An AU Kuja fic, shonen-ai, language
*****
*****
Even when traveling with
‘close personal friends of the queen’, Laro found it took the better part of a
day just to get _in_ to the city of
He tried to get his bearings, studying the various patrons of the wagon-wheel shaped marketplace. The large circular common was surrounded on all sides by shops, flower boxes and countless numbers of roads branching off into the rest of the city. Like all good castle-towns, at least one of the roads had to lead further inwards to the actual royal compound. The array of delicate towers off to his left gave him a potential direction to wander in. For the moment he was content just to watch everyone rushing by. A fair number of them seemed to be involved in construction, carrying wood, buckets of plaster, paint, all the essential tools for putting buildings back together. Several of the row houses they had passed showed signs of repair. In other places there were obvious gaps between buildings where something must have been too far gone to fix. Wildflowers grew where someone’s shop must have once stood. The damaged city only reminded him of what the odd little man on the airship had told him about the war.
//
He didn’t think he was quite so innocent as to believe it impossible for his lover to do something like start a war. But knowing him as he did, Laro had to wonder at the motivation. Masa was hardly one to exert himself over something trivial, not to the extent he had apparently done here. There had to have been a reason behind it all, but he wasn’t sure where to start looking for it.
If he tilted his head just right, he could make out a glimpse of the famous crystal, hiding in the shadow of one of the castle’s towers, and a fair amount of scaffolding. It was just as enormous as he had suspected from the air. Even broken off like a sword, missing over half its length, it was a part of the skyline. He could readily imagine how impressive it must have been when it stood tall. It would have been like a giant tower rising from the heart of the castle and high into the air above.
// Pretty clear symbol of power on the part of its owners… not surprised the kitten broke it. //
Masa had a knack for that sort of thing after all. Laro hid his smile, remembering the still-dazed attitude among the aliens he had briefly met on his voyage to this strange world.
The Selwe had escorted him to their teleportation platform in a state of calm disbelief, still not sure how exactly such a frail little mage had almost literally broken their greatest weapon across his knee. Their ship had been little better than shattered girders and buckled plates.
The people he watched here were a little similar in that regard. They had longer to come to grips with the damage, but he’d catch the older ones in particular, looking around them with a sort of lost expression, trying to figure out just where it had all gone so suddenly wrong. Picking up the pieces, he frowned; he would have a life-time of that to look forward to once he got home.
// If I ever get home. //
Slouching back against the bench, he realized he was tired. The novelty of everything was starting to wear him down more than he had expected. He let the sun soak into his sore shoulders and promised he’d continue his search for missing guides or princesses or Zidanes in a moment. If he ignored the weird smells of the market place and kept his eyes closed against the sight of his token Selwe or the even odder pedestrians strolling by he could pretend he was at home, lounging on the streets of his capital. People would be out and about on a day like today, shopping, eating, catching up with friends. Laro smiled, realizing that as the armies poured home there would be a lot more of that to come, friends reunited. That was a good thing.
Laro sighed and settled deeper into his bench, willing his worries to weight five more minutes before bearing down on him again. Idly he picked out the regular footfalls and jingle of gear that he would have casually labeled ‘constabulary’ at home. City guards patrolling the streets for pick pockets or afternoon drunks, generally just as likely to be window-shopping as scolding the wayward. The lock-step was a bit too formal sounding however. It drew closer, and then stopped, roughly across the street.
“What sort of monster is this? Surround it! Quickly!”
Laro sat upright, rubbing his forehead as he braced for the inevitable. A band of armored soldiers had formed a loose
ring around his ally. The tallest of them, a man in particularly over polished
gear, was waving a sword about in a vaguely demanding fashion. He pushed himself to his feet and wandered
closer to overhear their discussion, signaling the
“Maybe we should just sort of-” One of the young men made a sort of ‘shoo’ing gesture with his hands. “It out of town?”
“The heroic knights of Pluto do not ‘shoo’ monsters, Lieutenant. We dispatch them!”
“The heroic knights of Pluto couldn’t dispatch a fly. Stand back, _I’ll_ take care of it. You lot go find a wheelbarrow to pick up the pieces with.”
Laro blinked, admiring the no-nonsense tone of the woman’s voice, and tried very hard not to admire anything else. It was rather difficult, seeing as the female soldier’s armor cut off about two inches down her thigh and didn’t start again until her boots. It was a novel sort of costume to be sure. He was certain that Dean Finlay would have a fit if she saw one of her scholars try dressing like that. Judging by the way the blonde woman held her sword he didn’t want let her catch him grinning. She would likely try and impale him before he could explain that his preferences lay elsewhere. His interest was strictly from a military point of view.
// Women in the army. And looking… like women. //
Laro had to admit there was a certain dangerous appeal to
the idea. Certainly the troopers
surrounding his
While he was distracted, the male and female soldiers had
fallen to bickering amongst themselves over their respective abilities.
Apparently the squad was not a tight knit group. He took the opportunity to stand right next
to the large ‘captain’ as he watched how the argument would end. The
If Laro counted himself curious about the massive shard, his ally was positively fascinated by it. Twice so far he had called the bug back from just flying up to look at it up close. The last thing he wanted was an ‘incident’ with the alien trespassing all over some national treasure.
“Laro, may we see the shard now?”
The plaintive hiss certainly got the group’s attention. He hid his smile behind his hand before replying. “Um, in a little bit. We’re waiting for permission, remember?”
“I can hear it.” The alien grumbled. “It is trying to communicate.”
“With you?” Laro raised an eyebrow.
“No.” The
“It talks!” The man at Laro’s elbow tottered backwards in belated shock.
“Yes. But he has no sense of humor worth mentioning.” Laro offered a smile to the two guards closest to the bug. “Hate to interrupt, but I’m afraid the insect is with me.”
“Are you its owner?” One of the Amazons gave him a cool look while the others considered the alien in disbelief.
Laro shrugged. “More like temporary business partners, actually. We aren’t here to cause any trouble.”
“What _are_ you hear for, Mr.-” The armored knight recovered enough to bluster.
“Nazer.” He offered. “Laro Nazer. You?”
“I am General Steiner of the Pluto Knights, joint commander
of armed forces of
“Joint commander?” Laro blinked in surprise. “And you’re on street-patrol?”
Apparently his comment was worth a snigger from the various women. Laro noticed that the group really was split down the middle as far as gender and allegiance. The girls were in a loose phalanx behind the cool-faced blonde while the men were a little more disorganized but obviously siding with Steiner.
“I’m training subordinates.” The soldier offered weakly.
“He’s sticking his nose in, doesn’t trust a woman to take over his old job.” The woman disagreed cheerfully. “Captain Claudia, what business brings you to our fair city, Mr. Nazer?”
He absorbed the abrupt introduction and question while the other man sputtered. “I’m looking for someone actually, several someones now that my guides have run off.”
“Guides huh? And they ditched you?” She gave him a knowing look. “They wouldn’t happen to be Tantalus, would they?”
“Tantalus?”
“Tantalus?! They’re back in town? Those dogs!” Laro spared Steiner a look and then followed Claudia’s example of talking over the man as he fumed on some new topic.
“Steiner, put a lid on it will ya?
Tantalus. Tantalus! Pack of sneaks and thieves from Lindblum.” She clarified. “Leader is a fat headed old man
named
“That’s the one!” Laro agreed happily. “He was supposed to get me an audience with the queen.”
“Was he?” Claudia
gave him a worried look. “With _that_ in tow?” She
gestured at the
“Well he could probably wait outside.”
“How much did they charge you? Because I can tell you, you probably got gypped. Anyone can get into the audience at a general council session, if you just want to do the tourist bit and see her in action. You have to reserve a seat a day in advance though. Court ended about an hour ago for today, but if you hurry you might get a ticket to attend tomorrow.”
“Actually I was hoping for a more private audience with her.” He shook his head. “To be honest I just want an audience with Zidane, but I was told she was the best resource available when it comes to locating his current whereabouts.”
Every time he mentioned the man’s name, he was guaranteed an immediate reaction. Watching her carefully, he tried to see whether it would do more harm than good, and was relieved to see her relax a little.
“Zidane huh?
Well he’s not much into being gawked at by tourists, but if you’re friends with
“Damn that Zidane! Always wandering off and leaving Queen Garnet alone! Doesn’t he-” Steiner took a breath and was off again, causing various reactions among his team from worry to simple disgust.
“I take it he’s not in the city?” Laro sighed, ignoring the shouting.
Claudia removed her helmet and smoothed her hair. “In the middle of summer? Not a chance. That boy’s like a cat, I swear. He only comes indoors when the weather turns bad.”
“Don’t suppose you have any suggestions?”
“We’ll escort you up to the castle, and then hand you off to the minister about trying to get an appointment.” She shrugged.
“After that you’re on your own as far as getting in to see
the queen. All I care about is that way I don’t get any more calls from
merchants complaining that there are monsters wandering the streets.” Claudia offered him a cynical smile. “Tell
you what. If I end up picking up
“I’m much obliged, Captain.”
“Hey tin-man!” She swung her helmet so it rattled off Steiner’s breastplate, shocking him into temporary obedience. “I’m taking these two up to the castle, I’ll be back to finish my patrol so don’t wander off.”
Claudia pointed at one of the other young women in armor, “Shelly, you’re in command. If Steiner starts acting uppity just remind him that we report directly to Beatrix, and she’s still pissed at him over the crumbs-in-the-bed incident last week.”
Laro waited until they were out of the embarrassed-man’s earshot before attempting to ask. “Crumbs?”
“Perks of having co-generals who are also married.” Claudia sniggered. “It’s a little weird at times, but has worked out for the best, we think. It would be better if the men weren’t complete incompetents sometimes.”
“So Beatrix is-”
“General Beatrix, Steiner only got his promotion after the war. She’s been general for years. If you want to talk to the queen in private, you’ll want to get on her good side.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Laro followed the woman across the bridge and through the main gates to the castle.
*****
As it turned out, the queen wasn’t interested in granting an audience after dinner, and it didn’t sound like he’d catch her tomorrow either. Laro ground his teeth in frustration as a rather stuffy sounding bird with a monocle explained to him that a delegation of important-personages from Cleyra were expected to occupy most of the woman’s day. Any hopes that _anyone_ knew where Kuja’s wayward brother had gotten off to seemed pretty slim.
Laro found himself sitting idle on yet another bench, this one in the palace’s generous waiting area, when his so-called ‘guides’ finally caught up with him.
“Oi, general, glad we finally caught up with you!” Blank settled down on the padded bench next to him with a sigh. “We’ve got some good news and some bad news.”
“I’ve had nothing but bad so far, so it might as well be the good first.”
The thief laughed in agreement. “Well Zidane only left a few days ago. He and the sprat, Eiko, were stopping off at her hometown and then wandering around one of the island chains north of there to look for new beasties for her to summon or something.”
“Oh.” Laro failed to see how it was good news. He didn’t have the energy to ask who Eiko was.
“So we know loosely where he is, if you have to go looking for him. And it’s not that far away, hey? Maybe another day by airship, then however long it takes to wander around a bit and find him.”
“That is good news.”
“Yeah, sometimes he goes west to the dead-lands, and nobody would want to fly you over there on the off chance you manage to spot one man in the middle of all that nothing.” Blank shuddered at some memory.
“Heading north is easy.” He continued, “You can probably charter a merchant to spend a few extra days. Also, if he has Eiko along for the ride, he probably took an airship rather than doing that ‘zot’ thing that he does when he’s in a hurry.”
“I don’t want to know.” Laro decided.
“Anyway, so yeah, the bad news is Garnet’s booked solid for the next two days, so you can either charter something and try and find him yourself, or chill here a bit, and see if she can’t call him for you, or at least tell you the name of the ship he left on.”
“She can call him?” Laro sat up a little. “Can anyone call him?”
“Nope.” The thief made a face, trying to explain. “It’s magic. They’ve got… a thing. A connection. When she really needs him for something, somehow he just knows and ‘zot’ there he is.” Blank shrugged. “Creepy if you ask me.”
“He would know to fly back?”
“Fly? He probably wouldn’t bother flying. He’d just come.”
The other thieves nodded in glum agreement. “One minute he’ll be someplace, and then he’ll just disappear, and he’ll be here a minute later. You know, ‘Zot’.” Suddenly Laro understood that the man was trying to explain the sound.
“He teleports?”
“Doesn’t use a jar though.”
What jars had to do with teleporting, Laro still wasn’t clear on, but he let it slide. If Zidane could teleport between continents, he wondered if he could also go between worlds. It might explain how Kuja had ended up on his poor little planet like he did. It might also mean that he could possibly have a way home. “What are my chances of finding Zidane on my own, if I charter a ship?”
“Not so hot.” Marcus confessed. “It’d be better if we knew the name of the boat. We could hail the captain on the radio as we went and track him that way.”
“Versus waiting a day for an audience with the queen and hopefully getting an immediate response from the man.”
“If you can convince her to call him, yeah.”
“Maybe if you told Dr. Tot what you want to talk to Garnet about, he’d fit you in before breakfast or something.” Cinna gestured to the bird-man as he trotted about on his business.
“Tried that.” Laro sighed. “Now he probably thinks I’m tracking Zidane down for I.O.U.s or something.
Blank grinned. “You never did explain what you wanted him for in the first place.”
“I was told not to tell that to anyone but him.” Laro scrubbed his head tiredly, relishing his loose hair. The braids came out while his leg was still mending back at home. “I may reconsider those orders if there’s no option tomorrow, but until then I’d rather not say.”
“Fair enough.” Blank swung his legs in amusement. “We can get you into the inn down town, no problems, is there anything you want to do before dinner?”
Humoring his patient alien, Laro pointed upwards. “Don’t suppose we could get a peek at the crystal up close?”
“Don’t see why not.” The thieves looked up, thinking of their best approach. “Great view from the top of the castle. And hey, if you’re lucky, you might just spot Garnet out for a walk.”
Marcus rolled his eyes. “And if he’s unlucky, Lady Beatrix will pound all of us into the walkway for daring to look at Garnet while she’s out for a walk.”
*****
There was ample time to regret his decision to not head out
and blindly search for Zidane as the next day dragged
by. Laro sat on the long benches of the
audience hall and watched as the courtiers filed past him, and then filed past
him again. He had no better idea than to just wait for the off possibility that
the queen might remember she had a few minutes to spare for a petitioner. Laro got plenty of strange looks for his
obstinacy, and was grateful he had left the bug with the thieves. Whatever they
were amusing the
Dr. Tot trotted past him for the thirtieth time on his way to lunch. His little bird legs looking tired from all his errands. He paused to offer him a sympathetic look. “If you’re going to wait, at least make sure to eat.”
“Meals would be the ideal time to catch a busy monarch.” Laro disagreed.
“Well I’ll have a girl bring you something. It won’t do to have you pass out in the hall here.” The man’s chuckle sounded like a twitter, “It’s unusual to see such dedication these days. Most young people would just send a letter.”
“This isn’t something that can be written down like that.” He shook his head. “But I would take it as a kindness if you reminded her that all I need is information about Zidane’s whereabouts. Surely that can’t take her more than a moment.”
“I shall try.”
Laro stretched his legs out in front of him, mourning the spear that he hadn’t been allowed to bring past the guardroom. He hadn’t had to cool his heels like this since he was a lowly corporal in the army. He grinned, realizing how spoilt his promotions had made him. There were probably dozens of people in his situation every day back home. Hell, some of them were probably waiting for an audience with _him_. He resolved to check the hallways outside his office more often around lunch.
// Hell I promise to give extensively to charity every year for the rest of my life… just let the damn woman acknowledge that I exist… so I can stop wasting time here. //
A servant arrived with a little basket of food, for which he was very thankful as the afternoon stretched on. Even Dr. Tot seemed to be avoiding his customary staircase at the end of the hall in order to not have to apologize again. Laro took to pacing after dinner, counting steps up and across the room under the amused eyes of the guards. The shift change brought the enviable cough from the leader of the two. He was amazed that it was eight already.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to try again tomorrow, Mr. Nazer.”
“I’ll be here.” He replied grimly. “With bells on, if necessary.” Retrieving his weapon and coat from the guardroom he wandered out into the night, still a little befuddled from spending his whole day indoors.
Luckily one of the thieves was there to greet him otherwise he would have gotten hopelessly lost on his way back to the hotel. After all day keeping his own company, he found their chatter to being too much, ducking out shortly after dinner to pace on the balcony before retreating to his room. The city went on about its nighttime business, the moon hanging half-full overhead.
It was hard to lay in his bed and will himself to sleep. All he wanted was to roll over and curl around someone, but a pillow made a poor substitute for who he really wished was there.
Somewhere far far away, Masa was also alone. He wondered if his lover was even well enough to note his absence. Laro hoped not. If he was to get home too late, he’d rather hear that Kuja had slipped away in his sleep rather than anxiously asking after a lover who’d stupidly gone. Realizing he was only depressing himself further, he ground the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to convince himself he was tired.
Forever offering useless ideas, the more creative side of
his brain offered a plan to storm the council chamber. If he could just _get_
to Garnet, he could get everything he needed from here in five minutes or
less. He remembered the warning however.
Claudia’s words had been reaffirmed by his passing glimpse of General Beatrix as she strode across the hall early in the
day. The woman didn’t seem the sort to
take a breach of security nicely, and didn’t look half the pushover
Laro wondered what it would be like to spar with her. Certainly she only had one eye. But her broadsword, and her reputation, spoke of remarkable talent. Her costume was also a little less avant-garde than her soldiers’, a small mercy for his already overloaded eyes. He just didn’t know where to safely look when the women came on duty for their shifts. The safest place was the faces, but with their steel-reinforced cleavage catching the lamp light did sort of draw the eye downward. The fact that half of them looked to be all of 20 years old boggled the mind as well. If the country hadn’t been ruled by a woman he would have simply assumed the current ruler was having some fun with the uniforms. As it was, he was just perplexed.
// Just goes to show I’m still a country bumpkin with delusions… obviously we must have had something like that back home once. I read a history book about a country that was entirely matrilineal. //
Pondering countries ground-to-dust during the first years of the invasion only reminded him of the Selwe, which led him back to Kuja, and his inability to find Zidane. Ruthlessly he closed his eyes and reminded himself how very tired he was. It still took a painfully long time before morning came.
*****
Not particularly rested, but very determined, Laro parted
with the thieves at the gate of the castle. The way they happily hustled the
The guards waiting outside the council room doors recognized him from yesterday. He nodded back at them and settled himself in his spot, ready to wait out another day if necessary. Oddly, the warm bench in the hall was more conducive to sleeping than his bed had been.
Closing his eyes, he leaned against the drapes decorating the wall behind him and let himself drift. So tired that he felt a little wobbly, he could almost pretend he was on the ocean, lounging on deck of his little skiff while the water bobbed and rocked the boat beneath him. It would be a beautiful day to be out on the harbor, he mused. Just the distant line of the shore to give him his bearing, the baking warmth of the sun, someone lazily cuddled up along side him, napping as he fished.
Kuja loved fish. He had been pleased to discover. In their time along side the ocean they had consumed a fair amount of it, so really it was for the best. Deep-water fish, shark, bivalves, they had eaten it all at some time or another. His lover had proved particularly expert at daintily picking the meat from crab shells, something that most landsmen found an arduous chore. Then there had been the one time they had bought a couple raw oysters from the docks and Masa had made him blush by telling him the tasty shellfish were supposedly aphrodisiac.
Stupid, he should have taken him up on the tease. At the time he had been too unsure of himself to dare. The remembered taste of oysters fresh from the sea lingered, his stomach telling him that his breakfast was hardly worth the title. The bit of bread and odd flavored coffee he had snacked on before coming to the castle were but faint memories. He missed his coffee from home. Maybe it was just that they brewed it differently here, but it didn’t taste the same at all. He missed his home in general, he found. As lively and new as Gaia was, he keenly felt its differences. The idea of staying forever left a sour taste in his mouth.
// Then again I could spend the rest of my life in this waiting room… //
The audience chamber’s doors opened, signaling the recess
after the first session. He opened his eyes to watch the brightly dressed
courtiers stroll pass, going out into the bailey for some fresh air, or heading
into the banquet room where food and drink were laid out. They all looked roughly the same as the
courtiers back home, artfully done hair, brocaded clothing. There seemed to be
more of a trend for stockings here, but those sorts of fashions happened
everywhere. Laro remembered portraits of
his previous King hanging in the gallery back in the capital. The man’s bright
yellow stockings and big-buckled shoes might have made him a cousin to
Shortly after the group filed back in to chambers, he wandered down to sample some of the food for himself. Sampling two of the breads, he decided to be adventurous and snagged one of the odd-looking fruits on his way back to his temporary home on the bench. He arrived to realize someone was waiting for him. The woman turned from studying his habitual spot and gave him a measuring look with her remaining eye.
“You’re a stubborn one.”
“My business is rather urgent.” Laro stood firm under her gaze.
“You’re a fighter.”
“I was a soldier, yes.”
“What do you do now?”
Laro rubbed his neck and smiled weakly. “Not much, actually. I’m searching for someone at the moment.”
“Zidane.”
“Yes.”
Beatrix clucked her tongue. “Well you just missed him. It could be months before he staggers home again, longer if he decides to hang out with friends.”
“You don’t approve?”
“Not particularly.” She half-smiled.
“
“She loves him, I hear.” Laro offered.
Beatrix smiled a little wider. “Yes, people do do some fairly crazy things for the sake of love, it seems.”
Knowing the little he knew about her and Steiner, he wondered if maybe she wasn’t also talking about herself a little as well. Deciding to be hopeful about the queen’s closest companion paying him a personal visit, he tried his luck. “I don’t suppose your being here is a sign that I might see her some time today?”
“Hmm, depends what you want to see her for.” The uniformed woman tilted her head measuring him up. “She’s certainly curious as to what you could possibly need Zidane for that would have you anxiously sitting here day in and day out.”
“I’m afraid it’s a message for his ears only.”
“Hmph.”
The general crossed her arms. “
Laro blinked, remembering that his ‘guides’ had more backdoors into court than he did, even if they didn’t or couldn’t exploit them on his behalf. “I do need his help, but it’s nothing like that. He has knowledge of certain things, and we need to ask about them, that’s all.”
“Things to do with Terra?”
The name made him pause. Kuja had mentioned it once or twice as the place he had come from. Given that he was just killing time until he found information on Zidane, trying to learn a little more about his wily lover seemed as good an idea as any. Laro nodded his head. “How did you know?”
“Zidane is hardly a world-renowned scholar. If someone’s seeking his opinion on something, it’s either concerning the more esoteric points of the last war, or they’re treasure hunting.” She gave him a candid look. “And you don’t look like a treasure hunter.”
“Never tried it.” He agreed.
“I was there at the end.” Beatrix mused aloud. “A fair number of us were, when the Iifa Tree went haywire and Zidane fought Kuja for the final time. They had already fought on Terra where Kuja had proven too strong to be defeated. Zidane escaped that time, rescuing many of the genomes as well. But when Kuja took over the Iifa Tree, they fought one again, and that time Zidane was the winner and Kuja was destroyed.”
“I’ve heard very little about the battle itself.” Laro couldn’t help but be curious. “What happened?”
“Wasn’t much to see, from the outside.” She sighed. “We were throwing everything short of the bathwater at the silver dragons Kuja had summoned to protect the tree, trying to get close enough to blow the evil thing up. Zidane’s ship, the Invincible, made it through the melee, and into, from what I understand, some sort of alternate dimension, of Kuja’s creation.”
“Where ever it was, it was destroyed during the final battle in a great explosion. My ship had his sister Mikoto on board, and some how she knew enough to guide the Hilda Garde III to fly down and rescue her majesty and his other allies.”
She shook her head. “How they escaped the blast I have no idea, but from what I was told later Zidane was a damn fool. Rather than evacuating the damn tree, he turns around and darts back in, saying he’s going after his brother. Everything got really weird for a little, and then when we looked back, the Iifa tree had quieted, and there was no sign of Zidane at all.”
“So what do we do? Pick up the pieces, rebuild, rebuild some more, five years go by and nothing. Most of us thought him long gone along with Kuja.”
“Obviously he wasn’t.” Laro mused.
“Yeah. Two years ago he just turned up one spring festival, like he’d just stepped out for the weekend. It was like seeing a ghost.” She shrugged. “Never talked about what happened, or where he was, just said one moment he was with Kuja, the next, he was back at the base of the tree and came south as soon as he could.”
“Five years, and he has no memory of them?”
“Well he’s not exactly what he used to be.” She acknowledged. “His magic is far stronger than it ever was, and I swear he doesn’t age like the rest of us, but yes. It’s as if the time never happened for him.”
“Remarkable.” Laro sighed. “What about Kuja?”
“He was apparently badly injured in their final fight and didn’t survive. The man was completely mad by then. Not that he was all that well balanced back when _I_ knew him, but something happened to him during those last months that really pushed him over the edge.”
“You knew Kuja? Really?” That news was unexpected. Putting two and two together, he realized Beatrix had served under the old queen, and therefore she must have been Kuja’s ally for some time before things had fallen apart. “What was he like?”
“Brilliant.” She replied. “A little twisted, and definitely oversexed, but brilliant just the same.” Raising her eyebrows at a memory she snorted at something long gone. “Polite bastard though. Never made a pass at me or the girls, which was unusual. We all pegged him as playing on ‘the other team’ but apparently he liked both the same, just didn’t believe in mixing business with pleasure.”
“Sounds an interesting fellow.”
“He was.” Beatrix nodded. “Compared to him Zidane is an idiot savant, but he gets the job done well enough. Mikoto is a bloody genius, but she’s not as funny as Kuja was. Sure he was a bit of a misogynist, and prejudiced against non-humans, but he was very well read, and quick with a joke.” She glanced at the clock. “And you’ve successfully managed to use my entire break with getting information out of me and not vice versa, damn it.”
“I’m sorry.” Laro meant it. He hadn’t meant to distract her, but being able to hear impartial information about Kuja had simply been too tempting. “It was a fascinating story.”
“Not many people are interested in Kuja these days.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and smoothed her coat. “Easier to vilify him and be done with it. Like one of those god-awful plays he was so fond of. And honestly, I think if he were here he’d love it. Playing the overblown villain was right up his alley. He was that sort of guy.”
“Sounds like it.” Laro smiled, privately having to agree with her assessment. Masa did have a flair for melodrama, after all. “I should stop distracting you from your duties. But if the queen could possibly spare a moment-”
“I’ll know where to find you.” Beatrix drawled, pointing eloquently at his bench. He bowed slightly as she left.
// A war that slowly drove Kuja mad? //
He mulled the idea over as he sat in the solitary splendor of the hallway. It didn’t sound like the sort of nervous breakdown he himself had suffered on his escape from the Selwe. More like his kitten had started to slip as the pressure on him built. He wondered what it was that had made him angry enough to try to kill his own brother, to make war on several nations all at once, and by himself, from the sound of it.
Dr. Tot professed to be something of a historian, maybe if he could catch the bird-man after dinner, he could get the whole story out of him. The way Beatrix had said ‘the more esoteric points’ when she had guessed his reason for coming made him think that what he wanted to know was hardly common knowledge.
// Perhaps Zidane is the only person other than Kuja who knows the whole of it; at least from both sides. //
It only made him more eager to finally meet the man. Closing his eyes he resolved to nap until the court adjourned for lunch. There might be a chance he could sit inside the audience chamber when the queen was going through her list of petitioners for the day. If Beatrix was truly sympathetic, she might be able to slip him in at the end. If not… well there was always tomorrow.
*****
Laro’s first impression of Queen Garnet, was of closely-checked temper. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but the hunch refused to be shaken. She was at her regal best while up on the platform in front of the room, but something in the way she tapped her fingers as she patiently greeted visitor after visitor with calm gentility gave her away. Without the official yoke of ‘duty’ around her neck he had no doubt she’d be tossing the dainty crown onto the carpet, kicking off her expensive shoes, and romping around on the grassy lawn outside like a school girl rather than the demure woman of twenty-five she was trying to present. No wonder she had taken for her own a self-professed gypsy prince. She probably lived his life of freedom vicariously.
He honestly felt sorry for the young queen as the current nobleman droned on about the merits of his little patch of land. She looked as though she was seriously weighing the possibility of having her general haul him off by seat of the pants. Comparing her to the young king back home was almost laughable. With his love of books and gears and old pottery, Laro’s king was a meek as a mouse when it came to voicing his displeasure. The only thing the two monarchs seemed to have in common was the good sense to surround themselves with able advisors. He nodded politely at Dr. Tot as the little bird-man looked his direction. He had caught Beatrix whispering to the young queen as he slipped in the back, no doubt warning her that he was awaiting her pleasure.
It made for a more interesting afternoon than just cooling his heels in the hall, Laro gave it that much. One by one the major audiences were held, and the minor ones were done in sets of five to speed them along. Strictly there to watch, he didn’t bother to stand with the other sitting around him. He could always make his obeisance later if it was required. She didn’t seem the sort to stand on formality. Eventually Dr. Tot stood and gave his daily report on the goings on in the city, and others spoke about the repairs, and neighboring kingdoms, and finally at long last it was over. Laro stared out the window, surprised to note it was dinner-time already. He aimed a hopeful look at General Beatrix, and was pleased to see her discretely gesture that he could stay where he was when the others filed out.
“Beatrix says you were once a soldier, Mr. Nazer.” Queen Garnet’s voice sounded louder in the empty room. Not knowing what else to do, he stood and bowed to her before approaching the throne.
“My lady. Yes. I was until very recently a soldier. Perhaps I still am. I shall find out when I return home.”
“You don’t look like you’re from Lindblum.” She rested her chin on her hand, studying him. “Point of fact you look positively outlandish for anyplace I’ve ever been, and I’ve been some odd places.”
“I’d wager you’ve never been to where I come from, your majesty.” He couldn’t help but smile. “It’s rather far away.”
“Where are you from?” The young queen leaned forward, curious.
“It may be hard to believe, your majesty. But I must confess that I come from another world all together.”
“Another-” She paused, looking up at Beatrix with a frown before resuming her study of him. “Surely not from Terra. The ‘Sleepers’ all died when Kuja destroyed the planet. There were no survivors other than the ones Zidane and I rescued.”
// Kuja did what? //
He forced his surprise down in favor of correcting her. “No, majesty, I am not from Terra, and know very little about the place other than what your general and the people from Tantalus have been kind enough to share with me.”
“That’s right, you were ‘guided’ here by the rogues, weren’t you.” She laughed. “Well they didn’t steal the shirt off your back at least. So you can’t have faired too badly at their hands.”
“Are they truly that notorious?” He wondered.
“No, they’re entirely harmless most days.” She confessed. “And they’ve been good friends to me for many years now, so I have no right to tease them in front of strangers, but still, they do have a knack for parting people from their money.”
“A queen calls her self a friend to bandits.” He couldn’t help but be entertained. “That is truly the most remarkable thing I’ve heard yet, and I find this world full of remarkable things.”
“So you are from another world –not Terra- and you seek audience with my husband,” Garnet mused aloud. “Might I enquire why?”
“I’m afraid, majesty, that I promised faithfully to only tell Zidane.”
“I can hardly summon him home with simply ‘someone wants to see you urgently’, Mr. Nazer.” She smiled ironically. “My husband isn’t the most… responsible of men when it comes to idle engagements. If I were to tell him that someone’s life hung in the balance, for example, then he would be back as fast as wind could carry him. Otherwise, he’s just as likely as to finish his current hunt before wandering home.”
“If you’d just tell me his ship, I would be willing to go look for him myself, and be no trouble to you at all.” Laro countered.
“Call me crazy, but I’m a little protective of him.” Garnet studied him thoughtfully. “I’d rather not get in the habit of sending petitioners chasing him all over the globe. He goes out to get away from people, not to be hunted by them.”
“I assure you, your majesty, if it wasn’t vitally urgent, I would happily wait for his return.” Laro sighed. “As it turns out, someone’s life may very well be at risk by my delay. We aren’t certain that Zidane can help us, but we couldn’t stand by and do nothing, so I am here to make an attempt.”
“This is about Kuja somehow, isn’t it.”
Beatrix’s comment caused an immediate silence in the room. Her queen’s face went white with surprise. Dr. Tot literally fluffed out around the collar like a bird badly shocked, looking twice as large as usual. Laro stared at her in disbelief. The woman was watching him with another of her unreadable looks.
“What are you talking about, Beatrix?” Garnet murmured.
“He was asking about the end of the war, earlier in the hall way. And about Kuja.” The general replied thoughtfully. “I thought it was interesting. And now I’m wondering if his sudden need for Zidane isn’t some how related.”
“Is it true?” The young queen stood, staring down at him with hard eyes. “Do you bring news of Kuja?”
“I-” Laro hesitated, not wanting to be slapped. It was obvious that while Beatrix’s interest in the man was fairly clinical, Queen Garnet was less than pleased with the idea of Kuja, dead or alive. Still, he was not politician enough to have an easy lie ready. He sighed and decided to go along with it. “Yes. I’ve come about Kuja. But I really must talk to Zidane about it.”
“He’s dead.” She muttered to herself, then looked at him for confirmation. “He’s dead. He died five years ago when the Iifa Tree turned on him. He died along with his master. Right?”
// His master? //
The memory struck him between one breath and the next.
// “
“He’s dying.” Distracted he corrected her.
//
Someone compelling Masa to do something by force? The idea made him furious. He pushed the confused emotions away promising to find out the truth later. Looking up he realized what he just said hadn’t gone over well.
“Dying.” Garnet clenched her fist, looking like she really would lash out at him. “As in still alive?! All this time? Still alive?!”
“Garnet.” Beatrix stepped forward to catch her queen’s elbow. “I think we ought to hear the whole story, don’t you?”
“Oh!” The younger woman cried. “Oh yes! I agree. I am dying to know the whole story.”
Pointing at Laro, she directed him into the closest chair with the strength of her glare. “Sit!”
With his weapon locked away, and Beatrix watching to see if he’d bolt. Laro decided he had nothing to hide, and settled where he was bid to. “I’m afraid I won’t have much in the way of answers for you.”
“Explain what you do know, then.”
“Kuja came to my world-” He paused, counting the months, “About a year and a half ago.” Silently he was amazed it had been so long. “He was badly injured and unable to speak for himself at first, so we took him in and cared for him as we would anyone in need of help.”
Laro shrugged up at the trio of curious eyes. “When he recovered he wasn’t very fourth coming about his past, but was always polite, and helpful, and so won many friends.”
“It wasn’t until very recently that we discovered he was a mage of considerable power. He-” Not knowing the right words for the horror of that afternoon, Laro had to stop. It was better not to go into detail, perhaps. “He took a great injury onto himself, to save my army, my country, perhaps the world. So yes, he is still alive, but we fear it won’t be for long. I came here to try and find a cure. I didn’t know anything of your troubles with him until after I arrived.”
“Kuja, saved your army?” Garnet’s expression went from fury to disbelief. “That’s ridiculous. That man was the most selfish, amoral bastard in the universe. You must be mistaken.”
“Forgive me lady, but I am not.”
“He was just using you. He was probably going to stab you in the back next.”
“We don’t believe that.” Laro shook his head, “My country was willing to stake a great deal on sending me here because we felt he was worth the effort.”
“Kuja.”
“Yes.”
“Kuja!”
He winced at her ire.
“How did he get there in the first place?!”
Back on safer ground, Laro breathed a small sigh. “That I don’t know. From what little he told us, we think Zidane sent him somehow?”
“Zidane.” Garnet’s voice was practically a growl. “That- That- Gah! Bastard! How dare he! After all we went through-”
“Maybe he didn’t want to upset you.” Dr. Tot cringed when her glare was turned his direction. “Maybe he just thought you’d never find out.” His follow up was a weak whimper.
“Did YOU know?”
The bird-man frantically shook his head. Garnet turned to Beatrix. “What about you?!”
“I would hardly have left the job half finished.” The woman didn’t even flinch.
Closing her eyes, the queen took a deep breath and began muttering to herself. Laro caught the whispered “Zidane get your lazy butt back here on the double, I’m not dealing with this by myself when it’s all your fault!” Letting the rest of her breath out with an explosive sigh, Garnet rubbed her forehead. “Suddenly I’ve lost my appetite.”
“Maybe we should retire to your private audience chamber?” Dr. Tot tentatively suggested.
“Yeah. I’m going to get changed before my idiot husband gets home.” She stretched as if preparing for a duel. “Beatrix, don’t lose our guest. I still have some questions for him.”
“Yes your majesty.” The woman had the balls to look amused at her mistress’s recent tantrum.
“That’s gone and done it.” Laro sighed sadly. “Now I know why I wasn’t supposed to mention Kuja’s name in front of her.”
“Bah. More excitement than she’s had since Zidane popped up in the middle of Act II. It ought to keep her from complaining about boredom for a good month or six I think.” The general offered prosaically. Garnet had slipped out a private door at the back of the room, but they went out the main doors like everyone else. Laro almost tripped over Blank where he crouched. The man had obviously been listening at the door. Marcus was there as well, empty glass tucked guiltily behind his back.
Beatrix glared at the group of lounging thieves. “How much did you hear?”
“Dagger –erm Garnet- was shrieking something about Kuja?”
“That’s it?” She picked blank up by the front of his vest and hauled him several inches off the ground so they could stare eye to eye. “You’re certain you didn’t hear anything of Mr. Nazer’s message?”
“Nah. He was talking too softly!” Blank looked down at the floor anxiously. “Come on, Beatrix, you know how lousy sound carries out here into the hall… besides, even if we did hear something, we wouldn’t snitch on you. You’re scary.”
“Damn right.” She dropped him. “If I hear so much as a rumor on the streets in the next day concerning that name, I will know where to find you lot.”
Steiner chose that instant to trot around the corner, full armor clanking like a locomotive. “My darli- erm General Beatrix, dinner is almost ready, I was wondering if you might join me.”
The thieves sniggered in amusement. Laro had to admit privately that it was pretty funny. Obviously the large blustery man must have some hidden charms to have successfully courted and won Beatrix’s affection.
She spared her husband a thoughtful look. “Forgive me, ‘Bert, but I have some business to take care of for the queen and so will be a little late.”
“Is it this ruffian again?” Steiner glared at Laro, who genuinely felt bad to be interrupting the man’s dinner.
“No dear, but he’s wanted upstairs. Could you do me the favor or escorting our friends from Tantalus to the door? They’ve out-stayed their welcome.” Turning to where Blank was still grumbling and dusting himself off, she offered a sweet smile. “I promise to return Mr. Nazer to you at the hotel after dinner.”
“What about the bug?” Marcus wondered. “It’s waiting outside.”
“He might be able to explain a little more about how we got here.” Laro offered.
“Fine, send the creature in on your way out.” She pursed her lips. “Steiner, when you’re done, could you be so thoughtful as to pop down to the kitchen and tell them to keep some dinner by for us? I think Zidane may be coming home shortly, and I know after the meeting is over, I for one will be starving even if Garnet and Tot aren’t.”
“Of course, my love.” The knight replied gallantly as he caught Marcus by the scruff, and Cinna by the belt, pulling them towards the door. “I shall await thee in our rooms with such tempting morsels that might befit your taste buds.”
// Then again, he might have won her heart just on his sheer obliviousness to the fact that she’s the scariest woman on the planet. //
Laro grimly acknowledged. He wondered that it wasn’t like sharing quarters with a lioness. Perhaps she mellowed out in private, but looking at her as they climbed the stairs, he decided that this probably was mellow for her.
She dropped him off in a sitting room with a view of the castles rooftops. He was immediately drawn to the sight of the crystal, seeing it up close only once was not enough. It was too much to take in all at once. In daylight it sparkled, opaquely silver, at sunset it looked like it was on fire.
The
“Transmission energies have increased 40% from yesterday’s levels.” The Selwe critiques with modest interest. “It is now actively broadcasting in three separate phase bands.”
“What does that mean?” Laro hated to ask.
“Data transfer in progress.” The mentor guessed.
Staring as they both were at the shard, they could hardly miss it when the stone flashed bright white for a moment, followed by a rather distinctive popping noise. Blinking furiously, Laro tried to make his eyes work, and then wondered that maybe he was seeing things after all.
Backlit against the sunset, a lean looking man stood between their window and the crystal. Pausing to stretch his arms above his head, shrug and then turning to walk their direction. Dazed, the first thing Laro’s brain decided to register was the fact that the young man came equipped with a long, curling tail.
Garnet stepped around him to open the latch, showing that his window doubled as a door. “Zidane! You bastard, when were you planning on telling me Kuja was still alive?!”
The young man stepped through onto the carpet before her words sunk in. Because he was already half way through bending down to kiss her before he changed his mind and stood abruptly upright in shock. “What’s this?”
“KUJA!” She lifted the skirts to her informal dress and kicked him violently in the shin.
Any pretense of grace fell apart as the man cried “Hey!” and tried to dodge the second swing aimed at his vulnerable legs. “Stop that! I just got here! Can’t a man hear the reason before he’s assaulted?”
“You just did!”
“Alright, well let me understand it first then.” Zidane complained rubbing his sore leg. “You’re barefoot? Damn it Dagger your feet are like bricks!”
“Hey!” She glared at him.
“Cute bricks.” He temporized.
Standing up right, the man removed his dusty outer coat to reveal a set of handsome leathers and a pair of matched knives the size of machetes underneath. “Hello Beatrix, long day?”
“The first three acts were rather dull, but this last one is promising to be a doozy.” The general seemed amused to treat their little drama like it was some sort of play. “Drink? You’re going to need it. I’ve distracted Steiner with a quest for food so that will be up later.”
“Thanks.” Using his wife’s shoulder as a prop, Zidane pulled off his boots and dropped them carefully by the window so he wouldn’t track dust around the room. “Dirty work, hunting eidolons.”
“Did you find anything?” Garnet allowed a ceasefire as she helped him strip off his weapons and another layer of jacket. She even allowed him his ‘welcome home’ kiss with minimum fuss.
“A few leads. We only just started, woman, these aren’t things you accidentally trip over on your way to the toilet you know.” She ‘tisk’ed him and called him rude, which only earned her a devilish grin.
Down to his travel stained shirt and leather trousers, Zidane looked far thinner, younger, as he turned to notice Laro for the first time. The man’s eyes flicked from him to his Mentor with innocent curiosity. “What’s all this then?”
Laro was hard pressed not to stare. The resemblance was striking. Taller, to be sure, golden and tan where Kuja was fair, but there was the shape of the eyes, the nose, the lithe build of the man. If not for the slightly squarer chin, adding some much-needed masculinity to the otherwise androgynous face, he could have mistaken them for twins. Zidane’s mop of dark gold hair fell long in the front but was clipped close against his neck.
Garnet was kind enough to do the introductions. Although Laro wasn’t sure if kind was the word, she was still looking at him like he was bad news in boots. “This is Mr. Laro Nazer, and his… travel companion. They’ve come a rather long way to see you, Zidane.”
“Have they?” The young man reached up to untie his neckerchief and loosen his collar. “How do you do?”
“They’ve come to talk to you about Kuja, Zidane.” Garnet saved Laro the bother of introducing the topic, her sour mood returning full force. “They say he’s still alive.”
“Oh.” Kuja’s brother accepted his drink from Beatrix, downing it in one toss before handing it back to her. “Be a love and make another of the same?”
“Shall I just double it, or would you like the bottle.” She joked.
“You said he was dead, Zidane.” Garnet didn’t appreciate being ignored.
Her husband gave her a tentative look. “Actually, I think I said ‘he’s gone’ if we’re going to be spitting hairs over it. So I never actually lied to you, really.”
If Zidane was trying to stay out of trouble, even Laro could tell he wasn’t going about it very well. The queen gave him a long look. “Deliberately obscuring the truth is worse!”
“Well you were never to find out one way or the other! What difference does it make! He’s still gone!”
“Yes but what if he comes back!” she hissed.
“Why the hell would he?” Zidane gave her a confused look.
“Revenge!”
“Against who? Me? He’s not that stupid.” The man shook his head, “And really, once he calmed down and realized what he was doing, he didn’t even want to kill me then either. No point.”
“But-”
Zidane put two fingers on her lips to hush his wife. “Do me a favor love, and let me hear the message first? If they’ve come from him, then they must have come a wicked long way.” She settled for glaring, too much of a lady to talk with someone’s hand on her mouth.
Laro was struck again at how similar their eyes were. Masa’s were the exact same impossible shade of blue, but had never been this expressive. The thought left him feeling clumsy and lost, rather than as professional as he had hoped to be. “Your brother is dying. We need your help if we are to save him.”
“Save him?” Zidane murmured. Moving abruptly, he yanked Laro down into a chair and pulled another close enough to sit opposite him. Garnet was given the same rough treatment, tugged down onto his lap without a thought for propriety. The young man’s sudden intensity was captivating though, preventing anyone from doing anything in complaint.
“Now,” He demanded gently, “Explain.”
******
******
Poor Steiner. I looked it up. His real name was Adelbert Steiner… ouch. I don’t know that Bert is that much better, but Beatrix seems the sort to save a body’s full name for when she’s pissed. I live in fear of what their children would be like.
I’m almost fairly positive that I’ve just created a big timeline rift with this chapter, I was lazy about figuring out the math before as far as when the war ended and how long Zidane was gone…. Doesn’t matter, I’ll go back and fix things to match this chapter later.
I’ve also been misspelling Iifa Tree here and there. Will go back and monkey with that as needed later too.
There was supposed to be a side scene with Blank and the
Time seems rather subjective for Zidane, and certainly doesn’t flow at the same speed on different worlds (at least in this AU universe). I’ll see if I can’t explain it a bit better in the next chapter.
-- Lunar.