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Author's note

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Chapter 27 - Stories


Author's Note

Hi there!

Glad to see some people are still reading this :D

Anyway, have fun!


Disclaimer

Final Fantasy IX (and all related content) belongs to Square Soft/Square Enix.


Chapter 27 - Stories

"The answer is always in the entire story, not a piece of it." J. Harrison


Mikoto sat up in her bed and patted the mattress with a wrapped hand, indicating Zidane to sit. She knew what questions troubled him, but decided to wait until he voiced them, be it verbally or mentally.

"Who were this people... and what are they to us?"

As soon as he had finished his question, a wild flood of images, scraps of conversations and confused emotions almost overwhelmed Mikoto. She struggled for some time, before her own calm reached through Zidane's troubled thoughts and the onslaught ebbed away.

The picture of the Terran family was still present, but the most persistent image was of a lifeless blond woman laying on the floor, surrounded by her own blood.

Mikoto took a deep breath. Slowly she replaced the dark memory with happier ones: The woman singing to her little son; touching her rounded stomach longingly; watching her husband returning from work. The woman's face was hidden in all pictures.

When he was relaxed enough to lay down on the mattress, legs and hair hanging over the bed frame, she began to tell him. Little scenes flashed in front of his eyes.

"At a time before Terra's last life-circle expired and before Garland became Keeper of the Ancient Souls, there lived a man with great dreams.

He wanted for all Terrans to be free and equal, regardless of their birthplace. And he was not alone. Together with his wife and friends, he fought for things that Gaians cannot imagine not having: sunlight, plants, and soil. But those elements where almost extinct on the metallic stages that lead away from the toxic surface.

His popularity grew, and soon he was elected as the district's spokesman. It was a great victory for him, but the final straw for the government to take charge."

Zidane's tail had left the rolled up position on his stomach to beat against the blanket.

Granted, Mikoto wasn't the greatest storyteller – too matter of factly -, but never the less he was drawn into the story.

"When they came to arrest him, he came willingly under the promise of his family's physical integrity. Instead of taking him to a prison, his destination was a laboratory of the highest technological level." Mikoto's voice grew quieter,"What happened at that place, I have no knowledge of. But it was not quite enough to break his soul."

Silence.

Zidane waited, but eventually changed his position so that he now lay on his stomach and had a clear view of her face. He had meant to remind her of his presents, but something in her mimic made it look like this story was more personal than expected.

"What did they do?" he asked in a whisper, having to know what had changed this revolutionary man into the Ancient's obedient puppet.

"They killed his wife brutally and put the blame on his son Joseph. At that time, Garland believed in everything the scientists told him."

He gulped. Yes, that would turn even the most strong-minded man against his own beliefs.

Once again the image of the young boy – a completely innocent version of Kuja – finding his mother in a sea of crimson... The thought this scene had triggered when he first saw it in Mikoto's mind resurfaced.

"That woman... is you." Zidane was trapped between shock and fascination.

"Yes and no. I was created in her image, as were all Genomes of the sixth generation, as were you."

Her tone closed the conversation on this particular topic. He knew better than to argue with her right now, but was certain she too had noticed that her similarities to Garland's wife were more than just skin deep.

"Why do you think everyone but Garnet, Blank and me weren't affected by the... whatever that Dream-Catcher-thing did to everyone else inside the castle?"

"I doubt you three were the only ones that were unaffected, but it's just a hypothesis. I need more evidence to be certain, then I'll tell you."


All of Alexandria was excited about the royal wedding. And when this particular brand of people was excited, they tended to talk a lot more than usual – which was a record by itself.

Many found their way into the capital this close to the rare event, which made the streets appear even smaller, but brought a lot of money into the inn keeper's pockets.

The castle was also crowded by high ranked guests that had traveled far and wide to witness the ceremony. It was close to madness if one tried to keep track of the number of people leaving and entering the halls, that no one noticed the gray cloaked figure on it's way to town


When Blank woke in a room that definitely wasn't his (for he absolutely did not own the pair of pink undergarments hanging on a laundry line above him!), he had to think hard what exactly he was doing in a bed that smelled unmistakeably of Ruby's perfume.

As he watched the sun until it had found the right angle to shine through the window, he decided it was time to get up and ready for the day – or whatever was left of it.

He hissed in pain as he tried to bend down to get into his boots. His hands automatically reached to the sensible part of his ribcage.

The staircase creaked, a sure sign someone was coming his way.

Great timing!, he thought morosely.

Hastily he placed a well practiced mask on his face and stood straight, taking only small breaths. The last thing he needed, was anyone to worry about him.

A knock echoed through the room, but before he could even reach the door, the knob turned and Mikoto walked in, dressed in her gray apprentice cloak with the small infinity symbol – a golden snake biting it's own tail – and a wicker basket in her hand.

He was glad she seemed to do better, but thought she should have known not to walk around like that.

"Oh, it's you."

She nodded, but didn't return his halfhearted greeting. Instead she scrutinized him with keen eyes and frowned in disapproval.

"You know I can see through the act." she stated.

"I don't know what you mean. How are you, are the wounds better already?" he asked, trying unsuccessfully to change the topic away from himself. Secretly, he was convinced she truly could through his act, something only a handful of people accomplished.

She pushed the sleeves of her tunic up her arm to give him a clear view of two pinkish lines on the outside of her forearms where she had blocked the blades. None of the superficial scrapes were visible.

"Good that you are unharmed, because otherwise, this - " she poke the exact spot on his ribs that seemed to have taken the most damage with her index finger, sending an intense wave of pain through his body, which made him automatically protect his torso with both arms,"would hurt. Yes, good thing you are unharmed." she added sarcastically, pressing him gently - yet firmly - back on the bed.

Without hesitation she began to open the buttons on his shirt. He might have blushed if it hadn't been for her professionalism, since it didn't happen everyday someone took his cloths off.

The right side of his ribcage was a mess of dark violet blotches, that made his bi-colored skin look almost monotone.

Mikoto carefully touched the skin with her fingertips to find the tender spots.

"A little more to the right." Blank guided her, knowing the blond wouldn't back off without a proper treatment.

Stubbornness appeared to be a Tribal family trait.

Mikoto opened a flask from her basket and applied the balm to the bruises to quicken the healing process.

He took a slow breath through his nose.

The medicine smelled of Mountain Arnica, Marigold and Conker. He grinned inwardly by the thought that potion-makers tended to use plant extracts with the most exotic names to archive the same result as healers did with the most common of herbs and flowers.

During the treatment, he noticed just how close she was. It gave him a good look at the black eye she had gotten only last night, and the way it looked to be several days old already. He guessed it would be almost gone by the time Zidane got married.

This might have caused suspicion among other people, but he had seen enough of Zidane's wounds heal literally over night to be surprised. If it was something he had to know, he'd be told sooner or later.

While she worked on his injuries, Mikoto had no choise but to notice that the brusque stitched scars he had displayed during his part in 'I want to be your canary' were missing. Instead the dark parts of his skin went smoothly over into light skin.

Before she could find herself in speculating thoughts, she decided to concentrate on applying the cotton bandages with just the right amount of pressure that would minimize the pain when he breathed. She could always ask him at an other time.

When she was done, she handed him his shirt and began to pack her belongings back into the basket.

"Thank you for protecting him... again." she said, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

He shrugged, pleased with the effect her bandages had on his mobility,"I'd do anything to protect those I care about."

Mikoto evaded his look. She nodded slightly and turned towards the door.

"Please, wait." he called after her, convinced that she hadn't caught his meaning.

She stopped, but didn't face him.

"You know that includes you, right?"

She turned in his direction and looked him straight in the eye. When she found nothing but serenity, she smiled.

"Everything ready for tonight?" she asked in an upbeat tone.


"Come with me, pleeeeeeeeeeeease." Zidane urged.

"Zidane, we can't just... It isn't..." she tried to collect her thoughts, which wasn't an easy tasked considering he looked at her like an excited child, whose bubble she was about to pop,"What will the people think, when they find out we are both missing?"

"Ouh, don't worry so much, it'll give you white hair! Rusty will just have to get a little creative, once he finds out." he shrugged.

"You are impossible!" she closed the balcony door mere millimeters from his nose and selfconsciously checked her hair in the mirror.

Zidane didn't mind being where he was.

Somehow Garnet seemed it fitting to let him stay at the balcony, since he had the tendency to use it as a regular entrance anyway. Truth was, he enjoyed the extra exercise he got when he climbed up here, and it was something special between the two of them.

In addition the curtain covered glass doors presented him with something the regular one – a thick wooden one with iron inlays – just didn't: a diffuse image of Garnet getting dressed.

After the wedding – when it was unlikely she'd shut him off, unless he really pissed her off – he would make sure to replace the thin chiffon drapery.


The escape from the palace had become a routine and they were already on their way to Ruby's before anyone even noticed one of them was gone.

Dagger felt confident in the streets now, and knew the once seemingly labyrinth-like build pathways pretty well. She felt a better connection to her people when she walked among them without being recognized. She had found so may things at odds she'd never have learned of otherwise.

'They are glad you are already doing so much for them that they probably don't want to burden you with more.' Zidane had said. But she felt like she owed them so much more because of what they had had to endure in the past.

When they entered the otherwise empty theater, they were greeted by Ruby with hugs that would have done enough damage to incapacitate a weak monster, before she vanished from view.

"Ruby! You forgot your -" Marcus called after her, holding a shoe, that looked almost like a doll's in his big hands.

"Oh, you're already here." he greeted them with the traditional Tantalus salute, taking a second look at the open door the actress had run into, before performing a well practiced throw that catapulted the shoe right inside the room.

A short time later the couple was seated on a lovely decorated round table with a candle, sea shells, wild flowers and other small keepsakes that reminded them of their adventure. A second table was filled with deliciously smelling food.

The stage before them was lit, and Baku walked in front of the curtain to welcome them.

"Since Her Majesty" he made her title sound more casual than any nickname he could have come up with,"had never had the opportunity to enjoy a Tantalus performance of "I want to be your canary", we organized an unabridged play without interruptions, be it kidnapping, escapes, crashes or other surprises." he bowed and winked at Garnet before leaving the stage.

The play began, showing Ruby - in her usual role as Cornelia – standing seemingly bored, yet dutifully next to her father's throne.

The small theater's stage set was of course not as grand as the Prima Vista's, but had gained it's own charm from the many details that were visible from the short distance of the pair's seats.


The scene changed to Cornelia in her chamber.

Garnet was surprised as she recognized the girl playing the role of Marie, Cornelia's handmaid.

Mikoto's hair had been braided and pinned around her head, and she managed to look extremely dignified in the simple maid's uniform.

Marie comped her mistress' hair when Marcus – alias Blank - suddenly entered the room via the window.

"Marcus..." the younger woman whispered.

A shocked silence followed, until Cornelia hastily began to beseech the blond, who was already halfway to the door to inform the king of the intruder.

"Marie, I beg of thou! Pledge thy word thou must not tell anyone!"

"As you wish, princess." the maid bowed, casting one last look at the man standing in the shadows.

The lovers embraced and Marcus told his Cornelia of the plan, that would allow them to be together in the open without fear.


Finally the moon had risen on the third night after Marcus' last visit and Cornelia prepared to meet her beloved down at the decks where a small boot would wait for them.

She tiptoed down a hallway, when a small group of guards asked her to come with them to the thrown room. She tried in vain to escape their clutches, but was easily caught.

"Daughter of mine!" the king greeted her with an exuberant gesture.

"Father, what is the meaning of all this?"

"Harsh words for a bonny child such as thou." he chided,"This can only be the reprehensible influence of this Marcus! But fear not, I shall end his miserable life before the sun's rising in the east."

The princess paled visibly, searching for the right words that would protect her lover. Instead a weak 'How?' was all she could muster.

King Leo laughed evily and walked closer to the door. The small figure of Marie become visible, having been hidden behind the ruler's heavy stature.

"You!" the princess hissed with a mixture of hate, fear and anger in her voice.

Somehow, Garnet suddenly found the role of the traitorous maid very fitting for Mikoto. Some part of her knew that the lingering resentment she bore in regard of the Terran was unjustified and outdated, but the hurt and despair she had endured for almost a whole year - after her fears of Zidane's death had been seemingly confirmed by the blond - still hunted her with nightmares.

But she also remembered a conversation she had had with Mikoto less than two weeks ago, had given her a new respect for her as a person.

It had been the day when the delivery doves from Lindblum had returned home to their nests.

This exchange of birds possessed a history of more than two hundred years and was held on to to symbolize the friendship of the continent's nations, although their original purpose was now transferred to the moogles.

Several of the young males had already found their mates at the feeding place and were enthusiastically greeted by their partner and offsprings, that had hedged since their departure.

"Do you know why they return each time?"

Garnet turned around startled to find Mikoto standing right behind her. She had her bow in one hand and an quiver full of arrows strapped to her back.

The queen shook her head.

"If they were free, they would never separate from the covey for such a long time-span. The reason that makes them return on the fastest way possible is the fear that their mates might have chosen someone else they deemed more compatible in their absence.

Garnet knew from the look the smaller woman gave her, that they had long since dropped the topic concerning the birds that fluttered and curred around them.

"Do you truly believe I would ever do that?"

Mikoto shrugged nonchalantly.

"The Gaian heart is fickle. Just be aware of the destructive power you hold over him and know there will be no mercy should you ever misuse it." she didn't say it in a harsh way, but the seriousness behind her words was undeniable,"Good day."

As Garnet watched the retreating form of her sister-in-law-to-be, she was stupefied. The most confusing part was, that she didn't even feel offended. Instead she felt almost – almost – glad to have seen this new aspect of the girl's personality.

Apparently she cared a lot more for Zidane on a personal level than she had realized, enough to openly threaten Alexandria's queen in her own castle.

This certainly demanded some kind of respect.


Cornelia's heart broken sobs had replaced her angry cries, and she let herself sink to the ground.

She knew there was no way of escape with several guards in front of her door. Tomorrow Marcus would be dead, and prince Schneider was already on his way to make her his bride.

A soft knock was heard from somewhere else than the door or window. Unsure the princess looked around. Another knock.

"Enter, whoever thee may be."

A small part of the wall was opened, and Marie's petite form crawled out of the hole, bowing before her mistress, whose mimic changed immediately from helplessness to vengeance.

"I beg of thee, kind mistress. I did wrong, but the time has not yet reached the point when it is too late to save dear Marcus' life. Follow this path to gain freedom."

Cornelia hesitated. Could she truly trust this woman?

"Prithee Milady, thou must make hast!"

The clinging sound of running knights echoed through the chamber. Just as the princess vanished behind the wall, Marie throw the door shut with all her might.

The men entered and all actors froze in place. The light went out.

A bloodcurdling scream resounded all around, ending as abruptly as if cut with a knife.


The curtain fell.

The audience's enthusiastic applause made up for their tiny amount.

"Curtain call!" Zidane shouted between whistles.

Baku, Ruby, Blank, Mikoto, Marcus and all the other actors ran back on stage, locked hands and bowed to the pair.

The couple laughed and clapped their hands together until it became to painful to continue.


After the long time inside the warm theater, the early spring night felt like jumping in an iced over lake and the light drizzle did everything but help.

Dagger was never the less in a splendid mood.

She had always loved Lord Avon's plays, but she had never known any group of actors personally to appreciate their talents too. Seeing Marcus – who she had come to know as the 'dependable rock' of the group – as side-changing traitor, or two people who usually were like cats and dogs, acting as lovers...it was simply fascinating.

"Those two were amazing together!" she blurred out, feeling like she might explode if she didn't voice her excitement right then.

Zidane grinned and put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"Yep, they are great actors." his grin widened as he remembered another play were the two had been put in the role of lovers,"Once they had like the fight, they didn't speak with each other for weeks – no kidding, it was awful! - but on stage they were the most romantic and perfect couple you'd ever seen."

"Did they ever... go on a relationship?" she found it hard to ask directly, but curiosity got the better of her.

"Well, yeah, they have. At some time after the war, I can't belief I missed it! The whole gang had started bedding on how long it would take them to date since they met like eight years ago."

"But?"

"But it obviously didn't work out. At least they seem to have settled some things, because they are now a lot... let's say less confrontational. Those two have always been close and it shows on stage, but now they are even closer in a different way. In Lindblum they'd say they're 'thick as thieves'" he laughed and she joint in.

"Did you know Mikoto was going to perform, too?"

"If I had, I'd have chained her to her bed, belieeef me." he looked like he still thought of it as a good plan, but then his voice turned proud,"She did excellent, didn't she?"

"She was very convincing." Garnet agreed.


"You can go to bed, Thomas, I won't need your help tonight."

The boy nodded obediently, put his empty bole to the other dirty dishes in a bucket, bowed respectfully to his mistress and went up the stairs to find a nice soft spot in the attic's haystack.

"Beatrix."

The woman turned as Adelbert Steiner entered the small house. He was dressed very casually, in a way no one would have guessed he was of high rank. She went over to him and plucked a yellow feather off his shoulder.

"He begins to mold." she stated, frowning at Choco's soft down.

This would make things even more complicated.

"How was your day, did the boy follow his duties?"

She nodded curtly.

Asking about the young servant was always one of the first things he did on his visits.

Thomas was an orphan the healer Melissa had asked to be placed into the servant's quarters of the palace. As the situation had called for it, the queen herself had persisted to give him into Beatrix's personal employment. His reward would someday be to be given to a knight, where he would receive knight-training – if he behaved honorable at all times.

She had the feeling Adelbert showed so much interest in him, because he might consider the boy for himself.

"I heard what happened at the castle."

Her calm was more unsettling than her infamous temper. Either she was truly indignant or – by a vanishingly low chance – she finally heeded the healer's demand to stay away from all kinds of stress.

"What happened? From what I heard, Her Majesty had to be protected by a foreign thief, from her own guards!" she had lost her forcefully calm tone somewhere between 'what' and 'happened'.

He had long since learned that being with a strong, temperamental woman put a great toll on his mental stamina. Therefore he let her steam off all the frustration she felt for being absent during the events, before explaining anything.

But when she suddenly took a deep painful breath followed by a suppressed whimper, he was right at her side and guided her to the close by rocking chair.

Her face was ashen and her breathing labored.

"What...? I...? Should...?" the knight stammered in panic.

Beatrix slowly rolled her head along the headrest.

"Fine... Already... past." she managed and opened her eyes.

Adelbert nodded, but kept a skeptical eye on her, just in case . Of course he knew that he wouldn't be of any help, but watching felt at least like doing something useful.

"I will get the herbs." he stroke her hand again, before starting the fire to boil water for the tea.


"More questions?" a voice asked without disturbing the hall's silence

Zidane nodded before opening his sister's door. She would certainly know his answer anyway, what else would bring him to her chamber at this ungodly hour?

He joined her her on the balcony, where she bathed in the moons' pale light.

"Is it over? Has it just begun?"

Mikoto followed his view until it lead her to the peaceful looking red orb. He felt a sense of longing through their connection.

"There is more to come. Terra is rising." she said, sharing parts of her memory with him of the time she was with the Dream Catcher.

"'Three is the charm', that's it? We fight two more times and are free of Garland's freaky tools?"

She glared at him for his display of disrespect towards their creator, but hold her tongue, knowing it was useless to argue with him.

"I am not sure," she told him honestly,"But something else is gaining power... Those voices..." goosebumps rose on her skin,"They were unimaginatively old and powerful."

"Is it save for us to stay?"

Mikoto shook her head.

"Maybe if we leave..." his voice broke off.

She shook her head again,"They have known of her existence ever since she first took a step on Terra. The best thing you can do is to stay at her side and protect her."

"You never told me what you really think of her."

Mikoto opened her mouth to answer, but closed it without having said a word.


A long chapter for a long wait. I hope you liked it and leave me a little note.