Chapter 3
Locke practically inhaled the large bowl of soup and crusty bread that the young maid brought him. As she refilled his goblet with water, Locke requested a second bowl. With a curt bow, the maid turned to go and fulfill the request, brushing past the Chancellor on her way out.
"And a fine evening to you, your Thieveliness," the Chancellor said as he bowed low.
"Humph," came the reply. "I think my first order will be, 'Off with your head'."
"I'll have that taken care of immediately," the Chancellor said with a wry grin, and then turning serious, he said, "I was informed that the king is 'quite well'. Would you care to elaborate on that subject?"
The Chancellor took a seat across the table and Locke began recounting the story. He gave the details on their escape from Kefka and the battle in which the young lady used magic to incinerate the Magitek soldiers. The Chancellor sat spellbound as Locke went on to tell how they had come across the wayward prince in the Sabil Mountains, and then the sacking of South Figaro followed by the raid at the Returner's hideout.
"Are you sure the King and prince made it out all right," the Chancellor questioned.
"All I know is that as I was leaving, I heard them make plans to take the Lete River to Narshe. I can't tell you any more than that," Locke said with a heavy sigh. "Now it's your turn, tell me how things are going here."
The maid reentered carrying another steaming bowl of soup as the Chancellor began to go over some of the facts and figures that he had been working on earlier in the evening. "There were no casualties in the attack, but we did have some severely burned soldiers. We believe that they'll all make a full recovery, but this Magitek stuff is nasty business. We've got enough supplies to stay submerged for another month, but I'd advise against it since the locals tend to get a little stir crazy after a few weeks below the surface."
"What's keeping us from making a full surface, now," Locke asked.
"We're not sure about the number and location of enemy forces in the area. We've lost all contact with South Figaro, which makes sense now that we know the city has been taken by Imperial forces. I've just not been prepared to surface into an ambush, but we're at your discretion right now."
"I feel the same way," Locke replied. "I won't feel comfortable until the area has been well scouted. First thing in the morning, we'll send some plainclothes military into the desert to scout conditions. I will head to South Figaro to get a handle on their current condition, and I'll send word back to you through messenger pigeon."
"That sounds good. I'd like to also send someone to Narshe, in case His Majesty has made it there," the Chancellor said.
"That's a good idea, Locke replied.
"I'll have a carrier pigeon made ready for you."
"Give me at least six," Locke replied.
"Six? You don't think one will be enough?"
"I intend to swap the others with the Imperial messenger birds. Then, they'll be sending all their communications to Figaro castle. Once I send you the all-clear message, have a soldier meet me at the entrance to South Figaro cave and I'll give him the Imperial birds. At that point, feel free to send all manner of confusing messages back to Vector."
The Chancellor smiled and rubbed his hands together. "It'll take His Majesty years to straighten us out, after one day of being ruled by you."
Locke chuckled and blew the steam rising from his bowl of soup. "I'm glad you think so."
As the Chancellor turned to leave, he said, "You'll have all the supplies you need ready and waiting in the morning. The maid will show you to your room." Then he added, "You wear the burden of responsibility well, Locke. The kingdom of Figaro thanks you for your help."
Locke looked up at the Chancellor and replied, "It's an honor to serve."
Locke arose a little later than usual the next day. A night in a big soft bed had done much to refresh him, and he was ready to get the next stage of the journey underway. He quickly dressed in a clean set of cloths and left the bedroom.
Upon entering the antechamber of his room, he was met by the maid who had a full tray of breads, fruits, fresh butter, jellies, and hot water for his morning tea. At the sight of the bountiful spread, Locke's stomach immediately began to grumble in anticipation, and the delightful aromas coming from the tray only made it that much worse. "Thank you, Maria. Have you seen the Chancellor this morning?"
"Yes, M'Lord. I'll go and fetch him for you. Will there be anything else?"
"I'd like some honey for the tea, please."
"Certainly, M'Lord."
Locke smiled at her appreciatively as she turned to leave, although he inwardly cringed every time someone used his new title. Normally he would have refused being called by such a formal name, but he understood that in the absence of a king, there was still a chain of command that had to remain visible for the people to feel comfortable and secure. It was truly an honor to be trusted by Edger so much, and Locke was determined to do what was best for Edger and his people.
As he broke off a piece of the steaming bread and began to slather it with butter, the thought occurred to him that being called a "Lord" was at least better than being called a "Thief". He set his tea to steeping and picked out some fresh cut melon to eat with his bread.
Locke enjoyed his breakfast alone for a few minutes before the maid reentered with the Chancellor in tow. "Thank you, Maria. That will be all," he said as he took the honey.
"Yes, M'Lord," and with that she curtsied and retreated to another part of the castle to perform her regular duties.
"Good morning, Steward Cole," said the Chancellor with a beaming smile. "I'll have you know that I enjoyed my first good nights sleep since His Majesty left."
"Don't get used to it," Locke replied. "I'm out of here as soon as I can get supplies. The kingdoms back in your hands, then.
"When do you think you'll be returning?"
"I don't know when I'll be back this direction. There's a good chance that you'll see Edger or Sabin before you see me again, and then there's the possibility that things could go very wrong in South Figaro and you won't ever see me again."
The Chancellor's smile quickly faded away as he realized what a serious mission his young friend was about to head out on. "Well, let me get you up to speed on where we stand this morning."
"Go ahead," he said as he began to stir the honey into his tea.
"I sent out twelve of our best trackers dressed as desert folk. They left at dawn heading out to scout in all directions, some on foot, some on chocobo. If all goes as planned, you'll probably pass a few who are returning while you are on your way to South Figaro."
"That sounds good. I'd still like for you to wait until I've had a chance to scout out South Figaro before you commit the castle to a full resurface. That reminds me, do you have the pigeons ready that I requested."
"Yes. I managed to get ten for you, and they're at the surface along with a chocobo we've prepared for your ride. We would have packed your travel bag, but I'm sure that you'd prefer to do that yourself. If you'll give me a list of what you need, I'll have it made available to you."
Locke gave a single nod as he took a sip from the steaming mug. "Chancellor, even if your soldiers do find that the desert is clear of Imperial forces, you'll need to be extra vigilant. As I was making my way across the Willowman pass, I could hear aerial vehicles. It's possible that the Imperial Air Force has accompanied the forces that invaded South Figaro."
"Hmmm. That's definitely not good news. Do we know anything about them?"
Locke shook his head as he reached for another piece of fruit. "Only that they have the ability of flight. We know nothing of their speed, range, or offensive capabilities. You may want to focus your engineers on getting some wall mounted autocrossbow cannons to help deal with that threat."
"We may indeed want to do that," the Chancellor replied.
Locke pulled the napkin out of his lap and wiped the crumbs from his mouth. "Well, I guess now is as good a time as any to get going," he said as he stood and tossed the napkin on the table.
"I had intended to gather the supplies for you, but if you're ready to go, I can just take you to the stockrooms myself."
"That'll work," Locke said as he grabbed his pack and the mug of tea.
After a quick stop at the stockroom, Locke found himself at the surface. "Chancellor, I leave Figaro in your hands. The title of Steward is yours again."
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Cole. Take care and come back to us alive. We look forward to hearing from you soon."
The two shook hands before Locke donned his pack, secured the messenger pigeons to the chocobo, and headed off to the south.