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Final Fantasy VI: The Sands of Time

Book 1: The Beginning

Chapter 3 - For the Lovers

Part 3.8 - A Moment of Peace

As soon as Draco emerged from the hedges Maria was by his side, helping him to the fountain where the rest of the women were waiting. She had been waiting there for him, knowing that he would come back to her shortly. She leaned down and kissed him gently on the lips, the long awaited reunion breathing new life into Draco.

"Maria...thank you for waiting for me. I am sorry if I worried you, but we are safe now. Ralse is no longer a threat to us."

Maria remained silent, and continued to embrace Draco, happy just to have him in her arms again. Draco understood, and remained silent, both of them waiting for news on the outcome of the ambush. Much would need to be decided in the next few hours, and the two lovers took this brief moment to quietly enjoy their first time together in three months.

Before long a Western soldier came rushing into the garden from the hallway entrance. He was wounded, but not seriously, and happily greeted Draco and Maria.

"General! Lady Maria! Good news! We managed to take control of the ballroom and have taken over a dozen Eastern officials hostage. The rest are dead. We are continuing to sweep the castle interior for any other Eastern soldiers, and most are laying down their weapons as soon as they see us. The surviving Easterners are already talking of surrender, now that Ralse is no longer in control. It seems many of them had reservations about the war to begin with, but Ralse's overpowering influence forced them to go along with his warmongering. This is a night to be remembered, sir! The West has won!"

Draco smiled at Maria, and then looked at the soldier with intense pride.

"Yes, you have all fought bravely and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have no idea how proud I am of every one of you. We have earned this victory tonight, but there is still much to be done. What of Ralse? Has anyone seen him?"

The soldier looked a bit unsettled at this question, but answered his leader truthfully.

"No. Ralse somehow escaped during the fight. Soldiers throughout the castle report that he fled north, into the Rivan mountains. As soon as we have secured the castle, we will send scouts out to look for him. There's no way we will let him escape so easily. He has much to answer for."

Draco thought about this piece of information for a few moments before responding. Why flee north into the mountains? There were no Eastern bases there as far as Draco knew, and Ralse would only encounter hostile nomad tribes in that region. This new information was puzzling to Draco, but now was not the time to be worrying about such things. Right now, he had his home to rebuild.

"Let him be for now. He will show himself eventually, it is in his nature. What we must do now is reorganize our forces and rebuild the West. The castle is still surrounded by Eastern soldiers who do not know what has happened here tonight, and countless more are waiting beyond the capital's borders. Send messengers out to spread the word that the Eastern command structure has been destroyed and the West is now requesting peace talks."

"At once, sir!"

After the soldier left, Draco leaned on Maria's shoulder and soon was in a deep sleep. Numerous soldiers tried to approach him as the night wore on, but Maria waved them all off, intent on letting her hero reap his reward for the long struggles behind him. She could only imagine the ordeals he must have gone through to be here in her arms, but none of that mattered now. All that was important was that he was in her arms, and nothing was going to change that. Soon Maria too was asleep, and no one dared disturb either of them.

As morning approached, Draco stirred, his body reminding him of one last duty he needed to perform. Draco looked up into the sky, and saw that it was still dark, although a faint glow could be seen just beneath the horizon. He knew what he had to do, and tried to stand, but fell back, his body still recovering from last night's exertions. Maria awoke at his movements, unsure of what he wanted.

"What is it, Draco? Is something wrong?"

"There is something I must do. Please Maria, help me to my feet."

Maria obliged, and lifted Draco to his feet, supporting him as he looked on at the horizon. No words escaped his lips, and it looked like he was waiting for something. As the sun began to show its face to the world, Draco spoke up in subdued tones, remembering the two soldiers who had given their lives for his safety.

"Are you watching, Biggs, Wedge? Your bravery and honor was beyond compare, and I shall never forget your sacrifices. Here is your promised sunrise, bringing with it the hopes and dreams of our people. Today will be a day of peace, dearly bought. I will remember this day, and those who died to achieve it. Sleep well, friends."

Draco quietly mused for a moment, then turned to Maria and kissed her. Many things needed to be done today, and it was best if he got started as soon as possible. Maria looked at him and knew it was time for them to leave the garden and face up to the reality of the new world they were about to build. Together, they walked out of the garden and back into the castle. As they made their way back towards the throne room, they passed many cheerful guards attending to their own duties for the day, free from the burden of their Eastern oppressors.

As the two approached the main doors to the throne room, Draco stopped and looked up at the dragon's head above the doors. It was a wonderful feeling to be able to enter these doors without fear or secrecy, and Draco opened them with pride as he waved to the guards on either side. The room had been cleaned up since the night before, but the ravages of battle could still be seen lingering in a few places. Despite the gruesome events that had taken place, the remaining soldiers, both East and West, seemed happy. With Draco's strength coming back to him, Maria departed and went to talk with some of the soldiers nearby. They eagerly greeted her, all curious to know how her and Draco were holding up and what plans they had for the future of the kingdom.

Many of the Eastern soldiers gladly gave up their weapons and joined the Western forces once Ralse was deposed, and they were now chatting carelessly with the Western soldiers who had been their hated enemies not a day ago. It seems the malice of the East had not infected all of its people as deeply as some. Perhaps it was Ralse himself that was the center of all the negative energy that seemed to surround the Eastern society. Now that he and his supporters were gone, there was hope the East and West could put aside their differences and become one unified nation like they were long ago.

Draco gladly welcomed any chance for peace between the two nations, and happily stopped and greeted not only his own men, but the Eastern soldiers who had chosen to stay and help. It was hard for him to look at these men as his allies now, but he knew if they were standing here now, despite the actions they had taken for the East, then they deserve his respect as much as anyone. Draco was a friend of peace, and he could see the desire for peace in the faces of many of the Eastern soldiers. This was good enough for him.

As he made his way towards the throne, he could see not only his own wizened Chancellor, but Ralse's advisor both standing next to the throne, waiting for his arrival. They were both immensely relieved to see him alive and well, and greeted him with warm handshakes as he approached. The Western Chancellor was the first to speak up, his voice crisp with many years behind it.

"Ah, General Christophe, it is a pleasure to see you again! Truly, a miraculous event has happened here. Advisor Barden has assured me that with Ralse and his men out of favor, the East will surely call off its attack and soon peace will be achieved. Ralse's father will take control of the Eastern affairs once more and a new era of stability will soon be before us. These are wondrous times, My Lord!"

Draco inwardly cringed at being addressed with such formal tones. He never had aspirations of being a ruler like Ralse, and was content to simply lead his troops under his king's name. Now with the king dead, and him the great hero of the war, it seemed painfully clear what the people would want of him. Lord Christophe? Draco didn't like the taste of that title in his mouth, and would much rather give the reigns of the kingdom to the Chancellor. With a submissive glance, Draco looked at the throne before him, hesitant to take his place on it. The Chancellor saw Draco's hesitation, and knew what he must be thinking.

"Please, General, be seated! We have much to discuss about the future of the kingdom. Do not worry, your place on the throne is well deserved. The entire castle has been clamoring about you being the next king all night, and many would be happy to see you on the throne by the end of the day, if such things were permitted. I know you have never really wanted to be the ruler of our people, but if the public demands it surely you will accept your new position?"

Draco didn't answer the Chancellor immediately. He still had reservations, and had never really given much thought to the role before him. Before he could give the Chancellor an answer, the large doors to the throne room flung open and a strangely clad women ran up to the throne. She seemed in a great hurry, and paid no attention to anyone in the room except for Advisor Barden. She was dressed head to toe in a jet black robe of an unknown material that brightly reflected the lights of the throne room. The black robe concealed a bright white robe beneath that occasionally shone through the deep black as she walked with wide rapid strides towards the advisor. She seemed very young, and greatly distressed at the state of the castle. She looked about her with an air of open curiosity and awe, almost like a naive hand maiden. Her light blonde hair could just be seen poking out of the drawn hood of her robe, as if she had been in too much of a hurry to properly cover it. A delicate circlet inlaid with a line of beautiful pearls rested on her forehead, with another string of pearls around her neck. She seemed to be a priestess of some sort, except for her uncharacteristic energy over her surroundings. She rushed right past Draco and took the Eastern advisor's hand, looking at him with wild eyes.

"Advisor Barden! Where is Prince Ralse? What has happened here? I was supposed to meet with Prince Ralse here today. It is extremely urgent that I see him. Am I too late? Has Narsille attacked? Has it begun? Tell me!"

Barden didn't seem surprised at the stream of excited questions posed to him, but was still unsure how to relate all that had happened to this new arrival. He seemed to recognize the woman, and was familiar with her and her hyperactive demeanor.

"Cassandra, please calm down. You're getting entirely too excited and ahead of yourself, as usual. Prince Ralse is no longer in power. He was overthrown last night by a surprise Western ambush. This man here is the one you should be addressing now. He is known as General Draco Christophe. Please introduce yourself properly."

The woman seemed openly shocked at this new turn of events, and felt no shame in expressing her concerns.

"How has this happened? I must see Prince Ralse! He must be informed as to the status of Narsille! What am I supposed to do now? Advisor, I -"

"Enough Cassandra! I know how confusing this all is, but I am sure the General will listen to what you have to say as surely as the Prince did. Do not concern yourself with our problems, we are undoubtedly in better hands now than before. Nothing has changed on your end."

The advisor's words seem to calm the wild woman a little, and she turned to Draco and apologized for her rudeness.

"I am sorry for my behavior, General...Christophe was it? I am Cassandra, a priestess of the Order of the Pearl. I have been secretly relaying the movements of Narsille and the Committee to Prince Ralse for some time now. Please! Now you must listen to what I have to say! For the sake of the world!"

Draco stared at this wide-eyed women with uncertainty. It was hard to believe this frantic, outspoken young woman was a priest of the highly secretive and solemn Pearl, the dominant religious organization in the world. He had not had much contact with the group, tending to keep to matters of war and not religion. He knew of the many dealings Pearl had with almost every nation of the world, and that Narsille housed the center of the organization, but beyond the basic structure of the group, he knew nothing. Despite his misgivings, Draco greeted the woman cordially, eager to learn of the news she brought.

"I am at your service, Cassandra. You are safe here, I give you my word. Although I must admit I do not know much of your group and its dealings with Jidorik. What business did you have with Ralse?"

Cassandra looked quickly between Draco and Advisor Barden, unsure of how much to reveal of her purpose here. Barden saw her conflict, and stepped in to fill Draco in on the ongoing talks between her and Ralse.

"Allow me, Cassandra. General, we have been covertly receiving information on the inner workings of Narsille and Pearl for almost a year now, thanks to Cassandra. She is risking more than you can imagine coming to us, so I urge you to carefully listen to her words. I think you should definitely hear her out, since the news she has been bringing of late has been most serious. It seems Narsille is planning some kind of major campaign, with the backing of the Order of the Pearl. We are still unsure of the exact details, but Cassandra assures us that if we allow them to proceed with their plans, the entire world will be thrown into chaos. We are lucky Ralse decided to divulge his plans with me upon the arrival of Cassandra's letter last night, or I may never have known about the danger before us."

Draco was impressed with the magnitude of these claims, and again looked with quiet wonder at the girl before him. Could she really be trusted? She had been in concert with Ralse afterall. As he looked at her small, frail form, she seemed harmless and well-meaning enough, so Draco decided it was in his best interest to listen to the news she brought, even if he didn't fully believe the true size of the threat she claimed.

"Well, this is grave news indeed. I have always believed Narsille was a realm devoted to peace through technological advancement, not war and destruction. Please, Cassandra, what news have you brought?"

Cassandra's face lit up with a frantic excitement as she relayed the information she had intended to tell Prince Ralse.

"Thank you General! I must say you are far easier to deal with than Prince Ralse. I never did like him much, too full of himself and his own ambitions. He treated me like some common traitor, like I was an enemy of good. Me! A Maiden of the Pearl! I serve only one master, the Holy Master of Pearl, the blessed source of all life and prosperity..."

At this the Chancellor cleared his throat and glared at the rambling priestess, anxious for her to get to the point of her visit. Cassandra stopped and realized what she was doing, then let out a rich, soulful laugh.

"Ah..ah yes, sorry. I must say what I came here to say, right? I have a habit of letting my thoughts get away from me. Anyways! I bring important news of activity within Pearl and the Committee. It seems they are now very close to succeeding in their plan to bring about what they call 'The Crystalline Prophecy'. It involves the total subjugation of the world under Pearl, among other things. Only the highest of our order are privy to the details of this prophecy, but from what I gather everything is going to be completed within six months time, maybe less. We must hurry and find out what it is they intend to do and what the prophecy says. Will you help me?"

Once again, Draco was unsure what to make of these new, frightening revelations. The priestess seemed earnest in her intentions, and quite sure of herself, though. What if she was right? Draco was dismayed that so soon after achieving peace at home, he was being pressured into joining a world-wide conflict he was only vaguely aware of. There was no choice for Draco when it came to maintaining peace, and despite his own wishes, he relented and agreed to help Cassandra for the sake of his people. He looked over at Maria, wondering what this information meant for them and their child.

"Good! Now that I have you on my side, I need to show you something. I think it holds the key to stopping this plan in its tracks."

Cassandra reached into her robes and eagerly pulled out what looked like a small leather carrying case with a strap. It was not in the best condition, and seemed to have a permanent coating of sand worn into its creases. She opened it up and with a flourish pulled out a small card with a picture of a man on it, showing it to Draco.

"Look carefully at this. This is who we have to find to save the world. He has something of unspeakable value and danger, and we must get it from him at all costs. This is the face of our enemy, and his name is Dune Karn!"