Mystic: Blah blah, I don't own the characters. And don't be messing around with strange plants and/or weeds. You might wake up dead. Just let me know if I'm doing this pair any justice.
"What do you mean strange things are going on in Lindblum? Zidane, why did you not tell me?" Garnet put her hands on her hips and started to tap her foot against the floor. Bad things usually happened when she started to tap her foot.
"You were sick in bed and missed the meeting." Zidane smiled and patted his chest. "Don't worry; your king took care of it."
She rolled her eyes. "Alright, run this by me again. And spare the drama, please. My head aches terribly."
"There's medicine for that, Dag'."
"Zidane!"
"Okay, okay!" He pondered the best way to explain the situation, but soon gave up because then his head would start to pound. Wait, poor choice of words. "You know how your Uncle Cid has a wandering eye?"
Garnet frowned. "Not again."
"Yeah, more than his eye was wandering."
"What did Aunt Hilda turn him into this time?"
He hesitated, decided to back up a few steps for good measure. "Um, that's where the council's not exactly sure. Some reports say he was poisoned, some say he disappeared, others say he's trapped in the confines of his mind and forced to reflect on all his past lustful acts, only they're all guys. I dunno."
The room started to spin like the children's ride outside the schoolhouse. Only now there wasn't anybody nice enough to stop the thing by skidding along the ground. "Is Eiko with her?"
Zidane nodded. "Yeah."
"Doctor Tot could do something."
"Then he'll be a frog."
For Odin's sake. "What did you tell the council?"
He would have loved to tell those frumpy councilmen that they could shove their rules and regulations so far up their wrinkled butts that not even the moon would want to reflect any light on the area, but then he remembered some risque controversies surrounding some of those fuddy-duddies and shut his trap. "If Lady Hilda needed to stay here for awhile, she's welcome to."
Not bad, though she feared he didn't say it as eloquently as past rulers of Alexandria. She could almost see Steiner tightening his grip on his sword as Zidane made his piece in front of everyone, Beatrix most likely staring at the ceiling so she wouldn't erupt in inappropriate laughter. "Thank you, Zidane."
"Hey, it's part of the gig," he said, tail swinging back and forth. "It's good to be the king."
Garnet didn't respond with words and instead rushed into the lavatory. Her stomach suddenly decided it no longer liked breakfast.
xxx
It had been a number of years since Hilda found herself wrestling with water and various shades of red henna. Lucky for her (and the kitchen floor), the airship flew straight in the clouds. One too many scoops of pure red powder and her blonde hair would end up orange. The copper powder should give just enough tint to softly darken her hair color. If only the henna would behave itself.
Eiko expressed an interest, but Hilda feared the girl's blue locks would end up purple.
"Here, pour more water in this," said Hilda, the wooden spoon getting a firm workout.
"But I just poured in a cup, mother."
"It needs to be like oatmeal." Stir, stir, stir... Her upper arm began to scream in terror.
The girl leaned over the bowl of reddish goop. "Can you eat it?"
Hilda thought for a moment. "Actually, yes; though I'm not sure I'd recommend it." Those strange creatures with the large tongues might find some edible use of henna, beyond just body art and hair dye. "I should have some leftover, Eiko. I'll decorate your hands."
"Okay!"
She remembered ages ago on Madain Sari, when the elders painted their hands and faces with henna. They drew the eidolons, wrote their names in the sacred languages. Eiko wasn't able to figure it out when she was on her own. Her adoptive mother did her best to pick up the pieces for the little summoner, but Lady Hilda could not control eidolons, nor was Eiko tied to the fae. The future years were bound to be very interesting, especially when Eiko came of age.
Hilda didn't want to think about that.
After a few more cups of water and numerous stirs, her quick disguise glopped thick on her hair. She sat in a plain gown, hair wrapped in a towel, and calmly drank a mug of warm tea. Eiko blew on her hands to hasten the drying process.
"Those markings will protect you," Hilda said between sips. "The fae folk take care of their own."
"Will they make my summons stronger?"
Ah, nothing like hibiscus on a breezy airship in the late morning hours. "Yes, because those spells guard your entire being. Eiko, when you were on your travels with Zidane and Queen Garnet, did you ever run into a green nymph in the woods?"
"All the time. She kept asking for ore."
Hilda laughed. "Not to worry; she's going through therapy." Eiko scrunched her eyebrows and blew more air on her hands. "That nymph belongs to a neighboring tribe."
"Is that where we're going?"
The girl knew enough of what transpired between her mother and father. Travels around the world at such a tender age gave her a bit more knowledge of certain subjects than other children. It didn't help whenever Zidane spoke obscenities outloud, or when his fellow Tantalus members praised the best brothel in Alexandria. Dagger wasn't able to drag her away in time for that conversation. (Or the argument later when Zidane swore up and down he didn't pay for anything beyond a simple dance.)
The Lady of Lindblum glanced at the hourglass on the edge of the countertop. It was almost time to rinse the henna from her hair. "I was thinking Alexandria first."
"Hurray!"
"Then to the fae territory."
Eiko didn't seem to hear. She ran happily to the observation deck to look through the telescopes. Hilda sighed, smiled, and finished her tea.
xxx
The henna did its job. Blonde hair was transformed into a light coppery hue with well-placed highlights. An hour or so outside on the windy deck would dry the tresses without her resorting to a heat spell.
But Fate did not want her to relax with a book or hear the sound of the whispering clouds. Forget showing Eiko how to listen to the birds' talk. No, Fate decided to give Lady Hilda a hard kick in the backside and laugh at the bruise. The young summoner stood paralyzed at the telescope, knuckles white with tension. Her mother had to pry her away from the viewing device.
"Eiko!" exclaimed Hilda. "What is it? What do you see?" The little girl pointed in the eastern direction and stepped back to hug her mother's skirts.
A dragon with distinct silver scales hovered fifty feet away.
"Did he find out you left Lindblum again?" Eiko whispered.
Hilda stuttered, "I thought he didn't survive." Her heart leapt into her throat and stayed there. Fate gave a wink and blew them both a kiss, for while the dragon hovered, it didn't move.
She sensed the magic far too late, heard the chant in the wisps before she could block them with one of her own. All fae women respond in such a manner when faced with an individual of higher ability. A mental snap where both pieces drop, useless.
An illusion, she realized. Which means that he - Hilda sharply turned, pushed her daughter behind her, and stared up at the man who stood a mere inches away. The scent of cinnamon and wood sage nearly overpowered her stunned system.
He smirked. "Running from your problems in Lindblum, my lady?" She refused to respond. "Tsk, tsk; it seems the rumors were true."
"Run to the chapel, Eiko," she ordered in a harsh whisper. "Barricade the door."
"I'll summon!"
"You'll destroy the ship. Now go!"
Eiko obeyed, though reluctant. Feet sped across the floor to the chapel below deck. Lady Hilda attempted to stand tall, though what she really wanted to do was cover her ears and scream. Proper ladies didn't perform such actions, but she didn't want to drop a handkerchief and faint either. The wizard would simply pick up the stupid piece of cloth, gently shake the woman awake, then continue to talk about his day. And all with a cruel smirk upon his face.
"You're welcome," he finally said.
"Wh - what?"
He rolled his eyes. "I cloaked your beautiful airship with an invisibility spell. I had a strong hunch you didn't want those other vessels to follow in your wake."
Hilda forgot her fear and rushed back to the railing. In the distance, far beyond the imagined dragon, were three airships with the Lindblum coat of arms displayed on fluttering flags. "No!" she exclaimed. "They were not supposed to follow me!"
"Well, they're not now."
Tears fought to come to life, but only her pride kept them at bay. "Kuja, no!"
The wizard caught her when she started to collapse, all because her legs grew weary of standing in the midst of stress. They leaned against the rails, and that's when fear turned to familiarity. Hilda had been like this before: a nervous wreck of a woman, caught in the arms of her captor, mind utterly exhausted. And like in earlier times, Kuja would chuckle and offer to destroy whatever caused her discomfort. His answer to any problem was complete destruction.
When he felt her breathing settle, he said to her, "You've changed your hair, Hilda. I like it."
"Thank you," she deadpanned, too tired to wonder why he didn't just send a firaga to the Lindblum vessels in the first place.
"I resisted the urge to light those airships in a fiery blaze."
Oh, there it was. Nevermind. "They didn't do anything wrong."
"Hm, unlike your husband."
She pushed against his chest, out of his arms. "Leave my ship, Kuja!"
He raised an eyebrow. "If I do that, you'll be at the mercy of your followers."
Lady Hilda mentally debated which fate would be worse. The soldiers might question her, and Kuja might reveal another convulated scheme - all over a cup of tea or chalice of wine. That backfired for him, as his former prisoner was blessed with a very good memory. She was so thankful when Zidane and his friends 'rescued' her, since that meant she no longer had to take part in Kuja's narcisstic conversations.
Still, her husband's soldiers had crossed the line. But then, what of Eiko? The child had been a captive of Kuja as well. No mother would willingly put her daughter's life at risk.
"I thought you died at the Iifa Tree," she said.
"My death was highly exaggerated, Lady Hilda." He brushed a strand of hair off his face. "And tell the girl she doesn't have to hide. Her eidolons are of no use to me."
"Because she is not yet sixteen."
"Still have that sharp tongue of yours? I've missed your wit."
"Is there a particular reason you've hijacked my ship again?"
His grin penetrated every trembling fiber throughout her being. "I had plans on traveling to Condie Petie to work out a trade, and now you get the pleasure of joining me."
Condie Petie. Hilda's stomach did a triple flip and somehow missed the landing.