Final Fantasy Frontier 10 (Patreon)

After passing through the castle's Grand Gallery, displaying various paintings and a fountain depicting a maiden pouring water from a vase, Andrew and Garnet, guided by Artania, boarded an elevator that took them to the upper levels. There, they entered a spacious, well-decorated hall of stone, the floor of which was covered in thick red and gold carpets. Two flights of red-carpeted stairs led to a second floor, the location of the throne room, while the lower level served as a banquet hall.

Continuing to follow Artania's lead, Andrew and Garnet soon found themselves in a startlingly red throne room, the circular floor seemingly carved from ruby while complex glass panes encircled it from all sides. At the back of the chamber, a large throne framed by mechanical arms stood at the top of several carpeted steps. More notably, at least to Garnet, the throne was currently empty.

"Where's Uncle Cid...?" asked Garnet, staring at Artania in confusion as he made his way to the base of the throne's steps, gestured to it, and stated, "Allow me to present His Excellency, Cid Fabool the Ninth..."

Following Artania's introduction, an oversized Oglop with a prominent, nearly crescent handlebar mustache peeked out from behind the throne, its body garbed in a regal red cape, expensive silk pants, and tiny golden accessories.

While Garnet was too stunned for words, the well-dressed Oglop moved around to the front of the throne, making itself comfortable as it raised its right forelimb and shouted, "Greetings <gwok>! It's been far too long, my darling little niece! My, how you've grown <gwok>!"

Though she recognized Cid's iconic mustache, Garnet still had a look of disbelief as she asked, "Uncle Cid? Is that truly you...?"

"Allow me to explain," said Artania, waiting for Cid to nod before stating, "About six months ago, someone snuck into the castle and attacked the Regent in his sleep. Unfortunately, while our soldiers were quick to react, we arrived too late to catch the culprit. Since then, the Regent has been bound to this form, cursed to appear as an Oglop, while his beloved wife, Her Majesty, Lady Hilda, was abducted..."

"My goodness..." muttered Garnet, holding her hand up to her mouth in shock. Since he knew the truth, however, Andrew wore a slight deadpan, an expression that was noticed by Cid.

"Do you have something you wish to say, young man...?" asked Cid. "If I'm not mistaken, you're one of Baku's troupe. I believe your name was Zidan? Or was it Zidane?"

Emulating Artania's bow from before, Andrew placed his hand over his chest and lowered his head, responding, "My name is Andrew Ashford, Your Excellency. Zidane is something of a younger brother to me, though only in age and appearance."

"Ah, yes..." muttered Cid, vaguely remembering that Baku had mentioned discovering another talented youth with a tail. Unfortunately, ever since he had been transformed into an Oglob, his previously flawless memory had disappeared with his previous form. His long-term memory wasn't too affected, but he could barely remember what he had for breakfast that morning.

"Well, Andrew, was there something you wished to say?" asked Cid, his beady, insectoid eyes somehow managing to exude a fierce, penetrative gleam.

Raising his head, Andrew took a deep breath before biting the bullet to state, "Since you have revealed your secret, I will reveal one of my own..."

Briefly exchanging glances with the concerned-looking Garnet, Andrew swallowed hard before returning his gaze to Cid and adding, "The truth, Your Excellency, is that I occasionally have prophetic visions. Because of that, I know your wife, the missing Queen Hilda, was the one to inflict this curse upon you. I also know her approximate location, though I can't say for certain if she is there at this exact moment..."

"Is that true...!?" exclaimed Garnet, appearing genuinely surprised by Andrew's words. Cid and Artania, however, had comparably measured reactions, exhibiting very little emotion.

"Who are you?" asked Cid, narrowing his eyes as he appended, "And how do I know you aren't cooperating with my wife or the people responsible for her continued absence?"

"I also know that you're preparing a potion or plan to prepare one in the future, combining the Strange, Unusual, and Beautiful Potions," revealed Andrew, feeling increasingly nervous as he added, "Unfortunately, while I can tell the identities of the people who possess said potions, drinking it will not return your human form. Instead, it will change you into a frog. A marginal improvement, but not a solution..."

Finding Andrew's words marginally more convincing, as he had his Chief Chemists working on the exact potion he was talking about, Cid caressed his insectoid chin and remarked, "Fascinating...". Then, directing his gaze to Garnet, he asked, "Was it your precognitive abilities that allowed you to get close to my niece in such a short period...?"

Hearing Cid's words, Garnet looked at Andrew with a hint of betrayal and sadness in her usually bright brown eyes. Fortunately, the latter was quick to exclaim, "I would never do such a thing...!" with a notably fierce look on his face.

Calming himself down, though he still looked upset, Andrew explained, "It was only 'after' my encounter with the Princess that I began having these visions. Since then, every time I sleep, I see visions of what I believe to be future events. I can't fault you for doubting me, but even if I must bear the label of a charlatan, I know I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't try to prevent some of the tragedies I've witnessed..."

"Hooooooo-" exhaled Cid, continuing to caress his non-existent chin but with a glimmer of appreciation in his gaze. The power of prophecy wasn't exactly unheard of. In fact, his wife was also gifted with a limited version of foresight, so he knew from 'very' personal experience it existed. 

"Then, tell me, young man. Is there anything you have foreseen that could be verified and used to prevent these tragedies you've mentioned?" asked Cid.

Nodding in affirmation, Andrew shocked Garnet by revealing, "I do not know exactly when they will march, but I know that Alexandria will attack Burmecia in the coming days, forcing the King and a handful of survivors to seek shelter in Cleyra..."

Turning his attention to Garnet, Andrew added, "I also know that if Garnet is captured and forced to return home, beings known as Eidolons will be extracted from her body and used to eradicate Cleyra and deal extensive damage to Lindblum. As a result of the extraction process..."

Swallowing the knot that had formed in his throat, Andrew's voice shook as he looked back to Cid and revealed, "Garnet will lose her life..."

"That's impossible...!" shouted Garnet, going from believing Andrew to vehemently rejecting the notion of his clairvoyance in an instant. She and her mother hadn't exactly been on good terms since her father died, but she refused to believe their bond had disintegrated to the point she would be sacrificed for war.

"Please wait...!" shouted Andrew, raising his hands and preventing Garnet from storming out of the throne room. Because of his sudden movement, she ended up running directly into him, shoving him hard as she shouted, "My mother would never do such a thing!" with tears in her eyes.

"It's not your mother...!" countered Andrew, causing a look of confusion to mar Garnet's increasingly tear-stained face.

Taking advantage of Garnet's confusion, Andrew explained, "She is being manipulated by a silver-haired man named Kuja, the same man presently keeping Queen Hilde captive. Kuja wants to use her to spread chaos and destruction through the Mist Continent. To what end, my visions have yet to show. All I know is that if you return to Alexandria with the Queen in her current state, a pair of demonic clowns named Zorn and Thorn will extract the Eidolons from your body, allowing Brahne to destroy Cleyra and bring even Lindblum to its knees within minutes..."

Hearing that her mother was being manipulated, Garnet became markedly less hostile. She was also familiar with the silver-haired man Andrew was talking about, having seen him speaking to her mother not long before her Kingdom began preparing for war...

Regaining much of Garnet's trust, Andrew exhaled a sigh and explained, "Also, while it is true you would lose your life in the extraction, you would be brought back by General Beatrix when she realizes the truth, choosing to turn against the Kingdom to permit your escape..."

"I see..." muttered Garnet, adopting a faint smile as she reached up to wipe away her tears. Andrew was tempted to do it for her, but despite their current proximity, he knew they weren't 'that' close. If they were, she would have heard the rest of what he had to say before lashing out and shoving him...

Parroting Garnet's words, Cid muttered, "I see..." before adding, "While I cannot speak to the integrity of your predictive abilities, it is certain that Alexandria has been posturing to attack Burmecia. As for this man named Kuja, we have also received reports that he is the one responsible for the production of magical weapons and some kind of mist-powered automata that is being supplied to the Alexandrian military..."

"I know where at least one of their production facilities is located. It's under a village named Dali..." revealed Andrew, causing Artania to raise his brows while Cid hummed a curious, "Hooooooo..." as he was familiar with said village.

Looking to Artania, Cid ordered, "Minister Artania, please arrange for a reconnaissance unit to head for Dali. If what our young friend here says is true, it is in the Continent's best interest if Brahne's supply of automatons is cut off. As for Burmecia...send a falcon to inform them of the attack and advise them to evacuate. I would like to send aid, but until they request it themselves, we must focus on the defense of Lindblum."

"Please tell them to inform Cleyra's High Priest to conceal or prepare to hand over their fragment of the Eidolon Crystal," said Andrew, explaining, "That is Brahne's primary motivation for initiating this war. She wants to reclaim the four fragments of the Crystal to resurrect Alexander, believing it will allow her to vanquish Kuja and make Alexandria untouchable. She is severely underestimating him..."

Hearing Andrew reference Alexander, which had been sealed more than five-hundred years prior, Cid no longer doubted his ability to ascertain the future. The secret of Alexander was passed down by word of mouth from one monarch to the next, so unless someone spilled the beans, there was no way he could know such sensitive information.

Nodding in affirmation, Cid looked to Artania and said, "You heard the boy, Art. See to it that our friends to the North are duly informed of the danger awaiting them. Also, once we have confirmed there is a factory beneath Dali, prepare our forces for a counteroffensive. I would prefer to avoid a full-scale war, but if Brahne is truly being manipulated, I fear she will not listen to reason..."

Directing his gaze to Garnet, Cid's expression softened into an apologetic one as he muttered, "Steel your heart, Princess...we will do everything in our power to ensure your mother is liberated from Kuja's influence. But if she launches an invasion on Burmecia or sets her sights on Lindblum, we must go to their aid or meet her forces on the battlefield."

Clutching the pendant around her neck, one of the four crystal fragments Andrew had just mentioned, Garnet's expression transitioned from pain to solemnity as she replied, "I understand, Uncle. But please dedicate some of your men to searching for the silver-haired man named Kuja. He cannot be allowed to get away with manipulating my mother and orchestrating a war between our three Kingdoms. He 'must' be brought to justice or made to pay for his actions..."

"You have my word," replied Cid. Then, as he had 'a lot' of questions to ask Andrew, he directed his attention to the latter, beginning a very long and informative discussion...

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