Chapter 3:
The Short Journey
"Kiandra! Don't!" Her mother's words of warning were too late. Kiandra had already been brought up close to her father. "Bastard! You're not taking my daughter!" She threw the frying pan at him, hitting him hard in the head, as Kiandra pulled away.
"Alright honey, have it your way." The man raised his hands, green light gathering around him. He thrust his hands forward, spectral green claws extending out from them. He reached in and gathered her soul, ripping it from her body.
"No! Mommy!" Kiandra stared at the man. His pale, white face, his glowing orange eyes staring straight back.
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When Kiandra came to, she was in a vast king sized bed, with a woman standing over her. She appeared to be a nurse. She felt her shoulder, and found that there was no wound. "Wha?"
"Oh, good. You've awoken. Governor O'Bannon will be wanting to see you down in the dining room." The young healer got up.
"Thank you." Kiandra said as the other woman left the room.
She got out of the bed and noticed that she had no cloak. Her tunic was all that was on. Her sword was sitting on the bed, newly polished, as if it had never been used in battle. Her cloak hung on the door, washed and looking even better than the sword. She re-belted, sheathed her sword, put on the beautiful emerald cloak, and left the room.
She was in a humongous mansion, where the stairs led in intricate and confusing patterns. She looked around, perplexed, until finally she followed the smell of eggs. She soon found her way into the dining room, where there were two women, the governor, and his wife. Also, the room was littered with guards, two of them paladins. On the table were countless reports and blueprints and other paperwork.
"Heroine! Come in! Come in! Everyone, this is....well, she never gave me her name, but still this is the lady that saved my life!" O'Bannon motioned for Kiandra to sit down.
"I really haven't introduced myself. I'm Governor Dylan O'Bannon, and this is my wife, Mallory." The governor gestured to the tall, thin, blonde haired woman next to him.
"Pleased to meet both of you." Kiandra took her seat, and a few bites of egg too. "I'm Kiandra of Albrook."
"Have some eggs! We'll get to all the grueling details and questions after breakfast." Dylan shoved a few plates over to her and she began eating.
After a good, hearty meal, Dylan shooed out everyone else, besides his guards, kissed his wife and quietly asked her to leave.
"Alright. Now, it's time for twenty questions. I'll go first. How in the WORLD are you able to cast magic?" He said, placing both his hands on the table.
"Well, ever since I was a little girl, I've had these powers that are able to make me cast magic." She swiftly lit a flame on her index finger, and led it across her fingers. "and Phoenix. It's sort of like, inborn ability."
"Well, I'm sure you know about the fall of Kefka, and how that destroyed magic." The governor said, taking a long swig of his drink.
"Well, all I can remember is that ever since my mother died when I was young, I've been able to use magic like that. And I've always been able to summon Phoenix, except, I've always fainted like that."
"Now, my turn. What were those two knights trying to get from you?"
"Quite simple really, I have vital information on Doma, and their castle, and not too long ago, I found some old plans to build magitek armor."
"How would it operate? No magicite still exists!" Kiandra gave an inquisitive look.
"Still simple. King Erik has found a few shards left somehow. Like they passed through the collapsed gate. He has been trying to use it. I'll send him the plans soon enough, so he can possibly build some magitek mecha."
"I could deliver them" She said.
"Alright, here you go." He handed her the plans from a mailing tube next to him. "Deliver these straight to King Erik."
"Speaking of which, he and his top guard, might want to meet you. His top guard can cast magic too. You should probably get going." He motioned to a large man clad in a dull gray armor. "Biggs, get Wedge and escort this young and heroic girl to the stables. Then see her to the caves. after there, I think she'll be okay."
"Yes sir." He backed up and waited for Kiandra to get up.
"Thanks governor. I'll make sure your guards don't get hurt."
"Okay, then--Hey, wait a minute!" Wedge said indignantly.
"We better be leaving now." Kiandra said quickly, as she got up and walked quickly toward the door. "Thanks again Dylan!"
The guard, clad in silver armor, and Kiandra in her beautiful, bright green cloak pushed straight through the intricate mansion of the governor. When they got to a door in what appeared to be the barracks, Biggs hammered on the door twice.
"Wedge! C'mon! We're on assignment!" He boomed into the door.
"Yeah, yeah!" Sounds of metal jangling and clanking was heard. Then, out came the younger guard, clad simply in a chain shirt, a buckler, and a small mithril sword. "don't worry, this is stronger than it looks."
The three set out toward the stables, where not horses were kept, but a large flock of birds. The chocobos. Each of them had necks like ostriches, and feathers of all sorts of colors. Their legs were like that of a road runner, except these birds were the size of horses. These were common travel in Aeolus.
"I think he wants us to take the chocolate brown ones. They get through the caves better." They strode through the corral, until they found three chocobos. Each of them had beautiful chocolate-colored feathers. Kiandra went to touch one of them. It's fur was as soft as down on a baby duck. She got on and noticed that the bird was still just as soft as before riding bareback. Unlike the yellow and white ones, these would need no saddle.
The three set out immediately for the caves. They crossed over grassy plains just barely recovering from the devastation of Kefka. The chocobos rode like the wind, and were so comfortable, if she wasn't so revived by Dylan's eggs, she would've fell asleep on the spot. Due to the chocobos' speed it didn't take long before they were all three standing in front of the cave mouth.
"Well, here goes." Biggs went in first, followed by Kiandra, and Wedge brought up the rear.
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The cave was incredibly narrow, which was why they were in single file. The ride went pretty well, and the chocobos stayed just as comfortable as always, even through the rocky and treacherous caves. Several times throughout the cave, Biggs had to make a slash to kill a monster or two, but it wasn't that often.
Finally, they arrived at a hallway, made partially out of metal, partially out of stone. As soon as they entered, they heard the cry of anguish of a man in the far distance.
"What was that?" Biggs said, flinching and looking rather paranoid.
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Kiandra directed her large bird around Biggs, and started off toward where she heard it, stopping to listen every few seconds.
"Well, I suppose our work here is done. Let's go tell the governor that the girl made it all right." Wedge said quickly, and turned his chocobo around.
"Good idea." Biggs turned just as Wedge did, and they set off at lightning speed.
