A Final Fantasy IX fan fiction- Final Fantasy IX- Reflection

Chapter 11: The Village of Dali, the exit

Garnet Til Alexandros, also known as Annette L'exandreal is currently pulling off a feat most thieves do, deceive a rebel group into providing her transportation in order for her to get to Lindblum, where she can get information about a shrine that houses an Eidolon, a tool she can use to regain what she has lost. She has already completed step one of the deception, which was to infiltrate the airship.

But step two would be harder than she thought, as the leader of the Rebel group was no common thief; the leader of the group was evidently of noble blood. Garnet's accomplice, Zidane cannot believe that such a man is spearheading a rebellion against Sarah.

Surely, Count Henri Locke was the last man on the monkey-tailed thief's mind. He was there when the noble would declare his support to Sarah. He listened well to Henri's words.

"So what does the Steepled-Hat-Thief want with our group? I'm a bit curious on how you look, as people have not seen the damsel behind that hat."

Garnet would remove her hat, much to Zidane's surprise. The look on the count's face was even more surprised, as she looks as stunning as ever. The garnet-eyed princess would ask the rebel;

"I'm quite interested in your aims, as my aims coincide yours. Let me introduce myself again. I am supposedly, the 17th heir of the Alexandrian throne, you can call me Garnet. I know you're in confusion, but let me tell you that I am hell-bent on reclaiming what I lost. I know I would need the nobility's help in achieving my goal. Are you ready to assure your family the future as you will be one of my counsel. And your descendant will forever serve my family. As proof that I am not uttering nonsense, I am giving you someone that's important to the current queen. I present to you" *casts a fire spell and Henri sees Zidane Faint*"The queen's most trusted one."

Zidane, weakened by the Firaja spell Garnet gave him, would say;

"Garnet, I…trusted…you…" *Zidane faints*

The steepled-hat-princess, would tell Zidane a revelation;

"How could a member of the highly-touted Tantalus be prey for such the easiest trick in the book? Of course, I played along. I never wanted your companionship in the first place. It is trivial that I only serve myself. I'm no softie, not like my counterpart."

The already old noble would be startled at what he sees, the true heir of Alexandria asks of his help to regain her kingdom, and one of the current queen's closest and most powerful allies lying as his hostage. It would seem that his luck has turned. Now that the real heir has presented herself before him, he now has the upper hand. He would ask of the heir;

"I'm impressed. So the rumors were true, Garnet Til Alexandros XVII still lives. I've to say, your appearance really gives my colleagues hope. With you heading the rebellion, I'm confident that we'll be able to garner more support. It would mean that the fraud from Madain Sari will be forced to relinquish her position."

Zidane, though regaining consciousness was already tied tightly on the airship's main sail, he still tried to talk to Sarah's former adviser, and her 'sister'.

"The people will never believe you, Henri. Even if you bring that up, the people already have decided that Sarah will be their queen. After all, she was the one who made Alexandria stand up from that kind of fall."

Henri would just smirk and tell Zidane;

"That would be true, but on the other hand, she was the cause of that fall. Had the late Queen Brahne not found her, she would not have that lust with power. And what of the true queen, She grew up not experiencing the life she was supposed to have. She deserves to be given back her home."

Zidane would object vehemently;

"No! It's not her fault, It's MINE! Had I not been created by Garland, He would never be jealous of me. He would have never plotted against me and try to steal Sarah's eidolons! She is not to blame of this! Brahne should be remembered for her kindness, she did not adopt Sarah for the sake of gaining the Eidolons' power. She did it because she was kind. I should know, I was there during her last moments…"

But before Zidane could finish his sentence, Garnet would flare up as tears would fall down her eyes;

"SHUT UP! If she did it out of love, then why did I have to suffer hell! You speak of a mother who threw away her daughter for the sake of replacing her! I was never ill, yet they gave up on me! I was never dead, yet they tried to bury me like I was nothing! Now, I'm tired of being nothing!"

The Noble was right; Garnet was so filled with anguish about the life she has leaded. Things are quickly falling into his advantage. He now had a puppet, someone who is bound by strings of insecurity, wrath and sadness. Besides, he was there to oversee her supposed funeral. But after an incident that yielded her corpse to be missing and after Sarah became 'Garnet', he increasingly became weary of the fact that the real heir went missing. During Brahne's death, he would motion for the nobility to rule, for they knew that Sarah was never the real heir, but most the members of that council needed a figurehead that the Alexandrian people would share sympathy with. So the nobility needed Sarah to be that person. But once the troubles had stopped and with Sarah gaining more support internally, the Nobility was on the brink of losing its power. Henri had to act, and act he did. He became obsessed with finding the living heir of the Alexandrian throne. His search for that real heir would always lead him to a dead end, that is before he met the steepled-hat-thief. The puppeteer, the noble would ask Garnet of what she wanted to do first, and Garnet responded;

"I want to gain more power so that my strength would topple hers."

Garnet then explained that she was on a quest to find the Sky-serpent's shrine. She would ask him that she needs to get to Lindblum, as she needs further information about the shrine. Henri would follow her command, so as to get more power, power that his rebellion greatly needed in dispelling the fear of engaging a summoner like Sarah. As the airship soars past Dali, Garnet is slowly being swallowed by her envy.