The Dream Within

Chapter 4

Vivi was starting to dread sunlight.

No matter that it wasn't hurtful on purpose, and that everyone else needed the sun- Vivi couldn't help but dislike it. Now, granted, he usually was a bit more charitable towards the daystar, but usually he wasn't missing half his clothes and feeling his skin burn from where the light found the tears in the clothes he did have. And of course the breeze- feeling vindictive- moved his shirt in the air, which meant moving the location of the tears around, which meant more burning on more skin. Hooray.

He'd had to tuck his hands into his sleeves to cover them. He had just left the cover of the forest, and was sorry to say there seemed to be no more shade in sight. The sun looked like it was going to be having a field day, too; bright and hot. There was no city in sight, the Mist blocking the far-off view of Lindblum.

Needless to say, Vivi was not having a good day. He was sore already from walking, getting tired of casting at Mist monsters, and the sunburn was making his back itch and sting. At least the breeze felt good. He usually couldn't feel much of a breeze, shrouded in oversize clothes as he was. Good to know some good was coming out of his discomfort, at least. Vivi sighed, and continued to walk. It was a long way towards Lindblum. For a single moment, a breath of wind passed him by, rising out of the southeast, along the mountainside. It carried with it the smell of sea salt, of grass and green things...

...and the unmistakable silvery tang of White Magic.

Vivi halted, stopped dead in his tracks. Magic was a near tangible thing to his senses, and every mage and magic had a different feel.

And what the wind had brought him was most definitely a breath of Dagger's magic healing. Vivi stood on the tips of his toes, and sucked in a deep breath, letting the air slide over his teeth and tongue even as he breathed in through his nose. Magic hid in the cracks, slipped between sight-sound and smell-taste, and though the source was too far away to see or hear, the silver on the wind brought with it the memory of bright white light-burned onto the backs of his eyelids, and the chimes of Dagger's castings.

And, yes, faint on the wind but more real than memories- the clank of metal armor.

That clinched it. Dagger and Steiner were on the plains, and close by. And where Dagger was, Zidane was, too. Vivi concentrated on the sound and half-sense alike, and turned slowly to the East, making sure his companions were as close to being directly in front of him as he could get before starting in their direction. He didn't know why they weren't in Lindblum, but, maybe they had completed their business there. Even more unlikely, perhaps they had landed the airship and gone to look for him?

A slow blush- invisible, but there- worked its way to Vivi's cheeks. He didn't dare to hope that was the case, but the thought that they would care so much for him warmed his heart. He picked up his pace, heading towards the land-based entrance of South Gate as fast as he could.

He hoped one of them still had his coat.

South Gate loomed before them, the guards on watch just out of sight. Steiner stopped, then heaved the large, mostly empty bag off his shoulder.

"Princess, we've arrived. We cannot proceed further until we've got you out of sight."

Garnet sighed, dreading this moment, as much as she wished to be home. Sure, it had been her idea to come this way, and yes, it had been her idea to hide under the cloying smell of Gyshal pickles, but that didn't mean she had to like it. Why Steiner loved the horrible things, she would never puzzle out. She nodded, then walked over to where Steiner was already opening the bag. Lining the bottom was a collection of old clothes and equipment, to obscure the Princess' form from within the bag. Also in the large sack was a tightly sealed, second bag, this one carrying the infamous snack. Steiner lifted the Gyshal bag out, then held the larger sack open while Garnet stepped inside. Then she curled up, trying to get comfortable. It seemed impossible- between her Rod pressing into her thigh, and accidently smacking her forehead on one of Steiner's spare helmets, it looked to be quite the uncomfortable ride, to say nothing of the pickles.

"Steiner, you still recall the phrase, yes?"

"Of course, Princess!" He cleared his throat, then recited, "'Tis foolishness! If all were so easy, why, none would suffer in this world!" Garnet stifled a giggle. She sincerely doubted that Lord Alfon had ever intended Steiner's overeager, booming voice to be part of Marcus' friends. Steiner, missing the giggle but seeing the smile behind Garnet's hands, smiled himself as he lowered the now opened bag of Gyshal pickles into the sack. As an afterthought, he grabbed one to munch on the way. Then he reconsidered and grabbed three more. Smiling despite the gaggingly bitter taste, Steiner levered the now heavy bag onto his armored shoulders. He set off towards the gate with purposeful steps, thinking about his Princess.

His Princess. He shook his head. He belonged to her, not the other way around. She was his responsibility and his alone, and not even Beatrix could impose upon that, but she belonged to nobody but Alexandria. Ah, Alexandria...home. All the countries of the world held nothing in comparison to that word: home. Steiner never dared to try and write it- one for words was not this knight- but he firmly belived that every inch of Alexandria had good in it. It was peaceful and safe and good, and he bound up all the heart an old soldier could muster into his duty to it.

Once again he cursed that scurrilous theif who dragged them away from Home. There was nothing outside the borders that the Princess could want for, and no reason to leave! The Princess knew all she needed to about the neighboring countries, what she needed was to know her own. Hmm. Perhaps this trek through the countryside was not all for ill...

Steiner tried to supress a grimace. He was not thanking that scoundrel. No. Not in thought nor in deed. Not ever.

Still, he had to frown. He never doubted his Princess' intelligence and capability to rule, but as for knowledge of her countryside, even Steiner had to admit she was woefully naive. She'd been taught since early childhood philosophy, history, the arts- every nuance of politics, of course. But as for how things worked outside the castle...? Well, at least this plan of hers showed that she was making an effort to understand. He honestly hadn't expected her to come up with something simple enough to fool the borderguards. Politics were horrendously complex, but the simplicity of their current course of action did indeed show improvement.

And, even better! Perhaps this little adventure would spark an interest in the outside world, in the Home country. Yes, that's the ticket! Maybe he could get a hold of Laudo, get him to suggest some books to her during on one of her frequent trips to the castle library. Steiner lifted his head proudly, renewed vigor in his steps. His Princess would make a wonderful Queen, someday. Home would be peaceful and safe and good, and he and his Pluto Knights would continue to serve-

Steiner almost tripped. Beatrix. He'd forgotten. Only the Rose General served the Queen. When my Princess is no longer a princess, but a Queen... what then? Surely... surely I-

The appearance of the Gate, looming stone and brooding borderguards, saved Steiner from whatever answer his mind could dredge up into the light of thought. He couldn't supress a small sigh of relief.

Pushing aside the worries of an old soldier, he steadied in his thoughts the lies he was about to feed the guardsmen at the gates, and marched up the steps.

"Hold it right there! What is the purpose of your visit?"

"I heard workers were needed to fix South Gate..."

Just out of earshot, Vivi was running towards the shadow of the Gate. He'd spotted the glint of sun off Steiner's armor, and redoubled his efforts to reach them. To his dismay, Steiner walked through the gate, long before he could reach the stone monolith. Veering to the side, out of the guard's sight, Vivi stopped and panted, hands on his knees. Anyone older (or perhaps just more worldly) would have been cursing, but Vivi just sighed. Straightening, he walked over closer to the stone wall, and leant up against it. That had definitely been the Captain of the Pluto Knights, and that meant that things had suddenly gotten more complicated. First, Steiner was alone- or at least it looked like he was alone. Steiner would never go anywhere without the Princess, so that meant Dagger was nearby- he'd already sensed that much, at least. The sack Steiner had been carrying certainly looked large, easily large enough to fit someone (as long as that someone was smaller than Steiner). Maybe he was smuggling her into Alexandria? But then, where was Zidane? And weren't they trying to get out of Alexandria?

Vivi sincerely doubted that Zidane would consent to being smuggled anywhere, so that meant he was either not with Dagger, or he was sneaking in his own way. He sincerely hoped it was the latter. He didn't want to think about his new friends splitting up. So, assuming that his friends were all inside the Gate, how was Vivi to join them? There was no way the Guards would let him pass, not without a sufficient reason for doing so. The fact that his hands were exposed probably didn't help- he could pretend that his face was shadowed by the wide brim of his hat, but there was no mistaking the inky pigment of his hands. Not the front gate, then. And Steiner was already too far inside to call out to. That left Zidane's way.

It seemed logical enough; Zidane wouldn't leave Dagger, and he wouldn't allow himself to be stuffed into a sack and thrown over Steiner's shoulder. If there was a way in without passing the gate, Zidane would find it- and since Zidane was nowhere in sight, that meant there was a way in.

Vivi took a step back and surveyed the wall. It was high, very high, and made of stone. Most of the bricks, though uneven and worn, didn't look quite loose enough to serve as handholds. He considered the idea that there may be better handholds on the other side- then dismissed the thought; with the guards watching, it was a moot point anyway. He checked the wall again. There- up high- the stone blocks were rougher and more pronounced. No secure ladder, sure, but better than nothing. If he could only get up there...

A fallen branch, large and heavy, offered the last piece of the puzzle. Vivi hurried over to the fallen limb, and struggled to drag it over to the wall. Precious minutes later- after two retries, when the branch tipped and and he fell off- Vivi had a secure handhold on the rough stone and was hoisting himself up towards the top.

From the top of the wall, Vivi could see several people milling about, a pile of rusting equipment and mechanics, the dark mouth of an alleyway...and no guards. Perfect. With one last push, Vivi was on top of the wall and quickly moving towards the back of the enclosure, intending to climb down behind the cover of the rusting airship parts pile.

Oh...I sh-shouldn't have looked down...

The resulting crash when vertigo toppled Vivi into the scrap seemed loud enough to wake the dead. Two men near the side entrance stopped mid-sentence to look over. "Hey, what was that!"

"Don't you try to change the subject, you're in trouble! Leaving the gate broken is a punishable offence...!"

Now out of sight of the main gate, Vivi picked himself up off the ground, biting back a moan of hurt. That had not been a short fall. He ran a brief check for injuries, and decided that, though bruised, he was still in one piece. After dusting himself off and re-settling his hat on his head, Vivi took a glance at this new area. It was much cleaner than the previous section of the gate, though smaller. There was a small stone building with a vendor hawking goods, a large, faded sign with an equally faded map tacked onto it, and the main attraction; a large, steaming train, with the golden bust of a rearing unicorn molded onto the front. The sheer size and sculped ferocity was intimidating, making Vivi shiver and look away.

And stepping onto the train- a glint of armor and a flash of familiar orange.

Ernest O'hallor was, to be honest, an easily frightened man. That's why he loved his job, running Berkmea, the train that ran between South Gate and Treno. It was above the Mist, and moved fast enough that any stray Mist monsters either didn't or couldn't bother it. And the only times it was stopped, there were plenty of guards nearby. Ernest had taken the job for exactly that reason (the pay wasn't half bad, either,) and in the 15 years he'd been loading and unloading passengers, he'd never seen a single incident. So one can hardly blame the man for screaming when a darkly colored, glowing-eyed thing hurtled out of the shadows and headed directly towards the door he was closing.

"A-AHHH! Demon! Guards, guards!"

Dagger sat bolt upright, Steiner simultaneously drawing his sword and taking up a defensive stance. A glance out the window confirmed that there was, indeed, something heading for the train, but one look told Dagger it was not a demon as the conductor feared. She gasped, "Vivi!"

Steiner was already in full guard-mode. "Do not fear, Princess, I will protect- w-what? Master Vivi? Where?" He leaned over, glanced out the window, and immediately told Dagger to sit down and cover her head. She did not take it well. "What! Steiner, that's Vivi, we have to-"

Hating himself for interrupting, Steiner nonetheless cut her off with a wave of his hand. "I will retrive him, but the guards are coming! They must not see you!" With that, he spun on one heel and shouldered his way to the front of the train, the terrified Ernest giving him a wide berth. Dagger flushed, wishing she'd remembered the guards first, but obediently tucked down behind the seat. She could easily hear Steiner clanking his way to the front, then politely asking the conductor to open the door. "Th-the child is not a demon, you ingrate! He is- my traveling companion! We didn't know if he was going to Treno, but it seems he's changed his mind! Open the door!"

Vivi, standing outside the still closed door, could still hear the rattling bellows of the Captain of the Pluto Knights. Everyone could- the captain was loud and the door thin, and it was attracting attention Vivi really wished it wouldn't. He could just see Dagger peeking over the window sill, and he wondered why she was hiding- surely she wasn't afraid of him?- until he heard the vendor some distance behind, speaking to a set of armored footsteps; "Yes, over here, hurry!"

Not good. "P-please!" Vivi raised his voice in desperation, trying to reach the conductor's ears through the glass, "I'm not a demon, I swear I'm not! I n-never hurt anybody..."

Dagger heard the mage's plea through the window, but she doubted the conductor could Not that it mattered- Steiner's rattling had done it's job, and the man reached over and pulled the lever to slide open the door. Vivi bounded inside and impulsively hugged the captain around the waist, even as the conductor leaned out a window and shouted to the approaching guardsmen, "F-false alarm! So sorry!"

By then Dagger had left her seat and made her way to the front, and knelt down with her arms outstretched. Vivi obliged, drawing away from the awkward but heartfelt pats Steiner had been giving his shoulders and stepping into the Princess' embrace.

"Oh, Vivi, we thought you'd-"

"Master Vivi, we are so glad to see yo-"

"We were so worried-"

"-that monkey-"

"Steiner, it was not Zidane's fault-"

"Excuse me? Could you all please return to your seats so we can depart?"

With a collective apology, the three moved their reunion back to the booth Dagger had vacated. Steiner resumed his position guarding the booth as a whole, and Vivi sat down opposite Dagger, tugging his hat down over his head. He looked up to see Dagger smiling at him, question already in the air: what happened?

It wasn't a long tale, and Vivi told what there was to tell with little difficulty, starting with falling off the airship and ending with falling off the wall of South Gate. Finishing his recollection, Vivi asked how the trip to Lindblum had gone. Dagger gave a sort of crooked smile. "W-well, I got to speak with my uncle Cid, he's a regent of Lindblum..." She continued, mentioning the Festival of the Hunt and how Zidane had been so hung over he'd lost the competition to one of his friends, a Burmecian named Freya. Following the Festival, she and Steiner had started back towards Alexandria while Zidane left to catch up with the aforementioned Freya. She pointedly left out mention of the Burmecian guardsman's arrival.

Steiner, keeping watch and listening with half an ear, spared a glance at the edited version of their departure, but decided that perhaps the tiny mage didn't particularly need to know. He'd seemed upset about the steeple-hatted workers in Dali for some reason, so the Princess deciding not to mention them was probably done out of concern for his feelings. Steiner gave a mental shrug. This would work out for the best, anyway. The kind boy didn't need to know war any more than the Princess did. Alexandria was definitely the place for him, far away from the poor influences of that ruffian. Yes, this was for the best.

The rest of the ride passed quietly, with Vivi slipping into sleep as Dagger chatted, and she herself following soon after. Steiner just smiled at them, shifting his shoulders more comfortable into his armor, and waiting out the slow climb to the Summit Station.

"Summit Station!" The Conductor was calling. Steiner woke with a snort, quickly glancing towards the still-sleeping forms of Vivi and the Princess. He'd fallen asleep! Thank goodness his charges hadn't seen. He could not allow himself to be a bad example. He decided to make up for his lapse by being extra-courteous.

With a gentle shake, Steiner woke the two passengers. "Pri- Miss Dagger, Master Vivi, we've arrived." Seeing them awake, he lumbered over towards the conductor, who tried not to shrink back. Dagger and Vivi stepped off the train to the end of Steiner's florid, courtly apology for yelling earlier. The conductor just looked confused, and Dagger had to stifle a laugh.

Vivi took a look around while Dagger and Captain Steiner were talking. The station looked interesting enough, but really, Vivi felt like he couldn't be bothered to appreciate it. He'd taken a nap on the train, but he felt more tired now than he had earlier. He had gotten a bit more exercise than what he was used to, he supposed, but...

Vivi flexed his fingers, balling them into a fist and back. His limbs felt heavy, a not-quite-numb sense of disconnect. The only thing that felt nearby was the occasional twinge from his sunburned skin. Tucking his hands into his sleeves hadn't saved them; his finders itched and stung. He closed them into a fist and back, curl, uncurl. He felt sick inside, and shuddered as he felt his stomach start to twist. He glanced up in time to see Dagger motioning him towards the rest area; she was mouthing something, but the sound seemed so far away he couldn't make it out. She and Steiner walked into the rest area, confident he would follow.

Vivi started to walk after them, but stopped after a few steps. His eyes felt fogged- colors were running like a wet painting, moving and swirling and making him dizzy. Something twisted inside, and he gagged. Sound was everywhere now- pressing close and smothering loud TOO LOUD STOP

Wind andIt's so loud Water sky-ocean where's it listencoming to the lifefrom stop it stop Earth and it Fireit hurts please world-core its in my head get feelout get out don't spirit-beatwant this Zidane help echome Grandpa cloudit deephurtsearth pleaseblaze Zidane make bound be binding it stop

Another twist.

bound be binding breathandviens bound be binding heartandbone bound be binding then-dead now-dead then-life now-life

twist

"H-hey kid! Kiddo! ...Vivi!"

It stopped. Vivi opened his eyes with a gasp.

To be met with a round pink face, red nose, and scruffy chin. Cinna. He looked a bit freaked out; eyes wide, hat in dissarray. When he saw Vivi's eyes open he let out the breath he'd been holding in a whoosh. "Geeze, Vivi, you okay?"

Vivi blinked, made the start of an 'ah' sound in his throat. A rougher voice came from behind him, and Vivi realized that he was leaning back, almost sitting, being held against someone.

"Thought you were havin' some kind of a fit. You alright?" That would be Marcus. Seeing Vivi was moving, he shifted around to face him, kneeling near Cinna, keeping his large hand on Vivi's shoulder should he relapse.

Vivi nodded, out of habit pulling his hat down further on his head. "Y-yeah, I was just...I got really dizzy all of a sudden." Cinna frowned, and opened his mouth to speak when the sound of ratting armor and a gasp emanated from the archway. "You! What have you done to Master Vivi?"

Marcus turned, then offered a crooked grin. "Hey, check it out, it's the Princess."

The ensuing argument, which started between Steiner and Marcus and ended with Dagger and Steiner, was not pleasant. The Captain was ratting his armor more than ever, anger in every nervous twitch. Vivi didn't find it at all amusing, though Marcus and Cinna seemed to; they kept offering commentary and wry remarks. It didn't end until Dagger started berating Steiner right in front of everyone, and Vivi could see that the tone Dagger was using hurt more than the embarassment ever could. Vivi felt sick again, though this time from guilt instead of some phantom malady. He stayed silent until they were boarding the train again, Marcus and Dagger and a suddenly withdrawn Captain Steiner already inside. He was about to join them when a hand fell on his shoulder. He turned to see Cinna again, kneeling to be closer to Vivi's height.

"Hey, Vivi, if you need help just come find Tantalus, aright? We'd take ya in." Cinna grinned, his pale pink skin suddenly reminding Vivi of his Grandpa more than anything. "Our headquarter's in the Theater District in Lindblum. Take care of yourself!"

Vivi nodded, then boarded the train. He watched Cinna waving from his window as they departed, and returned the gesture. Cinna was nice, like family. Not like Grandfather Quan, but something close. Uncle, maybe?

Vivi dozed off to the sound of Marcus and Dagger speaking near the front of the train, and the troubling ring of Steiner's silence. The ride passed without interruption. If he dreamed, he did not remember it.

Captain Steiner remained distant. The words of his charge rankled, and he could still feel his ears burning, mercifully covered by his helmet. Eventually, the feeling passed, resigned into a tight ball of nerves in his gut. He glanced at the slumbering form on the seat next to him, face a black mask in sleep. He'd heard the shouts, and assumed something bad had happened. What else, in the presence of theives, could occur? It had been his mistake. Master Vivi seemed fine.

Still...

Something was bothering the Captain of the Knights of Pluto, and with a start he knew what it was. The math wasn't adding up.

Vivi had fallen from the airship in the early morning. Later that day was when they had spoken to the Regent, and the day after was the Festival and their departure. It was now the evening of the third day after leaving Lindblum- but Master Vivi had professed to waking up that morning. There were at least two days missing from Vivi's recollection.

Steiner felt a thin chill shudder up his spine, and for the life of him could not explain why.