Final Fantasy IX Novelisation (Working Title)
Chapter 2: Showtime
Nightfall had cast its shadowover the castle of Alexandria castle, and the two moons of Gaia looked down upon the kingdom. The Prima Vista sat docked in front of the castle, anchored firmly into placein the river, and Vivi and Puck shuffled quietly into the back of the courtyard, taking a place standing behind the back row of seats. The musicians who stood in the orchestral booth were still warming up, but it sounded like they were just finishing off.
"Phew, we're just in time," said Puck. "No thanks to you, Mr. Vertigo!"
"S-sorry.."
The trip across the planks hadn't done Vivi's fear of heights many favours.
As the orchestra's piece came to a halt, the crowd burst into applause, and Vivi and Puck followed suit. As he clapped, Vivi gazed up at the balcony where the royal box was situated. Sitting on the throne was a large woman with paleblue skin, a small blue cat-like nose,garish purple lipstick and a strange ornament on her head which looked like the offspring of a crown and two broomsticks.She was wearingan extravagent mish-mash ofclothing, and held acrimson fan inone of hertreetrunk-like arms. Although he would never dream of saying it out loud, she was one of the ugliest people Vivi had ever seen within his short life.
"Umm... That's the Queen?"
"Yep. Ain't much of a looker is she?"
Vivi's eyes then wandered to the right of Queen Brahne, and he saw a young lady with long brown hair and a white formal gown.
"But, the Princess, she's so..."
"Tell me about it. Either her Daddy was the best looking guy in Gaia or she's some kind of freak of nature."
A noble lady who was sitting in the back row turned round and hissed at them.
"Will you two cretins please be quiet, or I shall call the guards!"
Puck waited until she turned around and then did something rude with his finger.
Princess Garnet closed her eyes and lowered her head, deep in contemplation, bracing herself for what she was about to do. She knew that her mother would be angry with her, but she had to... for her sake. When her eyes opened once more, the lights had dimmed.
Steiner held his sword ready, beaming with pride as he prepared to signal the beginning of the play. One, two, three four...
He lowered the blade, and the orchestra suddenly burst back into life, and a display of fireworks took off before the stage, errupting bright flashes of gold and green. The crowd cheered excitedly, and a few people bounced up out of their seats. The orchestra's stage began to ascend, and as it went up it revealed the scenery for the play. Vivi and Puck got onto their tiptoes and peered ahead, trying to get a better view. A man dressed in costume of a King walked onto the stage and faced the audience.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Your majesty, Queen Brahne! And your highness, Princess Garnet! This year's performance is a very special event. Not only does it entail a wondrous night of storytelling , it also marks Princess Garnet's coming of age: her sixteenth birthday! Let us hear a round of applause for her royal highness, Princess Garnet, and wish her many happy returns!"
The crowd burst into polite applause Garnet smiled faintly, and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Once the applause had died down, Baku spoke again.
"Tonight's performance is a tale that takes place long, long ago. Our Heroine, Princess Cornelia, has been seperated from her lover, Marcus by her father, King Leo. Determined to be united with her love, she attempts to flee the castle, only to be captured by the King and imprisoned. When our story begins, Marcus, having heard of this, crosses sword with the King. And now, your Royal Majesty, Queen Brahne, Princess Garnet, noble ladies and lords and our rooftop viewers, Tantalus proudly presents: I want to be your Canary!"
"Bereft of mother!" began Zidane's character. "Bereft of father! Marcus, thou has lost even thy love!"
"Fortune hath escap'd thee!" said Cinna. "For what end shalt thou live?"
"For the sake of our friends..." began Zidane. "Let us bury our steel in the heart of the wretched King Leo!"
"Aye!" replied the others. They ran into the center of the stage where Baku stood as King Leo.
"We shall back thee, kinsman!" said Blank."Pray, sheathe thy swords!" commanded Marcus. "This villain is mine alone!"
Cinna shook his head.
"Nay, kinsman! For I, too, have lost a brother to this fiend!"
"What ho? Out, vermin! Away!" shouted King Leo, withdrawing his sword from its sheathe. "Thou darest bare thy sword before the king? All who stand in my way will be crush'd!"
"Treacherous Leo, my kinsman's suffering shall not be in vain!" cried Zidane. "For I shall instruct thee in his incomparable pain!"
"Why don't they speak properly?" asked a bewildered Puck.
"Umm... isn't it meant to be olden times?" replied Vivi uncertainly.
"Shut your trap, Vivi. I wasn't talking to you."
"S-sorry."
Zidane lunged forward and locked swords with the King. Baku knocking Zidane' sword to the floor and disorientating him.
"Zidane, look out!" cried Cinna who ran forward pushed him aside.
The sword 'impaled' Cinna in the chest. His blade fell from his hands and he collapsed onto the stage floor.
"Cinna!" cried Zidane,
"I told you! Now, cease and desist this vain effort or I shall destroy you all!"
"I shall not rest until Cornelia is by my side, villain!" said Marcus. He raised his arms above his head, and cast a spell.
"Poly!" he cried. The magic released a sparkling blue light which exploded and engulfed Baku, who pretended to collapse in pain. It was 'stage magic'. It looked impressive, but actually did nothing whatsoever.
"Arrg... Grr... Thou hast not seen the last of me, Marcus!"
As the scene progressed, Zidane and Blank quickly darted off stage. Their part in the play was over. It was time for the kidnapping to commence.
Zidane and Blank emerged from the guard's quarters, dressed from heel to toe in Knight's of Pluto uniforms.
"Do we need to do this, Blank?" asked Zidane, who was getting the faint impresionhis armour's previous occupant had a ratherweak bladder.
"Of course we do. This is a... er... covert operation!"
They heard a gasp from the nearby audience.
"Uh-oh. I think that's the scene where Marcus sneaks into Cornelia's bed chamber starting. We'd better hurry."
"I'll go and spike the Princess's teacup," said Zidane. "When she falls asleep, you let rip with the oglops."
"The royal seats are right up those stairs. Remember, we need to be back on stage for the finale. Make it snappy, Zidane."
He nodded in response, and headed up the red carpeted stairs. Just as he reached the top step the chamber doors to his left opened and a cloaked figure ran out. Not looking where they were going, the person almost bumped into Zidane, and fell back startled when they saw him. The figure was shrouded in a white cloak which was decorated in red trianges around the waist and hood. It concealed the whole body, except for a small gap in the hood for the eyes, and the legs, which held a pair of orange leggings and red pointed boots.
"Excuse me," said the voice, which was that of a girl. "Would you mind... letting me pass?"
"Er... sure," replied Zidane, awkwardly.
"Thank you."
The girl bowed appreciatively, and as she did, there was a chinkling noise. Zidane looked down to where the noise had come from, and a sparking light from her neck caught Zidane's eye. Tied tightly around her neck, was a pendant. At the end of the chain there was a silver model of a crown, and attatched to the crown was a brilliant diamond. Realisation swept in. That wasn't any old pendant. It was the legendary Royal Pendant of Alexandria.
"You're...?"
Realising her fatal error, the girl gave a gasp and clumsily shoved the pendant inside her cloak. But the damage was done.
"Princess Garnet?" he mouthed in astonishment.
"I... I must go!"
She ran forward, shoving him out of the way of the stairs with surprising strength. She then sprinted down the stairs, turned left and disappeared from view. Dammit. It looked like this wouldn't be as easy as they had anticipated. Zidane hopped back to his feet and darted back down the stairs.
"Zidane? What's going on?" asked a confused Blank who has was standing at the bottom idly.
"That person who just ran past... was Princess Garnet."
"You're serious?"
"Come on, we can't let her get away!"
As the two thieves made their way after her, two jesters poked their heads out from behind the stairwell.
"Did you see that?" asked the blue one, who was named Zorn.
"See that I did," replied the red one, who was named Thorn.
"She's getting away!" said Zorn
"Getting away she is!" reitirated Thorn.
"This is terrible."
"Terrible this is."
"Queen Brahne will have her heads!"
Our heads Queen Brahne will have!"
"We must hurry and tell the Queen!"
"Hurry and tell the Queen, we must!"
"I wish you would stop doing that."
"You would stop doing that, I wish."
Garnet reached the bottom of the stairs and ran for the courtyard doors. She thrust them open and ran out onto the marble grounds, turning left at the fountain and towards the West tower. Those two men were still chasing her, but she wasn't worried. She had been planning her escape for months, and had gone over every single detail of the castle in case there were complications like this. She knew how to get rid of them.
Zorn and Thorn ran into the royal box which sat on the balcony. Steiner stepped forward to demand an explanation for their presence.
"Yes?" he said strernly. "What are you two doi--?"
"What business do you have in here?" interrupted Beatrix, stepping forward.
"Curse that Beatrix," mumbled Steiner under his breath.
"General Beatrix, we have grave news!"
"Grave news we have, General Beatrix!"
Beatrix was dressed in silver plate armour. She had shimmering brown hair which had been styled into curls at the edges, and wore a white patch over her eye as an everlasting reminder of an old war scar. The veteran general rolled her eyes impatiently. As you might expect, getting information from Zorn and Thorn took twice as long as it would from anyone else.
"Yes? Spit it out."
"We must see Queen Brahne!"
"See Queen Brahne we must!"
"Her majesty is busy. Why must you see her?" asked Beatrix.
"It is Princess Garnet."
"Princess Garnet it is."
"The Princess is in trouble?" screamed Steiner, horrified.
"The Princess? What is wrong with her?" asked Beatrix, somewhat more calmly than Steiner.
"She is in grave danger!"
"Grave danger she is in!"
"I command you to speak normally," she said in a threatening tone. "If the Princess really is in trouble then you shall not waste any more time."
And so the pair explained what they had just seen to her.
"I will inform her majesty at once."
Beatrix approached the Queen, who was currently waving her fan furiously, a sure fire sign that she was enjoying herself. Beatrix knew she wouldn't appreciate the interruption.
"Your maje--"
"No interruptions!" she snapped. "Can't you see I'm watching the play?"
Beatrix bowed.
"Please forgive me, your majesty. It's about the Princess..."
"Garnet? Yes, she did leave her seat a short while ago."
"Your majesty, Princess Garnet was seen leaving the royal chambers in disguise, carrying the royal pendant. It seems that she intends to leave the castle. She was being persued by two suspicious looking characters, disguised as guards."
"What on earth... what could that girl be thinking?" said Brahne, still not taking her eyes away from the play. She hesitantly turned around.
"General Beatrix!"
"Yes, your majesty!" saluted Beatrix.
"And, er... Captain..."
Steiner ran forward.
"...what was your name again?"
"Adelbert Steiner, your majesty! Captain of the Knights of Pluto!" saluting slightly more enthusiastically than necessary.
"Oh, yes. That's the one. Both of you, find Garnet. Do not allow her to leave the castle. I don't know what she's thinking of, but we can't let her get away with it."
Zidane and Blank ran out onto the grounds and continued running after the fleeing Princess as if their lives depended on it. She wasn't too far ahead of them. If they kept running they might be able to catch up.
"Stop, Princess!" panted Zidane as they turned left up the pathway.
"We're not going to hurt you!" cried Blank.
And it was true, too. The deal explicitly stated was that no harm was to come to her whatsoever. She ran up the path towards the watchtower that lay to the right side of the castle. Just as she had entered the tower she suddenly skidded to a halt and grabbed hold of a lever that sat on the wall. She then continued making her way up the hallway. The hinges of the iron gate above the entrance began shaking violently and started to descend. She was locking them out. Zidane gritted his teeth and upped his pace. He would not let her get away. Upping his pace, he managed to dive under the gate just before it met the ground, but Blank was too late.
"Dammit!" screamed his fellow theif, kicking the gate which blocked him.
Zidane didn't look back at his friend. All he could concentrate on was the princess. He could see her up ahead, starting to ascend the spiralling steps of the tower. Suddenly, he grinned. He now knew that he had her. When the Princess got to the top, she would have nowhere else to go. The cat was in the bag.
As Garnet ran up the spiral steps, she bit her lip. She was in a difficult position, and she knew it. Unless she pulled off something short of spectacular, she was at a dead end. But then she got an idea. Maybe she could do it... maybe.
Garnet reached the top of the tower and ran out. She stopped, and gazed out
"End of the line, Princess," said Zidane, making no effort to disguise the gloat in his voice. "Though I have to admit, that was a pretty impressive display back there. You're pretty athletic for a girl who just sits around in a castle all day."
She turned her head round.
"Why, thank you," she replied with a false senerity.
"Come on. Enough games. You're coming with me."
"Oh...?"
Garnet walked and climbed up upon the stone battlements. She twirled back round to face Zidane, and smiled.
"Wh-what are you doing?" he asked nervously. If the Princess decided to jump off and decorate the castle grounds with her the remnants of her mangled corpse, that would put a real damper on their plans.
"You've done very well," said Garnet. "But I'm afraid it is you who has reached the end of the line."
She closed her eyes, and lent backwards. Her weight gently drifted over the side of the tower and vanished.
Author's notes:
Woo, a cliffhanger. Or it would be, if most people reading this hadn't completed the game 50+ times anyway.
Not as satisfied with this chapter as I could've been. I'll be the first to admit I rushed a few things in my eagernes to just get on with the story. I think the play itself could have been better done, and I ended up cutting Zidane and Blank's fight scene since I'd make a dogs ear of writing it. Maybe one day when I'm a better writer I'll go back and make a second draft, fixing all these little annoyances of mine.
Feedback to reviews of Chapter 1.
The Red Mage Yuki: Thank you very much. I'll try keeping the character's all as true to the game as possible.
Gemini Dragonheart: Thanks for letting me know about all my spelling mistakes. I've fed Chapter 1 into word, fixed it all and uploaded it again (hopefully) error free! ;-)
Aqua Phoenix1: Thanks. Original scenes are something that I'm trying to implement as much as possible, especially for the characters who seem very interesting at first but then seem to be utterly forgotten about lateronin the game(CoughFreyaCough).There aren't that many original scenesat the start of the story, but I think I'm going to get lots moreleeway for them a bit later on (say, after Evil Forest).
By the way, my PC is (finally) off getting fixed, and I'm currently writing this with my Mum's laptop. For some reason or other (probably since this is craptacular Internet Explorer instead of good old Firefox) Fan ignoring spaces between some words and mashing them together. So if you noticed any of that at all, that's why.
Chapter 3 will be up ASAP.