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Chapter Text

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Despite the popular belief that Sabin was as loud as crows fighting over a carcass, what with his gallivanting around the castle, singing at the top of his lungs the arias he had recently seen with his parents and brother or had heard on the radio, and generally making a ruckus wherever he went; Sabin proved to the few who visited the libraries that he could be still and quiet for hours at a time. Often seen in the evening hours long after supper time, the younger prince read large volumes and had a steaming cup of herbal tea or hot chocolate on the small table next to his chair. His dusty slippers rested atop the footrest just in front of the large, squishy armchair, and occasionally, he would take a sip of the hot drink.

Only the scholars and Edgar knew of Sabin's quiet evenings, and smiled when he astonished his parents by correcting the chancellor when it came to history.

One particular evening, long after a hearty meal of roasted ham and vegetables, Edgar decided to visit his brother down in the west library because he had not spoken to him much that day due to their lessons keeping them both busy. He left his four-poster bed behind and ventured into the corridor that had been dark for some time now. The youth did not need a candle for he knew the halls like he knew the intricacies of the skin patterns on his hands. He passed a maid who did not even see the blond haired boy with the regal blue ribbons, and padded along in his socks; the stones beneath his feet felt cold.

"Why must castles get so cold and drafty at night?" Edgar wondered, taking a right and going up a flight of stairs.

He had to cross the courtyard in secrecy so the guards wouldn't be alarmed that one of the heirs was out of bed after midnight when their parents believed so strongly that young boys should be in bed, getting a good night's sleep. Edgar was starting to become an insomniac, but he felt fine during the day with only an hour or two of rest.

Ducking in the shadows, he scuttled across the stones and avoided urns with flowers sprouting out of them, and slipped into the west wing of the palace, finding that this section was dark as well. No matter, he found the library open, with a few scholars reading large, dusty books at the tables, all absorbed in the worlds the books presented.

In the corner, hidden by the stacks and tables, Edgar found his brother sipping from his mug, and reading a leather-bound book on martial arts from what the gold-laced letters told him.

"Hello my dear brother, what are you studying tonight?" Edgar whispered, but loud enough to catch Sabin's attention.

His sky blue eyes rose from the pages, smile lines appearing at the corners of his eyes, "I'm reading about martial arts. Fighting techniques and how they make the spirit stronger, and how they help the soul stay pure."

"Why how interesting! That sounds very philosophical indeed," The elder of the twins chimed, his voice like smooth cream.

Sabin grinned, tucking a slip of paper in the fold and snapped the book shut for the moment.

"I wonder what you have been reading lately, brother. You never used to read in your room all alone. I remember you distinctly telling me how you loved my company when you read."

Edgar let out a laugh, shaking his head as he unbuttoned the bottom of his shirt and pulled the cloth up to reveal a pocket sized novel wedged in the brim of his pants. Before Sabin could ask what in blazes it was, his brother pulled the book out and held it up, while stepping closer so Sabin could read the title.

"Inhibitions Unchained," Sabin said slowly, unsure of what to think about such a name for a novel.

Edgar could see that his twin was trying to figure out what kind of story was within the pages of the novel, and decided to read an excerpt to him.

"Mercy, I need you now. Never had I needed a woman's touch more than yours."

"Oh Darin, my heart beats for you. My blood flows for you, of course my love."

Mercy let her hand be guided downwards, trembling with trepidation and anxiety. This was her first time doing anything like this, and now Darin was to teach her the ways of lovers.

It felt warm and har-"

"Edgar! Stop reading, now!" Sabin's face was red with blush, embarrassed for one reason or another, and scrambled out of the library. The remaining scholars gave the prince curious looks as he ran past, then focused their stares back at Edgar, who was chuckling to himself as he tucked the pocket novel back into his pants. He picked up the mug that sat on the table and blew to help it cool some more before taking a long drink. The ribbon-ed young blond sauntered out of the room, resuming his charismatic lop-sided grin.

"Tut tut, young Sabin. Even though we are merely twelve, it is vastly important to study the ways of lovers. Ladies in the future will love me for it."

Chapter Text

It was hunting season again in the kingdom of Figaro, when the men, teenagers, and even the preteens would go kill something special for the harvest celebration. It was a time of happiness and merriment, a time of showing loved ones how loved they were. It was also the perfect time for young boys to become men by slaying their first monster or game animal, and bring it home for their mothers and sisters and grandmothers even to prepare it and serve it up for their own special harvest time meal.

During all of the fuss with preparations in the castle, King Bronson Figaro was having some problems with his fourteen year old sons.

"But Father, I cannot go! I am going to go meet Celia in the courtyard later!"

"Oh shove it, Edgar, she just agreed to hang around with you so you would stop popping in on her in the bath."

"Shut it brother!" Edgar snarled, shooting a mean glare at his younger twin.

"Boys, boys, calm your chocobos. Girls aside, you both need to spend some quality time with your old man. I won't be around forever ya know," The king chuckled, stroking his dark blond beard amused.

"We'll just be out for a day, then you can go stalk Celia all you want."

"FATHER!"
"I was kidding! I mean follow her around like a creep."

"Ha ha, good one!"

"STOP IT!"

"Fine, I meant watch her outside her window as she dresses."

This made the young lad's jaw drop, "How did you find out?"

"The guards aren't only there to watch out for assailants ya know." King Bronson chuckled in his deep baritone voice once more before instructing his sons to get dressed for their outing. He left with a nonchalant wave, leaving Edgar fuming on his bed, and Sabin draped over the divan, grinning like a tom cat.

"Dear brother, you should've known by now that Father had somebody keep an eye on you, especially since your hormones won't simmer down," Sabin stretched languorously before righting himself and stood up.

He went over to the wardrobe and pulled out a clean button up shirt and some denim pants of his that had somehow found their way into Edgar's room. The maids were always mixing up their clothes.

"Come on now, up and at 'em! Get dressed, we can't keep Father waiting," The younger twin said while pulling his pants up and fastening the buttons.

Edgar let out a low sigh and did as he was told, and soon after fixing a few of his velvet ribbons in his long blond hair, they left Edgar's room and wandered down to the castle gates.

Preparations for the next few days of celebrating were already underway, with fresh flowers adorning the walls and the fountain in the middle of the courtyard. Fairy lights were hung, and the candles were not burning yet, but as soon as the sun set, and the moon rose high, they would be blazing, making the courtyard appear to have little burning stars hanging in their midst.

The brothers both loved this time of year, but having to go hunting with their Father was something completely new to them, for they had watched Father's hunting team leave across the desert sands, their chocobos kicking up sand as they sped off.

Sabin was relishing the chance to feel the wind on his face, get bugs in his teeth for smiling so much, and the chance to make his father proud.

Edgar was just hoping he didn't hurt anything that he wasn't going to be aiming at, and hoped that they returned in time for him to see Celia.

Their father, who was currently speaking with their mother, Fleta, was already sitting on top of his steed with a small fleet of guards nearby, all awaiting for their departure.

Their mother turned when she heard the boys, "Good morning boys!" She smiled, her face that of an angel with golden hair that reached down to the backs of her knees and wore a dress of rose colored satin that flared out with about a million ruffles and ribbons.

"Good morning Mother," The twins said in sync with each other, as they were most of the time.

"Be safe today during your hunt! Oh, I'm so happy! My little boys, my darling little boys will become men! Ah!" Queen Fleta did a twirl to accent her happiness as she spoke, her voice melodic and dreamy.

After hugs, and good lucks from their mother, the hunting party left in a cloud of sand. The chocobos of the Figaroan stables were exceptionally fast that day, and the party reached the forest swiftly without any delays.

"Father? What in the world is that?"

"It is a Leafer, son. A rabbit that is tasty in stews. Go chop its head off now. Shoo shoo."

"But it looks so helpless! Look at the miserable thing!"

Said Leafer perked its ears up, and in defiance of the insults thrown its way, it hopped away.

"Edgar! Hurry, before it slowly hops away! Lop its head off!"

Edgar let out a string of grumbles as he walked at his normal pace up to the lettuce rabbit, and stepped on its tail. It squealed pitifully and then it knew nothing more.

"Hey look! I knocked the sorry thing out! Let's go now."

The sky was growing darker, the sun sinking low behind the mountain range, and Sabin had caught the first fowl that day. He proceeded to slay three more before his Father told him to leave some for the other hunters.

Edgar hopped on to his chocobo, tying his Leafer up with a piece of rope, and hung it from his saddle.

"Okay, men! Let's ride!" King Bronson shouted, speeding off first, and leaving several of his personal guards coughing in his wake.

Sabin and Edgar took off after him, both whooping and laughing, and Edgar, despite himself, had a lot of fun. His mind did not even return to Celia until he started riding back towards the castle.

And as they neared the gates, his freshly knocked out Leafer roused, and bit his leg hard, drawing rivulets of blood that soaked into the feathers of his steed.

"AAAAAH!" The prince screamed, falling off the chocobo clutching his right leg in agony.

"Are you alright brother? What happened?" Sabin asked, having jumped down from his ride and hurried over to his brother.

"That damn thing bit me!" He cried, pointing angrily at the flailing Leafer.

It's needless to say that Edgar missed his meeting with Celia that night due to his injury, and had the Leafer for dinner the following night with his brother in vengeance. Celia did not agree to go out to meet him again after being stood up the first time even though he explained what had happened. She called him a liar and left haughtily.

"Well, well, looks like you need more practice son," King Bronson chuckled, clapping Edgar on the shoulder.

"Yeah, looks like it."

Chapter Text

The harvest festival during one particular year in the kingdom of Figaro was especially entertaining and fun for the citizens of the castle for two main reasons. One: King Bronson decided to host a large party in the courtyard for those who lived in the castle, and simultaneously sent supplies to South Figaro for their party. There would be dancing, fairy lights strung above to aid the atmosphere, refreshments, and a large orchestra on a loft to belt out the most beautiful and happy melodies to make everybody feel the merriment and joy.

And two: The twin princes were being very amusing that year with the display they put on for the entire court to see.

A loud, very springy tune was coming from the orchestra, the cellos were swaying and moving their notes up and down, the violin's sound swelled like an ocean wave rushing to shore, the flutes and clarinets fluttered their voices high to almost dizzying heights. Nearly all of the party goers were on the dance floor, save for a few guardsmen who stood awkwardly, longing to join, and a group of the elderly in their chairs watching the youngsters have fun while tapping their feet in time with the drums.

King Bronson and Queen Fleta were in the middle of the courtyard, dancing to the music with the newest steps from Jidoor they learned the week prior. The queen laughed as her husband spun her around, her hair twirling with her, and blushed when he gave her a quick kiss as they came close again. This earned cheers and squeals from those around them; the people loved seeing their rulers behaving like an ordinary couple.

A little ways off, another couple was having a bit of a tiff.

"Edgar, I told you I wasn't interested in seeing you again."

"But why, Celia?"

"You stood me up last time and then told a vicious lie to cover it up!"

"That is not true! I'll show you the scab from where it's healing! Come on, right here!"

"No, button your trousers back up you pervert!"

"Then let's go somewhere private and I'll show you."

"LIKE I AM THAT STUPID."

Celia spun on her heel and strode off in the direction of the gardens, her fluffy short brown hair bouncing as she wove her way through the crowd.

Edgar started after her, deeply worried that she truly hated his guts, when he felt a hand grip his shoulder blade tightly.

"Brother, let it go, all right?" Sabin's amused voice said from behind him.

His brother turned to face him, scowling, "Oh, you couldn't possibly understand, brother. You've never even kissed a girl."

"If that's what you think. Anyways, I always thought I gave pretty good advice, I mean our guard Matty got married because I told him to go for it with Weddy," He smiled boyishly, seeing Edgar's eye twitch.

"You can't go after a girl like that right after you got her angry with you. Give her a few to cool off, then go apologize. It works every time, Father says so."

As Edgar was about to reply, a new boisterous song lifted up from the trumpets that turned into a waltz, inviting the dancers to start a country dance that involved everybody to intertwine and switch partners as they went along. The twins were suddenly swept away with the tide of people, finding themselves to be partners in the sea of spinning petticoats and tramping shoes. When they took their turn skipping down the line, many girls giggled and blushed at the princes of Figaro dancing together.

Sabin grinned, taking the situation in stride, and Edgar, first feeling embarrassed, started having fun leading his brother in their dance.

An hour and several dances and a few glasses of wine later, Edgar drifted off to the gardens to search for Celia.

Past the dahlias, asters, hydrangeas, and pansies, he found her leaning across a low tree branch, looking up at the sky. Her face looked a little puffy from the side, and her eyes were lined with redness, making the young prince wonder whether she had been crying. Glancing around, he saw that the hedges were high, and on his way, he saw nobody else, not even a guard. His wined brain smirked at the possibilities.

A swing hung from the willow tree, and the scent of flowers, mostly roses in that area, filled the air, adding to the heady night air. The waltzes turned into sonatas by this time, and the sound traveled well into the gardens.

Edgar plopped down on the wide seat of the swing, appearing to be nonchalant as his feet swung slightly, and caught the attentions of the girl.

"Edgar!" she gasped, "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"Easy, you often come here to gaze at the night sky. It's one of my favorite spots as well." He smiled at her, his eyes smoldering now, making the poor girl unable to look away.

"Well, it is a nice quiet place to come to think," She said softly, lowering her eyes to the grass with some effort.

"You should come sit with me, I want to apologize," Edgar patted the seat next to him, deepening his smile.

Her fingers wrung the fabric of her skirt, and biting her lip, she did sit next to him without any objections.

For awhile they sat in silence, listening to the orchestra back in the courtyard and watching the stars twinkle above.

In his mind, Edgar memorized Celia's face, saving her eyes for last, studying the olive color and putting it in a safe place to keep for later. She looked over at him right as his eyes were grazing down towards her budding chest, too innocent to realize where he was looking at so intently.

"So? You said you wanted to apologize," the girl crossed her arms, returning to the feisty child he knew for years.

"Alright, I'm very sorry. I honestly did not mean to hurt your feelings, and I humbly beg for your forgiveness."

Edgar's companion sighed, shaking her head, "I guess we can be friends again, just no more excuses, okay? I already have enough trouble putting up with the other boys."

She stood up then, her hand reaching to him, "Come on! Let's go dance, Lover-boy."

"Really? You want to dance with me?" the blond lad asked, astonished that she did not get angry, or deck him. He grabbed her hand, and pulled himself up from the swing, smiling when she nodded.

Dancing was one of the finer things in life, one of those youthful activities that allow young men and women to hold each other, to hold hands, to touch, without being alone. The intimacy of speaking into their partner's ear, the feel of their breath on their necks was very pleasurable indeed. As Edgar and Celia spun together, both happy, he spotted Sabin with another young girl with blond hair, dancing together. An impish smile spread across his face as he realized that he and Sabin were growing up, and the proof was the young ladies in their arms.

Chapter Text

There once was a turtle that got lost. He was going, slowly mind you, to a nice stream along the mountain side. But, somehow, he got turned around, and ended up in the desert. The sand blew into his eyes. The wind made him wince. And soon, no matter which way he turned his head, he only saw sand dunes in all directions.

The turtle was confused, of course. He was resolved to keep walking on, though, feeling that something was waiting for him. So he kept on, moving at a turtle's pace, climbing up and down the dunes, his ill-equipped feet slipping and sliding on the sands.

At one point, he fell to the side, and got stuck in a dune. Feeling distraught, the turtle pulled his arms and legs back into his shell, and finally his head. He fell asleep inside, dreaming of water and cattails in the spring.

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"Hey! Lookit that, Matron!" Sabin shouted, pointing a finger out of their carriage.

"Hmm, you don't see that sort of thing every day, do you, dear?" the woman responded, following Sabin's finger to the turtle shell halfway buried in the sand. She motioned for the carriage driver to stop, and once settled, the boy jumped out of the window and landed on his new shoes.

The young prince scooped up the turtle and peered inside, but saw that the animal was hiding.

"Do you think he's dead, Matron?" Sabin asked with a worried look.

"Probably not, dear, bring him here so I can see."

Matron looked carefully for a moment at the turtle that Sabin held up for her.

"Bring him inside the carriage with you, Sabin honey. Looks like you have a new pet!" the governess smiled, ruffling Sabin's blond hair when he hopped back inside their compartment.

The prince talked his governess's ear off all the way home about how he was going to make a nice bed for his turtle, and how he was going to make a little pond for him to swim in, and everything that a turtle would need.

Once home, Sabin did just as he said he was going to. He rushed into his bedroom with his turtle, and sat the creature down on his sofa as he searched around for a suitable bed. Sabin knocked over his card house, a stack of school books, Edgar's domino fort, and several more of their toys in his excited search.

The noise drew his twin brother from his studies, and annoyed him to no end.

"Gosh, what's that loser up to now?" Edgar scowled, marking his place in his textbook as he got up from his armchair. The older brother left his room, and found his brother sticking his behind in the air as he had his head in a toy box. His hands tossed playthings out of the box behind him, and made a clatter as they landed in random places around the room.

"Excuse me, Sabin. I think you're playing with your toys wrong," Edgar snorted, picking his way towards the younger prince.

Disregarding the comment entirely, Sabin poked his head out of the toy box, "Hey! Edgar, can you help me build a nice little bed?"

"But you already have a bed. And it's quite nice, by the way. Why do you need a new one?" the elder brother asked, suspicious now.

Sabin pointed to the sofa, where the turtle had finally woken up due to the noise, and was looking around rather confused.

"…" Edgar stared at the turtle, who stared back curiously. It began to pop its legs out of the shell and started walking towards him.

"I thought you and Matron went into South Figaro for our pastries and new shoes. Not a turtle…"

"Oh, Matron brought those in. They're in her room now."

"You know Mother and Father will not approve of it."

"How would you know? They let pigeons in the castle!"

"Pigeons are completely different! Father uses them for his messages with that group he doesn't want us knowing about!"

"Well, maybe I can use the turtle for messages."

"Oh yeah, after we get him to walk across the room in under thirty minutes," Edgar laughed.

Edgar felt something whack against his shin, which hurt a little. He looked down to see the turtle pulling his head back to hit Edgar's leg again.

"What the hell is it doing?!"

Thud.

"Looks like he doesn't like you too much," Sabin giggled, coming over to pat the turtle's shell like he would a dog's head.

The turtle gave Sabin what seemed to have been an appraising look before winding his head back to whack Edgar's leg once more. The elder brother jumped away and climbed up on Sabin's canopy bed out of the turtle's reach. Edgar's eyes met the turtles, and could have sworn he saw ill intent gleaming in those shiny black dots.

"Are you actually afraid of my turtle?" Sabin's eyebrows went up.

"No, I just don't think he's too keen on me," Edgar spat, pulling one of Sabin's pillows in front of him like a little shield.

"No matter, you gotta help me make Mister Turtle a bed. You're good with building stuff!" Sabin returned to his search in the toy box, jutting his butt in the air as his front went down into the depths.

Building blocks soared out of the box, and once or twice a block smacked Edgar's head, causing the older prince to yelp when struck.

The turtle was enjoying the flying objects from what Edgar could see, and was trying to chase the airborne stuffed animals, bouncy balls, slingshots, dominoes, and dice. But Mister Turtle only got to where one particularly interesting toy landed a few moments after it fell before many more toys were on their way to who knows where.

Mister Turtle finally settled on a blue rubber ball that was about the right size for him to hold it in his mouth. The turtle would nudge the ball around the floor with his nose, pick it up in his mouth and carry it a few paces away, and even kick at it with his front legs.

Sabin finally emerged from the toy box empty handed, having drained the box of all of its contents, and looked around.

Edgar had been watching the turtle play, and smiled when Sabin saw it too.

"Oh my gosh, he's a smart turtle, isn't he?" Sabin exclaimed, rushing forwards to give his new pet a great big hug. The turtle took the hug well, made a weird raspy noise, and resumed playing when Matron and their mother knocked on the door.

"My darlings, it is time for the midday meal! Come, come, I understand that we shall be having pumpkin pie!" Queen Fleta announced, beaming in such a way that her sons could not help smiling back.

"Oh! What is this?" the queen bent down next to Mister Turtle curiously.

"I have not seen a turtle in ages…" she murmured, petting the turtle's head softly.

Before Sabin could even ask, or before Edgar could request that the turtle be put back where he came from, the queen said, "Yes, you may keep him as a pet!"

"Really?" Sabin asked excitedly, running up to his mother and hugging her around the middle.

"Really?" Edgar said in disbelief. He was sure that his mother would be repulsed by the creature! Matron went over the Edgar and took his pillow, smiling down at him.

"Isn't there anything that you can do, Matron?" Edgar pleaded, keeping his voice down so Sabin would not punch the back of his head or anything.

"Are you jealous, Prince Edgar?" she asked, returning the pillow to its place next to its friend, the blue pillow.

"No, just, gods, look at it! Wouldn't a cat be better, or something?"

"Look how taken your brother is by the turtle. And it seems that the reptile is happy with Sabin. He did save the poor thing from dying in the middle of the desert after all."

Matron bent down to Edgar's ear, and whispered, "Anyways, turtles are notorious for finding ways to escape. He won't be around for long."

The elder prince felt better after learning this, and dutifully followed his mother and twin down to the dining room for the royal family. Sabin carried his turtle along with him, and the turtle seemed to enjoy the ride.

Their father was a little taken aback when Sabin presented Mister Turtle to him, but was soon thrilled that his sons now had a pet. He was especially pleased when Mister Turtle turned out to be the perfect guest at a meal. He did not speak garishly about his country's matters in a voice that drowned out everybody else's; he did not talk with his mouth full, or chew with his mouth open.

Mister Turtle listened to everything carefully, ate everything on his plate with gusto, and best of all, he did not walk on the table. (The king had received a guest from Vector who got very drunk once and walked on the table in his stocking feet to reach a bit of custard.)

Edgar kept repeating in his head what Matron told him, and continued the rest of his day avoiding that blasted turtle.

Sabin however, brought his turtle everywhere with him, including Edgar's room, and spent all of his time playing with Mister Turtle. He tried getting Edgar to play with them, but to no avail. Edgar was oddly more interested in his steam engine textbook than playing fetch with their new pet.

"Come on, look! He's almost there!" Sabin exclaimed, pointing excitedly when Mister Turtle was a few inches away from the ball. A few more thrilling seconds and-got it!

"Now he's gotta bring it back to me," Sabin said, grinning up at his brother from his spot in the floor.

Edgar smirked into his notes, despite himself, as his twin went on with his commentary about how smart and "fast" his turtle was. If only the dolt knew that Mister Turtle would disappear in the night.

But the days went on in this fashion, with Sabin playing with his pet, ignoring his studies, and Edgar became increasingly annoyed by the constant company and how Matron's prediction hadn't come true yet. He wouldn't tell his brother to leave him be however, because that wasn't very brotherly, and their parents would take away his sketchbooks and bits of metal he nicked from the engine rooms.

At least, that's what Edgar told himself.

Truth be told, the boy was enjoying watching Sabin toss rubber balls for the reptile, making building block mazes for it to go through, and reading it fairy stories. Sabin hadn't looked so happy in ages, especially since they were dragged down so much by their studies of world history and machines. And sometimes, when Sabin left the room to grab snacks from the kitchens, Edgar would venture to pet Mister Turtle on the head. And Mister Turtle stopped whacking him in the leg after that first day.

About two weeks had passed, and Edgar had given in to helping Sabin create a little pond for Mister Turtle in Sabin's bedroom, much to the dismay of the maid staff.

One morning, though, Sabin rushed into Edgar's room with tears running down his cheeks.

"EDGAR! IT'S HORRIBLE! GEDDUP YOU LARD." The younger twin yanked the covers off of his brother and pushed him out of bed with a heavy thump.

From his tangle of sheets and pillows that fell with him, Edgar popped his head up over the side of the bed, "What the bloody hell is your problem? Buttons caught you again?" Edgar was never a morning person, and being pushed out of his bed made his mood much worse.

Sabin landed on his bed, "Mister Turtle's left me! How did he get out of the room?! The door was closed, I swear!"

Edgar expected to feel relief wash over him because what he had been wishing for had finally happened. But instead, his jaw went slack and tears threatened to fall from his eyes.

Upon seeing his watery expression, Sabin exclaimed, "I know! It's horrible! We've got to find him!" Sabin pulled his brother from the floor and they ran to Matron's apartment in their bare feet.

Sabin woke Matron in a kinder fashion than when he woke Edgar, and quickly explained what had happened.

"Come on! We need a carriage! We're going to look for him, now!" he cried, to which Matron merely nodded while rubbing at her eyes.

"Give me a moment to dress, boys, and I'll call a carriage for us." She yawned big, and gave Edgar a questioning look when she saw how he was as distressed as his twin. Matron pulled the rope for breakfast, and let the twins eat her toast as they waited. She ordered the maid who brought their breakfast to call a carriage for them.

Soon, Matron was dressed properly in her robes, the carriage was ready out at the front gates, and the boys pulled their governess along. Many guardsmen eyed the trio curiously as they hurried by, but allowed them to pass without inquiry.

The sun was just rising above the horizon when they made it to the carriage and clambered inside. Matron beckoned a pair of guards to them before they set off and asked if they had seen Mister Turtle.

"Hmm, well yes, I did see a turtle crawling away. I think it went southeast, ma'am."

"Thank you very much." Matron nodded to the guards, "Set off southeast, please!"

The driver complied, and the vehicle lurched forward as the chocobos took off across the dunes.

The twins sat at either window, scanning the endless sea of sand for a small dark figure moving slowly, but found none. The turtle didn't leave any noticeable tracks, and if it had, they would have been blow away with the ever shifting sands.

Edgar and Sabin refused to turn back to the castle for hours, when at last they reached a patch of grass near the base of the mountain range. When they got closer, they all saw a cave looming ahead.

"Hmm, maybe the turtle went in there. I bet there's a spring in there." Matron observed quietly.

"Yeah! Let's check it out!" Sabin agreed excitedly, his hopes never faltering.

Once the carriage pulled the group close enough to the cave opening, the twins climbed out and waited for the driver to help Matron out before they scrambled into the cave.

It was the cave that they often passed during their trips to South Figaro, but neither Sabin nor Edgar had entered it before. Usually, they went into the mountain passes to reach the city so they could remain in the safety of their carriage.

Within the first room of the cave, they heard dripping close by. The driver lit a torch hanging from the wall, and led them to the source of the dripping.

And Sabin was the first to see Mister Turtle bobbing up and down in the clear waters.

"Mister Turtle!" he cried, rushing to the edge of the spring, nearly flopping in head first in the process. Edgar held on to his collar as Sabin reached as far as he could to pet the turtle.

Mister Turtle swam closer and leaned into Sabin's caresses, seemingly happy.

"I was so afraid that you'd be lost in the desert again, Mister Turtle." He hoisted the turtle out of the water for a hug, not caring if his clothes got wet.

Matron went to the prince's side then, "You know, Sabin, Mister Turtle's a wild animal."

He looked up at her, "Yeah, so?"

"He will be much happier to stay here, where he belongs. Turtles don't belong in the middle of the desert, dear." She said gravely.

Sabin's face fell. After a few moments, he slowly lowered Mister Turtle into the water.

"You're right, Matron…" he sighed, and looked to Edgar searchingly. He knew that Matron wanted them to leave Mister Turtle behind.

"Can we at least come visit him sometimes?"

Edgar spoke up then, "We're going to visit Mister Turtle at least once a week. I don't care how much studying we have." He looked defiantly at Matron and the carriage driver. Matron merely nodded with a smile at the twins. Sabin hugged Edgar's legs from where he sat.

"I think that lunch should be in order now. Come, boys! Your parents will be wondering where you've escaped to." Matron and the driver started to go, leaving Edgar and Sabin behind with Mister Turtle.

Sabin turned back to Mister Turtle with a smile, "Okay, you be a good turtle now. Don't go and get yourself lost again, okay? Just stay here where it's safe, and I'll be back soon!" Edgar listened quietly as his brother continued on with his instructions to his pet.

Edgar sat down at the edge of the spring next to Sabin and submerged his leg in the water near the turtle.

Sabin looked over at him puzzled. "Go on, you know you want to." Edgar said to the turtle.

Mister Turtle swam over to his leg and gave his shin a big whack.

"I knew you loved Mister Turtle, too! You big faker." Sabin grinned.

"Oh shut it." Edgar grinned back, giving Mister Turtle a pat on the head.