9.

Life is a stage

The tavern in Tororia was rather crowded and hot; sticky air and loud chatter welcomed Rosa, Edge and Rydia as they entered the room.

"Lets ask the landlord for information and since we're in a tavern anyway, we can order some drinks as well... All this asking makes one thirsty!" Edge approached the counter.

"As if you have done much so far..." Rydia muttered, trying to stay as near to Rosa as possible: the young Queen seemed to feel uneasy, as well – both women were not used to the strange smell and the noise level of an establishment like this tavern.

"Let’s follow Edge and hope that we can leave this place as soon as possible..." The Queen sighed and took Rydia's hand protectively, pulling her along with her.

Edge had already found a free place at the counter and was trying to get the attention of the landlord. "Hey, you there! Do you know—"

The landlord, a sturdy bearded man who was just 'cleaning' a glass with a dirty piece of cloth, looked up.

"What will it be for ya, boy?"

"In fact I wanted some information..."

"No drink, no money, no information." The man resumed cleaning the glass, which looked dirtier the longer the man tried to clean it.

"Alright, that's a deal!" Edge grinned. "I'd like a beer..."

"For the lad a beer and what will it be for the ladies?" The landlord motioned towards Rosa and Rydia, who were standing behind Edge.

"The lady in green will take a wine...red..." Edge winked at Rydia. "So what will it be for you?" He looked at Rosa.

The Queen of Baron was looking rather pale – the bad air in the room had caused her a headache and a sore throat.

"Water..." she said.

Suddenly every customer of the tavern seemed to look at her.

"Did... did I say something wrong?" Rosa laughed nervously.

"Nah!" The barkeep laughed and served their drinks, handing Rosa a glass of water. "With all the drunkards here, it's just seldom that someone orders water..."

In fact, the patrons had already stopped staring at her and were occupied with their own matters, respectively glasses, again.

"Oh..." Rosa smiled weakly and sipped at her water, while Edge emptied his beer rather quickly to the half.

"The blond lady here is the only responsible one out of all of usand abstains from alcohol!" Edge started to joke around, obviously hoping to break the ice between his group and the customers. "In the end she will be the one who has to drive the airshi—" He stopped as Rosa gave him a nudge. All patrons were looking at them, again.

"What does she have to drive?" the man sitting next to Edge asked. "Don't tell me that you are owning one of these damn airships..."

Before Edge could answer, Rosa did: "What? Oh no... I for one couldn't even enter such a thing. I'm much too afraid of heights..." She giggled nervously and then murmured towards Edge: "Come on." She pulled him from his seat and threw some coins onto he table with her free hand.

"We should go. I'd love to see the shown downstairs, yes?" she said, fixating her eyes onhim sternly.

"Let's do as Rosa says..." Rydia was urging Edge as well.

"Yeah – I understood Rosa's hint..." Edge told her.

"Rosa?" The landlord scratched athis beard. "So where have I heard that name before..."

"What?! Oh that... There are a lot of people named that way... Like... like this famous dancer named Rosa... err... Her name was just Rosa, I think..." The blond woman smiled, while she and Rydia pulled Edge down the corner leading to the show stage of the tavern.

At the entrance, a man stopped them. "Entry fee is ten thousand gold!"

Rosa, Rydia and Edge exchanged glances. "I have brought money with me, but not that much..." Rosa whispered towards Edge. On the other hand, the thought of retracing their steps into the tavern was not to her liking, as well.

"Who says that we'll pay..." the ninja grinned. He tried to shove the man aside. "Don't you recognize her?" He pointed at the blond Queen.

The guard looked her up and down suspiciously. "Err... something strikes me familiar..."

Rosa got pale. "Are you mad?" she hissed at Edge.

"Don't worry..." The ninja told her, than addressed the guard. "Of course you know her – it's Rosa, the dancer! She needs to start her performance in... about two minutes... And if you now would please let us pass..."

"Rosa? Never heard of a gal named Rosa..."

"I'm.... I'm the replacement for one dancer who got sick... and Rosa's not my real name... My husband wouldn't be fond if he knew what I was doing..." Rosa tried her best to lie, cursing Edge inwardly for the situation he had brought upon her.

"Oh... But you are not dressed as a dancer... The girls usually bring with them their costumes..." The guard was still not convinced.

"This... this is... This is because my specialty is dancing without..." She blushed heavily. "You know what I mean!"

The man gave her a dirty smile. "Oh – now I understand! Very well, come on through..."

He stepped aside from the stairs. "What are the cute girl and the other guy are doing, though?"

"She is a friend... and he is doing the same I do only for the female audience!" Rosa said quickly with a satisfied smile in Edge's direction.

The basement of the tavern was less crowded and loud than the rooms upstairs, but also rather dark. Only some candles were bathing some tables and the stage at the other side of the room in a dim light.

"That was a narrow escape!" Rosa leaned against the wall, "Edge, Rydia - we agreed not to call each other by our real names, as long as people don't recognize us... And what was this about the dancing stuff, Edge? It was so embarrassing!"

"Hehe -- but it was your idea. There are thousands of Rosas: like the dancer!" Edge laughed loudly. "Besides you did great upstairs... Although, what was that about me dancing for the girls?" He frowned. "Anyway – if Cecil hears about this--"

"He'll scold you for being so careless, Edge, as always..." Rosa said, though had to blush, again.

"Did you hear what the customers said about the airships? It sounded as if they thought they were doing something bad..." Rydia frowned.

"I cannot hold it against them - after all many wars were lead with the help of those ships. However, in the end it was also due to them that peace returned to the Blue Planet and that people were able to aid their allies more quickly," the young Queen mused. "I guess every invention has two sides of the coin. But let's try to ask one of the customers here about the group we're looking for... Perhaps people here are more friendly..."

"Yes..." Rydia looked around the room -- only about ten people, mostly men, were sitting at the tables. Suddenly loud music started and the curtain on the stage was raised, slowly.

"Oh no! The show is starting!" the caller shouted against the music. Six women wearing red silk were starting to dance on the stage.

"We'll still ask..." Rosa started off to an old man; clad in wizard's garb.

"Sorry, mister..." she addressed him.

"Eh?" the man shouted. "I wanna see the show!"

"It'll only take a minute!" the Queen said, louder. "Do you know of a group called the Dark Paladins?"

The wizard gave her a blank stare. "What? The music is too loud!"

"The Dark Paladins!" Rydia shouted this time.

"Eh?"

"THE DARK PALADINS!" Rosa shouted on the top of her lungs - only then she noticed that the music had stopped, as the dancers had finished their first act.

"What was this about being as inconspicuous as possible?" Edge asked into the silence.

Rosa smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry," she said, all eyes on her. "We just wanted to know about this..."

"Yes... We all heard you by now, young lady..." The old wizard said. "The Dark Paladins have a base in the woods. Very well-behaved people... But who are you that you don't know about them? You're not from Tororia, right? Wait... Don't I know your faces from somewhere?"

"Yes..." another customer agreed, trying to study Rosa and her companions in the dim light. "Isn't this guy the King of Eblan?"

"No way!" Another patron, who was obviously already drunk, babbled. "What could this guy want in Tororia? All he cares for are women! I heard that while his Kingdom was under attack, he was strolling around in the ruins of Bab-il and looking for crystal pieces to give to one of his several concubines as a present..."

"What?" Edge snapped "That's a lie! I never..."

"Edge... Can we go, please..." Rydia whispered. Some customers had left their seats and were approaching them.

"A chocobo farmer spotted an airship outside of town... It's your one isn't it?" one man asked, his eyes sparkling dangerously.

"We don't want such things here – Tororia is a peaceful country! Keep your war machines in your own kingdoms!" another man said and was supported by cheers.

"What's that loud noise coming from? Has Rosa the dancer already started with her performance?" a voice came from the stairway. All the commotion had obviously attracted the guard from before as well as other curious people from the tavern upstairs, which were now blocking the stairs and thus the only way out of the room.

"Dancer? His concubine is a dancer?!" a woman exclaimed disgusted. "Maybe he forces her to do so..."

"We're having a little problem here..." Edge was laying his hand on his sword.

"Edge!" Rosa whispered. "We can't possible fight unarmed villagers!"

"Do you have a better idea?" the ninja hissed. "To me, they look like they're dangerous even without weapons!"

Indeed some people of the male audience had already grabbed for chairs and other objects with which they could attack and were advancing forward, again.

CRASH!

With a loud noise, part of the wall to the side of the stage suddenly slid away and four hooded people emerged out of the whole behind

"Oh... So the passage leads directly to the tavern..." one said with a full, male voice.

"Seems we're not alone..." another of the strangers spoke, his voice dark and ironic.

"Rosa?" The third one asked, his voice more clear than the other two.

"Cecil?" Rosa whispered, and stared at the group on the stage, disbelieving.

Disbelief was also mirrored on the faces of the townspeople, who were all staring at the group as well.

"What's that? A new show?" One of the customers asked loudly.

"Seems they are in need of help," Dawn whispered to her companions. "These people are angry - and our friends seem to be the cause of it..."

"So we better get them out of here, eh?" Kain jumped from the stage and approached Edge, Rosa and Rydia.

"Here you are! We've searched the whole town for you!" he said, then turned to the townspeople, "I hope my relatives haven't caused you any problems."

"Relatives? What are you talking about?" A man shouted. "This blue-haired guy here is a royal mischief-maker from Eblan with his two concubines in tow!"

"Yeah – and the blond one is a cheap dancer!" A woman added, the comment making Rosa blush heavily.

"Dancer?" Cecil frowned, but knew that he would have to take part in the little game as well. He jumped from the stage.

"Darling! Why did you run off again?" He addressed Rosa, trying to make his voice sound deeper and older. "I forbade you to go about that work any longer!"

Rosa blushed even more – the whole situation became way too embarrassing for her. "I... I thought that we needed the money..." she made up.

"Are you not content with our humble life?" He turned towards the townspeople. "I'm sorry for any problems they have caused... My wife here does not seem to be happy with the life of chocobo breeders..." In passing he took Rosa's hand, "we're making a dash for the stairs as soon as possible," he whispered into her ear.

His wife nodded only palely. Golbez and Dawn had followed them by now, Dawn taking Rydia's arm.

A woman sniffed into the air. "You smell like chocobo breeders after all... And what's with the other two?" She pointed at Edge and Rydia.

Cecil gave a help-searching look to Kain.

The Dragoon grinned. "These? Oh – the youth there is our stable boy... He had a little accident with a wild chocobo once and since that time he thinks that..." his voice got lower, "he thinks that he's that filthy prince of Eblan... Poor boy – the fall back then confused his senses. You should have seen the blood which--"

"Alright, we understood..." the woman interrupted him. "And what about the girl?"

"She's... she's my daughter." Cecil said quickly, but noticed at once that this had been a bad lie – Rydia looked much too old to be Rosa's child.

Kain tried to save the situation. "What my brother wants to say is that the girl is from his first wife..."

"Brother? First wife?" Luckily, no one could see Cecil's confused expression under the hood.

"Are ye kidding us?" an elderly man demanded. "Now don't tell me that this person next to the green gal is that wife..."

Dawn blushed slightly under the hood. "Oh...but in fact I am..." She hugged Rydia, who tried to look happy.

The townspeople started to murmur. "We don't know what odd people you are, but you surely don't sound old enough to be her mother, woman..." A man stepped forward, trying to look under Dawn's hood.

Golbez stepped in his way. "Hands off from my wife!" The order sounded not very emotionally, but Golbez's tall stature was enough to make the man retrace his steps.

"Your wife?! What kind of perverts are you?"

"We're living in an alternative farming community outside of town... We live after the motto: where love falls, it falls..." Dawn explained.

"That's enough!" the guard shouted from the stairs. "This all sounds mighty confusing... Show us your faces, because we live after the motto: strangers who disturb our peaceful little town will have to pay for it..." He drew his weapon.

"Very well..." Kain approached the guards, motioning the others to follow him. "But please don't be shocked – right now our animals are ill with chocobo-poxand we seem to have caught it, as well..." He had now arrived at the stairs and reached out for his hood. "Don't worry – although it's very infectious, it's not dangerous and only disfigures the face a little..."

"Uaahh! Stay away from us!" Some people were looking at him disgusted and backed away from the stair.

"That's it! Go!" Cecil shouted and pulling Rosa with him, rushed up the stairs, the confused villagers not even knowing what happened to them.

"Oh - I'm sooo sorry..." Kain gave a man who was standing at the upper end of the stairs a push with his elbow - his victim tumbled downstairs with a cry, taking several other people including the guard with him in the fall.

"We have to hurry - the chocobos need to get fed!" Dawn shouted apologizing to the patrons upstairs, who were pushed aside mercilessly by the group and did not know whether they should follow the strangers or help their fellow citizens downstairs.

The group used the common confusion to exit the tavern as fast as they could, not caring for the raucous which was starting behind them just now. They ran as fast as they could until they had reached the edge of the woods outside of Tororia and were out of view from the townspeople.

"That was close..." Cecil panted and removed the hood of his cape.

"The smell of these covers is really awful!" Dawn remarked, removing her own cloak. "The chocobo-pox, eh Kain?" she laughed. "That was a good idea!"

"Yeah - especially the part about the stable boy..." Edge huffed, but only some moments later had to grin. "But the whole dancer thing was very funny, don't you think so, Rosa?"

"Yes, what's..." Cecil started to ask, but was stopped by his wife, who shot him an unusual sour look.

"Please let’s not talk about this..." she blushed, but for a moment Cecil had the impression that a smile was playing on Rosa's lips, as well.

"I think we all did very well - even Golbez here..." Kain could not hide atone ofmockery in his voice.

"Yes... Even I have to admit that this was a quite an amusing little adventure..." Golbez said, although his face seemed strangely without expression as he removed the cover from his long, night-black hair.

"You all!" Rydia gasped. "How did you get into the tavern?"

Cecil and the others exchanged glances. "That's a long story..." he said, and the amusement on his face was replaced by seriousness.

"We found out some interesting things about this Dark Paladin group - no good ones, though, I fear... Lets get back to the airship and talk about things there."

~*~

"So they think that the return of the moon proves that the Lunarians are responsible for the happenings of late... On top of that they teach the people that most rulers on the Blue Planet, including us, are blind spawns of the Lunarian race and that the airships are the work of evil..." Rosa sighed. "That would explain the hostile reaction of the people in the tavern."

"But I cannot believe this! The people were really aggressive," Rydia wondered. "Do they really hate us that much? I mean... I always believed that the people liked Cecil and Rosa," she could not hide a grin as she continued, "and even Edge... And now they're blaming you for everything!"

"Maybe Samon has the ability to manipulate the mind... Remember that most members of the Dark Paladins we've met so far were able to use that kind of power..." Golbez remarked.

"That's right. Claudius tried to trick me and Kain just by telling us lies..." For once, Cecil could agree with his brother.

"And Kieran tricked me into doubting you and going with him..." Rydia whispered.

"But these were only psychological tricks! It's not enough to bring up people against their Kingdoms, is it?" Edge said.

"Maybe Samon is not applying psychological tricks, but some kind of powerful magic in order to manipulate the people? Like Golbez did once with me and Zeromus did with him..." Kain said gravely, not looking the black wizard fully in the eyes.

"But to use this power on so many people..." Cecil frowned. "Unless..." His gaze suddenly locked with Dawn's, who obviously had just had the same idea.

"The black stone!" Both exclaimed nearly simultaneously. "It might be the key to solving this mystery. Maybe it strengthens the magical energies somehow. The merchant in the shrine might have gotten an amulet or something like this of the same material from Samon..."

"A black stone? The head sister in Tororia castle was wearing a black necklace..." Rosa paled visibly.

"That does not sound good... Imagine the clerics are under the influence of this Dark Paladins as well..." Rydia looked afraid all of a sudden.

"Sounds to me as if we should get hold of the stone somehow. Maybe we just need to destroy it to break the spell - that's how the story goes, right? And the Dark Paladins wouldn't be able to manipulate more people!" Obviously; at least Edge was still in good spirits.

"Yes - you are right... Even if destroying the stone might not solve all our problems, as parts of the material are scattered in the population, it's at least a start," agreed Cecil. "Let's search the headquarter for it, tonight - we shouldn't waste any more time!"

"Right, we can't afford to allow this group to stir up any more irritation under the townspeople! So lets get ready for later on."

The group scattered apart, each one preparing himself or resting.

"Dawn, could I speak with you?" Cecil held back the female Paladin as she was about to leave the meeting place.

"Yes?" For a moment it seemed as if Dawn was afraid of something. "Is it about Kain's idea in the tavern? If you felt embarrassed..."

"Dawn! Why should I feel embarrassed about it? I guess quite some men envied me in that moment." He winked at Dawn, making her smile in return, but soon, a weary look crossed his face again. "No, it's something else..." Cecil ran his hand through his hair as he always did when his mind was occupied by something. "I was just thinking about what Samon did with the merchant. Manipulation of the mind usually builds up on strong feelings like fear, hate or jealously - at least that's what happened once to Kain and Golbez, I believe... The hypnosis or spell only strengthens already existent negative feelings in victim, right?"

"Yes..." Dawn replied, already suspecting what the Paladin was getting at.

"So... This means that the townspeople must have mistrusted the Lunarians... and myself before... I fear that the people in Baron might feel similar. I wonder if in my time as King, I caused more misery than I did things right..." It was clear that the Paladin was feeling distressed.

"Well, what do you think?" Dawn asked him quietly.

He shrugged. "I surely made mistakes, but I tried my best... Even at the point where I decided to keep silent about Golbez... I wanted to protect him -- and I didn't want to worry the good people of Baron any more than necessary. They already had to endure enough hardship during the fight against Zeromus."

Dawn nodded and laid a soft hand on his shoulder. "So -- you only tried to do your best... Still, do not forget that people sometimes 'work' differently from what one expects. In your eyes you only wanted to keep all problems away from the people in Baron, but they might think that you were mistrusting them or not caring about them enough to inform them. After all, it's their Kingdom as well..."

Dawn suddenly averted her gaze and--almost shyly--drew her had away from his shoulder. "Sometimes... Sometimes I believe that humans are not made to be content. That they always want to have the one thing they cannot have -- even if they know that this thing is unreachable for them..." She smiled quickly. "Sorry! I didn't want to depress you even more. It'll be alright, Cecil. The fact that even now you're thinking of your people and are concerned if you treated them bad, is the sign of a good, wise King," she told him and then turned around rather quickly. "See you later!"

"Thank you!" As always, Cecil felt better after a talk with Dawn, although he wondered if something was disturbing the young woman.

He decided to search for Rosa and Kain in order to discuss the mission, which was awaiting them tonight.