Original version posted: 20th of March 2010
Re-edited version posted:
Author's note
This chapter is dedicated to FaithStarLight for being a wonderful reviewer!
Todays accompanying music is "Oeil Vert" from the FFIX OST!
Disclaimer:
Final Fantasy IX (and all related content) belongs to Square Soft/Square Enix.
(Honestly? If I owned that company there would have been a funny and kinda awkward scene of Zidane and Dagger climbing up the Iifa Tree)
Chapter 1 – Oeil Vert
"Now those memories come back to haunt me, they haunt me like a curse"
B. Springsteen
May it please your Majesty,
hereby I like to inform your Majesty about an alteration of the whereabouts of fifty three genomes.
The new residence shall be inside the Terran heritage Oeil Vert on the Western Continent.
We are deeply grateful for the support your Majesty granted our settlement.
Yours faithfully
Mikoto
Garnet closed the letter for what seemed to be the myriad-th time and sighed heavily. At first she had felt relieved about the letter's content for it didn't contain any... unwanted information. She had hoped the new inhabitants of the Outer Continent – now called the Eastern Continent - would find something regarding his whereabouts near the dried out roots that had at one time been the soul thieving Iifa Tree.
In the beginning it had been her greatest fear they might only find his body, but as time went on and weeks turned into months, she learned that not knowing was even worse. She always expected him to wait for her at the next corner. He never did.
Now, after far more than a year, she craved for any kind of disclosure. It would allow her to rejoice and bless every god available or to finally give her heart the permission to break and grieve.
While she thought she leaned against the small airship's window and let her eyes wander over the snow covered mountain peaks as they passed them.
After she read Mikoto's note, the young Queen decided to pay the Genomes a visit that was more then overdue. Garnet sighed. She felt guilty for not visiting earlier, the last time had been about a month after the final battle. But the resemblance all Terran shared had just been too much for her to handle, but had not hindered her from supporting the little village with everything they needed.
The letter had been written about a week before its delivery which was very quick considering the Moggle had to cross a good part of the ocean and half of a continent with nothing but two short legs and a pair of tiny purplish-pinkish wings. The little thing had been sleeping for two days straight and ate about three times his own weight.
The new royal airship "The Grace" had taken him back to Madain Sari before they headed to Black Mage Village. Upon their first arrival, Vivi had asked the Genomes if they would like to look for a new name that would include them, but Mikoto - being the only one responding to the little mage - declined the offer and therefore the name remained unchanged.
The Mages had been delighted to see the airship and gave the whole crew a warm welcome. Garnet knew from Vivi's letters about the added cottages but not about their new inhabitants, which explained her confused expression as she came face to hat with a couple of smaller Mages with big brimmed straw hats.
Vivi was very talkative today and showed her around happily. By the time the sun met the horizon he told her of the Genome's departure.
"I don't know why they left all of a sudden..." Vivi said in a sad voice and looked down, "They always stayed to themselves and continued searching f-for..." he swallowed hard and continued while his eyes starred at the direction he knew were the Iifa Tree's remains. "They stopped their search some time ago and Mikoto told me about 'their' decision to move to that place K-Kuja once sent us."
Garnet hugged the mage affectionately. She knew Vivi felt terribly because he couldn't make their friend's dream – an integration of the Genomes – come true and therefore he felt terribly as did she.
If she had learned one thing form the many reports she received from this village, it was that the Genomes didn't make any decisions for themselves, Mikoto did.
A sudden air turbulence yanked the dark haired Queen out of her memories and onto the floor. For a moment she thought about just laying on the thick carpet because getting up and pretending to be unaffected by everything life liked to throw at her didn't seem to be worth the effort.
Then again, she would give Steiner a heart attack if he found her like this. Reluctantly she composed herself and straitened the wrinkles in her light blue dress and busied herself with the familiar interior of the airship. "The Grace" had been presented to her by her uncle Cid for her coronation and had to be one of the most ostentatious airships in existence. But she knew it wasn't only to show of Lindblum's renewed union with Alexandria. This ship was a sign of how much he and his family cared for her, being born a commoner or not.
The thickly woven carpets showed a more accurate picture of Gaia than most maps and illustrated many views she and her companions had seen on their journey. The most meaningful gesture that had been made in the ship's design were the awe inspiring paintings of her beloved Eidolons that towered on the dark wood paneling. They looked just like the ones she had seen in her birthplace, Madain Sari. Her uncle also showed a great understanding for her heart's restlessness by passing a secret note to her, stating The Grace's hidden ability to be maneuvered by no more than two hands.
"Your Majesty, I apologize for the disruption," the pilot's voice said through the speaker.
"Please speak." Garnet urged him to continue. She had insisted to be notified over the intercom, much to the man's discomfort who didn't see this form fitting for communicating with his Queen. But a royal order – no matter its content – was still a royal order and therefore he obeyed without questioning it further.
"We will reach the Western Continent in a few minutes. Where does Your Majesty wish the ship to be landed?"
"Outside the canyon's northern entrance."
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
She left the crew and guards at the landing site and walked south. As she and Beatrix turned the second corner they stopped. Garnet removed her crinoline to reveal a pair of pants that were made of the same thin, light blue fabric as the remaining top section of her dress.
This outfit was more suitable for a peregrination through the desert canyon for it provided her fair skin protection from the hot sun beams and enough agility to escape dangers such as monsters. Not that she had to worry about those with her weapon at hand and Beatrix at her side. Therefore, they arrived unharmed at Oeil Vert's unguarded entrance. Garnet reached for the gate in front of her, stopped the movement in mid air and turned to her escort.
"I would like to do this on my own..." she confessed without looking at the warrior, feeling extremely ungrateful and selfish for dragging her general all the way out here without intending to let her stay at her side.
"Of course, my Queen. I shall wait here for your return." Beatrix answered without missing a beat. She had expected this request on their arrival at the Terran heritage even before they entered The Grace some five days ago.
The doors closed behind her and Garnet enjoyed the refreshing coolness of the familiar building on her skin. At the same time she felt some kind of veil cover the connection she shared with her Eidolons. This was the most interesting feature of this place: an unbreakable, ancient barrier that prohibited any use of magic within its halls. Last time she had been too caught up in herself and protected by her friends that she had welcomed this manipulation, but now, as she had nothing to hold closer to her heart than her summons, she felt the loss tenfold.
The edifice itself was as beautiful and ageless as she remembered. There was a huge yellow, snail shell shaped window that covered the whole back wall, which was as high as three or four floors. On the left side was a staircase leading to a small stage about one third of the rooms height and Garnet knew it lead to a tiny room that contained some sort of control panel. The entire structure looked more like it had sprouted out of the desert canyon than an architect's mind.
However, there were some differences like the now clean back window which immersed the room in a rich, almost otherworldly light. It set the surrounding building materials off, in a way that one could easily mistake them for being illuminated from within. She was so fascinated by this little facts that she was all but oblivious to the nearing footsteps until a monotonous voice approached her.
"Please follow me, Queen Garnet Till Alexandros XVII of Alexandria. It is my mission to take you to Lady Mikoto."
Garnet had to bite her lip to suppress a scream as she laid eyes on the young Genome in front of her. He seamed to be in his mid teens with boyish features and unruly, short dark blond hair. His eyes were a dull light blue without any spars of emotions and looked more through her than at her.
It took her some time to overcome the pain she felt by looking at him. This Genome didn't look so much like 'him'. This boy actually had to be one of the more individual looking Terran. But her heart still ached like the first time she had to rethink her impression of the undying hero in her life.
Her voice didn't seem trustworthy at the moment so she just nodded and without a further reaction, the Genome walked toward the back wall and opened a door she had never noticed before.
The yellow window she had expected... well, to be a window and therefore be lighted by the sun, turned out to be a light source of its own, for the room behind the other side was just as brightly lid as the one she just came from. For a short time she wondered how many of her wild assumptions had been true after all.
At the other end of the room, near another hallway entrance, stood two Genomes that seemed to have a rather one sided conversation as one of them gesticulated wildly and the other one listened intently. The speaker turned towards her, but Garnet had already quickened her pace.
'Why do they have to look the same?' she thought, biting her lips in frustration. That was the exact reason she had not come back earlier!
To her chagrin, she didn't have time to ponder much longer, because as her guide - despite his formal speech - did not have the manners to wait up for her as he walked apace through the dark corridors.
As she walked behind him she noticed that his tail was just long enough to reach the floor. But he did not seem to be bothered by it as he made no attempt to raise the tip, which had already collected some dust bunnies. Too depressed to watch the hairy appendix any longer she turned her sight to the side walls that were highly adored with soft flowing patterns which immerged the small hallway in a faint blue light. Finally, they reached the corridor's end and stopped which actually managed to confused the young royal more than any other thing she had seen today. Her attendant nodded sharply and touched one of the wall patterns she had noticed often along the way.
An oval opening appeared and granted her entrance into a spacious room. It smelled of old leather, parchment and lamp oil. The ceiling was high enough to allow stages to intersect the book shelves multiple times from top to bottom. The only light source – apart from the wall patterns - was a vast window that showed a garden of the most beautiful kind, with strange, brightly colored flowers, white stones and calm, sparkling waterways all blessed by the sun's kiss. She spotted a delicate figure at the garden's entrance and stepped closer.
Garnet expected to meet the twelve year old girl she had met on Terra to be the same, since nothing Terran ever seemed to age. Thus was her surprise as she was faced with a slightly older version of the third so called 'Angel of death' for her purpose had once been to be the last measure to free Gaia of its inhabitants to bring new life to her planet.
The changes were subtle – yet noticeable. Her once sandy hair had gained a golden tint and she had grown a few inches, as had her tail which was evident by the way she curved up the tip to prevent it from dragging on the floor.
At this moment Garnet understood the full potential of her own selfishness. She had constantly thought of her own pain and the heavy burden she carried by ruling her kingdom at a young age. But now - seeing the girl before her that barely passed to be called a teen, ruling her people without any help at all, on an unfamiliar planet – made herself feel like a spoiled little madam, for she had people who comforted and guided her at a time of loss, while the strength of the girl in front of her lay solely within herself.
"My greetings to you, Queen Garnet." the blond said and dipped her head in a polite bow.
"I thank you for this meeting, Lady Mikoto. I apologize for not sending a note prior to my arrival." Garnet stated and bowed as well. Since this was the younger girl's realm she had waited to be addressed first.
"But," she added as an afterthought,"'Garnet' will do just fine." she smiled.
The Genome nodded in agreement. "As will 'Mikoto'. Please, follow me" she said as she lead the older leader into the splendid flora.
They talked about many things that concerned legal affairs and the future of the Terran territories which remained on Gaia.
"No," Mikoto answered Garnets unspoken question after they had the official part of their meeting, "we found nothing at the Iifa Tree's remains and I dare say so, there will be nothing left to be found."
The brunette woman nodded sadly as she looked down at the warm, white pebbles beneath her feet. "I thought as much." she admitted glumly.
Mikoto offered to escorted her back personally, but since the way out was fairly easy to remember - once you figured out that the only visible doors were open for your benefit alone - Garnet declined the girl's strangely kind offer and left on her own.
As she could see the yellow, snail shell like wall from the hall, she felt an undeniable urge to leave this place behind her as fast as her legs carried her. She went so fast that she didn't notice the wall open next to her and a figure emerging out of it in as much a hurry as she was.
How could things be any different, the two collided and before Garnet could think of anything else she found herself wrapped securely by strong arms and lost herself in a pair of astonished turquoise eyes.
Yvi-sama proudly presents: The "how-to" guide!
#1: The "how to defeat the 'Review this Story/Chapter'-monster" guide!
Its easy, just use the following strategy.
1) target the rectangular bottom at the end of the page (the one with the green inscription)
2)attack it by using the left mouse key
3)that's when the battle gets though: you have to use your imagination to solve an unmentioned riddle (there are stashed hints within the chapter, so read it carefully before challenging this monster)
4)After you finished your answer, select the skill 'Submit Feedback/Review' (you might or might not want to attack one of the monster's minors for future EXP gain)
5)Congratulation! You beat 'The Review' a very challenging boss monster.
