Chapter One: The Storm After the Calm

"How can you be calm at a time like this!?" shrieked Dagger.

Dagger and Zidane had been talking, or rather bickering, in their royal chamber for hours. Dagger was, at that moment, sitting rather stiffly on the very edge of their bed, although every few minutes she stood up abruptly and started pacing about the room wildly, whilst Zidane was lazily leaning against the wall, dreamily staring out of the window.

"Come on Dagger, she's always wanderin' off like this! She must take after me!" replied Zidane with a smirk. "It's not like she hasn't done this before!"

"She's only two years old for goodness sake!! Oh, what can we do??" sobbed Dagger.

"Don't wor." Zidane began, but was cut short by the sudden banging open of the chamber door. In stepped Beatrix, looking rather pale, clutching a crumpled parchment in her hand.

"You-your Highnesses." stuttered Beatrix, as she marched up to her Queen, bowed respectfully, and held the note out to her. Suddenly Zidane, without warning, snatched the note from the sullen General and quickly glared at what was scrawled on it.

Mere seconds later, he tossed the parchment aside, and abruptly stormed out of the royal chamber. Dagger started after him, but then turned to the note on the floor, already knowing, not suspecting, what it said. She slowly reached for the note, and began to read it, a lot more thoroughly than Zidane had.

Dear Your Royal Highnesses, It may have come to your attention, that your beloved daughter has not been in your presence for quite some time now. I am confident that even a person of your intelligence can comprehend that the price tag on her head will be rather hefty, so I would appreciate it if you were to have eleven million Gil plus three chests of the Palace's finest treasure personally delivered to me by Queen Garnet herself to the observatory in Dali on the night of the next full moon. You would do well to be on time.

Yours sincerely,

Kento M. Kape, Keeper of the Keys

Having read this rather bad piece of news, Dagger fainted.

Hours later, Dagger finally awoke, and found herself lying comfortably in her bed, alone, save for Zidane, who was kitted out in his travelling gear, staring out of the window for the second time that day.

"I'm going after her, Dagger," said Zidane outright, "I'm not willing to leave Lucile at the mercy of some third-class, treacherous bandit."

"But what about the ransom? We can spare the Gil! I don't want to risk losing you too! Please don't leave me again!!" pleaded Dagger.

"It goes against my nature; you should know that! She's our daughter Dagger, and I can't stand the thought of her being kept away from us for so long, at such a young age. You know you won't change my mind," stated Zidane, totally contradicting what he had said just a few hours previous.

"But."

"Please Dagger. Let me find her. For all we know this could be a trap! This bandit may not even have Lucile! Word of her absence has spread around the kingdom - we don't know just what we are facing. I'll go to Dali; the next full moon isn't until tomorrow night, which should be plenty of time!"

"Well in that case, I'm going with you - the note even asks for me by name!" retorted Dagger.

"NO, you're not. I'm afraid I can't let you do that. The people need you; you know as well as I do they have never really accepted me, a 'low class thief' as their ruler, even if I did save the world, at least once!" said Zidane as he gave a satisfied smirk, "This Kento character will just need to settle for me - you are not leaving this castle! Stay here, and before you know it I'll be back with Lucile in my arms - I promise."

"Oh my.fine.go - just make sure you don't take quite so long to fulfil this promise!"

"Thanks you my dear - with your blessing, I shall travel ever swifter," said Zidane, speaking far too articulately, compared to his usual self.

Zidane stepped closer to Dagger's side, kissed her lovingly, and turned to leave.

"Please.please come back safely." cried Dagger, as her husband pulled his cloak over his head and left the room.

Moments after her husband's departure, Dagger summoned her two loyal guardians, Steiner and Beatrix, to her bedchamber.

"Listen, quickly now. We must hurry. Have the ransom prepared; Take the key from my dressing table; there is a sealed cabinet in the armoury - open it; there should be more than enough inside. Take all that you need, and rush to Dali - I have a bad feeling about Zidane's plan. Do not let him see you; I would hate for him to think I don't trust him. I would hate myself even more if something were to happen to him, or Lucile," rushed Dagger.

"But Your Mag." began Steiner.

Glaring at Steiner, Beatrix exclaimed, "It shall be done, Your Royal Highness."

With a swift bow, both knights hurriedly left the room and headed for the armoury, leaving Dagger worried, and once again alone.

"Watch over them; all of them." whispered Dagger, praying to anyone who would listen.