She walked down the castle's hallway. Her armour clinked and the cold floor beneath echoed the sound of her boots. It had changed since the final battle, her armour. Now she wore thick leather instead of chain mail, and no longer was there a helmet perched atop her head. Long brown hair cascaded over her face freely, hiding the patch over her right eye.
The eye had been lost during a particularly vicious battle with a grand dragon on the Lindblum/Burmecia border when she was still training to be a knight. A claw had gouged it out: one that had nearly taken off her entire head. She survived by casting Cura on herself before stabbing the mighty beast in the heart with her Coral Sword. Of course, she no longer carried that weapon. Hanging in the sheath at her side was a sword of more prominence. She had cut out the heart of a Griffon with it, slain a hundred men, and even used it to fight the forces of Queen Brahne as Princess Garnet escaped the castle. Garnet was the Queen now, and Beatrix was still a general in the Alexandrian military. Her sword was christened God Save the Queen, but Beatrix merely referred to it as God.
It was night, and a torch hung in a bracket, casting dim light that left several feet of darkness before the mighty warrior stepped in the luminous protection of its sister torches. She was not afraid, though. There was a determined resolution burning in her heart as she traveled the halls of the castle of Alexandria. It burned brighter than the torches that lit her way.
Her orders, from the Queen's mouth itself, were harshly clear: find Zidane. Beatrix would do anything for Garnet. It was her duty. How would she accomplish this task, though? There were no clues as to his location, no indications that the man Steiner loathed but the Queen loved was even amongst the living.
"A little late to be up, isn't it?" one of the night guards asked. It was a man, a rarity in the Alexandrian military. That meant it was one of the Knights of Pluto, Steiner's charges. Brahne had given them to him after the death of her husband, more to keep Steiner out of her hair than any actual respect for the only other human who served the monarchy with everything he possessed. Garnet once told a tale of how Steiner tried to trick her into going back to the castle shortly after her "kidnapping" by Tantalus. The plan was to get her onboard an airship headed for Alexandria while claiming its destination was Lindblum.
Beatrix had a hand in the destruction of Cleyra and the downfall of Burmecia, but Lindblum was after she had turned on her Queen. Brahne had used one of the Eidolons extracted from her adopted daughter to destroy the mighty regency, killing many in the process. She had also used an Eidolon to wipe out Cleyra. Ashamed to admit it now, Beatrix had gone along with the wanton destruction of the peaceful nation. Of course, she opposed the use of Eidolons. Why use them when you had an entire army at your disposal?
"Yes, but I have matters to attend to," Beatrix responded briskly. The man stepped into the light and she saw that it was Weimar, the self-proclaimed ladies' man. The description stuck, despite the fact that it was wholly inaccurate. Every woman he had expressed an interest in turned him down.
"And what might those be?" he asked curiously. She couldn't blame him. In the times of peace and diplomacy following the destruction of the Lifa Tree, there was little need for a military. Life had grown dull and Beatrix had little else to do.
"What do you think?"
"You're following up a lead on him, aren't you?"
There was no need for the general to answer. He already knew the answer to his own question. By sunrise, everyone in the castle would know. Someone in Dali had reported seeing a man with a tail wandering on the outskirts of the small village. Beatrix was dispatched to investigate the claims by Garnet herself.
Weimar stepped back into the shadows to let the woman pass. She knew he would watch her until she disappeared around a corner. Everyone would watch her, wonder why she would lower herself to becoming the Queen's "gopher" when she had once been so much more. Beatrix doubted that Garnet even took the general's pride into consideration. Yet, whenever she would be asked as to why she ran around the world looking for a dead man, Beatrix would answer with three words:
"It's my duty."
"What?" Weimar called down the dark hall. Beatrix mentally kicked herself as she realized she had uttered the words aloud.
"It's nothing. Resume your duties," Beatrix ordered even though they both knew she had no power over him. The Knights of Pluto were strictly Steiner's domain. Still, from the silence that followed her words, the general assumed the knight had listened to her anyway.
---
Where are you? I've been waiting so long, Garnet thought as she looked out of the sole window in the royal chambers. It overlooked the harbour and the young Queen would spend hours looking out the window at the wide ocean, hoping and praying that one of the incoming ships carried her love.
Her heart was heavy. Garnet was seventeen and would have to marry soon. Alexandrian law clearly stated that she would have to wed on the eighteenth anniversary of her birth. Whether it was her actual birthday or that of the real Garnet was unknown to the Queen. She was just a child when the late King and Queen of Alexandria had secretly adopted her and thrust the weight of royalty onto her shoulders. Garnet almost envied her dead counterpart, since she would never have to live through the responsibilities of the crown.
She watched as the royal ship departed from the harbour and crept into the open water. It was Beatrix out looking for Zidane yet again. Why did he have to go back for Kuja? The "pretty boy" had done nothing but cause them trouble. He was the one who warped her mother's mind, and he was the one who orchestrated the war between the three great nations, not to mention Cleyra. Kuja had Bahamut attack the castle and nearly destroyed all of Alexandria. He created the Black Mages and manipulated them when they became "aware."
Garnet fell warmth in her hands and brought them up out of her lap. In her anger, she had punctured her palms with her delicately manicured fingernails. It was odd; she didn't feel any pain. Actually, ironic would be a better way to put it. All she felt was pain, a dull ache that would remain until Zidane was returned to her.
"Princess?" a man called out, followed by the clinking of metal armour. Right away, Garnet knew that it was Steiner. She was the Queen by right and title, but he still called her "Princess" out of affection and, she suspected, confusion. Even though it had been well over a year since the coronation, Steiner would be caught referring to the Queen as Brahne. It was sad, almost as though he were trying to will the events of that time away. "Princess, are you okay?"
"Yes, I am fine, Steiner," Garnet said as she wrapped her hands in her skirt to hide the blood. There was no sense in worrying the poor man. "What is it that you need?"
"I'm just reporting that Beatrix has departed," he said with a salute that caused his armour to rattle. The princess sighed and turned back to the window.
"Thank you, Steiner," she mumbled as she looked up to the moon. The Queen was unaware that in that moment the bright orb and its stars were reflecting in her eyes. "You are dismissed."
"Princess," the captain of the Knights of Pluto pleaded. "It has been over a year. You must move on. There are several…"
Garnet scoffed angrily and turned back to the man that had been like a father to her. "I know that there are suitors. I don't care. I would gladly give up this entire kingdom just for a moment with him!"
The knight said nothing more as he turned away and skulked out of the room with Garnet's eyes locked onto his back. When he left, she stood from her perch by the window and walked to the door. With her feet covered by the ample amount of fabric, it was almost as though she were gliding.
"Zidane," she whispered as she closed the door and collapsed against it. "Please come back to me."
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A/N: I don't really plan on continuing this. It's just something to tide you guys over until chappy 24 of TCBT is finished! Sorry it's taking so long.
