Chapter 2

Zack woke slowly, feeling like someone was tap dancing inside his skull. He opened his eyes, blinking a few times as they adjusted to the light filtering in through the dirty window and looked around. He was lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room, an old dresser and a rocking chair sitting off to one side. Where am I? he wondered, carefully sitting up and swinging his legs off the bed. A wave of nausea washed over him and it took a moment or two before his stomach settled down once more. And how did I get here?

"No way!" Zidane's voice filtered through the closed door.

"I'm telling ya, it's true. My son dated her when they were younger. Proposed, too, but she was already moving up in the ranks by then. Didn't want no distractions," an older male voice stated.

"Beatrix?" Zidane repeated, laughing.

"She wasn't always such a cold fish, ya know," the second voice replied. "Why, I remember when she used to come a visit us, wearing that frilly purple sundress she loved so much and as dainty as the flowers she loved to pick. Quite the prim and proper girl, too; don't know what made her take up the sword..."

Confused even more by the random conversation, Zack followed the voices to what appeared to be the kitchen. Zidane seemed to have made himself at home, sitting backwards on a chair at the table and gesturing animatedly with his cup. An old man, hair gray and back bent with age, sat across from him, just as engrossed in the conversation as the blonde was. Zidane's eyes lit up when he noticed Zack standing in the doorway.

"Zack! Glad to see you're back amongst the living! Come join us," he said, gesturing to an empty chair. "I've been swapping stories with old man Benthor here while waiting for you to wake up."

Benthor eyed the young man as he took a seat at the table. "Ya still look a little green around the gills, son. Let me get ya somethin' to drink," he said, hobbling around the kitchen. "It was my wife's secret recipe- cured most ills, it did. Said it'd been passed down in her family for generations."

While the old man was busy with that, Zack turned to Zidane. "Sir," he began, "I, um, I don't mean to be rude, but, where are we?"

"We're still in Burmecia," the blonde replied. "Probably a mile or two from Gizamaluke's Grotto's west entrance. You were only out for an hour or two. I thought it better to let you rest a bit before moving on and Benthor was good enough to take us in."

"I see." The knight-in-training hesitated. "What...uh, what happened? I remember bits and pieces, but nothing that really makes sense."

"You didn't listen is what happened."

Zack was taken back by the sudden change in his superior's tone. "What...?"

Zidane swirled the liquid around in his cup, his face oddly serious. "I took a hit that must have looked bad from where you were standing, because the next thing I know, you're shouting and waving your arms and doing everything you can to get the grand dragon's attention. I think you even threw a rock at it." He shook his head. "It worked, and the beast went after you. Then you started running for the cliff- I have no idea what you were trying to do, but the dragon tripped you with its tail and you fell over the side." He ran a hand through his hair, thinking back to the tranced state he had entered immediately following Zack's disappearance. His emotions had been more powerful than he could remember them being in a long time. The dragon didn't even know what hit it. "You about gave me a heart attack. I killed the dragon and then went to find you. I'm not sure how, but you had miraculously gotten hung up on a rocky outcropping halfway or so down the mountainside. Knocked your head somewhere on the way down, though, so I headed for the first building I saw, which happened to be Benthor's shack."

"I wasn't sure what to think when I saw you two running up on that bird of yours," the old man commented, setting a steaming cup in front of Zack, who looked a little dazed. "Drink up, son. Can I get you a refill, Zidane?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks, though."

Benthor nodded, easing himself back into his chair. "But, ya didn't tell me it was a grand dragon that was chasin' your friend here."

The blonde shrugged. "You didn't ask."

"Those are nasty beasts, to be sure. I never go up on the high plains meself, but the caves 'round here have their own brand of wicked creatures. Take those silent angels, for example."

Zack coughed violently, hastily setting his cup on the table until the fit passed. "What's in that?" he gasped, looking at the drink like it might bite him.

"I told ya already, it's an old family remedy. It's a bit strong, but it'll have you right as rain in no time. Drink up."

Zack looked almost desperately at the blonde, who shrugged as if to say 'what do you want me to do?' Not wanting to offend their host, and not really seeing any other way out, the knight-in-training steeled himself before downing the rest of the drink.

"Silent angels?" Zidane asked curiously, turning his attention back to the old man. "I've never heard of them before."

"Oh, they're tricky," Benthor began, leaning forward. "Ya see, they look like regular people- jus' like you and me -except their skin has a faint bluish gleam to it. They'll act like they're in trouble, layin' on the ground like they been attacked or some such, maybe even cry out for help when they hear you comin', and wait for you to get close enough. Then, they'll leap up and wrap their hands around your throat, like they's trying to strangle ya," he said, his hands miming the attack, "only it burns. Feels like their hands are on fire and they got a steel grip to boot! And, if ya don't get away before they's done, they steal your voice," he finished, sitting back in his chair.

"Steal your voice? Like having silence cast on you?" the blonde queried.

"Nah, silence only really affects those wizard people- ya know, them that can use magic. Don't know who came up with that name, though. All it does is block their spells, not their voice. But the silent angels, I guess ya could say that what they do is like a real silence spell- ya won't even be able to make the faintest peep," Benthor said, leaning back in his chair. "Ya never know how much you rely on your voice until it's gone. Ya gotta be careful in caves, especially if ya see someone layin' on the ground. Ya never know if they's really a person or a silent angel."

"Right," Zidane said, his tone sincere while his expression was somewhat skeptical. "I'll keep that in mind." He turned back to his companion. "Well, you've got some color back in your cheeks now. How're you feeling?"

"Much better, actually," Zack replied, looking a little surprised himself.

"Works every time," Benthor stated, chuckling. "I suppose you boys will be wantin' to get back on the road, now?"

"Yeah, we probably should be going," Zidane agreed. He stood and stretched, his tail arching out behind him. "Are you sure you won't accept any money? I mean, if we're going to treat your place like an inn, the least we can do is pay for the room."

The old man waved him off. "Nah, just having someone to talk to for the last few hours was enough for me." He walked with them outside to where Choco was grazing. The chocobo let out a kweh when he saw Zidane and immediately began pecking at the blonde's hair and clothes.

"Alright, alright! I get it! You don't like the grass here!" Zidane pushed the bird away and dug around in his pack until he found some gyshal greens. "Is this more to your liking?"

The giant bird deftly plucked the roots out of Zidane's hand and almost swallowed them whole. He warbled contentedly, rubbing his cheek against the blonde's.

"Yeah, you're welcome," Zidane replied, scratching the chocobo under its beak.

Zack and Benthor watched the exchange with some amusement. "You know, I didn't notice it earlier, what with all the fuss," the old man began, gazing keenly at the huge bird, "but that's a golden chocobo, isn't it?"

"Yes, he is," the blonde replied, continuing to stroke the feathers.

"Tell me, have you heard of a place called the Chocobo's Air Garden, supposedly only accessible with a gold chocobo?"

Zidane looked a little surprised. "Yeah, actually. I didn't think anyone else knew about it..."

"My brother-in-law was a bit of a chocobo fanatic- my wife's family raised chocobos, ya see. Anyway, Joe knew more than any one man ought 'bout chocobos. Swore up and down that the air garden existed, he did, and spent his whole life trying to get there."

Zidane shrugged. "Well, once you get past the whole 'floating in the sky' thing, it's not all that impressive of a place."

Both Zack and Benthor looked stunned. "You've been there?" the old man asked.

"A couple times, yeah."

"Could you... I know it's a lot to ask, but..."

"Take you there?"

"No, I'm afraid I've got no tolerance for heights," he said, chuckling quietly. "But, my wife was the only one who believed Joe. She passed away last year, and that anniversary is coming up." He bowed his head for a moment before meeting Zidane's eyes. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could ya maybe bring me some flowers from there? I'd like to put them on her grave. Ya know, let her know that Joe was right all along."

Zidane nodded solemnly. "I will. I'm on kind of a tight schedule right now, but I should get some free time in the next week or two."

"Thank you," Benthor said sincerely.

"Well, after you helped us, it's the least I could do." Zidane climbed onto the bird's back, helping Zack up behind him. "See you later!" he called, kicking Choco into an easy lope as they headed for the mountains separating Burmecia and Alexandria.

. . .

They stopped in Dali as the sun began to set, Zidane opting to spend the night in town after sleeping on the ground and eating nothing but traveling rations for the last few weeks. "Looks like the dinner rush is almost over," Zidane noted as they stepped inside local pub. He walked over to the menu posted on the wall and studied it briefly before getting in the short line at the counter, Zack trailing along at his heels.

"Hello, I'm Slai and I'll be your server today," the young woman behind the counter greeted him in a tired tone when it was his turn. "What can I get you?"

"I'll have the kabobs with vegetable stir-fry and water," Zidane replied, leaning casually against the counter.

"Anything else?"

"What do you want?" Zidane asked, turning to Zack.

"I'm fine, sir," Zack replied. The pay for a knight-in-training wasn't all that great and he really didn't have any extra money to spend on eating out.

"Uh-huh. He'll have the same," Zidane said, turning back to the waitress.

Zack opened and closed his mouth a few times while Slai added up the total. "That'll be 45 gil," she said.

Zidane pulled out his wallet and paid the bill before steering Zack to a small table off to one side that was unoccupied.

"Sir, that really wasn't necessary," Zack protested as he was pushed into a chair.

"Not strictly necessary, no," Zidane replied. "But there were people waiting behind us and you didn't look like you were planning on moving anytime soon."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant."

"Then why-"

"Look," Zidane started, cutting him off, "I'm not going to take you out and then make you watch me eat because you're saving up for a new sword."

Zack just stared at him for a few seconds. "How did you-"

"Besides, I saw the way you were staring at Slai when we first walked in," Zidane continued, grinning. "I thought I should at least let you sample her cooking before you asked her on a date."

Zack's cheeks flushed red. "T-that's not what I was thinking about!"

"Really? Because you could barely take your eyes off her," Zidane commented, glancing back at the waitress. "Oh, I see. That's a pretty tight bodice she's wearing, isn't it?" he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

It took Zack a few seconds to figure out what his superior was implying. "Sir!" he cried, a scandalized look on his face. "A knight's behavior has to be above reproach! I would never dishonor a young lady by-by-"

"Relax," Zidane said, laughing. "I'm just giving you a hard a time."

"Your sense of humor leaves something to be desired," Zack muttered, his face still red.

Their conversation was interrupted as Slai brought a tray to their table. "Two orders of kabobs and vegetable stir-fry with water," she said, setting the plates and glasses on the table in front of them. She didn't seem to notice the way Zack was studiously not looking at her, or catch Zidane's knowing grin. "Enjoy your meal."

Not having eaten since early that morning, both men dug into the hot meal with enthusiasm. The food is better than I remember, Zidane thought, biting a piece of meat off his kabob. But, then again, after eating nothing but travel rations for a few weeks, I'll bet just about anything would taste better. As they ate, a nearby conversation caught Zidane's attention.

"I'm telling ya, Tom was up at the observatory just last week," one man was saying, "and he said that the trees in the center are looking green again."

"So a few more trees have grown. That doesn't mean that the Evil Forest is going to become un-petrified," his companion retorted, standing.

"This wasn't a couple trees here and there. It was the entire middle of the forest," the first man insisted, also rising to his feet. "Besides, trees can't just grow out of stone and those were too big to have grown from a seed in so short a time. I'm telling ya, the rumors are true."

"So what if they are? It's not like we have any business down in the valley..." The conversation faded away as the men walked outside.

Zidane looked after them, chewing thoughtfully. Rumors that the Evil Forest is becoming un-petrified, eh? That might be worth looking into. He finished off his meal, pushing his plate away as he pulled out the map. Now that we're back on this side of the mountain range, I think we'll walk instead of using Choco. We're closer to South Gate, so we'll use that to get down into the valley and follow the river back to the Evil Forest. We can scout around the outskirts tonight, camp out on the plains and cover the other side of the river tomorrow, he thought, tracing the route with his eyes. We may be a little late getting back to base camp tomorrow night, but I'll feel better knowing if the rumors are true or not. Glancing at his companion, he noted that Zack had finished and was watching him. "Alright, let's go," he said, rolling up the map and dropping a few coins on the table as they headed for the door.

Zidane led the way through the darkening village streets to the inn, pushing the door open and walking inside. He paid for a room for the night and was heading in that direction when he noticed Zack lingering in the doorway. The blonde sighed quietly to himself. "You can sleep outside on the ground if it makes you feel better," he said, addressing his companion across the room, "but the room's paid for and there are three beds that I'm not going to be using."

After a moment's hesitation, Zack followed after him.

"We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow, so I want to be on the road before dawn," Zidane said, dropping his bag on the floor. "That being said, I think I'll turn in early. Goodnight." He stretched, tail arching as he reached his arms high above his head before turning down the covers and crawling into the nearest bed. He let himself sink into the softness of the mattress, feeling as if he were lying on a fluffy cloud. Maybe a lumpy cloud, he amended, shifting slightly as he heard Zack take the bed across from him, but, it still beats sleeping on the ground any day. He snuggled down in the blankets, sighing contentedly as he mentally went over their route again before drifting off to sleep.

. . .

To Be Continued

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