Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own anything. It is owned by Squaresoft.
-Locke-
I hurried silently through the mine, keeping a sharp lookout for any sign of the girl. I figured she must have followed the mine cart tracks. Having been in the mine once before, I knew they eventually led to another exit. I also kept a lookout for trouble; monsters lived in these mines, and it was probably crawling with guards as well. I didn't want to run any of them.
I came out of the tunnel into a different, more narrow passage, and stopped dead. Right in front of me were five or six heavily armed guards. They were looking at something in a corner of the passage, and hadn't noticed me- -yet. I sprang backwards into the other tunnel and hid at the opening, so that I could see what was going on without being seen.
"She fell into one of the lower caverns," one of the soldiers growled, a note of triumph in his harsh voice. "We've got her now! Let's go!"
They hurried down an adjoining passage. As soon as they were out of sight, I stepped out of my hiding place. From where I stood I could plainly see a large, jagged hole in the floor of the passage. It looked as though the rocks and earth had recently given way. I moved towards it carefully, not wanting to cause a second cave-in, and peered down through the gloom. I could just make out what looked like a person lying on the floor of the cavern below, surrounded by fallen rocks and debris. The girl, I thought. There was no movement; no sign of life at all.
"Oh, man," I muttered. I had to get to her before the guards did. There was only one way to do that. I eased myself down into the hole, praying that the edge would support my weight, until I was hanging on by my hands. I took a deep breath and let go.
It's a good thing I'm so light and agile. I was able to land on my feet, with only a small amount of discomfort. I knelt down by the girl. She was breathing; the fall must have only knocked her out. I knew I had to get her out of there, but I was afraid to move her. If she was injured, I could end up making things worse. But before I could decide what to do, the group of soldiers I had seen in the upper tunnel came running in through the other end of the cavern.
"Now we gotcha!" one of them yelled. He was dressed differently from the others; from the way he issued orders, I knew he was the marshal.
"Wonderful...There's a whole bunch of them," I said. How could I possibly fight all of them? Just when I thought we'd had it, I heard a sound from behind me.
"Kupo!"
I turned. There was a large opening in the rock wall which I hadn't noticed when I jumped down. From this opening there suddenly came about a dozen small, white, fuzzy creatures, about half the size of an average human. They looked a little like teddy bears, except for their small, pink wings, and what resembled a short antenna ending in a small, red ball on the tops of their heads.
"Moogles!" I exclaimed. I didn't know much about these creatures, except that they live in the Narshe mines and usually keep to themselves, rarely venturing outside. In spite of this, though, they are very friendly. Two of them came forward and, stooping down, looked closely at the girl. They spoke to each other quietly in their small, high-pitched voices. I don't speak Moogle, so I didn't have a clue what they were saying. One of them pointed towards the guards at the other end of the cavern (who seemed rather surprised at the sudden appearance of the little guys). They seemed to know exactly what was going on. They came and stood around the girl and I, and seemed almost to be glaring at the marshal and his troops. The Moogle who had come out of the opening first looked up at me. It (he?) pointed first at the girl, then at me, then at the guards. "Kupo!" he said.
"Are you saying you want to help me?" I asked incredulously.
The Moogles all nodded vigorously, then began hopping up and down. "Kupo! Kupo!" they exclaimed. The first Moogle (was he the leader?) turned to the others and began pointing and speaking loudly in the Moogle language. Each one moved where he directed. He seemed to be forming them into groups. Two groups of four Moogles went to stand in front; the leader and the two remaining Moogles stood near me. I noticed, suddenly, that they were all carrying weapons. I blinked. Where did those come from? But now was not the time to wonder about it.
"I take it you guys are with me?" I asked the three that had stayed beside me. They nodded. "All right then," I said, pulling out my dagger. "Let's go!"
The marshal, who had been watching all of this in amazement, laughed suddenly. "You think you and your fuzzy friends stand a chance?" he jeered. "We'll show you!" He turned and barked an order to the guards. "Get them!"
The guards rushed forward, but the Moogles and I were ready. We charged into the fray, my group in the lead. I had no idea Moogles could fight! Within a few moments, three of the guards had already been defeated. Looking back, I saw that one group of Moogles had remained behind, and the four of them were standing protectively in front of the girl. This left the rest of us free to attack the guards, without worrying about them getting to her. It didn't take long to defeat the remaining soldiers, and finally only the marshal was left.
"You...you...!" he stammered, unable to believe what had just happened. Suddenly he was furious. "You'll pay for this!" he roared, drawing his weapon. He charged towards me, but I dodged and struck out with my dagger, and he went down.
The Moogles started jumping up and down and cheering. "Kupo! Kupo!" they cried. I sheathed my dagger and walked back over to them.
"Thanks, Moogles! We're in your debt!" I said gratefully.
The crowd of Moogles nodded and waved, then, with a few farewell "Kupos!" turned back towards the rock wall. And then they were gone.
I knelt down and lifted the girl into my arms as gently as I could, then headed through the same "doorway"; but by the time I was through, there was no trace of them. Boy, those little guys move fast, I thought. I was in yet another narrow, twisting passage. I followed it until I reached what appeared to be a dead end. Upon closer inspection, I could see a faint crack in the wall that crudely formed the shape of an arch--a door, hidden in the rock. Then I noticed the switch protruding from the opposite wall. Carefully laying the girl down again, I walked over to it.
"I think this switch'll..." I said to myself, reaching up and pulling on it. The metal resisted only slightly, and with a loud, scraping groan, the section of rock swung inward. Through it I could see only darkness, but I felt fresh, cold air coming in, so I knew it led outside.
"Eureka!" I exclaimed, jubilant. Just then, I heard a faint moan. I glanced over at the girl, who was beginning to stir. I hurried back over and knelt beside her. She opened her eyes, which were a nice shade of light green. She was rather pretty, and for a moment I felt a slight pang as I remembered...someone else...
I smiled at her as she looked up at me wonderingly.
-Terra-
I slowly opened my eyes, once again feeling a throbbing pain in my head. But this time, instead of a house, I was lying in a cavern, a young man kneeling beside me. He was wearing what looked like traveling clothes: black paints, a white, short-sleeved shirt, black leather vest, and brown leather gloves and boots. He had pale blond hair and light blue eyes, and was actually kind of good-looking. A rolled-up bandanna, dark blue in color, went around his head and tied at the back. He had a carefree, almost roguish look to him, but as I looked up at him, he smiled pleasantly.
"Eh? You're back with us now?" he grinned.
"What happened?" I asked groggily.
"The Narshe guards almost got you," he said, his smile fading somewhat.
"You...saved me?"
He shook his head. "Save your thanks for the Moogles," he replied.
I sat up, wincing. "Uhh...I can't remember anything...past or present," I groaned.
The young man stared at me, his eyes wide. "You have amnesia?!"
I nodded. "A man said my memory would come back..."
He stood up, and helped me to my feet. "Give it time. You're safe with me! I give you my word!" he said reassuringly. "My name's Locke," he added, holding out his hand.
"I'm Terra," I replied, hesitating; then I put my hand in his, and he shook it warmly.
"Nice to meet you, Terra," Locke said. "Come on, let's get you out of here." He turned toward a large hole in the wall of the passage, which led outside. "By the way, this secret entrance might come in handy some day. Don't forget about it!" He grinned at me again, before leading the way out of the mine.
Once outside, we headed for the entrance to the town. But before we could get ten paces inside the gate, a guard spotted us.
"Eh? Who might YOU be?" he called out gruffly, striding toward us. Locke cursed under his breath, and, grabbing my hand, took off for the gate. He pulled me around the corner, and we leaned against the wall, panting.
"That was close," gasped Locke. He peered around the edge of the wall, but pulled back quickly.
"This is the pits," he said. "We'd better hightail it southward, to Figaro."
"Figaro?" I repeated. I had never heard of it.
Locke glanced around the corner again, then looked back at me, signaling that the coast was clear. We stepped out from behind the wall. I looked back at the town; the windows of the houses glowed warmly, and smoke still curled out of the chimneys. The guard was nowhere in sight.
"Yeah, we'll be safe there. It'll be warmer too," he answered, chuckling. "Let's go."
I peered around cautiously once more before following him away from the gate, and we set out into the snowy darkness.
-----
Once we had left Narshe behind us, I began to feel better. I couldn't help but trust Locke, even though I had just met him. He was a good traveling companion. He knew how to survive out in the wilderness; and once or twice, when we ran into some unfriendly monsters, he was actually able to steal useful items from them, so that we didn't have to worry about exhausting our supplies. I was amazed the first few times I watched him do this. He moved so fast, the monsters didn't even know what had happened.
Locke told me he was a treasure hunter, and that he traveled around all the time looking for relics of the past. He had learned that skill, he said, while journeying, and it had had gotten him out of more than one scrape. While we walked along, he told me stories of the places he had been, and some of the treasures he had found. But while he was recalling one particular excursion, he suddenly became very quiet, and it was as though a sudden sadness came over him. I wanted to ask what the matter was, because something seemed to bother him, but from the look in his eyes, I decided it wasn't a good idea. Instead, I changed the subject, and asked him about Figaro.
"It's the kingdom to the south of here," he said. "The town is called South Figaro, and it's a pretty busy port town; trade ships come in and out of there all the time. 'Course, trade has slowed to a crawl because of the war. The Empire keeps smashing the ships, so the captains are afraid to sail"
"Why is the Empire doing all of this? Why do they want to take over?" I asked, bewildered.
Locke shook his head. "Who knows?" he replied. "But they're doing a heck of a job. They keep gaining more and more power. They're using something called 'Magic', which supposedly disappeared long ago." He looked over at me. "People are scared half to death. With their Magic-infused weapons, they can take out an entire town in no time. There are rumors that some of their soldiers are even artificially infused with Magic."
The last words he spoke made me think. What if I'm one of those soldiers? I wondered. What if I'm just another Magic-infused weapon to them? Is that why those guards were after me? Because they thought I would do something bad? Did I do something bad? "Those men in Narshe said I was a member of the Empire," I said softly.
"You didn't mean to do those things," Locke said quickly. "They were controlling you."
"But...But what if I hurt someone? I can't remember anything. What if someone died?"
"It wasn't you!" Locke stopped walking and looked at me seriously. "Look, you really don't seem like the kind of person the Empire looks for in a soldier. You wouldn't have done those things on your own. They used you, and now you're taking the blame for what they did." He put his hand on my arm, and his voice grew gentle as he spoke. "Whatever happened...it wasn't your fault. I will never believe that it was."
I looked into his eyes and could see that he was sincere. I gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Locke," I said. He grinned back at me.
"Don't worry, everything will work out somehow," he told me.
-----
Our route took us across a wide plain that lay between two mountain ranges. It was actually very beautiful, with the green grass and flowers, and the gray hills in the distance. As we moved south, the weather grew steadily warmer. On the second day of our journey, I asked Locke how much farther it was to Figaro.
"See that desert?" he asked me, pointing into the distance. I could just see a flat, golden expanse of sand stretching to the horizon. "We have to cross that to reach Figaro."
"Cross the desert?" I repeated, amazed.
"It's really not that bad," he replied. "The desert's not very big. You've just gotta watch out for the Sand Rays."
"Sand Rays? What are those?"
"They're like a land-dwelling sting ray," Locke told me. "Nasty, but not very tough unless you run into a crowd of 'em."
We camped that night on the edge of a forest. At one point, Locke left to find a spring or a stream, to get water for the next day's trip across the desert. "It's not a long walk, but it's hot," he told me.
We set out at daybreak. While the sun was still low in the sky, the desert was almost pleasant, but as it climbed steadily higher, the heat became more and more intense as the sand baked underfoot. Still, it was not unbearable, and, except for the occasional Sand Ray attack, it wasn't terribly difficult.
At one point, I looked up and saw a large, dark shape shimmering in the heat. At first, it looked like a rock formation, but as we got closer, I could start to make out what looked like a large, imposing stone structure.
"What's that?" I asked Locke.
"That's Figaro Castle," he told me.
"A castle in the middle of the desert?" I gasped.
"Yup. Safest place you could put it. There aren't many who would come all the way out here to attack it--not that they could cause much damage if they did."
"What do you mean?" I wanted to know. Locke grinned mysteriously.
"Figaro's not your average castle," was all he said.
The castle was an impressive sight, towering over the desert sands. It was built of a grayish-brown stone, with a large central building and two smaller ones, which were connected to the main part by battlements. As we approached the entrance, we saw a soldier on duty just outside the door.
"Wait!" he said, stepping forward. Then he caught sight of Locke, and seemed to recognize him. "Hey! Oh, it's you. Proceed."
"Thanks," Locke replied with a nod. We walked past the guard and entered the castle. It was as impressive inside as it was on the outside; the floors were made of a beautiful brown stone, cut and placed to form an interesting pattern. There was a red carpet on the floor of the entry, and two large square banners were hanging on the wall, one on each side of the opposite door. The banners were made of some heavy blue cloth, with a pattern in the middle stitched in gold. A strip of red went outward from this center pattern to each corner, and a curtain of red with gold tassels hung above each banner. We passed through the entry and found ourselves outside again, on the main walkway of the castle. There was a pair of ornately carved wooden doors which we stepped through, and found ourselves in a long hall. There was another, longer red carpet, and several old but well-polished suits of armor placed along each side. An elderly man in flowing robes was pacing back and forth between them. He looked like a person of importance.
"Hello, Chancellor," Locke said.
"Ah, Locke, it's been a while. How have you been, my boy?"
"Just fine, thanks. And you?" Locke replied.
"Well, I can't complain. And who's this with you?" he asked, nodding at me.
"This is Terra," Locke told him. "Terra, this is the Chancellor of Figaro."
"Hello," I said politely.
"Hello, my dear," the Chancellor said, smiling. "Hope your trip across the desert was an easy one."
"It was," I said.
"Good, good. Well, make yourself at home. Any friend of Locke's is welcome here."
"This castle is incredible!" I said, looking around.
The Chancellor positively beamed. "It doesn't look like it, but this castle incorporates some of the most high-tech devices in existence. For example..." he began, but stopped abruptly, looking startled. "Oops...they're all top-secret!"
Locke laughed. "Oh, come on, Chancellor, I'll bet Terra's just dying to hear what they are!"
The old man shook his head. "Absolutely not. The King would have my head if I told anyone!"
"Speaking of which, we need to see him. Is he available?" Locke asked.
"He's in the throne room right now," the Chancellor replied, nodding toward a square archway at the far end of the hall, through which we could see a large, brightly lit room.
"Let's go then. Come on, Terra," Locke said to me. "See you later, Chancellor."
"Goodbye," I called, as we headed for the doorway. The old man waved cheerfully before resuming his pacing.
The throne room was beautiful, too. Magnificent stone columns supported the ceiling, and two thrones with matching blue-velvet cushions sat on a raised section of floor at the other end of the room. A pair of elaborate swords were mounted, crossed, on the wall behind them. On either side of the swords were two more banners, identical to the ones in the entry.
A young man, who had been sitting on one of the thrones, stood up and came toward us. He was dressed in dark blue, with a long, matching cape that was plain except for a simple pattern in red thread near the bottom. He was of a medium build, like Locke, only slightly taller. His hair was a darker blond, and his eyes were a deep, penetrating blue. He had an air of confidence about him, yet he seemed easy-going; and when he spoke, he had a strong, yet pleasant voice.
"Locke, it's good to see you again," he said, smiling warmly.
"Good to see you too," Locke answered, shaking hands. "I've brought someone I'd like you to meet."
The young man turned to me, eyes widening. "You mean, THIS young woman...?!" Before I could reach, he had taken my hand and kissed the back of it. "A pleasure," he said, smiling again. He released my hand and looked over at Locke. "I need to have a word with you," he said quietly. Locke nodded, and the two of them started to move away.
I was completely taken aback. "Who do you think you are?" I asked the man.
"Oh, sorry," he said. "How rude of me to turn my back to a lady!" He walked back over to me, and made a low bow.
"I am Edgar, King of Figaro."
-Locke-
I hurried silently through the mine, keeping a sharp lookout for any sign of the girl. I figured she must have followed the mine cart tracks. Having been in the mine once before, I knew they eventually led to another exit. I also kept a lookout for trouble; monsters lived in these mines, and it was probably crawling with guards as well. I didn't want to run any of them.
I came out of the tunnel into a different, more narrow passage, and stopped dead. Right in front of me were five or six heavily armed guards. They were looking at something in a corner of the passage, and hadn't noticed me- -yet. I sprang backwards into the other tunnel and hid at the opening, so that I could see what was going on without being seen.
"She fell into one of the lower caverns," one of the soldiers growled, a note of triumph in his harsh voice. "We've got her now! Let's go!"
They hurried down an adjoining passage. As soon as they were out of sight, I stepped out of my hiding place. From where I stood I could plainly see a large, jagged hole in the floor of the passage. It looked as though the rocks and earth had recently given way. I moved towards it carefully, not wanting to cause a second cave-in, and peered down through the gloom. I could just make out what looked like a person lying on the floor of the cavern below, surrounded by fallen rocks and debris. The girl, I thought. There was no movement; no sign of life at all.
"Oh, man," I muttered. I had to get to her before the guards did. There was only one way to do that. I eased myself down into the hole, praying that the edge would support my weight, until I was hanging on by my hands. I took a deep breath and let go.
It's a good thing I'm so light and agile. I was able to land on my feet, with only a small amount of discomfort. I knelt down by the girl. She was breathing; the fall must have only knocked her out. I knew I had to get her out of there, but I was afraid to move her. If she was injured, I could end up making things worse. But before I could decide what to do, the group of soldiers I had seen in the upper tunnel came running in through the other end of the cavern.
"Now we gotcha!" one of them yelled. He was dressed differently from the others; from the way he issued orders, I knew he was the marshal.
"Wonderful...There's a whole bunch of them," I said. How could I possibly fight all of them? Just when I thought we'd had it, I heard a sound from behind me.
"Kupo!"
I turned. There was a large opening in the rock wall which I hadn't noticed when I jumped down. From this opening there suddenly came about a dozen small, white, fuzzy creatures, about half the size of an average human. They looked a little like teddy bears, except for their small, pink wings, and what resembled a short antenna ending in a small, red ball on the tops of their heads.
"Moogles!" I exclaimed. I didn't know much about these creatures, except that they live in the Narshe mines and usually keep to themselves, rarely venturing outside. In spite of this, though, they are very friendly. Two of them came forward and, stooping down, looked closely at the girl. They spoke to each other quietly in their small, high-pitched voices. I don't speak Moogle, so I didn't have a clue what they were saying. One of them pointed towards the guards at the other end of the cavern (who seemed rather surprised at the sudden appearance of the little guys). They seemed to know exactly what was going on. They came and stood around the girl and I, and seemed almost to be glaring at the marshal and his troops. The Moogle who had come out of the opening first looked up at me. It (he?) pointed first at the girl, then at me, then at the guards. "Kupo!" he said.
"Are you saying you want to help me?" I asked incredulously.
The Moogles all nodded vigorously, then began hopping up and down. "Kupo! Kupo!" they exclaimed. The first Moogle (was he the leader?) turned to the others and began pointing and speaking loudly in the Moogle language. Each one moved where he directed. He seemed to be forming them into groups. Two groups of four Moogles went to stand in front; the leader and the two remaining Moogles stood near me. I noticed, suddenly, that they were all carrying weapons. I blinked. Where did those come from? But now was not the time to wonder about it.
"I take it you guys are with me?" I asked the three that had stayed beside me. They nodded. "All right then," I said, pulling out my dagger. "Let's go!"
The marshal, who had been watching all of this in amazement, laughed suddenly. "You think you and your fuzzy friends stand a chance?" he jeered. "We'll show you!" He turned and barked an order to the guards. "Get them!"
The guards rushed forward, but the Moogles and I were ready. We charged into the fray, my group in the lead. I had no idea Moogles could fight! Within a few moments, three of the guards had already been defeated. Looking back, I saw that one group of Moogles had remained behind, and the four of them were standing protectively in front of the girl. This left the rest of us free to attack the guards, without worrying about them getting to her. It didn't take long to defeat the remaining soldiers, and finally only the marshal was left.
"You...you...!" he stammered, unable to believe what had just happened. Suddenly he was furious. "You'll pay for this!" he roared, drawing his weapon. He charged towards me, but I dodged and struck out with my dagger, and he went down.
The Moogles started jumping up and down and cheering. "Kupo! Kupo!" they cried. I sheathed my dagger and walked back over to them.
"Thanks, Moogles! We're in your debt!" I said gratefully.
The crowd of Moogles nodded and waved, then, with a few farewell "Kupos!" turned back towards the rock wall. And then they were gone.
I knelt down and lifted the girl into my arms as gently as I could, then headed through the same "doorway"; but by the time I was through, there was no trace of them. Boy, those little guys move fast, I thought. I was in yet another narrow, twisting passage. I followed it until I reached what appeared to be a dead end. Upon closer inspection, I could see a faint crack in the wall that crudely formed the shape of an arch--a door, hidden in the rock. Then I noticed the switch protruding from the opposite wall. Carefully laying the girl down again, I walked over to it.
"I think this switch'll..." I said to myself, reaching up and pulling on it. The metal resisted only slightly, and with a loud, scraping groan, the section of rock swung inward. Through it I could see only darkness, but I felt fresh, cold air coming in, so I knew it led outside.
"Eureka!" I exclaimed, jubilant. Just then, I heard a faint moan. I glanced over at the girl, who was beginning to stir. I hurried back over and knelt beside her. She opened her eyes, which were a nice shade of light green. She was rather pretty, and for a moment I felt a slight pang as I remembered...someone else...
I smiled at her as she looked up at me wonderingly.
-Terra-
I slowly opened my eyes, once again feeling a throbbing pain in my head. But this time, instead of a house, I was lying in a cavern, a young man kneeling beside me. He was wearing what looked like traveling clothes: black paints, a white, short-sleeved shirt, black leather vest, and brown leather gloves and boots. He had pale blond hair and light blue eyes, and was actually kind of good-looking. A rolled-up bandanna, dark blue in color, went around his head and tied at the back. He had a carefree, almost roguish look to him, but as I looked up at him, he smiled pleasantly.
"Eh? You're back with us now?" he grinned.
"What happened?" I asked groggily.
"The Narshe guards almost got you," he said, his smile fading somewhat.
"You...saved me?"
He shook his head. "Save your thanks for the Moogles," he replied.
I sat up, wincing. "Uhh...I can't remember anything...past or present," I groaned.
The young man stared at me, his eyes wide. "You have amnesia?!"
I nodded. "A man said my memory would come back..."
He stood up, and helped me to my feet. "Give it time. You're safe with me! I give you my word!" he said reassuringly. "My name's Locke," he added, holding out his hand.
"I'm Terra," I replied, hesitating; then I put my hand in his, and he shook it warmly.
"Nice to meet you, Terra," Locke said. "Come on, let's get you out of here." He turned toward a large hole in the wall of the passage, which led outside. "By the way, this secret entrance might come in handy some day. Don't forget about it!" He grinned at me again, before leading the way out of the mine.
Once outside, we headed for the entrance to the town. But before we could get ten paces inside the gate, a guard spotted us.
"Eh? Who might YOU be?" he called out gruffly, striding toward us. Locke cursed under his breath, and, grabbing my hand, took off for the gate. He pulled me around the corner, and we leaned against the wall, panting.
"That was close," gasped Locke. He peered around the edge of the wall, but pulled back quickly.
"This is the pits," he said. "We'd better hightail it southward, to Figaro."
"Figaro?" I repeated. I had never heard of it.
Locke glanced around the corner again, then looked back at me, signaling that the coast was clear. We stepped out from behind the wall. I looked back at the town; the windows of the houses glowed warmly, and smoke still curled out of the chimneys. The guard was nowhere in sight.
"Yeah, we'll be safe there. It'll be warmer too," he answered, chuckling. "Let's go."
I peered around cautiously once more before following him away from the gate, and we set out into the snowy darkness.
-----
Once we had left Narshe behind us, I began to feel better. I couldn't help but trust Locke, even though I had just met him. He was a good traveling companion. He knew how to survive out in the wilderness; and once or twice, when we ran into some unfriendly monsters, he was actually able to steal useful items from them, so that we didn't have to worry about exhausting our supplies. I was amazed the first few times I watched him do this. He moved so fast, the monsters didn't even know what had happened.
Locke told me he was a treasure hunter, and that he traveled around all the time looking for relics of the past. He had learned that skill, he said, while journeying, and it had had gotten him out of more than one scrape. While we walked along, he told me stories of the places he had been, and some of the treasures he had found. But while he was recalling one particular excursion, he suddenly became very quiet, and it was as though a sudden sadness came over him. I wanted to ask what the matter was, because something seemed to bother him, but from the look in his eyes, I decided it wasn't a good idea. Instead, I changed the subject, and asked him about Figaro.
"It's the kingdom to the south of here," he said. "The town is called South Figaro, and it's a pretty busy port town; trade ships come in and out of there all the time. 'Course, trade has slowed to a crawl because of the war. The Empire keeps smashing the ships, so the captains are afraid to sail"
"Why is the Empire doing all of this? Why do they want to take over?" I asked, bewildered.
Locke shook his head. "Who knows?" he replied. "But they're doing a heck of a job. They keep gaining more and more power. They're using something called 'Magic', which supposedly disappeared long ago." He looked over at me. "People are scared half to death. With their Magic-infused weapons, they can take out an entire town in no time. There are rumors that some of their soldiers are even artificially infused with Magic."
The last words he spoke made me think. What if I'm one of those soldiers? I wondered. What if I'm just another Magic-infused weapon to them? Is that why those guards were after me? Because they thought I would do something bad? Did I do something bad? "Those men in Narshe said I was a member of the Empire," I said softly.
"You didn't mean to do those things," Locke said quickly. "They were controlling you."
"But...But what if I hurt someone? I can't remember anything. What if someone died?"
"It wasn't you!" Locke stopped walking and looked at me seriously. "Look, you really don't seem like the kind of person the Empire looks for in a soldier. You wouldn't have done those things on your own. They used you, and now you're taking the blame for what they did." He put his hand on my arm, and his voice grew gentle as he spoke. "Whatever happened...it wasn't your fault. I will never believe that it was."
I looked into his eyes and could see that he was sincere. I gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Locke," I said. He grinned back at me.
"Don't worry, everything will work out somehow," he told me.
-----
Our route took us across a wide plain that lay between two mountain ranges. It was actually very beautiful, with the green grass and flowers, and the gray hills in the distance. As we moved south, the weather grew steadily warmer. On the second day of our journey, I asked Locke how much farther it was to Figaro.
"See that desert?" he asked me, pointing into the distance. I could just see a flat, golden expanse of sand stretching to the horizon. "We have to cross that to reach Figaro."
"Cross the desert?" I repeated, amazed.
"It's really not that bad," he replied. "The desert's not very big. You've just gotta watch out for the Sand Rays."
"Sand Rays? What are those?"
"They're like a land-dwelling sting ray," Locke told me. "Nasty, but not very tough unless you run into a crowd of 'em."
We camped that night on the edge of a forest. At one point, Locke left to find a spring or a stream, to get water for the next day's trip across the desert. "It's not a long walk, but it's hot," he told me.
We set out at daybreak. While the sun was still low in the sky, the desert was almost pleasant, but as it climbed steadily higher, the heat became more and more intense as the sand baked underfoot. Still, it was not unbearable, and, except for the occasional Sand Ray attack, it wasn't terribly difficult.
At one point, I looked up and saw a large, dark shape shimmering in the heat. At first, it looked like a rock formation, but as we got closer, I could start to make out what looked like a large, imposing stone structure.
"What's that?" I asked Locke.
"That's Figaro Castle," he told me.
"A castle in the middle of the desert?" I gasped.
"Yup. Safest place you could put it. There aren't many who would come all the way out here to attack it--not that they could cause much damage if they did."
"What do you mean?" I wanted to know. Locke grinned mysteriously.
"Figaro's not your average castle," was all he said.
The castle was an impressive sight, towering over the desert sands. It was built of a grayish-brown stone, with a large central building and two smaller ones, which were connected to the main part by battlements. As we approached the entrance, we saw a soldier on duty just outside the door.
"Wait!" he said, stepping forward. Then he caught sight of Locke, and seemed to recognize him. "Hey! Oh, it's you. Proceed."
"Thanks," Locke replied with a nod. We walked past the guard and entered the castle. It was as impressive inside as it was on the outside; the floors were made of a beautiful brown stone, cut and placed to form an interesting pattern. There was a red carpet on the floor of the entry, and two large square banners were hanging on the wall, one on each side of the opposite door. The banners were made of some heavy blue cloth, with a pattern in the middle stitched in gold. A strip of red went outward from this center pattern to each corner, and a curtain of red with gold tassels hung above each banner. We passed through the entry and found ourselves outside again, on the main walkway of the castle. There was a pair of ornately carved wooden doors which we stepped through, and found ourselves in a long hall. There was another, longer red carpet, and several old but well-polished suits of armor placed along each side. An elderly man in flowing robes was pacing back and forth between them. He looked like a person of importance.
"Hello, Chancellor," Locke said.
"Ah, Locke, it's been a while. How have you been, my boy?"
"Just fine, thanks. And you?" Locke replied.
"Well, I can't complain. And who's this with you?" he asked, nodding at me.
"This is Terra," Locke told him. "Terra, this is the Chancellor of Figaro."
"Hello," I said politely.
"Hello, my dear," the Chancellor said, smiling. "Hope your trip across the desert was an easy one."
"It was," I said.
"Good, good. Well, make yourself at home. Any friend of Locke's is welcome here."
"This castle is incredible!" I said, looking around.
The Chancellor positively beamed. "It doesn't look like it, but this castle incorporates some of the most high-tech devices in existence. For example..." he began, but stopped abruptly, looking startled. "Oops...they're all top-secret!"
Locke laughed. "Oh, come on, Chancellor, I'll bet Terra's just dying to hear what they are!"
The old man shook his head. "Absolutely not. The King would have my head if I told anyone!"
"Speaking of which, we need to see him. Is he available?" Locke asked.
"He's in the throne room right now," the Chancellor replied, nodding toward a square archway at the far end of the hall, through which we could see a large, brightly lit room.
"Let's go then. Come on, Terra," Locke said to me. "See you later, Chancellor."
"Goodbye," I called, as we headed for the doorway. The old man waved cheerfully before resuming his pacing.
The throne room was beautiful, too. Magnificent stone columns supported the ceiling, and two thrones with matching blue-velvet cushions sat on a raised section of floor at the other end of the room. A pair of elaborate swords were mounted, crossed, on the wall behind them. On either side of the swords were two more banners, identical to the ones in the entry.
A young man, who had been sitting on one of the thrones, stood up and came toward us. He was dressed in dark blue, with a long, matching cape that was plain except for a simple pattern in red thread near the bottom. He was of a medium build, like Locke, only slightly taller. His hair was a darker blond, and his eyes were a deep, penetrating blue. He had an air of confidence about him, yet he seemed easy-going; and when he spoke, he had a strong, yet pleasant voice.
"Locke, it's good to see you again," he said, smiling warmly.
"Good to see you too," Locke answered, shaking hands. "I've brought someone I'd like you to meet."
The young man turned to me, eyes widening. "You mean, THIS young woman...?!" Before I could reach, he had taken my hand and kissed the back of it. "A pleasure," he said, smiling again. He released my hand and looked over at Locke. "I need to have a word with you," he said quietly. Locke nodded, and the two of them started to move away.
I was completely taken aback. "Who do you think you are?" I asked the man.
"Oh, sorry," he said. "How rude of me to turn my back to a lady!" He walked back over to me, and made a low bow.
"I am Edgar, King of Figaro."