I Don't Want To! You Can't Make Me!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything FFiX.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Complained the annoyed Eiko. She was decked out in a frilly, puffy purple dress, sitting at a table, learning how to dine properly.

"Oh Eiko, you know your father and I want what's best for you." Hilda would tell her.

Eiko would sigh and roll her eyes. All of a sudden, since she had turned thirteen, her parents had been drilling etiquette and finesse into her brain to much that it was giving her a headache. Gone were her days of exploring the world and going on adventures. Now all she was allowed to do was travel with her father to Alexandria to see Garnet. Big whoop. She use to be able to walk the street among the city folk, and now she was just allowed to stay with in the Alexandrian castle. What was going on? Eiko had no clue, but she was getting pretty sick and tired of all this nonsense!

At least when she was at the castle in Alexandria, she had Zidane to hang out with. He was even giving her lessons on how to use real weapons, other than her summoning powers. She was getting better at how to use a dagger, but still had a lot to learn. She'd rather be learning fighting skills than this boring princess shit.

Looking up at her mother, watching her reaction as she picked up her silverware the correct way, her mind wandered to how Puck was doing. When she was younger, and her family had visited Garnet regularly, Eiko would go and play with him. They had become close friends, but now she never saw him. He was most likely out in the world having adventures! The lucky rat! Oh well...what could she really do about it? Eiko supposed she'd just keep up with this stupid lessons, if it made her parents happy, and wait till they'd get tired of teaching her.

As the years went by, no such luck had come to Eiko in her wish for the end of her princess lessons. When she had hit the age of seventeen, she had gotten all that princess bullshit down and was bored whenever her mother went over things that she already knew. One day, she was bold enough to ask her mother, "When can I stop doing this nonsense?" Her mother got a hurt look upon her face and told her that if she really hated it so much, then she didn't have to do them any more. Too late now, she knew all that they wanted her to learn about being polite and mannered.

Just because she knew how to behave correctly, doesn't mean she really put her knowledge to use. She was still the outspoken, bold, daring, defiant girl she had always been. Over the years, her training with Zidane every weekend had paid off. She was now fully skilled with a dagger, and was also informed with martial arts skills as well. Her parents weren't that proud of her fighting skills, they were more interested in finding her a beau, which she protested with all her might.

"I will have no man by my side." She informed them. They'd ask her why she felt that way, but she'd just give them silence. So for a while they had let up on finding her a boy, until the day of her seventeenth birthday. That's when all the suitors had come along. Eiko gave them hell, and was quite excellent at scaring them off after about the first six or so she was a natural at it. She'd use her summoning powers on them when no one was around and frighten the crap outta them! Or if that didn't work she'd talk of really gross things while they were on a 'date' like sheep intestines and chocobo brains. Very unlady like, which all the noble boys detested and held their noses up at. They'd leave the castle and with their departure her parents would silently wonder what had caused this quick escape.

Then one day, something unexpected happened...

"Eiko, if you do not find a suitor by your eighteenth birthday, we will make you an arranged marriage." Her parents told her.

Eiko took no heed to this warning, and kept on scaring away her suitors. Her parents, all the while, making arrangements with a kingdom with a stubborn prince as well. They arranged that if both children had not given in to a suitor, then they should be engaged and nothing would break their bond. So it was decided, Eiko would marry Prince ...

"Puck! I have some news!" The king of Burmecia told his son.

"What is it now?" Whined the bored son.

"You are to be engaged!" Answered the king.

"What? No way." Said the prince.

"Indeed, by your eighteenth birthday, you will be formally a couple! Due to be wed!" Smiled the happy king.

"And if I refuse?" Answered the arrogant prince.

"You would bring war upon our country! This is a bonding of two nations, dear boy! With this marriage, two nations will be joined together as one!" Answered the king.

"And what nations is my supposed bride from?" Asked the annoyed prince.

"Lindblum."

Right away, Puck knew which girl he was intended to marry, and he fell to the ground in shock.

"Are you alright!" Asked the worried king.

"Eiko?" Asked the bewildered prince.

"Well, yes." Answered the king, "You know of her then?" He asked.

"Yes...we played together as kids...won't she be surprised...To see me like I am today? I still remember the day you told me...When I woke up with a new face...I remember your words so clearly...about mother and how you had found her on the shore of an island when you were traveling the sea. She was an enchantress, beautiful as can be...but to the people of Burmecia, to have a queen like that would be considered..."

"Not good enough, Eiko! Try harder! It's like your not even trying!" Spoke Zidane as Eiko practiced fighting. With a jab to the wide open stomach area, Eiko was down for the count and Zidane was shaking his head at her. "Why are you so off balance today?" He asked her, helping her to her feet.

"You got me..." She said, breathing heavy from the training they had done all day.

"So your birthday is coming up, you excited?" Zidane asked her.

Eiko stopped breathing heavily and bowed her head in silence, "No."

"Why not?" Asked the curious Zidane.

"Mom and Dad...Said if I didn't have a suitor by my eighteenth...They'd arrange a marriage for me."

"Eeek! That sounds rotten..." Replied Zidane. "Sorry E...But it was bound to happen."

"Garnet isn't married, so why do I have to?" Eiko asked him.

It was Zidane's turn to become silent as the grave, "It's different...Garnet has no parents to tell her what to do...and no one she'd like to marry."

"Oh Zidane, you know she'd marry you in a heartbeat! If only..."

"I know, if only I was of royal blood." Zidane replied. "But anyways...I wouldn't worry too much about it. You're parents know you pretty well, they'll find you someone good. Just wait and see!" He said, putting on a cheerier tone.

"I'm surprised you remembered that story." Said the king to his son.

"How could I not? You told me to explain why I looked more human when I turned sixteen. Her enchantress power she had was used to make her appear like one of Burmecia blood. When I was born, her magic seal protected me in that form until I turned the age of manhood." He smiled at the memory of it.

"Yes, you look more like her now, more than me...You have her sea green eyes and light sandy hair..." His father remarked.

"So when is her birthday?" He asked his father.

"In two days..." He answered, "You'd best start your way towards lindblum so that you arrive to her party on time."

Puck sighed, but nodded his head in agreement. His father wasn't getting any younger, and he was his only son. At least Puck had gotten the chance to see the world and travel a lot when he was younger. Now he'd be able to settle down for once...maybe.