Chapter 31: Round two
She and Poochie arrived a bit early on the second day of the primaries. About half the seats in the VIP section were empty, including the first two rows. They had both settled down to have a little brunch. Alexia had always had her coffee black, but seeing Pooch drink his with milk and plenty of sugar she'd given it a try. It was pretty good. While Poochie was scarfing down some eggs and toast, she was enjoying yet another new treat from Mitsugoshi. They were called, 'chocolate chip cookies' and went wonderfully with her sweetened coffee. As they sat there relaxing, they talked a bit.
"So, your friend Skel is in the hospital?"
"Yeah, he got both legs broken in like six places. He'll be in casts for at least a month before the healers can fix it."
"That's a shame. Did he get into an accident?"
"No, I think it had something to do with some guy named Alfonso."
"That's too bad," she took a bite from her cookie. "Mmmm, these are really delicious. You sure you don't want to try one?"
"I'm good, thanks." Poochie had a forkful of eggs and a sip of coffee.
"So which match are you more interested in today?" Naturally, both Claire and Iris had won and moved on to the semifinals.
"The one with Iris and Jimina, of course," Poochie answered instantly.
Alexia raised an eyebrow. "Not the one with your sister?"
He shook his head and took a bite of toast then answered while still chewing. "Nope, neechan always wins easy."
"Hey, could you at least not talk with your mouth full? I know you're from the sticks, but didn't your parents teach you basic manners?"
"Sorry," he muttered and shoveled in some more eggs.
My one true love is a slob. "Well, while I hate to admit it, I think you're probably right. But then Iris' match is likely to be just as one sided."
Poochie looked at her with a slight grin. "Jimina might surprise you."
"Yeah, yeah, mysterious depths and all, I know. Trust me Pooch, the fact a common guard has made it this far has already amazed me and everyone else. After he beat Annerose the whole stadium was buzzing."
"But you still expect him to go down?"
Alexia shrugged. "You were right about him; he is definitely a whole lot stronger than I would have ever guessed. It's just that I have a lot more faith in my sister. There's only one person alive right now who's stronger than Iris and it's not Jimina."
For some reason that made Poochie look oddly pleased. "Well, if you believe that want to make a little bet?"
Alexia gave him a flat look. "Sure, so long as the stakes aren't me breaking up with you if I lose."
Poochie's jaw dropped, and it was obvious that was exactly what he'd wanted to bet her. "If you're so sure your sister is going to win why not?"
"I've learned that just because something seems impossible doesn't mean it is. Six months ago, I never would have imagined that I'd be kidnapped and milked for my blood, that a secret war was going on between two mysterious organizations, or that I'd let someone call me muffin and kitten in public without me murdering them."
Cid rubbed the spot on his arm where she'd punched him yesterday.
"While I honestly can't imagine my sister losing, I'm enough of a realist to acknowledge it's at least possible. So, I've decided that no matter how good the odds are I'll only ever bet the things I'm prepared to lose."
Poochie hung his head in obvious despair. "Why'd you have to pick now to start making smart decisions?"
She punched him in the arm again and then took another bite of her cookie.
They ended up not making any bets.
XXX
As the stadium began to fill so did the VIP section. Before long all but six seats had occupants. Then the gilded doors were opened and there was a stir. A handful of knights entered to clear the way, then her father and King Oriana entered. Just one step behind his monarch was Duke Doem, a couple steps behind him were Iris and Claire Kagenou. Everyone immediately stood up and bowed to the two kings.
Alexia had gotten up as well, but trust Poochies to be oblivious and not even notice! She grabbed him by the elbow and yanked him up to his feet. She then got hold of him by the scruff of the neck and forced him to bow. Luckily, everyone's eyes were on dad and King Oriana, so no one saw. She made a mental note to yell at him later about being more observant and about basic polite behavior.
As they came down the aisle King Oriana and Doem took their seats. Her father made a slight detour to stand before them.
"Hello, sweetie."
"Hi daddy," she motioned to Poochie who was already sweating and had the blood draining from his face. "May I introduce to you my boyfriend, Cid Kagenou, son of Baron Kagenou."
"It… It's a pleasure to meet you, your majesty."
Wonder of wonders he placed a hand to his heart and bowed. The action was rushed and sloppier than she would have preferred, but her father seemed satisfied. He had one of his little grins as Pooch rose out of his bow.
"So, you're the one my little girl is dating."
"I'm afraid so your majesty. I know I don't deserve someone like her, I'm not sure anyone does. I'd understand if you ordered me to break up with her."
Alexia managed to elbow him in the ribs without making it too obvious.
Luckily, her father laughed and even patted Pooch on the shoulder. "Nonsense, young man! I've heard good things about you, not just from Alexia but from Iris as well. I'm grateful to you for fighting at her side against those slashers, along with all the other support you've given her. I even hear you plan to join the Crimson Order once you graduate."
"Ah, actually-"
"That's right, daddy," Alexia helpfully joined in. "He can't wait to serve you and the kingdom officially and keep supporting me."
"That's fine then," her dad nodded. "You're both still young, I certainly don't object to the two of you being together for now. Though some of your marriage candidates have started to complain a bit."
"Huh?" If possible, Pooch looked even paler.
"It's nothing to worry about," her father said with a chuckle. "Everyone knows these academy romances never last."
"Yes, they can!" Alexia blurted out.
Her father nodded to her and smiled, but it was the same sort of smile he'd given her when she was six telling him how the plum fairies had brought her some sweets for being a good girl.
He took his seat besides King Oriana and Claire and Iris took the same ones they'd had yesterday.
The order in the first row was: Doem, King Oriana, and Daddy. The seat on her father's left remained vacant.
"Is the Prime Minister running late?" Alexia asked.
"Oh, he actually volunteered his place for a special guest who'll be joining us in a bit," Iris said.
Alexia was curious who could be more important than the head of the government, but she was more concerned that Cid looked on the verge of fainting and Claire was wiping his brow.
XXX
With there being not one but two kings present the VIP box was being heavily guarded by more than two dozen well-armed knights. Not all of them were from the Knight Order, about a third were from Oriana. She doubted they would be needed as the crowd was well behaved and only a suicidal maniac would try to assassinate a monarch under such circumstances.
Alexia had been desperate to speak with King Oriana about what had happened that night and since. He'd been 'ill' though and she'd been (politely but firmly) denied an audience with him. Now that he was sitting about six feet away, she really wanted to ask him a few questions. The problem was Iris had cornered her yesterday and badgered her about not inquiring about Rose. She'd eventually given in and promised not to bring it up.
This of course meant she would just have to wait for Iris to head down to her match before asking. In the meantime, she sat there and listened to dad and his fellow ruler talk. The conversation was less than riveting. They talked about politics, the recent events in Lindwurm, and rumors about a certain countess and a possible inappropriate relationship with a rugged stable boy. She noted that King Oriana's replies were short and rather unimaginative. Alexia had never met him, and it wasn't as if he had any special reputation for being witty, but everything he said sounded as interesting as boiled oatmeal. She'd have expected more from the most minor court official, never mind an actual king. I can understand why sis complained that it felt like talking to a doll when she spoke to him.
By comparison, whenever Doem gave his opinion, it was well thought out and lucid. No matter what kind of scum he was, he was at least an entertaining conversationalist. It was easy to imagine Doem as a puppet master and the king as his puppet. Was that why Rose did what she did? Did she realize Doem had some sort of power over her father and decide it was a capital offense?
Alexia frowned. If that were the case, there'd be no point asking the king anything so long as Doem was right there at his side. To get any useful information she'd need to find a way to question the king alone. How the Hell am I supposed to do that? Alexia wondered.
As she pondered this the doors swung open. Alexia turned to look and a figure in faded gray robes entered. They immediately stood out. Everyone else present was either wearing a Midgar Academy uniform or their very best clothing. All the faces looking in the same direction had identical expressions of surprise and distaste. One of the maids was approaching, backed up by two knights.
"Excuse me, I believe you have the wrong-"
To Alexia's surprise her sister suddenly stood up. "That person is my guest, please let her through."
The maid and the two knights instantly backed away. As the robed figure approached, she raised a hand and waved in their direction. Alexia assumed it was for Iris, but Poochie was the one to wave back.
"Huh? Poochie, you know this person?"
"Oh, yeah I ran into them yesterday on my way to the men's room."
"Of course, you did," Alexia sighed.
As the person came to the end of their row she stopped, looked directly at King Oriana, and rubbed at her nose. "Smelly."
"What?" Doem leapt out of his seat. "That's disrespectful!"
The king had no reaction at all.
The robed figure glanced at the angry duke and mumbled an apathetic 'sorry.'
Doem's jaw dropped in amazement. He probably wasn't used to being so easily dismissed. Instead of rounding on the offender he stared at her sister.
"Princess Iris, who is this rude vagrant?"
Iris bowed her head in apology and then spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. "This is Beatrix the War Goddess, and the only person in history to win ten God of War Tournaments."
That set everyone in the gallery buzzing and wiped the anger right off Doem's stupid face. He might be a duke, but his power and influence wouldn't even begin to compare to a living legend like her.
"Uh… it's a great honor to meet you." Alexia snickered as for once he suave jerk actually stumbled. "I heard you were in seclusion. Is there a particular reason you've decided to honor us with your presence?"
"I've actually been searching for my niece, the daughter of my dead sister."
"I thought," Iris said. "That if she came here, she might find a lead. The people here all have a lot of connections."
As if on cue the woman lowered her hood and revealed the beautiful face of a blonde elf. "My niece has a strong family resemblance. Does anyone here know an elf who looks like me?"
Alexia let out a gasp. "Hey, you're a dead ringer for Alpha!"
"Really?" Iris asked in surprise. "She was wearing a mask when I saw her so I couldn't tell."
"When I was in the Sanctuary, she removed her mask, and I was able to see her face. If I didn't know better, I'd swear they were sisters."
"Who is Alpha?" Beatrix asked. "My niece's name is Boudica."
"She's one of the leaders of an organization called Shadow Garden," Alexia explained. "She's a skilled spellsword and very intelligent."
Beatrix frowned. "What is Shadow Garden?"
Iris answered before Alexia could. "They're a criminal organization that we know very little about. And I'm afraid Alpha is wanted on charges of murder, abduction, and terrorist activity."
"Then you have the wrong person," Beatrix said with certainty. "My niece is a sweet, kind girl. There is no way she could possibly be involved in such things."
Alexia twisted in her chair. She wanted to correct Iris about Shadow Garden being a criminal organization and how she was describing Alpha. The woman she met in the Sanctuary was definitely a good person… though one who clearly had secrets. She couldn't publicly go against her sister though, especially not in front of dad.
"Obviously, I don't know if Alpha is your niece," Alexia said. "But you asked if anyone knew an elf that looked like you."
Beatrix didn't appear happy. "There is no chance that this Alpha could be Boudica. But I've got no other leads, so I suppose I'll investigate her. At the very least, if this woman really is an elf committing these crimes, then I have an obligation to bring her to justice."
"Let's talk after I win my match," Iris said. "I'll share all the information we have on Alpha and Shadow Garden. I'll warn you though, it's not much."
Beatrix nodded. "Thank you."
The woman took the empty seat next to her father and just sat there quietly. Daddy tried to engage her in conversation, but she wasn't exactly talkative, giving one-word responses and nothing more. Her father soon gave up and the War Goddess just sat there in silence, perhaps wondering if there was any chance that Boudica and Alpha could be one and the same.
Based on nothing but their faces Alexia would have bet ten million zeni that the answer was yes.
As soon as the opening ceremonies were complete Claire stood.
"Cid, you better watch my match close. Don't you dare miss even a moment!"
"I won't sis, you've always been amazing! You're even more amazing now than ever!"
Alexia felt annoyed watching the brocon lapping up Poochie's compliments the way a cat lapped up milk. Iris and the others all wished her luck in her match, even King Oriana and Beatrix.
Once again, Alexia screwed on a fake smile and did what was expected. "Good luck, Claire. I'll be cheering for you." It was even true. She wanted the annoying twerp to win so she could get crushed by Iris in front of sixty thousand witnesses.
Claire gave her an infuriatingly smug grin. "Thank you, Kitten." She then hurried off.
Her father laughed and turned in his seat. "Kitten? Is that what all your friends call you?"
Even the solitary Beatrix looked over at her. "Is your name Kitten? I was told it was Alexia."
"It's her pet name," Poochie explained. "She loves it."
That caused fresh laughs from her dad and a nod from the War Goddess. Alexia just had to sit there feeling her face burn.
As soon as the eyes were off her she leaned over to whisper in Pooch's ear. "You know I have to kill you now."
He sighed. "Yeah, I know."
XXX
Claire won her match in short order, securing a place in tomorrow's final. As she was heading towards one of the gates Poochie got to his feet.
"I need to go take a-"
Alexia leapt up and slapped a hand over his mouth. "He's going to use the men's room!" She said that loudly before leaning in close to growl at him. "Could you stop saying that in public?"
When Poochie nodded she removed her hand. Iris had also stood up.
"Cid, are you really going to miss my match with Jimina? Could you hold on for a bit? I doubt it will take long."
"I'm really sorry, but I don't think I can."
"Oh, that's too bad. It reminds me though; I got you something." Iris reached into a coat pocket and pulled out a glass bottle with brown liquid. She handed it to him.
"Uh, thanks," he peered down at the bottle. "What is it?"
"Castor oil. Take two tablespoons with some warm milk after each meal and it should help with your bowels."
"…"
Dad turned around in his chair. "Oh, are you having trouble going to the toilet, young man? Being constipated is simply the worst, isn't it?"
"…" Poochie just stood there holding the bottle while trying his best to vanish. "Please excuse me, I really need to go."
"Have you tried eating prunes? They really help." Her dad called after him as Poochie ran away.
Alexia watched him go, smiling, and decided she'd let him live.
"I need to get going too," Iris said. "I expect this to be an interesting match."
"Good luck, sis. Not that you really need it, you'll definitely win."
Iris grinned at her. "Even though my opponent has mysterious depths?"
"Mysterious depths can't beat someone like you. Though in a couple more years you'll need to worry about me."
Iris laughed and hugged her. "I look forward to that day."
XXX
Everyone else wished Iris luck. Not just daddy, Beatrix, Doem and King Oriana, but Sara, Eric, and just about the entire VIP gallery. When she stood on the arena floor most of the fans in the stadium cheered for her and chanted her name. Her sister took in the adulation with a smile and a wave. Alexia knew this wasn't an act. This was Iris being genuinely appreciative of the cheers.
By comparison, Jimina stood there with an appearance of complete and total apathy. If it bothered him that sixty thousand people were siding with his opponent, he gave no sign. To look at him you would think he was a common guard killing time until his relief came. As with the very first time she'd laid eyes on him she couldn't detect anything that stood out. To her eye he was as plain as plain could be.
What did Poochie see? How did he know? She'd asked him about it. He'd just shrugged and told her, 'I just noticed he was kind of different.' What exactly that meant he couldn't say.
"Mystery thy name is Poochie," she muttered beneath her breath. Honestly, if anyone had mysterious depths it was him.
She looked at the empty seat beside her. She'd actually been looking forward to seeing this match with Pooch. She'd wanted to see the look on his face when Iris beat Jimina. She wanted to see if it was anything like…
Alexia sat up with a start, as she suddenly realized she hadn't ever watched Jimina fight with Poochie sitting next to her. This was her third time watching one of his matches and both of the previous times Pooch had gone running to the toilet. It was almost as if he were fighting as Jimina in disguise.
She laughed at how ridiculous that thought was.
"I see you're not worried about your sister's match." Claire said as she hurriedly took her seat.
Alexia nodded at the girl. "Why would I be?"
Claire didn't try to argue. Instead, she frowned at the empty seat between them. "Is Cid in the bathroom again?"
"Afraid so."
"Tell me that at least he saw my entire fight."
Alexia was tempted to lie, but she wasn't one to get Poochie into trouble with anyone but her. "He did."
Claire looked relieved. "Thank goodness, it would drive me crazy if he missed it."
Wow. She seriously is a brocon. It's sad to see a woman so totally obsessed with a guy like him.
Both she and Claire suddenly sneezed.
As if a signal that was when the match started.
Iris drew her sword and charged in. Jimina hadn't drawn his weapon yet. Her sister was going to win in one move.
And then just as fast Iris stopped herself and leapt back.
Alexia blinked. What happened? Jimina hadn't moved. He had yet to even take out his sword.
"What happened?" Claire asked. "Why did Iris stop like that?"
"Uh, I'm not sure."
Iris stood there out of weapons range eyeing Jimina. Only now did he finally unsheathe his rapier. He was just standing there in a common defensive posture waiting for her. Without warning Iris suddenly dashed in again.
Only to stop and leap back out.
Alexia started to get a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. She'd sparred with her sister countless times and knew her fighting style better than anyone. Iris wasn't one for retreats. She used feints and trickery, but once she started a fight, she never backed down. She always fought with her utmost strength and will until the end. Drawing back from battle just wasn't something she did.
So why is she backing away now?
Instead of charging a third time Iris began to circle Jimina.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Jimina just stood there observing her, making no effort to take the offensive himself. The fans were just as confused, their excited roars began to quiet down. Her sister finished her third circuit and came to a halt. Jimina said something Alexia couldn't hear. Maybe it was an insult or some kind of taunt because Iris promptly charged in once more.
A loud clang rang out, and her sister was lying in the sand, staring up into the sky and still clutching her sword. Alexia gasped and stared in complete disbelief. How?! What did he do?! Despite watching closely, she hadn't seen Jimina's counter. There'd just been a sudden clash of steel that ended with her sister on the ground and Jimina standing over her. In all the spars and matches she'd had and watched with her sister; she'd never seen Iris beaten in one move. Not even their old master could do it when Iris was just twelve.
The entire crowd had to be just as stunned. The deafening roar of just minutes ago was replaced by a silence so complete she could clearly hear Jimina's words to her.
"Iris Midgar, is this all you amount to?"
The only reply her sister could make was to drop her sword.
The referee hesitated, perhaps just as shocked as everyone else before he made the final announcement. "Winner, Jimina Sehnen!"
The VIP Section was as quiet as a grave. Beatrix was the first one to speak.
"I want to fight him."
Alexia gawked at the woman. For one of the very few times in her life she had no idea what to even say.
But then, just as Jimina was about to sheath his sword and make his way out, one of the gates on the arena floor opened and a familiar figure walked out onto the sand.
Alexia gawked at her friend and wondered what else could possibly happen that she didn't expect. Jimina also remained where he was, staring at the new arrival. No one knew what was happening, so they all watched as Rose Oriana made her way to the middle of the field and faced them in VIP.
"Father, I've returned."