Chapter 4: Captured By a Knight

Ashes layed on the land of Ismon, blowing through the air from a storm. Bartz stood in shame at the disappearance of everything that used to exist. He couldn't bear the fact that he didn't suspect that old man sooner. ''Ku...'' Patting Bartz's head, Mog points to Lenna, whom was alone by a wind drake that was left by it's owner. ''A wind drake? I thought only chocobos were brought in for transportation. Bartz runs to Lenna, glancing at the blue wind drake.

''He's not feeling well, and at this rate...'' Lenna stares at the wind drake, sadly rubbing his back. ''Go check where everyone else is. See, Krile is right over there.'' Yes, only Krile, but what about what Faris? Lenna held out her pendant to Bartz. ''No idea; all I know is that I need her right now.'' Need her? For the dragon? I thought Lenna knew about wind drakes more than any of us. ''Wait, so you think Faris knows something about healing wind drakes that you don't?'' ''No Bartz, that's not it!'' Tears streaming down her face, Lenna sighed. I won't show him that I'm crying; relying on a man for confidence makes you weak.

''Oh, I see. You need Faris for the comfort.'' ''No, but she's my sister and I miss her...'' ''Halt!'' A group of knights surround the ashes that used to be Ismon. Turning to what's going on, Bartz sees Krile held by two knights. ''Move and this girl will die!'' Terrified, Krile clutches Clover to her chest. ''What did I do?'' A knight armed with a dagger steps forward. ''She's part of an alliance that burned down Ismon!'' ''What the hell? We didn't burn down Ismon!,'' Bartz said. Angry, Bartz grabs his sword. I just might have to fight all of these guys...

'' Lock the other girl locked up. Go, now!'' Other girl? Wait... could that be...? Another knight in armor grabs a girl by her arm. ''Don't touch me!'' Her blond hair hangs over her left shoulder. ''Faris!'' Lenna sees Mog fly off Bartz's shoulder, fearless strike each knight. ''Come back, Mog!'' Running to protect Mog, Lenna shields Mog. ''Stay back, we'll attack both of these women if you don't surrender.'' Faris grabs Krile, until one knight gets his sword out. ''Stay back!''

''They're coming with us; come along now!'' The head of the knights laughs, patting the old man' shoulder who lit Ismon on fire with a few other men. ''He told us so. Amazing how you can betray Tycoon, Princess Lenna. Lenna shakes her head. ''Betraying Tycoon, I'd never do that! Unhand my sister!'' The old man chuckles, pointing at Faris. ''She's your sister?'' The leader of the knights stares at her for a moment. ''She's your sister? Hm, didn't see such a thing coming.'' Angry, Faris kicks the knight. Holding his sword to his waist, he smiled at his actions. ''So, she's Sarisa? I guess we got ourselves a fine catch today!'' ''Let Krile go, and stop harassing my sister Lenna. Let Bartz be, and the moogles. Faris' eyes grew darker, more serious and violent. ''You you don't have value your own life? Ah ha ha ha!'' ''Lenna take care of that wind drake, he'll grow to like you.'' Faris gives her sister a sly smile. ''Faris! Don't let capture you! Not for me! I won't let that happen!'' Bartz rushes to the knights, swinging his sword. All of the knights charged after him, and the leader stayed behind. ''Don't think you'll escape, traitor! You know what did as a child!'' As a child? Faris clenched her teeth and her fists in a tight bundle.

''You betrayed King Tycoon again once more! Sad that your own daughter goes for the sea on purpose, huh? Taking off his helmet, the knight named Charles tries to rub Faris' hair, and she bends his arm as hard as she could. ''Aargh!'' Charles moaned in pain, until a fist hammered his face. He'd be lucky to not have his teeth punched out. However, Faris isn't the type the type of person to lightly cause pain.


West of Ismon stood Raina, a stormy land that gave birth to knights, sorcerers, summoners, and mages. Rain drips down down the window panes of the shops as a girl stands under the blue pastel sky. She loved the damp soil under her shoes, caressed the soaked chocobos outside their stables, rode the horses at full speed,and kept her pet moogle with her at all times. Her chestnut hair hanged down her neck held by a shiny, purple ribbon. Tying up her ponytail tighter, she grabs a ribbon out of her pocket to tie around her moogle's neck. ''There we go! Aren't you glad we're going to Ismon soon?'' ''Kupo!'' ''I know! I can't wait to stay in the inn and be away from home!'' Sal stares at the dull movement in the sky. ''The sky, it's one of my favorite colors.''

''How's it going?'' A young man played with the girl's ponytail, untying her ribbon on accident. ''Oh, I'll put the-'' ''That's okay; you can keep my ribbon for now, Kakeru.'' Holding a letter in his hand, he gives Sal a cocky smile. Kakeru was tall, wore a topaz necklace, black clothes, and the worried look in his eyes gave him clues of his emotions. Offering Sal some ice cream, the two sit together on the steps of a bookstore. ''So, I heard about those knights capturing people in Ismon. Seems that they have a thing for blonds. Just kidding! Last time saw some girl those guys kidnapped, she didn't even know how to clean dishes!'' Sal giggles. ''So, what you're saying is that they're no good if they can't clean?'' '' Ah ha ha ha ha ha! No, I'm saying that these girls can't comprehend the skills learned by eight year olds, that's all. ''Why is this going on in Ismon? Me and Amy were planning on going there as soon as we can so we can get out of the rain for a while!''

Sal untied her hair and wrapped it around her fists., grinning at Kakeru as he threw his ice cream stick away. ''Well, it seems like more people are coming here; just doesn't seem right to take in innocent people. Kakeru saw a wagon come onto the streets, locked and carrying people. More wagons came in a formal line along the way. ''Those are.. the people they kidnapped? That's crazy!'' Sal stopped herself right in front of the soldiers. ''Step aside, these criminals we are dealing. We do not want you to get hurt!'' Out of the wagon comes a group of people from Ismon, depressed for being accused. ''Hurry up, pay for your crimes!'' Sal studies each individual separately, observing a girl holding a moogle with blond hair.'' She looks so sad, I wonder what happened? And she has a moogle too... Clover peeks at Sal from behind Krile's leg. Two moogles at that. ''Don't worry you two; we'll make it.'' After encouraging Mog and Clover, Krile continues to walk.

Sal knows what I'm thinking, I hope. I want to help those people so bad, but I can't get killed for people I don't even know. It's sort of far fetched. Kakeru walks away with Sal, avoiding getting into a war zone.


''All right, you stay in the cell. Don't think about sneaking out either; it won't work.'' Krile was behind bars, seeing if any of her friends were in any of the other cells. Scanning the cells, she saw someone with brown hair, but it wasn't Bartz. Besides that, she was the only blond girl there so she knew better than to look for Lenna and Faris. We're stuck in her for no reason. but why am I in here and not Bartz? He was tied up like everyone else. so why...? Grabbing his sword was only out of luck; the old man wanted to ask him a few questions before he threw him in the chambers. ''Lenna, use your black magic'', Bartz whispers.''Well, here we are.'' Bartz jumps at his reaction at the croaky old voice that sprinted up his spine. ''W-what?'' ''About the girls... Sarisa, do you really want to be with her? A betrayer of her own father, a thief?'' Bartz looks at the old man, and frowns boldly. ''Faris, is no thief. How can she help it that she was drifted away from her home?'' ''Simple, she ran away. Cocky as a little brat, mm-hmm?'' ''Cocky? Shut up; you're the worst old geezer ever! Before you speak, try to sound intelligent!''

''Intelligence is in the heart, my son! It's one of those things that your, nor your friends, have.'' Angry, Lenna cats fire onto the bars of her cell. ''Hrmph! Little lady, stay in your place! Fire spells are useless against me!'' Running, Lenna tries her best to hold the old man down. ''Bartz! Lenna!'' Krile kicks the cells bar to get their attention, but to no avail. ''Tell us where Faris is!'', Lenna commands. ''I-I don't know; why should I?'' Lenna slaps the old geezer in his face, leaving a red bruise. ''You know, you just won't tell us!'' Heh, he's just like every other scumbag out there, arrogant and vile until their taken down, that's when they curl up and get scared, Bartz thinks to himself. ''Where is Faris! I will get the answer out of you!'', Bartz screams. ''Hurry up and answer us!'' ''D-don't know... She ran away, and gave a few of my soldiers a hard time. She gave one.. of them a black eye. Kicked one in the shin...'' Wheezing, is he? Hope so, he deserves it... Lenna thought to herself.

''Didn't your father teach... wheeze.. her anything? S-she..'' ''Why act friendly to a group of lowlifes who capture you? That doesn't make any sense.'', Bartz replied. ''B-but..she harmed my soldiers...'' ''Big deal, you locked us up because you lied!'' ''Everything Bartz has aid is true.'', Lenna adds on the Bartz comments. ''I'll get Krile out of her cell, unless the old guy wants to fork other the keys.'' ''F-fine, take them. Don't get all sappy when my minions catch you...'' Giving Lenna the keys to the jail cells, she unlocks their cells. ''I will unlock everyone else here too. Bartz, Krile, after this look for Faris. I'll join you two later.'' ''All right. Krile, what do you want to do?'', Bartz asks. ''Go home, that's what.'', Krile replies in a sleepy voice.

Walking up the stairs, Krile sees Bartz's face with an tense expression. He seems much more worried than usual. He's probably thinking about Faris. Those two have been together a lot lately. ''Krile, look out for any of those soldiers. They seem to be around here everywhere.'' Giving her a weak smile smile, Bartz runs off to the second floor. If Faris is hurt... all of these soldiers will suffer... Drifting away from his thoughts, Bartz pushes the door open to the third floor, not yet knowing that he has left Krile behind on the second floor. ''Bartz, slow down! I know you're worried, but slow down!'' Upset, Krile turns to face Bartz. ''I'll help too, Bartz. Just wait. I want to see if there's any other people here besides us.'', Krile whispers. ''Doesn't seem to be anyone running away here. Come on, I saw a library on the way here; Faris could be there.'', Bartz off another questionable smile.

At the library, Sal and Kakeru stayed in from the rain. There was no thunder, but there were guards that circled the nearby station where they could take away your life. ''Hey, there was another one!'' Kakeru laughed. ''Another what?'' Sal coughed; the rain really was irritating her today. ''Another blond girl. At last she doesn't look dumb. I saw her kick one guy in the shin and run for it though. Can't blame her, abduction is pretty much an excuse for idiots and psychopaths who basically want to put anyone on a lease as if humans are dogs; honestly I can't stand it.'' ''In that case, ask your bother if any escaped prisoners walked by. He knows the face of every one of them, and that girl is probably one of them.'' Chuckling, Kakeru gives Sal a soft slap. ''Are you kidding? I've never seen any girl who looks like she's own a ship before. Gave one of the soldiers a black eye too.'' Interested, Sal starts to ask Kakeru about where he's seen this before, until the noise of moving feet come up the stairs.

I need to hide; sadly I picked the wrong place. Pretending to observe a ripped book at one of the desks, Faris moves quickly to the bookshelves. ''That's the girl I was talking about about; she'd probably punch me if I said ''hi'' to her in shock.'', Kakeru whispers to Sal. ''I'll help her!'' Heading right by the third floor, Sal taps Faris' shoulder. ''Excuse me, do you need any help? Don't worry about hiding around here, I can help you head north.'' Sal's crazy, I hope this will not backfire out on her, Kakeru says inside his mind. ''Running? Where do you get that assumption from?'' Hiding any signs of emotions, Faris moves away from the bookshelves in hesitation. If this girl is part of those soldiers, then I won't hold back any fighting; that's just the way it is. ''Don't think about following me either, it won't work.'' ''I'm not part of the army, but my friend has a older brother that helps out ''prisoners''. I'm not believing you; does she really think I look that dumb? I wonder how Lenna dealt with people like this everyday in the castle, I wouldn't be able to accept their landfill of kindness and I'd just tell them to shut up. Coughing, Faris feels her lungs getting weaker. This isn't good, my breathing track is suffering at the moment. Should I really let this girl help me? Leaning to the library's wall, Faris coughs.

Kakeru runs over to Faris, Holding her up off the wall. ''Come on, let's send her to my brother, he should know what's wrong with her.'' Faris' eyes closes in a daze, and she wakes up in a room that smelled nothing like Tycoon's castle. The air was filled up with the scent of honeysuckle that sat at the open window. So, this is where I am now. Lenna must be the most worried of all them, probably running to even check to corners for me. I know how she must feel, but... I don't I'll understand how she can go on like that; she probably remembered me even when I wasn't around, gone being raised as someone that wasn't meant to be. ''Hey, wake up.'' Faris eyes land on Kakeru, playing around with the honeysuckle plant's petals. He adored them in Sal's hair when she was a tiny child; he'll never forget plucking each one out of her head. ''Is anyone looking for you? If so, do you want me to track them down? It's not a problem, really.'' Staring at the wall, Faris coughs. ''No, don't do that...'' Her voice had died out; however much she tried to raise it. ''Repeat that for me, I couldn't hear you. Sorry.'' ''It's not your fault I'm sick.'' Good thing I got that out of my throat, Faris thought to herself.

''Oh, so you need some medicine! Never mind about telling how it happened, nor do you need to respond to my speech.'' Sal enters the door, placing a cup of water on the fine wood drawer. ''Did she tell you her name?'' ''Nope, she's sick, her voice is really dying out. Luckily there's medicine in this drawer.'' Opening up the drawer, Kakeru grabbed out a few pills for Faris. Sal places her hand on Faris' head, and takes it off in worry. ''Who's looking for you?'' I don't think I should mention their names, especially Bartz; I feel so awkward saying his name now. They are here helping me though, so I'll say his name first to get it out of the way. ''Bartz, Lenna, and Krile. Lenna worries about too much, she's my sister. I don't know how she's known me for so long with me being like this.'' ''Lenna? As in princess Lenna? You're her sister? No wonder, I heard she was very caring.'' ''Yes, but why is she so sympathetic? Guess I'm immune to such things. Poor Lenna, worrying about me.'' Sal smiles, connecting about how Faris feels. ''It's because Lenna sacrifices herself for others, so it's automatically a symptom for her to protect others.''


Yes, chapter four is finally up here! I loved the way I wrote about Faris being so stubborn; I always see her like that through my eyes. Bartz was another one of my favorites, worrying about Faris so much. I'd love to say more but you already know how much I loved everything about this chapter.