Alexandria, 1787
The castle gardens of Alexandria were amongst the finest in the continent, and the royal family frequently walked their grounds. But in winter, Queen Brahne and the young Princess Garnet remained indoors. The small royal heir was not the strongest and healthiest of children, and exposing her to the cold December air would have been dangerous.
And so, the King walked alone, bar the guards patrolling around. His wife and daughter beside a warm fireplace, but he had never been one to remain cooped up indoors, even on a day where the moat was coated in ice like today. It was the sound of someone trying to break ice that alerted him to the unexpected guest.
By the frozen-over edge of a fish pond, sat a small blond boy in strange purple and white garb, trying to break the ice with a stone.
"...Excuse me?" He challenged, and the small boy merely turned to look at him in curiosity.
However, his words drew the attention of a soldier, who wandered over.
"Your Royal Highness, is something the matter?" She asked, then noticed the boy, reaching for her sword.
"No! I think he is harmless... Look at him closely."
The boy's tail was wagging as if curious, bright blue eyes not registering the soldier's actions as a threat.
"...Have someone fetch some water and food. He looks to be hungry or thirsty."
"But, Sire... It's just an urchin? He must have snuck in over the frozen moat?"
The King shook his head.
"Perhaps so, but I intend to investigate this child myself. That tail... I've never seen anything like it before."
The soldier saluted, and returned with what her King had asked. It turned out to be the ideal lure to bring the urchin inside....
The Ocean, 1790
Baku stood at the bow of his newly-acquired ship, the Prima Vista. Marcus was at the wheel, the thirteen year old a fairly skilled, if nervous, pilot. They were flying out over the sea north of Alexandria, testing the ship's range
"Uh, boss... can you take over again soon? I don't wanna crash..."
"You're doing fine, Marcus, but if you want someone else to take over go fetch Blank or Ruby..."
The older orphan stiffened in fright at the idea of either of the two younger members of the troupe trying to fly the ship.
"You know what boss, I'm fine here, yeah..."
Baku then frowned as he stared at the seas below, the thin mist out here parting to show something bobbing on the waves....
"...Actually, I'm gonna need to take over. I think I see a boat adrift down there. Check it out with a telescope, will ya?"
Swapping places,Marcus looked, and confirmed it - a small dinghy, not a seagoing ship at all. It had once had a sail, but that seemed to have snapped off. A cloaked shape was huddled near the back of the vessel.
Carefully lowering the airship near the water's calm surface, Baku held it still as the Nero Brothers hooked the small ship in closer, before Blank dropped onto it.
"There's a woman and a girl! They don't look so good..." He shouted back up.
Alexandria, January 1, 1800
Zidane saluted as Blutzen neared.
"Good morning and happy new year, Squire. Captain's ordered me to relieve you of your watch, you're to report to him right away," The Knight of Pluto said.
"Yes, sir," The blond replied with another salute.
"...You're not gonna ask why he wants to speak to you?"
"I assume the Captain will inform me presently, sir."
Blutzen sighed.
"Some day, kid, you're gonna have some actual curiosity."
Zidane had no response to this, heading to meet Captain Steiner. He had not expected to find the Captain to be accompanied by General Beatrix in his office, but he overheard their voices as he neared.
"The King trained him well, General. He is loyal and unquestioning. The Princess could ask for no more dedicated a guard..."
"Perhaps, Steiner. But I've had little contact with him, he was the King's squire, after all..."
Ignoring the conversation, Zidane knocked, and was told to enter.
"Squire Zidane, reporting as ordered, sir," He said, saluting once more.
"At ease, Squire. We have new orders for you to carry out over the coming months. Tell me, have you ever seen Mister Kuja on any of his visits to the castle?" Steiner asked.
"Yes sir."
"Have you ever wondered what the purpose of his presence is, Squire?" General Beatrix asked.
"No, ma'am, it's my understanding he is a guest of the Queen."
"You have no questions at all about him? No sense of... unease?" Steiner pressed.
Reluctantly, Zidane spoke up.
"I find myself on my guard around him, sir. I... I don't know why."
"That's fine, Squire. The truth is, Mister Kuja is a merchant of sorts, and he will soon be completing a contract with the Queen. However, this may mean some of his... employees will be present in the castle in the near future. The Queen wishes to ensure that there is minimal disruption to Princess Garnet's routine. To that end we are tasking you with being her personal guard," Beatrix said.
"Your mission therefore is quite simply, to keep watch over the Princess directly. Obey her instructions and orders to the letter. Within reason, of course. Her safety is paramount. Ensure she is kept away from Kuja's work during this time. You shall also be in command of her direct security during her birthday celebrations later this month, "
"I understand, sir, ma'am."
"Good. To your post, Squire," Beatrix ordered.
Zidane left, leaving the two behind.
"...I'm still not sure about this plan, General," Steiner sighed.
"The Squire seems to have good instincts at least. Kuja is not a trustworthy man. We cannot keep him from the Queen, but we can protect the Princess from his influence. Besides, this means we spare troops for the Queen's tasks."
"Very well."
Lindblum, January 2, 1800
Waking to pounding at the door, and in her head, Sarah groaned.
"Rise and shine, darlin', we've got work!" The voice of her psuedo-sister Ruby came through the door, far too cheerful.
Another groan was the only reply.
"Well, Baku and yer momma told me to wake you, and I've got a bucket..."
"I'm getting up, jeez! Just... lemme figure out why my head hurts so much?"
"'Cos yer a lightweight on top of the fact ya technically ain't supposed to drink?" Ruby taunted.
"Hey, I bet you fifty gil Blank's way worse off!" Sarah shot back, as she crawled from bed, wincing as her eyes met sunlight.
"Nah, I've seen him, he is. No bet."
"So who's the lightweight, huh?"
"Ya both are, he's just lighter. Anyway, get your hair untangled from yer horn and get downstairs hasty like."
With a huff, she dragged herself from bed and eventually made her way to the bottom floor of the Tantalus hideout. Most of the rest of the gang waited, alongside their two leaders, Baku and Jane Tribal. Her stepfather and mother, respectively.
The others were Marcus, Cinna, Blank, and Ruby, more or less Baku's adopted children. The latter three were only a few years older than Sarah at most, leaving Marcus as a clear elder son.
"Finally, we can begin. We've just been given a rather interesting role. We will be departing for Alexandria later this month on the Prima Vista, for the sixteenth birthday celebrations of Princess Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th," Jane began.
"And as you may have all guessed, this ain't just an acting gig. We've got ourselves the heist of the century to pull off... and we only just started this one, gwahaha!" Baku continued.
"The crown jewels?" Blank wondered.
"The Alexandrian treasury?" Marcus wondered
"The supply of sticks they shove up every Alexandrian's ass?" Sarah wondered.
"No to any of those. We have been tasked by Regent Cid himself to kidnap the Princess."
"Uh, beg yer pardon there, Jane, but... ain't that kinda one of those things that can start a war?" Ruby wondered.
"Not if we're consummate professionals and pull off our plan," Jane replied.
"So, leave Sarah behind," Blank smirked.
"Actually, she's pretty much key to the plan. Any of you ever seen the Alexandrian princess?"
"Nah, but she's meant to be hot..." Cinna noted.
"A friend of mine who works as a at the castle called her 'the most babe-ilicious beauty in all of Alexandria'," Blank mused.
"Well, here's a portrait of her," Jane said, showing them a picture.
"...Okay, my friend needs his eyes tested. She looks like Sarah, but with longer hair and no horn. She's only marginally less hideous,"
"Blank, if you want more scars I can supply them!" Sarah fumed.
"Childishness aside, the fact is, Sarah bears a heck of a resemblance... at least to the portrait," Marcus said.
"Yeah, all portraits look the same nowadays, since they're painted to a romantic ideal, rather than as a true depiction of the idiosyncratic facial qualities of the person in question," Cinna noted.
"Cid assures us that they could practically be twins. Which I know for a fact is not the case," Jane continued.
"So... Princess Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th... You're saying seventeen girls got stuck with that mouthful of a name?" Sarah said.
"Yep, and you're gonna be the eighteenth, at least for a little while!" Baku grinned.
"Oh goodie... I have to somehow act like a Princess."
"Yeah, we're screwed," Blank said.
"No we're not. Acting like Garnet is easy enough, Cid's supplied us with a guide to her personality. You brush up on it, because your role in the play isn't gonna be big. Marcus is the lead, but Blank and you are gonna head up the kidnapping," Baku said.
"We'll figure out the details nearer the time but the current plan is, you replace Garnet at some point while Blank smuggles her onto the ship. You hide your horn with a wig, that'll also give you the right hair length. You take her place for a few days, and Cid has people on the inside who can get you a message. Once you get it, you sneak out, make your way back here."
"Easy as that, huh? We're putting Sarah at a lot of risk here," Cinna noted.
"We know, but she can handle it. We can all handle this," Jane said.
Burmecia, January 2, 1800
Sir Fratley Iron-Tail bowed before his King, awaiting his formal orders. His spear was held by the King, with other Dragoons and Soldiers standing watch in a small group.
"Sir Fratley, I am tasking you this day with watching my son Puck, as he represents my crown at the upcoming event in Alexandria. As you know, he is reluctant to perform his duties as a Prince at the best of times, but I am confident that with yourself and your wife as his guards, his wishes to remain somewhat incognito can be met," The King of Burmecia commanded.
"Yes, my liege," Fratley replied.
"Good. Then, accept your spear and my orders."
The King completed the short ceremony by handing back Fratley's weapon. At the back, one dragoon and a shorter Burmecian watched.
"Alright then, can we get this show on the road? I've got a lotta ground to cover before we go waste time at some stupid play!" Puck cut in.
"...Your Highness, would it kill you to have some decorum?" Freya sighed.
"It would. Totally would. Completely allergic, Freya."
"Well, good luck, you two, you're gonna need it," The King said.
Puck merely gave Freya a quizzical look.
"...What?"
"My pops just said 'gonna', you not gonna get on his case? That's hardly all regal," The Prince said.
"You just said it twice, brat."
"Now, Freya, please remember he is our crown prince, and should be referred to as His Royal Bratness," Fratley said as he wandered over.
"Fratley gets it. Anyway, let's jump to it, I wanna swing by Lindblum before we head for Treno. We'll head to Alexandria from there!" Puck said, and the three began walking.
"Very well... but what business do you have in Lindblum?" Freya wondered.
"Gysahl pickles. Garnet deserves one decent birthday present, instead of a bunch of dumbass nobles trying to get her to date their crotchspawn by giving her stupid shiny crap."
"How chivalrous..."
"And I presume your plan to depart from Treno has nothing to do with the January card tournament?" Fratley wondered.
"Oh, well, now you mention it, we could have time."
Near Treno, January 3, 1800
Vivi wasn't sure what to do now. His Grandpa wasn't waking up, which as far as he knew, meant he was dead.
None of Grandpa's stories had ever said what to do. But Vivi was checking books. Surely one of them could tell him what had to be done? Or maybe he should head to the city and ask someone there?
Vivi really wasn't sure...
Dali, January 4, 1800
Half a dozen Black Mages marched out, fireballs flying at the other Black Mage that stood before them. But none of them harmed it.
It, however, harmed them with his, a wave of his hand and a storm of ice, shards slicing and stabbing into the six Black Mages. They slumped down, eyes dimming.
"The enhanced model is a success!" Zorn whooped
"A success the enhanced model is!" Thorn cheered.
Beside the two jesters, Kuja watched passivley.
"Yes, he can defeat basic Black Mages, how impressive. But I need these three ones powerful. Start work on the second Waltz."
"We will start right away!"
"Right away, we will start!"
Alexandria, January 4, 1800
Two figures walked the gardens today, a female with long hair flowing down her back, wearing a white dress and orange leggings, plus a white coat edged with red triangular patterns. Her companion, or rather, guard, wore the standard uniform of a Knight of Pluto.
Princess Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th had always loved walking in the gardens, even in winter... but when younger, of course, her father never took her. And since his death, her mother had not walked with her at all. And to be honest, she felt rather pleased to have some time alone. A little guilty, yes, but sometimes, her mother was just too much...
But in a place like Alexandria Castle, one could never truly be alone. Guards and soldiers were around, castle staff tried to be invisible but were only human (or humanoid, at least...), and in her case, she now had a permanent shadow, it seemed.
Still... at least Zidane wasn't overbearing like Steiner. He actually obeyed instructions and requests. Like the order to call her Garnet rather than Princess. True, he found other ways to work around it at times, but it was better than most other soldiers!
"So, Zidane... You're in charge of security for my birthday celebrations?" She said, trying to start some sort of conversation.
"Yes, Your Highness," he replied.
"...Do you know what play is organised?"
"I believe it is I Want to be Your Canary."
"Ah, one of the classics, one of my favourites too. What do you think of the play, Zidane?"
The Squire seemed briefly puzzled, and for a second, Garnet's heart sank. Once, this boy had been a playful and energetic friend... but at her fathers behest, he'd been trained in a manner befitting a ward of the King, of a soldier of Alexandria. Built from the ground up to guard her and the royal family.
"I have only seen it once. I think I was... rather bored by much it, I fear. I wasn't the most attentive child," He said with honesty.
She remembered that year. Her ninth birthday. It had been a delight, both the play and his losing battle to stop fidgeting, his pouts at the more romantic scenes, his wide eyed attention at the swordfights. After that,he had been trained more intently. She'd seen less of him.
In fact, this walk was the most time she'd spent with her old playmate in almost six years.
"Well, perhaps, but aren't all children? You and I did get up to some mischief at times," She smiled.
He was silent for a few moments, so she tried to revive the conversation.
"Have you any opinions on other plays? Lord Avon's works are broad, and there are many other playwrights of note..."
"I... do somewhat enjoy Ipsen and Colin."
"It's certainly a stirring tale of camaraderie," Garnet nodded.
More silence.
"...Have you ever given thought to exploring, like Ipsen? To see the world beyond castles and palaces?"
"I have not, no. I'm content in my role," Zidane said.
"I myself would love to see the ice caverns near Dali. Or to see Cleyra's sandstorm. Maybe go to the markets of Lindblum and buy some gysahl pickles myself? Or the theatre district, see a performance? Or even the airship gates - I've only ever seen them passing through."
"The gates are busy and dangerous places even at the best of times, Prin... Garnet."
"Hm, perhaps... but I'm sure someone would keep me safe."
Zidane was silent again, and Garnet decided that maybe she should try and save some topics for later. After all, he was going to be around a while, and he certainly didn't have much small talk in his own repertoire. He seemed content to just stand there if left to his own devices....
Lindblum, January 6, 1800
Ruby and Sarah raised an eyebrow at Blank as he placed a jar before them, the bug inside displeased.
"Oh look, Blank's found his twin," Sarah sighed, before reading the notes on Princess Garnet.
"Hey now, be nice, poor lil' oglop ain't half as slimy as Blank!"
The Tantalus male sighed.
"You know, most girls at least react to oglops. Hell, lots of guys hate them too!"
"Yes, Blank, but most guys also stop tugging pigtails and thinking girls have cooties before puberty, so why you're acting like a kid here is beyond me," Sarah noted.
"Boss told me to catch some Oglops. Figured if I had to suffer I'd try share the pain," Blank said.
"So ya thought 'let's take one to the only two people other than Jane that don't squeal like babies at moths' was a good plan?" Ruby asked
"...Take it to Cinna?"
"Yup, take it to Cinna," Sarah agreed, and he left.
"So, where were we, darlin'?" Ruby said.
"I think I was complaining about how boring Princess Garnet is. I mean, there's not one cuss word here!"
"Well, ain't ladylike, is it?"
"Who the #@%! came up with that rule anyway? It's bullshit."
"Some dead asshole, probably," Ruby shrugged.
"And these dresses she's meant to wear... that's her casual everyday? There's more cloth in the train than the sail of a boat! A big boat! But hey, if that's how she deals with the fact some scrawny little noble's gonna have to flop around on top of her so she can squirt out an heir someday, not my problem!"
Ruby sighed.
"Blank's right about one thing, though, most girls would kill ta be princesses... and here you and I are bitchin' about how much of a pain in the ass it would be."
"Uh, I think I'm the one bitching? You only have to play one in the performance?"
"An' I can totally bitch about it! Like how Cornelia's just gotta stand there then die later. Not one swordfight!" Ruby huffed.
"...We should write our own play. Put some dumb prince in distress, have him saved by two kick-ass ladies, who then just ignore him and hook up with two hot guys!"
"Now that sounds like a plan, girl! Trouble is, who'd play the hot guys?"
"We can hire out. Gotta be a couple somewhere in this town. Besides, they don't need to act much, just be hot."
"Ah, the perfect man, doesn't say a word without promptin', just stands there lookin' pretty..."
"Pity he doesn't exist. Even guards at the castle don't shut their mouths for five seconds," Sarah sighed.
"So I'm guessin' yer done with reading up on Princess Garnet Til Thestickupmybuttfallsout?"
"Damn straight, let's go hit the markets."
"You got money?"
Sarah raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, a-duh? We're pickpockets?"
Ruby gave a mock gasp.
"Why, so we are! Ah do declare, I had forgotten!"
The pair stood up, leaving in a cloud of giggles. Baku sighed.
"Bring back a cut from what ya take, ya pair of misandrist minxes!" He shouted after them.