They had saved the world.

Maybe not everyone knew that, but they had. After all they had been through, it was so hard for Garnet to come to grips with the fact that she was back to living a normal life. Of course, "normal," in her life, meant that she was the queen of Alexandria. Ruling a country should have been extraordinary.

She awoke to the sun rising outside of the long windows of her bedroom. She rolled over and buried her head beneath a pillow, but the light was too bright for her to fall back asleep. Those windows were too damn big. She threw her pillow aside and sat up, glaring out the window from her bed. She hated the beautiful day outside. It was sunny and warm, birds were singing, but the last thing she wanted was to be a part of it. She wanted to crawl under her covers and be alone, but soon enough, she knew she would hear Beatrix knocking on her door, readying her for the day.

It was always the same, day after day, and her life felt tedious. Her friends were long gone. At first, she saw them decently often. Over the next few months, however, she saw them less and less. As time passed, it was a constant decline. Eiko was busy becoming a grown-up noblewoman in Lindblum. Freya was rebuilding her home. Vivi was off adventuring the world, treasuring what life he had to live. They were all somewhere else, living incredible lives, and Garnet felt resigned to her life in comparison.

It would be different if he were still here. Life would be exciting. Life would be a constant adventure.

Zidane had made even the most mundane things seem fascinating. She remembered all the times he told her stories; in Dali, when he told her the story of the chase in Treno, in Black Mage Village, that beautiful summer night, when he told her that story about the man searching for his home… No one could tell them quite like him. It was that childlike energy, that charisma that Garnet had never seen across the world that they had traveled together, and certainly not in any nobility she ever met before and since then. It was also the way he was so caring, and never gave up on anyone. Over the course of their journey, she had watched him grow from a flirtatious, directionless teen into a real man as he watched her grow from a frustrated, naïve young princess into a worldly queen. They had grown together, and it meant so much.

The loneliness came and went. She would feel okay for a while, but then something would remind her of Zidane, or her friends, or their adventures that seemed carefree in hindsight, and she would be lost again for some time. It was an endless cycle, and unfortunately, she was in the middle of a depression.

She began to feel a little better as the following week began. She was anticipating seeing her friends, hopefully all of them, as well as the members of the Tantalus when they came to Alexandria on the Theater Ship to perform for her kingdom and her people. She remembered how she couldn't help but smile when Baku had pitched the idea to her a while back. She had asked him, "No ulterior motives this time?"

The day of the performance, she was feeling a lot better, but there was still a heavy feeling in her heart. She had dressed in her ornate white gown and gone out to her throne early, before the theater ship arrived and before any townspeople were allowed in to the courtyard. She leaned onto the edge of the stone wall in front of her throne and looked out at her kingdom, straining to see if she could yet spot the Theater ship. She remembered so many things happening on this balcony, from watching her father give speeches years ago, to her mother firing cannons at the Theater ship as she fled the castle, to Bahamut staring her down as he breathed fire on her city. Today, she would add another memory- seeing her favorite play again, this time while relaxing and looking forward to meeting her friends after instead of planning her escape of the country. She straightened up, brushing off her elbows, as she heard Beatrix and Steiner come out onto the balcony. She knew the Theater ship must be arriving soon.

I can't wait to see everyone. She thought. But… it'll never be the same. She hadn't allowed herself to speak it aloud, but all she thought now was, I want to be young and free again. She shook her head, trying to tell herself, I have to let go of the past. I have to move on, just like he taught me… She was sure she was going to cry, before she heard Steiner call, "That airship looks as rickety as ever!" Her heard snapped up, and she saw the brown ship blowing in the wind, approaching the castle.

She watched them unload and arrange their sets. She could see so many familiar faces from a distance. She saw good ol' Cinna, lighthearted Ruby, disgruntled Blank, and of course, the ever obnoxious Baku. A few of them waved up to her when they saw her watching. She waved back, wishing Zidane was on that stage, too.

Hours passed and townspeople filtered in as the night fell. "I Want to be Your Canary" was underway. Garnet was trying so hard to enjoy it, but her mind kept interrupting her, saying,

I wish I was sixteen again. I want to be here, with mother, watching Zidane on that stage. I want to have everything ahead of me- all of that adventure, love, and heartache. The scene where Cornelia is kidnapped was now unfolding. She saw all of her friends in the crowd as she examined it, trying to quiet her mind. Even Amarant had made the trip; she was truly surprised. She could not wait to hug Eiko, who suddenly looked so grown up, and to have some of Quina's cooking, which was much less rich than the castle food, but somehow tasted so much better. She was sure that Steiner would make comments about her being out and about with "commoners," but when all was said and done, she knew he would accompany them wherever they went, and before long would be enjoying their company just as much as Garnet herself. Garnet returned her attention to the stage. Marcus, hooded, was alone, despairing over the whereabouts of his love Cornelia. They were supposed to be running away together. Marcus's voice shook as he wondered about her betrayal, deciding it could not be true. He began his prayer to the twin moons,

"I Beseech thee, wondrous moonlight, grant me my only wish!" He spun around, yanking off his hooded robe, and called, "Bring my beloved Dagger to me!"

For a split second, Garnet thought she was dreaming, because that wasn't part of the play. Also, certainly, seeing the man she loved standing there, smiling at her, after all this time, was not part of the play, either. She was standing before she even realized that she was.

Zidane.