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~*~ Chapter Two ~*~

The sky was black as pitch, but clear, and filled with more stars than the girl knew how to count. They glittered in the dim moonlight, sparkling like white jewels. The girl was hypnotized by their numbers, and their beauty.

The girl sat on the cold, rough floorboards of the ship, not noticing how uncomfortable they were. She was seated near the hull, the cold sea breeze stinging her cheeks. Her nostrils filled with the pungent scent of saltwater. Downstairs in the ship's small cabin lay the two soldiers, Wedge and Vicks, deep in slumber. They didn't need to worry about being alert while the girl was with them. She would remain awake, and would alert them to any danger better than either of them ever could. With her on watch, danger wouldn't get close enough to harm them. She had been instructed to keep watch for them until they woke at dawn. They were on their way from Nikeah to South Figaro's port. After that, the real heart of their mission would begin. She dimly recalled the events of the past few days in the back of her mind.

They had spent a day traveling to Albrook and waiting there for the ship to leave port. The soldiers had been silent except to give orders and discuss traveling plans with the ship's captain.

So far their traveling had been uneventful. They had piloted the machines to Albrook, where a team of soldiers stood ready to load them onto the waiting ship. The three of them had dismounted the machines and gone to the inn to wait for the Captain's orders to board the ship. Wedge and Vicks sat at a table in the corner drinking quietly while the girl was ordered to stay in the room assigned to them, lest she frighten the customers. She was ordered to sleep since she would be the one keeping watch that night when the ship departed on its way to South Figaro. No sooner had she been ordered to sleep than she lay stiff on the bed, eyes closed, breathing deeply in sleep.

The soldiers were glad to be rid of her company, if only for a short while. They wanted her presence weighing on them as little as possible. Hopefully when they finished this mission, Kefka would entrust the girl to other escorts. Being in her constant company was a strain on the men's sanity. They lived in constant fear.

Fear wasn't all they felt at the girl's presence, though. Small parts of them knew that she didn't have any mind or will of her own, and they felt sympathy for that part. Their fear overrode any sympathies they might have had for her plight, however. They ached to serve the rest of their required time in the army, and then be left to their lives, free of Kefka and this strange girl.

Wedge stared straight down into his ale glass. He knew well enough how much he'd be able to drink without consequences. If he drank too much he knew that Kefka would have his head when they returned from the mission. At this point, he was pondering just how bad of a consequence it could be compared to what was happening to him now.

The two men could read each other flawlessly. The men had been friends since childhood, and had stuck with each other during their times in the Imperial Army. Vicks looked up from his own ale glass and pushed his cap up on his forehead. He sighed with exhaustion and hopelessness, though he spoke with conviction.

"You know, the commander said he'd see that we were placed on a new mission after we return from this one, Wedge. No more running personal errands for that bastard Kefka." He spoke the last part in a hushed whisper; Kefka could have eyes and ears anywhere. If he were heard speaking such words, Kefka would have his head on a pike as soon as he could have Vicks brought to Vector.

"Yeah, but you know Kefka…if he wants us when we're done, who's to stop him? No one would dare." Wedge spoke quietly, his resolve washed away by the monotony of being in the army, carrying out Kefka's personal orders.

Vicks leaned back in his chair, across the rough-hewn table and glanced about the inn's main room. A counter made of the same rough-hewn wood as the table and chairs at which he sat was at the far wall in front of him. The innkeeper, a strong man of about forty with a grizzled dark beard stood behind the counter, refilling patrons' glasses and mugs. To the right of the counter was the doorway leading from the inn's main room to the streets of Albrook. Opposite the wall with the door was a staircase leading up to the bedrooms. The girl was up there, sleeping.

At the thought of the girl, Vicks shuddered. Wedge's acute kinship to his friend sensed it and gave a reassuring gaze. "I don't like her any more than you do, you know that, Vicks."

Leaning forward so that his stomach was flush against the table, his face close enough to Wedge's that he could speak without being heard by any eavesdroppers, he whispered, "Yeah, I know. I wish Kefka would just get rid of her." Wedge silently nodded in agreement. "It would be much easier that way, you know, Wedge. We don't need her." Vicks hastily gulped his ale between phrases.

"We would be powerful enough for this without the girl, you know. The MagiTek Armor machines were designed to be powerful enough. Why does he need her?" Wedge noticed his ale glass was empty, so he motioned the serving girl wandering about the tables over to refill it. He waited until she left before replying to what Vicks had said.

"I think there are things that we don't know about her. Maybe Kefka doesn't even know himself, although I think he knows a hell of a lot more than he tells anyone."

"You're damn right about that. I think I'm glad he doesn't tell us."

"You know, I have to agree with you there. I think I already know too much about all this business." Wedge took a long gulp from his ale glass. No more for him after this, he'd have to go get some rest, if he managed to be able to fall asleep with the girl there. He nodded his head to Vicks.

"Go to bed, get some rest. You look awful."

Vicks blinked, and took the stiff cap from his forehead. He wrung it in his hands and ran his fingers through his hair. He gave Wedge a sidelong glance. "You really think I'll be able to sleep with…" he trailed off before finishing the sentence, but Wedge knew exactly what he was going to say.

"...With her there…right?"

Vicks gave a quick nod. "Yeah. It's hard enough awake." Wedge picked up Vicks' empty ale glass and stacked it inside his own empty glass. Vicks had drunk about twice as much as he had. Hopefully, it would help the anxious man sleep. These damned orders from Kefka had had them on edge for weeks now. Him and his damned witch-girl. Even though she was brainwashed and completely in their control, he couldn't shake the thought from his mind that she might be able to break the control somehow, and decide to use her powers on the two men. Somehow, the thought of dying by magic was horrifying compared to dying in battle, by the sword. It carried unknown implications that terrified Wedge and Vicks. The girl was a caged dragon to them, about to break out at any moment and turn her fiery breath on them. Wedge wasn't sure what was worse, facing Kefka if the mission failed, or being annihilated by the girl's powers. He decided he didn't want to think about it.

He turned towards the stairs and watched Vicks ascend them. He didn't want him going into that room alone, seeing the girl lying there with no one else around. He jumped up from the table and walked over to the stairs, lightly grasping Vicks' wrist. Vicks jumped at his friend's touch, and then quickly realized who it was.

"Sorry, Wedge, this entire business has me jumpy…"

"I know, Vicks, I know. I just didn't want you to go in there with her by yourself. We should both go to bed anyway. We can use all the rest we can get at this point. The mission should be easy, but…you know how things can happen."

"Yeah."

The two men walked down the hallway and stopped at the door to their room. It was silent, as it should be. Wedge turned the doorknob and pushed the heavy wooden door open. He poked his head inside the doorframe and glanced around the room. Everything was as they had left it. The girl was still asleep on her bed, lying on top of the blanket, her hands at her sides, her entire body rigid while she slept. He wondered how she could get any rest with her body that tense.

"Come on, Vicks, it's fine in here."

Vicks took the bed farthest from the girl. Wedge didn't protest; if it gave Vicks the comfort he needed to sleep, then he could have the far bed. Wedge sat on his own bed, not even bothering to remove his boots. Vicks was laid out on his bed now, lying on his side, facing the wall. Wedge sighed, and lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He lay there for some time, although he wasn't sure how long, counting the cracks in the ceiling before he was able to fall at last into a light and troubled sleep.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

It was dark outside when the firm knock on the door roused Wedge and Vicks from their uneasy sleep. It was the innkeeper, delivering a message to them from the Captain of the S.S. Irene, the ship that they were boarding to reach Nikeah. The soldiers took the message and dismissed the innkeeper back to his business. Looking out the window, Vicks judged it to be about two hours after sundown, possibly three.

Wedge took the task of waking the girl. As much as the thought of having to touch her was repulsive, they had no choice but to wake her. He walked over to the side of her bed and laid the palm of his hand on her forehead, half over the crown she wore.

At that small touch her eyes snapped open, alert. Seeing that it was only her wake-up call, she immediately sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She stood up and walked to the door and waited for the two soldiers. They had no belongings of any sort to pack up, so they straightened their uniforms and walked towards the door, where the girl waited for them. Wedge walked out first, the girl followed, and Vicks took up the rear.

They descended the stairs into the main room of the inn. It was fairly empty. In one corner sat a sunburned farmer in his mid-thirties, drinking a glass of ale, and at another table a young soldier was talking to a pretty red-haired barmaid. At the sight of the girl, the young soldier stopped talking to the barmaid and stared wide-eyed at the girl. Fortunately, the farmer in the corner took no notice of them, too immersed in staring into his glass of ale to be bothered anything else.

The three walked quietly out of the inn and down the street, trying to avoid any unnecessary attention. Luckily, there were not many people out on the cobblestone streets to see them walking by. They took a turn at the end of the street and continued down on their way to the shipyard. They passed by several buildings, most of them homes of the people who lived in Albrook. Some had no lights in the windows, most likely the homes of hardworking craftsmen or farmers that had to rise early with the dawn. Those men would already be asleep, oblivious to the world until the sunrise came, so that they could begin their new day. Some of the other houses had windows full of light, large families inside with children frolicking about, playing with each other or peering out of the windows to catch a glimpse of what was going on outside after dark.

At the end of the street they came to the entrance to the harbor. The guards stationed at the front of the harborsaw the two men and the girl and stepped aside, allowing them to pass. They walked through the harbor, the reek of the day's fishmonger's wares still heavy in the air. The harbor was mostly empty, only containing the sailors and the soldiers carrying about their business. In front of them lay the dock for the ship that they were to board to reach Nikeah. The captain stood at the front of the ship, surveying the waves of the ocean he would be traveling this night.

Wedge, Vicks, and the girl stopped at the gangplank leading onto the ship. At the sight of them, the Captain left his post and came to lead them onto his vessel.

"Captain Gallagher, at your disposal, sirs and…madam…" The Captain's eyes glanced quickly to the girl as he addressed her, not wishing to meet her gaze.

"We appreciate your haste in this matter, Captain Gallagher. The name is Wedge, soldier of the Empire." He nodded his head to his partner. "That's Vicks." Gesturing his hand towards thegirl behind them, he spoke, "And the girl, she's…" The Captain's eyes turned inquisitive. Wedge leaned in close to the Captain, to speak to him in confidence. "Well, frankly, Captain, the less you know about her, the better off you'll be. All I'll say is that you'll not have to worry about any danger while she's on board with us."

The Captain nodded, taking Wedge's word for it. "I'll show you your quarters. The MagiTek machines are fully loaded, and as soon as I give the order, we'll leave port."

The two soldiers followed the Captain's lead, and the girl followed theirs. Captain Gallagher noticed that she wasn't speaking. "Not much of a talker is she?"

"I suppose you could say that, Captain." Wedge glanced back at the girl as he spoke. She was following orders exactly as she was supposed to. No slip-ups yet. Hopefully Kefka would be pleased with the mission and relieve them of their duties with the girl for good. They could do to have some peace for a change.

They were shown their quarters, which, though meager, were better than what they were used to in their barracks back at home in Vector. The Captain took his leave of them to go prepare the ship for disembarking on its journey. The soldiers uneasily settled themselves in the small cabin, surveying the walls more out of boredom than any actual interest in what their surroundings were like. The girl stood at the door, unmoving.

Wedge gave the girl orders to sit on her bed and stay there until she was called upon. She immediately obeyed. Vicks was pacing uneasily around the room, so furiously that Wedge was almost afraid he'd wear a groove in the wooden floorboards of the cabin.

"Go out and get some air, Vicks. I'll stay in here with her."

Vicks' eyes widened, and he gave Wedge a questioning look. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and brushed at invisible dirt on the floor with the toe of his boot. "You sure?"

Wedge waved his hand nonchalantly. "Go on. She makes you more nervous than she does me anyway. And besides…I don't want you getting seasick in this tiny cabin. I'd like to stay clean, seeing as this is my only uniform." With the last part, he gave a small wink to his partner. It received a half-amused smile from the other man. With that, Vicks turned around and walked out, closing the door behind him. Wedge heard his footsteps echo down the hall and climb loudly up the steps onto the upper deck. He sighed and plopped down the rickety lower bunk of the bed he would share with Vicks. The girl sat cross-legged on the lower bunk of the bed opposite theirs; the top bunk would remain empty. Vicks would appreciate not having to sleep directly across from the girl.

He could understand the other man's fear of the girl. He possessed it too, to a certain extent. Men had always feared the unknown, and there were not many things more unknown to him than the powers and origins of this girl.

He called her a girl, yet it might be more accurate to call her a woman. To his knowledge she was of about eighteen years, not terribly much younger than he and Vicks. Age had nothing to do with it, though. Her mannerisms, the depth in her eyes, and her air of movement-none of them could be called girlish.

That could, of course be due to the fact that she'd been brainwashed from a young age, trained and used as a weapon rather than treated as a person. The slave crown had been put on her head when she reached her fifteenth birthday, only two months after Kefka had figured out how to use the damned device. He remembered the girl vaguely from her days before the slave crown was placed on her head. She had been a quiet girl, obedient. She had learned as much being under the tutelage of Kefka since she was no more than a baby. That man had twisted her mind in unspeakable ways.

He felt a pang of empathy for the girl. The way she had become was not of her own accord. She'd been manipulated and used almost since she was born. As sorry as he felt for her plight, though, Wedge didn't know that, if given the chance, he would help free the girl. She was dangerous; there was no doubt about that. If she managed to get free of Kefka's grasping clutches on her mind, there was no guarantee she wouldn't wreak havoc on him, and possibly the entire Empire, for what was done to her. Of course, there was the chance she would just want to be left alone to live as normal an existence she could for the rest of her days. No one could be sure what she would do; none of them could read her mind…although they were able to control it. It was ironic, they could plant her mind with things, but none of them could ever know the information that thoughts generated on her own held.

Wedge sighed deeply. He doubted that Vicks would get seasick; Vicks had only become seasick once, the first time he was ever on a ship. His sea legs had grown quickly, and he'd been fine ever since. At least his joke had cheered the man up; he seemed to need it quite badly. Maybe, when this was all over, they could go home. They could find girls to settle down with and have families, and die in bed as old men, rather than skewed through by an enemy's blade. Or worse, they could be slain by magic.

Damn Kefka and his inane plans and plots. Everyone knew that Kefka had the whole Empire at his feet. Worse, there was nothing any of them could do about it. He only hoped that the Emperor would wake up and see what Kefka's plotting was doing, and execute the insane man for it. He could only hope.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Vicks leaned lightly against the steel railing of the boat, watching the waves slap against the sides of the hull. Every so often one would slap particularly hard, spraying his face with a light coat of sea foam. The cool, salty air was refreshing after being at the inn and the cabin inside the ship. Captain Gallagher was casually steering the ship; the seas were calm and clear, so the Captain had an easy time of staying on the charted course. Vicks walked around the deck leisurely, he didn't have any duties to fulfill until they reached Nikeah's port. He absently nudged a coil of rope with the worn toe of his leather boot. He looked up at the sky; it was filling up with stars as the hours of the night passed by. The moon was bright and clear, so clear you could see the dark spots that mottled its surface. A feathery cloud was placed here and there in the sky, as if painted by an artist's brush. The air itself was light, cool sea breezes wafting over the soldier's face as he paused to stare out at the sea for a moment every few steps.

Eventually, Vicks convinced himself that pacing on the deck wasn't doing him any good, and that he needed to sleep. He descended the stairs into the depths of the ship and entered the small cabin he was sharing with Wedge and the girl. Yawning as he turned the knob, Vicks pushed the door open quietly.

The cabin was pitch black inside. The lantern lighting up the inside of the cabin had been blown out quite some time ago, seeing Vicks could smell no smoke or lamp oil lingering on the air. The air itself inside the cabin was stale and stagnant, nothing like the air up on deck. Of course, being on the inside of a ship would cause that.

He was fairly certain that he knew the layout of the small cabin enough to find the way to his bed without going above deck to get a lamp to bring down. He carefully felt along the edges of the floor as he walked, and he his foot eventually met the solid frame of one of the bunk beds. He was fairly certain that this bunk bed was the one he was sharing with Wedge. He grasped the bottom bunk to hoist himself up to the top, and accidentally pulled the blanket aside from the sleeping form in the bed. The blanket slipped and fell to the ground, and Vicks bent down to retrieve it from the floor.

He stood up to place the blanket on the sleeping form in the bed, but instead of laying the blanket down on the bed, he let it slip from his fingertips as his grip was loosened by stark surprise. It was not the right bed.

The girl lay on the bed on her back, her arms stiff at her sides, eyes closed tightly. He could see all that because her skin was giving off a soft, mysterious glow. It was nothing like he had ever seen before. It wasn't anything as bright as if he had lit a lamp, but it was bright enough to make out her facial features and the lines of her sleeping form. He bent down carefully to retrieve the fallen blanket again, not taking his eyes off the glow even for a second. He lifted the blanket and placed it on the girl, and the glow dimmed substantially. Only her face was left uncovered. He pulled the blanket over her face, gently so as not to suffocate her or alert her to come awake. The glow was virtually nonexistent now. Wedge must have placed the blanket over her face so that he could sleep without having to see that strange glow.

Vicks walked to the opposite side of the room, his knees violently shaking, his balance awkward. He leaned up against the walls and bolted-down furniture as he walked over to the bed he was sharing with Wedge. He saw the familiar form of his partner sleeping in the bottom bunk of the bed. He carefully grasped the upper ledge of the bunk bed and hoisted himself up onto the top bunk of the bed, using the lower ledge as a step. He took off his worn leather jacket and cap, setting them at the foot of the bed, underneath the blanket. He took off the brown leather boots and left those on top of the entire pile. They'd safely stay in place with the railing around the bed. He sighed heavily as he finally rested on the hard, thin mattress of the bunk bed bolted into the wall. He turned his back to the side of the room in which the girl was sleeping, so that he was facing the wall. The gentle rocking motion of the ship calmed his nerves. He felt chilled, so he grasped his shoddy blanket and pulled it up around his shoulders, up to his chin, leaving the rest of his things at the foot of the bed.

Throughout the night, Vicks could not shake the image of the girl glowing with that eerie light. He never would have noticed it that much if it hadn't been pitch black inside the cabin. He'd always noticed a sheen to her skin in the daylight, but it was nothing compared to what he'd seen there in the dark. Shaken and exhausted with fear and confusion, he finally succumbed to his body's needs, and fell into a restless sleep.

By the time he awoke, most of the shaken feeling had worn off, though he didn't think he would ever forget what he had seen during the night. As he stared up at the ceiling he heard the footsteps of sailors tending their duties up on deck above him. He sighed and reached his arms behind his head to take a long, refreshing stretch. The beds weren't as uncomfortable as military cots, but they were somewhat cramped. It felt good to use his muscles after having them stationary in the small bed the night before.

A knock on the wooden panel to his side made him aware that Wedge was already awake as well. His partner stood up from his lower bunk and looked over the top panel at Vicks, still lying there.

"You want to go up on deck for awhile? The air down here is so heavy, I need to breathe. I'll leave the girl down here." Wedge's clothes were ruffled from sleep, and he smoothed them out as he spoke.

"Alright. I could use some fresh air. I don't want to get cabin fever cooped up in here." He rolled on his side to face Wedge, grabbing his leather jacket from the foot of the bed, right where he'd left it the previous night. He pulled it on over his once-white shirt, and took up his cap from its resting place. He sighed, putting on the cap. He glanced over at the girl…she was sitting cross-legged on her bunk, staring into empty space. "We leave her down here?" Vicks quickly yanked on his heavy brown boots and tucked the legs of his pants into the tops.

"I don't see why not. We need to go get some air. She'll be fine on her own. I've told her to sit there until we get back. Come on. You can have some breakfast up on deck." Wedge motioned to the stairs, and, when he saw that Vicks was going to follow, he turned around and began walking towards them. Vicks climbed down from the top bunk and followed Wedge, smoothing the wrinkles out of his uniform as he walked.

The surge of fresh air that filled the soldiers' nostrils as they reached the top step of the stairs leading to the upper deck was invigorating. The salty sea air revitalized them, and Vicks felt hungry suddenly. They walked out onto the hull of the ship; from there they could see the calm waves of the sea sparkling in the morning sunlight. As they reached the front of the ship, Wedge turned to Vicks and pulled an item wrapped in thin cloth from the large pocket of his leather coat.

"Breakfast is served, your majesty," he said with a grin.

"Bah, I'll settle for your reverence. Begone humble servant, or I shall have you flogged!" Vicks replied with a smilein his eyes. Wedge always knew how to take his mind off unpleasant things. It reminded him of when they had been boys together. He took the meager breakfast from Wedge, unwrapping the thin cloth from the bundle. It consisted of no more than a hard, dry, biscuit, a tiny wedge of stale cheese, and two slices of dried beef.

"A meal fit for a king, eh, Wedge? Do I eat it with my silver or my gold fork?"

Wedge's eyes glinted in amusement. "Why this one, of course sir," he said, holding up Vicks' hands. "The best that money can buy…or…something to that effect."

Vicks' spirits were lifted as he ate the small breakfast. It wasn't much, but it sated his hunger. A small ration of water followed the meal. Out here on the ocean, fresh water was a precious commodity. He looked out over the vast ocean. He thought he spied land off in the distance.

"When do you think we'll arrive in Nikeah?"

Wedge walked over to a map stretched out on a wooden plank, near the Captain's steering wheel. "Well, we'll be there today. As for the time of day…we should be there in about four hours or so, good weather permitting."

"When did you get so learned in navigation?" Vicks was amazed at the preciseness of the answer.

"Heh…" Wedge's mouth curled into a mischievous grin. "I asked the Captain this morning." Vicks responded by punching his fellow lightly on the shoulder. "I should have known." Vicks sighed and walked over to the ship's railing, leaning his weight slightly against them. He peered down into the water.

"Let's stay up here until we dock, I don't feel like going back into that cramped cabin." He hoped Wedge would just agree and not ask him why.

"I don't see why not. We could help the sailors tie knots and coil rope if we get bored. It beats sitting around twiddling our thumbs."

As far as Vicks was concerned, twiddling his thumbs would be better than thinking about the girl.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

As expected, they reached Nikeah in just a few hours. The sun was high overhead, but not beating down on them too unmercifully. They docked in Nikeah's port, and Captain Gallagher told them that they would be staying for one hour, and then departing for South Figaro. The men were impatient to carry out their mission as soon and quickly as they could. Captain Gallagher could sense that both of them were uneasy about their female companion, but was smart enough not to ask any questions.

For the hour that they were docked, the sailors went to the bar to examine both the barkeeps' supply of ale and pretty serving girls. Wedge instructed the girl to remain on board the ship, while he and Vicks walked around the city to stretch their legs. Their walk in the city was uneventful, if they'd seen one city they'd seen them all. Men working, women taking care of babies, small children running about. After about half an hour they returned to the ship to wait for the Captain and his men to come back and continue the voyage.

They came back on time, as was promised. The ship pulled out of port for the second time of the voyage, and the soldiers tried to calculate how long they would be at sea before reaching South Figaro. Finally, they asked the Captain, and he thought it would be about three days: the rest of that day, all of the following day, and they would dock in the port the night after that, possible into the early morning hours before sunrise.

Three more days cooped up here with that girl… Vicks thought. Well, I'll live. I've lived this long through it. What's three days more? He sighed with resignation. Wedge noticed his friend's sigh and mirrored it inwardly. He couldn't wait to be off the ship and rid of the girl either. For the remainder of that day, and the next, they kept the girl mostly in the cabin, while they spent a great deal of time up on deck, as far away from her as possible.

On the third night, the night they were supposed to reach South Figaro, they ordered the girl to stay up on deck while they slept in the cabin, and to alert them when they reached the harbor. She mechanically walked up on deck, and although some of the sailors noticed her, none of them spoke to her. They had been instructed to keep their distance by Captain Gallagher. He wasn't about to take any chances with her.

And so she had taken up her lonely position by the hull, sitting on the deck, her knees drawn up to her chest for warmth in the chilly night air. The stars had captivated her. Having recalled all of their travels up to this point, the girl was at a loss for thought; no other memories were able to permeate the darkness of her ravaged mind. She did nothing but gaze out at the stars. She did so for hours. At last, she spotted a mass of land on the edge of the horizon. She concentrated her attention on it, watching it come closer as ship rapidly closed in on the shoreline. Finally, when the ship was close enough to shore, she silently rose from her place on the deck and descended the stairs to go awaken the soldiers.

Chapter Three

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