FIFTY-FOUR

An intermission followed the second act of the play, and I took the time to go back to my dressing room, check the script to look over the lines for my upcoming scenes, and just think for a moment. Cloud was getting ready as well, so I had a little time alone. Part of me felt almost ready to cry, I was so happy. Being up on stage again, looking out at the audience, performing under the lights… I'd wanted to find a way back to that life for so long. And now I finally had.

In spite of their fun little quirks, Zander and his friends really were talented performers, and I liked working with them. As for Cloud… he was doing a lot better than I'd expected. It was like he was made for the role. My Alphried. It had been so sweet and funny hearing him talk so differently than usual and seeing him get out of his comfort zone a bit, especially since I knew that he was doing it for me. But what made me happier than anything else and left me smiling almost in a daze as I sat there by the mirror was that he'd said he loved me.

In my head, I knew it was just a part of the play and the scene, but my heart didn't care one bit. I'd seen the undeniable warmth in Cloud's eyes when he'd said it. That line had been different in the script and in rehearsal, but I didn't mind. A good performer knows how to enhance a scene and mix things up on the fly, and Cloud had done that, leaving me so completely floored that I'd almost forgotten my line. It wasn't the same as if he'd said it to me as himself and not as Alphreid to Rosa, but it was a nice start. And I was very happy to take it.

There was a knock on the door, and I looked up. "Come in!"

Gwen stepped inside, a gentle smile on her face. She'd changed out of her orange and white outfit and had gotten into costume for a scene we'd be sharing together. A touch of makeup and a little gray dye in her long, dark brown hair made her look about fifteen years older than the thirty she really was. She would be playing Queen Jayne, Rosa's mother, and I was looking forward to performing with her.

"How are you holding up, Jessie?" Gwen asked.

I sighed contentedly. "It's like I've come home, Gwen. Two years… that's how long I've been away. I didn't want to leave, but I didn't have a choice. And now… well, I feel as if I've been given a second chance. So I'm happy, even if nothing comes of it. Just being on stage again is all I need, really, even if it's only for this one night."

She laid a hand on my shoulder. "Well, if you keep performing like you have been so far, I don't think you've got anything to worry about. You really are an incredible performer, Jessie. Did you see how packed it is out there? We usually get a pretty good crowd, but we've never sold out before. Not until you came along. Thank you."

"Glad to give you guys a boost!" I grinned up at her. "You, Zander, and the others gave me my dream back, Gwen. And I don't think I can ever put into words how much that means to me."

She smiled and went to the door. "It's the least we could do after all you've done for us, Jessie. Ready to get back out there?"

"You gotta ask?" I smirked, standing up.

"Act Three's about to start," she chuckled as we headed back toward the stage. "Let's go see your prince make his journey."

I laughed. "Cloud or Alphreid?"

"Both," Gwen teased.

Cloud and Marcus were already in position by the time Gwen and I made it back to the stage with Ruby, and as the music started to play, I flashed Cloud a little smile and waved. He nodded in return, his eyes only on me in that moment, then he turned as the curtain began to rise and focused on the scene. The holographic background was a winding path through a gray, rocky hillside under an ominous, overcast sky full of thick clouds that left everything in gloom.

"Look upon this wretched land, my friend," Marcus said. "A barren waste, as cold and empty as winter's heart."

Cloud sighed. "Yes, though it was not always so. Once, many years ago, it was green and vibrant, a place of life and beauty. My homeland. Before Varvados and his monstrous metal creation destroyed it. Now it is naught but a memory, Kaedan. As is my family."

Marcus looked at him. "Forgive me, Alphried. It was not my intent to awaken unpleasant memories within you."

"You did no wrong," Cloud assured him as they walked. "For home is ever on my mind. But it is no longer this place. Not since the day you saved me and your parents took me in. Though the once fair Dalmasca was the land of my birth, sweet Cornelia is now that dear place which I gladly call home, for my heart lies ever there."

"And with a certain young princess," Marcus added with a laugh.

Cloud joined him. "That I cannot deny. Your sister is a treasure far too pure and bright for a lowly man such as myself, prince though I be. And I thank you for your approval of our upcoming union. Know that I shall love and cherish her as dearly as life itself."

Marcus clapped him on the shoulder and nodded. "You already do, my friend. May your lives together be blessed."

Just then, there was a shout to their right, and both men turned to see Blank making his way carefully toward them from the holographic hillside. He wore the same ornate gray armor as in the first act, and his cloak was as red as his hair. Marcus, tall and gangly but still regal in his crimson armor and white cape, waved to him.

"Well met, Lord Heinrich!" he called.

"'Tis a stroke of good fortune that I caught up to you and Alphried in time," Blank said. "For a storm approaches from the north, and with haste. We must find shelter soon, 'ere it hits."

Cloud gazed at the sky. "No rain touches this land anymore."

"You speak truly, of course," Blank answered. "For this storm is not the weather of the world, but a broil of fume and darkness of Varvados' making. To blot out the sun that his vile hosts might march forth from that terrible iron fortress we know as Guardia."

"And also to prevent us from finding the sacred Font of Aravel and the gift of the Goddess," Cloud went on. "It lies hidden deep within the heart of this ravaged land, but we must find it."

Blank pointed. "There is a cave not half a mile from here where we might wait out the storm, Alphried. At least until it abates enough that we can push through it to reach our destination."

The sky above the holographic landscape grew darker, with cracks of thunder splitting the air so loudly they made some people out in the audience jump in their seats. At the same time, the wind picked up and started blowing around Cloud and the others. The effect was done with both the stage's holographic system and a few large wind machines just off stage out of sight, and the result was very convincing.

"Lead on, Heinrich," Cloud agreed. "But we dare not tarry there for long. Varvados' armies will soon begin their march upon Cornelia. Let us make haste to the Font as soon as we can."

As he and Marcus started up the rocky hill, Blank followed behind them, giving directions as they walked. The holographic landscape that gave off the illusion of a gray, desolate wasteland over the stage shifted as the group moved along so it looked like they were actually traveling through the area. When they came to a large clearing strewn with piles of rubble and broken stone walls, Cloud and Marcus looked around in confusion, then at Blank, who'd drawn his prop sword.

"There is no cave here," Cloud frowned.

Marcus drew his own slender prop sword. "What treachery is this, Heinrich? You have lost as much as we to Varvados and his monstrous fortress, and ne'er would you ally with them!"

Blank sneered. "'Tis true. He fought to the bitter end."

Cloud readied his weapon. "Reveal yourself and your purpose, vile imposter! Your blood shall run for spilling his!"

"Oh, I think you know," Blank laughed. His eyes seemingly flashed a bright, wicked red thanks to the holographic effects system built into the stage. But the wolflike growling in his voice he actually did himself, and so well that I was impressed. "I serve he whom you seek to destroy. And I took your friend's life in your own form."

"Garm!" Cloud snarled. "The shapeshifting Hound of Varvados!"

Blank did a mock bow. "None other."

Then Marcus lunged at him. "Die, fiend! My brother-in-arms shall be avenged this day! And your master will follow!"

"I think not," Blank parried the blow.

The three of them engaged in a dramatic mock battle, prop swords clashing as the music became more intense. At first, Cloud and Marcus kept Blank at bay, circling around him to attack from opposite sides. A good strategy, but Blank's character was cunning. He fell back suddenly as if he were hurt, then when Cloud charged in, there was a quick burst of holographic shadow, and from it sprang a huge black wolf.

The audience gasped, definitely amazed at the play's visual effects. I'd tweaked them a bit during breaks in rehearsal to improve them. The wolf actually looked kinda like Red but with black fur and two blazing red eyes. It was Cloud's first time seeing it, too—we'd practiced without the special effects—and his reaction was as good as I'd hoped. As Blank slipped off stage for a minute, hidden by the wolf's transformation and the way the lights focused on the action, Cloud's eyes widened, and he was knocked out of sight behind a nearby boulder.

"Alphreid!" Marcus yelled, suddenly alone.

Cloud reappeared only a moment later. "I am here, my friend. That foul thing fled like the cowardly wastrel it is."

Marcus look around warily. "Are you certain?"

"Varvados' pet did not care for the bite of cold steel," Cloud said as he quickly closed the distance between them.

"He will not have gone far," Marcus replied. "We must—"

Then, with a sudden flash of metal, Cloud—a holographic version of him, that is—moved quickly and slid his illusionary prop sword into Marcus' chest just as the real Cloud ran out after him from behind the boulder Garm had knocked him behind. He skidded to a halt, his eyes wide as he saw Marcus do an incredible job acting as if he'd been fatally stabbed. He fell to the rocky ground as the holographic Cloud sneered at him, withdrew his sword, and raced out of sight.

"Kaedan!" Cloud yelled, rushing over and kneeling at his side.

Marcus seized his arm. "My friend… I fear… my time has run out. Protect my sisters. Tell them… that I love them. Destroy Varvados and his dark fortress… 'ere they lay waste to our home."

Cloud clasped his hand. "I will. I swear it."

"My eyes darken…" Marcus breathed. "I see the Goddess reaching out to me… to take me into her arms. Farewell…"

"Farewell, dear friend," Cloud sighed.

He had barely laid Marcus' motionless form down when the black wolf suddenly sprang out of the shadows with a snarl. Cloud dodged to the left, spinning around to slice at him with his sword, but then a host of soldiers in dark armor swept over the ridge and surrounded him. As Cloud readied himself for a hopeless fight, the Hound shifted back into Blank's form amidst a brief darkening of the lights which nicely hid the actor's return while Marcus did a great job playing dead. The rest was a mix of holograms and extras for Varvados' troops.

Blank quickly knocked Cloud's sword from his grasp. "Unlike your fellow prince, you shall not die today. My master has something special in mind for you. You will witness to his final victory."

"Cornelia will never fall to him!" Cloud spat as a rough shove from one of the solders forced him to his knees. "And I will not yield to you, either, foul minion of evil and darkness!"

"We shall see," Blank sneered.

The scene ended then with his men binding Cloud's hands behind him and leading him away. Once the lights went down, Gwen and I got into position while the background was changed and the others got off stage. Only a minute or two later, the next scene began. It was set in the queen's bedchamber back at the castle, and I was still in my black dress while Gwen was laying in the bed in a simple white linen shift, and she looked old and very sick thanks to the lighting and good makeup. I sat in a cushioned chair next to her, worry on my face.

"How long… has my son been gone?" Gwen murmured.

I sighed. "Kaedan and Alphried left many weeks ago, Mother. And we have heard no word from them since. But fear not for their safe and swift return. For if anyone can find Minerva's gift and defeat Varvados, it is they who are so near and dear to our hearts."

Gwen smiled sadly at me. "Your words are kind, dear daughter, but I sense they are meant to reassure yourself as well as me. Ne'er would I tell you to give up hope, but you must be honest and accept that which cannot be changed. Though Varvados may yet be cast down, I fear you will still endure the pain of loss 'ere his fall is complete."

"What are you saying, Mother?" I asked.

"Dear child, my time is ended," Gwen gently took my hand. "And I will go to Her side 'ere long. I feel her calling to me."

Tears slid down my cheeks, real ones. All I'd had to do was think of the day my real mother had died in that train accident in Midgar. "Nay, do not speak so! Alphreid has sworn to bring the gift of Goddess here, that you might be healed. I… do not wish to lose you."

"I know, Rosa," Gwen said. "But my strength is gone…"

"Shall I call for Father and Regina?" I asked.

She nodded. "Soon. They would be here already, but seeing me like this pains them too deeply. So allow them peace for a little longer. And grant me one last boon, dear daughter, if you would."

I stood up. "Anything, Mother."

"Do you remember the lullaby I would sing to you when you were but a small child?" Gwen wondered, her voice weak.

"Of course," I smiled fondly. "Well do I know it. You sang it also to my brother and sister. Your voice soothed us to sleep and drove off the bad dreams we feared would disturb our rest."

Gwen looked overhead, her gaze distant. "Sing it for me."

So I did, my voice trembling at first but then growing more sure. It was the same song I'd sung at the coliseum in Wall Market months ago to reveal to all of Midgar who I really was. As I sang, Ruby walked into the room, slowly and with her sad eyes on Gwen. She was joined by an older, bearded man in purple robes and a crown, the king of Cornelia. The actor playing him had introduced himself during rehearsal earlier with an explosive sneeze as Baku. Although he could be rough around the edges at times, he was friendly and a good man.

My voice rose as I continued singing, my eyes finding those of my family in the play as I did. Although the song was known in Midgar as Sarah's Lament, here at the Gold Saucer it was called Rosa's Farewell. A hauntingly beautiful piece either way. And when I was finished and the last notes had finally faded, there was silence for a long moment. Gwen lay still in bed, her own eyes closed and her expression peaceful. Death had finally come for Queen Jayne, but on her terms.

Gwen's acting was so wonderful as the three of us gazed at her that if I hadn't known she was just performing, I'd have been convinced she really was dead. This scene had always been hard for me to do because of all the painful memories it brought back of losing my mom, but that also made it more real. So I used the familiar heartache to show Rosa's grief in a way that wasn't entirely a performance. I knelt next to Gwen's bed, took her hand in mine, and just cried.

Across from me, Ruby did the same. Baku bowed his head, and for a moment, we all wept. Then there was the soft rustling of green robes as Cinna, playing the wizard Vorman, quietly walked on stage to stand with us. He wore a real-looking fake gray beard over his stubbled face, and a pointed black hat with a wide brim sat on his bald head. He held a wooden staff featuring a gnarled top fitted with a small white crystal, and he had also put on some makeup so he'd look the part of a wise old sage and trusted adviser to the king of Cornelia.

"My deepest apologies, your Majesty," he said. "Queen Jayne was a dear friend and fine student of mine for many years, as you know, and I share in the sorrow of her passing. I would not intrude upon this sad time of shared grief if it could be avoided, but I bring grim tidings that cannot wait and which you must hear at once."

Baku nodded. "Speak, Vorman. What has transpired?"

Cinna went on. "Through my arcane arts, I have watched Alphreid and Kaedan on their journey, guiding them as best I can from afar. But once they crossed into Dalmasca, they were soon led into a trap by the vile Hound of Varvados, Garm. Kaedan… was slain."

"Nay, it cannot be true!" Ruby gasped as we both shot to our feet at once. "First our mother, and now our brother as well?"

"What of Alphried?" I demanded.

Cinna sighed. "He lives still, but is now a captive being held in the bowels of Guardia to await execution at the hands of Varvados himself even as the Dragon King's dark hordes close in on us."

"And Prince Heinrich?" Baku asked.

"Garm had slain him and taken his form," Cinna said grimly. "And with this deception he ambushed Alphreid and Kaedan."

Ruby stumbled backward, her hand flying to her mouth as streams of fresh tears ran down her cheeks. "Nay, not my sweet Heinrich! Say it is not so, Vorman! Please! My love cannot be dead!"

"I am so sorry, Your Highness," Cinna embraced her.

Baku began to pace. "A black day this is! And with Varvados' forces now but a few days' march from here and ravaging all in their path, we have little choice but to ride out and meet them in battle."

"'Tis a death sentence, Father!" I argued. "Our numbers are far too few, and theirs are as endless as grains of sand on the seashore. There is another way, if you would permit me to try it. Alphried is not the only one who knows the secret of the Font's location. I, too, have that sacred knowledge, for he entrusted it to me 'ere he left."

Baku shook his head at once. "Nay, dear daughter! I would not lose you, too! Death has already struck a heavy blow against my heart, and I could not bring myself to risk your safety even for this."

I didn't budge. "If you throw away your lives in a battle you cannot hope to win, Cornelia will fall, Varvados will make me his bride, and a darkness will shroud the lands until all light is gone."

"Her Highness speaks truly, Your Majesty," Cinna said as he gently let go of Ruby. "It was for such a day as this that I instructed her in the ways of magic. Your daughter has grown into a skilled weaver of spells, and she walks in Minerva's grace. She is ready."

"With my arcane arts, I can slip past Varvados' forces without their knowledge, reach the Font, and there obtain the gift of the Goddess," I explained. "From there, I can infiltrate Guardia itself and free Alphried from his imprisonment. Then we shall confront Varvados together and with Minerva's blessing, finally destroy him."

Cinna nodded approvingly. "A sound plan, Your Highness, but you must have time to carry it out. We can give you that."

"I believe I see what you have in mind, old friend," Baku said.

"Indeed," he replied. "We shall meet the enemy in battle just as you said, Your Majesty, but with one difference. Our purpose will not be to defeat them, for we cannot. But we can force Varvados' gaze to remain fixed upon us, keep him blind to all else that moves."

Baku understood at once. "A diversion."

"It is our only chance, Father," I insisted. "We must try."

"Very well…" he sighed at last.

I embraced him. "Do not worry. I will return, as will Alphried, and the shadow will be cast from our land for all time."

"Please be safe, my daughter," he said. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Father," I replied.

Baku reluctantly let go of me. "Do what you must to prepare. I will do the same and lead our armies out of the castle at dawn."

"Then I must leave tonight," I decided.

Cinna stretched out his hand, and a soft white glow created by the holographic effects system surrounded me for a moment before fading away. "There. An enchantment to help shield you from unfriendly eyes and sustain you on your journey. Go now, Your Highness, and may the Goddess watch over and guide your steps."

I nodded. "Thank you, Vorman."

"Know that the love you share with Alphried may be the one thing Varvados cannot defeat," Cinna advised. "Together, you and your dear prince may yet accomplish what neither of you could hope to do alone. Destroy Guardia and bring peace back to our land."

"We will," I promised.

Ruby wiped her eyes. "Before you leave, sister, I would say my own farewell in private, upon the battlements."

Then the scene faded to black for a moment as Ruby and I got into position and the others quietly left the stage with all the prop furniture, and when the lights came back up, Ruby and I were alone on the same castle wall Cloud and I had been on earlier. And like then, it was night in the holographic background, the sky filled with stars.

"You need not speak for me to know your thoughts, Regina," I said. "But you cannot go with me. It is too dangerous, and we have lost more than enough already. I must do this alone."

Ruby shook her head. "You speak to me as Alphreid did to you, an irony which has not escaped my notice. But fear not, Rosa. Although I do not possess your gift of magic, I have trained with the castle guards and can wield a sword just as well as they."

I started to protest. "I know, but—"

"I need not remind you that I have no need of spells to avoid being seen if I wish," she continued as if I hadn't spoken. "I can also open any lock and dismantle any device, as you well know from how often I stole into the kitchen as a child after bedtime to sneak out pastries for us. As much as it vexed the cooks, they never caught me."

"I remember," I laughed fondly. "And it gladdens my heart that you would so willingly accompany me into danger. But I dare not allow it. I could not bear losing you any more than Father could."

Ruby smirked and took a small gold coin from her pocket. "Then I believe the solution to our dilemma is simple. Let us flip this coin. If it lands on heads, you will allow me to join you on your quest. However, if it is tails, then I will reluctantly remain here."

"You would leave such a thing to chance?" I stared at her.

"'Tis the fairest way," she said. "Are we agreed? And do I have your word that you will be bound by the result as much as I?"

I nodded. "Yes. I will accede to the whims of fortune in this."

Then Ruby flipped the coin, and it floated up end over end into the air before coming down again. When it landed squarely on the palm of her hand, it was clearly heads. I looked at it in disbelief, knowing what it meant but not liking it at all. Rosa loved her sister and didn't want to put her in danger, but she wouldn't go back on her word, either. I gazed at the coin in apprehension as it glittered in the light.

"So it seems chance has spoken," I sighed.

"Indeed it has!" Ruby closed her hand over the coin. "Now come, it is time for us to prepare for our journey."

I frowned as she started to leave. "Hold, sister. Let me see that coin. It still feels most strange to me that you would place a decision of such great importance in the hands of blind luck."

"I did not," she chuckled, tossing me the coin.

"What!?" I gasped when I looked more closely at it. "This coin has two heads! You fooled me all too well, and I should be most vexed with you at this deception! This is no game we play!"

Ruby's eyes widened. "Forgive me, Rosa. I merely—"

Then I smiled warmly and embraced her. "Nay, there is no need to apologize, Regina. You did no wrong. And though it will be dangerous, I will be glad to have you by my side in the days ahead. I love you, little sister, and we will face this darkness together."

As we walked off the stage with slow, determined steps, the curtain fell again, signaling the end of the third act. The fourth and last act was yet to come, and it would be the climax of the story. Like the rest of the play, it would be a bittersweet mix of joy and sadness, victory and loss, things I knew and understood all too well.

I waved to Cloud once he was in position and blew him a kiss, and he made a sweet little gesture with his gloved hand like he was catching it. Then, after opening his fingers again and gazing at his palm for just a moment, he nodded back to me. This was the play's final act, and we were both as ready for it as as we'd ever be.