CHAPTER 10:
GARNET'S ORIGINS
Zidane was certain he was about to die. True, he had been in potentially lethal situations before, but they almost always had an escape clause. Gravity, however, had no such thing, unless you could fly, or else have that parachute thing Cid invented for his airships as a safety measure. He was about to become a bloody smear on the ground below, and he wouldn't be able to help Garnet, or Freya, or Puck, or Vivi, or Steiner, or anyone!
But then, he heard Garnet yell something he couldn't hear over the roar of the air in his ears. He then heard a draconic roar, one different to Kuja's steed, from above, and the beat of massive wings. All Zidane got was a blurred impression of scales before he hit something, hard.
As he struggled to get air back into his lungs, part of his mind analysed the situation. Normally, considering how fast he had been falling, he would have been a very messy pile of meat and bone on whatever he hit, so either magic was involved to slow his fall (a Float spell could have helped), or whatever he landed on had matched his dive speed enough so that his landing was merely painful instead of lethal.
Once he managed to start breathing again, he took stock of his situation. He was currently on the back of a dragon with dark scales. That must have been what saved him. But why would this dragon save him?
Are you done yet? a tenebrous voice spoke into his mind. I know I just saved you from turning into an oversized jam stain on the ground, but time is of the essence.
Zidane shook his head to clear it. An imbecilic joke about hearing voices in his head due to concussion died on his lips. Instead, he got straight to the point. "Who are you?" he asked.
I am Bahamut, the Dragon King, and, to date, the most powerful of Garnet's Eidolons, came the voice again as the dragon began rising into the air. We have no time to waste. Kuja is absconding with my master. She called upon me to save your life, breaking through many mental blocks in the process. What's more, she has unintentionally entered into Trance. Behold.
They had risen high enough that they could see Kuja's dragon, and Garnet clutched in its claws. But she had changed. He realised he had never seen her in Trance before. A small but vocal part of him wolfwhistled, mentally. The rest merely stared in awe. It was as if her hair had become like gold, her clothing replaced by a one-piece swimsuit with sleeves. Veins, or perhaps vine-like patterns, adorned her legs. Even now, with strength lent to her by Trance, she was prising the claws of the dragon open, with difficulty even with her new strength, but she managed to open them, dropping just as Bahamut came up underneath. She landed like a cat, with grace and elegance, and Zidane got a most wonderful view of her now-glowing callipygian derriere.
"Zidane, are you all right?" Garnet asked, turning to face him.
"Umm, yes," Zidane said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Thanks for saving me."
"You are welcome, but it will have to wait," Garnet said with a sad smile. As she turned back, watching Kuja's dragon as it circled around to confront them, she said, "It is my turn to protect you. Bahamut, destroy Kuja's dragon. However, I intend to capture him, find out what his true intentions are."
Very well, Garnet. MEGA FLARE! A blast of energy screamed out of Bahamut's mouth, and only the alacrity of Kuja's dragon allowed it to dodge in time.
"Whoa!" Zidane yelped, astonished by the power he felt from the energy blast Bahamut had belched out.
"Bahamut is the most powerful of the Eidolons within me," Garnet said. "The Queen of Ice, Shiva. The Lord of Fire, Ifrit. The Maw of the Void, Atomos. The King of the Dark, Odin. And the Dragon King, Bahamut. But we must not tarry. I cannot sustain Bahamut in this world for long, even with Trance."
"I have a couple of Ethers, will they help?"
"No. This is a different matter," Garnet said. Her eyes widened when Kuja began fleeing at greater speed. Bahamut made every effort to follow, and was soon catching up, clearly faster than the silver dragon. Zidane realised they were approaching South Gate.
"He called me his little brother for some reason," Zidane said. "When Freya and I went to parley, he claimed to be the one who left me at Burmecia."
"Then we can add to the questions for him to answer," Garnet said with grim determination. Kuja dove as they passed over South Gate. Perhaps he was trying to goad Garnet into damaging South Gate even more than the Black Waltz did.
If so, Garnet didn't care, or at least she didn't care as much. "Bahamut, intercept him."
Bahamut rumbled in assent, before moving forward in a massive burst of speed. Kuja's eyes widened, and he leapt off his dragon and onto Bahamut just as Bahamut reached the silver dragon…and bit down savagely on its neck. Kuja looked behind him, and then back at Garnet and Zidane with annoyance writ on his features. All too calmly, he said, "I liked my dragon."
As the silver dragon dropped away, its neck a gory ruin, Garnet said, "A magnificent beast, true…but it was necessary to stop you."
On the ground below, Marcus of Tantalus was fighting for his life against a deranged Black Mage with wings, who kept hissing, "I exist only to kill!" A shadow came over them both as they fought near the trams, and Marcus had enough sense to leap out of the way before the corpse of a dragon fell out of the sky and squashed the Black Waltz flat.
Marcus got to his feet, and looked at the corpse of the dragon, which had managed to avoid blocking the tram's path. "Is this what the Boss calls a 'deus ex machina' in those plays we do?" he muttered, scratching his head. He then saw another, bigger dragon in the sky, with what looked like three people perched on them, including a glowing girl in a swimsuit.
Wait, what?
"Still, in your pursuit of me, you have only played into my hands," Kuja said with a smirk. "We are so very close to Treno. And while Zorn and Thorn would have been useful in extracting your Eidolons, I can still…"
Zidane dashed forward, and punched Kuja. The action actually took the effeminate man by surprise, as he slumped onto the scaly back of Bahamut, unconscious. Zidane, however, shook his hand in pain. "Damn, he's got a skull like a rock."
Garnet nodded, before she suddenly swayed. Then, she collapsed, her Trance transformation reversing itself.
Zidane, with her unconscious, I cannot remain in this realm for much longer. I need to land! Bahamut told him.
"Got it!" Zidane yelled. Bahamut swooped down, until he had just barely passed the Treno Gate, before he disappeared. He had slowed down, but even then, despite being close to the ground, Zidane tumbled rather badly, and was knocked out. He didn't know how long he was out for, but his next sight, after being shaken awake, was of a familiar bandit with an underbite and an orange bandanna staring down at him.
"You okay?" he asked.
Zidane nodded, wincing at his headache. "Yeah." Recognition flashed across his mind. "Hey, you're Marcus, aren't you? One of Tantalus, right?"
"Yeah. I remember you, you're that bodyguard of that bratty Burmecian prince," Marcus said. "Zidane, right?"
"Yeah." Zidane looked around. Garnet and Kuja were both sprawled on the ground nearby. He went over to Garnet and checked her pulse. Finding it okay, and her uninjured, he tried to wake her, only to fail. "Must be magical exhaustion or something. Summoning an Eidolon like she did under stress can't be healthy."
"Eidolon? You mean that dragon thing you guys were riding?" Marcus asked. "I dunno whether to be pissed or pleased: that other dragon it killed nearly squashed me. It certainly squashed that psycho Black Mage with the wings."
Zidane looked at him sharply, before smirking. "Must've been that Black Waltz. Good, it's dead. Look, Marcus…I'll need your help."
"Okay, but I can only do so much. The Boss is meeting me in Treno to retrieve something to save my bro," Marcus said.
"Bro? You mean Blank?" Zidane asked. "Sorry about what happened to him."
"Don't be. We found out about a special medicine called Supersoft that Lord Bishop supposedly has," Marcus said.
Zidane thought about it. After a moment, he realised something, remembering what both Garnet said, as well as the letter from Fratley to Freya. "Marcus, Garnet's old tutor lives at Treno, a Doctor Tot. He might know exactly where it is if he has a link to the Bishops, he might even have it. If you help me bring these two to him, he could help. If not, I'll help you retrieve it anyway. Okay?"
After a moment, Marcus nodded. "Okay, you got yourself a deal. You seem rather willing to break into a Treno mansion, though, for a royal bodyguard."
As Zidane picked up Garnet in a bridal carry, trying very hard not to squeeze her derriere, he said, "Puck and I got into all sorts of trouble. And out of it. Breaking and entering's easy."
Thankfully, Kuja didn't wake up during their trek to Treno. A quick question to a citizen, however, got the information Zidane had hoped for: Tot was indeed in the employ of Lord Bishop, though he currently resided in a once-abandoned tower in Treno's outer area, near the Bishop residence and the synthesist shop.
Zidane and Marcus took their burdens to the tower indicated, and Zidane began slamming his fist on the door. "Open up! We need help!"
It took several minutes of Zidane hitting the door, but eventually, it opened, to reveal a short man with a prodigious nose, bushy red hair, and eyes peering out myopically from behind thick spectacles. "What is it?" the man asked.
"Doctor Tot?" Zidane asked.
"Indeed I am," Tot said.
"I have an old student of yours that needs help," Zidane said. "Marcus here wanted to ask a favour, but…"
"Princess Garnet?" Tot asked, realising whom Zidane was holding. "Come in, right away!"
They had climbed up the spiral stairs around the inside of the old tower, before coming to an old study with a decrepit, massive globe in the middle, with a telescope sticking out of it. "You got any rope?" Marcus asked.
"Some, in that box. Why, who is this man? He looks somewhat familiar. I've seen him in the King Auction House."
"His name is Kuja," Zidane said, as he took the rope, and expertly tied Kuja to a nearby chair. "He's an arms dealer who has persuaded Brahne to launch an assault on Burmecia. He also wanted Garnet for the Eidolons within her. You did know about those, right?"
Tot nodded. "Regent Cid recently contacted me. And I made something of a study of them. I found it curious that Princess Garnet possessed them."
Garnet stirred, her eyes flickering open, and she smiled weakly. "I remember that little lecture you did, about the Pendant. It's good to see you, Doctor Tot."
"Likewise, Princess," Tot said with a smile. He handed her an Elixir, which she gulped down greedily, her usual deportment left by the wayside.
"Are you all right, Garnet?" Zidane asked.
"I am fatigued, but I will live," Garnet said, getting shakily to her feet. "Where are we?"
"In my abode, in Treno," Tot said. "Your friend brought you here, along with this rather roguish individual, and that man currently tied to the chair."
"Roguish?" Marcus asked, unsure whether to take it as a compliment or an insult. "Okay, listen, Doctor Tot, I'm sorry to spoil your reunion with your old student, but I need to know something. D'you have the Supersoft?"
"Supersoft? Actually, indeed I do," Tot said, wandering over to a shelf, and plucking a bottle from it. "Lord Bishop gave me a small supply for use in my experiments. Why do you need it?"
"I have a friend who's petrified in what remains of the Evil Forest," Marcus said, deciding, for once, honesty was the best policy. "A normal Soft wouldn't have worked. Zidane said he would help me obtain it in exchange for bring Garnet here."
"Well, I suppose if it's to save your friend…are you a member of Tantalus?"
"Yeah."
"Ah. Here you go," Tot said, handing Marcus the bottle.
"Great, thanks! Listen, I've gotta go and meet the Boss, tell him what's happened. Then, I gotta get going, save my bro. Sorry I can't stay. Good luck, you two," Marcus said, before he left.
The silence that followed was thick and uncomfortable. Oddly enough, the usually demure Garnet was the one who broke it. "Doctor Tot…who am I, really?"
"Princess?" Tot asked, puzzled.
"…When Zidane was falling, when Bahamut was telling me to call upon him, he called me both Princess Garnet…and Sarah of Madain Sari. He told me Sarah was the name my birth mother gave me. And I, as far as I know, am unique in having Eidolons in the whole of the Mist Continent. And with my mother seemingly determined to wage war with Eidolons as her weapons, I need to know if you know anything."
Tot stared at her, his mouth agape, before he began pacing and thinking. After a moment, he murmured, "That must be it."
"What is?" Zidane asked.
After a moment, Tot said, "I must ask you to keep this quiet for the moment, Zidane. If word of this gets out, it would shake the very foundations of anyone who wishes to support Garnet. The truth is, I had almost forgotten about this. Perhaps I wanted to. The truth is…Princess Garnet til Alexandros XVII died at the age of six. It was a bad illness that took her. I was, along with the King and Queen, the only one who knew the truth. They were unable to face releasing the truth to the public, and were dallying. But then, a storm whipped Alexandria, and afterwards, a rather rickety boat entered our port. A woman and a girl were in that boat. The woman was dead, a blow to the head from loose rigging, given what I saw. The girl was still alive, but feverish, delirious, unable to remember anything. But when we examined the girl further…we were surprised. For the girl was almost exactly like the late Princess Garnet in every regard, save for one."
"And what's that?" Garnet asked with quiet trepidation, fearing the answer.
"The girl had a horn, as did the woman, her deceased mother. After I determined that she would survive the fever, the King ordered the horn removed by surgery. Even though she was drugged during the operation, one I undertook myself…the girl cried out in pain. When she recovered, she was presented as Princess Garnet, and raised as such. You are that girl."
"…Queen Brahne is not my real mother?" Garnet asked quietly.
"Not by birth or blood," Tot said sadly. "In fact, given what you said your Eidolon said, you come not from Alexandria…but the legendary village of the summoners, Madain Sari. Supposedly, it was there that they fled to five centuries ago, at least according to the fragmentary accounts we have. I only suspect it may be on the Outer Continent, but I do not know for certain where it is."
Garnet sat shakily down, her expression filled with shock. "…It was all a lie?"
"Your parents loved you as if you were their own flesh and blood, Princess. I believe that they viewed your advent as recompense from the gods for their true daughter's demise. And I considered it a great honour to be your teacher, regardless of your parentage. I still do. I have never been of the opinion that it is blood that makes one noble, worthy of being a ruler. It is other qualities. You are both an intelligent and compassionate girl. Somewhat sheltered, yes, but beneath that quiet façade is a core of inner strength and a desire to better yourself. How much of that is innate to your nature, and how much was due to your upbringing, I do not know. The best scholars have argued over such things for years. However, one thing is clear. Regardless of your origins and upbringing, you are yourself."
After a moment, Garnet nodded. "Thank you, Doctor Tot."
"Incidentally, what happened? How did you end up in Treno in the first place?"
"It's a long story," Zidane said. "Did Cid tell you about Garnet leaving Alexandria?"
"Yes, albeit in code," Tot said. "He did say you had left for Burmecia. And yet, here you are."
"Kuja here attempted to kidnap Garnet to extract her Eidolons," Zidane said. "I followed like the dashing idiot I was, and it was Garnet who saved me using one of her Eidolons. We ended up crash-landing near Treno, though. That's the abridged version."
"And, like all abridged versions, it tends to be either a pale shade of the original, or else a parody," came the cultured, lilting voice of Kuja. The three others present whirled to face Kuja, who had finally woken up, and was smirking at them all, despite being tied up. "I heard something of your conversation. Brahne had told me about your origins, my little canary. I found it amusing. But did you ever see fit to ask Zidane about his own origins?"
"He told me he was a foundling," Garnet said. "You claim to be his brother."
"Brother in purpose, in any case. Genetically speaking, we are closer to distant cousins," Kuja said.
"Zidane's nothing like you!" Garnet snapped. "You're a cruel, vicious monster!"
"A monster, am I? A harsh assessment, Princess, but I suppose I am a monster. I was created to be one, an Angel of Death." Then, Kuja's smirk grew even more vicious than before. "But then again, you should consider the company you keep, Princess, for you see, not only was I created to be a monster…but so too was Zidane."
CHAPTER 10 ANNOTATIONS:
So, here you have it. Garnet's becoming more powerful and has learned about her true parentage. Unfortunately, Zidane has as well.
Now, some of you might be thinking that Kuja spilled the beans about Zidane's true nature rather too readily. Keep in mind, though, that throughout most of the game, Kuja is invariably in a position of strength compared to Zidane. However, Kuja has been captured, and he needs to use his wits to get out of it. He's hoping that by telling Zidane the truth about who he is and where he comes from, especially in front of Garnet, he will sow discord in the enemy camp, and hopefully demoralise Zidane enough that Kuja can make a clean getaway. Also, Kuja's a bloody sadist who enjoys watching people suffer physically and mentally, and I'm sure that Zidane and Garnet in anguish will keep him warm at night.
KHR-Yunalesca: He did it out of sadism, to hurt Freya and Zidane, and hopefully demoralise them.
No numbered annotations this time.