Winter's King
Part III: Soon the show will Start.
"So where do you hail from?" Ruby asked Kain.
"I've never heard of this Alexandria in my life or travels." Kain spoke as Ruby paused while holding Kain's meal.
"What do ya mean? You never heard of this place? Where are ya from? The Outer Contenent?" Ruby wondered as she set down Kain's toast and eggs.
"No, I'm from Baron. Surely you've heard of them or the Red Wings."
"Nope, never heard of this Baron you speak of. Who or what are the Red Wings?"
"The Red Wings are only the biggest airship fleet around!" Kain said as he ate his eggs with toast.
"Nope, never heard of 'em." Ruby sat down, interested in what Kain was saying. "Would you happen to be familar of Burmicia. Seems like you would, being you're in dragoon armor."
"Burmicia? This is too confusing. I don't know any of these places you speak of, and you never heard of mine. It's strange, maybe this is a dream. All I can remember was training on top of Mount Hobbs. I set up camp and was ready for bed. Maybe this is all a dream."
"This ain't no dream! I'm real, this place is real! Well, maybe you have amneisa or somethin'." Ruby said as she took Kain's plate.
"Thanks for the meal." Kain threw some gil on the table and left. Meanwhile, Freya was still trying to break free from Ultros's trap.
"Freya, we've tried all we can, we cannot escape." Fratley said.
"I won't have that! I'm sure we can get out of this! Let's just hope Zidane and the others come to help us!" Freya shouted. But it didn't look like Zidane would be going anywhere near there. Baku and Co. had arrived at the castle. It took two boat trips, because they wouldn't all fit in one trip.
"Well, here we are!" Baku shouted. "Let's go check with Mr. Knight." They proceded into the castle as Zidane spotted a portrait of Garnet.
"I wonder who painted that. Probably doesn't know Dagger as well as I do." Zidane said.
"Quit goof'n off! We gotta find Steiner!" Baku stated.
"Busted!" Marcus said. They continued until they found Steiner on guard.
"Tauntalus, you have arrived!" Steiner said as he approached them. "Tickets have been sold out. The queen is most pleased that you'll be preforming tonight."
"Speaking of Dagger, where's she at?" Zidane asked.
"She's resting. And call her Queen Garnet from now on!" Steiner yelled.
"Geez, don't get bent out of shape, Rusty." Zidane said.
"Some people never change." Steiner grunted.
"Alright! Alright! 'bout tonight!" Baku shouted.
"Yes, very well. As we have discussed, the stage is yours at 8pm. If the play goes over well, we urge you to preform it again at another date." Steiner explained.
"Yeah, yeah. We know all that! We wanna know 'bout pay for this one. The special effects are mighty good."
"Yes, very well. I have informed Haagen about your arrival. He will discuss pay." Steiner said. "Come back at six for preperations." Tantalus exited, but Zidane stayed a little behind.
"Come on, Rusty! You know about Dagger and me! Let me see her!" Zidane urged.
"Call her Queen Garnet! And I told you, she is resting. I'll inform her of your visit. Now please, follow your group!" Steiner yelled. Amarant then entered while waiting outside.
"Amarant? What brings you here?" Steiner asked.
"To pay back I debt. I don't like having to owe something to someone, so I came to pay you back for helping me in Treno."
"That is not needed. Your services were most helpful. Think of that act as my debt being repaid."
"I hear Haagen is sick."
"Yes, but he carries on about it as if he last days were upon him."
"Ok, right after the play, I'm gonna take over his post for a day."
"Most appreciated! So, once you are done watching the play......."
"Actually, I'm in the play."
"You!? You are invovled with Tantalus!?"
"Zidane practically begged I take part in this play. It was furthest from my mind. I really don't want to hear his complaining. I'm not going with them anyway. My part's over." Amarant said and left. Steiner went up to the Queen's chamber.
"Queen Garnet! The preparations for the play are complete." Steiner reported.
"Are the Tantalus people still here?" Garnet asked.
"No, they have all left." Steiner said.
"Oh...." Garnet said looking at the floor.
"Did you want to see them?" Steiner asked.
"I wanted to wish them luck. It is not a problem." Steiner went to see how dinner was going as Garnet sat in her room looking at a painting of Alexandria. "To think, all our efforts managed to get Alexandria back to what it looked like before the disaster."
Meanwhile, back in town. "Whatcha mean a strange dragoon came in here!" Baku asked Ruby.
"He said his name was Kain, an' he never heard of Alexandria in his life! Doesn't that sound odd to ya!" Ruby shouted.
"Ah, it's probably a friend of Freya or something. Maybe he also has amneisa." Zidane said.
"He wasn't from Burmicia, he was all human and never heard of it." Ruby pointed out.
"Ok, I'll keep an eye out." Marcus said. Hours passed, and it was 5:57 pm. Tantalus decided to rehearse at their old headquarters with Ruby, because it was bigger and the next scene needed space. Ruby still had to close the place. But Freya and Sir Fratley were still in trouble, with Ultros putting his plan in action.
"Mwahahaha! Only a two hours before everyone is seated, then SLAM! I steal the show!" Ultros said. Kain heard this, for he was walking by and only heard "....steal the show!"
"Oh, are you in this play?" Kain said from below.
"Uh....yeah....I am! I'm....the....Winter King!" Ultros said, getting hot headed.
"Really? Isn't that the star role?"
"Well....yeah! I'm sure to be a hit!"
"Ok then, I look forward to it. I didn't know the Winter King was an octopus." Kain left as Ultros continued on. Time was running out, and the only ones who knew the news couldn't be reached. Vivi then walked into Ruby's cafe right after she came back.
"Heya, Vivi. We just came back." Ruby said.
"Oh....I was....um...wondering. I left a card of mine in the mini theater last time I was here." Vivi said.
"You know ya can go there if ya want." Ruby told.
"But the door's locked...." Vivi pointed out.
"I don't remember lock'n up. Did any of you?"
"No, I was first to leave." Cinna said.
"Not me, I just closed it, and I was last." Marcus said. Ruby was a bit confused, so she took the group down there and opened the doors. They knew something was wrong.
"Why is it so cold in here?" Blank wondered.
"What's this big sack doin' here?" Baku asked and pointed out the sack behind the curtain. Zidane walked up to it and touched it.
"It's freezing? Who put this here."
"Zidane? Zidane! It's me! Freya!" Freya shouted.
"Freya? What's going on?"
"I'll explain it all later. We're surronded by ice, and we can't escape!"
"Whadda mean "we"?" Baku asked.
"Sir Fratley and I!"
"Well, I'm not one to come between you two." Zidane joked.
"Zidane!"
"Calm down, I'm kidding. Vivi, could you melt the ice?"
"Um....sure." Vivi steped up and cast a fire spell on the ice ball. It quickly melted.
"Ouch! That's hot!" Fratley said as Freya jumped shook herself to cool off.
"Tantalus is in danger." Freya stated.
"What!? Whadda mean?" Baku blurted out.
"An octopus is planning to ruin your show. He's trying to kill you all." Fratley added.
"Well, we're not gonna let that happen!" Zidane said.
"But, Zidane. They play starts in 1 hour. Steiner's expecting us at the castle soon. We can't possibly track down an octopus in that amount of time." Blank said.
"Hey, take a look at this!" Cinna shouted and picked up Ultros's letter. It read:
To whoever running the play:
Let's see if you're able to do an encore after tonight's show. When you call the king, you'll be flattened.
----Ultros
"Aw, damn. We got a big problem on our shoulders now." Baku grunted.
"Call the king? He must mean when we summon the king in the play!" Marcus said. "That's right when I come in!"
"What can we possibly do? We can't perform under these circumstances. Boss, what should we do?" Cinna asked.
"Gather 'round group. You too Vivi." Baku commanded.
"M...me?" Vivi said with uncertainity.
"Yeah, now listen up everone. We'll give 'em a show they won't soon forget. Infact, this may add a whole new part to the play. Heh heh ha!"
Does Baku really have a plan that will work. And what about Amarant, who knows none of the dangers that are happening?
Part III: Soon the show will Start.
"So where do you hail from?" Ruby asked Kain.
"I've never heard of this Alexandria in my life or travels." Kain spoke as Ruby paused while holding Kain's meal.
"What do ya mean? You never heard of this place? Where are ya from? The Outer Contenent?" Ruby wondered as she set down Kain's toast and eggs.
"No, I'm from Baron. Surely you've heard of them or the Red Wings."
"Nope, never heard of this Baron you speak of. Who or what are the Red Wings?"
"The Red Wings are only the biggest airship fleet around!" Kain said as he ate his eggs with toast.
"Nope, never heard of 'em." Ruby sat down, interested in what Kain was saying. "Would you happen to be familar of Burmicia. Seems like you would, being you're in dragoon armor."
"Burmicia? This is too confusing. I don't know any of these places you speak of, and you never heard of mine. It's strange, maybe this is a dream. All I can remember was training on top of Mount Hobbs. I set up camp and was ready for bed. Maybe this is all a dream."
"This ain't no dream! I'm real, this place is real! Well, maybe you have amneisa or somethin'." Ruby said as she took Kain's plate.
"Thanks for the meal." Kain threw some gil on the table and left. Meanwhile, Freya was still trying to break free from Ultros's trap.
"Freya, we've tried all we can, we cannot escape." Fratley said.
"I won't have that! I'm sure we can get out of this! Let's just hope Zidane and the others come to help us!" Freya shouted. But it didn't look like Zidane would be going anywhere near there. Baku and Co. had arrived at the castle. It took two boat trips, because they wouldn't all fit in one trip.
"Well, here we are!" Baku shouted. "Let's go check with Mr. Knight." They proceded into the castle as Zidane spotted a portrait of Garnet.
"I wonder who painted that. Probably doesn't know Dagger as well as I do." Zidane said.
"Quit goof'n off! We gotta find Steiner!" Baku stated.
"Busted!" Marcus said. They continued until they found Steiner on guard.
"Tauntalus, you have arrived!" Steiner said as he approached them. "Tickets have been sold out. The queen is most pleased that you'll be preforming tonight."
"Speaking of Dagger, where's she at?" Zidane asked.
"She's resting. And call her Queen Garnet from now on!" Steiner yelled.
"Geez, don't get bent out of shape, Rusty." Zidane said.
"Some people never change." Steiner grunted.
"Alright! Alright! 'bout tonight!" Baku shouted.
"Yes, very well. As we have discussed, the stage is yours at 8pm. If the play goes over well, we urge you to preform it again at another date." Steiner explained.
"Yeah, yeah. We know all that! We wanna know 'bout pay for this one. The special effects are mighty good."
"Yes, very well. I have informed Haagen about your arrival. He will discuss pay." Steiner said. "Come back at six for preperations." Tantalus exited, but Zidane stayed a little behind.
"Come on, Rusty! You know about Dagger and me! Let me see her!" Zidane urged.
"Call her Queen Garnet! And I told you, she is resting. I'll inform her of your visit. Now please, follow your group!" Steiner yelled. Amarant then entered while waiting outside.
"Amarant? What brings you here?" Steiner asked.
"To pay back I debt. I don't like having to owe something to someone, so I came to pay you back for helping me in Treno."
"That is not needed. Your services were most helpful. Think of that act as my debt being repaid."
"I hear Haagen is sick."
"Yes, but he carries on about it as if he last days were upon him."
"Ok, right after the play, I'm gonna take over his post for a day."
"Most appreciated! So, once you are done watching the play......."
"Actually, I'm in the play."
"You!? You are invovled with Tantalus!?"
"Zidane practically begged I take part in this play. It was furthest from my mind. I really don't want to hear his complaining. I'm not going with them anyway. My part's over." Amarant said and left. Steiner went up to the Queen's chamber.
"Queen Garnet! The preparations for the play are complete." Steiner reported.
"Are the Tantalus people still here?" Garnet asked.
"No, they have all left." Steiner said.
"Oh...." Garnet said looking at the floor.
"Did you want to see them?" Steiner asked.
"I wanted to wish them luck. It is not a problem." Steiner went to see how dinner was going as Garnet sat in her room looking at a painting of Alexandria. "To think, all our efforts managed to get Alexandria back to what it looked like before the disaster."
Meanwhile, back in town. "Whatcha mean a strange dragoon came in here!" Baku asked Ruby.
"He said his name was Kain, an' he never heard of Alexandria in his life! Doesn't that sound odd to ya!" Ruby shouted.
"Ah, it's probably a friend of Freya or something. Maybe he also has amneisa." Zidane said.
"He wasn't from Burmicia, he was all human and never heard of it." Ruby pointed out.
"Ok, I'll keep an eye out." Marcus said. Hours passed, and it was 5:57 pm. Tantalus decided to rehearse at their old headquarters with Ruby, because it was bigger and the next scene needed space. Ruby still had to close the place. But Freya and Sir Fratley were still in trouble, with Ultros putting his plan in action.
"Mwahahaha! Only a two hours before everyone is seated, then SLAM! I steal the show!" Ultros said. Kain heard this, for he was walking by and only heard "....steal the show!"
"Oh, are you in this play?" Kain said from below.
"Uh....yeah....I am! I'm....the....Winter King!" Ultros said, getting hot headed.
"Really? Isn't that the star role?"
"Well....yeah! I'm sure to be a hit!"
"Ok then, I look forward to it. I didn't know the Winter King was an octopus." Kain left as Ultros continued on. Time was running out, and the only ones who knew the news couldn't be reached. Vivi then walked into Ruby's cafe right after she came back.
"Heya, Vivi. We just came back." Ruby said.
"Oh....I was....um...wondering. I left a card of mine in the mini theater last time I was here." Vivi said.
"You know ya can go there if ya want." Ruby told.
"But the door's locked...." Vivi pointed out.
"I don't remember lock'n up. Did any of you?"
"No, I was first to leave." Cinna said.
"Not me, I just closed it, and I was last." Marcus said. Ruby was a bit confused, so she took the group down there and opened the doors. They knew something was wrong.
"Why is it so cold in here?" Blank wondered.
"What's this big sack doin' here?" Baku asked and pointed out the sack behind the curtain. Zidane walked up to it and touched it.
"It's freezing? Who put this here."
"Zidane? Zidane! It's me! Freya!" Freya shouted.
"Freya? What's going on?"
"I'll explain it all later. We're surronded by ice, and we can't escape!"
"Whadda mean "we"?" Baku asked.
"Sir Fratley and I!"
"Well, I'm not one to come between you two." Zidane joked.
"Zidane!"
"Calm down, I'm kidding. Vivi, could you melt the ice?"
"Um....sure." Vivi steped up and cast a fire spell on the ice ball. It quickly melted.
"Ouch! That's hot!" Fratley said as Freya jumped shook herself to cool off.
"Tantalus is in danger." Freya stated.
"What!? Whadda mean?" Baku blurted out.
"An octopus is planning to ruin your show. He's trying to kill you all." Fratley added.
"Well, we're not gonna let that happen!" Zidane said.
"But, Zidane. They play starts in 1 hour. Steiner's expecting us at the castle soon. We can't possibly track down an octopus in that amount of time." Blank said.
"Hey, take a look at this!" Cinna shouted and picked up Ultros's letter. It read:
To whoever running the play:
Let's see if you're able to do an encore after tonight's show. When you call the king, you'll be flattened.
----Ultros
"Aw, damn. We got a big problem on our shoulders now." Baku grunted.
"Call the king? He must mean when we summon the king in the play!" Marcus said. "That's right when I come in!"
"What can we possibly do? We can't perform under these circumstances. Boss, what should we do?" Cinna asked.
"Gather 'round group. You too Vivi." Baku commanded.
"M...me?" Vivi said with uncertainity.
"Yeah, now listen up everone. We'll give 'em a show they won't soon forget. Infact, this may add a whole new part to the play. Heh heh ha!"
Does Baku really have a plan that will work. And what about Amarant, who knows none of the dangers that are happening?