Patriot noticed the other airship following an hour after they had departed Tzen due east. Granger just frowned as he watched the other ship follow their every move. They were still after Terra and were probably ready to use any force necessary to get her back.
"I can't lose them," Patriot said. "I can't out run them either." Granger just frowned. "What should I do?"
"Just keep doing what you are doing," was Granger's reply. "I'll figure something out." The answer wasn't satisfactory but it would have to do for now. Granger went below deck to find Terra, who was most likely still asleep.
* * *
Terra woke up to a light rapping on the door. She rubbed her eyes, thankful to be free of her dreams, and stood up, adjusting her new baggy breeches and tunic.
"Enter," Terra said.
Granger opened the door and stepped in.
"We are free of Tzen but your would-be rescuers are still on our tail," Granger said with out leaving the doorway.
"They will stop at nothing to get me back," Terra confirmed his suspicions with a slight laugh. Her eyes flicked instantly to behind Granger.
"And that's why we're here," spoke a husky familiar voice from the hallway. Granger spun around and came to face to face with a tall lanky man with a black bandana covering pale blond cropped hair. Before he could react, two burly twins set upon him from either side and he fell backwards into the bedchamber.
"Locke!" Terra cried in happiness and shock as she danced out of the way of the falling Granger. The man smiled at her and stepped inside, admiring the grappling work of the two twins.
"Sabin!" Terra gasped as the three men finally settled, Granger face down on the floor and Sabin holding Granger's arms behind him. Edgar, who had landed on the floor as Sabin and Granger wrestled, stood up and brushed himself off and then nodded to Terra.
"It's good to see that you are well, Terra," Edgar greeted, flashing his wide toothy grin at her with a wink. "And what shall we to do to him?" Edgar asked of Locke with a slight smirk on his face.
"Nothing," Terra stated. Edgar, Locke, and Sabin turned to look at her as she stood with her arms folded; calm, collected, and determined.
"Granger," Terra began the introductions. "These are my comrades Locke, Edgar, and Sabin. Gentlemen, this is Granger, and although it doesn't look like it, he's on our side."
"Are you feeling alright, Terra?" Locke asked with a raised eyebrow. "This guy kidnapped you."
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine," Terra insisted as she went over to Sabin and tried to pull the bulky man off Granger. "Now release him." Sabin looked up at her then, his blue eyes confused and a little hurt. She didn't need rescuing after all. "Let go."
"But he kidnapped you, and…" Locke protested again but Terra fixed him with a glare that quickly shut him up. She pushed Sabin off of Granger and offered him a hand to help him up. But he didn't accept it. He pushed himself and stood with his arms crossed across his chest.
Locke raised an eye brow as he looked between Edgar, Sabin, and Granger. The similarities were uncanny. And Edgar and Sabin noticed it too as they gave Granger a good look over. He had the same body structure, tall, broad shouldered, and he was blond as well with those signature brilliant blue eyes.
"Well first matter of business then," Edgar began with out breaking eye contact with Granger. "Who was your employer and why did you do it."
"Zemus. And for the money, if the truth be told," Granger stated somberly. Sabin growled but kept his distance, but his eyes were locked on Granger.
"How much is she worth to Zemus?" Locke asked as he leaned against the door frame, effectively blocking the only way out of the room.
"1,000,000 gold pieces." Granger responded.
"That's a lot of money," Edgar mused as he crossed his arms over his armored chest.
"Yes it is." Granger agreed. "But he had no intention of paying," Granger half growled then. "We were set upon by assassins before I even reached my contact in Tzen. If it weren't for Terra I would have been killed."
"And if it weren't for Granger I would have never gotten out of there of my own accord," Terra finished. The group looked between the two, Granger and Terra, and knew that it was the truth.
"Yes but it was Granger that put you in that situation in the first place," Edgar stated, then sighed. "Come with me, Granger," Edgar said matter-of-fact tone. "I need to signal our airship captain. We should land and get this all straightened out."
* * *
Terra stood on the deck of the Falcon as it lifted off the ground. She watched as the second airship, Scylla's Hope, became smaller and smaller on the ground. Granger stood on the deck watching them depart. His expression was that of pure defeat. The gods only know what Edgar said to him. Or what Sabin did to him. But now the Falcon was pointed to Albrook in search of the lost King.
Celes approached then with a small burden in her arms.
"Edgar wanted me to return this to you," Celes said as she handed the burden to Terra. Terra pulled the sword off the top first and recognized it as her own. The light armor wrapped in the cloth beneath was hers too from when they battled Kefka. "Seems like we can't keep out of trouble even now."
Terra just smiled, but then her smile soured.
"I don't know if I can keep this up with out my powers," Terra said bluntly with the soured smile still on her face.
"Of course you can," Celes retorted. "You were trained by the best. You were a member of the most elite soldiers in the world. It's all reflex by now. I know that Granger respects you for that."
Terra gave her a quick glance.
"He told us that you took two of those assassins down with your bare hands," Celes beamed. "I'm quite impressed. Image what you can do with that." And Celes tapped Terra's sword still in her hands.
With that, Celes left her staring down at her sword.