Final Fantasy 9
The Age of Darkness
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Book 1
Chapter 1: Pearls of Wisdom -Part 1-
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Garnet was now sitting in her kitchen with other members of her castle staff, awaiting their early morning breakfast. She was dressed in a pearl white gown, normal wear for her around the castle. She was waiting for her eggs and ham with a soft, flaky biscuit when her "knight in shining armor" entered the room. Now the king, Zidane walked in in his robe, still a little tired. He took his seat next to Garnet, and gave her a peck on the cheek.
"Is that all I get?" she said to him, almost in a whisper.
"You'll get more up in our room," he smiled, whispering back to her. She giggled lightly, and in came the food, carried by their 7 man team of chefs. Her food was placed on a fancy golden plate, same with Zidanes. Her eggs tasted perfect, but her ham was a little cold. She ignored it though. She was picky, but she always kept quiet. Zidane gobbled down his food as quick as he could. Garnet ate hers quickly, but tried not to act so piggish. A few of the staff looked at him from down the table, but went back to their conversation immediately. As soon as they finished eating, they walked back up to their room. They were discussing the war that was going on right now.
"But Garnet, if we pull back Fleet #02, we will lose our sight over Lindblum," Zidane commented.
"If we bring the fleet home, we can protect our own nation even beter. And we are hardly any part in this war, but Uncle Cid is overreacting. I can't get through to him at all..." Garnet said.
"Have you ever considered a peace talk?" Zidane suggested.
"I have, but everytime, I get hold of Uncle Cid, and he always declines. I don't know why, I can never get a straight answer out of him."
"What about Hilda? Maybe if you talk to her, she could get through to him?"
"I can't, it's like she is not even there. Everytime I send a message over their, it's always Cid that answers, never Hilda. Maybe something happened to her..."
"What about Burmecia? They are a weak kingdom, they have little power in the water or air. Maybe talk with them? They may know something that we don't."
"Maybe, but our communications with them are limited, they think we are against them as well..."
"Then what are we to do?"
"I....I just don't know...." Garnet said, and they had reached their room. Zidane opened the door for her, and, fulfilling his promise made at the breakfast table, he took her in his arms and they locked into a deep, passionate kiss.
"Mmmm...." Zidane said, still with his arms wrapped around her waist.
"Well, you sure keep your promises, don't you?" It was more of a statement that a question, but he still slightly laughed at it. He then kissed her again, this one shorter. After that, they continued their discussion on the war.
"Well then, oh mighty queen, what are we ever to do?" Zidane asked her, falling back onto their queensize bed.
"What can we do, oh dangerous one?" Garnet replied, falling onto the bed from the opposite side of Zidane.
"Well, I am going to have a talk with Blank down at the pub, I haven't seen him in ages," Zidane said. Garnet and Zidane have been "mingling" with the common folk ever since they became royalty. It gets too boring in the castle to stay locked up inside all day.
"When will you be doing that?" Garnet asked.
"Right now, if you don't mind, babe." Zidane cranked his neck back a little and looked at her. She did the same and smiled. Zidane rolled over and kissed her again, and then got up to go change. No use in wearing his "kingly" garments into town, especially into a pub full of drunken idiots.
"Well, ok. I guess that's fine with me. Just be careful, alright?" she said, and he had finished changing.
"Alright, see ya!" Zidane opened the door and out of the hall, closing the door behind him. Garnet sat there, in the dark room, all by herself. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.
Down at the pub, Blank was ordering his 2nd mug of beer. His other comrades were back in Lindblum, just hanging out at their hideout. Most of the people in the bar were not drunk, which was normal for a Saturday afternoon. The townspeople didn't get drunk till later at night, usually around 10 pm.
The door to the pub was open, which was nice, rather than having to smell the high stench of beer in the air. A cool, refreshing breeze would sweep in and give him the shivers ever once in a while, but it was acceptable. Zidane came walking in the door just a moment later.
"Hey Blank," Zidane said, sitting down at a stool next to him. The bartender smiled at him and got out another mug. He knew what Zidane wanted whenever he came in.
"Hey, what's up? Haven't seen you around..." Blank said. He sipped from his mug and set it down, then wiping the foam off of the top of his mouth.
"Well, it's been hell since the war started, so I haven't been out of the castle much. What are the others up to?" Zidane asked. The bartender had set Zidanes drink down infront of him. Zidane nodded at him and took a sip.
"Ah, the usual."
"Nothing?"
"Yup."
Outside, shouts of anger had aroused. A few people were running toward the town entrance. A couple of the people in the bar had turned to look out the door to try to see if they could see anything. One of them got up and went to the door and squinted against the sunlight.
"It looks like a fight or something..." the man said.
"Should we check it out?" Blank asked Zidane.
"I think so..." Zidane said. They both got up, drinks unfinished, and rushed out of the bar. They went down the road to the small group of people that were standing in a circle, just near the statue at the town entrance. Blank pushed through the group, a few steps ahead of Zidane, and when the people turned around, they let Zidane through. When they reached the center, they saw a Burmecian soldier, blood running from the cuts on his arms.
"Get back! Everyone, NOW! Get back!!!" Zidane said, motioning for the crowd to move back. The gate guards came rushing up to help bring the crowd back. The soldier looked unconcious, just lying there. Not dead, Blank could see him breathing.
"Zidane, he's still alive. What should we do?" Blank asked.
"Let's get him back to the castle, he may have a message for us." Zidane replied. They carried him back to the castle, and into the small hospital wing of the castle. There, a doctor and nurse had put him in bed and had checked on his condition. They then cleaned and tended the wounds.
"Doctor, how is he..." Zidane asked.
"Well, he is unconcious, and he got beat pretty badly. He will survive, but it will be a little bit before he awakens." the doctor said.
"Well, can you send the nurse up to the castle when he does awaken?" Zidane asked.
"Certainly," the doctor said. He turned back, looking at a few papers on the condition of the soldier. Zidane and Blank left the hospital wing.
"That is bad... He musta went through something horrible trying to get here..." Blank said.
"The Evil Forest, perhaps?" Zidane suggested.
"Maybe... but that is a dangerous place for a single soldier to be going. Do you think there were others that were with him?"
"Might be, we will have to wait until he comes to. Let's go tell Garnet." Zidane said, and they hurried off to Zidanes room.
When they arrived, they saw Garnet sleeping on the bed, just as she was when Zidane left her.
"Woman, are you going to lie there all day?" Zidane asked, one hand on his hip. Garnet opened her eyes and looked up at him.
"Huh...why haven't you left yet...." Garnet asked him.
"You were sleeping, hon." Zidane said.
"I was...oh god....." Garnet said.
"We have a...small situation at hand..." Blank said.
"Oh, hi Blank, nice to see you. What kind of situation?" Garnet asked.
"A Burmecian soldier arrived in the city today, when we got to him it looked like he got the shit beat out of him." Blank told her.
"What..."
"Yea... He is unconcious, he is now in the hospital wing."
"Oh my god..."
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Authors Note: This chapter would be too long, so im splitting it into two parts.
The Age of Darkness
-----------------
Book 1
Chapter 1: Pearls of Wisdom -Part 1-
-----------------
Garnet was now sitting in her kitchen with other members of her castle staff, awaiting their early morning breakfast. She was dressed in a pearl white gown, normal wear for her around the castle. She was waiting for her eggs and ham with a soft, flaky biscuit when her "knight in shining armor" entered the room. Now the king, Zidane walked in in his robe, still a little tired. He took his seat next to Garnet, and gave her a peck on the cheek.
"Is that all I get?" she said to him, almost in a whisper.
"You'll get more up in our room," he smiled, whispering back to her. She giggled lightly, and in came the food, carried by their 7 man team of chefs. Her food was placed on a fancy golden plate, same with Zidanes. Her eggs tasted perfect, but her ham was a little cold. She ignored it though. She was picky, but she always kept quiet. Zidane gobbled down his food as quick as he could. Garnet ate hers quickly, but tried not to act so piggish. A few of the staff looked at him from down the table, but went back to their conversation immediately. As soon as they finished eating, they walked back up to their room. They were discussing the war that was going on right now.
"But Garnet, if we pull back Fleet #02, we will lose our sight over Lindblum," Zidane commented.
"If we bring the fleet home, we can protect our own nation even beter. And we are hardly any part in this war, but Uncle Cid is overreacting. I can't get through to him at all..." Garnet said.
"Have you ever considered a peace talk?" Zidane suggested.
"I have, but everytime, I get hold of Uncle Cid, and he always declines. I don't know why, I can never get a straight answer out of him."
"What about Hilda? Maybe if you talk to her, she could get through to him?"
"I can't, it's like she is not even there. Everytime I send a message over their, it's always Cid that answers, never Hilda. Maybe something happened to her..."
"What about Burmecia? They are a weak kingdom, they have little power in the water or air. Maybe talk with them? They may know something that we don't."
"Maybe, but our communications with them are limited, they think we are against them as well..."
"Then what are we to do?"
"I....I just don't know...." Garnet said, and they had reached their room. Zidane opened the door for her, and, fulfilling his promise made at the breakfast table, he took her in his arms and they locked into a deep, passionate kiss.
"Mmmm...." Zidane said, still with his arms wrapped around her waist.
"Well, you sure keep your promises, don't you?" It was more of a statement that a question, but he still slightly laughed at it. He then kissed her again, this one shorter. After that, they continued their discussion on the war.
"Well then, oh mighty queen, what are we ever to do?" Zidane asked her, falling back onto their queensize bed.
"What can we do, oh dangerous one?" Garnet replied, falling onto the bed from the opposite side of Zidane.
"Well, I am going to have a talk with Blank down at the pub, I haven't seen him in ages," Zidane said. Garnet and Zidane have been "mingling" with the common folk ever since they became royalty. It gets too boring in the castle to stay locked up inside all day.
"When will you be doing that?" Garnet asked.
"Right now, if you don't mind, babe." Zidane cranked his neck back a little and looked at her. She did the same and smiled. Zidane rolled over and kissed her again, and then got up to go change. No use in wearing his "kingly" garments into town, especially into a pub full of drunken idiots.
"Well, ok. I guess that's fine with me. Just be careful, alright?" she said, and he had finished changing.
"Alright, see ya!" Zidane opened the door and out of the hall, closing the door behind him. Garnet sat there, in the dark room, all by herself. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.
Down at the pub, Blank was ordering his 2nd mug of beer. His other comrades were back in Lindblum, just hanging out at their hideout. Most of the people in the bar were not drunk, which was normal for a Saturday afternoon. The townspeople didn't get drunk till later at night, usually around 10 pm.
The door to the pub was open, which was nice, rather than having to smell the high stench of beer in the air. A cool, refreshing breeze would sweep in and give him the shivers ever once in a while, but it was acceptable. Zidane came walking in the door just a moment later.
"Hey Blank," Zidane said, sitting down at a stool next to him. The bartender smiled at him and got out another mug. He knew what Zidane wanted whenever he came in.
"Hey, what's up? Haven't seen you around..." Blank said. He sipped from his mug and set it down, then wiping the foam off of the top of his mouth.
"Well, it's been hell since the war started, so I haven't been out of the castle much. What are the others up to?" Zidane asked. The bartender had set Zidanes drink down infront of him. Zidane nodded at him and took a sip.
"Ah, the usual."
"Nothing?"
"Yup."
Outside, shouts of anger had aroused. A few people were running toward the town entrance. A couple of the people in the bar had turned to look out the door to try to see if they could see anything. One of them got up and went to the door and squinted against the sunlight.
"It looks like a fight or something..." the man said.
"Should we check it out?" Blank asked Zidane.
"I think so..." Zidane said. They both got up, drinks unfinished, and rushed out of the bar. They went down the road to the small group of people that were standing in a circle, just near the statue at the town entrance. Blank pushed through the group, a few steps ahead of Zidane, and when the people turned around, they let Zidane through. When they reached the center, they saw a Burmecian soldier, blood running from the cuts on his arms.
"Get back! Everyone, NOW! Get back!!!" Zidane said, motioning for the crowd to move back. The gate guards came rushing up to help bring the crowd back. The soldier looked unconcious, just lying there. Not dead, Blank could see him breathing.
"Zidane, he's still alive. What should we do?" Blank asked.
"Let's get him back to the castle, he may have a message for us." Zidane replied. They carried him back to the castle, and into the small hospital wing of the castle. There, a doctor and nurse had put him in bed and had checked on his condition. They then cleaned and tended the wounds.
"Doctor, how is he..." Zidane asked.
"Well, he is unconcious, and he got beat pretty badly. He will survive, but it will be a little bit before he awakens." the doctor said.
"Well, can you send the nurse up to the castle when he does awaken?" Zidane asked.
"Certainly," the doctor said. He turned back, looking at a few papers on the condition of the soldier. Zidane and Blank left the hospital wing.
"That is bad... He musta went through something horrible trying to get here..." Blank said.
"The Evil Forest, perhaps?" Zidane suggested.
"Maybe... but that is a dangerous place for a single soldier to be going. Do you think there were others that were with him?"
"Might be, we will have to wait until he comes to. Let's go tell Garnet." Zidane said, and they hurried off to Zidanes room.
When they arrived, they saw Garnet sleeping on the bed, just as she was when Zidane left her.
"Woman, are you going to lie there all day?" Zidane asked, one hand on his hip. Garnet opened her eyes and looked up at him.
"Huh...why haven't you left yet...." Garnet asked him.
"You were sleeping, hon." Zidane said.
"I was...oh god....." Garnet said.
"We have a...small situation at hand..." Blank said.
"Oh, hi Blank, nice to see you. What kind of situation?" Garnet asked.
"A Burmecian soldier arrived in the city today, when we got to him it looked like he got the shit beat out of him." Blank told her.
"What..."
"Yea... He is unconcious, he is now in the hospital wing."
"Oh my god..."
-----------------
Authors Note: This chapter would be too long, so im splitting it into two parts.