Notes: Garnet, Zidane, Alexandria, and all other characters and locations originally mentioned
in Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. All other characters and locations belong to myself.
Questions, comments, and constructive criticism are more than welcome. (And by constructive
criticism, I mean criticism that actually helps me improve my writing.) Sorry for the huge delay
this time around. Blame Trumpy.
A Fine Mess - Chapter 7
by Makou
Cheers resounded through the afternoon sky as the double doors burst open, revealing the
royal family. Queen Garnet smiled, leaning heavily on her husband's shoulder as she and the rest
of her family took their proper places. Those who could clearly see her wondered why she looked
so weak, but the majority of them dismissed the possibility of a serious illness; why would she
be out to see the play if that was so?
Amethyst's cold blue eyes scanned her surroundings. If one were to ask her and if she was
honest, Amethyst would have admitted that watching the performance was the last thing she wanted
to do at the moment. Her research was far more important, but as she was the heir to the throne,
she really had no choice but to be here.
Amethyst was often told by those considerably older than her how much she looked like
Queen Garnet when she was younger, the only difference in colouration being that she had blonde
hair instead of black. On the other hand, her face was much colder than her mother's ever was.
Like her father and brother, she had a furry brown tail, but this wasn't a well known fact as
it was always hidden beneath her dress. She was also clothed entirely in forest green, as it was
her favourite colour. Many would be suprised to learn that she had a favourite colour.
Zircon was standing stiffly at attention beside General Siria, his wife and son standing
more towards the royal couple than himself. It was too obvious to Amethyst that he wasn't all
that eager to be here either; doubtless he was worried sick over security. And with good cause,
Amethyst had to admit, what with their mother's poisoning and all. Perhaps his fears would be
realized. Or perhaps not; it was difficult to tell.
A middle-aged man with a rough face stepped out onto the stage below, wearing extravagent
robes and a rather ridiculous powdered wig. He bowed low to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen,
and especially the esteemed Alexandrian royal family..."
Keeping her eyes focused on the going-ons on the stage, Amethyst let her thoughts take
over. *As soon as this is over, I will have to read that book over again. I must have missed
some vital information somewhere along the way...*
And so the play continued. The audience cheered, laughed, gasped, and cried at the
appropriate moments and Garnet and Zidane were looking very nostalgic indeed.
Down below, Kory and his brood were enjoying the show alongside his grandfather, brother,
and sister-in-law. The children were all bouncing up and down in their seats, clearly having the
time of their lives. Once and awhile, Kory would have to remind them not to get too out of
control as he was worried that the other audience members surrounding his group would not be
able to hear what was going on.
Quina and his/her students had a wide berth. Well, at least Quina and Quemi did; Quimi was
squashed in between a hapless hippoman and Quina. She looked quite disgruntled at having her
brush with high culture ruined in such a manner.
Right near the front of the stage were Adelbert and Beatrix. Beatrix was trying her
hardest to enjoy the show, but her valiant efforts were foiled somewhat by Adelbert constantly
turning around in his seat to see how the Queen was faring.
Elsewhere in the audience, other familiar sights could be seen, such as an elderly
Burmecian woman and what must have been her daughter in the traditional uniform of the Dragoons.
On top of the rooftops, a man of the Salamander race with a mass of red dreadlocks streaked with
white and a goatee leaned against a chimney with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Now is my moment of vengeance! For my parents, and for my love, Cornelia... I shall cut
thee down!"
*Now is the moment for the most cliched scene in the entire play... I can't imagine my
mother and father enjoying this particular play for any other reason other than sentimental
value,* Amethyst thought grimly.
Marcus lunged at King Leo with his toy sword...
... A fairly non-descript man in the middle of the audience opened an equally non-descript
black box...
Queen Garnet put a hand to her mouth in shock and tugged on Zidane's coat. Elsewhere,
the various playgoers had begun to notice what was happening and looked to the man with the
black box in astonishment.
"W-what is that, daddy?" cried Toby, staying back while his various siblings shoved each
other away for a better look. Kory, in turn, looked to his grandfather for a possible
explanation.
"N-no...!" said Vivi.
"The Mist..." whispered Garnet.
Like magic, an open space began forming around the non-descript man and the ever-expanding
mist as those seated near him abandoned their seats in panic. Similar scenes were now happening
elsewhere in the audience as others of the man's number opened their own black boxes to much the
same effect.
It was then the monsters appeared.
They were twisted, deformed creatures. To Zidane they bore no small resemblance to the
first Black Waltz he faced in his younger days, only considerably more lizard-like. Unlike the
Black Mages, their skin was clearly covered with black scales and their eyes were a gruesome
dark shade of red. But their likeness to the Black Mages was enough frighten the playgoers even
more than just mere monsters would.
The soldiers, after their initial confusion, immediately set about dispatching the
monsters before there were any serious casualties. Their work was cut out for them, though;
civilians, in their rush to shove their way to safety, nearly trampled each other and those who
were trying to save them.
The situation would have been lost for certain if it weren't for the select few of the
playgoers who hadn't ran screaming bloody murder.
While Kory was hurriedly carting away his children with the assistance of Nanami, Rory and
Vivi stayed behind, launching a few well-placed fire-type spells at the monsters as often as
they were able.
"What *are* those things, grandfather?" yelled Rory, who was quite amazed as to what was
happening and a bit indignant on having his nice vacation ruined in such a manner.
"M-mist monsters!" Vivi yelled right back. He clocked a monster over the head with his
rod. It fell to the ground, now no more than a heap at Vivi's feet.
"But you said-" Rory paused as he fried another monster with a firaga spell. "-that the
mist monsters died out with the mist!"
"I-I thought they were..."
Several minutes passed and still they kept coming. Rory winced and fought back a cry of
pain as a monster's claws dug into his shoulder. With all his strength, he kicked it away, blood
gushing out of his arm as he did so.
He paused to get his bearings. He was breathing heavily and his hand was pressed firmly to
his shoulder in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. The monster who wounded him began
creeping up to him...
Just as the monster was about to strike again, Rory yelled "Thunderaga!" and pointed his
rod at the monster with his good arm. Bolts of lightning pummeled the monstrosity until it's
charred corpse collapsed at his feet.
*This is too much,* thought Rory, his annoyance from earlier being replaced by panic. *I
almost got killed...* An idea came to him.
"We've got to strike at the source!" he yelled to his grandfather. "They'll keep coming if
we don't!"
It may have relieved Rory to know that other warriors in the crowd were catching on to the
same idea. Frecia, the daughter of Freya and a fully trained Burmecian dragoon, spied one of the
black boxes from which the mist emerged. It was still generating the mist and every so often a
monster would appear around it. With unparalled speed, she leaped over the monsters' heads,
grabbed hold of the box, and snapped it shut. The mist gradually dissipated as Frecia fought her
way back to her mother.
At about the same time, Beatrix cleaved a path through the monster hordes with her
Climhazzard spell. She saw another of the black boxes just behind the bodies. She walked
sedately towards it, lifted her sword up high, and brought it down on the box, destroying the
generator within. She set out in search of the other boxes.
Eventually, all the black boxes were destroyed and the only thing left to do was dispatch
the remaining monsters. Even this didn't take long as the sudden lack of mist weakened them to
the point where some of them had collapsed. Suddenly the immediate problem was now the lack of a
clean-up crew.
The military's white mages who were stationed in Alexandria during the festivities tended
to the injured, of which there were many. Unfortunately, they were swamped and to worsen the
situation, nobody seemed to have potions on them. A group of uninjured civilians were rounded up
and ordered to collect as many potions as they could find.
"Zircon, Siria..." said the queen softly. She had been in the castle for almost the entire
battle feeling weak and useless. What use was she during that time? She had too weak to cast any
magic...
"Yes, your majesty?" said Siria. She and Zircon had been doing their duty and had only now
returned to check on Garnet to if she was safe and if she had any orders.
"I presume you've already ordered your soldiers to search the perimeter?"
"Yes, your majesty."
"Listen... I want a full investigation into the Juuroku movement. If they are truly the
ones responsible for poisoning me, then most likely they are behind the attack today. I want to
know why they put so many lives at risk..."
The Ornitier family headed towards the castle.
"Are you sure Rory's going to be alright?" asked Kory. His children had been at their most
uncooperative during the battle. All of them at one time or another had almost slipped away,
only to be dragged back by Kory. They were all under some degree of control now, a few of them
silent, a few of them telling each other how cool it all was, and a few of them sniffling.
"Y-yes, I th-think so," answered Vivi. "The wound wasn't l-life threatening. But Nanami'll
t-take care of him."
"I guess you're right..."
They were stopped at the gate by two Alexandrian guards. "Halt!" said the first one, who
had the brightest red hair that Vivi had ever seen. "State your business!"
"M-my name is V-vivi Ornitier and I-I'm here to see the queen," said Vivi timidly, trying
to make himself as small as possible.
The red-haired girl turned to her blonde partner. "Alice, go inform General Siria." Alice
saluted and ran off into the castle.
A full half and hour passed before she came back. "Her majesty, Queen Garnet Alexandros
XVII will receive you now." She began to walk, motioned for the Ornitiers to follow her, and led
them straight to Garnet. She was talking to Zidane.
"Where did Amethyst go? She disappeared soon after the attack started. Nobody has seen her
in the crowd either..." Garnet said.
"Relax. I'm sure she's fine. She knows how to take care of herself," said Zidane. He was
being completely truthful this time around. Her combination of black and summoning magic was
something to be feared.
"Um, e-excuse me?" said Vivi. Garnet and Zidane turned around and Vivi could see their
jaws drop in a most unroyal manner.
There were many words to describe Vivi nowadays, but short wasn't one of them. He wasn't
just tall. He *towered*. He towered so much, he had to stoop to avoid hitting his head on the
ceiling, and it wasn't if the ceiling itself was all that short either. If Zircon were there,
he'd make him look like a dwarf. That was how tall he was.
He clutched his hat nervously, stooping even lower than he had to out of embarrassment.
"Grown a bit, have you?" said Zidane.
in Final Fantasy IX belong to Squaresoft. All other characters and locations belong to myself.
Questions, comments, and constructive criticism are more than welcome. (And by constructive
criticism, I mean criticism that actually helps me improve my writing.) Sorry for the huge delay
this time around. Blame Trumpy.
A Fine Mess - Chapter 7
by Makou
Cheers resounded through the afternoon sky as the double doors burst open, revealing the
royal family. Queen Garnet smiled, leaning heavily on her husband's shoulder as she and the rest
of her family took their proper places. Those who could clearly see her wondered why she looked
so weak, but the majority of them dismissed the possibility of a serious illness; why would she
be out to see the play if that was so?
Amethyst's cold blue eyes scanned her surroundings. If one were to ask her and if she was
honest, Amethyst would have admitted that watching the performance was the last thing she wanted
to do at the moment. Her research was far more important, but as she was the heir to the throne,
she really had no choice but to be here.
Amethyst was often told by those considerably older than her how much she looked like
Queen Garnet when she was younger, the only difference in colouration being that she had blonde
hair instead of black. On the other hand, her face was much colder than her mother's ever was.
Like her father and brother, she had a furry brown tail, but this wasn't a well known fact as
it was always hidden beneath her dress. She was also clothed entirely in forest green, as it was
her favourite colour. Many would be suprised to learn that she had a favourite colour.
Zircon was standing stiffly at attention beside General Siria, his wife and son standing
more towards the royal couple than himself. It was too obvious to Amethyst that he wasn't all
that eager to be here either; doubtless he was worried sick over security. And with good cause,
Amethyst had to admit, what with their mother's poisoning and all. Perhaps his fears would be
realized. Or perhaps not; it was difficult to tell.
A middle-aged man with a rough face stepped out onto the stage below, wearing extravagent
robes and a rather ridiculous powdered wig. He bowed low to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen,
and especially the esteemed Alexandrian royal family..."
Keeping her eyes focused on the going-ons on the stage, Amethyst let her thoughts take
over. *As soon as this is over, I will have to read that book over again. I must have missed
some vital information somewhere along the way...*
And so the play continued. The audience cheered, laughed, gasped, and cried at the
appropriate moments and Garnet and Zidane were looking very nostalgic indeed.
Down below, Kory and his brood were enjoying the show alongside his grandfather, brother,
and sister-in-law. The children were all bouncing up and down in their seats, clearly having the
time of their lives. Once and awhile, Kory would have to remind them not to get too out of
control as he was worried that the other audience members surrounding his group would not be
able to hear what was going on.
Quina and his/her students had a wide berth. Well, at least Quina and Quemi did; Quimi was
squashed in between a hapless hippoman and Quina. She looked quite disgruntled at having her
brush with high culture ruined in such a manner.
Right near the front of the stage were Adelbert and Beatrix. Beatrix was trying her
hardest to enjoy the show, but her valiant efforts were foiled somewhat by Adelbert constantly
turning around in his seat to see how the Queen was faring.
Elsewhere in the audience, other familiar sights could be seen, such as an elderly
Burmecian woman and what must have been her daughter in the traditional uniform of the Dragoons.
On top of the rooftops, a man of the Salamander race with a mass of red dreadlocks streaked with
white and a goatee leaned against a chimney with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Now is my moment of vengeance! For my parents, and for my love, Cornelia... I shall cut
thee down!"
*Now is the moment for the most cliched scene in the entire play... I can't imagine my
mother and father enjoying this particular play for any other reason other than sentimental
value,* Amethyst thought grimly.
Marcus lunged at King Leo with his toy sword...
... A fairly non-descript man in the middle of the audience opened an equally non-descript
black box...
Queen Garnet put a hand to her mouth in shock and tugged on Zidane's coat. Elsewhere,
the various playgoers had begun to notice what was happening and looked to the man with the
black box in astonishment.
"W-what is that, daddy?" cried Toby, staying back while his various siblings shoved each
other away for a better look. Kory, in turn, looked to his grandfather for a possible
explanation.
"N-no...!" said Vivi.
"The Mist..." whispered Garnet.
Like magic, an open space began forming around the non-descript man and the ever-expanding
mist as those seated near him abandoned their seats in panic. Similar scenes were now happening
elsewhere in the audience as others of the man's number opened their own black boxes to much the
same effect.
It was then the monsters appeared.
They were twisted, deformed creatures. To Zidane they bore no small resemblance to the
first Black Waltz he faced in his younger days, only considerably more lizard-like. Unlike the
Black Mages, their skin was clearly covered with black scales and their eyes were a gruesome
dark shade of red. But their likeness to the Black Mages was enough frighten the playgoers even
more than just mere monsters would.
The soldiers, after their initial confusion, immediately set about dispatching the
monsters before there were any serious casualties. Their work was cut out for them, though;
civilians, in their rush to shove their way to safety, nearly trampled each other and those who
were trying to save them.
The situation would have been lost for certain if it weren't for the select few of the
playgoers who hadn't ran screaming bloody murder.
While Kory was hurriedly carting away his children with the assistance of Nanami, Rory and
Vivi stayed behind, launching a few well-placed fire-type spells at the monsters as often as
they were able.
"What *are* those things, grandfather?" yelled Rory, who was quite amazed as to what was
happening and a bit indignant on having his nice vacation ruined in such a manner.
"M-mist monsters!" Vivi yelled right back. He clocked a monster over the head with his
rod. It fell to the ground, now no more than a heap at Vivi's feet.
"But you said-" Rory paused as he fried another monster with a firaga spell. "-that the
mist monsters died out with the mist!"
"I-I thought they were..."
Several minutes passed and still they kept coming. Rory winced and fought back a cry of
pain as a monster's claws dug into his shoulder. With all his strength, he kicked it away, blood
gushing out of his arm as he did so.
He paused to get his bearings. He was breathing heavily and his hand was pressed firmly to
his shoulder in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. The monster who wounded him began
creeping up to him...
Just as the monster was about to strike again, Rory yelled "Thunderaga!" and pointed his
rod at the monster with his good arm. Bolts of lightning pummeled the monstrosity until it's
charred corpse collapsed at his feet.
*This is too much,* thought Rory, his annoyance from earlier being replaced by panic. *I
almost got killed...* An idea came to him.
"We've got to strike at the source!" he yelled to his grandfather. "They'll keep coming if
we don't!"
It may have relieved Rory to know that other warriors in the crowd were catching on to the
same idea. Frecia, the daughter of Freya and a fully trained Burmecian dragoon, spied one of the
black boxes from which the mist emerged. It was still generating the mist and every so often a
monster would appear around it. With unparalled speed, she leaped over the monsters' heads,
grabbed hold of the box, and snapped it shut. The mist gradually dissipated as Frecia fought her
way back to her mother.
At about the same time, Beatrix cleaved a path through the monster hordes with her
Climhazzard spell. She saw another of the black boxes just behind the bodies. She walked
sedately towards it, lifted her sword up high, and brought it down on the box, destroying the
generator within. She set out in search of the other boxes.
Eventually, all the black boxes were destroyed and the only thing left to do was dispatch
the remaining monsters. Even this didn't take long as the sudden lack of mist weakened them to
the point where some of them had collapsed. Suddenly the immediate problem was now the lack of a
clean-up crew.
The military's white mages who were stationed in Alexandria during the festivities tended
to the injured, of which there were many. Unfortunately, they were swamped and to worsen the
situation, nobody seemed to have potions on them. A group of uninjured civilians were rounded up
and ordered to collect as many potions as they could find.
"Zircon, Siria..." said the queen softly. She had been in the castle for almost the entire
battle feeling weak and useless. What use was she during that time? She had too weak to cast any
magic...
"Yes, your majesty?" said Siria. She and Zircon had been doing their duty and had only now
returned to check on Garnet to if she was safe and if she had any orders.
"I presume you've already ordered your soldiers to search the perimeter?"
"Yes, your majesty."
"Listen... I want a full investigation into the Juuroku movement. If they are truly the
ones responsible for poisoning me, then most likely they are behind the attack today. I want to
know why they put so many lives at risk..."
The Ornitier family headed towards the castle.
"Are you sure Rory's going to be alright?" asked Kory. His children had been at their most
uncooperative during the battle. All of them at one time or another had almost slipped away,
only to be dragged back by Kory. They were all under some degree of control now, a few of them
silent, a few of them telling each other how cool it all was, and a few of them sniffling.
"Y-yes, I th-think so," answered Vivi. "The wound wasn't l-life threatening. But Nanami'll
t-take care of him."
"I guess you're right..."
They were stopped at the gate by two Alexandrian guards. "Halt!" said the first one, who
had the brightest red hair that Vivi had ever seen. "State your business!"
"M-my name is V-vivi Ornitier and I-I'm here to see the queen," said Vivi timidly, trying
to make himself as small as possible.
The red-haired girl turned to her blonde partner. "Alice, go inform General Siria." Alice
saluted and ran off into the castle.
A full half and hour passed before she came back. "Her majesty, Queen Garnet Alexandros
XVII will receive you now." She began to walk, motioned for the Ornitiers to follow her, and led
them straight to Garnet. She was talking to Zidane.
"Where did Amethyst go? She disappeared soon after the attack started. Nobody has seen her
in the crowd either..." Garnet said.
"Relax. I'm sure she's fine. She knows how to take care of herself," said Zidane. He was
being completely truthful this time around. Her combination of black and summoning magic was
something to be feared.
"Um, e-excuse me?" said Vivi. Garnet and Zidane turned around and Vivi could see their
jaws drop in a most unroyal manner.
There were many words to describe Vivi nowadays, but short wasn't one of them. He wasn't
just tall. He *towered*. He towered so much, he had to stoop to avoid hitting his head on the
ceiling, and it wasn't if the ceiling itself was all that short either. If Zircon were there,
he'd make him look like a dwarf. That was how tall he was.
He clutched his hat nervously, stooping even lower than he had to out of embarrassment.
"Grown a bit, have you?" said Zidane.