Final Fantasy IX Novelisation (Working Title)
Chapter 1: The Tribulations of the Tourist
Garnet's eyes opened, and she immediately sat upright. She then opened her mouth, and screamed. Breathing heavily, she placed her hand down to her chest and felt her heart beating fast. She leaned over and pulled ajar the curtains that surrounded her bed, and calmed down slightly at the sight of the familiar surroundings of her bedroom chamber. Groaning, she raised her hand to her forehead and ran it through her long brown hair.
"Not again, Garnet...," she whispered to herself.
There was a furious stampeding of clunky iron feet, and Garnet groaned again. Steiner. The chamber doors burst open, and her rusty armour-clad, somewhat plump bodyguard sprinted inside. He ran towards Garnet and placed his gauntled hands upon her shoulders, shaking her in a manner which made it look like she was experiencing involuntary spasms.
"Princess! What's wrong? Are you hurt? Is there an intruder? SPEAK TO ME!"
Garnet blinked.
"I am perfectly fine, thank you Steiner. I had a bad dream. That is all."
He released his grip, but still didn't sound one hundred percent convinced.
"You are quite alright? Shall I stand guard by your bedside in case you have a relapse, Princess?"
Garnet rolled her eyes, losing her patience.
"I am not ill Steiner. Please resume your place outside the door."
"At once Princess!"
Steiner saluted and ran back out, slamming the door behind him. Garnet sighed in frustration, and let her head collapse back onto her soft pillow. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Steiner. Far from it. A more loyal and devoted guardian you couldn't ask for. He was just... so overprotective.
But she could forget about that for now. She had other things to worry about. For a start, that dream... She'd been having it for a long time, ever since she was a child. But recently she had been dreaming it far more frequently. When she was younger the dream merely confused her. But now, every time she awoke from it she was completely terrified. But what was it in the dream that frightened her so? Garnet gritted her teeth in frustration as she tried to recall what had happened in it. The details were just fleeting away, and the harder she tried to remember the less she was able. It was like trying to keep water cupped in her bare hands. There had been a boat, and a storm, and something in the sky... The rest was just an incomprehensible blur. She yawned wearily, and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She'd just have to worry about it later. She couldn't let it distract her, on today of all days. She needed to give it her all, or she wouldn't be able to pull it off...
Tossing her bedclothes aside, Garnet stood up walked over to the window, and drew the curtains. Her eyes winced for a second, momentarily unaccustomed to the daylight. She thrust the window panes open, and looked out upon the sun-filled Alexandrian morning, breathing in the fresh air. Today was her sixteenth birthday. Today would be the day she would get away.
Meanwhile, far below the window of Princess Garnet's chamber, a young boy was wandering the cobbled streets around the town square. He was extremely lost.
He wore a light blue jacket, a pair of stripy white and turquoise pantaloons, and a pointy steeped hat that fell lopsided halfway down the top. Each of his hands was clad in a red glove and his wrists, in white cuffs. As for his feet, he wore a pair of oversized red boots. None of his clothes seemed to fit him. But that wasn't even the strangest thing about his appearance. The really extraordinary thing was: he had no real face to speak of. When you looked under his hat, all you could see was a dark shadow of nothingness, with two shining yellow lights where his eyes would have normally been. This boy was named Vivi Ornitier and he was a Black Mage. He looked down at the golden ticket which was clenched tightly between his hands. It read:
Come see the all-time classic love story.
'I WANT TO BE YOUR CROW'
A tragic tale of destiny, cursed memories, dreams, and life and death.
At that moment, a large crowd of people dressed in extravagant clothes walked past. Vivi looked up.
"Umm... Excuse me," said Vivi, hopelessly. "C-can you help me f-find...?"
One lady who was wearing a particularly extravagant lilac bonnet looked down to see where the noise had come from. She briefly raised her eyebrows, and then continued on her way. Vivi looked downwards, embarassed. He should have known they wouldn't be pleased. He wondered if he could find someone else who would give him directions, but he was now scared of upsetting anyone. Maybe he could work out from the direction people were walking in where the castle was... But the square was jam-packed. and people were walking left, right and center, backwards and forwards, round and round. They could have been going literally anywhere. As if he didn't have enough problems, seeing so many people in one place was making him feel very dizzy. He hoped he wasn't going to be sick, because if he vomited all over the street that would surely annoy people even more. Just then, he momentarily forgot his troubles, as he he heard a great rumbling noise from above that made him look to the skies. Flying high in the sky above the rooftops was a magnificent airship, the most beautiful one he had ever seen. The boy followed the ship with his eyes, captivated as it sailed majestically overhead the rooftops.
The ship was called the Prima Vista, and inside it at that particular moment, a young man with long blonde hair and a tail pushed the cabin door open, and entered. The lights were all out. Had the others not arrived yet? He felt through his trouser pocket for a box of matches he liked to carry around, walked toward the center of the room and lit the candle that sat on the table.
"Who's there?" shouted a voice that came from behind the door to his right. Someone had heard him.
"It's me, Zidane!"
The door burst open, and out came Blank, Marcus, and Cinna, three other members of Tantalus.
"Hey, Zidane," greeted Marcus.
"You sure took your sweet time getting here," said Blank irritably.
"Sorry about that," he said, scratching his head. "Where's the boss?"
"Still not here. Probably off stuffing his face at the back of the ship."
The door at the top of the stairs sprang open and a heavy figure leaped down towards them. It was wearing fur boots, a pair of green shorts, and a white shirt that had a small red waistcoat over it. The head was covered by an oversized blue mask in the design of a dragon.
"Haha. Very funny, boss."
Blank withdrew his sword from his belt, stepped forward and swiped the mask off, revealing a furry head with a purple beard, goggles, and a pair of bat-like ears. It was Baku, the leader of Tantalus.
"Ow! Go easy, Blank. I was only foolin' around. It was a prop I found in the back. Like it?"
"Hilarious," he replied sarcastically.
"Hey, guys? All this standing around is great fun and everything, but aren't we meant to be going over the plan?" suggested Cinna.
"Right, right," said Baku. "Everyone, get inside the meeting room."
They all crammed inside the small room to the right, and sat down around a rounded table.
"Listen up," began Baku. "Right now, we're flyin' through the Kingdom of Alexandria. Our mission: to kidnap Princess Garnet Til Alexanderos the seventeenth, Heir to the Throne of Alexandria, and bring 'er back to Lindblum. Preferably in one piece, and without any permanent brain damage. Cinna, you take it from here."
"Right. When we dock the ship in Alexandria we're gonna put on our costumes. We'll be peforming 'I want to be your Canary' by Lord Avon, the most popular play in Alexandria and top of the box office ten years running. Break a leg, Marcus, 'cause you're playing the lead."
"That's right. Leave that department to me. Zidane and Blank are gonna be the real kidnappers."
Blank nodded.
"During the interlude, I'll distract the audience with these."
Blank reached under the table and pulled out a cage with a white cover draped over it. He laid the cage on the table, and pulled off the cover, revealing it to be full of slimy fat little insects.
"Oglops..." said Marcus, shivering.
Blank nodded.
"That's right. Oglops. They're so disgusting, even the bravest tend to run a mile when they see one. With a whole cage full of these buggers on the rampage, no one'll take the blind bit of notice when Zidane jumps in and kidnaps the Princess."
"Anyhoo, that's the plan," concluded Baku. "Any questions?"
There was a brief pause.
"I've got one," said Zidane eventually, who hadn't said a word since they'd entered the meeting room "Who're we workin' for? And why do they want the Princess taken to Lindblum?"
"Afraid that's confidential, Zidane." replied Baku.
Zidane wanted to know the details, but already knew from personal experience that persistence wasn't going to get him any answers from Baku, so he let the subject drop.
"We're nearly at the castle," said Cinna. "Remember, we're working undercover as actors. We can't afford to give the game away, at least until we've captured the Princess. The stakes are high on this one, guys."
Suddenly, Vivi felt someone ram into him, and he was knocked off his feet. His ticket slipped out of his hands and into the gutter. A little girl leaned over and helped him back up, apologetically. She looked around four years old, had pigtails, and was wearing a grubby green that was covered in patches. The dress had definitely seen better days.
"Sowwy. I wasn't lookin' where I was goin'," she said.
She picked up his ticket (which was now covered in sewage water) and handed it back to him.
"Here. You dwopped your ticket!" she said, helpfully.
"T-thanks." he said. "Umm... Can you give me directions to the--"
But it was too late. She had already got back into a full run and was now disappearing into the distance.
Someone blew a trumpet. Vivi turned round, and saw a duck in greeting a very elegant man and lady who were dressed in formal clothing.
"Honorable nobles of Treno, this way to the castle, please!"
He was saved. Following the duck and the nobles, he sound found himself in sight of the castle gates. He saw a large sign had been erected which said: 'Theatre tickets must be stamped by the Ticket master before entrance to the castle will be admitted.' He walked cautiously towards the ticket booth.
"Can I help you sonny?" asked the Ticket master, peering over the edge of the booth, looking down at him.
"Uh...Umm..."
"Sorry?"
Vivi reached up to the booth and placed his ticket on it for the man to see.
"Oh."
The Ticket master took a quick glance at it and got his stamp ready.
"That all seems to be orde-- hey, wait a second!"
"Wh-what's wrong?"
"'I want to be your Crow?' Gosh, if you're going to make a fake theatre ticket at least get the name of the play right. Honestly, give people a little bit of credit. Honestly!"
"I-it's not real?"
"'Fraid not, sonny."
The boy lowered his head in embarrassment and began to sob pitifully.
"Oh, gosh. Don't cry now. You didn't make that ticket yourself, did you? In that case, where did you buy it?"
The boy looked up at the ticketmaster.
"F-from a man in Treno."
"The city of thieves? No wonder it wasn't real!"
Vivi continued sobbing.
"Never mind, eh? There's always next year!" said the Ticket master cheerfully.
The boy walked away from the booth with a heavy heart and sat down upon some nearby steps. He'd come all the way, and now he couldn't even see the play. What was he going to do now?
"Psst..."
And to make matters worse now he was hearing voices.
"Psst!" mouthed the voice, slightly more loudly.
His Grandpa always told him that was the first sign of madness. Was he going mad?
"Look over here, you idiot!"
The boy turned his head to the left. Sticking his head out of a nearby alleyway was rat, dressed in a pair of bright orange dungarees.
"M-me?" asked Vivi, worried.
"Yes you, you dolt! Come in here!" he said, indicating the alleyway. Vivi walked over, wondering he was about to be mugged.
"You're the guy with the fake ticket, aintcha?"
"Y-yeah.," he nodded.
"I'm gonna sneak into the castle to see the play! I'll let you come with if you be my slave. You game?"
"U-Umm..."
"You'll do it? Great!" exclaimed the rat.
Vivi was dumbstruck.
"Okay, slave. Your first order is to check if the coast is clear."
Vivi peered round the corner. The only people anywhere near the alleyway was a hippo lady who was scolding her son.
"Y-yeah, it's clear."
"Great!"
The rat ran forward and grabbed a ladder which sat against the wall.
"Follow me!"
The rat ran through the alleyway, back out into the street and then turned right into a steeple. Vivi trailed behind him, unsure of what exactly he was getting himself into. They approached a large bell tower, and the rat laid the ladder down at the bottom of it.
"It's very dangerous," warned the rat. "You go first."
"Umm... okay."
Vivi stepped forward to the bottom of the ladder and looked up. Suddenly, a figure dropped down from the top of the tower and he fell back in fright.
"Kupo! Sorry about that, Kupo!" exclaimed the creature.
Vivi didn't have the slightest clue what it was. In any case, it's body was completely covered in fluffy white fur. It had a small head with two pointy cat-like ears sticking out of the top. It also had a red nose, eyes which were so slit that they almost appeared to be closed, and a shiny red bobble which stuck out of its head, looking very much like a balloon. It's little body had a pair of purple wings attached.
"That's Kupo. He's a moogle," explained the rat, seeing the look of bewilderment in Vivi's eyes. "You've never seen a moogle before?"
Vivi shook his head.
"You must lead a very deprived life," said the moogle sympathetically. "Kupo," he added.
The rat gritted his teeth in annoyance.
"Why do you always call people Kupo? That's your name you idiot!"
"Sorry, Kupo," said Kupo whole heartedly.
The rat groaned, and then turned to Vivi.
"Come on, slave. We're gonna miss the play if we don't hurry!"
He placed the ladder at the bottom of the tower and climbed up, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Vivi looked up nervously.
"Umm..." He hesitated.
"Hurry up!" he shouted down.
"O-okay," stuttered the black mage. He wandered towards the ladder and raised his legs onto the bottom step.
"Be careful, Kupo!" said Kupo, watching intently.
Vivi slowly began to climb up ladder, not moving continuously but raising his feet to the next level and stopping for a second. This made the ascent take twice as long as it would have normally.
"I thought I told you to hurry up!" shouted the rat.
The wind caused the ladder to sway slightly, and Vivi's stomach lurched for a second. He continued climbing, trying with a great effort not to look down to the bottom of the tower, or even think about the fact that he was above the ground. Unsurprisingly, heights really weren't Vivi's forte. Eventually, he reached the top, and clambered pathetically up, onto the small platform that stood below the bell.
"Finally. I was expecting that by the time you got to the top next year's play would be about to start!" said the rat sarcastically.
"Come to think of it, I don't know your name do I?"
"It's... it's Vivi. Vivi Ornitier."
"Vivi? What kind of name's that?"
"I don't know," replied Vivi quietly. "My grandpa gave it to me."
"Anyway, my name's Puck!"
Suddenly the bell sprang into motion, ringing directly into their ears.
"Oh, crap," cursed Puck. "I thought we had more time than that. The play's just about to start! They're about to close the doors!"
He grabbed hold of Vivi's arm.
"Come on, we've gotta cross quickly.
"W-what? What are we crossing?"
"The roofs, dummy."
Puck pointed towards a series of planks that Vivi hadn't noticed. They started at the tower and led from rooftop to rooftop, eventually reaching the castle.
"We can sneak in that way!"
The planks weren't particularly thick, and didn't look particularly sturdy. It wouldn't take much to snap one. The fact that it was quite windy today didn't help matters. Vivi froze up, and the terror that had only just left him resumed its usual place. This really wasn't his day.
Author's notes:
Well, that's the first chapter over with. Why a novelistion of FFIX? Well, because it's one of my favourite games in the FF series (and of all time). There are a lot of FFVII & VIII novelisations, but after a search for any FFIX ones this site I couldn't find a single one. Either I didn't look hard enough, or their aren't any. Why not fill that gap?
Anyway, I'm going to try my best to make this as interesting as possible, and not just a blasé retelling of the game. That means I'll try to expand as much upon the story as possible.
Like it says, FFIX: Novelisation is just a working title until I think of a better one.
I had originally written a Prologue detailing Garnet's dream, which I couldn't be bothered finishing for now since it isn't all that necessary. I'll probably add it at a later date. Anyway, please give me a review and let me know what you thinks so far. Any feedback is very much appreciated. Chapter 2 will be up soon.