Chapter Sixteen
Lindblum Castle; Guestroom; Early Morning
Freya was woken up by a loud crash. She jolted to a sitting position and looked in the direction of the crash. She then couldn't help but laugh.
"That's probably costs about 10000 Gil, Amarant. How are you going to pay for that?" she asked with amusement.
Amarant stared at the precious vase he had knocked down.
"How did that get there?" Amarant asked.
"You knocked it down, stupid!" Freya told him.
"Hmph. I wasn't anywhere near there," Amarant grunted.
"How did you get here?"
"Warp Scroll."
"And how did you get that?"
"Stole it."
"Go figure."
"Are you going to keep asking questions or are you going to let me talk?" Amarant asked, taking a seat on the floor inches away from the broken vase.
"Go ahead," Freya replied, stifling a yawn.
"All right then. I found out some information about Meander and Julius that will help you," Amarant began.
"Go on," Freya told him, interested.
"Well, first off, they are brothers. That explains their similar looks. They are exactly the same age and - get this - apparently born on the same date."
"So they're twins?"
"Not exactly. Name some races that normally have more than one child."
"Burmecians, Demons, and Demi-humans."
Amarant nodded. "Smart one. Those are the main three. So here's the thing. Do you really think Julius and Meander are twins?"
Freya thought this question over. She then remembered something Zidane had brought up.
"They are hybrids?" she guessed.
Amarant nodded. "Right. But what type?"
"Certainly not Burmecian. They look too human," Freya commented. "Demi-human? Nah, they don't speak animal. So. Demon!"
"I knew you'd get it. Yes, they're half-demon," Amarant told her. "They are demon/human hybrids."
"Sure don't look it," Freya replied. "I expected a tail or red skin."
"Demons normally don't have red skin, idiot. Get out of the fairy tales and into reality," Amarant snorted. "Anyway, Meander does have a tail. He hides it. Also, the black eyes are a demon trait. Humans can get pretty close to black, but never truly black. Julius has demon hands with claws. Meander had very tough skin. Punch him and you'll hurt yourself, not him. Julius cannot be hurt by physical attacks. Both are excellent sword fighters and both know fire spells. When pissed Meander's eyes become red and it's God-Damn hilarious."
"I think I figured it out," Freya announced.
"Really?" Amarant grunted. "I already did. What do you think?"
"Well, the person who kidnapped me didn't appear to have a tail. His eyes don't become red when he's angry. He had demon claws and physical attacks don't work. I punched him once and my hand didn't hurt in the least. So I think the person is -"
A crash came from outside. Amarant sighed with exasperation as he looked in the direction of the door.
"Now what? Another vase?" he asked.
"No, I doubt that," Freya commented, rising from the bed and onto stiff legs. "There are no vases out there. There is nothing that can break."
Another crash came, and a distinct thud.
"A fight," Amarant said simply as he rose to his feet. "Do you have a weapon?"
"No," Freya replied.
Amarant took a few Wing Edges from his pocket and gave them to Freya.
"Amarant, I don't know how to use these," Freya told him.
"Watch and learn," Amarant replied.
"What do you think it is?" Freya asked, looking in the direction of the door.
"COL, no doubt," Amarant replied simply. "Either that or some pretty stupid assholes."
Suddenly the door was in flames.
"COL," Amarant said grimly.
"Aye," Freya agreed.
As the flames died down, a mass group of people entered the room. Most of them were normal looking black mages. Three people had crossbows. The two last people had scimitars.
"Think you can fight?" Amarant asked.
"I am not letting you take on twelve people at once," Freya retorted.
"Damn," Amarant snorted.
The black mages began to prepare spells. Amarant took out a Rising Sun. He threw it, and Freya watched the way he threw it. She then tried it. She brought her hand back then swung it outward as she released the Wing Edge. The disk swung outward and slashed the neck of a Black Mage. It then slammed into the neck of another. Amarant, seeing that Freya had grasped the technique quickly, brought out his claws. He ran forward and slashed open the throat of a Black Mage. At that point, four Fira spells discharged. Amarant ran out of the way while Freya leapt in the air to avoid the flames. Crossbows discharged, and Freya was dragged to the ground by three arrows. The two people with blades raced forward, but Amarant soon had one of them grounded with a swift tackle. The falling person knocked his companion straight over. Freya rose to her feet. She carefully held three Wing Edges and threw them all at once. Each slashed a cut in the throats of three of the Black Mages. Amarant rolled away from the scimitar-baring warriors. He rose to his feet.
"Power of the heavens, send the cherry blossoms of hope!" Freya called from behind Amarant, causing him to rush out of the way.
Cherry petals flew into the air surrounding the group assaulting Amarant and Freya. They soon exploded, leaving deadly fire in the explosion's wake. When the fire at last cleared, all the warriors had fallen. The fire had been too deadly.
"You can use those attacks without your lance?" Amarant asked, surprised.
"Yes," Freya replied simply.
"Then give me my weapons back," Amarant snorted.
"Not a chance," Freya replied.
"Damn it," Amarant muttered.
Suddenly a small burst of fire came into the room and exploded in a bunch of smoke. It sent Amarant and Freya in a coughing spasm. Neither of them heard two consecutive snaps, but Freya felt two arrows slam into her neck and chest. The pain both tiny arrows shot through her body caused her to stagger. The smoke was beginning to clear, but Freya was feeling hazy. She staggered and fell.
Amarant ran through the smoke and slashed at the person in the hall. His claws didn't pierce the skin. Amarant was about to try a different attack when he suddenly found himself behind the human and on the floor.
Had he been flipped? Had the human actually flipped him straight over his back?
Amarant heard footsteps enter the room, and Freya heard them too. She kicked outward, causing the human to back up. The human then suddenly raced forward.
Then, in a crazy catastrophe of confusion, another human appeared in the room. The other human crashed into this one and disappeared. Freya didn't notice the difference, however. She leapt to her feet and flipped the human straight over her and into a wall. At the exact same time, a gorgeous yet massive bird with fiery wings flew into the room. It had a long and colorful tail, while it had very colorful head feathers as well. Freya recognized it as the eidolon Phoenix. Phoenix spread its wings, screeched, and sent its fiery spell everywhere. The fire was refreshing to Freya but it scorched the human.
It had been too much damage. The human slumped to the ground, but Freya also fell as shock and exhaustion took its toll. Phoenix screamed and left while Amarant and Eiko ran into the room.
"Shit," Amarant muttered, and it was all he said.
"Damn, you are one lucky woman," Amarant told Freya.
"To tell you the honest truth, Amarant, I agree," Freya admitted as she examined the tiny arrow that had once been in her own neck.
"Hey, at least we caught that guy, right?" Eiko chirped.
"I suppose," Freya replied.
"'Suppose'? And why do you just 'suppose'?" Amarant asked.
"Amarant, you know. Did that exactly look like the human who wants me dead?" Freya asked, looking up briefly from the arrow.
Amarant was silent, but Freya knew the answer. Eiko looked over at Freya.
"You mean that may not be the guy? But he was the only one there!" Eiko cried.
"Something just tells me that we caught the wrong man," Freya said simply, examining the arrow.
"Shouldn't you tell Cid, then?" Eiko asked.
"Could I?" Freya asked. "I wouldn't want to disturb the Regent."
"We're talking about something that could determine life and death, Freya. I'm sure Cid will speak with you," Amarant grunted.
"Amarant! You actually said my name instead of calling me 'idiot' or something worse!" Freya said with feigned surprise.
"Would you prefer 'idiot'?" Amarant asked with a small smirk.
"Eh, no," Freya replied. She rose from the bed slowly. "I suppose we'll go see Cid."
"Okay! I'll tell you he's coming!" Eiko chirped, racing off.
"She is way too energetic for me," Amarant grunted.
"You don't like kids anyway," Freya commented.
Freya walked a few steps forward, but soon she nearly fell over. Amarant caught her.
"Idiot," he commented.
"Thanks," Freya replied sarcastically. "Not my fault Teleportation Plague and a fight produce nightmares."
Amarant released Freya, and she stayed on her feet. They walked out of the room slowly and began to walk down the stone hall. Though Freya sometimes stumbled, Amarant caught her before she fell either flat on her back or on her face. Soon, they stepped through a room and found themselves in the main hallway leading to the royal chamber. The guards allowed them to pass into Cid's Royal Chamber, and Amarant pushed open the large golden doors.
"Ah, I was expecting you two, Freya, Amarant," Cid said.
Freya made an attempt to bow, only to find she nearly fell over. Amarant just managed to catch her. "You are a complete idiot!" Amarant snarled at Freya.
"Sorry." Freya muttered as Amarant helped her back up. "Regent, I ask to see the man you captured earlier."
Cid nodded, having expected the request. "Of course."
Cid left the room, and Freya turned to Amarant.
"I was being polite!" she explained hotly.
"So you can fall flat on your face? How will you get back up?" Amarant asked.
"I'd manage. There are walls around," Freya said. She then smirked. "Or you'd help me up."
"Huh." The one word was Amarant's only reply.
Cid returned, and following behind him was a man dressed in many fur layers. Where you could see his skin, however, it appeared to be chipped away to reveal more skin. His eyes were pitch black, and his hair was black too, but it was beginning to gray. He hands were completely normal except for long nails with sharp ends. He had a long, bulky tail covered with spikes and sporting a needle-like spike at the end. He looked exhausted.
"This is the man we caught," Cid said.
Freya looked the man over. He stared at her in return. His eyes, however, held no menace. They held no emotion at all.
"Hmm." Freya thought the situation over carefully, staring at the man. "A tail. the culprit has no tail. He has demon-like hands, and he does not wear that outfit. He was not wearing it when he attacked me. He doesn't have that stare. Speak!"
"What do you wish me to speak of, Burmecian?" the man asked, and his speaking revealed demon fangs.
"Your voice. It's too light. And the culprit has no fangs!" Freya had clearly come to a conclusion. "You have been judged wrongly. You are not the person who kidnapped me."
Freya took a deep breath and walked over to the man.
"We meet again, Meander. Now I know that Julius is the one," she said simply.
Meander only smiled.
---------- So there we have it! And with the way Meander looks, you'd think it's him, not Julius, hehe. Anyway, what's with Fratley? Will Freya recover? Will Amarant stop calling her an idiot? Find out.
Sorry about the delay. Writer's block with Let Fear Propel You Forward.
This story is copyright to me. Some characters, locations, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.
Lindblum Castle; Guestroom; Early Morning
Freya was woken up by a loud crash. She jolted to a sitting position and looked in the direction of the crash. She then couldn't help but laugh.
"That's probably costs about 10000 Gil, Amarant. How are you going to pay for that?" she asked with amusement.
Amarant stared at the precious vase he had knocked down.
"How did that get there?" Amarant asked.
"You knocked it down, stupid!" Freya told him.
"Hmph. I wasn't anywhere near there," Amarant grunted.
"How did you get here?"
"Warp Scroll."
"And how did you get that?"
"Stole it."
"Go figure."
"Are you going to keep asking questions or are you going to let me talk?" Amarant asked, taking a seat on the floor inches away from the broken vase.
"Go ahead," Freya replied, stifling a yawn.
"All right then. I found out some information about Meander and Julius that will help you," Amarant began.
"Go on," Freya told him, interested.
"Well, first off, they are brothers. That explains their similar looks. They are exactly the same age and - get this - apparently born on the same date."
"So they're twins?"
"Not exactly. Name some races that normally have more than one child."
"Burmecians, Demons, and Demi-humans."
Amarant nodded. "Smart one. Those are the main three. So here's the thing. Do you really think Julius and Meander are twins?"
Freya thought this question over. She then remembered something Zidane had brought up.
"They are hybrids?" she guessed.
Amarant nodded. "Right. But what type?"
"Certainly not Burmecian. They look too human," Freya commented. "Demi-human? Nah, they don't speak animal. So. Demon!"
"I knew you'd get it. Yes, they're half-demon," Amarant told her. "They are demon/human hybrids."
"Sure don't look it," Freya replied. "I expected a tail or red skin."
"Demons normally don't have red skin, idiot. Get out of the fairy tales and into reality," Amarant snorted. "Anyway, Meander does have a tail. He hides it. Also, the black eyes are a demon trait. Humans can get pretty close to black, but never truly black. Julius has demon hands with claws. Meander had very tough skin. Punch him and you'll hurt yourself, not him. Julius cannot be hurt by physical attacks. Both are excellent sword fighters and both know fire spells. When pissed Meander's eyes become red and it's God-Damn hilarious."
"I think I figured it out," Freya announced.
"Really?" Amarant grunted. "I already did. What do you think?"
"Well, the person who kidnapped me didn't appear to have a tail. His eyes don't become red when he's angry. He had demon claws and physical attacks don't work. I punched him once and my hand didn't hurt in the least. So I think the person is -"
A crash came from outside. Amarant sighed with exasperation as he looked in the direction of the door.
"Now what? Another vase?" he asked.
"No, I doubt that," Freya commented, rising from the bed and onto stiff legs. "There are no vases out there. There is nothing that can break."
Another crash came, and a distinct thud.
"A fight," Amarant said simply as he rose to his feet. "Do you have a weapon?"
"No," Freya replied.
Amarant took a few Wing Edges from his pocket and gave them to Freya.
"Amarant, I don't know how to use these," Freya told him.
"Watch and learn," Amarant replied.
"What do you think it is?" Freya asked, looking in the direction of the door.
"COL, no doubt," Amarant replied simply. "Either that or some pretty stupid assholes."
Suddenly the door was in flames.
"COL," Amarant said grimly.
"Aye," Freya agreed.
As the flames died down, a mass group of people entered the room. Most of them were normal looking black mages. Three people had crossbows. The two last people had scimitars.
"Think you can fight?" Amarant asked.
"I am not letting you take on twelve people at once," Freya retorted.
"Damn," Amarant snorted.
The black mages began to prepare spells. Amarant took out a Rising Sun. He threw it, and Freya watched the way he threw it. She then tried it. She brought her hand back then swung it outward as she released the Wing Edge. The disk swung outward and slashed the neck of a Black Mage. It then slammed into the neck of another. Amarant, seeing that Freya had grasped the technique quickly, brought out his claws. He ran forward and slashed open the throat of a Black Mage. At that point, four Fira spells discharged. Amarant ran out of the way while Freya leapt in the air to avoid the flames. Crossbows discharged, and Freya was dragged to the ground by three arrows. The two people with blades raced forward, but Amarant soon had one of them grounded with a swift tackle. The falling person knocked his companion straight over. Freya rose to her feet. She carefully held three Wing Edges and threw them all at once. Each slashed a cut in the throats of three of the Black Mages. Amarant rolled away from the scimitar-baring warriors. He rose to his feet.
"Power of the heavens, send the cherry blossoms of hope!" Freya called from behind Amarant, causing him to rush out of the way.
Cherry petals flew into the air surrounding the group assaulting Amarant and Freya. They soon exploded, leaving deadly fire in the explosion's wake. When the fire at last cleared, all the warriors had fallen. The fire had been too deadly.
"You can use those attacks without your lance?" Amarant asked, surprised.
"Yes," Freya replied simply.
"Then give me my weapons back," Amarant snorted.
"Not a chance," Freya replied.
"Damn it," Amarant muttered.
Suddenly a small burst of fire came into the room and exploded in a bunch of smoke. It sent Amarant and Freya in a coughing spasm. Neither of them heard two consecutive snaps, but Freya felt two arrows slam into her neck and chest. The pain both tiny arrows shot through her body caused her to stagger. The smoke was beginning to clear, but Freya was feeling hazy. She staggered and fell.
Amarant ran through the smoke and slashed at the person in the hall. His claws didn't pierce the skin. Amarant was about to try a different attack when he suddenly found himself behind the human and on the floor.
Had he been flipped? Had the human actually flipped him straight over his back?
Amarant heard footsteps enter the room, and Freya heard them too. She kicked outward, causing the human to back up. The human then suddenly raced forward.
Then, in a crazy catastrophe of confusion, another human appeared in the room. The other human crashed into this one and disappeared. Freya didn't notice the difference, however. She leapt to her feet and flipped the human straight over her and into a wall. At the exact same time, a gorgeous yet massive bird with fiery wings flew into the room. It had a long and colorful tail, while it had very colorful head feathers as well. Freya recognized it as the eidolon Phoenix. Phoenix spread its wings, screeched, and sent its fiery spell everywhere. The fire was refreshing to Freya but it scorched the human.
It had been too much damage. The human slumped to the ground, but Freya also fell as shock and exhaustion took its toll. Phoenix screamed and left while Amarant and Eiko ran into the room.
"Shit," Amarant muttered, and it was all he said.
"Damn, you are one lucky woman," Amarant told Freya.
"To tell you the honest truth, Amarant, I agree," Freya admitted as she examined the tiny arrow that had once been in her own neck.
"Hey, at least we caught that guy, right?" Eiko chirped.
"I suppose," Freya replied.
"'Suppose'? And why do you just 'suppose'?" Amarant asked.
"Amarant, you know. Did that exactly look like the human who wants me dead?" Freya asked, looking up briefly from the arrow.
Amarant was silent, but Freya knew the answer. Eiko looked over at Freya.
"You mean that may not be the guy? But he was the only one there!" Eiko cried.
"Something just tells me that we caught the wrong man," Freya said simply, examining the arrow.
"Shouldn't you tell Cid, then?" Eiko asked.
"Could I?" Freya asked. "I wouldn't want to disturb the Regent."
"We're talking about something that could determine life and death, Freya. I'm sure Cid will speak with you," Amarant grunted.
"Amarant! You actually said my name instead of calling me 'idiot' or something worse!" Freya said with feigned surprise.
"Would you prefer 'idiot'?" Amarant asked with a small smirk.
"Eh, no," Freya replied. She rose from the bed slowly. "I suppose we'll go see Cid."
"Okay! I'll tell you he's coming!" Eiko chirped, racing off.
"She is way too energetic for me," Amarant grunted.
"You don't like kids anyway," Freya commented.
Freya walked a few steps forward, but soon she nearly fell over. Amarant caught her.
"Idiot," he commented.
"Thanks," Freya replied sarcastically. "Not my fault Teleportation Plague and a fight produce nightmares."
Amarant released Freya, and she stayed on her feet. They walked out of the room slowly and began to walk down the stone hall. Though Freya sometimes stumbled, Amarant caught her before she fell either flat on her back or on her face. Soon, they stepped through a room and found themselves in the main hallway leading to the royal chamber. The guards allowed them to pass into Cid's Royal Chamber, and Amarant pushed open the large golden doors.
"Ah, I was expecting you two, Freya, Amarant," Cid said.
Freya made an attempt to bow, only to find she nearly fell over. Amarant just managed to catch her. "You are a complete idiot!" Amarant snarled at Freya.
"Sorry." Freya muttered as Amarant helped her back up. "Regent, I ask to see the man you captured earlier."
Cid nodded, having expected the request. "Of course."
Cid left the room, and Freya turned to Amarant.
"I was being polite!" she explained hotly.
"So you can fall flat on your face? How will you get back up?" Amarant asked.
"I'd manage. There are walls around," Freya said. She then smirked. "Or you'd help me up."
"Huh." The one word was Amarant's only reply.
Cid returned, and following behind him was a man dressed in many fur layers. Where you could see his skin, however, it appeared to be chipped away to reveal more skin. His eyes were pitch black, and his hair was black too, but it was beginning to gray. He hands were completely normal except for long nails with sharp ends. He had a long, bulky tail covered with spikes and sporting a needle-like spike at the end. He looked exhausted.
"This is the man we caught," Cid said.
Freya looked the man over. He stared at her in return. His eyes, however, held no menace. They held no emotion at all.
"Hmm." Freya thought the situation over carefully, staring at the man. "A tail. the culprit has no tail. He has demon-like hands, and he does not wear that outfit. He was not wearing it when he attacked me. He doesn't have that stare. Speak!"
"What do you wish me to speak of, Burmecian?" the man asked, and his speaking revealed demon fangs.
"Your voice. It's too light. And the culprit has no fangs!" Freya had clearly come to a conclusion. "You have been judged wrongly. You are not the person who kidnapped me."
Freya took a deep breath and walked over to the man.
"We meet again, Meander. Now I know that Julius is the one," she said simply.
Meander only smiled.
---------- So there we have it! And with the way Meander looks, you'd think it's him, not Julius, hehe. Anyway, what's with Fratley? Will Freya recover? Will Amarant stop calling her an idiot? Find out.
Sorry about the delay. Writer's block with Let Fear Propel You Forward.
This story is copyright to me. Some characters, locations, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.