Chapter 9: Twin moons rising
Tsukiakari ni moeru koi no hana: The flower of love that grows in moonlight
- Aki Kuroda, Utikisama (The Moon), for FFX
"Captain, we found a safe place and are in the process of landing now in Damcyan Kingdom Desert," a flight crew member shouted over the engine room noise as he threw the engine room door open.
Hearing the airship propellors slow down and feeling the lurch as the airship landed, Aria, Roland, and Tyrell ran over to the rest of the regiment aboard where the airship gangplank that was being lowered to reach the ground.
"Be glad, you're not land-sick, Laurel," Roland laughed.
"I'll manage," she responded.
"But she is water-sick and we might be taking a boat," Tyrell added. "Captain says we will probably taking the airship's emergency canoe if we can't find means of local transportation."
"Seasick, you mean?" Roland corrected.
"Yeah, whatever," Tyrell responded.
"Landlubber it is," Roland guffawed. "Maybe you're not cut out to be on the Red Wings quite yet."
Once the regiment exited, the soldiers watched as the captain shouted some other orders. A line of caravans began loading into the cargo what could fit. Taking in the sight of everything around her, Aria felt a chill as she saw an almost endless shoreline extending in an undulating line from north to south. To the north, a brilliant blue bay marked where Damcyan castle stood. In the shoals where they had landed in the south lay badly damaged docks and the edge of the town had evidence of a flood or possibly hurricane. Fortunately, Damcyan town was far enough inland away from the ports to not suffer too much damage. I guess they won't be trading with Troia anytime soon, Aria thought. Just glad I won't have to travel on any boats. Last time I did, almost everyone died, she remembered, relieved that Roland and Tyrell were there to distract her from her unsettling memories at sea.
"Looks like the earthquake we saw from the Mist has far-reaching effects," Roland noted.
"I wonder what's going on with those people in white headdresses and brown robes entering the airship?" Aria pondered. "It almost looks like a type of mage minus the headdresses."
"Oh, I take it you've never been to the Kaipo before. That's a first to me for someone your age. Every Baronian I have ever known has been to Kaipo on vacation at least once," Roland commented, unwittingly making Aria uncomfortable.
Of course, I've never been there, having only travelled with the Triad Pirates a few times as a young child. Triad, obviously meaning they targeted Baron, Mysidia, and Eblan ships which formed the Triad around Agart where their base of operations was located, she thought with a wry expression.
"They must be merchants, carrying all that stuff," Tyrell responded. "That's the standard garb for travelling in the desert."
"It's true. I don't do a lot traveling," Aria replied, hoping the conversation about her past would end there.
"Baron's boring. I don't see how anyone can live there and never be out of the kingdom once. I think once we get promoted to Red Wings, we'll be travelling all over," Roland responded. "I do hope to visit Troia one day."
Aria inwardly shuddered at the thought of being discovered.
"Just don't go to Mysidia," Tyrell reminded her. "It's got the reputation of a pretentious mage town. As much as they hate us and pretend they're not part of Baron's territories, they really are an extension of Baron. Even before our invasion, they were always suspicious of Baron's military, frequently turning soldiers into pigs, frogs, or mini people."
"I'll keep that in mind," Aria laughed, knowing it was a terrible idea for her to travel by sea. She knew a good number of mages from Mysidia that matched the description. They always believed that their natural magic ability was better than other cities, which was definitely true for Black Magic but not for White Magic, which Baron excelled in, or Time Magic, which Troia excelled in.
Hearing the Captain shout for the soldiers to get in their formation, the three got in line.
"We just landed by Damcyan Shoals and I sent the airships that landed before us ahead to make a deal with the local merchants to get to Kaipo so we won't be needing the emergency canoes," the regiment captain began. "In exchange for letting us use their hovercrafts to get to Damcyan Desert West, they'll be getting a free trip to Baron. Sounds pretty good to me. And Golbez won't get mad at me for going over the budget for this."
Some of the soldiers chuckled at that.
Several hours later around dusk, the twin moon had just begun to appear distinctly in the cloudless purple sky. The soldiers had just arrived and were setting up camp in Damcyan Desert West from the small hovercraft, leaving the Damcyan port far behind them. The ride had been a bit bumpy, but Aria was glad it didn't make her airsick.
"Now that most of you have set up your tents, here are the orders for tomorrow," the regiment captain announced. "Since we will be getting real-life experiences battling monsters as we travel to Kaipo, you won't be doing your daily training regimen."
Many of the soldiers cheered at that. I'd rather battle a monster, than something humanoid like the dwarf or even worse, a child, Aria thought, not feeling the same as the other soldiers of her regiment.
"Other than that," he continued with a stern expression. "We need to move as fast as chocobos. I fear the rumors are true – that a blue or green-haired summoner is on the loose. We don't want to report back to Baron that the summoner has not been captured or killed. Worse yet if the captain and the summoner already fled Kaipo."
"Kaipo is a vacation spot for many Baronians. Completing our mission ensures Baron's safety as well. Wouldn't want to find a mountain where an oasis once was," the Captain muttered. "I'm sure we are doing good for Kaipo as well."
"Is there any other information you could tell us about the summoner besides hair color and gender?" one of the soldiers asked.
"So that we know who to investigate," another solider added.
The regiment captain paused as if withholding something important.
"Still pestering me about that?" he responded, looking at all of them accusingly since multiple soldiers has asked him about it earlier. "I'll let you know as soon we enter Kaipo. According to Golbez, that information is classified until we get to Kaipo. Even after the mission, you can't tell anyone where you've gone, except that it was an expedition to the North."
"What if-," Tyrell spoke up hesitantly. "What if one of us or you gets killed in action?"
"We are dealing with a dangerous summoner who caused two major natural disasters, after all," Roland added. Based on their expressions, the other soldiers all seemed have similar concerns.
"Simple," the captain replied. "The rest of you scram. If any of you die, we need to report the casualties and results our mission to our superiors, namely Acting Captain Golbez or Captain Baigan. I will do my best to ensure that will not happen. It would be a pity to die before receiving the red armor and regalia of the Red Wings. If I die, which is unlikely, you will probably be confused how the battle formation should go when dealing with someone that dangerous. It would be best to flee if you get the chance. We need at least one soldier from our regiment to survive to report back to the king in my place. I made sure you all have a copy of the map the locals gave me for the route between Kaipo and Damcyan."
Naturally, when talking about death, most of the soldiers become quiet, probably having never experienced any serious danger when patrolling the halls of Baron castle. Guarding the perimeter of Baron castle or town was typically relegated to the dragoons. None of these soldiers had any experience in war unlike the dragoons, dark knights, and Red Wings.
"Sleep well," the regiment captain said finally after answering their questions about the mission. "We won't need to be rotating for guard duty like before since tents provide magical protection to ward off monsters."
Checking that everyone else was in their tent, Aria quickly went back to her tent, eager to get out of her armor after her task with Rosa.
"Finally," Aria whispered to herself in her own tent. Since the other half of the regiment had great success with recovering one of the captains, the regiment captain had been extravagant. He purchased tents for everyone instead of grouping them up into a few tents.
Opening her bag, the red and white frog hopped out. Aria cast Frog on the creature, transforming it back into the familiar strawberry blonde-haired mage.
"How are you faring?" Aria asked in a low whisper, noticing the obvious signs of stress. "We just arrived in Damcyan Desert West by hovercraft and are planning to swiftly travel to Kaipo in the coming day or days ahead."
"I'm alright," Rosa replied at the same volume. "I had the journey easy – didn't even get sand on my shoes so far. You, on the other hand, look really drained."
"I am," Aria responded. "I'm out of ethers and keeping you as Frog for such a long time has been constantly draining my magic. Didn't even get a chance to pray to restore my magic."
"Why don't I do just that for you before I leave tonight?" Rosa offered, with a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Agreeing and sitting across from the white mage, Aria felt a strong burst of restorative white magic course through her body as Rosa prayed, healing both body and magic.
"Thank you," Aria acknowledged, feeling restored.
"It's the least that I could do for someone who has already helped me so much," Rosa addressed. "And again, I know your situation and will help you escape Baron if it becomes difficult for you. Beyond that, I would like to help you in Troia but since Leonora has been sent back, it might be out of my realm for now. I know we've rarely talked as classmates but after what you've done for my fiancé and I, I really do consider you a friend."
"Maybe you can invite me to your wedding," Aria joked, hoping to ease Rosa's mind.
"I will," Rosa replied. "And you too will find love one day after you retire from service as an epopt, I'm sure."
"I'm just glad you're a white mage," Aria stated, feeling uncomfortable to talk about life after being an epopt after she hardly started. "When I pray, it never restores as much health since I'm primarily trained as a red mage to fulfill the same class of the previous epopt. I've always wanted to be a sage like Anna or a more advanced class."
"You definitely should," Rosa encouraged her. "Come to Baron to complete your studies if you get a chance."
"White magic," Aria considered. "My aptitude was always better than Black Magic. Still, it's a delicate balance of mages the Council of Epopts must maintain. It's not exactly a choice I can make without seeking their counsel."
"You would make a fine white mage," Rosa urged her. "Though I may be a little biased towards White Magic."
"Well, it would be nice to talk longer but I think now's a good time to sneak out while everyone's asleep," Aria interrupted. "Do you need to borrow any of my potions for the journey?"
"No, I'm at full health after praying," Rosa answered. "What I really need is a better state of mind."
"You fear for Cecil's safety," Aria stated.
"The problem is even larger than that. Before Cecil was given the extra mission to deliver some ring, he told me he was scheduled for a mission in Damcyan Castle. Commander Golbez, the head of the dark knights, who had been gone for a long time, reemerged with a strange request to transfer the king's power into Cecil for him to master his class as a dark knight. I was to be the white mage on call in case of complications. Cecil's previous training in Darkness as a dark knight was mainly mental exercises, never a power infusion. I did not get the chance to explain to him the dangers if he agreed to this when he returns," Rosa shook her head.
"What do you mean by dangers?" Aria probed, feeling more curious than hurried to get Rosa to leave in secret. "It is common knowledge that most melee classes naturally deplete the Spirit unless there are magic exercises to avoid it."
"As far as textbook knowledge goes, transferring power is only known to be done when one's power is most potent, which is usually right after one dies. Such a procedure I have never heard of to transfer power of the living. The intent of Golbez seems to be a clear danger to the king and an unknown danger to Cecil," Rosa frowned. "Something sinister may be at large."
"It does strike me as strange," Aria agreed. "although being in the dark knight class isn't inherently bad. I'll admit that I do not really know all the rites of passage for a dark knight or what is normal."
"I'm not trying to start a conspiracy but I think the king's life is at risk and Cecil is the only one to stop evil from rising in the dark knights."
"I know there can't be faith without works. Prayer alone can't save Cecil. I need him by my side. The solution relies on me getting there on time and not merely running into trouble, making things worse for him."
"I will be praying for you to be reunited with Cecil soon. You may not have much faith but my pendant has allowed me persistently sense the strength of your convictions – a strong brightness like a crystal. All the time that I've sensed a presence on the airship or in my bag, I noticed it. Mother Gaia gave you your magical aptitude and you your honed your magical abilities. However, these will not help you if you don't find peace during your journey and stress excessively over Cecil's wellbeing. Instead, I worry it will take a toll on your health and your ability to battle. May the peace of Gaia be with you," Aria blessed her.
Rosa nodded with a serious expression though not without her own doubts in Aria's advice. The white mage believed her message to be kind yet not the full picture.
"Let me just do one final sweep of the camp to make sure no one's walking about before you leave, okay? And take my map as well, even though you'll be following us," Aria suggested.
Once Rosa was on her own outside the camp, she looked at the twin moons that were shining brightly, indicating that it was late in the night. The twin moons are like us. You are the larger moon and I am the smaller moon because that's how much I think of you, Rosa remembered from a cheesy note Cecil had handed to her because he was initially too shy to confess his love to her when they were preteens.
I've been here before. I know the monsters of this area when I came here last time a few years ago. No need to wait till tomorrow to follow the Army Corps like Aria suggested, Rosa assured herself as she set off on her journey.
The only thing I worry about is what if Cecil is already back at Baron and Golbez or another dark knight has come in contact with him already, Rosa considered. Then, it would be Kain in Kaipo, which while it would be nice to see if he's okay, she had long decided saving Cecil from a dark future was more important. There was a lot of pressure on the dark knights right now to evolve to meet the rising demands of the king since King Odin favored Cecil a lot. Kain, on the other hand, Rosa thought would be fine on his own since the king didn't prioritize dragoons highly after Ricard Highwind's death a decade ago. And so, believing Kain was not at great risk for being used by dark powers like Cecil was.
-~o`'*'`o~-
Meanwhile, Cecil woke up in the Infirmary in Baron after arriving by airship. He had to stay there a few days for the white mages to assess that he was okay. When Rosa was around, she always tried to treat him quickly enough that he wouldn't have to spend more than one day in the Infirmary. It was suspicious why none of the mages knew where she was or claimed she was at home visiting her mother.
"Captain Cecil-hrm, not sure I can call you captain just yet-" a middle-aged mage began uncertainly. "Anyway, I have good news for you: you are discharged from the Infirmary."
"Great. And I have one last important concern. Is Rosa here?" Cecil asked one of the mages for the third time today. "Please be honest with me. I'll deal with her."
The mage looked unsure but gave her best reply.
"I don't want to cause drama but she didn't tell us that she was leaving. We figured had to visit her mother back home," the mage informed him. "I thought she might have hitched a ride on the Red Wings escorting you back. That's the type of thing she would do. I really do not know. If you want, you could check with her mom in Baron city. Oh, that would worry her out too much for her old age though."
"Well there is something else," the mage continued. "It was supposed to be classified but one of the regiments of the Army Corps was celebrating wildly after they came back successful from Mist. I think I can tell you this since I know what it's like to be away from a loved one. Word got out, don't tell my husband Thorneburgh I'm telling you this, that a faction of his regiment of the Army Corps is still deployed on a mission to Kaipo. He didn't tell me the details, just that he only found one of the captains and they were on the lookout for the other one."
"Kain," Cecil said to himself. "Any other directives from the Acting Captain Golbez? I'm going to have a word with him today after briefing the king today."
"There was something strange," she added. "I don't know if he said this because he had a bit too much gin: Acting Captain was looking for a blue-haired woman and green-haired child. He said something about everyone with those hair colors is a sorceress or summons monsters, which is where he lost me. They caught the blue-haired woman. I don't know what that means. I guess he spared me the details."
"Well, thank you for being the only one to tell me anything," Cecil rose to his feet, a grave expression cast over his face after the additional information.
"One last thing," the woman advised, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Rosa loves you. Every white mage knows it. All your men know it. Maybe even the dragoons. If you really love her, don't do anything that will put her at risk. Quietly, get your position back and then eventually you'll find her. Knowing how capable she is, I'll bet she's okay."
"If she's with the rest of the deployed Army Corps," Cecil finished.
After bidding the one honest white mage farewell, he waited until he had been announced before entering the Throne Room. At this point, he was more anxious about Kain and Rosa than he was dealing with the rumored insane king and Golbez.
"My liege," the dark knight bowed.
"You may rise," the king ordered impatiently. "The Acting Captain Golbez, which I have installed in your absence, has aided me greatly as an advisor. Your report dictates whether or not you will relinquish your position. Go on."
Captain Baigan peered at Cecil cautiously from the foot of throne. Glancing over at the Acting Captain Golbez, Cecil could not see his facial expression as usual with a full set of dark knight armor. This was the opposite of Cecil, who always moved his visor up so the king could see his expressions rather than just his helmet.
"Kain and I were successful in delivering the Carnelian Signet to the Mist. Along the way there, we defeated a Mist Dragon in the Mist Cave that tried to stop us from passing. The dragon we defeated appeared to be the protector of Mist Village and was linked to the life of a blue-haired Mist woman."
Golbez exchanged a knowing glance with the king.
"So it would seem that Kain is more useful than we thought, having surpassed even his father in this task," Baigan addressed the king.
"Yes, yes," the king agreed. "Perhaps I have overlooked him."
"There were mishaps, weren't there?" Golbez questioned. "I sent the Red Wings to escort you back to Baron Castle and natural disasters have been tearing up the Damcyan region."
"When I released the Carnelian Signet in the Mist village, it had the effect of a dozen Bomb Fragments that unfortunately ravaged Mist village and burnt quite a bit of it to the ground," Cecil shook his head, still in disbelief. "Was that the intent of the ring?"
"Of course it was," the king responded indifferently. "You did well in defeating one of the Mist summoners. Not only did you defeat just any summoner, you defeated Risa, the Head Summoner of the village! This will surely send a message to Mist village about interfering with my plans. And even though it seems you haven't defeated her daughter in your report, she was probably too weak a summoner to cause us any troubles."
The king looked like he would dance for joy if not for the throne restricting his movement. The little girl was too weak, Cecil almost laughed, but was glad he did not accidentally mention her in his report.
"I am so pleased with you, Cecil, that you put aside your doubts and proved yourself quite loyal and capable for Baron," the king praised. "In fact, I hereby restore your position as Captain of the Red Wings. Golbez is my chief tactician so I promoted him to General to oversee all eight Corps of our military. See to it immediately, Baigan, that the message is delivered to the rest of the military."
"As you wish, my liege," Baigan agreed before exiting the throne room.
Tactician, Cecil questioned, imagining Kain's skeptical comment that would have arose if he was around. That sounds awfully warlike. Not at all like the king I grew up with.
"Now, you two," the king started. "I have an even greater honor to show you. Follow me."
Leading the two dark knights to one of the deep red curtains behind the throne, he lifted the curtains to reveal a dimly lit passageway.
Once the two had entered the room, the dark knights saw a large crystal room. At the center lay a luminous stone surrounded by a ring of eight pedestals, only one of which was filled with a crystal. To Cecil's horror, it was not just any stone, it was the Water Crystal he had forcibly taken from Mysidia. Why there were eight pedestals, Cecil wondered. He thought it was common knowledge that the world had only four crystals.
"Isn't this such a fantastic creation?" the king asked. "I had Cid complete the construction of this room just recently. He's not just a Master Engineer for no reason. In fact, he proved himself to be quite the architect as well. One day he can repurpose the crystals for an airship engine. Unlimited potent energy. That could take us to the moon!"
Was the king joking, Cecil assessed the king's expression, still feeling in shock. Briefly, he glanced over at Golbez, only to find him taking in the sight of the room and the king's ideas with appreciation.
"Do not fear, my son," the king assured Cecil gently. "The path to restore Baron to power requires many sacrifices – ones you have just begun to take. You have done well so far to acquire Baron's first crystal. Those fools of the Triad Accord who barred Baron from protecting a crystal were wrong."
"Impressive, my liege," Golbez responded. "The Dark Knights will never fail you."
"The Triad Accord," Cecil recalled vaguely. "established by the Triad Pirates and all the world powers from reinvading Troia."
"Those Triad Pirates," the king shook his head in anger. "Not even a world power, yet we were made to negotiate with them at the international summit in Fabul – it was a disgrace to Baron. Fortunately, we have long disposed of those troublemakers."
"Disposed?" Cecil questioned. "By what means if I may be so bold to ask?"
Even Golbez's interest was piqued albeit for a different reason.
"By swallowing them into the depth of the sea, of course," the king laughed. "It was our only choice of protect merchants from the Baron-Eblan-Mysidia trade route."
Cecil froze at the king's chilling words, unable to form a response. How could the king be so callous? Was he really the virtuous and benevolent father he remembered?
"It is not terribly shocking," Golbez began, piercing the uncomfortable silence. "As it was recorded in history, a snake-like sea creature destroyed most of their ships, killing the rebel leader Brigette and the pirate king William Pratt. Good fortune has always favored Baron."
"I can trust you two as my two military leaders with this secret," the king decided. "There was more to it. The snake-like creature wasn't just a random event. I ordered Nessus, our summoner at the time, to destroy the Triad Pirates while Baron was forced to attend the summit in Fabul. Nessus summoned Leviathan the Lord of the Seas to deal with the Pirate King of the seas. And you know the rest of the story."
"I would applaud Nessus if I saw him today," Golbez complimented.
"It was ...a necessary evil," Cecil concluded. "However, there could've been less underhanded ways to deal with them."
"I'm glad you finally see the necessity of bringing Baron to power," the king stated. "Peace will come to the world one day when the crystals are all in our hands."
Bringing the two dark knights back to the throne room, the king settled back in the throne. Baigan had already returned.
"Ah Baigan, just the right timing. I have showed them," he announced, turning back to the dark knights. "Do realize that you cannot tell anyone what you have seen. We will have great enemies ahead of us."
Cecil nodded reluctantly.
"Perhaps you don't understand the gravity of this, Cecil," the king acknowledged, seeing his hesitation. "The Damcyan is not our friend anymore. They've hired mercenaries to capture your friend. Without your help, Cecil, Kain may never be restored to his position in Baron. Isn't that right, Golbez?"
"Yes, we had to force it out of them at first. However, the merchants from the Kaipo eventually told me as much," Golbez answered.
Satisfied with Cecil's anxious look, he continued, "That's why your next mission, for both you and Golbez, is to work together to both capture the Wind Crystal and escort Kain back to Baron. We would not want them to leverage any force against us."
After agreeing to the mission, the two dark knights were dismissed. Once the throne room doors were closed, Cecil stood stiffly, realizing he would have to work with someone just as corrupt as the king.
"It appears that we will be working together... although I don't know whether you're cut out for it based on the situation in the Mist. We both know it got out of hand because you were defeated by the High Summoner's daughter," Golbez began disdainfully.
"Defeated by a child," Golbez laughed darkly. "Many trials we have ahead of us as dark knight. But a child. Surely you cannot be serious dark knight if it was too difficult for you. I'm not sure what potential the king sees in you."
"That is an issue I have with you, Golbez," Cecil interjected. "Civilians didn't need to die. And you barred the Red Wings and the Army Corps from putting out the fire. Mist will never have good relations with Baron again and that won't look good for us when word gets out to the other kingdoms. It was careless."
"Regardless, differences aside. We need to split up the tasks," Golbez continued, dismissing Cecil's concerns. "When we fly to the Damcyan, you can search for Kain and I will get the crystal since it became too sensitive an issue for you with Mysidia. Sound fair?"
"I know your position is more powerful than me but this cannot go on," Cecil persisted. "At this rate, Baron will find itself in a world war."
"What you're saying borders treason. I hate to break it to you but no kingdom will give you their crystal through diplomacy," Golbez scoffed. "This is the only way to do what the king wants. He knows what's best for Baron."
"Fine," Cecil agreed, visibly perplexed. "I will agree to you leading the invasion of the Damcyan and me tasked with finding Kain in Damcyan castle as long as you do not put unnecessary lives at risk. No one in the Damcyan royal family is to be harmed. No civilian is to die."
"As long as they cooperate. Now that we are getting along so much better, I will join you in a month once we are ready to depart on the mission to Damcyan Castle," Golbez responded sarcastically. "You know as well as I that the more time we wait, the more danger it is to your friend."
As the two dark knights parted, Cecil headed back to the West Tower where he and the Red Wings resided to inform his men. Surprisingly, about a third of them were missing. This must be Golbez's doing, Cecil thought.
"Lord Captain, you are back," his men cheered and jumped in the air.
"I suppose I am."
The Red Wings soldiers were surprised he wasn't as exuberant as they.
"So where is the rest of the Red Wings?" he asked. "Funny to not be greeted by Biggs and Wedge, don't you think?"
"Right," one of the soldiers responded. "The General sent them to the Damcyan to scout out the region. He did not reveal his intentions to us."
"Well he did to me earlier today," Cecil responded. "And there is much more training and organizing to do to plan for our mission to the Damcyan."
A/N: For an idea of what Rydia's mother looked like, I don't remember the game too well for the cutscene after so many years. I think it showed her mother as a normal brown-haired villager. However, I imagine that Rydia's mother looked like an older middle-aged version of Cuore from FFIV: The After Years, which is why I keep referring to her as a blue-haired woman.
I named Nessus, the High Summoner employed by Mysidia after the centaur from Greek mythology who deceived both Hercules and Deianeira because it fits with my theory about King of Baron and my outlandish explanation for how he became an eidolon.