Chapter 7:
Jade sat in one of the chambers that Kuja had kept Zidane and the others in so many years earlier. She was not alone in the room, however. A thin body in ragged clothes lay at curled up opposite to her against the wall. He hadn't even looked up when she had been thrown in there, and it seemed that he either didn't know she was there or didn't care.
Jade crept slowly closer to him and put a tiny hand on his shoulder, shaking him slightly. "Mister… mister? Are you alive?"
A sigh mixed with a groan came from the body, and the figure sat up and turned to look at Jade. At the sight of him upright, she grasped and scrambled backwards, pressing herself up to a wall, as far away from him as possible. An ironic, twisted smile came to the man's face. "I look just like him, don't I? Well, if it's anything at all to you, you look just like your mother as well."
Jade just stared and stuttered. "You… you stay away from me!"
He flipped his white, feathery hair out of his face and smiled at her, that same girlishly handsome smile that was so imprinted in the minds of the people of Alexandria. Zidane took great effort to make sure that Kuja was remembered. "My name is Skah. Not a very attractive name is it? Well, I was never my father's favorite person. I got Kuja's looks and nothing at all from my mother. No summoning powers, no nothing. Why do you think he keeps me in here? I can't get out."
"You mean, you're not Kuja?" Jade asked.
"If I was Kuja, I sure wouldn't be stuck here," Skah muttered darkly. "If I had any magic, any skill at all, I wouldn't be stuck here!!!"
Jade threw her arms around his neck, startling him. "It doesn't matter! You can rescue me!"
"Princess…" Skah began, but he couldn't think of any response, so he just held her and set his cheek against her soft hair.
Burmecia"Eiko!" Freya raced forward from the gate of the city to meet her old friend. "And Cahira, Dagger, Vivi… it's so good to see you! Who is this young man?"
"Don't play coy with us," Eiko teased. "I'm sure you know very well who Flynn is."
"The infamous son of Amarant and Lani. Of course I know who you are," Freys smiled wickedly. "I could ask you why you're here, but I'm almost positive I already know. Come inside the city and the palace, and we can discuss old time… and new ones."
"Thank you, Freya," Dagger said, relieved that her parents' old friend would be so willing to help them on their quest to find Eiko's admirer.
The group gathered in the conference room in Burmecia's palace, and Eiko quickly explained everything that had happened so far, not because she didn't think that Freya didn't know about it already, but because she figured that she might be able to supply some sort of detail that they hadn't heard about. Freya sat silently through the whole thing, and about halfway through, Sir Fratley came in to sit beside her and listen as well.
"We have head everything you have pointed out to us," Sir Fratley commented. "The only information we know nothing about is the note that the Admirer left for you at Madain Sahri. May we see it?"
"I destroyed it," Eiko said bluntly. "But I can tell you what it said."
Freya nodded.
"It said, 'Home is where the heart lies. But now you have no reason to love any of these places. I will give you a home for your heart. I wait with open arms, my love.'"
Dagger shuddered. "Isn't that one of the most disgusting things you've ever heard?"
"Indeed," Freya said quietly. "I was thinking that I wouldn't have to send one of our more elite spies with you, because you have Blank in your group, and he is a member of Tantulus. Plus, you have Cahira, and she is more than able to protect you. I would say the same for Vivi, but his magic is diminishing the same as the rest of the Black Mages…"
"You will help us then?" Eiko asked eagerly.
"I have no choice but to send my best with you. The world does not need to break out in war again, or to lose another leader of Lindblum so quickly after losing the last ones. My condolences on the loss of you parents, my dear," Sir Fratley intoned before Freya could respond, but she nodded her agreement.
"And thank you for your help," Cahira said respectfully.
"So, who are you going to send with us?" Flynn asked. The young boy did very well at getting straight to the point.
Freya and Sir Fratley exchanged anxious glances. Vivi stepped in before they could answer and said softly. "You know what you have to do. It seems that these things are always planned before the results. I would not say that our meeting so long ago was chance, my friends. And now, I would not say that this is chance either."
Freya opened her mouth to speak, but a young rat ran into the room, bowing before the both of them. "My lord and lady! Terrible news!"
But before he could tell them, Zidane burst in from the back of the room, waving a note in front of him. "Freya! Freya, I need your help!!!"
"Daddy?" Dagger jumped up from her seat. "What are you doing here?!"
Zidane's face was tight with fury, and the rat stood and spoke. "He's here to tell you the same thing that I am, I'm sure. Princess Jade has been kidnapped!"
There was no collective gasp, no noise of any sort until Eiko spoke. "It must be him."
Zidane held out the note to Freya. "He says that he wants ransom, but not just any ransom. He says that Eiko must be delivered to him, alone. And by no one else but Flynn!"
Freya nodded. "It seems that a counterattack is necessary. I have decided who I will send with you…"
Another young rat burst into the room. "Me."
"Puck!" Vivi said with delighted surprise.
"Your Highness!" Sir Fratley sputtered.
"You know there is no other choice, my Lord Fratley. I must go with them. As Vivi said, it has been set from the beginning."
"But, but my daughter!" Zidane yelled.
"For once, I must agree, your Highness," Freya said. "Zidane, I know this is your daughter, but this time, it is not your fight. Your duties ended with Kuja. It is time for the next generation to take care of their own wars."
"But… but…!" Zidane's fury did not settle any at this news.
"I have more news for you," Puck said.
"Yes?" Eiko asked, after a long silence.
"We have found out who your admirer is," Puck said with a tight smile.
"Who?!"
"A young man named Talus. And you will never guess who exactly he is."
"Who?!" Eiko demanded again.
"He's Kuja's son."