~Edgar~
"Time to wake, Sire."
Edgar rubbed his eyes. Was it morning already? He looked out his window at the dark blue sands outside, then back at the woman who was patiently waiting for him to rise. It was still pre-dawn twilight out, the sun just beginning to rise, and he had only slept four hours. A king's life was not a life of leisure. But, there were perks, even out here in the deserts of Figaro.
"Good morning, my beautiful desert rose." Edgar said as casually as if he were talking about the weather.
The woman laughed unfazed, well used to her young king's flirtations. "Oh Sire, enough of that. Please, the Chancellor is waiting."
Edgar grimaced. "The Chancellor is always waiting, my lady." He continued taking his time, admiring himself in the mirror as he braided his long blonde hair in a single royal lock. While he prepared himself, the woman patiently waited, various papers in hand. Edgar would glance at her reflection in the mirror and wink every once in a while, just to let her know she wasn't forgotten. She smiled politely.
Let them wait. I am a king, but I am a still a man, too. It seems with every passing day I spend less time with the ladies and more time with the Chancellor. I'm turning into a regular old politician before my very eyes!
Edgar tied a pair of blue ribbons into his ponytail and smiled. These were his father's ribbons, hand-made by his mother on their wedding day. The long, golden hair of the Figaro family line was a hallmark of the kingdom's rulers, as were the traditional blue ribbons to complement the blue Figaro eyes. The former Queen had made these, and Edgar wondered if there would ever be a new Queen to make his own set of ribbons.
Time for that later! I've got plenty of time to settle down, but precious little time to live it up!
Without warning, Edgar spun around and reached out to the woman in waiting. He deftly put his arm around the shocked woman's waist and pulled her towards the mirror stand. Laughing, he spun her around like a dancer and let her go. The papers fluttered to the ground and the woman bent down quickly to pick them up, blushing.
"Sire!" It was all the woman could do to keep her cool while the king fooled around. Such a wild stallion! He needed a firm hand to keep him in check, a wife to cool him off. Oho, but certainly not her!
"Alright, alright," Edgar said good-naturedly. "I guess I am ready for the day's morning conference. Tell the Chancellor I'll be there in a moment, Elisa."
So he did know her name, she thought sarcastically. Sometimes she wondered if he was on a first-name basis with every woman in the castle. But that was her king, a real lady's man. She supposed there were far worse traits that a king could possess, and luckily, Edgar was a fine king for all the womanizing he did on the side.
As Edgar took the papers from Elisa's hands, he slipped a paper of his own into her pocket. Bowing, he took his leave silently and graciously. After he had left, Elisa looked at the paper, and smiled as she read the quick scrawl in Edgar's flowery hand.
"Shall we have tea later? I will be free for lunch, meet me at the west tower."
Oh King Edgar, will you never grow up?
I hope I never grow old and boring, like the Chancellor. Edgar thought as he shook hands with the dusty old man. The desert seemed to flow in the Chancellor's veins.
"King Edgar, how nice of you to join us this morning. I hope you have ready this week's reports?" The Chancellor's voice was dry and sharp, but his eyes twinkled with vitality and kindness. He poked fun at his king's youthfulness, but he knew he could trust the kingdom in his hands. The noble blood of the Figaros ran deep in King Edgar, just as it had in King Stewart. And Prince Sabin, wherever he was...
"Of course. There's nothing here I wasn't already aware of, though. More bad news coming from the Empire." Edgar tried his best to be good-natured, but it was too early in the day to talk of war. Unfortunately, there was talk of little else these days.
The Chancellor narrowed his eyes at Edgar. "Ah yes...your Returner spies I assume?" He did not trust the shady characters that occasionally visited the castle unannounced and in brigand's rags, all under the protection of the King. Why, just five days ago, one of them had let a known criminal and wolfkin into the castle! What was next, a moogle? Soon their jail would look more like a zoo!
"My friends in the Returners are as trustworthy as any of these flimsy, watered-down reports. There isn't even any mention of the possible traitor in South Figaro in here." Edgar tried to be fair, but he was on edge seeing the reports. When Locke told him something top secret, he could be sure it was still safe from the Empire's own network of spies. When he read it in a report, he knew that it was already common knowledge to those in the upper echelons of the Empire. The reports were typically four days old, and filled with information Locke had told him already, but seeing Locke's words on paper only made Edgar even more aware of how precarious his kingdom's situation was.
"Report 265.4 - Regarding the movement of troops north of Tzen on southern continent over the past month. 50% increase in M-Tek Armor, 70% increase in ground troops. General Celes sighted briefly before heading for Miranda. General Kefka sighted briefly before returning to Vector. Signs of preparation for movement on South Figaro imminent. Fortification of eastern wall advised."
'Repot 265.5 - Regarding Imperial assault on Miranda last month. Town torched by General Celes due to continued resistance. Heavy casualties reported. No signs of Imperial occupation lessening in immediate future. With the fall of Miranda, entire southern continent now under control of Empire. Now entering critical phase of Gestahlian War. Expansion into world war inevitable. Movement of Figaro Castle beyond western mountains and out of current Imperial range strongly advised."
"Report 265.7 - Regarding the movement of troops east of Doma over the past month. 100% increase in M-Tek Armor, 25% increase in troops. New flying armor, codename "Telstar", being delivered via Blackjack along with regular supplies at time of writing. Battle capabilities still unknown. Several crates of volatile material delivered along with weaponry, contents unknown. Possibly biological. General Leo still in command of battalion, and appears to be waiting the Domans out with a drawn out siege. Prediction: Under current Imperial strategy, Doma will fall within six months. Emperor seems displeased with timeframe, lending weight to rumors of command change. No action advised. Alliance with Doma determined as too risky."
"Report 265.9 - Regarding rumors of secret mission to Narshe. Empire seems interested in northern coal mining town, reasons unknown. Possible connection with Magitek research and rarely sighted female M-tek rider, previously given codename "Green". Still no information on identity of Green. Possible new General, based on observed battle capabilities. As Narshe persists in remaining neutral, no action is advised. Will continue to watch Vector for new developments in this area in the coming days."
"Disgraceful." Edgar saw nothing but bad news in the current batch of reports. He had tried to avoid war by forming an alliance with the Empire, but it seemed his new allies had no sense of honor.
The Chancellor nodded in agreement. "I think this farce of an alliance will be coming to an end soon. How much longer do you plan on letting them think we're on their side?"
"As long as we can. Every day we spend in peace is a precious gift, not to be wasted." Edgar reflected on the past for a moment, then added, "We will not be the ones to break the alliance, no matter what."
"Taking your father's words to heart, I see. A wise choice."
My father knew the price of peace, and he paid it with full knowledge. Sabin might have gone to war as soon as Father had died, and how many more lives would have been lost then? We had no idea what the Empire had created. No idea something like Magitek existed ten years ago. Ah, Sabin, your heart was in the right place, but sometimes you have to wait and see what your enemy is capable of before you strike. Albrook learned that the hard way, and look how fast they were overpowered. The first domino to fall...
"My father was a wise man, Chancellor. I only hope I can live up to his legacy."
"In time, my young King. I am afraid you face a far more turbulent time than your father did, though." The Chancellor's face darkened as he spoke. "King Stewart was a man of peace and had a peaceful reign, but we need a man of war in these troubling times. Remember, we're dealing with fiends who would stoop to any tactic to win this war."
Edgar knew full well what the Empire was like. How could he forget? The sickly, unnatural pallor of his father's dying face haunted him to this day. They had poisoned his father, and made countless attempts on his own life over the past ten years since his father's death. Thanks to Locke and Banon, all of them had failed. And thanks to Locke, Edgar now had a very interesting prisoner to interrogate this evening.
Edgar sped the meeting along to its conclusion as best he could, reviewing all the reports, and adding the vital information Locke had brought to the table. The traitor in South Figaro would have to be found, and Lone Wolf might know who it is. No obvious movements of troops would be made in South Figaro just yet, to keep the Empire off their backs. Figaro Castle would remain at its current location, as such an overt movement would be seen as an act of war. The situation in Doma would be watched carefully, in hopes that Figaro could learn from the Empire's tactics on that front. Lastly, spies in Vector would watch for any new sightings of Green, but who was this mysterious new arrival in the war?
This "imperial witch", as the rumors sometimes called her, must be part of the coming strategy, and Edgar must learn everything he could about her. Information on the subject was extremely scarce, and all that was known was she was a young girl, similar in age to General Celes, and with similar abilities. Rumors were flying about how she obliterated an entire squadron of Imperial troops in under a minute during a training exercise gone wrong. How many more like Green were waiting in the shadows of the Empire? Could Figaro really hope to stand up against an army of super warriors like her?
Ah, Gestahl, of all the crimes you've committed, forcing beautiful young ladies to fight is by far the most shameful.
After the meeting, Edgar made his way towards the west tower, thoughts of war put aside for a moment in favor of thoughts of pleasure. He looked out over the golden sands of the vast desert that surrounded and protected his castle, wondering how many more days he had left before even these brief respites came to an end. The forbidding desert had provided a natural barrier against the Empire's machinations, but that wouldn't last forever. He would savor every sip of tea with Elisa today.
When Edgar arrived, he found the woman already waiting at a quaint table with two chairs. Her mouth turned in a scowl when she saw Edgar ambling towards her with a wide smile.
"You're late, King."
My apologies, my desert rose!" Edgar said with mock horror. "The Chancellor has no sense of time, and the meeting ran late."
"Are you sure you weren't with another woman?" Elisa said half-jokingly. She knew the King routinely saw a dozen or more women just like this throughout the day. Although recently it seemed he was focusing more on his duties and spending far more time squirreled away with advisors and strange visitors. Was the situation with the Empire getting worse, as many feared?
"I assure you, my lady, that you are the only woman I shall lay eyes on this day," Edgar said with as much charm as he could put out.
The sad thing, is that this is probably the truth. My carefree days of cavorting with half the woman of the castle before dinner are long gone, I'm afraid.
"Now then, how about some tea?" Edgar said, taking a seat and pulling out a bottle of thick, white liquid.
"Is that our tea?" Elisa was a little wary of the bottle in her King's hand. It looked like...
"Antlion's venom," Edgar said, casually confirming her suspicions. "Oh, I assure you, it is quite harmless when it's distilled and mixed with herbs," he added, seeing the look of disgust on his companion's lovely face. "This is a rare delicacy of the desert. I thought it would be appropriate for our date."
The last one I'm likely to enjoy for quite some time.
"Oh, so this is a date now, is it?"
"Of course. Drink up. I think you'll find the flavor surprising."
She took a sip of the tea. It was smooth, and sweet like honey, with a bite of heat thanks to the venom.
"It is...delicious!" Elisa gasped, impressed.
The two enjoyed innocent banter for a while, talking of everything but war and being king.
Edgar sipped his tea and stared across the table at Elisa's eyes for a moment, taking in this simple joy of companionship. There was nothing like a quiet spot of tea with a beautiful woman under the yellow sun of the desert. But, it couldn't last all day. He had other tasks to carry out before that sun set.
With a look of exaggerated pain, Edgar wrapped up his date with Elisa, and excused himself to his duties.
"A king never stops being a king, unfortunately." Edgar said with a smile he didn't feel, and made his way to his second date of the day. He was not looking forward to this next date nearly as much as the first.
With a heavy step Edgar made his way across the castle and towards the dungeon. There was no antlion tea waiting for this guest, although Edgar thought it would be amusing to bring along a slightly less distilled variety of the drink to help the conversation.
As Edgar entered the jail, he was greeted with a low snarl from one of the cells.
"Let me out of here, you tyrant!" The growling voice snapped from the farthest cell.
Inside the cell was a half-man, half-wolf creature, fangs bared, and clearly on edge about something.
"Ah, Lone Wolf, how are you finding your accommodations?" Edgar said pleasantly. He could see this feral wolfkin was agitated, and practically climbing the walls in a nervous panic.
Lone Wolf ran up to the door and stuck his long snout through the bars with a snap of his jaws. "Let me out, or you'll regret it!"
"Oh? I think I would regret it much more if you were free to spread your lies and rumors all over the countryside, my friend."
"You mean about your alliance with the Returners?" The wolf barked in feigned laughter. "If you think the Empire doesn't already know about that, you're a bigger fool than I thought."
"And I suppose you had nothing to do with the spreading of that information, hmm?"
"Hmph. It doesn't matter now. Don't you understand? They're coming here! They're going to attack! If you set me free, I can try to stall them with misinformation." Lone Wolf licked his lips slyly, hoping Edgar would take the bait.
He didn't.
"No chance. You've been a thorn in my kingdom's side for years, and I intend to keep you right where I can see you. Don't you worry about what the Empire may do. This castle has a few tricks in store for any would-be attackers. Now, perhaps if you could shed some light on the rumors of a traitor in South Figaro, I may see if I could ease your conditions a bit. Maybe a little more fresh meat with your meals?"
The predator tried to hide the look of stark hunger in his eyes at the mention of real food, but his own bestial side betrayed him. The thought of meat set him drooling, and he shouted in anger, "Damn you, Edgar! Figaro will burn because of your inaction, and I don't intend to be here when it does!"
"If you give me what I want, then perhaps you can save your own hide as well as mine. What do you say, old friend?"
"Never. Even if I knew who the traitor was, I wouldn't tell you. I'll get out of here myself, and I'll watch happily as your precious castle is destroyed. It's shameful that you would trust that low-born thief Locke over me. He should be in a cell right next to me!"
Edgar had heard enough. This was going nowhere, and he was getting angry at the wolf's persistent bad attitude.
"That's treasure hunter," Edgar said in disgust, and turned away from his prisoner before he did something rash.
You're lucky I'm not Sabin, Lone Wolf. If he were king, you would be a bloody pulp right now. Ah, brother, what has become of you? I've tried giving you the space you wanted, but I feel like I should be doing more for you. Locke tells me you're still alive and well, but nothing more. If there was ever a time our kingdom needed your honest courage, it is now. The time of hiding behind politics and alliances is crumbling around me, and I need a strong hand by my side to lead Figaro into war. Sometimes I wish I had never used that coin. If it truly was a matter of chance, then maybe I wouldn't feel so guilty about our fates.
Another day was quickly passing Edgar by, and he felt like he done nothing. Lone Wolf might be right. He should be gathering his army, his navy, every last man should be arming themselves for the inevitable fight. But he must keep up appearances! To make the first move would only make the Empire strike back all the harder. Let them come when they will, and he will use every trick he can to prevent bloodshed. For now, let the people of Figaro enjoy this false peace. To them, at least, it was real.
Lost in thought, Edgar nearly ran into the elderly Matron of the castle on his way back to his private quarters.
"Excuse me, Sire!" She wheezed as she moved out of the way.
"No, excuse me, Matron. Today has been a long day." Edgar said humbly. Matron Francesca was the oldest woman in the castle, and was like a grandmother to the young King.
"I see you're troubled, my young King." Francesca said with a piercing gaze. She was old, but she was not blind. "These are difficult times, but I know you will pull us through safely. You are just like the old King in that regard. You both care deeply about the people. With your machines and wits, I am sure we can win."
"Matron, I fear this time it may not be enough. The Empire is coming, and we are no match for their weapons. Even with all my mechanical knowledge and all the lore of our scholars, we still have no idea how the Empire is doing what it's doing. It just seems like magic, the way they've advanced across the world."
"Perhaps the most obvious answer is the correct one, my King," Francesca said simply. "Remember your father's credo."
"Peace is the greatest weapon of all," Edgar cited from memory before Francesca could finish.
"Remember that, and you will win in the end. As long as you fight for peace, and not blind ambition, you will have the edge."
"I wish I could believe that, Matron," Edgar said sadly.
"King Stewart believed it, even as he lay dying. I know you'll do the right thing, when the time comes."
"I will try. Good night, Matron." Edgar bowed and continued towards his quarters, the weight of the world hanging on his shoulders. He knew Figaro was the last real power left in the world to oppose the Empire's onslaught. A straight war would end in disaster, but perhaps he could stall them long enough to find a weakness, some tiny defect in the war machine that would give him and the Returners the advantage. They needed a miracle, and he knew it. All he could do now was wait. Wait for that last ray of hope to appear over the horizon.
Alone in his room, Edgar put his hands on his head as he sat down at his private workbench. He usually ended each day tinkering with whatever current tool he was working on. Automatic crossbows, high-powered drills, blindingly brigt flash bulbs, even sonic weapons. Edgar's keen mind and talented hands were capable of crafting almost anything he could think of. But compared to what the Empire was creating, Edgar felt like a child. There had to be something he could do...some way to balance the seemingly insurmountable scales.
As he aimlessly sifted through the pile of odds and ends in front of him, a stubborn image of a city nestled in between a snowy valley kept intruding into his thoughts, its lights twinkling in the distance like a beacon. Was that his ray of hope? Was that the tipping point? Could the answer to this war lay in that quiet town?
What does the Empire want with Narshe? I must find out. Something tells me that is the key to unlocking this war. And Locke is the perfect person to find that key. When I see him tomorrow, we will discuss our own secret mission to Narshe...
As Edgar disappeared into his lonesome quarters for the evening, Matron Francesca watched him go. She knew the burden he carried, but was confident he would lead them all to victory in the end. The young King had a mind for tactics, and could maneuver his way out of any problem. If peace had any hope at all of thriving, it was in no better hands than the well-loved King of Figaro.
Praying silently, Matron whispered to whatever powers there were, "We believe in you. Never give up on your ideals. Never give up on peace. Never give up hope. I will pray for you and for our kingdom, Edgar."