Chapter 11 the Shroud is Peeling Off
"We're approaching Trabia," Nida called as the caravan procession trudged through the snow plains. Xu came out of her caravan and squinted in the bright sunlight. "Looks well - "
"Will you please stop teasing me you pervert?!"
Quistis stepped out beside Xu and looked around. "It's so... empty."
"It's snow all around," Xu chuckled. "Pretty depressing for somebody who depends on echoes to move around huh?"
"Not that difficult, Xu," Quistis said stiffly. Xu suddenly realized she was dressed differently. Instead of Knight clothes; vest, tunic, custom emblem, she was dressed in a dusty orange sleeveless vest and matching skirt that clung to her hips. Her whip was looped in a brass-studded belt, and she wore long gloves. "What's with the outfit?"
Quistis smiled. "Zell proposed that we disguise ourselves as part of the group, since we can't enter Trabia in our normal appearance."
"And I thought he was dense..." Xu mused lightly. Just then Irvine burst out to the front, looking angry. "Somebody keep that wildcat away from me! She's accusing me of being everything from a pervert to a rapist!"
Xu burst out laughing as Selphie poked her head out, glaring murderously at Irvine. "And so you are! Peeking at me while I was changing - don't you have any decency?!"
"Now hang on, who changed in the middle of the doorway?!"
SNAP!
Irvine and Selphie quickly snapped their mouths shut as Quistis furled her whip back. "Please calm down, Sir Kinneas - " She started calmly.
"Hey!" Irvine brightened up. "Since we changed our costumes, why don't we get a new name? I mean, it's too obvious if you keep calling me Sir Kinneas, and this girl here keep calling me 'pervert'..." he glared at Selphie and the glare was returned.
"So you are!" Selphie shot back. Irvine ignored her as he mused. 'Why don't you just call me Irvine? People won't look twice that way,"
"...Irvine." Quistis tried awkwardly. It sounded alien. It made her feel... on par with him. Like friends. The thought made her frown.
"So you'll be Quistis." He decided but then frowned. "Oh no... that's too obvious."
"Quisty?" Selphie suggested. Quistis frowned at the name. "Quisty?"
"Yeah, it sounds different!" Xu clapped her hands. "Selphie won't need to change her name since she's not as famous as you two - " She stopped abruptly when Squall appeared. "Prince Leonhart!" She gulped. She hoped people didn't notice her face was red. Her mind was screaming OH HOT!
Squall was garbed in black; a short black jacket over a white shirt, black gloves, black snug-fitting leggings and boots. Belts clanked at his hip as he walked, and his gunblade was sheathed on his belt. He looked like a mercenary ready to kill. Or, in Xu's opinion - drool.
"No, definitely not." Irvine shook his head. Selphie squealed. "Why not Leon? That sounds great!"
Squall frowned. "Why are you playing with my name? Is it too hard to say 'Squall'?"
"Uh, right." Selphie said sheepishly. "Squall."
Squall, Quistis rolled the name silently in her head. Different. The name conjures a different image from 'Leonhart'. Squall, an unpredictable tempest. Which is true then? The tempest or the fearless?
"Are we getting anywhere?" Squall asked sourly. Anybody could tell his bad mood hadn't worn off. Xu pointed up ahead. "A few more hours, and we'll reach the gates."
Squall nodded and went back inside just as Zell squeezed out. "Wow! Look at all that snow!" he exclaimed, eyes gleaming with interest. Irvine tipped his hat. "Yeah, It's been a while since I've come to Trabia."
Quistis ignored the conversation and stepped back into the dim caravan. She could hear the rest of the caravan procession as they steadily clomped along. Feeling restless, she jumped down from the front caravan and hopped onto the next one. A sudden scraping of chairs instantly told her this caravan was occupied. She was about to jump out again when the person spoke.
"A visitor?"
She stopped short. A girl? Almost her age - not quite sixteen yet though. "I'm sorry. Was I intruding?"
"Not at all!" A musical laugh. "I was just giving this man a reading."
Man? Quistis' skin pricked and she caught a whiff of a scent she associated with one person. Squall was there, as silent as he always was. "Then I was intruding."
"Please sit," the girl invited her, smiling at Squall. He didn't seem to mind. Quistis uncertainly sat next to him and heard the girl shuffle cards. "I'm Dagger," She said pleasantly. "I was trying to ask this man's name, but he is so quiet. Can he speak?" She teased merrily.
"Not usually." Quistis said politely, feeling him stiffen. She smiled slightly. "What are those?"
Dagger held up the pack of cards. "Tetra Master. Most of the time they're used to play, but I find they make good divining cards."
"Divining?"
"Yes," Dagger spread out the cards. "I'm the Diviner. There's nothing I don't know, or so my husbands declare . Maybe it's coincidence, but the cards never lie."
She motioned to Squall. "Would you like to go first?"
He deftly flipped a card. "Alexander," She said softly. "Flipped the right way." She laughed a little. "You must be a noble man, of pure heart and noble intentions."
Quistis smiled slightly as Squall flipped another card. "Ultima Weapon, pointing to you. Oh dear, You're facing grave danger, or difficult situations most of the time." She said worriedly. 'A card I don't envy." She smiled however. "The last card will show your destiny, though I can't interpret it. It's up to you to see it whichever way you see fit."
Squall hesitated. Much as he didn't want to believe, so far it had been correct (maybe not the first card). Heck, he took another card. Who knows what the future holds?
He stared at the card. A sword? Dagger was about to say something when someone jumped into the caravan. Dagger took one look at the intruder and shrieked. "Zidane!"
The boy got up dazedly. Or was it a boy? Squall looked at him curiously. He was maybe his age, with honey-blonde hair and dressed in the trademark performers type of get-up - mismatched. A lace neck-cloth paired with blue vest and trousers - not exactly normal wear, but it fits the atmosphere.
Dagger rushed up to him and helped him to his feet properly. Quistis looked at him interestedly. It was strange... was it her imagination or did Zidane have a -
"You have a tail," Squall said bluntly. Zidane looked at him, furrowing his brows. "Who's the depressed looking guy?" he demanded to Dagger, who glared at him with disapproval. But she herself was flustered too. "He, uh... a new addition."
"You're kidding me! I've only been gone a night and they've found someone to replace me?!"
"No, they're new," Dagger rolled her eyes. "This is - um..." She suddenly realized she didn't know their names.
"I'm Quisty." Quistis offered cordially. "And this... Squall."
"Geez, your names sound pretty funny," Zidane guffawed. "I'm Zidane Tribal, the thief," he made a comical bow. "And this is my wife, Dagger."
Dagger grinned. "Forgive his attitude. It's just the way he is."
"Yeah, ever seen a thief with good manners?" Zidane sat down next to Dagger and saw the row of cards. "You've been giving Tetra readings again."
"Well, I have to occupy myself," Dagger defended. "After all, I am the All- Seeing Dagger."
"Right." Zidane rolled his eyes and returned to Squall and Quistis. "So you're new in this joint? I've been with the group since I could remember. What do you do?"
"You mean how do you do?"
"Nope. What's your skills, man? See, I'm a thief. I can steal anything, so there."
Quistis blinked. Skills? What could she do? Somehow putting some kind of skill to perform in front of other people made her slightly nauseous.
"Yo, Zidane!" Zell suddenly came in, obviously delighted. "Where have you been huh? Xu was having a fit about you!"
"I was thrown off when I tried to take a dragon egg," he said sourly. Zell chuckled. 'Serves you right there man." Zell thumped his friend on the back and grinned at Squall. "He's the group thief. He stole at least something from everybody in here. Keep a close watch on your stuff, cause - "
"Watch it!" Squall growled, his eyes on Zidane, who looked childishly innocent. Only Quistis felt a furry tail stealthily sneak between her and Squall, reaching towards Lion Heart. The tail was whisked back almost as soon as it touched Squall. "Not a professional, I see," She said sagely. He glared at her. "And what do you do to earn your keep huh?"
Quistis turned slightly pale and Zell's face drained of color.
"She's a... a knife thrower." Zell blurted out, a little too fast maybe. Zidane looked at the fighter curiously, but he seemed to have bought it, if not suspiciously. "A knife thrower? Anyone can throw." He scoffed. Quistis narrowed her eyes. "Try doing it with your eyes closed - and keep your thieving tail away from my whip!" She snapped as she felt a furry tail inching towards her Save The Queen.
"He's trying to be friendly." Zell chuckled. "He stole my fighting gloves once and made me lose a match."
"You're not so invincible after all," Quistis said, smiling a little. "Even Pr - Squall managed to give you a good sock in the jaw." She fidgeted slightly at her slip. It wasn't easy calling him 'Squall'.
"We're approaching Trabia!" Xu's voice rang loudly from wherever she was. "Get your ass in position!"
"Time for my stint!" Zell grabbed Zidane. "Come on, let's strut our stuff!" The two jumped off the moving caravan to join the other performers who were already walking alongside the procession. It was some kind of parade. Quistis listened with interest. "Are we supposed to join them?"
"We should," Dagger said, but remembered something. "You haven't picked a card."
Quistis stiffened. "It's alright, I - "
"Oh please," Dagger begged as she reshuffled her deck. "You can keep it too, as Squall kept his last card." She showed the fanned deck. "Please?"
Quistis hesitated, and then gingerly took one. She didn't look at it. "I'll study it later," She said with a tight smile as she slipped the card into her vest.
Squall went out to the front where Xu was standing. The other performers were walking alongside the caravans, laughing, showing off their tricks and generally making a gaily atmosphere in the mundane whiteness of Trabia. Xu pointed to the looming steeples of Trabia City. "The Galbadians are there alright. Think you can manage it, Prince?"
Squall nodded. He jumped off the moving vehicle and walked alongside Zidane, who was grinning ear to ear. "Trabia's a really cool place; literally speaking. The city's really nice, and they've got plenty of good babes in!"
"You're married." Squall pointed out, but Zidane merely shrugged. "It doesn't hurt to check out other people," He said with a roguish grin. "It's not like I'm gonna have a lay-in."
Squall decided not to reply to that. He had known Zidane for less than an hour - experience taught him that people aren't what they seem to be.
The procession was lively, and almost everybody was laughing. Almost. Amidst the multi-colored streamers and juggling balls, two solemn faces never even cracked a smile. Quistis Trepe, ears alert as she patiently distinguished the carnival noise and the menacing growls of beasts that she could hear. Sure she knew she was safe from beasts, but she could never guarantee from men...
The procession stopped at the Gates of Trabia and Xu pulled the chocobos to a stop. The guards eyed the caravans suspiciously. "Traveling performers?" One shouted to Xu. The woman nodded. "Let us through! We're the great Fantasy Troupe! We've traveled all over the world and now we've come to show Trabia the wonders of our performers!" She made a wide sweep at her troupe, including Squall and Quistis, who happened to be in front.
"What's going on here?!"
A large, burly man stepped up to them. Despite the chilly weather, he was dressed for the desert, and maybe he was, thought Squall. Dark skinned and very nomadic looking. The Guard stood to attention. "Traveling performers, sir! Looks like they came from Esthar!"
"Esthar eh?" The higher-ranking 'sir' surveyed the troupe thoughtfully. 'How am I supposed to know you're not smuggling an army?" He demanded to Xu, who rolled her eyes. "Do we look like soldiers to you?"
The man looked at them thoughtfully. 'Well some of you look pretty menacing," He pointed to Zell, who was glaring at him, and Irvine, who regarded the man contemptuously. "And some of you look plain sissy," he jerked his thumb at Zidane, who turned red with anger. 'Now wait a second - "
"We came from Esthar, sure, but we're just performers," Xu explained, feigning tiredness. "I promise you none of my troupe will cause any trouble."
Nope, we won't, thought Irvine jovially as the guards let them pass. We're not part of the troupe!
The city was like Zidane said it was. Despite the Galbadian soldiers watching over the citizens, it didn't stop them from doing whatever they're supposed to do. The marketplace was just as noisy as it was packed, and people generally ignored the nasty looking soldiers.
"Find a field to set up the carnival," Xu directed. "Zell, you know what to do." The young man grinned and herded his own men to set up a ring in the middle of the marketplace.
"Trabia is on good terms with Esthar. Do you think our identities will pose a problem?" Quistis asked Irvine, who merely shrugged. "It was maybe ten years ago since we came here - nobody's gonna recognize us without our Knight crests. Besides, we're in disguise."
"Hey there pretty lady," A man leered at her as she walked past. "Let's see what you can do with that whip now huh?"
Quistis stiffened but Irvine gently patted her back. "Ignore him. Trabia's slums are full of perverts." Quistis was inclised to say that Selphie would have something to say to that comment, but she wisely kept her mouth shut.
Zell had set up his ring and was doing his routine strut, challenging people to win a round from him. He was quite strong, Quistis observed. He wasn't fooling around when he lost to Squall. "Where are the others?"
"They're at the site, I think. Xu made sure she got the plains nearest to the castle, to make things easier for us."
Quistis was silent for a while. "Strange, isn't it?"
'What is?"
"People we hardly know... ready to help us in a quest they don't know anything about. Isn't it a little too much for repayment?"
Irvine laughed. "The human mind works in strange ways, Quisty. Let's just accept and find those girls."
"Yes." Quistis nodded as the familiar noise of the performers came within hearing. She could hear Zidane shouting something, and Xu yelling instructions. It was somewhat confusing, but somehow it didn't bother her. It was comforting, like a home she couldn't remember anymore...
"There's been no sign of Seifer, or Rinoa," Squall reported when he returned in the evening. Camp had been set up and the friends were sitting in a circle around a fire, discussing plans. Irvine handed him a skewered Fasticolon-F (I hope the name's right). "It seems that Princess Ellone was not seen since the Galbadian occupation either," He said, biting into a Gargant leg. "Ow... hot!" He whooped and gingerly waved his meal to cool it down.
"I heard something interesting!" Selphie piped up. "There's some woman seen in the castle - she came on the battleships. Some say she's the Empress Ultimecia, but..."
Quistis put her skewered Galya down. Hearing the Empress' name made her ill. Leaving the others to discuss, she walked off into the forest, thinking deeply. The Empress is here? On battleships? Was she the one who initiated the attacks? Where was the Emperor? If she's here, then there would be a slim chance of finding Rinoa - the Empress preferred her step- daughter dead than alive. But why attack Trabia? Did she know that they were coming? But it was too odd - the chances of such things happening is one in a million. There must a be a reason why she occupied Trabia -
"Ah!"
So occupied she was that she bumped headlong into a tree. She rubbed her head and heard the distinct clanking of belts. "Prince?"
A quiet laugh. "Squall."
She shook her head. "I'm not used to this. Did you follow me?" She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"If I didn't, you would have fallen into that hole right next to you," He said with amusement. Quistis knew what he meant, but she was too bothered to care. "Are we breaking into the castle tonight?"
"The others are ready."
Quistis heaved a long sigh. "We have to find her. I only hope the Empress hasn't done anything to her..."
"What is it that the Empress wants by doing this?" Squall interrupted her thoughts. She smiled bitterly. "If I may say so; you're not the world's best historian, aren't you?"
Squall shook his head in perplexation. "If she wanted to attack Esthar headlong, she might as well do it. Why take over small principalities like Timber and Trabia? It doesn't strike me as world domination matter."
"She doesn't want to dominate the world," Quistis said bitterly. "She wants to dominate our very hearts. She cares nothing about countries and unity - she only wants power. Ultimate power."
She turned to Squall. "Do you know why I was assigned to be Rinoa's Knight? I was blind to temptation, Emperor Caraway said. I would have no use for it since I'm in my own league."
"What kind of power?" Squall asked quietly. Quistis smiled, a slow, twisted smile. "The same kind of power that Emperor Caraway wanted fifteen years ago, when he destroyed Balamb."
He felt his blood freeze. "Balamb?"
"Yes." Her eyes glittered strangely. "Surely you know. The reason why Balamb is now under Esthar protection. King Loire is trying to keep the Guardian that sleeps in its depths away from human greed." She smiled at him, a strange, sad smile. "My villagers protected the Guardian with their lives, but I had to pay with my sight."
He couldn't shake the chill, the feeling that she was familiar. As if he had met her before, but he couldn't have. He would have remembered someone like her...
In a flash Quistis sensed it - a menacing aura so strong it hurt. "Look out!" She yelled and pulled Squall to the ground just miliseconds before a long javelin tore into her shoulder and embedded in a tree trunk. Quistis collapsed to the ground, clutching her injured shoulder. Squall looked up and nearly froze in surprise.
A huge, Chimera-like creature was hunched on a tree trunk, glaring down at them. It was golden in color and had a colorful mask, as if hiding something underneath. Its voice, when it spoke, was a low growl.
"Quistis Trepe..."
"We're approaching Trabia," Nida called as the caravan procession trudged through the snow plains. Xu came out of her caravan and squinted in the bright sunlight. "Looks well - "
"Will you please stop teasing me you pervert?!"
Quistis stepped out beside Xu and looked around. "It's so... empty."
"It's snow all around," Xu chuckled. "Pretty depressing for somebody who depends on echoes to move around huh?"
"Not that difficult, Xu," Quistis said stiffly. Xu suddenly realized she was dressed differently. Instead of Knight clothes; vest, tunic, custom emblem, she was dressed in a dusty orange sleeveless vest and matching skirt that clung to her hips. Her whip was looped in a brass-studded belt, and she wore long gloves. "What's with the outfit?"
Quistis smiled. "Zell proposed that we disguise ourselves as part of the group, since we can't enter Trabia in our normal appearance."
"And I thought he was dense..." Xu mused lightly. Just then Irvine burst out to the front, looking angry. "Somebody keep that wildcat away from me! She's accusing me of being everything from a pervert to a rapist!"
Xu burst out laughing as Selphie poked her head out, glaring murderously at Irvine. "And so you are! Peeking at me while I was changing - don't you have any decency?!"
"Now hang on, who changed in the middle of the doorway?!"
SNAP!
Irvine and Selphie quickly snapped their mouths shut as Quistis furled her whip back. "Please calm down, Sir Kinneas - " She started calmly.
"Hey!" Irvine brightened up. "Since we changed our costumes, why don't we get a new name? I mean, it's too obvious if you keep calling me Sir Kinneas, and this girl here keep calling me 'pervert'..." he glared at Selphie and the glare was returned.
"So you are!" Selphie shot back. Irvine ignored her as he mused. 'Why don't you just call me Irvine? People won't look twice that way,"
"...Irvine." Quistis tried awkwardly. It sounded alien. It made her feel... on par with him. Like friends. The thought made her frown.
"So you'll be Quistis." He decided but then frowned. "Oh no... that's too obvious."
"Quisty?" Selphie suggested. Quistis frowned at the name. "Quisty?"
"Yeah, it sounds different!" Xu clapped her hands. "Selphie won't need to change her name since she's not as famous as you two - " She stopped abruptly when Squall appeared. "Prince Leonhart!" She gulped. She hoped people didn't notice her face was red. Her mind was screaming OH HOT!
Squall was garbed in black; a short black jacket over a white shirt, black gloves, black snug-fitting leggings and boots. Belts clanked at his hip as he walked, and his gunblade was sheathed on his belt. He looked like a mercenary ready to kill. Or, in Xu's opinion - drool.
"No, definitely not." Irvine shook his head. Selphie squealed. "Why not Leon? That sounds great!"
Squall frowned. "Why are you playing with my name? Is it too hard to say 'Squall'?"
"Uh, right." Selphie said sheepishly. "Squall."
Squall, Quistis rolled the name silently in her head. Different. The name conjures a different image from 'Leonhart'. Squall, an unpredictable tempest. Which is true then? The tempest or the fearless?
"Are we getting anywhere?" Squall asked sourly. Anybody could tell his bad mood hadn't worn off. Xu pointed up ahead. "A few more hours, and we'll reach the gates."
Squall nodded and went back inside just as Zell squeezed out. "Wow! Look at all that snow!" he exclaimed, eyes gleaming with interest. Irvine tipped his hat. "Yeah, It's been a while since I've come to Trabia."
Quistis ignored the conversation and stepped back into the dim caravan. She could hear the rest of the caravan procession as they steadily clomped along. Feeling restless, she jumped down from the front caravan and hopped onto the next one. A sudden scraping of chairs instantly told her this caravan was occupied. She was about to jump out again when the person spoke.
"A visitor?"
She stopped short. A girl? Almost her age - not quite sixteen yet though. "I'm sorry. Was I intruding?"
"Not at all!" A musical laugh. "I was just giving this man a reading."
Man? Quistis' skin pricked and she caught a whiff of a scent she associated with one person. Squall was there, as silent as he always was. "Then I was intruding."
"Please sit," the girl invited her, smiling at Squall. He didn't seem to mind. Quistis uncertainly sat next to him and heard the girl shuffle cards. "I'm Dagger," She said pleasantly. "I was trying to ask this man's name, but he is so quiet. Can he speak?" She teased merrily.
"Not usually." Quistis said politely, feeling him stiffen. She smiled slightly. "What are those?"
Dagger held up the pack of cards. "Tetra Master. Most of the time they're used to play, but I find they make good divining cards."
"Divining?"
"Yes," Dagger spread out the cards. "I'm the Diviner. There's nothing I don't know, or so my husbands declare . Maybe it's coincidence, but the cards never lie."
She motioned to Squall. "Would you like to go first?"
He deftly flipped a card. "Alexander," She said softly. "Flipped the right way." She laughed a little. "You must be a noble man, of pure heart and noble intentions."
Quistis smiled slightly as Squall flipped another card. "Ultima Weapon, pointing to you. Oh dear, You're facing grave danger, or difficult situations most of the time." She said worriedly. 'A card I don't envy." She smiled however. "The last card will show your destiny, though I can't interpret it. It's up to you to see it whichever way you see fit."
Squall hesitated. Much as he didn't want to believe, so far it had been correct (maybe not the first card). Heck, he took another card. Who knows what the future holds?
He stared at the card. A sword? Dagger was about to say something when someone jumped into the caravan. Dagger took one look at the intruder and shrieked. "Zidane!"
The boy got up dazedly. Or was it a boy? Squall looked at him curiously. He was maybe his age, with honey-blonde hair and dressed in the trademark performers type of get-up - mismatched. A lace neck-cloth paired with blue vest and trousers - not exactly normal wear, but it fits the atmosphere.
Dagger rushed up to him and helped him to his feet properly. Quistis looked at him interestedly. It was strange... was it her imagination or did Zidane have a -
"You have a tail," Squall said bluntly. Zidane looked at him, furrowing his brows. "Who's the depressed looking guy?" he demanded to Dagger, who glared at him with disapproval. But she herself was flustered too. "He, uh... a new addition."
"You're kidding me! I've only been gone a night and they've found someone to replace me?!"
"No, they're new," Dagger rolled her eyes. "This is - um..." She suddenly realized she didn't know their names.
"I'm Quisty." Quistis offered cordially. "And this... Squall."
"Geez, your names sound pretty funny," Zidane guffawed. "I'm Zidane Tribal, the thief," he made a comical bow. "And this is my wife, Dagger."
Dagger grinned. "Forgive his attitude. It's just the way he is."
"Yeah, ever seen a thief with good manners?" Zidane sat down next to Dagger and saw the row of cards. "You've been giving Tetra readings again."
"Well, I have to occupy myself," Dagger defended. "After all, I am the All- Seeing Dagger."
"Right." Zidane rolled his eyes and returned to Squall and Quistis. "So you're new in this joint? I've been with the group since I could remember. What do you do?"
"You mean how do you do?"
"Nope. What's your skills, man? See, I'm a thief. I can steal anything, so there."
Quistis blinked. Skills? What could she do? Somehow putting some kind of skill to perform in front of other people made her slightly nauseous.
"Yo, Zidane!" Zell suddenly came in, obviously delighted. "Where have you been huh? Xu was having a fit about you!"
"I was thrown off when I tried to take a dragon egg," he said sourly. Zell chuckled. 'Serves you right there man." Zell thumped his friend on the back and grinned at Squall. "He's the group thief. He stole at least something from everybody in here. Keep a close watch on your stuff, cause - "
"Watch it!" Squall growled, his eyes on Zidane, who looked childishly innocent. Only Quistis felt a furry tail stealthily sneak between her and Squall, reaching towards Lion Heart. The tail was whisked back almost as soon as it touched Squall. "Not a professional, I see," She said sagely. He glared at her. "And what do you do to earn your keep huh?"
Quistis turned slightly pale and Zell's face drained of color.
"She's a... a knife thrower." Zell blurted out, a little too fast maybe. Zidane looked at the fighter curiously, but he seemed to have bought it, if not suspiciously. "A knife thrower? Anyone can throw." He scoffed. Quistis narrowed her eyes. "Try doing it with your eyes closed - and keep your thieving tail away from my whip!" She snapped as she felt a furry tail inching towards her Save The Queen.
"He's trying to be friendly." Zell chuckled. "He stole my fighting gloves once and made me lose a match."
"You're not so invincible after all," Quistis said, smiling a little. "Even Pr - Squall managed to give you a good sock in the jaw." She fidgeted slightly at her slip. It wasn't easy calling him 'Squall'.
"We're approaching Trabia!" Xu's voice rang loudly from wherever she was. "Get your ass in position!"
"Time for my stint!" Zell grabbed Zidane. "Come on, let's strut our stuff!" The two jumped off the moving caravan to join the other performers who were already walking alongside the procession. It was some kind of parade. Quistis listened with interest. "Are we supposed to join them?"
"We should," Dagger said, but remembered something. "You haven't picked a card."
Quistis stiffened. "It's alright, I - "
"Oh please," Dagger begged as she reshuffled her deck. "You can keep it too, as Squall kept his last card." She showed the fanned deck. "Please?"
Quistis hesitated, and then gingerly took one. She didn't look at it. "I'll study it later," She said with a tight smile as she slipped the card into her vest.
Squall went out to the front where Xu was standing. The other performers were walking alongside the caravans, laughing, showing off their tricks and generally making a gaily atmosphere in the mundane whiteness of Trabia. Xu pointed to the looming steeples of Trabia City. "The Galbadians are there alright. Think you can manage it, Prince?"
Squall nodded. He jumped off the moving vehicle and walked alongside Zidane, who was grinning ear to ear. "Trabia's a really cool place; literally speaking. The city's really nice, and they've got plenty of good babes in!"
"You're married." Squall pointed out, but Zidane merely shrugged. "It doesn't hurt to check out other people," He said with a roguish grin. "It's not like I'm gonna have a lay-in."
Squall decided not to reply to that. He had known Zidane for less than an hour - experience taught him that people aren't what they seem to be.
The procession was lively, and almost everybody was laughing. Almost. Amidst the multi-colored streamers and juggling balls, two solemn faces never even cracked a smile. Quistis Trepe, ears alert as she patiently distinguished the carnival noise and the menacing growls of beasts that she could hear. Sure she knew she was safe from beasts, but she could never guarantee from men...
The procession stopped at the Gates of Trabia and Xu pulled the chocobos to a stop. The guards eyed the caravans suspiciously. "Traveling performers?" One shouted to Xu. The woman nodded. "Let us through! We're the great Fantasy Troupe! We've traveled all over the world and now we've come to show Trabia the wonders of our performers!" She made a wide sweep at her troupe, including Squall and Quistis, who happened to be in front.
"What's going on here?!"
A large, burly man stepped up to them. Despite the chilly weather, he was dressed for the desert, and maybe he was, thought Squall. Dark skinned and very nomadic looking. The Guard stood to attention. "Traveling performers, sir! Looks like they came from Esthar!"
"Esthar eh?" The higher-ranking 'sir' surveyed the troupe thoughtfully. 'How am I supposed to know you're not smuggling an army?" He demanded to Xu, who rolled her eyes. "Do we look like soldiers to you?"
The man looked at them thoughtfully. 'Well some of you look pretty menacing," He pointed to Zell, who was glaring at him, and Irvine, who regarded the man contemptuously. "And some of you look plain sissy," he jerked his thumb at Zidane, who turned red with anger. 'Now wait a second - "
"We came from Esthar, sure, but we're just performers," Xu explained, feigning tiredness. "I promise you none of my troupe will cause any trouble."
Nope, we won't, thought Irvine jovially as the guards let them pass. We're not part of the troupe!
The city was like Zidane said it was. Despite the Galbadian soldiers watching over the citizens, it didn't stop them from doing whatever they're supposed to do. The marketplace was just as noisy as it was packed, and people generally ignored the nasty looking soldiers.
"Find a field to set up the carnival," Xu directed. "Zell, you know what to do." The young man grinned and herded his own men to set up a ring in the middle of the marketplace.
"Trabia is on good terms with Esthar. Do you think our identities will pose a problem?" Quistis asked Irvine, who merely shrugged. "It was maybe ten years ago since we came here - nobody's gonna recognize us without our Knight crests. Besides, we're in disguise."
"Hey there pretty lady," A man leered at her as she walked past. "Let's see what you can do with that whip now huh?"
Quistis stiffened but Irvine gently patted her back. "Ignore him. Trabia's slums are full of perverts." Quistis was inclised to say that Selphie would have something to say to that comment, but she wisely kept her mouth shut.
Zell had set up his ring and was doing his routine strut, challenging people to win a round from him. He was quite strong, Quistis observed. He wasn't fooling around when he lost to Squall. "Where are the others?"
"They're at the site, I think. Xu made sure she got the plains nearest to the castle, to make things easier for us."
Quistis was silent for a while. "Strange, isn't it?"
'What is?"
"People we hardly know... ready to help us in a quest they don't know anything about. Isn't it a little too much for repayment?"
Irvine laughed. "The human mind works in strange ways, Quisty. Let's just accept and find those girls."
"Yes." Quistis nodded as the familiar noise of the performers came within hearing. She could hear Zidane shouting something, and Xu yelling instructions. It was somewhat confusing, but somehow it didn't bother her. It was comforting, like a home she couldn't remember anymore...
"There's been no sign of Seifer, or Rinoa," Squall reported when he returned in the evening. Camp had been set up and the friends were sitting in a circle around a fire, discussing plans. Irvine handed him a skewered Fasticolon-F (I hope the name's right). "It seems that Princess Ellone was not seen since the Galbadian occupation either," He said, biting into a Gargant leg. "Ow... hot!" He whooped and gingerly waved his meal to cool it down.
"I heard something interesting!" Selphie piped up. "There's some woman seen in the castle - she came on the battleships. Some say she's the Empress Ultimecia, but..."
Quistis put her skewered Galya down. Hearing the Empress' name made her ill. Leaving the others to discuss, she walked off into the forest, thinking deeply. The Empress is here? On battleships? Was she the one who initiated the attacks? Where was the Emperor? If she's here, then there would be a slim chance of finding Rinoa - the Empress preferred her step- daughter dead than alive. But why attack Trabia? Did she know that they were coming? But it was too odd - the chances of such things happening is one in a million. There must a be a reason why she occupied Trabia -
"Ah!"
So occupied she was that she bumped headlong into a tree. She rubbed her head and heard the distinct clanking of belts. "Prince?"
A quiet laugh. "Squall."
She shook her head. "I'm not used to this. Did you follow me?" She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"If I didn't, you would have fallen into that hole right next to you," He said with amusement. Quistis knew what he meant, but she was too bothered to care. "Are we breaking into the castle tonight?"
"The others are ready."
Quistis heaved a long sigh. "We have to find her. I only hope the Empress hasn't done anything to her..."
"What is it that the Empress wants by doing this?" Squall interrupted her thoughts. She smiled bitterly. "If I may say so; you're not the world's best historian, aren't you?"
Squall shook his head in perplexation. "If she wanted to attack Esthar headlong, she might as well do it. Why take over small principalities like Timber and Trabia? It doesn't strike me as world domination matter."
"She doesn't want to dominate the world," Quistis said bitterly. "She wants to dominate our very hearts. She cares nothing about countries and unity - she only wants power. Ultimate power."
She turned to Squall. "Do you know why I was assigned to be Rinoa's Knight? I was blind to temptation, Emperor Caraway said. I would have no use for it since I'm in my own league."
"What kind of power?" Squall asked quietly. Quistis smiled, a slow, twisted smile. "The same kind of power that Emperor Caraway wanted fifteen years ago, when he destroyed Balamb."
He felt his blood freeze. "Balamb?"
"Yes." Her eyes glittered strangely. "Surely you know. The reason why Balamb is now under Esthar protection. King Loire is trying to keep the Guardian that sleeps in its depths away from human greed." She smiled at him, a strange, sad smile. "My villagers protected the Guardian with their lives, but I had to pay with my sight."
He couldn't shake the chill, the feeling that she was familiar. As if he had met her before, but he couldn't have. He would have remembered someone like her...
In a flash Quistis sensed it - a menacing aura so strong it hurt. "Look out!" She yelled and pulled Squall to the ground just miliseconds before a long javelin tore into her shoulder and embedded in a tree trunk. Quistis collapsed to the ground, clutching her injured shoulder. Squall looked up and nearly froze in surprise.
A huge, Chimera-like creature was hunched on a tree trunk, glaring down at them. It was golden in color and had a colorful mask, as if hiding something underneath. Its voice, when it spoke, was a low growl.
"Quistis Trepe..."
