~**Zidane's POV**~
I looked down at the small girl that was holding my hand as we walked through the castle walls. She seemed to be more light hearted than most could remember; I could slightly tell by the confused and relieved glances that she got as we walked toward the dining room. Her long, dark hair slightly bounced around her face as she half-skipped down the hall. Every time we walked past a window, I could clearly see her blonde highlights that shimmered because of the sun. Even though she looked like she just woke up, because she did, she still looked presentable, but when we got to the dining hall, it wasn't her looks that Garnet was fussing about.
"Steiner, I'm going to get Zidane and Jade… Yes I'll be back so- AH!" she screamed as we suddenly popped in front of her, basically scaring her to death. As she regained her composure, I gave her a small impish grin that showed that not only was that move done intentionally, but I was also glad that it worked. I could tell she was going to scold me, but something stopped her before she even began, and a frown turned into a soft smile when she looked at my right hand side.
I looked down and then heard a faint sound of giggling. Jade was covering her mouth, trying to hide a fit of laughter. "Sorry, Mommy. We didn't mean to scare you that badly! It was his idea anyway!" Jade explained as she looked up at me. I felt a small jab to the stomach as Jade poked me. I looked down at her and gently rubbed the top of her head. Finally I looked back up at Garnet. Holding my breath, I quickly let my eyes skim over her appearance. Even in the morning she was breath taking…
"It's ok, honey." Garnet stated as she bent down to give Jade a kiss on the cheek. "What bothers me is the way your father is dressed! Zidane, couldn't you even put a shirt on?" I had forgotten to put my shirt back on! Damnit! I tried to play it cool, and folded my arms over my chest. She smirked and then looked back down at her daughter, who still stood by my side. "Hun, go sit down for breakfast. I'm going to make sure that your father does as he is told."
Jade looked at her mother with the look in her eyes clearly saying that she didn't want to know what we were talking about. I didn't blame her for not wanting to know either. It wasn't long before she collected the ruffles of her skirt in her hands and slightly jogged into the kitchen. I looked after her, smiling to myself with pride. I had the perfect daughter, who I loved with all my heart, and the perfect wife. Well, I thought she was the perfect wife, until she lightly punched me in the arm.
"Ow," I stated jokingly. "What was that for?" She placed her index finger over my lips and signaled me to be quiet. Grabbing my arm, she pulled me off to a dark corner not far from the kitchen, and pushed my back against the wall. Her petite hands were on my chest, and her long slim fingers were nicely spread out. I could almost feel heat coming from her body when she was that close to me. Her dark hair nicely framed her face and her eyes seemed to glitter in the dim light. While wrapping one arm around her waist, I lifted my other hand and stroked her cheek lightly with my knuckles.
"I was almost afraid that you left me again this morning," she whispered as she grabbed my hand and pressed my palm against her face. She closed her eyes and tilted her head toward the ground. Even though I had come back, she still had fears about me leaving her again. This scar, even I couldn't heal.
"I would never do that, love. I just went to check up on our daughter, since she came into your room this morning." Garnet looked up at me with a surprised and troubled look in her eyes. I could tell what she was thinking, so I answered her question before she even got to ask. "No she didn't see anything, and anyway, be glad it was just her instead of Steiner. If it were Steiner, I would still have to be hiding. You know how he gets when I get 'too' close to you." Kissing the top of her head, I pulled her closer as she listened to my heartbeat.
"We'd better go before Beatrix or Steiner sends someone to look for us." She kissed me lightly on the lips and then pulled away. Before she disappeared into the dining room, I heard her say one thing so casually, yet it almost made me fall to the floor. "I have to have enough time to think of the ceremony when I declare you king. Think of that? King Zidane Tribal…"
King?! She planned on making me KING? If it weren't for the fact that I was leaning against a wall, I surely would have fallen straight to the floor. King… A lot of things came with that title, responsibilities, customs, the castle over flowing with nobles, and the chance to see my Dagger whenever I wanted. Sure, being king wouldn't be all that bad, but am I ready for it, and would the people be ok with it? Garnet and I already had that discussion and she had already made her decision, but the people's opinion still mattered.
I slowly walked into the kitchen, still thinking about what it would be like becoming king. Calling Dagger, 'Queen Garnet Til Alexandros Tribal the 17th' did have a nice ring to it. I would have a ball calling her that, but I was still unsure. Is this what we both wanted? I didn't make up my mind until I looked over at the far end of the table where I saw a young brunette sit.
Jade… I would give up my life just to see her smiling face everyday. I would give anything…
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~**Jade's POV, Almost Two Years Later**~
"A lot has changed," I stated softly as I looked over the balcony. I only saw a glint of purple hair move slightly up and down to my side.
"That is has, Jade. Many things can change in two years time," Eiko replied quietly. I turned toward her with my long bangs hanging in my eyes. She looked over at me, and saw my slight frown. "What's wrong, Jade? What troubles you now?" I bit my lip and held back a sigh. How could I explain this?
I shook my head and gazed at the ground. "I don't know. Something just isn't right. It doesn't have to do with Zidane or anyone else in the castle. I'm just worried about Mother that's all. I just know that something bad is going to happen! I just don't know what. I mean…" I was struggling with words. How could I no be able to explain what I felt? "Can't you feel it, Eiko? Can't you?!"
"Jade, you know nothing is going to be wrong with your mother. Maybe you're just feeling different because you've been an only child up until now. I know most people who are your age and are getting another sibling don't like it very much, but you know how badly your mother and father wanted a baby even though Doctor Tot warned them not to[1]. Just try to be there for your mother now. She needs you to be happy so that she can be happy." Eiko glanced over my shoulder to look at me while she started to braid a section of my hair.
"I thought she only needed Zidane to be happy…"
Eiko paused for a moment and turned me around to look at her. Her face showed a slight sign of disapproval and a frown was etched between her eyebrows. "Now you know that isn't true! Your mother loves you! Zidane loves you! They can't be happy knowing that you're upset, and before you even start to tell me that Zidane doesn't care, he does! It's hard enough for him to be switching status roles, trust me it's not easy going from a peasant to a king, but he now is over his head in a situation that his speed and fighting techniques can't help. His quick thinking and wit barely helps. Seeing you sad and knowing that he can't do anything to help you because you won't even let him try only makes him feel worse. I haven't seen him frown so much in my life before…"
I quickly undid the braid that Eiko had started in my hair and looked over the balcony again. My eyes were closed, fighting back tears that I knew would fall if I opened them again. I could be such a screw up sometimes. I've put so much stress on my mother for years, and now Zidane can't even fully be happy because of me. Such a damn screw up. Sometimes I wish I could just melt away and disappear into the water that surrounds the castle; just melt away, and everything would be fine.
I walked away from Eiko, never looking back, and I ignored her calls for me to return. I didn't deserve to bother anyone anymore. Maybe if I did just disappear, things would get better. My feet slowly picked up pace, and my vision was blurry from the tears that I couldn't hold back. Even though I felt everyone's eyes on me, no one stopped me. No one bothered to ask.
I couldn't stand the feeling. The burn of everyone's stare. Eventually I broke out into an all out sprint, and dashed for the main hall. I couldn't see clearly, but my hearing picked up, and I almost got a sixth sense to tell where everything and everyone was so I didn't crash. I could hear the sound of footsteps after me, but when people tried calling out my name, I couldn't hear what they were saying. I was too absorbed in running. My heart clenched. Oh Gods, what I would give just to make the pain stop!
I could tell that I was close to the front doors soon, and I was so close to escaping, to being free. I reached out for the handle and started to push the heavy doors forward. Why wouldn't they move?! They were never this heavy before! I finally got one open enough to slip through. Light. It was so warm…
I took one step out of the door and prepared to sprint again, but my foot never touched the ground. Instead, a pair of strong arms quickly wrapped themselves around my waist and pulled me off the ground, away from the door, away from the light. A heart-wrenching scream came from my lips, only to be swallowed by a loud sob. I didn't know where my sudden sadness came from, but it was there, pulsing in my soul, only getting stronger with every second. I tried kicking the source that was holding me in hopes to get free, but it was all in vain.
"Let me GO!" I nearly howled as I continued to struggle against the body holding me. I didn't know who it was, but I continued to cry and scream, hoping that I would still have a chance to get away. I wasn't lucky that day…
A tail wrapped itself around my waist, and my struggles stopped. "Jade…" a voice that could only belong to Zidane, whispered into my ear. A quiet sob escaped from my lips and I closed my eyes. I didn't know what I was feeling. I felt safe in his grasp, but I didn't want to be there. I didn't need his pity or his comfort! I was going to struggle against him again, but all my energy was spent, and I didn't want to move anymore.
I don't know when I suddenly became tired, but the next thing I knew, my vision was covered in a whirlpool of black.
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~**Garnet's POV**~
"She tried WHAT?!" I cried out as soon as Steiner brought me the news. Of course, this had to be about the worst time since the baby was almost due, and I was having major mood swings about every five minutes. Steiner didn't reply at first; he must have waited till I calmed down a bit. He was a smart man. After about a minute or so, he calmly repeated what he told me before.
"Jade tried running away, again." Oh yes. This wasn't the first time that she's tried this, but by the way that he said it, I'm guessing that she almost got away, and by the way his voice dropped off at the end, I supposed that Zidane was the one to catch her. I knew then that I had some explaining to do. Zidane has never been around for one of her running away episodes. Hopefully, we wouldn't get into a full blown argument like we often do, more frequently than before since almost anything makes me flip out on the spot.
I turned towards the window and let out a long sigh. A part of me wished that this was all just a really bad dream, but I knew that this was far beyond real. "Where and how is she now?" I asked without turning around. Steiner was silent for a few moments as I idly rubbed the large bulge on my stomach. If I paid enough attention, I could feel the baby kick. Zidane got so excited the first time he felt that…
Steiner cleared his throat. "She's in her room and currently asleep, Your Highness. Zidane is… well… coping with it while Beatrix is calmly waiting by her side until she wakes up. Lady Eiko is currently trying to seek out Zidane's whereabouts. You know how easily he can disappear when he wants to just get away. Everyone else in the castle is back in order. I'm not surprised since the only person that is not accustomed to this by now is Zidane." I didn't' reply, but then again, I didn't have to. Steiner already knew what I was going to ask of him. "… I'll report as soon as I receive word on either Jade or His Majesty. Will that be all?"
"Yes, Steiner…"
I heard him turn towards the door, but he suddenly stopped. "… Don't be hard on her, Garnet. Even though it's been two years, it's perfectly understandable how she would still have such a hard time coping and understanding everything that's going on. After all, she's still so young…" I slowly turned around and faced him. A sad smile played across my lips before I spoke. He only spoke the truth.
"I know, Steiner… I know." With nothing left to say, he clicked his heels together and gave me a professional salute. No matter how much he acted like a fatherly figure to me, he still held his general status. I never really had the chance to tell him how much I respected him for that, but there was always time for that later.
Now I had a choice to make. Should I go check up on my daughter, or should I go ask Eiko if she's found Zidane yet? Considering the fact that Steiner would inform me if anything comes up about the whereabouts of Zidane, that I was to be notified, I decided to go check up on Jade. If I'm lucky, she might be awake by now.
Finally with my mind set, I gathered a small portion of my skit in my hands, and I briskly walked down through a couple long corridors to my child's room. The door was barely open, but it was cracked enough so that a soft melody could be heard outside of the room. 'Her music box,' I concluded to myself since it was specially made to create that light of sound and that specific tune. Gently pushing open the door, I first saw Beatrix sitting on a small stool and then Jade sitting upright on her bed with the music box in her hands. Her eyes fixated on the small object.
I made my steps into the room just loud enough so that I was noticed, but not too loud that it seemed like I was purposely making noise. Both of their heads turned toward me as soon as I gained attention. Beatrix was the only one to rise.
"Your Highness," she addressed with a slight bow coming from her waist. I simply returned the gesture with a small nod of my head.
Looking at Jade, I spoke evenly to Beatrix with emotion hidden from my voice and my eyes. "You are dismissed, Beatrix. See to it that Zidane is found before dark. I don't this to become any bigger than it truly has to be. After that, I want the order for dinner to be made and then you and Steiner are no longer needed. You may take the rest of the day off."
She hesitated for a few seconds before replying. I assumed that she was contemplating over my words and making sure that I knew what I was doing. Normally it would have taken longer, but both she and Steiner had finally gotten the idea that I was no longer a baby around my twenty-sixth birthday. She replied with a quite, 'Yes, M'lady,' and left the room without another word. Now it was just Jade and me staring at each other in complete silence. Both of our faces were blank and voided of emotion.
I sat down on the edge of her bed as soon as the music box discontinued the melody, but for another two minutes, neither one of us made a sound louder than us breathing. Finally, I broke the silence with a simple question that I assumed did not have such a simple answer.
"Why?" At first she didn't respond, so I tried asking again. "Why, Jade? You've never given me a reason before, so grant me one now. Why?" Again, she didn't respond, but this time she looked away-in shame maybe? I wasn't too sure because her eyes were firmly shut, and they were the only things that gave away how she was truly feeling.
Again, we sat in silence. I was pretty surprised how I was able to keep my anger in check because all the other times I would have been yelling at her by now. I was about to get up and leave, but I whisper from her stopped me in my tracks.
"… I don't know…"
That was not an answer I was willing to hear or accept.
"I wanted to stop being such a bother to everyone." This gained my undivided attention. Bother? What was she thinking? I didn't get to ask because eventually the words just poured out of her like water flowing down a river. "After talking with Eiko, I felt that everyone in the castle was in major stress because of me. I couldn't make everyone in the castle happy because I never really learned how to get along with Zidane. This made him mad, you mad and everyone else that really matters to me mad at me. I couldn't take it anymore! So I just thought that if I got up and disappeared, then everyone wouldn't have to worry about me bothering them anymore. Maybe everyone would actually be happy… So I tried running away."
I sat in silence as she explained her position to me, but that didn't mean that didn't want to slap her for thinking that way. Quite the opposite really, but then again, I was never one to believe that hitting a child was the right way to discipline them. Instead, I took the route that I normally take now to vent out my stress. Yelling.
"How could you think something like that?" I almost ended up screaming. She visibly cringed from the volume of my voice. "Don't you ever think something like that again! You running away won't solve anything! And we love you! WE love you! All of us! Do you know how scared I would be, Beatrix, Steiner, and Eiko would be? Do you even know how scared ZIDANE would be? Whether you want to accept it or not, Zidane loves you, maybe more so than I do!" By now tears where streaming down my cheeks. All the pent up stress that I had just overflowed.
I soon hugged her and buried her head in my chest while I cradled her tightly. Her own tears soaked my dress while I kissed the top of her head murmuring, 'Never again. Please, never again,' over and over to her. I was acting as if I really had lost my daughter, but it didn't matter. I was panicking, and the only thing that held my sanity together was the sensation of her small, soft body wrapped up in my arms. No matter what has happened, or what was going to happen, this feeling was enough.
It would always be enough.
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~**Zidane's POV**~
My nerves were still taunt and my heart was still drumming in my ears when Eiko literally dragged me back to the castle. I was still hyped, but I couldn't remember exactly what for. I felt like fighting a thousand Necrons, but I had a feeling that it wouldn't be enough to tire me out. I needed to run, scream, jump, fight, laugh, cry, and sleep all at the same time. I needed to find Dagger, but I had a feeling that I didn't really want to see her right now. I was mad at her for something, but my excess energy made my mind feel fuzzy.
What had made me hyped in the first place? And why would I be frustrated with Dagger? Something she didn't tell me… Something important…
Castle… Running… Jade…
Jade…
And just like that my whole world's puzzle pieces clicked together. Jade! She tried running away, and yet everyone acted so neutrally to it. If I remember correctly, no one even tried to stop her. What the Hell was going on!? By the looks of it, this sort of thing has seemed to happen before, and if it has, then Dagger must surely know about it, but one question remained unclear. Why the Hell wasn't I informed? Was it really not that important that they had to avoid telling me? What were they planning on doing? Dropping it in my lap casually over, let's say, tea?
'Oh, by the way, Zidane, or Your Majesty, you're only daughter has tried running away on more than one occasion. Do you want some more sugar with that?"
Is THAT what they were PLANNING to do?! Well, to Hell with that!
Before I even realized it, I was way ahead of Eiko. How long have I been running for? And when exactly did I storm through the castle doors because last I remember I was outside in the castle garden; I wasn't in the Eastern Corridor! Didn't matter. I was heading to Jade's room by purely instinct. I had a feeling that I would find both Jade and Dagger in there. Sure enough, I was right.
When I stopped outside the door, I heard the sound of two women sobbing. One sounded like Dagger, so I figured it was her, the other kept saying, 'I'm sorry, Mommy,' again and again. Must be Jade. Bingo. Since waiting was never really my thing, I took that moment and opportunity to burst into the room with an almost primal and deadly look in my eyes. I was both outraged and completely calm. Almost the same feeling that one goes through when in trance.
The sound of me bursting into the room must have caught their attention because soon they were both staring at me with wide open, yet teary eyes. Some part of me demanded to show them sympathy and compassion, but the other part of my brain wanted to be neither sympathetic nor compassionate. To say the least, this uncaring side of me could be legitimately labeled as insane.
For a few agonizing seconds, there silence. Absolute dead silence. I think both my daughter and my wife were trying to figure out what I was thinking. Whatever answer Dagger came up with, she somehow knew that I wanted to speak to her, and her alone. I think it would take a complete idiot to not notice that I was pissed. In fact, I wasn't just pissed. Oh no, what I felt now was far beyond pissed.
"A word, please, Your Highness?" I purred in a very sultry yet deadly tone of voice. I had no idea where my self-control was coming from, but I thanked my lucky stars for it. I just pray that I don't end up smacking my beautiful Dagger. As mad as I might be, I'd rather die than hurt her.
Thankfully, she was in a fully cooperative mood and didn't need further convincing to move. She must have figured that talking only when she was given permission to do so would be the best route right now since the look on my face must have clearly shown that I was not in a fluctuating mood right now. I turned around and pointed at Jade. With a completely emotionless tone, I stated, "I will discuss this situation with you later."
It wasn't really Jade that I was frustrated with. It was everyone else in the damn castle that thought it would be a good idea to keep this little snippet of information hidden from me. I left the room without another word and surprisingly didn't slam the door when I left. The image of Jade's tightly clenched jaw was still fresh in my mind, and I would never forget the look of fear that was in her eyes.
(A/N: Sometimes, people do inspire me =) )
I looked down at the small girl that was holding my hand as we walked through the castle walls. She seemed to be more light hearted than most could remember; I could slightly tell by the confused and relieved glances that she got as we walked toward the dining room. Her long, dark hair slightly bounced around her face as she half-skipped down the hall. Every time we walked past a window, I could clearly see her blonde highlights that shimmered because of the sun. Even though she looked like she just woke up, because she did, she still looked presentable, but when we got to the dining hall, it wasn't her looks that Garnet was fussing about.
"Steiner, I'm going to get Zidane and Jade… Yes I'll be back so- AH!" she screamed as we suddenly popped in front of her, basically scaring her to death. As she regained her composure, I gave her a small impish grin that showed that not only was that move done intentionally, but I was also glad that it worked. I could tell she was going to scold me, but something stopped her before she even began, and a frown turned into a soft smile when she looked at my right hand side.
I looked down and then heard a faint sound of giggling. Jade was covering her mouth, trying to hide a fit of laughter. "Sorry, Mommy. We didn't mean to scare you that badly! It was his idea anyway!" Jade explained as she looked up at me. I felt a small jab to the stomach as Jade poked me. I looked down at her and gently rubbed the top of her head. Finally I looked back up at Garnet. Holding my breath, I quickly let my eyes skim over her appearance. Even in the morning she was breath taking…
"It's ok, honey." Garnet stated as she bent down to give Jade a kiss on the cheek. "What bothers me is the way your father is dressed! Zidane, couldn't you even put a shirt on?" I had forgotten to put my shirt back on! Damnit! I tried to play it cool, and folded my arms over my chest. She smirked and then looked back down at her daughter, who still stood by my side. "Hun, go sit down for breakfast. I'm going to make sure that your father does as he is told."
Jade looked at her mother with the look in her eyes clearly saying that she didn't want to know what we were talking about. I didn't blame her for not wanting to know either. It wasn't long before she collected the ruffles of her skirt in her hands and slightly jogged into the kitchen. I looked after her, smiling to myself with pride. I had the perfect daughter, who I loved with all my heart, and the perfect wife. Well, I thought she was the perfect wife, until she lightly punched me in the arm.
"Ow," I stated jokingly. "What was that for?" She placed her index finger over my lips and signaled me to be quiet. Grabbing my arm, she pulled me off to a dark corner not far from the kitchen, and pushed my back against the wall. Her petite hands were on my chest, and her long slim fingers were nicely spread out. I could almost feel heat coming from her body when she was that close to me. Her dark hair nicely framed her face and her eyes seemed to glitter in the dim light. While wrapping one arm around her waist, I lifted my other hand and stroked her cheek lightly with my knuckles.
"I was almost afraid that you left me again this morning," she whispered as she grabbed my hand and pressed my palm against her face. She closed her eyes and tilted her head toward the ground. Even though I had come back, she still had fears about me leaving her again. This scar, even I couldn't heal.
"I would never do that, love. I just went to check up on our daughter, since she came into your room this morning." Garnet looked up at me with a surprised and troubled look in her eyes. I could tell what she was thinking, so I answered her question before she even got to ask. "No she didn't see anything, and anyway, be glad it was just her instead of Steiner. If it were Steiner, I would still have to be hiding. You know how he gets when I get 'too' close to you." Kissing the top of her head, I pulled her closer as she listened to my heartbeat.
"We'd better go before Beatrix or Steiner sends someone to look for us." She kissed me lightly on the lips and then pulled away. Before she disappeared into the dining room, I heard her say one thing so casually, yet it almost made me fall to the floor. "I have to have enough time to think of the ceremony when I declare you king. Think of that? King Zidane Tribal…"
King?! She planned on making me KING? If it weren't for the fact that I was leaning against a wall, I surely would have fallen straight to the floor. King… A lot of things came with that title, responsibilities, customs, the castle over flowing with nobles, and the chance to see my Dagger whenever I wanted. Sure, being king wouldn't be all that bad, but am I ready for it, and would the people be ok with it? Garnet and I already had that discussion and she had already made her decision, but the people's opinion still mattered.
I slowly walked into the kitchen, still thinking about what it would be like becoming king. Calling Dagger, 'Queen Garnet Til Alexandros Tribal the 17th' did have a nice ring to it. I would have a ball calling her that, but I was still unsure. Is this what we both wanted? I didn't make up my mind until I looked over at the far end of the table where I saw a young brunette sit.
Jade… I would give up my life just to see her smiling face everyday. I would give anything…
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~**Jade's POV, Almost Two Years Later**~
"A lot has changed," I stated softly as I looked over the balcony. I only saw a glint of purple hair move slightly up and down to my side.
"That is has, Jade. Many things can change in two years time," Eiko replied quietly. I turned toward her with my long bangs hanging in my eyes. She looked over at me, and saw my slight frown. "What's wrong, Jade? What troubles you now?" I bit my lip and held back a sigh. How could I explain this?
I shook my head and gazed at the ground. "I don't know. Something just isn't right. It doesn't have to do with Zidane or anyone else in the castle. I'm just worried about Mother that's all. I just know that something bad is going to happen! I just don't know what. I mean…" I was struggling with words. How could I no be able to explain what I felt? "Can't you feel it, Eiko? Can't you?!"
"Jade, you know nothing is going to be wrong with your mother. Maybe you're just feeling different because you've been an only child up until now. I know most people who are your age and are getting another sibling don't like it very much, but you know how badly your mother and father wanted a baby even though Doctor Tot warned them not to[1]. Just try to be there for your mother now. She needs you to be happy so that she can be happy." Eiko glanced over my shoulder to look at me while she started to braid a section of my hair.
"I thought she only needed Zidane to be happy…"
Eiko paused for a moment and turned me around to look at her. Her face showed a slight sign of disapproval and a frown was etched between her eyebrows. "Now you know that isn't true! Your mother loves you! Zidane loves you! They can't be happy knowing that you're upset, and before you even start to tell me that Zidane doesn't care, he does! It's hard enough for him to be switching status roles, trust me it's not easy going from a peasant to a king, but he now is over his head in a situation that his speed and fighting techniques can't help. His quick thinking and wit barely helps. Seeing you sad and knowing that he can't do anything to help you because you won't even let him try only makes him feel worse. I haven't seen him frown so much in my life before…"
I quickly undid the braid that Eiko had started in my hair and looked over the balcony again. My eyes were closed, fighting back tears that I knew would fall if I opened them again. I could be such a screw up sometimes. I've put so much stress on my mother for years, and now Zidane can't even fully be happy because of me. Such a damn screw up. Sometimes I wish I could just melt away and disappear into the water that surrounds the castle; just melt away, and everything would be fine.
I walked away from Eiko, never looking back, and I ignored her calls for me to return. I didn't deserve to bother anyone anymore. Maybe if I did just disappear, things would get better. My feet slowly picked up pace, and my vision was blurry from the tears that I couldn't hold back. Even though I felt everyone's eyes on me, no one stopped me. No one bothered to ask.
I couldn't stand the feeling. The burn of everyone's stare. Eventually I broke out into an all out sprint, and dashed for the main hall. I couldn't see clearly, but my hearing picked up, and I almost got a sixth sense to tell where everything and everyone was so I didn't crash. I could hear the sound of footsteps after me, but when people tried calling out my name, I couldn't hear what they were saying. I was too absorbed in running. My heart clenched. Oh Gods, what I would give just to make the pain stop!
I could tell that I was close to the front doors soon, and I was so close to escaping, to being free. I reached out for the handle and started to push the heavy doors forward. Why wouldn't they move?! They were never this heavy before! I finally got one open enough to slip through. Light. It was so warm…
I took one step out of the door and prepared to sprint again, but my foot never touched the ground. Instead, a pair of strong arms quickly wrapped themselves around my waist and pulled me off the ground, away from the door, away from the light. A heart-wrenching scream came from my lips, only to be swallowed by a loud sob. I didn't know where my sudden sadness came from, but it was there, pulsing in my soul, only getting stronger with every second. I tried kicking the source that was holding me in hopes to get free, but it was all in vain.
"Let me GO!" I nearly howled as I continued to struggle against the body holding me. I didn't know who it was, but I continued to cry and scream, hoping that I would still have a chance to get away. I wasn't lucky that day…
A tail wrapped itself around my waist, and my struggles stopped. "Jade…" a voice that could only belong to Zidane, whispered into my ear. A quiet sob escaped from my lips and I closed my eyes. I didn't know what I was feeling. I felt safe in his grasp, but I didn't want to be there. I didn't need his pity or his comfort! I was going to struggle against him again, but all my energy was spent, and I didn't want to move anymore.
I don't know when I suddenly became tired, but the next thing I knew, my vision was covered in a whirlpool of black.
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~**Garnet's POV**~
"She tried WHAT?!" I cried out as soon as Steiner brought me the news. Of course, this had to be about the worst time since the baby was almost due, and I was having major mood swings about every five minutes. Steiner didn't reply at first; he must have waited till I calmed down a bit. He was a smart man. After about a minute or so, he calmly repeated what he told me before.
"Jade tried running away, again." Oh yes. This wasn't the first time that she's tried this, but by the way that he said it, I'm guessing that she almost got away, and by the way his voice dropped off at the end, I supposed that Zidane was the one to catch her. I knew then that I had some explaining to do. Zidane has never been around for one of her running away episodes. Hopefully, we wouldn't get into a full blown argument like we often do, more frequently than before since almost anything makes me flip out on the spot.
I turned towards the window and let out a long sigh. A part of me wished that this was all just a really bad dream, but I knew that this was far beyond real. "Where and how is she now?" I asked without turning around. Steiner was silent for a few moments as I idly rubbed the large bulge on my stomach. If I paid enough attention, I could feel the baby kick. Zidane got so excited the first time he felt that…
Steiner cleared his throat. "She's in her room and currently asleep, Your Highness. Zidane is… well… coping with it while Beatrix is calmly waiting by her side until she wakes up. Lady Eiko is currently trying to seek out Zidane's whereabouts. You know how easily he can disappear when he wants to just get away. Everyone else in the castle is back in order. I'm not surprised since the only person that is not accustomed to this by now is Zidane." I didn't' reply, but then again, I didn't have to. Steiner already knew what I was going to ask of him. "… I'll report as soon as I receive word on either Jade or His Majesty. Will that be all?"
"Yes, Steiner…"
I heard him turn towards the door, but he suddenly stopped. "… Don't be hard on her, Garnet. Even though it's been two years, it's perfectly understandable how she would still have such a hard time coping and understanding everything that's going on. After all, she's still so young…" I slowly turned around and faced him. A sad smile played across my lips before I spoke. He only spoke the truth.
"I know, Steiner… I know." With nothing left to say, he clicked his heels together and gave me a professional salute. No matter how much he acted like a fatherly figure to me, he still held his general status. I never really had the chance to tell him how much I respected him for that, but there was always time for that later.
Now I had a choice to make. Should I go check up on my daughter, or should I go ask Eiko if she's found Zidane yet? Considering the fact that Steiner would inform me if anything comes up about the whereabouts of Zidane, that I was to be notified, I decided to go check up on Jade. If I'm lucky, she might be awake by now.
Finally with my mind set, I gathered a small portion of my skit in my hands, and I briskly walked down through a couple long corridors to my child's room. The door was barely open, but it was cracked enough so that a soft melody could be heard outside of the room. 'Her music box,' I concluded to myself since it was specially made to create that light of sound and that specific tune. Gently pushing open the door, I first saw Beatrix sitting on a small stool and then Jade sitting upright on her bed with the music box in her hands. Her eyes fixated on the small object.
I made my steps into the room just loud enough so that I was noticed, but not too loud that it seemed like I was purposely making noise. Both of their heads turned toward me as soon as I gained attention. Beatrix was the only one to rise.
"Your Highness," she addressed with a slight bow coming from her waist. I simply returned the gesture with a small nod of my head.
Looking at Jade, I spoke evenly to Beatrix with emotion hidden from my voice and my eyes. "You are dismissed, Beatrix. See to it that Zidane is found before dark. I don't this to become any bigger than it truly has to be. After that, I want the order for dinner to be made and then you and Steiner are no longer needed. You may take the rest of the day off."
She hesitated for a few seconds before replying. I assumed that she was contemplating over my words and making sure that I knew what I was doing. Normally it would have taken longer, but both she and Steiner had finally gotten the idea that I was no longer a baby around my twenty-sixth birthday. She replied with a quite, 'Yes, M'lady,' and left the room without another word. Now it was just Jade and me staring at each other in complete silence. Both of our faces were blank and voided of emotion.
I sat down on the edge of her bed as soon as the music box discontinued the melody, but for another two minutes, neither one of us made a sound louder than us breathing. Finally, I broke the silence with a simple question that I assumed did not have such a simple answer.
"Why?" At first she didn't respond, so I tried asking again. "Why, Jade? You've never given me a reason before, so grant me one now. Why?" Again, she didn't respond, but this time she looked away-in shame maybe? I wasn't too sure because her eyes were firmly shut, and they were the only things that gave away how she was truly feeling.
Again, we sat in silence. I was pretty surprised how I was able to keep my anger in check because all the other times I would have been yelling at her by now. I was about to get up and leave, but I whisper from her stopped me in my tracks.
"… I don't know…"
That was not an answer I was willing to hear or accept.
"I wanted to stop being such a bother to everyone." This gained my undivided attention. Bother? What was she thinking? I didn't get to ask because eventually the words just poured out of her like water flowing down a river. "After talking with Eiko, I felt that everyone in the castle was in major stress because of me. I couldn't make everyone in the castle happy because I never really learned how to get along with Zidane. This made him mad, you mad and everyone else that really matters to me mad at me. I couldn't take it anymore! So I just thought that if I got up and disappeared, then everyone wouldn't have to worry about me bothering them anymore. Maybe everyone would actually be happy… So I tried running away."
I sat in silence as she explained her position to me, but that didn't mean that didn't want to slap her for thinking that way. Quite the opposite really, but then again, I was never one to believe that hitting a child was the right way to discipline them. Instead, I took the route that I normally take now to vent out my stress. Yelling.
"How could you think something like that?" I almost ended up screaming. She visibly cringed from the volume of my voice. "Don't you ever think something like that again! You running away won't solve anything! And we love you! WE love you! All of us! Do you know how scared I would be, Beatrix, Steiner, and Eiko would be? Do you even know how scared ZIDANE would be? Whether you want to accept it or not, Zidane loves you, maybe more so than I do!" By now tears where streaming down my cheeks. All the pent up stress that I had just overflowed.
I soon hugged her and buried her head in my chest while I cradled her tightly. Her own tears soaked my dress while I kissed the top of her head murmuring, 'Never again. Please, never again,' over and over to her. I was acting as if I really had lost my daughter, but it didn't matter. I was panicking, and the only thing that held my sanity together was the sensation of her small, soft body wrapped up in my arms. No matter what has happened, or what was going to happen, this feeling was enough.
It would always be enough.
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~**Zidane's POV**~
My nerves were still taunt and my heart was still drumming in my ears when Eiko literally dragged me back to the castle. I was still hyped, but I couldn't remember exactly what for. I felt like fighting a thousand Necrons, but I had a feeling that it wouldn't be enough to tire me out. I needed to run, scream, jump, fight, laugh, cry, and sleep all at the same time. I needed to find Dagger, but I had a feeling that I didn't really want to see her right now. I was mad at her for something, but my excess energy made my mind feel fuzzy.
What had made me hyped in the first place? And why would I be frustrated with Dagger? Something she didn't tell me… Something important…
Castle… Running… Jade…
Jade…
And just like that my whole world's puzzle pieces clicked together. Jade! She tried running away, and yet everyone acted so neutrally to it. If I remember correctly, no one even tried to stop her. What the Hell was going on!? By the looks of it, this sort of thing has seemed to happen before, and if it has, then Dagger must surely know about it, but one question remained unclear. Why the Hell wasn't I informed? Was it really not that important that they had to avoid telling me? What were they planning on doing? Dropping it in my lap casually over, let's say, tea?
'Oh, by the way, Zidane, or Your Majesty, you're only daughter has tried running away on more than one occasion. Do you want some more sugar with that?"
Is THAT what they were PLANNING to do?! Well, to Hell with that!
Before I even realized it, I was way ahead of Eiko. How long have I been running for? And when exactly did I storm through the castle doors because last I remember I was outside in the castle garden; I wasn't in the Eastern Corridor! Didn't matter. I was heading to Jade's room by purely instinct. I had a feeling that I would find both Jade and Dagger in there. Sure enough, I was right.
When I stopped outside the door, I heard the sound of two women sobbing. One sounded like Dagger, so I figured it was her, the other kept saying, 'I'm sorry, Mommy,' again and again. Must be Jade. Bingo. Since waiting was never really my thing, I took that moment and opportunity to burst into the room with an almost primal and deadly look in my eyes. I was both outraged and completely calm. Almost the same feeling that one goes through when in trance.
The sound of me bursting into the room must have caught their attention because soon they were both staring at me with wide open, yet teary eyes. Some part of me demanded to show them sympathy and compassion, but the other part of my brain wanted to be neither sympathetic nor compassionate. To say the least, this uncaring side of me could be legitimately labeled as insane.
For a few agonizing seconds, there silence. Absolute dead silence. I think both my daughter and my wife were trying to figure out what I was thinking. Whatever answer Dagger came up with, she somehow knew that I wanted to speak to her, and her alone. I think it would take a complete idiot to not notice that I was pissed. In fact, I wasn't just pissed. Oh no, what I felt now was far beyond pissed.
"A word, please, Your Highness?" I purred in a very sultry yet deadly tone of voice. I had no idea where my self-control was coming from, but I thanked my lucky stars for it. I just pray that I don't end up smacking my beautiful Dagger. As mad as I might be, I'd rather die than hurt her.
Thankfully, she was in a fully cooperative mood and didn't need further convincing to move. She must have figured that talking only when she was given permission to do so would be the best route right now since the look on my face must have clearly shown that I was not in a fluctuating mood right now. I turned around and pointed at Jade. With a completely emotionless tone, I stated, "I will discuss this situation with you later."
It wasn't really Jade that I was frustrated with. It was everyone else in the damn castle that thought it would be a good idea to keep this little snippet of information hidden from me. I left the room without another word and surprisingly didn't slam the door when I left. The image of Jade's tightly clenched jaw was still fresh in my mind, and I would never forget the look of fear that was in her eyes.
(A/N: Sometimes, people do inspire me =) )