Start Date: August 26, 2023
Windwillow
Final Fantasy IX: The Reason and Right To Exist
Part One: Runaway Princess
Start!
The three way alliance of Alexandria, Lindblum, and Burmecia has existed for close to three decades now. With the advent of the Airship Revolution the three major nations on the Mist Continent have come to a happy peace. Lindblum, the nation of airship commerce, rules the skies of the continent, while Alexandria dominates its own kingdom high above the deadly Mist that threatens all who breathe it. Burmecia has remained beneath the Mist and surrounded by rain for decades, with its army of Dragon Knights well suited to fighting off any monster attacks that might threaten the nation. Further, the sixteenth birthday of the heir to the Alexandrian throne - Princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII - will be marked by a performance by the legendary Tantalus theater troupe from Lindblum. Unknown to all involved but a tiny handful, however, the troupe - truly a band of thieves - has set out from Lindblum to kidnap Princess Garnet and carry her to King Cid Fabool of Lindblum.
Chapter One: I Want to Fly the Coop
The Princess of Alexandria, Garnet Til Alexandros XVII had settled on a very risky and daring decision: flee the nation of which she would one day rule and seek refuge with her "uncle" Cid Fabool, ruler of the allied nation of Lindblum. She played a dangerous game of cat and mouse with her mother, Queen Brahne, but the queen's erratic behavior had convinced her that only by escaping to Lindblum could she help her nation. It had been a long two weeks since she'd made her decision, but now everything had fallen in place.
Garnet stared down at her bed, one just as magnificent and comfortable as royalty would have to lay down its head. Although she was dressed in her royal attire, two other pieces of clothing were laid out atop the covers: a white blouse with an orange jumpsuit, and the traditional robes of the White Mage laying beside it. As she turned her attention to a certain object on the far end of the bed, Garnet quietly shut her eyes tight in prayer, begging for her father to protect her. Her fingers grappled the pendant around her neck and she clenched them tight, knowing that spiriting it away would anger her mother beyond words.
"Oh, Father..." Garnet muttered breathlessly. The reason she'd decided to leave was to honor his own wishes, to protect the nation. With Queen Brahne acting as erratic as she had been, Garnet believed that only by seeking the protection of the King of Lindblum could she best save her kingdom. "Pray, be with me..." she murmured.
Parallel Perspective: A Primer
This being Final Fantasy IX, I'd be remiss not to include Active Time Events. Here, however, it will be handled somewhat differently. Not all ATEs will be shown, only the most important, and in a few cases the scenes will be totally original rather than what was seen in the game. All Parallel Perspectives - as I'll be calling them - will be separated from the main action and given a title for the scene, then the action will return to the main story.
Scene One
The M.S. Prima Vista, acquired by Baku ten years prior, was a luxury liner style airship designed to host a roving theater company. Part of the ship had been converted into a moving theater, with complex mechanics and changeable stages for various plays. Capable of carrying almost three hundred passengers and crew and weighing over eight thousand tons, the Prima Vista served as the roving base for the Tantalus Theatre Troupe. Unknown to most, however, the Troupe was also an experienced band of thieves that had extended its network all across the Mist Continent.
They'd stolen jewels, Gil, and other artifacts, sometimes selling them on the black market and at other times sharing their spoils with the nation of Lindblum, who they were (very) loosely associated with. Tantalus had stolen countless ancient texts from sources who squirreled them away for themselves, texts that had in some cases been used in Lindblum universities and others in factorial development for the nation's thriving economy. It was when they were instructed to steal a princess, however, that even Baku had balked.
It was an audacious scheme: spirit Princess Garnet away from Alexandria, secure her in safety, and carry her to King Cid Fabool by personal order of the monarch. Baku had at first resisted, but when Cid asked a personal favor of him he was unable to turn the king down. So, in early January the plot was hatched and Tantalus was dispatched to Alexandria, ostensibly to perform the play "I Want to Be Your Canary," though in truth to capture Princess Garnet Til Alexandros and ferry her to Lindblum. They would arrive on the fifteenth of January, the princess's sixteenth birthday. One of the many rooms inside the airship was a cargo room, where both supplies and loot were stored. In the early morning hours of January 15, a lone figure wandered through the dark halls of the Prima Vista and slowly opened the door to find himself in utter darkness.
It's always unusual to see a young man with a tail, although he looked little like a monkey. His layered blonde hair, tied in a ponytail, neatly accented his teal blue eyes with a crooked smile etched across his gentle countenance. Both his boots and his gloves were larger than necessary, dark brown for the first and dark blue for the second, and he wore a tight teal vest with blue pants. Noteworthy were the two large daggers on his belt: one worn vertically, the second horizontally.
Finding himself in a room totally overtaken by darkness, Zidane begrudgingly reached into his pouch, withdrew a match, and struck it to reveal the cargo room in almost utter blankness. He looked around the room, spying all the goods that they'd appropriated either officially or unofficially, and stared at a candle in the center of the room. As he reached to light the candle, he quietly turned to an adjacent door and smiled. For thieves, it was easy to read where they were, at least to him.
"You joining me in the dark or what?" Zidane asked wryly.
When he spoke the door flew open and three figures emerged through the darkness. Resembling a pirate, Marcus wore a red bandana and a blue sleeveless shirt with brown boots and buckled wrist braces. At his left hip was a long broadsword, not as big as a knight's but just as sharp. Then there was Blank. A young man with auburn hair, he had a thick leather belt on his head that served as a headband. More belts were scattered across his torso, and he had fur-trimmed leather gloves that he could use to easily grip the long sword strapped onto his back. The third was the most bizarre. He looked more like a clown than a bandit. His belly was large and his goatee thick, and he carried with him his treasured hammer. Cinna, the final member of the Troupe, was also the weakest - and the least intelligent, something that he insisted he wasn't on a regular basis. The four of them exchanged a nod and gave a quick salute: clapping their hands over top of one another, the trademark of Tantalus' inner circle.
"And what are we doing here, now?" wondered Zidane as he lit the candle, bringing light to the once-darkened room.
Cinna shrugged and leaned against the wall. "Dunno. The boss ordered us here, so I figure he's got a good reason..." he muttered. The four thieves suddenly heard a sharp click behind them, and quickly realized that the door had locked behind them. Marcus desperately grabbed at the doorknob and wrenched it, but no matter how hard he tugged it wouldn't open. "The hell's going on, guys?!" Cinna choked.
When he heard a strange noise in the room behind them, Blank swiftly drew his sword and patted Marcus on the back, indicating that he should do the same. "Who's there?! Show yourself!" he ordered. The door slowly swung open and a lone figure lunged at them. Their assailant was a stocky man wearing a dragon's neck mask, wielding a large broadsword that they gripped in a single hand. The mask was of a dragon, but it also included a long neck, like a giraffe, that connected it to the enemy's shoulders. "So that's it..." Blank muttered with a grin.
The man with the dragon head's mask let out a horrific roar, shortly before he lifted his weapon and swung down at the four, scattering the thieves to the four corners of the room. Both Marcus and Blank charged forward with their blades outstretched, though the masked man easily parried the both of them and threw them back into the walls. He quickly realized that Cinna had begun to approach him with his hammer raised, so the masked man simply kicked him beside his companions.
The masked man let out another roar, but a slim line of light pierced his mask. Slowly the dragon mask cracked open and dropped to the floor, with its lone assailant standing before him. It had been Zidane, who stood before the masked man with one of his daggers raised, a smile on his face. That smile quickly vanished when he found himself punched in the gut, dropping him to one knee with a sharp gasp. The boss of Tantalus was tall and stocky, part man, part tapir, and all muscle. Both his hair and beard were a bushy purple, and he wore aviator goggles alongside a long nose and furry ears. His trademark weapon, a thick broadsword, hung from his back on a sheath designed just for someone of his... heft.
"You've all gone soft!" Baku cackled.
While Baku gave a hearty belly laugh, Zidane slowly dragged himself to his feet. The blow had been hard, but not brutal. Suddenly, Zidane lashed out his hand and reached towards Baku's belt. He snatched a small key from around Baku's waist, did a clean back flip, and landed neatly in front of the locked door. Zidane palmed the key and cracked a confident smile. "I take it that this is our way inside?" he asked cockily. Baku wordlessly brushed by him, lifted his leg, and kicked the door open before entering. "Oh, come on! At least act like you're impressed!" Zidane snarled.
The four thieves quickly followed their leader inside, where they found a large table. Baku plopped down in his seat, which was right across from an intricately designed model of Alexandria Castle, leaving the others to take up their seats wherever they liked. Blank leaned against the door rather than sitting down, and he folded his arms with a sigh. "Was that really necessary?" Blank asked flatly. Baku just smiled, and when he realized the truth Blank muttered an expletive and pounded his fist against the wall. "The whole fight was a test... and Zidane was the only one who passed when he took the key... you asshole..." muttered Blank bitterly.
Baku completely ignored his subordinate and withdrew a small, poorly constructed rag doll of a young girl wearing princess robes. He set it down on one of the castle balconies, resting it against the model of the structure's walls. "When do I get that Garnet doll back, boss?" asked Cinna. Baku promptly whacked him over the head, leaving Cinna reeling. "Hey! Ain't no need to get violent, dammit!" he snapped. Seeing Baku's disinterest, a disgruntled Cinna lifted a model of the Prima Vista and placed it on the table across from the model of the castle. "Fine, whatever. We're presently en route to the nation of Alexandria, where we'll be performing I Want to Be Your Canary, the most popular play in the country." He turned to Marcus and smirked. "You read your part in the play, right?" he asked wryly. When he received no response but a confident smile, Cinna furiously slammed his fist on the table and began to pout. "I was supposed to be the cool one, not you!" Cinna hissed.
Marcus was more amused by toying with Cinna than he would be about actually performing. "I'll be playing the role of Marcus - coincidentally enough - the lover of Princess Cornelia, the daughter of King Leo. Do you have your contribution ready, Blank?" he asked softly. Blank cheerfully rustled around in his shirt and withdrew a nasty little bugger, some sort of giant roach, and Marcus smiled. Oglops really were ugly. "Once I've distracted the crowd and Blank wreaks some havoc by releasing the oglops, Zidane will snatch Princess Garnet and stuff her in the brig," said Marcus cheerfully.
With a shake of his head, Zidane threw up his hands in disgust. "Is it really right to stuff royalty in a broom closet? At least put the canary in a cage, right?" he chuckled.
"You just wanna stare at her," said Blank plainly. Although Zidane angrily flipped him off, Blank laughed and shot a nasty glare Zidane's way. "Looks like Zidane's lady fetish is out in full display, eh?" he laughed.
"It is not a fetish!" Zidane snarled. Suddenly he felt a slight feeling on his cheek, and turned to find that Baku had tossed the Garnet doll at his face. Now furious, Zidane snatched the doll up and slammed it on the table, much to Cinna's displeasure. "I'll do a better job than the lot of you combined!" he hissed. When he saw his comrades' blank stares, he angrily crossed his arms and muttered an expletive. "You guys are insufferable... God!" Zidane huffed.
Scene Two
He'd arrived from Treno, by way of a very understanding nobleman's giving him a ride on his own personal airship. From the first time he stepped out of the ship and onto the launchpad of Alexandria, Vivi had nothing but awe to describe what he'd seen of the country. A black mage was a traditional sorcerer, wielders of dark elemental magic. This young fellow was an example in miniature: blue jacket, pointy brown hat, and a mysteriously jet black face. His bright yellow eyes shone like flashlights from beneath his hat, as if he wasn't even human in the first place. Now standing in front of a statue commemorating the fallen King of Alexandria, the young mage slowly stretched his hand towards it, only for it to be caught by a muscular woman dressed as a soldier.
"Do not touch the statue!" the soldier ordered.
Horrified, Vivi threw up his hands and bowed his head. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do anything wrong, Miss!" he croaked.
The soldier stared at him with a skeptical eye. "You're bowing your head too low. Are you insulting me?" she hissed. Before a very flustered Vivi could respond, the soldier angrily patted him on the head and shoved him away from the statue. "Get lost before I arrest you!" the soldier growled, causing Vivi to very quickly flee from both the statue and - more importantly - her.
This had been his first experience in Alexandria, and it was decidedly unpleasant. Even if the nobles of Treno had looked down on him, none of them had assaulted him. Still frightened, Vivi stumbled towards the city proper, but halted when he saw a massive shadow pass by him. He stared wide-eyed as he stared at the Prima Vista from below, marveling at the craftsmanship of the wondrous airship. None of the nobles' airships were quite so... refined.
"Do you think it's true? That the performers are actually a band of thieves?" asked one of the nobles, a man in blue. Vivi turned to him in shock, terrified by the idea that bandits would be waiting for him in town.
Another noble, one in green, threw up his hands and laughed. "They'd have to be sponsored by King Cid in that case. He's the one who arranged the performance in the first place. Do you honestly want to accuse royalty of aiding and abetting criminals?" he asked wryly. Horrified, the noble in blue quickly clammed up and the one in green threw back his head and laughed heartily. "That's what I thought!" the nobleman chuckled.
Although unsettled Vivi continued on into the city, waddling through the streets one foot in front of the other. His speed left much to be desired. As he did so a chunky boy, for some reason resembling a hippo, plowed into him from behind and sent him to the ground and caused his ticket to fly from his hand. "Just my luck... The folks in Treno were stuffy, but at least they were polite..." Vivi muttered. Slowly he dragged himself to his feet and looked around for his ticket, but found to his horror that it was gone. He caught sight of a young girl at his side holding his ticket, and when she handed it back to him with a giggle he could only tilt his head and wonder what had just happened.
Parallel Perspective: Before the Performance
I Want to Be Your Canary's setting involved a marvelous tale of forbidden love and righteous vengeance. The roles that Zidane and the others would be playing, however, involved wielding swords, something that Zidane had a distinct distaste for. While the crew was suiting up Zidane grumpily asked whether he could just use his daggers, but when Baku smacked him over the head he and his fellow thieves scurried off to prepare for their performance. Baku, seemingly unconcerned, set about his own dressing-up as King Leo.
Scene Three
The streets of Alexandria had still more unpleasantness for Vivi. While he continued traveling through the streets the young sorcerer was suddenly struck from behind by a rat-tailed youth, who promptly flipped him off and scurried away. Confused, Vivi's only thought was to question what kind of sign language he'd just been privy to. As he continued on he found a group of nobles being led by another, duck-billed nobleman, who announced that the performance would start shortly before leading the band away. Vivi couldn't help but wonder whether nobles had the same kind of tickets that normal people have. He waddled onward, finally stopping next to a young man wearing a cap.
"Um... Excuse me... Um... Where do I take my ticket?" Vivi asked feebly. He didn't want to be impolite, but at the same time he didn't know how to be polite.
Even if he was surprised, Mick was good natured enough to help out a kid in trouble. He pointed towards the next street and gave a nice smile. "The ticket booth is just ahead. Go see the tent in the center of the square," he said cheerfully. As Vivi waddled away, however, Mick tilted his head and wondered whether the boy was another sucker with a fake ticket. "It'd be a damn shame if that's the case... seems like a nice little boy..." Mick muttered before returning to his activities.
At the ticket booth in the center of the square, the ticket master heard a soft rapping from below and looked down to find a quaking Vivi presenting his ticket. One look was enough. "The damn thing's fake!" the ticket master boomed. He'd never heard a cry quite like the one Vivi let out, one of sheer despair. Taking pity, he snatched up Vivi's hand and stuffed three cards in his hand, each depicting a different monster along with arrows and numbers marked with letters.
"What... are these...?" asked Vivi feebly.
The ticket master sighed and lifted himself back up into his booth. "Ask Alleyway Jack about 'em. He'll point you in the right direction," he said gruffly. Although Vivi nodded and scurried away, the ticket master laid a hand to his face and groaned. "Assuming he doesn't rob you blind..." muttered the lion-headed ticket master.
Now uncertain of where to go, Vivi turned down a side street and promptly dropped to his face. When he did so Dante the sign maker's hammer slipped and he knocked his sign out of place. Irritated, he climbed down his ladder and waved his hammer at Vivi. "You little klutz! You made me miss!" growled Dante. He returned to the ladder, climbed up, and finished putting the sign into place before climbing down and leaving, notably without his ladder.
"What's a... klutz?" asked Vivi, tilting his head. He suddenly felt a soft sensation on his cheek and turned his eyes to find his assailant. He looked like a ratlike... rat. The boy wore tattered clothes and had floppy ears in addition to his ratlike tail. He wore a blue shirt with red overalls, red leg warmers, and a cap atop his head of the same color. This seemed to be the epitome of a street urchin, the dregs of youth wrapped up into one little brat of a boy.
"You the one with the fake ticket?" asked the rat boy brusquely. Vivi nodded slowly, and the young rat began to chuckle. "I'll get you in to see the play if you become my slave. We cool?" he asked. Vivi, although confused, nodded again and the rat boy turned towards the lonely ladder and smirked. "Tell me if anyone's coming," he said snidely. Vivi turned back and found no one, so the boy snatched up the ladder and scurried away. "Engage according to mission parameters! Follow me, slave!" tittered the rat child.
Bewildered, Vivi slowly began to waddle towards the boy only to fall flat on his face, just as a man with four arms had reached down to snatch his wallet. Vivi struggled to rise and when he did he politely bowed to the four armed man. "I'm so sorry, sir!" he tittered. The four armed man, stunned, said nothing, and Vivi's mind quickly turned to a different topic. "Are you Alleyway Jack, sir?" asked Vivi plainly. Stunned, the four armed man could say nothing but nodded. Vivi rustled through his pockets and withdrew the three cards, handing them to Alleyway Jack. "Can you tell me what to do with these?" Vivi asked softly.
Alleyway Jack was speechless. The sheer naivety of the boy was outrageous, but at the same time he was sort of charming. With a shrug Jack reached inside his jacket and withdrew two other cards: one of a jelly-like creature and the other of a chocobo, then he handed them to Vivi. "They're Tetra Master cards. Allow me to demonstrate..." Jack muttered. He dropped to his seat and tapped the ground with his finger, causing a large 4x4 grid to form on the ground. As several stone plates fell and took up space, Jack stared at a stunned Vivi and grinned. "Tetra Master is a card game where you try and convert your enemy's colors. I'll show you an example..." he said. Jack snatched up a card from his belt and set it down, which had the picture of a Goblin that, unlike Vivi's, had no arrows. "Play a card with an arrow pointing towards my Goblin..." Jack said slyly.
Although Vivi was confused, he quietly stared at the five cards in his hand. He settled on a second Goblin with an arrow, and set it down pointing towards Jack's own. To his great shock Jack's Goblin - which had a red border - immediately changed colors to blue. It startled Vivi so much, in fact, that he immediately fell to his seat. Jack was amused, and withdrew a third card. "Whoever converts the most cards to their color wins. Play an arrow at an empty space and the card switches to your color, blue. Let me play my own Goblin..." Jack said with a glint in his eye.
Jack played the card, placing his Goblin's arrows against Vivi's Goblin's arrows. Vivi was stunned when two minuscule creatures popped up from the cards, both of them Goblins. "When two cards have arrows that meet, they battle. Like so..." muttered Jack. His Goblin whacked Vivi's over the head and downed it, and suddenly Vivi's Goblin card shifted from blue to red. "Different cards have different attack and defense values, written on the card below the image. Try playing your Skeleton card with its arrows pointing at my Goblin's arrow," he said.
Vivi did as he was told, and when he set the card both Jack's Goblin and a skeleton wielding a sword appeared from the cards. The skeleton lifted its sword and slashed the Goblin down the middle, downing it, and causing both the Goblin's card as well as Jack's original Goblin card to shift to blue. "When two cards battle, the winner converts all the cards that the defender points to into their own color," said Jack.
"Wow! That means I'm winning, right?!" Vivi gasped. Jack said nothing but snatched up a fifth card, depicting a 2-D image of a squat man dressed in white, laid it down with its arrow pointing to the Skeleton's arrow, and when he did the skeleton immediately shattered and all the cards it was pointing to turned to red. "Oh, no! I lost!" whimpered Vivi lamely.
Jack grinned and pointed at Vivi's chocobo card. "Normally, when a player wins they get to take the loser's best card. So I should take your Boko card, but 'cause it's your first time I'll let you keep it. In fact..." he muttered, taking the card he'd used to win the game and placing it in Vivi's hand, to his astonishment. "I'm giving you my Namingway card, 'cause I like you. Keep it safe, okay?" Jack tittered.
"Y-You... I-I..." Vivi stammered madly, unsure of what to say. He was suddenly whacked over the head by the rat boy, who took Dante's ladder and slammed it on his noggin.
"I said, come here, slave!" snarled the rat boy, before scampering off again. Vivi swallowed hard and staggered to his feet, bowed to Jack, and hurried away with the rat child.
With a sigh Jack threw up all four of his hands and groaned. "I know I wasted two rare cards on the kid... I'm getting soft. But..." he said quietly. A toothy grin crossed his face and he palmed a series of other rare cards. "Namingway's just a normal rare card, nothing more. Same with Boko. I've got plenty of better ones!" Jack laughed.
Scene Four
The next step in the rat boy's plan involved the church steeple in the back of town. He ushered Vivi inside and stared up the ladder at the bell high above, then turned to Vivi with a frown. "It's too dangerous for me. You go, slave!" he ordered. Although reluctant, Vivi slowly approached the ladder and began to climb. Unfortunately, a small being with a pom-pom on its head and fuzzy white fur plopped down on top of his head and knocked him to the ground, which seemed to amuse the rat child. "Should've guessed that Kupo was up there!" he chuckled.
He wasn't hurt too badly. Vivi slowly opened his eyes and found the moogle watching him, so he screamed and leapt to his feet. The moogle jumped along with him, but quickly settled down and adjusted his pom-pom. "Sorry! Haven't you ever seen a moogle before? Kupo?" asked the moogle. Vivi shook his head and the moogle sighed and wiped his brow. "Sorry, kupo. Let me enter you in the Moogle Diary to make it up to you, kupo!" the moogle said cheerfully.
"Moogle... Diary?" asked Vivi, dumbfounded.
Kupo nodded and quickly produced a huge book (bigger than he was, in fact) that he plopped down on the ground (and again freaked out Vivi). "Moogle Diary is a special artifact all moogles have where you can write down notes and even use Tents! Kupo!" Kupo said brightly.
"Notes? Tents?" wondered Vivi.
Before Kupo could reply the rat kid whacked Vivi again with the ladder, flipped him off, and took the ladder in one hand as he climbed up the steeple's ladder. He stared down at Vivi and beckoned him with his finger. Before Vivi could join him, however, another moogle waddled inside the steeple. He seemed to be a globetrotter of a moogle. Wearing a leopard skin hood and various other belts and straps, he carried at his side a large bag that seemed to be swelling with sundries.
Kupo startled and somehow stashed the diary away. "Kupo! Stiltzkin! You journeying again, kupo?" asked Kupo eagerly.
Stiltzkin nodded. "Might be gone for a long time... But I'll write!" tittered Stiltzkin. He paused and sighed. "Assuming the letters get delivered..." he moaned. Kupo tilted his head, which caught Stiltzkin's attention. "Mognet's been awfully spotty in its deliveries lately, kupo. I think there's a fly in the ointment somewhere, kupo..." he muttered.
After flashing a look of concern, Kupo quickly (and somehow) produced a letter from out of nowhere and handed it to a very astonished Vivi. "Kupo! In that case, can you deliver this letter to Monty? Kupo?" he asked. Vivi slowly nodded and stashed the letter inside his robes. "Thank goodness! I've been wanting to write for a long time, kupo!" Kupo said cheerfully.
"Hurry up and come here, slave!" boomed the rat kid, startling both Vivi and Kupo. Vivi quickly scurried up the ladder to join the rat boy, who had crossed a line of flimsy looking planks. "Come on! Hurry this way!" the rat kid ordered. Although Vivi was clearly uncomfortable he slowly stepped onto the planks, but before he could fall the rat boy caught his hand and dragged him back up to the roof. "Watch where you're going!" he scolded. Even so, he wasn't able to hide his relief that he'd saved Vivi; even Vivi noticed that. The pair scurried across several more rooftops before the urchin stopped and turned to Vivi with a grin on his face. "Never caught your name," he said brusquely.
"O-Oh, I-I-I'm Vivi..." stuttered Vivi nervously.
"Puck," said the boy as he jabbed his thumb at his chest. They continued on for a while longer until they reached a large gap. Although Vivi was disheartened, Puck simply laid Dante's ladder over the gap, creating a clear path to the top of the building. He flashed a cheeky grin to Vivi, and they quickly hurried over the ladder and past the rooftop to where the performance would begin.
Parallel Perspective: The Frowning Princess
Atop the royal box, the queen and princess sat in their booths. She was a monstrous monarch, heavily obese with pale blue skin and pronounced lips and a similarly prominent nose. Under her makeup, which only vaguely concealed her malice, she wore a sickening sort of smile. Garnet sat next to her, with two knights on either side. The first was to Queen Brahne's right. He was a comical caricature of a knight, one encased in a tin can with a strange clattering noise emitted with every step. Tall and stocky, he wore a traditional knight's silver armor with a broadsword strapped to his back that seemed to be in better condition than he was.
The second was next to Princess Garnet. A breathtaking sight to behold, the knight wore less armor than a stereotypical model but it was strategically positioned to cover all the areas that it needed to in order to provide a solid defense. She wore a sleeveless duster and her right eye was covered in an eye patch. Tucked at her side was an ornate, finely-constructed masterpiece of a sword that was laced with red diamond markings along an elegant, long-bladed knight's sword.
The first knight stared mournfully at the princess, who sat in clear gloom, but had every expectation that he'd soon change it. He lifted his sword high, and then swung it down, the signal for the Prima Vista's theater to begin emerging. To his shock, however, Garnet remained solemn. "Have I failed in some way?! How mortifying!" Steiner choked. Meanwhile, as Brahne celebrated by waving her fan around in the air, Garnet quietly sat in her seat. Even if she looked sad, she was more frightened than anything else.
It's almost time...
Baku was dressed as a nobleman, in robes fit for a king that had long sleeves that ended in thick gloves. He carried his normal sword as well. He steadily approached the front of the stage and stared out at the mystified audience before him, and he smiled. "Now, fair citizens of Alexandria... Be you noblemen or in the nosebleed seats... I now present to you 'I Want to Be Your Canary'!" he said, to raucous cheers. Under his breath he muttered, "And you'll gladly present to me your princess..." Baku muttered smilingly.
Scene Five
The scene was that of Marcus' confrontation with King Leo, the big fight scene of the play, set to a fake lightning storm. At Baku's side were two of his best men, the Nero Brothers: Zenero and Benero. There were two of them, seemingly cut from the same cloth. They wore what seemed to be a blacksmith's apron and their hands were notably replaced with a set of large pliers that replaced their fingers. They would play the part of King Leo's attendants. As Marcus struggled against the brothers' clamps, Zidane, Blank, and Cinna - dressed in their performance outfits - hurried in from stage right, or their stage left. Zidane and Blank punched the two Nero Brothers and sent them scurrying to Baku's side, though when they approached Marcus he attempted to hold them back.
"Pray, sheathe thy swords, kinsmen! This knave is mine to slay!" announced Marcus.
Cinna stepped up and lifted his sword (which had been balanced lightly so he could wield it), spun it around and stabbed it into the floor of the stage. "Nay! I've lost a brother to this fiend, and I'll not see another man suffer by his hand!" Cinna boomed.
Shouldering his sword, Zidane stepped up next to Marcus. "Give us the honor of aiding you, kinsman! We shan't abandon thee to this rotten weasel!" Zidane said forcefully.
Marcus sighed and drew his sword. "Then thy assistance is accepted, on the condition that I take the head of King Leo!" he roared.
As King Leo stepped back, Benero and Zenero moved up to engage the four thieves. The two Nero Brothers threw out their arms and engaged a special device that created a large burst of fake fire that shot out at the four members of Tantalus. Marcus and the others scattered and avoided the blast, and as Zidane leapt back he did a back flip and slammed his hand to the floor. That hit a switch that sent a fake, glowing meteorite hurtling towards Baku. He quickly cut it in half and threw out his hand, releasing another fake effect that mimicked holy light that knocked Zidane off his feet. As the special effects flew, the crowd - and Queen Brahne - began to go wild with excitement.
Cinna and Blank quickly disabled the Nero Brothers, allowing Marcus to engage Baku. Taking the opportunity given, Marcus swung his sword and faked striking Baku, who reeled and quickly retreated up the staircase. Zidane quickly attempted to follow after him, but was forced to parry a strike from Blank.
"Why?! Answer me!" Zidane shouted. He was acting perfectly, same as always, something he prided himself on.
"Were Cornelia to marry Prince Schneider, both kingdoms would finally rest in peace!" announced Blank, who was acting just as masterfully. Zidane said nothing but swung at Blank, who parried the strike and leapt back onto the balcony. The pair clashed with their weapons over and over, engaging in a rousing running battle that ended with the both of them leaping off stage and escaping the sight of the viewers.
This was exactly what she'd been waiting for. Garnet quickly excused herself and hurried out of the royal viewing box, brushing past Beatrix on her way. The young general was startled, but said nothing.
Parallel Perspective: Dressing for Success
Garnet hurried inside her chambers and quickly shut the door behind her. She wasted no time in stripping out of her royal robes, then threw on the orange jumpsuit with which she would make her escape in. As an added disguise she used the White Mage robes to dress herself, and as a final move she stashed a bizarre rod behind her belt, which seemed to have a bulbous head on a long shaft. She suddenly stopped, however, and stared at the picture of her father that stood on the mantle of her fireplace. It was only for a moment, however, before she hurried from her room and shut the door tight.
Scene Six
The running battle between Zidane and Blank had been a ruse, giving them an excuse to leave the stage and initiate the next part of their plan. Said plan involved slipping inside the castle's guardroom, beating up the guards, and donning their armor as disguises. Even though it was disgusting, Zidane gleefully put on the armor. He did so gleefully because he was finally able to stash his daggers at his hip. After slinging the soldier's sword over his back, Zidane happily slid his two daggers into position, one behind his back and the other on his left hip.
"Now it feels right!" Zidane crowed.
Blank shook his head and sighed. "Like you won't be conspicuous now... I was against letting you put those on until after we pulled off the sting, but the boss overruled me," he groaned. While he spoke one of the Oglops he had been tasked with keeping popped free from his armor, forcing Blank to snatch it and stuff it back inside his pocket. "Do you have the stuff?" asked Blank.
Zidane grinned and produced a small vial of some sort of liquid. "Sleep potion. I'll put it in the princess's teacup, then snatch her when she falls asleep!" tittered Zidane.
"And I have some laxatives for the fat ol' queen! She'll be crouching on the pot for the next three hours!" laughed Blank. The pair exchanged a high-five before hurrying from the guardroom, and once they were safely outside they heard a raucous applause come from the crowd beyond. "The big scene's coming up! We need to hurry!" Blank insisted. Zidane shrugged and hurried past Blank, rushing up the stairs. "Hey! We're supposed to go together!" he growled.
Paying him no mind, Zidane dashed up the staircase, only to run head long into the disguised Garnet. They both fell to the ground and Garnet's rod slid from her belt, though she quickly snatched it up again and stashed it back inside her outfit. "I wish to be left alone!" Garnet declared haughtily, rising to her feet.
As he lifted himself to his feet, Zidane cracked a cheeky grin. "Wanna have dinner first?" he asked sheepishly, to Blank's outrage down below. Garnet's eyes went wide open and both hands jumped to her mouth in outrage, though only briefly before she glared at Zidane and brushed past him down the stairs. "Hey, I was just kidding! God!" Zidane screeched. When he thought carefully and remembered the White Mage's face, however, his went deathly pale. "Son of a...! It's the princess!" he screamed, shortly before hurrying down the stairs. He only paused briefly to snatch Blank by the neck before the two of them began to chase after Garnet.
Parallel Perspective: Jesters of the Moon
It was a veritable emergency of terrible urgency as the two jesters dashed through the halls of Alexandria Castle. They were two ridiculously dressed jesters, Thorn in red and Zorn in blue. The two clowns wore floppy hats and no proper arms but long sleeves and seemed to bounce side to side nonsensically. The pair hurried into the royal box and attempted to get to Brahne's side, but to Zorn's outrage Steiner not only barred his path but he smacked him in the face to get him to stop. Even if Zorn wanted to fry Steiner, out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Thorn motioning him towards Beatrix. The jesters whispered a message in the general's ear, and Beatrix's eyes snapped open as she dashed towards her liege two steps at a time, ending by kneeling before the queen on one knee.
"I don't want to be interrupted," snapped Brahne.
Beatrix shook her head frantically. The queen had no idea of the magnitude of the situation. Surely hearing that her own daughter had vanished would eclipse any sort of devotion to a mere piece of literature? "The princess has disappeared!" Beatrix gasped, breathless.
"Does she have the pendant?" Brahne asked coldly.
Her words stunned Beatrix cold. The sheer callousness her monarch was showing horrified her, but because she'd given an oath to serve Brahne she shook it off and bowed her head lower. "Y-Yes... She has the pendant..." she sighed. What relevance did that have?
Brahne grit her teeth and slammed her fist on her throne, startling Beatrix. She turned her head to Steiner and motioned for him to come closer. "Steiner! Beatrix! Hurry and retrieve the pendant immediately! Seize the girl however you need to!" ordered Brahne. Outraged, Beatrix angrily clenched her fists but silently bowed her head before hurrying away. Even if she had given her oath, that was too much for her to stomach, so when she departed she did so with her teeth tightly grit. She held the princess in high regard... for her own mother to treat her so was utterly sickening.
"Has the princess done something wrong?" asked Steiner.
"She's stolen the royal pendant, so yes! Find her and discipline the little whelp!" snapped Brahne. Without realizing the magnitude of what Brahne had said, Steiner quickly saluted and ran from the box. As she sat and stewed, the queen angrily tightened her grip on her fan, almost to the point of snapping it. "We need both her and the pendant... What a worthless brat..." she hissed.
Scene Seven
The chase had taken them through halls and down corridors all across Alexandria Castle. Zidane had long ago outpaced Blank and left him behind in the dust in his search for Princess Garnet, and he no longer had any idea if he was even still chasing her. The two had played a long, agonizing game by the time Zidane chased Garnet up one final flight of stairs into what seemed to be a dead end: an isolated tower, with nowhere to run except down the stairs that he guarded. Finally he cornered her and she climbed atop one of the ramparts, where she stood with her back to the sky and a smile on her face.
"You're a slippery one..." Zidane said smilingly. When he reached out towards the princess, however, she dropped back and fell off the tower. Horrified, he dashed up and stared down, watching as she swung on a wire that had been used to hang decorations and soaring through the sky with the grace of a dancer on the stage. "They don't pay me enough for this!" he croaked as he snatched up another wire and descended downwards, chasing Garnet through the night sky and through twists and turns in the air, finally descending with her on top of the roof of the orchestra's booth.
Garnet dropped out of Zidane's sight when she ducked down beneath the tent covering the box. Disgruntled, he followed suit and dropped down next to the saxophone player, only to receive a hard hit in his side when the princess brushed by him and scurried inside the Prima Vista. As she ran, Garnet's only desire was to find a safe place to hide, somewhere where her mother wouldn't find her. Instead she ran head long into an immovable object: the troupe's diva, Ruby. Stumbling, the disguised princess was forced to grab hold of a rail to right herself as Ruby turned towards her with a glint in her eye. She had a neat, hourglass figure cinched in a brown corset, wore white tights and pink shoes. Most of her silvery hair was wrapped up in a bandana, though what could be seen was quite alluring to the untrained eye. She was, after all, the team's belle.
Ruby put her hand on her hip and sighed, clearly annoyed at having been intruded upon. "What in tarnation is wrong with you, little miss buckin' bronco?" Ruby growled. As she approached her, Garnet's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open. She'd never heard anyone speak as such. What kind of dialect, she wondered, did this beauty speak? When Zidane bumped into her and nearly toppled her as well, Ruby angrily smacked him on the cheek. "And you! I know you know how to treat a lady, and this ain't the way you do it!" she hissed.
He didn't have time for this, so Zidane brusquely shoved Ruby aside and chased Garnet further into the depths of the Prima Vista, finally cornering her in the storage room where he'd fought Baku. With a guttural groan he grabbed onto a rail to catch his breath, the chase having winded him far more than he'd have ever cared to admit. Once he'd gathered himself he lifted his head to find what appeared to be a simple White Mage staring back at him. If he didn't know she was royalty in disguise, he'd have expected her to cast a cure spell on him to ease his suffering.
Not how it was supposed to be... but what the hell, we got her...
"Do you intend to kidnap me?" Garnet asked coldly.
"Um... yeah, sorta..." muttered Zidane. As soon as the words left his mouth he realized what he'd just said and was appropriately mortified. For all his love for the ladies, never in his life did he expect that not only would be be kidnapping one, but he'd outright admit to his quarry that she was in the line of fire. "Okay, rookie mistake! I just want to take you on a vacation!" Zidane groaned, hanging his head in shame.
To Zidane's shock, Garnet wiped the sweat from her brow and grabbed his hand with both of hers, a tender grip at that. "Oh, that's splendid! Please, kidnap me!" Garnet begged. As she stared into Zidane's blank, empty eyes, the princess quickly realized what she'd just said, and was as mortified as Zidane had been when he'd admitted he was there to abduct her. Suddenly she heard the telltale clanking of Steiner's rusty armor approaching, so she grabbed Zidane by the hand and quickly tugged at him. "Please, abduct me before the knight captain finds us!" she implored.
"You... I... What the... What?!" Zidane gasped. After a few moments of dumb silence, he lamely nodded his head and grabbed Garnet by the hands. "Right then, princess! I promise I'll kidnap you and do so in... relative... comfort!" he tittered. There was no way he was carrying this beauty into the brig, whatever his orders were, but as the clanking sounds continued to grow louder he found himself at a loss of what to do. When the door to the meeting room swung open and Cinna motioned the pair in, with no better alternative he grabbed Garnet by the arm and quickly dragged her inside the room.
The door shut behind him, leaving Steiner to crash head long into it and dent the door. Although he saw a few stars he didn't waste much time in scurrying from the room in search of a way to cut them off. Inside the meeting room, Cinna quickly opened up a large hatch leading to the engine room and lead Zidane and the princess down into the bowels of the Prima Vista. As they bobbed and weaved through the halls of the airship in search of safe haven, the trio was stopped cold when Steiner dropped down by sliding on a pole.
Steiner deftly drew his sword and brandished it, laying it at Zidane's throat. "You'll take her no further, rogue! I've come to rescue Princess Garnet from you and your sinister cohorts!" Steiner boomed. To his shock Zidane lifted one of his daggers and knocked his broadsword from his hand, drew the second, and placed himself between Steiner and Garnet. "Do not worry, Princess! I shall save you!" roared Steiner.
Garnet shook her head and pulled her hood further down her face. She'd been privy to Steiner's blowhard nature several times before, and this was one of those times where it had no place in her life. "Please, back down! I do not wish to be rescued!" she screeched. She paused, staring at each of the three in turn as they looked back at her in silent horror. Garnet grit her teeth and reached out to smack Steiner, but Zidane caught her hand and wrenched it away. "What are you doing to me?!" Garnet hissed.
"Keeping you from committing assault, you mean?" Zidane shouted.
"You're here to kidnap me, and you're worried about me committing a crime?!" snarled the princess. Zidane paused for a moment, and slapped himself on the cheek. She had an excellent point. Garnet turned to Steiner and bowed her head to him, which again shocked everyone present. "Please, Steiner! Do not chase after me any longer!" she implored. When Steiner stared back dumbly and snatched up his sword, Garnet angrily tightened her fists and muttered a word her mother would have slapped her for using. "I told you to stop!" Garnet screamed.
Disregarding his princess's wishes, Steiner swung down with his sword and aimed at Zidane's head. Rather than connect with Zidane, however, he was met by the hard steel of another Knight of Pluto. Stunned, he drew back and backed off in shock. What was one of his own men doing aiding and abetting the abduction of the very person he'd sworn to protect and serve?!
"Don't worry, princess! You're in good hands!" the soldier yelled out.
Relieved, Steiner wiped the sweat from his brow and lifted his sword to his shoulder, believing that he'd received backup from a very disobedient subordinate. When Blank threw off his helmet and pulled out a cage full of Oglops, however, his opinion changed. "Zidane, get ready to run! Get on number two and get the hell out of dodge!" shouted Blank. He took the Oglops and released them, allowing the little buggers to break free and swarm both Steiner and Cinna, to the latter's discontent.
Scene Eight
By now the scene had changed up top. With Zidane and Blank's departure, and Cinna's flight as well, Marcus now stood restrained by Benero and Zenero, their claw-like hands grasping onto his wrists tight enough that he could legitimately not move his arms. Standing before him was Baku - dressed as King Leo - who now stood ready to inflict summary execution on the bandit. When the floor opened up and both Zidane and Garnet lifted up from the floor below, however, Baku's face immediately dropped and he nearly dropped his sword as well.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Baku hissed quietly. He caught sight of another elevator rising, this time bringing Steiner up onto the stage. Incredulous, he could barely contain himself from slapping Zidane and knocking his block off. He did, however, and when Zidane slyly shushed him Baku grinned and signaled for the Nero Brothers to release Marcus. Almost immediately Garnet fell into Marcus' arms, tightly embracing him with such force that even he began to blush.
"Oh, Marcus! My love!" Garnet swooned, taking Marcus in her arms and softly whispering in his ear: "Play along or we're dead!" Even if Marcus was confused, his acting instincts quickly kicked in and he embraced the princess back. Garnet drew back and stared longingly into Marcus' eyes, a soft smile forming on her face. "Pray, father, may I never leave this man's side!" she begged. Zidane couldn't help but smile; she really was a natural at making people believe what they really shouldn't. He didn't have much to do but shut up and fall in line as she enacted her plan.
"Nay, daughter! You'll marry this man - Prince Schneider!" roared Baku. He pointed towards a flabbergasted Steiner, who immediately dropped to his seat in shock. Baku turned his eye to Marcus and gave him a silent signal to skip ahead to the next part of the play, and swiftly returned his gaze to Garnet. "Only royalty may marry royalty, true love be damned! You'll not disgrace me by sharing a bed with this scum!" he shouted.
"I'll not surrender my love to you, knave!" Marcus yelled, exchanging a brief wink with Garnet. She quickly understood and when he thrust his sword at Baku she put herself in the way and allowed it to slip past her side, acting as if she'd been skewered by Marcus. "Oh, God, no!" he choked as the princess slumped to the ground. He quickly withdrew his blade and placed it at his side, prepared to use it if he needed to defend Garnet and his friends from Sir Rust-a-lot.
With a weak gasp Garnet quietly reached out her hand to Marcus, a look of great longing in her eyes. "Please, my love! Do not harm my father! Even were I to die, I could never watch either of you fall to one another's steel!" Garnet gasped, shortly before she fell to her back and 'died.' She quickly shared a wink with Zidane, however, who again wondered whether he'd soon be out of a job.
Now forced to play along, Marcus let out an agonized cry before 'killing' himself with his own sword, then fell limply to the floor. Steiner, beside himself, quickly hurried towards the princess, but she silently stared him down fiercely enough that he nearly dropped to his back again. From offstage three figures dashed onto the stage: Vivi, and two of Steiner's Knights of Pluto. Vivi clumsily stumbled over the 'dead' Garnet, and fell flat on his face next to Marcus.
He frantically skittered to his feet and threw out a blast of fire to ward off Weimer and Haagen, only to catch Garnet's hood on fire, and she was forced to discard it. The figure that emerged from under the white cloak was just as beautiful as any princess ought to be. She wore a white bell-sleeved blouse under a skin-tight, sleeveless orange jumpsuit and around her neck was a beautiful silver pendant, shaped as a crystal and reflecting bright white light against the artificial lights above. Tied to the back of her outfit was a rod approximately the length of her forearm, with a large spherical object situated at the tip.
"Capture her! And kill the lot of them!" Brahne roared from high up above. She turned to either side and gave a signal, sending the order that the castle's defenses be activated to prevent Garnet's escape. Fury in her eyes, she stared down at Steiner with enough malice that he nearly wet himself. "If that fool of a knight is complacent in all this, then throw him in chains as well!" she snarled.
"Please, Steiner, don't chase me any longer!" Garnet implored. Disregarding her order Haagen lifted his sword at Zidane only for it to fly into the air when the thief parried with his daggers. As the Knight of Pluto scrambled to retrieve his sword, Garnet angrily turned to Zidane and smacked him. "And you! Why do you not do your job and kidnap me properly?!" she snarled.
"Me?! You're blaming me?! And stop saying it out loud!" Zidane screeched madly. While Garnet helped Vivi to his feet, Weimer and Haagen lifted their blades at the two thieves only to be parried, smacked, and kicked off the stage and into the astonished crowd. Zidane frantically lifted his daggers and placed himself between Garnet and Steiner. This was by far the strangest thing he'd ever done: kidnap a princess that wanted to be kidnapped, while also attempting to keep her from assaulting him.
Baku quickly raised his hand and signaled to the Nero Brothers, and the three of them swiftly ran from the stage and onto the bridge to begin their escape. They reached the bridge within a minute, engaged the engines, and the airship began to lift off and detach from the castle. As the Prima Vista lifted off, however, Brahne's threat came to pass: several cannons all across the castle fired off a series of spears attached to chains that tore into the airship, ripping through its body and chaining down the Prima Vista. One of them soared straight for Garnet, but Zidane barely managed to dive and push them both out of the way.
Zidane quickly snatched up his daggers and scurried to his feet, but found to his shock that a large creature had now emerged behind Steiner. Colored both red and orange and shaped as its name would imply, the Bomb was twice the size of any normal human and its face was ghastly large. Oblivious to the monster behind him Steiner lashed out with his broadsword, forcing Zidane to parry him and steadily retreat from the Bomb's blast radius.
"You idiot! Look behind you!" Zidane roared.
Steiner continued his assault, however. "I'll not fall for such an old trick!" he snarled. On and on the battle went, with Steiner finally disarming Zidane. As he laid his sword to Zidane's neck, however, he felt a strange heat on his own neck. Slowly he turned his head and found that the Bomb had grown to massive proportions behind him, and was nearly ready to explode. The knight let out a rather undignified scream and dove on top of Garnet just as the Bomb finally exploded.
Fortunately, the Bomb's explosion broke off the chains holding down the airship, and though it had severely damaged it the Prima Vista continued on and out of the castle's walls. It was, however, mortally wounded, and several pieces of it broke off from the main body and dropped like lethal shrapnel on the town itself, causing massive damage and multiple casualties. Even so the Prima Vista continued to lurch through the darkened skies, only to finally lose control and plummet down into the dreaded Mist that plagued the world beneath the civilized world. It finally crashed through and came to rest inside a massive forest, driving through the canopy and skidding into a place so foul that it was literally named Evil Forest.
Parallel Perspective: Aftermath
The damage to the town had been great. Not only did the broken segments of the Prima Vista fall on the town, but the town itself suffered when the airship slammed into several of its buildings on its way out of Alexandria. All of Alexandria was in chaos and dozens were dead with even more wounded, though atop the royal balcony the only casualty was Brahne's fan when she angrily snapped it in half and tossed it aside. She cared nothing for the deaths of her people, however; the loss of Garnet, her Eidolons, and the pendant was for her unforgivable.
"Zorn! Thorn! Send the Black Waltzes out immediately! Retrieve the pendant! And bring that girl back alive!" Brahne roared, with such intensity that the two jesters slammed into each other and nearly knocked themselves unconscious.
They managed to recover, however, and hurried off to activate the first Black Waltz and prepare to send it to capture Garnet. As Beatrix stared out at the chaos beneath her, however, her demeanor was much different from her monarch's. Trembling like a leaf she fell to her knees and stared out at the destruction that had been caused just to abduct her beloved princess. It wasn't only the lives lost; it was the fact that she'd been right there and had been unable to protect Garnet. As she watched the havoc, all she could do was whisper her princess's name.
Author's Notes
If you don't know what just happened, you aren't alone: I have zero clue where I'm going from here. I know I'll probably regret including Tetra Master, and I'm worried that I'm showing Beatrix as a bit too human, but it is what it is. This was written and finished on August 28, 2023, so by the time this is posted there will be a lot more to digest. Where we're going from here is anyone's guess. Considering I'm the one writing it, that should concern all of us... I'm also probably OOCing Garnet, but I love where this is going... Strong willed women really appeal to me, for some reason... Just like Tifa, maybe? Except royalty and a bit more ornery... Be prepared for a saucy little princess wreaking havoc everywhere she goes.