As I left through the protective gates of my home, I felt a great sadness in my heart. I was harshly reminded of the things I am leaving behind. My family gave me their goodbyes, each wishing me luck and showing me their sorrow for my departure. My greatest sadness comes from leaving Freya, who gave me her farewell at the gate and begged me not to leave Burmecia. I feel that leaving her was the toughest thing I have had to endure as a Dragon Knight so far.
As I walked further away from my home I could feel the rain slowly fading away, taking with it the reminiscence of home. However, memories and thoughts of home still burn strong in my mind, and they inspire me to continue my journey, for I do this for the benefit of Burmecia.
The misty plains outside of Burmecia are home to many vicious beasts, although none of them were a match for my blade. I slew down many of the blood-thirsty monsters, and I knew I had to stay alert to avoid attack from these creatures. One thing I have discovered so far is that the mist seems to hide these creatures from your sight, and that it is easy to fall victim to a surprise attack from anywhere. Thankfully my ears can sense these creatures well before they come into view and more importantly, before they can sense me.
I had hoped to reach Gizamaluke's Grotto before nightfall, but the longer I travelled through the mist the less likely I thought I would achieve this. I could see the sun falling in the sky and I began to lose hope of attaining this target. I pressed on, the sun descending and I drew closer to the mountains which bore home to the grotto. As the sun was barely over the horizon I found myself right in front of the grotto entrance. The guards there had caught wind of my arrival and welcomed me into the grotto.
The grotto itself is a rather intriguing place; it is filled with architecture similar to that of Burmecia. The place is filled with water pools and bells, and reminded me very much of home. Burmecian guards and watchmen all inhabit the area, guarding the place from any attack from monsters.
I also saw the great Master Gizamaluke himself; this massive water dragon was much larger and fearsome than I imagined. He welcomed me into the grotto as I entered; to think, a dragon which could speak! I have never thought such things could exist. This just proves I have much to learn on my journey.
I was guided to a guest chamber, built for the many travellers who passed through the grotto. Finally I can permit myself to rest after the first stage of my journey.
Fratley had decided to keep a journal of his journey across the Mist Continent. He knew that Freya, Frato and Lion-heart would be asking him all about his travels when he returned home. He would have something to show them, he would have written proof of his epic journey. The pages of his journal would become written memories that would let him relive the excitement of the journey, and he hoped to share that experience with those closest to him.
The following morning came, and Fratley forced himself awake, he knew that it would be a similar rush if he was to make it to a safe place before nightfall. The next step of the journey would involve travelling to Lindblum, but Fratley had figured it would be too much to try and get there in a day. Although there were few places of shelter between the grotto and Lindblum and one of which would take Fratley out of his way. Fratley was reluctant to spending a night on the plains, as he knew he would be easy prey for monsters.
This problem was stirring around Fratley as he went down into the grotto's canteen for breakfast. He hastily ate the breads and meats available before leaving to get his things and leave the grotto. However, as he made his way out of his rooms one the guards began to call his name.
"Sir Fratley!" The guard called, running towards him. "Sir Fratley!"
Fratley turned towards the guard, looking slightly confused as to what he wanted.
"Sir Fratley, Master Gizamaluke requests an audience with you." The Burmecian guard informed.
Fratley looked confused. Surely the dragon knew he had to leave as quickly as possible if he were to have a chance of reaching shelter before nightfall. Not wanting to cause trouble, Fratley followed the guard to Gizamaluke's chamber.
As Fratley entered the room, he immediately saw the great water-dragon floating just above a large pool of water looking at him. Gizamaluke was a massive, serpent-like, scaly blue dragon with large, black wings. Fratley looked at the dragon and could have sworn that the dragon was smiling at him.
"Sir Fratley..." The giant sea-serpent hissed. "What an honour it is to meet you."
"I must say that it is a pleasure to meet you." Fratley replied, almost feeling nervous in the great dragon's presence. He never thought he would be holding a conversation with a dragon.
"I hear you are travelling to test your strength." The dragon stated, his fork like tongue flickering as he spoke.
"Yes, I wish to fight General Beatrix of Alexandria." Fratley replied.
"General Beatrix... I have heard of her strength." Gizamaluke hissed. "I wish you good luck on your journey, and that the holy spirit of Burmecia will help you to your goal."
"Thank you." Fratley answered politely, grateful for the dragon's blessing.
"I also have a piece of advice for you." Gizamaluke continued. "Never underestimate an opponent, no matter what it is. Misjudging a foes strength only leads to defeat." The dragon paused for a brief moment before speaking again. "You must be leaving now. You will be hoping to reach shelter before the darkness comes, am I right?"
"Yes, although I have one question." Fratley replied.
Gizamaluke remained silent, waiting to hear the question.
"Is there a moogle in this grotto who could send a letter for me?" Fratley inquired.
"Yes...the guard will escort you there." Gizamaluke responded.
"Thank-you. I will keep your words in mind." Fratley said.
"Farewell." Gizamaluke hissed softly.
Fratley turned to the guard, who escorted him out of the chamber and through some of the passageways to another room. Opening the door, Fratley stepped into the room when he heard a very distinct sound.
"Kupo!" A moogle chirped with delight before flying up to the startled Burmecian. "Hello there!"
"Greetings." Fratley stuttered. "I wish to send a letter to someone."
"A letter? Sure thing kupo!" The moogle replied happily before grabbing some parchment and a pen and passing it to Fratley.
Fratley walked up to a nearby table and sat at it to write his letter:
To General Beatrix of Alexandria
Greetings, I am Sir Iron-Tail Fratley from the realm of Burmecia. I am currently travelling on my way to Alexandria, and I wish to challenge you to a battle. Not to the death of course, I merely wish to test my own strength. It would be honour to face off against you, I have heard of the many tales of your strength.
Please reply soon.
Yours truly,
Sir Iron-Tail Fratley
Fratley re-read what he had written and then rolled up the parchment before passing it to the moogle, who was eagerly waiting to take the letter.
"I'll ensure this reaches Alexandria faster than you can say kupo, kupo!" The moogle boasted before flying full speed out of the room and out of the grotto.
"I must be moving on." Fratley mused to himself and left the room hastily. The guard escorted him to his room, where Fratley grabbed his things and nearly ran to the southern exit of the grotto.
The guards wished him luck as they opened the doors for him with their magical bells which acted as keys to unlock the doors. In almost no time at all, Fratley found himself in the misty plains once again.
I never seem to get used to travelling through these misty plains. My vision is hindered and it is very difficult to navigate through. Thankfully I can just see enough to know I am heading in the right direction, plus the map that I bought back home is proving to be extremely useful.
The absence of rain is a rather peculiar feeling, for the first time in my life I am able to see the sun. The monsters here are different to the ones that plagued the area between Burmecia and the grotto, but they are no match for my spear.
As I travelled on, the plains seemed to be getting marshier, and my feet were beginning to sink into the ground. I trudged on though; I am determined not to give up. As the day began to grow late I discovered a gigantic swamp, which had wooden construction and I suspected their may be a civilisation here. My hopes grew as I journeyed on into the marsh...
Disclaimer: Look, do you think I own the rights to Final Fantasy 9? Do I? Do you think I'd be writing this on if I did? I don't own Final Fantasy 9! I only own the rights to Frato and Redwind, because they don't exist in any game by Square or anything else.
Author's Rants: One of these days I'll get back to doing quick updates, although I'm doing better than some people here, but that isn't a good enough excuse, for me anyway. There was a lot of italics in this chapter, mainly because I want to clearly distinguish between Fratley's journal and a third-person perspective. Also, the first five chapters of this story can also be found on the Freya Crescent shrine.
Daryl Falchion: A new reader! I'm glad you like the story and that you like Frato (despite his behavior). Yeah, this story is pretty slow, but I wanted a detailed explanation of Frato's past before I began the main story. The only problem is it's taken me over thirty chapters to even get to the main story! Thankfully the back-story is very interesting. Keep reading!
Saffire Raynius: I think I was inspired about the ribbons from another story; I wanted to include it in the story so I did. I'm glad you liked it!