Final Fantasy XVI: Lion King Edition

Taking Back the Throne

I am very sorry to say that Jill was right, or at least that was how Clive was seeing it from his perspective. The home he had once known had become what some might call a shadow land. Even Jill called it one. A shadow land of parched earth, no plant life and bones of various creatures lying scattered around. Clive took whatever was left of his home with growing sadness, but he managed to hold it back. Horrified by the devastation, he whispered.

"What has she done? What have I done?"

It was not until too late that he noticed Jill hugging him from behind.

"Clive!" she sobbed.

Clive turned his head to notice her and he wanted to rub his cheek against her, but his face was still fixated on the sight of his home. The enormity of this task was going to hit him hard.

"This will not be easy," he said. "It will be arduous."

"And we will see it through to the end. Together."

"So will we!" came the voice of Tyler.

He and Wade plus Jill had traveled via chocobos compared to Clive's own two feet.

"What brings you here?" asked Clive. "Would have assumed you would stay behind."

"We also brought friends as well," said Wade. "The man Cid rounded up a whole army for us."

Cid himself stood before a crowd of hundreds, most of whom came from Dhalmekia.

"If you think you're gonna put things right without my help, Clive, you'd be dead already."

Clive chuckled at this and went back to being serious. His attention was turned straight to the palace. Slowly they walked to the castle courtyard. From what they could see, the courtyard was overrun by a pack of Black Shields, some laxing about, others conversing and most on patrol.

"Monstrous bastards," Tyler whispered. "And look at those swords. Are you sure charging in is a good idea?"

Clive came up with a quick plan.

"You lead the knights away. Jill and I will find my mother."

Wade and Tyler went first, They threw a nearby stone at one of the Shields, hitting him in the head.

"He did it!" they pointed at each other. And before you know it, the Black Shields were lured outside, right into the waiting swords of the Dhalmekia hundred.

As the attention of the Black Shields was diverted by Tyler and Wade's army, Clive, Jill and Torgal zipped behind them. Quietly they sneaked into the throne room, in the shadows unnoticed by anyone. The room was dimly lit, no thanks to the small candles providing little against the bright, yet overcast sky. They stood quietly, watching a blonde-headed figure making his way through a hushed crowd of nobles, walking with grace and poise like a true prince.

Dion walked the gauntlet from the back of the crowd to the front, his head held high. Nobody moved. The nobles stared at him ominously. An eerie wind blew through the throne room. He stopped before his stepmother.

"You wished to see me?"

"Why are you not with your betrothed?"

"There are far greater things than marriage to secure one's bloodline," Dion told her sharply. "Like one's harvesting of resources. Additionally, my fiancé requests an equal share of land that is plentiful, untouched by the blight."

"Why not here?" asked Anabella. "If it's resources she wants, then she obviously is not looking hard enough."

Dion's patience began to wear thin.