Welcome to the second series in the OMWF Trilogy! Before reading this story, I highly suggest, beg, plead, force and demand that you read the fist story in the trilogy, Once More With Feeling. There is a link to it in my profile and it's 100% complete, so no waiting! Whereas this story will only be updated once or twice a week… (I update more if there are reviews, teehee)

I know that, now that you are already here, many of you will be tempted to just read this story instead of going to read Once More With Feeling first, but that would honestly be a mistake as this story won't make a lick of sense, since it is, at first, primarily an OC story! It is about Prince Drake, who is introduced in Once More With Feeling. And is… such the bad guy… Love him.

I assure you, this is a Final Fantasy IX fanfiction! It's just a bit hard to tell right now since it starts out with my OC… So go read Once More With Feeling! Then come back and read this and it'll make sense as to what is going on!

Once this story is done, I'll be working on the third story in the Trilogy! Once this story is done being posted, I hope to have at least close to half of the last story done so I can begin posting it.

With no further delay, on with the fic!

Prologue

It had been so long… So long ago that he had first stepped on stage, threw off the cloak and declared, in front of all those people, that his one wish was for his beloved Dagger to come to him.

It had been so perfect… and the irony of those words… "Could she have betrayed me?"

… Then it happened. He had his friends, he had his girl, he thought he had the perfect, fairytale ending… Life isn't that fair. Not even for a hero.

Then he heard "Princess."

… Why would Dagger still be called Princess? When she should have been…

Because Brahne was alive. No one seemed to mind, except Zidane. They all had seemed to be used to the idea, and said he would, too, once he had been back long enough. They said the woman had reverted to the woman she had been before her husband died. The kind woman who loved her daughter and kingdom more than life itself, who insisted Zidane be allowed to live at the palace rather than go back to living like a thief.

At the palace… where she could keep an eye on him. Where he was close enough she could decide his fate. While Zidane was away, and a short while after Brahne woke, they discovered a few orbs in the Invincible that Brahne remembered Kuja talking about… orbs that told of a mystical power that Terra had locked away for one of their Angels of Death to use. The Secrets of Terra was said to be the ultimate power of holy and dark! Anyone who had the power could rule the world, or so the orbs declared. Brahne wanted it. She wanted it open and she would do whatever it took to get it; including the aid of some new, demonic allies.

Zidane saw it. This was supposed to be the end of the story. Where he got the girl, they got married, she ruled as Queen and he would be a prince… they would get to be together and everything would work out fine.

Then he found out… that it wasn't as simple as all that. A princess in her position and standing could not just marry anyone she liked… With the Queen alive, Garnet went back to the same status she had been since she was six years old; the same thing all princesses were unless there was no hope of another heir.

A bartering chip.

The World Rulers were involved in a knife's edge alliance, and they didn't trust Zidane's involvement with Terra thanks to Brahne's influences, and a Red Pearl she had obtained from Kuja, which had mind control abilities. The rulers didn't want Zidane with Garnet. Not when there was a "better choice."

Prince Drake of Daguerreo was just a few months younger than Garnet. He was wealthy, well educated, handsome, athletic, and from a continent that was deemed neutral and safe. Daguerreo has a lot of allies that would defend it as the knowledge it held was exceptional; exceeding any other library on the planet!

Zidane didn't remember exploring or even having any interest in Daguerreo other than the public library… They were there for weapons and a few items, a card, and that was pretty much it. He wished he'd explored it more at the time, he would have had better warning.

Drake seems like a nice enough guy, at first, but he's after Zidane's princess and there's no excusing that.

At first, Zidane assumes that Garnet is all Drake is after. He soon learns that the odd and often deadly occurrences he keeps finding himself in are partially Drake's doing, and learns all about what a Fire Elemental is capable of.

... His fairytale turns into a horror novel as his friends are forced to turn on him, and even his beloved Garnet turns her back on him.

"Could she have betrayed me…"

It was just a line. One simply line in a play! It wasn't supposed to be a real question… yet it had become one.

How could things go from so perfect, to so perfectly messed up in such a short amount of time? How is it he could have it all and lose it because of Brahne, again?

That wasn't a fair question, though. Brahne thought she was the Queen, but once again, she was nothing more than a pawn. It was almost amusing… how often she referred to the genomes as brainless puppets when she herself wasn't in control of her own strings.

The Prince and his Advisor toyed with her like cats, and the rest of the populace were just mice waiting to be devoured. The strong control the weak, unless the weak fight back… but even then, they have to overpower the strong.

… Every story has two sides.

This is his. OMWF Lunar Finding, the story of the Dark Prince.

Thanks for reading! Please review! If you have a fanfic, too, please join my forum, link in profile, to share it with people! Can even win artwork, rpg, and more!