Dear Zidane,

I've told you this, but I still have nightmares sometimes. I'll relive the worst moments in painful detail, and then I'll wake up trembling and covered in sweat. Oftentimes, I'm reluctant to sleep again, because I don't want to go back to those nightmares.

I dream about a lot of things. Sometimes, it's haunting memories, like the attack on Lindblum, or my mother dying on the beach. Sometimes it's things I'm afraid of. I'll dream about people I care about being hurt so badly that even my strongest spells can't save them.

I think my greatest fear is helplessness. Seeing something horrible happen, and being unable to change it. I know it sounds strange for the queen of Alexandria to worry about not having enough control, but I'm not talking about affairs of state. Sometimes, no amount of authority can change what happens. I still remember looking down from the airship as we flew away from the thrashing roots of the Ilfa Tree. I was so afraid for you. I had no way of knowing if you were nearby the worst of it. Did you know that I'd almost given up hope by the time you finally came back?

You've told me that it's OK to still carry scars from the past. After all, I went through a lot during that journey, and anyone would have a hard time dealing with it. But then you said that the important part was not to let the past interfere with the future.

Healing those scars won't be easy. Physical wounds are easy to heal – a few words of white magic can repair almost anything. But there are no spells for a wounded spirit. Time is the only remedy for that.

Have I ever told you how grateful I am, to have you and everyone else there to help me? My new life hasn't been easy. There's always so much to do, and everybody acts like I'm an entirely different person. Well, everyone except for the people I traveled with. To all of you, I'm still the curious princess who didn't know what a dagger was called. I've come a long way since then, and not all of it has been easy. But I am who I am because of those people who helped me.

Time will heal these wounds, and so will friends. Your presence means everything to me.

Sincerely,

Garnet

P.S: I haven't seen you in a while. I know you've been busy, but would you be able to visit me sometime soon? Please write back to me as soon as possible.

Garnet sealed the envelope, and looked down at the Moogle sitting by the window. "This is for Zidane," she said. "You know where he lives. Could you get it to him as soon as possible?"

The Moogle nodded. "At your service, kupo!"