Forever ~Pt. 1, The Dream
Disclaimer: OK, this is VERY cheesy, so don't sue me: No flames! It's a Zidane + Dagger story, so get away before you get insulted! Please, R&R! This is about the Ice Cavern (I made EVERYTHING up or else it wouldn't have fit with my story!) ~Garnet
As the party entered the Ice Cavern, Dagger gasped loudly. She had never in her life seen such a huge grotto before; even the Throne Room in Alexandria Castle couldn't possibly be this big! "She's so beautiful," Zidane mumbled to himself as he stared at Dagger. "What's that, Zidane?" It was Vivi.
Zidane felt the blood rush to his cheeks, as he turned away, desperate not to let Dagger see his embarrassment. "What's that, Zidane?" Vivi repeated again.
"Uh...it's nothing."
"Then why are you turning away?"
"Vivi!"
"OK, OK, I get it."
Dagger, to Zidane's relief hadn't been paying attention as she stared at the shimmering ice walls. Suddenly, out of the dark of the Ice Cavern, a dark figure cloaked entirely in black appeared. "She's mine!" He barked in a rough voice. Zidane and Vivi gasped as they turned around.
"Hello, my Princess," the person said, as he stepped forward politely and kissed her hand. Dagger didn't really look too happy at all; the fact that a stranger was unconsciously kissing her hand. "Now," he continued, evidently unmoved by Dagger's disapproving faces. "Forgive me for what I'm about to do."
And with a sudden movement, he sprang up and sprinkled Dagger with a peculiar type of magic dust. Dagger gasped loudly as she fell back, and landed straight in the waiting arms of the stranger. "HAHAHA!" He laughed as he ran swiftly away, leaving a stunned Zidane, Vivi and the Tantalus crew behind.
Zidane was the first one to come back to his senses. "DAGGER!"
*****
All Dagger remembered of the next few hours was being placed on a hard, rough surface and receiving yet another dose of the dust, and then falling in a content, dreamless slumber.
*****
"Is it working boss?" A small, funny little voice asked. "Yes, actually, better than I had planned," said a deep, fallen voice that suggested aspirin. "I never thought the Princess could have so easily been fooled by you, boss," the first voice said, after a long silence. "Did you get Nagina?"
"Yes, I did Zorn."
"That's great, boss!"
"Silence! We still have a very long way to go before we'll be able to convince Princess-or shall I say Queen Garnet to hand over to us the Royal Pendant. She's much smarter than that fat-ass Queen Brahne, and it's a pity Brahne had already handed over the Pendant to Garnet; we could have easily fooled the fat-bag."
"Does Princess Garnet have any idea what we did to her mom?" Zorn asked, sounding extremely worried and scared. He seemed to be timid towards his boss.
"No, not yet. But I hope it'll come as a surprise to her that she's Queen now; she'll never guess we killed her mother with Bahamut! HAHAHAHA!"
*****
Dagger woke up in a sweat. She had just dreamt that her mother had been assassinated by-by whom? Dagger attempted to get up, only to find that the place around her was engulfed in complete darkness. Or maybe it was just nighttime? "Zidane!" Dagger screamed into the lonely blackness. A short pounding of feet was heard, then nothing. "Zidane?" Dagger called out again.
"Ah, so you're awake, are you not, my Princess." That voice! It was...the same one as the one in her dream! Could it be...Zorn? No, Zorn's voice was way too high. But...what about that boss who had plotted the assassination of Queen Brahne?
"Who are you?" Dagger whispered lowly. She was barely audible. However, the person standing somewhere around her seemed to have sharp ears, and he whispered back, much more louder, "Very Perceptive, you are, my Queen. But you'll find out soon enough..."
And then, Dagger dosed off again...blame the magic dust...
*****
"Dagger!" Zidane yelled, listening intently for a response. Silence. "Dagger!" He called out again. But he knew Dagger couldn't hear him...she could be miles, ever countries away! Whoever had kidnapped her would pay dearly for this!
"Ah, waiting for a long-lost friend?" It was the man who had captured Dagger in first place! His scratchy, low voice could not be mistaken with anyone else's; it was too unique. "Where's Dagger!" Zidane yelled.
"I'm not deaf," the man said calmly. "I can hear exactly what you're saying, so don't scream and kick into a fit. If you want to know who I am...I'm ...I'm Trance-Uken." With this, Trance-Uken removed his hood to reveal a dark glowing body. But just call me Uken; the "Trance" is too long for me." Uken smiled a small, sinister smile and then, he continued.
"As for the whereabouts of...of this Dagger, she will be cared for comfortably...unless you decided to do something stupid." Uken pointed towards the ceiling of the cavern, where many of the icicles were already melting from the warmth of Uken's power. A small picture of Dagger unconscious on the ground in a very dark room made Zidane shiver. He made a mental note to give Uken a good beating after Dagger was free.
However, Uken, who definitely had the power to read minds, said calmly, "Ah, but Dagger is under my control. I can make her do something stupid, and she won't even realize it...until it's too late. So don't try anything funny."
Uken added this with a smirk, and then, summoning three Uranians to do his dirty work, he walked away, evidently very triumphant with himself. "Oh, he is going to pay so dearly," Zidane muttered between clenched teeth. He would get Uken if it was the last thing he did! "Uh," Vivi nodded. "But if you're done daydreaming, Zidane, the Uranians are about to attack!"
*****
Dagger stirred ever so slightly from her perch on the floor of the dungeon. "Ah, I see you've awaken, yet again," said Uken, although Dagger didn't know this. "You're very fortunate to be alive; that pounding you got back there was very hard..."
What pounding? Dagger didn't know, as much as she stretched her memory of any pounding that had happened lately. But then, a throbbing pain reached her from the back of her head, and Dagger winced as tears came to her eyes. "What do you want to do with me?" She asked, almost pitifully.
"That's none of your business."
"Of course it is...you're using my body...my soul to do this! But why?"
"Ah, everyone who comes here asks the same question."
"Huh?"
Uken pointed to the side wall, where there were many chains and torturing objects, complete with the bones of many earlier victims. "People richer and more famous than you have died in this dungeon!" He cried, losing his calm expression. "And you...you little bug have only received little of the torture yet...it's only the beginning."
Dagger sorted these things out in her head, which had stopped hurting that much. "Than what do you have in store for me?" She asked. "I thought you'd never ask," Uken laughed, uncontrollably. "Once I've gathered all your data, you'll be no more use to me...It'll be fun watching you die..."
Tears again came to Dagger's eyes, as she thought about her life...about how she would miss all her friends, and family, and especially Zidane. Then, for the second time in her life, Dagger felt the floating sensation-as if she had no worries or cares in her life. And then, the unconsciousness slowly crept in...To Be Continued...
I hope you like it; it took my a long time to write this one. ~Garnet
Disclaimer: OK, this is VERY cheesy, so don't sue me: No flames! It's a Zidane + Dagger story, so get away before you get insulted! Please, R&R! This is about the Ice Cavern (I made EVERYTHING up or else it wouldn't have fit with my story!) ~Garnet
As the party entered the Ice Cavern, Dagger gasped loudly. She had never in her life seen such a huge grotto before; even the Throne Room in Alexandria Castle couldn't possibly be this big! "She's so beautiful," Zidane mumbled to himself as he stared at Dagger. "What's that, Zidane?" It was Vivi.
Zidane felt the blood rush to his cheeks, as he turned away, desperate not to let Dagger see his embarrassment. "What's that, Zidane?" Vivi repeated again.
"Uh...it's nothing."
"Then why are you turning away?"
"Vivi!"
"OK, OK, I get it."
Dagger, to Zidane's relief hadn't been paying attention as she stared at the shimmering ice walls. Suddenly, out of the dark of the Ice Cavern, a dark figure cloaked entirely in black appeared. "She's mine!" He barked in a rough voice. Zidane and Vivi gasped as they turned around.
"Hello, my Princess," the person said, as he stepped forward politely and kissed her hand. Dagger didn't really look too happy at all; the fact that a stranger was unconsciously kissing her hand. "Now," he continued, evidently unmoved by Dagger's disapproving faces. "Forgive me for what I'm about to do."
And with a sudden movement, he sprang up and sprinkled Dagger with a peculiar type of magic dust. Dagger gasped loudly as she fell back, and landed straight in the waiting arms of the stranger. "HAHAHA!" He laughed as he ran swiftly away, leaving a stunned Zidane, Vivi and the Tantalus crew behind.
Zidane was the first one to come back to his senses. "DAGGER!"
*****
All Dagger remembered of the next few hours was being placed on a hard, rough surface and receiving yet another dose of the dust, and then falling in a content, dreamless slumber.
*****
"Is it working boss?" A small, funny little voice asked. "Yes, actually, better than I had planned," said a deep, fallen voice that suggested aspirin. "I never thought the Princess could have so easily been fooled by you, boss," the first voice said, after a long silence. "Did you get Nagina?"
"Yes, I did Zorn."
"That's great, boss!"
"Silence! We still have a very long way to go before we'll be able to convince Princess-or shall I say Queen Garnet to hand over to us the Royal Pendant. She's much smarter than that fat-ass Queen Brahne, and it's a pity Brahne had already handed over the Pendant to Garnet; we could have easily fooled the fat-bag."
"Does Princess Garnet have any idea what we did to her mom?" Zorn asked, sounding extremely worried and scared. He seemed to be timid towards his boss.
"No, not yet. But I hope it'll come as a surprise to her that she's Queen now; she'll never guess we killed her mother with Bahamut! HAHAHAHA!"
*****
Dagger woke up in a sweat. She had just dreamt that her mother had been assassinated by-by whom? Dagger attempted to get up, only to find that the place around her was engulfed in complete darkness. Or maybe it was just nighttime? "Zidane!" Dagger screamed into the lonely blackness. A short pounding of feet was heard, then nothing. "Zidane?" Dagger called out again.
"Ah, so you're awake, are you not, my Princess." That voice! It was...the same one as the one in her dream! Could it be...Zorn? No, Zorn's voice was way too high. But...what about that boss who had plotted the assassination of Queen Brahne?
"Who are you?" Dagger whispered lowly. She was barely audible. However, the person standing somewhere around her seemed to have sharp ears, and he whispered back, much more louder, "Very Perceptive, you are, my Queen. But you'll find out soon enough..."
And then, Dagger dosed off again...blame the magic dust...
*****
"Dagger!" Zidane yelled, listening intently for a response. Silence. "Dagger!" He called out again. But he knew Dagger couldn't hear him...she could be miles, ever countries away! Whoever had kidnapped her would pay dearly for this!
"Ah, waiting for a long-lost friend?" It was the man who had captured Dagger in first place! His scratchy, low voice could not be mistaken with anyone else's; it was too unique. "Where's Dagger!" Zidane yelled.
"I'm not deaf," the man said calmly. "I can hear exactly what you're saying, so don't scream and kick into a fit. If you want to know who I am...I'm ...I'm Trance-Uken." With this, Trance-Uken removed his hood to reveal a dark glowing body. But just call me Uken; the "Trance" is too long for me." Uken smiled a small, sinister smile and then, he continued.
"As for the whereabouts of...of this Dagger, she will be cared for comfortably...unless you decided to do something stupid." Uken pointed towards the ceiling of the cavern, where many of the icicles were already melting from the warmth of Uken's power. A small picture of Dagger unconscious on the ground in a very dark room made Zidane shiver. He made a mental note to give Uken a good beating after Dagger was free.
However, Uken, who definitely had the power to read minds, said calmly, "Ah, but Dagger is under my control. I can make her do something stupid, and she won't even realize it...until it's too late. So don't try anything funny."
Uken added this with a smirk, and then, summoning three Uranians to do his dirty work, he walked away, evidently very triumphant with himself. "Oh, he is going to pay so dearly," Zidane muttered between clenched teeth. He would get Uken if it was the last thing he did! "Uh," Vivi nodded. "But if you're done daydreaming, Zidane, the Uranians are about to attack!"
*****
Dagger stirred ever so slightly from her perch on the floor of the dungeon. "Ah, I see you've awaken, yet again," said Uken, although Dagger didn't know this. "You're very fortunate to be alive; that pounding you got back there was very hard..."
What pounding? Dagger didn't know, as much as she stretched her memory of any pounding that had happened lately. But then, a throbbing pain reached her from the back of her head, and Dagger winced as tears came to her eyes. "What do you want to do with me?" She asked, almost pitifully.
"That's none of your business."
"Of course it is...you're using my body...my soul to do this! But why?"
"Ah, everyone who comes here asks the same question."
"Huh?"
Uken pointed to the side wall, where there were many chains and torturing objects, complete with the bones of many earlier victims. "People richer and more famous than you have died in this dungeon!" He cried, losing his calm expression. "And you...you little bug have only received little of the torture yet...it's only the beginning."
Dagger sorted these things out in her head, which had stopped hurting that much. "Than what do you have in store for me?" She asked. "I thought you'd never ask," Uken laughed, uncontrollably. "Once I've gathered all your data, you'll be no more use to me...It'll be fun watching you die..."
Tears again came to Dagger's eyes, as she thought about her life...about how she would miss all her friends, and family, and especially Zidane. Then, for the second time in her life, Dagger felt the floating sensation-as if she had no worries or cares in her life. And then, the unconsciousness slowly crept in...To Be Continued...
I hope you like it; it took my a long time to write this one. ~Garnet