Part Two

Terra jumped lightly down the last few stone steps of the front gate and into the desert that surrounded the old castle of Figaro. It was still early and the desert cool and calm. The morning sun felt good on her bare arms and face. The guard was patrolling as usual around the parameter of the castle mounted on yellow chocobos, large birds used as mounts. Several of the guards nodded or smiled to her as she strolled past on a path to the chocobo stables.

An older gentleman on patrol reigned in his chocobo as he saw Terra coming and un-mounted. He removed his helmet just as Terra walked up and his long black hair tumbled down his back held in a ponytail at the nape of his neck.

"Ho Lady Terra," the older gentleman greeted with a bow. "What brings you out here on this beautiful morning?"

"I was hoping to ride a chocobo today," Terra stated as she smiled sweetly at the aging soldier. Cyan, once the Retainer of Doma now the Captain of the Guard at Figaro, laughed heartily at her request.

"And you think that I'm going to let you?" Cyan chuckled and shook his head. "Of course I would." He whistled shrilly and with in seconds, a young stable boy trotted up with another yellow chocobo in tow with saddle and harness ready. The boy passed the reins off to Terra and sprinted away again.

Cyan put his helmet back on as Terra mounted her chocobo. The bird shifted underneath her weight but settled after only a moment. She kicked the bird into a trot down the well-worn road to South Figaro.

It had been a several months since Sabin had gone, almost half a years worth. Terra had occupied her time with learning to do various things around the castle. None that she did spectacularly well, but it entertained her. Her only pleasure left was a chocobo ride. And she rarely asked for one because Cyan was normally very busy with training the guards. But every once in a while, when she grew tired of painting and needlepoint, she asked Cyan.  Maybe he was sympathetic to her plight of utter boredom and nothing to make her feel useful. Or maybe he looked upon her as the daughter that he never had.

The sand crunched beneath the chocobo's feet as it ran. Terra could see the Figaro Mountains rising on the horizon and she knew that she should turn the beast around and head back to the castle. She reined the bird to a halt and almost turned until she noticed a small dust cloud ahead of her on the road. She watched for a moment and just as she presumed, a small caravan came into view.

"Terra!!" shouted a voice that Terra recognized instantly and one of the leaders of the caravan waved to her. She kicked the animal forward until she could see the people's faces more easily.

Then she smiled and dismounted as the caravan grew near and the leaders dismounted too.

"Bet you didn't think that you would see your pal Locke, Treasure Hunter Extraordinaire, again so soon did you?" greeted a tall lanky man as he ran up to her and hugged her. Terra laughed as he swung her around and then set her down. His companion, a tall muscular woman with pale blond hair and intense green eyes trotted up beside him.

"Celes!" Terra shouted in excitement and hugged the woman, who laughed and hugged her back. "Where in the world have you been?" Terra laughed and then she noticed Celes' stomach. "And what happened to you?!"

Celes put her hand on her round stomach and smiled. But it was Locke that answered: "We are making ourselves a little family." He laughed and put an arm around Celes and kissed her on the cheek. "This here is our little boy." And he rubbed Celes' swollen belly.

"Our daughter," Celes corrected with a wink at Terra. Terra laughed.

"When are you expecting?" Terra asked as she glanced between the expecting parents.

"Four more months to go," Celes replied with a smile as she patted her stomach.

"How are things here at the castle?" Locke asked as the rest of the caravan caught up. All three mounted again and walked the chocobos back to the castle.

"Fine I suppose," Terra began. "A little monotonous."

Locke nodded, still wearing a smile.

"We bring news from the south," Celes stated with a weary look at Locke. Terra sensed something wrong. "We need to see Edgar right away." She looked at Terra imploringly.

"I don't think that is going to be a problem," Terra admitted as the castle came into view and she saw the guards spreading the word about who was coming. "What's happened?"

Locke shook his head and glanced around at the other people that traveled with them. Merchants, the likes of which came to Castle Figaro all the time, rode all of the wagons and chocobos. There were a few vagrants walking between the wagons, all carried some form a weapon and who would sell their services as a bodyguard to make money, and even a bard with a lute slung over his shoulder and a billowing feather in his hat. Nothing looked suspicious. But Terra knew that Locke must have reason not to say what his news was.

Edgar was coming out the front gates just as the caravan neared, his chancellor at his side. He smiled grandly and shouted his welcome. Terra tuned him out because she had heard his winded welcomes before and didn't want to listen to his boasting. She dismounted and let her chocobo be led to the stables by the stable boy along with the other chocobos. Celes and Locke were herded into the castle quickly and Terra followed, barely noticed. The rest of the caravan had to go through the guard stations to get inside the castle.

"What is this news you bring me, Locke. What is so ghastly that I must send away all my servants?" Edgar asked as Celes closed the throne room door behind Terra and the chancellor.

"War," Locke stated and the one word echoed through the expanse of the large stone room. "The southern continent is in civil war. A heretic is claiming that he can bring back magic.  His followers call those that do not follow his teachings traitors and wage war against them.  The situation looks bleak."

"I can imagine," Edgar conceded as his boastful and conceited self melted away and he became very serious and somber, something that Terra hadn't seen in a while. "What about the new King there? King Teagan, was it?"

Locke frowned.

"He's disappeared," Locke admitted with a concerned look at Celes. Terra felt a pang of jealousy for what Locke and Celes had. "There was an uprising on Albrook and no one could find him afterward."

"And there has been talk that the magic heretic is coming north," Celes added with her arms around her swollen stomach protectively.

"But there is no way that anyone can bring the magic back," Terra protested from the back of the room where she had been standing unnoticed. "We all know that."

"But the people don't," Celes replied as she turned to Terra. "We never told anyone else about the Espers and the magic. And with Kefka dead we shouldn't have to worry about magic resurfacing. But then again there is this nut job down south. If he gains much more support, he's going to be a real problem."

"The only thing that we can do," Edgar concluded, drawing the attention back to himself again. "Is nothing. Just stand on guard. Maybe send some scouts to get more information." Locke began to protest. "We can't march down there and smash them with out just cause, Locke." Edgar shook his head. "Not without drawing a noose around our own throats."

Edgar looked much older at that moment then his twenty-seven years. He rubbed his forehead in thought and sighed. Locke and Celes looked at each other then dismissed themselves. Terra stayed a moment longer until Cyan came in.  That was her cue to leave before the war council began.

Locke and Celes where already gone when Terra got out of the throne room into the courtyard area. Her shoulders drooped in disappointment. But she wasn't at all surprised that they had gone off alone. They at least had each other. And again her thoughts returned to Sabin. Why was she thinking about him? She shook her head to clear it.

The courtyard was a bustle with all the new merchants in the castle from the caravan. Some had rugs laid out alongside the buildings with their wares displayed for everyone to see and some just shouted what they had above the crowd noise and pulled the item out of a pocket when asked.

Terra sighed and knew that the day's excitement was over and walked back to her room to try her hand at some embroidery one of the servants taught her.

* * *

Rumors began to filter in from South Figaro and other cities about the fanatic on the southern continent. Terra heard them mentioned among the servants and the guards. Every couple of weeks, more merchants arrived at the castle, bringing new stories, while the other merchants moved on to other cities. By now, everyone knew that King Teagan had disappeared. Some speculated that he had fled the continent with his tail tugged between his legs. Some said that he had been killed and others went as far to say that he had assumed a different identity to get close to the leader of the fanatical group to kill him. Terra listened to such tales when she could and imagined her own versions. All the stories though had given the fanatical leader a name. They all called him Zemus.

"I half wish that Zemus would come to Figaro," Terra said to herself before the evening meal. "Then maybe it wouldn't be so boring here." She stood in front of her mirror for the second time that day, and examined herself. Celes has braided her hair that morning; it was a complex braid that started on top of her head and folded in on itself neatly and cascaded all the way down her head to taper off into a long braid ending halfway down her back. Only a few wisps of hair framed her delicate face. She smoothed the crimson silk of her dress over her stomach and absently adjusted her long sleeves. The dress hugged her torso, chest, and arms but billowed once it reached her hips. She tilted her head as she looked at herself looking unlike herself. Celes had brought her the dress and after weeks of pressure Terra finally caved in and put it on. Dresses were not really her thing though. She preferred a pair of breaches and a tunic, more freedom of movement.

Terra turned a little, looking at her skinny body encased in the shimmering crimson silk. She eventually sighed to herself and left for the dining hall contemplating the possible reactions she would get when she got there. And wondering whom Edgar was entertaining this week. The week before, it had been the wife of a wealthy nobleman and his teenaged daughter. Edgar had both women throwing themselves at him and he wasn't receptive to either. Celes had merely laughed while Terra thought that it was disgusting.

As Terra approached the dinning hall, she heard the bard singing while he played his lute. The bard, Edwin, had come a few weeks after Locke and Celes arrived. He was frequent in the dinner halls when Edgar was going to have a party. And tonight was no exception. Terra entered the dinning hall to see the crescent shaped dinning table filled with noble men and women, soldiers, and Edgar, Locke, and Celes in the center with an empty chair for Terra.

Terra stopped and stood perfectly still as the room fell quiet and all eyes fell on her. Even the bard stopped his playing. She felt her face redden with embarrassment.

"What a vision of loveliness," Edgar proclaimed over the silence of the room as he stood from his place at the table. He strode around the table and met her at the doorway, clasping her hand in his and bowing to kiss it. "Come sit by me."

Terra was used to Edgar's dramatics and walked beside him around the dinning table, past half of the noble men and women, and the soldiers, to the empty table setting next to Edgar's setting and Celes'.

"You look beautiful," the very pregnant Celes whispered to Terra as she sat down. The bard had resumed his playing. "I never thought that you would try that on while I was here."

"Then why is everyone staring at me?" Terra asked in a hushed tone as the servants brought the meal forth and began serving the food.

"Because they finally realize," Locke piped up from the other side of Celes, "that underneath the tomboyish soldier woman is a lady of beauty and refinement." Terra's cheeks began to burn with embarrassment. She turned away from the happy couple and saw Edgar flirting with the buxom red head sitting next to him. The red head glared at Terra with her blue eyes and Terra just sighed.

Another thrilling evening ahead, Terra thought absently as she sipped from her wine glass. The servants flowed in from the small hidden doors in the wall with plates of meticulously prepared food and set them in front of every person sat at the table. She poked at her meal a bit with her fork as the rest of the guests gorged themselves on salad, some roasted bird, and other fruits and vegetables. But Terra's appetite was gone due to the pastry she had conned from the cook that afternoon.

Pretty soon, most the people at the table had eaten their fill. The plates were cleared and the servants kept the wine glasses full. Celes and Locke excused themselves politely as soon as the meal was completed, Celes not wanting to drink wine for the sake of her unborn child. Edgar had the red head on his lap, both laughing at a joke he had told. She heard one of the soldiers asking her name from a couple chairs down. She frowned a little, took one last sip from her cup and stood from the table.

"Leaving so soon?" Edgar asked as he stood up to face her. The red head was dumped from his lap and barely remained standing. She glared at Terra from behind Edgar's large frame. "The party has just begun. You can't leave now." He fixed her with a dashing smile, something that he had perfected from years of practice.

"I'm tired," Terra muttered as her gaze roamed around the table watching the inebriated guests.

"It's only an hour past sun set," Edgar protested as he caught her delicate hand her his large calloused hand. "There are many men here wanting to make your company."

"No," Terra replied as she fixed him with a confused look. "I don't feel well."

"It's just the wine," Edgar laughed. "Maybe you have had too much?"

"I am going to bed," Terra stated as she turned and pulled her hand free from Edgar's. Her legs felt a little weak beneath her, but she strode out of the dinning hall as confident as she could. She heard Edgar say something but he undoubtedly returned his attention to the redhead more receptive to his affection.

The corridor was dim, lit by sparse electrical lights mounted on the walls that cast a strange yellow light on the floor. Terra's head began to tingle and a trace pain began in the front of her skull. The sounds of the dinning hall faded away as she marched down the corridor to get to her room. All she could think of was crawling in her soft bed to sleep away the dizziness and the pain in her head.

Terra was so focused on putting one foot in front of one another that she didn't see the person step out in front of her. She ran into him and stumbled back a few steps. She looked at the man with blurred vision.

"Sabin?" she breathed in confusion as her legs finally gave out and she fell forward into the man's strong arms.

"No," was all the man said as Terra lost consciousness and he picked her up. With one quick glance toward the banquet hall, he turned on his heels and quickly strode away.