Jewels

By Ruby Fire

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She wanted to take off running through the town and twist and turn through the alley ways until she would step over the last piece of cobbled street and into the grass of the wilderness beyond the city.

She wanted to flee through the forests and over the mountains. She wanted to claw over and through the rubble of fallen houses and cities for treasure. She missed it all.

She remembered the weight of Whale Whisker in her hand and the smooth burn that passed through her arms as she wielded it against the foes of the world. She missed the thrill of battle and the sometimes numbing fear when she hurriedly tried to revive her fallen friends. She missed the feel of power as her summons erupted from the jewels she held.

She missed the smell of the ocean. Of course she could just walk down to the harbor and take a boat to any where in the world but that wasn't the same. That would be just one more reminder of the little cage she was now trapped in. There would be the scurry of soldiers that made sure that everything was safe and nothing could harm her.

She hated it here.

No, she didn't hate it. But she was uncomfortable.

She was standing on the balcony, watching the rising sun change the sky in a dozen of queer shades. Not just orange, red, and pink but she saw purple and green reflecting off the edges of clouds.

Oh, to be so free again.

She had gotten over Zidane. She thought that would help lift the trapped feeling from her heart. Zidane meant freedom. Zidane meant a lack of rules and respect. Zidane meant everything that had changed her. But now it felt worse. The cage was closing tighter and tighter around her heart everyday.

She reached into her pocket and clenched her fist around the garnet. She did not need the stone for summoning. She learned how to call Bahumut long ago. But the stone brought memories of him.

He had said she was special. He said she would shine.

She shook her head and let go of the stone.

How sad that the queen needed someone else to feel special.

No, that wasn't it. He didn't say she was special because she was the queen. He said she shone because of who she was.

That made all the difference.