The Return

As her emerald eyes fluttered open, Sarah suddenly put a hand to her head as a pounding pulsed between her temples.

With a wince, she managed to sit up. Her long blond hair was in absolute disarray, her pale silk dress smeared with what appeared to be gray dust and black soot.

She looked up with a bit of a start, seeing a slender young man dressed head to toe in black, standing over her with arms folded, a big toothy grin on his face. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Princess. Got any gil on you?"

A bit bewildered, Sarah could only stare before another figure strode up, shoving the lean young man aside. "Cousin, are you well? Can you stand?"

Blinking a couple times, the princess stared some more, her head tilting slightly at the broad plain-armored figure that stood before her. The face was familiar, strong-jawed somewhat bluff with a bold nose, deep blue eyes, and a head of silvery hair. The hair color was different from what she remembered, but the rest…

"…Valor… cousin, is that you? My, it has been years since we have last spoken."

Valor Loftlan smiled. "It has, cousin. I am overjoyed to see you again." He held out a hand, and the princess took it, managing to stand on somewhat wobbly feet.

Still a touch dazed, Sarah looked about. "The last thing I remember was Garland standing over me…" she paused, glancing at the gray ruin all about. "What is this place?"

Her cousin looked about, nodding as well. "Yes, it looks different now with Garland destroyed. I believe what you saw before was some kind of illusion. Well, not an illusion exactly according to how Sana-Lynn explained it, but… well… never mind that, this is the true form of the Temple of Fiends and you are in the same place where Garland placed you in that strange slumber."

The princess put a hand to her forehead, wincing again as memories pulsed painfully through her mind. "Yes, I remember I was brought here by two of the Fiends to face Garland, but he did something to send them away and… By the gods, the King's Army—they are all dead!"

Her cousin looked dour, and suddenly exhausted. "Yes, Sarah, they have been destroyed for nearly a month now and Highland has suffered in their absence."

Sarah grit her teeth, stifling tears, but forced herself to stand straight. "I… see, cousin. So, I take it that you and your companions are the Chosen of the Dawn."

A blond girl several years younger than Sarah and roughly a head shorter came up with an enthusiastic look in her amber eyes, dressed in the signature white and red robes of the Order of the White Staff. She gave a deep curtsy. "Please allow me to introduce myself, Princess. I am the Chosen of Water, Sana-Lynn Atha."

The lean young man from earlier with the dark tilted eyes gave a lop-sided grin. "Oh introductions," he paused to jab a thumb at his chest. "I'm the greatest bloody thief this side of the Abyss, Princess. The name is Awesome McGiveMeGil."

Valor sighed before nudging the young man hard in the ribs. The other winced, rubbing his side through a leather jerkin. "Okay, I'm Gantz—but seriously, we're getting paid for this right?"

Sarah brushed blond bangs from her face, suddenly trying to get her hair in some semblance of order. "I am certain, Master Gantz, that my father will be happy to spare some coin for my rescue."

Valor glared at the other to his side. "We did not do this for coin, thief."

Gantz glared back. "Speak for yourself, blue blood. I didn't go through all this damned trouble just for heartfelt thanks. I want some bloody recompense." He paused to look back at Sarah. "Oh yeah, I'm also the bloody Chosen of the Wind Crystal, if that even matters."

The princess managed a slight grin in spite of herself. "It actually matters quite a bit, Master Gantz." She looked about. "I was certain the prophecy said there would be four of you."

Valor merely turned, gesturing to another that sat on the shattered tiles some ways behind them. This person was a small shrouded figure in tattered black robes with a peaked wide-brimmed hat upon its head. Almost totally concealed, the only thing the princess could see of the figure's face were two glowing yellow eyes. "That is Robin Magus, the Chosen of Fire." He paused to look over. "Would you care to introduce yourself to my cousin, Robin?"

"You just did it for me, Chosen of Earth, so why bother?" The shrouded girl's glowing eyes quickly narrowed. "Now, may we leave this cursed place? Even with Garland destroyed I still get an ill feeling from squatting in this blasted ruin. Better to be gone from it."

Sarah quickly agreed. "Yes, we should leave this place as soon as possible. I suppose you all have much to report to my father."

Valor looked grave. "More than we would like, cousin. Regardless, the two of you are right. We must leave this place quickly and return with all haste. Hopefully the Chocobos are amenable to giving us another ride once we reach their forest."

The princess looked over. "Chocobos?"

The Chosen of Earth gave an off-hand shrug. "Large yellow birds of useful demeanor. You will have to feed the matriarch, but I am certain she will accept you quickly and we can be off. They are very swift mounts."

Sarah looked down. "Ah… very well, let us head back. I do long to see father again. I assume he is back to his old self?"

Valor nodded, with the hint of a grin. "An correct assumption, cousin."

She nodded back. "Good, than there is some hope for Highland yet. The fiends are the reason why he has acted so rash and dishonorably that last few years."

Valor sighed, working a shoulder. "Yes, it is they that we must contend with next. We will have to find out where they reside."

The white mage clutched her ashen staff to her. "They will be near the Elemental Crystals."

Sarah frowned. "The Crystals are at varying points about the world, none of them close to either us or each other. It will be quite a journey to reach all four of them. I believe the closest is across the Narrow Sea on the continent just south of us."

The Chosen of Earth ran an armored hand through his silvery hair. "Yes… well, worry no more about that, cousin, and let us be off. It will likely take nearly a week to get back, even with the Chocobos assistance, and the sooner we are off the better."

The young woman nodded. "I agree."

Rather subdued, the princess followed the four Light Warriors as they made their way out of the ancient stone temple. Its previous beauty had vanished, now merely a gray ruin of cracked stone and dust, littered everywhere with debris and harboring no signs of life.

Not long after, the five left the temple through a large archway, heading out into a pale gray afternoon. It looked ready to rain at any time as the four came out into a sort of half-buried plaza of stone, with worn and broken ruins all about.

"Going somewhere, Highlanders?"

Startled, Sarah looked up at a tall black-armored figure perched above them on a worn pillar of stone; her heart suddenly racing when she thought it was somehow Garland returned… but no. With a little more inspection it was clearly not the black knight come back to life. "You are armored as an Imperial Lancer. Have we met before?"

The dragoon gestured at her with his spear-tipped lance. "Yes… I have seen you before. You are the Highland Princess, sent as an emissary to meet with my mother's diplomats for pointless talks of peace between our two countries. So, if all of you are back out here, I take it that Garland is no more."

Valor looked up at the black-armored knight. "It is true, Dragonfang, Garland is vanquished."

Sarah's green eyes widened, "You are the Dragonfang? I recall him being older."

The young man growled. "He was older! My brother was slain fighting Garland, and I swore to end the monster's life by my spear! Now what am I to do, my oath of vengeance is for naught, or do you offer your own life to sate my oath?"

Valor quickly stepped in to interpose himself between the dragoon and her. "My cousin will not come to harm while I draw breath, dragoon! I am sorry for your brother, but we were far more aggrieved by Garland's betrayal. We lost our entire army to him."

The Lancer made a sharp gesture. "A damned pox on your bloody army, Highlanders, our single platoon of Lancers could have killed half of them by themselves! I will not be sated until Highland has lost what I have!"

In a surprise flash of light, Sarah noticed that Valor was suddenly holding a long spear as he faced the dragon knight. "Did you not listen? We have lost more than you, Imperial! Now begone or it is your own blood you will see this day! I have no more patience for black-armored fiends!"

Brushing unruly blond bangs from her face, Sarah moved between the two. "Peace between you two, please. We are all aggrieved by Garland's actions, and shedding blood here will do nothing but worsen things between our two nations, which neither of us can afford."

The younger blond girl… Sana-Lynn, she recalled… came to stand next to her, holding her white staff before her judiciously. "The princess is right, we cannot fight each other and expect to survive the encroaching chaos. Evil still hangs over us like a pall and we must stand united against it or we will all perish!"

Sarah looked over with a thankful nod at the younger girl and the white mage gave her a warm smile. The princess then looked up at the dragoon, his crimson cape flapping in the wind.

The tall armored figure was silent for a time. "You ask for a truce between us, Highlanders, but until my oath is sated, you are not leaving here so easily…" He suddenly leapt down from the weathered stone pillar, seemingly poised to attack, and yet Sarah also sensed hesitation in him and knew to act.

With a few deliberate steps forward, she placed herself before the Dragonfang, hands pressed to her breast with a slight bow in the Imperial courtly fashion. After she rose up again, she asked: "How is your mother, Dragonfang?"

He seemed to twitch in surprise at the question before facing her squarely, nearly a head taller and athletic in build. His upper face was quite covered by the stylized helm he wore, concealing everything but his mouth and chin. "You met her during the talks I assume… she must be utterly furious with me by now. I disobeyed her by leaving as abruptly as I did… and all for naught," he finished bitterly.

Sarah shook her head. "No, not for nothing, Dragonfang. You have learned that Garland is vanquished and that Highland is not your true enemy."

His teeth grit and he took a menacing step forward; though Valor's sudden presence at her side brought him up short. Still, there was a bite to his tone. "The demon that slew my brother was a knight of Highland, traitor or no, so we do have blood between us, Princess! Still, I will leave this cursed realm for now, but do not forget, Highlanders, that the Dragon has its eye upon you and will return one day for its due." He then turned stiffly on his heel, marching back to a more open area between the ruins before putting two fingers to his mouth and whistling shrilly.

Suddenly a great dark shape swooped down from the temple, giving a loud rumbling cry before soaring thirty feet directly overhead. With a fantastic leap, the dragoon launched himself nimbly onto the wyvern's back before gaining height in a long sweeping loop towards the northwest.

Sarah put a hand to her forehead with a sigh. "I fear I handled that badly."

To her side, Valor shook his head. "Not at all, cousin, he was determined to be confrontational and yet you turned him away anyhow. That is the best we can hope for at present."

The wolf lean boy Gantz gave an incredulous whistle. "I've heard the stories of how lethal the Imperial Lancers were in their last war with Highland… still, after Garland, that dragoon wouldn't have stood a chance against us and I'm bloody well sure he knew it."

"Just another armored fool wasting our time when we should be moving," the black mage added irately.

The white mage nodded. "Yes, let us begin south toward the hills. The sooner we can get back to the Chocobos the sooner we can make real time toward Cornelia."

Valor nodded his assent and the princess followed in their wake as the four moved…

IIIIIIIIIIIII

It was not enough that she was sore and bedraggled, but Sarah also discovered that she was not in the best of conditions for traipsing across the countryside.

She tired easily, slowing the other four with frequent stops. Valor and Sana-Lynn showed commiseration, stating how the temple seemed to drain energy from those within and Sarah had been imprisoned for weeks. The thief Gantz just laughed and called her a pampered blue blood, however, and the shrouded black mage showed obvious impatience and contempt for her apparent weakness, despite saying little.

Sarah had had to force back her indignant replies. She would only prove those two correct by becoming haughty and retorting in kind. The impulse was there, as well as disappointment with two of the four Chosen saviors of the world, but she shoved such petty feelings aside…

Besides, maybe they were right…

Before the fiends had twisted her father, the princess had indeed been a spoiled child, gossiping idly with her ladies-in-waiting, attending tourneys and court with little concern for the goings on; merely delighting in the attention and respect given her because of her blood, though she had earned none of it herself. Her father's descent had come on rapidly once he had made the four fiends his top advisors, even becoming hostile toward her, barring the princess from certain gatherings and using her as an emissary to the Dragon just to get her away from court, even threatening to lock her away in the west tower or marry her off to the next suitor that came calling.

All of it had forced the princess to look around her with a new perspective.

During the last two years, her father's growing madness had become downright terrifying, which was why Sarah was so elated now that Valor had confirmed that the king had returned to his old self. Despite the terrible things Garland had done, he had inadvertently given Highland a second chance by banishing the fiends from the kingdom.

"Are you well, cousin?" Valor suddenly asked and Sarah looked up with a start.

The five of them languished at a small campsite surrounded by tough grasses in the Painstaking Pass. It was evening now, a cool breeze blowing in from the west, sweeping banks of clouds threatening to bring in a storm likely sometime the next morning.

The princess sat with her knees tucked to her chest. They had just entered the hills along the pass, heading south towards Truce. It had taken them well over half a day to get here, longer than it should have due to the princess's dearth of energy.

"I… I apologize for slowing you all down," she said.

Valor quickly waved that away, but the black mage interjected. "As well you should, royal! We would have been at the Chocobo's by now if not for you."

Valor glared at her. "Be abrasive elsewhere, Robin, I will not abide it toward my cousin!"

The thief Gantz seemed to appear from nowhere, suddenly leaning back against the bluff wall right at the edge of the campfire's light, arms folded. He gave a slight shrug. "Eh, everyone always slow me down, no need to get in a bloody huff about it."

The black mage turned away in a huff, going over toward the fire pit and plopping down, her glowing yellow eyes going dim. She often did that, seeming to meditate. Her bursts of anger were often extreme and alarming to Sarah, though the other three Light Warriors seemed to take it as a matter of course. When the princess had commented on it, Valor had looked at her gravely. "Would you believe me if I told you that she used to be even worse?"

The white mage seemed quite the opposite of the one called Robin. "Perhaps I should try another spell, Princess? This feebleness of yours cannot be beyond white magic's ability to cure."

Sarah shook her head. "I thank you, priestess, but it did not seem to do much last time. As you stated during your diagnosis, you don't believe my ailment is magical in nature. I believe it is only something I will regain in time… besides, I am not hardened to travel as the four of you. Master Gantz was right about me… I am a pampered princess, and I have failed my people."

The thief to the side just gave an ambivalent shrug while Robin spoke up from her place at the fire. "Spare us the self-pity, royal, it does no one any good, least of all you."

But such feelings were hard to dismiss. A bit of levity was had in the Chocobo forest, as Sarah found the animated birds quite endearing. She indeed had to feed the matriarch, but the animals seemed to remember the four Light Warriors and were quite energized to meet them again. Attaining some avian mounts slashed the travel time to ribbons…

Still, the princess was quickly reminded of her failure when they entered Truce. The Lord Commander, Lady Brunhilda, was perfectly respectful to Sarah, but it was easy to see the many hard stares granted by the defenders and townsfolk. Many of them blamed the king for their losses and by extension, Sarah. Whatever the circumstances, it was the king's fault so many had died defending Truce and the people knew it. So why the Light Warriors were hailed as saviors and heroes, Sarah had only gotten hard glares, contemptuous snarls, and had even been spit on.

That had been the hardest part of the journey for her. They had stayed the night at an inn in Truce, the Chocobos put up in the stables for oxen, the birds garnering many odd looks from people who had never seen them before. Sarah had taken a bath in a copper tub and had sold her elaborate dress for something much simpler, a plain brown woolen dress of simple cut. The next morning, she had gotten Sana-Lynn to help her tie her hair into single long braid before donning a hooded cloak, wishing to keep the hood up during her time in Truce.

Again, the white mage had commiserated with her. "I feel much the same way as you do about what happened here, Princess, but the only way to go is forward, to leave behind the sadness that binds us to our failures for hope of something better."

Sarah had suddenly hugged the younger girl. "I thank you, little sister…"

From there the journey became a straight shot through the countryside. Now in the heartland of the kingdom, there was little to hinder their progress. Still, needing to stop to eat and rest meant that six days passed before the five came onto the major road that eventually led to the mighty gates of the White City.

Tears filled the princess's eyes when she saw them, and the crowds parted when Valor bellowed: "Make way for Princess Sarah! The Princess has returned!"

Quite in contrast to Truce, the people cheered uproariously for Sarah, and she lowered her hood so they could see her clearly. Still, even with all this and an escort of gold-armored guards, Sarah could not make herself smile. She greeted the people with respectful nods only. Despite the elated mood within the city, sorrow still hung heavily upon her.

IIIIIIIIIIIII

The private council chamber was a large dome of white stone with a high-arched ceiling. All about the walls were tapestries depicting the coat-of-arms of the great houses of Highland Kingdom, though four of them had been recently torn down. A large circular table, carved and gilded within an inch of its life, sat in the center of the room, only one of the dozen high-backed chairs around it currently occupied.

King Highland sat anxiously, a hand to his chin as he looked down upon maps depicting the various parts of his realm. Reports of displaced refugees from the western provinces were a daily occurrence and the newly raised King's Army was barely strong enough to hold a western front from inevitable encroachment by the monster hordes. New border forts were being constructed along the lines of demarcation but whether they would hold up or not against a full-on assault was yet to be determined.

Fortunately, it seemed the hordes had no overriding authority and were attacking each other as often as the forts. Scouts reported constant battles between different warbands, a relief for the people of Highland for now. Still, if a particularly cunning troll or band of ogres managed to beat their rivals into submission that could all change in a matter of days.

The king suddenly sighed, rubbing at his temples. There was also no word from the northeast, from Truce, though the rest of the eastern provinces seemed relatively calm, at least in comparison to the west. There was also the Dragon Empire to the north to worry about since the king had received no word of them since Garland had gone north to meet their forces at the Point of Phemnal, and subsequently betrayed Highland…

Though the king himself had already betrayed his people before then, antagonizing the Dragon into a war with Highland, which had been pure madness. There were still factions in Cornelia that wanted the king removed from power for such utter stupidity and he did not blame them in the least, always waiting for a group of them to burst into the throne room and slap him in chains. That would start a succession war that would tear Highland apart just as easily as being overrun by goblins and trolls. In an attempt to preempt this after he had come to his senses, the king had quickly repealed many foolish policies he had put into place during his time under the fiends' influence, but there was still anger aplenty, especially from several of the spurned orders of knights that the king had marginalized during his madness.

Still, with all this and more on his plate, the king's hand drifted to a small oval painting that sat beside the maps and reports. His daughter was nineteen now, but had been sixteen when the small painting had been commissioned.

He grasped the pale wood frame looking at his child's face. She had her mother's look, her hair, her eyes, and her spirit for certain; it was all there reflected in the painting…

What he wouldn't give to see his precious daughter again.

A sudden knock came from the chamber doors. The king looked up, wiping a hand down his weary face. "Enter!" he bid, irritated at the sudden interruption.

The chamber doors were pushed open by a half-dozen gold-armored guards before the king's young cousin Valor entered, his plain armor more scuffed and dented, his hair no longer short and brown but shoulder-length and silver.

The young man said nothing, merely standing there with a hint of a grin, despite his battle-worn appearance.

The king's brown eyes widened as he stood abruptly. "Cousin… could it be?"

The young man nodded, merely gesturing back toward the broad arched doorway.

The king's eyes immediately moistened as Sarah entered the council chamber. He dropped the painting to the floor and rushed toward his child, encasing her in a hug. "Can you ever forgive me, my daughter?" he whispered plaintively.

His child hugged him back before holding him out at arms length. She gave a slow smile, tears streaming from her eyes. "I believe we can work something out."

In spite of himself, the king laughed resoundingly. He then looked to his young cousin. "Valor, if there is any boon you wish of me, simply ask, and it shall be yours."

The Chosen of Earth nodded. "Well, I believe I and the other Light Warriors would like a day to recuperate. I have much to report, cousin, but suffice it to say, Garland is no more." He paused to look down, suddenly seeming exhausted. "This, however, is the favor I ask: There is an old bridge, cousin, one that needs to be rebuilt."

The king was suddenly curious about such a request, but did not hesitate. "Of course, Light Warrior, it shall be as you say."