Chapter Twenty
Saevio - "To vent one's rage"
Beatrix arrived in Alexandria a few hours later, and walked briskly through the castle to the Queen's private office. She rounded the corner to find Steiner standing guard at the door. He was stiff at attention, and didn't move or make a sound until she raised her fist to knock on the door.
"Somebody's in trouble," he taunted. Beatrix's fist froze before it could touch the wood, and she slowly turned to face him. He was smiling smugly at her, as if he knew something she did not. Her jaw tightened as he chuckled at her.
SMACK!! The sound of her palm slapping his face could still be heard echoing in the hallway seconds after it had happened. He was thrown against the wall, letting out a moan of pain as he reached up to cup his cheek. He looked up at her, only to see her staring back at him coldly. She glared at him for a moment and then turned to the door, only to see Garnet holding it open, her face stern as she looked from Beatrix to Steiner and then back to Beatrix.
"Get in," she snapped at her, and Beatrix quickly moved into the office, jumping as Garnet slammed the door loudly behind her.
"I apologize, your Majesty. He was-"
"Sit down, I don't want to hear it," the Queen interrupted her, rounding her desk and moving towards the window beyond it. Beatrix sat quietly on the far side of the table and waited patiently as Garnet stared out the window.
"What were you doing in Lindblum?" she finally asked Beatrix.
"I was chasing someone," she replied quietly. Garnet rounded on her, her eyes trained on the knight.
"Chasing someone? In Lindblum? You were supposed to be in Treno! You were supposed to be watching over Blank!! No where in my orders did I mention chasing shadows to Lindblum!!"
"I wasn't chasing shadows!"
"Do you have anything to show for it? Any information or anything to justify your actions?" Garnet demanded angrily.
Beatrix was silent a moment before lowering her eyes to her lap. "No."
Garnet watched her, and then lifted her head, looking to a point beyond Beatrix. She moved quickly around the desk and back to the door of her office where she paused, slowly gripped the handle, and ripped the door open. Steiner tumbled into the office at her feet, swearing as he hit the ground. He looked up to see Garnet towering over him, her face red.
"Your Majesty! I was just, uh, checking the stability of the door-"
"GET OUT!" she bellowed at him. He scrambled to his feet, half crawling, half stumbling down the hall. Garnet closed the door behind him and returned to the far side of her desk, crossing her arms and eyeing Beatrix.
"I have always been very fair, Beatrix. When you've had these gut feelings I've let you run off for days to investigate them. You have always been a best friend to me as well as my right hand," Garnet said quietly, turning back to look out over the city through the window.
"But we are about to come under siege from Treno, and you are needed here. I need you here," she said, and Beatrix looked up at her, guilt crossing her face.
"You are hereby forbidden to leave the grounds without expressed permission from myself," Garnet said quietly, not moving her gaze from the window.
"Garnet!"
"No, Beatrix. I'm sorry, but there is nothing that I could think of that is worth you leaving right now."
"Her last name was Tribal!" Beatrix yelled, jumping to her feet, knocking her chair over backwards. Garnet slowly turned to look at her, her arms still crossed over her chest.
"What?"
"The person I followed to Lindblum was someone who was spying on the funeral. They checked into an Inn and their last name was Tribal," Beatrix explained.
Garnet was silent for a few long moments, her eyes unfocused on a spot on the floor near her.
"There's no time for this. We need to focus on Treno, and the hell it is about to bring us," Garnet told the knight, watching as disappointment flooded over Beatrix's face. "You are dismissed. I will see you later this evening," she added, rounding her desk and exiting the office, leaving Beatrix where she stood.
She stood silently for a moment, unable to believe what she had just heard. She lifted her eyes to the window, and watched as an airship approached and prepared to dock. She turned and took of running, determined to meet the ship.
I'm sorry Garnet, but I must go back. I have to know.
"Zidane?" Garnet called out as she wondered through the gardens. She had not seen him since that morning, and was worried when he couldn't be found anywhere in the castle. Ellie's death had occurred only six days ago, and she knew how hard it had affected him.
She was ready to call for him again when she heard a sigh from a flower bed next to her. She turned and looked down to see Zidane, sprawled on his back in the flowers, starring up at the sky. She watched as he slowly turned to her and held out his hand, which she took gently. He pulled her down to him, and she laid down next to him, nestling her head on his shoulder. They were silent a few moments before Garnet spoke.
"Have you been here all day?" she asked him quietly. He nodded.
"It's nice. I wish I stay here all day. If only things were different, if I weren't a quee-" She was cut off by him finger covering her lips.
"Don't say that, Dagger. What you are has made you who you are. I wouldn't have you any other way," he whispered quietly to her. She looked at him for a moment before closing her mouth and laying back down on his shoulder.
"I love you," he whispered after a while.
"I love you too," she said, looking up at him and smiling. He smiled lightly back at her, closing his eyes as she leaned closer to him and reached out to brush her nose lightly with his.
The memories that came flooding back to him were more painful than when they had occurred the first time. Ellie, tending to his wounds on the floor of the basement. Ellie, fighting her father as Blank pulled him up the stairs. Ellie, looking up at them at the top of the stairs, her eyes full of fear of being left behind. Ellie, hanging on the same wall that he had hung on for years. Brushing his nose against hers as she pulled away, her words like knives to his heart. "I don't love you like this."
He gasped for air sharply as he grabbed her and pulled her towards him, kissing her desperately. His eyes closed tightly, and he could no longer fight the tears that began running down his face as he held onto her as though he might lose her. His hands moved up to her face, holding his possessively as he leaned upwards to kiss her forehead.
"I've missed you Zidane," she moaned quietly before he returned to her mouth, but his lips never reached hers. His eyes flew open quickly as he pulled away from her, looking down at her. Disappointment flooded him as her eyelids lifted, revealing pools of dark brown underneath. Only one thought was in his mind.
They aren't purple . . .
"Zidane?" she asked him, confused by his reaction. She watched as he just looked at her, as if she was a puzzle that he could not decipher.
"What is it?" she asked as he suddenly jumped to his feet and turned away from her. "Zidane!" she called after his retreating back as he left her there, confused and hurt, in the middle of the flowers.
Saevio - "To vent one's rage"
Beatrix arrived in Alexandria a few hours later, and walked briskly through the castle to the Queen's private office. She rounded the corner to find Steiner standing guard at the door. He was stiff at attention, and didn't move or make a sound until she raised her fist to knock on the door.
"Somebody's in trouble," he taunted. Beatrix's fist froze before it could touch the wood, and she slowly turned to face him. He was smiling smugly at her, as if he knew something she did not. Her jaw tightened as he chuckled at her.
SMACK!! The sound of her palm slapping his face could still be heard echoing in the hallway seconds after it had happened. He was thrown against the wall, letting out a moan of pain as he reached up to cup his cheek. He looked up at her, only to see her staring back at him coldly. She glared at him for a moment and then turned to the door, only to see Garnet holding it open, her face stern as she looked from Beatrix to Steiner and then back to Beatrix.
"Get in," she snapped at her, and Beatrix quickly moved into the office, jumping as Garnet slammed the door loudly behind her.
"I apologize, your Majesty. He was-"
"Sit down, I don't want to hear it," the Queen interrupted her, rounding her desk and moving towards the window beyond it. Beatrix sat quietly on the far side of the table and waited patiently as Garnet stared out the window.
"What were you doing in Lindblum?" she finally asked Beatrix.
"I was chasing someone," she replied quietly. Garnet rounded on her, her eyes trained on the knight.
"Chasing someone? In Lindblum? You were supposed to be in Treno! You were supposed to be watching over Blank!! No where in my orders did I mention chasing shadows to Lindblum!!"
"I wasn't chasing shadows!"
"Do you have anything to show for it? Any information or anything to justify your actions?" Garnet demanded angrily.
Beatrix was silent a moment before lowering her eyes to her lap. "No."
Garnet watched her, and then lifted her head, looking to a point beyond Beatrix. She moved quickly around the desk and back to the door of her office where she paused, slowly gripped the handle, and ripped the door open. Steiner tumbled into the office at her feet, swearing as he hit the ground. He looked up to see Garnet towering over him, her face red.
"Your Majesty! I was just, uh, checking the stability of the door-"
"GET OUT!" she bellowed at him. He scrambled to his feet, half crawling, half stumbling down the hall. Garnet closed the door behind him and returned to the far side of her desk, crossing her arms and eyeing Beatrix.
"I have always been very fair, Beatrix. When you've had these gut feelings I've let you run off for days to investigate them. You have always been a best friend to me as well as my right hand," Garnet said quietly, turning back to look out over the city through the window.
"But we are about to come under siege from Treno, and you are needed here. I need you here," she said, and Beatrix looked up at her, guilt crossing her face.
"You are hereby forbidden to leave the grounds without expressed permission from myself," Garnet said quietly, not moving her gaze from the window.
"Garnet!"
"No, Beatrix. I'm sorry, but there is nothing that I could think of that is worth you leaving right now."
"Her last name was Tribal!" Beatrix yelled, jumping to her feet, knocking her chair over backwards. Garnet slowly turned to look at her, her arms still crossed over her chest.
"What?"
"The person I followed to Lindblum was someone who was spying on the funeral. They checked into an Inn and their last name was Tribal," Beatrix explained.
Garnet was silent for a few long moments, her eyes unfocused on a spot on the floor near her.
"There's no time for this. We need to focus on Treno, and the hell it is about to bring us," Garnet told the knight, watching as disappointment flooded over Beatrix's face. "You are dismissed. I will see you later this evening," she added, rounding her desk and exiting the office, leaving Beatrix where she stood.
She stood silently for a moment, unable to believe what she had just heard. She lifted her eyes to the window, and watched as an airship approached and prepared to dock. She turned and took of running, determined to meet the ship.
I'm sorry Garnet, but I must go back. I have to know.
"Zidane?" Garnet called out as she wondered through the gardens. She had not seen him since that morning, and was worried when he couldn't be found anywhere in the castle. Ellie's death had occurred only six days ago, and she knew how hard it had affected him.
She was ready to call for him again when she heard a sigh from a flower bed next to her. She turned and looked down to see Zidane, sprawled on his back in the flowers, starring up at the sky. She watched as he slowly turned to her and held out his hand, which she took gently. He pulled her down to him, and she laid down next to him, nestling her head on his shoulder. They were silent a few moments before Garnet spoke.
"Have you been here all day?" she asked him quietly. He nodded.
"It's nice. I wish I stay here all day. If only things were different, if I weren't a quee-" She was cut off by him finger covering her lips.
"Don't say that, Dagger. What you are has made you who you are. I wouldn't have you any other way," he whispered quietly to her. She looked at him for a moment before closing her mouth and laying back down on his shoulder.
"I love you," he whispered after a while.
"I love you too," she said, looking up at him and smiling. He smiled lightly back at her, closing his eyes as she leaned closer to him and reached out to brush her nose lightly with his.
The memories that came flooding back to him were more painful than when they had occurred the first time. Ellie, tending to his wounds on the floor of the basement. Ellie, fighting her father as Blank pulled him up the stairs. Ellie, looking up at them at the top of the stairs, her eyes full of fear of being left behind. Ellie, hanging on the same wall that he had hung on for years. Brushing his nose against hers as she pulled away, her words like knives to his heart. "I don't love you like this."
He gasped for air sharply as he grabbed her and pulled her towards him, kissing her desperately. His eyes closed tightly, and he could no longer fight the tears that began running down his face as he held onto her as though he might lose her. His hands moved up to her face, holding his possessively as he leaned upwards to kiss her forehead.
"I've missed you Zidane," she moaned quietly before he returned to her mouth, but his lips never reached hers. His eyes flew open quickly as he pulled away from her, looking down at her. Disappointment flooded him as her eyelids lifted, revealing pools of dark brown underneath. Only one thought was in his mind.
They aren't purple . . .
"Zidane?" she asked him, confused by his reaction. She watched as he just looked at her, as if she was a puzzle that he could not decipher.
"What is it?" she asked as he suddenly jumped to his feet and turned away from her. "Zidane!" she called after his retreating back as he left her there, confused and hurt, in the middle of the flowers.