A/N~ Hmmm…. I'm really sorry that it took me that long to get that last chapter up there. I had half of this chapter written and when I pushed save my computer froze and I lost the whole thing, so that sucked. But I intend to be completely loyal to updating. Until July that is. Hopefully I'll be done by then. If I'm not…well, then I guess I have some big decisions to make. And if you're really bored or you like this fic, check out my songfic "The Dream". Anyway, here goes the next chapter:
A meeting with the Regent
They landed in the airship dock of Lindblum castle in silence. Everyone felt the loss of Blank. Two members of Tantalus lost in as many days. They hadn't fully finished grieving for Baku. It was too soon.
Cinna and Marcus said goodbye to Vivi, Zidane, and Dagger after they left the ship, saying that they had to go back to headquarters and let people know that both Baku and Blank were gone. They promised they would stop by and visit later. It was a sad departure and made the loss of Blank seem more real somehow.
Dagger led Zidane and Vivi through the palace in silence. They were the recipients of several strange looks from palace guards, nobles, and servants. As they approached the lift that would take them up to the throne room a group of guards stopped them.
"You can't go past this point," the commander of the group of guards said.
"Why not?" Dagger said, assuming the authority that was expected of the Princess of Alexandria.
"Only nobles and important visitors for the regent may pass this point," the commander said indignantly.
"I'm Princess Garnet til Alexandros, I am an important visitor, now let me pass," Dagger said.
The commander only shook his head; his disbelief was evident in his face, "You're not the princess of Alexandria. Rumor has it she died after she disappeared from the palace. In fact, the head of the Knights of Pluto is here. He just entered a meeting with the regent."
"Steiner is here?" this wasn't going to go as planned after all. Was nothing going to go right for her on this journey? Steiner was going to drag her kicking and screaming back to Alexandria if he knew that she was here.
***
Steiner stood before the regent, only just recently assured that the thing sitting upon the throne actually was the regent. He had only just arrived in Lindblum, desperate to get this over with and continue searching everywhere on the Mist Continent for the Princess if she wasn't hear. He came to request the use of Lindblum's palace guards to comb through the entire city. The Queen wanted Garnet returned to the palace. Steiner grimaced at the memory. "Bring her back by any means necessary. Even if she's at the brink of death." He knew that his Queen hadn't seriously meant that, she was just worried about the safety of her daughter. Steiner was a naïve, naïve man.
"I've come in search of Princess Garnet. She's disappeared from the palace, kidnapped by a bunch of ruffians. Have you seen her?" Steiner asked.
"Are you sure she wants to be found?" the regent asked.
"Of course she wants to be found! She was kidnapped!" Steiner shouted, nearly losing control of his temper. He took a deep breath. The regent would never allow him use of his guards to search for the Princess if he started yelling at him.
"That's not what I heard. Rumor has it that she ran from her own wedding," the regent said, "Maybe if you just give her time, she'll return on her own."
"I can't give her time, the Queen wants her returned to the palace at once!"
The regent nodded to himself, "There's your problem right there. The Queen wants her back at the palace. What about what the princess wants?"
That time Steiner did lose his temper; he began jumping up and down in anger, his armor clanking loudly shouting insults at the regent who sat there looking unperturbed.
***
"Look, I really need to see the regent. It's important," Dagger said, beginning to get annoyed. She had been standing here for nearly half an hour arguing with the commander of the palace guard.
"I told you, only nobles or people with important—" the commander started.
"And I told you that I'm Princess Garnet of Alexandria! Now I demand that you let me through!" She shouted back, finally losing her patience.
"That's it, I'm placing you under arrest," the commander said, signaling for the guards to grab her and her companions.
"What? You can't arrest us!" Zidane cried.
"I just did," the commander said smugly, watching as the guards grabbed them with rough hands.
***
Over the shouts from the head of Alexandria's Knights of Pluto Regent Cid became aware of some other commotion in another part of the palace. "What is that?"
Steiner stopped, looking puzzled, hearing it also, "Allow me to check it out. I'll be back."
That said, he turned and hurried away, his armor clinking loudly. The regent let out a sigh of relief. That man could get irritating after a while.
***
Just as the guards turned to drag them away, the lift came to life and Steiner appeared from the upper level. He stared around at the group of people massed around the lift before his eyes landed on Garnet. For a moment he stood there staring at her before shouting, "Princess, thank the gods that you're safe! Release her!"
The guards immediately let them go. Garnet sighed with relief, rubbing the pain away the pain in her wrists, "Steiner."
"Come Princess, it's time you went home."
Garnet shook her head, knowing that he was going to be adamant that she returned, but she wasn't ready to go back, "I'm not going back yet."
"Your place is at the palace," he balked.
"My place is here, with Zidane and my friends," she argued, "I'm not ready to return the palace and I won't be until I've sent the world."
"This is foolishness," Steiner said, "I demand you return at once."
"Hey, she said she wasn't going with you. Just deal with it," Zidane said.
"You keep out of it. You're probably the one who started this in the first place," Steiner said, an angry look passing between the two before he turned back to Princess Garnet, "You are supposed to be getting married to Kuja, now please, I beg you. Come back to Alexandria with me."
Garnet shook her head again, "I already told you, I'm not going back. Now, I want to see the regent."
"Of course, your highness," the commander of the guard said, escorting her to the lift. She got in and turned to Zidane.
"I'm going to go into Lindblum, I'll meet up with you later," he said. Garnet nodded and they stood for a moment just looking into the other's eyes until the guard pressed the lever and the lift disappeared into the upper level.
***
Kuja angrily paced the Princess' empty chambers. He had been so close. But she had slipped through his fingers. He thought that he had had her so enthralled with him that she wouldn't try a stunt like that. He had made a terrible miscalculation. This was going to cost him precious time.
He stopped in front of the stool that sat before her vanity. Draped across was the dress she had cast aside before jumping into the moat. He picked it up, remembering how she had looked in the dress. So completely enchanting. He had thought that she would be his.
In a fit of temper he threw the dress aside and resumed his pacing. He knew where she was. He knew that he could get her back. But there was something holding him back. The blond man she traveled with…there was something familiar about him. Ah, it didn't matter.
He glanced at the bed, memories of the morning that he had spent with her there. If only they hadn't been interrupted she would have been his. He had lusted after her since the first day he had entered the court, never able to have. He had played his part well and soon had her lusting after him as well, to the point where she had been willing to give him everything she had. Then this happened. He sighed, knowing that eventually he would have his canary back. This time there would be no escape for her. At that, he left the chamber, slamming the door behind him. He had more important things to do than stand around.
***
Garnet stood, staring at the throne in disbelief, "Uncle Cid? What happened to you?"
Staring back at her was an oglop, who claimed to be the regent, "It's a long, sad tale. Basically, Hilda caught me with another woman, and in her anger she turned me into an oglop. Then she stole my airship and disappeared," an expression of sadness crossed his face, "but you didn't come all this way to hear the woes of an old man. How was your journey?"
Garnet looked at the ground, "It could have been a lot better. I thought everything would be fine but that's not the way it happened," she said, then told him everything about her journey.
"This confirms some of my fears. That your mother would go to such lengths to shoot down an airship in an attempt to search for you makes me wonder. Baku and Blank were good men."
Garnet nodded, "Uncle Cid, something's wrong with my mother. She's been different ever since dad died."
"Your father was a great man, very honest and true. I can imagine that she would be very sad with his passing. But this is more than simple grief," the regent said.
"I'm worried about her. She's pressing for me to get married. And in Dali we saw all these weird puppets that's she's having manufactured and sent to the palace…" Garnet said, trailing off into her own thoughts.
"She's become very greedy as of late. There's a fear that she's planning an attempt to conquer all of the Mist Continent. That would mean civil war," the regent replied, breaking her from her thoughts with a gasp.
"You don't think she would really do that, do you?"
The regent shrugged, "I'm not really sure. I hope not however. This land has been at peace for a very long time. I would hate to see it go to war in my lifetime, or it anyone's lifetime."
Garnet nodded, understanding completely. To see the world go to war would be a terrible thing indeed. She had seen enough death and destruction to last her a lifetime. If only there was some way she could help. Some way that she could reach her mother and stop it.
A/N~ So there it is. Isn't it beautiful? Thanks to everyone who's reviewed to my story so far. I really appreciate it. *bows* I feel so loved! ^^