Hey guys! I hope your Holiday Festivities and New years went well. Thank you to all who have reviewed my story. It really inspires me to write more. Please enjoy.
Chapter 9
I swear I've seen this place before, but I haven't, have I? I've never been out of the state much less the country and I've never been in a place this grand before. The room looked to be a great hall inside of a large castle. It was very long with multiple stone pillars running down the sides of the room. Gold, ebony, and, ivory swirls ringed the pillars which helped hold up the vaulting ceiling. Chandeliers of metal hung from the ceiling with dozens of burning candles on them. It gave the room a warming glow and a surprising amount of light. Tapestries of various battles, animals, and everyday life adorned the walls in vibrant colors and weaves. The cloth was fringed in gold and purple. Two long, beautifully crafted dark oak wood tables ran the length of the room and glass plates and goblets adorned them. At the head of the room sat a table larger and more elegantly crafted than the rest. In the middle of the table, there was an exquisite throne of walnut with gold outlining the curves of the wood. Crushed amethyst jewels created a crescent moon on the back of the chair and a purple velvet cushion made the seat look comfy. Smaller chairs of cherry outlined in swirls of gold and silver were placed on either side of the main throne. Everything was so beautiful.
I turned to examine the carve of the tables and noticed I was wearing a dress. A dress! Why was I in a dress? I hate dresses. Although, this particular one was gorgeous. It was a deep emerald green that laced up the sides and down the sleeves with white laces. The sleeves were form fitting until the elbow where it turned into a deep bell sleeve. The neckline scooped down to show some cleavage. The dress was tight until the waist where it flared out in a nice wavy motion. The hem was gold and shoes black leather. I noticed my necklace sitting just above my breasts. I twirled to get an idea as to how the dress moved when I noticed my hair was waist length and more black than brown. What? Long? My hair wasn't…wait. Was I shorter? My hands seemed softer and fingers more elegant. Why didn't I have the characteristic freckle on my palm! This wasn't me! Who is this? Wh-what's going on?
"My lady." I whirled around to see a small, blacked haired man in a loose cream tunic, faded brown vest with white laces, and loose black breeches bowing to me. He raised his head and smiled a kind yet wary smile. I gave him a small smile in return. "Please follow me to the conference room. You're presence is requested by the king."
The king! What king? I began to speak but squeaked instead. I noticed my voice was higher than it should be. This is definitely not me. "Alright."
I followed the man through the great hall and into a passageway lit by large torches on the walls. We turned to the right and were greeted by another large, magnificent room. This one was decked in tapestries and frescos with gold inlayed directly into the stone. Candles again lit the room and cast a warming glow on the polished floor. In the middle of the room sat a large rectangular table with a throne made of a deep mahogany and more gold at the head. Six chairs lined each side and ten men sat in the chairs; five on each side. Each of the men wore clothing similar to the servants but in much better condition and brighter colors ranging from red to blue to green and yellow. Sitting in the throne was a well built, muscular man in royal purple robes. He stood and extended his arms toward me. Without thinking, I curtsied deeply and walked over to him.
"Welcome, daughter," he boomed. I smiled shyly and he laughed. The king is my father? That means that…
"So this is she," one of the men said. The rest gazed at me and I stood to face them. Who were they?
"Gentlemen, my daughter will be the one to accept the burden of carrying the power of our country. This power is too dangerous to be left to its own devices and sealing it away will be our best option. This is what I have decided," the king declared. A few men protested but were silenced with a look.
I was afraid to ask my question but knew I had to. "What exactly are you going to seal the power into?"
"Ah, that's my smart girl. You've figured it out haven't you?"
"But, why?"
The men gasped as each one figured out what the king was thinking.
"That's right. The power of this country will be sealed into my daughter."
"You're highness! Why have you chosen this?" One of the men exclaimed.
"I see," another said. "It has to be a human because no object can take the strain. It also prevents any enemies from easily taking and using the power against us."
"It has to be a member of the royal family," a third man said, "so the power can be protected. It also has to be infused into someone young so the power doesn't rip the host apart."
"But why must you seal the power in the first place?" A fourth man cried. "For what purpose?"
The king held his hand up for silence. "Earthquakes, tornados, floods. Don't tell me you men haven't noticed an increase in natural disasters over the years."
"Of course," a man in bright red exclaimed. "These are natural disasters! How can the power of the kingdom of Destingaard be related in any way?"
"The power of my kingdom has been increasing dramatically. As the power increases, the natural disasters all over the kingdoms have increased! We must seal the power immediately before the next earthquake wipes out countless more lives!"
The men in the room shifted uncomfortably. My expression grew hard and I threw my hands on the table making everyone jump.
"Yes, we must protect not only my father's kingdom but everyone else as well. I agree that sealing the power within my body is the correct decision, but we must find a way to make sure the power stays sealed and that no one can reawaken it."
"Very good, daughter!" The king boomed, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Do you have a suggestion?"
"We create items that form a key. The more pieces the better and scatter them throughout the 10 kingdoms surrounding Destingaard. I would suggest creating this key out of crystals since they are the source of much power and importance."
"Yes, yes! My thoughts exactly. That is why I have summoned you men. You are the finest artisans in each of the kingdoms surrounding Destingaard. I request you each create a crystal that forms a key. When all the crystals come together and the greatest knights from each specific kingdom release the crystals energy, the power will be seal…or released. My daughters necklace will be the eleventh key with will bind the crystals together."
The artisans all nodded and looked at each other. They were in agreement! All the men stood and bowed deeply to the king. "We will do your bidding and create these crystals," they said in unison.
With their final word, I could feel myself being pulled away. My spirit left the princess and the scenery around me whooshed past and faded into gray. The world turned pitch black for a brief second before blazing into color. I blinked my eyes in confusion and shielded them from the light with my hand. Wait, my hand! I turned it over to see the freckle on my right palm. Reaching up, I grabbed a chunk of my hair and discovered it to be super short again. I'm me! I sat up quickly only for the world to spin and my back to cry out in pain. I yelled and crashed back to the ground.
"Ow," I grunted, rolling onto my stomach. I reached my hand up and felt my back where the arrows penetrated my flesh. The fabric of my vest and shirt was slick with blood but my skin was smooth with no open wounds. I gingerly sat up with less pain this time and tried to stretch my muscles. They weren't cooperating. As I twisted my back into some odd shape, I finally noticed where I was. A cell. I freaking prison cell! The walls were a dark stone that was damp with water. The ceiling was so low that I couldn't stand up. Beyond the dull metal bars was a wall of navy stone and some weird white figures painted on the walls. I crawled to the bars, successfully jamming my knee on a particularly sharp stone along the way, and tried to stick my head between them so I could get a good look. I did not succeed, but did see two columns with nice swirly engravings shoot up to beyond my field of vision. The ceiling of this place must be really high or am I just stuck at the bottom in some sort of creepy pit? Even though I couldn't see much, I could see giant golden gears turning and a wooden ramp swirling upwards.
"Perfect. Just bleeding perfect! I fight a creepy lady, get my ass kicked, and then proceed to get whisked away to some damp, mold covered rocky hole. Can my life get any better? And on top of that I lost Firion and Cecil along the way. Why oh why do I seem to lose all my friends? You know that phrase 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer?' When I get home, I'm gonna kill the person who said that." I screamed all this at the top of my lungs to try and calm myself down. It didn't work so well. I flopped on my back and glared at the ceiling. My ranting wasn't getting me anywhere. I must have laid there for a couple of hours. Even though I didn't think of one specific thing, my mind kept returning to that strange dream. That place looked really familiar. Where have I seen it before? Wait, the last time I had a weird dream it took place in that castle. Yeah, that dream with the freaky shadow people. And who was that girl? Why did she have my necklace? Unless it was originally hers and I'm a descendent of her. But how can that be? I've never been to that castle. I grew up the daughter of a successful business man not a princess. Everybody does call me princess though. Maybe that actually has meaning. Do I truly not know who I am? Does everybody but me know my past?
"Screw this!" I yelled, standing up. I cracked my head on the ceiling and crashed to the ground again. My eyes started to water and a groan escaped my lips. I reached up and felt the sore spot on my head. Aw man! That's gonna swell to the size of an egg! Laying on my stomach, I buried my head in my arms. Why does this stuff always happen to me? Why do I have to be special?
"Are you sure the girl's here?" A deep male voice grunted. My head shot up and I crawled to the bars of my cell. More bad guys or good guys? Should I shout out to them or not?
"Yes, she is here." A second male voice replied. His was still deep but much smoother.
"All right, smart guy, then where?"
"Calm yourself, Jecht. Ultimecia's Castle is small. It will only be a matter of time before we find her."
"Heh, if you say so."
Well, this conversation didn't straighten out their true intentions. Okay, snap decision. Good or evil? Nice or mean? Hmmm. Oh hell, let's just give it a go. "Hey! I'm down here!"
Two men dropped from the heavens and hovered right in front of the bars to my cell. They appeared so fast that I pushed myself away and fell on my butt. At least I held in the squeak of surprise. The man on the left was big and burly with rock hard muscles and scars covering most of his exposed skin which was everywhere. He wore the ragged remains of a pair of suspenders that were hanging by his hips. Tied onto his right hip was a long piece of red-orange cloth with black swirls on it. He also wore metal shoulder armor on his left shoulder that extended down to his hand. It was very spiky and wicked looking. His hair was long and black with a red head band and he had a gigantic sword strapped to his back that looked eerily similar to the one I saw in that lava pit room. There was a tattoo on his chest that looked exactly like the symbol Tidus wore on his clothing. I wonder if this is Tidus's dad. His cocky smile creeped me out a little. The man floating next to him looked like Cecil only bigger and more menacing. He wore the same dark armor with spiky shoulder guards and a dark blue cape. I couldn't see his face because it was covered by a large helmet with horns coming out from the top. The gold outlining on the armor was a nice touch. Maybe this was the brother Cecil was talking about.
"This is the girl everyone is talking about? She's only a kid!" The burly man said.
"Who you calling a kid, old man?!" I yelled back.
He threw his head back and laughed. "This kid has spunk!"
"Yes, Jecht. She does seem full of energy considering the circumstances surrounding her," the armored guy said. His voice was eerily calming.
"Jecht and…" I said pointing to armor man.
"Golbez," he replied.
"Right, Jecht and Golbez. Are you going to leave me here to rot or what?"
Jecht laughed again. "Can't get out yourself?"
"If I could, do you think I would still be in here?" I was starting to get annoyed.
"If you cannot even escape from this situation, then you do not deserve help," Golbez said.
I practically growled at him. What does he even mean? I quickly slipped a dagger from my leg sheath and threw it at Golbez. He casually raised his hand and caught the blade between his fingers. Scoffing, he tossed it back to me.
"Pitiful attempt, child," he said. "You can either escape on your own or rot here for the rest of eternity. It is your choice."
"If you wanted me to escape on my own, then why the hell did you come looking for me in the first place?!" I yelled at him.
Jecht grinned at me and my fiery energy. "He's right, kid. You need to learn to control your power and what better way than to get out of this cage? See ya."
Both he and Golbez started to slowly float out of view. I lunged at the bars and tried to grab a chunk of somebody's clothing but came back with empty air. I gripped the bars in cold anger. Leave me here to rot? I am not staying here and no one is going to tell me different. I-want-out! With this thought, my hands started to glow blue and the metal bars disintegrated where I held them. I jerked in surprise but ran my hands over the rest of the bars before the energy faded. As the last piece of metal floated to the ground in a rain of dust, my hands stopped glowing and I felt really tired. However, that didn't stop me from poking my head out of my cell and flipping the guys the finger. They both stood on a platform a few yards above the cell. Golbez nodded his head and Jecht was chuckling.
"Okay, I escaped my prison cell. Now would you help me out of here? It's not like I can fly out," I grumbled.
"Yes," Golbez said, "you have proven yourself to me." He stepped off of the platform and easily glided down to my little hole in the wall. He extended his hand to me. I hesitated but had no other choice but to trust he wasn't going to kill me or something. As I reached towards him, he grabbed my hand and pulled me to his body. He held me in a one-armed hug and floated back up to the platform. Jecht slapped me on the back as Golbez set me down.
"Ouch," I grunted.
"You did good, kid," Jecht replied.
"Lovely."
As I rotated my shoulders around in circles, a chunk of the platform broke away and started to float upwards. I looked up to see that Ultimecia's Castle had no roof in some spots. Some castle. As we floated through a hole in the roof, I glanced around to see nothing but barren land. The landscape was sharp, dark rock and sand. There were a few dead trees but nothing alive; nothing green.
"Well, this place is cheerful," I muttered.
"Yes, and we must cross it," Golbez replied.
"Great. Remind me to kick the witch lady's ass when I see her again." We started walking into the barren nothingness. This was going to be a long day.
We walked for hours and I was starting to get tired. The wind whipped my hair into my face and created little dust devils from the plentiful sand. This silence was starting to kill me.
"Okay guys, you mind if I take a stab at who you are?" I questioned, turning around to face them and walking backwards.
"Go ahead. Don't know what you're going to find out though," Jecht rumbled.
"You're Tidus's old man and you're Cecil's brother," I said, pointing to Jecht and Golbez respectively. They both stopped and looked at me in shock. I smiled in return.
"You know my crybaby of a son?" Jecht exclaimed.
"Yeah, but I don't think he was that much of a crybaby. He's a hyperactive idiot and obsessed with his ballgame."
"Yeah, that sounds like him." Jecht laughed and his eyes softened. I wonder how close Jecht and Tidus are.
"Do you play that game?"
"Of course I do! I'm the Great Jecht! Nobody can beat me at blitzball." Jecht swelled up with conceited pride.
"Watch it, Jecht. I'm not sure how much bigger your head can get. I can also see where Tidus gets his competitive edge from."
Jecht paused at my comments and his next remark surprised me. "How is my boy doing? Did he grow up okay?"
"Yeah, he's a good guy. Don't go soft on me though!"
"You don't have to worry about that!" Jecht grinned.
"And you," I said, pointing to Golbez. "Am I right about you?"
"You are quite perceptive, Kai. I am Cecil's older brother," Golbez responded.
"He talked of you. Do you realize how conflicted he is? Are you trying to make him worry?" Golbez drew back at my angry comments. I gazed at him with a hard look.
"I realize my actions may leave him questioning my intentions but this is the only way to truly help him. Everything I do is to aid my brother down his path."
"Down his path, huh. Would you like to enlighten me as to what his path is?"
"He must find his crystal. The crystal can only be found by a warrior who lives in the light. If I must live in the dark so he may live in the light, then so be it."
Wow. Is this what brotherly love is? I've never had a sibling before so I have no idea what he is thinking or feeling. "It sounds like it would be nice to have a sibling."
"It can be a challenge but well worth the reward."
"Jeez, are you his brother or father?"
Golbez chuckled at me. "Many times when you are an older brother you must act as a father."
"Hmmm. Sometimes I have to act like a mother for my immature friends. Does that count?"
"You a mother?!" Jecht exclaimed. "A pipsqueak like you?"
"Watch it 'Great Jecht'. I might have to kick your ass."
"I'd like to see you try, kid."
Jecht turned around to look at something behind him. I took the open opportunity and lunged at him only for Golbez to grab the back of my shirt and hold me back. He hoisted me into the air and my feet dangled about 3 inches off the ground. I squiggled around and tried to get loose but to no avail. Jecht turned around and laughed at my situation. I glared at him and went limp. Golbez was strong.
"Hey, Golbez?" I said.
"Yes?" He replied.
"My shirt already has holes in it. Does it really need to be stretched out too?"
He set me down and pushed me forward. I went his direction and kicked rocks as I walked. I was acting a little like a brat but I didn't care. If I was going to get poked and prodded by two strange men I just met right after getting my ass kicked by a witch, then I was going act like a brat. I may be mature but that doesn't stop me from being immature sometimes.
"Don't get so worked up, kid. We're almost there," Jecht said.
"Almost where?" I replied.
I looked up from the ground to discover a giant building in the distance. As we walked closer, I got a better look at the place. It was old and in disarray. It reminded me of those broken down old Abbey's in England. The building was very tall with dark rock walls and deep gold accents. There were holes in the walls and roof where the rocks collapsed and the front door looked like it had been blown in. The windows were high up and very narrow. I might have fit through them if I turned sideways and sucked in my gut, maybe. A row of beautifully carved pillars lined the trail to the Abbey but most of them had crumbled and fallen into little piles of rubble. I admired the decaying building all the way until we arrived at it. Before Golbez could grab my shirt again, I dashed to a semi-standing pillar and climbed to the top of it. I balanced on the sloping top to get a better look of the building. It may have been decaying, but I felt a sense of awe standing by it.
Golbez startled me out of my inner thoughts. "Kai, we must enter the Shrine."
I looked down to see Jecht smiling at me and Golbez holding out his hand. I jumped down and used his outstretched hand to help land. I smiled at both of them before walking in through the open door. The inside was just as beautiful and deteriorated. A ramp with an elegant red carpet led up to a crumbled black throne. Giant steps laced with gold were on either side of the ramp and pillars lined the hall holding up a ceiling carved with strange symbols. I walked to the middle of the floor, just before the ramp started, and turned around in a circle admiring the Shrine. It was amazing.
"Okay guys, what now?" I turned to face Jecht and Golbez.
"We must take our leave," Golbez replied.
"What?"
"We're leaving, kiddo," Jecht said.
"You bring me here only to leave me?"
"Yes," Golbez said. "You must wait here."
"Wait for what?"
"You'll see when the time comes."
With his final word, Golbez faded into darkness and disappeared. I looked to Jecht and he walked over. He slapped me on the back and gave me one final grin.
"See ya, kid. When you see my crybaby of a son again, tell him I'm proud of him."
"You're gonna tell him yourself when you see him. If you keep avoiding him, I'm going to come find you and give you that butt kicking I promised."
Jecht smirked at me and also faded away leaving me alone in this decrepit Shrine. Well, at least it's better than the cell in the bottom of Ultimecia's Castle. But what was I waiting for? I walked around for a bit and finally took a seat in the remnants of the old throne. I crossed my legs, propped my head on my right arm, and waited. I waited and waited until my stomach started to growl. The noise bounced off of the walls and sounded as though a tiger just roared.
"Perfect. Nothing like being hungry, tired, and confused."
Just then I heard the sound of metal on rock. My head popped up and I sat straighter in my seat. It sounded like someone was getting closer. I looked to the entrance and saw a man clad in blue and gold armor. His shoulder guards were in layers and there were spikes on his forearm guards. A white cloth hung around his hips which blended with the white cape around his shoulders. His helmet resembled a Vikings helmet with tall gold horns. He wore a blue shield on his left arm and carried a long sword in his right hand. He looked up and we locked gazes. I stood up as he walked closer. He soon met me at the throne and stood a couple feet in front of me. Good guy or bad, at least I don't have to wait anymore.
