Disclaimer: I don't own FF9, just Ariana.
They decided to make camp outside the now petrified Evil Forest. Ariana sat next to Vivi and a revived Dagger on a small log, warming her hands by the fire. A small makeshift tent was set up behind them., and the flickering fire cast luminous shadows across the front of it. Steiner and Zidane could still be heard arguing about what to do with the Princess.
"...what are you talking about? It was my dagger and Vivi's magic that brought the Princess out of there. You only carried her!" Zidane yelled at the knight.
Steiner shook his head and said, "It is my sworn duty to protect her at any cost! Especially from some monkey thief like you!"
"I thank you both," the Princess spoke, suddenly, causing both men to jump with surprise..
"Oh, Princess, I didn't know you were awake," said Zidane.
She nodded her head, and Steiner started shouting about something again, "That monkey deserves no praise! None of this would've happened if you hadn't abducted the Princess! When we get back to Alexandria, I will--"
Garnet quickly interrupted him. "Steiner...I left the castle because I wanted to. I asked Zidane and his friends to kidnap me."
"See?" Zidane said to Steiner, arms crossed over his chest.
"Impossible!" Steiner said, now outraged.
The Princess nodded her head, and said in a soft voice, "It's true."
Ariana walked over to them and said, "Will you all please just shut up? I am so tired, and I can't sleep with all this arguing. Steiner, just do us all a favor and state your sworn duty."
"To protect the princess, of course," he replied.
"Right then, you protect the campsite, so the princess and the rest of us can get some freakin' sleep!"
"Grrr..."
Soon everyone fell asleep except for Steiner who guarded the campsite. Ariana lay awake for quite a while. She couldn't help but wonder if she would wake up in the same place or back in her bed on Earth. In a way she wished she could be home, but then again she felt her heart was telling her to stay here. It was as if this was supposed to happen, and that something was here for her in the future. Maybe this was her destiny. She hugged Tuggle to her chest and finally, she drifted off to sleep. When Ariana woke up the next morning, she noticed Garnet and Zidane were missing. She stood up and stretched her stiff back. Tuggle yawned, and jumped up onto her shoulder. Ariana decided to walk over to the forest first, to check and see if they were there. Sure enough she spotted the two of them talking.
She walked over to them and Garnet nodded to her, greeting her. "Good morning, Ariana." She reached out to pet Tuggle, and affectionately cooed, "Morning Tuggle!"
"Morning," she replied groggily. "What's going on?"
"Nothing, really. We were just looking at this map Blank gave us. There's a cavern to the south of us. Maybe we can get above the Mist to reach it." Zidane answered.
"Steiner's not gonna be too happy about you being in control, Zidane. Just so you know," Ariana said to him.
He shook his head, "Well, look at my face. Is there any expression of concern or care there? Does it look like I give a crap what he thinks?"
"No..." Ariana replied, giving him an evil look.
She started to walk back to the campsite, feeling unwelcome, but they followed her. Vivi was talking to a moogle about something or other. "Look!" Vivi yelled to them. "Monty gave me a Moogle Flute!"
Ariana jogged over to him, to examine it. "Neat!" she exclaimed.
"Well, let's get going, " Zidane said. As he walked past a snoozing Steiner, he smacked him on his face.
"Who goes there!?" the dozing knight yelled.
The little moogle giggled and said to him, "You're friends already left."
"Princess! Wait for me!" Steiner yelled, jumping to his feet.
He met up with them, and they walked out on to a large field. They made their way quickly to the cavern they'd spotted on the map, and went inside.
"This must be the cavern," Zidane said, looking around.
"U-Um..." Vivi stuttered, stepping backwards.
"It's okay Vivi," Ariana said to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm here." Tuggle shivered on her shoulder as it took in the sight of the huge gaping cave before it.
Zidane looked at her and said, "Well, why don't we go inside?"
They trudged inside together. "Wooooooooooah," Ariana whispered. Sparkling ice glittered all around her. The cavern was filled with stalactites and stalagmites made of crystalline ice. The continued along a path in the cave, until they reached a strange wall.
"Hmm...what's this?" Zidane asked himself aloud. "There's gotta be something behind it. Hey Vivi!"
"Y-Yes?" Vivi replied.
"Can you break down this wall with your magic?"
"I..I can try," He stammered.
Ariana, Garnet, Zidane, and Steiner watched as Vivi cast Fire and melted the frozen wall. A treasure chest lay on the ground behind where the wall used to be.
"Good job Vivi!" Ariana patted him on the back.
"We're counting on you," Zidane told him.
"S-sure!" said the little mage.
The group pressed forward, and when they turned into another room, Ariana saw a little moogle encased inside a large block of ice.
"Huh? What's this?" Zidane said.
Vivi used his Fire spell again to destroy the ice.
"Hot! Hot! Hot!" The little moogle yelled, "You bastards!" Then it realized what had happened and said, "Oh, I can move again. Thanks, kupo!"
They walked into another snow-covered area, but suddenly Vivi started wobbling around, then fell off of a 6-foot cliff. "Master Vivi!" Steiner yelled, and ran to see what happened but he tumbled off, too.
Suddenly Garnet fell against Ariana, and knocked the both of them down. She felt Zidane tugging her arm, but she drifted off to sleep, Tuggle sighing sleepily on her shoulder, and the last thing she felt was Zidane's arm smacking her rib as he too fell over.
They decided to make camp outside the now petrified Evil Forest. Ariana sat next to Vivi and a revived Dagger on a small log, warming her hands by the fire. A small makeshift tent was set up behind them., and the flickering fire cast luminous shadows across the front of it. Steiner and Zidane could still be heard arguing about what to do with the Princess.
"...what are you talking about? It was my dagger and Vivi's magic that brought the Princess out of there. You only carried her!" Zidane yelled at the knight.
Steiner shook his head and said, "It is my sworn duty to protect her at any cost! Especially from some monkey thief like you!"
"I thank you both," the Princess spoke, suddenly, causing both men to jump with surprise..
"Oh, Princess, I didn't know you were awake," said Zidane.
She nodded her head, and Steiner started shouting about something again, "That monkey deserves no praise! None of this would've happened if you hadn't abducted the Princess! When we get back to Alexandria, I will--"
Garnet quickly interrupted him. "Steiner...I left the castle because I wanted to. I asked Zidane and his friends to kidnap me."
"See?" Zidane said to Steiner, arms crossed over his chest.
"Impossible!" Steiner said, now outraged.
The Princess nodded her head, and said in a soft voice, "It's true."
Ariana walked over to them and said, "Will you all please just shut up? I am so tired, and I can't sleep with all this arguing. Steiner, just do us all a favor and state your sworn duty."
"To protect the princess, of course," he replied.
"Right then, you protect the campsite, so the princess and the rest of us can get some freakin' sleep!"
"Grrr..."
Soon everyone fell asleep except for Steiner who guarded the campsite. Ariana lay awake for quite a while. She couldn't help but wonder if she would wake up in the same place or back in her bed on Earth. In a way she wished she could be home, but then again she felt her heart was telling her to stay here. It was as if this was supposed to happen, and that something was here for her in the future. Maybe this was her destiny. She hugged Tuggle to her chest and finally, she drifted off to sleep. When Ariana woke up the next morning, she noticed Garnet and Zidane were missing. She stood up and stretched her stiff back. Tuggle yawned, and jumped up onto her shoulder. Ariana decided to walk over to the forest first, to check and see if they were there. Sure enough she spotted the two of them talking.
She walked over to them and Garnet nodded to her, greeting her. "Good morning, Ariana." She reached out to pet Tuggle, and affectionately cooed, "Morning Tuggle!"
"Morning," she replied groggily. "What's going on?"
"Nothing, really. We were just looking at this map Blank gave us. There's a cavern to the south of us. Maybe we can get above the Mist to reach it." Zidane answered.
"Steiner's not gonna be too happy about you being in control, Zidane. Just so you know," Ariana said to him.
He shook his head, "Well, look at my face. Is there any expression of concern or care there? Does it look like I give a crap what he thinks?"
"No..." Ariana replied, giving him an evil look.
She started to walk back to the campsite, feeling unwelcome, but they followed her. Vivi was talking to a moogle about something or other. "Look!" Vivi yelled to them. "Monty gave me a Moogle Flute!"
Ariana jogged over to him, to examine it. "Neat!" she exclaimed.
"Well, let's get going, " Zidane said. As he walked past a snoozing Steiner, he smacked him on his face.
"Who goes there!?" the dozing knight yelled.
The little moogle giggled and said to him, "You're friends already left."
"Princess! Wait for me!" Steiner yelled, jumping to his feet.
He met up with them, and they walked out on to a large field. They made their way quickly to the cavern they'd spotted on the map, and went inside.
"This must be the cavern," Zidane said, looking around.
"U-Um..." Vivi stuttered, stepping backwards.
"It's okay Vivi," Ariana said to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm here." Tuggle shivered on her shoulder as it took in the sight of the huge gaping cave before it.
Zidane looked at her and said, "Well, why don't we go inside?"
They trudged inside together. "Wooooooooooah," Ariana whispered. Sparkling ice glittered all around her. The cavern was filled with stalactites and stalagmites made of crystalline ice. The continued along a path in the cave, until they reached a strange wall.
"Hmm...what's this?" Zidane asked himself aloud. "There's gotta be something behind it. Hey Vivi!"
"Y-Yes?" Vivi replied.
"Can you break down this wall with your magic?"
"I..I can try," He stammered.
Ariana, Garnet, Zidane, and Steiner watched as Vivi cast Fire and melted the frozen wall. A treasure chest lay on the ground behind where the wall used to be.
"Good job Vivi!" Ariana patted him on the back.
"We're counting on you," Zidane told him.
"S-sure!" said the little mage.
The group pressed forward, and when they turned into another room, Ariana saw a little moogle encased inside a large block of ice.
"Huh? What's this?" Zidane said.
Vivi used his Fire spell again to destroy the ice.
"Hot! Hot! Hot!" The little moogle yelled, "You bastards!" Then it realized what had happened and said, "Oh, I can move again. Thanks, kupo!"
They walked into another snow-covered area, but suddenly Vivi started wobbling around, then fell off of a 6-foot cliff. "Master Vivi!" Steiner yelled, and ran to see what happened but he tumbled off, too.
Suddenly Garnet fell against Ariana, and knocked the both of them down. She felt Zidane tugging her arm, but she drifted off to sleep, Tuggle sighing sleepily on her shoulder, and the last thing she felt was Zidane's arm smacking her rib as he too fell over.