Authors Note: So, after a long long time of procrastinating and scrapping rewrites, I've decided to finally go through with it. Since originally writing this story nearly a decade ago, I've worked towards a degree in writing and have gotten a lot more experience with my personal writings to the point I feel like this could do with a huge rewrite. I'll be replacing and updating the chapters as I finish them, so it will take a while. I hope you all enjoy this rewrites! Thank you so much!
I stretched and let out a sigh of relief, hearing my shoulders pop as I pulled one arm across the top of my shoulders. Groaning, I pushed myself out of my wooden chair to a standing position, taking a step toward the television sitting on a wooden half-circular shelving unit. Nestled against it on the stand were multiple statues from different anime and different controllers. Next to the shelving unit was a taller, square shaped on, each shelf with a different gaming system on it. On the top of the unit was a collection of a majority of the Final Fantasy games.
The room was illuminated by the title screen of Final Fantasy IX, the music echoing softly around my room. I powered off my PlayStation and television, turning to face my bed across the room from where I stood. Across other shelves, all painted black, standing statues and collectors editions from anime and games, posters of games littering the walls as well. I slipped on a pair of loose joggers and a baggy sweatshirt. I collapsed onto my bed and pulled the blankets over my head in one fluid motion. I unlocked my phone, the colorful background almost blinding, and set my alarm for 10:30 am.
"Five hours of sleep," I groaned, placing my phone screen down and let out a sigh. As I stared into the darkness under my sheets, the lavender scent from my air freshener wafting into my nose with every breath, my head began to spin, my head suddenly throbbing with blinding pain. I closed my eyes tight and clenched my jaw, my hands shooting up to grasp my temples, a motion I was all too familiar with. As the throbbing slowed and the pain faded, I loosened my jaw, and let out a deep, shaky breath, falling quickly into sleep.
I woke up to a sudden pain in my gut, my eyes shooting up. I rolled to one side, my arms wrapped around my center. A pair of feet stood near my head, but started walking down the pathway, the person they belonged to spouting curses toward me in a rough, slurred voice. As the pain went away and I caught my breath, my head resting on the cold stone surface. Cold stone? That can't be right, I thought to myself. A second later, I immediately shot to a sitting position, my heart racing and eyes darting around.
I sat in the middle of a cobblestone street, crowds of strange people walking by. Some were normal humans, others were anthropomorphic animals, like lions and hippos. The buildings around me had a stone foundation and wooden walls, the one directly to my left had their lights on, shining through the slatted saloon type doors. To the right of the entrance was a sign pointing towards the door, "Tavern" written across it in slanted writing. Down the pathway to the right of the tavern was a small enclosed walkway connecting two buildings, two banners hanging from each side, two white crosses adorning their cloth surface and red banners running down the blue background of them. Before the town square down the other side was a wall, a clock on each side on what seemed to be rooms with pointed roofs. The sky was illuminated by the setting sun, two moons visible, one red and one blue.
What the hell? What's going on? My mind raced with questions as I shakily stood up, spinning around multiple times on the spot, my hands starting to shake and sour taste filling my mouth. I started to pace, walking with the crowd for a few paces, and then back double the amount. As I started to walk faster and faster, becoming lightheaded and starting to sweat, I heard a body hit the ground behind me, and quickly spun on my heels. Right by my feet, face down, lay a small, familiar person, about the size of a child. They wore a large, brown hat, stitches near the brim and a darker brown piece of leather wrapped around it. They had a blue jacket on, almost too big for them, nearly covering half of the small brown gloves they wore.
They stood up, dusted themselves off, and looked up at me. Underneath his hat was complete darkness, two yellow eyes peering out. "S-sorry, mister," he whispered in a child-like voice. I stared at him for a while, shocked by just who I encountered, but shook my head. This is probably just a dream, I thought, trying to push my panic and anxiety to the side for just a second, as his yellow eyes stared up at me, somehow looking worried and anxious.
"No problem, but are you okay?" I asked, giving him a smile.
"Yeah! I'm all good!" he laughed.
"That's good. Anyway," I started, holding out my hand, "I'm Leo."
"V-Vivi," he stuttered, hesitantly shaking my hand. Behind him, a kid with a rat's head and tail darted past him, patting him on the shoulder. "Well, nice meeting you, Leo."
"Take care and be safe out there," I said as he jogged away, following that previous kid. I sighed and started walking with the crowd, spotlights beaming in the distance past two giant gates right in front of the castle of Alexandria.
-Chapter 1-
Alexandria
I stepped into the city square, the moonlight illuminating the cobblestone streets circling a small, beige and red tent, the large words "Tickets" painted on a wooden sign. A few other carts sat around the square selling different goods like flowers or some clothing. In front of the shops around the outside were small display shelves set up with their goods. On the left side of the square sat a large building, a sign reading "INN" hanging from a half circular overhang, the doors wide open. On the right side sat a shop with weapons displayed on racks outside, a large shield above their entrance, flags hanging from the wall between the two entrances. Immediately to the right from where I stood was a store selling assortment of flowers in front of a green tent. Nobles stood in groups around the square, looking at different tents and making small conversations with each other.
I walked around the square, peeking my head into the weapons shop, seeing a forge on the other side of the building, a counter around it as well as in the weapons shop. Swords and Lances hung on the wall to the left of the entrance, and daggers in display cases to the right. Behind the counter were some of the more extravagant weapons, as well as a small wooden door, separating the backroom from the rest of the store. Through the small passage, I was able to see boxes stacked as high as the roof and some of the extra copies of the standard weapons they had displayed in the front. To the right of the counter was a doorway leading to the section with a forge, the sound of hammering echoing into the store. I stepped out of the store, my curiosity satisfied, and stared at the ticket booth.
I stepped closer to the ticket booth, sliding my way through the crowd. My eyes darted from the lion man standing behind the counter to the wooden sign to my left. On the top of the sign the words "I Want To Be Your Canary performed by the Tantalus Theater Troupe" and different tickets. Seeing that the ticket prices were listed in Gil, I groaned. I patted my pockets, trying to find anything in there, but to no avail. I turned around, looked around the square again. Looking at the groups of people flooding toward the giant gates, I chuckled to myself a bit. I stepped into the crowd. Standing near the center and ducking my head behind the largest of the people in the crowd. The air inside the crowd reeked of booze and body odor, bringing back my bit of nausea from earlier, but not overwhelming.
We all approached the gates, two guards dressed in metal armor and green leotards stood on each side, scanning the crowd. A sword was holstered on their right side, a green shield with a goblet shaped silver crest strapped onto their right arm. I lowered my head even lower, hiding under the shoulders of the majority of the crowd, as we passed by the gates, the guards paying me no attention. The crowd flooded into a large open area that sat by the base of the castle. The area was filled with rows and rows of red, cushioned chairs, a few people standing behind the chairs against the stone walls. Above the castle's entrance was a balcony, two seats resting on it.
I stood near the wall, seeing that rat kid from earlier darting behind the chairs followed closely by Vivi. They stood up near the center of the rows of chairs, as the lights around dimes. As the moons began to rise, fireworks exploded from the stage as the band on the stage began to play. The musicians section rose up, revealing a set stage, a castle wall in front of a backdrop of a setting sun. In the center of the castle wall sat two red curtains. As the stove stopped moving up, the curtains parted and a large man stepped out, silver hair and a pink beard covering his strange face. He was dressed in a red and green fur robe, and stepped to center stage. He held his arms out as the band's music slowly died down.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," he started, his voice booming around the plaza and most likely through the city streets, "Tonight's performance is a story that takes place long, long ago. Our heroine, Princess Cornelia, is torn from her lover, Marcus. She attempts to flee the castle, only to be captured by her father, King Leo. When our story begins, Marcus, having heard of this, crosses swords with the king." He paused for a second, looking up at the balcony where the two chairs sat, now filled with two people, a heavily armored guard on the left side of the balcony. "And now, Your Royal Majesty, Queen Brahne, Your Highness, Princess Garnet," he looked out to the crowd, waving his hands across the crowd, "noble ladies and lords, and our rooftop viewers Tantalus proudly presents I Want To Be Your Canary!"
The band picked up as the man on stage bowed as more people emerged on stage. A man wearing a bandana, blue lines painted on his arms and holding a short sword took up arms against the man who wore the robe, now with two blue skinned guards wearing black leather and metal chest pieces. From the back, three familiar people emerged. A heavier set man wearing a white hat and holding a hammer, a red haired person with a piece of cloth covering their eyes, and finally a blonde haired man dressed in a blue vest and pants, a monkey tail sprouting from his tailbone. My heart skipped a little, feeling excited as I watched them all come on stage and face the man in the robe.
"Zidane," I muttered under my breath, trying to hold back a smile. The play continued, a fight scene between King Leo, his guards, and the four others on stage, quickly turning into a fight between Zidane and the red haired man through the audience. The two dashed out of sight toward the castle, shouting their lines at each other. A few scenes later, and there was a gasp, one of the audience members pointed up near the castle. From one of the stone towers of the castle, a person dressed in a white robe, red designs on the cuff of the sleeves and edge of the hood, orange pants sticking out from underneath stood at the edge of the tower, a rope in their hands. They fell off, the rope extending, swinging them into the upper deck of the theater, where the band sat. Zidane followed, coming from the same tower, easily landing on the banister of the upper level and jumping down, chasing the robed person. Not far behind, a man fully clad in armor soared through the air, arms extended, the rope tied around his waist. He had jumped off the opposite tower, curving around, slamming head first into the side of the theater's roof.
I was captured by the play. Seeing it performed right in front of me was something else, almost melting the anxiety and worry I had earlier away. I found myself more worried about seeing how the play would end. The way that they all performed their roles was otherworldly, a hundred times better than other plays I had seen back home.
The play continued as if nothing happened, King Leo eventually emerging from the castle set, Marcus brought out with his arms held by two guards. A bell tolled, and the king pointed at Marcus. "When the bell strikes three, under the ax you shall be," he boomed, turning away from him. The bell rang a second time, and the stage started to rumble and click. In front of King Leo, Zidane and the robed person appeared from a trap door. In front of Marcus, the man in armor appeared from a trap door as well, slouched over in confusion.
Steiner, I thought, chuckling slightly to myself.
Marcus broke free of the guards' grasp, rushing over to the robed person, shouting "Cornelia!" embracing tightly.
"Oh, Marcus, I missed you so!" The robed person said, their soft voice surprisingly carrying all around the audience. "I wish to never leave thy side. Prithee, lead me from this place!"
Zidane turned toward King Leo, shrugging a bit. "See, King Leo? Thou shouldst give them your blessing!"
The king stepped away from Zidane, striding toward the Steiner. "Never!" he shouted. "Never leave his side, thou sayest? Foolish banter! Cornelia shall marry none other than this man - Prince Schneider! Is that not so, Prince Schneider?" King Leo asked, patting Steiner on the shoulder. He stood there, befuddled and unmoving.
Zidane and Marcus attacked the two guards as King Leo and Steiner stood together. The guards ran off stage, King Leo stepping toward the white robed person, reaching his arm out. "Pray, sweet daughter, come home to the castle with me." The robed person shook their head furiously. "Cornelia, trouble me no more. This wedding is for thine own welfare. Be mindful of that."
Marcus rushed forward, reaching for his sword. "Not if I can help it! Now is my moment for vengeance! For my parents, and for my love, Cornelia! I shall cut thee down!" In one fluid motion, he drew his sword and jabbed it toward King Leo. The robbed person stepped forward, pushing the king back, the sword sliding into them, collapsing to the ground.
Marcus dropped his sword and the play continued with the touching last words of the robed girl, Steiner kneeling over the robed person, sobbing over their body. After a few lines from Marcus, he took the sword, stabbing it into his own stomach, collapsing to the ground. As the audience sat in silence, there was some shouting near the stage, guards emerging from the castle, sprinting in front of the audience. In the front row, running toward the exit of the area was Vivi and the rat kid, the guards chasing them with their weapons drawn. As they neared the exit ,Vivi tripped and the rat kid didn't stop, just shouting, "You fool! I'm outta here!" and sprinting out of the gates. Vivi picked himself off and sprinted toward the stage, leaping up the stairs.
"Leave me alone!" he shouted at the guards, jumping over the robed person's body, the guards stopping directly before that. "Don't come any closer!" Vivi shouted, holding his hands out in front of him, backing up ever so slightly. From the tip of his fingers, sparks ignited, fire spreading from his hands to the robe of the collapsed person. As it burst into the flames, the collapsed person ripped the robe off them, tossing it into the air, revealing long black hair and a skin tight orange outfit, a white, long sleeve blouse underneath.
"And there's the princess," I murmured to myself. The crowd was going crazy, shouting at the stage and some standing up to get a better view of what was happening.
King Leo exited the stage and Zidane stepped closer to the princess. They walked around Steiner and bent down over to Vivi, helping him to his feet. Steiner jumped up and down, almost like throwing a tantrum, and jumped backwards from them a bit. The two guards chasing Vivi and the rat kid joined him on either side. Zidane threw his shortsword into the back room, pulling daggers out from pouches on his waist, taking a low stance. Vivi and Garnet conjured a staff from nowhere, and Marcus grabbed the shortsword he used in the play.
Swords clashed, the sound of metal on metal echoing throughout the area, the crowd going silent, most of them adjusting themselves in their seats, leaning forward. The party blocked the guards attack effortlessly, striking back in one fluid motion. The guards ran off the stage, sprinting back into the castle and Steiner groaned and cursed them loudly. The man took a low stand, slowly moving his sword in a circular motion, stopping when the blade was directly above his head, and slamming it downwards. A blue circle appeared on stage underneath Zidane, a pillar of light encircling it. Zidane rolled out of the way, a white explosion happening where he just stood.
I heard something whisper in my ears,though I couldn't understand it over the shouting of the crowd. There was a gentle push against my back and I stumbled forward, but it was almost like something had taken hold of my body. My stumble turned into a jog, and then a run. I darted down the rows of the chairs, my eyes darting around the stage. They locked on with a sword that a guard from before had dropped. My heart slammed against my chest with anxiety as I jumped onto the stage. It was too late to stop now. I grabbed the sword that lay on the stage and slid to a stop, holding the sword with one hand near the side of my head pointed at Steiner. What am I doing? I repeated over and over in my head as the guards inched closer. "Get inside," is shouted back at Zidane, Garnet, and the others. Zidane nodded at me and he took Garnet by the hand, leading her inside, the others following. The sword was a lot heavier than I had thought, and my arms already felt a little sore holding it in this manner, nothing like the training swords I had used before. Hell, I've barely used those since I got them I thought, cursing myself in my head as my eyes locked with Steiner's.
He dashed at me, raising his sword up to his right sides and pulling it down towards me. I blocked it, the impact pushing me to the side, knocking me off balance slightly. Regaining it quickly, I pulled my sword upwards, the man's sword being redirected toward the ground. I slammed the flat of the blade against the man's head, hoping that it would do something to him. I turned to look at him, and was met with a metal gauntlet slamming into the side of my face, extreme pain rushing through my head as I stumbled slightly, but regaining my composure as a warm liquid dripped down my forehead. He stood up, readying his sword once again. I jumped forward, dodging his slash as he quickly reacted to my movement, kicking his leg with mine, stabbing my sword toward him. He effortlessly blocked it, slamming his fist into my chest, the wind getting knocked out of me. I collapsed to my knees, gasping for air, dropping the sword as I lost my grip strength.
He raised his sword above his head, his strike aiming for the center of mine. I pushed through the pain, pushing off the stage and rushing toward the red curtains, pushing them aside and running through the first open door I saw, tripping and tumbling down a small set of stairs to a stop in the center of the room. I coughed, rolling over and pushing myself up onto my knees and finally into a standing position as I regained my breath. The room was rectangular, a second of the room separated by partial walls and curtains, shelves lining the walls in the sectioned off part. A square carpet with the Tantalus logo sat in the center of the room. There was another door opposite of the stairs, a set of locks lining the right side of the door. Boxes and clothing racks littered the walls and corners of the room.
In the room, everyone from before sat, staring at me in silence. By the stairs Zidane sat perched on top of a barrel, Garnet sitting in a high bar stool next to him. The pudgy man, red haired man, and the man with the bandana sat around a wooden table near one of the clothing racks to the left of the locked door, all sitting with different postures. Vivi stood in a corner, twiddling his thumbs silently. I slowly stepped to a corner of the room, bending over, resting my hands on my knees, panting as the ground shook around us.
"Well, I guess we're taking off," Zidane chucked to himself. He pushed himself off the barrel, clapping his hands together. "I believe we have three new people among us, so some introductions are in order. I'm Zidane!" he laughed, giving a big smile and jamming his thumb into his chest. "And welcome to the Tantalus Airship, the Prima Vista!"
The red haired man raised his hand, his index finger slightly more uncurled then the rest. "Blank," he grumbled, and put his hand down.
"Marcus," the man with the bandana growled, raising the edge of his bandana slightly revealing one of his eyes and giving us a fanged grin.
The pudgy man leaned his head back, looking over my way. "I'm Cinna, nice to meet you!" He snapped his head back to facing forward, pointed at Vivi.
"I-I'm Vivi, black mage," he whispered, looking down at his hands.
"And I don't think that she needs introductions," Zidane said, leaning over and looking over at Garnet. She nodded, giving a nervous smile to everyone. "But what about you," he said, tilting his head toward me. Pointing at myself to confirm, he nodded. I looked around the room, all of them staring directly at me, and I felt my palms and neck grow sweaty and my face grow hot.
"I'm Leo," I stuttered, bowing my head slightly to them, "nice to meet you all." The three at the table nodded in unison toward me, and Vivi stepped forward.
"You were the one I ran into on the street, right?" he asked. I nodded, giving him a smile. As I opened my mouth to ask him how he was doing, there was a loud crash further into the airship. Cinna, Blank, and Marcus jumped up from their seats, rushing out of the room, Zidane close behind.
"Be right back!" he shouted, his voice fading quickly as they sprinted down the hall. As their footsteps stopped, I let out a small chuckle. I started toward an open seat near the table, pulling out the chair, my thoughts running wild. What did I get myself into? I grumbled in my head. As I was about to sit down, a voice peeped up from behind me.
"Leo, was it? Are you okay?" Garnet asked, tapping me on the shoulder. Her eyes darted from mine to my forehead and then to my shoulders.
I nodded, swallowing a lump in my throat I felt starting to form. "Y-yeah. I should be fine. Next stop, I'll get it checked-"
She shook her head, rushing to the sectioned off part of the room, looking on every shelf as quickly as she could. "Who knows what the next stop is," she said, cutting me off. "There they are!" she exclaimed, pulling out a rag, a large bandage, a bottle with a label across it, and a piece of square, white gauze from a drawer. She pulled the barstool out from the wall and patted the cushion. "Shirt off," she said, setting down the gauze on a table near where the stool was before she moved it and opening the bottle. I sat there for a second, staring at her as she looked over the supplies she gathered. I could clearly tell my face was as red as a beet when she looked back at me. "I said to take your shirt off. I can't get to the wound with it on."
I shook my head and sighed, slipping off my shirt, a large gash across the shoulder of it, blood soaking the cut. She tipped the glass bottle, the label reading "potion", and dousing the rag in the liquid. She gave me a soft, reassuring smile, and placed her cold, smooth, gentle hands on my shoulders.
"This might sting a bit," she whispered. I gripped my pants near the knees and closed my eyes. I felt the wet rag gently dab the cut and immediately felt a stinging sensation run through my back. It burned like crazy, and I clenched my jaw, my knuckles turning white. A few seconds later, the pain subsided, and Garnet dabbed a different section of the wound. As she reached the other side of my shoulder, rubbing my back and neck to soothe the stinging, she stretched the bandage across it, patting my back and giving me a beaming smile.
I slipped back on my shirt as she wet the cloth with the potion again, stepping toward me and brushing my thin black bangs out of my face. She pressed the cloth against the wound on my head, wiping away the blood and gently placing the gauze on it, pressing the corners down and throwing the blood soaked cloth onto the table. She tousled my hair, letting my bangs fall on my forehead again, and gave me one more smile before going to put away the rest of the things she borrowed from the drawer.
I sat there, watching Garnet put away the bottle, pressing the cork into the opening as hard as she could and gently setting it onto one of the shelves.
"So, what's your story?" Vivi asked as I hopped off the stool, motioning Garnet toward it slightly. I looked at him inquisitively. "Well, Princess Garnet wanted to escape and I was being chased by guards," he started, pointing out a finger as he mentioned Garnet and him, "why did you end up here?"
"Aah," I said, snapping my fingers. What do I tell them? "Well, I'm just a huge fan of plays, so I wanted to see 'I Want To Be Your Canary' performed live. Then all that happened with the knights and I just couldn't sit back and watch." I chuckled nervously as I answered.
"Are you a fan of Lord Avon, as well?" Garnet excitedly asked. I nodded, giving her a smile.
"He's one of my favorites," I told her. "As soon as I saw that 'I Want to Be Your Canary' was being performed I knew I had to see it."
"It is one of the best! It is probably my favorite play of his," she said, a smile spreading across her face. As she said that, there was another explosion and Zidane shakily appeared in the doorway, hunched over, steadying himself against the door frame.
"That was the other engine," he muttered. "Well, Leo, Vivi, and Princess, we are currently crashing into the forest outside of Alexandria. Please grasp something firmly and prepare for impact," he said, making his voice as clear as possible, like a flight attendant. The airship shook violently, the four of us rising off the floor slightly. I saw Garnet floating beside me, and reached out, grabbing her arm. She looked over, her hand wrapping around my forearm and pulling herself close to me. I reached over to Vivi, reaching my hand out to him and pulling him close as well, pulling him across my body for Garnet to hold. As I reached toward Zidane, Vivi now holding onto Garnet's arm, the ship stopped, slamming my back against the wall, my vision cutting to black as my head slammed against the wooden panels.