This is another one shot where my imagination went haywire...Blame the muse, not me! Lol...Anyway, like I warned in the summary, don't read this unless you have completely finished the game, for it does (kinda) spoil the ending of the game. I just completed the game a few days ago, and I noticed something that Marcus (um...Zidane) said, and I had to laugh. Go SquareEnix for not only making a pun, but for giving me an idea for a crazy one shot. It's just mainly for humor, so I hope you get a laugh out of it. (Major props to ArcaneWeapon for giving me an idea for my favorite part of this fic!) Reviews make me happy by the way!
Garnet's Decision
It had been several years since the defeat of Kuja and Necron and peace was finally being restored to the planet of Gaia. Alexandria, Bermecia, Lindblum, and many other cities were rebuilt once again and harmony became common throughout the land. Laughter was again heard while people walked down the streets, replacing the horrible silence of fear.
Garnet was crowned Queen as soon as she returned to Alexandria on the Hilde Garde after the defeat of Necron. The thought of the events that occurred still rang clear in her mind with every moment of the day, but especially on this one specific day. The theater ship was coming once again to perform the play, "I Want To Be Your Canary," Queen Garnet's favorite ever since she was a little girl. The last time she saw the play her life changed forever.
So much had happened to everyone in the years that she had been separated from her friends that she journeyed with. Vivi was married and had several children, her Uncle Cid and Aunt Hilda had adopted Eiko, Freya married Sir Fratley and they helped rebuild Bermecia, Quina was given a job in one of the Alexandrian kitchens as head chef, Steiner and Beatrix were also married, and even Amarant was making a new life for himself. She thought of them often, along with all the times they shared together.
As she sat on her throne, waiting for the play to begin, she tried to keep a smile on her face for her kingdom, but the charade of happiness was a very hard task. It was as if a wound was being reopened and salt was placed inside, burning as it was absorbed by the flesh. She was dressed in a beautiful white dress, the same one that she wore to the last viewing of the play. Although Beatrix brought up the suggestion of having a new dress made, Queen Garnet insisted on wearing this one. Memories were woven into the threads of the dress.
Her crown was on her head and she felt as if it were metaphorically weighing her down. She felt as if she were trapped in the castle, just like she did that night she attempted to run away. This time, however, running away wasn't an option. She had to let the adventurous side of her go for she now had the duty of ruling a kingdom. Although she knew she wasn't alone, Beatrix and Steiner would always be by her side, she longed for freedom once again.
Loud applause rang through the city interrupting her deep thoughts as Baku walked on the stage of the Prima Vista, the theater ship ran by Tantalus. He was garbed in his King Leo uniform as he started to give his introduction to the play; bowing first at the applause.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Tonight's performance is a story that takes place long, long ago. Our heroine, Princess Cornelia, is torn from her lover, Marcus. She attempts to flee the castle, only to be captured by her father, King Leo. Tonight's story begins when Marcus and Cornelia decide to run away together." Garnet listened to the introduction carefully, although she knew the storyline by heart. However, when she listened to it on this night, she realized the acute similarity between the play and real life, only in a peculiar order. In Garnet's history, she attempted to flee the castle, only to leave with Zidane, who intentionally was ordered to capture her. With a slight giggle, she remembered how Steiner ran into the side of the Prima Vista while trying to catch her. "And now, Your Royal Majesty, Queen Garnet, Lord Steiner, Lady Beatrix, noble ladies and lords, and our rooftop viewers, Tantalus proudly presents 'I Want To Be Your Canary!'"
Garnet watched how Cornelia (who was played by Ruby) ran to part of the stage looking for her lover, Marcus. A man garbed in a black cloak, complete with a black hood, walked onstage. Garnet narrowed her eyes to see if she could see Marcus' face, but the hood covered that part of his body as well. The last time Tantalus performed this play, Zidane played the role of Marcus, and she was curious to see whom they replaced him with. The man that night was an excellent actor, but Garnet wished to know who he was.
"Sweet Marcus, I fear I love thee more than I should!" Cornelia exclaimed as she approached Marcus.
"Princess…Wilt thou be happy, married to a lowly peasant such as I?" He asked her as Cornelia sighed at her lineage.
"Prithee, call me 'princess' no more! Marcus, wilt thou truly cherish me, the king's only daughter? Or is such desire too dear to wish for? After our nuptials, shall I become no more than a puppet? A mindless puppet, never to laugh, never to cry? I wish to live my life under the sky. At times I shall laugh, at other times cry. For no life is more insincere than that lived as a masquerade."
Garnet swallowed hard as she heard the dialogue. Is that what I'm living? A masquerade? She shook her head for reading between the lines. This is only entertainment, Garnet. Don't look too deeply into it!
"So much consideration thou hast given it! But worry not!" The two lovers embraced as Marcus continued to express his love toward her. "Cast away thy trappings of royalty, and shall swaddle thou in a gown of pure love! Never again will I part from thee! Pray, my love, make me thy canary to keep forever in the cage of thy bosom! Let us embark on the first ship tomorrow, before dawn can tell of our elopement!"
"All my fortunes at thy foot, I lay, and I shall follow thee throughout the world!"
"No cloud, no squall shall hinder us!" Marcus exclaimed as he turned around and walked off screen.
Um…Garnet thought to herself as she absentmindedly played with the material of her dress. She softly let out a nervous chuckle as she shook her head and continued to watch the scene.
-
Marcus walked onto the stage for the next scene. The scenery made it look as if it were dawn, the time that Marcus and Cornelia were to depart. Unbeknown to him, Blank had punched Cornelia in the stomach, preventing her to show up.
"The time for our departure is long past," he stated as he started to pace. "Where is Cornelia?"
"Marcus, the ship soon embarks! Board ye the boat alone, and peace could come to both kingdoms, as Blank so said," Cinna said as he walked onto the ship. Marcus remained silent, so Cinna continued with, "Speak, Marcus!"
Marcus looked on toward the 'horizon' of the set and sadly said, "She told me that she could not live without me." The 'sun' started to rise on the stage and several pictures of flying birds appear. "So, the sun is our enemy, too. The eastern sky burns bright. Will we not spread our wings, as yonder birds in joyous flight?
"Hark, Marcus! They cannot wait any longer! The ship departs!" Cinna then ran off the stage to behind the curtains, leaving Marcus alone to think of where his Cornelia was. The audience listened to his monologue with empathy for his sadness. Garnet had to blink back tears for this was the saddest part of the play. Marcus finds out what really happened to his love, and she cried every time she read or saw this part.
"Could she have betrayed me? Nay, ne'er would my love speak false. I must have faith! She shall appear if I only believe! As the sun lends me no ear, I pray instead to the twin moons! I beseech thee, wondrous moonlight, grant me my only wish!" Goosebumps crawled over Garnet's skin as Marcus spoke, sniffling occasionally. Then, he threw off his robe and spun around, revealing who he really was. Zidane! She thought as he exclaimed toward where she was sitting, "Bring my beloved Dagger to me!"
Garnet gasped and leaped out of her seat. There he was, in flesh and blood; her Zidane. She couldn't think as her heart practically made her fly instead of walk. She started to run to the door, only to have Steiner and Beatrix block her path. Confused, she narrowed her eyes at them, but instead they smiled at her and opened the door for her, letting her through. As fast as her body would take her, she flew down the stairs of the castle and back outside so she could make her way through the crowds of people.
On her way, she dropped her royal pendant, but decided it wasn't worth wasting time to go back for. For no life is more insincere than that lived as a masquerade…She repeated in her mind as she took off her crown and threw it down on the ground as well. On the verge of tears, she leaped onto the stage and into Zidane's arms. He grabbed her in midair and spun her around, overjoyed to have the love of his life back again. The crowd was cheering loudly as they embraced, excited that they were reunited.
"HOLD IT!" A voice from the audience yelled, causing Zidane and Garnet to stop their romantic moment and look into the crowd. The cheering and applause died down as everyone started to murmur and look in the direction of where the voice came from. "Stop everything right there!"
"Who the hell are you?" Zidane demanded as a tall, muscular man with blonde spiky hair walked onto the stage and looked at Garnet. He was clad in black armor and had a rather large sword attached to his back.
"Name's Cloud Strife," he said to Zidane as he let his eyes trail up and down Garnet. He flashed her a smile that made her blush as he took off the glasses he was wearing. With a wink he said, "Hiya, sugarplum. Lookin' good. Haven't seen ya in a while."
"Hi," she shyly said as Cloud pushed Zidane away from her and brought her hand to his lips.
"What the hell are you doing?" Zidane asked the man who was hitting on his girl. He reached to his sides and pulled out his two daggers and got into a fighting stance.
"Hold on a minute, sweetheart," Cloud said to Garnet as he drew out his Buster Sword from the holster that was attached to his back. Zidane gulped at the gargantuan size of it, but remained brave. "Look, buddy, if it's a fight you're looking for, bring it on."
"Oh please," Zidane retorted with a scoff. "What's wrong? Just compensating for something?
"Why don't you let your woman be the judge of that one?" He replied with a gentle wave toward Garnet, who coyly smiled. Zidane looked at her in disbelief.
"No! No! Oh hell no!" He exclaimed as he watched Garnet practically swoon over this man. "I have been gone for several years and this is the kind of welcome I get? I go through all the trouble of getting on Baku's good side again so I can play the role of Marcus to surprise you and you've moved on?"
"Looks like," Cloud said matter of factly with a chuckle. "You know what they say; you snooze, you lose."
"I want in on this one too!" Another man shouted from the audience as he hopped on the stage, causing more murmurs from the crowd.
"Who's this?" Both Cloud and Zidane asked Garnet as a dark haired man walked on the stage.
"Squall Leonhart," he said as he kissed Garnet on the cheek. "Missed ya, babe"
"WHAT THE HELL DID I MISS WHILE I WAS GONE!" Zidane screamed as he threw his arms in the air.
"Well, from what I've heard," Squall started as he walked closer to Zidane. "You went off and never came back."
"Wait a second, wait a second, wait a second," Zidane said as he looked at Squall in the eyes. "Who do you think you are to tell me what I did? I've been trying to FIND my way back."
"You knew where she was gonna be," Cloud interrupted with a laugh. He looked at Garnet and put his arm around her. "She was the one sitting on the throne."
"Oh dammit. 'No cloud, no squall shall hinder us…'" Zidane muttered as he formulated a thought. "You're Cloud and you're Squall right?" The two men nodded and Zidane let out a frustrated yell. "DYAAAAH! IT WAS JUST A PLAY! A STUPID LINE THAT I HAD TO SAY! WHAT ARE THE ODDS?"
"Good thing you left this nutjob," Cloud whispered to Garnet as she looked back and forth between the three men. "He's absolutely insane."
"Look, Zidane," Garnet started softly as she walked closer to him. "You were the one who told me to move on—"
"I didn't mean it!" He cried as he glared at Cloud and Squall. To everyone's surprise, the crowd started booing. Zidane jumped and faced the audience to hear the snide remarks thrown at him.
"Tsk tsk," Squall shook his head at Zidane's statement. "Breaking promises, eh?"
"Shut up!" Zidane snapped as Squall shrugged.
"Whatever."
"It's not worth your time explaining, Dagger," Zidane continued as he started to walk away. "I can take the hint."
"'Dagger?'" Cloud repeated as he put his hand to his forehead. "Now, there's a sexy nickname if I've ever heard one."
"Oh, 'cause 'sugarplum' is so much better?" Zidane shot back as he turned back around and looked at Garnet and shrugged. "Besides, she was the one who picked it anyway. It just…stuck."
"Well," Squall started as he pulled out his gunblade. "Talking isn't going to solve anything, so we might as well resort to violence."
"Squall!" Garnet shrieked in horror as the audience started loudly cheering. This is turning into a sporting event! She thought as she shook her head.
"I'm all for it," Zidane replied as he once again unsheathed his daggers. Cloud, too, got the hint and took out his Buster Sword again and placed his feet a little wider than shoulder width apart.
"This isn't happening," Garnet reassured herself as she walked a few steps away from them. She watched as the three men started to fight over her, the audience cheering them on. She clenched her fists as an idea popped into her head. Wait a minute….
"You fight like a woman!" Cloud taunted Zidane with a laugh. Zidane dodged an attack from Squall as he swiped at Cloud with his daggers, missing by a mile.
An orange glow emitted from Garnet as she looked up at the sky, causing everything to rumble and the crowd to scream and start to run deeper into the kingdom for safety. Zidane, Squall, and Cloud stopped fighting and flung themselves down onto the deck of the Prima Vista when they realized that something was coming at them at full force. It was a huge dragon like creature that spread its wings when it flew over them, coming too close for comfort. It stopped about 30 yards up in the air and Garnet held up her hand so it wouldn't finish its attack.
"This is my friend, Bahamut," she started as she walked a few steps closer to them. "Now, you will stop this foolishness and behave like grown men or else I will let my anxious friend up there hit you with all he's got. Understood?" The three men looked at her with wide, frightened eyes and nodded their heads. "Good. You have all been bickering about what you've thought about everything, but has anyone even realized that I might have an opinion on this situation?"
"It's okay, Dagger," Zidane said as he put his weapons away. "They know you're going to come back to me anyway."
"Ha! Hardly!" Cloud scoffed as he forced the tip of his sword through the floor of the Prima Vista, causing Baku to scream and faint from the stages' wings.
"Keep dreaming," Squall added to the both of them as he put his gunblade in its holster.
"Listen to me!" She shrieked as Bahamut started to inch closer to the men. In unison they all started to back away and slightly cower. With a loud sigh, she put two fingers into her mouth and blew, resulting in a loud, ear piercing whistle.
"This just couldn't get worse." Zidane put his hand against his forehead as he shook his head.
"What are you doing?" Cloud asked as Garnet dismissed Bahamut with a wave of her hand. She didn't dignify his question with an answer. Instead, the sound of wings flapping echoed through the buildings of Alexandria. Again, the three men whipped their heads up, but this time, it was a silver colored dragon, and it appeared to have someone on top of it.
Zidane remembered who the dragon belonged to and his jaw dropped. "I stand corrected. This just got so much worse."
"Hi, boys," the figure shouted from atop the dragon. Squall and Cloud were clueless to what was going on, but Zidane was well aware of what was happening. A rope fell from around the dragon's neck, letting the figure slide down to Garnet's side.
"Kuja!" Zidane cried. "It is you!"
"I have something I need to tell you guys," Garnet began as she wrapped her arms around Kuja.
"Holy shit," Cloud said in disbelief. "Garnet, you're a lesbian?"
Kuja glared at Cloud as Zidane burst into a giggle fit, falling on the floor from laughter. He brushed his hair out of his face, as he said with an annoyed tone, "No, I am not a woman."
"You might want to think about changing the daily look then, bub," Squall announced as he observed Kuja's clothing. "I think my ex girlfriend would be jealous of your figure."
"Bite me," Kuja retorted as he grabbed Garnet around the waist and grabbed onto the rope with his free hand. "Ready, love?"
"Wait, Garnet, you can't be serious." Zidane picked himself off the floor as he wiped the tears that were forming in his eyes from laughter. "I mean, come on! It's…It's…Kuja!"
"You just don't understand." She held onto Kuja as the three men scoffed simultaneously
"Well, apparently not," Zidane crossed his arms across his chest and widened his stance. "How about an explanation?"
Instead of breaking apart from Kuja and running to Zidane, like he had hoped, she ignored him and looked at Kuja. "Yeah, I'm ready." With a nod, Kuja tugged slightly on the rope so the dragon would start to move. She innocently waved as she and Kuja flew off into the sunset, leaving the three men in shock behind without an explaination.
"W-What just happened here?" Zidane asked when Kuja and Garnet were out of sight as the other two men shook their heads; their jaws still dropped.
"Were we…" Cloud started as Zidane and Squall nodded their heads.
"Yeah." Squall answered as he scoffed. "Did she…"
"She really did." Zidane replied in disbelief.
"So, now what?" Squall asked as they awkwardly stood around each other, not sure what they should do.
"I hear there's a café somewhere around here," Cloud mentioned as he took his sword out of the ship's stage and put it on his back. "Who's up for a beer?"
"Me," Zidane said as Squall motioned with his hand that he agreed as well.
"Let's go toast about how women suck," Squall added as they started to head toward town.
"Well, some swallow," Cloud added with a very large smile. He gently nudged Zidane as he continued. "You know, Garnet—"
"Never…ever tell me," Zidane said, rather bitterly as they walked to the café.