AUTHOR'S NOTES: sorry the prologue was so tiny. I didn't see the need to make it longer. I just worked. But continue on, fair reader! Dark things await! And, maybe--eventually--a happier ending.
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DISCLAIMER: I do not own Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters from that game or Sir Elton John's song COLD. I do, however love all three and felt the need to use them in this story that I am making no money from. It is strictly for my own amusement and the amusement of others via fanfiction.net.
I do own this story however. Do not copy or plagiarize my work or re-post it without my permission.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You don't love him anymore
He threw your rag doll out the door
I kept my distance
I held my breath
Love always ends up
Hanging by a thread
Love hurts so much
Love leaves a scar
'I don't love you' is like a steak
Being driven through you heart
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zidane Tribal had been the ambassador for the Genomes and Black Mages in the Regency of Alexandria-Lindblum for six months when Regent Janus started beating his Lady Wife.
It had been at an early breakfast meeting with the Lady Regent when Zidane first noticed the bruises. To be sure, Garnet had managed to hide them fairly well with a liberal application of make-up. Someone who hadn't traveled with her for over a year, and then shared her bed for another probably wouldn't have noticed.
But he had, and he did. And it enraged him. Not once in his whole life had he ever been this angry.
His Dagger deserved better than this.
Somehow, through breakfast, he managed to keep his rage in check. At least until Sir Fratley of Bermecia excused himself to tend other business.
He wasted no time in confronting her about it. "When did he start hitting you?" His voice was rough, tinged with his internal anger.
"I…I don't know what you're talking about, Zidane." Six months apart and he could still read her like a book. The fact that she was a bad liar wasn't helping either.
"I see you're bruised cheek through the make-up, Dagger. You're too careful to do that to yourself." He narrowed his eyes. "How long, Dagger?"
She gave him a pained look, realizing that he wasn't letting this go. "Only about a week." She didn't even try to lie and say he didn't mean it when he hit her. She wasn't that stupid.
They both knew he meant it when he hit her.
A silent tear ran down her cheek, marring her careful make-up job. "I don't know what changed."
"Why don't you fight back, Dagger? I know you can."
She gave him a rueful smile. "How do you think I got this?" She indicated her purple cheek.
Zidane was relieved. At least she wasn't whipped yet. She was still fighting back.
"You don't have to stay, you know." He wasn't sure where the words were coming from, really. "We could just run away together. There are places in Gaia where he could never find us."
More tears followed the first down her cheeks. "You know I can't. I have to stay with my people. Alexandria needs me."
Zidane knew when to admit defeat. At least temporarily. "I know. But keep him away from me from now on. If I see him again, I'll kill him."
They both knew he was telling the truth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
But I don't care
I came back for you
Love is cruel, but I don't care
I wanted you
And I'm cold
Cold
Cold
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was another week later when Zidane was jolted awake in the pre-dawn hours when a frantic pounding sounded at his door. Somewhat groggy, he'd opened the door to find a battered and bloody Garnet outside in the rain.
He hadn't asked any questions, just pulled her inside his house and into his warm embrace. She'd been shivering, and soaking wet, but he never noticed. All he could do was whisper quiet comfort to the woman he loved as she cried into his chest.
He was ready to storm the palace and kill that bastard Janus right now.
But his common sense prevailed, as it often did. When she'd managed to stop crying, Zidane led Garnet to the bathroom and dressed her cuts and bruises.
Her arms and back were laced with welts. Both eyes were swollen and would be very black by sunrise. Her lips were split and bleeding. But the worst of all was how she just sat there, no longer feeling the pain as Zidane took care of her injuries. It was as if this most recent beating and the subsequent run to his house had taken all the spirit that was left inside Garnet til Alexandros XVII.
When he tucked his princess into his bed, she stirred enough to whisper, "Thank you, Zidane."
Zidane felt the cold void she'd left in him when she and Janus had married fill up with a cold, searing hatred.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Final Fantasy IX, any of the characters from that game or Sir Elton John's song COLD. I do, however love all three and felt the need to use them in this story that I am making no money from. It is strictly for my own amusement and the amusement of others via fanfiction.net.
I do own this story however. Do not copy or plagiarize my work or re-post it without my permission.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You don't love him anymore
He threw your rag doll out the door
I kept my distance
I held my breath
Love always ends up
Hanging by a thread
Love hurts so much
Love leaves a scar
'I don't love you' is like a steak
Being driven through you heart
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zidane Tribal had been the ambassador for the Genomes and Black Mages in the Regency of Alexandria-Lindblum for six months when Regent Janus started beating his Lady Wife.
It had been at an early breakfast meeting with the Lady Regent when Zidane first noticed the bruises. To be sure, Garnet had managed to hide them fairly well with a liberal application of make-up. Someone who hadn't traveled with her for over a year, and then shared her bed for another probably wouldn't have noticed.
But he had, and he did. And it enraged him. Not once in his whole life had he ever been this angry.
His Dagger deserved better than this.
Somehow, through breakfast, he managed to keep his rage in check. At least until Sir Fratley of Bermecia excused himself to tend other business.
He wasted no time in confronting her about it. "When did he start hitting you?" His voice was rough, tinged with his internal anger.
"I…I don't know what you're talking about, Zidane." Six months apart and he could still read her like a book. The fact that she was a bad liar wasn't helping either.
"I see you're bruised cheek through the make-up, Dagger. You're too careful to do that to yourself." He narrowed his eyes. "How long, Dagger?"
She gave him a pained look, realizing that he wasn't letting this go. "Only about a week." She didn't even try to lie and say he didn't mean it when he hit her. She wasn't that stupid.
They both knew he meant it when he hit her.
A silent tear ran down her cheek, marring her careful make-up job. "I don't know what changed."
"Why don't you fight back, Dagger? I know you can."
She gave him a rueful smile. "How do you think I got this?" She indicated her purple cheek.
Zidane was relieved. At least she wasn't whipped yet. She was still fighting back.
"You don't have to stay, you know." He wasn't sure where the words were coming from, really. "We could just run away together. There are places in Gaia where he could never find us."
More tears followed the first down her cheeks. "You know I can't. I have to stay with my people. Alexandria needs me."
Zidane knew when to admit defeat. At least temporarily. "I know. But keep him away from me from now on. If I see him again, I'll kill him."
They both knew he was telling the truth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
But I don't care
I came back for you
Love is cruel, but I don't care
I wanted you
And I'm cold
Cold
Cold
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was another week later when Zidane was jolted awake in the pre-dawn hours when a frantic pounding sounded at his door. Somewhat groggy, he'd opened the door to find a battered and bloody Garnet outside in the rain.
He hadn't asked any questions, just pulled her inside his house and into his warm embrace. She'd been shivering, and soaking wet, but he never noticed. All he could do was whisper quiet comfort to the woman he loved as she cried into his chest.
He was ready to storm the palace and kill that bastard Janus right now.
But his common sense prevailed, as it often did. When she'd managed to stop crying, Zidane led Garnet to the bathroom and dressed her cuts and bruises.
Her arms and back were laced with welts. Both eyes were swollen and would be very black by sunrise. Her lips were split and bleeding. But the worst of all was how she just sat there, no longer feeling the pain as Zidane took care of her injuries. It was as if this most recent beating and the subsequent run to his house had taken all the spirit that was left inside Garnet til Alexandros XVII.
When he tucked his princess into his bed, she stirred enough to whisper, "Thank you, Zidane."
Zidane felt the cold void she'd left in him when she and Janus had married fill up with a cold, searing hatred.