Author's Note: Hey, everyone! Sorry that I've been a little bit behind with this update. School has just been hitting me pretty hard lately. I'll try to work on chapter nine some this weekend. But, as always, please continue to read and review!
Oh, you—you're made of fire.
Never higher, you were made to run.
Oh, you—you're burning higher.
You've got the fire.
You were born on the sun.
Get ready to run!—
"Born on the Sun"—Ronnie James Dio
A Time of Peace. A Time of War
Chapter VIII
The belief among Alexandria's court was that Treno would be retaken within a few days.
But two weeks later, Captain Steiner informed Zidane, "Treno has been retaken."
Zidane sighed. "Thank god! …That'll be good news for Dagger to hear."
"How's the queen doing?"
"I don't know. She hasn't been throwing up anymore, but she still feels weird…Doctor Tot's looking at her right now."
Steiner nodded. "Yes, it's a good that the doctor came all the way from Lindblum to help."
Zidane returned the nod. "Perhaps what was even better was the fact that Doctor Tot was smart enough to realize what was happening in Treno and flee before things got too rough…It's only too bad that he had to ride on a gargant to get here and not an airship."
Again Steiner nodded. "Agreed."
After Steiner finished his statement the double doors to the throne room opened to reveal General Beatrix.
"Beatrix!" replied Steiner.
Zidane smiled. "Hey, Beatrix! Steiner just finished telling me the good news about our recapture of Treno."
Beatrix sighed. "It may not be as good as you think."
"What do you mean?"
Beatrix handed Zidane a letter. "Here, read this."
Zidane read the letter.
Greetings and Salutations to the entire court of Alexandria!
By the way, is Captain Steiner still there? I certainly hope so. I always enjoyed the way he'd get pissed off at me. Jumping up and down in his rusty armor, shaking his fists. I should've called him 'Captain Rusty' more often!
Well, as you can see, the revolution's happening. Soon it'll be you—the royals—who are searching for table scraps. While me and the common folk will be living like kings! I'm sure that by the time you read this, you will have retaken Treno. But that's okay. We don't mind losing Treno. We've taken everything good that we wanted out of it anyway. We left it in a waste of rubble, ash, and the remains of the tyrannical nobility!
Well, I'm sure you'll be hearing from us soon. And, again, make sure to say, "hello" to Captain Steiner for me!
Your ever loving pal!
Haldan
After he read the letter, Zidane returned his gaze to Steiner and Beatrix.
Steiner kept his tongue between his teeth, but it was obvious that he wanted to scream. "Oh, I hate that son of a bitch! But if I express my feelings about him right now, it only adds him a moral victory."
"So he's funny and smart at the same time," replied Zidane.
"You call that funny!" exclaimed Steiner. "The man's leaving us with a threat…And how dare he insult me!"
"That's what made the letter funny," smiled Zidane. "It reminded me about myself, and our adventure together."
"Then perhaps you should join him!"
"Shut up, both of you!" replied Beatrix. "And it's time for you to become serious, Zidane!"
Zidane nodded. "Don't worry, I'll become serious."
Beatrix returned the nod. "Then what's our next move?"
"We've many of them. To begin with, I know that Haldan'll strike again. His letter confirms it. It's obvious that by his words, he's claiming a moral victory over us. In his eyes we only regained Treno, because it was of no more use to him. Here's what we've to do.
To begin with, we must increase our security—both for Dagger and myself; but also around the Castle and in the city of Alexandria itself. Second, we must pay off our debt immediately! And we must do it without any more taxes."
"But how're you going to do that?" asked Steiner. "It has already been shown by the royal accountant that we simply don't have enough money in the Treasury."
"Then we'll have to pay with something else. I know that Dagger has some jewels, and we've some royal treasures…"
"Those're important heirlooms to our kingdom!" interjected Beatrix.
Zidane nodded. "I understand, but we don't have a choice. If we don't pay off our debt immediately, Haldan's army'll simply increase."
"Her Majesty still must approve of this."
Again Zidane nodded. "I understand that as well…But after that, we've one more thing."
"What's that?" asked Steiner.
"We must catch Haldan! We have to find out where he is. I'd ask my Tantalus brothers to help me, but right now we can't afford to us them. I need both of you to bring me the best spies that we have."
Beatrix saluted her prince consort. "It shall be done, Zidane."
Steiner returned the gesture. "Yes, it shall be done."
Once again, Zidane nodded. "Thank you…but you don't need to salute me."
"Excuse me," the voice of Doctor Tot began, as he stood outside the doorway; "am I interrupting something important?"
Zidane smiled. "No, Doctor, the important business has already been discussed. Please come in."
Doctor Tot returned the smile. "Thank you."
"So…Doctor…did you find out what's wrong with Dagger?"
The doctor kept his smile. "Yes."
"Well, what is it?"
"Before I answer that question let me begin by stating, 'congratulations, Zidane!'"
"…Huh?"
Doctor Tot chuckled. "Zidane, the queen's pregnant."
Everyone in the room gasped.
But no one seemed to gasp as much as Zidane. "What!"
Doctor Tot laughed. "Yes, new fathers often act that way. I was like that when my son was born…"
"Doctor Tot, I didn't know that you had children," interjected Steiner.
Doctor Tot nodded. "Yes, one son-one daughter. I don't get to see them as often as I'd like, however. Especially after me and my wife separated…They're pretty much grown now…But why're we talking about me? Today's a day to talk about Zidane and Garnet."
Everyone turned to Zidane.
"…I'm speechless."
That response brought out a laugh.
"Yeah, I'm speechless all right, but I'm worried about Dagger. I remember being around pregnant women and their mood swings. I'm happy, of course, but I fear this letter. I have to let Dagger read it, because I can't keep information from her. Not only's she the queen, she's also my wife! But I worry that it might put her under too much stress, which'll harm the baby."
"So…even though we won we still kind of lost?" replied Garnet.
Zidane nodded and sat in a chair. "In a sense Haldan has claimed a moral victory over us."
Garnet sat in Zidane's lap, and turned to him. "What do you think we should do?"
Zidane placed his hands on Garnet's pregnant—but still un-showing—belly. "I told Beatrix and Steiner what we should do earlier. But we await your approval."
"What're they?"
"That we need to increase our security for a possible attack. I requested that security be increased not only for us—but for the Castle and city of Alexandria itself. I also requested that we send out spies to capture Haldan."
Garnet nodded. "I approve of everything so far."
"But that's not all."
"What else's there?"
"We have to pay off our reparations immediately!"
"But, Zidane, we don't…"
Zidane patted her backside. "Please get up for a moment."
Garnet did as Zidane requested.
Zidane motioned her over to her dresser, and held up her earrings. "We can give these."
"Zidane, no! Those're my family's jewels!"
Zidane nodded. "I understand how you feel, Dagger. But believe me, we don't have a choice. If we don't pay off this debt now, Haldan'll use it to bring more people over to his cause. Not just people in Alexandria, but also people in Lindblum and Burmecia."
"Impossible! Uncle Cid and Freya would never allow anyone to fight against us!"
"No, they wouldn't. But that doesn't really matter. Regent Cid can't control the desires of everyone in his kingdom. Freya may be one of the most respected knights in Burmecia, but she's not like Beatrix or Steiner. She's not a general, and she's not a captain…The fact of the matter is that we've to create a safe Alexandria…Both for the living, and for those who're not yet born."
"Like our baby?"
Zidane smiled and nodded. "Yes, like our baby."