Chapter 14: Lindblum Grand Castle

We docked in Lindblums airship hanger. As I walked off the ship I gaped at the sight before me. "Impressive." I said. The hanger had a classy atmosphere; nice red carpet, wide and open, and a nice large statue of a horse and rider.

Vivi moved up to join me; his eyes wide with wonder. "Wow! This castle is huge! It's even bigger than Alexandria Castle!" he exclaimed, wonder in his voice.

Zidane had moved up to join us. "Yeah. They don't call it Lindblum Grand Castle for nothing" he said. I nodded in agreement.

Steiner moved up to join us; he gaped at the sight as well. "An indoor airship dock! This is truly amazing…!" he said as he viewed the large airship dock. He continued, "Even her majesty's Red Rose would easily fit in here" he said, still in awe. I looked over at Dagger; she didn't look surprised.

I spoke. "Have you been here before, Dagger? You don't seem impressed."

She looked over at me. "Yes, I came here a few times when I was little…I haven't been here since my father passed away" she said.

That was when I noticed the guards coming towards us. I pointed them out to the others. "We got company" I said.


The guards approached us and looked at our ship. "That's a really old ship" the lead guard commented.

Dagger approached him. "Greetings. I am Princess Garnet Til Alexandros. I humbly request an audience with Regent Cid." she said with her royal tone.

The guard laughed at this "hahaha. You must be kidding! No member of the royal family, let alone a princess, would ever ride in such a shabby airship." he looked at us. "And look at the company you're keeping" he said, motioning to us.

This set Steiner off "How dare you accuse the princess of lying? The princess was forced to come here under extreme circumstances!" he yelled at the guard.

The guard wasn't fazed and turned back to Dagger. "Then show me some kind of proof of your royal heritage."

Dagger complied. "Very well..." she reached into her shirt and showed him her pendant.

The guard turned the pendant over in his hand examining it. "This pendant... Is it a Falcon Claw? ...No. The shape is a little different" he turned to the guard on his right "Call Minister Artania!" The guard ran off at his superior's words.


Steiner looked over at Zidane. "If you weren't such a filthy-looking oaf, they wouldn't be so suspicious of us!" he yelled.

Zidane looked affronted by this. "Hey, I'm not the idiot with the loud voice and the dirty, rusty armor."

Steiner turned red in the face "WHAT?" he bellowed.

I turned to him "Steiner, keep it down. I would like to keep my hearing when I'm older."


I turned from him and noticed an old man in purple robes heading towards us. He approached the guards. "What is going on?" he asked the head guard.

The head guard saluted before answering. "Sir, we have unknown visitors who wish to see the regent. And one of them is carrying a pendant that looks like a Falcon Claw" he stated.

This surprised the minister. "You are dismissed. I'll take care of this" he said.

The guard saluted, responded "yes, sir," and left.

Dagger walked up to the minister. "Uncle Artania" she said.

The Minister smiled at Dagger. "It's good to see you, Princess. Please follow me. The regent is waiting." he said and turned to leave.

I looked at Dagger. "The regent is already waiting for you. How did he know we arrived so soon?" I asked her. I already knew, but I wanted to ask anyway.

She gave me a puzzled look. "I don't know, but hopefully we'll find out." she said. We all followed the minister to the elevator.


We had arrived at the elevator. We all gathered on the platform. It was a little cramped with the six of us, but we managed. The minister activated the elevator. We were on our way to the regent. Artania took the time to explain about the different levels of the castle and where each one lead to.

"Lindblum Castle has three levels, all connected by this lift. From the Base Level, which lies below the Mist, you can take a trolley to the harbor and the back gate. Ships hardly arrive at the harbor anymore since travel by air has become so popular. The Mist poses great danger, so we've sealed off everything. Just above the Base Level is the Mid Level. You can ride the air cab from the Mid Level to go to town. The Upper Level contains the royal chamber and conference room. Access to that level is restricted, because the regent himself resides there" he said, finishing his explanation.

Zidane spoke to Dagger. "Hey, Dagger, what's Regent Cid like? I lived in Lindblum for a while, but I've never met him" he asked.

Dagger responded, "Regent Cid is very wise. He always thinks ahead. He may seem a bit odd at times, but he is very dependable. He and my father were best friends..." she paused a bit before continuing. "I wonder if he will even listen to what I have to say..." she trailed off.

Zidane walked over to her. "Don't worry. We're not leaving until he does." he said.

I nodded at Zidane's words. "He's right. We've come this far. Might as well go all the way and see it through" I said.

She smiled at us. "Thanks." The elevator soon arrived at the upper level.


We arrived at the throne room doors. Dagger turned to us "if you guys could wait here? I need to talk with my Uncle" she said. Zidane, Vivi, and I both nodded, but Steiner refused.

"Princess I must accompany you. It is my duty" he said.

I sighed. "Don't you think about anything other than your duty, Steiner?" I asked. He looked at me in an odd way, but was saved by Dagger.

"Oh, very well Steiner. You can come" she said.

Artania broke into the conversation. "Are you ready, Princess?" he asked. Dagger nodded and Artania opened the doors. He went inside followed by Dagger and Steiner.


Zidane, Vivi, and I waited outside for them to get back out. We waited a few seconds before we decided to see what was going on. We poked our heads through the door to listen to what they were saying. We didn't hear anything though and decided to see what was going on. Zidane entered first and then Vivi followed. I waited there for a few minutes before I decided to head into the throne room as well.


I walked into the room just in time to hear Artania. "It is time for lunch. Please follow me." At the sound of lunch my stomach growled loudly. All of them turned to face me; I could feel the blood rushing to my face. I scratched the back of my head and shifted my feet nervously.

"Hehehe…sorry" I said, looking anywhere else but them.

"Who are you? gwok " said a strange insect like voice.

I looked directly at Regent Cid who had been turned into an Oglop by his vengeful wife for cheating on her. Realizing I was staring I quickly responded "I'm Michael…nice to meet you Regent Cid" I said, slightly bowing.

He looked at me in an odd way "how gwok do you know who I am? I don't remember seeing you in the room."

I answered "I overheard what happened at the door, and there aren't many Oglops I've seen that have mustaches" I said, with a slight smile. I swear I saw the regent blush.

My answer seemed to satisfy the regent as he nodded his head. "Very well gwok you had all better eat now" he said hopping, yes hopping, back up to his throne.


Artania lead us out of the throne room and back to the elevator. We took the elevator back to the mid-level. It was at this point that Zidane spoke "you guys go on ahead. I think I'll go eat in town" he said.

I was curious "mind if I come along Zidane?" I asked, hoping he would take me.

Zidane smiled "sure, Michael. You want to come along too, Vivi?" he asked, addressing Vivi.

Vivi shook his head "no thanks, I'll eat here" he said.

Zidane shrugged his shoulders. "Suit yourself, Michael and I will come back for you to take you to the inn. Meet us outside the air cab station at the castle, okay?"

Vivi nodded. "Okay, I'll be there." he walked off with Dagger, Steiner, and Artania.


Zidane took me to Pop's place; the local tavern. When we arrived I decided to ask Zidane "anything worth eating here?" I said.

He smiled at me. "The foods not bad and it's better than starving." He turned to look at the menu on the wall. "Let's see today's special is Soup du Silence. Not bad" he concluded, nodding his head. He turned to me. "Let's go in." I nodded and we walked into the tavern.


As soon as we walked in Zidane immediately addressed the bartender. 'Yo, Pops. I'll have the stupid special" he said.

The bartender looked over to the door, annoyance on his face "who said that?" He noticed Zidane and me. "Zidane…I figured it was you" he said, now having a smile on his face.

"How've you been?" Zidane asked, standing in the middle of the room now.

The bartender fixed his mustache "alright, I guess…you're soup'll be out in a moment" he said returning to his job.

Zidane was blocking the way for people, as he was standing in the middle of the room. The waitress walked up to him "do you mind? You're standing in everyone's way" she said.

Zidane looked at her, stunned "wow…hi" he said regaining his composure. I shook my head tuning him out for a minute. I allowed my mind to wander until I heard someone yell.

"Rat-face…after I finish my drink, I'm gonna kick your butt!"

I turned to look at who had spoken. I wasn't surprised at what I saw. She wore a red coat and a matching red hat. She also had gray, furry, pointed ears, and a rat like tail with a yellow bow tied at the end of it. I knew who she was instantly.

I was shaken back to reality by Zidane's voice "Hey! What's up! Wait a minute…" he said as he tried to think.

The rat women looked at him displeased. "You forgot my name."

Zidane shook his head "no, I remember! You're Helga, right?" he asked.

The rat women didn't look amused. "Wrong."

Zidane continued "Christine?" he asked.

The rat woman was annoyed. "No!"

Then Zidane snapped his fingers "...Oh yeah! You used to live next door to me. How's it going...Ratchel? Man, you've really gotten...big" he said.

Now the rat woman was pissed "you nasty little-" Zidane cut her off.

"Come on. I'm just kiddin'. You know I never forget a pretty girl's name" he said.

He walked over to the counter and sat down "so, how've you been, Freya." he said.

Freya sighed and sat back down "…same old, Zidane."

Zidane turned to look at her "how long has it been?" he asked her.

"About three years." She said.

He decided to bring up another subject. "Hey, did you ever find out anything about your boyfriend?" he asked.

Freya shook her head. "No…" She clearly not wanting to talk about it.

Zidane immediately changed the subject "so what brings you to Lindblum?" he asked.

Freya took a sip from her drink before responding "the Festival of the Hunt. What else? It's a good opportunity to test my skills."

"…Are you ever going back?" he asked.

"I have no reason to return to Burmecia. There is nothing there for me anymore."


During this time I had sat down, silently, next to Zidane and listened in on their conversation. I cleared my throat making my presence known. Zidane turned around, startled, and looked at me.

"Oh…Michael, I didn't even see you there" he said, still startled.

I looked over his shoulder at Freya "well…are you going to introduce me?" I asked, indicating Freya.

Zidane looked over at her "oh yeah, Michael this is Freya Crescent" he said motioning to Freya. "Freya this is Michael, a friend of mine" he said, indicating me. Freya and I shook hands.

"Nice to meet you, Freya" I said.

"Same here." She said


That was when our soup arrived. Zidane and I dug right in. The soup wasn't bad at all. I looked over at Freya and saw that she was looking at me. I decided to ask her something. "Freya, you're from Burmecia, right?" I asked; she nodded. I continued, "I've never been to Burmecia, what's it like?"

She frowned at this. "Dark, dreary, and wet." she said. I could tell she didn't want to talk about it.

I nodded my head. "Sorry…I can see you don't want to talk about it" I said, returning to my soup.

She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry…it's just when I think about home I…" she paused.

I nodded my head in understanding. "It's okay. You have your reasons."

She changed the subject. "So, are you participating in the Festival of the Hunt?"

I looked back at her. "I've been thinking about it, and I think I will…to protect the townspeople if nothing else."

She nodded her head. "Good, I look forward to seeing you in action" she said.

I nodded. "I hear the Burmecian Dragon Knights are tough fighters. I hope you don't disappoint me."

She smirked at this. "Will see who comes out on top" she said.

I nodded. "Yes, we will" I said.

Zidane, who had been quietly eating his soup during my chat with Freya, decided to speak up. "I hope you guys know that neither of you are going to win…because I'm going to win" he said, determined as well.

Freya and I both turned to Zidane. "Yeah, right" we said at the same time. Zidane wasn't fazed by our glares.

He turned to me. "Come on, Michael. We gotta pick Vivi up after we eat, and we're wasting time arguing here." I thought about his words. "Alright, let's eat…but I'm still gonna win."

Zidane sighed, shrugged his shoulders, and returned to his soup. Freya returned to her drink as well. After getting half way through our food; Freya left the tavern saying her goodbyes. After Zidane and I finished our soup we went back to the castle to pick up Vivi.


Zidane and I arrived at the castle. As soon as we exited the air cab we saw Vivi by the sign post. I spoke up first "hey Vivi, how was lunch?" I asked.

He looked up at me. "It was fine…a bit rich, but fine."

Zidane spoke next. "So…where's Dagger?" he asked.

Vivi looked at him now. "Artania said that she would have to stay in the palace for her own safety. She's not allowed out" he said, sadly.

I sighed "well…what can you expect from royalty?"

Zidane nodded "Yeah…come on, let's head to the inn guys" he said, trying to brighten the mood.

I looked at him. "First we better sign up for the Festival…now where do we sign up, anyway?" I asked. Zidane pointed behind me.

I looked behind my shoulder and noticed a big, bright sign that had big, bold letters on it that read 'Sign up sheet for the Festival of the Hunt' with an arrow pointing to a sheet attached to the sign.

I stared at it for a second "oh…" 'I never noticed that' I thought. I walked up and signed my name on the sheet. Zidane walked up and signed his name as well. I also noticed that Zidane seemed to write something else on the sheet. I smiled, knowing full well what he had done.

Zidane came back to us. He had a big smile on his face. "Okay, now we can head to the inn" he said. Vivi and I nodded and we boarded the air cab bound for the Business District.


On our way there, making sure Vivi wasn't listening, I asked Zidane, "You didn't by chance sign up a certain Black Mage we both know for the Festival without his permission, did you?"

Zidane was surprised that I knew about what he had done, but responded, "yeah…but don't tell him okay?" he said, a playful gleam in his eyes.

I smiled "my lips are sealed" I said. Then the announcer came on to announce that we had arrived at the Business District.


Zidane, Vivi, and I exited the air cab and made our way to the inn. It was very easy to find, seeing as though it was right in front of the station. We entered the inn; Zidane gave the man at the front desk our names. The man found our reservation and gave us the key to the room. We walked up the stairs and went to our room. I stopped when I noticed that the door next to our room was ajar.

Curiosity overcame me as I decided to take a peak into the other room. I noticed that the room wasn't empty. There was a woman in the room. She was wearing an odd dress and hat. She had long, red hair done up in a ponytail, tan skin, and…a huge battle axe. I knew who she was instantly; Lani, the bounty hunter.

I quickly looked away before she noticed I had been watching her. Zidane had opened the door to our room and we all entered inside. There were four beds, so we each picked one. After getting settled in we all decided to sleep. We had all had a rough day, and the battle with the Waltz was still fresh in my mind. I climbed into bed and fell asleep instantly.