You finally get to start playing. You're Rekx, a 17 year old young soldier. You have a younger brother in Rabanastre, and your parents are dead. Basch, the handsome, Kiefer-looking soldier, is being nice to you. Vossler is his lieutenant with dark hair like Wolverine. I'll note that the styles, movements and animations are all very Final Fantasy 11-ish.

There are little smiley faces over peoples heads when you can talk to them. ! is an action item, then use X to talk to the person or use the item.

For fighting, a red line is when someone targets you, and a blue line indicates when you are targetting someone.

For practice there is a very simple battle. Then a flying machine comes down. Bash it a little, then "Tonberry" says he's disengaging when he's hurt enough. Next there are 3 more sword guys to take on. None of these are very challenging, they're all practice.

Use SELECT to bring up your location map. Keifer is worried about Vossler. If you need to, he says to use R2 to run from foes.

Head up the stairs after a few attacks. You get to a save crystal - use it to save your game.

So head up the stairs. You gallantly offer to help, so they leave you behind to take on 3 guys on your own. Don't be afraid - just hack away one at a time and you'll get through it.

Soon you get to top area and are shocked ... everyone is dead. Even the king is dead on the throne.

Captain Keifer is there. He claims that the King was a traitor. At this point I thought there'd been a battle, that Keifer had come in and killed the king, and that Rekx collapsed from the shock. But my son thought that Keifer had killed everyone (his own troops too) in a mad fit because he didn't want the wars to end, and then killed Rekx too (with a dagger) to make sure he wasn't caught.

In any case, the enemies come in quickly and grab Keifer. He is rebellious, and the bad guys taunt him. Keifer tells them "we will never bow to you." They laugh and say that the people of his homeland will hate him forever for spoiling the peace treaty.

At this, Rekx collapses, saying "Vaan ..."

Life goes badly for the poor Rabanastrians. The Archadians advance towards Rabanastre. Ashe, the widowed princess, kills herself in grief. Poor Keifer / Captain Basch, who killed King Raminas, was put to death. The area is warned that anybody who tries to rise up is a traitor. They now have to surrender without terms.

Final Fantasy XII Walkthrough