DISCLAIMER: No part of Final Fantasy IX belongs to me. Every character and place name belongs to Squaresoft.

'What are you doing?'

Zidane froze.

Don't move, he told himself. Don't say a word, don't look up, don't breathe.

'What are you doing?' the person repeated. Zidane slowly got to his feet and turned around.

He was rendered speechless by the girl's beauty. She had a soft face, with delicate features and large, curious brown eyes. Not a strand of black-brown hair was out of place. She didn't look angry, or sad, or impatient. Just … curious.

Zidane took a deep breath. 'Uh … well … what does it – look – like I'm doing?' he said.

'Do you know who I am?' the pretty girl inquired.

Zidane nodded. 'You must be Princess Garnet til Alexandros XVII.'

The girl didn't nod, or shake her head. 'You're stealing from me.'

Zidane instantly dropped the bag of gold on the ground. 'Princess, look. I'm a thief. I-'

'I know who you are. You're part of the Tantalus Theatre Troupe. They performed I Want to Be Your Canary for my last birthday.'

'Yeah, well, I was recently kicked out of the troupe. Some of the older actors sent a bunch of us – younger actors – out to get a bit more education.'

'You're stealing from me,' Garnet repeated.

Zidane had an answer. 'Now that I'm out of the troupe, I don't have a place to live. I don't have food, or money, or any family besides my stinking brother Kuja who lives in the orphanage because of our rotten father. I-I need this, Princess.'

Garnet studied him. 'You're the first thief who hasn't tried to run away, or who hasn't given himself up, or who hasn't tried to kill me. You're pleading with me. How strange.'

Zidane held his breath.

'Alright. You can keep that bag of gold. No sense in putting it all back now. Come with me, thief.'

'My name is Zidane; don't call me Thief.'

'My name is Garnet; don't call me Princess,' she countered.

'That's what you are.'

'Then what are you?'

Zidane was stuck. She was quite a remarkable girl, this Princess. She led him down the halls of the Castle and into the kitchen.

'May I, Quina?' she asked, turning to the chef.

He bowed. 'Anything you like, Your Highness.'

Garnet smiled and began to fill a rucksack with food – bread, fruit, stray vegetables, crumpets, brownies, anything she could lay hands on. When it was bulging and full, she handed it to Zidane.

'Here, thief,' she smiled. 'If you haven't found anyplace to live by the time you finish all this food, come back here.'

Zidane grinned. 'Thanks, Garnet.'

-

The next morning, Zidane walked into high school with a light, casual, unafraid air. He eyed every cute girl that passed, frustrated every boyfriend that noticed, and annoyed every teacher with his unashamed tardiness.

He also saw Garnet at school. When at school, she wore a white blouse underneath an orange jumpsuit, with red gloves and shoes. He never made eye contact or tried to speak to her, too embarrassed that she had caught him in the act of thieving – something he was supposed to be good at doing unnoticed.

After three days, Zidane summoned up his courage and walked up to the castle gates. The Knights of Pluto restrained him.

'Who goes there?'

'Zidane Tribal,' Zidane announced. A knight nudged his way to the front of the Knights.

'I'm Captain Adelbert Steiner,' he declared. 'What is your purpose?'

'I'm here to see the Princess, Rusty,' Zidane said, unsmiling.

'The Princess has had no suitors by the likes of you,' Steiner said, scowling at the nickname.

'I'm not a suitor; I'm here to see her about something else.'

Steiner turned to one of his knights. 'Fetch Princess Garnet,' he demanded. 'You, don't move.' Zidane rolled his eyes.

The knight returned, Princess Garnet on his heels. She had her skirts hitched up, running with her delicate lily feet across the courtyard. 'What's going on, Steiner?'

Steiner glared at Zidane. 'A little miscreant here claims to require your services, Your Grace.'

Garnet's eyes widened when she saw Zidane. 'What do you want, thief?'

'I-I need a place to stay, Princess,' Zidane confessed.

'You've eaten all the food?' Garnet was taken aback.

'I finished it on the first day,' Zidane said, with a hint of a smile. 'I just never had the guts to come and talk to you after that.'

Garnet didn't smile. 'You're welcome to stay at the Castle. Steiner, arrange accommodations for Zidane.'

'You'll be staying in one of the closed rooms,' Steiner told Zidane. 'You're not to go downstairs mingling with the prisoners, or going upstairs to visit the Princess or the Queen. Stay on the ground and only the ground. Understood?'

Zidane nodded vigorously. 'Thanks, Rusty.'

Steiner huffed as he stalked inside the castle. 'Zorn! Thorn!' he cried.

Zorn and Thorn came running. 'Yes, Cap'n?'

'Set up one of the closed rooms on the ground floor for Master Zidane,' Steiner insisted. Zorn and Thorn were gone in a flash.

'Can I have friends over?' Zidane asked.

'Whatever you like,' Garnet said, turning away.

'What's her problem?' Zidane said, forgetting that Steiner was in earshot.

'You wanna die, little squirt?'

-

Zidane was given a room suitable for a prince. He was to dine with the Queen and the Princess and the General and Captain every evening and to take up Thorn's duty of walking the Princess to school safely.

The very next morning after one night in his new home, Zidane and Garnet were walking down the streets of Alexandria.

'It's a beautiful city, Alexandria,' Zidane remarked.

'One day, it'll be mine,' Garnet said passionately.

'When you get married, isn't that right?'

Garnet nodded. 'I hope that when I find that right person, it'll be something so wonderful that no one can doubt it. Like Marcus and Cornelia, in I Want to Be Your Canary. Something really beautiful. Something with meaning.'

'That's a lot to hope for,' Zidane commented dryly. 'A beautiful love.'

'Isn't that what everyone hopes for?' Garnet said. 'What you hope for?'

'Me?' Zidane said, confused. 'I don't believe in love.'

A/N: Please review and keep reading. More chapters to come, but I'd like to know what you think of this first and if you're interested. Thanks for reading :)