Notes : Yes, I decided to attempt to novelize FFIV. I just recently finished this game, and I would really love to see a novelization. However, I only found a couple and a few that aren't being updated. So I decided to try. Let me know what you think. Thanks guys, enjoy.Thanks to my forum group, Wedding Blues, for their help.
Thanks to the gamefaqs user Apathetic Aardvark for his game script. That helped a lot.
Disclaimer : I don't own anything. Except the writing. And half of that is game script so even that's not mine. If it was mine, oh man, I would be so rich and happy.

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The advent of the airship marked the realization of mankind's dreams, but also sowed the seeds of corruption.
Baron, the world's most powerful military nation.
Baron, a kingdom slowly changing its ways.
A menacing shadow hovers over the world.
Gunshots, clouds of dust, chaos.
Baron only exploits its power to collect the world's crystals.
Why?
The omniscient crystals, silently shed their light.

" Captain Cecil , we will be arriving at Baron shortly ! "

The said Captain kept his head down , staring silently at the airship floor. His silver hair stuck to his face with sweat , his entire body aching from the strain of his fleet's last mission. Even though he hadn't had to do much , the physical and emotional exhaustion was pounding at his heart , though his face betrayed no emotion. Finally Cecil raised his eyes to meet his crewman , nodding slightly at his words, "…very well." He then returned his gaze to the polished wooden floors of the airship , sighing deeply.

A blonde crewman , dressed in shining red armor similar to that of his comrades, turned to the man behind him and whispered in his ear, " The captain seems kind of down." He carefully kept his voice down while keeping an eye on Cecil to make sure that he hadn't been overheard.

The man behind him shrugged and whispered back , " After what we did , who wouldn't be ? " His voice was glum , showing slight remorse from the deed that had just been committed. " Orders are orders , but killing innocent people to get the Crystals just isn't right, " he shook his head to emphasize the point he was attempting to make.

Cecil managed to somehow bow his head even further , overhearing the soldier's last statement. Memories of the city of Mysidia in flames , burning to the ground , invaded his mind. The captain of Baron's famed army , the Red Wings , shut his eyes , hoping to black out the thoughts , but they came even faster still. The village Elder, the look of fear in his eyes , commanding his Black and White mages to hold the soldiers of Baron back at any cost. The captain's uncaring commands to attack and the soldiers' massacre. The tears that filled the mages eyes. The cold feeling of the crystal as Cecil took it in his hands. And then the fleeing of Baron's army , back to their airship , but still not able to perish the thoughts of their massacre from their heads.

" The Red Wings are supposed to protect people , not harm them ! "

Cecil raised his head up at that statement , stomping his foot on the ground roughly. " That's enough ! " he said firmly. He didn't know why he was saying it , because after all he agreed fully with his Red Wings' statements.

Eyes were wide as the crewmen stared in wonder upon their captain , wondering what had come over him. The same blonde man to start the whispering stepped forward again , approaching Cecil. " But , Captain…" When Cecil didn't respond , he ventured on. " Surely , you of all people don't condone what we've done ? "

Cecil cleared his throat , staring at his men , letting his cold blue eyes stare at each and everyone of them. " All of you. Listen , and listen to me well. The raid on Mysidia was imperative. His Majesty and his council concluded that the Mysidians, and their broad knowledge of the Crystals, posed a serious threat to our kingdom. " Cecil looked around again , making sure that the Red Wings' attention was still on him before continuing. " For Baron to prosper , we need the Crystals. As soldiers of the Royal Air Force , we must achieve this by whatever means are necessary." Cecil took a deep breath , hoping his answer would satisfy them , and turned away from his crew.

" Captain … "

They were all silent for a moment , the only sound heard was the wind whipping through the air and through the sails of the airship. That is , until another crewman ran up to Cecil , panting and frantic.

" Captain ! Monsters spotted ! Dead ahead ! "

Cecil turned around , a puzzled look on his face , as the Red Wing before him fainted at Cecil's feet. Swallowing loudly , Cecil unsheathed his dark sword. " Prepare for battle ! " he commanded his force , and they all took out their weapons as well.

The crew hacked and slashed at the Float Eyes , one of them dropping with a cry. Cecil gave him a slightly worried look, hurriedly slicing at the Float eyes with his sword and trying to pull a vial of potion out of his pocket. When the Float Eyes died at the hands of his crew, Cecil ran over the man that had fallen , crouching down and pouring the potion into the man's mouth. " Are you alright ? " Cecil asked , although the answer to that was clear.

The man didn't have any time to respond , only pointed weakly behind him. " More of them…" he gasped for breath , and Cecil whirled around , clasping his sword tightly in his right hand.

"Damn it ! " he yelled , pulling a Blue Fang out of his pocket and throwing it wildly , hoping that he didn't miss his target. It landed on the Zuu with a blinding flash , and Cecil and the rest of his Red Wings shielded their eyes from the blast. Cecil was the first to open them , waving away the smoke. " Is everyone okay ? " he yelled.

The crew hurried back into their formation , one of them stepping forward. " We are all accounted for , sir, " he responded , bowing his head slightly to his Captain. " We've been encountering a surprising number of monsters lately…"

Cecil looked into the sky with wonder. " Could it be…some kind of omen ? " he wondered aloud. His crew looked worriedly at him , but didn't say anything. Cecil continued to stare off into space until another of his crew members spoke.

" Captain , we are now over Baron. "

Cecil shook his head a little , as if to get his bearings back. He nodded at the crewman before him. " Very well. Prepare for the landing. "

The men all scurried away to their places , happy to be nearing the home of Baron , where all was safe , and where they wouldn't have to do anymore killing. At least not for the time being.

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" Cecil ! " a voice called out the second that Cecil had stepped through the doors.

Cecil sighed , he had hoped to make a quiet entrance and take off his dirty armor. He was sweating bullets inside of it , his hair dripping with sweat and his face smeared with dirt. He stopped and bowed to the man in front of him. " Baigan. "

Baigan grinned , showing all of his white teeth. He had shoulder-length blonde hair and a blonde beard to match , and stood about a head shorter than Cecil. He was dressed in robes of rich scarlet colored velvet that showed off his royal status. He nodded brightly at Cecil.

" Well done ! " the blonde man before him , Baigan , greeted him. " The Crystal is now ours. " His words weren't a question, they were a statement. The castle had been sure of the Red Wings victory , no questions were needed to know what had occurred in Mysidia.

Cecil sighed , letting no emotion show on his face , and gave Baigan his report. " The Mysidians put up no resistance. In fact , they were … well, completely helpless." Cecil couldn't help biting his lower lip in regret , flooded with the memories of the Mysidian mages' screams of terror.

Baigan scoffed. " Cecil , is this pity I perceive ? " The man in red laughed at the very thought. " Hmph ! Come , Captain. His Majesty awaits. " Baigan turned and proceeded into the castle , while Cecil tiredly followed him , barely able to drag his feet through the stone floors of Baron Castle. The screams were still penetrating Cecil's thoughts , and he daydreamed as he followed Baigan through the castle.

Baigan stopped suddenly in front of the throne room , causing Cecil to nearly topple into him. Cecil caught himself just in time and managed to readjust himself before Baigan noticed.

" If you'll excuse me , Captain , I must speak to His Majesty in private. Please wait here. " Baigan turned on his heel and entered the Throne Room before Cecil could answer , not that he had any choice.

Once Baigan had gone through the door , Cecil crept closer and pressed his armor-clad ear up to the door , but Baron Castle's design prevented him from hearing through the stone wall to listen in on the conversation that was going on inside.

Inside the chamber , Baigan had bowed down on one knee in front of his king. " Cecil has returned , Your Majesty. However, I am afraid that he can no longer be trusted. He is clearly questioning your authority."

The King of Baron sighed and furrowed his blonde eyebrows. " Yes, I suspected as much. It matters not, so long as I am able to obtain the Crystals. Please , Baigan , send Cecil in now."

Baigan bowed before exiting. "Yes, Your Majesty." He then turned and instead of exiting the chamber , shouted through the stone wall at Cecil. " Captain ! His Majesty summons you ! "

Cecil brushed strands of silver hair away from his eyes, taking a deep breath before pulling open the heavy door. He walked up to his King's throne , bowing down on one knee.

The king motioned for him to rise up. " The Kingdom of Baron hails your return. May I have the Crystal ? " He held out his hand for the shining Water Crystal that Cecil had forgotten he was holding.

"Of course , Your Majesty, " Cecil responded , and handed the Water Crystal to Baigan , who in turn passed it over to the King.

The King examined it , not making any effort to conceal the look of happiness and greed in his eyes that reflected in the Water Crystal's surface. " So this is the Crystal…What splendor…" he stared hungrily at the Crystal as if searching for something on its shimmering, glass-like exterior. He waved a hand at Cecil lazily. " You are dismissed, Cecil."

Cecil nodded, and turned to leave. His mind was begging him to ask the King what he planned to do with the Water Crystal, not only for his own knowledge but for the knowledge of his Red Wing comrades. Cecil stopped halfway out of the room , clearing his throat. " Your Majesty ! " he called out , hoping to appear composed and not nervous at all.

The King and Baigan jumped , they were so mesmerized in the Crystal's surface that they hadn't noticed Cecil was still in the room. The King coughed loudly. "Yes , Cecil ? What is it ? "

Cecil took a deep breath and walked straight up to the King's throne. " Your Majesty…forgive me but what are your intentions with the Crystals ? My men … all of the Red Wings…are confused and displeased with the massacre of Mysidia."

The King raised an eyebrow, staring seriously down at Cecil. " And what about you , Captain ? Do you question my command ? "

Cecil's eyes widened , and he shook his head back and forth. " No , of course not ! I only ask…"

The King slammed his fist on the arm of his throne. " Silence ! Dissension only leads to treason, and that I will not tolerate , Cecil ! I hereby relieve you of your command of the Red Wings ! "

Cecil let out a gasp , despite his attempts to keep void of emotion. " But … Your Majesty ! " Cecil managed to choke out , his throat suddenly very dry.

The King and Baigan stepped forward towards Cecil. " Now…I charge you with another duty. Slay the Phantom Beast that infests Mist Valley , and deliver this Bomb Ring to the village of Mist. You leave tomorrow , at the first light. "

Suddenly the doors to the throne room were thrown open with a large bang , and a man rushed through them. He was panting and out of breath , dressed in shiny blue armor. His helmet was in the face of a dragon's face , and it covered the top half of his face. His eyes held a shining gleam , but instead of a lively gleam this one was a gleam of anger. "Your Majesty , I beg you to reconsider. " he said after catching his breath. " Cecil has done no wrong."

The King was livid. " Kain , you insolent cur ! How dare you barge in here? " he yelled, spit flying from his mouth. " If you are so concerned about him, you may now accompany him. Now, take that ring on be gone! " the King shouted , throwing the Bomb Ring lividly at the two men.

Cecil reached out and grabbed it between his fingers as guards continued to push him and the new man, Kain, from the room. " But, Your Majesty! " Cecil tried to protest once more, but it was to no avail. The guards pushed them from the room, locking the doors behind the two.

Cecil sighed, unable to look his friend in the eye. Instead he stared at the floor. " I'm sorry, Kain, " he sighed to his friend. " This is all my fault."

Kain merely laughed, as if the demotion didn't bother him. " Cecil, don't worry too much. Once we have completed the mission , the king is bound to forgive us both ! You'll be captain again in no time, and I will be able to rejoin you in the Red Wings! "

Cecil didn't respond to this, only continued to stare at his feet morosely.

Kain nudged his friend on the shoulder. "Just get some rest. Leave tomorrow's preparations to me." He gave Cecil another encouraging pat on the shoulder and another bright smile , and then walked off to join the rest of the Red Wings group for a drink in the corner of the castle.

Cecil debated whether he should follow Kain or go to his room and get some rest, and made his decision as he felt the weak pangs of an oncoming headache. He put a hand to his temple , and waved at the men he was formerly in command of , walking off in the opposite direction that led to his chamber.

As Cecil walked through the halls, he thought about the pain he had just caused many people. The terrors , the horrors , and the tortures. " How could the King do such a thing? " he whispered aloud.

"It's not like him…killing innocent people is so wrong. The poor Mysidians…" Cecil shook his head again.

"Cecil!"

Instantly Cecil froze at the sound of the voice calling out his name. "Damn…" he swore under his breath. He could tell from the voice who the person was, and it was someone who he just couldn't face under the circumstances. Cecil stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around.

"Cecil, oh thank goodness you're all right!" white mage Rosa Farrel exclaimed, and even though Cecil wasn't facing her he could still hear from the tone of her voice that she was smiling. "I was so worried about you, Cecil. You left on such short notice!"

Cecil heard the rustling of her clothes as she came to stand behind him. Still, he didn't turn around to face Rosa. Instead he just stared at the floor until he realized that he would have to answer to her eventually. "We're fine," he said shortly. "I wish I could say the same for the Mysidians we slaughtered…"

Rosa frowned slightly, not fully understanding his last sentence. An awkward silence fell over the couple, Cecil not wanting to say anything and Rosa not knowing what to say. Finally she reached out and laid a hand on Cecil's shoulder. Cecil flinched involuntarily and Rosa, sensing his discomfort, pulled away.

Tears began to form in her eyes at the idea of Cecil's unhappiness. "Cecil, I'll visit you later, okay?" she asked, wanting to hurry out of the room before he saw her cry.

Cecil nodded curtly. "Very well," he responded, still keeping his light blue eyes fixed on a spot on the flooring. Behind him he heard Rosa rush from the room, and silently cursed himself for the way he had handled the situation with her. Cecil simply continued the path to his chambers, never more eager to get there.

However, another good friend would stop him.

"Well, well, well! Look who's back! Rosa was worried sick about you!" The voice came from an older man named Cid. Cid was short, with a bushy red beard and goggles that almost always covered his eyes. He was Baron's chief engineer, the one responsible for the production and invention of the now famous and revered airships. Cid ran up to Cecil and slapped him on the back like an old friend would. "Don't you ever worry her like that again, you hear? So, how are my airships? I'll bet you and your goons wrecked them up something awful!" Cid laughed heartily, only then noticing Cecil's awkward silence and uneasiness. He furrowed his eyebrows and peered closer at Cecil. "Hey, what's the matter with you, kiddo?"

Cecil took a deep sigh. He needed to tell someone, and Cid was as good as anybody was. Cecil, Kain, and Rosa had grown up in Baron castle together, all friends with Cid. Cecil was closer to Cid than possibly anyone, save Rosa. "Well…" he began quietly, and proceeded to tell Cid the whole story: their mission briefing, the Mysidia massacre, the taking of the Crystal, his demotion, and the awkward encounter with Rosa moments before.

As Cid listened, he grew more and more angry. His face turned red with angry, and he sputtered when he spoke. "What? The King demoted you? What about the Red Wings? They'll be a mess without you!" Cid shook his head to show his displeasure. "What comes over the King? He's been acting peculiar. He ordered me to build an airship that he can use to slaughter people! Everyone's worried about his majesty... " Cid made a face and shook his head again before changing the subject. "Anyhoo, be careful out there! Make short work of that mission and get back safe." he said grimly, then looked down to check the time on his watch. "Whoa, I have to start heading home or my daughter's going to kill me! Be careful Cecil!" he yelled before dashing off.

"I will…" Cecil responded quietly to Cid's retreating back. Finally, he ascended the stairs that led to his bedroom. He took off the heavy helmet that had been burdening him all day, shaking out his long hair and wiping the dirt from his face. The sunset was beginning to glow outside of his chamber window, and Cecil finished taking off his armor. Being the Dark Knight of Baron that he was, the armor was heavy and dirty. Cecil could feel the burden in his chest lighten as he stripped the dark armor off his body. He then lay down on his bed, thinking out loud.

"What's happened to the king? He covets the crystals as though he's possessed. And he'll resort to any means to get them," for what seemed like the hundredth time that night, memories of Mysidia came flooding back into Cecil's head. Again, he shook his head to get rid of them, but to no avail. Nevertheless, I can't defy him. How could I cross the man who raised Kain and me like his very own? The chivalrous knight whom I've adored and admired since childhood?" Cecil closed his eyes, not realizing how tired he really was. "I will not betray him, I can't."

Cecil was just beginning to drift off to sleep when he heard his door open quietly. Cecil kept his eyes closed, turning over onto his side so that he could face the wall. He had forgotten that Rosa was coming to visit him. He still felt too guilty to face her, too conscious of the Mysidian blood that had stained his hands just hours before.

Rosa knew that Cecil was faking sleep, and she strode right over to the side of his bed. She laid a hand on his shoulder, shaking him softly. "Cecil, what is going on? You just returned from Mysidia and now you must journey afar to battle this phantom beast? You're acting very strange lately, Cecil." Her voice was accusing and sharp, not like her normal voice that was gentle and calm.

Cecil stayed quiet for a moment, until Rosa gave his shoulder another sharp shake. "Nothing's wrong, everything's fine," he said in a blank tone of voice that was completely void of emotion. Cecil continued to stare at the wall, trying to make patterns out of the shapes. Anything to keep his mind off the matter at hand.

Rosa sighed, sitting herself down on the edge of Cecil's bed. She removed her hand from his shoulder, instead using it to hold one of his hands. "Cecil, look at me," she whispered gently.

Cecil hesitated, and then rolled over onto his back so that he could see her face. He closed his eyes before continuing, just so that he wouldn't have to look Rosa in the eye while he told her of the horrible crimes he had committed. "In Mysidia, we killed innocent people to steal their crystal." He paused to open his eyes and determine Rosa's reaction, but she kept her face the same, patiently waiting for him to continue. Cecil re-closed his eyes. "It was horrible," he was surprised to hear his voice break slightly and found himself happy that Rosa was still holding his hand. "I suppose this is my fate as a dark knight. I chose this. Soon, I won't even feel remorse for my own actions," Cecil's face contorted in sorrow and shame, and Rosa watched him, her heart aching for him.

"You and I both know that would never happen, Cecil. You're not like that," she tried to comfort him, lightly squeezing his hand.

Cecil sat up in his bed, finally looking Rosa straight in the eye. "No. I still can't defy the King. I'm a hopeless coward," he said, bowing his head in shame.

Rosa moved slightly closer to him, placing one hand on his shoulder and the other to lift his chin so that he was forced to look at her. "The Cecil I know wouldn't whimper like this," she scolded him, letting her hand drop from the side of his face. "The Cecil I love…" she looked away shyly, brushing a strand of light blonde hair behind her ear.

Cecil's eyes widened at her statement , and he felt his heart start beating considerably faster. All he could feel was the weight of her hand that was still on his shoulder, and he flinched involuntarily as she removed her hand and stood up. "You leave for Mist early tomorrow morning, correct?" she asked.

Standing up as well, Cecil nodded. "But you don't have to worry. Kain's coming too. I'll be fine, trust me." Before he could think about it, he pulled Rosa into a hug, and held her there for as long as he possibly could.

Rosa lifted her head from where she had placed it against his chest. "Please…come back to me in one piece. " She continued to stare into his eyes as they stood together, locked in a tight embrace that neither one of them wanted to break free from.

Cecil moved away first, still holding onto Rosa. He lightly kissed the top of her head, and then completely pulled away. "Thank you, Rosa," he told her, giving her a soft smile, perhaps the only smile that had crossed his lips all day.

Even though she knew she should smile back, Rosa couldn't help the tears that were forming in her eyes. She forced back a small smile, and then turned and fled from the room before Cecil could see that she was crying because of him again.

After she had been gone for a second or two, Cecil began to think out loud to himself again. "Though as a Dark Knight, you know we can never be together." He smiled again, this time a sad smile, and finally crawled into bed and fell asleep for the rest of the night.

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Cecil awoke the next morning before the sunrise, and put on all of his heavy armor again. He donned it fitfully, but the bloodstains brought back the same horrible memories from the night before. He hurried down to the front of the castle, hoping that Kain would somehow be able to cheer him up on their mission.

Kain was already ready and waiting for Cecil in the main hall. When he saw Cecil coming, he grinned brightly at his friend, patting him on the back. "You feeling better today, Cecil?" he asked cheerfully, not wanting to put Cecil in any morose of a mood.

Cecil shrugged Kain away. "Yeah, I guess so."

Kain frowned slightly at the answer, but decided to accept it. "You ready for some real combat today?" his eyes glimmered excitedly as he pulled the front of his helmet down over his face.

Cecil had to laugh and smile at the familiar happiness in Kain's eyes that always seemed to surround him. "Always," he replied to his friend.

Kain fake-bowed dramatically in front of Cecil. "Lead the way," he gestured, and the two friends walked side by side out of Castle Baron and into the world.

Thus, the Dark Knight Cecil was expelled from his command as a Captain of the Red Wings.
And he and Dragoon Kain left Baron for the Village of Mist in a valley enclosed in deep fog.
Airships had been a dream of many people.
After the realization of the dream, came greed and ambition.
Through its fleet of airships, Baron became the most powerful nation.
But why is Baron seeking the crystals?
Why do the monsters keep increasing...?
The crystal was shedding its light silently...