go on aside from your grim tone. Tell me why we are approaching Lord Cid's home."
Something winged crossed the luminous profile of the moon, and moments later its shrill cry range out as it disappeared into the sky. The fog began to thicken.
"It's because he is a dark knight," Kain said. "That's why he was chosen over me. The King didn't even give it a second thought. What's worse, to add a bit of insult to the injury, Odin put me directly beneath him as second in command."
"You speak as though that were a horrible thing."
"Because it is!" Kain snapped. "I wasn't running for second place. It's a slap in the face to work so hard only to fall short due to His Majesty's preference. He just barely met the age requisite, and yet I, who have met those said conditions for over a year now, am left with nothing."
"Do you believe Cecil is unqualified for this position?"
"He, having never sent a squadron in the field, a virgin of war, is taking command of the Red Wings," Kain's eyes narrowed as he began to glower. "While I, whose eyes have proof in the field at Eblan, as well as other grounds, must be calmed and settled in his pocket. I can't stand it!"
"I can see why this has you so upset," the man said. "There must be something you can do."
"There is no remedy," Kain replied, finally averting his gaze from his friend and back upon the palatial estate, the once glimmering roof tiles now hampered by the heavy mist. "It is the curse of service. Preferment goes by letter and affection, not by natural progression."
"So then I take it that you will not be following Cecil into battle with the Red Wings."
Kain actually cracked a smile at this, and he began to chuckle softly. His feet began to follow his eyes as resumed his path towards the gate of Cid's villa. The sudden motion sent a few crickets springing into the shadows, and soon both men were standing before the iron bars that separated them from the short cobblestone walk up to the front door.
"Dimitri, my dear friend," Kain said. "I will follow him, but only to better serve my turn against him. In following him I follow but myself."
Kain turned towards Dimitri and placed a stern hand on his shoulder. For a moment Dimitri thought he could see a true hatred brewing in Kain's dark eyes, but his expression suddenly faltered as the plan began to unfold.
"I need you to summon Cid. Rouse him how you may, and I will do the rest," Kain said, a bit of desperation in his smile. "He is unaware of Cecil and Rosa's engagement. I feel it is only fair that he should know."
"I hope you know what you're doing," Dimitri said as Kain wandered behind a corner nearby, vanishing like a ghost. Dimitri gazed up at the second story balcony that stood out clearly through the fog, studying the town of Baron. "I can only pray this won't have me arrested."
The night had been quite tranquil until now, as the roar of Dimitri's voice boomed over the cricket's symphony. The resounding yell surely woke the dead.
"CID!! LORD CID, WAKE UP!!" Dimitri yelled, although suddenly finding himself short on words to spew forth in his thunder. "PLEASE WAKE UP, LORD CID!! Um—er..."
Kain sighed as he slapped his palm to his face. Kain took a half step around the corner so that he could direct his voice towards the balcony window.
"CID! THIEVES! THIEVES!!" Kain yelled as loud as he could. After a moment of seeing no reward to his actions he immediately came up with something new. "FIRE!! CID, YOUR HOUSE IS IN DANGER! FIRE!!"
Both men waited, anxious and tense, all eyes focused on the balcony above, not even a breath escaping their lips. With the sudden silence their ears quickly became inundated with the sound of crickets, and yet Kain could hear a vibration that was a bit deeper than that of tiny wings beating together. He had to listen carefully for a moment, but he soon assured himself that what he heard was true. Cid was still asleep. Kain could hear him snoring.
"Is it typical of Cid to slip into a coma when he sleeps?" Dimitri asked, only half joking. Kain gave him a slight smile that was barely visible through the fog.
"You have no idea," Kain replied. "There's only one more thing I can think of, aside from landing an airship on his house."
Kain whipped his body from the shadows and cupped his hands around him mouth as he prepared to bellow once more into the night.
"CID! YOUR DAUGHTER IS GONE! ROSA HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED!!"
With astounding speed it seemed Cid was barreling through the doors and onto the balcony, catching Kain with enough surprise that he wasn't sure he had retreated without being seen. He hoped the mist had covered him well.
"What the hell is going on out here!" Cid roared, clearly furious. "Who's out there! You crazy bastards! I'm gonna come down there and stomp your asses if you don't tell me why I'm standing out here butt naked!"
"Say something," Kain whispered to a completely dumbstruck Dimitri, who stood not unlike a victim of the cockatrice. Kain then realized that, even through the fog, one could tell that Cid was, in fact, naked. He took the liberty of speaking in Dimitri's stead. "Lord Cid, your daughter is missing, escaped to the tower with the dark knight!"
"What!? Have you lost you mind?!" Cid's thunder was intimidating, but Dimitri finally managed to swallow the fear that had built up in his throat.
"Sir, it is I, Dimitri Devonshire, and this news that I bring to you is true," Dimitri rattled out, no longer yelling for fear of angering the large, bearded man that stood like Zeus on the balcony above him, ready to drop a bolt of lightning on his head. "I wouldn't be here right now if it were not."
"Dimitri!" Cid seemed to immediately loathe the name, and the animosity caught Kain by surprise. "You're that kid who keeps trying to court my daughter. I'll have none of it. You're too young. Go on, get out of here!"
Kain shifted uncomfortably in the shadows as he watched Dimitri continue to try and get through Cid's stubbornness.
"Lord Cid, please! This is urgent!" Dimitri pleaded.
"Have you been sneaking into the tavern, boy? Go home!"
"Please, just check your daughter's room and you will see that she is gone," Dimitri spoke with such sincerity that Cid seemed to stumble back a bit. And then without another word the rotund engineer disappeared back into his home, leaving the balcony doors open, which assured Dimitri that he had been taken seriously.
Kain withdrew from the shadows with the moment of safety from Cid's sight, grabbing Dimitri's shoulder and squeezing hard. There was a hint of fire in his eyes, and his smile was slightly crooked, but Dimitri failed to notice as he turned to take heed.
"Now I must go. Cid must not know I was here," Kain said. "I'm going to make sure that Cid finds Cecil tonight, and if I know Cid, then it's not going to be pleasant."
"No kidding. That man scares me sometimes."
"You will sleep well tonight. His wrath will not fall on you this time," Kain said. An evil glee was vaguely apparent in his expression as he turned to watch the balcony. He heard the sounds of yelling and cursing, a good sign that Cid was on his way back out. "I must hurry. I trust you can take it from here."
"I can," Dimitri nodded.
"Then farewell."
Kain turned and raced through the fog, disappearing completely, leaving only the fading sound of his boots hitting stone. Dimitri turned back just in time to see Cid rushing out through the front door in what he could only hope was more than just a robe. Cid grabbed a torch that was hanging by the gate as he pushed the iron bars towards the boy on the other side. Dimitri took the look on Cid's face to mean that if he didn't explain everything real quick then he soon wouldn't have the ability to explain anything ever again. Yet Dimitri was once again petrified, and no words seemed right at the moment. There was a grand pause before Cid finally slumped with a sigh, eyes tracing the ground for a moment before looking back up at Dimitri.
"So it's true. She's gone," Cid said, conceding a tone of worry now. "And she is with Cecil, the Dark Knight?"
"Yes," Dimitri replied, that being the only thing he could manage for the moment. He took a deep breath and tried not to think about how crazy this was that he was standing in the middle of town in the middle of the night with a man who probably wouldn't consider him a friend by any stretch. Luckily Cid's hard exterior had been cracked by this news, and he was now in the role of protective father.
"She keeps deceiving me, saying all these men have been trying to court her." Cid began unraveling the plot that he had been too busy with work to foresee. "But that was never true, it was always him. I'm guessing you've never even spoken to my daughter have you."
"No," Dimitri replied, surprised with how quickly Cid's mind turned the gears. He was wise beyond the wrench as well it seemed.
"So then how do you know she is with him?"
"Although we do not speak, I see her with him at times," Dimitri explained. "I see them taking chocobos together to sneak off into the woods. They are very close."
"How close?" Cid was beginning to worry that this had been going on longer than he had previously thought. He thought of all the townspeople, how they all knew about this, and how he simply shut it out. It turned out that was just the tip of the iceberg.
"Engaged."
"What?!" Cid erupted, nearly dropping his torch on Dimitri's cloak. He stumbled back a few steps, grabbing the bars of the gate behind him to steady his top-heavy nature. Dimitri rushed to his side to help him. Cid's pupils were pacing laps across the whites of his eyes, his mind racing even faster. "How could she do something like this without telling me?"
"What do you intend to do?" Dimitri asked as he helped Cid back to stable footing. "You can't barge into the castle at this time of night."
Cid started breathing rapidly, his brow furrowed deeply, and as his eyes turned to meet Dimitri, they were steady and ablaze. He was, once again, furious.
"I don't care if the army of Baron is waiting at the gates. I'm getting my daughter back tonight."
Dimitri watched for a moment as Cid began marching through the fog toward the shadowed mountain that was the castle of Baron, the flame on his torch surely burning just as hot as the fire in his eyes. Dimitri swallowed hard as he began to follow the haunting glow of the enraged engineer. He began to realize just how lost he felt, for at this point he was unsure of what was going to happen. He had no idea that the chain of events he had just set into motion would change everything. Baron would never be the same.