Chapter 1: Golbez

The lunar mass revolved around Earth, slowly and gradually. For the Overworld of Earth, the sun was only just beginning to set, but for the moon, night never forsook the Lunarians who remained dormant, undisturbed in their slumber. Golbez was one such Lunarian who had willfully joined his uncle in hibernating, preparing for the day that humans and Lunarians would be able to coexist in peace. It was thanks to humans that it was so peaceful in the first place. The moon would probably never again encounter the excitement that it had seen a year ago.

As the cliché goes, good triumphed over evil in an epic clash of power between a great group of warriors from Earth and a monstrosity known as Zeromus. Zeromus was the reborn manifestation of the spirit and hatred of Zemus, Golbez's most hated of foes. Zemus had only been a puppet master, but once freed from his corporeal form, Golbez had proven completely useless in combat against him. Of course, in the end, good had triumphed over evil, but where did he stand on that? What right did Golbez have to contemplate any of the endless vortexes surrounding the concept of right and wrong? Zeromus had said so himself: Golbez had been tainted by the path he had chosen. Could he find forgiveness?

With an extreme urge of willpower, he pushed these thoughts away. It was all over now, and any anxieties should have been as diminished as Zeromus. He would be here for a very long time. Taking his place as a Lunarian, he would wait for the inhabitants of Earth, particularly the humans, to evolve just as much as his race had. Once this happened, they would live together in harmony. As Zemus' mind slave, Golbez had never truly enjoyed a positive connection with humanity, but it could not be denied that he owed his life to an entire group of them. His own brother had been leading the onslaught, and it was he that ultimately plunged his mighty sword Ragnarok into Zeromus' flesh, ending that vile creature's existence once and for all. The sequential emotions had never been experienced by Golbez before: relief, shame, and love. Even before losing his free will, he had no experience with emotions so pure, so…human.

This all only served to reiterate and emphasize the horrors Golbez had committed in his servitude to Zemus. The pain he had inflicted on the inhabitants of Earth was an everlasting burden to his conscience that may never be eased…

Though he could not open his eyes, they would have widened if he were awake, remembering that the Crystals that served as safeguards to Lunarian slumber were responsive to magic, even effective at enhancing it. The primary purpose of the Crystals was to protect the moon's residents from any potential enemies, but they also served as catalysts, enhancing the spells' efficiency of the hibernating mages.

I wonder, Golbez thought bemused. Focusing his mana, he tapped into the ancient magic of the Crystals as he felt the third eye of his mind open. Sight! His mind shuddered as he laid eyes on his unconscious body, held in suspended animation between two like-positioned Lunarians. Mentally shifting his target, his visual extended far beyond the majesty of the Crystal Palace or the mystery of the Lunar Ruins. Leaving his corporal form far behind, the manifestation of his soul rose above the moon's rocky terrain, and in an instant, he had zipped through the never-ending bounds of space and was coming in fast on a bright blue planet he knew so well. Earth.

Where are you, Cecil?

The forestry and expansive deserts of Earth flashed by as Golbez moved his gaze quickly. Identifying his target, Golbez looked down over the Kingdom of Baron in wonder. Had its size doubled since he had been the captain of the Redwings? All of Baron was out and about, music filling the air as busy citizens shuffled past one another briskly, mothers pulling their children along hand-in-hand while men dressed in white garments carried plates of food high above their heads to avoid spillage. Golbez noticed in surprise that there were many dwarfs within the Baron's walls as well, rolling kegs of alcohol after the food-carrying humans. Clearly, a festive celebration was at work.

Golbez darted ahead of the caters and it immediately became clear where the crowd was converging. Soaring through the spectators, he reached the middle of the spectacle and silently gasped. Cecil? He mouthed as his eyes fell on two familiar figures, his heart overfilling with joy.

With the entire kingdom cheering them on, Golbez beheld his younger brother arm-in-arm with a woman. He guiltily recognized Rosa, a woman he had kidnapped during his brother's travels, but he brushed these feelings of shame aside as he observed the pair with interest. Cecil's shoulder-length white hair was wafting peacefully against the breeze, Ragnarok resting in a jewel-encrusted sheath. He was standing tall in his Paladin armor, polished to perfection so that the blue and white metal gleamed even in the descending sun's rays. Rosa, previously the well-reputed most beautiful woman of all of Baron, had never looked lovelier than she did at this very moment. She was consumed by a white silky dress, a dress fit for a queen, covering her from shoulders to ankles. A finely cut crystal hung on a choker around her neck, mirroring the prism-like diamond earrings that dangled from her ears. A white veil covered the top half of her face, but her gorgeous brown locks crept beneath it, her mouth was curved into a truly joyous smile. The decorated gloves she normally wore were absent, and as Cecil took her hand with a kiss, realization hit Golbez like a ton of bricks. This could only be a wedding!

Golbez had never anticipated anything of this caliber; the atmosphere, the anticipation, the knowledge of what was to come! The crowd roared in delight as Cecil gently lifted Rosa's veil, an apologetic grin on his face. Rosa's hands tenderly embraced Cecil's face, a longing look in her eyes.

"Hurry up and kiss!" A gruff voice burst out from among the attendees, prompting gales of laughter. Rosa recoiled from Cecil shyly, but smiling all the same. As Golbez glanced around the crowd, he quickly located the source of the lovers' disturbance. It was the airship engineer of Baron, Cid Pollendina, whose wild and hairy face reflected an untamed man that was clearly unorthodox enough to interrupt a wedding service. Gazing around the guests, he grew shocked as more familiar faces caught his attention. Rydia of Mist was present with the Eidolon Whyt nestled in her arms. Twin mages Palom and Porom were dancing around with Yang Fang Leiden of Fabul's monks. Even the Dwarvan king of the Underworld, Giott, was present, watching the scene with an air of solemnity that did not come naturally to his people. Dwarfs and humans had merged together in the crowd to create an ethnical blend of races. It appeared that each and every person Cecil had ever encountered must be attending.

As Golbez identified more and more of Cecil's comrades in arms, he realized with a pang of regret that this was not the case. Kain Highwind was conspicuously absent. Perhaps it should not have come as such a surprise, but considering Golbez had murdered the legendary sage Tellah and still been redeemed in Cecil's eyes, he had been sure that his brother would find it in his heart to forgive the mind-warped Kain. Golbez decided he would find out later, for having associated with Kain more than any of Cecil's friends, he did not want to add Kain's exile or death to his already heavy conscience.

As he focused back on his brother and Rosa, he was startled to discover that the humanized version of Odin, the former king, had joined the couple. King Baron had been the last of his bloodline to rule the Kingdom of Baron, though his life had been snuffed early by the archfiend of water, Cagnazzo. Golbez would have never predicted that this would result in his becoming an Eidolon though…

King Baron placed his hands on Cecil and Rosa's shoulders, greeting them with a fatherly smile and warm cheer. With a whistle, King Leviathan burst from the nearby waters with his wife Asura on top of his head. As the crowd was sprayed with water, the duo appeared before Cecil, Rosa, and King Baron with reverence. Opening his mouth, King Leviathan revealed a pair of golden rings, which Queen Asura carefully plucked out. Handing one to Cecil and Rosa respectively, the two Eidolon sank back into the crowd, which Golbez realized contained several Eidolon. As Cecil slid his ring on Rosa's ring finger, his love giggled.

"It's sticky," Rosa laughed, prompting laughter all around her. As she ringed Cecil as well, King Baron clasped his hands together pleased.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride!" The reaction that followed Cecil and Rosa's lip-locked embrace was one of thunderous proportions. A smattering of applause and cheering came from all of the attendees. King Baron silenced everyone with a raised hand as Cecil and Rosa temporarily pulled apart.

"Palom! Porom!" He called. The young mages looked startled, but hurried up to King Baron. King Baron placed two velvet pillows on the ground and stood back expectedly. Palom tapped his rod while Porom twirled around her staff, and together, the duo began chanting a spell that Golbez recognized as a variant of the Teleport spell. Two beautiful crowns materialized on the pillows. The left-sided crown appeared to be made out of crystal, a ruby embedded in the center and a great silver band circulating around it. The right-sided crown looked to be made of diamond, encrusted with a sapphire rather than a ruby, and a great gold band around it. The mages stood back apprehensively while King Baron thoroughly inspected the two crowns. Satisfied, he dismissed Palom and Porom back into the crowd and faced Cecil.

"Kneel," he commanded. The crowd watched with baited breath as Cecil stooped before King Baron. King Baron lifted the left-sided crown from the pillow and raised it high for the entire kingdom to see. Placing it snugly on Cecil's head, he spoke with a booming voice. "Now arise, my son, and take your rightful place as the new king of Baron!"

As Cecil assumed his full height, everyone burst into cheers far more grand than even those for the consummating kiss just moments ago. As King Baron placed Rosa's crown on her head and raised his sword to the heavens, the smattering of applause and cheering became quite literally deafening. Palom was screaming in delight, his voice amplified through magic. Porom, rather than giving her brother the usual bonk on the head for his antics, had joined in without hesitation. Edge, the prince of Eblan, had apparently gone temporarily insane and was hugging Rydia without shame, though she was returning it with shaky sobs of joy onto his shoulder, much to Whyt's disgruntlement.

Though the cheering did not entirely die down, everyone turned in awe as an almighty roar echoed from Bahamut, the God of Eidolons. Stretching his powerful wings and going airborne, a blast of pure power was expelled from his mouth, cutting across the sky. The other Eidolons followed suit, all but the weakest merging their own elements of fire, ice, earth, wind, and thunder in with the spectacle. Golbez watched in awe, and struck by inspiration, activated his most powerful spell.

Meteor!

With his explosive tribute, the energy vortex scattered across the sky, tinting the sunset with magical particles, the sparkling remnants of colossal powers in unity.

With this majestic offering complete, the celebration entered full swing. Before too long, Cid was on his fourth glass of ale, slobbering alcohol down his hairy beard in an effort to drink King Giott under the table. Many people were swaying slowly to the symphonious melodies played from the harp of Edward Chris von Muir, the new king of Damcyan. Golbez shuddered as he bloody images of Damcyan's massacre floated through his mind. He had been behind this attack, killing everyone Edward loved and cared for, including his mother, father, and fiancée Anna. How could life continue so normally? So…joyfully?

As Edward increased the tempo, the citizens began pairing up in dance. Golbez found himself dumbfounded and somewhat and intrigued by the happenings of these people. One moment Cecil was slow dancing with one of the most beautiful women on the entire planet, and the next, he was roaring with laughter as he tangoed with Cid. He swapped partners with Yang who was stylishly waltzing with Palom, attracting even more laughter. King Giott was spinning in a circle with his daughter Luca. Yang's wife Sheila was being swept off her feet by the charismatic Edge while Porom had twisted around Rydia's arms.

As the music's tempo reached its climax, a drunken Cid swaggered to his airship with his arm swung around Edge. The duo took off in an airship, serving as the flagship for Baron's entire fleet. They lit the skies with cannon fire, and the rest of the airships followed suit, firing wildly and filling the darkening sky with aimless shots. The fun was cut short when Ifrit apparently thought it would provoke laughter to try and flip the airship Cid and Edge were in. He was correct, but nonetheless, the duo's enthusiasm was stilted after this.

As the airships safely landed, everyone topped off the night with a toasting of Champagne. For those like Rydia and the Dwarves who had spent their lives with less fine drinks, this proved immensely satisfying. Others such as Edge and Cid plowed through several in a row and were now happily tired. As the citizens gradually made their way to their homes or the town inn, the Eidolons began to teleport, returning to the land they claimed their own. King Baron was the last to vanish, holding Cecil and Rosa's hands in pride.

Cecil and Rosa patrolled the virtually deserted city of Baron, encountering no one still of a sober mind. Several citizens lay passed out on the ground snoring peacefully, but the majority of the populace was stuffing up the town inn. Strangers were sharing rooms and chatting contently, not at all concerned with any inconvenience. The Dwarves, Cecil's acquaintances, and Cecil's friends were all given high-class rooms in the palace. As the lovers embraced outside, Edward's gentle music had now become a lullaby of sorts as he strung his passion into his heart. Cecil smiled towards Rosa and offered her his hand. As she took it, the two danced in the moonlight. Golbez smiled at the scene.

I suppose that's all for tonight. Good night, my brother.

As Golbez's mind returned entirely to his body, fatigued from his mana usage, he realized that his face was slightly damp. Perhaps the joys of Cecil's marriage had more of an impact on him than he had anticipated? He pondered the potential causes bemused, but ultimately, the reasoning did not matter. Time had moved on, and Golbez was content to continue watching over and, if necessary, protecting Earth until he was certain all was well. Feeling his mind shutting down, Earth's guardian angel was swept into unconscious sleep.

Author's Note: I finally cracked and decided I had to completely update this fanfiction. I finished five chapters whenever I was in junior high school and I really didn't make much of an effort to update and improve it since, a shame that has been dogging me ever since I started taking fanfiction seriously as a hobby. This is the new and improved version; I can now take pride in claiming it as my work. It has been bumped up from 3 pages to 6, and I am anticipating similar changes for the other four chapters I've finished, plus, now that it is at a big kid level, I might finally have the motivation to update it frequently. The general story will not change much, but it will be much less cliché and much more detailed than what my adolescent self spit out. Please review, favorite, and follow to let me know what you think!

Crow