CHAPTER 9:

TROUBLES IN TRENO

For the time being, Doctor Tot had Harry and Eiko hold back. He wanted to know everything he could about them, and Freya offered to stay behind, while Amarant, Zidane, and Lani went about their business in Treno. Vivi also stayed behind. They were in Tot's library and observatory in Treno.

Tot found the revelation of Harry's origins, as well as those of Kuja and Zidane's, quite fascinating. He even had Harry describe some of the devices like cars that he had on his world. To Harry's surprise, electricity existed, but was mostly generated through Mist engines, or else through wind and wave power. It was more of a novelty, though.

Eventually, after a while, the scholar, having learned much about Madain Sari from the two young summoners, sat back. "Fascinating. Quite fascinating."

"Um, Dr Tot?" Harry asked. "Queen Brahne said that you knew about Garnet's origins. What actually happened?"

"It's a rather sad story," Tot said. "The real Princess Garnet perished of an illness when she was but six. It was little more than an unfortunate case of bad food. The King and Queen were beside themselves with grief, when reports came in of a boat drifting into the port below Alexandria Castle after a rather nasty storm. We found two people within, the corpse of a woman, and a girl who looked almost exactly like Garnet, save for a horn. She had been mentally traumatised, and wouldn't speak. She didn't even seem to remember what had happened. The King decided to have her horn removed, and then adopt her as heir, claiming that the rumours of Garnet's death were just that, rumours. The operation was a painful one for the girl. But we had an heir to the throne. If her family does come from Madain Sari, well, there are legends that summoners once lived in Alexandria. It may be that the Princess currently sitting on the throne is indeed a very distant relative of the deceased Garnet. However, she is, and always will be, Princess, nay, Queen Garnet to me."

"Let us hope that she is a splendid Queen," Freya remarked. "Her character is without reproach, but her inexperience may yet hinder her. And we still don't know what Kuja intends. If what happened at the Iifa Tree is any indication, Kuja not only has control over Bahamut, but also a powerful airship. He is stirring up war for no readily apparent reason. But he has a reason."

Tot nodded. "I'll ask my contacts within the Bishop family. They have no love for the King family, and may know something. Freya, I trust you to look after them."

"Hey, we can look after ourselves!" Eiko yelped indignantly.

"Even so, Treno is infested with footpads and ne'er-do-wells of many kinds, and few of them share the same scruples as Zidane or Baku," Freya said, the rat-woman crossing her arms. "But only the truly bold, or the abysmally stupid, amongst thieves would dare challenge a Burmecian wearing the colours of the Burmecian Dragoons. I daresay there'd be more of the latter."

"What do you do with your spear, Freya?" Harry asked.

Freya smirked. "Why, I leap high into the air, and then rain death upon my foes. Or, in less poetic terms, I use special Burmecian Dragoon techniques. They stood me in good stead when I participated in the Festival of the Hunt in Lindblum recently." Her face fell as she remembered the demise of Burmecia and Cleyra. "But not when Burmecia fell, and Cleyra was annihilated. If I had been there when Brahne was dying, I would have thrust a spear into her heart, if only to strike a blow on the behalf of my people."

"That's in the past, Lady Freya," Tot said. "What matters is the future."

Freya nodded, before the rat woman looked at the three kids. "Where would you like to go?"

"Umm, if it's okay, can I visit my old home?" Vivi asked. "I used to live not far from here."

"Then I will take you there."

Despite the ridiculously large bounty on his head, Amarant felt no fear while walking the streets of Treno. Few people living in this would could claim to be either peer or superior. Part of it was his confidence. He didn't walk with a swagger or with any arrogance. He just walked in a way that assumed that anyone in his way would get out of it pretty quick smart. It almost always worked, too. Even before he became a fugitive, it worked.

He remembered his old teacher, Duncan Harcourt, and that arrogant idiot of a son he had, Vargas(1). Duncan had taken him off the streets, and taught him much in the way of martial arts. Amarant left, though, over a rather irreconcilable difference in opinion. Unfortunately, Duncan was murdered at the hands of his son over an even greater dispute. Amarant had taken great pleasure in capturing Vargas and bringing him to the Lindblum City Watch, as that was the closest to where he had captured Vargas. The last he heard, Vargas was condemned to hard labour in one of the mines Lindblum owned. This had been shortly after Zidane had scuppered his work in Treno, and capturing Vargas had been one of his first jobs as a bounty hunter.

Suddenly, his eyes spotted a familiar back, sitting on the edge of a dock in one of Treno's slums. He smiled, before going up to the man, and tapping him on the back. "Wedge."

The rotund man started, before twisting to look up at Amarant towering over him. "Amarant?! Damn, man, what the hell are you doing here again?"

"I want information. You still working with Biggs?"

"Yeah, of course. He's currently with his girlfriend. Jessie's a new partner(2). You want me to fetch them?"

"Bring me to them."

Biggs and Wedge were mercenary thieves, often hired by Treno nobles to either steal things from one another that nobles wanted from their rivals, or else stealing items so that nobles could claim insurance on them. Biggs was dark-haired and handsome, while Jessie had brown hair and a wry look to her face. They sold off many goods through a rickety pawn shop, frequently to the Auction House.

After introductions were made, Amarant said, "I'll get straight to the point. I'm looking for info on one of the King family's members or patrons. What do you know about a man named Kuja?"

Biggs frowned. "Effeminate? Dresses like he bats for the same team?"

Amarant scoffed. "You've just described half the nobles in Treno, Biggs. He has silvery hair, almost purple-tinted. Has a somewhat theatrical way of speaking."

Jessie rolled her eyes. "And that's saying something. We've gotten jobs for the guy a few times. Heard he was an arms dealer, and helped create those Black Mage things Brahne used at Burmecia and Lindblum. He's pretty much the head of the King family. Rumour has it that he killed the old head of the family, and managed to get the current heir to sign over everything to him. The Kings themselves are rumoured to have been murdered afterwards. They were so reclusive, though, that you don't know that for sure."

Biggs nodded. "The other families, save for the Bishops, only keep quiet about it because Kuja spreads a lot of money around, as well as valuable stuff. You know the weapon shop with the arena below it? Kuja frequently supplies the owner with rare monsters."

"The last time he came around was a couple of nights ago," Wedge said. "Apparently he's leaving Treno for a long time. Anyway, Jessie here swiped something off him."

"The guy was holding out on us," Jessie protested. "Anyway, we could probably sell it at the Auction House later, if Kuja ain't coming back for a while. I heard him say it was something to do with an Eidolon."

This got Amarant's attention. "I want to see it," he said.

Wedge went out the back, and came back with a dark orb that was presumably the Dark Matter of Odin. "Why are you interested in it, anyway?" Biggs asked.

"At the moment, I'm working for Garnet," Amarant said. "She wants to know everything she can about Kuja. She wouldn't say no to getting her Eidolons back, either. This one's probably Odin."

"How much is she willing to pay?" Biggs asked, a glimmer of greed in his eye.

"Probably quite a bit, within reason," Amarant responded. "For both the Dark Matter and the information about Kuja. I'd suggest talking to Doctor Tot. He's the tutor to Garnet, he'll have some idea of how much Garnet would be willing to spend."

"That big-nosed nerdy coot?" Jessie laughed. "Well, if he's got contacts with the princess…well, queen now, I guess. Well, it could be quite the sum we get, guys."

Biggs nodded. "Well, let's go and see Tot…"

Back in Alexandria, early in the morning, Garnet was poring over a tome of Alexandrian law, as well as the law of the Mist Continent. As Steiner came into the study, Garnet smiled, rather tiredly. "Good morning, Steiner."

"Good morning, Your Majesty. You look a little wan. Have you stayed up all night?"

Garnet shook her head. "No, but I didn't sleep well. It is hardly surprising. But I actually thought about something last night. If Kuja really does turn out to be the head of the King family, then I can strip that title from him."

"Can you?"

"Treno is part of Alexandrian territory, and thus falls under our laws," Garnet said. "And under this law, I can remove the lordship of any noble who displays egregious conduct unbecoming of their station. I do have to write up a document with all of his crimes and the like, but with Doctor Tot's influence on the Bishop family, I might be able to do this."

"What a splendid idea! To cripple Kuja's base of operations in the Mist Continent and his finances, wielding the sword of law rather than the sword of war!"

"Yes. It was Doctor Tot's idea. The main question is, who to nominate as a new head of the family."

"Why? Are there no heirs?"

"I asked Dr Tot, and he told me that if they are still alive, then they are in seclusion. However, the rumour mill in Treno suggests that they may have been murdered. Should there be no heirs, then I have a most excellent candidate in mind. Someone who has proven their bravery and valour to me time and time again."

"And who is this illustrious personage?"

"Zidane."

It was very amusing to see the shock blooming on Steiner's face. Eventually, he found his voice. "Your Majesty, I beg you to reconsider ennobling that simian reprobate! I admit that he has some wit, and his valour is beyond reproach, but you seem to forget that he was a thief, and that he is kin with Kuja!"

"Steiner, I understand your objections."

"And I see the way you look at him. Please do not do something we will all regret down the line. What you have between you two is little more than adolescent infatuation. The odds of it turning into anything like love are slender at best. Your Majesty, I am doing this for your sake. I have seen those with many a broken heart turn into ice or go mad…"

Quietly, but sternly, she interrupted him. "Steiner. I trust Zidane with my life, as much as I trust you or Beatrix, let alone Vivi, Freya, Eiko, or Harry. I do not intend to take any rash action such as marriage. However, this will help clear the way so that, if infatuation does give way to love, he can marry me with little scandal, as Prince-Consort to the Queen rather than as King. That is far from my only reason. As a noble of Treno, he can be my eyes and ears and even my voice in that city. Treno has believed itself to be independent of late. It is past time that we dispel that mistaken notion, and Zidane, along with Doctor Tot, can keep an eye on the illicit dealings of nobles and knaves alike."

Steiner opened his mouth to protest, before he closed it again. "These are…adequate reasons. He certainly has intimate knowledge of the underbelly of the Mist Continent. But…"

"Steiner. I will wager a thousand gil that I can say two words that will make you more enthusiastic about Zidane being ennobled."

Waiting in line to get registered for the Tetra Master tournament over in Treno, Zidane suddenly got a sense of foreboding, and shivered. "Why do I feel like I am doomed?" he murmured.

Steiner scowled. "Preposterous! What two words would they be?"

Garnet got an impish smile on her face. "Etiquette lessons."

Steiner may be slow, and somewhat simple. He had the morality and mindset of a child who grew up to become a knight. And he had immense tunnel vision. But he was far from stupid. And after a few seconds, the cogs turned enough that he understood what she meant. To someone as free-spirited as Zidane, etiquette lessons would be sheer torture. A necessary evil if the teenaged thief was to be ennobled.

A rare sound emanated from Steiner's lips. A quiet chuckle grew into a hearty roar of laughter. After he had finished, he fished around in a pouch where he kept his wallet. Handing 1000 gil to her, he said, "Forgive that vulgar display, Your Majesty. May I be so bold as to ask to attend these lessons? I fear my own etiquette skills are becoming as rusty as that thief claims my armour to be."

"But of course," Garnet said with an impish smirk. Who said that she didn't know how to play pranks, or had a sense of humour? Inwardly, she cackled. This was both a gift and a curse to Zidane. Always assuming, of course, that they could strip Kuja of his titles…

CHAPTER 9 ANNOTATIONS:

Treno, and Garnet making plans. Fun times.

Amarant was interesting to write for, as he's pretty much a blank slate of a character. I decided to fill in a little of his backstory, and given how much Final Fantasy IX hearkens back to the past of the series, I thought these references to Final Fantasy VI and VII would be nice.

Garnet's reasoning here for Zidane being ennobled actually comes from a review by Zane Tribal Tyne Alexandros, as well as subsequent correspondence with him. Ditto his idea for Zidane being tortured by etiquette lessons (though it was my idea entirely to have Steiner come around to the idea of Zidane being ennobled by mentioning those). So, thanks a bunch, Zane Tribal Tyne Alexandros!

Review-answering time! Jostanos: By this point, Eiko has every summon she can get barring Madeen (who is still currently Mog). Garnet has Ramuh, Ifrit, Shiva, Atomos, and Leviathan, and she will soon get Odin back (see above for where he is). Harry has Valefor, the Magus Sisters, Yojimbo, and Anima. Kuja has Bahamut, but that's it. And no, I have no plans for any Potterverse characters to make an appearance any time soon.

1. Duncan and Vargas, of course, were characters in Final Fantasy VI. Duncan was Sabin's teacher, and Vargas Duncan's son and Sabin's rival.

2. I'm surprised that there were no Biggs or Wedge characters in Final Fantasy IX. I couldn't remember any, and a quick look at the Wiki indicated that they don't appear in the game. I decided to make them like their AVALANCHE counterparts from Final Fantasy VII, including Jessie. Here, they are thieves for hire, fences, and information brokers.