Chapter 51: Knight in Rusty Armor
Clopin cartwheeled out onto the stage, tossing colored smoke pellets that coated the floor in a thick fog as he did so. Oil lamps on and around the castle backdrop were lit from backstage, casting an eerie glow and illuminating the fog, causing Clopin to appear in silhouette from the audience's position—not that there was any audience to view, as it was only a rehearsal.
But Clopin was undaunted by his lack of an audience. He leaped out of the smoke with joyous laughter and slid on his knees to the edge of the stage, before jumping up into a backflip and landing steadily on his feet to give a deep, graceful bow. He looked up with a grin to make the Cheshire Cat envious before tipping his hat.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Clopin called out to the absent crowds. "Tonight's performance is a story that takes place long, long ago. Our heroine, Princess Cornelia, is torn from her lover, Marcus. She attempts to flee the castle, only to be captured by her father, King Leo. When our story begins, Marcus, having heard of this, crosses swords with the king."
Behind the plywood castle, Xion adjusted the leather scabbard that held her prop sword. It fit awkwardly over her chest, with it always either too tight or too loose; at least, that's what she kept telling herself. It was probably more anxiety than anything, even if they weren't actually in front of a crowd. Xion had only taken a short glance at the script, enough to memorize the lines she was supposed to say…but also enough to get the butterflies in her stomach going.
Zidane gave her an encouraging smile and wink as he adjusted his own prop sword, his personal daggers hanging from his belt. Xion returned it with an uneasy grin, then gulped and moved back to fussing around with the strap over her chest. At least she wasn't doing as badly as Donald, she supposed—the poor guy was shaking, his bill chattering and eyes wide, his feathers and outfit soaked with sweat. It was probably a good thing he was only playing one of the king's guards and so didn't need to actually say anything.
"And now, the Gypsies of Paris—and some special guests—proudly present 'I Want to Be Your Canary'!"
The moment Clopin had finished speaking, Zidane dashed out from behind the plywood castle at top speed. Xion took a deep breath, made sure the sword was still in its scabbard, and took off after him with Sora beside her. Sora hadn't seemed nervous at all about this; if anything, he was the second most eager one behind Zidane.
The three of them stood on the side of the stage near the curtains, only just barely visible from the would-be audience's point of view. Zidane dropped down on one knee and flashed a grin at Xion. "You've got this, just have fun with it!"
Xion nodded and cleared her throat, then spoke loudly as Clopin had done before. "Bereft of father! Bereft of mother! Marcus! Thou hast lost even thy love!"
Her delivery was stilted and her voice fell and rose as she spoke, to the point that she trailed off near the end. Xion looked down at her feet and felt an embarrassed blush crawling up her face, but she kept going.
"Fortune hath escap'd thee!" Sora was grinning as he spoke, and it looked like he was trying to hold back laughter. 'Corpsing', Xion thought it was called—when actors just burst into laughter in the middle of a performance, usually out of nervousness. Or maybe it was just because of the dated writing, who knows. "For what end…uh…shalt thou live?"
Zidane jumped up to his feet and drew his sword. He held back nothing as he spoke, performing his best as if he had been born onto the stage. "For the sake of our friend... Let us bury our steel in the heart of the wretched King Leo!"
"Aye!"
The three of them ran out into the center of the stage just as the imposing figure of Phoebus jumped down from atop the castle walls, chased down by Quasimodo who ran down the stairs with a prop sword of his own in his hands. From the opposite ends of the stage ran Donald and Goofy, who stood at Phoebus's side. Quasi held the sword unsteady, not accustomed to a weapon real or otherwise, and grinned up at Phoebus, who remained in-character and stoic.
Zidane had to nudge Xion in the side with his elbow, after which she hurriedly jumped to Quasi's side and spoke in an awkward, rushed delivery: "We shall back thee, Kinsman!"
Quasimodo, playing Marcus, shook his head. "Pray, sheathe thy swords! This villain is mine alone!" His performance was only a notch above Xion and Sora's, but he didn't let it get to him. The bell-ringer looked like he was having the time of his life up here, performing with his friends.
Sora drew his sword and stepped up to Quasimodo. He looked tempted to hold it in both hands as he would the Keyblade, but Zidane had earlier instructed them that the audience was key—hold your weapon so it was clear to the audience. So instead, Sora stood straight and held it out with one hand. "Nay, Kinsman! For I, too, have lost a brother to this fiend!"
Phoebus laughed, putting on an impressive display of a cruel ruler. Perhaps all that time around Frollo had paid off. "What ho? Out, vermin! Away! Thou darest bare thy sword before the King!? All who stand in my way will be crush'd!" Beside him, Goofy held a stone-cold glare and raised his shield threateningly, while a shaking Donald held his own weapon limply and hid under the brim of his hat.
Zidane took a step forward. "Treacherous Leo, my Kinsman's suffering shall not be in vain! For I shall instruct thee in his incomparable pain!" At Zidane's words, Esmeralda and Dagger tossed out smoke bombs and flared the lamps from backstage, signaling the battle scene. Xion gulped and eyed Sora, who also looked nervous. Something told her play fighting was going to be tougher than real combat.
Zidane had given them a very brief rundown: focus on appearance, not on viability. Who cares if it'd work in a real fight if the audience isn't entertained? And at all costs lock blades with your foe, don't ever hit their bodies. But if you must, use the flat side.
Xion wasn't sure how well she and Sora did, as they muttered apologies now and then to Phoebus, Donald, and Goofy—mostly Donald, who kept flinching out of the way instead of getting struck as he was supposed to. Goofy bit back a few chuckles but otherwise Xion was very impressed with his performance, behaving just as a royal guard would—but then, that's what he actually was.
In the end, Donald and Goofy lay with Quasi's and Sora's swords held between their arms to simulate stab wounds, leaving Phoebus alone while those on Quasimodo's side still stood.
Phoebus clutched at his side, imitating pain as he pointed a finger at Quasimodo. "Arrg ... Grrr ... Thou hast not seen the last of me, Marcus!" He departed backstage, where Esmeralda handed him a glass of water.
"Come back!" Zidane shouted, and he ran off in his direction only to slow down halfway down the stage and turn back to Xion with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh!" Xion slapped a hand over her face and chased after Zidane, intercepting him with her sword held across his chest. Behind them, the others exited to Clopin's side.
"Out of my way, Blank!" Zidane demanded, calling out an unfamiliar name that caught Xion off-guard—until she remembered it was the name of her character.
Xion shook her head. "Consider this, Zidane!" She paused for just a moment too long, the lines escaping her. Oh no, what was she supposed to say?!
Zidane tilted his head. "Consider…?" It wasn't part of the script, he was trying to jog her memory without breaking character.
"Uh… If…If Prince Schneider were to marry Princess Cornelia, peace would reign over both their kingdoms!"
Zidane flashed a brief, subtle thumbs-up with his sword hand before he spoke. "T'is foolishness! If all were so easy, why, none would suffer in this world!"
Xion swung her sword out weakly, to which Zidane brought his up and met it halfway. The blades made a dull thunk as the next battle began. "En garde!"
"Expect no quarter from me!"
x-x-x
"This is it."
Armor clinked with each heavy step as the large, loyal knight Adelbert Steiner made his way into the square around Notre Dame. A gauntleted hand rose up and adjusted his steel cap, attempting to shade him from the afternoon sun. Across from the towering cathedral, sitting in its shadow, Steiner noted the new stage and those standing upon it—including a particular girl in orange.
"It's just like Madame said."
Steiner reached for his sword, prepared to draw it and charge in swinging, but he hesitated. Surely these kidnapping fiends would have some kind of defensive measures, especially with them all out in the open like they were. The nerve! Were they so confident in their skills that they did not even attempt to hide their prisoner?! And in the shadow of a church at that! No, this must be done with subtlety and cunning…
Removing his hand from the hilt, Steiner crept back into the crowded streets and turned toward a side road. He stood out like a sore thumb in his clinking armor, but it didn't matter what the common folk thought of him. Still, to sneak around like a common thief… No! He mustn't think like that! It is for the Mademoiselle, who he has sworn to protect!
Steiner shuddered as he moved down the smaller, darker road. It was certainly less crowded, but those who were there were not the humble bakers and tailors who made the city their home. Around Steiner, in the cramped spaces and against the musky walls, were all manner of beggars and street rats. His nose curled at the sight, but he kept moving with his jaw set and his eyes on the horizon.
"Oi, rustbucket! Watch where ye're goin'!"
Steiner halted and turned to the pile of filth that had spoken to him—no, it was a man! A grimy, unkempt man lay under a tattered blanket, which Steiner had just stepped his dirt-caked boots on. Steiner glanced down and hurriedly jumped off, bowing to the beggar in apology.
"I'm terribly sorry, I…" Steiner trailed off as he considered the situation. Something clicked inside his head and he jumped back up to full height while resting his hands on his hips. "Wait, no! No I am not sorry!" Flaring his nostrils, he clanked off further down the street, stopping only once to turn around and shake his fist at the man. "And I am not rusty!"
The nerve of some people! Rusty… He shook his head. Steiner kept his armor in the utmost condition! It was…it was just the approaching humidity, that was all. Bah! The nerve! Ludicrous!
Still, Steiner didn't let the beggar get to him. He continued down the side roads in the area near Notre Dame, turning this way and that as he weaved between close-quarter buildings and more sleeping Gypsies. But he did do them the courtesy of watching where he was going. For…For his sake! He…He just didn't want to be annoyed by their talking, that was all!
Eventually Steiner made it around to the other side of the large square, and as he emerged into the area he now faced the backside of the Gypsies' stage. Bracing himself with a deep breath, Steiner sprinted forward as quickly as he could and dove beneath the wooden planks of the stage.
He could hear footsteps and muffled voices up above as he fumbled through the darkness. Running a hand along the walls, Steiner searched for some sort of light source so he could gather his bearings and begin a plan of attack. The Mademoiselle must be rescued. He had no choice but to—
Wham! Clank! Crash!
"Gah!"
Steiner toppled forward, a stool in his path that he hadn't noticed in the darkness tripping him up. Steiner flung his arms out, grappling for something, anything, to hold on to in this blackness. Why didn't the blasted Gypsies have lights down here?! His left elbow connected with something as he fell, and he was knocked aside to roll over onto his back.
"Furthermore!"
The muffled voices up above became clear, and at the same time brilliant light poured into the room. An opening above Steiner—a trapdoor—led up to the stage proper. The knight pulled himself to his feet and poked his head out of the trapdoor, where he was met by a deformed face leaning in for a closer look.
"Heavens above!" Steiner was so frightened by the sight of the hunchback that he leaped out of the trapdoor and up onto the stage in shock. But the bell-ringer wasn't alone, of course, and now a small crowd of confused and curious faces surrounded the knight. They all eyed him warily, except for one girl whose white hood was pulled down over her face. All too quickly Steiner realized his mistake. The element of surprise…has abandoned me!
"Is…this part of the play?" Steiner turned his head to the speaker, a young lady with short black hair—short! How horrific! Was it not enough for these Gypsies to kidnap maidens, but now they must cut their hair to look like a man's?!
From up above, a Gypsy in a mask called down t the rest of them. "Improvisation is the ultimate test of an entertainer!"
A blond-haired young man with a cheeky grin on his face nodded. "Gotcha—we roll with it!"
Almost immediately, the hunchback sped past Steiner and embraced the girl in the white hood. "Cornelia!" he proclaimed, ignoring Steiner's existence entirely. What in the world…?
"Oh, Marcus! I missed you so!" the girl's voice, smooth and melodic, caught Steiner's attention. But where had he heard her? "I wish never to leave thy side. Prithee, lead me from this place!" Wait a second, now he knew! She was…! He opened his mouth to speak, but the blond spoke up.
"See, King Leo? Thou shouldst give them thy blessing!"
King…? The King of France? Here?! Steiner whipped his head back and forth with his eyes wide, searching desperately to lay eyes on His Majesty, but he saw no one but the traitor who had turned on Judge Frollo.
"Never!" proclaimed ex-Captain Phoebus. The man walked across the length of the stage with his arms crossed, toward an absolutely, positively baffled Steiner. "Never leave his side, thou sayest? Foolish banter! I'll not allow it! Cornelia shall marry none other than this man—Prince Schneider! Is that not so, Prince Schneider?"
Steiner blinked. Was Phoebus talking…to him? What?! "M-Marry the Mademoiselle? Me?!" He jumped back and shook his head. S-Surely, she was a sight to behold…but she was a child yet! N-No, he would not—
"Mademoiselle?" A boy with spiky brown hair crossed his arms and tilted his head in confusion. "I'm pretty sure Cornelia is a princess…"
Cornelia…? These fools did not even know the name of the girl they had kidnapped! "What fools are you?!" Steiner demanded, placing a hand on his sword hilt as a warning. "The young lady you kidnapped is not named Cornelia!" At his words, Steiner heard her gasp beneath her hood. The blond boy stepped forward, holding a protective hand out in front of her chest.
"Zidane…" she whispered.
"It's okay, Dagger."
"What ruffian name is Dagger? Call her as she is really known!"
"Dagger is her name, buddy!"
"Brat!"
"Rustbucket!"
The girl with black hair held a hand out imploringly. "Hey, could we please just slow down and talk—"
"Silence! I will not stand while you Gypsy vermin dirty this city any further!" Steiner spat the words out without thinking, and paused when the crowd flinched at what he said. But no, he shook his head—he had no time for remorse! "I will finish this here and now!"
"He's got a weapon!" shouted the one in a wizard's outfit.
The boy with brown hair drew his own sword from a scabbard. "Donald, Goofy, you go protect Esmeralda, Quasi, and Clopin. We can take this guy."
"Gotcha!" shouted the one dressed as a knight, who took the woman Esmeralda's hand in his own and led her and the hunchback offstage, the duck following up behind him.
Steiner gazed at his opponents: Phoebus, the blond, the brunet, and the girl with boy's hair. Their swords looked pathetic! What fool had crafted those? He could not hide a proud smile; the only real threat was Phoebus, but even he could only do so much with such a dull blade. He would dispatch these street rats handily!
"Then face me now!" Steiner drew his sword and held it up to the sky, the sunlight reflecting off the finely-forged steel, before he grasped it in both of his mighty hands and readied for battle. Immediately the brunet and the girl took off toward him, shifting from one-handed stances to two-handed ones as he did so. Steiner brought his broadsword up and blocked the blows—then widened his eyes in surprise as their swords quite literally snapped in two against his.
The two teenagers ducked out of the way as the remnants of their swords flew past their heads and clattered against the stage floor. Steiner stared down at his own weapon, dumbstruck. Not even the most shoddily-built sword should snap like that, so… Aha. Props, that was it—they were just prop swords! This was a stage after all!
"Xion, Sora! You okay?!" Steiner's joy was interrupted by the blond boy's call of concern, to which the two responded quickly. But his attention was on other things, as Phoebus dashed between the two of them and swung his own fake blade out at Steiner's armored form. Steiner made little move to block the blow, knowing full well that Phoebus's weapon would not stand. True to form, it shattered on contact.
"I knew it." Phoebus grit his teeth as the splinters clattered to the ground. "Xion, Sora, Zidane! This man, whoever he is, is not in costume! It's a real weapon and real armor!"
"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Steiner swung his blade out in emphasis, though simply as a warning. He had no desire to actually harm an unarmed opponent. Still, he suddenly found his weapon blocked by two new swords—or were they swords? The two strange teens, Xion and Sora…they held in their hands bizarre key-shaped blades. "What in the world?!"
"I guess the play is done," Sora said as he lowered his white and blue weapon to the ground, dragging Steiner's sword with it.
"Looks like." Xion pulled back her black and white sword and crouched down, watching Steiner warily and ready for him to make his next move. "Who are you? Maybe we can talk this out."
Steiner hesitated, but in the end remained firm. "I do not speak to kidnappers!"
"We don't even know what you're talking about!" Phoebus shouted back at him. He turned his head to the blond one, Zidane, who had yet to say anything. "Hey, Zidane…"
Steiner eyed the boy, who had dropped his own prop weapon and was now holding two deadly-looking daggers in his hands. Still, he didn't move to use them in combat; instead, he stared down at his feet as his hands and the blades hung at his sides.
"Zidane?" Sora spared a glance over his shoulder. "Zidane, what's gotten into you?"
Zidane's shoulders began to heave as a soft, low sound escaped his lips: chuckling. He turned his head up and grinned at Steiner with the smuggest expression that the knight had ever seen. Steiner ground his teeth as Zidane crouched down into a pre-running stance and held his daggers out at his sides. "Sure, we don't know a thing!"
And before he had even finished speaking, Zidane bolted off. Unlike Xion, Sora, and Phoebus before him, he did not move in a straight line toward Steiner. Rather, Zidane, turned right and curved around to assault Steiner from the side, catching the knight off-guard. Steiner moved as best as his armor would allow, but the truth was he was simply not quick enough to keep up with the rogue's speed.
Zidane's daggers slashed against the gaps in Steiner's plate. The chainmail beneath absorbed some of the damage, but it still shook him. Still, now Zidane was within range and Steiner had the advantage. He raised his sword up above his head, ready to bring its weight down upon—
"Stop!" The girl in the white hood jumped between Zidane and Steiner with her arms held out to her sides. Steiner gasped and stumbled as he pulled back his sword, falling back and landing on his rear with a heavy clunk. Zidane burst into laughter, but the girl placed a hand on his arm and got him to quiet down. "Stand down, both of you." She raised her hands up and lowered her hood, revealing brown hair and hazel eyes. "That's an order, Steiner."
"Mademoiselle, it is you after all!" Steiner jumped to his feet and shoved Zidane aside, embracing the girl like an overprotective father. She stiffened up at first, but slowly eased herself and returned the hug. "I'm so happy you're safe! The Madame and I have been so worried, and…and..." He trailed off as he eyes her hair, now hanging just above her shoulders as opposed to the long locks that had once cascaded down her back. "What did these fiends do to your hair?!"
As the others watched on in confusion, she sighed softly. "Let's go inside."
x-x-x
It was largely empty inside Notre Dame, with the Archdeacon's services finished until nightfall and the usual crowds still out doing their daily jobs before coming to pray. As Esmeralda insisted, it was the perfect time and place to perform an interrogation.
Xion, Sora, Donald, and Goofy watched, mildly uncomfortable, as Esmeralda tied up the man that Dagger had identified as Steiner. Xion had to admit she was curious about just what it was Steiner had attacked them for, especially why he had accused them of being kidnappers of all things. Even though Dagger vouched that he was not a bad person, he had attacked them and so they had made sure to restrain him and rid him of his weapon. The large sword was now in Phoebus's hands, at least for the time being.
Esmeralda and Quasimodo stood in front of Steiner while Phoebus was busy admiring the craftsmanship of the sword. Dagger and Zidane stood off to the side, conversing in harsh whispers. Xion couldn't hear what they were saying, but whatever it was they seemed to be in an argument.
Esmeralda leaned forward with her hands on her hips. "What do you want with Dagger?"
Steiner raised an eyebrow. "What do I…? What do you want with her? I simply want to return the Mademoiselle home, where she belongs—as Garnet til Alexandros, heir to the noble Alexandros family!"
Xion's eyes widened as gasps of shock rippled through the assembly. A noble girl… Still, it made some sense; even if Xion wasn't all too familiar with how La Cité des Cloches worked she knew that Dagger was obviously a pseudonym. And besides, she and Zidane had saved her from that big fancy house during her last visit. Gypsies didn't live like that.
"A noble?!"
"Dagger, you…"
"Hm, yeah. I can see it."
Dagger's face grew downcast at the lines rising up from everybody. She looked flushed, embarrassed. This clearly was not something she had any intention of telling anybody. But next to her, Zidane didn't seem at all surprised. If anything, he looked agitated—not at her, but at everyone else.
Steiner spoke once more. "Do not play dumb! You dirty, filthy Gypsies kidnapped her, so of course you know her identity!" Well that certainly got heads to turn. Esmeralda narrowed her eyes and leaned in closer, while Zidane looked ready to hit Steiner upside the head if Dagger hadn't been holding him back.
"Wanna run that by me again?" Zidane hissed through clenched teeth.
Steiner huffed and turned his nose up. "I am merely stating facts. Perhaps not all of your people are thieves and kidnappers, but certainly all of the ones I have had the displeasure to meet are. And I shall protect Lady Garnet from those would harm her at all costs!"
"Oh yeah?! I'll show you just what a 'dirty Gypsy' can do! Dagger, let go of me!"
"You are not exactly making a good case for yourself, you know. Why, if you want to prove that trash isn't trash, then—"
"That's enough, Steiner!" Steiner's mouth clamped shut at Dagger's outburst, and Zidane's ranting ceased as well. Dagger's eyes were narrow and her jaw tight, with her fists clenched at her sides.
Steiner swallowed. "B-But, Mademoiselle…"
"I said shut up!" If Xion had never seen an absolutely dumbfounded man before, then she had now. Steiner's eyes bugged out and his jaw hung open, it was almost comical. Even Zidane seemed shocked at Dagger, but his surprise turned into a smirk—and a look of pride? "I will not hear you speak of my friends this way!"
"…F-Friends…?" Steiner asked in a tiny voice.
Dagger didn't answer Steiner. She sighed and fell back onto one of the benches in the chapel, slumping into it and not caring how it looked. She pinched the bridge of her nose and said nothing when Zidane sat down next to her.
Xion watched the two of them as they sat in silence on the bench. Zidane definitely seemed to have known about this, given his total lack of surprise. Had it been one they were talking about a few minutes ago? Probably. Maybe one of them wanted to tell everyone and the other didn't. Still… It didn't answer why Steiner thought that Dagger had been kidnapped. Was it just out of concern? He seemed so certain of it. This Madame that Steiner had mentioned… Xion didn't want to assume something of someone she didn't even know, but had she somehow planted the idea in his head?
"You okay?" Xion looked over to Goofy, who had spoken to her.
She shrugged. "Fine. A bit bummed out that our visit here wasn't just fun and games, but fine."
Nearby, Quasimodo approached Dagger, rubbing his hands nervously and looking down at the ground instead o her face. "U-Um…"
"Huh?" Dagger looked over at the bell-ringer and smiled gently. "What is it, Quasi?"
"Well, it's just…" Quasimodo rubbed the back of his head and looked up at Dagger with a concerned, almost hurt, expression. "You told us you were a Gypsy…didn't you?"
At the question, Dagger's mouth formed into a thin line. She looked down at her hands resting in her lap, then back up at Quasimodo. Uncertainty clouded her eyes, but she opened her mouth to speak.
"She is." Zidane spoke first. He was resolute in his answer, a hundred percent firm in what he said. As Dagger glanced over at Zidane in surprise, he responded by placing a hand on her shoulder and giving her a thumbs-up.
"She is not!" Steiner shouted almost immediately after the words had left Zidane's mouth.
"Shut up, Rusty!"
"How dare you…!"
Dagger stomped a foot on the ground, which echoed across the empty cathedral and made Steiner whip his head around to her. "Steiner, I told you to stop talking!" He clammed up immediately, staring down at his hands with an unreadable expression on his face.
Xion frowned. "Zidane, you seem to know what's going on."
Uncharacteristically, Zidane hesitated. He gnawed on his lower lip as he glanced over at Dagger, then sighed and turned to face Xion. "Yeah. See, uh, Dagger—that is, um, Garnet…"
Zidane trailed off as Dagger stood up. "Zidane, maybe I should be the one to explain."
Phoebus held a hand out and nodded, encouraging Dagger forward. "We're all curious, Dagger."
Goofy smiled. "Take your time if it's hard for ya to say, but we all sure would like to know what's goin' on!"
"Right…" Dagger brushed her hair behind her ear. A firm look crossed her face as she breathed in deeply, and she cast one quick look at Zidane before speaking to everyone—Steiner included. "What Steiner told you all is true: I am the daughter of the Alexandros noble family, and my real name is Garnet. But…" She trailed off, as if she didn't want to say anything more. Zidane looked like he was about to speak up for her, which urged Dagger to keep going.
"But I also wasn't lying about being a Gypsy, either. I was adopted into the Alexandros family as a little girl, I wasn't born into it. And that's not all, the Alexandros family—or I guess I should say, my parents—aren't around anymore."
"What do you mean by that?" Donald asked softly.
Clanking came from the corner as a bound Steiner did his best to climb up to his feet. "It means they died…a long time ago." He spoke considerably softer now, perhaps due to the mood that Dagger's speech had brought on the cathedral. "Mademoiselle Garnet is watched over by her guardian, the Madame who I serve. And she wants you to come home, Garnet."
"No she doesn't!" Dagger exclaimed. "My guardian… Xion, Zidane, I mentioned her to you the day you saved me. But when I said I was going to go to her—I didn't. She doesn't care for me. She just wants the Alexandros fortune. So when I got the chance that night of the fire, I ran away from her. I wanted to be with the people I was born into—you all."
"I will not hear such disrespect! The Madame is an honorable woman, Garnet!"
"Steiner, your loyalty blinds you! She's cruel!"
"Absurd! I will not allow this! Garnet, I am taking you home immediately!" Steiner grunted against his binding and pulled, snapping the ropes in two. Surprise overtook them, but only momentarily; after all, despite his comical appearance and clanking, rusted armor Steiner was still a professional. Xion and Sora called on their Keyblades and prepared to charge at Steiner, who himself was eyeing Phoebus and ready to take the sword.
craaaKOOOOOOOOOM!
Thunder shook Notre Dame, halting everyone in their tracks. A freezing wind blew through the cathedral and put out the candles that illuminated the large rooms. Up above the stained glass windows shattered, and as thousands of shards of colored glass rained down upon them fire took up the empty space.
"What sorcery is this?!" Steiner shouted above another drum of thunder.
The shadows drew closer, closing in around the group and pinning them in the center of the chapel as they grew darker—ever darker. They became an inky black that covered up the entirety of the floor, and then they began to rise up off of it.
The darkness took shape and filled in with color. Purple robes, yellow steepled hats—they looked like wizards of some sort. The shadows from the brims of their caps covered their faces and clouded them in blackness…or perhaps their skin was black as night already? But the transformation did not stop there. With brilliant flashes of red, eyes formed on the faces of all the newcomers. Red eyes, with jagged features creating expressions of hatred. Familiar eyes.
Sora gasped. "Those are…!"
A purple flame enveloped the wizards' chests, and when it had faded a thorny heart emblem stood proudly on the front of their purple robes.
Xion narrowed her eyes. "Unversed."
Dagger gulped nervously, her skin paling. "Black Mages…"
"Black Mages?" Quasimodo repeated.
"I-I don't know where they came from, but my guardian… She commands them. I've seen them do horrible things with their magic."
Steiner slammed a foot on the ground. "Ridiculous! If they are soldiers of the Madame, then these creatures would not—" A blast of fire interrupted Steiner's ignorant decree. The Unversed, the Black Mages as Dagger called them, raised their hands as one and released perhaps the largest onslaught of Firaga that Xion had ever seen. Were it not for the timely combined Reflega of Sora and Donald, they would not still be standing.
Phoebus grit his teeth and picked up a sword hanging on the wall, then tossed Steiner the weapon that was rightfully his. Sora and Xion raised their Keyblades into the air, while Donald procured his wand and Goofy his shield. Zidane drew his knives and joined them at the front, while Dagger hurried to Esmeralda's side and Quasimodo raised his fists to protect the two of them.
Steiner stared down at the sword in his hands.
Phoebus raised his sword. "They're monsters is what they are! We will end them here and now!"
"Right!"
A blast of Blizzara flew at them, which Xion and Sora swiftly avoided. The two Keybearers charged at the crowd of Unversed, which were once again raising their hands up to cast a spell. Bolts of lightning arced through the air, but Xion charged her Keyblade with light and knocked the Thundara away. She and Sora leaped into the air and brought their weapons down, cleaving two of the Black Mages in half before they spun around and sent bursts of Aeroga out among the crowd, knocking the Black Mages into each other and dazing them out of their casts.
A blond blur whooshed past Xion—Zidane. Zidane expertly weaved through the crowd of Unversed, acrobatically flipping and spinning around the Black Mages as they attempted to get him in their sights for a spell. With every move Zidane made he swung out his daggers, slicing through the darkness that made up the Black Mages' forms. When one caught him by surprise and sent him flying with a fireball, Zidane recovered in midair and caught himself on one of the posts in the chapel. Using his momentum Zidane spun around the post and then shot right back into the Black Mages with knives at the ready.
Throughout it all, Steiner continued to stare silently at his sword.
As the battle raged on, Quasimodo stood back away from most of the chaos and kept his fists raised. The Black Mages, as casters, tried to keep their distance from everyone, but if they got too close Quasi delivered top them a mighty punch backed by strength built up form twenty years of ringing the bells and climbing the walls and towers of Notre Dame. Unfortunately, nothing can last forever.
One Black Mage's Blizzara spell broke through Quasimodo's defenses and the large chunk of ice sent him flying. As he crashed into the chapel's benches Esmeralda hurried over to his side—and left Dagger wide open.
A terrified cry echoed within Notre Dame, and all fighting ceased for a moment's breath as eyes turned to see Dagger held captive by a pair of Black Mages, black lightning escaping from their fingertips and wrapping around her. But moving their eyes from the Unversed, even for a moment, was a mistake. Flames, ice, and lightning assaulted them from all sides. Xion cried out as electricity coursed through her body, sending her into spasms that only halted when fire burned at her skin.
"Dagger!" Zidane kicked a Black Mage aside and made a mad dash over to her, but two more Black Mages shot up out of the shadows right in front of him and fired a point-blank combined Firaga. "Dag…ger… No…"
Phoebus dropped his sword and clenched at his arm, the sleeve of his tunic burned off and his left leg frozen in a block of ice. "St…Steiner, you have to help!" Xion pushed herself up to her feet at Phoebus's words. Sure enough, Steiner still stood there, staring at the goings-on around him with wide eyes and shaking legs. The Unversed were completely ignoring his presence.
"Didn't you say you were here to protect here?" Phoebus demanded of him. "Then do what you promised to do!"
Steiner looked to him, and to the rest of the overwhelmed group. His eyes turned to Dagger, still screaming as the black lightning coursed over her body. More Black Mages had joined the first two, their magic subduing her struggling.
Xion climbed up to her feet, but her legs gave out beneath her. "Steiner, please!"
Zidane, lying on the floor, chuckled darkly. "Damn it, Rusty. You just gonna…roll over like a trained dog? Do whatever some noble know-nothing tells you to?"
"…How dare you." Steiner hissed at Zidane. "I know where my loyalties lie… Something you dirty street rats could never understand. This is for Mademoiselle Garnet's well-being."
Pushing the doors to Notre Dame open, Adelbert Steiner stopped for only a moment to look back over his shoulder. "I know her better than someone like you ever could."
And Zidane said nothing, his tears speaking for him.