2)----------
In Which, the Princesses get into another squabble
Veronica was angry. She was upset. She was hungry. She was,
at the moment, just about everything imaginable other than sad and scared,
which were what Forciara had hoped to get from her. That way, the Toroian had speculated, the little creep would do
what she was told.
As it was, even after they'd tied
her up and gagged her, the purple-haired little monster wouldn't shut up –
making all these loud and strangled-sounding noises incessantly. It was driving her crazy!
Since Marnak's exodus from the main
force of Raiders one year ago, he'd managed to do rather well for himself and
those few people who had come with him. Now, not only did his headquarters feature far nicer facilities than she'd
have thought he'd be able to scrounge, but his forces had grown. How many now served him, she didn't know,
but the stronghold was bustling with activity at all times, like any other
self-sufficient city.
The thought that Marnak could build
up his own nation to such an extent in only one year told Forciara that he
would be a very handy champion in her own pocket. For now, though, she had to get this kid to shut up . . .
"Ignore the kid's whining, and bring
her out," Marnak snapped, shoving his head in the door to the room in which the
two Princesses were holding their battle of wills. "We've some people assembled to see you."
He was gone again before the Toroian
could question into the matter, so she sighed, considered finding better help,
realized that this was the best there was, grabbed Veronica under one arm, and
followed the Raider from a distance through a corridor.
"I do hope you're ready to negotiate
your terms," Marnak told her, "because they have your mother."
"Really? Here?" Forciara
blinked. Could her relatives truly be
so foolish? "Then why don't we simply
take her and hold them ransom instead?"
"Because we're meeting them in the
open, not here. Do you take me for a
fool? I'll not let them find this place
– nor should you really want them to if you desire keeping your little
haven. And at the meeting point, they
have what's left of their army that isn't being slaughtered by Baron."
"Baron's winning, are they?"
"Yes. That's why your people were so ready to negotiate the Princess."
Veronica at that point turned up her
volume, sufficiently irritating the Toroian.
"I just can't wait to get this brat
off my hands. I hate her. I really do."
"You're the one who kidnapped
her, remember. And while I realize that
their losing position makes them all the more likely to pay whatever we want
for this little trump card, you should also be taking into consideration that
the more of Baron's army that remains after this, the more soldiers there will
be trying to track you down."
"That's supposed to be your
job, Marnak. That's why, if you'd
remember, I'm paying you what I am."
"You've not paid me anything yet,
Lady."
"Which will be rectified soon
enough, Sir."
They passed through the hidden
entrance and Forciara found herself escorted by seven armed Raiders on each
side.
"We're taking no chances, Princess,"
Marnak told her, taking the reins for the two chocobos which were handed to
him, and giving one set to her. "Get
on. This place isn't exactly close."
*
When they were about an hour away,
Marnak stopped them and turned to Forciara.
"We probably oughta feed the kid,
hmm?"
"Oh . . . I suppose so."
She gingerly undid the gag, just
managing to dodge the Princess's furious teeth in the process. Once free, Veronica let out the wail that
only a royal toddler can perform.
"Shut up, unless you want to
starve!" Forciara bellowed.
Veronica continued.
"She's only three," Marnak
said. "She probably doesn't even know
what 'starve' means. Kid, are you
hungry?"
In spite of herself, Veronica
nodded. She'd not yet learned
dishonesty, nor indeed her Prisoner's Etiquette.
"Well then, if you stay quiet, we'll
feed you. If not, then we'll start
moving again, and you'll get nothing."
Veronica proceeded to sulk quietly.
"Good girl," Marnak approved. He glanced at Forciara. "Some people are naturally logical. Others . . . well, never mind."
Forciara seethed at him. Then she turned to offer a sandwich to the
toddler in her captivity, and was suddenly kicked right off her chocobo by –
"Nobody move!!"
A shower of fireballs erupted from a
figure moving too fast to be identified. They bounced off Veronica, but the others found themselves bombarded
with no shelter. Marnak's soldiers,
much to their credit, didn't bolt, but they did drop to the ground, throw down
their weapons, and surrender. Well,
those who were still moving after the first fiery onslaught.
"Look, you scoffers! Wonder, and PERISH!"
The figure halted, a tall woman with
bright green hair trailing behind her in the wind, astride a particularly large
and angry-looking chocobo.
"Surrender the Princess!" the woman
snapped.
"Who do you think you are?!"
Forciara snapped back.
"I am here at the request of Cecil,
King of Baron, to secure the Princess and joyfully destroy any and all
opposition. Are you going to
oppose? Because it has been so very
long since I've been able to joyfully destroy anyone."
Forciara grinned as she pointed out
the dagger she was holding at the little Baronian's throat.
"Well, if you pull one more spell,
I'll simply put your prize out of commission."
"And what will you do then, huh?"
the woman seethed, dripping with loathing. "What on Earth would possess a person to do something as utterly stupid
as what you're in the midst of? You
can't possibly win!"
"Can't I? Do you want to see Cecil's little girl in two neat
pieces?"
"Listen, Lady," the attacker advised
in a low growl, "you have not caught us on the best of days. Dealing with you is barely worth more than
the merest thought compared to what's going on in the world right now."
"You've not dealt with me yet,"
Forciara pointed out.
"Haven't I? How forgetful of me!"
In that instant, a glittering cloud
cut through the air, freezing Forciara solid before she could even consider
reacting.
"Thank you, Shiva," the woman said,
and into Forciara's view floated the Esper in question.
"Any time . . . as long as I can,
anyway," she replied, vanishing in a green light.
"Ry-di-aaaaaaaa!!!" wailed
Veronica, trapped in Forciara's frozen grasp. "I wanna go hooooome!!"
Rydia plucked the Princess out of
Forciara's clutches, set her on Chocobo's back in front of her, and turned to
renegade once more.
"For the record, Your Highness, if I
ever happen to meet with you again, I'll gladly relieve you of your head."
"Why haven't you?" Forciara seethed,
barely able to move her jaw to speak.
"Because I wouldn't want to
traumatize this dear child."
As Rydia turned, however, she had
neglected one important detail of this scenario:
Marnak.
Before she'd even released the
Toroian from her glare, she gave a small cry and fell forward, gasping for her
breath with an arrow shaft protruding from her back.
"Chocobo – "
Even as the bird took off running
for all he was worth, Marnak shot again, this time managing to drive the Caller
to the ground.
As he approached, a shower of
Meteors fell from the sky, but another of the Raiders (who had by this time
recovered his composure) grabbed Veronica as Chocobo veered around to reclaim
his Mistress.
"Idiot!!" Rydia hissed. "Get her back and get outta here!"
"Too late for that, I'm afraid,"
Marnak informed her, quickly restored by aid of his companions from the effect
of the Meteo spell. "I think the only
thing that has changed in our situation," he then told Forciara, who had been
broken free of her icy bonds, "is that we now have two bargaining chips instead
of just one."
Rydia glared up at him, then her
vision swam and everything went dark.
Ah, how she regretted her loss of
white magic . . .
* * *
Chocobo had retained some
form of sense, however, and did not hang around to be captured with Rydia and
the Princess. Rather, he fled the scene
to find help.
Appearing back at Eblan, he barged
right through the guards and into the Throne Room, annoying the Herald who
wasn't sure just what to announce.
"Euh – Your Majesty – Chocobo."
"People, get out of the way and let
the Esper through!" Edge snapped as the Court Ninnies clogged up the
doorway. They ran for their lives,
knowing Edge to sometimes have . . . an elusive temper. Not that it was ever lost . . . it was
just never quite found. "Chocobo –
where's Rydia? Did she get Veronica?"
"She got her!" the bird snapped at
the Ninja. "Then Marnak got 'em both!"
"What?!"
"Just as we left, he shot her!"
"He shot her?!?!" Edge fell over, fortunately landing in his
Throne. "Well, is she – "
"As far as I can tell, she's still
alive."
"Good!! And Veronica?"
"She hadn't been harmed."
Edge got up and paced, muttering
rude words under his breath.
"Of all the times for Cecil to go to
war and leave her to do his dirty work – "
"Oh, don't blame Cecil!" Chocobo
snapped. "It's my fault, after
all."
Edge blinked at him and cooled down.
"No. It's Marnak's fault. So
let's figure out what to do about him, shall we? Any thoughts on where his stronghold is?"
Chocobo closed his eyes,
concentrating deeply on the Collective Chocobo Memory Hotline, trying to sort
through his stupid cousins' twisted instincts mixed with vague memories.
"I think so. But that's not where they're going."
"Of course not . . . that Raider
Scum is likely going to sell them both to the Toroians. @#$%!!!!!!!"
Chocobo blinked, startled by such a
term.
"Don't stand there blinking at
me!! We've gotta find them! Take me to where you were."
"But . . . can you take them all
alone? Rydia thought she could,
and look what – "
"Don't cross me, Bird, or you won't need
any mysterious elemental force to drive you over the edge – I'll rip out
your gizzard and fry it with beans. Take me to where you were when they were lost. Now."
"Y-yes, Your Majesty."