Locke IX

The joyous mood Locke and Alistair encountered when they arrived in Lucrecia in the morning has disappeared. The trumpets still played, and the dancers still danced, but Locke sensed unease. He sensed it in the guards, he sensed it in the young children, he sensed it in the air he breathed. King's Square was not far away now, but they walked in silence. Even Alistair, who would normally be manic at such excitement, knew something was up.

Armored knights entered King's Square from the northern entrance. Locke, Alistair and Ziad could barely see them from over the shoulders of other people, but one glimpse was enough - the torches they held only made their armor glisten and shine.

"Who are those people, Locke?" asked Alistair. All of this was new to him.

"They are the King's Guard. They are sworn to protect the King and the Royal Family. You could call them bodyguards, perhaps," Locke explained.

"Their presence is hardly surprising given the civilian reports" mused Ziad. Locke nodded in agreement. Having attended many Royal speeches over his formative years, Locke knew the standard procedure. A speech during the nighttime was unusual, but not unheard of and certainly after recent events in Lucrecia, allaying public fears would be the Queen's utmost priority.

"Is this your first Queen's festival, Ziad?" Locke asked.

"No, I have seen two before." Ziad shrugged his shoulders. "I am a traveler. Lucrecia is great for supplies, it was mere coincidence that I saw those".

"When is the Queen speaking?" piped Alistair.

"Soon, now, soon." Locke could not hide the anxiety in his voice any longer. Ziad picked up on this, and moved closer to him.

"What's wrong?" Ziad whispered into his ear. Locke sighed.

"I don't know, really. I just have a bad feeling about all this." Locke looked furtively around. It was during this that he noticed the Commander of the Lucrecian Guards, Commander Galrad, present and taking up position. From previous experience, Locke knew this was highly unusual. The Commander always orchestrated security during these events, but never has Locke ever seen him in an active role. This revelation only made Locke more uneasy.

Something is up.

"Hey, look!" Alistair pointed towards the northern entrance to King's Square. Excited, the boy pushed past the crowd to get a better view. Locke had no choice but to follow suit, repeating apologies all the while. When he got out to the front, he spotted Alistair. His face was glued to the Chocobos. Locke has never seen him so happy. It was almost perplexing. ​

The speech was about to begin, thought Locke.