I have a feeling that an explanation is in order.
Did I die? I might as well have.... ()-_-;;;;;;;;
Sorry about the extreme lapse in updates, I've been so sick over the last couple weeks I've basically been rendered unconscious in bed and done nothing but sleep and watch .hack//SIGN. ()-_- How can you blame me, I've had strep and an inflamed rib joint, seriously I did... not fun. But I'm now feeling somewhat coherent *as opposed to before* and can start writing again, just thought I'd explain that to you before you wondered if I really kicked the bucket or not!
But I didn't totally stop writing, I did try, I just ended up falling asleep and waking up entangled in my laptop's charger cord. I now know exactly what is going to happen in this story, I was able to keep my mind functioning long enough to make out a bulleted list of what's going to happen next. So, hopefully me not writhing in pain is going to be continuing so I can write the next few chapters on schedule! Ya~tta! *^_~*
-Chapter Three-
"What is wrong with me?" Garnet pleaded with Doctor Tot, as she held tightly onto Zidane's hand. He comforted her as best he could, unsure of exactly what to do in this situation. It was a large blow to him when he heard the news, he couldn't imagine how she was feeling. No one but the three in the room knew she had even been pregnant; however, they had decided to keep it a secret until after the wedding, to cause less trouble in general.
"Your highness, in total honesty, I don't know. I've run series and series of tests on you and I can't figure why you are miscarrying. It's not that you're infertile; it's quite the opposite. There is nothing wrong with you that I can find." Doctor Tot adjusted his glasses. "Unless there is something else that you aren't telling me about."
"Hey. hey." A concerned Zidane watched as Garnet slumped and tucked her knees up to her chest, a sign, he had recently learned, that meant something upset her.
"Don't tell him." It commanded.
"Your highness, it is very important that if there is something else, that you inform me of it."
"Don't you dare tell him!" It was shouting at her now. It screamed the words at her over and over and over and over, drilling it into her skull so she could think of nothing else. She grabbed her head in pain, repeating, "Stop." to herself.
"Dagger?" Zidane held her by both of her shoulders in front of him. She shook her head around violently and pushed him away from her.
"Shut up, just stop it!" she screamed at the voice, it wouldn't stop the pressure.
"Your highness.?" Doctor Tot reached out a hand to her. She held both hands around his, as if barely clinging to the edge of sanity.
"There's a. voice. inside of me. she tells me things. things I don't want to hear. I hate her. she won't go away. why can't she leave me alone?!" Instantly, nothing filled Garnet's mind. Everything was silent.
"You'll pay for that. I told you not to say anything." Garnet let go of her head, revealing small fingerprints from her hands were. Zidane rushed over to her and held onto her, kissing her temple, terrified of what he just saw.
Her voice muffled through Zidane's chest, repeating her initial statement. "Doctor Tot, what is wrong with me?" Zidane held onto her even tighter, almost as if he believed that she would disappear right out of his arms.
"Your highness, could you explain to me what has just taken place?" Doctor Tot grabbed a pad of paper from the nearby desk and began scribbling down every word that she said.
"It's been with me for a while." she paused, sorting out her thoughts, scared out of her mind to finally voice them.
"What has?" Doctor Tot stared at her intensely.
"The voice."
"What voice?"
"The voice that's inside my head. It tells me what to do and what not to. It messes with my brain, it tries to make me do things that I know I shouldn't do. I don't understand who she is and why she is doing this."
"So it's a female voice that you hear?"
"Yes."
"And how long have you been hearing this voice?"
"It started not long after we arrived back from the Iifa Tree."
"Did you by any chance come into contact with any strange stones while you were there?"
Garnet thought for a moment. "Not that I know of. how come?"
"Because I think that the voice might be an Eilodion."
"Why do you think that? Why would one do this to me?"
"That's the part that I don't understand. I'll have to go though my research to see what I can find out about female Eilodions." He walked over to his bookshelf as a thought occurred to him. "Garnet?" She turned her head in question. "I did not ask, what kinds of things is she telling you?" The stout doctor received a look of pure pain and was met with complete silence. "Garnet, you have to tell me what she was saying, I can't help you unless I know her exact personality."
"She, told me things. things that others were saying about me. How the townspeople felt about me, about the things she was telling them herself. She rubbed all of my secrets in my face, threatening to tell them if I did or said the wrong thing. She's so pessimistic about everything, telling me terrible words about what's going to happen to me. I nearly ended it all because of her. she was so against this new baby that we had. I'm afraid. I'm afraid that," Garnet struggled to say the words. "That she. ended it." Garnet looked down at the ground. "She told me that it wasn't time yet. That I should enjoy it while it lasts. I don't understand what she's doing to me and why. She just is and I want her out. I can't live with her anymore."
~*~*~*~
"I'm so nervous!" The queen stomped her slippered feet, in a week attempt to calm down.
"Garnet! Hold still or we'll never have you ready in time." As Garnet tipped back and forth on the platform she was on, Beatrix was desperately trying to button up the fidgety queen's dress.
"But I can't!" she squirmed some more, not helping Beatrix in the slightest.
"You have to, you can't be late to your own wedding!" She stopped moving for a moment and thought for a second.
"Maybe this isn't a good idea." Beatrix, in a panic, whipped Garnet around and held her towards her by her shoulders.
"Don't you dare start thinking in that way. You and Zidane have waited so long for this, overcome so many hardships, you are not backing out on this now." She looked Garnet straight in the eyes. Garnet got a huge smile instantly on her face and leapt at Beatrix to embrace her.
"You're right, now we better hurry or else we'll be late."
~*~*~*~
Zidane's tail swished back and forth in an anxious fashion. He was standing at the altar, with all of the people he'd ever known and townspeople of Alexandria in the crowd, and his bride, was already 15 minutes late. "Oh my god, she's not coming, I know she's not. I should just bail out right now." As Zidane panicked to himself, his eyes searched. "If I sneak out behind Blank when he's not looking, then maybe I could make and dash for the edge of the Prima Vista. From there I could climb up onto the roof. I'm sure the rooftop viewers would help me out. Then I can-"
"Bro, you alright?" Zidane jumped ten feet in the air when his best man placed his hand on his shoulder.
Zidane caught his breath, restarted his heart and responded meekly. "Yeah, I'm fine. why?"
Blank let out a hearty laugh. "Z, I know you too well. You were planning an escape root from here because you thought she wasn't going to show."
Zidane turns his eyes away from his companion. "I don't know, maybe. I could possibly have been thinking that."
Blank placed his arm around his shoulders. "Don't waste your time, you've got nothing to worry about." The organ nearby began belting out music, once again making Zidane jump. "See? You can calm down now. They wouldn't send out the cute little flower girls if she weren't back there." Zidane sighed and nodded and tugged on his tux, more nervous now, than ever.
"Y'know Blank, I think this may be the scariest thing that I've ever done."
Blank punched him in the arm. "You'll be fine."
~*~*~*~
"Scarlet! Cherry! Come quick!" Garnet's twin cousins ran over to the door where Beatrix was standing. "Now you two, be good, toss your pedals anywhere on the carpet that you wish, just not on people, okay?"
"Yes Auntie Beatrix." They chorused in a disappointed unison. She patted them both on the back and pointed them towards the doorway to the deck.
"Be good!" She called and turned to the Bridesmaids and Bridegrooms. "Okay, now get ready to go, they'll be down there soon. In the next few moments she shoved Eiko and Cinna, and then Freya and Marcus through the door. Beatrix rushed over to where Garnet was standing and hugged her tightly. "Darling, I'm so happy for you. You grew up so fast, I can hardly believe that your actually getting married. You grew up into a more beautiful, caring, wonderful person than I ever could have imagined. I know that everything will go perfectly." Garnet's eyes welled up and squeezed her best friend back.
"Thank you for everything." Beatrix smiled.
"Good luck!" she called as she rushed out the door.
"Thank you for doing this." Garnet found the hand of the only person in the room and squeezed it gently. Steiner squeezed her hand back and smiled.
"I'm honored that you would ask me to do this."
"You were the only person that I would want to give me away. You've been like a father to me for so long, and you certainly baby me like one." They both laughed. They heard the music outside stop and knew that was their cue. Garnet turned and hugged Steiner, surprised at first, but he hugged her back. They both took in a simultaneous deep breath and then laughed at their similar action.
"Well," Garnet spoke to herself. "Here goes everything."
~*~*~*~
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." Zidane repeated to himself over and over and over again once the initial music stopped. The real panic set in the minute "Here Come the Bride" played, but melted away entirely the minute he saw her. Her dress was a bright white with splashes of light spring green thrown into the full skirt. The bodice was sleeve-less and corset-like. It was covered in little crystals that were placed to have the appearance of curled vines. Her hair was up behind her head, but a few strands were left out to frame her face. Her train and her glittering sheer veil extended at least ten feet behind her. Zidane was bewitched, and couldn't take his eyes off of her.
~*~*~*~
Garnet linked her arm tightly around Steiner's, using him as support so she wouldn't fall over with nervousness. The moment she made eye contact with Zidane; however, she didn't feel that way anymore. She felt herself blush and hoped that the makeup would hide it. He was just looking at her, in that way that no one had ever looked at her before. It was like she was the most beautiful woman in the world and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Like she was the only one for him, the only one that he wanted to be with him forever. He was the only one who ever looked at her like that, and the only one that ever would. She had to resist the urge to start a full speed run into his arms, which is what she so desperately wanted to do. She continued to walk in the slowed, paced way that she had been taught for as long as she could remember. It was the exact moment that Garnet realized why they walked so slow down the aisle. It wasn't so that everyone could look at the bride, as she had always thought was the reason, it was to tease the two lovers, drawing it out so ever second that past, they wanted each other more and more until they couldn't stand it anymore. By the time the bride reaches the altar, the two are so filled with love that everything becomes magical and they feel that they are purely in love. When they reached the altar, Baku stepped forward as the deliverer of the ceremony.
"We are gathered here today."
~*~*~*~
Garnet's eyes fluttered open slowly as she adjusted to the sunlight that was pouring in from the windows. She stretched her arms slightly, careful not to wake the figure beside her. She turned to see him stirring. Seeking revenge for the countless times she had been woken, she rolled on top of him and placed a kiss on his lips. Being the light sleeper that he always was, he woke up to the best thing in the world.
"Good morning, my darling husband." Garnet smiled seductively, trying out the name. Zidane did as well.
"Good morning, my wonderful wife." He kissed her again. She looked over to the side a moment, then back at him.
"I'm sorry we can't go on a honeymoon, things are so busy."
"It's just fine, this will make it more fun for me anyways." She cocked an eyebrow.
"I'm afraid to ask, but how so?"
"That means I have to invent ways to steal you away from things, my specialty of course." She laughed.
"I'll enjoy that. but nothing tonight alright? It a very important party to celebrate the new union between the four kingdoms. We have to be there."
"Okay, I promise, nothing tonight." He muttered disappointedly.
"But I do have a meeting tomorrow that I would love to have reason to leave early." Garnet gave him a mischievous glance. His face lit up.
"We'll make that a date."
~*~*~*~
"Thank you so much for being here, you don't know how much this means to me and the people of Alexandria for that matter, to have Cleyra participate in this alliance of the kingdoms. You have suffered many hardships on account of my mother and the man that was controlling her and I know that we will never be able to make it up to you. But the fact that you're giving Alexandria a second chance, I can never extend my gratitude far enough." Queen Garnet curtsied slightly to the Clerian ruler. She chucked and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Queen Garnet, you are just as sweet as everyone says that you are." She giggled again and made her way over to one of the other party guests. Garnet, who had not had a moment to herself since the night began, found herself alone, until an unexpected flying object hurtled itself at her.
"Dagger!" the purple-haired girl threw her arms around Garnet. She hugged her back, just as happy to see her.
"Eiko, I'm so happy that you could make it! Is Uncle Cid and Aunt Hilde here too?" The girl nodded.
"Yeah, they were right behind me, but I saw you and had to rush over!" She laughed with excitement.
"I'm so glad. How are you doing though?" Garnet bent down and nudged her. "Any boyfriends that I should know about?"
Eiko blushed furiously. "No. none at all." She drifted off.
"You're lying." the older girl teased.
"No. I'm not." Eiko put her hands behind her back and shifted back and forth.
"Come on. tell me. please?"
"Well. not unless you tell me about Zidane." Garnet cranked her head at the girl.
"What do you mean?" Eiko got in her face.
"All the nasty things you're doing to him now that you're married!" It was Garnet's turn to blush and she fumbled for her words.
"No I'm not. well maybe. You're twelve! You shouldn't be asking me questions like this." She looked up. "Oh here come your parent's, I'll be inquired about your special someone later however."
"As will I." Eiko muttered.
"What was that!?"
"Nothing."
"Thought so. Uncle Cid! Aunt Hilde! I'm so happy to see you both!" Garnet hugged them tightly. "Thank you so much for coming."
"Oh Garnet honey, you know we'd do anything for you!" Hilde kissed Garnet's cheek. The rest of the conversation for Garnet was a blur, for something else was in her mind.
"It's time now."
"What do you mean, why now?"
"Because it's the right time."
"But why now, why not before."
"The stars."
"Why do the stars matter?"
"Go now."
"But this is important."
"I said go now."
"Later."
"No, now."
"No."
"You will go now."
Garnet's eyes sparked a hint of violet and cut her uncle off mid-sentence. "I'm sorry Uncle Cid, there's something important that has just come to my attention."
~*~*~*~
Freya and Zidane sat in complete silence on the concrete ledge. "You're lucky Zidane." He snapped out of his zone and looked at the girl next to him. "Dagger and you are perfect for each other. Things seem so easy for you both."
Zidane's face dropped. "They aren't as easy as everyone seems to think." This comment confused the Burmecian.
"What do you mean, Zidane? Isn't Dagger the girl that you've always dreamed of marrying? The one you would describe to me late nights at the Lindblum Café? Why aren't things easy?"
"There's something wrong with her, and we don't know what."
"Something wrong?" He dipped his hand backwards into the pool of water.
"She miscarried again."
"Oh my god, that's awful. I don't want to sound insensitive, but shouldn't you two have been waiting until after your marriage?"
"I guess. but still. and then there's the voice."
"What voice?"
"She hears a voice inside of her head." He looked at the ground. "It scares me y'know? We were at Doctor Tot's and all of a sudden she grabs her head screaming and talking about this voice that torments her. It scares me that I can't do anything to help her. I can't protect her from something in her mind."
"Does Doctor Tot know what it is?"
"He thinks it might be an Eilodion."
"That would make sense."
"Yeah." Zidane changed his persona completely, the way he always did when he was getting to down in the dumps, that is, unless he was drunk, then he would go on for hours. "So what about you and Fratley?"
"Not so good."
"Why not?"
"Things aren't working out as I planned they would."
"What happened, Freya?"
"Well it just started out as a minor thing at first. I moved to Cleyra to help with the rebuild and Fratley stayed in Burmecia. We didn't see much of each other after that. It was hard to keep our relationship going, he still hasn't remembered anything, and I felt that it was mainly one-sided. That he was only with me because he felt that he owed it to me."
"I'm sorry Freya."
"But then Amarant showed up one day in Cleyra, asking to help rebuild. He's. he's been helping me though this, he says that he can't replace Fratley, but he wants be there for me."
"Are you two together now?" Zidane pried.
"I don't know what our relationship is exactly, I'm guessing that's that case." She blushed slightly in thought. "Whatever this is, I'm happy. Not much in this world has made me happy and for some reason, he does."
"I'm glad for you Freya, I really am." It was at that moment when Garnet rushed up to him in a panic. "Dagger, what is it?"
"Oh my god, Zidane, you have to come quickly!"
"What's wrong?"
"Just come, it's an emergency." She tugged on his arm. Freya stood up,
"Is there anything that I can do to help?"
"No, thank you though." She pulled on his arm and quickly yanked him behind the garden pool he was just sitting at. They entered the gardens and took him into the middle of the maze.
"Dagger, what are we doing out here? What's going on?" Dagger got a saucy glint in her eye.
"What to you think we are doing out here?" Zidane caught on quick.
"Oh I see. So there's no really emergency is there?" She wrapped her arms around his neck, lightly taking the bottom of his ear into her teeth and playing.
"Oh I consider this an emergency of the deepest kind." Her hands traced across his body, removing his clothing as fast as she could.
"Dagger, this is really unlike you, not that I'm complaining or anything." She stopped, and looked him straight in the eyes with her purple-chocolate eyes.
"I just need you, I need you now." She claimed his mouth as they descended to the ground.
"But isn't this party really important to you? Should we really be missing it like this?" Garnet unzipped her dress.
"The party can wait."
~*~*~*~
"Zidane! I HATE YOU! You hear me?! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" Garnet screamed at the top of her lungs, nearly breaking her husbands hand as he tried to console her.
"I'm sorry.?" He gave a pitiful look her way and she screamed again.
"Good! You should be sorry! You're the one who did this to me!" Her other hand slammed on the bed. "Doctor Tot! Please get this baby out of me!" She cried harder in the pain. Beatrix took a cloth and dabbed at her forehead.
"Garnet." Seeing the death glare that she received, she decided not to finish her sentence. So Zidane finished it for her.
"Please, honey, please calm down."
"Calm down. Calm down! You want me to calm down! Let's see you squeeze a baby out of your ass, then tell me how calm you are!" Zidane got visibly uncomfortable and would have opted to leave the room if it weren't for his wife's death grip.
"Okay Your Highness, just one more push." Garnet screamed and pushed for all she was worth but her screams were soon drown out by another's. She relaxed immediately, breathing heavily. Zidane kissed her forehead letting go of her hand. He went over to inspect the new thing. He watched as Doctor Tot cleaned it off, very, very carefully. The baby was so fragile. It was wrapped up in a blanket and he handed the baby to Zidane. He positioned his hands just right to hold the baby. "It's a girl." Doctor Tot said, smiling. Zidane looked down at his gorgeous baby girl. Holding her like she was going to break in his arms, Zidane carried her over to her mother, watching the little girl carefully with each step. He placed her in her arms and lay down with her in the bed.
"She's so beautiful." Garnet awed over their baby, content with merely looking at her.
"She gets that from you." Garnet blushed a smile.
"What are we going to name her?"
"Whatever you want to name her." For a moment, Garnet's eyes glazed over a violet tinge.
"Lillith." She shook her head out of her daze and nodded. "She'll be our little Lily."
W007! Eight pages! Count them! He he. okay, I'm just mildly pleased with myself, ignore me to the best of your capabilities. This, my friends, is what comes of spending Sunday Morning in the emergency room, after a car accident has just arrived. I agree too that the car accident should receive much more attention that me, but two hours was a really long time to wait. ()-_- Please review, even though I've been a very bad fanfic author and didn't write squat for weeks. ()-_- Eight pages people, eight pages in two days. You gotta admit that's cool. *^_^*
Did I die? I might as well have.... ()-_-;;;;;;;;
Sorry about the extreme lapse in updates, I've been so sick over the last couple weeks I've basically been rendered unconscious in bed and done nothing but sleep and watch .hack//SIGN. ()-_- How can you blame me, I've had strep and an inflamed rib joint, seriously I did... not fun. But I'm now feeling somewhat coherent *as opposed to before* and can start writing again, just thought I'd explain that to you before you wondered if I really kicked the bucket or not!
But I didn't totally stop writing, I did try, I just ended up falling asleep and waking up entangled in my laptop's charger cord. I now know exactly what is going to happen in this story, I was able to keep my mind functioning long enough to make out a bulleted list of what's going to happen next. So, hopefully me not writhing in pain is going to be continuing so I can write the next few chapters on schedule! Ya~tta! *^_~*
-Chapter Three-
"What is wrong with me?" Garnet pleaded with Doctor Tot, as she held tightly onto Zidane's hand. He comforted her as best he could, unsure of exactly what to do in this situation. It was a large blow to him when he heard the news, he couldn't imagine how she was feeling. No one but the three in the room knew she had even been pregnant; however, they had decided to keep it a secret until after the wedding, to cause less trouble in general.
"Your highness, in total honesty, I don't know. I've run series and series of tests on you and I can't figure why you are miscarrying. It's not that you're infertile; it's quite the opposite. There is nothing wrong with you that I can find." Doctor Tot adjusted his glasses. "Unless there is something else that you aren't telling me about."
"Hey. hey." A concerned Zidane watched as Garnet slumped and tucked her knees up to her chest, a sign, he had recently learned, that meant something upset her.
"Don't tell him." It commanded.
"Your highness, it is very important that if there is something else, that you inform me of it."
"Don't you dare tell him!" It was shouting at her now. It screamed the words at her over and over and over and over, drilling it into her skull so she could think of nothing else. She grabbed her head in pain, repeating, "Stop." to herself.
"Dagger?" Zidane held her by both of her shoulders in front of him. She shook her head around violently and pushed him away from her.
"Shut up, just stop it!" she screamed at the voice, it wouldn't stop the pressure.
"Your highness.?" Doctor Tot reached out a hand to her. She held both hands around his, as if barely clinging to the edge of sanity.
"There's a. voice. inside of me. she tells me things. things I don't want to hear. I hate her. she won't go away. why can't she leave me alone?!" Instantly, nothing filled Garnet's mind. Everything was silent.
"You'll pay for that. I told you not to say anything." Garnet let go of her head, revealing small fingerprints from her hands were. Zidane rushed over to her and held onto her, kissing her temple, terrified of what he just saw.
Her voice muffled through Zidane's chest, repeating her initial statement. "Doctor Tot, what is wrong with me?" Zidane held onto her even tighter, almost as if he believed that she would disappear right out of his arms.
"Your highness, could you explain to me what has just taken place?" Doctor Tot grabbed a pad of paper from the nearby desk and began scribbling down every word that she said.
"It's been with me for a while." she paused, sorting out her thoughts, scared out of her mind to finally voice them.
"What has?" Doctor Tot stared at her intensely.
"The voice."
"What voice?"
"The voice that's inside my head. It tells me what to do and what not to. It messes with my brain, it tries to make me do things that I know I shouldn't do. I don't understand who she is and why she is doing this."
"So it's a female voice that you hear?"
"Yes."
"And how long have you been hearing this voice?"
"It started not long after we arrived back from the Iifa Tree."
"Did you by any chance come into contact with any strange stones while you were there?"
Garnet thought for a moment. "Not that I know of. how come?"
"Because I think that the voice might be an Eilodion."
"Why do you think that? Why would one do this to me?"
"That's the part that I don't understand. I'll have to go though my research to see what I can find out about female Eilodions." He walked over to his bookshelf as a thought occurred to him. "Garnet?" She turned her head in question. "I did not ask, what kinds of things is she telling you?" The stout doctor received a look of pure pain and was met with complete silence. "Garnet, you have to tell me what she was saying, I can't help you unless I know her exact personality."
"She, told me things. things that others were saying about me. How the townspeople felt about me, about the things she was telling them herself. She rubbed all of my secrets in my face, threatening to tell them if I did or said the wrong thing. She's so pessimistic about everything, telling me terrible words about what's going to happen to me. I nearly ended it all because of her. she was so against this new baby that we had. I'm afraid. I'm afraid that," Garnet struggled to say the words. "That she. ended it." Garnet looked down at the ground. "She told me that it wasn't time yet. That I should enjoy it while it lasts. I don't understand what she's doing to me and why. She just is and I want her out. I can't live with her anymore."
~*~*~*~
"I'm so nervous!" The queen stomped her slippered feet, in a week attempt to calm down.
"Garnet! Hold still or we'll never have you ready in time." As Garnet tipped back and forth on the platform she was on, Beatrix was desperately trying to button up the fidgety queen's dress.
"But I can't!" she squirmed some more, not helping Beatrix in the slightest.
"You have to, you can't be late to your own wedding!" She stopped moving for a moment and thought for a second.
"Maybe this isn't a good idea." Beatrix, in a panic, whipped Garnet around and held her towards her by her shoulders.
"Don't you dare start thinking in that way. You and Zidane have waited so long for this, overcome so many hardships, you are not backing out on this now." She looked Garnet straight in the eyes. Garnet got a huge smile instantly on her face and leapt at Beatrix to embrace her.
"You're right, now we better hurry or else we'll be late."
~*~*~*~
Zidane's tail swished back and forth in an anxious fashion. He was standing at the altar, with all of the people he'd ever known and townspeople of Alexandria in the crowd, and his bride, was already 15 minutes late. "Oh my god, she's not coming, I know she's not. I should just bail out right now." As Zidane panicked to himself, his eyes searched. "If I sneak out behind Blank when he's not looking, then maybe I could make and dash for the edge of the Prima Vista. From there I could climb up onto the roof. I'm sure the rooftop viewers would help me out. Then I can-"
"Bro, you alright?" Zidane jumped ten feet in the air when his best man placed his hand on his shoulder.
Zidane caught his breath, restarted his heart and responded meekly. "Yeah, I'm fine. why?"
Blank let out a hearty laugh. "Z, I know you too well. You were planning an escape root from here because you thought she wasn't going to show."
Zidane turns his eyes away from his companion. "I don't know, maybe. I could possibly have been thinking that."
Blank placed his arm around his shoulders. "Don't waste your time, you've got nothing to worry about." The organ nearby began belting out music, once again making Zidane jump. "See? You can calm down now. They wouldn't send out the cute little flower girls if she weren't back there." Zidane sighed and nodded and tugged on his tux, more nervous now, than ever.
"Y'know Blank, I think this may be the scariest thing that I've ever done."
Blank punched him in the arm. "You'll be fine."
~*~*~*~
"Scarlet! Cherry! Come quick!" Garnet's twin cousins ran over to the door where Beatrix was standing. "Now you two, be good, toss your pedals anywhere on the carpet that you wish, just not on people, okay?"
"Yes Auntie Beatrix." They chorused in a disappointed unison. She patted them both on the back and pointed them towards the doorway to the deck.
"Be good!" She called and turned to the Bridesmaids and Bridegrooms. "Okay, now get ready to go, they'll be down there soon. In the next few moments she shoved Eiko and Cinna, and then Freya and Marcus through the door. Beatrix rushed over to where Garnet was standing and hugged her tightly. "Darling, I'm so happy for you. You grew up so fast, I can hardly believe that your actually getting married. You grew up into a more beautiful, caring, wonderful person than I ever could have imagined. I know that everything will go perfectly." Garnet's eyes welled up and squeezed her best friend back.
"Thank you for everything." Beatrix smiled.
"Good luck!" she called as she rushed out the door.
"Thank you for doing this." Garnet found the hand of the only person in the room and squeezed it gently. Steiner squeezed her hand back and smiled.
"I'm honored that you would ask me to do this."
"You were the only person that I would want to give me away. You've been like a father to me for so long, and you certainly baby me like one." They both laughed. They heard the music outside stop and knew that was their cue. Garnet turned and hugged Steiner, surprised at first, but he hugged her back. They both took in a simultaneous deep breath and then laughed at their similar action.
"Well," Garnet spoke to herself. "Here goes everything."
~*~*~*~
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." Zidane repeated to himself over and over and over again once the initial music stopped. The real panic set in the minute "Here Come the Bride" played, but melted away entirely the minute he saw her. Her dress was a bright white with splashes of light spring green thrown into the full skirt. The bodice was sleeve-less and corset-like. It was covered in little crystals that were placed to have the appearance of curled vines. Her hair was up behind her head, but a few strands were left out to frame her face. Her train and her glittering sheer veil extended at least ten feet behind her. Zidane was bewitched, and couldn't take his eyes off of her.
~*~*~*~
Garnet linked her arm tightly around Steiner's, using him as support so she wouldn't fall over with nervousness. The moment she made eye contact with Zidane; however, she didn't feel that way anymore. She felt herself blush and hoped that the makeup would hide it. He was just looking at her, in that way that no one had ever looked at her before. It was like she was the most beautiful woman in the world and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Like she was the only one for him, the only one that he wanted to be with him forever. He was the only one who ever looked at her like that, and the only one that ever would. She had to resist the urge to start a full speed run into his arms, which is what she so desperately wanted to do. She continued to walk in the slowed, paced way that she had been taught for as long as she could remember. It was the exact moment that Garnet realized why they walked so slow down the aisle. It wasn't so that everyone could look at the bride, as she had always thought was the reason, it was to tease the two lovers, drawing it out so ever second that past, they wanted each other more and more until they couldn't stand it anymore. By the time the bride reaches the altar, the two are so filled with love that everything becomes magical and they feel that they are purely in love. When they reached the altar, Baku stepped forward as the deliverer of the ceremony.
"We are gathered here today."
~*~*~*~
Garnet's eyes fluttered open slowly as she adjusted to the sunlight that was pouring in from the windows. She stretched her arms slightly, careful not to wake the figure beside her. She turned to see him stirring. Seeking revenge for the countless times she had been woken, she rolled on top of him and placed a kiss on his lips. Being the light sleeper that he always was, he woke up to the best thing in the world.
"Good morning, my darling husband." Garnet smiled seductively, trying out the name. Zidane did as well.
"Good morning, my wonderful wife." He kissed her again. She looked over to the side a moment, then back at him.
"I'm sorry we can't go on a honeymoon, things are so busy."
"It's just fine, this will make it more fun for me anyways." She cocked an eyebrow.
"I'm afraid to ask, but how so?"
"That means I have to invent ways to steal you away from things, my specialty of course." She laughed.
"I'll enjoy that. but nothing tonight alright? It a very important party to celebrate the new union between the four kingdoms. We have to be there."
"Okay, I promise, nothing tonight." He muttered disappointedly.
"But I do have a meeting tomorrow that I would love to have reason to leave early." Garnet gave him a mischievous glance. His face lit up.
"We'll make that a date."
~*~*~*~
"Thank you so much for being here, you don't know how much this means to me and the people of Alexandria for that matter, to have Cleyra participate in this alliance of the kingdoms. You have suffered many hardships on account of my mother and the man that was controlling her and I know that we will never be able to make it up to you. But the fact that you're giving Alexandria a second chance, I can never extend my gratitude far enough." Queen Garnet curtsied slightly to the Clerian ruler. She chucked and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Queen Garnet, you are just as sweet as everyone says that you are." She giggled again and made her way over to one of the other party guests. Garnet, who had not had a moment to herself since the night began, found herself alone, until an unexpected flying object hurtled itself at her.
"Dagger!" the purple-haired girl threw her arms around Garnet. She hugged her back, just as happy to see her.
"Eiko, I'm so happy that you could make it! Is Uncle Cid and Aunt Hilde here too?" The girl nodded.
"Yeah, they were right behind me, but I saw you and had to rush over!" She laughed with excitement.
"I'm so glad. How are you doing though?" Garnet bent down and nudged her. "Any boyfriends that I should know about?"
Eiko blushed furiously. "No. none at all." She drifted off.
"You're lying." the older girl teased.
"No. I'm not." Eiko put her hands behind her back and shifted back and forth.
"Come on. tell me. please?"
"Well. not unless you tell me about Zidane." Garnet cranked her head at the girl.
"What do you mean?" Eiko got in her face.
"All the nasty things you're doing to him now that you're married!" It was Garnet's turn to blush and she fumbled for her words.
"No I'm not. well maybe. You're twelve! You shouldn't be asking me questions like this." She looked up. "Oh here come your parent's, I'll be inquired about your special someone later however."
"As will I." Eiko muttered.
"What was that!?"
"Nothing."
"Thought so. Uncle Cid! Aunt Hilde! I'm so happy to see you both!" Garnet hugged them tightly. "Thank you so much for coming."
"Oh Garnet honey, you know we'd do anything for you!" Hilde kissed Garnet's cheek. The rest of the conversation for Garnet was a blur, for something else was in her mind.
"It's time now."
"What do you mean, why now?"
"Because it's the right time."
"But why now, why not before."
"The stars."
"Why do the stars matter?"
"Go now."
"But this is important."
"I said go now."
"Later."
"No, now."
"No."
"You will go now."
Garnet's eyes sparked a hint of violet and cut her uncle off mid-sentence. "I'm sorry Uncle Cid, there's something important that has just come to my attention."
~*~*~*~
Freya and Zidane sat in complete silence on the concrete ledge. "You're lucky Zidane." He snapped out of his zone and looked at the girl next to him. "Dagger and you are perfect for each other. Things seem so easy for you both."
Zidane's face dropped. "They aren't as easy as everyone seems to think." This comment confused the Burmecian.
"What do you mean, Zidane? Isn't Dagger the girl that you've always dreamed of marrying? The one you would describe to me late nights at the Lindblum Café? Why aren't things easy?"
"There's something wrong with her, and we don't know what."
"Something wrong?" He dipped his hand backwards into the pool of water.
"She miscarried again."
"Oh my god, that's awful. I don't want to sound insensitive, but shouldn't you two have been waiting until after your marriage?"
"I guess. but still. and then there's the voice."
"What voice?"
"She hears a voice inside of her head." He looked at the ground. "It scares me y'know? We were at Doctor Tot's and all of a sudden she grabs her head screaming and talking about this voice that torments her. It scares me that I can't do anything to help her. I can't protect her from something in her mind."
"Does Doctor Tot know what it is?"
"He thinks it might be an Eilodion."
"That would make sense."
"Yeah." Zidane changed his persona completely, the way he always did when he was getting to down in the dumps, that is, unless he was drunk, then he would go on for hours. "So what about you and Fratley?"
"Not so good."
"Why not?"
"Things aren't working out as I planned they would."
"What happened, Freya?"
"Well it just started out as a minor thing at first. I moved to Cleyra to help with the rebuild and Fratley stayed in Burmecia. We didn't see much of each other after that. It was hard to keep our relationship going, he still hasn't remembered anything, and I felt that it was mainly one-sided. That he was only with me because he felt that he owed it to me."
"I'm sorry Freya."
"But then Amarant showed up one day in Cleyra, asking to help rebuild. He's. he's been helping me though this, he says that he can't replace Fratley, but he wants be there for me."
"Are you two together now?" Zidane pried.
"I don't know what our relationship is exactly, I'm guessing that's that case." She blushed slightly in thought. "Whatever this is, I'm happy. Not much in this world has made me happy and for some reason, he does."
"I'm glad for you Freya, I really am." It was at that moment when Garnet rushed up to him in a panic. "Dagger, what is it?"
"Oh my god, Zidane, you have to come quickly!"
"What's wrong?"
"Just come, it's an emergency." She tugged on his arm. Freya stood up,
"Is there anything that I can do to help?"
"No, thank you though." She pulled on his arm and quickly yanked him behind the garden pool he was just sitting at. They entered the gardens and took him into the middle of the maze.
"Dagger, what are we doing out here? What's going on?" Dagger got a saucy glint in her eye.
"What to you think we are doing out here?" Zidane caught on quick.
"Oh I see. So there's no really emergency is there?" She wrapped her arms around his neck, lightly taking the bottom of his ear into her teeth and playing.
"Oh I consider this an emergency of the deepest kind." Her hands traced across his body, removing his clothing as fast as she could.
"Dagger, this is really unlike you, not that I'm complaining or anything." She stopped, and looked him straight in the eyes with her purple-chocolate eyes.
"I just need you, I need you now." She claimed his mouth as they descended to the ground.
"But isn't this party really important to you? Should we really be missing it like this?" Garnet unzipped her dress.
"The party can wait."
~*~*~*~
"Zidane! I HATE YOU! You hear me?! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" Garnet screamed at the top of her lungs, nearly breaking her husbands hand as he tried to console her.
"I'm sorry.?" He gave a pitiful look her way and she screamed again.
"Good! You should be sorry! You're the one who did this to me!" Her other hand slammed on the bed. "Doctor Tot! Please get this baby out of me!" She cried harder in the pain. Beatrix took a cloth and dabbed at her forehead.
"Garnet." Seeing the death glare that she received, she decided not to finish her sentence. So Zidane finished it for her.
"Please, honey, please calm down."
"Calm down. Calm down! You want me to calm down! Let's see you squeeze a baby out of your ass, then tell me how calm you are!" Zidane got visibly uncomfortable and would have opted to leave the room if it weren't for his wife's death grip.
"Okay Your Highness, just one more push." Garnet screamed and pushed for all she was worth but her screams were soon drown out by another's. She relaxed immediately, breathing heavily. Zidane kissed her forehead letting go of her hand. He went over to inspect the new thing. He watched as Doctor Tot cleaned it off, very, very carefully. The baby was so fragile. It was wrapped up in a blanket and he handed the baby to Zidane. He positioned his hands just right to hold the baby. "It's a girl." Doctor Tot said, smiling. Zidane looked down at his gorgeous baby girl. Holding her like she was going to break in his arms, Zidane carried her over to her mother, watching the little girl carefully with each step. He placed her in her arms and lay down with her in the bed.
"She's so beautiful." Garnet awed over their baby, content with merely looking at her.
"She gets that from you." Garnet blushed a smile.
"What are we going to name her?"
"Whatever you want to name her." For a moment, Garnet's eyes glazed over a violet tinge.
"Lillith." She shook her head out of her daze and nodded. "She'll be our little Lily."
W007! Eight pages! Count them! He he. okay, I'm just mildly pleased with myself, ignore me to the best of your capabilities. This, my friends, is what comes of spending Sunday Morning in the emergency room, after a car accident has just arrived. I agree too that the car accident should receive much more attention that me, but two hours was a really long time to wait. ()-_- Please review, even though I've been a very bad fanfic author and didn't write squat for weeks. ()-_- Eight pages people, eight pages in two days. You gotta admit that's cool. *^_^*