To the Sky and Beyond
Chapter I: Memories in Dali
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"How do you feel, Dagger?"
Garnet observed the quiet and quaint life around her. Children chased each other while their parents tended the farms or moved incoming daily cargos to the factories. The windmills squeaked wistfully with each passing rotation, bringing about a feel of the more primitive life that Garnet was not used to at all. Alexandria was always bustling with people hurrying here and there, often times not caring about the minimal level of courtesy. The town was too rambunctious for her taste, but the palace was too rigid for her liking. She never did quite managed to find something in between until now. She was fascinated with how everyone in the small frontier village of Dail was so close-knit even though their lifestyle offered them so much less than what Alexandria offered its residents.
It was something so different, so unique. She liked it a lot.
"I feel...blessed to be able to see the world outside the palace with my very own eyes." The princess walked gracefully down a cobblestone path with an air of humbleness. It was still difficult to change her royal mannerisms but she was going to try her best to do so, and if not for herself then for the sake of her kingdom and her mother. She needed to seek help desperately in Lindblum and standing out from the ordinary people was certainly not going to get her there. In fact, it would only land her a trip back to Alexandria and all her attempts to save her mother would have been futile.
She couldn't help but let out a small laughter as she watched Steiner struggle to stride normally. His heavy armor clanked nosily against him, causing several people around him to whisper to each other while staring strangely with a small hint of fear in their eyes as they witnessed the foreign man. She was so grateful for everyone around her. She knew Steiner would stay loyal to her until the very end. Vivi was a strange one, but there was something innately charming and innocent about the little black mage. Just like her, he harbored a strong fascination and curiosity about the world. And then there was Zidane. Garnet wasn't too sure what she thought of him yet. He sometimes had a short temper and the life of a thief and a commoner was definitely not something she had come by in the past very often, if at all. But, there was something special about him.
"And there will be plenty more to see! Just you wait!" Zidane gave a half grin and placed a hand on her shoulder. Swiftly, he gently grabbed her hand with sparkling mirth in his eyes. "Oh, there's something I want to show you."
"What is it?" Dagger looked down at her hand in surprise. It was already getting somewhat late and she didn't know if wandering around the village would be a good idea. After all, they should be getting as much rest as they could for tomorrow. It was going to be a long day ahead.
Zidane gave a small pout while tugging on her hand for acceptance. "Aw, come on. It won't take long. I promise."
From the corner of his eyes, Steiner shot a deadly gaze towards the thief. "You scoundrel! What do you think you're doing? Unhand the princess at once!" Just as Steiner was about to make his way over to the two, Zidane rapidly pulled the princess behind him and pushed her towards the path that led to the hillside of Dali.
"You don't need to worry about a thing, Rusty! I'll make sure I'll bring her back to the inn safely before her curfew!"
"Hey-"
Before Garnet could even finish her sentence, she felt her legs moving against her will as she ascended the steep steps towards the hills. Glancing back, she could see a fuming Steiner jumping up and down in frustration while a calm but nervous Vivi trying to ease the man's anger. Garnet felt a tinge of guilt for abandoning her protector like that but a sense of excitement and thrill was building inside of her at the same time and her latter emotions finally won out.
"Where are we going?" she cried out in between her short breaths.
Zidane, somewhat forgetting that she was not used to arduous tasks, slowed down to give her a chance to catch her breath. "My apologies, Princess." He bowed sincerely as a way of rectifying his earlier actions. "I just want to show you something and I know Rusty would only ruin the moment."
"Ruin the moment? You still haven't told me what we're doing." Garnet stood upright with her hands planted on her hips. Her brows were arched downward in slight disapproval as she patiently waited for an explanation.
The thief smirked and couldn't resist thinking how sizzling scorching she looked. He licked his lips a couple of times as he eyed her from top to bottom and then from bottom to top as a rush of lust filled him. "Well, I just wanted to show you something you normally would not be able to see in Alexandria. Come on, it's only a few steps more." Taking her hand again, he guided her slowly up the steps this time, making sure she didn't lag behind. He was glad she didn't collapse yet. Most of the girls he had brought here in the past had ended up whining and moaning so much as they made the difficult climb that they never even reached the pinnacle. Zidane shook his head and cringed as he recalled memories of his past dates complaining to no end that he never rented a chocobo to make the trek easier for them. First of all, they never understood that he was a very hungry and poor thief. Second, chocobos would just defeat the entire purpose of an adventure.
"You're doing great, Princess. I am impressed. You're quite athletic and you have proven that back when we were trying to get out of the palace."
"Must I remind you that I have been training very hard to escape the castle walls?" She gave a small smile and let her legs do the talking. Taking long graceful strides, she easily caught up to the Zidane and even surpassed him as the two raced each other to the hilltop. Laughter and giggles filled the night as the cool wind danced beside them in their little race. Finally reaching the top, Garnet came to a sudden halt, lost in the wonders around her. Her breathings became relaxed as her eyes widened at the sight surrounding her.
"Zidane..." she gasped in awe. Her voice was low and she feared that if she spoke any louder, she would disrupt the peace and beauty that embraced the silence.
Zidane threw his arms behind his head and watched with a satisfied grin. "See, I told you so," he whispered, also not wanting to break the stillness of the beauty before them.
Unlike the rest of the towns and cities on Mist Continent, the mist hovering over the hilltops of Dali were lighter and thinner with a small tint of blue that was reflected from the bright moon above that governed the wonders below. The smoky gas rolled up and down like serene waves after a storm with their long thin tendrils reaching out to everything and nothing in particular. The mist seem to sparkle against the backdrop of the stars although they were a bit difficult to see due to being shrouded by the dark clouds that rolled gently with the mist. It was a hauntingly beautiful sight and although the mist posed a threat to the people on the continent, the mist here rivaled any beauties Garnet had ever witnessed or read about. It was like a painting brought to life in the most surreal way possible. She felt like she was caught in a dream as the blue air waltzed around her with their tendrils seemingly reaching out to her as a greeting.
She took a seat on the soft grass and watched the view before her with a sense of contentment in her heart. It was the first time she had felt this relaxed after they escaped from Alexandria. After the horrible plot to escape Alexandria by using the theater ship, there appeared to be nothing but trouble ahead. Even though Zidane would never admit it to her, she knew herself that she had caused nothing but trouble and was even responsible for the petrifaction of Blank. Everything had happened so fast. She was poisoned and then abducted, and everyone had to risk their lives to save her because she was the 'princess.' Just as she thought most of her troubles were put to rest after escaping the Evil Forest, more trouble awaited her and her companions in the Ice Cavern and in Dali. She just wanted to get everything over with...
A patch of grass next to her ruffled as Zidane sat down, shooting her a flirtatious grin.
"I knew you had a lot on your mind so I decided to bring you here to keep your mind off things."
"Really?" She looked at him curiously with soft brown eyes that were trying to convey her gratitude. Instead, she shut them quickly and looked away, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed and shy. It was very sweet of him to be so thoughtful. Besides her mother, Steiner, and Beatrix, no one had really ever shown her much genuine consideration unless they were either told to do so or threatened. "Thank you..."
"Here, catch! I know you like these." A squeaky sound emerged from the depths of Zidane's clasped hands, and as he unfolded them a huge oglop bounced from his palm to Garnet's lap. Unlike most girls who feared the bug, the princess found them to be strangely cute.
"Wow, an oglop!"
"Yeah, there are lots of them here," Zidane said as he made himself comfortable by stretching himself out on the grass. "Actually, we're surrounded by them. I think if I had brought my other dates here, they would have all flipped out," he chuckled.
"Other...dates?" Garnet spoke softly as she petted the insect on her thigh. She couldn't explain why, but she was slightly bothered and annoyed that Zidane had possibly brought other girls up here to share this spectacular view with them. It didn't make her feel...as special anymore.
"Oh, don't worry. They never made it up here. They were too whiny and tired less than half way up!" he laughed at just thinking about those silly times he tried to take a lady up here. "You're the first one."
The Princess felt a small rush of relief wash over as she exhaled softly. "I see." With a small smile, she released the large oglop from her thigh and watched it bounce off into the night, joining its comrades on the planes. "You know, everything happened so fast...from when we first met until now. I felt so much has happened..."
Zidane raised a brow. "Oh? You can't really recall?"
"I can...but...just not very vividly."
Slipping his hand over hers, he gave a tiny squeeze. "Let me remind you then, Dagger..."
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