A/N: Please keep the reviews coming. They all get me inspired and hyped up so I can write teehee. ;). Anyway, I hope you notice the double meanings I put on the titles. I won't be explaining them here but I hope the meanings I put in them help tie the whole story together. Please tell me what you think ;)

Chapter 13: Timber

The intercontinental train ground to a halt as it approached Deling City Station. The doors of the train opened and metal steps connected the train and the platform. A brown-haired woman and a blonde man walked out of the train, bringing with them a couple of bags. Both of them wore sunglasses and gloves. The couple looked like they were important people. The lady wore a long green dress with feather details on the neck, wrist and bottom hems, and an extravagant hat. She walked proudly on the platform, wrapping her arms around the arms of her partner as she does. The man looked sharp in his suit and tie ensemble. His blonde hair was brushed up neatly and he also wore a pair of shades.

The couple went straight to a limousine with tinted windows. Their private ride had just arrived and it did so right on time. As the couple closed the doors, the limousine sped off to the Galbadia Hotel.

Louie Leonhart stepped onto the platform of the station. He looked at where the limousine was and caught no sight of the couple. He went back in.

After a while, Louie, Celine, Elaine, Krys and Dash got off the train and got out of the station. They were shocked by what they saw outside.

The streets were relatively darker. Normally, people would be strolling around the city at this time of night. The city is at its most beautiful at this time of the day. Instead of seeing countless people flood the streets in their attempt to enjoy themselves in the city of lights, they were welcomed by streets half-lit by the lamp posts and dark, empty walkways. The hustle and bustle of Galbadia's famous city of lights were gone. In its place was the crushing dread of silence and darkness engulfing the capital city. The sight was truly depressing.

"Wow." said Elaine.

"Wow" was right. It wasn't the same city anymore. The people strolling around in their leisure time were replaced with banners and slogans hanging on the fences that separate the sidewalk and the road. The banners screamed hateful things about the sorceress and what the government should do to them.

Louie took a deep breath. "I guess we're walking."

The group was silent as they walked the streets that was half-lit with flickering street lamps. The people are so scared that they can't even replace them. How sad. The shopping district was a sight to behold. for the first time ever, the most luxurious and high-end street in Galbadia was empty. Only a few shops were opened. The shop selling Potions and Ammo and the shop that refines weapons were the only ones open for business.

They reached Galbadia Hotel after what seemed like the most depressing walk of their lives. The automatic doors opened and they were greeted by an empty and poorly-lit lobby. The desk attendant was all alone and was glancing at the watch when Louie approached the desk.

"Good morning, sir! How may I help you?" the girl behind the desk tried to smile.

"Could you point us to the parking lot?"

The attendant extended a shaking hand to her right. "The parking lot can be accessed through the elevator, sir. Press B1"

"Thank you." Louie smiled as he led the party to the elevator. He pressed B1. Even the elevator music was gone. The atmosphere in the elevator was intensely depressing. One can actually feel their heartbeats slowing down with the humdrum of the elevator.

After a few seconds, they reached the basement. The limousine was the only car waiting for them in the underground parking lot. The party approached the tinted car and the door was opened for them. Inside the limousine was Lady Sylphia wearing the long green dress and Carlos Almasy wearing a white button down shirt that used to be covered by a suit.

"What took you so long?" asked Carlos.

"We had to walk all the way here." Louie answered as he slid inside the vehicle. There was more than enough room for all of them. Sylphia was silent while everybody tries to get cozy. Dash closed the door and turned the lights on.

"Even the buses are down, huh?"

"Yeah."

The short ride to Caraway's mansion was silent. Aside from questions frequently thrown by Elaine, who has never been to Deling City, the party was quiet. Sylphia stared out the window, not responding to anything inside the car. They approached the gates of the mansion. The gates were opened for them and the vehicle entered the property. The limousine was parked behind the mansion and the party went down.

As they walked inside the mansion, a man in a penguin suit approached them. He looked like he was in his late 30s.

"Good evening, sir Louie!" greeted the man.

"Hello. It's been a while, Jonas." replied the young Leonhart. Jonas is the private butler of General Caraway. He was hired 15 years ago, when Louie turned two. Jonas is rather fond of Louie as he watched him grow into the mature young man he is now.

"Oh everyone. This is Jonas, my grandfather's butler."

Everyone nodded politely. The mansion was beautiful. Red velvet drapes with gold ornaments framed the gigantic windows of the main hall. The marble floors glistened with polish and the room was lit with a silver chandelier which hung just in front of the stairs.

"This way sir." Jonas said as he motions his guests upstairs. "Master Caraway told me to lead you to your room."

"That's okay, Jonas. I know where my room is."

"I'm afraid you won't be staying at your room, young master. Your grandfather specifically told me to lead to you the special room."

"Why?"

"The room will be a safe place in the event that troops would storm here looking for the princess."

"You mean we can't get out of the room?"

"Not unless you are called to Timber, sir."

"Bummer." Louie said as he and his friends followed the butler to the 2nd floor halls. The right wing led to a hall with three doors. The last door is the door to the gallery. Jonas opened the door to the gallery. The room was well-lit by another silver chandelier and the whole room took up two floors. The first floor was filled with sculptures and oil paintings with titles written in ancient Centran text while the second floor was filled with photographs and modern-day art forms. The biggest painting in the first floor was the one entitled "ANGELUS". It depicted a woman whose face is not seen. She had long black hair with caramel highlights and white wings. She wore a magnificent long white dress and the gentle breeze seem to be blowing her hair, blocking her face. It was undoubtedly Rinoa.

"Guys take a look at my favorite painting." Louie shouted from the other side of the first floor. The others walked towards him as Jonas opened the doors back to the main part of the mansion. The painting Louie was referring to depicted a man in a black cloak in the center of the painting with his back to the viewer. The man was at the edge of a cliff. Both his arms were raised and it was as if he was summoning a great power. The cliff overlooked the ocean that was anything but serene. Dark clouds loomed over the ocean in front of the man and a whirlpool was causing turmoil all over the deep. The painting was entitled "MAGUM".

"I like this one." said Celine as she pointed to another artwork that was beside Louie's favorite. Charcoal was used in the portrait. It depicted a broken sword with the blade stuck to the ground and the handle lying beside it. A white feather was between the two halves of the sword. It's title was "EQUES VENEFICAE".

"What does it mean, Louie?" Celine asked the young Leonhart.

"Witch's Knight."

Jonas rushed in to the room. "Sir. Please hide quickly. You know how to open the secret room, please do so. Do not get out until you receive word from the party in Timber."

"What's going on, Jonas?"

"The general is here and he is with some veterans from the Galbadian army. Hide now."

Louie quickly ran to the ANGELUS painting. He wiped the dust off the letters and pressed the letter L. The letter bounced back.

"Nothing happened." Elaine was starting to panic for she hear footsteps and voices from downstairs.

"Wait for it, Elaine." replied Carlos.

Louie pressed the letters again. L. A. G. U. N. A. The stairs that led to the 2nd floor of the gallery inverted and became stairs leading to a room downstairs. Lights on the steps opened as the party stepped on the stairs. They opened a door at the end of the stairs and went in. After closing the door, the party heard the sound of the stairs returning to its original state.

"Open lights." Louie commanded. Lights opened inside the room. The room was modern compared to the rest of the mansion. The floor was covered with a blue carpet and the room had no windows. To the left was a white couch in front of a wide screen TV. To the right were two bookcases and a fireplace in between them. In front of the fireplace were two recliners. Nearest to the entrance was a kitchen/bar. The doors that led to the drinks were sealed with a voice activated lock. This place was just perfect if you want to forget all the troubles of the world. And it comes with alcohol to help you with it.

The children became cozy. The room was easy on the eyes. There was nothing there to remind them of their trip to Timber. Nothing but the "incoming fax" message that suddenly started flashing on the wide screen television. The fax machine beside the TV started printing out a piece of paper with the insignia of the resistance on it. Beside the resistance insignia was SeeD's.

What surprised Lady Sylphia was the third insignia. It was of the insignia of the Dollet Dukedom.

Squall and company arrived at Timber early in the afternoon. As soon as the train they alighted from left, they were approached by a man with blue bandana wrapped around his head. He wore a white short-sleeved shirt and green pants.

The man spoke. "Oh the forests of Timber sure has changed."

Rinoa smiled. "Watts!"

"Princess?"

Rinoa approached her friend. "Watts! I can't believe you're here still greeting people with our silly greeting." She gave him a warm hug.

"I have to, princess. We're recruiting!"

"That's great! How is everybody? You and Zone?"

"Well, we were able to escape to the White SeeD ship before the war. We spent most of our time playing with the orphans and teaching them stuff. After the war, we went back to Timber to regroup. Most of the original resistance groups are gone so we formed a new one - The Forest Eagles. And now, we're here, trying to get help from SeeD again."

"Where's your train?" Squall asked. Squall was a little bit surprised to see Watts again. Frankly, he thought Zone and Watts were dead. He was reminded of how he didn't actually like the two. Nevertheless, he was happy that Watts was their welcoming party and not some other stranger.

"Oh we don't use the train as our base anymore. The Galbadians started wondering."

"What do you use as your base?" asked Selphie. Selphie was one of the original team who met Zone and Watts. Unlike Squall, she was rather fond of the two. She was happy to see they survived.

"The old Timber Maniacs building. You see, some resistance groups tried to get the message around through the publications, Timber Maniacs included. When Galbadian columnists noticed, the publishers and editors of the Timber Maniacs were all arrested and are now still in jail."

"How sad."

"Yeah so we opted not to spread the word through well-known publications." Watts said. "Follow me, sir."

The party followed the resistance member to the Timber Maniacs building. The sign was taken down and the building looks like it hadn't been maintained in a long time. Watts knocked on the door. Someone behind the door answered.

"Are you looking for the Timber Maniacs building? It's not here anymore." the voice said.

"I know it's not here anymore. Some eagles took it away" Watts replied. Quickly, the door was opened and the party was let in. The interior of the building was even gloomier than its exterior. Stacks of papers lay untouched on the floors of the hallway leading to the main publisher's room. Watts opened the door and saw that there were 10 people waiting for them. The room had one long table and standing on the other side of the table was a very familiar woman. The lady had a black bob and wore a yellow ochre trench coat. The lady smiled.

"Your faces look familiar. Is this the party from Garden?"

"Yes we are." Seifer answered.

"I remember you! You're the trench coat lady." Selphie exclaimed.

"Excuse me?"

"The trench coat lady from our mission in Timber! The lady who helped us hide in your house!"

Rinoa came out from behind Seifer and Selphie. "Camilla?"

"Rinoa?"

The two ladies were surprised to see each other in that situation. Camilla was the daughter of the lady whose house was next door to the Timber Maniacs. She is now the leader of the whole of Timber's Resistance. The two ladies embraced.

"You're a SeeD now?" asked Camilla.

"Yeah. What about you? How are you? How's your mom?"

"My mom's at home, still strong and beautiful. Me, I married Zone and now have two kids. Aren't you a mom as well? I heard you married the son of the president of Esthar? Is that true?"

Squall cleared his throat from behind them. Rinoa turned around.

"Oh yeah. These are the SeeDs. This is Squall, my husband, Seifer, Quistis, Irvine and of course you know Selphie." the sorceress introduced her company to Camilla.

"Well, have a seat, everyone." The party complied.

"So how's Timber?" Rinoa asked as the rest of the party took their seats.

"Same. Have a seat, Rinoa and I'll explain everything."

Rinoa took a seat beside Squall.

"So as you can see, Timber is still under Galbadian occupation. The resistance is not enough to drive away the Galbadian forces. Even though Timber wood is not that valuable anymore in the market, Galbadia decided to stay here because it would seem like they are a weak country if they let go of a small state like Timber. Now, the Galbadian soldiers are worse. More and more cases of rape done by Galbadian soldiers are seen on the news but never really put into trial. Members of our resistance go missing for a few months and are later found dead or horribly injured. It's sad, really. That's why we need your help."

"I understand, Miss Camilla." Squall replied.

"Frankly, I don't really like contracts and binding people to them, but this is a desperate time. You see, our numbers are decreasing and we need as many people as we can in the resistance. We are planning an expansion to the capital city. I believe you are still under contract with the Forest Owls?"

It was true. They are still under contract with the Forest Owls. The contract that bound them to the resistance two decades ago states that the SeeD party is under the "command" of the Forest Owls until Timber's independence.

"Miss Camilla, are you threatening us?" Quistis blurted out. Of course, she is not part of the party that was original set up to go to Timber.

"I'm afraid so, Ma'am." Camilla paused for a moment. "Listen, we do not like binding people to contracts like this, but as you can see, it's our only choice. Two days ago, we were starting to run out of ideas and were on the verge of giving up when you called."

She took a deep breath. "Honestly, we do not even know if we're doing the right thing anymore. All we want is for our children and our grandchildren to wake up to a free and independent Timber. Is that too much to ask? We've lost countless lives to this seemingly pointless battle. We-"

"Save the waterworks for your resistance posse, lady. We're here to make a deal, not to hear the next award-winning documentary drama." Seifer blurted out. Rinoa gave him an angry look.

An awkward silence filled the room.

"There's no need to threaten SeeD, Camilla. We'll help. I talked to them about this." Rinoa broke the silence.

"Of course, we need your help too." Squall added.

"I'm listening."

"The heir to the Duchy of Dollet, Lady Sylphia is in hiding right now. She is, in fact, a sorceress and is therefore not allowed in Galbadian lands. Our contract with Dollet stays that we must deliver Sylphia to Timber for she has an important announcement to the world. Now, it will be hard for SeeD to dispatch all our troops to Timber because the Gardens are mobile now and we need as many people in them as possible. That is why we are asking for your help. The past contract with Headmaster Cid need not be brought up."

"What are you suggesting?"

"A new contract. One that states that we will agree to help in the resistance until Timber's independence if the resistance helps Lady Sylphia safely deliver her message to the entire world."

"It would be better if another party was involved."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Can Dollet send troops here to help with the resistance too?"

Seifer laughed. "Lady, this is ridiculous. I think you're asking for too much. We are not in control of Dollet's troops and involving a third party would create so much more complication."

However rude Seifer's statement was, he was right. "Well, there's only one way to make sure that it won't be complicated." Selphie interrupted.

"Contact the Duchy of Dollet and ask."

"What does the contract say?" asked Carlos. The party immediately went to sleep last night and had no time to read the fax message. The fax was none other than the contract between Timber's resistance group and SeeD.

"It says the resistance groups will assist us in any way that they can as we infiltrate the Timber TV Station. The infiltration will take place tomorrow afternoon, 3PM Timber time. In addition to helping the resistance help us, SeeD will also be part of the resistance until Timber achieves independence." Louie read through the first page.

"What?!" asked Carlos

"SeeD will be part of the resistance."

"What else does it say?"

"It says that as soon as Sylphia finishes her speech, we bring her back to Dollet. Any harm done on Lady Sylphia will invalidate Dollet's participation in the resistance movement."

"So Dollet's really part of the resistance now?" Sylphia was shocked.

"I guess so. Maybe the resistance needs as much people as they can get. Anyway, we don't have a say in this. We just follow."

Sylphia sighed. Joining the resistance would be dangerous for her country. It would mean that Dollet would have to face Galbadia. They would have to launch a war. It would devastate her country and the whole world.

But then again, war is inevitable as long as she's around.

"So we have until tomorrow to prepare for our trip to Timber. No more playing around. The sooner we are prepared for this assault, the better. They may be two parties supporting us but in the end, it's all up to us to finish this mission. There's no turning back now, people." Louie announced to the rest of the team.

"It's all about to go down."