#slave crown

[angels-palette]

The lead up to my favorite Final Fantasy game: Terra getting fitted with her slave crown by Kefka before being sent to the mines of Narshe. When do we get our HD remake of this kick ass story?

[bahamut-255]

Final Fantasy VI, Terra meets another person who had the Slave Crown used on them and lost their memories as a result.

And here it is.  I hope it’s what you asked for.  

The Slave Crown.  

While the one who’d tried to kill her only hours before rested, Terra Branford’s eyes were locked on the deceptively ordinary-looking piece of headgear she held.  

Something she’d hoped to never see again, all too aware from personal experience of what it was capable of.  With it, Kefka had total control over her, 50 of the Empire’s best soldiers wiped out in under 3 minutes at his instruction, but by her own hand, the memories of that atrocity, of his crazed laughter remaining only in her dreams.  So Gestahl could use her Power, her Magic to fuel his aggressive expansion, his own ambition.  

Moans from nearby brought her out of her thoughts and back to the young man whose eyes slowly opened, snapping shut again until he could become used to the light from the campfire that flickered next to them.  

Terra knew she had to be patient with him, after all she had needed some time to recover from her own ordeal when she was released from the Empire’s hold.  And she had little doubt the same would apply to him.  

Once he had the strength to push himself up, Terra made sure he saw her first before asking:  

“How are you feeling?”  Softly, making no threatening gesture.  

“Urgh.”  He could only groan, one hand clenched tight on his head.  A symptom of the loss of the Slave Crown’s influence as the mind regained its independence, and needed time to readapt to thinking for itself.  

Thus why Terra waited for him to steady his senses and reorient himself before she tried asking again.  

“Head…hurts…”  He managed to answer this time, his voice not all that deep.  

“That will continue for a time.”  Terra explained.  “Until you become used to thinking for yourself again.”  

“Who…what…?”  

“Sorry.  I’m Terra.  What’s your name?”  

“I…I…”  A hand pressed into a temple as he sought to recall something.  Anything.  

“It’s a result of the Slave Crown.  Your memories will return, in time.”  Terra offered as comfort.  

‘But how long will it take?’  Was her unspoken thought.  ‘After all, I may have relearned my name in a short time, but my other memories were slow to return to me.  And that was even with my…heritage.’  An offspring of a Human and an Esper, perhaps the only one ever, and the reason the Empire seized her, enslaved her.  

But what reason did they have for employing that tactic on him?  Whatever the reason, it would be known only to him and the Empire, and Terra had no desire to extract the information from them.  As such it would be some time before either of them would know the reason for why.  But, there was one thing she could do now.  

And that was to make sure they didn’t claim him again.  

“Try to get some rest now.  I’ll keep watch.”  

[fist-bump]

hey, BITCH knock knock, who's there? NO ONE BECAUSE YOU'RE SHITTY AND YOU'RE GONNA DIE ALONE

Tabby

[bozeia]

What is the evilest thing you have done?

It is not a memory I remember clearly, nor do I look upon it fondly.

Allow me to elaborate. I am an amnesiac, and I can not remember approximately seventeen years of my life. It is all blank to me, and until a year ago I was under the direct control of an empire that had been seeking to conquer my world. Imperial officials sought to use my abilities as a weapon of war, and I can only presume I did not agree with this notion; I was compromised under the effects of a "Puppeteer's Wheel". An intricate little piece of MagiTEK ("magical technology") equipment, the Puppeteer's Wheel is constructed as a circlet. It suppresses the consciousness of the wearer into a state of hypnosis, numbing certain impulses dealing with interactive awareness so that whatever command was issued to me would be carried out without hesitation or question on my part. And, well, prolonged suppression of the consciousness despite an awake and alert state meant I was to sustain significant memory loss upon removal of the Puppeteer's Wheel as a result. I was told once that my memories would return to me in time, and bit by bit I am starting to recall certain things. Sometimes I have nightmares, other times an odd word or a picture I see or experience during the day will inspire a flash of remembrance quite suddenly.

I had...the misfortune of one nightmare in particular being confirmed as true. Upon being newly crowned with the Puppeteer's Wheel, I was apparently slated to have my reflexes and battle prowess tested and I was pitted against fifty of the Emperor's finest troops, ordered to annihilate them. I was told that I accomplished this in under three minutes' time, and as the nightmare is a recurring one I start to remember their faces. The most horrifying thing I have recalled to date was one soldier in particular. He was young recruit, about fifteen, and it was clear he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time for reasons unknown. He begged for his life. I took him by the throat and actually held him up off the ground. I then proceeded to incinerate him at point blank range with a huge wreath of fire blasting out of the palm of the hand gripping his neck.

This more or less ranks as the "evilest" thing I have ever physically committed I suppose, technically. I get shivers just thinking about it, however...you asked. And, in some ways, it helps to talk about it I think. My father usually encourages me to share certain things, and not keep such doubts and fears bottled up. I think so long as I can be frank, I can move on. I will always, always regret what happened to that boy, but I think I can certainly sleep better making the distinction that it was a death that was the fault of another.