Chapter 2
Garnet sat at her vanity, staring into her own eyes in the mirror. She rhythmically brought her brush through her long ebony hair. She was still thinking about her dream. Ever since she had learned of her past she had learned to take her dreams more seriously, to consider if they might mean something. She pulled her hair back in a clip, set her brush down, and looked at herself in the spotless glass. 'Can I believe anything anymore? Maybe everything is only a dream."
There was a knock on the door, "Your Majesty, the Lady Hilda and Lady Eiko of Lindblum just arrived." General Beatrix informed.
Garnet stood up, "is there a problem?"
"Yes," Beatrix responded, "it seems someone broke into Lindblum Grand Castle last night, and the Regent had them sent here."
Garnet hurried out her door, Beatrix followed the queen to the throne room where Hilda and Eiko were waiting.
Lost wanderer forgotten
Never seen never heard
Wandering forever
Denied by heaven
Falling up
Forsaken dream
Forsaken hope
Alone with the grief
Digging a deeper grave for yourself
Resentments, recants come too late
Where will you go lost wanderer?
Down the road of sorrow?
Up the path of regret?
Nobody to confide in
Nobody who cares...
Now where will you go?
To never...?
Maybe tomorrow will tell...
Until then lost wanderer weeping
Must remain betwixt heaven and hell
Zidane listened with interest as Eiko told of the events in Lindblum. He remembered all to well the last moments of Kuja's life. When the rage of the Iifa Tree had tried to swallow them both. He had survived, Kuja had not.
Eiko finished her story, she looked hopefully at everyone, "...and that's exactly what happened."
Zidane rubbed his chin, "so you think it was Kuja, huh? Well, if it is I'll find out what he's up to."
"It's odd..." Garnet commented softly, "that on the same night Lindblum Castle was broken into, I had a strange dream...about Kuja."
Eiko's eyes lit up, "hey, yeah! So did I!"
"You both had the same dream?" Hilda asked.
"I'm not sure." Garnet said, "In my dream I was at the Iifa Tree, and there was a woman in a long white gown-
"With wings and blue eyes!" Eiko cut in.
"Y-yes..." Garnet couldn't believe what she had just heard; "she was looking all through the roots of the tree...for Kuja."
"And when she found him he was all dead and nasty!" Eiko added, "and she started making out with him!" All eyes turned to her. "Well she did!" They all turned back to Garnet.
She nodded, "yes...she did."
"So let me make sure I got this," Zidane said, "you both had the same dream, about some angel who is looking for Kuja, and when she find him, he's dead, but she starts doing weird stuff with him?"
Garnet shrugged, "I suppose that's it."
"And on this same night, the Regent's castle is broken into, one of the guard's necks is crushed, and Eiko is attacked..." Zidane scratched the back of his head, "am I the only one who thinks that there's more to this than it seems?" There was a stony silence. "So, what do we do now?..........come on people! It's not that bad! We'll think of something." He thought for a moment, "Hey! You know who I think would be a big help?" No answer. "That old scientist, Dr. Tot!"
Eiko brightened, "that nerdy old guy with the big glasses?"
"Eiko!" Hilda scolded.
"Sorry Mother. That's who you mean though, right Zidane?"
"Yup!" Zidane beamed, very proud of himself, "I bet he knows all sorts of scientific stuff about dreams and angels and such."
"He might." Garnet agreed, "we should see him."
Steiner, who had been listening from beside Garnet's throne spoke up, "I shall send for Dr. Tot immediately your Majesty." He bowed and hurried out the door.
Garnet sighed heavily; "I can't believe this...Beatrix?"
"Yes, you Majesty?"
"Will you please escort Lady Hilda and Eiko to the guest rooms?" Then to Hilda she said, "I apologize for any inconvenience, we're still under reconstruction."
"It's alright. I understand." Hilda smiled. She and Eiko were led out by Beatrix.
Zidane's shoulders sagged, "I'm sorry," he said.
"For what?"
"For being such a loud mouth. I know that I should take stuff more seriously, but...I've always taught myself to cover up any bad feelings I had, and just laugh."
Garnet leaned against his chest; "I know how it is." She said sadly, "I have to wear a mask all the time. The people expect a lot from me, so I can't ever seem afraid or lost...but I guess that's the price I have to pay, for caring so much about my country."
Innocence washed Kuja's wounds, tears streaked her face, "how? How could I have let such harm to come to him?" She held him in her lap, cradling him like a child.
"Enough of your pathetic sniveling!" Malice snapped, "what's done is done. Now the mortal band that drove away Necron knows that Kuja is back. We much eliminate them, or Alexander's heaven will never be ours." The voice echoed in the vacant hallways.
Vatica kissed Kuja's forehead, "why must I be cursed?" she whispered, "all I want is to have heaven as my own, with my love beside me...why must I be cursed with this illness that drives me mad? Why must I be split?" She looked at Kuja in her arms. She cast a cure spell on him to heal the rest of his injuries. "I deserve heaven. I deserve it because only I have the sense to rule it...and you will share it with me..."
And so the darkness settles in
You want to die but you want to live
Suffer the pain but continue to fight
Or be at rest and succumb to the night.
"An angel you say?" Dr. Tot curled his mustache with one finger.
"Yes, that is the ways she appeared in my dream." Garnet answered. Dr. Tot had just arrived from Treno; he Garnet, Eiko, and Zidane were in the Alexandria library, looking for books that might help explain the past events.
"You believe that Lady Eiko and yourself both had the same dream?"
"Yes."
"Well, it's not unheard of," Tot said, "but the possibilities for you both to have a similar dream are off the wall, but for the dreams to be identical...well, the chances are one in billions."
"I know it sounds nuts, but do you think you can explain it?" Zidane asked, "do you know anything about angels, or Kuja?"
Tot took off his glasses and cleaned them on his robe, "angels yes, Kuja no. I do have some information on angels, but I know next to nothing about Kuja. Come with me to the history section." They followed him down the rows of books until they came to the history section, "what did you say the name of the angel was?"
Eiko piped up, "Vatica."
Tot nodded, he took a book off the shelf, "there are very few records of angels," he explained, "an angel is a soul that has been blessed by Alexander himself. For a soul to become an angel, usually it has to have been a righteous one that was pure and good." He flipped the worn pages of the book, "most of the time, only the great angels were recorded, but we might have some luck. I will take some books to my quarters to study, I will inform you of anything I find in the morning."
Kuja stood on the teleport panel once more. He looked as though the fall from the castle had never even happened. Vatica put her hands on his shoulders, "now go out and find them." She said, "we must eliminate all obstacles." She took control of him again, "once Zidane and his followers are gone, heaven will be ours...forever."
Garnet sat at her vanity, staring into her own eyes in the mirror. She rhythmically brought her brush through her long ebony hair. She was still thinking about her dream. Ever since she had learned of her past she had learned to take her dreams more seriously, to consider if they might mean something. She pulled her hair back in a clip, set her brush down, and looked at herself in the spotless glass. 'Can I believe anything anymore? Maybe everything is only a dream."
There was a knock on the door, "Your Majesty, the Lady Hilda and Lady Eiko of Lindblum just arrived." General Beatrix informed.
Garnet stood up, "is there a problem?"
"Yes," Beatrix responded, "it seems someone broke into Lindblum Grand Castle last night, and the Regent had them sent here."
Garnet hurried out her door, Beatrix followed the queen to the throne room where Hilda and Eiko were waiting.
Lost wanderer forgotten
Never seen never heard
Wandering forever
Denied by heaven
Falling up
Forsaken dream
Forsaken hope
Alone with the grief
Digging a deeper grave for yourself
Resentments, recants come too late
Where will you go lost wanderer?
Down the road of sorrow?
Up the path of regret?
Nobody to confide in
Nobody who cares...
Now where will you go?
To never...?
Maybe tomorrow will tell...
Until then lost wanderer weeping
Must remain betwixt heaven and hell
Zidane listened with interest as Eiko told of the events in Lindblum. He remembered all to well the last moments of Kuja's life. When the rage of the Iifa Tree had tried to swallow them both. He had survived, Kuja had not.
Eiko finished her story, she looked hopefully at everyone, "...and that's exactly what happened."
Zidane rubbed his chin, "so you think it was Kuja, huh? Well, if it is I'll find out what he's up to."
"It's odd..." Garnet commented softly, "that on the same night Lindblum Castle was broken into, I had a strange dream...about Kuja."
Eiko's eyes lit up, "hey, yeah! So did I!"
"You both had the same dream?" Hilda asked.
"I'm not sure." Garnet said, "In my dream I was at the Iifa Tree, and there was a woman in a long white gown-
"With wings and blue eyes!" Eiko cut in.
"Y-yes..." Garnet couldn't believe what she had just heard; "she was looking all through the roots of the tree...for Kuja."
"And when she found him he was all dead and nasty!" Eiko added, "and she started making out with him!" All eyes turned to her. "Well she did!" They all turned back to Garnet.
She nodded, "yes...she did."
"So let me make sure I got this," Zidane said, "you both had the same dream, about some angel who is looking for Kuja, and when she find him, he's dead, but she starts doing weird stuff with him?"
Garnet shrugged, "I suppose that's it."
"And on this same night, the Regent's castle is broken into, one of the guard's necks is crushed, and Eiko is attacked..." Zidane scratched the back of his head, "am I the only one who thinks that there's more to this than it seems?" There was a stony silence. "So, what do we do now?..........come on people! It's not that bad! We'll think of something." He thought for a moment, "Hey! You know who I think would be a big help?" No answer. "That old scientist, Dr. Tot!"
Eiko brightened, "that nerdy old guy with the big glasses?"
"Eiko!" Hilda scolded.
"Sorry Mother. That's who you mean though, right Zidane?"
"Yup!" Zidane beamed, very proud of himself, "I bet he knows all sorts of scientific stuff about dreams and angels and such."
"He might." Garnet agreed, "we should see him."
Steiner, who had been listening from beside Garnet's throne spoke up, "I shall send for Dr. Tot immediately your Majesty." He bowed and hurried out the door.
Garnet sighed heavily; "I can't believe this...Beatrix?"
"Yes, you Majesty?"
"Will you please escort Lady Hilda and Eiko to the guest rooms?" Then to Hilda she said, "I apologize for any inconvenience, we're still under reconstruction."
"It's alright. I understand." Hilda smiled. She and Eiko were led out by Beatrix.
Zidane's shoulders sagged, "I'm sorry," he said.
"For what?"
"For being such a loud mouth. I know that I should take stuff more seriously, but...I've always taught myself to cover up any bad feelings I had, and just laugh."
Garnet leaned against his chest; "I know how it is." She said sadly, "I have to wear a mask all the time. The people expect a lot from me, so I can't ever seem afraid or lost...but I guess that's the price I have to pay, for caring so much about my country."
Innocence washed Kuja's wounds, tears streaked her face, "how? How could I have let such harm to come to him?" She held him in her lap, cradling him like a child.
"Enough of your pathetic sniveling!" Malice snapped, "what's done is done. Now the mortal band that drove away Necron knows that Kuja is back. We much eliminate them, or Alexander's heaven will never be ours." The voice echoed in the vacant hallways.
Vatica kissed Kuja's forehead, "why must I be cursed?" she whispered, "all I want is to have heaven as my own, with my love beside me...why must I be cursed with this illness that drives me mad? Why must I be split?" She looked at Kuja in her arms. She cast a cure spell on him to heal the rest of his injuries. "I deserve heaven. I deserve it because only I have the sense to rule it...and you will share it with me..."
And so the darkness settles in
You want to die but you want to live
Suffer the pain but continue to fight
Or be at rest and succumb to the night.
"An angel you say?" Dr. Tot curled his mustache with one finger.
"Yes, that is the ways she appeared in my dream." Garnet answered. Dr. Tot had just arrived from Treno; he Garnet, Eiko, and Zidane were in the Alexandria library, looking for books that might help explain the past events.
"You believe that Lady Eiko and yourself both had the same dream?"
"Yes."
"Well, it's not unheard of," Tot said, "but the possibilities for you both to have a similar dream are off the wall, but for the dreams to be identical...well, the chances are one in billions."
"I know it sounds nuts, but do you think you can explain it?" Zidane asked, "do you know anything about angels, or Kuja?"
Tot took off his glasses and cleaned them on his robe, "angels yes, Kuja no. I do have some information on angels, but I know next to nothing about Kuja. Come with me to the history section." They followed him down the rows of books until they came to the history section, "what did you say the name of the angel was?"
Eiko piped up, "Vatica."
Tot nodded, he took a book off the shelf, "there are very few records of angels," he explained, "an angel is a soul that has been blessed by Alexander himself. For a soul to become an angel, usually it has to have been a righteous one that was pure and good." He flipped the worn pages of the book, "most of the time, only the great angels were recorded, but we might have some luck. I will take some books to my quarters to study, I will inform you of anything I find in the morning."
Kuja stood on the teleport panel once more. He looked as though the fall from the castle had never even happened. Vatica put her hands on his shoulders, "now go out and find them." She said, "we must eliminate all obstacles." She took control of him again, "once Zidane and his followers are gone, heaven will be ours...forever."