Disclaimer: None of this is in any way mine. I only add on to a world and characters that were already created.

This is not meant to alter the story so much as expand on it. Final Fantasy II's world is very interesting for one made in the NES era when back story for video games was comprised of little more than: save the princess. I thought that I would simply flesh out the characters and tweak the plot a bit. Don't expect anything too different from the game, just some minor changes and much more character development. Thank you in advance to all who take the time to read this.

Final Fantasy II: The Rebellion

Princess Hilda was uneasy. The Emperor was visiting her father again. The man, persistent in his ways, had visited the castle of Phin before. He seemed determined to make the king of Phin an ally. Whether this was because he truly thought that he had something to gain from allying his empire with Phin or was simply just trying to pry information out of her father, Hilda did not know. Maybe he knew that the king was the one behind the Wild Rose Rebellion? One thing was for sure though...

She did not trust the man at all.

Apparently her father did not trust him either. Try as he might, Emperor Mateus could not and would not get her father to budge an inch. The king, hot-tempered and sentimental though he may be, was no fool. He was a powerful, strong-willed man, and when he made up his mind about a persons character, it would not be changed. His dislike for the young man ran deep, and no pretty offers or false charm were going to coerce him into allying himself with the man.

The king sat on his throne before the handsome young emperor listening to his speech. He had no interest in hearing another word out of the conniving wretch's mouth, but it was best that he at least remained reasonable, for however long his patience would last him.

"You must understand, Your Majesty," the young man said as he bowed respectfully. "That with the way things are going, we can hardly hope that any kingdoms will still be standing for very much longer."

"Whose fault, may I ask, is that?" the king replied coldly. "It was your empire that decided to attack Deist, after all."

"Your Majesty, I am sorry that you would think such a thing of me!" Mateus cried out, looking scandalized. "As though you feel that all I am capable of is destruction. You speak as though I have nothing but dishonorable intentions towards you and your kingdom. Why, I merely wish for us to make amends towards each other. After all, if we were to say, combine our strengths, to work together, we would be able to put an end to the conflict at hand."

"It would seem more like have my kingdom lose everything it's stands for," the king replied sharply. "That is to say, freedom and respect for even the common people, something that you do not seem to understand."

The young man only bowed his head. "I am sorry that you think that I am uncaring towards the people," he said softly. "...but do you not think, Your Majesty, that they would be better served if all ill matters were to end entirely?"

The king glared at the much younger man standing before him. "You too, would do well to keep that in mind," he said, his blue eyes narrowed in distaste.

Mateus simply stared at him. His pale blue-gray eyes had a look of deepest sorrow in them. "I have given such matters much thought, Your Majesty. That is, after all, much of the reason why I am here today. I speak only on behalf of the people, and their welfare of course."

"Then take a better look at how this war is treating them," the king replied at once. "Many people have died already, several thousand soldiers already slain, families torn asunder. You say that you speak only of peace, yet you ignore all the signs of destruction that your Imperial forces cause everyday. I cannot and will not ally myself with a man who is so hellbent on ruling that he is willing to sacrifice anything and everything in order to achieve total power. The thought is unfathomable." He shook his head. "The subject at hand..." he stated firmly, "...is forevermore closed. If you set foot in Phin ever again, I shall have you beheaded."

Princess Hilda wished that she could one day grow to be as good a ruler as her father, yet she couldn't help but despair a little at the thought. Never would she become as good a queen as her father was king. Her father, stern though he may be, was a very good man, as well as an intelligent one. Magically gifted and physically strong, not many would dare to oppose the king, for his kindness and patience wore out easily at those whom had earned his distrust.

"It's not something that I can compare with," Hilda said to herself. She was sitting outside, near her favorite garden. Being around flowers, particularly roses, had always had a calming effect on Princess Hilda when she was down. She had much to worry over today in particular, aside from just her fathers meeting with the emperor. Her father was holding an important dinner party tonight, which he claimed was of most importance that she look nice for. Hilda, with her long, light brown curls, deep blue eyes and fair skin, always looked nice though. Tonight would be no different.

'Scott will be there,' she thought. 'Things always seem brighter when he is around.' Getting to her feet, she stepped back into the castle. 'I wonder if the emperor is still here?' she pondered silently as she passed her fathers throne room. 'It would not do well to check.'

"How are you faring today, Princess Hilda?"

Hilda froze. Turning around, she saw Minwu watching her. Minwu was her father's good friend as well as his own personal White Mage and Healer. He was also a good friend of hers and an excellent confidant. There were few people that Hilda trusted as much as she trusted Minwu.

"I am fine, thank you Minwu," she told him. "Has my father finished his meeting with the Emperor yet?"

Minwu did not need to answer, for a moment later the Emperor stepped out of the throne room. He headed in the direction of the Princess and White Mage, his blue robes flowing out past him. Stopping for a minute beside Hilda, his pale eyes searched her own. She stared back at him defiantly, refusing to give him the benefit of knowing how much he secretly unnerved her. Then with a cold smile, he inclined his head respectfully to her.

"Princess Hilda," he breathed, "How wonderful it is to meet you. You are as lovely as I ever imagined you would be."

Hilda nodded back stiffly. "It is a shame I cannot say the same," she replied in a frosty tone, and was unnerved to hear the Emperor laugh a little at her response.

"Quite the fiery one, aren't you?," he said softly, "How delightful." He inclined his head to her once more. "I do hope that we may one day see each other again. I would love for us to get better acquainted." His smile deepened as the princess's expression turned from one of defiance to one of disgust. Without another word, he swept away down the hall.

"Minwu," Hilda began, feeling ill, "Should I be alarmed by this?"

Troubling though things may have been at the castle, the town of Phin was as peaceful as ever. The town was quiet in the early evening. Most of the townspeople were retiring for the night, closing off their shops and heading into their homes for another night. Two kids however, teenagers from the looks of it, were still outside, looking as though they had no interest at all in returning to their home at the present moment. Lying on the grass near the woods that surrounded Phin, the two appeared to be having a bit of an argument.

"I will master that spell, I just need a bit more time!"

"I am not arguing that you won't, Maria, I am just saying that you should not rush it. Maybe ice magic isn't for you."

Maria sat up and glared at her companion. She was a slim young woman, with dark gray eyes and long, raven-colored hair. Her face was quite pretty, although it was hard to tell due to her hardened expression. "Mother can cast ice elemental spells perfectly well," she said sadly. "She learned them in Mysidia." Maria let out a sigh of longing. "I want to go to Mysidia...there I will be able to learn all kinds of black magic." Maria had never even been outside of Phin before. She had been born and raised in the small town, so there was very little that she knew of the outer world, aside from the tales that she had heard from her mother about Mysidia and all of the White and Black Mages there.

"Well then, when you are older, you will go there," the young man replied as he sat up as well. "You and me and Guy will all go there. It will be kind of like an adventure. How about it?"

Maria thought about that for a moment. "It sounds like fun," she said. "Alright then, Firion." Getting to her feet, she turned and stared up at the rapidly darkening sky.

Firion nodded to her, then got to his feet, brushing off strands of grass as he did so. He was a handsome young man, no older than fifteen, with pale blond hair and light blue eyes. A light-gray bandanna was tied tightly in his hair. His expression betrayed that of someone with a calm, sensible nature. "It's getting dark out," he said, as he looked up at the sky as well, "Maybe we should go in before mother yells at us?"

Maria sighed again. Running a hand through her raven locks, she paused for a moment before nodding. "Alright," she agreed, "We will go inside. One day though, the three of us will go to Mysidia."

The castle of Phin was as active as ever that night. The hall was filled with many of the nobles from Phin and Kashuan. The two kingdoms, allies for many years, were, though unknown to them, gathered together on that night to witness a very important event. Prince Scott of Kashuan was going to propose to Princess Hilda.

Throughout the dinner, he remained the respectable gentleman he had been trained to be by his upbringing. He sat beside Hilda, engaging her in conversation, all the while waiting for the dinner to be over so that he could make his speech. 'Everything has to be perfect,' he thought to himself. 'Hilda deserves nothing less.'

As the night wound to a close, he caught the eye of his younger brother Gordon, who was sitting across from him. Gordon, usually a nervous, fretful thing, was very quiet tonight, oddly so. He stared somberly at Scott for a moment before giving him a small smile. 'Go ahead brother,' his face said. 'Do as you have planned to do.' His look may have been intended as encouraging but his smile was a bittersweet one. There was no denying the fact that he was unhappy about the announcement that was about to be made. Unfortunately for Gordon, there was nothing he could do, for his brother and Hilda were very much in love with one another.

Prince Scott turned to look at Hilda. Taking in her pretty, smiling face, he made up his mind. "Excuse me everyone, may I have your attention? I have something of vital importance to announce"

All talking and laughter in the hall suddenly ceased and all eyes fell on the young prince as he got out of his seat. Exchanging a knowing look with the King, he addressed his next words to Hilda. "Hilda, my love," he began slowly, descending to one knee as he did so. "You and I have known each other since we were both children. Through all of our happy years together as friends, we have both shared many wondrous times, undergone many changes. Yet, despite all of this, one thing has never changed and that is my undying love for you." he pulled out a small box and opened it. Inside was a gold ring with a ruby set in it. The ring was none too elaborate but it was perfect for Hilda. "Will you do me the gracious honor of being my wife?" he asked, holding out the ring.

Hilda's lovely face glowed at his words. At the head of the table, her father stared proudly at the young couple. The King and Queen of Kashuan likewise were waiting anxiously for the young woman's answer, as were the rest of the people in the hall. They were all sure that she would not refuse, so the Princess's next words came as no surprise to anyone.

"Scott," she breathed out, her blue eyes wide with surprise. "Yes, of course I will!"

Scott grinned broadly as he got to his feet amidst the applause of the entire hall. Helping Hilda to her feet, he started to slip the ring onto her finger when suddenly a loud scream sounded from outside the dining hall. Slipping the ring absentmindedly back into his pocket, he turned in the direction of the king.

The castle was under attack.

The King was on his feet in an instant. His cheerful demeanor had vanished instantly with the first sound of distress. Reaching under his robes for the hilt of his sword, he quickly made his way out of the dining hall. "Your Majesty!" he heard someone cry after him as he headed towards the entrance hall, unsheathing his sword as he did so. "It is not safe, I implore you..." he turned to look at the man speaking. "Evacuate the castle at once," he ordered sternly. "These people are in grave danger if they remain here."

"But Your Majesty, you cannot possibly think to attack the Emperor's men alone!" the young guard cried.

"All I am thinking of..." the King began, "...is of my kingdom and it's well-being." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another man leaving the dining hall, his long white robes flowing past him as he headed the king's way. Minwu.

"Minwu," the King said to the White Mage, "Please, get my daughter to safety. It's all that I ask of you."

"It would be my pleasure," the Mage replied calmly, "...but what of you, Your Majesty?"

"I shall be staying here and defending my kingdom as best I know how," was the King's response. Minwu and the King locked gazes for just a moment. Slowly, the Mage bowed his head. He knew he could not save his old friend. It was not his place to stop another from doing what they thought was best. One's destiny must never be interfered with, no matter how cruel it may be. One thing was for certain though; Fate was not going to be too merciful to anyone in Phin on that night.

Outside the castle, the town of Phin was burning. Large billows of black smoke rose up into the night sky, blotting out the stars above. The sounds of battle were far from distant, as the clangs of swords and shields echoed from every corner of the town.

The Imperial soldiers marched ever onward, cutting through anything in their path. Man, woman, and child were all cut down mercilessly as they tore through the streets. The soldiers of Phin fought with valor, but were far outnumbered and their priority to get the townspeople to safety hampered any attempts at an effective defense.

Waiting for a squad of Imperial soldiers to pass, Firion slunk his way out of the shadows of an alleyway and checked to ensure that it was safe to go. The coast clear, he signaled back toward the shadows, where out stepped Maria and a tall, thickset young man: their friend Guy. Taking the lead, Firion ran out into the street, quickly searching for the fastest way out of Phin.

"This way!" Firion called over his shoulder, narrowly dodging a bunch of falling debris from a nearby house as he ran. "Come on!" Having spent most of his life in Phin, he knew these streets very well, even at night, but the smoke from the burning buildings was making it hard to see, and the last thing he wanted was for any of the Emperor's soldiers to spot him and his comrades.

Guy quickened his steps as he followed Firion, but Maria abruptly stopped. Looking at the sights of ruination around her, a horrible thought suddenly occurred, making her pale considerably. 'Leon,' she thought, 'Where is Leon?' She looked around frantically, her eyes scanning the streets of Phin as best she could through the smoke, but as far as she could tell, Leon was nowhere to be seen.

"Firion!" she called out. "Leon's not following us anymore, Leon is..." she was unable to finish her sentence. An Imperial soldier had spotted her without her realizing. Maria jumped out of the way as his sword swung in her direction, grazing her shoulder as it did so. Crumbling to the ground, she clutched at her bleeding shoulder and waited for another blow that would this time surely end her life. It didn't come. Instead she heard a distant clinking of knives and saw Firion dart past her. Quick as ever, he drove one of his knives into her attackers right eye. The soldier cried out in pain and stumbled backwards, giving Firion enough time to pull his knife out. Grabbing a hold of Maria, he dragged her to her feet.

"Come on!" Firion said to Maria as they ran. "You can't stop for nothing! We haven't a moment to waste!"

Maria had to make him understand. Leaving behind their parents and home had been one thing. Their parents were dead, they had been killed by soldiers within minutes of the invasion so that their children would have enough time to flee. Leon hadn't of been killed. He was still alive, or at least had been the last time she had seen him, which wasn't all that long ago. "Firion, Leon isn't dead," she insisted, looking frantic, "I just saw him only a few..."

Maria was cut off by the sound of Guy yelling out in their direction. Another soldier had cut across their path. Drawing his sword, he stuck at Firion. The young man, unable to defend himself in time, collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

"FIRION" Maria screamed in terror, all thoughts of Leon temporarily leaving her mind. "You killed him!" she screamed in accusation at the soldier, not even caring if he turned his sword on her next. "You killed him!" Her gray eyes filled with unshed tears as she gazed in horror first at Firion lying on the ground and then back up at his attacker. The soldier turned his attention on her, looking at her without pity.

"Your families and comrades are to blame for his death, not I," the armored man said coldly. "They are the ones who chose to oppose the Emperor by taking part in the rebellion against him. They as good as killed your friend."

Maria had never been a violent person. She considered herself to be sensible above all other things and to use her head instead of reacting instinctively with violence when upset. But seeing Firion lying there on the ground, covered in blood, was too much for her. The soldier had barely time to raise his sword another inch before she reacted. Using the very magic she had watched her mother perform many times, she cast up the strongest ice spell she could. Icicles formed from the tips of her fingers and jutted outwards, straight through the man's amour and into his chest. He was dead within an instant, his body collapsing on the ground beside Firion's still form. His sword fell out of his limp hand and hit the ground with a clatter.

Maria could care less about him. All she had eyes for at that moment was her fallen friend and brother. Wishing desperately at that moment that she was a White Mage instead of a Black Mage, so she could heal his open wound, Maria started to cry. "Firion," she wept as she knelt beside him. "Please don't be dead, Firion." She honestly did not know what to do. She could not carry him out of the town on her own and she very well could and would not leave him there to die. He was all that she had left at that moment, aside from Guy and possibly Leon. "Someone, help me! I need to get him out of here before he bleeds to death!"

"I'll get him." Maria's head whipped around. Guy leaned down and scooped Firion up into his arms. Nodding gratefully to her old friend, the young girl climbed to her feet, careful not to look at the dead body of the soldier she had just killed. The two teenagers then made their way out of town, taking care to avoid any more soldiers if they could help it. Maria was prepared to cast any spells she needed to if need be, but she felt it would be much safer to keep as far away from combat as possible for the time being.

"Hopefully Leon headed out of town," she whispered quietly as she walked beside Guy. "He's smart, he should know how to keep himself out of trouble." 'Hopefully.'

Guy nodded but did not respond. He was a man of very few words, even at the best of times, and right now he was putting in all of his effort to try and escape from town unseen.

Heading towards the woods nearby, they were nearly home free when another soldier ambushed them from behind. Knocking Maria to the ground, he thrust his blade down at her. Instead of being stabbed, again someone had come running to her rescue. Her brother Leon had appeared at last and had blocked the blow. He was currently locked in combat with the soldier. "Maria! Guy!" he called over his shoulder. "Get out of here, quickly, get to safety. I'll hold him off."

"Leon, don't!" Maria cried as she sprang to her feet, prepared to cast another ice spell to save her brother's life if need be. "Please come with us!" she pleaded. 'I don't want you to die as well. Firion has already had enough of a close call.'

"Maria, Firion hurt," Guy said, staring at her, "He need care. We get him help but only by leaving town."

For a moment, Maria was torn between helping her brother and leaving with Guy. After a minute's thought, she nodded. "Of course," she said sadly. She had no other choice. They had to find help for Firion before his condition worsened. Reluctantly, she turned and headed off after Guy, begrudgingly leaving her older brother to fend for himself against the Imperial forces.

'Please don't let him die,' she thought to herself as she ran out of town and into the woods. 'If he dies, I'll never forgive myself.' The thought of him dying filled her with dread, but there was Firion to worry about also. The possibly of him dying, or of her and Guy dying as well occurred to her. One thing was for sure though, she was never going to leave behind anyone she cared about ever again. She would fight for the lives of those she cared for. As Guy ran beside her, with Firion's unconscious body in his arms, he felt very much the same.

Final Fantasy II: The Rebellion

A/N:I doubt that I will get much response for this story but I can at least try. I wanted to work on something different than my usual stories. Well, to those who do read this, please respond.