Chapter Twenty-Three
The crew hands staggered about at the rear of the airship as they used rubber mallets to drive thick steel pikes into the ground, securing a rope ladder. They threw it off the back of the ship and it clunked heavily against the machine. Steiner brushed past Zidane who kept a firm grip on Alex's shoulders, pressing her against him.
"I shall go down," Steiner told him.
"I'm coming, too," Beatrix appeared beside Zidane. "We'll take two more with us. Zidane, you should stay here."
"No, I want to go," Zidane shook his head. "I need to put my eyes on Sarah."
"Sarah! I want to see her, too!" Alex leapt forward, grabbing hold of Steiner's waist. "Please, let me go. I can run really fast! I'll keep up, I promise. Please, please, Steiner!"
The Captain often times found it hard to say no to those big brown eyes. In many ways, Alex resembled Dagger the most in her youth. She had been rambunctious and daring and creative and spunky. He missed those days of Dagger's pure joy. And how desperately he wanted to nuture that light inside of Alex. He sighed and looked between Zidane and Beatrix. Her father seemed on the fence with the idea. Beatrix's stony look conveyed nothing more than the word 'no'.
"Sure, you're light enough to carry, anyway," Steiner nodded. Alex gleamed with joy and went to inspect the ladder with the deckhands.
"Both of you have lost your minds!" Beatrix waited until Alex was out of earshot. "We have two princesses in harm's way, so you think the logical thing to do is let the youngest and most unequipped do it, too?"
"Sarah fired a red flair," Steiner replied. "That means she found a sign. A green signal would meant she found Bella."
"I'm sure the sixteen year old remembered that," Beatrix laughed, shaking her head. "Let's go, we're wasting time."
...
Dante and Sarah slowly made their way through the forest, craning their necks and squinting through the shadows to find signs of footsteps. There were crushed shubbery that wound through the trees and they found themselves getting further and further until it abruptly stopped at the base of one tree. Sarah turned in circles, looking in all directions of the confusing and deceiving forest. Dante stayed low to the ground, trying to find anything to symbolize which direction she continued. But it was if she suddenly knew where to walk or where she was going.
"How is this possible?" Sarah asked, feeling despair wash over her again. Over one hundred kilometers from home and suddenly, the trail had gone cold. Sarah fell with her back against a trunk, hunching her shoulders. "How could she disappear like this? Without a single trace?"
Dante looked over his shoulder. "I only know this from hunting but... the crushed weeds we followed here, it showed she was running away from something. Her tracks are hard and frenzied all through the tree corridor. It seems like she got here and... something happened."
"Like what?" Sarah looked at him with eyes that were nearly desperate.
"I mean, nothing serious," Dante stood up, gesturing around them. "There's no blood or sign of a struggle. There's a basic footpath here. I'm guessing she found this and stuck to it."
Sarah's sword pressed sharply into her back as she put her weight against the tree, rubbing her hands tenderly across her eyes. Dante could only watch from across the clearing. What a burden it must have truly felt like. Dante couldn't imagine the thought of something happening to one of his younger sister's. For Sarah, it felt like the world was shattering from beneath her. When Sarah pulled her hands away, tears brimmed her eyes and she ground her teeth together, kicking at the dirt in frustration.
"What if I never see her again, Dante?! How could she think for a single moment that sacrificing herself would be the right thing to do for our kingdom?" Sarah crossed her arms over her chest, a blond lock beating against her rosy cheek. "How could she be so selfish?"
Dante put his hands on his hips, turning to glance around the rather claustrophobic clearing they found themselves in. The leaves waved back and forth in the gusts of the plains. Bright light wavered over the upset princess, who stared into the forest, wishing a clue would present itself.
"I don't think she's being selfish," Dante kicked his boot back and forth. "From the history of your family I learned in school, I'd say there's a million and one ways Bella can justify this in her mind. What about you? You just barged out on your father and little sister. Maybe they can call you selfish, too."
Sarah sighed, tilting her shoulders back and forth. "Bella and I might be very different, but after our mother died, we stuck to each other like glue. It's almost... betraying that she felt she needed to do this alone, Dante," She turned to him, folding her hands in front of her chest. "How many nights did she lie awake thinking about this? How could she forget that I'd be by her side forever, for whatever? She didn't even say goodbye... or write a letter..."
"We're going to find her," Dante reached forward, pressing a hand to Sarah's slender shoulder. They both tensed, however, when they heard rustling in the bushes. Quickly, Dante pulled his sword and Sarah hurriedly copied. Together, they stood side by side, listening to the cracks of tree branches and bending of bushes. However, what popped out, they were not expecting.
Princess Alex emerged from the bushes, pulling leaves from her hair as if she was disgusted. She ran her hands over a few scratches that now reddened her arms. After she finished brushing up, she looked to Sarah and her eyes lit up. She bolted forward, wrapping her arms around Sarah's waist.
"Alex!" Sarah exclaimed, grabbing her shoulder. "What in god's name are you doing here!? Have you been following us?"
"By airship, yeah," Alex nodded, her curls bobbing against her shoulders. "You shot a flair, didn't you?"
"And they sent you?" For Sarah, the story was becoming unbelievable.
"No, no, we're here," In the next moment, her father emerged from the brush, letting out a sigh of relief. Dante sheathed his sword now. Sarah looked to her father and pursed her lips. After a moment, she put her sword back into its sheath, as well. "We can't squeeze through all the little knots in the tree like Alex can." Slowly, Steiner and Beatrix appeared from the brush.
"Well, I thought Blitzen couldn't count when he returned with word," Beatrix tilted her head to side. "I wasn't aware we've inducted a new Knight of Pluto."
"He's been more than helpful."
"Why did you shoot the flair?" Alex asked, tugging at belt of her pleated pants.
"We found this," Sarah reached into her satchel, holding a black stocking out towards Zidane. Tenderly, he took it into his hands. "It was just off the path to the entrance of this forest. Dante is an excellent tracker from hunting and her trail leads here."
"Where does it go from here?" Zidane asked.
"From the tracks behind us, it seems like Bella was running from something. Whatever it was, she was in a rush until she gets here, to this tree," Dante reported. Both Steiner and Beatrix looked to each other with the same word in their eyes: recruitment. "That's where the trail pretty much ends. But there's a footpath right here, that goes deeper into the forest. She's probably heading for the mountain range, aware she can't use the Northern Gates. Whatever happened in this clearing, she stopped running. Her footsteps became much more controlled."
"You don't think... someone intercepted her, do you?" Zidane clutched the stocking tightly.
Dante shrugged, pursing his lips. "I didn't see a second set of tracks anywhere. But Bella's effectively disappear after this point so... I can't say for sure, Your Majesty. It seems likely that she's continued north no matter what."
"Should we follow the path?" Sarah glanced towards the dark forest.
"No, we should all get back to the airship and cross the mountain range," Beatrix shook her head. "Bella knows she can't use the main routes anymore. We need to get to Burmecia and onwards to the Northern Ports. It will be her only way off the continent."
Slowly, the group began to trickle back to the narrow path, glancing rather omniously to the crushed weeds and shrubs that had been victim to Bella's hurried runs. Zidane gazed longingly into the forest before he turned to leave. Dante was taking up the rear when Steiner came to his side.
"Say, you've heard of the Knights of Pluto, haven't you?"
...
Aboard the airship, Sarah found herself in one of the cabins washing her face in the shallow basin. She let out a long sigh as the chilly water dribbled from the end of her nose and down her chin. She looked to herself in mirror and lowered her eyes just as quick. She cautiously dipped her hands into the water, washing away the grime that had been caught beneath her nails. Again, she washed the water over her face and it fell beneath her collar. Sarah rubbed her hand to the back of her neck.
There was a curt knock on her door and a moment later, her father was squeezing into the narrow cabin with a small box in his hands. He shut the door behind him and walked a few paces towards the small porthole beside the bed. The airship engines groaned in the background as he looked down on the icy mountains below. He stared a moment longer, as if trying to find something. Sarah reached for a towel and began dabbing her face. Zidane inspected her, a grin coming across his face.
"What's so funny?" Sarah asked, lowering the towel.
"You're just..." Zidane let out a laugh, shaking his head. "You're exactly like your mother, that's all. Wearing your travel gear, ready to protect yourself... You're just like your mother."
Sarah's face softened and she looked down at her tired clothes. "I guess I'm also like mother in the sense that... I never predicted any of this would happen..."
"No one could have predicted this, Sarah."
Sarah sighed, discarding the towel on the narrow bed situated against the wall. "There's nothing I would be more pleased to do than drive my sword through Kuja's eye socket."
Zidane glanced around the room. "It won't be that easy."
"I don't care what it takes," Sarah replied. "I will do anything to stop him. And please don't say what I know you're thinking, Daddy. That you don't want me to fight. I have to. I really do. And now I've gone and gotten Dante involved- I have to see it through. For Bella. And for you."
"You have no idea what I'd do if something happened to you," Zidane said very softly.
"Well," Sarah turned back to the wash basin, watching the foggy water wobble with the movement of the airship. "The same goes for me, too, Daddy. You're not that energy-filled egocentric boy Steiner always tells me about. You're my tired old dad. You need my help."
Zidane lowered his eyes to the box in his hand. His fingers carefully ran across the wood carvings, remembering a different time, a different place; utterly an entire lifetime ago. "The important part is finding Bella. If we can keep her from Kuja... we'll be in control."
Sarah watched her father carefully. "What's that?" She asked, coming towards him.
Zidane took in a deep breath, holding the box against his chest. He couldn't remember the last time he had even so much as peaked inside it. Maybe not for at least eight years. What had used to bring him comfort and solace had become an ancient relic of soured memories. Of remembering he could never have what he truly wanted. Zidane's eyes hovered over his eldest daughter. She was shaping up to be as tall and slender as he was. She was taller than Dagger at sixteen years old. Her blond hair was confined upwards, but messy and frizzy from days in the elements. Her clothes were of good quality, but quite dusty and in need of a good scrub. Her skin was faintly smudged with weather and her eyes conveyed a sense of exhaustion. In a matter of moments, she looked completely grown up to Zidane. Her long silver sword glinted faithfully on her back, a shiny garnet nearly smiling at him. The king could almost panic for a moment at the thought. Sarah was an adult. A real live young woman. And it was hard for him to accept. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, lowering the box between them.
"I think it's time you have this," Zidane told her, pressing a shaking finger to the lock. "With everything that's happened, Sarah, it didn't have you hiding behind the curtain. You took charge. And refused to take things at face value. And that is why someday you will be queen... but you will always be yourself. It's time you wore this to make yourself be known. As the force you reckon with," Zidane slowly tilted the box open.
Sarah stared in a bewildered silence for a few beats, pursing her lips together. Cautiously, her slender fingers reached out to gently comb the purple velvet liner and nudge the coolness of the necklace inside. Sarah's blue eyes nearly glowed in its reflection. "The Raven Claw Pendant..." Sarah whispered. "Mother's necklace- you're sure?" Sarah knit her eyebrows together, looking to her father. "You trust me with it?"
Zidane grinned, tossing the box onto the bed. He held the necklace up by its silver chain, watching the multi-facted jewel glow in the afternoon light. He came around Sarah, hooking the chain at the nape of her neck. Sarah watched, almost with a heavy heart, as the Raven Claw fell against her chest. Her mother should have still been alive. She still should be wearing this necklace. Sarah cradled the jewel into the palm of her hand, her thumb running along the ridges.
"Why wasn't Mother buried with this necklace?" Sarah asked, looking at Zidane. He seemed to be looking at Sarah with eyes that strained not to leak salty tears. "She wore it every day."
Zidane slowly licked his lips. "It wasn't customary, so I was told," Zidane replied with a tight throat.
They turned their heads towards the small porthole in the room, watching as slowly, a steady rain began to pick up, pelting against the glass. A deep thunder rolled by. Sarah pursed her lips, lowering the pendant against her chest.
"We should talk to Beatrix about our next strategy. We need to fan out the moment we dock in Burmecia," Sarah said, opening the cabin door.
"Have you eaten today?" Zidane crossed his arms over his chest.
"Daddy, please," Sarah nearly rolled her eyes.
"I'm being serious."
"Do you ever stop being a dad?" Sarah deadpanned, slouching her shoulders.
"Beatrix can tell you all about war strategy over a bowl of oatmeal," Zidane countered, ushering Sarah out of the narrow airship cabin.
...
The cave was dark as pitch. It was quite weavy with only intermittent rays of light coming from distant cracks. It smelled richly of pond scum and algae. The sounds of a hundred dripping faucets rang out across the dark and disorienting space. Fauna's hand held Bella's as she carefully led the princess through a narrow jagged hallway that smelled of mothballs and standing water. Bella scrunched her nose up at the ghastly smells and folded her face in pure horror as she heard her boots splash through water she imagined as putrid and toxic.
"We're almost there," Fauna's velvet voice came from the darkness. A rock fell down from its perch on a mound. Bella scraped her feet together, almost tripping for a moment. Fauna held her steady, though, and they continued to press themselves through what felt like crevices. "Not the most scenic way..." Fauna said as she guided Bella's arm through a space to press past a large rock. "But it sure does get the job done when you're a wanted fugitive who can't cross official borders."
"Are those the words they use to describe me?" Bella asked, a sensitivity leaking into her tone.
Fauna smiled to herself, giving Bella's wrist a squeeze. "They don't understand, Arabella. Most basic humans cannot. But don't worry... I understand you. And more importantly... Kuja understands you."
Bella felt her way along the damp rocky walls that surrounded her, focusing on getting out as quickly as possible. It was so disorienting wandering through a shrouded cave. After a few more minutes of walking, Fauna's boots scraped to a stop.
"This is it. The exit. Come right here, Arabella," Fauna tugged Bella's wrist forward. "I need you to help me push this door outwards. We're on the other side of the mountain range."
Together, the two wiry woman dug their boots into the uneven and dusty ground. Bella ground her teeth together as she pushed with all her might, wanting to so dearly take a breath of fresh air and not feel blind. The grinding sounds of rocks could be heard and after a moment, the door finally began to give it. It surged forward and Bella was greeted by a blast of cool air and the sound of a steady rain to the planet. Bella stepped forward into the gloomy undercast of the storm. A deep rumble of thunder carried through the plains. The rain was chilly and caused goosebumps to pucker on Bella's skin as she stepped out beneath the downpour.
Across the wide hilly plain before her, she saw, distantly, the tall and jagged skyline of Burmecia. Bella's dark locks stuck to her forehead and cheek as she squinted her eyes into the stormy sky. There were two airships flying directly for Burmecia. No doubt were they looking to intercept her.
"We must hurry," Fauna tugged Bella's arm, surging the girl forward on a footpath. "The ship that leaves for the Outer Continent will go with or without us. If we miss this boat, we'll have two weeks of living under the radar to confer with."
The girl's boots squished through the somewhat dissatisfying texture of ground beneath them. A mix of dirt and sand. It was stuck like glue to the bottoms of their boots. Bella's hair was flattened to her head now as she trailed alongside Fauna, doing her best to keep up with the tall girl who walked in long strides. Bella wet backpack thudded against her damp jacket as she glanced out towards the somewhat foggy and murky lands that surrounded them.
"What is Kuja like?" Bella asked, pushing her sopping bangs from her face.
Fauna smiled at the question, casting a glance over the young princess. "Eccentric. Daring. Cunning."
"Is he... anything like my father?"
"No," Fauna shook her head. "Or at least that's what Zidane says."
"Well, what made my dad and Kuja hate each other so much?" Bella furrowed her brow. "Something really bad must have happened when they were children."
Fauna laughed, pausing now and crossing her arms over her chest. Bella continued a few more paces before stopping and digging the toe of her boot into the sandy slop beneath her. Fauna glanced at a lush thicket of wet grass growing directly off the path. Despite the steady downpour, ladybugs of a variety of colors trickled all over the precious green blades.
"You don't quite understand, child. But it's alright. Kuja is going to make things crystal clear for you, okay? There is one thing you must understand before you arrive at the Iifa Tree, however," Fauna bent over, pressing her hands to her knees to get eye-level with Bella. Fauna could almost giggle at the very sight of the princess. It was like finding a homesick puppy roaming in a directionless manner. "Zidane and Kuja did not have the typical upbringing your little mind is only capable of imagining. There were no brotherly spats over the last piece of ham at dinner or who had the fluffier pillow. No... the past is much more troubled and complex than that. That is what you must understand, Arabella. Everything in life has a complexity to its existence. It is not simple to sustain things and give them life. It is must easier to destroy things and not ask questions. Do you understand?"
Bella again had to rake her sopping wet hair from her face as she hugged herself. Quietly, she nodded at Fauna, who seemed pleased by the simple answer. After a moment, their boots again were squishing and flopping through the poor excuse of a footpath that followed the northern coast of the Mist Continent. The distant droning of airships occassionally cut through the neverending droplets of rain. It would make Bella's hair stand up on the back of her neck. Just across the plains, Bella knew there were people hurriedly defeating the weather to stop her. Her father would do it the hard way if it meant saving her. But sometimes, Daddy, the hard way will never pay off. You have to choose the hill you die on wisely, Bella thought, as she stared ahead through the montonous rain.
Bella was certain she had a plan far more clever than her father's. And maybe even Beatrix's.