I felt sick as we journeyed deep into the cavern. If I wasn't ill I'd appreciate the scenery a lot more because I did think it was really pretty. We weren't stopping as Zidane said it would be better if we get in and out of the place as fast as possible to get help rather than rest here where I could potentially get iller, if that's even a word. Ghost had handed me her cloak again but it wasn't doing too much. I felt myself getting dillusional, saying weird things so I kept my mouth closed unless I needed to breathe.

"Her lips are blue, so are her fingers," Garnet said with worry. My head was on Zidane's shoulder and I was groaning in pain. I think hypothermia could set in at any moment now, if it's not already. Wait my body's turning blue? I wonder if it's a nice shade of blue? "Zidane what should we do?"

"I-I could use Magic..." Vivi suggested. I breathed shallowly, not entirely sure of what was going on. By sod this wasn't going well...

"Yeah but there's the chance of her being set on fire," Ghost said. "C'mon let's move faster." I wanted to watch pretty butterflies flutter about me. They'd probably get hypothermia too though if they were here.

What am I saying?

The ground moved a lot faster as Zidane darted through the snow, which was getting deeper in my opinion. I could everyone sneezing and teeth chattering. May have been my own but I'm literally half dead at the moment. Currently going for three quarters dead...

"Bitch it's getting colder..." Ghost stammered as we pulled through the snow. Zidane was moving slower as well. Think I'm dying here. Think everyone is. I can't even think straight... oh frick... concsiousness... fading rather quickly...

I can hardly focus... I've got to keep awake... I don't want to die...

"Guys just focus!" Zidane yelled. I tried to open my mouth but I couldn't speak. It was so difficult to...

Soon I heard several thumps into the snow, followed by Zidane. I ended up rolling off his back and landed on my own. I couldn't feel the coldness of the snow of the blizzard I was so numb.

"S-s..." I murmered, feeling no control over my mouth. I closed my eyes and lost all control, letting myself slip off. "S-s... Stop..."


"Whoa-hoa," My eyes fluttered open when I heard Zidane's voice. I gasped and shot up when I felt the coldness of the snow. I shuddered and wrapped my arms around me. The thief boy looked at me and grinned. "Wow you look loads better, you're not changing into any unnatural colour anymore." He was right. My fingers felt warmer but my feet were cold from the snow.

However something was... incredibly weird...

The blizzard had stopped. Not subsided. It was like it was... frozen in time, pardon the pun. The snowflakes stood suspended in the air, only disturbed by the movement of Zidane and myself. It did look really beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous.

"How did this happen?" Zidane asked. I shrugged and tried to think. Before I went out I said 'Stop'... that couldn't have possibly...

I looked ahead when I heard a bell in the distance. Zidane poked me in the arm and I turned to him and he handed me one of Ghost's sai knives.

"Just incase," He explained as I took it. The bell jingled in the distance again and Zidane gave me a pat on the back. "Let's check it out."

We waded through the frozen snowflakes, pun unintended, until we reached a frozen waterfall and pool of water. I hoped that it was a hotspring before it froze because I would really like warm water.

The bell was louder now, in fact it sounded like it was right above us...

"How did you two not fall asleep!" I shrieked as the Black Mage dropped in front of us. It wasn't like any other ones. It had wings for starters. I almost forgot that I was now armed and I pointed it at the Mage. "No matter, it will simply take a little more of my power to stop you!"

He shook the bell, causing the ground to shake and the ice shatter, a massive beast crawling out, towering above us. I panicked and looked at Zidane.

"Eh... not it!" I started to run up the slope, unfortunately catching the monster's attention. Screaming I ran as fast as I could go as it caught up with me. I slipped on ice and fell on my backside, pointing the sai at the thing.

I screamed again as it drove down at me, I rolled to the left, narrowly dodging it and squirming away. I'm not a fighter I can't fight this thing! Whimpering it rose up, prepared to strike so I got up and ran again.

"Lily do something!" Zidane yelled as I ran from the monster. It had caught up with me and knocked me off the cliff, making me scream and fall onto the waterfall, crying out as I felt a sharp pain in my leg.

I had fallen and not only gotten a good painful smack onto the ground but an icicle from the frozen waterfall impaled my calf. I couldn't move as it was too painful. If I wasn't going to die of hypothermia I was certainly going to die of blood loss or a big monster eating me.

Realising it was do or die I held up the sai and sheilded my eyes as it lunged for me once again. It stopped before it bit me and I looked at it.

The sai was embedded deep into its throat and blood was streaming out of it. It pulled back, the sai being pulled from my grasp. I only made the thing mad but I was saved by Zidane's war cry as he leapt onto the monster's back and attacked it, stabbing it in the head and taking it down with ease. I looked over to see the Black Mage gone, it's bell all that remained.

Soon after Zidane killed the monster it's body faded too, clearly a Magical thrall of the Black Mage. The place began to get warmer and I hissed as the icicle melted and I dropped into rather icy water, screaming out as I tried to stay afloat. Zidane got to the water's edge and held out his hand so I grabbed it and got him to haul me out of the water.

"Ah shit," He mumbled. I held my hand over the wound despite the blood seeping through my fingers. I was hoping that was because of the water thinning it down and making it seem worse than it is. "Hang on, I'll go check on the others. Twitch can heal this in a second." He ran off and I held my leg, trying not to cry from the pain. I'm not built for fighting like a theif and I don't want to fight I just want to go home!

"You may have defeated the first Black Waltz," I jumped, startled by the voice and lookied around. "But we assure you. The others will not fail."

"I'm not afriad of you!" I yelled. There was no response. I hoped that they were gone. I closed my eyes and tried to will away the pain with no luck. I heard several footsteps and looked at the group approaching me.

Ghost picked up her sai and put it away before crouching down and flicking a spark into my leg, making me jump from fright but it seemed to close and heal the wound. That was surprising to say the least.

"Can't fight?" She asked with a sigh. Rhetorics. "Honestly, you expect to survive the Mist and you can't even defend yourself?"

"I've never been in a situation where I had to," I defended. It was half true... I almost was...

"Well it's either kill or be killed in this world," Ghost told me. "And I don't want to babysit people who can't fend for themselves. Find a weapon and learn to use it quickly."

"And if I don't?" I asked. Ghost furrowed her brow and crossed her arms.

"Be eaten alive."


I opted to walk since there wasn't much left of the cavern to traverse through. Honestly we just had to shimmy on up the slopes and walk into the light. I felt the hot sun beating down on us, which was bizzare because of the time of year. Maybe the climate differs or this is a lucky warm day.

"This is loads better," Ghost stated optimistically. She did seem naturally joyful but serious when needed. "It's good to get away from all that Mist. Oh there's a village down there. Isn't that Dali or something? I remember Blank talking about a remote village near the South Gate."

"Perhaps they will help us to reach Lindblum," Garnet stated and began to walk down the rocky path. That is until Zidane got in front of her.

"Whoa whoa Princess hold your Chocobos," He started. Garnet looked at Zidane in a confused manner, head cocked to the side. "You can't go in there the way you are now." Steiner was fuming in the background silently.

"I do not understand."

"That's what I'm talking about," Zidane answered loudly. He seemed quite adamant to get his point across. "You're a Princess. You left the castle of your own accord. If people find out you're a Princess it's boom bang right back to square one," Garnet nodded slowly along to Zidane's words. "So, you're going to need a new name and a new speech pattern."

"I will not allow this!" Steiner practically charged at Zidane. "You will not order the Princess around like that and you will adress her as 'Princess' from now on! She will not be going to Lindblum she will be returning to Alexandria with me!"

"Can it Rusty!" Ghost snapped. "Listen you know that Garnet wants to leave Alexandria so why don't you shut it before I go off with your head eh?"

"Silence! I will not allow you scoundrals to take control of this situation!" He yelled back. "You had best consider yourselves fortunate General Beatrix or Lieutenant-General Willow are not dealing with you now." I lifted an eyebrow and chimed in.

"Lieutenant-General Willow?" I asked. Steiner stopped in his assault and stared at me. Garnet then answered before he could.

"A new recruit into the Alexandrian army... her skill is that of General Beatrix's," She said. Frick so we're screwed if we see her and Beatrix in the same room against us? "Oddly she only joined the army last year but... I don't trust her."

"Princess your concerns are misplaced," Steiner said. "Lieutenant-General Willow would do anything to protect you, your mother and Alexandria."

"Yoo-hoo, back to the situation here," Zidane whistled. "Listen Garnet, if you want to get to Lindblum you've got to be incognito." Garnet pondered before looking at Zidane's hip. "Hm? Got something on me?"

"Your weapon, what is it?" She asked. Zidane took it out and twirlled it like the show-off he is.

"It's a dagger, quite common weapon of choice for theives since it's quick and simple to use," He explained. "Twitch has sai knives which are basically fancier looking daggers."

"I understand..." Garnet nodded. "Very well. I do agree with your idea of diguising my identity. From now on you will all adress me as Dagger." Gar- Dagger smiled, quite proud of herself. Ghost stretched her arms and tapped her shoulder.

"Now we just need to work on your speech," She said, a small smile twitching on her face as well as an eye twitch. "Don't worry, just talk like me and Lily over there and you'll do fine." Dagger nodded. Now that that was all settled we were realy to head to that small village of Dali.