"Your highness, are you truly well?" Beatrix asked incredulously as she squatted down beside Garnet and the small campfire. The raven-haired girl smiled up at her weakly "I'm just a little exhausted; I'm sorry if I worried you."
Beatrix shook her head dismissively. "I am just grateful that you are alive and well… What happened at the castle? And Zidane, how did he-"
"He saved me… Again." Garnet sighed but chuckled lightly to herself. "And then, well.. I saved him." After seeing her friend's confusion deepen, she took a breath and told her everything that had happened the last few days including the events Zidane had filled in for her.
"So, it was his blood that covered your chamber and balcony…" Beatrix mused grimly as she looked into the fire.
"I really thought he was going to die this time…" Garnet trailed, her brows knitted in worry. "By some miracle he was there again right when I needed him the most just like he always was. But just as quickly, he was leaving again and this time I just knew that if I didn't do something he really would be gone forever and it would have been my fault.."
When Beatrix looked at her face again, she could see the tears streaming down her cheeks even in the pale firelight though she did her best to quickly wipe them away. "He really did come back just like he told you he would, I doubt one injury would have done him in. I am sure he would have returned in no time." She reassured, though it didn't take a doctor to know that that much blood loss wasn't something you could just walk away from.
"No, not this time." Garnet replied softly, glancing toward the direction Blank and Zidane had wandered off to go find wood for the fire. Beatrix could tell she was antsy and mostly focused on whether or not she should chase after them . "He's not…" She paused, searching for the right words. "If I'm being honest, for a long time I felt like he was invincible. That no matter what happened he would always be okay, but I was being foolish. Whatever he went through after he left us at the Lifa Tree must have really hurt him badly and even though he hasn't really talked about it, I don't think he's ever going to get better."
Beatrix extended her hand and placed it on the younger woman's shoulder. "I have known you long enough to know how you think. It is not your fault; it was his decision to stay behind." Garnet closed her eyes and let out another stressed sigh. As much as she didn't want to admit it to the young queen, she was probably right about Zidane never getting better. She had seen it many times before in times of war, if a person was grievously injured enough on the battlefield and somehow managed to live, they were never the same again. Sometimes it was physical injury that left them helpless to do much of anything, other times it was mental and honestly those were often much worse.
As if reading her mind, Garnet spoke again softly. "It doesn't matter to me if he isn't as strong as he used to be." She nodded gently to herself. "I'll do my best to be strong enough for both of us and from now one, ill be the one that's there when he needs me."
Beatrix grinned at her knowingly. "You must really love him."
Garnet blushed, but didn't hesitate. "I have for a lot longer than I wanted to admit at first."
"From what I have seen, despite his upbringing you've chosen your man wisely." Beatrix chuckled.
"What about Steiner? I know you're worried sick about him." Garnet countered.
Beatrix turned back toward the fire and busied herself by tossing in a few of the remaining sticks trying to ignore the question. After a few moments, she let out an exhausted breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "Everything has happened so fast that I guess I am still reeling. As a General I am not supposed to let things get to me, but I have not seen him in what feels like forever now and I do worry that he might not have made it out of the castle safely."
"Beatrix, you know I've always thought of you like an older sister, not as my general. Even if we can't fix this, you'll always be my dearest friend so I don't ever want you to feel like you can't talk to me."
"Did we miss something?" Blank asked, walking toward with an armload of firewood, Zidane trailing close behind grudgingly carrying a smaller stack.
"I'm still not sure setting up camp here is a great is a great idea." Blank commented, looking around at the small clearing nestled in the forest after dropping the pile on the ground. "Won't there be patrols coming after us?"
"I don't think so." Zidane replied tiredly, wiping the sweat from his forehead despite the freezing temperatures. Blank noticed this but chose not to comment as he watched his friend sit down. "Thanks to Dagger's idea of leaving behind a few things from Dali, they shouldn't pick up on our trail and figure out we're headed to Treno for at least a day or two. It would be better if we kept moving, but I gotta rest for a little while."
"You're not doin too good, are you?" Blank asked seriously as Garnet moved toward him and placed a hand on Zidane's forehead and frowned.
"Mikoto says I'll be fine as long as I don't overdo it." Zidane replied, though it did little to ease Garnet's worry. "She thinks I'll live as long as a normal person, which is apparently a good bit less than I would have lived originally which I'm more than fine with, but no matter how hard I try I'll never be strong enough to protect the people I care about liked I used to. I guess for me the hardest part is trying to get over feeling useless."
"You protected me and was there when I needed you the most. Of course, I wish you had came back a lot sooner, but I'm really glad you kept your promise and I don't think you're anything close to useless." Garnet comforted, taking his hand.
"What do you say we go gather some snow to boil for water?" Beatrix asked Blank standing up and hoping he would take the hint after feeling the tension in the air.
"Yea, sure. Why not?" He shrugged nonchalantly, and the two walked off, giving the pair what Beatrix felt was much needed privacy.
After wrapping a traveling blanket around them both to stave off the wind that whipped with frigid cold and was beginning to chill them to the bone, Garnet was the first to speak. "You're not just saying that you're okay because you think it's what I want to hear, are you?"
"I'm Fine." He replied, more irritably than he intended, tail thumping against the ground. Garnet hesitated for a moment and decided to try to change tactics. "Just know if u want to talk about it, I'll be here for you."
"That's the problem!" He exclaimed, letting out his frustration and spreading his arms as if to show her something only he could see and not meeting her gaze. "I'm supposed to be the one that protects you! What could I do if something charged out of the woods and attacked you? What will I do if the army does find us? I'm supposed to be here for you not just be a burden."
"Zidane…" Garnet said with a softness in her voice he hadn't heard very often. Letting his guard down he turned toward her. Before he could process what was happening, she kissed his lips. Just like the first time, it sent his world spinning, and when it settled, he found himself looking into her eyes. "What did I do to deserve an amazing kiss like that?" He asked dazedly.
Garnet smiled warmly. "You may not be as strong as you used to be, but you were still there for me like you always have been… maybe not every time I wished you were there, but when I needed you, really needed you, you were better than any knight in shining armor."
Zidane scratched his head sheepishly. "I just couldn't let anything happen to you. I knew I didn't have a chance with anyone like you, but that didn't stop me from falling head over heals for you anyway. It doesn't help that you're breathtakingly beautiful."
Despite her efforts, she couldn't hide the blush on her cheeks. "Can I ask you something?"
He looked at her curiously for a moment. "You can always ask me anything."
"Have you ever wondered what it would be like if we just… left it all behind?" Garnet asked.
Zidane tilted his head back and stared up at the stars. "Probably a lot more than I should have."
"Maybe have a little house somewhere near a stream… We could go traveling and looking for treasure like we used to… I think… I think that would be nice." She finished, glancing at him to see what his reaction would be.
For what seemed like forever to her, he said nothing and continued to look up into the night sky as if searching for an answer that might be found there. Just as she thought he wouldn't reply he finally lowered his gaze to hers. "There was a time, a very long time, that I would have given anything even my last breath for that to be true. A simple life with you would be more than I could have ever dreamed of. But recently I realized that I was being selfish. Even though nothing would make me more happy, you wouldn't be."
"But i-" Garnet began to defend, but Zidane cut her off. "As much as I was it would be true, I know you wouldn't be happy. You deserve better than me, but more than that you need a purpose and to be able to make a difference in this world. Hell, you might be happy and glad you mad the decision to leave with me for a little while, but after a while it would start to eat at you and eventually it would tear you apart Dagger."
Again, she wanted to deny his words, but deep down she knew he was right. Despite all the stresses that had come with it, she had loved knowing that to even a fe of the townspeople, she had made a true difference as their queen. But now, unless they could win against Braxton and the corrupt council, she wouldn't be much more than a fugitive, not even able to walk the streets of the city. She shook the thoughts from her head, refusing to ruin their moment alone together with self-pity.
"Despite how you feel about yourself, you're a good man." She replied with a shiver in her voice, scooting closer to Zidane and the fire as the wind found its way into the fleeting warmth of the blanket. Trying not to think about the frigid cold that had her firmly in its grip, she shot him a sly look. "Besides, since you're a handsome king now and I'm basically a fugitive at the moment, shouldn't I be trying to woo you?"
"Careful, you wouldn't want to get a man aroused now, would you?" Zidane commented suggestively as Garnet finally gave up on the blanket when it began to flap in the wind and got up to walk toward the safety of the tent. Pausing at the opening to the tent as Beatrix and Blank's crunching footsteps drew near, she turned her head back towards him with a mischievous grin. "Maybe I wouldn't mind?"
"Wait.. What?" Zidane stammered, mouth agape as she closed the tent behind her. Maybe she had changed since he last saw her after all? Damn, he could definitely get used to it. He thought as he shifted uncomfortably.
"Even though tonight is gonna suck," Blank started, ignoring Zidane's expression. "We all need to try to get as much rest as we can cause we need to try to cover a lot of ground at daybreak. I ain't tired yet, so I'll keep the first watch."
Zidane nodded in agreement and mentally cursed as Beatrix climbed into the tent. Why couldn't he have packed an extra tent?
