So Final Fantasy IX always entertained me because of the characters. Their individual stories, struggles and personalities are so well fleshed out that they are characters I'll always remember and hold dear. In this fiction I decided to introduce an OC character so as to not novelize what happened in the game. I don't plan to stray off canon in terms of the general events and plot points, but I do want to create new scenarios where the characters would react as I would imagine they would.
Without further ado, this is chapter 1.
Knight of Pluto No. 9 stood guard at the garden entrance to the castle. Hands at his sides, he looked straight onward to the sunrise over Alexandria. He blew a brown strand of hair that had strayed over his right eye from under his helmet. Despite having stood guard at the castle for many rounds over the past year, today was a day in which he found it hard to stand still. He'd always loved the plays that the castle hosted for the nobles and citizens of Alexandria, and a band of actors from Lindblum would perform tonight. No. 8 passed by and they chatted about the night that was to come.
"I heard a couple of nobles downtown say they'd be performing 'I Want To Be Your Canary'," No. 8 sighed, "and I get to guard the stupid kitchen during the show."
No. 9 looked at his companion slump down in disappointment and he shrugged, "I have to guard the eastern wing from the tower, so I'll get a great look at the backside of the theatre ship, not too good for either of us."
"Yeah, but can't you talk to your dad?" No.8 looked back up to No. 9, "He could switch the shifts for us."
No. 9 stiffened and went back to looking out towards the gardens, an irritated frown on his face, "I am not to use my family ties. Captain Steiner is my Captain before my father when it comes to our duties."
"Jeez, Dom, you don't have to get all official on me. I'm heading back to the kitchen, want something?"
Dominic Steiner shook his head silently as his colleague left. It must have been the fifth time that day one of the Knights asked him the same thing. The Knights were a nice group, but they lacked the resolve and composure that he or his father expected of them. They were tasked with protecting the royal family, for heaven's sake!
The sun climbed the sky as he'd switched his position to the other side of the castle door a couple of times when he heard thick heels clacking on the marble floor behind him inside the castle. The footsteps neared his post and from behind his left shoulder, Princess Garnet til Alexandros walked out of the castle, dressed in a white dress that resembled one appropriate for a wedding. Dom's eyes widened at the appearance of the heir to the throne, and stood as upright as his legs allowed. The princess walked down a couple of steps and stopped short of reaching the stone path towards the castle gardens. She looked over the grounds and sighed before turning around to look at No. 9, whom didn't notice he was being looked at.
Garnet turned back around to look at the ten in the morning sun, "They don't want me to go to the garden, as my dress might get ruined because of the dust."
Dom was startled and his heart skipped a beat, not knowing whether the Princess was addressing him, he stammered, "M-ma'am?"
The princess turned around to face him and his eyes darted back and forth from the invisible dot he'd been staring at to maintain his posture and the Princess' hazel eyes, "I said, they won't let me out into the garden because I might ruin the dress."
Dom looked back towards Alexandria in the distance and said, "I am not permitted to walk into the gardens either, your highness," it came out almost robotic, despite wanting to make the repsonse sound jovial. Dominic kicked himself internally.
Princess Garnet chuckled, "It seems I have a bit more liberty at the moment," She looked down at her dress and patted down a folded part to avoid wrinkling it, "So much effort to look adequate for the presentation tonight, will you be attending?"
"I shall be watching over the eastern wing from one of the towers."
Garnet frowned, "That's a pity. What about your parents or siblings? They would surely enjoy the play."
"I have no other siblings, your highness, and my mother passed when I was young. My father will also be on guard."
"I apologize for my indiscretion," Garnet wrung her hands together and then pondered over what the knight had said, "If your father will also be on guard, then you must be Captain Adelbert Steiner's son, correct?"
Oh no, he thought, my father might hear about this, straighten up! Dominic snapped into a posture worthy of showing the queen, "My father is indeed Captain Steiner, your highness!"
The princess nodded and looked back over the garden for a moment, "I should go back to the chambers before I'm tempted to run into the grass and ruin the dress. It was nice talking to you, umm…"
"Corporal Dominic Steiner, No. 9 of the Knights of Pluto, at your service, your majesty!" Dom snapped a salute and tapped his heels together.
"Corporal Steiner, have a good morning!" Garnet smiled and walked back into the castle, her heels clacking on the floor each time more distant.
When he could no longer hear her shoes, Dom let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and rolled his shoulders, aching from holding his posture. He resumed his watch undisturbed, praying he would at least be able to hear the play.
…
Above the Alexandrian countryside, an airship skimmed over a thick fog. The Prima Vista could be seen clearly, even through the mist, due to its considerable size. Its mist engines could be heard faintly from the ground as it raced towards Alexandria, like a bumblebee late for a meeting with its queen.
Within its confines, in a dimly lit room, five figures stood around a table with a miniature model of castle Alexandria at the center. A man with a big, round stomach, a pig nose and pig ears bellowed as he shook a rag doll over his head, "You bet! You're gonna kidnap the most babe-ilicious beauty in all of Alexandria, Princess Garnet!"
"And then, back to Lindblum we go!" a fat boy, not older than 15 exclaimed as he reached out towards the rag doll but looked down at the ground as the older pig-man, Baku was his name, stuffed it into one of his pockets.
"That's right! So go practice your lines and dress up, because we should be touching down after lunch, and then it'll only be a couple of hours til the show starts!" Baku waved his palms in the air as if talking to a large crowd as the others left the room in single file. A blonde boy with a furry tail trailing behind him walked out to the ship's deck, his hands intertwined behind his neck, he was followed by another boy of more or less the same age. He was red haired and patches of leather were sown to his skin as permanent fixes to old wounds. The one walking behind pointed an accusing finger at the blonde, and he spoke in an angry tone, "If we're gonna be having Ruby and the princess on this ship, you leave one of them alone or by Bahamut, Zidane, I'm gonna kick your ass."
"Sheesh, Blank, you take this thing too seriously. If you're so desperate, why don't you make a love potion?" Zidane's tail swayed from side to side as he walked, hardly paying attention to his companion.
"If you were a real bro, you wouldn't be trying to woo Ruby every time she's with me."
"Just what are you talking about, Blank? You act as if she wants to spend time with you over me." Zidane looked over his shoulder to smile at Blank.
"Right. That's it. I'm wiping that smile off your face right now!" Blank exclaimed as he lunged at Zidane's back, catching him by surprise. The blonde boy cursed as he fell to the floor, unable to stop the fall. Hitting his chest, he gasped for breath as he swung his fist around to hit Blank on the cheek.
After trading punches, Zidane stood up and backed off from Blank before touching his lip with the back of his hand, looking for blood, "That's your problem, Blank. You're always pissed off. And that, amazingly, is boring to all the girls you meet."
"Enough, you two!" one of the kids at the meeting exclaimed as he paced towards the fighting brothers. He wore an old worn bandana over his head, and his eyes glinted from under the shadow they cast, "I will not be putting makeup on your bashed up faces tonight, and I bet the Boss won't appreciate any play-deteriorating bruises, either."
The two boys let their arms fall to their sides and they looked in opposite directions. Zidane smiling to himself while it seemed like smoke would come out of Blank's ears.
…
"Alright, Vivi, you can do this," a small kid reassured himself as he neared a ladder placed between a rooftop and the southern wall of Alexandria Castle. The void underneath the ladder that acted as a bridge stretched twenty meters down to the alley below. On the other side of the gap stood a younger kid. He jumped up and down on feet that looked like the ones a mouse would sport, and from underneath the bronze helmet he wore, a snout protruded, with whiskers and everything. The rat-kid's appearance surprised Vivi at first, but he was quick to get accustomed to him.
The rat-kid, Puck was his name, whispered with urgency, "Quick! Come over! Before someone sees us!"
Mustering up every bit of courage he still had left over from crossing over countless rickety bridges between rooftops, he squinted and ran across the ladder, resting his feet on each bar for only a moment, fearing it would give and fall to the abyss below.
The pair scuttled into the castle walls, avoiding guards as best they could making their way to the central area where the play would take place. They came to a dimly lit corridor with stone walls, from its far side, the clamour of hundreds of attendants echoed on the walls, and the faint sound of an orchestra tuning their instruments rumbled, almost smothered by the sound of the people. Vivi and Puck ducked as low as they could and ran down the corridor, hiding in the shadows formed between the torches on the walls. The sound of the audience and the orchestra grew louder until they emerged from the corridor to the central area, behind the crowd of seated nobles. Vivi looked over the audience until his eyes reached the stage atop the docked airship, the words Prima Vista displayed on the hull in golden letters. Immediately after that, the orchestra waited for a moment of silence before opening with a grandiose overture, startling the two children and making the audience stand up and clap.
Above the nobles, Queen Brahne of Alexandria sat on a balcony, flanked by her daughter, Princess Garnet. The Queen was thoroughly amused by the fireworks and the music the Prima Vista offered, and she proceeded to dance to the rhythm the Lindblumese ensemble played. Captain Adelbert Steiner stood guard at the entrance to the balcony from within the castle. He smiled as he saw the Queen was enjoying herself, but soon frowned worriedly as he saw the sad look on Princess Garnet's face. What could be troubling her majesty? He asked himself before associating the issue to teenager mood swings, like the ones his son used to have, and he looked forward towards the stage, where the play was soon to begin.
…
Her mother had been acting so strangely as of late. Always the more sedentary type, Queen Brahne was now more often than not on diplomatic trips to places she wouldn't talk of with her daughter. Princess Garnet felt effectively shut off from her mother's life. Sometimes, she wouldn't even acknowledge her at the dining table! This had been going on for months now, and Garnet knew something was terribly amiss. She decided she had to go to Lindblum, her uncle would know what to do, even if they hadn't met in years, and her only way out of the castle was right in front of her eyes.
Captain Adelbert Steiner would surely follow her every move. The man meant no harm, but he wouldn't understand the Princess' motives. He was much too loyal to her mother. She tried to distract herself from the person posing as her mother dancing at her side unsuccessfully and eventually decided to take the leap of faith and escape. Garnet stood up and excused herself quietly before heading for her chambers, leaving a confused Captain Steiner looking over his shoulder as she walked away.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Baku stood on the Prima Vista's stage, dressed as his character, King Leo, "Tonight's performance is a story that takes place longing, long ago."
As she walked into one of the castle's great halls, she heard King Leo continue his introduction to her favourite play, "Our heroine, Princess Cornelia, is torn from her lover, Marcus."
As he saw her vanish behind the door that lead to the royal chambers, Adelbert turned back around to enjoy the show. The night seemed to be going smoothly. Reports came in from the knights, saying the patrols were on time and that the audience had been thoroughly checked for freeloaders and undesirables. He smiled to himself as King Leo continued, "She attempts to flee the castle, only to be captured by her father, King Leo."
Zidane stood at the side of the stage with Blank and the pot-bellied boy, Cina, awaiting their cue to appear. They adjusted their costumes on and checked their wooden swords for scuffing in the metallic paint or splinters as Baku bellowed at the audience, "When our story begins, Marcus, having heard of this, crosses swords with the king."
Princess Garnet paced around in her chambers, stopping at one of her commodes to pull out a white cloak from the deepest reaches of the bottom drawer. She pulled it over her expedition gear which had stayed near her cloak since the servants had made it. It was practically unused until that day. She checked her hood in the mirror to be sure she wouldn't be recognized when King Leo's voice came in through the window, "And now, Your Royal Majesty, Queen Brahne, Your Highness, Princess Garnet, noble ladies and lords, and our rooftop viewers, Tantalus proudly presents 'I Want to Be Your Canary'!"
Baku bowed as the audience applauded and the orchestra started playing a dramatic song. Members of the Tantalus band walked behind the stage blowing up small thundercrackers to set the scene as the actors fought on stage. The nobles cheered and clamoured at the action and the music, Vivi and Puck jumping behind the last line to see over the crowd's heads.
Dominic looked at the two moons. It was a special day today, since it was Princess Garnet's birthday and you failed to say anything, you clutz! And the moons were both full moons, for only this night of the year. He looked over the castle gardens once more before he walked around the tower he guarded to face the central courtyard where the Prima Vista was docked. From where he was, he could only see a part of the audience and the back of the airship, but he could hear the music clearly and the cheering nobles. It seemed as though they were at the part where Marcus' friends battle each other, one of them having betrayed their cause. Looking at the position of the moons in relation to the other towers, Dom knew it was nearing midnight, and his meal break would come soon. His stomach grumbled and he made his way down the tower to the Knights' common room.
The room was mostly empty, barring No.2, whom was chewing loudly on cooked hedgehog pie. Dom walked over to his locker and began opening the lock when he suddenly heard a struggle behind him. He started turning around when a hand grabbed the back of his neck and slammed his face into the locker door, making stars appear in his vision. He stumbled backwards as his nose fell numb and he toppled over a table before losing consciousness. He woke up and coughed blood he'd breathed in from his nose. Sitting up, he cracked his broken nose back into place and looked around. No. 2 looked unharmed but was asleep on the floor in his underwear.
Dominic thought to himself, he won't be any use like that. I better find father. He got up and ran to the armoury at the far side of the room to retrieve a chest plate, some boots and pants, since they had been stolen from him as well. Looking around, he found the last sword and ran into the common room, kicking Blutzen, Pluto Knight No. 2.
"Hey, there are hostile intruders in the castle. Suit up and go find the other Knights!" Dom shook the Knight's shoulders as he helped the man stand before running out of the common room, towards the Queen's stage balcony, where Captain Adelbert Steiner would be. As he exited, he heard the voice of his father booming, "Knights of Pluto! ASSEMBLE!"
…
Adelbert Steiner was on the brink of a nervous breakdown since the Jesters brought the awful news. The Princess, stealing the royal pendant? It couldn't be, something was amiss, and with the help of his knights, he'd get to the bottom of it. His lower left eyelid twitched when he saw his son emerge from the knight's dining quarters, incomplete uniform, and most importantly, alone.
"What is the meaning of this, No. 9?!" Steiner jumped up and down and was then petrified when No. 2 emerged from the room, half naked, "What is going on?!"
"Captain, there are intruders in the castle! The rest of the knights are dispersed around the castle grounds," Dominic looked disdainfully at No. 2, "And No. 2 had been tasked with finding a spare uniform. What is the situation, Captain?"
Adelbert took a long deep breath, thinking of the best course of action, "Princess Garnet is missing, the first priority is to find her! She could be in grave danger. Scour the castle grounds. Trust no one other than yourselves and whoever you can identify as unmistakeably an ally. Move out!"
Dominic saluted and sprinted off towards the castle gardens. Whoever had infiltrated the castle was probably responsible for the Princess' disappearance, and he would make them pay.
So that was Chapter 1! Hope you enjoyed it! I don't plan on updating this all too often, but probably monthly, every two months at worst.