Author's Note: Before the Festival of the Hunt, Dagger agrees to go on a date with Zidane if he wins. But unfortunately, in the game, she never fulfills her side of the deal. Ever wonder what it would've been like if they actually did go on that date? I always have! And this is what might have happened...
Crazy For This Girl
In the throne room of Lindblum Grand Castle, Minister Artania surveyed the present company. Zidane and Freya, their minds on Burmecia, wore twin expressions of concern on their faces. Garnet was visibly frustrated at being told to stay in Lindblum and Steiner was hovering protectively over her. Vivi stood off to the side, lost in his own thoughts. Regent Cid, even in his oglop form, retained an air of authority that brooked no disobedience. They were discussing the best way to get to Burmecia, which was currently under attack.
"We must leave for Burmecia at once," Freya was saying.
"Then you should take the Dragon's Gate since you're traveling by foot," the Regent advised. "Let us eat while we ‹gwok› wait for the gate to be opened."
"However, it will take some time to prepare the feast," said Artania. "Why don't you all go enjoy yourselves in the city while we wait? If you come back in two hours, the food should be ready." It should take their minds off the matter at hand, at least for a little while, he thought to himself, looking over the gloomy faces before him. Taking a break will do them a world of good.
"Yes, yes, Minister Artania is right. ‹gwok› Go and relax for a bit! We'll see you back in two hours."
After a moment, Vivi said awkwardly, "O-Ok, I guess I could find some other kids to play with..."
Freya put a hand on his shoulder. "Vivi, why don't you come with me? I'm pretty familiar with Lindblum and I can show you around." He agreed with more enthusiasm, and they left the room with Freya explaining to him the different highlights of each district.
Zidane turned to a still very frustrated Garnet and cocked his head to one side. "So how about that date? Doesn't the winner of the Festival get to go out with the most beautiful girl in the kingdom?"
"Well..."
"Please? You promised!"
"How dare you treat the princess with such disrespect!" yelled a fuming Steiner, shaking his fist at Zidane. "Princess! This is intolerable!"
Garnet sighed and shook her head. "It's all right, Steiner. We'll be back in time for the feast."
"What?! Princess, you shouldn't feel pressured to go with him just because you made some silly promise!"
"Steiner...I don't feel pressured. I'm going with him. You should go enjoy yourself, too."
"But...!" the Captain of the Knights of Pluto started to protest as the two teenagers hurried from the room. Artania shook his head as he watched them go. Kids these days....
***
"So...do you come to Lindblum a lot?" asked Zidane as they headed for the aircab station.
"We used to visit every year when father was alive because he and Uncle Cid were good friends. But now, father's gone and mother..." She trailed off, distracted by thoughts of her mother.
"Then you probably haven't seen much of Lindblum outside of the palace. There's lots I wanna show you. Come on!" And with that, he sped ahead to the waiting aircab.
"Zidane! Wait for me!" she called, running after him.
Slightly out of breath, Dagger entered the cab, put her hands on her hips, and glared at Zidane. "Shouldn't the guy be more of a gentleman on a date? Instead of leaving the girl behind?" She had never been on a date before, but she had some idea of what it should be like.
Zidane scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Oops, sorry about that. I guess I got too excited back there. How can I make it up to you?"
"How about by buying me something nice?" she said, sitting down next to him. "Don't you think that would be romantic?"
He chuckled to himself. Hmm, she's getting pretty good with these comebacks. I'd better shape up or the next thing I know, she'll be asking me to steal the moon! "Speaking of romantic, we might as well get cozy. It'll be a while before we get to the Business District." Sidling closer to her, he started to put his arm around her shoulders.
"Zidane!" she said sharply, edging away from him.
"Hey, I thought we were closer than that!" he protested, but withdrew his arm. I guess I must be moving a little too fast. Heh heh, I'll try to be less obvious next time.
Sighing inwardly, Dagger put her elbow on the arm rest and propped her cheek against her hand. She didn't know who she was more upset with, Zidane or Steiner. Both of them had acted like she was helpless and naïve, back in the throne room. Hadn't she proved that she was quite capable, after escaping the castle by herself and making it all the way to Lindblum? Sure, she had some help getting here but she could certainly hold her own in battle. And after all their adventures, she wasn't nearly as sheltered as she was before. So why wouldn't they let her go back to Alexandria? After all, she was the queen's daughter; who better to talk to her mother than Garnet herself?
But when she was forced to choose between Steiner or Zidane, she rather preferred Zidane's company, although if she had her way she would explore around town by herself. As fond as she was of Steiner, loyal Steiner, his incessant worrying and overprotective attitude made her feel even more confined than she already did. Even though Zidane had essentially treated her the same way, he was more fun to be around. But he of all people should know that she could handle things by herself and make her own decisions. He of all people! They've been through so much together and he had believed in her every step of the way, but now he was treating her as if she were simply a child. The fact that he didn't take her side infuriated her more than anything. Oh, just thinking about him made her mad!
"What's wrong, Dagger? Are you ok?" Zidane asked, peering intently at her face with concern.
"Huh? Oh!" She blinked and unballed her fists. That's funny, she didn't remember clenching them. She carefully folded her hands across her lap. "It's nothing.... Look! We're here!" she exclaimed and dashed out the door when the cab screeched to a halt.
"Arrgghh! Wait up!" I guess that's what I get for leaving her behind last time. Zidane shook his head and ran after her.
Since she was only familiar with the royal palace, Dagger stopped in the middle of the avenue, not knowing where to go. Nimbly squeezing through the crowd, Zidane eventually caught up to her. "Hey, Dagger, you shouldn't go running off by yourself! It's really easy to get lost. Lindblum's a big place, you know."
"Yes, I know." She looked around her with wonder. "I don't remember it being so big, or so busy. The last time I was here was when I was twelve, before my father died. I guess a lot has changed since then."
"Do you wanna see just how big Lindblum is? Come on, let's go!" Before she could respond, he grabbed her arm and started making his way through the throng.
"Aaaah! Let go!" she protested, but didn't try to free herself. Strangely enough, she really didn't mind. She realized that she was actually glad that Zidane was with her, instead of being on her own. The sheer number of people was overwhelming; Alexandria was nowhere near this busy. Though she hated to admit it, she needed him with her because she probably would have gotten lost without his guidance. But how she wished she could prove that she didn't need his help! She immediately squashed that train of thought. There's no point in being angry at him. He's just being nice. Why in the world does he make me so mad, anyway?
They wound their way through to a marketplace, where it was still busy but less crowded. There were vendors selling a wide range of goods, from rugs to animals to weapons to gysahl pickles. "Oooh, flowers!" Dagger gushed as she spotted a stand with a display of buckets filled with vibrantly colored blossoms. She broke away from Zidane, who rolled his eyes and followed her. Girls!
"Look, Zidane! Day lilies! They're my favorite!" She selected a flower that had large lavender petals with a splash of yellow at the center and held it up for Zidane to see. "Isn't it beautiful?"
"Sure," he said, but she was already busy admiring the roses and the orchids. He wasn't too interested in flowers, but as long as Dagger was happy, he didn't mind. And he was definitely interested in Dagger.
When she was done with the flowers, they moved on to the pickle stand. "Tasty gysahl pickles!" called out the grandmotherly woman selling them. "Get them while you can!"
"What an awful smell!" Dagger pinched her nose and pointed at the pans of pickles soaking in their own juice. "Do people actually eat these?" she asked incredulously, as a man in front of them purchased ten. Obviously, they did.
"Here, wanna try one?" Zidane tossed the old woman a few coins and gave one to Dagger, who stared dubiously at the soggy green vegetable in her hand. It smelled like a cross between rotting food and stinky feet. She wrinkled her nose.
"Be careful not to eat it all at once, dear," cautioned Grandma Pickle, smiling sweetly at her. "Yesterday a knight in rusty armor did just that and that was bad news, let me tell you. Just take tiny little bites."
"Go ahead, Dagger, they're one of the best things about Lindblum! Don't tell me you're scared..."
"I'm not scared!" she retorted, and defiantly popped the whole thing into her mouth. She had been patronized enough in one day. Scared of a eating stupid little pickle? Of course not! She was tougher than that. She was up to the challenge... All of a sudden, her mouth was on fire and everything became blurry as her eyes watered profusely. She frantically flapped her hands in front of her mouth and hopped around in circles on one foot. "Hot....mouth....‹wheeze›....burning....urk!" she spluttered. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and she could have sworn that steam was pouring from her ears. However, refusing to let a silly pickle get the best of her, she swallowed the rest in one gulp, gagged, and nearly fell over.
"Not again," sighed the pickle lady.
Zidane burst out laughing as she struggled to regain her composure. "You know, you really should have listened to her! Wow, I don't think I've ever seen anyone turn that shade of red."
Her face just turned redder, and wished she were invisible when she saw people staring at her, some hiding their smiles and others openly amused. Oh, Zidane was going to get it! This was entirely his fault! He was still laughing when she managed to say, gasping for air, "Zidane, you....jerk! I....can't believe....you....did this....to me!"
Trying to stifle his laughter, he was about to tell her that he didn't do anything, but then thought the better of it. "S-sorry, Dagger....it was just so funny." She narrowed her eyes at him, crossed her arms and stormed off. Uh oh, I've just made her madder. Note to self: Don't laugh at your date when she embarrasses herself in front of fifty people.
As Dagger crossed the square, the heat slowly melted from her face. At least no one on the other side of the market saw what happened. That Zidane! She would have been better off by herself, after all. She could not believe that she, Princess Garnet til Alexandros XVII, had just been publicly humiliated! At least no one here knew her true identity or it would have been much worse. Her face began to feel hot again as she tried to imagine that scenario. Taking a deep breath, she slowly counted to ten. She browsed a nearby display of jewelry and began to feel much calmer. There was something about shopping that never failed to soothe her spirits.
After some time, she felt a hand on her shoulder. When she saw that it was Zidane, she gave a little sniff (hm!) and resumed her shopping, ignoring him.
"Look, Dagger, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have embarrassed you in front of all those people..." ...Even though it wasn't my fault... "Um, anyway, I want to take you somewhere romantic before....anything else....happens." He watched her warily in case she flipped out again, but all she did was fix him with a stare.
She pretended to think it over. "All right, I don't see why not."
Zidane smiled at her with relief and led her up a long flight of stairs that ran along the city wall. "Whew, you had me worried! For a second there I really thought you were gonna dump me!"
"Maybe, maybe not. But you'll have to make this one up to me, too," she said with a grin. It was hard for Dagger to stay mad at him for long. His easy-going nature, his upbeat personality, and the way he made her feel...special...somehow made her anger melt away. Or maybe it was his irresistable smile or the way he looked at her...
The top of the stairs opened onto a wide bridge built high above the city. Zidane jumped onto a stone terrace jutting out from the side of the bridge and gave Dagger a hand up.
Speechless, Dagger looked around them in amazement and awe. The entire city of Lindblum was sprawled out below them, a sea of thatched and shingled roofs, streets filled with thousands of townspeople going about their daily business. The citizens of Lindblum seemed as tiny as insects from where she stood and the buildings looked like the toy houses she used to play with when she was younger. The sounds of activity below drifted up to her as a dull, muffled roar. To the south, she saw the castle, which even at this distance was majestic and formidable, solidly situated on a broad rise with turrets boldly silhouetted against the sky and royal banners billowing in the wind. The sight of the castle was reassuring, as it represented the one remaining thing in her life that she could still rely on, the one thing that would remain immovable and unchanged. Uncle Cid knew what the state of affairs was and she could trust him to act appropriately. She could always count on him. Dear uncle Cid...
"Never seen Lindblum like this before, have you?" Zidane asked as they sat down on one of the tiered edges. She shook her head; the view she had earlier from the roof of the castle only looked out onto the wilderness and a small portion of the city. And even on her previous trips to Lindblum, the view she had from the airship was much different. Then, she could only see the city from the air for a few short minutes and the guards were always careful not to let her too close to the edge of the ship. Now, she could look about at her own leisure. The wind that gently stirred her hair and the cool air she breathed through her nose gave her a giddy sense of freedom. There was no one to tell her to stay on the bridge because it was safer there and no railing to wall her away from the danger of falling. She felt completely and utterly unfettered for the first time in her life. It was such a compelling sensation that she almost believed she could sprout wings and take flight like the birds she often saw in the Alexandrian skies, coming and going as they pleased.
"Zidane, this is absolutely breathtaking! Thank you so much for bringing me here." They sat together for a while without saying anything, admiring the view. Now and then an airship would fly high overhead. It reminded Dagger of the time when Zidane mistakenly thought he had asked her on an airship cruise, when in reality he had asked some other girl. Thinking about it made her slightly annoyed and she felt a surge of....jealousy? Now, why was that? She had reacted jealously then, too. No, she was being silly. Zidane just likes girls, and that's the way he is. Besides, we've only known each other for a few weeks, so we're just friends. And there's nothing wrong about friends liking other people.
Eventually Zidane broke the silence by saying, "M'lady, there is something I have for you." Out of nowhere, he produced with a flourish the very same lily she had showed him earlier that day. "Can you find it in your heart to forgive me? For all the times I've messed up today?"
"Oh!" Dagger gasped with delight. "Of course! How thoughtful of you! Where did you get this? I don't remember seeing you buy anything back at the marketplace."
"You were pretty mad at me after that incident, so I thought I'd make it up to you by getting you something when you walked away and refused to talk to me."
"Yes...all this definitely makes up for it," she said, inhaling the flower's sweet fragrance.
"'Nature's splendor hath no right to claim the praise of men, for all her blossoms in their finest hues cannot compare to thy fair countenance,'" Zidane quoted.
Dagger recognized that line from I Want to Be Your Canary, from the scene where Marcus was wooing Cornelia. Of course Zidane would know it; she was certain he knew the whole play by heart. But she wasn't sure if he was just flirting with her or if he was being serious. "Uh, thanks, I think..."
Flustered, she tried to talk about something else. "Zidane...what's going to happen? Do you think Uncle Cid will be able to reason with mother?" Even as she asked the question, she knew that she would be the one to talk to her mother before anyone else did. She felt a sharp twinge of guilt about deceiving Zidane and the others, but there was no way around it; they had given her no other option. She was suddenly struck with another thought. "Will you be all right in Burmecia?"
"Cid has always been a wise ruler. I'm sure he knows what he's doing. And don't you worry about me. We'll get down to the bottom of everything." Although she still worried about what the future held, Zidane's words were reassuring. For some reason, whenever she was with him, he always made her feel that everything was going to be ok. She felt safe and protected, as if nothing in the world could harm her while he was around. Despite the chilly air, she was warmed by these thoughts, content in the security of his presence.
"Where's your house, Zidane? Where do you live?"
"I live with my Tantalus brothers in our headquarters." He leaned over in order to point to it out, shifting left his arm behind her back, almost in a half-embrace. "It's that little theater house over there."
"Can we go see it?"
"Er, there really isn't much to see, you know. It's just a little old building, not even a proper house."
"Oh, come on. I just want to see where you live."
"No, really...it's not much. Trust me, you wouldn't want to."
"Zidane?" Puzzled by his reluctance, Dagger turned her gaze from the theater district to look at him. She was immediately aware of how close their faces were, and her breath caught. His eyes unwaveringly met hers, which she found to be unsettling but not exactly unpleasant. For the first time she noticed how strikingly his eyes resembled the color of the blue, cloudless sky. They were so open and sincere, yet there was also something else, a hint of something darker. His breath on her face lightly caressed her skin, sending tingles of electricity down her back. The way his hair fell around his face gave him a ruggedly handsome look, something she hadn't noticed before either. Suddenly, without knowing why, she felt the urge to brush back his blond locks.
"Dagger! Zidane! They're over there!" a voice called, making her jump. Vivi and Freya were walking across the bridge in their direction. She hastily stood up and hopped back onto the bridge.
"I'm sorry, did we interrupt something?" Freya asked, smirking at Zidane.
"Sorry, Dagger... We didn't know that you and Zidane were—" Vivi began to apologize, but they cut him off.
"It's ok, Vivi," Zidane said at the same time Dagger said, "No, we weren't."
Whatever they thought she and Zidane were doing, or were about to do, she didn't really want to know. But at the same time, she wished that they could have been left alone a little longer. A faint blush crept into her cheeks. What am I thinking? It was bad enough that they saw us sitting like that, with me practically leaning on him! I don't want them to get the wrong idea. But...what exactly happened back there?
"Shouldn't we head back to the castle?" she continued, changing the subject. "The food should be ready soon."
"Right. It would be rude of us to be late. We'd better go," Freya agreed and joined Dagger in hurrying down the stairs.
Vivi hung back to wait for Zidane, who slowly climbed back onto the bridge. Zidane just stood there, watching Dagger chatting with Freya as they descended.
"Zidane?" Vivi asked, concerned. "It's Dagger, isn't it?"
Snapping out of his reverie, Zidane shook his head to clear his mind. "Yeah. You know, once you start thinking you've got girls figured out, you discover that you really don't have a clue."
Vivi scratched his head, bemused. He didn't know a thing about girls or what Zidane was talking about. But he thought he could relate to the longing he saw in Zidane's eyes.
Zidane gave Vivi a friendly slap on the back. "Well, kiddo, we should get going. We've got a long journey ahead of us."
***
And as she carries on without a doubt
I wonder if she's figured out
I'm crazy for this girl
-Evan and Jaron, Crazy For This Girl
In the throne room of Lindblum Grand Castle, Minister Artania surveyed the present company. Zidane and Freya, their minds on Burmecia, wore twin expressions of concern on their faces. Garnet was visibly frustrated at being told to stay in Lindblum and Steiner was hovering protectively over her. Vivi stood off to the side, lost in his own thoughts. Regent Cid, even in his oglop form, retained an air of authority that brooked no disobedience. They were discussing the best way to get to Burmecia, which was currently under attack.
"We must leave for Burmecia at once," Freya was saying.
"Then you should take the Dragon's Gate since you're traveling by foot," the Regent advised. "Let us eat while we ‹gwok› wait for the gate to be opened."
"However, it will take some time to prepare the feast," said Artania. "Why don't you all go enjoy yourselves in the city while we wait? If you come back in two hours, the food should be ready." It should take their minds off the matter at hand, at least for a little while, he thought to himself, looking over the gloomy faces before him. Taking a break will do them a world of good.
"Yes, yes, Minister Artania is right. ‹gwok› Go and relax for a bit! We'll see you back in two hours."
After a moment, Vivi said awkwardly, "O-Ok, I guess I could find some other kids to play with..."
Freya put a hand on his shoulder. "Vivi, why don't you come with me? I'm pretty familiar with Lindblum and I can show you around." He agreed with more enthusiasm, and they left the room with Freya explaining to him the different highlights of each district.
Zidane turned to a still very frustrated Garnet and cocked his head to one side. "So how about that date? Doesn't the winner of the Festival get to go out with the most beautiful girl in the kingdom?"
"Well..."
"Please? You promised!"
"How dare you treat the princess with such disrespect!" yelled a fuming Steiner, shaking his fist at Zidane. "Princess! This is intolerable!"
Garnet sighed and shook her head. "It's all right, Steiner. We'll be back in time for the feast."
"What?! Princess, you shouldn't feel pressured to go with him just because you made some silly promise!"
"Steiner...I don't feel pressured. I'm going with him. You should go enjoy yourself, too."
"But...!" the Captain of the Knights of Pluto started to protest as the two teenagers hurried from the room. Artania shook his head as he watched them go. Kids these days....
"So...do you come to Lindblum a lot?" asked Zidane as they headed for the aircab station.
"We used to visit every year when father was alive because he and Uncle Cid were good friends. But now, father's gone and mother..." She trailed off, distracted by thoughts of her mother.
"Then you probably haven't seen much of Lindblum outside of the palace. There's lots I wanna show you. Come on!" And with that, he sped ahead to the waiting aircab.
"Zidane! Wait for me!" she called, running after him.
Slightly out of breath, Dagger entered the cab, put her hands on her hips, and glared at Zidane. "Shouldn't the guy be more of a gentleman on a date? Instead of leaving the girl behind?" She had never been on a date before, but she had some idea of what it should be like.
Zidane scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Oops, sorry about that. I guess I got too excited back there. How can I make it up to you?"
"How about by buying me something nice?" she said, sitting down next to him. "Don't you think that would be romantic?"
He chuckled to himself. Hmm, she's getting pretty good with these comebacks. I'd better shape up or the next thing I know, she'll be asking me to steal the moon! "Speaking of romantic, we might as well get cozy. It'll be a while before we get to the Business District." Sidling closer to her, he started to put his arm around her shoulders.
"Zidane!" she said sharply, edging away from him.
"Hey, I thought we were closer than that!" he protested, but withdrew his arm. I guess I must be moving a little too fast. Heh heh, I'll try to be less obvious next time.
Sighing inwardly, Dagger put her elbow on the arm rest and propped her cheek against her hand. She didn't know who she was more upset with, Zidane or Steiner. Both of them had acted like she was helpless and naïve, back in the throne room. Hadn't she proved that she was quite capable, after escaping the castle by herself and making it all the way to Lindblum? Sure, she had some help getting here but she could certainly hold her own in battle. And after all their adventures, she wasn't nearly as sheltered as she was before. So why wouldn't they let her go back to Alexandria? After all, she was the queen's daughter; who better to talk to her mother than Garnet herself?
But when she was forced to choose between Steiner or Zidane, she rather preferred Zidane's company, although if she had her way she would explore around town by herself. As fond as she was of Steiner, loyal Steiner, his incessant worrying and overprotective attitude made her feel even more confined than she already did. Even though Zidane had essentially treated her the same way, he was more fun to be around. But he of all people should know that she could handle things by herself and make her own decisions. He of all people! They've been through so much together and he had believed in her every step of the way, but now he was treating her as if she were simply a child. The fact that he didn't take her side infuriated her more than anything. Oh, just thinking about him made her mad!
"What's wrong, Dagger? Are you ok?" Zidane asked, peering intently at her face with concern.
"Huh? Oh!" She blinked and unballed her fists. That's funny, she didn't remember clenching them. She carefully folded her hands across her lap. "It's nothing.... Look! We're here!" she exclaimed and dashed out the door when the cab screeched to a halt.
"Arrgghh! Wait up!" I guess that's what I get for leaving her behind last time. Zidane shook his head and ran after her.
Since she was only familiar with the royal palace, Dagger stopped in the middle of the avenue, not knowing where to go. Nimbly squeezing through the crowd, Zidane eventually caught up to her. "Hey, Dagger, you shouldn't go running off by yourself! It's really easy to get lost. Lindblum's a big place, you know."
"Yes, I know." She looked around her with wonder. "I don't remember it being so big, or so busy. The last time I was here was when I was twelve, before my father died. I guess a lot has changed since then."
"Do you wanna see just how big Lindblum is? Come on, let's go!" Before she could respond, he grabbed her arm and started making his way through the throng.
"Aaaah! Let go!" she protested, but didn't try to free herself. Strangely enough, she really didn't mind. She realized that she was actually glad that Zidane was with her, instead of being on her own. The sheer number of people was overwhelming; Alexandria was nowhere near this busy. Though she hated to admit it, she needed him with her because she probably would have gotten lost without his guidance. But how she wished she could prove that she didn't need his help! She immediately squashed that train of thought. There's no point in being angry at him. He's just being nice. Why in the world does he make me so mad, anyway?
They wound their way through to a marketplace, where it was still busy but less crowded. There were vendors selling a wide range of goods, from rugs to animals to weapons to gysahl pickles. "Oooh, flowers!" Dagger gushed as she spotted a stand with a display of buckets filled with vibrantly colored blossoms. She broke away from Zidane, who rolled his eyes and followed her. Girls!
"Look, Zidane! Day lilies! They're my favorite!" She selected a flower that had large lavender petals with a splash of yellow at the center and held it up for Zidane to see. "Isn't it beautiful?"
"Sure," he said, but she was already busy admiring the roses and the orchids. He wasn't too interested in flowers, but as long as Dagger was happy, he didn't mind. And he was definitely interested in Dagger.
When she was done with the flowers, they moved on to the pickle stand. "Tasty gysahl pickles!" called out the grandmotherly woman selling them. "Get them while you can!"
"What an awful smell!" Dagger pinched her nose and pointed at the pans of pickles soaking in their own juice. "Do people actually eat these?" she asked incredulously, as a man in front of them purchased ten. Obviously, they did.
"Here, wanna try one?" Zidane tossed the old woman a few coins and gave one to Dagger, who stared dubiously at the soggy green vegetable in her hand. It smelled like a cross between rotting food and stinky feet. She wrinkled her nose.
"Be careful not to eat it all at once, dear," cautioned Grandma Pickle, smiling sweetly at her. "Yesterday a knight in rusty armor did just that and that was bad news, let me tell you. Just take tiny little bites."
"Go ahead, Dagger, they're one of the best things about Lindblum! Don't tell me you're scared..."
"I'm not scared!" she retorted, and defiantly popped the whole thing into her mouth. She had been patronized enough in one day. Scared of a eating stupid little pickle? Of course not! She was tougher than that. She was up to the challenge... All of a sudden, her mouth was on fire and everything became blurry as her eyes watered profusely. She frantically flapped her hands in front of her mouth and hopped around in circles on one foot. "Hot....mouth....‹wheeze›....burning....urk!" she spluttered. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and she could have sworn that steam was pouring from her ears. However, refusing to let a silly pickle get the best of her, she swallowed the rest in one gulp, gagged, and nearly fell over.
"Not again," sighed the pickle lady.
Zidane burst out laughing as she struggled to regain her composure. "You know, you really should have listened to her! Wow, I don't think I've ever seen anyone turn that shade of red."
Her face just turned redder, and wished she were invisible when she saw people staring at her, some hiding their smiles and others openly amused. Oh, Zidane was going to get it! This was entirely his fault! He was still laughing when she managed to say, gasping for air, "Zidane, you....jerk! I....can't believe....you....did this....to me!"
Trying to stifle his laughter, he was about to tell her that he didn't do anything, but then thought the better of it. "S-sorry, Dagger....it was just so funny." She narrowed her eyes at him, crossed her arms and stormed off. Uh oh, I've just made her madder. Note to self: Don't laugh at your date when she embarrasses herself in front of fifty people.
As Dagger crossed the square, the heat slowly melted from her face. At least no one on the other side of the market saw what happened. That Zidane! She would have been better off by herself, after all. She could not believe that she, Princess Garnet til Alexandros XVII, had just been publicly humiliated! At least no one here knew her true identity or it would have been much worse. Her face began to feel hot again as she tried to imagine that scenario. Taking a deep breath, she slowly counted to ten. She browsed a nearby display of jewelry and began to feel much calmer. There was something about shopping that never failed to soothe her spirits.
After some time, she felt a hand on her shoulder. When she saw that it was Zidane, she gave a little sniff (hm!) and resumed her shopping, ignoring him.
"Look, Dagger, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have embarrassed you in front of all those people..." ...Even though it wasn't my fault... "Um, anyway, I want to take you somewhere romantic before....anything else....happens." He watched her warily in case she flipped out again, but all she did was fix him with a stare.
She pretended to think it over. "All right, I don't see why not."
Zidane smiled at her with relief and led her up a long flight of stairs that ran along the city wall. "Whew, you had me worried! For a second there I really thought you were gonna dump me!"
"Maybe, maybe not. But you'll have to make this one up to me, too," she said with a grin. It was hard for Dagger to stay mad at him for long. His easy-going nature, his upbeat personality, and the way he made her feel...special...somehow made her anger melt away. Or maybe it was his irresistable smile or the way he looked at her...
The top of the stairs opened onto a wide bridge built high above the city. Zidane jumped onto a stone terrace jutting out from the side of the bridge and gave Dagger a hand up.
Speechless, Dagger looked around them in amazement and awe. The entire city of Lindblum was sprawled out below them, a sea of thatched and shingled roofs, streets filled with thousands of townspeople going about their daily business. The citizens of Lindblum seemed as tiny as insects from where she stood and the buildings looked like the toy houses she used to play with when she was younger. The sounds of activity below drifted up to her as a dull, muffled roar. To the south, she saw the castle, which even at this distance was majestic and formidable, solidly situated on a broad rise with turrets boldly silhouetted against the sky and royal banners billowing in the wind. The sight of the castle was reassuring, as it represented the one remaining thing in her life that she could still rely on, the one thing that would remain immovable and unchanged. Uncle Cid knew what the state of affairs was and she could trust him to act appropriately. She could always count on him. Dear uncle Cid...
"Never seen Lindblum like this before, have you?" Zidane asked as they sat down on one of the tiered edges. She shook her head; the view she had earlier from the roof of the castle only looked out onto the wilderness and a small portion of the city. And even on her previous trips to Lindblum, the view she had from the airship was much different. Then, she could only see the city from the air for a few short minutes and the guards were always careful not to let her too close to the edge of the ship. Now, she could look about at her own leisure. The wind that gently stirred her hair and the cool air she breathed through her nose gave her a giddy sense of freedom. There was no one to tell her to stay on the bridge because it was safer there and no railing to wall her away from the danger of falling. She felt completely and utterly unfettered for the first time in her life. It was such a compelling sensation that she almost believed she could sprout wings and take flight like the birds she often saw in the Alexandrian skies, coming and going as they pleased.
"Zidane, this is absolutely breathtaking! Thank you so much for bringing me here." They sat together for a while without saying anything, admiring the view. Now and then an airship would fly high overhead. It reminded Dagger of the time when Zidane mistakenly thought he had asked her on an airship cruise, when in reality he had asked some other girl. Thinking about it made her slightly annoyed and she felt a surge of....jealousy? Now, why was that? She had reacted jealously then, too. No, she was being silly. Zidane just likes girls, and that's the way he is. Besides, we've only known each other for a few weeks, so we're just friends. And there's nothing wrong about friends liking other people.
Eventually Zidane broke the silence by saying, "M'lady, there is something I have for you." Out of nowhere, he produced with a flourish the very same lily she had showed him earlier that day. "Can you find it in your heart to forgive me? For all the times I've messed up today?"
"Oh!" Dagger gasped with delight. "Of course! How thoughtful of you! Where did you get this? I don't remember seeing you buy anything back at the marketplace."
"You were pretty mad at me after that incident, so I thought I'd make it up to you by getting you something when you walked away and refused to talk to me."
"Yes...all this definitely makes up for it," she said, inhaling the flower's sweet fragrance.
"'Nature's splendor hath no right to claim the praise of men, for all her blossoms in their finest hues cannot compare to thy fair countenance,'" Zidane quoted.
Dagger recognized that line from I Want to Be Your Canary, from the scene where Marcus was wooing Cornelia. Of course Zidane would know it; she was certain he knew the whole play by heart. But she wasn't sure if he was just flirting with her or if he was being serious. "Uh, thanks, I think..."
Flustered, she tried to talk about something else. "Zidane...what's going to happen? Do you think Uncle Cid will be able to reason with mother?" Even as she asked the question, she knew that she would be the one to talk to her mother before anyone else did. She felt a sharp twinge of guilt about deceiving Zidane and the others, but there was no way around it; they had given her no other option. She was suddenly struck with another thought. "Will you be all right in Burmecia?"
"Cid has always been a wise ruler. I'm sure he knows what he's doing. And don't you worry about me. We'll get down to the bottom of everything." Although she still worried about what the future held, Zidane's words were reassuring. For some reason, whenever she was with him, he always made her feel that everything was going to be ok. She felt safe and protected, as if nothing in the world could harm her while he was around. Despite the chilly air, she was warmed by these thoughts, content in the security of his presence.
"Where's your house, Zidane? Where do you live?"
"I live with my Tantalus brothers in our headquarters." He leaned over in order to point to it out, shifting left his arm behind her back, almost in a half-embrace. "It's that little theater house over there."
"Can we go see it?"
"Er, there really isn't much to see, you know. It's just a little old building, not even a proper house."
"Oh, come on. I just want to see where you live."
"No, really...it's not much. Trust me, you wouldn't want to."
"Zidane?" Puzzled by his reluctance, Dagger turned her gaze from the theater district to look at him. She was immediately aware of how close their faces were, and her breath caught. His eyes unwaveringly met hers, which she found to be unsettling but not exactly unpleasant. For the first time she noticed how strikingly his eyes resembled the color of the blue, cloudless sky. They were so open and sincere, yet there was also something else, a hint of something darker. His breath on her face lightly caressed her skin, sending tingles of electricity down her back. The way his hair fell around his face gave him a ruggedly handsome look, something she hadn't noticed before either. Suddenly, without knowing why, she felt the urge to brush back his blond locks.
"Dagger! Zidane! They're over there!" a voice called, making her jump. Vivi and Freya were walking across the bridge in their direction. She hastily stood up and hopped back onto the bridge.
"I'm sorry, did we interrupt something?" Freya asked, smirking at Zidane.
"Sorry, Dagger... We didn't know that you and Zidane were—" Vivi began to apologize, but they cut him off.
"It's ok, Vivi," Zidane said at the same time Dagger said, "No, we weren't."
Whatever they thought she and Zidane were doing, or were about to do, she didn't really want to know. But at the same time, she wished that they could have been left alone a little longer. A faint blush crept into her cheeks. What am I thinking? It was bad enough that they saw us sitting like that, with me practically leaning on him! I don't want them to get the wrong idea. But...what exactly happened back there?
"Shouldn't we head back to the castle?" she continued, changing the subject. "The food should be ready soon."
"Right. It would be rude of us to be late. We'd better go," Freya agreed and joined Dagger in hurrying down the stairs.
Vivi hung back to wait for Zidane, who slowly climbed back onto the bridge. Zidane just stood there, watching Dagger chatting with Freya as they descended.
"Zidane?" Vivi asked, concerned. "It's Dagger, isn't it?"
Snapping out of his reverie, Zidane shook his head to clear his mind. "Yeah. You know, once you start thinking you've got girls figured out, you discover that you really don't have a clue."
Vivi scratched his head, bemused. He didn't know a thing about girls or what Zidane was talking about. But he thought he could relate to the longing he saw in Zidane's eyes.
Zidane gave Vivi a friendly slap on the back. "Well, kiddo, we should get going. We've got a long journey ahead of us."
And as she carries on without a doubt
I wonder if she's figured out
I'm crazy for this girl
-Evan and Jaron, Crazy For This Girl