Ring
Queen Garnet's white shape flickers up on the terrace, the day too fine for windows. He sees her time and again as he halos the castle, earth dusty brown and stone smoothed under the wear of his patrols, year upon year spent in unflagging orbit. He must.
And today he doubly must, for today no expense shall be spared. For Her Majesty's thirty-fifth birthday, nothing less will do. Tonight, a grand fête. Tonight, Tantalus comes to perform.
The Lady Eiko has arrived already, the back of her visible through the expansive window near the airship dock, proud and competing with her father for height. Rounding the path to the courtyard, he is momentarily halted, and salutes.
"Well met, Steiner."
"Your Majesty!"
"Geez, don't you ever stop? You better not be too wiped by the time the play starts."
"As the occasion allows far too well for unsavory endeavors, I must see to it that vagrants of their ilk are never permitted access to Alexandria's treasures in the bargain of their presence here."
Zidane smiles radiantly.
"Yeah, Rusty, wouldn't do if Alexandria's treasure was ever stolen, would it?"
His bones ache a bit these days, but his armor is well oiled. He salutes once more and continues running.
fin