For story purposes, Quina will not be in this one. I'm kind of planning ahead, and I know for a fact that I don't need him/her...
To view how Melodi looks, either look for her name in my profile, or go here:
www. Swirl3y. Deviantart gallery/#/d3f4e6w
Chapter XI:
With our difference, we must part.
"Regent..."
Everyone turned around, and noticed someone coming into the room. Mel and Freya immediately took notice of the soldier slouching in, and he was badly beaten up. He looked similar to Freya, so it was assumed he was from Burmecia. "Forgive me for my intrusion... I bring urgent news... from our king."
"The king of Burmecia?" Cid asked, he jumped down from his throne, and Artania whispered that he should show his self. Cid whispered that an injury blinded the man, and Mel took notice. Cid asked him to continue, and everyone listened in.
"Our kingdom is being attacked by some unknown force!" he said, breathing for air. It was obvious that the soldier didn't have long to live, but to come injured the way he was... "We are severely outmatched! Please send reinforcements immediately!"
He fell to his knees, and Mel walked a little closer along with Freya to help him up. "The enemy looks like an army of mages wearing... steeple-crowned hats."
Mel looked over to Vivi, who started getting distraught about the situation. The regent complied with the soldier's request, and told him he would send out reinforcements immediately. With his last words, the soldier thanked Cid from the bottom of his heart. He slouched over and Cid yelled for the infirmary, but Freya told him that it was already too late... the solder had died. It had been a miracle that he traveled all the way from Burmecia to Lindblum.
ȶ
Everyone stood in silence. The soldier was brought out of the room, and most likely being buried where he could be honoured. Artania broke the silence and told everyone that because of the festival, there were hardly any men leftover. It could very well take a while to have any move out. Cid had no choice but to have his men patrolling and keeping an eye on Alexandria move out towards Burmecia. Artania was a little hesitant, and Cid made it clear that Burmecia was their ally.
"Steeple-crowned hats... they might be black mages, like Vivi," Freya said. Vivi protested, and Dagger questioned if it was her mother's doing. Freya looked away, and walked a little towards the exit of the throne. "I must go now. I cannot sit and wait for reinforcements."
"I'm coming with you," Zidane said. Freya had objected to the idea, but Zidane grew furious with it. "What's this, I'm a stranger all of a sudden!? I'm not gonna sit back and watch your home get destroyed, alright?"
Freya thanked him, although reluctantly. She didn't want to put her friend in danger, since things were getting real serious. Vivi also offered to go, since he was overly concerned about the mages that the soldier talked about. Mel looked away; it wasn't her place to go or her business. She didn't know if she could go, since Cid could very well send her on some other mission.
"Alright then. Let's go to Burmecia," Dagger suggested. Steiner stepped in this time to protest, but for very good reasons. It was a foreign matter, and in reality had nothing to do with her. Cid agreed, stating that no one knew if Alexandria was involved. "But if black mages are involved... Melodi, Zidane, you know what I'm talking about."
Zidane had nothing to say, and neither did Melodi. Dagger continued on stating that if her mother was behind this then she needed to go and stop her. A short silence filled the room, and Zidane sighed. Mel looked at him, and this was probably the first time she saw him this different.
"...I think you should stay here," he said, clear with his decision. Dagger protested, and asked why. Zidane continued. "We don't know what to expect there."
"I've already faced great danger coming here!" she yelled. She wasn't going to take no for an answer, since she really wanted to just help. "What's the difference!?"
"Dagger, this is war. A lot of people are gonna die," he replied. She knew that, but still she wanted to go. Zidane asked her how she felt when she saw the Burmecian soldier die, and she was saddened by it of course. Zidane shook his head. "Just sad? Weren't you scared, too? Obviously, you haven't realized how dangerous it's gonna be... you could get killed."
He had made a point, and even went on to say that now wasn't the time to convince her mother of anything. Dagger looked down at the floor, and Mel walked a little closer to her. She understood her helplessness... she understood it too well, but even Mel wouldn't allow Dagger to leave. It was still dangerous, and for the princess to get killed... would devastate everyone. Freya also agreed, and stated that they needed to leave at once.
"Will you open the dragon's gate?" she asked. Cid agreed, since it was the best path to go if they were going by foot. He suggested they eat while they wait for the gate to open, and everyone complied.
ȶ
As everyone made their way into the dining room, Mel and Zidane were the lasts one. Quickly, he grabbed her hand, and led her in another direction. She raised her eyebrow, but made no attempt to stop him. When he stopped, he faced her, and looked her in the eye. She felt a little uncomfortable, but continued to stare back at him.
"Mel, you should come with us," he said. He wasn't teasing or being his flirtatious self... he was serious. Mel looked away; she didn't know what to say. She wouldn't have mind helping, but it really wasn't her place. She wasn't sure what to do.
"Zidane..." was all she could mutter. She was still getting used to the guy, and without Dagger there, there wasn't much they had. They were only together because of their same objective to kidnap Dagger. She looked over to him and sighed, Zidane was a good guy doing what was right and she realized that. To her, it felt like ever since he made the deal she's been thinking about him. It was more of the fact that he nearly made himself fall off the railing then the date. She shook her head though; if the order wasn't there she couldn't do anything.
"If Cid gives me the order to go, then I will go," she said. "But I can't go if I'm needed here. I wish I could..."
Zidane looked at her, and she meant every word. As much as he wanted her to go, he knew she probably had other jobs do to. They could be separated, and he didn't want that. It was still hard to choose who he eventually wanted to be with, but he was aiming at Mel a little more. Dagger was a princess, and he knew that they would just not mix. She was sweet and caring, but they were just too different. He and Melodi had more of a chance, even though she barely spoke. That was a challenge he happily accepted though.
"Just promise you won't forget our date," he said, returning back into his cheery self. "Don't forget me either, okay?"
She continued to look at him, and sighed. It was weird to her how she suddenly started thinking about him more, but she figured it was because they had spent a good amount of time together. Not just with him, but with Vivi, Dagger and Steiner. It would be hard to forget them now that she knew them. She chuckled, which was a first for Zidane.
"Don't do anything reckless," she said, pointing her finger at him. "That goes for Vivi and for Freya, too."
Zidane scratched the back of his head, and smiled. He knew she meant that for everyone, but he was going to take it personal. She started walking into the room, and she looked back to Zidane, and motioned him to follow. He did so, and soon everyone was in the room. Cid explained about the tradition of the feast, and how everyone had to eat with their hands. Vivi dived into his food, and Steiner did the same. Mel, Dagger, Freya and Zidane were the only ones who didn't eat at first. Freya couldn't eat while her country was being invaded, but Zidane assured her that it was all they could do until the gate opened.
Mel and Dagger were the only ones left who didn't eat, and Steiner questioned the princess. She seemed in a trance, and snapped out of it when she heard his voice. She shook her head, and began to eat, saying how everything was so delicious. Mel looked at everyone eat, and looked down at the food. She wasn't that hungry, so she only ate until she could so it wasn't disrespectful to the tradition. After a while, Vivi stopped eating, and rubbed his belly.
"Oh, I'm so full," he said. He had trouble keeping his eyes open, and lowered his head. "I'm getting sleepy now..."
The moment he said that, everyone else started slouching. Freya quickly fell to the floor along with Cid, and then Vivi fell afterwards. Both Zidane and Mel were the ones who fell last, but they both looked over to Dagger, who was still standing. They knew right away... it was the sleeping weed. Mel quickly fell over, and Zidane was the last. Steiner, bending down, yelled at the top of his lungs.
"What the—the food is poisoned!" he started to panic, and grabbed his throat. "How could I be so careless!? Ugh... I'm starting to feel sick..."
Dagger raised her eyebrow when she heard Steiner apologizing about not tasting the food for poison, and looked over to him. She lowered her eyes when he was bent over grabbing his throat, and sighed. "That's impossible. There shouldn't be any in your dish."
Steiner's eyes lit up, and he got up quickly, he touched his armour and his head, and mentioned how he felt fine all of a sudden. He looked over to the princess however, and gasped as he asked if she had poisoned them all. She shook her head, and spoke. "It's not poison. It's just medicinal herb Zidane gave me. Believe me, this was not what I had planned."
Dagger looked away, and told him that she needed to make her own decisions. She didn't have a choice whether or not she was heard; her uncle would have never let her go. Steiner told her that it was for her own good, and she understood. Steiner shook his head, and told her that she should never witness war. He even declined to help the princess.
"...What if Alexandria is behind the attack on Burmecia?" Dagger said, still looking away. She was concerned, and she had good reason. "It could lead to war between the three great nations."
She didn't want anyone to die, especially the innocent ones. She also didn't want anything happening to her mother, and as princess of Alexandria she needed to do something. Steiner sighed, and after much thinking agreed to her request. She thanked him, and they needed to go before everyone woke up. She looked over to Zidane and Melodi, who were sleeping not too far from each other. She sighed and bent down in between to apologize, she knew they would be mad, but she needed to do this.
ȶ
After a long while of sleeping, the four companions awoke, and looked around. Mel had automatically noticed that Dagger was not in the room, as well Steiner. Freya mentioned that it was probably some sort of sleeping medicine, and both Zidane and Mel looked at each other.
"It was sleeping weed," he answered. Cid tried stroking his beard and sighed, but Zidane continued. "I gave her some because she said she was having problems sleeping."
Freya chuckled bitterly, and was impressed with Dagger. There was more to her than she thought. Zidane growled, and was furious with her action. He turned to everyone, and asked if maybe she had gone to Burmecia. Cid thought for a moment, and spoke. "Then you might still be able to catch up with her."
Zidane woke Vivi up, who surprisingly was still asleep. Freya told them that they needed to head to Gizamaluke's Grotto first in order to reach Burmecia, and Cid gave the go. As the three of them started to head out, Cid called them back in and spoke. "I would like it if Melodi came along, so that she could bring Garnet back without delaying you all."
Melodi looked towards the regent, and he returned the look as he nodded. Melodi had no problem, in fact, she was very happy about it. She wanted to look for Dagger as much as everyone else, but she didn't want anyone to die because of it. Someone was starting a war... and Melodi was serious about that. She looked at everyone, and Freya was the one that spoke.
"I think it would be a good idea having Melodi with us," she said as she crossed her arms. "I've seen you fight and I am impressed."
"Hey, I'm all for it, too," Zidane added. "We're all friends anyways."
Mel looked at Zidane, and he gave her a wink. She closed her eyes, and gave out a small sigh. She had a feeling that she was going to be stuck with these guys for a very long time. She gave them a slight smile, and walked towards them. She didn't want to get too comfortable, since anything could happen. She had to raise her guard higher than ever, and she couldn't allow failure. She looked at the three, and nodded. "I'm ready."
ȶ
Zidane, Mel, Vivi and Freya were well on their way towards Gizamaluke's Grotto, and before heading out they bought all the necessities they needed such as potions. It wasn't such a long walk to the grotto, but Mel had her eye out for Dagger. Vivi was worried too, since it was completely out of character for her.
"I hope Dagger is safe," he said as they walked. "I hope nothing happens."
Everyone else hoped for the same thing, but then Zidane started to chuckle. "I don't think anything will happen... I mean, she's got Rusty."
"Well, that's a first," Mel said as she looked over to Zidane. "You're complimenting Steiner."
Zidane smirked at the young brunette; she was talking a little more. The reason for that was because the people Melodi was going to be traveling with were her comrades. In every mission that she needed to partner up with someone, she always made sure they had her back. This wasn't any different. Even if she had to mask it a bit, she acted social, sometimes even cheery to gain the trust of her comrades and for them to loosen up a bit for her. She had to know the person she was working with. She hadn't done it when the mission to kidnap Dagger started, because she didn't anticipate for any of that ordeal to happen.
"Why are you smirking at me?" she asked, still looking at Zidane. "You better not flirt in front of me."
"Hey, last time I checked," he said, pointing to himself. "I was the one who won the hunt."
Mel sighed and smiled a bit. Deep down she was glad to be with Zidane and Vivi, and it was just a shame that Dagger had to sneak away. Their little gang was separated, but she hoped they would be reunited. She hoped that Dagger would be near.
ȶ
The gang had reached Gizamaluke's Grotto, and Freya was able to see a little farther than the rest, and noticed two Burmecian soldiers lying on the ground. She gasped, and ran as fast as she could. The three other followed behind, and Zidane frowned. She clutched her hand together, withholding the option of just punching the wall. She turned around and looked at the three. "The black mages! Who are they?"
Vivi stood silently, and didn't know what to say. He stuttered some words but still didn't know what to say. Zidane looked over to him, and told him it wasn't his fault. Freya shook her head, and looked at the young mage. "Vivi, aren't they your—"
She stopped for a moment, and looked ahead. She had better things to worry about, like the king. She gasped and told everyone that the king could be in danger, and quickly ran inside. Zidane and Vivi ran in after her, but the former stopped when he noticed Mel looking at the entrance. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"I hope Dagger is doing fine," she said, looking towards Zidane. "She most likely had to come through here."
Although she had no doubt that Dagger would be fine, the fact that there was someone trying to cause war worried her. They found out that the barrels hoarding the mages were from Alexandria, so could the queen really be it? What if there was someone helping the queen? Melodi shook her head, and hoped that nothing serious was going to happen. She looked over to Zidane and they continued on.
Once they reached inside, they saw another soldier dead. Freya explained that he had used a bell to get through the grotto, and gave it to her. They nodded and proceeded through. The king was in the palace, so they also needed to hurry. When they walked into the next room, the gang were met with two jesters. They were small, and one wore pink while the other wore blue. They talked about how they seemed to know Zidane and Melodi, but at the same time didn't. It didn't matter to them however, since they called out the mages to kill them.
It was hard to kill the mages only because of Vivi and his feelings towards them, but he suppressed them, and knew he needed to kill them. Luckily, they weren't hard to kill, and in a matter of hits they were down. When they looked up to the jesters, they merely laughed, and ran away.
"Okay...?" Zidane said, putting away his weapons. Melodi raised an eyebrow, and wondered who they were. Vivi kept silent, and Freya told them they needed to hurry up, so they did. They made their way through a lot of areas, until they found themselves in a room where there was water all around. They saw another Burmecian soldier on the ground, and quickly made their way towards him.
"Are you alright!?" Freya asked, worried for the poor soldier. He barely spoke, but he warned Freya that the master of this place, Master Gizamaluke, had gone mad and was under control of the black mages. As soon as Freya could say anything, a serpent had passed through one of the tunnels, and everyone prepared. He jumped out and growled at everyone, and almost instantly a battle broke out.
Freya immediately used her jumping abilities, and Vivi went straight into casting. Zidane and Melodi focused on simple attacks. Zidane occasionally used his thief abilities on the serpent and when Vivi went into trance he used his double casting abilities. It was weird that everyone had gone into their trance state once, but Mel still didn't. She didn't know why exactly, but she felt like it was because she had no overwhelming emotions. The only time she got close was when black waltz no. 3 slaughtered all the other mages, but that was it. She didn't worry too much though, since it didn't really hinder her abilities.
A few more spells, and a few more jumping abilities from Vivi and Freya brought down the serpent. He fell towards the water, and didn't rise back up. Everyone took a chance to catch their breath and strength, and Freya looked at the water. "What happened to Master Gizamaluke...?"
"It can't be helped," Melodi said as she walked closer to the water. "We need to hurry to the king and Dagger."
ȶ
Steiner walked towards the entrance to the south gate. He had been carrying a basket full of unknown contents, and hoped to cross the border with it. Once he crossed the gate, he would be in Alexandrian territory. He walked slowly towards the entrance, and two guards stopped him and asked what his purpose was for visiting.
"I heard workers were needed to fix South Gate," he said. "I brought my belongings so that I might live and work here."
The guards were exceptionally glad that Steiner was there to help, and told him of the situation. The guard then stated they needed to check the man's bag for regulations, and Steiner grew a little hesitant. Nonetheless, he brought down his little basket, and placed it on the floor. The guards thanked him, and started looking through it. As they did they mentioned to Steiner that the police were looking for a girl and a middle-aged man, specifically, Dagger and Steiner. He continued on and mentioned something about the queen that Steiner didn't like, but he kept his composure.
One of the guards started freaking out, and the other asked what was wrong. "W-What is that!? What are those...those...rotten things! Are they poison!?"
"Rotten? I'm not carrying anything that's rotting...," Steiner said as he scratched his head in confusion. The other guard snorted to himself, and told the shorter guard that it was his least favorite food in the basket, the Lindblum delicacy, gysahl pickles. He was surprised how many he brought with him, and Steiner replied how he couldn't start his day without them. The guard waved his hand, and let the knight pass through.
Steiner passed through and whispered to the basket that they had gone through. He looked around, and needed to find a secure place to drop the basket. He looked around and found it, got rid of a man and a woman in the area, and walked towards it. When was good to go, he dropped the basket, and spoke. "Tis foolishness! If all were so easy, why, none would suffer in this world!"
"Steiner...?" a soft voice was heard from the basket. "Is it okay for me to come out?"
With the good to go, Dagger began to come out. Steiner kept out on watch, and when she was all done she left and looked at Steiner. He turned towards her, and saluted her as he called her princess. She placed her hands on her hips, and furrowed her eyebrows. "You have to call me Dagger until we reach Treno. Don't salute me, either."
Steiner agreed and the both started heading towards the cable car. With it reaching the summit, both Dagger and Steiner would soon be at Alexandria. She sighed, and also mentioned how she didn't need anyone's help. She lowered her eyes however, and had wished that Melodi was able to go with her. She knew that Mel wouldn't have approved though, so she had no choice but to knock her out along with the rest.
The pair went inside the cable car, and found a seat to sit. As the train began to move, Dagger looked out the window. Steiner had complimented her intelligence and courage, and how they got so far. She shook her head, and figured it would've been what anyone would do. She knew both Zidane and Melodi would have thought of that and she started thinking about them. Somewhere deep down in her heart, Dagger knew there was something coming out of the friendship between those two. She smiled to herself and wondered what they were doing. Did Mel end up going with the others towards Burmecia? How was Zidane doing and Vivi doing? She sighed, and hoped everyone was okay.