Author's Notes: I am so sorry for disappearing for… what, six months? Would you believe that my classes tried to kill me? Anyway, I'm back and I hypothetically have an easy semester in the spring before I graduate (yay!). And I'll be cranking out some writing over winter break, so hopefully I can make up for this awful neglect.

The Promise

Chapter 5: Waltz With Me

"Where are you taking us, Dagger?" Blank asked, trailing after the intent Princess, turning now and again to ensure that they weren't being followed and that Vivi was still shadowing his steps.

"Follow the path," Dagger muttered, shaking her head. "Follow the path…"

Vivi tapped Blank's back when they paused to let a group of children pass by. "Is Dagger okay?" he whispered.

Blank shook his head and raked his fingers through his short hair. "Hell if I know…"

Dagger led them on the chase through the small village, up alleys and down back streets before coming out onto the main boulevard just in front of the large windmill and connected building. "Here," she said clearly.

"Ooookay," Blank said, stepping closer to the Princess. "What is here?"

"Answers."

Vivi and Blank shared a confused look but the tall thief shrugged and pushed the door open for the other two to follow him in. It was an empty room stacked high with broken machinery and crates. Towards the back of was a rickety ladder leading up to the windmill. To the immediate left was a large hatch.

"Wow, they sure didn't try to hide that," Blank chuckled, kneeling next to the hatch to examine it closer.

"We have to go down there," Dagger said quietly. "Please, Blank."

Vivi hesitated and then walked over to the hatch, lightly touching the metal. "I want to go down, too. I don't know why. It just feels important."

Blank nodded, "Looks like I'm outnumbered but we need to be careful. From the looks of the people coming from underground, the majority of the village is down there and they might not take kindly to strangers wandering around. I'll go down first, then Vivi and then you, Dagger. If I say go, you climb back up the ladder as fast as you can and get out of this village, you understand?"

Dagger scowled but nodded. "Yes, Blank."

The thief breathed out a slow sigh and popped the hatch open, kneeling to climb down. It was dank and dark below him but he kept going down until he hopped onto the ground. It was solidly built, not what one would expect from underground.

Vivi and then Dagger appeared behind him, looking around with interest.

"Which way do we go?" Vivi asked, shifting nervously.

"That way," Dagger replied before Blank could open his mouth. She pointed down the long corridor, a halo of pure amber highlighting the usual coffee brown of her iris.

"What's gotten in to you?" Blank muttered, flexing his fingers over the hilt of his sword. "This is really dangerous. If we get caught, you're as good as back in Alexandria."

Dagger just shook her head, pacing her way down the darkened hallway, her eyes focused ahead of them.

The trio moved in silence through the twisting corridors until suddenly Dagger came to a halt, staring at the insignia of a large barrel. Its width easily engulfed three human bodies standing comfortably next to each other while the height was well over Blank's head.

Vivi opened his mouth to say something but was quickly silenced as voices could be heard on the other side of the barrel. The three crouched down, pressing their backs to the wall in an effort to hide themselves from view.

"Can't believe those clowns are taking control of the cargo ship," one voice fumed.

"Order of the Queen, apparently," the other voice responded, though it sounded doubtful.

"Waltzed in here with one of them in tow. Not even our model. Something special. The nerve of those people, flaunting someone else's work."

"Didja see that guy they had with them. Looked in pretty rough shape."

"Oh, you mean that guy with the rusty old armor? Thought he was running around the village earlier with some kids."

Blank and Dagger shared a worried look. Steiner? Dagger mouthed to her two companions, frowning darkly. Blank just shook his head and pressed a finger to his lips, leaning closer to the barrel to try and hear better.

"-taking off a bit earlier than we planned. Now we have to hurry to get everything in order for the airship."

"Yeah. We better get going."

There was the sound of chairs scraping against a dirt floor before two shadows flitted across the opposing wall. The voices continued to speak and grumble as they just faded down the corridor.

Dagger immediately turned to Blank and Vivi, troubled expression plastered across her features. "Do you think they have Steiner?"

"Sure sounds like it," Blank replied. "And if they have Steiner, you can bet they'll be looking for you next. We have to be extra careful."

"Shouldn't we rescue him?" Vivi asked.

Blank should his head. "Steiner wanted us to protect Dagger at all costs. He would understand us not rescuing him in order to keep her safe."

"But… Blank…." Dagger murmured helplessly. "It sounded as though he had already been harmed. We must do something."

Blank gave Dagger a stern look. "No. Right now, we need to focus more on keeping you safe. I said I'd see you safely to Lindblum and that's what I plan to do. Now we just need to decide if we really want to stow away on the cargo ship and make a run for the border or not. Either way will be dangerous, so you should be the one to decide."

Dagger seemed prepared to argue the point of Steiner but instead sighed, twisting her fingers together in front of her. "They said that Zorn and Thorn were taking possession of the airship," she mused slowly. "I feel it would be wiser if we try to find another way into Lindblum."

"You're probably right," Blank agreed. "It's too risky to use the air ship. South Gate will take us into Lindblum. I think it's technically closed down right now but we'll find a way through."

Vivi shifted back and forth nervously on his feet, "Uh, guys…"

Dagger and Blank had their heads bent together as they consulted the continental map.

"Um, guys," Vivi said again, his voice a little louder with no response.

"Guys!" the black mage said loudly as a young man in his late teens came strolling around the corner, whistling to himself.

Dagger and Blank both jumped in surprise, the latter reaching for his blade, but before he could even unsheathe the weapon, Vivi sent a fire spell right by him.

The youth, caught completely unaware gave a little shriek and went running in a circle before smacking into the wall. He fell to the ground, out cold.

"Someone was coming," Vivi said simply, the power still crackling in his hands from the summoned spell.

Blank grinned sheepishly and hurried over to drag the youth out of the middle of the passage.

"Dagger, get the lid off of that barrel," Blank instructed. "Vivi, you give me a hand here."

Together, the two young men tugged the unconscious man to the side of the barrel and hoisted him inside.

"Do you think he'll be alright in there?" Dagger asked worriedly. "That he will be able to breathe?"

"You see the small holes on the top. He'll get plenty of air through the ventilation," Blank said, pointing to the rim of the barrel. "And wood is not an airtight material. He'll be fine, just a bit charred from Vivi's spell."

Dagger nodded, smiling thinly. She pointed to the map clasped loosely in Blank's hand. "Is it the least bit unusual that these barrels are the perfect size to hold a man?" she asked, wrapping her gloved knuckles gently on the wood.

Blank gave a cocky grin, "You're worrying too much, Dagger. This place gets by on shipping out goods. It makes sense that they'd want to make the barrels as large as possible."

Vivi cleared his throat, adjusting the brim of his wide hat. "I think we should keep going, or else someone else might find us." He pointed down the hallway, stacked high with crates and barrels. "Do we go this way, or go back the way we came?"

"We keep going," Dagger directed. "I believe there should be an exit further down. One that will take us out of the village all together."

Blank nodded, and moved forward, though was muttering under his breath, "How she knows these things, I'll never know…"

* * *

"Where is the Princess?" Zorn asked, glaring at the beaten and bruised face of Steiner. The knight was tied to a chair, hands bound tightly behind his back.

"Tell us now," Thorn added. He shook a first at the large knight, the white painted face fuming.

Steiner shook his head, "Never. It is a knight's duty to protect the Princess. You'll have to kill me before I ever betray my Princess."

Zorn and Thorn both smiled. There was a malicious glee in their looks, a frightening gleam to their dark eyes that make Steiner take in a ragged, pained breath.

"Black Waltz, find the Princess," Zorn ordered.

"Destroy anyone with her," Thorn continued.

"And bring her back to us!" the jester twins said together.

Out of the shadows came a red-eyed monster, feathered wings spreading slowly. Though there was no face to gather emotion, the air tasted of cruel pleasure.

* * *

"Is that a machine running on Mist?" Dagger asked. Her head tilted slightly to the side as she studied the contraption.

Blank learned in to get a closer look. "Yeah, looks like the Mist engine that we had on the theater ship." He paused, leaning even further in. "Is that… are they making eggs?"

Dagger pointed to the narrow passageway next to the machine. "Let's keep going, or else someone might find us."

The trio moved onward, but a noise from the machine made Blank pause halfway through. "Are… are those eggs hatching?" He made a thoughtful murmur but continued onward a few steps behind Dagger and Vivi.

"Ahh, what is this?" Vivi's voice was shaking with shock and terror to the point that Blank ran to catch up. The small mage was pointing ahead of him, trembling.

Dagger's hands reached up, clasped over her mouth in horror. "How could… Mother…."

Blank stopped, staring at the ghastly scene. They looked like dolls. Large, human sized dolls. Though some parts were different, in essence, they looked like Vivi. But, wouldn't that make Vivi also…? The thief shook his head, trying to shake free of the dark foreboding that had settled over him. It was too much to take in. He was just a small time thief working on a theater ship. This wasn't supposed to be his journey. He was the friend, the sidekick. Zidane had always been the one to take the spotlight, to have the plan, to be the hero. He was everything Blank wasn't, but, for better or worse, it wasn't Blank trapped in the Evil Forest.

Footsteps coming down the corridor alerted Blank, making him look back. "Dagger… Vivi…" he whispered, but both were lost in their own thoughts, trapped by the horrors in front of them. With their unresponsiveness, he grabbed Vivi's hand and slung the Princess of Alexandria unceremoniously over his shoulder, pulling them away from the sound. Through the doorway, and directly into the middle of a work shift.

Everyone stopped and stared at the unusual trio, but something clicked and a young man jumped forward. "That's the group those clowns were looking for!"

The villagers moved as one group, pressing in on the trio.

"Stop!" Dagger shouted, her hands raised in supplication.

Blank winced, tightening his hand on Vivi's while trying to avoid squeezing any inappropriate spots on Dagger's body. To his surprise, everyone in the room did stop.

"What happened?" Vivi asked shakily. "They aren't moving."

Blank slowly set Dagger down before walking over to one youth, waving a hand in front of his face. "Dagger cast a spell on them," he said, letting out a whistle of appreciation. "And some spell it was. She stopped the entire room dead in their tracks."

Dagger looked around her – face pale and drawn. The magic casting of the day was more than she was used to and it was slowly starting to take its toll. "We need to keep going," she whispered tiredly, pointing to the next door that they would need to march through.

* * *

"Oh, finally! Fresh air," Dagger said, breathing in relief.

The small group climbed free of the underground business, moving as far away from the opening in the ground as they could without losing sight of it. Vivi had not spoken a word since they had since his replicas.

"We should rest for a few minutes before carrying on. We should try to make it to South Gate as quickly as possible." Blank said, dropping down on the ground. It seemed impossible that only a few short hours ago, they had been sitting, like they were now, eating a relaxing meal and just waiting for something to happen.

"Rest is for the unworthy," A high, raspy voice intoned behind them.

The group was on their feet, whipping around to face the new threat and came face to face with glowing red eyes, a tall, steepled hat and black feathered wings.

"I am the Black Waltz," the creature said. "I will escort the Princess back to the castle and destroy anyone in my way."

"Not a chance," Blank snarled, unsheathing his sword angrily. "You won't be doing anything but feeding the worms."

Vivi, as life sprang back into him, nodded. "Yeah. We won't let you take Dagger anywhere she doesn't want to go."

Dagger, on the other hand, took a few steps forward, a hand reaching out to touch the jewel at her neck. "My mother sent you? Why? I have no wish to return to the Palace."

"My orders are to return the Princess to the castle and destroy anyone who is in my way," the Black Waltz replied. He turned away, wings flapping as he leapt into the air. "Sealion!" he bellowed. "Come to me."

From the grassy earth opened a large, icy ring that destroyed the fragile plant life around it. Up from the unknown depths rose a large creature – a monster – Sealion. The defending party all took a step back in surprise but as Blank tightened his grip on his sword, he gave his companions a confident smile.

"Let's do this," is all Blank said.

The other two nodded and brought their weapons to an attack position, awaiting commands.

The Black Waltz cackled, "You'll never defeat me!" he said triumphantly. "Sealion, destroy them."

Vivi trembled but held strong, looking over at Blank for orders. There was trust and a need burning in the young mage's eyes. He needed the comfort of knowing Blank knew what he was doing, that he could bring them safely through another battle.

Dagger, too, needed to know that she would survive this fight, wouldn't fail and be dragged back to Alexandria without ever knowing the full extent of her skills.

You do not fight alone, little one, the drumming voice of Bahamut whispered in her mind. The will protect you, just as you fight to protect them. Trust in your teammates.

The words of advice echoed once, then disappeared, along with the King of the Dragons presence in her mind.

Blank, whatever thoughts were going through his mind, were pushed back, his blade pointing toward the earth. "Dagger, set us up with defensive spells. Vivi, put all your power into taking that overgrown tadpole down. The Black Waltz is mine."

Both white and black mage nodded as they were given their orders, concentrating on providing the strongest spells they could. Magic crackled around the battle site, both from them and the Black Waltz who was now sending Blizzard after Blizzard spell at Blank. He had obviously identified the thief as the leader and was working as rapidly as possible to take him out of the picture.

Blank, however, ignored the freezing pain that repeatedly shot up his side, instead fending off the blasts as he struck his sword out at the Black Waltz, fraying already tattered clothing, defeathering those glossy black wings.

"Blank, look out!" cried Vivi as the little mage dove to the side. Sealion made a fast slithering attack on Blank's blind side, vicious talons raised for a killing blow. The fire spell cast from Vivi's trembling hands didn't have enough power to distract the monster from its goal and all the black mage could do was watch.

"No!" Dagger shouted, casting Protect on Blank. Even she knew the spell wouldn't hold up under such an enraged attack, just give a few extra moments to try and come up with a better solution. "Help me," she pleaded with the sky.

The sky immediately darkened, clouds whirling around their chosen battlefield. For a moment, Dagger stopped, paralyzed by her own shock. No great Eidolon appeared, but she hadn't truly summoned one. Had she? The sky opened up and large balls of unquenchable fire rained down on both the Black Waltz and the Sealion. Bahamut was sending his power without actually appearing. Not that Dagger thought she could hold up under the power required for a full summoning yet.

Even the strain of this half summon was taking its toll on the fledgling white mage. As the attack dissipated, the Black Waltz looked on the verge of death and the Sealion had already faltered, the body breaking down as the magic used to create the monster swirled up into the sky.

"You… may have… defeated me, but there are… two more," the Waltz rasped, the clawed hand shaking as it pointed directly at Blank.

All three of the group were shaken, remaining on defense as the Black Waltz finally collapsed and the shell returned to the earth. Like the Sealion, unrestrained magic fled back to the heavens.

"Two more of these?" Blank muttered, letting out a heavy breath. "This trip is definitely more interesting than I anticipated. Right, guys?" He turned when he didn't hear a response. "Guys?"

"Blank! Something's wrong with Dagger," Vivi said fretfully, kneeling next to the Princess. Sometime during the Black Waltz's farewell warning, she had collapsed in a broken heap. Her breathing was shallow but even, a promise that she would recover.

"Damn, we need to put some distance between us and here, before someone comes looking," Blank muttered, bending to scoop up Dagger's light body. "Let's head South, Vivi. Toward the Gate into Lindblum territory. I'm counting on you to protect us, since I have to carry Dagger."

Vivi nodded energetically. "You can count on me. But… will Dagger be okay?"

"We can only hope."