Final Fantasy IV - Haunted Baron

Author's Note: What you will see here in the following chapters (Halloween) is the product of more than two weeks of writing. I wanted to do something special for Halloween. Unfortunately, I didn't get to finish the last chapter before we reached this day, but I have five of the six chapters complete sans editing and those will be added over the course of the day. I have two people to thank for critique and suggestions, one being Anonelbe, the other first_seventhe over at LJ. I didn't change everything suggested, but I did change a lot of it. I hope this is as enjoyable to read as it has been for me to write it! 01/08/10 edit: this story DOES NOT include FuSoYa or Golbez. That was an accidental mislabeling on the listing.


The full moon's light shone down. Baron's people. His people. Citizens he swore to protect when he took on the mantle of Dark Knight. Settled on his springy bed, he peered from his high tower window at his city. Torchlight and raucous cheer betrayed the city's bustle through stagnant fog. It laid low, gray mist masking a clear view of what he spent so long fighting to save. On occasion, he could see past the holes of his helmet with enough clarity to observe the changes made through his struggle.

Bat screeches and wolf howls echoed in the night. The haunting sounds chilled even his hardened spirit, so much that he nearly missed his beloved's feet lightly scuffling up the stairs.

He turned, eyes fixed on the noble beauty. For the briefest instant, he saw himself returned to another time. Yet the sweet words and gentle smile of Rosa Harvey soon broke the spell of a long ago memory.

"Oh, take off that silly helmet. Halloween or not, our guests don't want to see Baron's king hide his face behind such a grim artifact."

There was once a time when he used this object, this hunk of metal he always wrapped over his head, to disguise his guilt and sorrow at the murders in Mysidia and Mist. That burden had lifted the day he transcended the darkness inside him, and as fun as this night would be, he had to agree with his wife's sentiment. The latches snapped away with his fingers. The helmet opened, his short moon-white hair dropping onto the horned shoulders of his black Dark Knight armor. With the helmet's removal came clearer vision, and from it he looked upon the charming visage of his doting wife.

"That's better!" Rosa strode across the room, cape billowing behind her. She took her rightful place beside her husband, folding his hands into hers as she stared into Cecil's sea blue eyes. "Everyone else is ready for the big event."

"You haven't dressed yet," Cecil observed.

"A lady requires time to put on her costume. I just returned from a visit into town, Edward will bring our first group of special guests in an hour's time."

"Until then?" Cecil pondered. The mischievous though sweet grin on Rosa's face showed, beyond the pure white of her teeth, a much naughtier thought.

"What was the phrase? 'Trick or treat?' " she teased. Her hand rubbed against the crotchplate of Cecil's armor for a fleeting second before moving to a pouch on her belt. "But first, a courier delivered a Halloween gift sent straight to you, King Cecil."

"I told you not to call me that." True as it was, he knew the light in his eyes betrayed how much he enjoyed when his wife spoke his title. He took the small package from Rosa and tore a bit of its paper wrapping. The object's red glow flowed over him...


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This really was a brilliant idea, Edward surmised. The tragedies that befell towns and cities throughout the world due to Zemus' actions had almost everyone in dour moods. The momentous wedding of Cecil Harvey and Rosa Farrell, and their subsequent rise to the throne, offered a tiny glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel called recovery. The world needed new shocks and delights to fill the lives of its people, and what better plan than to celebrate Halloween by turning Baron's castle into a haunted one?

He sat under the Barbariccia statue. The notes of his harp drifted in the air to mingle with children and adults dressed in all manner of playful garb. Angels, devils, goblins and ghouls went from house to house knocking for little candies. None caused mischief in his presence, yet the state of the statue vividly showed what awaited this city when he departed.

Slander littered the once feared Fiend's petrified form, from 'easy breezy' on her shapely butt cheeks to 'fiendish floozy' on her stomach in different colored paints. Egg dripped off the crown of Barbariccia's head. Parchment stuffed into the deepest cracks of her wide, stony cunt. A toy phallus filled her open mouth and white cream dripped off her sagging, naked bosom. Baron's tricksters had finished her off with a stone phallus about her waist, its circumference thick as a dragoon's spear and the fake dangling ballsack holding spheres large as apples. A shoddy sign in front of her invited adventurous, debauched women to slake their lusts on the statue this evening, troubling signs of actual use found in a slight drip from the lower phallus' tip.

Edward sighed. Would that he could, this disrespect toward Barbariccia would be taken down this very second by his hand. He chose not to overstep his purpose; Baron's king and queen knew how to best approach this matter.

He surveyed the numbers gathered around him. Twenty guests, give or take, stood entranced by his melody. This number would more than fit for the first tour of the newly 'haunted' castle.

"Are you ready for the grand tour?" he asked out of courtesy. The vote of silence assured their readiness. With the final notes of his song, he rose and moved to the head of the path. He addressed the crowd a last time before they would set out. "I caution you to stay close. Only my music can keep you safe from the horrors you are about to witness."

All fanciful tale, a ploy to heightened the chilling atmosphere to come. Of everyone they could choose, Edward knew King and Queen Harvey picked him for his skill in bard tradition.

Jack-o-lanterns and crow caws lined the road to Baron Castle. The dark, hard winds rustled curled brown leaves and sent loose clothes to a flutter. His entourage, men and women old enough to enjoy such festive events, kept in file behind the light plucks to his harp strings. Soon enough, they gained their first sight of the remodeled Baron Castle.

Blue torchlight, spider webs and overgrown moss turned the once warm, glowing beacon of purity under the new King and Queen's rule into a temple of corruption and death. Its foreboding evil crept into the countryside. The moon shed daggers of light onto the leaf-empty trees surrounding the castle, while the evening's thick fog floated over the castle's rushing moat. The guest party's destination waited for them across the stone bridge... guarded by the legendary Odin.

His steed snorted fire. The stamping of hooves beat like drums on approach. The shocking turn came when Odin, clad head to toe in the toughest armor, removed his helmet to reveal the empty ghostly space where his head should have been. He aimed and sent a flurry of light arrows toward the encroaching party, each one missing its mark by a hair's width. With a scrape of metal came the headless horseman's sword, brandished high to take out the first swath of visitors.

"Duck!" Edward shouted. Odin's careful marksmanship truly astonished him, perhaps even a match for Rosa's fine hands. The blade sliced mere inches over their heads, and as the summon went into a slow trot, Edward led with a new order. "Everyone, hurry to the bridge! He can't attack us once we reach the castle grounds."

By Anna's memory, he hoped he convincingly acted out his fright. His feet carried him toward the bridge at a sprinter's pace. Few other than the ninjas of Eblan could outpace him, his light gait well-trained through the merciless battles between Damcyan and Fabul not so long ago. He reminded himself of the people under his 'protection', and to maintain appearances, slowed until the last man crossed the threshold. As the spectre faded away, he looked to the castle gates at their official greeters.

"Oh look Porom, the wuss ran away like he always does," Palom rudely spouted. The mouth on this boy was common and forgivable, but Porom...

"Can you blame him? He's a complete pansy. I could beat him to death with my staff if I still used one."

"Are you kidding sis? A staff is too much. Edward's so lame that a baby could spit up on him and he'd go hide behind a rock until its mother came and got it."

That's unusually cruel for an act, he thought, mentally shrugging it off. "I demand you let us pass, you wretched little imps."

They looked far more genuine than Edward thought makeup could achieve. Yellowed skin, long-pointed noses and ears, horns poking through their caps. Like they loved to do, they kept their clothes as paired opposites. Palom's chestnut brown bowl cut and Porom's lighter bangs peeked out the front edges of their respectively green and red caps, vests threaded in contrast colors, their large medallions still hanging from their necks. Wide grins suggested mischief on their minds.

"Hmph. Why should we?" Porom asked. "It's boring to stand guard out here all night. You can't leave with Odin waiting for you across the bridge, either. Maybe I'll cut all of you to pieces and play with your-"

"Enough," a grim voice - a familiar, masculine voice - broke from above. "I will deal with this matter, Goblin Twins."

"King Cecil!" the little monsters shouted in unison. Every person, man or beast, looked to the rarely used overhang of the main castle gates. With a heavy clamber, the black-hearted Dark Knight stepped forward, the moon's full round shape serving as the backdrop to his grand entrance. While impressive, the sound and sight of a teleport spell added to Cecil's majestic presence with the arrival of his wife.

"Correction, we will deal with this matter." Rosa's wicked smirk spread, her eyes glowing as demonic blood red as her darling husband's.

"It's them!" Edward called. "Dark Knight Cecil and Dark Sorceress Rosa, king and queen of the most corrupted cess pool to grace the Blue Planet! Their wicked hearts are a blight so terrifying, they put the threat of Zeromus to shame."

Rosa's wardrobe, a flawless complement to Cecil's armor, began with high-heeled greaves up to her knees and gauntlets from fingertips to spiked shoulder guards, her palms exposed. Her tiara and ponytail ornament, formerly gold fixtures to accent her noble purity, took on a new coal black color scheme. Armor panties rode up hard from crotch to waist and curved, flowing around her sides, belly bared to show her navel. The dashing form-fitting style defied all logic of armor design, pliant as cloth despite solid construction. As her long black cape blew in the harsh winds, she looked down at their guests with unbridled glee.

"I see the coward brought some slaves to serve us," she scoffed. "The others will be delighted to have a few new bodies to play with."

"Hey! What about us!" Porom complained.

Rosa sighed, waving her hand toward the imp. "Fine, we'll give you two a couple men and women to... play with, however you desire."

Edward stared at the queen as she laughed. His ear could sense the vile in her cold, derisive chuckle. It erred vastly from their afternoon rehearsal, far more spirited than someone of pure heart could pretend. The language of her body unveiled her secrets to him, from the back of her hand over her mouth to the rise and fall of her exposed midriff with each breath. He felt his member stiffen against his robes, the truth slowly dawning on him.

"Queen Rosa... something doesn't seem right about you..." he said.

"Oh look," Rosa wrapped her arms around the back of her husband's shoulders, "the dumb blonde is starting to figure it out. Should I show him?"

Cecil nodded. "Yes, my wife... show everyone what waits for them inside the castle."

Rosa's heinous smirk preceded the movement of her hands. They passed over her stomach. They entered her cleavage. As soon as her fingernails slipped under the edge of her armored cups, she ripped them sideways to unveil the colossal power of her breasts. More than works of beauty, their grand size brimmed with dark magic that poured passion over the crowd of onlookers as surely as a plague of locusts to crops. Its subtle emanations brought each person low.

"She permits me to play with these whenever I want," Cecil reminded his subjects. He scanned the crowd that would soon be joining them in the castle, pleasing his friends from across the world as fresh blood. His evil eyes settled on Edward, the one man defiant enough to resist his urges.

Edward acted on instinct. The feel of his harp strings, smooth or rough, thin or thick, they all harkened him for play. And play he did. He twanged them one by one. Each note vibrated in the night air over the light groans of his group. He felt the passion stirring inside begin to wane, and as he glanced above, he witnessed Queen Rosa in a state he never once expected to see.

"Agh! Curse you Edward!" Rosa cried. She mashed her hands into her aching, throbbing breasts as the bard's song reflected her power back tenfold. Energy coursed through them, her entire chest wrought with an orgasm more powerful than any she had known from her now dripping loins.

"You're not acting," Edward noted. "Something changed you while I was away."

Cecil answered, "How observant, for a lowly bard. You can say the Halloween spirit found us and opened us to a new world of delights."

"You can fight it, all of you!"

"Not this time. The source of our power is much too strong... but perhaps you should see for yourselves. It would be rude not to entertain our guests. Right, Rosa?"

She groaned as she recovered. "He made me look foolish, Cecil. I want him to suffer for it."

Cecil turned to his wife. His hand passed over her flowing locks and passed them over her shoulder. "He will in time. Our friends will make him easy prey when... if he reaches us." He shifted his focus back toward the bard, voice booming on the walls as he addressed the crowd. "There are four sets of keys inside the castle to reach the throne room. You can either find them and face us... or run like your cowardly leader has so often done and die by Odin's blade."

"Cecil!" Edward shouted. He hoped that the name would bring his goodness out to conquer whatever hellspawn spell had taken control. Instead, he got one last good look into the red void of the king's eyes.

"Until next time, Edward... if there is a next time."

The couple faded away in a flashing sparkle of dark light, leaving the moon's glow to beat down on their guests.

Edward, de facto leader, returned his gaze to the Goblin Twins. It pained him to see the two innocent children transformed into such grotesque beasts, yet he knew his sentimentality had no place in the new heart of darkness.

"Open the gate," he commanded.

The metal lock clanged at the press of a button. Both wooden doors creaked loudly as they opened inward under the twins' pushing.

"We'll see you soon," Palom jeered.

"Yeah," Porom added, "nobody insults our queen and gets away with it! Certainly not some pansy bard."

Edward guided his retinue past the axe and sword wielding imps. Cobwebs. Moss. Spectral blue candlelight. Skulls and bones. These features decorated the interior of the castle among the crack-laden stone walls. The smell of blood ran thick. The floor's light fog obscured each set of stairs that Edward knew straddled the first set of doors toward the throne room. Steeling himself for the task at hand, he stepped toward the right passage of Baron Castle.