Act Ten: The Bargain

"He slew Cagnazzo as well. The man has become a force to be reckoned with."

Golbez waved a hand, and the scene of Cecil's victory that had been projecting on the wall in front of him disappeared. It was not even the bitter fact that Cecil was still breathing that bothered him the most – what was worse was that despite the alarming frequency in which the man's allies ended up dead or maimed, there was still something about him that continued to draw yet more fools to his side – and their undying loyalty served only to bolster Cecil's strength. Golbez had managed to gain sway over Kain, but he was not so stupid as to believe Cecil's other friends would turn so easily.

Kain's heart had made it far too effortless, really…there were years of untempered resentment he could work with.

But that holy light that shielded them and finished Cagnazzo off… Golbez crossed his arms, dim amber pulsing warningly in his eyes. …Why did the spirit on Mount Ordeals embrace his tainted soul so willingly? Why do the crystals shed their light to protect him? Something else must be at work here…our little Cecil is coming into his own far too quickly for my taste.

"With regards to the final crystal, my lord –" Kain's moody timbre, freshly sober from witnessing Cecil's latest triumph, carved through Golbez's concentration with all the delicacy of a rusty pocket knife. Golbez snapped awake from his reverie, shooting a glare in Kain's direction.

"I am aware of the situation. The complications are most troublesome."

He had nearly forgotten about that little snag in their agenda – and he didn't like the way Kain seemed eager to be reminding him of it. The fact of the matter was, the Crystal of Earth's location made accessing it very inconvenient – much more so for him than most, and he wasn't entirely sure he could trust Kain with the task. He had heard the wails and screams coming from Kain's chambers during the throes of his worst nightmares – Cecil's name fell from the man's lips far too often for Golbez to believe that Kain was really as done with his ex-friend as he so often claimed.

Kain smirked as he leaned back against the wall next to Rosa. She hadn't stopped staring at him since he had reappeared, desperately willing him to look at her, but he had already decided not to give her the satisfaction of his attention, for now. That could all wait until later, after he had gifted her with Cecil's head. The only care he had seen fit to give her that day was temporarily lowering the hook her hands had been hung from so that her arms could gain a slight respite from hanging in the air. They were now hanging limply against her lap, cords wrapped up to her knuckles so that she couldn't struggle her way off the hook.

"What if you were to have Cecil retrieve it for you?" Kain asked casually. Rosa exhaled sharply, just barely catching herself from gasping Kain's name. She had taken to heart Kain's warning to not speak in front of Golbez, but every word and protest she swallowed was turning into molten lead in her stomach – and she was about at her limit for tolerating their insanity.

Well, that wasn't what I was expecting from him at all… Golbez turned to Kain, intrigued. He thought for sure Kain was going to volunteer himself and try to wriggle out of his babysitting gig. He decided to let the dragoon entertain him with his suggestion.

"...Cecil?"

"He cannot refuse," Kain explained, his smile twitching as he eyes darted over to Rosa, meeting her gaze briefly. "We hold Rosa. We could offer an exchange – the crystal for her life." Golbez had to laugh, rather amused that his idiotic puppet could dream up a plot like this. Why not add a little intrigue to their dreary quest? Despite their recent setbacks with Scarmiglione's and Cagnazzo's untimely exits from the earthly plane, overall, his plan was going perhaps a bit too smoothly. It was time for some fun – he didn't want Cecil to get too comfortable in their game of cat and mouse, after all.

"Indeed… And when he brings it to us, we can finish him then. Very well!" Golbez gestured toward the doorway that would teleport Kain to the airship hangar. He decided to give Kain a little reward for his brilliant plan – stray animals wouldn't keep coming around without the occasional treat. "I presume you know Cecil is currently in Baron?"

Kain nodded, pushing himself off of the wall and reaching for his lance. "I will go and deliver the terms."

Rosa could not hold her tongue any longer. She yanked against her restraints, her fingers urgently reaching for him as he swept by to take his leave. Her nails lightly brushed over the back of his hand, and he paused, trying to ignore the shiver that raced up his spine. If he lingered one moment longer, he feared he would entirely surrender himself to her wild, tear-stained eyes. She inched closer, her chapped lower lip quivering as she drank in the cruel line of his nightshade-stained mouth, set so exquisitely against the curve of his glass-cut jaw. Her screams of protest died in her throat as her binds dug warningly against her chest, threatening to dislodge a rib if she dared to get any closer.

"Kain!"

That one plea, dripping in desperation, contained everything she had needed to say – she could tell by the way the light dimmed in his frosty glare that something, somewhere deep inside, had been stirred – but only seconds later, he snapped his chin up, clenching his jaw as he meticulously trailed the head of his lance along the curve of her cheek, trying not to burst into laughter while her pupils shrank to pinpricks.

"I am more than Cecil will ever be. You'll see that soon enough." With that, he yanked his lance away and pivoted on his heel, escorting himself out of the chamber. A flash of light erupting around the corner where the teleportation tile was housed, signaling that he had left the premises. Golbez chuckled and turned to follow him, almost disappointed that their little show was over so quickly. Rosa's hiss between her teeth erupted into her screaming Golbez' name – to hell with Kain telling her what to do anymore!

"Yes?" Golbez purred, pausing in place. He was still wearing his massive suit of midnight armor and the sable shroud that hung from the demon-esque helmet covering the whole of his face – the entire time they had been together, she had never seen him take a single piece off. It made her wonder what abominations he was hiding beneath – and more disturbingly, how it was he could slink about in what had to have been hundreds of pounds of metal plating without ever making a damn sound.

He's simply not human…it's…impossible!

She did her best to contain the shaking in her voice as she forced herself to stare at the back of his helmet, which was actually far more terrifying than being able to look him in the eye – with his refusal to look at her, she was left utterly blind as to what he could be possibly thinking. "What did you do to Kain? That's not him! Not any of it!"

"When Kain Highwind and I had the pleasure of first meeting, we had some intriguing conversation in which I merely encouraged him to follow his heart." Golbez pushed a button so that the doors to the exit Kain had gone through slid back open. "Is that a whimsical enough answer for your naïve mind to comprehend?"

"What!?" Rosa seethed. "How dare you mock me, just because I have faith in my friends? Kain and I have been together our whole lives – I know him better than anyone – and I know none of this is real!"

"Well, dear Rosa, between Cecil's incompetence and Kain's penchant for decption, I would humbly suggest that in your next life, you find better friends." Golbez chuckled and glided out the door, raising one claw in a bemused wave good-bye. With his exit, the sterile chamber that made up Rosa's prison became shrouded in an unnerving silence, save for her hiccupping sobs, which came fast and furious as soon as the door had slammed shut behind him.

She lowered her head, sniveling under her breath while an eternity's worth of tears ran down her face, pooling on the glowing glass at her feet. It was the first time she had been left alone since she had been captured – but at least now there was no one around to punish her simply for emoting.

Cecil…please don't fall for Kain's trap. Forget about me – you must save the final crystal!

Cid was staring intensely at a wall in the right wing of the great hall. The four of them had been standing there for ten minutes, with Tellah growing more and more agitated with each passing second. He had taken to pacing back and forth on the same three-foot stretch of floor, a vulgar string of curses fit for no one's ears save for their target, Golbez, spewing forth freely. Cecil, who was still rendered numb from the events in the antechamber and practically had to be dragged into the great hall by Yang, tried to focus instead on the voices that were slowly starting to fill Baron's halls again.

Cid had explained that most of the castle's inhabitants that hadn't managed to escape, including himself, had been locked in an ancient root cellar that hadn't been in use for decades – though Cecil had a feeling that Baigan had gotten some help "discovering" it could be used as a prison, thanks to Golbez. The villagers that had been arrested for disobeying the guards had been thrown in there with them as well. Baigan had been their warden, and in a wild argument with Cid, had accidentally revealed that the King Baron sitting on the throne was a phony and that the real king was dead.

When Baigan's monstrous sixth sense had felt Cecil's presence in the castle, he had fled his post in the dungeon to stop him from discovering Cagnazzo's secret on his own, dropping the key to the crude cells in his haste. While Cid and his fellow prisoners worked out a plan to get hold of the key, Baigan and Cagnazzo had been taken out of commission.

"The people of the castle are returning," Yang noted idly in an effort to drown out Tellah's mutterings. "Will there be mass panic when the rest of the nation learns that King Baron is dead?"

"Probably," Cid grunted, meticulously pressing his palms up against individual bricks in the wall. "But the people need to know the truth, so I ain't stoppin' anyone from saying' anything. What's more important to me is that they know that the real king wasn't behind any of the foolishness that Golbez brought upon us. Baron was a stubborn ruler, and yeah, he was strict with Cecil's upbringing – but he wasn't evil. He loved his kingdom, and gave himself over to its duty whole-heartedly when his father suddenly died."

They keep talking about His Majesty in the past tense. Cecil closed his eyes. It doesn't feel right…

"But he had no heirs, correct?" Yang asked. "So, what will happen now?"

"Hard to say," Cid replied, cocking an eyebrow as he tilted his head toward the oblivious Cecil. "But I have a feeling everything will turn out fine – eventually." Cecil's mind drifted back to the conversation at hand, and he blinked, looking up at them.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"Where is this confounded flying machine?" Tellah suddenly burst out. "We've been standing here wasting precious time!"

"Oh, ye of little faith," Cid lectured. "The darkest place is under the candlestick, or so they say! I just needed to remember…aha!" He pressed his palm into another brick, and this time, it sunk under his touch, a loud "snapping" sound ringing out. A door that had been camouflaged perfectly in the brick wall swung open, revealing a darkened stairway.

"Another hidden passage?" Cecil blinked. "How long has this been here?"

"It's an alcove I found wandering around the waterway long before you were even a thought," Cid grinned. "During a particularly rough season of high tide, I slipped off one of the walkways and was washed up to an underground lake. When I climbed out, about half-drowned, I found a dilapidated ladder that had been nailed into the walls – it about crumbled to dust after I got hold of it. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it dropped me right back off at the castle!"

He ushered them inside before anyone could wander over and see the hidden entrance, pulling down on a lever on the opposite side of the doorway. The door slid back shut, sealing them in darkness. Tellah lifted his hand, igniting a Fire spell within to give them a semblance of light. Ahead, all Cecil could make out was a flight of steps that steeply descended into a pit of black. He turned to Cid, his mouth twisted confusedly.

"I did some investigating only to discover that this place was lost in the annals of history," Cid explained. "I decided to make renovating it my little pet project – this was right before the first prototype of the airship had been built. I built the stairs so I could go back and forth and eventually found my way back to the waterway – once I did so, I sealed off the entrance with dynamite so that there was only one way inside – from the castle."

"Dynamite!?" Cecil blanched. "You could have been killed – or worse yet, caused the castle to collapse into a sinkhole!"

"There are lots of times someone could say that about the endeavors I undertake," Cid laughed. "But I'm not sayin' anymore…words can't do justice for what you're about to see next."

The four men raced down the stairs, which ended at a pebble-strewn shore and a fixed dock that was hovering above a black lake. Cecil shook his head in disbelief amongst the chorus of gasps coming from Yang (and yes, even Tellah), and Cid turned to face them while they crossed the dock's wooden planks, raising his arms with a wide grin.

"Gentlemen, I present to you…the Enterprise!"

Sitting next to the dock was an airship nearly twice the size of a unit in the Red Wings' fleet, constructed out of glistening polished teak that made the mineral deposits embedded in the cavern walls glow as brilliantly as an underground sun. Four unfurled sails the color of ivory were lined down the center of the deck in a majestic parade, and flanking both sides of the ship were a pair of gossamer canvas wings attached to metal frames that were embedded in the ship's hull. At the prow, a breathtaking carving of a woman holding a bouquet of flowers in a bateau neckline gown that fell to her bare ankles, rippling as if in mid-leap, was the figurehead. Although Cecil had never met the curly-haired goddess, he had seen plenty of portraits of her growing up in both Cid's home and in his workshop – it was a flawless rendition of his late wife, Sephora. Cid pulled a brick-shaped remote out of his pocket and pressed a button, which caused a boarding ramp to unfurl down from the ship to the dock, just like someone rolling out the red carpet for a royal emissary.

"Incredible!" Yang cried. "She's been sleeping down here this whole time, and no one knew?"

"Not a soul," Cid bragged. "Even my crew doesn't know. It was shortly before the king granted me ownership of developing Baron's first airship that I lost my wife – Amelia was still just a baby, and I admittedly didn't know what to do for her – I guess you could say I was desperate for a distraction. It was when I completed the prototype for that first ship that I got the idea to start designing another one – the king and I had very different ideas about how the final result was to function, and I had a lot of plans that never made it to the final model that would eventually become the first of the Red Wings' ships. It got to be that I would do my work for Baron during the day, and retreat here at night to fiddle on my own project."

He turned to Cecil, suddenly grabbing his hand between his two leather-hewn gloves. "I knew from the moment I got the first spark of inspiration about this ship that I wanted it to be my legacy – I wanted it to be something the ones I loved most – Amelia, Rosa, Kain, and you – could feel infinite pride for whenever you saw it. You kids were in the forefront of my thoughts while I was doin' all this – more than anything else, I wanted the Enterprise to be my gift to you after I was gone. After Sephora left us – I thought for a long while that everything good in this life is fleeting. When I started building the Enterprise, I realized I wanted to try to prove myself wrong."

"Stubborn as always." Cecil could feel a smile fighting to lift his mouth – a wave of unexpected warmth seized the somber pit that had been rolling around in his stomach ever since they had touched back down on Baronian soil. His legacy, huh? This explains so much about Cid's workaholic tendencies... He was building his own dream under the cover of moonlight – and it was easy for him to let the rest of us assume that he was working on escalated demand from His Majesty.

Tellah blew out the fire in his hand, peering up at the tallest mast of the ship as he adjusted his glasses. He didn't want to admit it, but he was moved by the old coot's confession behind his inspiration for the airship – grandiose as Cid's interpretation of that was, Tellah could still relate to wanting to leave a token of everlasting love behind for his daughter. But Golbez had stolen away that dream when his arrow had found its way to Anna's heart on her wedding day – and nothing Tellah could ever do would give him a second chance to tell Anna that he was sorry, that he should have been the one to apologize, and not her… He forced his voice to remain flat as the threat of a sob bubbled up in his throat.

"You mean to tell me this ship can sail the skies?"

"What, you've never seen an airship this close before?" Cid barked out a laugh. "This is the real deal, I assure you!"

"But what purpose does this serve?" Cecil blinked, taking the remote from Cid's hands and turning it over. "It made the ramp come down – what else does it do?" He had never one of those when piloting his own airship.

"All in good time, my boy!" Cid chided, taking the remote back from Cecil and putting it in his jumpsuit front pocket. "I've got to give you some surprises to look forward to!" He bounded up the ramp like a child running into a candy store, and threw himself at the lacquer-varnished steering wheel, giving it a full-body hug like one would to a lover. "Sorry to have kept you down here so long, my sweet Enterprise!"

"He's very passionate about his work, isn't he?" Yang smiled.

Cecil, Yang and Tellah followed Cid up the ramp, which came up after them with the press of a button on that magical remote. Cid had already been tugging at levers and adjusting gears in a blur of fingers – he could have fired up any type of engine in the world with his eyes closed, Cecil reckoned – and with a guttural roar and a massive hiss of steam releasing from the boiler, the Enterprise's engine ignited to life. Cid pulled down on a final lever – the release for the brake that kept them anchored to the dock – and the airship began to rise in the air, bobbing unsteadily for a few moments as the rotors above them screeched in protest and sent years of cavern debris and dust flying everywhere. With a burst of laughter, Cid watched as the anchor that had been released from the brake plummeted to the lake with a dramatic splash. "Guess it's time to be off then, eh? Let me show you what she can do!"

"How are we supposed to make it out of here?" Tellah gasped, peering at the blanket of darkness overhead. "Are we not underground?"

"And now, for surprise number two! You didn't think I'd build a ship somewhere that I couldn't actually fly it, right?" Cid gestured for Cecil to take the wheel, and once he had done so, pulled out the remote again, his eyes squinting in the dark as he tweaked a nob. "Just gotta set this here…and then push this one here…and here we go!"

A sliver of light appeared up above in the darkness, Cecil hardly able to concentrate on his driving as he watched it slowly blossom into a jagged blaze of sunlight that illuminated the cavern in a riot of rainbows from the lakeside mist, and then finally transform into a burst of brilliant blue that could have only been the daytime sky. The higher they rose toward the opening, the louder the sound of churning metal and the clicking of gears rang in Cecil's ears. He turned to Cid, eyes wide.

"…An escape hatch? Hidden in plain sight?"

"That's right!" Cid winked. "Remember reading in school about that mysterious wildfire in the eastern plains when you were a kid? The one that they could never figure out quite what happened?"

"W-What!?" Cecil nearly fell over as he pictured Cid stealing out to the plains in the middle of a moonless night, draped in black with a single lit match in his hand, reflecting twice fold in his monstrous goggles. "You…you didn't…"

"Cecil!" Cid crossed his arms defiantly. "What the hell are you going on about? Of course, I'm not the one that started the fire – but the scorched land made the perfect cover for a hatch – ain't nothin' ever going to grow there again. The surface of the door is crafted to look exactly like rubble, and I've spent my fair share of hours bolting petrified wood and other remnants from the fire to make the perfect camouflage. I've seen hundreds of people trample over it and never notice a thing!"

"Oh…um, of course," Cecil flushed, quickly turning away and pretending to suddenly be very interested in the steering wheel. "I would never assume that you, erm…would go that far for your work. Never."

"Bwa-ha-ha!" Yang shook his head, nearly doubling over in laughter. "Cid, it would seem your reputation is rooted in a celebrated dedication to science! You should be flattered – I think."

The Enterprise completed its rise through the now fully-open hatch, and as expected, Cecil saw that they were now hovering to the east of the castle, a tidy rectangular pit where there had once been a barren stretch of land thanks to the aforementioned fire. Cid clicked a final button on the remote, and like magic, the hatch slowly began to slide back shut, scarred landscape filling back in place like an artist running a brush of paint over a drawing. Cecil couldn't help but close his eyes and sink deeper against the wheel, relishing the way the sun went to work healing his drenched body from the battle with Cagnazzo and the sensation of the summer wind blowing through his hair in a way one could only experience at the helm of an airship. It had been so long since he had last experienced those precious gifts that now it felt akin to a purifying ritual – for a few moments, he was able to forget the nightmares he was leaving behind in Castle Baron – and the new one in which he was about to blindly plunge.

Tellah and Yang, who had never ridden on an airship before, were both hanging over the railings, awestruck and excitedly calling out to each other like schoolboys on a class trip as they pointed to the wonders that were growing smaller and smaller beneath them.

"So, Cecil, where to?" Cid grinned. Cecil's eyes snapped open, and with a quiet sigh, he realized he had no idea where to even begin the search for where Golbez could be hiding out. As he mulled over where their first stop should be – he wondered if there was a map aboard somewhere that might help him think – the sound of another ship's propellers cut through the air, humming in a steady chorus with the Enterprise's. A sheen of sweat gathering under his palms from where he was holding the wheel, Cecil and Cid spun around in unison, spotting a crimson-bodied airship riding toward them with an untempered urgency…and hanging high from the tallest mast was a fluttering white flag.

"That's one of the Red Wings!" Cid gasped. "Cecil, hit the gas!"

"N-no…wait!" Instead, Cecil kicked the brake in place, yanking the ship into neutral. "That's a white flag. Do they mean to surrender?"

"Regardless, I'm still preparing a Firaga spell in case they decide to pull something!" Tellah hissed, raising his staff. "I'll blow the lot of 'em out of the sky if they even so much as point a finger in our direction!"

"We must be careful!" Yang warned, gently pressing Tellah's staff toward the deck. "Rosa could be on that ship, for all we know."

A few impossibly long seconds later, the Red Wing vessel saddled up next to the Enterprise. Hooded, uniformed soldiers that Cecil didn't recognize – more monsters, he could only presume – were scurrying about, and he realized they were activating the manual pulley that would suspend their ramp parallel to the Enterprise – they were extending an invitation for Cecil and the others to board.

"What should we do?" Yang blinked, and Cecil held up his hand.

"I'll go alone. We need Cid to protect the Enterprise at any cost – it's our only means of leveling the playing field with Golbez right now. If they get aggressive, I want you to pull out and leave them to me. I'll catch up to you…somehow."

"You're the boss," Cid sighed, begrudgingly extending their own ramp so that it met the enemy ship's in the middle, forming a makeshift bridge. Cecil immediately abandoned his post at the wheel and ran to starboard, climbing his way up the ramp.

"You're insane, letting him go like this!" Tellah hissed to Cid. But Cid merely closed his eyes, resting his hands on his hips. He didn't need Tellah to tell him something he already knew – but the likelihood of Cecil listening to him if he had said "no" was higher than him pulling a sack of a million gil out of his rear, so what did it really matter?

Once he was steadied on the ramp, Cecil clenched his fists, willing himself not to look down at the castle that was now just a dot in the sea of green beneath him, and forcing his eyes to face forward. The soldiers on the ship ahead had fallen back into formation, staring at him unnervingly with the same lightless, dead eyes – sure enough, not a one of them was human – not anymore. At long last, a figure emerged from the sea of monsters, walking toward Cecil with a purposeful, graceful stride that he would have recognized anywhere. A gust of wind blew over them, and a corn silk ponytail whipped out from behind the approaching dragon's-maw helmet.

Without realizing it, Cecil drew a deep breath, holding it tightly in his chest as he took his first steps forward. Kain's kind, soothing voice from his memories echoed in his ears, and he felt a queer twist in his stomach as he took another step, like he was about to keel over and be sick.

"If you hold your breath the entire time you cross a bridge, you'll have a wish granted. So, all you have to do is wish that you'll be all right, and it will come true."

When the two former friends had met in the middle of their respective ramps, Kain nodded his head slightly in greeting, his ice blue gaze unexpectedly searching Cecil's crystalline stare – almost as if he were eager for Cecil to say something – anything – first.

But once again, Cecil's words failed him – everything he had wanted to say since Kain had nearly killed him in Fabul, all of the questions he wanted to ask – they fell away in the flurry of nauseating despair that had migrated from his stomach and had now taken hold of his chest.

"Kain," Cecil breathed. He heard the clatter of footsteps, and realized that Cid, Tellah, and Yang had come out on the ramp as well, hovering near the ledge of the ship.

"So, you did survive," Kain smirked. "Impressive. And I like the new look – though I'm partial to the old you, of course. He was much more…vulnerable." Cecil narrowed his eyes, biting his tongue as Cid stammered behind him.

"Kain!" the engineer shouted over the wind. "What in the world's gotten into you?" But Kain didn't take his eyes off of Cecil – Cid and his blustering may as well have been on the other side of the planet.

"Where is Rosa?" Cecil finally asked through gritted teeth. "She's safe, I trust."

"Heh, worried about her, are you?" Kain flashed a devastating smile. "I'm going to make this very easy for you, just because of our history together. If you wish to see Rosa live, fetch me the Earth Crystal from the land of Troia." Cecil was so stunned by what he had just heard, he couldn't be sure if he was comprehending correctly. Was Kain was seriously asking him to abduct the last crystal for the enemy?

"…What?"

But Tellah had heard everything the first time – both Yang and Cid had to hold him back as he dove forward, waving his staff manically as he growled under his breath. "A craven play!"

"I'll make contact once you've retrieved it," Kain purred. "You'd do well to hurry, if you value her life."

"How dare you!?" Yang cried. "Rosa and Cecil are your friends!" Cecil looked down, swallowing back the frustration that was rising up in his throat like a putrid venom.

The man standing before me is Kain Highwind…of that there is no doubt… It's not another imposter like His Majesty, nor has he been transformed like Baigan…

…But even so…he's still not the brother I lost in Mist. Something horrible had to have happened that made him hate me like this…why won't he tell me the truth?

"Kain…" Cecil drew a low breath, taking a defiant step forward so that there were only precious few inches between them. "Open your eyes to what you're doing! It's not too late – we can save Rosa – and Baron – together. There's so much I have to tell you – the king's thirst for the crystals…the massacre at Mist…none of it was…!"

"Enough!" Kain sneered, turning his back on Cecil. He had had quite enough of the brat's simpering for one day – and if he had to spend even another second being interrogated by those fearsome eyes, he knew something irrevocable inside of him would shatter. "This meeting…is over."

With that, he walked back to his ship, ordering the ramp to be recalled as soon as he had stepped back aboard, for fear that Cecil would go running after him. Cecil stood mutely at the ledge of the Enterprise's ramp as the wind playfully whipped at his cape, staring as Kain's ship pulled away and flew over the northern horizon, disappearing from sight. He felt a gentle hand clamp over his shoulder, and spun around, only to find Yang offering him a sad smile.

"Let's go back on board."

Cid stomped over to the steering wheel, his confused rage reaching its boiling point the moment he yanked the Enterprise out of neutral.

"Cecil, what the hell is going on here? Rosa is kidnapped by Golbez, and Kain's alongside him, helping to orchestrate his plans to steal the crystals!? What happened after you two left Baron?"

"Kain…he…" Cecil's knuckles turned white as he grasped the ledge of the ship. Even now, he could still taste the rancid blood pooling in his mouth from when Kain had delivered the treasonous blow to his head in the Fabulian crystal chamber. "Kain and I were separated after the incident in Mist. I don't know what he encountered during our time apart, but we were reunited when while Yang, Prince Edward of Damcyan, and I were trying to defend the Crystal of Wind in Fabul. He turned his blade against me in battle, and it was afterward that Rosa and the crystal were taken captive. Edward, Yang and a survivor of Mist named Rydia had accompanied me on the ship we were taking to Baron so that we could find you and rescue Rosa. But then we were attacked by Leviathan, and our vessel was destroyed. Rydia and Edward…" Cecil slammed his fist into the railing, clenching his eyes shut. "…They were killed…all because they were trying to help me – just like Palom and Porom!"

A flash of red filled Cid's vision as he absorbed Cecil's tale. "WHAT!? That little bastard…when I get my hands on him…! Does he comprehend the magnitude of what he has done?"

"D-don't!" Cecil weakly protested. "I don't understand any of it yet, but no matter what has transpired…he's still Kain." He looked up at Yang, the fervent pleading in his eyes making Yang's heart hurt. "You once told me…that Kain's chi was poisoned, right? I've been thinking about it ever since…and the only thing that could possibly make sense is that Golbez did something to him – a spell, a curse…whatever! That's got to be what's making him act this way, right?"

"I…I don't know, Cecil," Yang said softly. "It was only a guess. Even now, I couldn't get a good read on him – that man's heart is shrouded in a chaos beyond which I've ever seen. I respect your wish to protect your friend – but know that the same stands for me. If Kain were to inflict violence against you or any of our comrades – I won't hesitate to put an end to it by whatever means necessary – no matter what you may say."

Yang…I get it. You don't want to give me any false hope, do you? "Forgive me for being so selfish," Cecil muttered. "I…I think I'm still in shock from everything that has happened these past few days."

Cid shook his head, turning back to the steering wheel as Yang and Tellah stared at their feet. He opened his mouth to offer up some encouragement, but then thought better of it, realizing there was nothing he could add that would bring Cecil any comfort – the only panacea for the class of wound that had been inflicted upon him was going to be an eternity of time and perspective. Even if Kain turned his ship around right then and told Cecil it had all been a ruse, it wasn't going to undo any of the damage that had already been done. He had seen and experienced enough conflict in his fifty-four years on this planet to know that nothing between the two of them was ever going to be the same again.

"Cecil…what is it that you want to do?" Tellah asked. "Forget about Kain, and Golbez, and anything we might have to say. When you listen to your heart over the din of all this madness, what is it that you hear?"

That was easy. Every time he closed his eyes, it was her face that materialized before him, her hands he reached for in the sordid depths of his nightmares, her impassioned voice that filled his ears, and the whisper of her name that echoed in every beat of his heart.

No…it wouldn't have mattered what type of request Kain demanded of Cecil in order to save Rosa's life – he knew every fissure in Cecil's armor – they had once been best friends, after all.

"We make for Troia. Cid, set us on a course for the northwest."

Nightfall was swiftly making its approach.

Even by airship, Troia was still many hours away from Baron. Cecil had not been very productive during their journey – for the most part, all he had managed to accomplish was staring down the wind-streaked clouds as they rushed by the Enterprise. Shortly after Cid had confirmed their route, he had lowered himself on a bench near the ship's stern and hadn't moved since, declining the meal Yang had put together from the ship's stores and only realizing hours after the fact that he had been left a canteen of water by his feet when he accidentally kicked it over. Eventually, curiosity had gotten the better of Tellah and Yang, and the two of them had retreated below deck so they could explore all the wonders of their first airship ride, leaving Cecil alone with his thoughts.

Despite the Enterprise's auto-pilot feature that Cecil had overheard Cid bragging about to the others, he kept himself in the vicinity of the ship's bow, figuring the best thing he could do for any of them right now was get to Troia safely.

Finishing what had remained of the canteen after he had spilled most of it all over the deck, Cecil lowered his head to his hands, closing his eyes and pressing his fingers into his skull in an effort to ward off a headache. The closer they go to Troia, the more painful the throbbing in his temples seemed to get.

This…is wrong. On so many levels…

First off, he wasn't even sure how they were going to get their hands on the Crystal of Earth. Troia was similarly structured to Baron – there was a village that was outspread in the southern portion of the massive forest Troia was settled within, and a castle was erected to the west that acted as the home for the crystal and its eight guardians – epopts that were sisters supposedly descended from the earth goddess Gaia. They had no royal family, and while they carried no intimate ties with any one particular kingdom, they were seen as a neutral, peaceful ally to all nations of the planet. Thanks to the portion of the continent Troia occupied being nearly entirely forestry, there was no easy way to reach the kingdom save for charter ships one could hire for an extravagant amount of gil, or airship. That meant a lot of Troians didn't make their way to the outside world, nor did many foreigners make the journey – Cecil realized that Baigan was the one person he could think of that he had ever known to emigrate.

Theft of the crystal was simply out of the question – he had never been to Troia, but he couldn't imagine a kingdom that had eight guardians for their crystal would make such a task easy, and it would only add to the ever-expanding list of crises Baron was facing if one of its former knights committed what would be widely interpreted as an act of war. Cecil was also fairly sure Troia had its own guard in place to further defend the crystal, though he didn't know the details.

Now that I think about it, it's strange that Baigan never seemed to talk about his military career when he lived there, Cecil thought. But I suppose it was all in the past for him – Baron was the only future he cared about.

So, without being willing to steal, and having no insight or connections to those who guarded the crystal, that didn't leave much of an option besides presenting himself at the castle and asking politely if he could "borrow" it.

…How laughable.

When Cecil thought of it that way, the situation became even more vexing – with all of Golbez's seemingly limitless strength and resources, why couldn't he simply take the crystal for himself like he had in Damcyan and Fabul? In the time spent sending Kain to be his messenger, surely Golbez could have swiped the crystal for his own and left Troia devastated.

He shook his head, a groan escaping as another shooting pain ignited behind his ear. Let's say I manage to somehow get my hands on the crystal that doesn't involve bloodshed or becoming a wanted man – will I really be able to convince myself to just march up to Golbez and hand it over? The Crystal of Earth is the last one Golbez needs. And once he has all four…

Well, then what?

No one knew the answer to that.

The king of Fabul had implied it would be catastrophic. And the Mysidian Elder had told him the fate of the world was in his hands.

What the hell am I doing? Palom and Porom didn't give their lives for us to help Golbez…

"Cecil!" Cid called. "We're almost there. I could use a second pair of eyes for this landing – gonna be a bit rough!"

Cecil's head snapped up, his eyes fluttering open. It was pitch-black outside, and he could hardly see a thing except for the twin moons hiding behind rolling cloud cover, a streak of silver slashed across the nighttime sky. A loud yawn escaped from his mouth as he slowly dragged himself to his feet and made his way to the front of the ship.

I must have fallen asleep…

Cid tossed a scope over to Cecil, explaining that he needed a better view of the village perimeter in order to land the ship.

"There's the perfect sliver of cleared land we should be able to park on to get us right inside the village limits – it would save us a lot of tromping through the woods if this works."

Liking the idea of not being sitting ducks for whatever monsters wandered this place at night, Cecil took his place portside with the scope, calling out adjustments for their coordinates to Cid as his gaze swept over the brightly-lit collection of polished-tile roofs and the sparkling river that wound its way through the town. To the west, Troia Castle rose from a sea of glowing white, hundreds of globes lining the castle perimeter and hanging from the quartz-embedded limestone towers, like permanently-suspended soap bubbles imbued with light. Vines of blossoming flowers and ivy scaled the castle walls and wove in and out of the balconies like a ribbon adorning an exquisite birthday present, and the drawbridge that carried visitors across the river to the gatehouse was flanked in a series of curvy marble statuettes of ageless women, the same glowing orbs fastened to piles of pinned up hair or ornamental belts hanging from delicate waists. The western border of the castle was protected by a churning white waterfall, pouring from the peaks of the mountain ranges above into a starlight-flecked lake.

"This is…incredible!" Cecil gasped, temporarily forgetting his assignment. "All of this light – what is it? Surely they don't have hundreds of lanterns lit every evening?"

"Ah, that's right!" Cid exclaimed, happy to pick up on even the smallest hint of wonder in Cecil's voice again. "It's all thanks to the Troians' innovation – the lights used to protect their village at night are all run on solar power. The vessels charge during the day in the sun, and at night, unleash enough light to last them until dawn. Pretty amazing, huh? I've always wanted to build something for myself like that in Baron, but there was always something else new to do."

"I hope the others are seeing this," Cecil smiled, raising the scope back to his eyes. "Oh – left another thirty degrees – then prepare for landing. That should do it!"

Cid guided the Enterprise to the ground just as Yang and Tellah emerged from beneath the deck. The closest road to their landing site was a wide, pressed-dirt lane, lined with the solar-powered globes that marked the path every ten feet on both sides. After crossing over a small footbridge across the river Cecil had observed cutting through the town, it wound northwest, straight for the castle. Of course, their arrival hadn't exactly been stealth – a few townspeople had poked their heads out of their homes and the pub to see what all the noise was, murmuring among themselves as they took in the slowing propellers and the settling wings on the sides of the ship. Once Cid activated the ramp, a wave of excited titters filled the air.

"An airship – that could only be from Baron!"

"How exciting – do you suppose the king is coming to see the epopts?"

"It's very strange hearing people be anything but afraid of an airship these days," Cecil mused, raising his hand hesitantly as a little boy who had snuck out of his bed and shoved himself between his parents' legs waved at them frantically.

"Troia is fairly cut off from the rest of the world, no?" Yang replied. "It's entirely possible that Baron's – well, Cagnazzo's – deeds the world over have not yet come to light here."

"And it definitely means Golbez and his little errand boy haven't been here yet, either," Tellah huffed. "I find it very suspicious that Golbez would send us here instead of Kain, don't you? How hard could it be to invade such a remote town?"

"I was thinking that myself," Cecil sighed. "But I've decided that for now, we'll just need to explain our situation to the epopts."

"You've come up with a plan?" Cid grinned. "And here I thought you were sleeping the whole way! Well, go on – give us the scoop!"

"Um…" Cecil's gaze shifted away guiltily as he made his way to the ramp. "Plan" was a bit strong a word. "We can't give the crystal to Golbez, but if we don't retrieve it, we'll never find out where he is hiding. So, I thought…" He groaned under his breath, not believing this was actually coming out of his mouth. "…We could ask the epopts to borrow it. We just have to prove that we've obtained the crystal for Kain to show us where Rosa is…right? We can protect it on our own, and return it to Troia once Rosa has been rescued."

Yang, Tellah and Cid didn't say anything in response, and the increasing silence was making Cecil more and more uneasy about just how stupid he had sounded. Finally, Cid shrugged and barked out a laugh, slapping Cecil on the back.

"Eh, do we have any other choice? We'll let you do the talking though…asking eight women for a favor – oof! We're gonna need more of a lady-killer than me to pull that off!" Cecil let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, and tried to fasten on his most assuring smile – he needed to get a lot of practice in before they reached the castle.

It was audacious to even hope, but…perhaps they would manage to pull this off?

The four of them stepped off the Enterprise, crossing into the lane that would take them to the castle. After the initial hubbub of their arrival had died down, most everyone had gone back into their homes or back to their drinks, leaving the streets empty save for a pack of willow-limbed, gazelle-like women strolling down the street in matching skintight pink leotards, silver arm plates and white platform leather boots that reached their knees and added another three inches to their already staggering height.

"A dancing troupe must be in town!" Cid poked his fingers in his mouth, unleashing a shrill whistle, and the woman closest to the lane paused mid-step, spinning around to face them. Her stick-straight blonde hair swished over her heart-shaped face like a curtain as she marched over to Cid, jabbing a magenta-colored fingernail into a fleshy pocket of flesh on his chest.

"Excuse me? What in the world are you whistling at?"

"I…I'm sorry, ma'am!" Cid squealed. "I-I thought you were a dancer!"

"A dancer!" the woman shrieked. "How insulting! This just happens to be my police uniform!"

…What!? Cecil's cheeks flushed deeply as he took another look at the woman, suddenly finding himself wondering what it was like to get thrown into a dungeon by the likes of her as opposed to one of his fellow soldiers back in Baron. Cid clasped his hands to his face, uttering muffled apologies as he turned tail and quickly fled the opposite direction. Yang embarrassedly bowed to the woman, and Cecil and Tellah chased after Cid, calling for him to wait up.

"Animals!" the woman screamed, shaking her fist. Cecil, Tellah and even Yang couldn't help but laugh to themselves as they ran to catch up to Cid, who started waddling faster after her final outburst. It felt so strange to laugh at a time like this, but Cecil knew that if he didn't give in when he could, that something inside him would eventually break. Despite it being on the same continent as mutinous Baron and war-torn Damcyan, with its light-bedazzled streets, fairytale castle, and goddess-esque law enforcement, Cecil felt like he had escaped to another planet, and not just another kingdom.

As they approached the castle gates, two guards stepped forward and nodded slightly to Cecil and the group. It was a pair of female soldiers dressed similarly to the policewoman in town, save for leather slacks that were tucked into their boots and the silver-plated helmets crowning their heads, translucent purple visors obscuring their eyes. Both of them had mythril-plated whips wrapped around their waists, the handles dangling precariously at their hips within easy reach. One of the guards reached for one of the rabbit ear-shaped appendages perched above her temple, giving it a quick tug backward. The visor retracted from her face, revealing a pair of curious green eyes and a pushed-in button nose sprayed with freckles.

"Good evening, travelers. What brings you to Troia Castle at this hour?"

"We have desperate need to speak to the epopts about the Crystal of Earth," Cecil explained, making it a point to hold his hands above his waist as to not give the impression he was quick to draw any weaponry. "I am Cecil Harvey, of Baron. This is Sage Tellah of Kaipo, Master Yang Fang Leiden of Fabul, and Cid Pollendina, also of Baron."

The woman's eyes lit up. "Ah, of course, you must own the airship we saw landing over the village if you are from Baron."

"Yes ma'am!" Cid squeaked. Cecil had to resist the urge to give Cid a subtle kick in the shins – hadn't he gotten the memo that they were trying not to look suspicious? That policewoman must had really shaken him up…

The second guard raised her eyebrows, pursing a pair of cherry-red lips. "I'm afraid the epopts retire early in the evenings as of late, as they have been through many arduous trials these past few days. But I suppose you know that already, if you came about the crystal. It was good of King Baron to send a knight to assist so quickly – truth be told, we weren't sure our messenger had even made it to Baron alive." Yang, Tellah and Cid all gave each other a look. Had Golbez already harassed the epopts for the crystal and had yet somehow failed?

"I see," Cecil replied evenly. He had a feeling that he and the guardswomen were not exactly on the same page about the purpose of their visit, but he didn't want to risk what sounded like a promising lead. "Then perhaps we would be best advised to return in the morning?"

"Nonsense," the first guard replied. "Troia does not turn away esteemed guests no matter the hour. I can see in your eyes that you too have endured your own trials, and you have come far if from Baron. We will not have you sleeping in your airship. Stay here at the castle tonight, and then approach the epopts in the morn."

"Also, if any of your men require aid, we have an infirmary staffed with the best doctors in the west," the first guard offered. She was staring directly at Cid as she said it, and when Cecil quickly glanced at him, he saw that Cid had once again turned as red as a tomato, and on top of that, had broken out into a thin sheen of sweat. Cecil wondered if it would be appropriate to ask if these doctors were powerful enough to cure a raging case of perversion. Who knew that Cid got nervous around pretty women with whips?

"Ah, but if you do visit the infirmary, please be warned that we are housing a very sick young man there, and he absolutely cannot be disturbed by the orders of the epopts themselves."

"Of course," Cecil bowed again. "We won't be a nuisance."

"Walk past here to enter the grand hall, and a guard there will bring you to a tower in which you can stay the night," the first guard instructed. The two of them stepped aside, allowing the party entrance to the castle gates. As soon as the door had shut behind them, Cid let out a sigh of relief, and Cecil spun around, hissing under his breath lest anyone hear them.

"W-what was that!?"

"I'm sorry," Cid moaned, shaking his head. "Back in Baron, paying a pretty lady a compliment usually gets you a smile or a giggle. Here, apparently, it can get you jailed – I can't go back on the inside, Cecil, I just can't! A week rotting in that vegetable cellar was bad enough! I had to bite my tongue out there to keep myself from saying anything that could be construed as rude!"

"For the love of…" Cecil shook his head, sighing. "You'd better figure out how to function like a normal human being, and fast – because there's going to be a lot more where that came from."

"How do you figure?" Cid huffed.

The thought had come to Cecil rather abruptly – but all of a sudden, he realized why Baigan would have never talked about serving in Troia's military. It was a footnote in his memory from his schooldays as a child – the only thing Troia was more famous for other than the beautiful epopts who served the Crystal of Earth was how exclusive the kingdom's defense forces were.

It would have been because Baigan wasn't allowed to serve – the Troian army was entirely made up of women.

They found themselves in a staggering, open-air atrium that was flanked on their left and right by swirling mauve and ivory marble columns. Outside the perimeter of the columns, Cecil could see miniature waterfalls pouring into the moat that surrounded the castle. Lily pads with tightly-wound green blossoms that were sleeping until morning's light drifted lazily in the water, and occasionally became landing spots for the singing frogs leaping between them. Blinking fireflies floated about in the air, flitting in and out between the columns as the men strolled through to their next destination.

"It's beautiful here," Cecil murmured. He couldn't help but wonder what Rosa would think about a place like this – it was like one of her fantasy romances had leapt off its pages and sprung to life. A small voice inside him lamented why he was only thinking about something like this now, when she was gone – why he hadn't ever thought to share something beautiful with her when she had been by his side and willing to love him.

Because I wanted to protect her from everything horrible in this world – myself included. But now…

"This is all thanks the bounty of the Crystal of Earth, I'm sure," Yang replied. "The beauty of Troia and her people is truly unmatched…there's an almost…maternal atmosphere in the air, is there not? Like we're being protected by Gaia herself…"

"The twins would have enjoyed it here…" Tellah sighed. He could picture Palom raising hell in the moat, catching frogs that he would stash away later to torture his sister with. Meanwhile, Porom would have lost herself in the atrium for hours, taking in the draping flowers that hung from the pergola stretched overhead. The greenery was so thick and rich that even when it rained, no water made its way inside.

At the end of the hall, they were greeted by another guard, who gave the customary nod before she stepped aside to let them pass through. Cecil could see what had to have been the grand hall behind her, a gossamer threaded-curtain acting as the threshold from their position in the atrium. A towering gold and marble fountain was planted in the middle of the chamber, water pouring out of a daydreaming maiden's bucket with her head tilted toward the cathedral ceilings, forever singing to the heavens. Further ahead there was a purple-carpeted staircase that lead to what Cecil assumed was the epopts' chambers – two silver-plated doors were drawn tightly shut at the top, and another pair of guards, who were armed with not only whips, but massive broadswords sheathed over their backs, were staring dead ahead at the intruding strangers, warning the party with their eyes behind their visors not to come any closer. A much more welcome distraction, a young woman sitting in a corner against a column and strumming a ukulele, was surrounded by half-asleep children and their mothers and fathers. A round of polite applause bubbled in the air before she started a new song, which sounded an awful lot like a lullaby.

A pair of footsteps clicking against the marble tile started Cecil out of his trance, and he turned in time to see a new guard approaching them, this one with flawless mocha skin and jet-black hair pulled over her shoulder in a fishtail plait. "Good evening," she chirped, raising her visor. "Are you the visitors from Baron?"

"Yes," Cecil nodded.

"Please follow me," she replied, gesturing with her open palm. She took the party through the portion of the great hall from which she had emerged and turned left, leading them through a doorway and up a short staircase through a tower. After crossing an open-air walkway that offered a breathtaking view of the western waterfalls, she stopped at the next tower they had entered, nodding toward a row of open doors.

"You may use any of these apartments for the evening," she explained as she stopped in front of a row of open doors. "This is the tower designated specifically for men – please do not wander elsewhere tonight."

"Understood," Yang smiled. "Thank you for everything."

She turned on her heel, pausing before re-entering the walkway. "If you desire an audience with the epopts, I suggest you rise early – go straight to the great hall when you are ready. Good night."

Once she was out of earshot, Cid rubbed his hands together, grinning. To his credit, he now looked more like his old odd self with those bug-eyed goggles and manic smile, and less so the sweatier, swollen version. "This is worlds apart from Baron's welcome committee, eh?"

"I'm going right to bed," Cecil sighed. Even though he had slept on the way here, he was already exhausted all over again – his short adrenaline burst had seemed to evaporate as soon as he had heard the woman singing to the children in the great hall. "We've got to be on our guard for the morrow."

"You're right," Yang nodded. "Let us meet in the grand hall tomorrow morning – by the water maiden fountain."

Everyone murmured their agreement, and each of the men took a separate room, four doors slamming shut nearly in unison. Cecil kicked off his boots and didn't even bother taking in his new scenery before collapsing on the foot of a single, spartan bed that was positioned by the window, just like in his room in Baron. A curtain was parted open, but with the light of the half-moons stifled by the clouds that night, he didn't bother pulling it all the way shut.

Tomorrow, we make our attempt to obtain the Crystal of Earth, Cecil thought as he unfastened his chest plate, shrugging it over his head and following that with his shoulder plates and cape. Kain said he would make contact when we got the crystal…does that mean Golbez is somehow…watching us? He quickly stripped the rest of his armor off, falling back into the bed and curling up under a single sheet with his back to the window.

Cecil closed his eyes, but even after an hour of nothing but steady breathing, sleep wouldn't take him. His mind seemed keen on torturing him with a rotation of painful images: first it was the light leaving Palom and Porom's eyes, then it was haughty smile Kain had bequeathed him on the airship, the way he had discussed Rosa's life as if she were nothing more than a stray dog and not one of his best friends.

Other than the stretch of time he and Rosa had been apart while she had been training in Mysidia, and he had joined the Red Wings, this was the longest he could remember being away from her since they had met. Even on his longest missions, she would be waiting for him when he came home – usually the first person to greet him – or he would find any excuse possible to leave the castle when their lives had simply grown too chaotic, even if it was just to walk down the street by her house and gaze up at her window, hoping she would sense his presence.

Was she really safe, or was Kain just bluffing to get the crystal?

Was she thinking of him?

Or worse, wondering if he had forgotten about her?

Rosa and Kain…do they know that His Highness is dead? What will happen to Baron now that he's gone…? He clenched his eyes tighter, desperately clawing through every memory he had that could possibly hint to the day that Cagnazzo had made the switch – but nothing in particular stood out in his mind other than the fateful day he had been ordered to steal the Crystal of Water.

But what about when His Highness asked me take up the dark sword? Was that the real Baron, or was it Cagnazzo? If it was His Highness, did he truly understand the dangerous path it would take me down, or did he really believe in me enough to think that I could overcome it?

"I…I can't do this," Cecil suddenly gasped out loud, his eyes snapping back open. An unbidden tear slid down his face, burrowing into the pillow and leaving behind a cold smudge that stung his cheek.

I can't possibly go back in time and question every motive behind everything Baron requested of me as captain of the Red Wings…as a cadet…as an orphan that just wanted to show how grateful I was that somebody in this world cared enough to take me in. To do so…it would be disrespecting His Majesty's memory…and all the good he did do for his people.

I know I'm supposed to let go of the shadows of my past…

But it's so hard to do when we might not have a future…if I retrieve the crystal for Golbez…will that mean all of this has been for naught?

Someone…please…

Tell me what to do…!

He sat up, swallowing his screams as he grabbed hold of the pillow and flipped it to the other side so that he no longer could feel his tears when he was finally able to fall asleep. As he sunk his face into his hands, trying to shove all of his horrible thoughts into the back of his mind, a string of mournful notes suddenly drifted into his room above the soft din of the waterfalls outside his window. He slowly lifted his head, pushing his hair behind his ears.

"Laa la la la…la, la, la, la, laa…"

Is that somebody's voice? He pushed away his sheet and crawled to the window, opening the curtain the rest of the way and peering outside. A few moments later, the song came to him again, and his eyes darted up and down the length of the apartments in his sight, searching for a face, a light in the window – anything. The voice was weak – Cecil couldn't tell if they were too far away, or if the singer straining to hit the notes – but it was still undeniably mesmerizing.

"I wonder where that music is coming from?" Cecil asked out loud. After searching for a few more moments with no luck, he laid back down and closed his eyes again, grateful this time around to have something else to focus on.

Such a familiar melody…wish I could place the name…

But within moments, he had been lulled into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

"Ah, there he is!" Yang raised his hand as he spotted Cecil crossing the great hall. Tellah and Cid weren't paying any attention – a guard that had greeted them that morning was in the middle of a lecture about how the water maiden in the fountain they had chosen for their rendezvous was actually an interpretation of the goddess Gaia, the foundress of their nation – but Yang had zoned out while trying to disguise his yawns. He wasn't exactly a morning person, though that was a secret he wanted to take to his grave – it was hard to lecture your students about discipline when your greatest enemy was an alarm clock.

Cecil nodded back to him, and moments later, had pushed his way through the bustling crowds to their meeting place. Yang was about to compliment Cecil on how well he looked – apparently, a night of sleep had done wonders in soothing the prior day's troubles – but Cecil immediately leaned in, looking as if he didn't want anyone else to hear him.

"Umm… Did you hear someone singing last night?"

"Huh?" Yang smiled. "Where, in the great hall? There was the girl with the ukulele…"

"No, in our tower," Cecil said. "Just outside the window."

"No, I heard nothing," Yang replied. "But I fell asleep nearly as soon as my head hit the pillow. Who was it that was singing?"

"I couldn't tell. But it was strange…I was having all of these weird thoughts, and my heart was racing a million miles a minute. Then suddenly, I heard this song…and it was like someone turned out the lights in my mind. Before I knew it, it was morning, and I could hardly remember any of it happening."

"Maybe one of the many women around here were casting a Sleep spell," Yang chuckled. "Seeing all these beauties here reminds me so much of Sheila – she would be the belle of the ball in a place like Troia, don't you think?"

"…Of course…?" Cecil blinked, his inflection at the end of his response inching much higher than he had intended. But before Yang could notice his hesitation to agree, Tellah swept over to them, their morning lecture finally concluded.

"Cecil, it's about time you've awoken! Come, the epopts are waiting for us!"

"He wanted to wake you up," Cid jabbed an elbow in Tellah's direction. "But I told him to let you sleep – god only knows the last time you have."

"Thank you both for looking out for me," Cecil smiled slightly. "Let's just get this over with, shall we?"

They approached the violet stairway that led to the epopts' chambers. This time, instead of staring them down, the two guards stepped aside and even opened the chamber doors, but made sure to convey their warnings as the men shuffled through.

"Be respectful to the epopts – each end every one of them!"

"They will not tolerate foolishness!"

"Yeesh," Cid whispered. "Do we really look like we're going to cause that much trouble?"

"Maybe you should wait outside," Tellah glared. "You're the one that looks like a derelict!"

Inside the silk-lined chamber, eight women, all dressed identically in velvet indigo halter gowns, were gathered in a circle, chattering quietly. They all had chocolate-hued hair that was pulled up in a loose bun, delicate gold tiaras above the stray waves of hair framing their foreheads. For an unsettling moment, Cecil thought he had stepped into a mirror house – the women suddenly stopped chatting all at once and turned to face him, identical flashes of confusion filling their honey-colored eyes.

Octuplets? Cecil wondered. They all move in sync with one another…and the rumors are true – they're all incredibly beautiful – like the living embodiments of Troia herself. He suddenly remembered that he should be bowing right about now, and quickly sank to one knee, lowering his head. The others followed suit, though Cecil could still hear Cid and Tellah fighting under their breath behind him.

"Rise, travelers," one of the epopts ordered, and Cecil stood up. She made her approach, golden-toed slippers peeking out from beneath the hem of her pleated skirt as she extended her hand. "You're the one from Baron, right? Our royal guard briefed us this morning that strangers arrived on an airship late last night."

"Yes, we've traveled here from Baron," Cecil began. "We…"

"We already know you're not the men we asked King Baron to send to our aid," she interrupted. "You see, our messenger to Baron returned yet this morning – she was turned away at the castle and was never permitted to speak to the king. Now, why would you suppose he would do something like that?"

"Uh…oh," Cecil blinked, taken aback. Time to switch gears – quickly. "The only thing I can say is that His Majesty has not been himself as of late. But regardless, I'd like to know how we can help you."

An exchange of favors was the only card left in his hand that he could possibly play.

"I'd rather hear what you have come seeking of us, first," the epopt raised her eyebrows. "You came all this way, after all…"

"R-Right…" Cecil sighed. And all of a sudden, we're back to square one. "It's about the Crystal of Earth. In order to save our friend's life…we need to borrow it. We were told if we could present evidence of possession of the crystal, then her life would be spared."

"Say no more," the second epopt suddenly exclaimed, waving her hand. "I'm afraid what you're asking for is quite impossible."

Cecil felt his heart plummet into his stomach, his mouth going dry. Just like that, it was over? "I…" He started, but the third epopt interrupted him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You see…it's been stolen!"

"What!?" Cid jumped. "Stolen?"

"Indeed!" The fourth epopt cried, fanning herself as if just the thought of it all made her ill. "By a dark elf, no less!"

"A dark…elf?" Cecil shook his head. "I don't understand."

"Oh sisters, let me explain," the fifth epopt cooed, shoving her way up front. "There is a dark elf that lives on the island northeast of Troia – there's not much up there except a forest and the cavern he lives in – we've certainly never bothered him before, and he's never had a reason to visit the mainland…"

"Oh Jeeze, let me tell the story!" the sixth epopt huffed. "You go off on too many tangents, sis!" She shook her head, rolling her eyes as if to ask "What are you gonna do?". "We're not sure why, but he snuck into the castle one night a few weeks ago and stole the Crystal of Earth right out from under our noses. We've sent the royal guard after him, but everyone that returns from the island says they have been foiled by the magical field he has put up in the cavern in which he hid the crystal."

"What kind of magical field?" Tellah asked.

"It's not a magical field," epopt number seven sighed. "It's a magnetic field. It makes it impossible for anyone to go inside with metallic weapons and armor. The moment you do – poof!" She suddenly slid to the floor in a dramatic fashion, draping her hand over her forehead. "You're paralyzed! Then the dark elf sends his monster friends to eat you."

"The cavern he lives in is known as the Lodestone Cavern," the eight epopt explained. "Perhaps if you were adept in magic you would be safe going through the cave…but the dark elf is a nasty git, and by creating this field, he has taken guard against his only weakness – metallic weapons. We've been briefed that even a great wizard would have difficulties defeating him."

"I get it now," Cecil nodded. "And that's why you needed help from Baron, correct?"

"I'm afraid so," the first epopt sighed. "Troia is not a nation whose strength lies in black magic. My sisters and I know a little, but we're forbidden to leave our posts – if one of us were to perish without a proper replacement, the Crystal of Earth would be in even more trouble than it already is. And our guards and police force make up the entirety of our army – they're all trained in swordsmanship and our other weapons are made of mythril. We knew that Baron had both highly-skilled black mages and archers that could have helped our cause with far more efficiency than we."

"But…" the second epopt crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her head. "If you got the crystal back for us, perhaps we would let you borrow it."

"But only borrow – not keep!" the seventh epopt lifted herself from the floor, brushing off her gown.

"We'll do everything we can," Yang assured her. "Don't give it a second thought."

"Oh, really!?" the third epopt exclaimed. "Thank you so much!"

"Then it's settled. Come straight back here once you've obtained the crystal," the fifth epopt instructed. "But before you go, perhaps you should visit our infirmary and speak to the man recovering there. He's been drifting in and out of consciousness, but the few times he's been awake during talk of the dark elf, he's indicated that he has knowledge that would be helpful for anyone who hunts him."

"Thank you – we'll take it under advisement," Cecil nodded, and bowed again. "We'll be back as soon as we can with the crystal."

After they had been dismissed and had tucked themselves away in an isolated corner of the great hall to debrief, Cid unleashed a sigh of exasperation, slapping his hands on his knees.

"Phew… No wonder Golbez didn't want to bother…what a pain in the arse!"

"It does explain a lot," Cecil frowned. "When Yang and I met Golbez back in Fabul, he was cloaked in a massive suit of armor the color of night – I didn't put much thought into it at the time, but maybe there's a reason why he can't take it off. If that's the case, it would be impossible for even him to enter the Lodestone Cavern."

"We really have no choice but to go, right?" Yang shrugged. "The Crystal of Earth being in the dark elf's possession is as dangerous as anything else – we have to get it out of there!"

"Maybe we should go visit the infirmary," Tellah said. "I've never heard of such a creature – if he's as horrid as the epopts made him sound, then we need any help we can get."

They asked the next guard that passed them by for directions to the infirmary – it turned out to be situated underneath the tower they had slept in the night before, next to an open-air garden in one of the castle's many courtyards. Once they had found it, a non-descript chamber with a plaque hung next to the door advising visitors to enter quietly, Cecil slowly pushed the door open, and found himself immediately greeted by a man and woman, both dressed in white robes.

"What can we do for you?" the woman whispered.

"We need to see the patient staying here," Cecil answered, not really sure why they were whispering. "…It's urgent, and…"

"Oh no, he couldn't possibly see any one," the man immediately interrupted. "I'm his nurse, and his condition is not…"

"...And I'm his doctor," the woman added. "He can barely move, let alone talk."

"We have permission from the epopts," Cecil tried, but the woman just continued to shake her head, and then proceeded to gently press her palm on the door. Cecil shoved his foot in the threshold to buy them some time, offering up his most charming smile as she merely stared at him, dead-eyed.

"That's not going to work on me, dear," the doctor smirked. "You're not my type."

"Nor mine," the nurse giggled.

"Poor Cecil," Cid snorted, and Cecil spun around to glare at him.

"Is someone there?" a weak voice suddenly called from the rear of the room. "…They want to see me?"

"Your Highness…" the woman trailed off, Cecil eyeing her hand as it slowly slid off the door. "You really shouldn't…"

Wait a minute… Your Highness? I thought Troia didn't have a royal family…

"Please…let them come in," the voice pleaded. "The epopts said it was OK, right?"

"That voice is familiar…" Cecil blinked, his memories from the night before flooding into his brain. "…I think that was the person singing last night!"

The nurse sighed and shook his head, finally backing away from the door and pulling the doctor with him. "All right, you can come in…but please, make it quick."

They stepped inside the infirmary, the nurse closing the door behind them. The doctor led them around the corner to a room filled with several beds, pulling back the curtain that was hung around the only one that was occupied.

"Prince Edward, please do not spend long talking," the doctor said. "It is imperative that you get your rest."

Did she just say 'Prince Edward'? It…it can't be… Cecil gasped, his jaw nearly hitting the floor when he took in the shrinking patient swallowed in the bed before them.

A petite, bone-thin figure was huddled underneath a thick white blanket, flaxen hair spilled out over the pillows in uneven chunks that indicated large patches of it had gone missing. As Cecil came closer, the figure pulled down the blankets slowly, revealing a gaunt, translucent complexion with red circles blooming under his eyes. He coughed so hard that his entire bed shook, but he even so, he managed to slowly pull himself up so that he could get a better look at his visitors. He was wearing nothing but stark white bedclothes, and his knobby arms were covered in dark patches of black and blue bruises.

Cecil shook his head happily, clasping his hand over his mouth to muffle his excitement lest he get booted out by the doctor. I can't believe my lucky stars…it's him. It's really him!

"Edward!" Cecil cried. "It was your voice I heard last night!" Edward smiled weakly and winced as he tried to sit up just a little more. His nurse ran to his side and quickly plunked a pillow down for support. Edward gave him a grateful nod, but his glassy eyes were still trained on Cecil.

"Cecil… So, you survived, too. I'd hardly recognized you…but you shine more brilliantly than ever before. You cannot know how I've worried…I…I must fight by your side again!"

"Fight? Heh!" Tellah snorted, shaking his head as he approached the end of Edward's bed. "Fight to stay on your feet, perhaps! Don't be a fool. You need to rest and recover." As if to solidify his point, he leaned over the foot of the bed and slid down his glasses, giving Edward a long, hard stare. This only made Edward smile more, and he gingerly clasped his hands together in a half-clap.

"Tellah… You are well, then. Thank goodness you and Cecil were able to find each other again. Please accept my apologies for what happened to…to Anna. I realize now that she died…because…because of me."

Tellah looked away, crossing his arms. Cecil looked up at him, slowly shaking his head. Come on, Tellah…now's not the time for your foolish stubbornness!

"Please…" Edward whimpered, his smile quickly fading. "Know that I am truly…hack hack HACK…!" He coughed violently and gasped for breath, clutching hold of his sheets. Once more, his nurse materialized at his side, this time offering a glass of water. As Edward downed it, most of it slobbering down the front of his clothes rather than going in his mouth, Yang joined Cecil's side, kneeling down to gently pat Edward's leg beneath the blankets.

"Edward, you mustn't strain yourself to speak!" Yang admonished. The poor man had grown so small that Yang's hand could wrap around the entirety of his calf.

"Yang…you're alive, too…thank the gods!" Edward paused a moment to catch his breath, taking one last sip of water. "What…what of Rydia?"

Yang shook his head. "…I could not save her…she was swallowed whole by Leviathan."

"I see…" Edward sniffled and reached up, flicking a tear from his cheek with great effort. "The poor child… Forgive me. All of you are fighting, and I but lie in bed."

"Don't you worry," Cid said gently, or as gently as he could in his normally gravelly voice. "Me and my Enterprise are taking up the slack. I hear you risked your neck for Cecil and Rosa. Now, it's my turn. You just leave things to ol' Cid for a while, you got that?"

"Oh, so you're Cid?" Edward blinked. "Then, you escaped with an airship? Wait…Cecil, what's become of Rosa?"

Cecil lowered his eyes. "She remains captive. They've demanded Troia's Earth Crystal in exchange for her life. But the crystal is already gone – stolen by a dark elf."

"A dark elf, you say?" Edward murmured. "Yes…I had heard. The castle has been in a panic about it – seems to be all anyone can talk about these days. In that case, Cecil, I want you to have this." He twisted over to the other side of his bed, digging around in a small leather pouch and pulling out a thin blade of grass. Cecil held his hand out, and Edward dropped the blade within, taking great pains to force Cecil's fingers closed over it.

"…What is it?" Cecil blinked.

"The only way that I can accompany you now," Edward said softly. "Please, carry it with you." Cecil nodded and tucked it underneath his breast plate. He didn't understand, but Edward was clearly not in the condition to talk any further. The prince moaned and collapsed against his tower of pillows, a gasping breath rattling in his throat before he closed his eyes. The nurse rested his hands on his hips, shooting Cecil a warning look over Edward's bed. Cecil nodded, and the group turned to leave, shuffling single-file out of the tiny space.

As the door slid shut behind them, Edward moaned and sank further down in the bed, a trail of perspiration dotting his forehead as his lungs erupted into another flaming fit of coughs.

"Cecil… You must save Rosa!"

"Well, I've got wonderful news," Cid said sarcastically as he plunked down on a stool across from Cecil. They were sitting at a table they had managed to snag at the King's Bounty Pub in Troia Village, trying to gather information about how to best approach the Lodestone Cavern in a way that wouldn't let the dark elf know they were coming after him. Cecil took a sip of his (well-deserved, he thought) ale and wordlessly gestured for Cid to go on.

"We can't reach the island the Loadstone Cavern is on by airship," Cid explained. "The entire island is covered by mountains and dense forests – it's nearly as bad as Troia itself. There will simply be no way we can land without tearing up the Enterprise's wings."

"So, how are we supposed to get there?" Tellah asked. He was working his way through basket of Troian sweet pickles, and immediately smashed his staff down on the table with his opposite hand when Cid attempted to grab one for himself.

"Yeesh – watch what you're doing with that thing!" Cid screeched. "My hands are my moneymakers, you know!"

"Um…you were saying?" Yang pressed, and Cid muttered something that may have not been very flattering about Tellah's hairline before continuing.

"Have you ever heard of a black chocobo?" Cid asked. "It's a rare breed that is now nearly extinct. Apparently, they can fly short distances, and that's how people get around here if they need to be speedy about it."

"Are there any of those in town?" Cecil asked. He thought he had remembered seeing a chocobo sanctuary on his way to the pub.

"I asked about that. The ones they have here can't fly anymore," Cid said. "We're going to have to catch our own in the chocobo forest north of here. From there, it's supposed to be an easy flight east to the island. If we land in the depths of the forest, the dark elf will never see us comin'."

"Then we should make plans to leave right away," Yang nodded. "I'll go to a sundries shop and get some Geshyl Greens. I have a feeling we're going to need them to lure these chocobos – if they're wild, there's no telling how adaptable they'll be to us abducting one for a short spell."

"Then I suppose I'll go find a weapon that's not a sword," Cecil frowned, pushing away from his stool. He had been dwelling on this conundrum ever since the epopts had told them about the magnetic field, and wasn't very happy about how defenseless their expedition was going to leave him. As much as he hated to admit it, while Baronian soldiers were known the world over for being trained to be effective in various arms, he had never really mastered much beyond swords and knives. "I guess I could use a bow…although it's been years since I've practiced…"

"Ah yes, your lessons with Rosa never went very well, did they?" Cid laughed. Cecil smiled slightly at the memory of his summer of failed archery lessons. Rosa would get so frustrated with his lack of aptitude, but the only reason why he had ever asked her to teach him was because he had wanted an excuse to get closer to her. If she were here now, she'd get right in his face with her bell-like laugh and tell him he may as well stay behind.

"Let's meet at the airship in a half hour," Cid suggested. "We'll drop off anything metal and then head for the chocobo forest. Deal?"

Cecil left the pub and walked across the way to the weapon shop just down the street. His spirits had been buoyed exponentially by their discovery that Edward was alive (although it was a far stretch to say he was well). But the prince's confirmation that he had not encountered Rydia, and Yang's reminder that he had seen her get swallowed by the beast that attacked them with his own eyes, meant that any inkling of hope Cecil might have harbored that she had somehow managed to live was now thoroughly doused. His rational side had always known and reluctantly accepted that nobody could survive something like that – but the rest of him had wanted – no, had needed – Rydia to somehow be alright. After everything he had done to that poor child…he had needed nothing less than a lifetime to make things right – and his every hope of that ever happening had all been swept away in the blink of an eye.

He decided that once everything was settled with Rosa, and they had returned the abducted crystals back to their respective homes, he would ask Cid to fly him to Mist so that he could erect a marker in Rydia's honor…

…But first, they had to defeat the dark elf…and survive Kain's next friendly drop-in.