A/N~ I don't have much to say except for some people, no names will be
mentioned, need to remember there is a reason for everything in this fic.
Garnet feels dirty for a reason. I thought that I made it kinda obvious....
*cough Kuja* but... Anyways, thanks for the reviews, I love you all. And
Amis... this for you. Cuz you keep bugging me about it. lol
Illusions
Garnet moaned and rolled over. Zidane opened his eyes and watched her sleep, wondering...
* * *
Kuja sat on the railing of the parapet, watching the princess' dreams unfold through his mind's eye, a grin spread across his face. This was working out better than he thought it would. Soon she would be completely in his power. In the mean time, she would be his source of entertainment.
* * *
Dagger was falling for an eternity, it seemed. She wasn't sure how long it had been since she stopped screaming, her throat raw. Then the cloaked figure she had spoken to in the boat... hours?... days?... before was before her.
"Princess..." the figure said. Despite the rushing winds for their plunge it's cloak remained infuriatingly in place. Who was the man who spoke to her? Would she ever know?
"Who are you?" she asked, not really expecting an answer.
"That will be revealed in time. At the moment, I have something far more important to show you. Something that will change your life. This is what the future holds for you," the figure said, moving it's arm in a graceful sweep.
That was the last thing Dagger saw.
* * *
She awoke to find Zidane holding her in the room that Regent Cid had given them for the duration of their visit. Nothing had changed since she had fallen asleep, with the exception of the time. She remembered dreaming.... Dreaming of something so much more horrible than the explosion of the island and that evil red eye. But she couldn't remember exactly just what that was... She couldn't remember any of it. All she knew was that it hurt to move. As if what had happened in the dream had followed her into the waking world. She shifted uncomfortably and cried out in pain.
"What–?" Zidane asked sleepily, opening an eye. Then both his eyes shot open and he stared at Garnet in shock.
"What?" she asked.
Zidane didn't reply, instead he got out of bed and walked over to the door. He disappeared for several long moments and then the door burst open, Steiner rushing in with Zidane right behind him.
"What the hell happened?" Steiner bellowed.
"I'm not really sure. You saw her only moments ago. All the sudden these just appeared," Zidane told him.
They were both staring at her with expressions of mixed shock and concern.
"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Dagger exclaimed, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You look like hell, Dagger," Zidane said, walking over to where a gilded mirror hung on the wall.
"Thanks..." she snapped, "you know, you don't look all that great when you get up in the morning either, so why are you making such a big deal over me."
She sighed in frustration, she wasn't in the mood to put up with this. A strange mixture of anxiety and... fear... had followed her from her dreams and she wanted some solitude to analyze it.
"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about this," he said, bringing the mirror over and moving it so that she was reflected in the glass. What she saw made her close her eyes in disbelief. No... it wasn't possible. She hadn't looked like that when she had gone to sleep just a few precious hours ago. Scratches with lines of dried blood covered her face and what she could see of her chest. Bruises spotted her arms, and most likely her legs and torso from the feel of it. What appeared to be rope burns were on her wrists, ankles, and around her neck.
"Oh gods..." she said, sickened, squeezing her eyes shut tighter. What was going on??
Then the sound of shattering glass made her eyes fly open again. Zidane had dropped the mirror. Now both he and Steiner were staring at her in horror. She hesitated, not really sure if she wanted to know, then decided to ask, "...what?"
"They're... gone..." Steiner whispered.
Dagger looked down at her hands. The rope burns around her wrists were gone, as were the bruises and scratches. She quickly felt and searched ever part of her body she could, only to find the same thing. She had miraculously healed of the mysterious injuries.
"What the hell is going on around here?" Zidane muttered under his breath.
* * *
Kuja stopped his pacing and looked out the window. He stretched out a tendril of power to once more to touch the princess' mind. From the confusion he felt, he knew that she had found the little surprise he had left for her. He couldn't help but laugh. The night before had been so... satisfying. Too bad it had only been a dream.
At that moment the door to his chambers burst open. Queen Brahne entered, obviously oblivious to the fact that not only was it rude to enter his chambers without his permission (despite her rank as Queen of Alexandria), but also that it was not her place to command him, which she immediately began to do as soon as she set foot into the room.
"Where is my daughter!? You were to bring her back with you, and yet she's still missing!" Queen Brahne shouted, her eyes narrowed into angry slits.
"You know better than to question me, Brahne," Kuja said, his voice containing a dangerous edge.
"Kuja, from what I've learned the past couple of weeks, you are a lot of talk," she replied, beginning to strut imperiously around the room despite her humongous girth. "If you were half the man you claim you are, Garnet never would have run from the wedding. You know how important she is to our plans. And yet you let her get away."
Kuja laughed, "Our plans? Since when do we have plans?"
Brahne turned on him, giving him a venomous look. "From the very beginning. When I let you enter my palace with your... disgusting wardrobe choices and your arrogant manner that sealed the bargain."
Kuja hid a smile by turning his head slightly away from her. She was so... vain. And irritating. It was a shame that he could not just kill her now and be done with it, but he had a feeling that she could still be of some use to him. However... there was still something that could be done about her manners.
"My dear, dear Queen Brahne..." he said, something in his tone must have made her weary because she suddenly took a defensive stance. He began to walk slowly toward her, "I had no idea that you felt so strongly about this. Your daughter must mean an awful lot to you if you could just hand her over to me the way you did..."
"But—!" she started, but he cut her off.
"You are forgetting that Garnet belongs to me now. She is none of your concern. What should concern you is want is going to happen once I have succeeded in my plans. You're quite lucky that I don't kill you now..."
By this time he had reached her and placed a hand on her arm. Queen Brahne laughed nervously, "You can't be serious..."
"Oh, I'm quite serious, my dear. Fortunately for you I still have need of your services. If you do exactly what I say, then perhaps I shall let you live for a while longer than I would otherwise," His grip on her arm tightened and his eyes darkened into a steely gray, "Anger me, and I have ways worse than death to subdue you until I no longer have need of you. Do we have an understanding?"
Brahne gave a small nod to show that she understood and he released her none to gently. "Now... get out of my chambers."
Illusions
Garnet moaned and rolled over. Zidane opened his eyes and watched her sleep, wondering...
* * *
Kuja sat on the railing of the parapet, watching the princess' dreams unfold through his mind's eye, a grin spread across his face. This was working out better than he thought it would. Soon she would be completely in his power. In the mean time, she would be his source of entertainment.
* * *
Dagger was falling for an eternity, it seemed. She wasn't sure how long it had been since she stopped screaming, her throat raw. Then the cloaked figure she had spoken to in the boat... hours?... days?... before was before her.
"Princess..." the figure said. Despite the rushing winds for their plunge it's cloak remained infuriatingly in place. Who was the man who spoke to her? Would she ever know?
"Who are you?" she asked, not really expecting an answer.
"That will be revealed in time. At the moment, I have something far more important to show you. Something that will change your life. This is what the future holds for you," the figure said, moving it's arm in a graceful sweep.
That was the last thing Dagger saw.
* * *
She awoke to find Zidane holding her in the room that Regent Cid had given them for the duration of their visit. Nothing had changed since she had fallen asleep, with the exception of the time. She remembered dreaming.... Dreaming of something so much more horrible than the explosion of the island and that evil red eye. But she couldn't remember exactly just what that was... She couldn't remember any of it. All she knew was that it hurt to move. As if what had happened in the dream had followed her into the waking world. She shifted uncomfortably and cried out in pain.
"What–?" Zidane asked sleepily, opening an eye. Then both his eyes shot open and he stared at Garnet in shock.
"What?" she asked.
Zidane didn't reply, instead he got out of bed and walked over to the door. He disappeared for several long moments and then the door burst open, Steiner rushing in with Zidane right behind him.
"What the hell happened?" Steiner bellowed.
"I'm not really sure. You saw her only moments ago. All the sudden these just appeared," Zidane told him.
They were both staring at her with expressions of mixed shock and concern.
"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Dagger exclaimed, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You look like hell, Dagger," Zidane said, walking over to where a gilded mirror hung on the wall.
"Thanks..." she snapped, "you know, you don't look all that great when you get up in the morning either, so why are you making such a big deal over me."
She sighed in frustration, she wasn't in the mood to put up with this. A strange mixture of anxiety and... fear... had followed her from her dreams and she wanted some solitude to analyze it.
"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about this," he said, bringing the mirror over and moving it so that she was reflected in the glass. What she saw made her close her eyes in disbelief. No... it wasn't possible. She hadn't looked like that when she had gone to sleep just a few precious hours ago. Scratches with lines of dried blood covered her face and what she could see of her chest. Bruises spotted her arms, and most likely her legs and torso from the feel of it. What appeared to be rope burns were on her wrists, ankles, and around her neck.
"Oh gods..." she said, sickened, squeezing her eyes shut tighter. What was going on??
Then the sound of shattering glass made her eyes fly open again. Zidane had dropped the mirror. Now both he and Steiner were staring at her in horror. She hesitated, not really sure if she wanted to know, then decided to ask, "...what?"
"They're... gone..." Steiner whispered.
Dagger looked down at her hands. The rope burns around her wrists were gone, as were the bruises and scratches. She quickly felt and searched ever part of her body she could, only to find the same thing. She had miraculously healed of the mysterious injuries.
"What the hell is going on around here?" Zidane muttered under his breath.
* * *
Kuja stopped his pacing and looked out the window. He stretched out a tendril of power to once more to touch the princess' mind. From the confusion he felt, he knew that she had found the little surprise he had left for her. He couldn't help but laugh. The night before had been so... satisfying. Too bad it had only been a dream.
At that moment the door to his chambers burst open. Queen Brahne entered, obviously oblivious to the fact that not only was it rude to enter his chambers without his permission (despite her rank as Queen of Alexandria), but also that it was not her place to command him, which she immediately began to do as soon as she set foot into the room.
"Where is my daughter!? You were to bring her back with you, and yet she's still missing!" Queen Brahne shouted, her eyes narrowed into angry slits.
"You know better than to question me, Brahne," Kuja said, his voice containing a dangerous edge.
"Kuja, from what I've learned the past couple of weeks, you are a lot of talk," she replied, beginning to strut imperiously around the room despite her humongous girth. "If you were half the man you claim you are, Garnet never would have run from the wedding. You know how important she is to our plans. And yet you let her get away."
Kuja laughed, "Our plans? Since when do we have plans?"
Brahne turned on him, giving him a venomous look. "From the very beginning. When I let you enter my palace with your... disgusting wardrobe choices and your arrogant manner that sealed the bargain."
Kuja hid a smile by turning his head slightly away from her. She was so... vain. And irritating. It was a shame that he could not just kill her now and be done with it, but he had a feeling that she could still be of some use to him. However... there was still something that could be done about her manners.
"My dear, dear Queen Brahne..." he said, something in his tone must have made her weary because she suddenly took a defensive stance. He began to walk slowly toward her, "I had no idea that you felt so strongly about this. Your daughter must mean an awful lot to you if you could just hand her over to me the way you did..."
"But—!" she started, but he cut her off.
"You are forgetting that Garnet belongs to me now. She is none of your concern. What should concern you is want is going to happen once I have succeeded in my plans. You're quite lucky that I don't kill you now..."
By this time he had reached her and placed a hand on her arm. Queen Brahne laughed nervously, "You can't be serious..."
"Oh, I'm quite serious, my dear. Fortunately for you I still have need of your services. If you do exactly what I say, then perhaps I shall let you live for a while longer than I would otherwise," His grip on her arm tightened and his eyes darkened into a steely gray, "Anger me, and I have ways worse than death to subdue you until I no longer have need of you. Do we have an understanding?"
Brahne gave a small nod to show that she understood and he released her none to gently. "Now... get out of my chambers."