Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ What's This Life For? ❯ Knights' Fight, Mages' Rage and a Grounded Airship ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3: Knights' Fight, Mages' Rage, and a Grounded Airship

(Or: Why it sucks having two left feet)

Disclaimer: I STILL DON'T OWN FF9!!!!!!!! So you lawyers can take your breifcases and go back to where ever you came from!!!!!!

The Lindblum airship docks were bustling with life that afternoon. Engineers and mechanics ran back and forth making the final preperations. With the cough and sputter of engines, the Hilda Garde 4 began to pull out of the dock.

"Alright! Now we're in business!" Zidane crowed over the rumble of the propellers starting up.

"Everything seems to be in order," Freya agreed, "But I wish the Regent could have joined us in our journey. He may have been of great aid."

"Yeah," Zidane nodded. The Regent had wanted to go with them, but Lady Hilda insisted that he stay in Lindblum in case of an attack there. He had been reluctant to stay put, but Hilda threatened to turn him into a Hedgehog Pie and he changed his tune.

The Hilda Garde 4 finally pulled out into the open air. It shot upward, but faultered, wavering in the sky. Then it groaned, engines stalling out. The mighty Hilda Garde 4 crashed to the earth.

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"Danger!?"

"Shhh..... Hush Steiner!" Beatrix whispered, then turned her attention to the young mage, "What do you want us to do?"

"Well, th-they're planning on killing you pretty soon.........."

"So we'll have to move fast."

"I think I can your weapons, b-but I need a distraction."

"Leave it to us, Master Vivi!"

"Alrighty! I'll be back..." The soft sound of footsteps left the door and padded down the hallway toward the guard's post.

"So, ummm...... Beatrix? Do you......uh......have a plan?" She smirked, brought her hand back and punched Steiner square in the nose. "Beatrix?! What-ouch!!" an elbow to his cheek, "are you- ouff!" she kicked him in the stomach, "doing!? Beatrix!!!" and a quick upper cut to the jaw. Steiner fell back against the wall, a trickle of blood running out of the corner of his mouth.

She laughed, "You weakling! Being beat up by a woman!" She gave him a wink. He looked at her quizzically, until her actions clicked in his mind a moment later.

"Ha!" he said, perhaps a little too exaggerated, "You dare threaten the Captain of the Knights of Pluto!? Come forth and fight me fairly, you wench!" He pulled back his arm and lunged at her. She tried to sidestep, but tripped over his discarded helmet. Time seemed to slow down, as she regaurded him with a look of horror. His large fist connected with her face, a slow yet extremly powerful blow. She sailed, literally, through the air, and making contact with the stone wall, hurtled straight through it. The large knight stood there, staring dumbly at the gaping hole in the wall.

"Uhh... General? Are you alright?" he asked softly, picking up his helmet.

"Do I look like I'm alright!!!!!" He winced, dropping his head in shame. "Adelbert Steiner!!!!!!!"

"Yes, ma'am?" he mumbled.

"Get me out of here!"

"Of course!" He rushed forward, a flurry of motion, yet finding a way ot trip over his own feet. He landed flat on his face with a groan.

Beatrix sat up, feeling her face for broken bones. She stared at him for a moment. "How come you alway succeed in reminding me that men are idiots?" She stood, shaking the duct out of her hair and clothes. She walked over and helped him to his feet.

"Well....." he started lamely, "I think we succeeded in creating a distraction."

Beatrix was examining the hole. "There seems to be a tunnel here. I don't believe I have ever seen it before." She continued to walk down it.

"I don't believe that would be a good idea....."

"Captain, quit being such a sissy. Come on!"

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Vivi peered around the corner at the two Alexandrian guards who were watching that post. He heared some yelling, the sounds of a small scuffle from the hallway where Beatrix and Steiner's cell was located.

"Gods, I hate guard duty!" one of the soldiers said.

"Ever since the Queen came back and the Black Mages attacked, everything's been kind of strange."

"Yeah...." All of a sudden, a huge crash echoed down the hallway.

Vivi looked back, alarmed. //I hope Mr. Steiner and Miss Beatrix are alright.//

The two women leapt to their feet. "What was that!?" one of them yelled as they ran down the tunnel.

//Now's my chance!// He ran to the post and attempted to grab the two swords, trying to ignore the fact that the Ragnarok was larger than him. He stumbled along, dragging the weapons behind him.

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Beatrix stiffened as she heared their cell door creak open. "The guards!" she whispered, "They're here!" She grabbed Steiner's arm and took off down the corridor until they met a dead end. "Damn...." she cursed, "We're trapped."

"Wait a minute........." Steiner leaned down and wiggled some loose stone blocks at the bottom of the wall. He was able to pull out a few before the soldiers footsteps came too close. "Hurry!"

Steiner nodded, and began to crawl through the small hole, only to find himself wedged in halfway through.

"Come on! This is no time for your bumbling!"

"I'm........ stuck."

She groaned, "The things I have to do for you, you big oaf!" She began to push him. Inch by inch he came closer to slipping through, but the guards were approching fast.

"God damn it!" she finally lost her temper and shoved him. He came free and she leapt through just as the soldiers came around the corner.

The two knights found themselves sliding down a long chute. It finally deposited them through an opening in the ceiling. And right on top of a mage dragging two quite large swords.

"Help! G-get off! I'm being sq-squished!" Steiner rolled over to free the young mage to have Beatrix and two startled Alexandrian soldiers land on top of him. He groaned, the air knocked out of lungs.

"Could you please get off of me?" he wheezed.

"Get the escaped prisoners!" the two woman guards yelled, drawing their swords.

Beatrix scrambled off of Steiner's broad chest and grabbed Save the Queen from Vivi. "I demand you drop your weapons!"

"Miss Beatrix?" Vivi asked quietly.

"Not a chance!" the two adversaries chorused. Beatrix smirked.

"Miss Beatrix?"

Steiner finally caught his breath and righted himself. He took the Ragnarok, with a small nod of gratitude to Vivi. He slid the broadsword out of its sheath and swung it in a large arc.

"Mr. Steiner?"

"Prepare to meet your end, scoundrels!"

"Mr. Steiner and Miss Beatrix! Please look behind you!" Vivi shouted, finally losing his temper. They turned to face an army of at least one hundred Black Mages.

"Now might be a good time to make haste. Master Vivi?"

"Right....... Fireaga!!" A wall of flames burst up in front of the mages, causing them to hesitate. Steiner snatched Vivi up and took off, following Beatrix. The two Alexandrian soldiers gave chase.

"KILL!" the Black Mages yelled, charging through the flames.

"Mr. Steiner?"

"Yes.....Master.....Vivi......?" he panted.

Vivi glanced back at the mages. "Please hurry."

"Of....couse......"

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Freya and Zidane fianlly crested the last hill between them and Alexandria. Freya gasped. The once beautiful city was in ruins. "Oh gods! All those people....." she lowered her head in respect.

"Hey, look!" Zidane said. Freya looked up to see two harnessed chocobos roaming free. Zidane stared at them for a moment, "That looks like Rusty's chocobo....."

"He must be inside the city. Was General Beatrix with him?"

"Yeah. That must be her bird," he nodded at the other free chocobo, "They're probably at the castle right now, if its not already taken over by the mages."

"That would be a good guess." she turned toward him, "They may be in trouble. We should go find them."

"Right. I want to get to the bottom of this weirdness." He pushed his rented chocobo foreward. //Maybe if we can get into the castle, we may be able to find Dagger or Eiko. And I wonder if Rusty and Beatrix are okay?//

As the Alexandrian Castle towers grew larger and closer, Freya began to have the eerie feeling of being watched. "Zidane, do you hear that?"

"Hear what-"

"Shhh!" Sure enough, a rustling of foliage came from behind them. Zidane jumped down and drew his daggers, crouching into a fighting stance.

"Come on out! We know you're there!" he yelled. All of a sudden, a tapping on his shoulder made him whirl around to face Lani and Amarant.

"Oh, you heard us, alright!" she grinned.

Freya readied her spear and eyed Amarant warily. //What is he doing here?// "What is the meaning of this?"

"We're here to kill Zidane." Amarant said with a smirk.

"Someone seems to have forgotten who saved who's ass in Ipsen's Castle." Zidane spat back.

"Shut up!" Lani leaped foreward, swinging up her large axe. She sliced at Zidane, who sidestepped and flipped one of his blades up. It just grazed Lani's arm, blood bubbling up from under her tanned skin.

Freya jumped, positioning her spear toward the ground. She fell toward Amarant, missing him just barely. He reeled around, drawing the Rune Claws across the side of her face. She grabbed her cheek, only seeing red.

"Freya!!" Zidane yelled.

"I'm.... alright," she said, opening her eyes. Lani laughed, pulling her axe back. Freya's eyes flashed, glittering emerald against the crimson dripping down toward her chin. She lunged at Lani, twirling her spear. Lani parried the blow, grinding her white teeth together with the force of the attack.

"Damn!" she growled, her dark brown eyes seething with hatred.

"Why are you fighting us!?" Zidane asked, dodging each swipe of Amarant's Rune Claws.

"Because the Queen wants you dead."

"The Queen!? Ya mean...... Dagger?!"

Freya slowed, shock writen all too plainly on her face. "Her majesty? I don't believe you." she said softly.

Amarant paused for a moment and Zidane knelt down, biting his bottom lip. The coppery tang of his own blood soon filled his mouth. "Dagger......." he mumbled, "I shouldn't of left."

"Zidane." a deep voice from above him, "Why don't you give up already?"

Zidane paused for a moment. There was not a single noise in the entire clearing. Freya held her breath. //Don't give up........ for Dagger's and your sake.//

"Never." Zidane said calmly.

"Then you will die." Amarant lowered his hand, the Rune Claws hovering just below the tender flesh of Zidane's throat. Zidane swallowed loudly. "Drop your weapons." Twin daggers fell to the ground with a clank.

//I've failed you.......//

"You will not touch him, unless you want to see this woman harmed." Amarant turned to face Freya; who had Lani at spear-point.

"Lani......."

"She caught me off-guard! I would've killed her easily otherwise!" Lani whined.

Amarant drew back and nodded, "Let's go Lani."

She followed, shoulders drooping, "This isn't over yet Monkey-Boy! Next time we won't let you off so easily!" she yelled back at them.

"Come on Zidane. They're probably going to report to their leader and come back with reinforcements-"

"You mean they'll report to Dagger!" Zidane spat.

"We don't know that for sure......"

"Who else could it be?"

Freya shrugged. Zidane sheathed his daggers and rubbed some blood from his throat. Freya administered a potion to the wounds on her face, healing them and washing the blood away.