At the end of Final Fantasy Four-and-a-Half, Angel was on the castle barracks, watching as two people strode up to the gate (she guessed that they were Fabulian from their clothing and weapons). Right after that she left to meet them. This is where Queen Angel is picking up, so we are picking up there too.
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Chapter 1: Many Strangers from the East
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"It all began on the day that they showed up," Queen Angel wrote with a rueful smirk. "Kaelery and her brother, Odin, the prince and princess of Fabul." The queen paused, contemplating what to say next. Memories of Kaelery hurt, and thinking of Odin made her skin prickle. She quickly set those thoughts aside for the moment and continued to write…
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Down the wide, beaten path walked a tall, pale woman, dressed in a Fabulian dancer's sari wrapped around her hip and rather immodest top (too hot for a normal shirt in Fabul; particularly in the summer months and it was the middle of July). Though her features, clothing and the short sword on her hip all spoke of Fabul, or somewhere near there, her long, sun streaked brown hair, brown eyes and milk-white skin all said that she was either a mixed breed, had lived in Fabul for only a short time, or that she sought ways to keep her skin that way (a vain and tedious way for any woman to spend her time).
Beside her walked a boy, only an inch shorter than herself. He was most definitely from Fabul; everything about him, from his short, curly black hair to the cat-claws laced to his wrists told of a typical Fabulian youth. Dressed only in a pair of baggy pants and a thin linen shirt (once again, too hot for regular clothing), it was plain that his arms and chest were mainly large masses of muscle, built up from hard training over most of his life. His skin was the color of baked bread, his almond shaped eyes tiny black dots in his face. Though he looked like a tough, serious person, he was a most kind and wonderful boy to have around.
The path that they walked led them straight to the front gate of Castle Baron. As they drew near, the woman glanced down at her companion and said, "Remember, once we've entered the castle, only I do the talking. You just stand there and do what you're told."
The boy scowled. "I don't have to listen to you," He mumbled. The woman heard, but pretended not to as she straightened her sari and ran her fingers through her hair. They approached the gate in silence.
"And just where do you think you're going?" asked a voice from above. The two looked up and saw a young girl, leaning over the low barrack above them, one foot propped on the edge and resting both arms on that leg. Light brown hair reached down to her shoulder, but went up at an angle to meet her jaw; more of her brown locks fell in her face, despite the gold hair pin that wrestled with the thick tresses. Her light blue eyes had a bored look to them, but restlessness and attitude lay idle behind them with no reason to come out. Her expression and voice were both laden with boredom, but they were also quite serious.
"Don't you speak?" The girl demanded when neither of the travelers answered her question. "What are you doing?"
"We must get in. We are here to see the king and queen on an urgent personal matter that doesn't concern a guard," The woman started in a matter-of-fact, superior tone.
The girl on the barracks mimicked the woman in a rude tone of voice. Without a warning she leapt from the rise and landed on her feet with a thud, raising a cloud of dust about her. She was clad in a dark green shirt (which bore a midriff), a quiver on her back, as well as a sword. Dark brown pants reached down only past her knees, and gray boots stopped halfway to her knees. A small knife was settled in a sheath on her left boot. The strangest part of her outfit was a magenta pink bracelet on her wrist.
She's kind of cute, The boy thought.
If she dressed like any other guard, she might actually look nice enough to get a dowry. She looks like a five-year-old who dressed herself, The woman thought.
"I am sorry, I am princess Kaelery, of Fabul," The woman introduced herself. "And this is my little brother, Prince Odin," She added, pointing at her companion. "And who are you to keep us from our appointment, if I might ask?"
"I am the captain of the guard," The girl said, sounding irritated. "And no one sees the king and-or queen without clearing it with me," She added. "This had better be good."
"……. Our parents have sent us with a proposal for the royalty," Kaelery answered.
"Meh, fine. Come with me," The girl finally said. She turned around, fumbled with a thing on the wall, and the gate swung open. Briskly, the captain led the prince and princess down several hallways and indoor hallways.
After several doors, they came into an open space, where guards, mages and servants milled around looking very bored. When they saw the captain, many of them suddenly animated, saying hello and waving to her. Others, mostly mages and servants, were shy and slow to react beyond cautious waves and whispered greetings. The captain, in turn, said hello back, and addressed several people by name as she did so.
"You certainly seem to be popular," Kaelery noted snobbishly. If the captain noticed her tone, she ignored it as she answered, "Nice leaders bring about nice people; I'm a nice person in general."
I'd sure like to get to know her better, Odin thought.
"One more door, I promise," The captain informed her followers as the emerged into yet another hall. They quickly crossed it and went through the last door, which opened into a much larger room. It was lit by several windows along the walls, rather than by torches. On a dias across the room were two thrones, but only one was occupied. The occupant was a strawberry-blonde woman who shone with the aura of a white mage. She was leaning over the arm of her chair, going over a stack of papers.
"Hi, mom. How are you?" The captain asked. The queen looked up with a start. "Oh, hello, honey. Who are your friends?" Asked the mage.
"Mom? Honey?" Kaelery nearly screamed.
"Oh, yeah; I forgot to tell you. I'm Princess Angel," The captain said casually to her guests.
"Angel, you shouldn't forget to tell strangers things like that," Queen Rosa scolded her daughter. "Now, who are they?"
"Mom, this is Princess Kaelery and Prince Odin, of Fabul. They say (or, rather Kaelery says) that they're here on business. But they she won't tell me what that business is," Angel explained boredly.
"Your father and sister are on their way here," Rosa informed, and went back to her papers.
"I cannot believe that you are the princess!" Kaelery hissed at Angel. "You're a big part of his deal, and you can't be so incompetent for it to work!" "You seem to be worrying too much. I'm restless and rash, not incompetent," Angel corrected.
As Kaelery growled her obvious disapproval, the door next to the dias burst open and three people strode in. The first had an aura so bright that the other two went unnoticed for a moment. It was so bright, in fact, that it was impossible to tell what he looked like until he actually entered the room. His long hair was so blonde that it was almost white, and just as dazzling as his aura was. His blue eyes were just as shiny as the rest of him.
Behind him was a man clad in the armor of a dragoon. He carried his helmet under one arm and a lance in the other. Strangely enough, his unruly blonde hair was so wild that it seemed to match his profession.
The last person there was a tall girl with purple hair and dark blue eyes. In one hand she carried a bow carved of a dark brown wood, and a quiver full of arrows was slung over her back.
"Oh. It would seem that we have company," The shiny man said, sounding surprised. Even though he didn't have a crown of any kind, it was plain to see that he was Cecil, the Paladin King of Baron. "Who might they be?" He asked.
"The Prince and Princess of Fabul. Although they won't tell me what they're here for," Angel explained sulkily. "Maybe I would have told you if you'd said you were the Princess," Kaelery said shortly. Odin let his eyes wander to the ceiling and inched away from his sister, meaning to stay out of the impending fight.
"Oh no, don't tell me that you didn't say who you were again," Cecil scolded his daughter. The dragoon and archer behind him made annoyed noises and shook their heads saddly. "You know what happens when you don't say anything: you make a mess," The purple haired girl added, more like a tease than a scold.
"Please don't you start, Sef," Angel requested. The other girl smirked and crossed her arms defiantly, though she didn't say anything else.
"At any rate," Cecil said as he strode over to the dias, ascended the steps and sat in the empty throne, "I knew you two were coming; I just didn't know you'd come so fast. What's the hurry?"
"Well, now that I know who Princess Angel is, this is rather embarrassing for me," Kaelery admitted snobbishly. Angel scowled at the woman with disdain. "I'm not so bad, once you get to know me," She muttered just loud enough for Kaelery to hear.
"Well I certainly hope that that's the case," Kaelery said in answer to Angel statement, "Because my parents are looking for a blood alliance between Fabul and Baron. They want my brother, Odin, to marry Angel," She announced.
"What?!" Angel and Odin cried out at the same time.
"You said that it was going to be a surprise, not a nightmare," Odin shouted at Kaelery. "And maybe I don't want to be married," Angel added angrily.
"Angel's only 17; do you think she should be wed so soon?" The dragoon asked the king and queen. "No," Cecil and Rosa answered together. "The idea of my daughter being suddenly joined to a boy that we hardly know makes my skin crawl," Rosa said plainly. "And besides: I definitely think that she's still too young."
"Hmph. I heard that you were 19 when you were married," Kaelery pointed out stubbornly. "19 is two more than 17. My answer is no," Rosa insisted, shaking her head. "I agree; and, quite honestly, I'm not ready to let either of my daughters go yet," Cecil added.
"Ditto," The dragoon put in.
"Everyone knows where I stand," The purple haired archer said. The Baronians nodded.
"And I absolutely disagree. What were your parents thinking?" Angel demanded.
Kaelery was blushing deeply, trying to hide behind her hands. This wasn't going as smoothly as she'd first planned. "Mom and Dad thought that Angel was older. And I thought that she would be well behaved," Kaelery explained, her voice a bit smothered from behind her hands. "I object to that remark very strongly," Angel said, sounding as offended as anyone could be.
The purple haired girl was by Angel's side in a heartbeat, holding a restraining hand on Angel's shoulder. "Calm down, sis. Maybe she didn't realize that you were still here when she said that," She suggested in a weak attempt to calm Angel down. Angel didn't seem less angry, but she did relax ad unclench her fist for the first time since she came into the throne room. "That's a dumb idea, Sefi, but I'll calm down for you," Angel informed her sister glumly.
There was a crash somewhere nearby. Everyone except for Cecil and Angel jumped, startled by the noise. Nothing happened again for a moment. Odin and Kaelery noticed that all the attention was focused on the king, queen and princess, who were all ridged with concentration. Their eyes were glassy and blank, starring into nothingness.
After a second, they shook themselves from their trances and Angel told everyone to draw their swords. She, Cecil and Kaelery all pulled their swords from their sheaths. The dragoon readied his lance, Sefi and Rosa loaded their bows with arrows (Rosa kept her quiver and bow behind her throne), and Odin adjusted his cat-claws to a fighting position.
It was still; nothing moved, no sound came and everyone stood there, tense and silent. "Are you sure something's coming?" The dragoon asked after a minute had gone by. "Just wait for it, Kain. They'll be here," Cecil assured his friend. "Who'll be here?" Odin asked.
The windows suddenly shattered and fell to the floor in a shower of sparkling shards. Through the shards burst 30 or so bright yellow figures that fell delicately and gracefully to the floor. From their appearance, they were human, but they were clad for protecting their identities. Their clothes appeared to be of various eastern styles. The men were either bare handed or carried long, sharp swords forged from gold. The women had gold cat-claws strapped to their hands.
Their clothes were all made of the same bright yellow fabric; the men had mythril sewn to their shirts, and the women wore skirts and tops like Kaelery's. On their men's shirts was a rearing red dragon that bore an odd resemblance to the bahamut that Rydia used to summon. The women's tops were so skimpy that the dragon was pictured on their skirts. They all wore face vales that looked like a dragon's open mouth, bearing razor sharp teeth.
"Get them! Kill them all!" One of the strangers cried. The others all roared a battle cry and surged forward, weapons raised.
It felt good for all the royalty to move again; that tense wait had left them all feeling a bit stiff. They fell several of their foes, but there were still many to face. The strangers had the royalty surrounded with very little trouble.
"The boss said that it would be a challenge," Scoffed one of the strangers; the others all laughed.
Though the royalty was starring death in the face, their fortune took an interesting turn. Two of the strangers, a man and a woman, suddenly turned on their own force. It all happened so quickly and so unexpectedly that 10 of the reduced 20 foes were dead before anyone could react. The last 10 fell with ease after that.
"Sorry about that," The yellow-clad woman said as she pulled off her veil. The man pulled his veil off too, both of them revealing features of truly eastern descent. "We'd have been smoother, but we had to sneak in and there was no other way," She explained.
"Say, don't I know you?" Odin asked. "You two do look familiar," Kaelery agreed. "You're the prince and princess of Fabul, aren't you?" The man asked, looking the brother and sister over. The two nodded. "Your parents hired us to be double agents when they heard our village was attacked, remember?" He asked.
"Oh, that's right. I remember now. Exelinterra and Kenjiki, right?" Kaelery asked. "Actually, we prefer 'Exeline' and 'Kenji'," The woman said coolly, adjusting her cat-claws to idle-stance. "But that's close enough."
"What happened?" Cecil asked. "Those guys have attacked places before?" "We didn't think we'd need to discuss it," Kaelery said defensively. "But, long story short, these things attacked a village in the Fabulian Desert; Exeline and Kenji were part of the small party that got away, and they ran to Fabul to warn everyone. Mom and dad hired them to be double agents," She explained.
"If Yang could send you two here for a really bad reason, why didn't he let us know about that? We might have been able to wipe this problem out at its roots," Rosa demanded crossly. "I would swear that people are actually trying to tick us off." "They didn't know that these people would get as far as Baron. They thought that it would be a waste of time to tell you," Kaelery said.
Kain made an angry noise and kicked one of the corpses.
"They call themselves Doom Ninjas," Kenji said, referring to the strangers. "The name is pretty accurate, actually. They've spelled doom for many desert villages in Fabul's southern area. There have even been some places where the population was completely wiped out."
"Why the yellow? Yellow's too conspicuous for ninjas," Angel asked (she knew quite a bit about the habits of a ninja). "And why the red dragon?" Sefi asked. "The man who got the Doom Ninjas together in the first place calls himself 'Red Bahamut; he claimed a red dragon as his emblem," Exeline explained. "The yellow... I don't know. The color of desert sand, perhaps?" She suggested. Apparently, it wasn't really something that she or her partner gave much thought to.
Edge would be furious if he knew this, Angel thought. But Eblan is an eastern kingdom. Does he know already?
"We believe that if the Doom Ninjas have gotten this far north, Red Bahamut is far more serious than we thought; we thought that he was just raiding the eastern areas for the few resources they have, out of spiteful boredom," Kenji explained. "If he's determined enough to come and try to kill a completely uninvoloved family, then we need more than just a pair of spies."
"Yes. We'll need a full alliance; the Doom Ninja's numbers are growing steadily. If we are to counteract it, we need all the help we can get," Exeline agreed. "I hope that you all know a lot of powerful people," She said to the Baronians.
"As a matter of fact," Kain offered, "We do. We're pretty good friends with all the royalty in the overworld and the underworld." "Sefi and I have personal connections to the princess of Damcyan," Angel added. "And the elders of Mysidia are friends of ours too," Sefi added quickly, almost finishing her sister's last thought (twins can do that sometimes).
"Ah yes. We've heard tales about this extraordinary family. The story of your sojourn three years ago is an epic tale where we come from, though it is apparent to me that the heir to Baron's throne isn't seven feet tall afterall," Kenji said.
Angel smirked, in spite herself. The eastern version of her paladin trial story said that she was seven feet tall! Imagine that!
"Is it possible to get all of your firends together in one place to discuss that matter at hand?" Exeline asked. "That can be done easily, though somewhat slowly," Cecil explained. "To cover all of the overworld, we'd have to go by airships. And though that's faster than walking and sailing everywhere, we still can't go everywhere in a day. Perhaps we could split up in different groups and cover the kingdoms in our path."
"Now there's a plan," Kenji agreed. "But maybe I could add to it? Your daughters are friends with princess Rella: send them to Damcyan. You and your wife will fly west, the dragoon will fly north, the prince and princess will fly back to their parents in Fabul, and Exeline and I will fly to Mysidia. After we have everyone, we will gather in Mysidia," He explained as Cecil listened carefully. "How does that sound?" The easterner asked.
"I like it," Cecil said, sounding impressed with how fast Kenji had concocted this plan. "We still won't be able to cover all the overworld in a day, but at least we won't spend a month buzzing about. Let's get to it."
"Sounds like the makings of another historic adventure to me," Kain said cheerily, happy to be on his feet and working again. "What else do we do anymore?" Rosa asked teasingly. "It's all we do."
"Haste! Haste! We're wasting time standing around talking about it! Let's go!" Exeline insisted, walking to the door.
"To the airships!" Angel and Sefi cried together and rushed past everyone else and back through the door.
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Yay! First real chapter posted! I'm so sorry it took me so long to write it. But I had Christmas break and I did a whole lot of stuff and didn't have any time to write (but I did find time to start a new fic for a completely different genre and get up to chapter 3 on it), and now I've got school aain, and my computer broke last week. No one could fix it and I nearly died; but my ex-boyfirend's dad is a computer geek, so he came over and fixed it, so I lived... But just barely.
So, anyway, I'll have the next chapter up sooner this time (I hope), and we'll see what the twins do next! Adios!