Running Away

Chapter 6. Figuring something out

At the castle…………………………..

What, happened?

Where is my mother?

She's, dead.

What?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Not mother!

Nooooooooooooooooooo.

That mean's, I'll be Queen, Queen Garnet.

A, queen?

Sniffing, Dagger was sitting in her warm bed leaning against the wall with tissues and hot water bottles around her. On the side of the bed, was a large table. On it, were chocolates from Freya, a pack of sweets from Vivi, and a sweet purple card from Steiner and Beatrix.

"Knock knock knock."

"Come in." She said, drinking her chocolate drink the maid had given her.

Zidane walked in the room. He was holding, a boxed present, and a card in the other. Dagger stopped sniffing.

"Um, this is for you Dagger, get well soon." Zidane said, putting the card and the present on the table next to the chocolates.

"I'm not sick Zidane, I'm depressed." She corrected him, a little frustrated.

He shrugged plainly. Finding a seat, he started fiddling with the little fancy dressed up dolls on her cabinet.

"Zidane, I know you didn't come here to give me that present. What's on your mind?" She asked him.

"I was wondering, since Cassie has arrived here in Alexandria, and since I've promised her we'd go out," He started.

"Why are you asking me?" she replied him before he asked the question.

"Well, I thought that, well, since that, you," He said,

"That I would start crying and pick a fight with her and hate you for everything, believe me there is no need for that. I already hate you." She answered him.

"What? Why do you hate me? What did I do?" Zidane asked quite surprised.

"You seriously asking that question?" Dagger snapped.

"Wha-"Zidane was going to object, but when he really thought about it, he knew better.

Dagger nodded at his confused look.

"Look Dagger, you can't hate me forever. I want us to be friends, not enemies." He told her gravely.

"Remember all the adventures we had together, we had so much fun, and, then, I did love you, but not now."

"What? You loved me before! Why didn't you tell me!" Dagger exclaimed nervously.

"I didn't know if you loved me, and when you left, and I came back, you just, changed completely, I fell out of love with you." He asked her knowing this would make her upset.

He was right. Dagger froze, feeling cold and stiff.

I, changed?

He, loved me?

He, fell out of love with, me?

Dagger fainted suddenly.

Still in her bedroom…………………

"Dagger, Dagger can you hear me?" Worried Steiner, gripping her hand tightly.

Beatrix put a gentle hand on Steiner's shoulder.

"She'll be okay, she just fainted of some shock, and do you have any idea what it was?" She asked Zidane who was still in the room, sitting next to Dagger on the other side of the bed.

"No, I don't." Zidane said plainly hiding the guilty feeling inside which told him it was his fault.

Beatrix didn't buy it for a few seconds, and then she gave in anyway.

"Steiner, we have to go now." Beatrix said to the very worried soldier.

He got up, and walked out the door with Beatrix behind him closing the door.

It was just Zidane left. Sighing, he reached out for her hand, holding it tightly. Dagger was lying there, perfectly straight.

Wow. She still looks beautiful when she's sleeping.

I wonder why.

"I'm sorry Dagger, for hurting you. I didn't mean to, I didn't want to, but, you wanted to know the truth. So, please forgive me, for what I've done." He told her, even though he knew she couldn't hear.

"Thank you Zidane, you are forgiven." Dagger said, opening her eyes slightly smiling at him.

Zidane let go of her hand quickly, and turned the other way, embarrassed. Dagger sat up, her hair was down and wavy. Zidane turned around to her blushing heavily. She smiled at him as they drew closer. Zidane's eyes widened when she leaned towards him gently. He sat next to her on the bed as they got closer.

What am I doing?

Then, before he knew it, Dagger was kissing him passionately on the lips. He quickly broke it off and turned the other way, blushing again.

"Dagger, what are you trying to do?" Zidane asked her, still not looking at her face.

"I love you Zidane. I've always loved you with all my heart." admitted Dagger, looking the way he was.

"Dagger," he murmured softly and gently as he turned her way to look at her.

"I love you." Dagger said again looking into his eyes.

Zidane looked away ashamed.

"Well, I don't love you!" He shouted and ran out of the castle and into town.

Dagger looked out the window, there Zidane was with Cassie.

Dagger fell to the floor crying hopelessly loud.

In town……………………

"Hey Cassie." Zidane greeted her unhopefully.

She kissed him as her greeting.

"What's wrong hon?" She asked him in her girly way.

Zidane looked up at Dagger bedroom window sadly.

"Nothing." he lied to her.

"okay." she said quietly as they linked hands and walked down the pathway.

The next day………………..

Zidane?

Why did you leave me?

Why don't you love me?

Zidane?

Why did everything have to go wrong?

First my mother's death, now Zidane hates me!

I'm so troubled.

Dagger woke up with a start. Shaking her head, she got out of bed and put on a warm red robe of velvet over her thin cold nightgown. She put on her silk slippers and crept out of her room to the dining room. The room was bathed in an eerie golden sunlight reflecting from the long elegant glass table in the middle of the room with grand gold lined dining chairs around it. She found a seat and sat in it.

"Morning Dagger." Zidane said from the other end of the table.

He was holding up the newspaper that he was reading, or hiding in.

"Zidane? What are you doing here?" She asked him startled.

He put the newspaper down.

"I've just come to say, I'm sorry." He apologized, his eyes reflecting the hurt he felt for hurting her.

"You are not forgiven." Dagger said bluntly.

"Now, let's just go on with our lives okay, I don't want to talk about it."

Dagger got out of her seat and started walking towards her bedroom again while Zidane ran in front of her.

"Move Zidane." she said to him, feeling cold and stiff.

"Just, here me out okay? Look, what happened yesterday-"Zidane said, holding her back.

"Zidane, I said I don't want to talk about it! Now, go away." she told him, getting scared as the words came out of her mouth.

"Wait! Just, listen to me Dagger!" begged Zidane, holding her arm back when she slipped pass him.

Dagger tried to run away, but he held her tightly.

"Let go of me Zidane!" she shouted at him, trying to loosen his grip.

"No, not until you listen to me! Dagger, calm down! Let's talk about this!" He shouted back at her, pulling her in front of him.

Suddenly, their bodies were pulled together. Dagger stared up at Zidane, his eyes giving her a warm feeling that made her welcome.

"Zidane I'm," she blurted out feeling guilty,

"Shhhhhhhh." he told her quietly, he put his finger to her lips.

He looked down at her, smiling. She suddenly felt comfortable again.

"It's okay Dagger, we'll figure something out."

She fell into his arms, weeping softly as he stroked her chocolate brown coloured hair gently.

"It's okay." Zidane murmured quietly, so only they could hear.

Later on that day………….

"So, how are we going to do this?" Zidane asked her, sitting on her bed next to her.

Freya, Vivi, Steiner, and Beatrix were also in the room, sitting down. Dagger looked at him seriously.

"Well, I'm holding a ball, inviting 20 nobles, maybe I could find someone in there to marry." suggested Dagger.

Steiner shook his head.

"The only one who is worthy of being your husband is Zidane." He told them.

Everyone including Beatrix suddenly stared at the startled Steiner.

"You serious? Cos, you like hated me before!" Zidane exclaimed amazed at the sudden change of Steiner.

"Actually, I think you and the Princess are a fine match, if I do say so myself."

"That can't be. I think that Duke of Remington is a fine match for you Princess, he is wealthy, funny, and very charming and has his own fine estate near Lindblum." offered Freya, smiling at the thought of his richly decorated mansion.

Dagger frowned when Freya said the word,' Remington'.

"No way! He cheats on every girl he sees that's pretty! I'm not marrying a cheater!" she told them sternly.

"And everyone knows that he's trying to marry me so he can be King of Alexandria and have even more money!"

Freya looked displeased at the thought of the man now.

"So, what about Sir William, he's a great swordsman and quite a handsome man." Offered Vivi, reading out the information on the list of possible husbands.

"No, he has got horrible table manners and spits every time he talks!" Dagger informed them, shivering in disgust of the thought of the spitting.

"Well, the only other possible husbands for you are Sir charming, aka; Sir Robert Fields, and Zidane." Vivi read out loud.

"Sir Robert Fields? Oh, is he the one who kissed my hand on my 16th play?" Dagger asked Freya.

"He did what!" shouted Zidane suddenly feeling very uneasy.

Everyone looked at him curiously.

"Eh, nothing."

"Well, he is 21, handsome, quite wealthy, likes kids, has an estate near Alexandria, and is coming to the ball." Vivi said, his reading glasses nearly falling off his head.

"Hmmm, well, tell him I'd gratefully appreciate if he would come and stay for a few weeks." Dagger told Vivi as he wrote it down on the piece of paper.

"Well, now that it's settled, I'd like to nap now."

Everyone but Zidane walked out the door as she slipped her feet under her blankets on her cozy bed.

"Zidane? What do you want?" She asked him while yawning loudly.

"Um, Dagger, I was wondering, if I could take Cassie out on a date." He asked her.

"Okay, you can." She replied him, feeling a little cold so she slipped in the blankets and immediately fell asleep as Zidane walked out the door, closing it behind him, leaving her in peace.

Good? R & R Please?