A wonderful smell drifted into the room early in the morning. Mallory rolled over and pulled the cover over her head, not wanting to be tempted to get up. Soon the rising sun blared through the window, and she sat up and stretched. She changed back into her armor/clothes and combed her hair, taking the pins out and fluffing her feathers. She by some miracle found her way to where the smell had come from. Kuja was sitting at a long mahogany table, waiting. "Good to see you're up," he said. "I wasn't going to wait much longer."
The silver platters in the middle of the table lifted up on their own then flew to Kuja, landing lightly in his hands one by one. He served himself then the platters flew to Mallory. "What service," she said. There was French toast, scrambled eggs, hash browns…anything she could ever want for breakfast. When she was done the platters flew back to the middle of the table and vanished. "So," Kuja started, "Do you like the palace?" he took a drink from his goblet.
"Oh, yes. It's wonderful," Mallory said, looking around the room. "Very…big. It's hard to find all of the rooms."
"I'll take you on a tour today then, eh?"
"I'd love it."
The plates cleared themselves when the two were finished and Kuja lead her down a few corridors. "Here's the library," he said, pushing the door open. Mallory was speechless. "You've really read all of these books?" she asked, going up the stairs to the first set of shelves.
"Yes. I have a lot of time to read on my hands." Mallory took another book and opened it. "So you can read this ancient Gaian stuff?" Kuja walked up the steps and took the book.
"Well, what does it say?"
Kuja looked down at the pages. "This one says '…born of legends, not the other way around. The eidolons protect the summoner village, Madain Sari…"
"It looks handwritten."
"It is. By one of my elders."
"I see…" Kuja gave her the book back and she replaced it on the shelf. "The eidolons…Was that big dragon one of them?"
"Yes."
"What's it called?"
"Bahamut."
Mallory thought. "Can you summon them?"
"In a way, yes…But I'll tell you another day…Let us continue the tour."
Two hours later Mallory was very familiar with the palace. She walked silently by Kuja, not caring where he was going, deep in thought. "Kuja…"
"Yes?"
"When do I get to start my work?"
"My, eager, aren't we?"
"Yes, very."
"You can start whenever you're ready. I expect that monkey is still on the Mist Continent."
"How will I get there?"
Kuja thought. "Come with me." He led her to the bottom of the palace, where there was a large door that opened to a path that lead to the desert. They walked out to the desert, shielding their eyes from the sun. Kuja scanned the sky. "There," he said, pointing, after a few minutes. There was a red dragon soaring about the clouds. He cast stop on it and it fell, stone hard, to the ground. "Let's get it inside…"
They both dragged the big thing back into the palace and to another room in the bottom of it. There they chained it up and Kuja cast haste on it twice. It sprung to life and struggled ad roared. "Now, go up to it and put your hands on the sides of its head."
"What?"
"You heard me."
"But it'll bite me!"
"If it does just heal yourself, you have to do this. I did it with my dragon, and you saw how she turned out."
Mallory carefully walked towards the snapping head, and managed to get her hands on it. It stopped moving, perhaps contemplating an attack. "Good. Now, think into it…. Like, try to talk to it with your mind, like that. There's no better way to describe it."
Mallory thought very hard, concentrating on the dragon. She thought 'I won't hurt you, and I hope you won't hurt me. Please be still,' over and over. After about fifteen minutes, just when she was ready to give up, she heard a reply.
~I understand. ~
Mallory leapt back in surprise. "It talked! In my head! It's got a deep voice, like a man, it's weird."
"Good, that's what you want. Try again."
She put her hands back on its head and tried something else. 'You're not going to bite me?'
~ No. ~
'I need your help. I must fly to the Mist Continent. Will you help me?'
~ …Yes. ~
'What is your name?'
~ You may call me whatever you wish. ~
'How about…Yona?'
~ I don't care. All names from your mouth are alien and strange to me. ~
'Can you be trusted if we take the chains off?'
~ Yes. ~
She removed her hands from its head and turned to Kuja. "Take the chains off."
Kuja did so willingly. The dragon shook out its feet and stared at Mallory. "Can you talk to me like this?" Mallory said aloud.
~ Yes. ~
Mallory turned to Kuja and smiled. "Do you and your dragon have this?"
"We sure do."
"So now I can go to beat...Zidane?"
"Yes…Yes!"
The silver platters in the middle of the table lifted up on their own then flew to Kuja, landing lightly in his hands one by one. He served himself then the platters flew to Mallory. "What service," she said. There was French toast, scrambled eggs, hash browns…anything she could ever want for breakfast. When she was done the platters flew back to the middle of the table and vanished. "So," Kuja started, "Do you like the palace?" he took a drink from his goblet.
"Oh, yes. It's wonderful," Mallory said, looking around the room. "Very…big. It's hard to find all of the rooms."
"I'll take you on a tour today then, eh?"
"I'd love it."
The plates cleared themselves when the two were finished and Kuja lead her down a few corridors. "Here's the library," he said, pushing the door open. Mallory was speechless. "You've really read all of these books?" she asked, going up the stairs to the first set of shelves.
"Yes. I have a lot of time to read on my hands." Mallory took another book and opened it. "So you can read this ancient Gaian stuff?" Kuja walked up the steps and took the book.
"Well, what does it say?"
Kuja looked down at the pages. "This one says '…born of legends, not the other way around. The eidolons protect the summoner village, Madain Sari…"
"It looks handwritten."
"It is. By one of my elders."
"I see…" Kuja gave her the book back and she replaced it on the shelf. "The eidolons…Was that big dragon one of them?"
"Yes."
"What's it called?"
"Bahamut."
Mallory thought. "Can you summon them?"
"In a way, yes…But I'll tell you another day…Let us continue the tour."
Two hours later Mallory was very familiar with the palace. She walked silently by Kuja, not caring where he was going, deep in thought. "Kuja…"
"Yes?"
"When do I get to start my work?"
"My, eager, aren't we?"
"Yes, very."
"You can start whenever you're ready. I expect that monkey is still on the Mist Continent."
"How will I get there?"
Kuja thought. "Come with me." He led her to the bottom of the palace, where there was a large door that opened to a path that lead to the desert. They walked out to the desert, shielding their eyes from the sun. Kuja scanned the sky. "There," he said, pointing, after a few minutes. There was a red dragon soaring about the clouds. He cast stop on it and it fell, stone hard, to the ground. "Let's get it inside…"
They both dragged the big thing back into the palace and to another room in the bottom of it. There they chained it up and Kuja cast haste on it twice. It sprung to life and struggled ad roared. "Now, go up to it and put your hands on the sides of its head."
"What?"
"You heard me."
"But it'll bite me!"
"If it does just heal yourself, you have to do this. I did it with my dragon, and you saw how she turned out."
Mallory carefully walked towards the snapping head, and managed to get her hands on it. It stopped moving, perhaps contemplating an attack. "Good. Now, think into it…. Like, try to talk to it with your mind, like that. There's no better way to describe it."
Mallory thought very hard, concentrating on the dragon. She thought 'I won't hurt you, and I hope you won't hurt me. Please be still,' over and over. After about fifteen minutes, just when she was ready to give up, she heard a reply.
~I understand. ~
Mallory leapt back in surprise. "It talked! In my head! It's got a deep voice, like a man, it's weird."
"Good, that's what you want. Try again."
She put her hands back on its head and tried something else. 'You're not going to bite me?'
~ No. ~
'I need your help. I must fly to the Mist Continent. Will you help me?'
~ …Yes. ~
'What is your name?'
~ You may call me whatever you wish. ~
'How about…Yona?'
~ I don't care. All names from your mouth are alien and strange to me. ~
'Can you be trusted if we take the chains off?'
~ Yes. ~
She removed her hands from its head and turned to Kuja. "Take the chains off."
Kuja did so willingly. The dragon shook out its feet and stared at Mallory. "Can you talk to me like this?" Mallory said aloud.
~ Yes. ~
Mallory turned to Kuja and smiled. "Do you and your dragon have this?"
"We sure do."
"So now I can go to beat...Zidane?"
"Yes…Yes!"