Filling In The Blanks
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy IX or any of its characters.
Chapter 88: Moving On
Dagger was groggy when she awoke the next day. She rubbed the right side of her face that felt numb from laying her head on the floor. She turned to the side and spotted a bunched up blanket on a mat and realized she must have rolled off of it.
She cracked her back as she sat up, twisting side to side to stretch out her tired body. Despite the X-potion she had taken only fifteen hours earlier, she was exhausted. The fight, and the too-quick death of Puck was too much for her to handle. She had used a lot of power lately, and she knew it was going to take a little bit of time to regenerate all of her energy, potion or not.
Her eyes swept the room and she spotted Beatrix slumped over a chair. It seemed she'd fallen asleep doing something, and Dagger suspected Steiner was the one who draped a blanket across her shoulders. They'd spent less than a week in Bermecia, and she knew everyone was ready to leave, even Freya. Time had seemed to blur together, too many dramatic events pushing them forward way too quickly. Originally, they planned to spend a couple of weeks in the city, but with the battle, Freya didn't think it would be a good idea to stay.
She had fallen asleep last night talking with Steiner. It was a quiet talk, while everyone was out helping clean up the remnants of the battle. Dagger had asked Steiner to keep her company because nobody was going to question her, but really, she knew that Steiner needed to get away from it. For being the captain of a brigade, the man really hated blood – something that very few people knew about him.
Dagger had been in one of her rare moods where she wanted to sit calmly in a chair, and listen to the knight talk about the past. Despite half of his life being war ridden, he remembered the order and training of knighthood, the royals, and most importantly, life in Alexandria, before Kuja took over a frightening amount of Gaia.
He had smiled at her with a questioning look in his eyes. "What's gotten into you?"
Her eyes shone as she stared at him, feeling more tired for once, than she did stressed. "I just miss your stories," she half-slurred at him.
Steiner chuckled. "What do you want to hear about?"
"Tell me about Alexandria…" She mumbled, leaning back and crossing her hands in her lap.
He leaned forward at the table, slumping his cheek into the palm of his hand, pointing upward as he supported himself on his elbow. "The best thing about Alexandria is probably the smell…"
"Why?" she asked, though she knew the answer well.
"All of the flowers, what else? There were flowers of all colors everywhere that you could think to look. They were in windowsills and around the statue in the square, and in the little patches of gardens outside of houses and shops, and there were even flowers growing out of the cracks in the sidewalks."
"Steiner," she laughed lightly, forcing her eyes to lock onto him though they drooped with exhaustion. "Those flowers are weeds."
"But they had a smell and they were pretty!" He argued, before waving his arms around gently. "That's not the point… That's not the only thing you could smell!"
"What else?"
"Well…" He rubbed his chin in thought for a moment. He never did put back on his helmet after the battle, and she thought it was funny seeing him without it for so long. "There was this bakery called Calicakes and it had the best breakfast bagels a man could ask for! It smelt like fresh bread two blocks down all around the shop!"
She could almost smell it herself with how many times she'd heard the story. "Bread sounds amazing. Especially that cinnamon bread the mayor's wife in Dali made us a few years ago…"
"Calicakes made it better, I can guarantee that!" He insisted with a grin that she didn't see. "There were people flocking in and out of there all the time."
"There were a lot of people there, right?"
"All the time… Alexandria was filled to the brim with all sorts of people. Peasants and knights and nobles, and let's not forget that the royals visited the town quite often."
Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled at him, leaning forward in her chair at the mention of her parents. "And what were they like?"
Steiner shrugged. He and Beatrix hardly ever told her anything; they thought it would be better for her not to dwell on it in the midst of a war. Cid said the same thing. They promised though, to tell her after everything was over and she was on the throne in her kingdom again, but that never deterred her from trying. "They were very kind. They would greet new infants and bring food from the castle to give to the townspeople. One time, they gave a little girl a pearl necklace. I do not think you could even imagine the joy on the girl's face!"
Dagger had heard this story a million times, and each time her eyelids would fall shut and she would take in a deep breath, trying her hardest to picture the city the way he told her, and picture the little girl whose face lit up in the sheen of the pearls. She had chocolate brown hair and the brightest green eyes Dagger could imagine. Her hands were tiny and always wandering, so curious about the world that she probably didn't grow up to see. At least, that's how she pictured the scene anyways.
And then that thought would occur to her about the girl, wondering if she did make it out of the kingdom that night Kuja attacked, and if she was still alive to talk about that pearl necklace.
Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep to Steiner's lullaby. His sweet words of her city – the city she would one day win back – floated around her and lulled her into a peaceful rest.
He smiled at her, knowing very well she wouldn't last through the very first story, and picked her up gently in his arms. He remembered doing that for so many years – moving her from one underground room to the next, from one tent to another, always carrying her. It was easier when she was younger, but it didn't bother him now. She was safe, and she was his reason for fighting. He would protect her, and if telling her grand stories of a late Alexandria would help protect her from the evil they'd just witnessed in Bermecia, he was glad to do it.
Amarant was sitting by the windowsill across the room, and shot Dagger a brief glance when she stirred.
"You're finally up," he commented, though his tone didn't leave much room for feedback.
"What time is it?"
"Midday at least," he shrugged, "I woke up not long ago myself…"
She raised her eyebrows in light surprise. "It's really been that long?" he didn't answer her as she pushed herself into a standing position and padded quietly over to the window. She peered out where he was looking and saw that Freya was still sweeping up some of the street. There was no rain yet today – and the ground had mostly dried. Dagger imagined it was disgustingly humid out there.
"What time did she get up? Do you have any idea?" the girl was honestly worried for her friend.
"I don't think she ever went to sleep," the redhead shrugged before standing up himself. She stared up at him for a moment before turning back to the window. "But I'm going to go tell her to take a rest. She won't be able to lead us out of here if she's dead tired."
"Are we leaving today?"
"Tonight," he nodded to her. "I talked to Steiner about it earlier today. We're going to have to leave at sunset and weasel our way through the North Gate."
She sighed regretfully, but then stared at the man as he grabbed a forgotten piece of bread off of a plate on the table. Dagger figured someone had brought it up to him as breakfast.
"Thank you, Amarant."
"Huh?" he turned and stared at her with a confused, and almost offended, expression.
She shrugged, suddenly feeling a bit shy for calling him out. "You've just… You have really turned around," Dagger began. "As harsh as it might sound, I didn't think you would be much of a team player when you first joined us…" a smile grew on her pink lips, "but you've surprised all of us. So thank you – you know – for doing that."
He sighed. "It's that little brat downstairs."
Dagger almost let out a laugh, but straightened up and contained herself. "Who do you mean?"
"Eiko," he mumbled. "She reminds me of someone I'm looking for, and as fucking stupid as it sounds, she brings out a better person in me."
The girl let on a ghost of a smile and nodded. "Well whatever your deeper reasons may be, thanks."
"Yeah, whatever," he waved her off and walked out, but she didn't take it personally.
So they were already leaving at sunset… She sighed. They'd be splitting off from the Bermecians' makeshift resistance as soon as they left Bermecia's gates. They would go south through the grotto and down into Qu's Marsh, while her company would head east towards the North Gate.
She wondered how Tantalus had managed to get through the South Gate, and pondered if their idea would be similar or not. They were lucky that Gizamaluke's Grotto was still under ally control, or their situation would have been a lot worse. Dagger puckered her lips; then again, they'd had to fight anyways, so how hard could the North Gate be?
"If you're itching for something to do," Amarant began, popping his head back through the doorframe, "I'm sure they could use you outside."
She nodded and waved – which he just shook off and exited again – and she took her leave after him. The girl felt heavy as she stepped down the stairs, wondering what kind of a mood everyone would be in today. Gripping the railing hard, she made her way to the first floor, pushing off on the wooden rail as final momentum to propel her outside.
The day was brighter than the last couple they'd spent in the city. She rubbed at her tired eyes to try and adjust them to the light as she searched for her friends.
Dagger spotted Eiko and Quina with a few of the Bermecian children. Dystria sat amongst them with her two little brothers, and the red haired, pink skinned girl was there too. It looked like they were trying to entertain, but though they held the children's gaze, Dagger could tell that they were distracted and tired.
"Dagger!"
She turned to Freya's voice as she walked over, her stride long and purposeful.
"Hi Freya… how are you?" She was hesitant; she didn't know how the older Bermecian would act.
"I actually have a job for you if you are interested."
"Shoot!" The girl encouraged with a gentle smile.
She pushed a list into Dagger's glove and nodded. Icy eyes locked with chocolate brown as Freya flicked her silver bangs from her eyes. Her nostrils arched like she was a little disgruntled, and that got Dagger to wondering if something had happened.
"Could you hunt down these supplies for us? If we are setting out so soon, we are going to need to gather our things quickly, and everyone else seems preoccupied."
The girl blinked, eyelashes brushing over her high cheekbones. "Sure," she nodded, "is everything okay?"
"Everything is fine. We are just trying to make a plan to get across the North Gate."
Dagger could tell that it wasn't something the woman wanted to talk about, so she left it at that. She could stand being discluded from the plans sometimes; it didn't bother her nearly as much as she figured it should. Meandering along the path, she tried spotting Steiner in the groups of people working to clean up the muddied path, but to no avail.
Steiner was in a residential house that was strikingly like Fratley's but smaller. He was seated at a table with Vadin, Farmar, Wheyly and Pretnia, trying to work out the kinks to the North Gate.
He wore a skeptical expression as he raised an eyebrow at the sure looks on the four Bermecians' faces.
"You are certain he would not sell us out?"
Pretnia shook her head. "We are certain. The girl out there – with the red hair and pink-tinted skin, is his daughter."
Steiner blinked in shock. "Daughter?"
"Him and his Bermecian wife traveled the world before the war, and he just happened to be in Dali at the wrong time. They rounded up troops to serve in Kuja's armies – most of them all human. Kuja couldn't trust any other races in Dali at the time; he's suspicious of everyone. She brought their year-old back to Bermecia to avoid problems. That is why she does not look like our other kin."
"I did not know that was possible."
"There is much of the world you are bound to be hidden from when you serve in an underground resistance," Farmar nodded, though a jesting spark shone in his eyes.
"So she is the daughter of Balem… and moogles will send word to him…" he fell into a deep thought as the others waited patiently for his approval.
Steiner felt more convinced now that he knew this man's daughter was here. Like Pretnia had just told him, Balem and his wife, Raeya, had traveled the world. They got held up in Dali when Raeya gave birth to the half-human, half-Bermecian child. When Kuja swept through the small town of Dali, desperate for troops after his splurge taking over Alexandria, he took no heed of the families he was tearing apart. Unfortunately for the dark lord, Balem's loyalties have ever-lied with his wife and daughter in Bermecia. He was stationed as an unimportant paper-checker at the gate, telling people if their documents were legitimate and could pass through.
That was the plan. They would send a moogle with a letter from Vadin in advance, signed by his daughter so he knew it was real. And hopefully, he could sneak the company through so they could continue on their way to Dali. It was so risky, right in the middle of so many guards, that Steiner thought it just might work…
His charcoal eyes lifted from the old, chipped table and his lips pressed into a thin line. "If anything happens to us… I need word to be sent to Dali."
"Dali?"
He nodded, making the decision to tell them before he really thought about it. They just lost Puck, and he could see it in their faces that they were distressed, enraged, and hurt. He knew that he could trust these people, though this was the first time he had ever made a judgment call based on their emotional state.
"We were headed there to meet up with the rest of our team."
"There is more of you?" Wheyly leaned forward, his long hands resting on the sides of his chair. "More outside wherever your resistance may lie?"
"Tantalus, as you have heard of them, is with us. Back when they were still a teeming resistance of their own, their youngest theater troupe escaped with an airship from Lindblum when the mages and soldiers attacked the city. They found us, and they've been working with us ever since."
"An airship?" Vadin asked in awe. "I cannot believe it…"
Steiner confirmed it with a quick nod. "There are others, though I do not know where."
"What do you mean?" Pretnia asked. She glanced at the other two Bermecians sitting around the table, her blue eyes searching their faces. Whatever she was looking for, she must have found, for she turned back to Steiner with a curious face.
"Cid Fabool IX is sending groups out to other places in Gaia, trying to find more resistance members."
"Cid?! He is alive?" All three of them leapt from their seat just as Freya walked back in the door. She stared at them with a hard expression.
"What is wrong?" She asked.
Vadin jerked his body in the direction of the younger Bermecian. "Cid did not perish with Lindblum?"
She was on Steiner in a minute. "You told them? Steiner, you cannot make those types of decisions alone –"
He shook his head, and to her, his eyes looked a little sad. "If we cannot start trusting the people coming into our resistance, then we stand no chance against the united forces of Kuja."
She fell back on her heels and the aggression melted off of her face, but her eyes still looked expectant, hoping for an appropriate explanation.
He turned towards the other three, "We have stood against Kuja's forces many times before, but no time has ever been his entire army. There's going to have to be a lot of cooperation, and a lot of training together… Kuja's forces are strong, and they're all linked through the same lie. They think we've attacked Alexandria, and they will stop at nothing to get their home back."
"Are those the dreamers?"
Steiner nodded.
"You know this from your own dreamers?"
"We do not know how they woke up, or what brought them to us besides the day our group ran into them in the Alexandria Castle, but they gave us vital information that we lacked before," Freya explained. "Kuja's troops have had many, many years to become uniform. We won't have that time."
"So this is the mission that we have all been wondering about," Vadin commented, nodding slowly.
The four of them didn't speak and there was a moment of silence, before Pretnia looked up. "I will fight with you. No matter the costs, and no matter the training we must endure, I will risk it all to be a part of one final stand."
"As will I," Wheyly added. "Hearing the full plan only further fuels my desire to join the resistance." He gave a slight bow. "I will not rest until we have reached the others."
"I stand with my brethren, even if it extends beyond the Bermecians now," Farmar gave a slight bow and a crooked smile. "My brethren are all of the enemies of Kuja."
Freya and Steiner both let on rare smiles. The three of them stood at attention as Vadin speculated, ready to be commanded in some way or another.
"I don't know what to say," Steiner laughed, scratching the back of his neck.
"Say you'll have us," Vadin nodded, "no matter the costs."
"We already have," he smirked, "we appreciate every help that you can give us; even if you decided to let us go on our way now, you have done so much for us already."
"I shall fight with you as well…" Vadin told him. "We will not back down now. The people of Bermecia have demonstrated that the city will be protected if we leave. To leave and join your resistance as soon as possible, to train and contribute, is the only thing we want to do."
"You are certain?" Freya asked, though she could not contain her excitement. This was more than she could have ever hoped when she snuck into Bermecia a mere three days ago.
"We have never been surer on where to lead our band of warriors," Farmar laughed, moving forward to shake Steiner's hand. "Thank you for everything, Adelbert Steiner of the Pluto Knights."
Freya had to stifle a chuckle. That was the one and only way to win Steiner's heart. Vadin turned to Freya then. "You could not have come at a better time…" he stepped forward and took her hand in his. "Thank you for all you have done; please do not think that anything that has happened is your fault."
"As soon as I locate Fratley again, I promise to send him to Bermecia to lead our people."
Vadin let on a soft smile and glanced out the window to the house, spotting Dystria peeking in, waiting for a moment to open the door. "Nay… Keep Fratley next to you, wherever that may lead him. After so long, you deserve your time with him. We must focus on our loved ones in these dark times more than a leader."
Freya started at him for a moment, her light eyes searching his face. Normally, she was so reserved and well-equip to take on emotional situations. But today, Steiner watched as something registered on her face, and she was told the only thing she wished to hear from someone. He knew that for her whole life, duty had been imprinted in her mind, and now, this rugged man with a broken family of his own, spoke to her with a wisdom she'd never heard. Steiner saw her shoulders visibly relax when she realized that more people agreed with her than she thought would.
She flung her arms around him and pulled him in for a hug. He laughed and encircled her with his one arm. "You are a strong knight, Freya Crescent."
"And you are a strong father, Vadin Dismas," she told him before releasing him.
"It seems you have a visitor, Vadin," Steiner smiled, motioning for the girl to open the door.
She poked her head in, long hair cascading over her shoulder. Vadin waved her in further. The two resistance members promised information on where the Bermecians should go once they left the city, but for now, they were going to start packing up the others. It was getting late, and they still needed to brief them.
"I sent Dagger to get some supplies," Freya told Steiner as they walked towards the shops downtown.
"Was she itching for something to do that badly? I didn't even know she was awake."
"I think she is eager to be going from this city. It is a sad time right now, and I am sorry her first time here was so poor."
He gave a humorless chuckle. "I think if Dagger is worried about seeing the world in a better light, she better travel the world again once the war is over. I think all would agree with me that she would see a completely different place."
Freya nodded. "Yes… I do believe she would."
"Do you believe we will make it that far?" Steiner asked her, his voice taking on a much more serious tone.
The mostly-dried gravel crunched softly beneath their feet, and the wind played with their clothes. Steiner sported a simple white shirt; it was dirty from behind underneath his armor all the time, and his pants and boots were still on, but he seemed comfortable letting his body breathe in this city, where he hadn't in any other stop they'd made. Freya was in her usual red jacket and gold pants, her hat tipped up so she could see her companion clearly.
People ignored them for the most part, going about their duties to clean up the market. While their presence had been – and still was – an honor, sorrow clouded their awe-stricken minds then, and the two didn't blame them. They knew it was time to let these Bermecians grieve for their young prince, and grieve for their king.
Freya felt cold as she pondered his question, glancing around at a place she longed for so often when she wasn't here. But being in the city, she got a sudden sense that people were weary almost as much as they were awed. Danger seemed to follow the resistance members – that much they must have heard from Lindblum at least, and Bermecia had been no exception.
"Do you want my honest opinion?"
"Yes."
"I think when it comes down to a final battle, it is hard to look at the outcome in such a way of one side winning and the other side losing. I think there will be hurt and loss, but also life and a new beginning on both sides. Do I hope Kuja perishes – yes – there is nothing more that I wish for now in all my life. But I also believe that the dreamers – Zidane's former friends – will have a chance again at their lives. They are not to blame, nor are some of Kuja's soldiers though they carry death and sadness with them wherever they cleave their axe."
She looked like she wanted to continue, so Steiner rubbed his hands together in anticipation, keeping quiet. The swishing sound of his gloves against each other calmed him.
"And I do believe our side will suffer casualties. Many people that we care for will be lost, but we will have to move forward. Some lives lost are easy to overlook, no matter who they are, for the sake of an entire kingdom, or further than that, all of Gaia."
"Would you feel the same if it was Fratley?"
She was quiet for a moment, biting on her lip in thought. They were nearing the store now, and both of them spotted Eiko trailing Dagger into a shop. The purple haired girl seemed the most energetic soul in the city.
"No."
The response startled him, and he did a double take to make sure he caught the serious expression on her face.
"But didn't you just –"
She nodded, cutting him off. The Bermecian stopped outside the door before turning to him with an all-knowing look on her face, as though she had already thought of this many times before.
"Of course it would not be the same. It would be hard, yes. Would it be better for all of my people, sacrificing one or two very powerful soldiers, Fratley included, so they could live freely? Of course. I am not so bold to say that the world would not continue without him in it. But there is a difference between surviving in that happier world, and living with him by my side. My world would be a dark place if he were to perish in our final battle, and I would be stuck, yearning for these times back, simply because we would be suffering the tides of war together. I believe my life would move forward, yes, but it would be slow going and full of hurt that I would rather not see."
"So you would take this war, if it meant keeping Fratley safe?"
"Would you not say the same for Beatrix? Would you rather see her dreams of a life and a family in the city she swore to protect forgotten so that you could walk among the moonlight silently and hold her in your arms? Would you rather see the kingdom of Alexandria rebuilt, and the kingdom put on a pedestal once again with you, the head of the Pluto Knights protecting an unfamiliar heir to the throne, while you visit Dagger's grave every day, or would you see her struggling to reclaim her kingdom, but alive and well and bringing more joy to more people than she could touch simply being a queen?"
He was silent, and Freya nodded to him before stepping inside of the shop. He realized that maybe she hadn't given him a straight answer, but she had surely given him something to think about. The war's end would not leave before taking people with, and some may be dear to him, and some not. He crushed his hand into a fist, glaring at the ground with a bitter feeling swelling in his throat.
He swallowed it down just as Dagger pushed open the door to the shop next to the one he was standing in front of, Eiko bounding out after her.
"Steiner!" She breathed, tucking her hair behind her ear. "There you are! I haven't seen you all morning… Why did you not wake me? What are the plans?"
He let out a breath of air he didn't know he was holding as he watched Eiko's eyes trail between the two of them eagerly, like she wanted to be just as important as Dagger was… like she looked up to the girl. He let on a thin smile, forcing back the tears that teetered on the brink of visibility.
"I'm sorry Dagger, but you needed your sleep." He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, not forgetting to include Eiko by placing a light hand on her head. "Come you two, we'll discuss the plans for our descent through the North Gate inside with the others."
"Okay!" They both chimed, and they disappeared from the sad streets of Bermecia that reminded the ex-knight too much of what was to come.
The sun was dipping low in the sky as Zidane and Vivi stared out over the balcony for the last time. The others were cleaning up the makeshift dinner they'd caught – using the old fishing rods they managed a few fish from the newly-spotted river. The two dreamers excused themselves to say one last goodbye to Vivi's home.
"Are you going to regret leaving?"
The mage shook his head and gripped his hat. "There is nothing here but material things. I want to be with the people I care about."
The blonde had to smile. He was already seeing Vivi's confidence blooming, and he couldn't wait to see what the mage could do.
"I'm proud of you, Vivi," he blurted, feeling a little embarrassed that it was so sudden.
"Wh-what? W-why?" he stuttered, running his finger over the worn edge of his hat. It sagged down on his head, still too big for him, but that was okay because it was easier to hide underneath when things embarrassed him.
"You did great on this whole journey. Even in Treno and the South Gate, you were awesome! You should be proud of yourself too."
"Well I don't know… you guys probably could have gone a lot faster without me…"
There was silence as the genome waited to see if his friend would amend that statement. Truly, Vivi had helped them more in Treno than he thought. He'd stayed behind to let the others know what had happened, and it was partly his presence as well as Zidane's that convinced so many of Baku's shady friends to help them in their resistance.
"But thanks," the mage squeaked.
Zidane let out a little laugh as he slung his pack over his shoulder. Vivi had made sure someone grabbed his, Cinna, and Ruby's things from the inn before they left the city. "We should probably get going! We have a bit of a walk ahead of us, and nobody really wants to be out at night."
"I hope it goes okay," Vivi said as he too pulled the straps of his backpack onto his shoulders.
"I'm not concerned about the creatures," he shrugged. "They're a little scary, but they won't attack us. Probably too much abuse from Kuja's soldiers… It's his spies that I'm a little worried about. That and not having fire to lead us."
"Because they'll see us?"
"Right!"
Vivi sighed, but remembered the letter in the pocket of his bag, and sucked back in a big breath. "We'll be okay. Tantalus works as a better team than I thought."
The blonde let out a hearty laugh. "Yeah, I suppose you're right!"
"We're done cleaning up, are you two ready to go?" Marcus asked, floating outside nonchalantly. His own bag was already on his shoulders, but they could still hear the rustling of supplies being packed inside.
"Yeah! We're all set!" Vivi answered for them and stared up at Zidane. Marcus made a hasty retreat. "Thanks for everything."
Zidane shrugged, trying hard to play it off as no big deal. He swiped at his cheek with his thumb, imprinting a cheeky expression across his features. "It was no big deal! I don't need a reason to help out a good friend!"
Vivi let out a little laugh and teetered inside. "Let's go to Dali… I'm excited to see the rest of our group!"
Zidane thought of Rusty and Beatrix – their wisdom never quite reaching his ears, but appreciated all the same. He thought of Freya and Fratley, whose quiet, kind words were relaxing and safe. He thought of Eiko's peppiness and Amarant's moodiness, and Quina's slobber and the way Zidane really didn't want to bathe again after seeing him, but would anyways because he knew the qu would be excited. And then he thought of Dagger, and the way he would look at her, trying to figure out how much he had stupidly hurt her in their three weeks apart before dropping down on his knees and begging for her forgiveness.
"Zidane!" Blank barked, and the thief came back from his thoughts with a jolt. "Come on! Everyone's waiting on you!"
"Right!" He nodded," Sorry!"
They moved through the tunnel quickly, having familiarized themselves with it from half a night and an entire day of walking back and forth to the different hot springs. They felt refreshed and ready to get back to their mission, having more satisfaction than they could have guessed at bringing Vivi his peace.
They moved out into the shadowed valley and stared around for a while, trying to decipher who had the best eyesight, and who was right about what they saw and which way they should go. It turned out that Marcus had the right direction, but Blank the best eyesight and he couldn't spot anything that would cause too much problem to them in their walk.
They would be back at Dali soon to face whatever mess they'd left behind the first time. And the impending fate that teetered in their futures.
Dagger was completely opposed to the idea. She crossed her arms and refused to look at anyone, feeling more childish than she could ever remember. Even Eiko sighed impatiently, waiting for her to answer.
"We have to take extra precaution, Dagger… This is an incredibly dangerous idea."
Her shoulders sagged, and everyone could tell she was close to defeat. "But I'm the only one hiding away like a coward? I thought you had a little more faith in me than that…" She turned to the only person she thought might back her up now. "Beatrix?"
The woman turned away. The raven sighed and turned to cart. "Quina come with you!" He offered excitedly, looking for anyway to get out of wandering for the next few hours.
It was rickety and old, and though it would beat walking, would be incredibly uncomfortable to lay in, unmoving, for several hours.
"Do we really need to take the cart?"
"Just get in!" Amarant snapped, "Do you ever want to make it to Dali, or not? We're doing this to protect you in case we get caught at the gate!" Quina had already climbed in. There was no place for him in their alibi to get through the gate, so he would have to be hidden as well. But he wore enough clothes to look like a bundle in himself, save for a pack having to be bunched up around his exposed feet.
"Calm down," Beatrix bit out at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Quit being so impatient. We all remember what happened last time you did that," Dagger had to admit, it was nice that Beatrix would support her in this sense.
"He is right though," Freya countered. "We must get going."
Dagger sighed again and crawled into the cart, making herself comfortable laying on her stomach on the scratchy wood. They began throwing all of their supplies, save for their own disguises, over her.
As Beatrix covered her shoulders and hair with a blanket, her eyes shone with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," the woman murmured to the girl in the cart. Dagger let out a long breath and tried to force a smile.
"You're only trying to do what's right."
The brunette gave her a grateful smile before pulling the blanket over her eyes so she couldn't see the world before her – or any danger lurking around them. The burlap of the blanket tickled her nose and she scrunched her face and shrank back to get away from it.
It was going to be a long ride.
There was a lot of conversation when they first started their journey. Dagger couldn't hear a lot of it, but it seemed that most of it involved Eiko asking questions about the Mist Continent and Dali specifically. Amarant also asked questions about what the resistance was like when it dwelled here, but the girl knew most of the answers that Steiner, Beatrix, and Freya gave.
But as the night seemed to get colder, and Dagger was beginning to feel grateful for all of the things surrounding her, conversation seemed to lull. They stopped briefly for a moment, jolting Dagger from her reverie of private thoughts, and she felt someone climb into the cart. She guessed it was Eiko, tired from all of the walking, before they set off again.
Hours seemed to dwindle by before she came back to the real world once again, listening to the rough voices of Kuja's guards yelling in the distance.
"Aye! What you doin' goin' through here so late?!" Dagger nearly flinched at the voice.
"We're merchants, coming from Bermecia to Dali… We had a late send off – some trouble in Bermecia," Steiner's voice was soothing and dull, not at all commanding attention like usual.
The soldiers glanced at the entire group. Steiner was clearly the merchant, dressed in a brown hair and a long brown tunic with brown boots. In days of such war, many people took to traveling to sell their goods, unlike the old times where it was strictly moogles in that business. Beatrix was the obvious wife. Her hair was kept in front of her face for the most part, trying to block the men from seeing her distinct, proud features. But she wore a traveling cloak and a long, plain dress over her tight fighting armor. Freya bundled up in enough clothes and a rugged old hat before hunching over on a cane, trying to look like the crazy old parent who had to travel with them.
Amarant stood tall and proud, though his hair had been pulled back and tucked carefully under a hood. He was trying to play the built son, hopefully believable enough in the lack of light, but Beatrix glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, wondering if anyone would buy that someone so much taller than her could be her son. They were probably close to the same age!
Eiko was bundled in blankets, though that wasn't even part of the disguise. She wore a blue hood over her head, pulled tightly around her face to hide her horn and purple hair. Her eyes were tired, like that of a child – she was probably the most convincing out of any of them.
The guards glanced at each other, knowing full well that Lani and her team had come stumbling back, amongst many other soldiers from the city, claiming that they'd been ambushed. The story fit… but the guards were always suspicious.
"You couldn't have waited until morning?"
"We're trying to get back," Beatrix started, her voice sounding pleading, and almost motherly. "My youngest, she is ill. That is why we made the trip to Bermecia, deciding to let our family help us while my husband and I found herbs to aid her in healing. She's staying with my sister in our home at Dali. We really need to get back to her! Please sir, she could be –"
"Quiet!" He barked, rolling his eyes. "Where ye papers?"
She fumbled for them with her long, slender fingers, before pulling out the entire stack. Before she could sort through them, the guards yanked them out of her hands and flicked them open.
His eyes passed over each parchment, before stopping on the one second to last. "Who is Syndi? There's an extra set of papers to a girl who isn't here!" Dagger's papers were still matted into the pile, because they had decided after they packed that she should hide in a cart.
Freya and Amarant knew not to speak, or their voices would give them away in an instant. Steiner spluttered, unsure what to say as the guard glared at Beatrix, becoming all the more suspicious of them as the seconds ticked by.
"My sister!" Eiko piped up. She rubbed her tired eyes as she slid off of the cart. "Ma and Pa adopted her, and she introduced herself as Ci, so nobody really knows her first name. We didn't have time to look at her papers much before we left!"
"And how do you know this story, little girl?!"
Eiko glared up at him with the feistiness of a child. "Ci tells me everything. She doesn't like being called Syndi cause it reminds her of her parents, and they died a couple years ago! We never had a reason to look at her papers before, and she only told me her name more than once! We're real close!"
"What's going on here?" Another guard jogged over before the first had a chance to question Eiko's story further. Beatrix let out a breath. She couldn't believe that Eiko had just blurted out that believable-but-sort-of-not story.
"This group of 'merchants' are trying to get to Dali!" He shoved the papers into this new man's face.
His eyes scanned the papers, and then scanned the ratty looking people in front of them. Their clothes hardly fit them and they had an awful lot of scraps in their cart to really be merchants. But his face stayed calm and he extended a hand. "Balem of Dali, good to see you again, Drake!"
Steiner fumbled, remembering that that was his own name. "Balem! I thought I recognized you!"
"You know them?" the first guard scoffed.
"Drake and I lived in Dali together for a brief time before I left to be a soldier! Good ol' Drake had a broken leg at the time, and wasn't recruited! The moogles bring our letters back and forth so I can keep track of what is going on back home!"
"Huh."
"What's the matter, Bishop? Do you have a problem with letting this family through? Come now, don't be a sour sport!"
"But our protocol –"
"There is no protocol if their papers are legit!" He stared at the paper that Bishop still clutched in his hand. "Syndi?"
"Our littlest," Beatrix said meekly. She felt faint.
"Ci?! So that's her real name, hm? I always wondered!" He let out a laugh. "I'm so glad you came this way, Drake, so I could see you again! Come, follow me!"
"Thank you, Balem!" Steiner let out a nervous laugh and picked Eiko up, putting her back on the cart. He motioned for Freya to sit in the cart as well, and to make it look good, the girl crawled into her lap. Freya put an arm around Eiko to cover her from the cold, trying to look like a convincing grandmother.
"The whole family is with you today!" Balem said, taking off his helmet as they passed under the gate. "But where is Ci?"
"She is sick," Beatrix said, loud enough now to sound natural and unafraid even though she had this underlying feeling they would be caught. "We took my son and daughter and mother with us so they could sell while Drake and I searched for the right herbs to help her in Bermecia."
"That was a smart idea," he nodded and the ex-knight thought he might have meant it more than one way.
The North Gate was small, with a few tents and a building by the mountain. Most guards were drinking by bonfires or already sleeping in their tents. There was no activity this late at night, and everybody was too preoccupied with their night off to worry much about the strangers passing through in ragged clothes.
The first guard who approached them trailed behind the group, stunned. He had his suspicions, but Balem had been around far longer than he had, and he had no way of questioning the man. Unless –
"Aye!" He yelled as they reached the gate leading to the other side.
"What is it now, Bishop?" Balem sighed, turning around. Beatrix's fingers twitched at her side. She was grateful for this man's help, no doubt, but he could not be moving them any more sluggishly.
"We 'ave to check the cart!" His accent was thick.
"Check the cart?" Balem asked, his eyebrows rising.
The brunette turned to her family in the cart, and she caught one of Freya's exposed eyes, equally as stressed. How would they get away with this? She cursed not having her sword on her back, even under the dress and robes.
"Aye! It's protocol anyways! Papers er no!"
Balem shrugged. "Alright, go ahead!" He could offer these people no support if they didn't properly defend their cargo. He assumed the last members of their company were hiding on the cart, since the number didn't match Vadin's information in the letter from the moogle.
Beatrix picked up Eiko and held her tightly, finding comfort in the way the girl clung to her, just as frightened for Dagger and Quina. Freya slid off of the rickety edge and hobble away. Bishop climbed onto the cart and stepped on Dagger's hand. She bit her tongue to stop from letting out a shout.
He shifted around, making it all the more painful for her, before he grabbed a bag. It was the bag hiding Quina's feet, but the man was more interested in peering inside than he what part of the old cart he had just exposed.
Greedily, he opened it and immediately dropped it, holding his nose. "Gysahl pickles?!" He roared, covering his mouth.
"Oh they're my favorite!" Steiner stepped up right away. He had put the bag of pickles onto the cart, just as he had suggested on their way into Lindblum. He knew towards the back of the wagon would be the first place a soldier would look, wishing too much to find hidden war supplies, or better yet, a person, hidden amongst their things.
"We sell them," Beatrix went on to explain. "Don't you remember when we sent you a bag, Balem? Weren't they delightful?"
He had to stifle a laugh. He gave these resistance members a ten for their creativity. "As a matter of fact, I do remember that! I had to throw them out though unfortunately – ol' Bishop here is allergic!"
Said soldier was coughing and spluttering and had backed away from the cart. Steiner picked up the bag again and closed it tight, replacing it on top of Quina's feet. "So sorry about that! I hadn't any idea or I would have warned you!"
"Jus' get outta here!" He boomed. "Yer free to go!"
Balem turned to the group and smiled, giving them a quick wink, so fast that they themselves had almost missed it. "Let's get you through here and off the rest of the way to Dali!"
"Sounds perfect," Beatrix breathed.
Freya climbed back onto the cart with Eiko in her lap, and Amarant heaved it forward. Beatrix, Steiner and Balem all carried a hearty conversation until they were some ways away from the front gate. Balem gave Beatrix a hug and a kiss on the cheek while he shook Steiner's hand.
"Thank you for all the help," he said gratefully in a low voice.
"I'll admit, I didn't think you had it in you to get through that luggage check," he nodded, "but good job. I will be rooting for you in time to come."
"Thank you."
"If there is one thing I could ask of you before you are on your way?"
"Anything," Beatrix breathed.
He sighed, feeling embarrassed. "My whole family was originally from Dali. That is why my wife and I stopped there on our way home from our travels, even though she was with child… We hoped for so long that the Princess was alive, and tonight, when I heard she was coming through the gates, I couldn't wait to lay eyes on her myself. She is in the cart, yes?"
They nodded to him, but didn't speak.
He turned towards it, a curious look on his face. Dagger, having become completely alert of the situation after her hand was trampled, flipped the burlap up from her position. Her hair was in her face and her hand was swollen, but her eyes glittered with grace and assumed love for one of her people, if not a little sheepish.
"Princess Garnet," he laughed. "My! I remember just yesterday the day the news was brought to Dali that the Princess had been born." He walked forward and gripped her good hand. "Thank you for everything you have been doing your entire life. Your family would have been so proud."
She smiled. "Thank you for your kind words."
"I hope to meet you again, in better circumstances! I place my hope in you, Princess Garnet."
"And I give you my own hope," she nodded. "It is because of my brave people all these years that we have not fallen under Kuja's grasp – especially the people of Dali."
His heart soared, and his eyes lit up in honor. "Thank you, M'lady."
"We must be going now, Balem of Dali. But it was so wonderful to meet such a brave man!"
"Good luck to you all," he nodded to them again and gave Steiner one last handshake for show, before marching back to the gate, where their presence was already nearly forgotten, save for the embarrassment of the Gysahl pickles that would haunt Bishop for the next several weeks from his comrades who were awake during his reaction.
A/N: Well I didn't want to stop there, but I thought the chapter was getting a little long! I bet you can only guess what the next chapter will entail, and I know I'm excited for it!
Tell me what you think! Now things are starting to heat up! Let me just say I am so excited for you guys to read what's coming! Thank you to all of the guest reviewers lately! :D And of course the lovely Atariel Tsukai for her consistent reviews in an attempt to catch up :) Thank you so much for all of your guys' interest in the story!
-zesty-