Immediately after I had read through the note she left, I sent out a search party. It's my duty to protect the princess, and this time she did not even have a group of thieves handy to make her own little guarding system. I was scared that she would not be ok, that she would be killed within a minute because of all the monsters in the (although its nearly all gone) mist. I ignored her part in the letter saying that we were not to send out a search party for her. She should not have run off!

Zidane had tried so hard for her. He made sure she got through everything, made sure she did not burst out crying at the mere mention of children. But he had always tried hard for her, giving up his own lifestyle to life as a prince, there was just a slight change in the way he lived there. But he tried so hard to look like he enjoyed himself at all those parties that the government just set up to get rid of some spare cash they have taken in taxes.

When she was getting better, Zidane was next to her, yet, in the background. Like her support but not right net to her, she had to turn round to collapse on him. Each day, he moved a little further away, both physically and emotionally, so Garnet had to stand on her own again. I don't know how he managed to put his pain to the side to help Garnet over hers. But it was a very noble thing to do.

Eventually Zidane began to go away on business trips and things again. He wasn't out a lot at first, but then, gradually, each day he would be out for another hour, until he would be worked full days away from Garnet. But he explained every Detail of what he did to Garnet the next day, Making sure she understood why he had to go away for all these things. But she knew that if she even hinted that she didn't want him to go away, he wouldn't. He was so loyal and tried so hard with her, maybe that's what hurt her the most.

No one knows why she left, except the select few who have read the letter, the select few that have been with each other through all this time and have fought battles to save the world.. Us seven (and our partners, whom all of us seven trust with the information too) are the only people to know about this tragedy.

When I found the letter, it was split up into sections for each of us. My section was simple and to the point

Treat Zidane as the king. Do not come after me for I will not want to return.

Zidane's part was only a bit bigger, scanning over it as I did. But it was the words she used against him that made it a bigger significance than any of the others. The person she described didn't sound like the Zidane we knew, and we KNEW Zidane...

I don't know what I would have done if I had been there, for I don't sleep easily in the nights, haven't for a long time and I would have heard her leaving. Would have stopped her before she made the biggest mistake of her life. But I, like Zidane, never thought she would leave. I just wish she was back here, wish she would contact me and tell me what is wrong.

I was in Lindblum, Being the little princess of Cid and Hilda like I wanted to. Wondering the streets, talking to the resident moogles. Being me and then there was a phone call from Zidane himself. I knew something had happened because Zidane never calls me. Dagger, Steiner or Beatrix do. And even then they only talk to me for about five minutes before being asked to be put onto Cid. So when the maid called me and said that Zidane Tribul was calling from Alexandria for me, I knew something was up. I put him through with the brilliant little phone in my room that I love and even before he started to talk, I could tell he was trying to keep his voice steady. His breaths were ragged and then he talked, and my heart broke to hear his voice so cracked up and struggling to make words form.

'Eiko?' he nearly whispered and I held back tears.

'Yes Zidane?' I asked and put my other arm round my legs to comfort myself.

'She's gone.' And I realised why his voice was breaking like the ground in an earthquake. 'She's gone and she's not coming back..' Zidane tried to keep his composure and I could hear him gritting his teeth. 'Just thought you would want...want to know.' I dug my nails into a pillow and closed my eyes.

'Thank you Zidane. I will arrange a ship to bring me there as soon as possible.' Zidane sighed

'You sure you're alright on your own coming here? You don't need me to come and get you?' I clenched my hand into a fist in annoyance.

'I'm not a child Zidane.' Zidane laughed a tiny laugh, not even a shadow on his usual laugh

'No, no you're not...' Zidane sighed deeply and I could tell he was lost in thought.

'See ya soon Zidane.' I said and Zidane replied with 'See ya.' Then I put down the phone, picked it up again and called a ship taxi service. Then I went and told my 'mum' and 'dad' that I was going to Alexandria for a day or two.

When I got to Alexandria, I was informed that Zidane was in the royal chamber, tending to the kingdom just like nothing had happened. I couldn't understand why he wasn't letting up and letting the kingdom be run by supervisors for a bit. When he came out, he barely smiled at me with his eyes or his mouth and led me into another room, it was a bedroom and on the desk was a letter.

'Read it.' So I began to read it out load and Zidane dug his fingers into my arm. 'In your head stupid!' he snapped and walked out the door. Steiner came in instead and showed me my room and everything. He said to ignore Zidane for he was just stressed. I asked Steiner why Zidane was still working and Steiner looked away with a pained look on his face. I got all tetchy because I thought it was that he thought I was just a little kid and wouldn't understand

'I'm not a little kid ya know!' I shouted at him and Steiner looked straight back at me.

'I know you are not. It's not that.' Steiner moved a bit, making his armour clank alot. 'Zidane, like many others, think that if he keeps working, he wont have to think about it..' I looked up at him

'But it doesn't work like that!' I shouted at him and tried to run past him to Zidane but he caught me and held me back 'LET ME GO! I NEED TO TALK TO ZIDANE!' I screamed but Steiner just held on tighter.

'I think you had better go home Eiko. You won't be any help here.' Steiner said calmly and I looked at him. He walked over to the phone in the room and started to dial numbers

'But I want to help...' I said, disappointed.

'Then go home Eiko. Help us there.' Steiner put the phone down and came back over to me 'Garnet may contact Cid, He is her uncle after all, and we need you to be there to talk to her when she does.' Steiner put a hand on my shoulder. 'Now go, you have read the letter?' I nodded, numb. 'Then go, I have arranged the cab for you.' I smiled at him and hugged him, something I never thought I would do, and walked to where the ship was waiting to take me back to Lindblum...