A/N: Chapter 3 is up! I've been working on a strategy for this fanfiction and as it comes to fruition, I suppose I should thank my boyfriend Baed for his help in getting me a battle strategy that is pretty original in my opinion. In any case, let the chaos ensue!
~Mayris
It wasn't unnatural to find Garnet outside the castle walls. That would have rung true if she was somewhere within Alexandria itself. In the guise of a red mage, it was now in the range of possibilities that she could be anywhere. In these times, she had learned to be more covert with her escapades as the Bandit master was sure to spot her like a tilted picture frame in a gallery. Unfortunately, he had followed her out this time, at least until she got to the docks where she expertly evaded him and dove into a barrel full of gysahl pickles. The experience wasn't too new, but it certainly had been a while since she was in this predicament. Fortunately, Zidane was unaware of this trick and turned back with a huff, chasing her phantom back through the streets.
Finally alone, she took the chance to change, pulling herself out of the barrel and diving into a small crevice in the wall alongside a stone house. She hushed as she heard a woman's voice, loud and irritable coming from the window.
"It's been seven days since you've been home and all I smell on you is ale and perfume! It's disgusting! I'm finished putting up with your unpleasant smell and dirty habits! The least you could when you return home is bathe! And more than once! You've dirtied the entire tub of water! I can barely tell you're even lying in there!"
A slushing noise was heard and Garnet nearly dodged an entire bucket of black water as the irritable woman threw its contents from the second story window. Garnet managed to shield herself with her white dress, now splotched with black tarred water. Some flecks got on her face which she immediately tried to wipe away and only managed to smear the substance.
Yuck!
She hefted her heavy dress over to the jetty's edge and hauled it over, watching the heavy ornamented garment sink slowly to the bottom. Pulling the hood over her face, she started on the knot of one of the boats. If she could get to the other side of the lake, she could quickly use the train to get to North Gate and then venture to South Gate. If she was to find answers any time soon, it would probably lie in Treno.
It took a bit of effort, but soon the boat was in a deeper part of a lake where she could board. A light feeling overtook her senses, but she focused intently on the water's edge at the far end of the deep. Now was not a time to lose her head over something so trivial. She'd reconciled her past years ago and it wasn't about to grip her to a close now.
The tiny boat sailed its way over the waters carefully, treading over the shadows of flying gulls that whipped through the wind, turning and spinning, soaring and diving. Eventually, the gulls navigated their path, heading over Alexandria while a lone gull made its way to the looming castle, its shadow casting onto one of the window panes obstructed by sheets of burgundy curtains. It rested its webby feet atop a rounded spire, peering in at the meeting between the three elitists.
Zidane, Beatrix and Steiner regrouped back in the conference room, all three with the same news but different places.
After trading stories, the three of them tried to delegate a new plan, pulling out a map of the city and drawing posts for each group. Zidane felt that Blank should have been in attendance, but did not feel the need to bring up his concern. These tactics were better followed by the redhead. Zidane was used to 'winging it', as they say. He didn't like elaborate plans and setups, but he was good at catching his balance if a plan fell through.
In the background, Regent Cid paced in front of a portrait of King Alexandros. "Where would she go?" he puzzled. "The safest place is here. Why leave at such a delicate time?" He looked hopefully to Hilda, wondering if she had all the answers.
Lady Lindblum gave him a pained smile accompanied by a nod. "I don't know, dear. If I knew what she was thinking, I would have tried talking to her this morning."
"She's not of sound mind," Zidane concluded.
"I beg your pardon!" Beatrix straightened, giving him a dark look of contempt. "Watch your tongue! It may be the noose for you if you make a decree of something so out of term!"
"No, really. Think about it. Her kingdom is on the brink of war and what does she do? Run. She's abandoned her kingdom. Doesn't that sound at all like treason?"
"The Queen? Treason!?" Steiner's face visibly reddened at the mention from this peasant's lips.
"Hear me out, would ya?" he placed a hand on his hips.
The two of them hushed, but did not relinquish their glares.
"In a time of imminent war with all parties present, the Queen of Alexandria goes missing. Why? Isn't that a surrender? Maybe she doesn't want the position."
"That's not like her at all!" Beatrix defended, taking a step forward. "Garnet is the kind of woman to strike things at the source. She has a great sense of foresight and planning!"
Zidane could not dispute this. She planned to escape on a theater ship sent to capture her and had even further intentions to ask Regent Cid for reinforcements to stop the dark threat of Brahne and Kuja.
"So you're saying that she's not just gallivanting?" he sighed.
Steiner stood, bumping Zidane in the chest with his heavy armor. "Her Majesty isn't the type to take things like this lightly! You of all people should know! Maybe you're the one losing it! They say that war can make a man's head spin. Careful, or it might just spin off your shoulders!"
Silenced by the potential threat, the room quieted. Hilda's smiled had vanished and she made her way out at this point. Regent Cid made himself have the composition to stay.
The general, captain, and elite guard made plans for an impenetrable unit to stand guard over all known exits and entrances of Alexandria. It was an idea sound enough that all three could agree. Despite that, Cid wondered why they hadn't considered that Garnet wasn't in hiding in Alexandria, but had left the kingdom altogether. It wasn't like her to hide. He sighed. This sounded like a job for his troops. He pulled a piece of parchment and a quill close, starting a letter to the first ground fleet to be on the alert. Finishing the letter, he sought Hilda. With her magic, she could have the letter delivered immediately. But the trouble was, finding his wife when she liberally left. Castle Alexandria wasn't as large, but the layout certainly was different than that of Lindblum. He would have to suffice with wandering a different blueprint.
He entered the hall just above the entrance to the castle. Mikoto had planted herself along the railing, staring down intently at something on the bottom floor. Cid wondered, but did not want to ask; there were more important tasks to be done.
Mikoto dragged her gaze from the library entrance where Kuja sat reading up on Alexandrian literature to Regent Cid who disappeared into the starboard kitchens. She let out a sigh, returning to her thoughts. What was that man up to? She wondered, looking back to Kuja. As if to throw her from her current train of thought, Kuja looked up from the book and gave her a smile. She returned a glare, trying to penetrate his mind, feeling static rise around her as she directed the spell at him, only to have it deflected by a sharp barrier which sent her back into the wall behind her. She felt something crack and let out a sharp yell, feeling her shoulder dislocate. The sharpness shot through to her head as her muscles tensed from the sudden change.
She opened her mouth and let out a moan. Obviously, Kuja hadn't just been sitting around looking kingly in his home… he'd been working, strengthening his weaknesses. The cogs in her head turned and she realized that she could use this instant as an attack, despite her being the provoker. No one had to know what she did to provoke an attack from him. There was physical damage to her and not a scratch on him. They'd believe her instantly.
But she didn't want to bring that heaviness down on her brother. And with the way he was smirking into the book he currently read, it was possible he wanted her to rile up everyone else. No, she would wait longer. However, her shoulder was in bad condition and needed fixing. It was the most unpleasant thing to do, but she would probably have to do it herself… She wished for one of the priestesses back home… it would have been easier.
She left back to her room to complete the task, pulling herself from the wall with utmost discomfort. Her thoughts stayed upon wonder if a duel initiated between her and Kuja how would she fair in the outcome? To her knowledge, magic was not the tool to use. She wondered if Weimar, that knight from this morning was willing to teach her some sword techniques if he wasn't busy.
Evidently, the knights had been stationed all around Alexandria, checking every face of every man and woman in search of possible leads of Garnet's whereabouts. Each lead obtained led to one of two places. A dead end or the distance at which Zidane had chased.
The search was making everyone uneasy: from the soldiers, to the royals, to the citizens of this beautiful land. Chilly distrust loomed between citizen and soldier as demands became more urgent.
Two days and no sign of the queen warranted an outside search and decree to nearby towns of Dali and even Treno. Regent Cid took a moment during debriefing to inform everyone that he alerted Lindblum two days ago, seeing that this event didn't bode well to begin with. This information led to a chastisement from the old regent.
"You should have thought about this from the start. If I know my niece, she's out to find out what's going on. The closest one to any theory on that matter was your general!" he shouted, wiping spittle from his mustache. Leaning back in the chair, he let out a frustrated sigh.
Kuja and Eiko were also present for this 'congregation'; both on opposite sides of the room. Eiko was looking longingly at Zidane, lost in her own thoughts despite the issue at hand.
The Ambassador of Treno was intent on making sure his nails were clean. There was little need for input on this matter. Even so, he put in a possibility. "Perhaps she left for Treno."
There was a heavy silence that followed; the absolute heavy slam of obviousness that seemed to whack everyone squarely between the eyes. And it had to come from a highly undesirable source.
After nothing was said for a moment, Zidane stood, stretching. "Well, I'm going to pay a visit to Treno then."
"Wait a second!" came the unmistakably enraged voice of Steiner. "What makes you think you're the right one to go to Treno!?"
"Because I'm her personal bodyguard!"
"Who says you won't kidnap her again, you filthy thief!"
"Dammit, Rusty! Why don't you just let it go! I'm not in Tantalus anymore! I even switched my alliance to Alexandria five years ago! Can't you just accept that I'm the most fitted one to search for Her Highness!?"
Voices rose as their infamous arguments began; Steiner chastising Zidane for his starless heritage while Zidane attacked the captain's incompetency. A thought crossed his mind as he watched Steiner make a jab at his past antics: weren't things different five years ago? Didn't Steiner actually respect him?
As they argued on and on, the tension stiffening the air to suffocating levels, Beatrix glared indiscreetly at Kuja. His calmness through all of this fighting; it was atrocious. How could he remain unfazed by the missing queen? It put her values into question. Who cares which of them went to search for Garnet? She'd rather Her Majesty was found with all due haste.
Stepping forward, she ripped her gaze from Kuja and slammed her calloused hands harshly on the wooden table. "ENOUGH!" she bellowed, letting loose her fighting spirit to freeze them all in their words. Eiko jumped from the sound as a chill ran down her back. She couldn't keep a small yelp from escaping her lips. Doctor Tot froze, a cup of tea shaking in his hands as his glasses fell from his face. Regent Cid let out a small, startled noise, but attempted to cover it up with the clearing of his throat, making a gesture to agree with Beatrix's sudden interruption.
Once all eyes were focused on her—it took a strained moment for both Zidane and Steiner to lower their matching glares and look to the General—she pulled her hands from the table, a small crack upon the shining, polished surface, and straightened her posture. "Now before all of you make fools of yourselves and go on about needless topics, I am ordering ALL OF YOU to search for Garnet!" Her eyes rounded the room, meeting each face. "No one is to sleep, no one is to eat, no one is to go home to bathe themselves UNLESS they make some USEFUL effort to locate Her Majesty! Do I Make Myself Clear?"
Silence. Most of it was from the effect the power of her voice had. Eiko winced at the last five words, each one grating harshly to her young ears. Beside her, Lady Hilda showed no signs of alarm. Her eyes were closed and she appeared calm. She was used to the ranting of her husband to his sometimes incompetent knights. And even more ranting about his engineers.
Zidane and Steiner both glanced at each other, silently agreeing to bury their contempt until this fiasco had bypassed them. Then there would be blood.
Slowly, one by one, the terms were agreed. A lot of "Yes, Ma'am's" and "At Once, Captain Beatrix's" were heard from the room. Eventually, the last person was met with an affirmative agreement.
"Then it's decided," she stated, taking a seat. "Delegate your plans, present them to me for confirmation and then you may have your bread, water, and warm beds!" She crossed her arms, waiting for them to shuffle away, knowing that in such a small space, too much tension might arise and the same events might take place.
She noted that Steiner and Zidane left at least five minutes between each other, Steiner leaving first under the scrutiny of the Elite.
Once the room began to empty, all that was left was Lady Hilda, Eiko, Ambassador Mikoto, and Ambassador Kuja.
Eiko approached the General with a somber expression. "E-excuse me… G-General Beatrix," she started, carefully stepping forward.
"Yes?" she said firmly, forgetting that her mindset was still in that of a soldier.
The young girl gulped. "I… I umm… noticed that you didn't ask me to partake in the search…"
The General's expression softened. "Oh," she said, somewhat startled. "Well that is because I'm not requiring Her Highness to undertake such a task on her own." The answer was accompanied with a nod.
"I understand…" she said, hanging her head.
Lady Hilda placed one hand on her daughter's shoulder. "We don't have as many connections as the others, Eiko. We're not expected to do much but cheer the others on."
"Oh," she expressed, jumping a little. "That's great then!" She suddenly had an expression as bright as the sun. "That means that I can help!"
Confusion obstructed Lady Hilda's face. "Wh-what do you mean, Eiko?"
"I'm a summoner. I have all the connections I'll need. Just like Garnet, we're from the same tribe! We can connect through our Eidolons!"
Upon hearing the word, Kuja's ear twitched and he listened carefully as Eiko relayed the past encounter with Alexander. An insidious smirk played upon his lips.
"Even so, if I can somehow sense her, then I can ask for Mog to help me find her!" she grinned widely.
Beatrix bowed her head as if satisfied. "If you wish to do so, My Lady," she said meeting her gaze again. "Indeed that would be most helpful."
If Garnet still had her Eidolons, Kuja thought maliciously.
Mikoto smiled to Eiko and then her smile faded abruptly as she looked to Kuja. Why was he so happy about Eiko being able to locate Garnet? She concluded to keep a strong watch on him at all times. He caught her glare and a sharp ache echoed through her shoulder from today's previous injury. Is he threatening me, she wondered, watching him more intently.
He gave an enigmatic stare, inclining his head to one side in wonder of his new 'toy'. They had a limitless stare-off before he finally moved his gaze to the General. "I shall depart now and usher in my means to locate Garnet." He waited, wondering if Beatrix would question him. After a bit of silent scrutiny, she nodded. "Very well. Use whatever means you must, but do not harm Her Majesty," was her only order, much to his surprise.
Mikoto opened her mouth, stepping forward to protest. "But… General Beatrix," she finally said, alarm stiffening her posture.
Beatrix slowly met Mikoto's gaze. "You have something against him helping us search?"
"No, not at all, but…" she looked up at Kuja, his head inclined indignantly at the sudden outburst. "Well, I was wondering if I may go with him." She moved a hand behind her back, feeling embarrassed for interrupting. She slowly looped her middle finger over her index, something a friend had taught her. Crossing one's fingers during a time of tension might help to lessen that tension.
"But of course," Kuja said bowing deeply, one hand over the symbol of his red tabard. "If the lady wishes to accompany me, who am I to deny her presence?"
Beatrix narrowed her eyes between the two. "I suppose that is acceptable. I expect reports by this evening on your progress."
Kuja smiled devilishly to Mikoto, his blue eyes taunting her. "It shall be done," he said, eyes unmoving.
The hair on Mikoto's neck stood on end. The sudden focus on her felt nearly crushing. Nothing could bode well from this 'alliance'. And the smile he gave her was both warming and chilling—more the latter.
The two exited the room shortly after Eiko left with her surrogate mother. Eiko had decided to climb the tower of the castle for a location point to communicate with Garnet. Lady Hilda went to find her husband and try to calm down the anger she knew was boiling over by now.
Mikoto and Kuja stepped into a deserted hallway. She stopped and waited for Kuja to pass her. "Wait," she stated, the request coming out a little hesitantly.
Obediently, he waited, glancing over his shoulder. "What is it, dear sister?" he asked in too sweet of a tone, something Mikoto didn't catch for her lack of understanding in sarcasm.
"About earlier today," she began. "Why did you attack me?"
"You were interrupting my thoughts." He turned to face her. "I wouldn't want a poor rosebud like you to have nightmares from my base thought."
She quirked an eyebrow. "Nightmares? What makes you think I'm so fragile? Or are your thoughts just full of darkness?"
He cast her an amused look. "Let us not get wrapped up in conversation, my dear. We have orders to adhere." He led the way out of the hall and the castle, walking ahead. "We'll travel my way," he told her, leaving little room for argument.