The Sweetest Fruit
-Chapter 1-
The orange light of dawn spread out over the land of Alexandria. People responded to it as always, yawning and waking from their safe and relaxed slumber. There was no more war, no more poverty, it was just a glorious time under the rule of Queen Garnet Til Alexandros XVII. People began to come out of their houses and get to their jobs. They were content, and very pleased with their Queen. It was because of her that the war ended, and the horror that was their lives was no more. She ended their pain and misery, so they could go on living peacefully as they did. For this, they were eternally grateful.
The Queen was extremely careful with her actions in order to maintain this peace. She did not want to bring the harm to her country that her mother did. However, Queen Garnet is not completely void of all sin.
"Your Highness, it is seven in the morning, I am here to wake you to the new glorious day."
"Ugh . . . thank you, Bruce, you may go," Garnet said from under the covers of her soft, warm, and welcoming bed. Another day had once again disturbed the little sleep that she got.
"Very good, ma'am," Bruce said, before silently shutting the door. He would have to return in another half hour to wake her up again.
Garnet sat in her bed leaning against her pillows. She looked around her room with a satisfied smile. She had everything she could ever want, except the duties of being a Queen. She hated being Queen. It's not like she could get out of it, though. So, here she was, ruling the country after her amazing, once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Garnet began to think of her old friends for a moment, but the thought was gone in an instant as she remembered her duties.
Garnet got out of bed and began to dress for the day. She was seeing several important world leaders that day. Sometimes she felt intimidated by this. However, she just reminded herself that she was a much more important world leader than all of them combined. This gave her strength to go on.
Not only did that give her strength, but so did one other thing. This gave her the most strength of all. Whenever she felt alone, or nervous, or like she just wanted to crawl into a hole, she remembered this, and she was given enough strength to finish the day with her head held high.
This was love. This was a love that was forbidden. A love that, if anyone found out, would ruin herself and her country. A love that was dangerous, but was necessary for her to keep going on. A love that kept her going no matter how fragile or weak she felt against the world.
After all, it's not easy for an eighteen-year-old to be Queen of the most powerful nation in the world.
"You have to leave, you know," Garnet said playfully once she was fully dressed.
Zidane Tibal's head popped out from under the covers. "Oh come on, you know you want me to hang around if it gets extra boring," he said.
"Yes, but it's especially dangerous for you to be here today. If anyone were to find out, well, I don't know what I would do," Garnet said, losing her playful look.
"It's not unheard of for a Queen to have a male concubine," Zidane said, crawling on her bed up to where she was standing.
"No, it's not, but it's unheard of for a Queen to be having sex with a thief," Garnet said, pushing her hands through his hair. Zidane grabbed her around the waste and pulled her back onto the bed. She laughed and looked into his blue eyes. He smiled as he always did: as if none of the world mattered, as long as they were together. Try as she might, she could never say no to him when he looked at her like that. He pressed his body up against hers and kissed her long and passionately. Queen Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, the best queen Alexandria had ever had, was having an affair with a thief, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop her.
The doorknob turned and the door slowly began to open. Zidane, trained in what to do in this sort of situation, scampered under the bed. Garnet jumped out of bed and tried to straighten her hair as best she could.
Bruce stood in the doorway, gave his best surprised expression and said, "Your Highness, you are awake."
"Yes, Bruce, I am. Please, when are our guests arriving today?" Garnet asked, catching her breath as quietly as possible.
"They will arrive at eleven, in time for lunch," Bruce said. He didn't even seem like he knew what he said in his monotonous voice.
"Thank you. You may leave."
"Very well, ma'am," and with that, Bruce closed the door behind him.
Garnet collapsed onto the bed with relief. Zidane poked his nose out from under the sheets.
"Is it safe?" Zidane asked.
"Yes, you can come out," Garnet said quietly. Zidane crawled over to her once again and looked at her sadly.
"What is it?" Garnet asked.
"You'd think you'd be used to close calls like that by now," he said. He looked at her with a worried look that bothered Garnet.
"Stop looking at me like that, I'm as fine as an eighteen-year-old Queen can be," she said. She smiled as best she could through all the stress that was piling up in her life.
"And a gorgeous one at that," Zidane said. He laid his head in her lap. She sat up, propped herself up with one arm and stroked his hair with the other.
"Do you really enjoy being the Queen?" Zidane asked.
"No, I don't," Garnet answered honestly. Zidane sat up and, in an effort to console the love of his life, put his hand on her face, stroking her cheek lightly with his thumb. Garnet closed her eyes and put her hand on his. It pained Zidane to see Garnet so stressed out, and he wished he could do something to help her.
"Quit." Zidane said.
"What?" Garnet asked startled. She pushed him off and stood up, looking at him with utmost shock.
"You heard me," Zidane said quietly and seriously. There was no playfulness in his eyes anymore.
"Zidane, you know I can't just quit," Garnet said, barely above a whisper. Oh, how she wishes she could though. Every morning, she thinks about grabbing Zidane and jumping out the window with him, never to be seen again. They could make it look like she was kidnaped, or murdered. She didn't care, as long as she could be with him.
But she did care, a lot, for her country.
"I'm worried about you, Dagger," Zidane said. Oh, he used her old name.
"Zidane . . . "
"Dagger . . . "
"Zidane, you know I would love to just go up to Beatrix and say, 'I quit!' but I can't," Garnet said.
"Why not?" Zidane asked as if it were an easy decision.
"Because I have a responsibility to my country, a concept you, obviously, do not understand!" Garnet exploded. She intended to keep going with her defense, but before she could finish, Zidane jumped onto her and they were both on the floor, kissing, forgetting everything.
It was a quick kiss though, because before Garnet could return it he was out the window with a fleeting smile to her before disappearing behind the ledge, going back to his life. Zidane's life, how Garnet wished she could just go with him. He was unpredictable, carefree, and didn't think twice about the consequences of his actions. He took life day-by-day. Garnet missed that life so much. There was nothing she could do about it, however, so she just accepted her own life and moved on.
Garnet opened the doors to her bedroom and walked down toward the conference room, where her guests would be waiting for her. She was about to enter the room, then realized she should check herself over once more to make sure she looked nice. She walked back to her room and checked herself in the mirror, making minor adjustments to her hair and clothes. Satisfied, she walked back down to the conference room and, once again, was about to enter before she realized that she would need the information on Alexandria's economic state for the meeting. So, once again, she went back to her room and retrieved them.
Just as she was about to enter the conference room the second time, she was stopped, again, by her advisor, Jack Norall.
"Your Highness, may I have a moment?" Jack asked.
"Certainly, but a quick one, I am already late," Garnet said annoyed.
Jack pulled Garnet off to his office and shut the door. He looked at her sternly. Once Garnet had become the Queen, Jack had taken her in, almost as a daughter. If it wasn't for him, the country would be in a peril. Jack was humble and very loyal, always insisting that he just gave suggestions that Garnet used to the best of her ability. Garnet trusted him with her life.
"Garnet, when you took up the throne, you were 17. Now, one year later, you are a beautiful eighteen-year-old woman leading a very paternal country," Jack started. Garnet tensed up. She had known this was coming, but had not imagined it would come so soon.
"Now, I understand your mother ruled without a husband, but that was when, she was . . . well anyway, my point is, it is time for you to look for a husband," he finished quickly.
"Are you sure it would be wise to search for one so soon?" Garnet asked. She wanted to stall this as long as possible. Zidane's face popped into her mind and she felt an ache in her heart.
"Quite. As much as the country loves and respects you and your authority, they would feel much more comfortable if there was a man at your side to guide you," Jack said.
"But I have you!" Garnet said exasperated. "You are more than qualified to help me rule the country, as you have for the past year."
"Garnet," Jack said affectionately in his fatherly tone, "you know I am not royalty and will not do. No, you are simply going to have to find a husband from either Burmecia--"
"No, I refuse to be married to a rat!" Garnet said.
"Garnet!" Jack looked around nervously, hoping that no one heard. "You are acting like a brat, and not at all like the Queen of Alexandria. Sit up!" he demanded. Garnet did as she was told. "That's better. Now listen. Here are your options: King Gid of Burmecia, Quale of Qu's Marsh, King Tot of Treno, and Regent Artania II of Lindblum."
Garnet made a face, but sat quietly in her chair, appearing to be thinking about her options.
Jack began to pace around the room, waiting for Garnet to make up her mind. He was not sure on what to do. He only wanted Garnet to be happy, but he knew that if she were to marry any of these men she wouldn't be. However, for the country it was necessary for her to marry. It was also necessary for her to marry if she wished to keep the Alexandros lineage on the throne. There was not much choice for a Queen in her position but to marry, grin, and bear it.
Garnet was thinking the same things, however, she had one more thing on her mind: Zidane. She was in love with Zidane, how could she lie to a man's face at the altar, practically saying goodbye to Zidane at the same time. She couldn't hurt him like that. No, she couldn't hurt herself like that, either . . . .
"Slim pickings," Garnet said, not caring what Jack would say to her racist remarks.
"Quite," he said, to her surprise. "I would not recommend Quale, for he is getting on in years."
"Yes, he was never sane to begin with, anyway. I could never marry King Tot, he is an old and dear friend," Garnet said, disgusted at the very thought.
"I agree. Besides, our relations with Treno are fine. I strongly suggest King Gid for that very reason. Burmecia is barely our ally and they are a powerful nation. If we were to ever be at war, they would be a very powerful ally with their strong army," Jack explained.
"What about Regent Artania II?" Garnet asked.
"He would be a wise choice as well. He is the son of Minister Artania, and a very wise man. That's the very reason Regent Cid left his throne to him. However, Lindblum is already a fine ally, I still strongly suggest King Gid," Jack insisted.
"Alright, well, I will think about it. If you will excuse me, however, I am now very late for my meeting," Garnet said, exasperated with the whole situation.
She left the room. As she walked down the hall, she felt tears in her eyes, but she ignored them. Queens don't cry. No, Queens don't express any emotion that they are not allowed to express. Queens are to do what is best for the country, even at the cost of their own feelings. However, Garnet wasn't sure if she could bring herself to do this. Could she deny her true feelings for the sake of her country?
She shoved these thoughts to the back of her mind, and opened the door to her meeting. She was a Queen, not a child. She would handle this matter as a Queen would: later.
Disclaimer: I do not own FFIX, it's characters, or the rights to it. This is merely a story based on Square-Enix's game.
A/U: See website.