Zidane fought a yawn and rested his feet on the conference table. A few seconds later and he sensed the desperate glare of his queen. Manners be damned at the moment. Let stupid manners be roasted on a spit by Ifrit's own hand. The representative from Lindblum refused to shut up.

"For the last time, sir," Zidane said, "Lady Hilda is not here. We are not harboring her in any way, form, or fashion. Yours sucks by the way."

Garnet wanted to cry. Instead she summoned every ounce of composure and spoke clearly to her uncle's ambassador. "We have received no word from my aunt. I am as surprised as you."

"We have mixed reports from our soldiers," explained the man. "What do you know about a dragon? Silver in its color."

The queen lost all color in her face; Zidane coughed and put his feet squarely on the floor. "Say that again?"

"A dragon. With silver scales."

"I thought we killed that thing!"

Garnet slammed her hands on the marble, standing fiercely and causing her chair to tip over. It lay useless on the tile. "What happened to the owner? Zidane, did he not die at the Iifa Tree?"

"Um ... "

She rushed out and headed to the lavatory. Once again her stomach no longer had any use for the contents therein.

xxx

Doctor Tot shook his head and left the sick chamber.

"Well?" asked Minister Artania.

The good doctor gave a heavy sigh. "He'll live, but it won't be pretty."

"Kindly explain."

"Mandrake, I believe. It affects the mind."

"And the girl?"

"Aconite, Artania."

"Never heard of it."

Tot looked away from the trusted advisor. "Most people know it as Wolf's Bane."

"I've alerted her family." Not that it gave any real consolation to the parents. No devoted mother wanted to hear that their precious daughter grew up to become a mistress and later poisoned because of her illicit actions.

"Tell them she'll live. Lady Hilda did not intend to commit murder."

"Can you prove that?"

Doctor Tot looked at Artania straight in the eye. "If Hilda had wanted them dead, they'd already be in the ground."

xxx

In the evening hours, Lady Hilda found herself in the study of her airship. Eiko was around somewhere, chasing her will o'wisp as it lead her on a treasure hunt. Hilda only hoped it didn't lead the girl to make a flying leap off the deck. Every now and then the sphere would float past the doorway and be quickly followed by the summoner. Kuja appeared after one such rotation, two steaming mugs nestled in his hands.

Hilda felt her soul descend a little more toward the bottomless abyss. "Oh, Kuja."

"Like old times, my lady." He handed her a drink. "Though I did add something special to yours."

"Oh?"

"Sassafras," he said. "And Dragon's Tongue."

"Kuja!"

"That human was unfaithful on numerous occasions. You need to cleanse your system."

He was right, as much as she hated to admit it. Hilda had given a similar decoction to a few of the servant girls back in Lindblum. Sassafras purified the blood, while the dragon's tongue detoxified the reproductive organs. She'd have to wash with it later as well. "Thank you."

The wizard sat across from her in a separate leather chair; a small circular table stood between them. "You know you my ear is always available to you, my lady. First, indulge me."

She raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"I told you so."

Bastard. "That puts you in agreement with my mother and grandmother, not that you'd know anything about Fae Matriarchs." Hilda stared at his choice of attire. "On second thought, you might fit in with our dancers."

"I'm not a consecrated virgin."

Hilda almost choked on her tea. "Stop frequenting the brothels."

"Stupid will o'wisp! Get back here!" Eiko skedaddled past, her skirt hiked up to her knees. "Why won't you stay still?! I want treasure!"

Kuja relaxed and sipped his drink. "That ought to keep her occupied for quite awhile."

"When will you no longer occupy my airship?"

"The moment you admit you'd be overjoyed to return to Lindblum and deal with the necessary questioning and divorce proceedings." At her silence, he stated, "I thought so." The ceramic mug shattered in her hands; hot tea sizzled on the carpet. "Hm, you seem upset."

'Upset' did not begin to describe the fire that pulsed through her veins. "How long must I remain in your company?"

"I was foolish enough before, Lady Hilda, to leave you unattended. I will not make the same mistake twice."

Her mind quickly recalled when Kuja ordered her to wait alone during a treacherous journey through Esto Gaza and Mount Gulug. Maybe there was a reason he didn't want her see him with another, much younger kidnapped victim. Not like she really cared at that point in their travels. Zidane, along with a wart-infested husband, took the opportunity to rescue her from the wizard's grasp; it didn't look the least suspicious that Kuja left her in a bedroom. Cid demanded answers after they returned home, but his wife silenced him with a quick spell and gave him the same decoction that now stained the carpet fibers.

Hilda's anger dissipated into sorrow.

xxx

The will o'wisp swung its lantern as it waited in the chapel. Eiko ran through the door seconds later and scowled when she spotted the spirit. "Why do you keep leading me here?"

The lantern shone brightly by the altar. The young girl knelt down to pick up her sphere, but her hand knudged the strong oak and a small door swung open. Dust and debris fell outside the compartment.

"Oh, that's why," she said. "How did I miss this before?"

Eiko coughed and waved away the smoke. She reached inside and searched a moment while the will o'wisp clapped its hands in anticipation. A jolt of energy ran up her arm when she picked up the small book inside.

A Study of the Ancient Fae read the title.

xxx

Kuja ordered another cup of tea for Hilda. The servant complied without question, black eyes without soul or heart. It was a simple process when he first came onboard, removing the free will of her select attendants. The Fae called them zombified, and not something they normally did for their own slaves. Lady Hilda was always against the practice and forbade it in Lindblum, but Kuja believed it made for more compliant workers.

Not that it always worked on Black Mages, but it was a piece of cake for select humans. (If only that bastard Garland had allowed him free use of the technique.)

He handed her two cups; one to drink and one to wash with while she bathed. Hands numb and tears flowing freely, she sat in the hot water of the claw-foot tub, feeling so foolish and utterly alone. Steam hovered in the lavatory and clouded the mirror. The first cup sat empty on the slick floor, and now only the lukewarm tea waited for its purpose. "Bastard," she muttered. She wasn't sure if the insult referred to her former spouse or the wizard that liked to kidnap her.

Flushing out reproductive organs was never a simple process for women. Men had it easier; their biology simply demanded a long soak, a great reason to hang out with a cup of tea. Females had to inject the medicine inside with a suction bulb, then let it sit until the body naturally released it by using the toilet. The decoction burned worse than a special hug from Ifrit.

So she cried. It hurt. It hurt. Like her broken heart because a man lied about his marriage vows. Like the wizard in eloquent clothes who pitied her but treated her with such civility. The villain is supposed to break the vows and mistreat the wife, not the regal engineer who named an airship after said mistreated wife.

A lie. All of it.

She cried even louder, not caring who heard. What would the zombified servants do? Pick her off the lavatory floor and wrap her in a robe? Of course, and they'd do so silently - if they happened to be the first to walk past her bedroom suite.

But it was Kuja who heard her sobs, and these were not her usual tears of heartache. It was pain; he mentally cursed his decision to give Hilda such a strong dose of the plant. Then he mentally cursed the individual who invented locked doors. A blizzard chant weakened the lock well enough for him to shatter it with his palm. "Hilda!"

He found her on the floor, gripping the edge of the bathtub, eyes red and stained with tears. A damp towel clung to her figure. "Hilda!"

"Kuja ..." She tried to stand, but her legs gave out and she collapsed in the arms of her captor. "Bastard! Both of you!"

"Shh, lady." He held her by the waist, turned her gently so she rested her head against his shoulder. "You're in hysterics."

"You! You of all people! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BE RIGHT?!"

"Calm yourself, Hilda."

"I wasted so much of my life with him! My very heart, my being." Goosebumps started to run up her arms and legs, and she gripped him tighter to fight the chill. "My virginity."

"Hilda." Kuja brushed aside a stray lock of her hair. "You should sleep."

The fallen lady whispered, "He couldn't even give me children."

"Sleep, Hilda."

Such a simple, basic spell, yet she was too weak to fight it off. The fae fell limp as her eyes shut in a dream-filled state. And he held her for a few moments, wondering why this situation didn't feel as uncomfortable as it should have been. It wasn't the first time she had cried on his shoulder, but it was the first time she'd done so sopping wet in nothing save for a towel. Kuja ordered a robe from one of the servants.

For six hours, Lady Hilda didn't stir.

xxx

Eiko curled up on her bed, tucked under the soft blanket, the will o'wisp floating next to her horn. It illuminated her room just enough for secretive, late-night reading. She browsed through the Table of Contents until the wisp pointed a bit too eagerly at one particular chapter.

"Marriage Laws and Sexuality," read the girl, eyes wide. "I'm not old enough to read that!" But the creature protested and pleaded on its knees. "Oh, fine. I'm telling my mother, though."

The creature nodded, smiling.


Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) - long used in the southeast U.S. as a blood cleanser and spring tonic. Once used to flavor root beers before the government replaced it with synthetic chemicals. (Idiots.)

Dragon's Tongue (Chimaphilia maculata) - also known as Spotted Pipsissewa. Another plant found in the Cumberland Plateau and Appalachian region. Old-timey herbalists used it for syphilis.

Not that I recommend douching with unfamiliar plants. And anybody else curious as to why Dagger used a sedative plant in FFIX while Vivi used a sleep spell? Hm, gives mages more to work with, and me more creative license! I'm also not sure that the spells and items meant for battle would work for VD or other various illnesses. Eh.