Okay, this did take longer than I expected to update, but I also didn't expect to write this chapter...or the next one for that matter. Oh yeah, in case you haven't noticed, this chapter is in 'game time.' (One of my favorite parts of the game actually) The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was important to Locke as well...So I managed to throw together something decent in two days and post it. Sorry that it's kind of long...that was another thing I wasn't expecting. I swear though...Rachel will enter the story eventually! There were just a few things I had to put in here before I could post up the beginning chapter with her. XD P.S. I know I used this title name in Zanarkand A-East as well...but it fits in this fic too. (Although it is from a song title in X for Seymour) Okay, I'm shutting up. (Damn, I like to babble)
5. The Unsent Laugh
"Are you okay?" Terra asked as she and Locke made their way through the desert to Figaro Castle. Locke jumped at the sound of her voice, scaring the young girl at the same time.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," he apologized as she put her hand to her heart to make sure that it was beating normally. "I was just thinking. I tend to do that from time to time, so I ask for forgiveness in advance."
"Nah, it's not a problem," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. "So, I just have to ask; is there any reason why you're taking me to a king who lives in the middle of the desert?" She was trying to remain nonchalant, but her voice wavered as she put a tendril of hair behind her ear and looked at Locke.
"Of course there are reasons," he replied cheerfully as he saw Figaro Castle appear from the horizon. "I wouldn't just be taking you on a wild chocobo hunt."
She nodded her head as she gently kicked the sand up with her feet as she walked. With a point of her finger, she looked at the castle as well. "Is that where we're going?"
"No, there are six other castles in this desert, so I'm going to take you to the last one that we see," he smiled at her and she made a face at him. "I'm just kidding. Yes, that is the castle we're going to. Figaro Castle is the only castle that is in the middle of nowhere, and of course, that's the one that we're going to."
"Just use this opportunity to get some color in your skin! However, by standing next to you, I think all the sunrays are going to bounce off of you and reflect to me because you're so white," she pointed out, gently poking his arm. He looked down at his skin and realized that he was rather pale, but shrugged anyway.
"I don't tan, I burn," he stated as he looked straight ahead, trying not to smile. "Red is better than extremely pale, but I don't think I exactly have time for an aloe vera bath."
"'Not enough time?' What's the time limit on?" She asked, growing serious even though Locke had a small smirk on his face. He looked at her and gave her a gentle push to cheer her up. She let out a small yelp as she almost tripped over her feet then pushed him back. "That's not very nice when I'm in heels!"
He chuckled at her and wiped his forehead with his hand to prevent the sweat to drip down his face. "Thank the goddesses that we're almost there. I think I'm melting out here."
Terra let out a giggle and they walked the rest of the way in silence, occasionally kicking sand at each other. How the hell can she be so carefree and cheerful when she doesn't even remember anything that's happened in her life? What's it like to be the one who forgets everything?
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"Wait! Hey!" The guard on duty at Figaro Castle exclaimed when he noticed Locke and Terra try to walk past.
"Hey, man!" Locke said in greeting as he shook the guard's hand, surprising him with the gesture. "It hasn't been that long since I've been here and you've already forgotten me?"
"Oh, it's you!" The guard replied with a laugh after recognizing the young treasure hunter. "Sorry, I was in my own little world. Anyway, I'm sure Edgar would love to see you. Please, proceed."
Locke nodded as a thank you toward the guard as he led Terra through the gate and they both kicked the sand off of their shoes. They made their way to the throne room and Locke walked through the door without even knocking.
King Edgar was sitting on his throne with his chin in his hand staring off into space, not even fazed by the fact that the door opened. Locke looked at Terra and motioned her to stay by the door and he made his way up to the king.
"Edgar?" Locke tapped Edgar on the shoulder and he jumped about a foot in the air, causing Locke cross his arms and make a clicking sound with his tongue. "Why isn't anyone alert today? You're the second person I've startled in the last three minutes."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Edgar said as he wiped his face with his hand as he spoke. "It was a long night last night, so I'm exhausted."
"Long night in what sense?" Locke asked, his eyebrow raising at his innuendo. "Wait a minute here. That priestess from Doma was here yesterday, wasn't she? Edgar…"
"That's not what I meant," Edgar replied with a playful roll of his eyes. "Unfortunately. So anyway, what's up? How've you been?"
Locke looked back over at Terra, who was nervously tracing the grout in the tiles with the toe of her shoe. When he looked back at Edgar, the smile on the man's face was full of ideas. "No, Edgar, it's not what you think."
"Really?" Edgar whispered as he continued to look at Terra in a full stare. "Well, if she's not yours, can I have a try at her?"
"Down boy," Locke said as he put his hand on Edgar's shoulder to stop him from running over to her and pouncing. "Well, you remember that witch that everyone has been muttering about over last few weeks?"
"Yeah…" The young king responded slowly as Locke removed his hand from his shoulder. He nodded in her direction, making Edgar's eyes go wide when he finally grasped the concept. "You mean, this young woman!"
Before Locke could stop him this time, Edgar walked over to Terra and studied her. He let his eyes trail from hers, down to her toes, then back up to her eyes. Locke saw her eyes blink in surprise and face flush from the gaze. She looked at Edgar in disbelief, and Locke wasn't sure if she was going to cry or attack him. The young king turned around and flashed Locke a smile, showing him his devious thoughts. They say, 'yeah, she's powerful, but damn she is gorgeous!' Locke read as he let out a chuckle.
"Who do you think you are?" She snapped as she put her hands on her hips, Edgar stopping when he heard her voice.
Edgar flashed Locke another look, screaming that he was caught, so he bowed his head and looked at the ground. "Oh…sorry!" He slowly turned on his heel to face her then shook his finger at himself. "How rude of me to turn my back on a lady! It's not in my nature at all, I promise you."
Terra exhaled as he made his way over to her, gently took her hand in his own and brought it to his lips. Locke smiled and shook his head at the king's flirtatious nature, and saw Terra blush even more.
"Oh," she replied quietly as she took her hand out of Edgar's and brushed a few stray hairs behind her ear out of nervousness.
"Anyway, let me introduce myself properly," he stated with a dramatic bow. "I am Edgar Roni Figaro, King of Figaro. Hmm, that's a very repetitive statement; I've never noticed that before. I need to work on that."
Terra giggled as he stood up straight and put his hand to his chin in thought. "It works though," she said to boost his confidence.
"Surprised someone like me knows a king?" Locke asked the young woman as he walked next to Edgar and patted him on the back.
"To be honest? Yes, I am actually." Locke's face fell, but she giggled, proving to him that she was just joking around with him. "I'm just kidding, don't take me so seriously."
"Not a problem." He shrugged as his smile returned to his face. He turned to Edgar and whispered, "Okay, I'm gonna go walk around so you can have some time with her alone."
The sparkle appeared in Edgar's eyes as he whispered back, "Whoo! Thanks, Locke!"
"No, you sex-craved bastard," Locke said with a chuckle as he shook his head. "That was not an open invitation to try to get down her pants. She's a powerful girl and could probably kill you with a lift of her finger, so I wouldn't even attempt it."
"Yeah, good point." Edgar made a face in disappointment and looked at Terra out of the corner of his eye. She was giving the two men a strange and impatient look because they were speaking behind her back, and Locke could tell she was offended.
"Besides, you know that sleeping with her wasn't in the orders from Banon," Locke added with a chuckle.
"Maybe that's what's wrong with his orders, have you ever thought of that?" Edgar quipped as he put his hand to his chin and tapped his lips with his forefinger.
"Um…" Terra said quietly as she rolled on the balls of her feet. "Can I ask what's going on?"
"That's Edgar's job," Locke announced as he pointed to Edgar quickly. "He's the king, I'm just the messenger. Well, talk to you later!"
Before either of them had a chance to say anything else, he walked out of the room and shut the door. He was thankful, too, for he wasn't sure how to explain anything to her for he wasn't even exactly sure what was going on. He knew that Edgar was going to have a difficult time explaining it as well, but Locke just prayed that he was going to do the best job he could without making a pass at the young girl.
"What do you think is going to happen?" Locke whipped his head up to see the Chancellor standing several feet away with his arms crossed against his chest. He walked closer to Locke as he sighed.
"I wish I knew." He shook his head and raised his shoulders. He was going to make a joke about Edgar and Terra, but decided to keep the conversation on topic and discuss the Empire. "Everything is just becoming worse and worse. It's another one of those times where I feel I'm running around for some reason that I'm not even sure of. Banon didn't exactly give me a lot of details. Actually, he didn't give me any details. I didn't even know what the hell I was going to Narshe for. He basically woke me up, he shoved the directions to Arvis' house in my hands, then said, 'You. Go. Now.'"
The Chancellor chuckled at Locke's impression of Banon and put his hand on Locke's shoulder. "Did you find out anything about her?"
"Well, knowing she doesn't remember anything that happened in her entire life; no." He sighed as he and the Chancellor walked out into the main foyer of the castle for some fresh air. "She's having so much thrown at her and I'm afraid this is just the beginning of everything."
The two men looked at each other in silence for a moment when a young soldier ran over to them. "Sir, there happens to be someone approaching the castle with Imperial soldiers."
"Thank you, soldier. Please go tell the king. You are dismissed," the Chancellor said with a nod toward the soldier. When the soldier was out of sight, the Chancellor turned toward Locke again. "Edgar is not going to be happy to hear this. Let's go quickly make a plan of what to do."
Locke agreed as he followed the Chancellor toward the throne room, practically running into Edgar when he and the girl walked through the door. Terra looked frightened and walked closer to Locke for some kind of protection as the three men looked at each other.
"It's probably Kefka," Edgar stated with a roll of his eyes. "Gestahl did warn me that he might send him to pay me a visit. This better be a short visit for I am not in the mood to deal with him today. I wonder what the hell he wants."
"The address of a qualified surgeon to remove the power trip from his ass?" Locke quipped instantly with a smile, causing Terra to giggle. "In all seriousness, I have no idea."
"Think about it, you two. They're probably searching for the girl," the Chancellor said as they all looked at Terra. "She seems to be the main thing that is on the Empire's mind right now.
"Me?" Her voice was quiet and she grabbed onto Locke's arm. Locke wasn't sure what to do, so he let her remain there. "Why?"
"Okay, Locke, here's my plan," Edgar began as they walked to the door, not answering Terra's question. "I want Terra to stay behind the door and you stand in front of it. I'll distract Kefka somehow and get him out of here so we have time to think of a better plan in case he decides to come back. How's that sound?"
"I haven't any other plan, so it'll have to work," he replied and everyone else nodded. "Let's do it."
Locke moved out of the way so Edgar could lead, then motioned Terra to stay right behind the door to for safety. She nodded and he shut the door and stood right in front of it so no one would be able to get her unless they went through him first.
"Outta my way!" Locke heard Kefka say from the front gate, causing him to grit his teeth. No one will be able to get to her…not as long as I'm around…He thought to himself as he saw Kefka emerge onto the main level of the castle.
Locke had heard Edgar make fun of Kefka's appearance, but he had never actually seen him until now. He wasn't sure what his reaction should be, for the man looked like a circus clown escapee. His face was heavily painted with different color makeup, his blonde hair was in a ridiculous looking ponytail near the top of his head, his shoes were pointy, and he was even wearing a flamboyant cape.
How can anyone take this man seriously? Locke thought to himself as he put his hand to his forehead in shame that the entire world was in terror over this man. If he were to ever give me an order, I fear I would laugh in his face!
Edgar looked less than thrilled as he approached the two soldiers that arrived with Kefka. Locke heard him say something to the two soldiers, but the wind blew most of the sound away. All he was able to hear was, "You've been busy down south, haven't you? Why are you here? Looking for more cities to destroy?" The soldier's response was too muffled to make out, but Locke could clearly hear his mocking laugh ring through the air.
What's in the south? Oh…Maranda is directly south of Figaro…Locke thought as he sighed in memory of what happened. No one in that town had a chance…Then the soldiers went to Kohlingen…over that stupid thing…
When Edgar reached Kefka, he spoke rather loudly so Locke and the Chancellor would be able to make out his conversation, and Locke was thankful for that because Edgar broke his trip down memory lane. "Well, whaddaya know! Kefka, how've you been?"
"I'm not here for small talk, King Edgar," Kefka retorted as he flipped his blonde hair out of his face. "I wouldn't have traveled through the scorching hot desert for four hours if I wanted to have tea."
"Well, then what brings Kefka Palazzo, humble servant of Emperor Gestahl into our lowly presence?" Edgar asked as he used his hands to motion toward the castle. "It's been a while since I've had a member of the Imperial army set foot in Figaro. You would think since we are allies and everything, you would at least personally hand us a Christmas card every year. It's sad because I have to just keep reminding myself that you didn't forget about us and the card just got lost in—"
"A girl of no importance recently escaped from us," Kefka interrupted with a huff. He clearly didn't have patience to begin with, yet alone to listen to Edgar's attempt at humor.
Edgar pretended to act interested as he nodded his head and took a few steps closer to where Kefka was standing. "A girl, eh? Hmm. Isn't that interesting? I'm still not understanding how this concerns my people."
"We heard that she found refuge here," Kefka continued to explain as he let his eyes wander around the castle. Locke scoffed quietly to himself and tapped his foot on the ground. Does he think he's gonna find her? He thought as he stole a glance toward the Chancellor.
"Hmm…" Edgar began as he took a few steps away and pretended to think about what Kefka just said. "This wouldn't have anything to do with this 'witch' everyone's been whispering about, would it?"
"'Witch?' Ha! Lies!" Kefka stated with a short laugh. "That was just a rumor started by some people who were extremely bored with their lives. I blame it on the people of Albrook."
Edgar scoffed at Kefka's justification and didn't believe it for a second. "Why Albrook? What, are they your next target on the map?"
"Even if it was, which it's not because the Empire doesn't dare harm innocent people, it would still be none of your business," Kefka snapped. Locke exhaled in disbelief and wasn't surprised when he heard several soldiers, the Chancellor, and Edgar do the same. "Back onto the girl. She's not a witch at all. She…merely stole something of minor value."
"Ah, a criminal," Edgar said with a nod of his head. "So you're looking for her so she can be put behind bars?
"Uh, something like that." Kefka took a few steps toward Edgar and tried to study him. "So, is she here?"
"Hmm," Edgar said as he furrowed his forehead, looked off toward the side, and started to think about the question. He put his hands on his hips, and after a dramatic pause, he faced Kefka again. "That's a really tough question. You see, there're more girls here than grains of sand out there. I can't keep track of 'em all!"
"Are you a king or a hustler?" Usually Edgar would've laughed at the statement, but considering it was from Kefka, he wasn't amused in the least.
"I'm nothing of the sort. I run a tight ship here, but it just so happens that there are a lot of women in this castle," Edgar clarified. "However, I haven't seen anyone out of the ordinary. Especially with what I have heard about this witch, she's quite the beauty, so I'm sure she would've caught my eye by now." He noticed that Kefka wasn't sure where he was going with his ramblings, so Edgar added, "In other words; no. She's not here."
"I'd hate to be you if we find out you're lying," Kefka said with a laugh. His laugh chilled Locke down to the core, and he felt goosebumps rise on his arms.
"And I would lie to the Empire because…?" Edgar questioned as Kefka turned around and started to leave the castle. He didn't get very far before looking over his shoulder at the young king.
"I truly hope nothing happens to you and your precious Figaro!" He shouted with another laugh, then left the castle with his two soldiers.
Edgar shook his head then walked up to Locke. "You know, they never just leave. They always have to say something."
"Well, I'd say that guy's missing a few buttons…" Locke muttered, causing Edgar to laugh. "Since it's going to bother me if I don't ask, what's with the makeup? I don't understand it."
"No one does, but that's Kefka for you," Edgar stated as he gestured to the front gate, where Kefka just left. "I'm not so sure about that man sometimes, but Gestahl sees something in him. I'm assuming something dangerous."
"I've heard stories," Locke confirmed as he bowed his head at the memories. Jidoor…Maranda…Kohlingen…
"Where's Terra?" Edgar asked, breaking Locke's thought process once again. Locke whipped his head up then moved out of the way to open the door. The young girl emerged timidly and she looked around.
"Is…he gone?" She asked as both men nodded. "Okay, good. I heard his laugh…"
Terra shuddered at her own words, emitting a worried look between the two men. Edgar pulled Locke off to the side and began whispering to him. "Take her to her room and make sure that she'll be safe, got it?"
"Of course," Locke replied and Edgar walked up to Terra.
"I'd love to chat with you, but the Chancellor and I must plan our strategy. Sometimes I hate being king!" He sighed as he gently patted Terra on the back. "If you'll excuse me."
Locke and Terra watched as Edgar and the Chancellor went through the doors toward the throne room, then their eyes locked. Locke smiled at her and pointed to the direction that they were to go. "Come on, follow me."
Without a word, she followed him through the castle and almost ran into him when he stopped in a room. "Are…you going to stay with me?"
"I'll be right down the hall," he replied as he narrowed his eyes slightly at her, unsure why she asked that. "Don't you worry 'bout a thing! I'll—"
"You're Locke, right?" She asked as he nodded at her. "Okay, that's what I thought but I'm terrible with names."
"Don't worry about it," he said with a shrug, although he was slightly insulted. Amnesia still coming into play? He thought to himself as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other. I was the second person she saw since she got her memory back and she can't even remember my name…
"Edgar told me about you," she continued as she innocently looked down at the floor. "Is it true you're a thief?"
Locke tried not to explode at the girl, but he answered sternly, "That's treasure hunter!" He groaned and placed his hand on his forehead. "How many times do I have to tell Edgar to get it right?"
"What's the difference?" She asked, confused. "Aren't they the same thing?"
"Far…far from being the same thing," he explained, enunciating each syllable. He started to leave her room, but she began to speak.
"So, I don't understand what happened out there." Locke looked over his shoulder to see her fingering the end of her ponytail in thought. "I mean, I thought that you and Edgar are on the same side. Ya know, against the Empire and all. So why was he talking to that man, when he has high rank in the Empire?"
"On the surface Edgar pretends to support the Empire. The truth is, he's collaborating with the Returners, an organization opposed to the Empire," he began to explain as she nodded in comprehension. "It's almost like he's a double agent—he finds out information about the Empire then tells the Returners about it so we can keep a close eye out and attempt to thwart their next move."
"Oh," she replied quietly. "So, what's your role in all of this?"
"I am his contact with that group," he said with a shrug, not wanting to go into extreme detail. "That old man you met in Narshe is one of us. He was the one who informed Banon that you were there, which is why Banon sent me to go after you."
"Empire…but I'm a soldier of the Empire!" Locke turned around to face her and saw her head bowed to the ground in shame. "I guess that means that you're against me too."
"That's not true! Don't even think about that!" He heard her sniff and he hoped she wasn't about to cry. "Terra, look at me. You have to understand that they were using you! Things are different now."
"How?" The hopelessness in her voice was enough to break Locke's heart, yet he wasn't able to fully answer her question.
"Well, for starters, we're going to do everything in our power to keep you as far away from the Empire as possible." He figured that was a good enough explanation to keep her satisfied, for that was all the information he knew.
Instead, she shook her head and sighed. "I don't understand. What should I do?"
He walked up to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, her eyes revealing how lost she was. "I can't tell you what to do. However, I can tell you that you don't have to decide right now. You'll soon find your way…"
She nodded as he left the room, but through the door he was able to hear her say to herself, "But how will I know which way is right…?"