Author's Note: I just wanted to apologise again to Dark Axem for being so defensive about what he was saying as a joke. I must admit, I got too worried in the thought that it was coming off poorly to take it in the right manner. Smithz commented saying everybody should lighten up, even if they were joking, but I realised that this isn't the case, because I appreciate criticism, and it was entirely my fault for overreacting. If these author's notes teach you anything, it's that I'm extremely insecure about my own writing, so tend to overreact a lot and think everything I do is crap. That and I'm not even sure why I picked this one to be so defensive on, I mean, I literally rip off so much in all the stories I do (as seen in the FFXI Chronicles where themes from other games always crop up). I mean, there's even a scene from Star Wars in the FFXI Chronicles 2, and a speech from The Exorcist! So I'm not even sure why I was so defensive that time, but I do apologise to Dark Axem (and everybody else) because I really did overreact, and it's entirely my fault we had any kind of argument (although I don't really see it as an argument, just couldn't think of a better word). TheFrogKiller said 'you didn't attack your reviewers, you teared them a new ahole', which made me feel really guilty. The least I wanted to do was be cruel or mean to anybody, I hate being like that, so I'm really sorry. If I get around to it, I may go back and just get rid of that big defensive author's note because it serves no purpose really. So I'm really sorry everyone!

Thanks for the compliment by the way, Smithz! Glad you found time to read my story, I've enjoyed yours. Although I have to point out that you credit it's length, remember, it's quality, not quantity. I can do the quantity part well, still working on the quality part. Okay, I'll stop. I get yelled at when I bash my own writing (one day somebody's gonna get fed up, come along and go 'yeah, you're right, your writing does suck!' and then I'll pay for it). There's one more thing I'm not sure about in the coming chapters, but I'll wait until you've read the chapter so I can say that because it'll make a little more sense, or at least be easier to judge.

CHAPTER 36

ROBBERY

Olose and Dartian were sat back in the same dark corner of the tavern, looking over the multiple papers they had.

"Look at this." Dartian pointed out. "A shipment comes in from Windurst of donations to the church to the Cardinal today. Apparently it's not to be opened nor seen by anybody but the Cardinal himself."

"Odd." Olose agreed, looking over the same paper, a list of the trade between San d'Oria and other nations, which had considerably dropped due to the war. "Perhaps we should check it out."

"Urm, how?" Dartian asked.

"Simple." Olose answered. "According to this, the shipment comes in via carriage to the south gate. That means we just wait outside and take it."

"Take it?" Dartian repeated.

"Yeah." Olose nodded.

"As in stealing?" Dartian seemed a little shocked.
"Yeah." Olose answered bluntly. "Look at it this way, that shipment is for the Cardinal. That means it must be full of money. We can distribute the money amongst the masses too, I mean, with food at an all time low I'm sure they'll appreciate it."

"So we're robbing from the rich and giving to the poor? Original." Dartian grumbled sarcastically.

"We're robbing from the Cardinal to annoy him. Giving to the poor is just a side effect." Olose shrugged. "I'd keep the money, but Arcadia would complain. Plus she pays for everything anyway."

"Yeah, must be nice knowing somebody that rich." Dartian laughed. "Which reminds me, I doubt I'm getting paid anymore." Olose laughed.

"Okay, so you can keep some of the money." He grinned.

Astra was unusually silent, considering what Arcadia had just told her. Arcadia had been as tactful as possible, explaining that her father may be dead, and that the Cardinal was attempting to take her kingdom from her. She hadn't said anything for some time before she finally spoke up.

"If my father is dead, then I can't see him anymore, can I?" She said sadly, as if she wasn't sure for herself. It took all of Arcadia's self control to stop herself from delivering a sigh of exasperation.

"No. No you cannot." She said bluntly.

"That's a shame. I liked his visits." Astra muttered dreamingly. "What happens to San d'Oria now?" She finally managed to ask, as if struggling to find the necessary oxygen to speak.

"If the Cardinal takes control, who knows?" Arcadia shrugged, and Astra regarded her free movement jealously. "That is why we have to stop him!"

"We?" Astra asked in confusion.

"Yes. You have to come with me." Arcadia explained. "Only you can stop him from taking over."

"How?" Astra questioned blankly.

"You are royalty, he is not. As long as you live, by San d'Orian law he cannot take over." Arcadia told her. Astra paused.

"I will die." She stated. "I will not survive the journey."

"It's all by carriage, you just need to sit down." Arcadia told her. "And I'll be there to make sure you're safe."

"But if I go outside-" She began, and her face suddenly lit up. It didn't last long, taking far too much of her extremely limited energy, but she smiled brightly. "I can see the outside! I can see it!" She said, trying to shout, but failing. She was clearly very enthusiastic.

"She's not going anywhere!" Snapped Julie from the door, walking in. "Now kindly leave ma'am, and take your lies with you."

"I am not lying!" Arcadia protested. "The fate of an entire nation rests on Astra."

"She is too sick to move." Julie replied. "She stays here."

"But people will die!" Arcadia cried.

"And one of them may be Astra!" Julie shot.

"Can I not-" Astra began to say, sounding soft and weak, "-have a say in this?" The two fell silent and turned to her. "If people shall die, but I can save them, then I must." She said simply. "I shall travel with Arcadia. I shall save my nation. Maybe I shall die. I feel it's about time. If my father has died, then perhaps I should."

"No. You will not die! I shall make sure of it!" Arcadia told Astra in her strongest tone of voice. "Believe me, I know somebody who will keep you safe no matter what." Julie was pacing sadly.

"If she has to leave, then take her." She whimpered, obviously feeling sorry to see Astra leave. "I was honoured to be able to help you over the years, Princess Astra."

"Thank you Miss Julie. For everything." Astra said softly.

"Would you at least finish your soup before leaving?" Julie asked, managing a smile.

"I don't feel hungry." Astra smiled weakly. "I am a little too distracted."

"What about you, Lady Arcadia?" Julie asked, smiling. "You must be hungry from your journey." Arcadia's stomach rumbled on cue, and she put a hand on it, letting out an embarrassed laugh.

"I am actually. I would appreciate it." She admitted.

"Then please, feel free to eat it." Julie told her.

"I shall. Thank you." Arcadia smiled softly. "And then we must leave." Astra managed a soft smile as she looked longingly out the window.

The path leading to San d'Oria had been nice and peaceful. Sergeant T'Bek of the Temple Knights had been enjoying the quiet, glad that not even a beastman had shown up. He had been especially selected to pick up the Cardinal's latest shipment of goods, treasures from Windurst, and to deliver them, it had been easy, and he was going to get paid handsomely for it. He grinned. It was days like these he loved being a Temple Knight.

"Ah ha!" Olose cried as he jumped down in front of the chocobos. The lazy looking Temple Knight leapt out of his skin. Olose moved in between the chocobos and cut the straps, allowing them to run free. The carriage approached him and he jumped onto it. The Temple Knight went to draw his sword but a blade settled on his neck. He looked up to see Dartian stood on the roof, pointing his blade down at him.

"Hello." Grinned the Royal Guard. The Temple Knight sighed heavily.

"I'm afraid we've been forced to liberate you of that load your carrying." Olose explained. "It's needed elsewhere you see."

"W-what?" T'Bek stuttered. "Who are you?"

"Name's Olose Sampson." Olose grinned.

"What did you tell him that for?" Dartian snapped.

"Builds us up a reputation." Olose shrugged apathetically.

"W-what are you going to do to me?" T'Bek stuttered.

"Nothing." Olose answered simply. "Unless you try to stop us of course." Olose whistled and two chocobos emerged from the bushes. He quickly attached them to the carriage. "We'll be seeing you around." He grinned and waved before pushing the Temple Knight off of the carriage and riding it off into the distance.

T'Bek got up and dusted himself off. He had a feeling the Cardinal wasn't going to be pleased.

The carriage finally departed from Astra's small country house. It had taken some time, but Arcadia, Julie and her driver had managed to place one of the wooden chairs designed for Astra inside the carriage so that she could be sat upright without using too much effort. It was conveniently a wheelchair, making getting her around far easier as she could barely move herself. Once the wheels were locked in place it formed a perfectly ordinary seat, and the carriage departed. Astra struggled to twist her neck, so that she could look out of the window.

"It feels strange." She giggled as the carriage bumped along.

"It always feels like this." Arcadia told her.

"It does?" Astra asked. Arcadia nodded (not that Astra could see, she was facing the wrong way). "There are little black things blowing around!" She suddenly exclaimed. Arcadia looked curiously before laughing.

"Those are just bugs." She explained.

"Bugs? As in insects? I've read about them." She said in a sense of wonder, her eyes seeming brighter than usual. "Hey. There's some big furry grass over there."

"That's a bush." Arcadia said, giggling. She quickly caught herself and adopted a serious expression.

"I've only seen flowers. Miss Julie brings them in all the time." Astra told Arcadia, recognising the word 'bush' from the books she had read. "People! There are people outside!" Astra cried excitingly.

"There are lots of travellers on the road." Arcadia said gently with a caring smile, trying to help Astra understand as much as possible. Astra giggled.

"They're all wearing red tunics." She said. "They all look the same."

"What?" Arcadia bolted to the window.

Temple Knights blocked the road, and the driver brought the carriage to a stop. One ran up to the door and flung it open.

"Out. Now! Both of you!" He ordered. Arcadia paused, getting up and leaving. "And you!" He snapped to Astra.

"She can't. Leave her alone!" Arcadia cried. The Temple Knight lashed out, hitting Arcadia to the floor.

"Don't you speak back to me!" He snarled. "Get up!" Astra's arms began to shake furiously as she tried to lift herself out of her seat. She managed to get to her feet but stumbled and fell out of the carriage. Arcadia dived and managed to catch her, supporting her from falling too far. Astra panted for air, exhausted from the energy she had to put out just to stand.

"You're going to kill her!" Arcadia spat.

"We're just doing our duty." The Temple Knight answered.

"You're duty?" Arcadia snapped.

"We serve the Cardinal, current ruler of the San d'Oria." The Temple Knight explained. "My loyalty is to my kingdom. He's told me all about you fugitives. You're under arrest for crimes against the kingdom and will be executed."

"Driver!" Arcadia cried. "Do something!"

"Sorry ma'am." The driver said plainly. "I have served you for many years, loyally. You never even learnt my name." Arcadia felt a wash of guilt. "The payment for keeping the Cardinal informed of Olose's actions was high. I told him everything." Arcadia was without thought. She couldn't ponder the betrayal.

"Driver! I thought you were my friend!" Arcadia cried.

"I worked for you because you paid me. The Cardinal paid me more." He said dryly. "I care for you as much as you care for me." He smiled sinisterly. Arcadia turned to the Temple Knights.

"You serve San d'Oria!" She cried. "This is Princess Astra, daughter of King Richard, the King of San d'Oria. That makes her your ruler! If you defy her, you are all guilty of treason!" Astra looked up at Arcadia, still slumped in her arms.

"Is the outside world always this exciting?" She asked softly.

"More than you know." Arcadia groaned. "So what do you say? Are you treasonous or loyal?" She cried to the Temple Knights. They glanced to each other, gauging each other's reactions. They suddenly came to a decision.

Olose hauled in the final crate to the small room he had rented out at the tavern.

"We're rich." Dartian said matter-of-factly, piling through the gold coins he had found. Olose smirked. "Well, there's quite a bit of money here at least." He added, it wasn't quite enough to make them rich, but plenty to distribute to help members of the community that were starving.

"What else? Why did it only go directly to the Cardinal?" Olose asked.

"Well, as far as I can tell, something is hidden in with the donations." Dartian explained. He lifted up a bottle. "Bottles of the stuff. This vile white liquid." He swirled it around inside. Olose's keen senses picked it apart by smell.

"Poison." He stated. "What's the Cardinal planning to do with poison?"

"How the hell should I know?" Dartian asked. "But you do know what this is. This is proof that his plans are sinister. He can't take over if the population is against him."

"Right. We'll head to the main square and spread the news, as well as distribute the gold. If that doesn't turn the crowd against him, I don't know what will."

The Cardinal had been having a pleasant day until d'Mil rushed in with a panicked look on her face. He looked up from his current feast of food to find out what bothered her. Ever since he had halved the amount of food available to the population he had been enjoying peace and serenity. The masses were too broken to do anything, and when anybody asked him why he had done it, he explained that he feared a civil war and so had to keep them weak and too concerned with hunger to take part in one.

"What is it, Captain?" He asked casually. D'Mil was panting.
"Sir! There's a riot in the streets!" She cried.

"What?" He burst to his feet.

"Somebody has been uniting the crowd! Distributing money! They say he intercepted a shipment intended for you! That they found poison in it, poison sent to you for some unknown purpose." D'Mil stopped to catch her breath. The Cardinal began to pace rapidly.

"Deploy the Temple Knights!" He ordered. "Bring them under control! Use lethal force if you have too."

"Your eminence?" D'Mil questioned in shock.

"It is necessary! We must keep San d'Oria under control. A slip now will mean we lose it forever. The aftermath of war is just too threatening." The Cardinal snapped.

"Your eminence, if I may, what is the purpose of the poison? Is what he claims true?" She asked nervously.

"Not in the slightest." The Cardinal answered kindly. "You know I would do nothing like that." D'Mil looked to the floor, feeling slightly guilty. "Wait. He?"

"Yes, Olose Sampson, the same rebel that freed Lord Tarrak. He's the one rallying the crowd." She explained. The Cardinal's face twitched with anger.

"Kill Sampson, and anybody who tries to protect him or associate with him." The Cardinal decided. "I have a package coming soon that should make him easier to control."

"Your emimence?" D'Mil gasped. "The rumours are true! You did send out my troops to apprehend Princess Astra!" The Cardinal paused. D'Mil looked to the floor, she had been on duty that night too. She had seen the Princess be born, and knew of her problems. She also knew that Astra still lived, despite what the kingdom had claimed. The Cardinal took a calm breath, becoming fed up with dealing with d'Mil's doubts.

"Princess Astra is still extremely ill." He stated. "She is in no condition to rule. If she were to take over, the land would be caught in anarchy. For that reason, I have apprehended her, and Sampson's friend who was assisting. One of her servants came to me and offered assistance. With those two as prisoners, Sampson will be much easier to deal with. We shall then return Astra to the country, and she can continue to live her life." He sighed. "I understand you have your doubts, Santia, it makes sense in these trying times. But please. Trust me. I've always been kind and truthful to you. I am doing all of this for the good of San d'Oria, even if sometimes it seems underhanded."

"I understand. I apologise." D'Mil found herself apologising again, her constant doubts stacking up. "I shall do my best to stop the riots and kill Olose Sampson." She bowed and exited, thinking nervously to herself about her previous encounters with Olose. Something wasn't right about him. She was actually scared of him. She wasn't scared of anybody, but something in Olose's eyes suggested he was more than just an ordinary man, and it made her shiver.

Author's Note: Right. The one thing I'm a bit worried about is both d'Mil and the Cardinal. Mainly d'Mil because I'm worried she's coming off as too 'good' of a character, and I wanted to keep it greyer, so you struggled to figure out whether you should hate her as a villain or just feel sorry for her, that she's caught up on the wrong side of everything. I think it's leaning too far one way, and wanted to know if anybody else thought the same, or whether I should just keep doing in the way I was doing it.

And the Cardinal I wanted to ask about because I've been trying to make him a bit of a different villain. Originally he was going to be a twisted evil guy who worshipped Promethia as a very traditional 'haha, I am evil!' villain. But as I wrote it, I kind of like the idea that he truly believes everything he's doing is the best thing for San d'Oria, making him a bit more of an odd villain, who's just trying to do what he deems right, no matter how bad it seems to others. I was wondering which way people thought that should go, whether he should turn out to be a villain planning to conquer the world or something once he has San d'Oria, or whether he's just a bit insane, acting far too drastically for what he deems to be right. I kind of prefer the second one because then he's less of a hateable villain, and more of an interesting one. I've already had Abaj as a really sadistic villain (in one of my ideas the Cardinal was Abaj regenerated) so I'm leaning more towards the second one, but I was wondering if anybody had any opinions, since I really love receiving input (it helps me a lot, I'm not very good at making decisions).

Anyway, that's all for now. I have to stop making these author's notes. I'm sure they make up half the word count!