Chapter Three- Edgar, King of Figaro and Empire Ally
"Wonderful...there's a whole bunch of 'em..." Locke looked about them and slowly pulled out his knife. Perhaps, if he were quick enough, he could wound enough of them to get them to back off...
"Kupo........"
"Huh?" Locke cried, and the guards all started squealing.
"What was that?!"
"A ghost?!"
"Well, withdraw! If it's a monster, let it get to them first!!!" The guards scrambled back further in the mine, and Locke turned towards Terra.
Standing by her body was a short, squat, little white creature with big ears and small pink wings. The pink pom-pom on its head bobbed back and forth from its rough landing on the ground, and its tiny nose twitched as it looked over Terra and then looked to Locke.
"Kupo!" It squealed, and suddenly, more of its kind appeared from the hole in the ceiling, all flying down and landing next to Terra. In total, there were 11 of them, all staring at Locke.
"Moogles!" Locke exclaimed, and grinned. "Are you saying you want to help me?"
"Kupo!" They all exclaimed, and began to assemble each other into groups of four. 3 Moogles walked over to Locke, and tugged on his pants, gesturing towards the guards, who just stood there, shocked.
"Oh, I see, and we'll fight in a group together!" Locke said, and the 3 Moogles below him nodded. "Well, come on, lets go!" With that final remark, Locke and the Moogles ran towards the guards, with the other Moogles following.
Locke's dexterity was incredible. He flew from the left to the right, taking out the lobo monsters with single slashes of his knife as the Moogles flew at and blinded the guards by flapping their wings in their faces, or by even just flying into them. The Moogles in Locke's group got to biting, and soon, the rest of them followed. Only one Moogle had his own weapon...a shining spear that he must have picked up from a guard. As Locke stopped to catch his breath, he watched in surprise as that Moogle single-handedly finished off a lobo on its own with the weapon. When the Moogle turned to Locke, it smiled and gave him a wink.
Not before long, the lobos had all been killed, and the guards were running scared for their lives. Once the mines had been completely emptied from them, the Moogles all started jumping up and down and letting out loud and excited victory cries. The Moogle with the spear walked over to Locke and did a small bow.
"Thanks, Moogles!" Locke exclaimed, and sheathed his knife safely away. "We're in your debt!" With that, the Moogles all disappeared, one by one, up the hole in the ceiling they had come from. Locke rushed over to Terra and scooped her up in his arms. She found her not to be heavy at all, and ran towards the exit that had been blocked by the guards. However, when he reached the end of the tunnel, Locke found himself to be at a dead end. Furrowing his eyebrows in thought, he set Terra on the ground gently and walked over to a hidden switch in the wall.
"Hmm....I think this switch will..." He pulled it down, and just as he expected, a doorway suddenly appeared and opened behind him. Outside, he could see the edge of Narshe's limits, along with the small cabin that always sat out on Narshe's boundaries. The cabin was for tired travelers who needed a safe and free place to rest. Locke decided he would take the girl there, and was about to pick her up again, when she let out a soft moan and opened her eyes. Locke blinked and smiled.
"Eh...You back with us now?" He asked, and Terra slowly pushed herself up so that she was sitting. She stared at Locke, and spoke.
"You...saved me?" She asked softly. She slowly stood up now, brushing the dirt and snow off her dress. "Thank you...."
"Save your thanks for the Moogles." Locke said, and looked her over. She didn't appear injured, just very tired and very out of it. Terra suddenly stumbled and leaned back against a wall for support, her hand flying to her head.
"Uhh...I can't remember anything...past or present!" Terra cried, and let out another moan. Locke gasped.
"You have amnesia?!" He asked, his heart skipping a beat. His mind began overflowing with his own horrible memories, and he suddenly felt great sympathy for this girl. The Empire had yet made another victim of their greed....
"A man told me I would get my memories back." Terra said, looking at him confusedly. He looked absolutely horrified for her! Locke looked up at her and put on a small smile.
"Give it time. Until then, you're safe with me! I give you my word!" Terra blinked and raised her eyebrows. She didn't know what to say.
"I won't leave you until your memory returns!!" Locke promised, and placed his hand on his chest. "I promise...."
"Thank you...sir..." Terra trailed off. She still felt scared, but this man seemed like he wanted to help her. She had no one else to go to, and no where to go, and no other ideas...Terra held out her hand. "I'm Terra."
Locke took her hand and shook it. "Locke Cole, Treasure Hunter! Nice to meet you Terra. Now, lets get out of here!" They left the mines, and Locke pushed another switch, closing the hidden door and turning to her.
"By the way, this secret entrance might be useful some day. Don't forget about it!" He smiled, and winked. Terra nodded, and they made their way away from the mines, away from Narshe in general. Terra looked back to the small village, and sadness overtook her senses. Locke looked to her.
"Something up?" He asked. Terra turned to look at him.
"No..." She trailed off. "No...."
"Don't worry, I'm taking you somewhere safe." Locke said. "We're going to Figaro Castle! The king is going to be interested in meeting you." Locke blinked and remembered something. "Oh yeah, how old are you, if you remember...?"
"......" Terra didn't say anything, and looked down at the ground. This was an easy question. Anyone normal could answer it...
"18." Terra finally replied, and Locke's face fell.
"What?!" Terra cried worriedly.
"Um, well...listen, just don't pay TOO much attention to the king, ok?" Locke added. "He might...become more interested in you then we want." Terra blinked and looked at him funny. She didn't get it, although, later on, she would understand.
As the two walked and made small talk, the scenery changed drastically. As soon as they left the mountainous Narshe region, they found themselves in a much warmer climate and a grassy plain. All the snow was gone, and it finally felt like the summer season that it was. They soon crossed a small desert, and Figaro castle could be seen in the distance. The rising sun of the early dawn lit the rest of their path.
It was a tall and majestic castle, however, it was also extremely modernized, which was obvious even from a distance. The castle's foundation and outsides were wrapped in a metal-like material that was similar to that of a Magitek armor unit. Huge fans whirled in the towers, with special solar devices that used energy from the sun to power them. As they got closer, chocobos could be seen parading in the sand with green uniformed soldiers riding them. Terra looked around in fascination, but Locke did not seem impressed. They reached the front gates of the palace, and were immediately stopped by a uniformed guard, who saluted them in peaceful respect and then spoke.
"Halt there sir!" Locke smiled and waved, and the guard suddenly smiled back, squinting his eyes a bit.
"Oh, it's you Locke!" He exclaimed. "Proceed."
"Thanks!" Locke said, and led Terra inside. She was as puzzled as ever now. She continued to gaze lovingly at all the gorgeous artwork and expensive decorative pieces as Locke led her through a long carpeted hall and through a huge pair of double doors. Terra found herself in a decorated hall with a pair of thrones at the front and rich, heavy curtains pulled back from the large windows that spilled light into the room. The soldiers that were posted by each window all gave slow nods to Locke as he made his way to the front of the room, towards the thrones.
Sitting boredly in one of those thrones was a handsome man twirling a lock of long blonde hair around his finger. He was dressed in rich garb, layers of royal blue and green robes that looked silky to the touch, and even the breastplate he was wearing had an elegant touch to it. His blue eyes almost seemed to glow as they turned on Terra. There was no doubt that this was simply a beautiful man. He stood up, pushing his long ponytail back over his shoulder, and walked towards the pair slowly.
"You mean...THIS young woman?!" He exclaimed. Locke nodded, and the man continued to peer at Terra. The first thought that sprung to the man's mind was just how beautiful this girl was, but that was slowly replaced with the reality of the situation he was in. Finally, he sighed, and turned away for a moment to think of how to word what he had to say to her.
Terra, however, was not going to wait. "Who do you think you are?" She asked, a bit flustered. The man turned and smiled charmingly.
"I'm so sorry! How rude of me to turn my back to a lady!" He exclaimed, and Terra blinked. Locke tried not to laugh as the man made a dramatic bow.
"I am Edgar Roni Figaro, king of Figaro, of course." Edgar said, and Terra turned white. She turned to Locke, who winked.
"Surprised someone like me knows a king?" He asked, and he and Edgar burst out laughing. Terra watched as Edgar approached Locke and they began to talk in hushed whispers.
"Was your journey here ok?"
"Yeah, we didn't have too much trouble. There is no way she'll be able to go back to Narshe for a while though. The guards there want to get rid of her for good. I got to her just in time..."
"Well, alright. Let her relax for a spell while we plan our next move..." Edgar suddenly turned back to Terra, only to find her staring at him blankly. Locke gave a short wave and started to walk away.
"Locke...!" Terra protested, but he just smiled.
"Talk to you later!" He exclaimed, and left the throne room. Terra sighed and put her hands on her hips. Yes, she had decided that now she was just as confused as ever. Edgar came over to her and took her hand, giving it a light kiss that just made Terra look at him even more strangely. He laughed.
"Common gesture, my dear." He said, and dropped her hand. "So...you're an Imperial soldier! No problem. Figaro and the Empire are allies! Please relax while you're here. It's not in my blood to harm a lady."
"Imperial soldier?" Terra asked blankly, and gave up. She was not going to get her answers from him, she could tell that immediately. She just decided to go along with what Locke and this Edgar character said.
"Look, why are you helping me?" Terra demanded. "Is it because...of my abilities?" She wondered if this had anything to do with her being an Imperial Soldier, now that he had mentioned it. Whatever that was, it sounded elite and important. She couldn't think of anything else she had that he would be interested in, except maybe...She stopped thinking as he began to talk.
"I'll give you three reasons!" Edgar exclaimed, holding up a finger. "First of all, your beauty has captivated me!" He held up a second finger. "Second...I'm dying to know if I'm your type..." Terra's jaw nearly dropped. This man wasn't blunt! Edgar began to stroll away towards the doorway in his throne room and stopped to stare at her, holding up a third finger. "I guess your...abilities would be....a distant third." Terra furrowed her eyebrows.
"What's with you anyway?" Terra asked, and Edgar sighed.
"Guess my technique's getting a bit rusty..." He muttered, and left the room. Terra just stood there, and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Hmmm... I suppose a normal girl would have found him dashing. But I'm hardly...normal..." She sighed and looked around. He had given her permission to wander about, so she decided to take advantage of it.
As Terra traveled from room to room, gazing at the pretty things and talking to the folk around the castle, two things were made evidently clear to her. One, Edgar Roni Figaro was most definitely a self-thought ladies man. She heard stories from maids on how he had hit on the High Priestess of Figaro during an important event, how he constantly showered his attention on women, and how he even promised marriage to one very hopeful little girl who was running about the palace with a doll. Terra also learned that Figaro was very advanced in technology, and that even the entire palace itself had an incredible secret that only it's people knew about. Of course, he refused to tell Terra.
Terra also learned more about the Empire...As she climbed one lookout tower, she heard two soldiers talking about how the Empire had recently smashed all three cities on the southern continent of the world, all the attacks led by an 18 year old general who seemed to be some sort of prodigy. Terra gulped and quickly retreated from the tower. She could only pray that they had not been talking about her.
Near the end of her exploration, Terra found herself in Edgar's chambers. He wasn't to be found though. Instead, an elderly woman was sitting in a chair in there, mending what Terra guessed was one of Edgar's capes. The woman looked up and smiled at Terra.
"Hello, young lady." She said. "If you're looking for Edgar, you won't find him here. He's in a meeting with his friend, Mr. Cole. I'm Matron, by the way, so if you need anything, just let me know!"
"Oh, Locke..." Terra trailed off, almost forgetting who Mr. Cole was. "Well, then I apologize for my intrusion...thank you Matron." As Terra was walking out, she noticed an old portrait on the wall of two young boys with blonde hair hugging. She recognized the one with the longer hair as possibly Edgar when he was younger...but yet, the other one also looked very much like him. The elderly lady caught her staring and let out a small sigh.
"Did you know, young lady? Edgar has a twin brother." Terra gasped. So that was who it was. "He was such a nice boy..."
Terra turned around to face her. "What...happened....?" The woman cleared her throat and looked up at the ceiling. She seemed to be going into her own world as she remembered...
**********
A young Edgar was sitting down in the library, struggling to study for his tutor's exam that was coming up. However, he found it hard to concentrate, especially because of life's recent events...
"Brother!" A voice exclaimed, as another young man ran down the stairs and burst into the library. Edgar looked up and frowned. "Brother, what is wrong with Father? What's all of this talk of his successor?" The youth gasped as Edgar stood up, slamming his book shut in fury.
"Are you blind?!" Edgar cried. "Look at how thin his face has become!"
"....?" The youth tried to reach out for his brother's hand. "Edgar, what is it...?" Edgar shook his head and ran away, pounding down the stairs into the basement of the library. The youth dropped his hand and collapsed into a chair, shocked.
"Tears...?" He whispered, his heart skipping a beat.
**********
"Edgar!"
"What, huh?" Edgar asked, snapping out of his daydream. Locke was glaring at him from across their meeting table, drumming his fingers on the table.
"Were you paying attention to anything I told you?" Locke asked, and Edgar shook his head.
"I'm sorry Locke. I was just...thinking about Sabin again." Locke widened his eyes and leaned back in his seat.
"No, I'm sorry." Locke apologized. "I didn't realize that..."
"Lets forget it." Edgar said, and put on a smile. "So, what were you saying now...?"
**********
"Yes...his name is Sabin." Matron said, and sighed. "Oh, he looked so like his father! When he ran away, he was a sweet little child. I wonder...what he's like now?" Terra shook her head.
"I'm sorry." She said, and left the room. As she was making her way back to the throne room, she listened in on even more interesting conversations. One of them were a pair of scholars arguing in the library.
"Long ago, a force called "magic" existed. People who used magic were called "Mage Knights."" One read from a book to prove a point he had made when Terra was not in the room.
"Magic..." She murmured, looking at her hands.
"Scholars the world over are doing research on magic. Silly people, scholars..." Another scoffed, and they began arguing again.
In front of the doorways to the throne room, Terra saw Chancellor, who was talking to a young woman.
"The whole business of succession was so repugnant to Sabin, the King's brother, that... he fled the castle forever. The succession was settled with a coin toss..."
"Oh my goodness!" The woman exclaimed as Terra entered the throne room and shut the doors tightly behind her. What a sad story...She thought.
"Well, do you like my castle?" A voice boomed, and Terra looked up, frightened. However, she saw that it was only Edgar, and relaxed slightly. Before she could reply though, a soldier burst in, nearly knocking her over.
"King Edgar!" He exclaimed breathlessly. "Someone from the Empire to see you!" Terra blinked.
"Empire!" She said, and looked to Edgar. Edgar sighed and crawled off his throne, not looking too excited.
"Probably Kefka!" He said, and walked over to the soldier. "Excuse me, Terra..."
"Wait, if they're from the Empire, then shouldn't I...?" Terra stopped as Edgar shook his head.
"You'll be safer if you stay here." Edgar said, and left the room. Terra took a step back, feeling as if there was ice in her veins.
The tone of his voice had frightened her.
"Wonderful...there's a whole bunch of 'em..." Locke looked about them and slowly pulled out his knife. Perhaps, if he were quick enough, he could wound enough of them to get them to back off...
"Kupo........"
"Huh?" Locke cried, and the guards all started squealing.
"What was that?!"
"A ghost?!"
"Well, withdraw! If it's a monster, let it get to them first!!!" The guards scrambled back further in the mine, and Locke turned towards Terra.
Standing by her body was a short, squat, little white creature with big ears and small pink wings. The pink pom-pom on its head bobbed back and forth from its rough landing on the ground, and its tiny nose twitched as it looked over Terra and then looked to Locke.
"Kupo!" It squealed, and suddenly, more of its kind appeared from the hole in the ceiling, all flying down and landing next to Terra. In total, there were 11 of them, all staring at Locke.
"Moogles!" Locke exclaimed, and grinned. "Are you saying you want to help me?"
"Kupo!" They all exclaimed, and began to assemble each other into groups of four. 3 Moogles walked over to Locke, and tugged on his pants, gesturing towards the guards, who just stood there, shocked.
"Oh, I see, and we'll fight in a group together!" Locke said, and the 3 Moogles below him nodded. "Well, come on, lets go!" With that final remark, Locke and the Moogles ran towards the guards, with the other Moogles following.
Locke's dexterity was incredible. He flew from the left to the right, taking out the lobo monsters with single slashes of his knife as the Moogles flew at and blinded the guards by flapping their wings in their faces, or by even just flying into them. The Moogles in Locke's group got to biting, and soon, the rest of them followed. Only one Moogle had his own weapon...a shining spear that he must have picked up from a guard. As Locke stopped to catch his breath, he watched in surprise as that Moogle single-handedly finished off a lobo on its own with the weapon. When the Moogle turned to Locke, it smiled and gave him a wink.
Not before long, the lobos had all been killed, and the guards were running scared for their lives. Once the mines had been completely emptied from them, the Moogles all started jumping up and down and letting out loud and excited victory cries. The Moogle with the spear walked over to Locke and did a small bow.
"Thanks, Moogles!" Locke exclaimed, and sheathed his knife safely away. "We're in your debt!" With that, the Moogles all disappeared, one by one, up the hole in the ceiling they had come from. Locke rushed over to Terra and scooped her up in his arms. She found her not to be heavy at all, and ran towards the exit that had been blocked by the guards. However, when he reached the end of the tunnel, Locke found himself to be at a dead end. Furrowing his eyebrows in thought, he set Terra on the ground gently and walked over to a hidden switch in the wall.
"Hmm....I think this switch will..." He pulled it down, and just as he expected, a doorway suddenly appeared and opened behind him. Outside, he could see the edge of Narshe's limits, along with the small cabin that always sat out on Narshe's boundaries. The cabin was for tired travelers who needed a safe and free place to rest. Locke decided he would take the girl there, and was about to pick her up again, when she let out a soft moan and opened her eyes. Locke blinked and smiled.
"Eh...You back with us now?" He asked, and Terra slowly pushed herself up so that she was sitting. She stared at Locke, and spoke.
"You...saved me?" She asked softly. She slowly stood up now, brushing the dirt and snow off her dress. "Thank you...."
"Save your thanks for the Moogles." Locke said, and looked her over. She didn't appear injured, just very tired and very out of it. Terra suddenly stumbled and leaned back against a wall for support, her hand flying to her head.
"Uhh...I can't remember anything...past or present!" Terra cried, and let out another moan. Locke gasped.
"You have amnesia?!" He asked, his heart skipping a beat. His mind began overflowing with his own horrible memories, and he suddenly felt great sympathy for this girl. The Empire had yet made another victim of their greed....
"A man told me I would get my memories back." Terra said, looking at him confusedly. He looked absolutely horrified for her! Locke looked up at her and put on a small smile.
"Give it time. Until then, you're safe with me! I give you my word!" Terra blinked and raised her eyebrows. She didn't know what to say.
"I won't leave you until your memory returns!!" Locke promised, and placed his hand on his chest. "I promise...."
"Thank you...sir..." Terra trailed off. She still felt scared, but this man seemed like he wanted to help her. She had no one else to go to, and no where to go, and no other ideas...Terra held out her hand. "I'm Terra."
Locke took her hand and shook it. "Locke Cole, Treasure Hunter! Nice to meet you Terra. Now, lets get out of here!" They left the mines, and Locke pushed another switch, closing the hidden door and turning to her.
"By the way, this secret entrance might be useful some day. Don't forget about it!" He smiled, and winked. Terra nodded, and they made their way away from the mines, away from Narshe in general. Terra looked back to the small village, and sadness overtook her senses. Locke looked to her.
"Something up?" He asked. Terra turned to look at him.
"No..." She trailed off. "No...."
"Don't worry, I'm taking you somewhere safe." Locke said. "We're going to Figaro Castle! The king is going to be interested in meeting you." Locke blinked and remembered something. "Oh yeah, how old are you, if you remember...?"
"......" Terra didn't say anything, and looked down at the ground. This was an easy question. Anyone normal could answer it...
"18." Terra finally replied, and Locke's face fell.
"What?!" Terra cried worriedly.
"Um, well...listen, just don't pay TOO much attention to the king, ok?" Locke added. "He might...become more interested in you then we want." Terra blinked and looked at him funny. She didn't get it, although, later on, she would understand.
As the two walked and made small talk, the scenery changed drastically. As soon as they left the mountainous Narshe region, they found themselves in a much warmer climate and a grassy plain. All the snow was gone, and it finally felt like the summer season that it was. They soon crossed a small desert, and Figaro castle could be seen in the distance. The rising sun of the early dawn lit the rest of their path.
It was a tall and majestic castle, however, it was also extremely modernized, which was obvious even from a distance. The castle's foundation and outsides were wrapped in a metal-like material that was similar to that of a Magitek armor unit. Huge fans whirled in the towers, with special solar devices that used energy from the sun to power them. As they got closer, chocobos could be seen parading in the sand with green uniformed soldiers riding them. Terra looked around in fascination, but Locke did not seem impressed. They reached the front gates of the palace, and were immediately stopped by a uniformed guard, who saluted them in peaceful respect and then spoke.
"Halt there sir!" Locke smiled and waved, and the guard suddenly smiled back, squinting his eyes a bit.
"Oh, it's you Locke!" He exclaimed. "Proceed."
"Thanks!" Locke said, and led Terra inside. She was as puzzled as ever now. She continued to gaze lovingly at all the gorgeous artwork and expensive decorative pieces as Locke led her through a long carpeted hall and through a huge pair of double doors. Terra found herself in a decorated hall with a pair of thrones at the front and rich, heavy curtains pulled back from the large windows that spilled light into the room. The soldiers that were posted by each window all gave slow nods to Locke as he made his way to the front of the room, towards the thrones.
Sitting boredly in one of those thrones was a handsome man twirling a lock of long blonde hair around his finger. He was dressed in rich garb, layers of royal blue and green robes that looked silky to the touch, and even the breastplate he was wearing had an elegant touch to it. His blue eyes almost seemed to glow as they turned on Terra. There was no doubt that this was simply a beautiful man. He stood up, pushing his long ponytail back over his shoulder, and walked towards the pair slowly.
"You mean...THIS young woman?!" He exclaimed. Locke nodded, and the man continued to peer at Terra. The first thought that sprung to the man's mind was just how beautiful this girl was, but that was slowly replaced with the reality of the situation he was in. Finally, he sighed, and turned away for a moment to think of how to word what he had to say to her.
Terra, however, was not going to wait. "Who do you think you are?" She asked, a bit flustered. The man turned and smiled charmingly.
"I'm so sorry! How rude of me to turn my back to a lady!" He exclaimed, and Terra blinked. Locke tried not to laugh as the man made a dramatic bow.
"I am Edgar Roni Figaro, king of Figaro, of course." Edgar said, and Terra turned white. She turned to Locke, who winked.
"Surprised someone like me knows a king?" He asked, and he and Edgar burst out laughing. Terra watched as Edgar approached Locke and they began to talk in hushed whispers.
"Was your journey here ok?"
"Yeah, we didn't have too much trouble. There is no way she'll be able to go back to Narshe for a while though. The guards there want to get rid of her for good. I got to her just in time..."
"Well, alright. Let her relax for a spell while we plan our next move..." Edgar suddenly turned back to Terra, only to find her staring at him blankly. Locke gave a short wave and started to walk away.
"Locke...!" Terra protested, but he just smiled.
"Talk to you later!" He exclaimed, and left the throne room. Terra sighed and put her hands on her hips. Yes, she had decided that now she was just as confused as ever. Edgar came over to her and took her hand, giving it a light kiss that just made Terra look at him even more strangely. He laughed.
"Common gesture, my dear." He said, and dropped her hand. "So...you're an Imperial soldier! No problem. Figaro and the Empire are allies! Please relax while you're here. It's not in my blood to harm a lady."
"Imperial soldier?" Terra asked blankly, and gave up. She was not going to get her answers from him, she could tell that immediately. She just decided to go along with what Locke and this Edgar character said.
"Look, why are you helping me?" Terra demanded. "Is it because...of my abilities?" She wondered if this had anything to do with her being an Imperial Soldier, now that he had mentioned it. Whatever that was, it sounded elite and important. She couldn't think of anything else she had that he would be interested in, except maybe...She stopped thinking as he began to talk.
"I'll give you three reasons!" Edgar exclaimed, holding up a finger. "First of all, your beauty has captivated me!" He held up a second finger. "Second...I'm dying to know if I'm your type..." Terra's jaw nearly dropped. This man wasn't blunt! Edgar began to stroll away towards the doorway in his throne room and stopped to stare at her, holding up a third finger. "I guess your...abilities would be....a distant third." Terra furrowed her eyebrows.
"What's with you anyway?" Terra asked, and Edgar sighed.
"Guess my technique's getting a bit rusty..." He muttered, and left the room. Terra just stood there, and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Hmmm... I suppose a normal girl would have found him dashing. But I'm hardly...normal..." She sighed and looked around. He had given her permission to wander about, so she decided to take advantage of it.
As Terra traveled from room to room, gazing at the pretty things and talking to the folk around the castle, two things were made evidently clear to her. One, Edgar Roni Figaro was most definitely a self-thought ladies man. She heard stories from maids on how he had hit on the High Priestess of Figaro during an important event, how he constantly showered his attention on women, and how he even promised marriage to one very hopeful little girl who was running about the palace with a doll. Terra also learned that Figaro was very advanced in technology, and that even the entire palace itself had an incredible secret that only it's people knew about. Of course, he refused to tell Terra.
Terra also learned more about the Empire...As she climbed one lookout tower, she heard two soldiers talking about how the Empire had recently smashed all three cities on the southern continent of the world, all the attacks led by an 18 year old general who seemed to be some sort of prodigy. Terra gulped and quickly retreated from the tower. She could only pray that they had not been talking about her.
Near the end of her exploration, Terra found herself in Edgar's chambers. He wasn't to be found though. Instead, an elderly woman was sitting in a chair in there, mending what Terra guessed was one of Edgar's capes. The woman looked up and smiled at Terra.
"Hello, young lady." She said. "If you're looking for Edgar, you won't find him here. He's in a meeting with his friend, Mr. Cole. I'm Matron, by the way, so if you need anything, just let me know!"
"Oh, Locke..." Terra trailed off, almost forgetting who Mr. Cole was. "Well, then I apologize for my intrusion...thank you Matron." As Terra was walking out, she noticed an old portrait on the wall of two young boys with blonde hair hugging. She recognized the one with the longer hair as possibly Edgar when he was younger...but yet, the other one also looked very much like him. The elderly lady caught her staring and let out a small sigh.
"Did you know, young lady? Edgar has a twin brother." Terra gasped. So that was who it was. "He was such a nice boy..."
Terra turned around to face her. "What...happened....?" The woman cleared her throat and looked up at the ceiling. She seemed to be going into her own world as she remembered...
**********
A young Edgar was sitting down in the library, struggling to study for his tutor's exam that was coming up. However, he found it hard to concentrate, especially because of life's recent events...
"Brother!" A voice exclaimed, as another young man ran down the stairs and burst into the library. Edgar looked up and frowned. "Brother, what is wrong with Father? What's all of this talk of his successor?" The youth gasped as Edgar stood up, slamming his book shut in fury.
"Are you blind?!" Edgar cried. "Look at how thin his face has become!"
"....?" The youth tried to reach out for his brother's hand. "Edgar, what is it...?" Edgar shook his head and ran away, pounding down the stairs into the basement of the library. The youth dropped his hand and collapsed into a chair, shocked.
"Tears...?" He whispered, his heart skipping a beat.
**********
"Edgar!"
"What, huh?" Edgar asked, snapping out of his daydream. Locke was glaring at him from across their meeting table, drumming his fingers on the table.
"Were you paying attention to anything I told you?" Locke asked, and Edgar shook his head.
"I'm sorry Locke. I was just...thinking about Sabin again." Locke widened his eyes and leaned back in his seat.
"No, I'm sorry." Locke apologized. "I didn't realize that..."
"Lets forget it." Edgar said, and put on a smile. "So, what were you saying now...?"
**********
"Yes...his name is Sabin." Matron said, and sighed. "Oh, he looked so like his father! When he ran away, he was a sweet little child. I wonder...what he's like now?" Terra shook her head.
"I'm sorry." She said, and left the room. As she was making her way back to the throne room, she listened in on even more interesting conversations. One of them were a pair of scholars arguing in the library.
"Long ago, a force called "magic" existed. People who used magic were called "Mage Knights."" One read from a book to prove a point he had made when Terra was not in the room.
"Magic..." She murmured, looking at her hands.
"Scholars the world over are doing research on magic. Silly people, scholars..." Another scoffed, and they began arguing again.
In front of the doorways to the throne room, Terra saw Chancellor, who was talking to a young woman.
"The whole business of succession was so repugnant to Sabin, the King's brother, that... he fled the castle forever. The succession was settled with a coin toss..."
"Oh my goodness!" The woman exclaimed as Terra entered the throne room and shut the doors tightly behind her. What a sad story...She thought.
"Well, do you like my castle?" A voice boomed, and Terra looked up, frightened. However, she saw that it was only Edgar, and relaxed slightly. Before she could reply though, a soldier burst in, nearly knocking her over.
"King Edgar!" He exclaimed breathlessly. "Someone from the Empire to see you!" Terra blinked.
"Empire!" She said, and looked to Edgar. Edgar sighed and crawled off his throne, not looking too excited.
"Probably Kefka!" He said, and walked over to the soldier. "Excuse me, Terra..."
"Wait, if they're from the Empire, then shouldn't I...?" Terra stopped as Edgar shook his head.
"You'll be safer if you stay here." Edgar said, and left the room. Terra took a step back, feeling as if there was ice in her veins.
The tone of his voice had frightened her.
