My Kingdom For a Horse

[ultimecia]

[glow=purple,2,800]
**From The Emerald City, The Wonderful Land of Oz**

Such a cold place the observation room was. So, unfamiliar with its gray brick walls, and table-like beds. She would probably loose it in such a place, if she herself was not an all powerful time witch. There Ultimecia stood, looking down at the sleeping white-haired beauty. Gold eyes seeming soft as she watched her... the presence of light seeming too much for the young, and beautiful Jenova.

With a clothed finger, Ultimecia reached down to rest the tip of her index finger against the smooth cheek, being that she was neutral, it should be enough to remove that "light" feeling from the woman.

"Poor crusader." the witch spoke, in that signature sultry voice of hers, "... unable to find her Holy Grail..."[/glow]

[serpentoflore]

Jenova's body slowly came back to what seemed to be reality. Her eyes opened, glad that the presence that seemed to hold her prisoner was gone. Terra and Edgar were gone, leaving her alone in the room. Or so she thought, seeing someone she had never even met in front of her. The woman's appearance was different, something she had never seen before, even in Cloud's memories.

"Grail?" Her mind caught up with the fact the woman was speaking. Her body began to sit up, ready to unsheathe Masamune if necessary.

[ultimecia]

[glow=purple,2,800]Ultimecia took this opportunity and sat upon the partly empty table, in a pensive pose. She reached up to rest a sharp fingertip delicately under her chin, "... The Holy Grail, was not a grail at all... Have you perceived.. that religious things... are not what their name claims them to be?"

She continued to watch the woman with the corner of her golden eye, one of her wings, curling upon the others form on the table, making use of the empty space while the other wing remained over the side of the small surface, feathers continuing to drop carelessly from them, only to disappear before touching the ground. [/glow]

[serpentoflore]

"I...was told that the Promised Land existed." Jenova spoke, sounding confused. "That if I did as he said...that I would find it." Her eyes looked towards Ultimecia. "If it doesn't exist..." What purpose would her life have if she did not have a goal. There was no Cloud to return to. She had been separated from what she had understood.

[ultimecia]

[glow=purple,2,800]"The Promise Land you so hold dear..." Ultimecia spoke, her eyes now facing forward toward the brick wall, "...what shall you do... once you find it?" She took this opportunity to stand, and smoothen her velvet-like dress. She turned fully to watch the beautiful girl.[/glow]

[serpentoflore]

That hit Jenova the hardest. What was she supposed to do once she got there? She didn't know at all. "I just know...that's what I want for some reason." Her eyes became uncertain, her hand letting go of Masamune's hilt. "I don't know what else to desire but to return to where I was before. I cannot find Cloud..."

[ultimecia]

[glow=purple,2,800]"Hm..." Ultimecia walked to the wall, turned, and rested her back against it, crossing her arms before her, " Should he... look like what you expect...?"[/glow]

[serpentoflore]

"I don't remember what he looks like." Jenova spoke, her voice soft. "I am full of so much uncertainty that the Promised land seemed promising. What...am I to hold on if I do not have that? I don't know where to go from here..." Her hands became limp. "I have been lost, so lost that I can't understand what purpose I have here."

[ultimecia]

[glow=purple,2,800]Ultimecia somewhat understood her answer, herself once as lost as this woman was, only to find the comforts of time. She promised herself not to get too involved in this realm, and still, the more the girl spoke, the least comfortable she felt in leaving her there... she sighed, closing her eyes, knowing to regret this later... creating a new anomaly in this time rift, she spoke, in her sultry voice once again,

"...In time... you shall have what you need... to seek it." she whispered, heading toward the wall, only pausing to keep her eyes on her, "If you accept... follow." she kicked herself, growing softer whenever she spoke to these people. Good, or bad...

The woman turned, and the wall turned into a water-like substance which she stepped through, and would remain so, for the next few seconds, if Jenova was willing to follow. [/glow]

[serpentoflore]

Jenova felt for the first time a guiding hand. She took a moment to think, wondering what Atticus would think. Still, Atticus had not guided her towards the promised land with anything but strange leads. This woman... This woman somehow made sense despite appearing out of nowhere. Standing up, she walked into the water like time distortion, not looking back for even a moment.

[ultimecia]

** Both Jenova and Ultimecia: Timewarp to The Observatory, in Castle Oblivion **

[Secondary Characters]

The Magistrate would grump lightly, hearing this story. He would turn his head slightly to see Garland stepping into the courtroom. There was something different about him today. Normally, he stood proudly, his helmet removed and his chest poofed out. Today, however, he kept his armor on, and crossed his arms in a brooding fashion. "And what say you, Captain of the Guard?" the magistrate demanded, frowning deeply.

Garland looked over, then bowed his head slightly in thought. "All I know is I found these miscreants emerging from the Temple of Fiends. When I demanded to know of their intentions, the pompous-looking one declared himself king, then attacked. He acts like no king I know..." he said darkly.

"I see... So you stand accused of telling falsities, and assault on a decorated captain, representative of the kingdom of Cornelia! These are very serious charges... Explain yourself!" the Magistrate barked to Edgar, banging his gavel lightly.

[King Edgar]

"Unkingly though I may have seemed during our battle, sir, I was definitely not he who attacked first; you used some form of witchcraft I have never seen before to bring on your assault, almost as if you were simply waiting outside the Temple for something to happen;"

Edgar looked to Terra and patted her trembling hand.

"We are innocent people lost through a ripple in a banishment spell. What about you? Why would you come to some evil temple where you say horrible things dwell...unless you had high hopes with your craft to unleash something horrible?"

Inwardly he chuckled. This was no knight of his kingdom, and so he didn't care what happened later on. What did matter was that Garland's presence there was somewhat strange, and Edgar would use the courts to interrogate and find out why.

[Secondary Characters]

Garland gruffed lightly at this sudden attack on his honor. He looked up at the judges, who were all whispering amidst each other. This was a serious accusation, but Garland had already prepared for it. "Obviously..." he started, his voice strong as though this was no big deal. "I lead a team to the Temple in order to investigate the rise in monster attacks. What should I find but these suspicious types? If any of you have been on the battlefield, you would know if you don't attack first, your chances of survival drop by several percent, and I had my men to worry about..."

Here, Garland stopped, and looked dead at Edgar. "Of course, I gave them several warnings beforehand, and during the course of the action, I prompted them to end their assault and stand down. They did no such thing. Further, when the woman at his side was threatened, this so-called royal opted to continue the fight rather than protect his companions. I call into question the integrity of a man who would allow such a level of danger to his people..." he said gruffily. This prompted another wave of talk among the judges, who waited for Edgar's rebuttal.

[Shantotto]

[glow=teal,2,300]From behind the court room doors, a flash of purplish light had blasted through the cracks only to vanish shortly after. Shantotto knowing she had little time to play fetch for ... help, she quickly began her walk into the court room.

Pushing the doors open, and walking through in her pristine relic attire, arms crossed and waddling down the walk way. "O~ohohoho, Do not mind me my dear judge on high, I shall soon bid you a well good bye." Shantotto could care less about the courts system, she merely thought of it as a nuisance. After all, no one could touch her.

Shantotto finally made her way near the box with Edgar and Terra. She walked to the side where the opening to the box would be and started to poke Edgar's leg as to get his attention. "You ... do you fancy your company with such foolish accords, this place surely makes you bored. I come to give a magicite to Terra." Shantotto hands Terra a piece of Magicite. "Break this apart and I you will summon, but do not make me wait to long or I may have to gammon. Oh and do not fear only you can hold that Magicite my dear O~ohohohoho"

Shantotto stepping down from her box walked to Garnland. "You look very familiar ... Do you by any chance know of a Judge, Gabranth? I seem to have forgotten his name. But to any matter I must be off I'll have to deal with that later. O~hohohoho" Shantotto opened her right in the middle of the court room, engulfing herself within the warp and vanishing back to her study.

*Off to Castle Oblivion > Shantotto's Study*[/glow]