Post by Mayris Erin on Mar 31, 2014 0:00:27 GMT -7
WARNING: THIS STORY CONTAINS END OF GAME SPOILERS--READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION
A/N: After scripting all the lines individually for the characters in FFIX, I have realized how much I do not like Zidane with Garnet. The idea is somewhat bothersome… so upon thinking that pairing over, I have found I like a different pairing altogether for Garnet. And definitely a different pairing for Zidane.
Queen Garnet Til Alexandros could not stop pacing the large reach of the throne room. There were decisions to make and none of them were at all easy. The peaceloving kingdoms she once knew brewed with heavy tension which could easily spiral into discord with her own kingdom. Not everyone was convinced that the destruction caused by her mother was only her mother’s doing and all of the backlash was aimed back at her. The daily press was already trying to infiltrate the castle to inquire her of her perspective. Beatrix and Steiner had doubled their rounds to keep nosy writers from wiggling their way into the royal business.
Today there was conference with the Regency of Lindblum as the Burmecians and Cleyrans were unearthing their forgotten conflicts from Brahne’s war. Reconstruction had commenced successfully for them as much as it could be done, however, they were forced to live together in the same community. Not only that, but there was an uprising in Treno from an infamous mafia family in which the King’s house had something to do with. Ruffians were multiplying in both the nearby kingdoms of Alexandria and Lindblum, heightening the crime rate. Needless to say, the citizens were losing faith in their rulers and factions were starting to split across the two great kingdoms.
A heavy knock on the door from across the hall pulled Garnet’s attention from her pace and she turned to see her personal guard leaning in the doorway of the grand room. He wore his metals for the first time in eons, it seemed. Uniformed in obsidian from shoulder to foot while blond hair brushed the tops of his shoulders and glistening blue eyes gazed at her. A smirk curled on his mischievous face.
She smiled and started toward him, and then paused, clearing her throat. “You look… presentable,” was the first word that came to mind. Many things had transpired since his return to Alexandria. Things like niceties had to be obeyed. Garnet managed to stifle her abrupt feelings, having been reminded by Beatrix that there was more to loving someone than knowing that they whisked you away and showed you the outside of your own home.
“Your Majesty,” he said, offering her a formal salute. The words still felt foreign. Usually he refrained from addressing royalty with their titles. Garnet could tell he was highly uncomfortable with the situation. Though he did not seem to present any discomfort (except for wearing the uniform).
“Elite Officer Tribal,” she nodded in return. These niceties were all so strange, but they were necessary today. Diplomacy was of utmost importance for both a representative from Lindblum Regency and a representative from Treno were to arrive. However long the meeting would take, Garnet was unsure.
Though she was hopeful that Uncle Cid would be there, but unsure of how he would handle things. Usually, he had four divisions of militia at his disposal. If he was willing to wage a war against Treno and the Burmecians, she would have no part in it, opting to isolate Alexandria from war’s threshold.
“What’s on your mind, Dagger?”
The question startled her from her thinking. She glanced up to see the familiar expression on Elite Officer Tribal’s face of curiosity. She let the pang of familiarity cut deep, feeling nostalgic of the near-death trips that their travels had merited them.
“There is nothing on my mind,” she said, looking past him. She still could not meet his gaze at a lie, despite him being under her command.
He sighed, circling behind her toward a tall window. With his hands behind his back, he looked over her kingdom. His tail swished back and forth in agitation. She wasn’t telling him something. Of course, he knew her mind was buzzing with uncertainty like a beehive. But were she to disclose anything, it would be under her terms and she would never be at ease. “Mikoto is coming too,” he stated, disclosing his own unease instead. “I haven’t seen her in nearly six years…”
“Mikoto? Your sister? Aren’t the genomes living with the black mages?” Were the genomes of Terra involved? Worry immediately creased her face. Mikoto visited Zidane after his return to Alexandria, but since then Garnet assumed that she returned to the Black Mage Village.
“Apparently, she became an Ambassador for Esto Gaza. They seem to be having trouble as well. Apparently there was a priest massacre and she believes it may be linked to the sudden rebellion in the surrounding kingdoms of Mist Continent.”
“Oh? She relocated to Esto Gaza? How come you did not tell me?” she gave him a stern look that he had become accustomed to ignoring.
As he looked away, he muttered, “It had nothing to do with you… so I didn’t see the reason.”
She opened her mouth to protest but was instead met with the throne room doors opening, emitting General Beatrix and Captain Steiner who immediately dropped to one knee before Garnet. They were followed in by the aging Doctor Tot who instead gave a humble nod of his head.
“Your Majesty,” Beatrix began, lifting her gaze to Queen Garnet. “The Regent of Lindblum and Treno’s Ambassador have arrived.” There was a pause in her speech as she glanced to Captain Steiner. He returned the unease in her look.
Zidane noted that they both appeared like they had seen ghosts. He took a step forward and spoke in Garnet’s stead. “Well… who is it?” he asked, bringing up the ever waiting question that no one else seemed to want to ask. All eyes went to him momentarily before looking to the General and the Captain.
Beatrix averted her gaze and swallowed, looking to the ground before her. “Well, Ambassador Mikoto arrived with them… and it seems that…” She licked her lips. “Well, let us look back on what happened eight years ago…”
“Eight years is quite a while ago, General…” Zidane sighed, scratching his head. He did not want to recall the past. A lot had transpired in those times, more than he wished to relapse upon.
Beatrix’s dark gaze fell upon Zidane heavily. “Indeed…” there was a deep tone of bitterness reveled against him.
He rolled his eyes and looked back to the Queen. These moments of disagreement between Beatrix and himself happened so often now that he had learned to ignore them. Whenever he and Garnet had a tiff, Garnet usually left to disclose her feelings to Beatrix and he was left to deal with Rusty jumping down his throat about overstepping his authority to her Majesty.
Captain Steiner rose from his kneeling position and headed for Zidane, who thought, here it comes…
Instead, he was greeted with a heavy glare of concern. “Whatever happened when you were crushed by the Iifa tree you must remember!”
How could I forget…? he mentally mused with heavy sarcasm. He averted his gaze away. “Look, that’s in the past. I don’t know how I survived… and what does all of that have to do with now?”
“Oh, don’t burden the poor boy with questions he is unfit to answer,” came a nonchalant voice from the far side of the room.
At once Beatrix had drawn her blade and was on her feet in an instant. Doctor Tot had moved himself behind the fearsome General and Steiner stepped beside Beatrix, almost at a loss of what he should do. “Not a step closer or I will dismount your head from your shoulders!”
“Now, is that any way to greet a guest? I was invited here, Most Honorable General…” The man entered and took a very flourished bow, raising his head to greet the Queen’s welcoming committee with a familiar insidious grin.
Zidane narrowed his eyes, acknowledging the guest which he assumed was the Ambassador of Treno with distaste. He instinctively moved in front of Garnet, pulling out a pair of daggers and flipping them expertly in his hands before pressing them back against his wrists, taking a strong offensive stance.
Beside the guest entered Regent Cid who, unexpectedly had been graying more and more since the last visit a few years ago. Beside the regent was a blue-haired young lady with contemptuous blue eyes glaring at the Ambassador of Treno. She stood with dignity, wearing a form-fitting pink dress that fell in layers around her ankles and a forest green traveling cloak that draped over her delicate shoulders. Zidane studied her face quite distinctively, finding her fairly attractive for her body was lithe and almost as a fae’s. Having studied her, he realized his guard was dropping. He returned his glare—with trouble—back to the Ambassador just as Lady Hilda appeared to stand beside Regent Cid.
Garnet was unable to see and tried to move past Zidane, who held his footing as if he was rooted to the ground beneath him. He gave her a sideways glare that caused her to back down and instead tried to sneak her way behind pillars to get a better look as everyone seemed distracted.
“You are not permitted in this castle, vermin!” Steiner shouted.
Doctor Tot finished cleaning his glasses and blinked several times, finally able to see the Ambassador. He narrowed his gaze and then glanced to Zidane. “So is it possible that we are seeing a ghost? Or has death truly passed him by?”
Garnet, now behind a pillar, quickly shed her long and cumbersome white dress where she now wore a red mage getup, having found that it was easier to get around in than her orange jumpsuit she traveled with as everyone around the globe knew her appearance by now if she wore it. Red Mage officials were harder to discern and also constantly moving about in their travels.
Once freed, she dodged behind as quietly as possible, scaling the wall, as the inset of bricks made good footholds and handholds. She pulled herself up to one of the curtained windows and climbed behind the curtain, setting herself atop the window sill and peeking out toward the floor of the throne room.
Two things were made quite clear from her vantage point:
Firstly, that Zidane had lied to her or not told her about the possibility that his brother was alive.
Secondly, that there was probably more at stake than just a simple war. For the dead did not just suddenly come back for formalities.
Below, she inspected the man who had waged war on her kingdom. His silver hair hung long like she remembered it. He was sporting a black shirt and black leggings beneath a red tabard and black riding boots that reached up to his knees. He wore a pair of glasses which gave him a slight sophisticated look, probably more the reason than his vision being terrible. He had aged well in the last eight years, if he aged at all. He still looked the same and quite possibly hid his age with magic.
“You said you wouldn’t ever come back to Alexandria,” Zidane growled between clenched teeth.
The silver-haired man chuckled. “Such a tempting thing to keep me from… but I have been invited here,” he said with a smile, gesturing to a letter, much like the ones that Garnet had sent to Regent Cid.
“We invited a representative from Treno. Not the likes of you!”
“That is correct. You did invite a representative. The Kings chose me. You remember the owners of the auction house—the same family whose house you and your band of thieves—Tantalus, I believe—infiltrated for some secret treasure, correct?”
“Yes. I remember,” he grumbled.
“I am here on behalf of Treno, by request of the highest nobles.”
“After what you did to Lindblum, Alexandria, Burmecia, Cleyra, and the Iifa Tree, I expected they would sooner hang you. I instructed you to lie low until you were forgotten,” Zidane chastised.
“And that I did. I am sure that they have forgotten… if not that, then Treno has certainly forgiven me, what with the amount of money I paid them to do so and the amount of trade I have provided them with. You would be surprised as to how much people will pay for Terran technology. They’ll nearly shit themselves just for a taste of that power.”
Steiner started to shake. Terran technology… the word rubbed him completely the wrong way. He recalled the Black Mages that this heathen had sold to the Late Queen Brahne.
“So you are doing what you initially started to do!” Zidane shouted. “Using your slimy means to get into positions of power and start to control and overthrow those in your clutches! You’ve not changed one bit! Still trying to get Brahne act-a-likes to bow to your offers!”
Garnet cringed and pressed herself against the window. That was not something she needed to hear… Recollecting the path her mother had taken made her shake. And then she started to remember. Her mother’s airship, the Red Rose… the day Kuja blatantly returned fire on her… her mother’s escape pod on the beach next to her bleeding and bruised body… and then the last moments of her mother apologizing… It all came back so vividly. She hadn't noticed she was crying and clutching her head, clawing at her scalp. “No… stop… I don’t want to remember this…” she whispered heavily, shaking her head.
“It is unkind to judge someone based on past events, but I can understand your contempt against my actions…” he gave another low bow. “But I do believe there are more important matters to attend.” He motioned to the gathering behind him. “If you would… we should pursue the true intent of this meeting. Accept me as I am titled: Ambassador Kuja Tribal of Treno. Now before we lose daylight, where is Her Majesty?” He started looking around the room, trying to spot Queen Garnet. He briefly noted her dress and chuckled quietly. She still had the desire to masquerade as the peasant. His Canary was still as creative as ever.
Garnet blatantly refused to come out. Let the sun die down for all she cared. Her mind was reeling on the past events. Why him? Why not her mother? Didn’t her mother also deserve a second chance? Perhaps more than this miscreant.
“Queen Garnet?” Steiner called out, looking about the hall.
Beatrix quickly discovered the dress and looked about. “Your Majesty!” she shouted harshly, almost as an admonition.
Zidane breathed out heavily, growing impatient. Why did she always have to disappear during these crucial times? He wandered the room, giving Kuja a wide berth as they searched.
Eventually, Beatrix called off the hunt, proposing that Garnet could have snuck outside, despite Regent Cid’s protests that she would have pulled him aside to at least say hello. Steiner enlisted his knights to keep a sharp watch of the grounds and the halls of the castle, believing that Garnet could be anywhere.
Meanwhile, Doctor Tot escorted the Regency of Lindblum to their rooms where they would be permitted to stay. He quietly, but respectfully guided the Ambassador of Treno to one of the guest rooms as well. Mikoto declined to be shown a room and instead opted to go after her big brother, Zidane.
As the crowd dispersed, she followed him into the hallways as he was patrolling the outside, descending the few steps down to the docks near the moat, catching him in a tight hug from behind. “Zidane!” she exclaimed, happy as ever to see him.
He instinctively held a dagger to her throat and had her against a wall in seconds. She gulped heavily, shaking beneath the weapon. His cold blue eyes lessened slowly in their intensity as she let out a whimper. “Mikoto…” he breathed, slowly pulling the weapon away. And sheathing it.
As it was pulled from her neck, her face reddened. “What Do You Think You’re Doing!?” she shrieked.
He took a step back, his eyes widening. “I… Uh…”
“Well?” she placed her hands on her hips. “I come to say hello and you’re all up in arms! What are you waiting for? An assassin? Do you think I’m Garrett the Thief? What is going on with you? As long as I’ve known you—at least from rumors—you’re a lecherous skirt-chaser! But here you are attacking me out of term!”
“Mikoto…” he started, his face draining of guilt all-of-a-sudden. “Why is Kuja here…? Wasn’t he supposed to stay in Desert Palace?”
“What? Oh… I don’t know… I guess… he just up and left…” she said, shrugging and walking toward the edge of the pathway and gazing off into the moat where the stairs led downward into a makeshift dock.
Zidane followed her, grabbing onto her arm and turning her to face him. “What is going on, Mikoto?”
She turned, blue eyes falling on his. “I… honestly have no idea…” She spoke with the old monotonous tone she had when he first met her.
He sighed and threw her arm at her side to which she took a step back to steady herself as he pace around the small jetty. She wondered what could possibly be wrong with him. Had he always been this abrasive and now that he was older it was more prevalent? He had his woman, he had a good position as her personal bodyguard, and he was surrounded by those whom he cared about… what could possibly be the problem? “Are you ill?” she asked.
“What!?” he asked flippantly, turning to face her.
“Are you sick? Because you’re acting far outside of your norm lately. Does something hurt?”
The question struck him as if she threw a rock right between his eyes. Did something hurt? He turned his head away and thought the question over. He loved Garnet, didn’t he? They had small tender moments, but nothing beyond kissing… He tried to go farther with her, but things just didn’t pan out. Either she had lessons or work, or he had training or his elite officer duties.
Mikoto tilted her head to the side. “Do you?”
“I do,” he answered softly.
“What hurts then?”
He turned to her in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“I asked if something hurt and you just said you do… So what hurts?”
“Oh…” His face flushed with embarrassment. He answered his own question in his head aloud. He did love Garnet… right? He had to confirm this. Because he never felt anything like it… right?
“So what is it?” she pressed.
“I’ve never felt anything like it…” He mused aloud.
“Like what? Is it your head? Your stomach? Your spleen? Maybe your just frustrated?” she suggested.
“Wait… what!?” he turned and stared at her in flustered confusion.
“Well, what haven’t you felt before?”
Curse these aloud musings he made. “Never mind, Mikoto… you should go back inside…”
“Why? Why can’t you give me a straight answer!? I just want to help you feel better! Isn’t that what you tried to do for everyone else?”
He sighed, massaging his temples. “You are such a PAIN! Inside, before I have you personally escorted by one of my men!”
“Yeah? Like you would really do that!”
He looked past her and raised a hand, signaling several hand signs in the air. From above a redhead with an eye patch in similar garb dropped beside him, immediately grabbing onto Mikoto. “Where to?”
“Take her to her room, Blank.”
“Aye…” he stated gruffly before dragging the protesting blond inside.
“Zidane! Wait! Why won’t you listen!?”
Zidane easily blocked out the noise as Blank obediently dragged her inside. Eventually tiring of her struggling, he apologized before scooping her over his shoulder and carrying her the rest of the way, glancing back at Zidane momentarily before disappearing behind the castle doors.
Alone again, the elite official leaned against the wall, thinking. Why did he disobey his request? What was Kuja thinking? It was better to let Mist Continent alone. What was he after? His mind circulated to Garnet. He wanted to hold her… but his mind begged for comfort. There was too much to try and understand. He drew his daggers and turned in a spiral motion, attacking the stone wall behind him which crumbled from the striking point to the top where it sat unsupported. Breathing harshly, he flipped the blades and stashed them back in their black sheathes.
Was Mikoto right? Was he losing it? He turned swiftly to face the moat. “I just don’t know…”
A/N: After scripting all the lines individually for the characters in FFIX, I have realized how much I do not like Zidane with Garnet. The idea is somewhat bothersome… so upon thinking that pairing over, I have found I like a different pairing altogether for Garnet. And definitely a different pairing for Zidane.
Queen Garnet Til Alexandros could not stop pacing the large reach of the throne room. There were decisions to make and none of them were at all easy. The peaceloving kingdoms she once knew brewed with heavy tension which could easily spiral into discord with her own kingdom. Not everyone was convinced that the destruction caused by her mother was only her mother’s doing and all of the backlash was aimed back at her. The daily press was already trying to infiltrate the castle to inquire her of her perspective. Beatrix and Steiner had doubled their rounds to keep nosy writers from wiggling their way into the royal business.
Today there was conference with the Regency of Lindblum as the Burmecians and Cleyrans were unearthing their forgotten conflicts from Brahne’s war. Reconstruction had commenced successfully for them as much as it could be done, however, they were forced to live together in the same community. Not only that, but there was an uprising in Treno from an infamous mafia family in which the King’s house had something to do with. Ruffians were multiplying in both the nearby kingdoms of Alexandria and Lindblum, heightening the crime rate. Needless to say, the citizens were losing faith in their rulers and factions were starting to split across the two great kingdoms.
A heavy knock on the door from across the hall pulled Garnet’s attention from her pace and she turned to see her personal guard leaning in the doorway of the grand room. He wore his metals for the first time in eons, it seemed. Uniformed in obsidian from shoulder to foot while blond hair brushed the tops of his shoulders and glistening blue eyes gazed at her. A smirk curled on his mischievous face.
She smiled and started toward him, and then paused, clearing her throat. “You look… presentable,” was the first word that came to mind. Many things had transpired since his return to Alexandria. Things like niceties had to be obeyed. Garnet managed to stifle her abrupt feelings, having been reminded by Beatrix that there was more to loving someone than knowing that they whisked you away and showed you the outside of your own home.
“Your Majesty,” he said, offering her a formal salute. The words still felt foreign. Usually he refrained from addressing royalty with their titles. Garnet could tell he was highly uncomfortable with the situation. Though he did not seem to present any discomfort (except for wearing the uniform).
“Elite Officer Tribal,” she nodded in return. These niceties were all so strange, but they were necessary today. Diplomacy was of utmost importance for both a representative from Lindblum Regency and a representative from Treno were to arrive. However long the meeting would take, Garnet was unsure.
Though she was hopeful that Uncle Cid would be there, but unsure of how he would handle things. Usually, he had four divisions of militia at his disposal. If he was willing to wage a war against Treno and the Burmecians, she would have no part in it, opting to isolate Alexandria from war’s threshold.
“What’s on your mind, Dagger?”
The question startled her from her thinking. She glanced up to see the familiar expression on Elite Officer Tribal’s face of curiosity. She let the pang of familiarity cut deep, feeling nostalgic of the near-death trips that their travels had merited them.
“There is nothing on my mind,” she said, looking past him. She still could not meet his gaze at a lie, despite him being under her command.
He sighed, circling behind her toward a tall window. With his hands behind his back, he looked over her kingdom. His tail swished back and forth in agitation. She wasn’t telling him something. Of course, he knew her mind was buzzing with uncertainty like a beehive. But were she to disclose anything, it would be under her terms and she would never be at ease. “Mikoto is coming too,” he stated, disclosing his own unease instead. “I haven’t seen her in nearly six years…”
“Mikoto? Your sister? Aren’t the genomes living with the black mages?” Were the genomes of Terra involved? Worry immediately creased her face. Mikoto visited Zidane after his return to Alexandria, but since then Garnet assumed that she returned to the Black Mage Village.
“Apparently, she became an Ambassador for Esto Gaza. They seem to be having trouble as well. Apparently there was a priest massacre and she believes it may be linked to the sudden rebellion in the surrounding kingdoms of Mist Continent.”
“Oh? She relocated to Esto Gaza? How come you did not tell me?” she gave him a stern look that he had become accustomed to ignoring.
As he looked away, he muttered, “It had nothing to do with you… so I didn’t see the reason.”
She opened her mouth to protest but was instead met with the throne room doors opening, emitting General Beatrix and Captain Steiner who immediately dropped to one knee before Garnet. They were followed in by the aging Doctor Tot who instead gave a humble nod of his head.
“Your Majesty,” Beatrix began, lifting her gaze to Queen Garnet. “The Regent of Lindblum and Treno’s Ambassador have arrived.” There was a pause in her speech as she glanced to Captain Steiner. He returned the unease in her look.
Zidane noted that they both appeared like they had seen ghosts. He took a step forward and spoke in Garnet’s stead. “Well… who is it?” he asked, bringing up the ever waiting question that no one else seemed to want to ask. All eyes went to him momentarily before looking to the General and the Captain.
Beatrix averted her gaze and swallowed, looking to the ground before her. “Well, Ambassador Mikoto arrived with them… and it seems that…” She licked her lips. “Well, let us look back on what happened eight years ago…”
“Eight years is quite a while ago, General…” Zidane sighed, scratching his head. He did not want to recall the past. A lot had transpired in those times, more than he wished to relapse upon.
Beatrix’s dark gaze fell upon Zidane heavily. “Indeed…” there was a deep tone of bitterness reveled against him.
He rolled his eyes and looked back to the Queen. These moments of disagreement between Beatrix and himself happened so often now that he had learned to ignore them. Whenever he and Garnet had a tiff, Garnet usually left to disclose her feelings to Beatrix and he was left to deal with Rusty jumping down his throat about overstepping his authority to her Majesty.
Captain Steiner rose from his kneeling position and headed for Zidane, who thought, here it comes…
Instead, he was greeted with a heavy glare of concern. “Whatever happened when you were crushed by the Iifa tree you must remember!”
How could I forget…? he mentally mused with heavy sarcasm. He averted his gaze away. “Look, that’s in the past. I don’t know how I survived… and what does all of that have to do with now?”
“Oh, don’t burden the poor boy with questions he is unfit to answer,” came a nonchalant voice from the far side of the room.
At once Beatrix had drawn her blade and was on her feet in an instant. Doctor Tot had moved himself behind the fearsome General and Steiner stepped beside Beatrix, almost at a loss of what he should do. “Not a step closer or I will dismount your head from your shoulders!”
“Now, is that any way to greet a guest? I was invited here, Most Honorable General…” The man entered and took a very flourished bow, raising his head to greet the Queen’s welcoming committee with a familiar insidious grin.
Zidane narrowed his eyes, acknowledging the guest which he assumed was the Ambassador of Treno with distaste. He instinctively moved in front of Garnet, pulling out a pair of daggers and flipping them expertly in his hands before pressing them back against his wrists, taking a strong offensive stance.
Beside the guest entered Regent Cid who, unexpectedly had been graying more and more since the last visit a few years ago. Beside the regent was a blue-haired young lady with contemptuous blue eyes glaring at the Ambassador of Treno. She stood with dignity, wearing a form-fitting pink dress that fell in layers around her ankles and a forest green traveling cloak that draped over her delicate shoulders. Zidane studied her face quite distinctively, finding her fairly attractive for her body was lithe and almost as a fae’s. Having studied her, he realized his guard was dropping. He returned his glare—with trouble—back to the Ambassador just as Lady Hilda appeared to stand beside Regent Cid.
Garnet was unable to see and tried to move past Zidane, who held his footing as if he was rooted to the ground beneath him. He gave her a sideways glare that caused her to back down and instead tried to sneak her way behind pillars to get a better look as everyone seemed distracted.
“You are not permitted in this castle, vermin!” Steiner shouted.
Doctor Tot finished cleaning his glasses and blinked several times, finally able to see the Ambassador. He narrowed his gaze and then glanced to Zidane. “So is it possible that we are seeing a ghost? Or has death truly passed him by?”
Garnet, now behind a pillar, quickly shed her long and cumbersome white dress where she now wore a red mage getup, having found that it was easier to get around in than her orange jumpsuit she traveled with as everyone around the globe knew her appearance by now if she wore it. Red Mage officials were harder to discern and also constantly moving about in their travels.
Once freed, she dodged behind as quietly as possible, scaling the wall, as the inset of bricks made good footholds and handholds. She pulled herself up to one of the curtained windows and climbed behind the curtain, setting herself atop the window sill and peeking out toward the floor of the throne room.
Two things were made quite clear from her vantage point:
Firstly, that Zidane had lied to her or not told her about the possibility that his brother was alive.
Secondly, that there was probably more at stake than just a simple war. For the dead did not just suddenly come back for formalities.
Below, she inspected the man who had waged war on her kingdom. His silver hair hung long like she remembered it. He was sporting a black shirt and black leggings beneath a red tabard and black riding boots that reached up to his knees. He wore a pair of glasses which gave him a slight sophisticated look, probably more the reason than his vision being terrible. He had aged well in the last eight years, if he aged at all. He still looked the same and quite possibly hid his age with magic.
“You said you wouldn’t ever come back to Alexandria,” Zidane growled between clenched teeth.
The silver-haired man chuckled. “Such a tempting thing to keep me from… but I have been invited here,” he said with a smile, gesturing to a letter, much like the ones that Garnet had sent to Regent Cid.
“We invited a representative from Treno. Not the likes of you!”
“That is correct. You did invite a representative. The Kings chose me. You remember the owners of the auction house—the same family whose house you and your band of thieves—Tantalus, I believe—infiltrated for some secret treasure, correct?”
“Yes. I remember,” he grumbled.
“I am here on behalf of Treno, by request of the highest nobles.”
“After what you did to Lindblum, Alexandria, Burmecia, Cleyra, and the Iifa Tree, I expected they would sooner hang you. I instructed you to lie low until you were forgotten,” Zidane chastised.
“And that I did. I am sure that they have forgotten… if not that, then Treno has certainly forgiven me, what with the amount of money I paid them to do so and the amount of trade I have provided them with. You would be surprised as to how much people will pay for Terran technology. They’ll nearly shit themselves just for a taste of that power.”
Steiner started to shake. Terran technology… the word rubbed him completely the wrong way. He recalled the Black Mages that this heathen had sold to the Late Queen Brahne.
“So you are doing what you initially started to do!” Zidane shouted. “Using your slimy means to get into positions of power and start to control and overthrow those in your clutches! You’ve not changed one bit! Still trying to get Brahne act-a-likes to bow to your offers!”
Garnet cringed and pressed herself against the window. That was not something she needed to hear… Recollecting the path her mother had taken made her shake. And then she started to remember. Her mother’s airship, the Red Rose… the day Kuja blatantly returned fire on her… her mother’s escape pod on the beach next to her bleeding and bruised body… and then the last moments of her mother apologizing… It all came back so vividly. She hadn't noticed she was crying and clutching her head, clawing at her scalp. “No… stop… I don’t want to remember this…” she whispered heavily, shaking her head.
“It is unkind to judge someone based on past events, but I can understand your contempt against my actions…” he gave another low bow. “But I do believe there are more important matters to attend.” He motioned to the gathering behind him. “If you would… we should pursue the true intent of this meeting. Accept me as I am titled: Ambassador Kuja Tribal of Treno. Now before we lose daylight, where is Her Majesty?” He started looking around the room, trying to spot Queen Garnet. He briefly noted her dress and chuckled quietly. She still had the desire to masquerade as the peasant. His Canary was still as creative as ever.
Garnet blatantly refused to come out. Let the sun die down for all she cared. Her mind was reeling on the past events. Why him? Why not her mother? Didn’t her mother also deserve a second chance? Perhaps more than this miscreant.
“Queen Garnet?” Steiner called out, looking about the hall.
Beatrix quickly discovered the dress and looked about. “Your Majesty!” she shouted harshly, almost as an admonition.
Zidane breathed out heavily, growing impatient. Why did she always have to disappear during these crucial times? He wandered the room, giving Kuja a wide berth as they searched.
Eventually, Beatrix called off the hunt, proposing that Garnet could have snuck outside, despite Regent Cid’s protests that she would have pulled him aside to at least say hello. Steiner enlisted his knights to keep a sharp watch of the grounds and the halls of the castle, believing that Garnet could be anywhere.
Meanwhile, Doctor Tot escorted the Regency of Lindblum to their rooms where they would be permitted to stay. He quietly, but respectfully guided the Ambassador of Treno to one of the guest rooms as well. Mikoto declined to be shown a room and instead opted to go after her big brother, Zidane.
As the crowd dispersed, she followed him into the hallways as he was patrolling the outside, descending the few steps down to the docks near the moat, catching him in a tight hug from behind. “Zidane!” she exclaimed, happy as ever to see him.
He instinctively held a dagger to her throat and had her against a wall in seconds. She gulped heavily, shaking beneath the weapon. His cold blue eyes lessened slowly in their intensity as she let out a whimper. “Mikoto…” he breathed, slowly pulling the weapon away. And sheathing it.
As it was pulled from her neck, her face reddened. “What Do You Think You’re Doing!?” she shrieked.
He took a step back, his eyes widening. “I… Uh…”
“Well?” she placed her hands on her hips. “I come to say hello and you’re all up in arms! What are you waiting for? An assassin? Do you think I’m Garrett the Thief? What is going on with you? As long as I’ve known you—at least from rumors—you’re a lecherous skirt-chaser! But here you are attacking me out of term!”
“Mikoto…” he started, his face draining of guilt all-of-a-sudden. “Why is Kuja here…? Wasn’t he supposed to stay in Desert Palace?”
“What? Oh… I don’t know… I guess… he just up and left…” she said, shrugging and walking toward the edge of the pathway and gazing off into the moat where the stairs led downward into a makeshift dock.
Zidane followed her, grabbing onto her arm and turning her to face him. “What is going on, Mikoto?”
She turned, blue eyes falling on his. “I… honestly have no idea…” She spoke with the old monotonous tone she had when he first met her.
He sighed and threw her arm at her side to which she took a step back to steady herself as he pace around the small jetty. She wondered what could possibly be wrong with him. Had he always been this abrasive and now that he was older it was more prevalent? He had his woman, he had a good position as her personal bodyguard, and he was surrounded by those whom he cared about… what could possibly be the problem? “Are you ill?” she asked.
“What!?” he asked flippantly, turning to face her.
“Are you sick? Because you’re acting far outside of your norm lately. Does something hurt?”
The question struck him as if she threw a rock right between his eyes. Did something hurt? He turned his head away and thought the question over. He loved Garnet, didn’t he? They had small tender moments, but nothing beyond kissing… He tried to go farther with her, but things just didn’t pan out. Either she had lessons or work, or he had training or his elite officer duties.
Mikoto tilted her head to the side. “Do you?”
“I do,” he answered softly.
“What hurts then?”
He turned to her in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“I asked if something hurt and you just said you do… So what hurts?”
“Oh…” His face flushed with embarrassment. He answered his own question in his head aloud. He did love Garnet… right? He had to confirm this. Because he never felt anything like it… right?
“So what is it?” she pressed.
“I’ve never felt anything like it…” He mused aloud.
“Like what? Is it your head? Your stomach? Your spleen? Maybe your just frustrated?” she suggested.
“Wait… what!?” he turned and stared at her in flustered confusion.
“Well, what haven’t you felt before?”
Curse these aloud musings he made. “Never mind, Mikoto… you should go back inside…”
“Why? Why can’t you give me a straight answer!? I just want to help you feel better! Isn’t that what you tried to do for everyone else?”
He sighed, massaging his temples. “You are such a PAIN! Inside, before I have you personally escorted by one of my men!”
“Yeah? Like you would really do that!”
He looked past her and raised a hand, signaling several hand signs in the air. From above a redhead with an eye patch in similar garb dropped beside him, immediately grabbing onto Mikoto. “Where to?”
“Take her to her room, Blank.”
“Aye…” he stated gruffly before dragging the protesting blond inside.
“Zidane! Wait! Why won’t you listen!?”
Zidane easily blocked out the noise as Blank obediently dragged her inside. Eventually tiring of her struggling, he apologized before scooping her over his shoulder and carrying her the rest of the way, glancing back at Zidane momentarily before disappearing behind the castle doors.
Alone again, the elite official leaned against the wall, thinking. Why did he disobey his request? What was Kuja thinking? It was better to let Mist Continent alone. What was he after? His mind circulated to Garnet. He wanted to hold her… but his mind begged for comfort. There was too much to try and understand. He drew his daggers and turned in a spiral motion, attacking the stone wall behind him which crumbled from the striking point to the top where it sat unsupported. Breathing harshly, he flipped the blades and stashed them back in their black sheathes.
Was Mikoto right? Was he losing it? He turned swiftly to face the moat. “I just don’t know…”
Especially for someone like me who has not played the game before. I am sure that was a ton of work to put together, and it came out great! Thanks for letting me be a part of it