Chapter 2: The Ring Get's Warmer...

Cecil peered deep into the ring the King had given him. The ruby crystal on it shined, possibly almost as much as the water crystal. The crystal he had stolen. Guilt still raced through Cecils mind. What's the deal with this thing? A ring? Aweek long trip to deliver it? I already miss my captain position. Cecil felt the red-gold band attached to it get hot. It's better not to think about it... Cecil thought. It's just a simple ring. Deliver it and you'll be back where you were... Like nothing had ever happened. Although... If it's just a ring, then why do I need to deliver it... Once again, Cecil was lost in thought. So lost that he couldn't feel the ring gently burning his hand.

"HEY! Cecil!" a voice called out to Cecil. He put the ring away in his pocket quickly. Cecils best friend Kain approached from the east dinner room. Kain was less than a year older than Cecil was. Ever since they met in school lessons, they had been inseperable friends. Kain was the same height as Cecil was, maybe a little shorter, he had light blue eyes and a friendly smile on his face. Kain flicked a wisp of honey-blonde hair out of his face before approaching Cecil. Unlike Cecil, Kain turned down the path of the dark knight, in favour of a more 'honourable' path. A more traditional path. Kain was a Dragoon. His armour was a light grey, and his green helmet had fins on the sides, and the part that Kains face showed through was like a dragons mouth. Kain was a master of spears. "Hey, I heard what happened," Kain said, trying to help his friend "I'm just glad that you're alive." Cecil looked at his friends face.

"The king doesn't seem so pleased." Kain looked puzzled.

"What do you mean, Cecil?"

"I've been stripped of my command of the Red Wings," Cecil was trying not to show any emotion to his friend, although he wanted to explode. Fuck Baigan. Fuck the King. Fuck Baron.

"Cecil..." Kain didn't know what he could say to make his friend feel better. "Why?" Kain knew that it wouldn't help, but what would?

"I assualted another Red Wing and I talked back to the king." Cecil said And I used the crystal to SAVE people. Not like the king's corrupt plan.

"What?" Kain was shocked at how little remorse Cecil had shown. Anyone would be showing at least a little bit of pain by now. "Where is this soldier? I'm sure he could tell the king it was a misunderstanding, I mean-" Kain was cut off by Cecil

"Coale is dead now." Cecil looked towards the ground before speaking softly. "I can't ask him for forgiveness." Cecil began to turn to his sleeping quarters in the north-west tower. "I can be back to my previous ranking..." Cecil said "If I take an artifact to the forgotten town of Mist..." Cecil started to walk to his room. He wanted to be alone.

Kain didn't know what had happened to Cecil. He had no emotion in his voice, as he was normally a rather charismatic figure. Cecil became rather formal, as if speaking to a colleage than to his friend. Kain returned to his meal. In the morning, Kain decided, I'm leaving with Cecil. If theres anytime I can help him, it's on a long, foot-travelling mission. Kain felt better knowing that he could persuade the King into letting him go with Cecil AND help a friend on the way.

The reality had set in for Cecil. He had no power. He was an ordinary soldier, with a different uniform, of course. Everything he had worked hard for was gone. He seemingly floated through Barons halls. On the way he was stopped by Rosa.

Rosa was another of Cecils friends, one whom he had grown to love very dearly, and had done since he was eight years old. While everyone was going through the 'girls are icky' phase, Cecil was planning how he would propose to Rosa, when the time had come. Rosa was three inches shorter than Cecil was. Her hair was platinum blonde, and for a nineteen year old, she was well developed. Her eyes were an emerald green, which complimented her lightly tanned skin, and she was a trainee White Mage. Cecil was saving for a wedding ring for Rosa when he was put down a rank in Barons military list, and up a rank in Barons most feared list.

"Cecil, is it true what they say?" Rosa asked the Dark Knight, "Was the entire force wiped out?" Cecil didn't know how to answer Rosa. What would he say to her? Rosa began to cry. She hugged Cecil around his torso, almost as if she would never let go.

"Rosa, I'm O.K, you don't have to cry." It hurt Cecil when Rosa cried.

"Is it also true that you attacked someone in your squad?" Rosa asked again. Cecil wasn't expecting this question to come across. he looked at the ground in the narrow hall.

"Yes," Cecil answered solemnly. What would Rosa say to him, would she ever want to see him again? She must hate me Cecil thought. Instead, Rosa hugged him tighter. After a few more minutes of being hugged, Rosa left to go to the White Mages training room. She left silently, Cecil resumed walking to his room. Cecil was almost at the door when another familiar face appeared. Why can't everyone just leave me alone...

Cid was the airship builder in Baron, although he looked like just another dirty old man. He had thick glasses that light couldn't penentrate, and he was about 5"4', wighing almost 200 lbs. Because of this, he looked much older than he really was, he was 56 and he was mistaken for being in his sixties

"What the hell happened?" Cid yelled. Cecil had had enough of being asked questions. Even worse was the fact that they were all the same. Cid could tell and changed the subject. "Hey, how're my beauties going?" Cid always refered to his airships as his beauties, he always placed all of his time into making machines. Airships, hovercraft, you name it, Cid can have it ready by the morining. Well, not quite, but not much longer. "I don't want your crewmen abusing them... Hey, what's with the face."

"We were attacked on our way home. Most of the squad is dead, an airship went down, and the four remaining need serious repairs." Cid looked upset.

"Hey, you did your best." Cid assured Cecil. "I feel alot better knowing that your the one in charge of the ships."

"To tell you the truth Cid, I've been demoted, but if I do a simple mission, I could be back to my post withing a couple of weeks."

"Who does the king want you to kill now? And what's with his majesty lately? he keeps on telling me to make a new type model of Airship, but I don't want to make war machines!" Cid was outraged. No-one but Cecil should command Cid's ships.

"Nobody will die in this mission Cid. I just have to deliver this to a villiage." Cecil produced the ring from his pocket.

"That ring..." Cid said. Cecil could tell that there was something he had been kept in the dark about. "Cecil, please don't deliver that ring."

"Why not?"

"Just listen to me. Don't take that ring to whatever villiage you were told to." Cid said, almost commanding Cecil. "Well, I've gotta go home. I've been spending too much time working, and my daughters giving me hell about it!" Cid left to go home, and how Cid had acted had given Cecil suspicion about the mission. What's the deal? I mean, It's just a ring after all. Cecil felt the ring get warmer and warmer the more he thought about it.It glowed more and more, until Cecil decided to put the ring away and try to foget about it. He entered the north-west tower.

"Sir Cecil, I've changed the sheets. I hear you're leaving early tommorow?" said one of the more elderly castle maids. She wasn't quite five foot due to the hump in her back, and had white hair, green-brown eyes and was dressed in a ragged dress.

"Yes, that's right." Cecil didn't want to talk anymore. He'd had enough talking for one day.

"Good luck. Rest well tonight," she said cheerfully. Cecil just wanted to sleep. Tommorrow would be a new day, a new chance at his career. Maybe he could get back to where he was. The maids attitude had surprised him. How could such a lowly job still leave you with a happy outlook on life? Cecil began to think. Maybe I could still live a happy life without the Red Wings. Naw. I wouldn't be able to cope with something like cleaning. Too boring, and no-one ever notices your hard work. Cecil came to the conclusion that he thought to much, and that it was bad for him. His own thought's were depressing. Shit, I even have to bow down to BAIGAN now.

Cecil climbed the steps to his room. His room was always dark, even in the day, and there was always a lantern burning. His walls were decorated with various trophies. There were two golden swords he won in a swordplay tournament. They were for display purposes only. Not worthy of actual fighting. Although his prized trophy wasn't really his. It was a strange helmet, passed to to him from his father.

Actually, now that he thought of it, he had never met his father. His mother died shortly after he had become a Red Wing, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember his father, or even anything his mother might've told Cecil about his father. Mother didn't tell me anything about my father, apart from the fact he gave me a helmet. Maybe that was because he wasn't worth remembering. Cecil had always had a positive image of his father, but maybe it wasn't so. Cecil wanted to rest. Nevermind it was only five in the afternoon. Battle always wore him down. So did stress.

Cecil drifted off to sleep in no time at all. At about eleven at night he was woken by a soft voice.

"Cecil?" It was Rosa. Cecil turned away from her. "What happened Cecil? One minute you're being sent to Mysidia, the next you're being sent off to take a ring to a villiage!" Rosa said, almost yelled at Cecil. Cid must have said something to her. "And you've been acting strange since you came back." Cecil wasn't expecting her to say that.

"It's nothing."

"Then please, don't look away from me." Cecil gave in. He decided it would be better for him to tell Rosa the truth.

"In Mysidia... I killed innocent people... Plundered their villiage... Stole their crystal...All for what?! Why did I do such a thing?!" Cecil felt better, getting it off his chest, but he was still upset. He rolled over to face Rosa. "It's as if my heart has become as dark as my armour." Cecil looked up at the ceiling.

"Cecil...You're not like that." Rosa said. Cecil didn't seem very assured with what Rosa had just said. Cecil turned away again and this time had to supress his feelings.

"I'm just a heartless, spineless Dark Knight. A mere pawn of the king." Cecil began to cry. Rosa turned around to leave the room.

"The Cecil of the Red Wings I know would NEVER whimper like that! No, not the Cecil I love... You're going to Mist tomorrow. Right?" Is that how she trully feels? Hang on a sec... how did she know I had to take the ring to Mist? Kain?

"Right."

"If anything happens to you, I..." Rosa trailed off.

"I'll be careful. It's late, get some rest Rosa.

"Still, even if something does...."

"I'll be fine Rosa." Rosa left the room, it was late, and all the crying she had done earlier had worn her out. "Thanks Rosa, but I'm only a Dark Knight," he said. Not really to Rosa, because she wasn't in the room. More to himself. "What can I do?" Cecil stopped talking to himself and went to sleep.

In the morning, Cecil woke up a little later than he had wanted to set off, but seven was still a decent time though. Whats half an hour in a week-and-a-half long journey anyway? Cecil left his room. He looked around, he wouldn't see Baron for another week, and he wanted to remember it. Cecil made sure he had the ring. It grew slightly warmer in his pocket. When Cecil entered the main hall of the castle, he was surprised to see Kain waiting for him.

"Hey, sleepyhead! I've been waiting half an hour for you. We're late!" Cecil was shocked to hear what Kain had said.

"Excuse me Kain. We?" Cecil didn't quite believe what Kain was saying, and he was saying it so cheerfully as well.

"Yeah, I talked the king into letting us both go. He didn't disagree of course once I told him that we'de have a better chance together of completing the mission, as opposed to you doing it on your own." Cecil still wasn't completely assured by Kain.

"Whats the catch?" Cecil asked the Dragoon.

"Well, if you WANT a catch, how about a bet?"

"What? O.K, I'm game, whats the wager?"

"If I beat the phantom beast in the cave..." Said Kain, trying to get Cecils interest.

"You know that the "Tale Of The Phantom Beasts" is an old myth Kain"

"Nononono, listen to me. Whoever beats the phantom beast gets BOTH our pay." Kain said, eagerly.

"And if the damn thing doesn't exist?" Cecil asked. He was completely unamused by Kains bet.

"Earth to Cecil! remember, Mist is the villiage of summoners, if they wanted to make a phantom beast, they'de make one. And they did, according to the legend." Kain stated. He felt he was right, and Kain had a tendency to be right about these things.

"But if the summoner dies, then theres no summoning to protect the villiage, therefore that Dragon hasn't existed for thousands of years!" Cecil said. The two were getting wierd looks from bystanders and passers by.

"But the dragon has been passed down as an heirloom!" Kain rebuttled. Cecil didn't see the point in arguing with Baron's number one debater.

"Look, Kain, can we just go now?" asked the Dark Knight to the Dragoon

"Good idea." Kain agreed and the two were off. Baigan smiled from the balcony as the two left the great gates.

"That leaves the two out of the masters plan. We will reign supreme!"

Thus, the Dark Knight Cecil was stripped of his command of the Red Wings. He was ordered to journey to Mist, with a good friend at his side. Mist... The provincial villiage which lay beyond the mountains in a valley incased by deep a fog...

Airships... Flight long had been an unnatainable dream of mankind. These vessels gave men the power to soar through th heavens. Soon, like all of mankinds gifts, it became a tool of greed. The country of Baron became the world's strongest military power through the airships, the Red Wings... But why would such a wonderful country seek out the crystals? What power do they hold? Why does mankind corrupt every realisation of it's dreams? And why are the monsters increasing, even in daylight?

The Crystals shed thier light gently...

There! hope I'm still keeping true to the game. Yes, upon playing the game, Kain did enter the throne room while Cecil was still in there, but at least now It'll feel like Kain is a true friend to Cecil, instead of being forced to go to Mist. BTW, the original mission was to destroy the phantom beast. I wanted to change from the path, just a little bit. Hey, by the time they arrive in Mist, does it matter? No. The next chapter won't be so serious, not like this one was (And the one before it I might add) The next chapter will follow Cecil and Kain, as they go to the Mist Cave, and finish just before they enter.

PS: I've changed the whole Rosa as Cid's daughter thing. I'm sure she was though...

A rhetorical question

In The next chapter:

Kain's amazing decision to try catch a chocobo. I'll try and make it funny, I'm not very good at funny at the moment

Fight scenes! After all, what would Final Fantasy be without random encouters? I wasn't shitting when I said that I wanted this fic to be as close to the game as possible was I?

Amazing fact No. 1: There is, on average, on page of this fanfic for every minute of gameplay.

Amazing fact No. 2: There are 40 hours of gameplay in this game

Amazing fact No. 3: If you multiply 60 (Minutes per hour pages per hour) by 40 (hours of gameplay) this fic'll turn out to be 2,400 pages if I continue at my current rate

Amazing fact No. 4: I'm going to be working on this my entire fucking life!

Thanks for all the support I've by been getting. The first chapter is always the hardest. Roughly a sentence has been added to the fic now! WHOOOOAAAAAHHHH!!!!!! However, my fic will never get better if you don't tell me what needs to be improved.