Falls From Heaven
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Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy IX or any of the characters in it, though I do wish I did. Please review!
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Eiko Carol, at the end of her adventure at six years old, had become heir to the throne of Lindblum, under Cid, Garnet's uncle. Or, rather, Sarah's, but she kept the name of Garnet for her title. She was a darling daughter and grew up well, but found a new source of loneliness at the hands of royal lineage, adopted or not. A restricted lifestyle, her purple eyes gazed longingly from the balcony of her two-floor suite, watching the people and days go by. The people she watched grew older from day to day and the days unchanged, and she sometimes wished that Mog hadn't been an Eidolon after all – just so she would have a confidante.
She had the noble girls of her court to chat with, but it was really meaningless to her, as a whole. Eiko much preferred the company of girls her own age that lived outside the mansion, and sneaked out frequently to meet them and just to explore the city as a whole. Her 'father' of sorts turned a blind eye, reminiscent of his own younger years. Her new, adoptive mother wasn't as appreciative of her escapism, and they often fought.
Years had passed, about ten, and she wasn't a child anymore. It had been about eight since she'd visited Madain Sari, and more than anything, she missed it. But that wasn't her life more, as her mother had not-so-subtly pointed out, and she'd have to deal with it. So she did, even though it often hurt her more than not. Today, she sat in commoner's clothes on one of the branch paths in Pinnacle Rocks, which had only recently been accessible. The roots that had sprung from the earth had previously blocked its entrance, but they had been hacked away and somehow, the youth had managed to slip inside. But, she wasn't alone; the hum of the summon magic in her head constantly kept her company, along with the other individual who was sitting beneath the very branch she relaxed on, both oblivious to one anothers' presences.
"How did all of these years fly by, Mog?" she asked to Madeen, who rarely spoke to her anymore, in her head. She hadn't had a reason to summon anything in years, outside of party tricks, which took a lot more effort than in actual battle. "...Everyone keeps telling me not to look back but I... Can't. Sometimes I wish I never met them. Any of them. Even Zidane..."
Her heart clenched at the name and it showed, as she clutched the old wood with a sudden ferocity. The man who sat underneath the branch heard the spite in her voice and cocked an eyebrow, glancing upwards. As a servant – a slave, really – he had to sneak away from the mansion as well and had enjoyed his solitude until now, when a girl showed up and sounded just like the... Princess? He pushed dust-colored silver hair from his face, blue eyes darting upwards. He was skinny, almost too, tall with slender fingers, legs, dressed in old but still form-fitting clothing, ratty boots that showed their age. Pushing himself to standing from his awkward position on the rock he wandered up the path, coming to rest at her side, feet subtly touching her thigh. She looked up, startled, and he looked just as mystified as she did – only for different reasons.
"Pretty far from home, ain't ya, Princess?"
"Don't call me that," replied Eiko, bitterly. "I hate being called that."
"Most girls would kill to be in your shoes. Mind if I sit down?"
She looked up at him and shrugged, seeing no danger in the man she didn't know. He did, falling ungracefully to a sitting position next to her, legs dangling over the side just as hers did. "I thought I was alone, here."
"So did I. Trouble in paradise, huh?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but I guess so."
"You look like one of us. Why the lack of formality?"
"I'm a person, just like you. There's no difference between us besides titles and stuff – no big deal. You look like someone I've met before..."
He laughed, shaking his head. "The King and Queen of Alexandria told me that, too, in less polite terms."
"You saw Dagger and Zidane?" Again, the bitter tone that she'd adopted in the few years beforehand.
"Yeah, that's before I started adventuring and found a job in your palace."
She smiled. "I remember my adventure. Fun stuff, really, until I moved in with my new... Family. Why didn't they like you?"
"Said I looked like a horrible man they'd met years before."
"Like Kuja Tribal, they mean. Yeah, he was pretty bad, powerful, too..."
"I didn't even know what his name was. Thanks for enlightening me. My name's Niklas, but you can call me Nick or whatever you want." He fumbled in his pocket, pulling out a package of cigarettes, and lit up one in front of her, inhaling and exhaling it just as quickly. When she took the pack out of his hands and took one for herself, using one of the rare few black magic spells she knew to light it he cocked an eyebrow, surprised. Amused, almost.
Eiko sighed, rolling her eyes. "I'm not like Dagger. I'm not trapped in a cage where I don't do anything wrong – or can't. I'm left alone most of the time, really."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. The songs that sing for our glory and the bravery when we go into battle... Are we dreaming that there are better days to come? When the banners and victory parades tell us that our people are one?"
"That's not gonna happen just because someone won a war. You have to find it in yourself. Better days are different for everyone else, really. There's always someone who's going to find a reason to piss you off or to make you unhappy, but you have to find it in yourself to brush it off."
"Wanna see something cool?"
"Like what? I'm amazed you can even smoke correctly." He flicked the ash into the water below, where it quickly dissolved, as did she. "Most chicks like you can't do that correctly or don't even want to."
"I'm not like most other girls." Finishing the cigarette, she tossed it away and walked down to the ground, where her boots deflected most of the water that touched them. Connecting her hands together, she slowly began to bend backwards after falling to her knees, eyes shut, long, purple hair cascading around her, water making it look as if it were alive. Niklas looked on curiously, unaware of what was to come.
"Heaven help us," she whispered, "We've lost control... This should be our finest hour, but we're racing towards the end of days; Pulling back from the brink despite our best efforts, the volume increases and the beat goes on... All the players marching to the beat of a different drum, the rhythm increases, and the beat goes on."
In that moment everything happened in a flash. A blue light enveloped her body in rings, and she came to a standing position, arms stretched outwards. The entire forest – swamp? - was suddenly shadowed by darkness and a great force shook the earth, causing him to cling to the branch. Rainbows of light, still encased in blue danced around her small form, around him, and he could swear that he had felt something touch him – in fact, he was sure of it, as something materialized behind the Princess who he wasn't so certain he should've been talking to in the first place, especially now. He had heard that she was a Summoner, it was common knowledge, but didn't know that it was this awe-striking.
Her eyes fluttered open, wide, and he stood up, only to get a better look of the scene. The large monster which somewhat resembled a bear snarled when he made his way to move back down to where she was standing. "Don't come down," she said, in a surprisingly weak voice. "She'll kill you if you do. She doesn't know you."
"That's a she?"
Eiko hollowly laughed as she weaved in the air, one of the great arms of the Eidolon catching her, balancing her once more. Its wings curled around her, and she looked up at it, smiling. "Mo – Madeen... Madeen..." With a touch of one pale hand she conveyed the emotion she was too tired to express, and Niklas wondered if he was sure that it smiled when she hugged... her.
And then, she was gone as soon as she had come. Eiko crumpled, tears furiously falling from her eyes. "I can usually do it so much longer than that. Why can't I do it anymore? Is it because I'm sixteen? Dagger still hunts with... with him and can do it perfectly. Why not me? Why not... Me?" And then she fell unconscious, of which he groaned, climbing down to inspect her tiny, unconscious form, silently admiring her exposed horn, framed by violet tresses. Eventually he managed to pick her up, slinging her over his back unceremoniously, as he headed back to Lindblum, trying to figure out how he'd explain this to the Regent and the guards who would probably try to skewer him upon re-entry.
'Good job,' said the voice that commonly sneered at him, pleasantly. 'It's as if she's fallen right into our – my – hands.'
"You're not getting her, Kuja," he said idly as he exited the small forest, not bothering to honor said voice with his irritation. Shifting the unconscious girl on his shoulders, he rolled his eyes.
'You are me, after all. If you would only wash that disgusting hair of yours, clean off your skin and at least attempt to present yourself well one would say you could even pass for me...'
"I'm not you."
'You will be. You are just a vessel, after all...'
"Shut up," Niklas ferociously snarled to the voice, which quietly died down after a bout of laughter. Silence seemed to surround him after this, and the closer he came to Lindblum's gates the more nervous he got. Eiko never stirred once, and the beginnings of a plan started to form... Maybe, just maybe he could sneak her back into the palace without being caught, if he had the right tools...