Note: Kudos to my friend, Pam, for giving me this idea! I had thought that Eyes On Me (Which I love almost as much--well, as much as Melodies of Life) went well with the ending of FF9, but she's the one who actually got me to put my ideas on paper. :) Ah, well, enough talk! Read, review, and enjoy! Garnet sighed softly, her eyes following the events of the play but her
heart and mind following the events that seemed to only have just
happened. She saw herself, young and naive, cloaked from head to toe as
she rushed through the halls of the castle in her first attempt at escape,
only to run headlong into a young man dressed as one of her own soldiers.
A young man that, from that moment on, would change her life as she knew
it. A life that, without him, would have been short-lived and meaningless.
She shuddered to think of how her life would have been lived if she hadn't
run into him, and if she had excused herself from her seat just a little
sooner, she would have found out.
She smiled softly as she drifted deeper into the realm of nostalgia,
remembering how he used to make her laugh in his clumsy attempts at
flirtation. She had been annoyed at first, but she had also been scared
and nervous. Scared that she wouldn't be able to find out what ailed her
mother and scared that, when she found out why she was acting so strange,
it would be something unpleasant. Nervous because she had never been far
outside the castle, much less out of the kingdom, on her own and with
complete strangers...
But Zidane... Zidane had always been there. He made her feel
comfortable even when in uncomfortable situations. He reassured her,
helped her, and even taught her. He made her feel on top of the world,
like she could do anything, though she never admitted it. No, she made a
point to take advice but not acknowledge it, silently convincing herself
that she wouldn't need his help for long. Once she arrived at her
destination, she would strike out on her own, proving that she was as
independent as she wanted to be.
But the more she got to know him, the more she realized how lonely she
really was...
She had struck out on her own when she arrived at Lindblum. She didn't
think of Zidane then, all she thought of was proving that she didn't need
anyone, that she could make it on her own. But that was a mistake, and she
had been too careless, too trusting. She had been imprisoned in her own
home by the mother she had wanted so much to help, the mother she wanted
so much to trust and love. And though she had tried to forget him, Zidane
did not forget her. He had not condemned her for deserting him, but had
instead been the one that bailed her out, risking his own life to save
hers. From that point on, she realized the one thing that was important,
much more important than her own stubborn want of independence.
Friendship.
From that moment on, she held onto that friendship, holding onto her
friends, who had believed in her from the start. She held her friends near
her heart 'til the very end, scarcely noticing how that friendship
gradually grew. And among those friends, one stood out. Zidane, her
teacher, her companion, and eventually... Her love.
But that love had never grown to it's full potential for she had been
torn from him before it had barely begun to bloom. But though it had never
fully blossomed, for some reason Garnet still found it hard to let go. She
doubted she ever would. One might not understand why it was so hard for
her. To someone that did not know her, her distress might seem foolish.
After all, she hadn't loved him that long, right?
She sighed softly, but no one noticed. After all, the play was at one
of it's romantic scenes, with Marcus the peasant making plans with his
lover, the princess Cornelia, to run away together. Oh, anyone who though
she hadn't been in love long would be mistaken. While Zidane had been busy
wooing her--unsuccessfully, in his mind--she had been busy being wooed.
She took life for granted, always believing that she and her companions
would always be together. Sure, they may be separated, but it would never
be for long. Perhaps it was this belief that made accepting his death so
hard. She had never believed that the last time she saw Zidane would be
her last.
Garnet straightened out her back when she realized she was slouching
slightly, pulling her shoulders back into their proper position, wiping a
fugitive tear from her eye before it could snake down her rosy cheek. She
then felt a soft hand give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Beatrix
stood beside her, smiling softly. Had she noticed?
"I know how much this play means to you, Your Majesty," She whispered.
"I heard what happened the last time you saw it. Just be strong. I'm sure
Zidane wouldn't want you to be sad. After all, this is the play that
brought you two together..."
Garnet returned the smile meekly, though the sadness still showed
through her revealing eyes. "I know... But knowing and doing are two
different things," She whispered, drawing a deep breath. "I'll be alright.
Thank you, Beatrix."
"I love this scene," Beatrix suddenly commented, her soft eyes dancing,
though Garnet could not see them since she stood behind her seat. Garnet
nodded slowly in acknowledgement, and tore herself from her thoughts.
Maybe Beatrix was right--no, not maybe. She was right. Zidane
wouldn't want her to dwell on his death. He'd want her to remember his
life and all they had shared together.
She lowered her eyes to the stage, which had darkened as a night scene
came into play. On the stage, sad and forlorn, was the princess' lover,
Marcus, who was waiting for his love to arrive so they could board the
boat that would carry them both away from the rules that forbade love
between a princess and a peasant. How very strange... It seemed that the
play reflected on she and Zidane's own life...
She moved forward in her seat a little in curiosity when the cloaked
figure of Marcus looked to the blue and red stage lights that served as
artificial moons, watching as he raised his hands to their light,
commending them to listen to his prayers...
"As the sun lends me no ear, I pray instead to the twin moons. O
wondrous moonlight, grant me my one wish..." He said, his strong yet
desperate voice capturing the attention of the audience. And then, he bent
over, turning away from the audience so that his back was to them and they
couldn't see what he was doing. Then, after a long pause that only managed
to increase the suspense, he spun around, throwing the cloak from his body
and turning his face up to where Garnet sat. "Bring my beloved Dagger to
me!"
The audience's gasp was echoed by Garnet who stood up, slowly and
shakily, to peer over the edge of the balcony she sat in, eyes wide and
heart in her throat. Had she heard what she thought she did? Was she
seeing what she thought she was? Or was she just insane? No, that couldn't
be it! The audience could see him, too. Zidane really was there.
Realizing this, Garnet hesitated no longer. She turned on her heel and
ran toward the door that would lead her from the room, but stopped as
Steiner and Beatrix moved in front of her, blocking her path. She stared
up at them, confusion and accusation in her eyes. Would they not let her
pass? Would they not let her go to Zidane after all they knew he meant to
her?
But as soon as those thoughts had entered her mind, they were dismissed
when the doors were opened.
Picking up her skirts, Garnet barely glimpsed their smiling faces as
she flew through the doors and down the steps to the door that opened to
the outside. The guards moved aside quickly as she pushed open the great
doors, not waiting for them to do it for her. They must have caught the
look on her face that clearly warned that, at this moment, she would
probably have killed them if they stood in her way.
Maneuvering through the thick mass of people that had gathered to enjoy
the play was not an easy task, and Garnet did not think twice before she
had abandoned her lady-like manners and had resorted to simply pushing
people out of her way. Her sense of urgency increased with each step she
took, each step she took toward Zidane, as though she believed he would
vanish if she wasn't quick enough.
Feeling she was almost there, praying that he would still be there, she
moved to get around a spectator that blocked her view--only to have him
bump into her, her pendant knocked loose and thrown from it's place,
sparkling in the sunlight, to land far from her reach in the center of the
crowd that was now behind her.
Garnet paused, feeling her throat with her hands as though confirming
that it really was gone, looking after it uncertainly. Should she retrieve
it? It was an Alexandrian treasure, passed down from generation to
generation to the heirs of the throne, a symbol of royalty...
She turned away from it and ran away from it instead, and in that
instant, like an apparition from a dream, she saw Zidane watching her from
the stage. No, being queen was not what mattered. her ties to Alexandria
were not what mattered. All that mattered now was the present
Throwing her crown from her hair, Dagger threw herself up the
steps of the stage and into the waiting arms of Zidane, who swayed
backwards a little as he caught her, his tail lashing out to balance
himself and save them both from toppling over, even as their arms entwined
around one another.
Sobbing, Dagger hugged Zidane fiercely before suddenly turning on him
angrily after he offered her a cocky yet sad smile, beating on his chest
with a tiny yet strong fist while the other arm still clung to him in the
same forceful embrace.
"How could you do this to me!? Do you know how worried I was? Everyone
thought you were dead! I thought you were dead!"
But then one gloved hand was stroking her hair gently, calming her,
drawing her head to rest against his chest. She was content to stay like
that forever, his strong arms holding her, supporting her. With him, she
was not alone. With him, she was safe...
"How did you survive?" She asked him when she felt her voice had
returned, her voice a soft whisper. She could feel Zidane's smile as he
whispered back in her ear, his warm breath caressing her cheek.
"I didn't have a choice. I had to live," He replied, closing his eyes
as he relished in the soft feel of her. "I wanted to come home to you.
So... I sang your song. Our song..."
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So Let Me Come To You...
By: Rhiannon McHugh
A songfic based on the very end of the game. The song is Eyes On Me, which I thought could also go very well with the ending... R&R!
Rated: Fiction K - English - Romance - Words: 2,238 - Reviews: 11 - Favs: 1 - Published: 6/3/2001 - id: 304691
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Full 3/4 1/2 Expand Tighten