Regalia

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"Are you sleepy YET?"

Even though Garnet emphasized the last word, her sweet and nurturing voice could never sound demanding, especially when it came to her 'sister.' Being torn away from her home, Madin Sari, and growing up in a palace for most of her life sometimes made her forget how children raised beyond the castle walls acted. They could be lively, cheerful, sad…whatever they wanted and whenever they wanted to. However, being brought up as a princess meant wearing different guises each day to fit an immediate occasion. It was ironic that Eiko envied her life because the little girl had everything Garnet had ever wanted. Wearing expensive dresses and being attended to each morning was fun, but definitely not at the expense of losing freedom. Garnet had to admit that things had been a little easier ever since she assumed the Alexandrian throne as the Queen. For once, she felt like she could breathe. It was a wonderful and refreshing feeling that greatly contrasted with the times she was trapped under tight confines of her corsets her mother forced her to wear. But those days were all in the past now. Her mother was nothing more than a mere memory that some citizens in Alexandria refused to keep alive.

She was started to get a bit teary thinking about the former Queen of when Eiko interrupted her reflections.

"Just a little…but I'm having too much fun in the castle. It's not everyday that you get to live like a princess you know!" The summoner bounced into the older girl's lap and threw her arms around her neck. "Thanks for letting me spend the night here."

"Oh! You know you can spend as many nights here as you want! We definitely can use a lively character here once in awhile." She reached for a brush with one hand and gently clasped a lock of violet hair in the other. "Do you want me to brush your hair?"

"Sure, I can't remember the last time I did it myself."

Both girls laughed. Growing up in an abandoned village and being raised by moogles was quite a tale to tell. Garnet ran her pearl comb over Eiko's messy mass of hair. They were soft as silk to the touch, but getting the knots out was a different story. The Queen heard the little girl breathe a sigh of content as she snuggled closer against her shoulder. That action made her feel warmer than the fire crackling softly beside them. All of a sudden, her maternal instincts took over. She tenderly kissed Eiko's forehead before running her fingers over her beautiful etched summoner horn. To other people, the biology of a summoner appeared foreign and unusual, but to Garnet, it was a true wonder that could rival any splendors in Gaia. When the violet strands were finally from the jungle of bonds, the brunette set down her comb and motioned the younger girl to her bed.

"Bed time yet?" The door creaked opened and Vivi walked in followed by Zidane not too far behind. The mage released a small yawn as he trudged over to the extra bed placed across Eiko's. He instantly tossed his staff aside and hopped under the covers.

"Hehe…looks like someone is exhausted…" Zidane commented as he sat at the edge of Eiko's mattress. He fluffed her pillows just the way she liked them to be. "There, that should be comfy enough for you, right?"

"Oh, Zidane! You always know what I want!" The summoner blushed slightly as she crawled under her satin sheets. "What will I do without you?"

"Whoa! Be careful with what you say. We don't accidentally want to make Her Majesty here jealous, do we?" The thief winked at the child and couldn't suppress a laugh when he saw Garnet's mock frown. Her cherry lips curved into a cute pout before her façade collapsed.

She also joined in the laughter and tossed a cotton pillow at Zidane for his ridicules. "I should have Steiner take you away for that!"

He waved his arms in protest before catching the pillow with a single hand. "ME? And what about Miss. Carol here? It's only fair that she gets incarcerated too."

Before Eiko could respond, she felt the pillow Zidane was holding hit her cheek. "HEY! I'm surprised you aren't locked up right now for the way you are treating two lovely royal ladies!"

"I'm surprised you know what 'incarcerated' means," the blonde countered. She was definitely wise beyond her years.

"I'm surprised you're all not tired yet," Vivi managed to say in between yawns. Using heavy black magic for almost the entire day drained him. Even white magic healing spells couldn't cure the fatigue that burdened him.

"Oh Vivi! You are such a party pooper!! Lighten up, kido!" The six year old flung layers of silky bed sheets at the black mage who wanted nothing more than to sleep. "Come on! You gotta stand up for yourself. You're just gonna let me do that to you?"

In the process of removing the sheets from his tiny body, he fixed his crooked hat before answering, "Um…noo……oh…alright! You asked for it!" He picked up his staff and lightly batted it towards the girl.

Eiko quickly retaliated by picking up her own flute and used it to defend her against the mild blow. Before she knew what was going on, a small game of 'hit and run' emerged. If Steiner were around, Garnet was sure the rusty knight would be throwing a tantrum at the ruckus the kids were making inside the palace. He was stubborn and reluctant to let the children have their own ways, especially when it came to preserving Alexandria's name. Luckily, he was out wandering in the courtyard with Beatrix, and even if he heard the commotion ringing from the Queen's chamber, the female warrior would be there to cajole him. Still taking precautions, Garnet ran to the windows and reeled the two panes together, closing them tightly.

When she turned back, she saw that the poor female child was now being attacked on both sides. Zidane held a clump of rolled up sheets while Vivi stood opposite of him with his trusty staff. "Hey! That's not fair!" Garnet cried as she retrieved her Multina Racket from the corner of her room. "It looks like I have no choice but to defend Eiko."

"Haha, we summoners have to stick together, right? We're gonna kick your butts!" Eiko shouted with confidence. Her purple bangs rustled as she called upon a faint 'Protect' spell. A white wind surrounded her and the Queen before it materialized into a transparent shield. "Hah! Now all your attacks are going to have no effect on us!"

"Well Vivi…it looks like we're just have to counter with magic, huh?" Zidane smiled wickedly and threw the mage a black sack.

Vivi instantly understood what the content inside the bag was. His bright yellow eyes lit up as he let out a chuckle when he saw Eiko and Garnet exchanged confused looks.

"Hey, you wouldn't dare use magic in here!" Garnet protested. She thought it was understood that they were all merely playing a game, not actually battling each other. Her eyes wandered nervously between the thief and the mage, but neither of them showed any hints of jest. "Hmph, what's going on here?"

"Ready, Vivi? 1..2..3…GO!" Zidane grabbed a handful of dust and sent it flying towards the two females who were huddled against each other. Vivi let out a small giggle as he witnessed the two most powerful summoners in Gaia trembling from fear of…pyra magic.

The dust landed on the floor and in a blink of an eye, they exploded into thousands of glittering specs, which eventually faded into colorful smokes. Catching a glimpse of multi-colored dust from the corner of her eyes, Eiko peeked out from her thick sleeves and saw Zidane and Vivi snickering at them. She looked up at Garnet and saw a serious frown plastered on her lovely face.

"Oh, you two asked for it! Eiko, ready?" She gave the little girl a wink and to her relief, a brief nod of acknowledgement was exchanged between the two them.

A cool breeze filled the chamber as Garnet held her racket tightly against her chest. She closed her eyes, only focusing on calling upon her intended spell. When she heard a sweet tune being released from companion's flute, she whispered a quick chant. Two streaks of blue light protruded from her racket and soared towards the males. The light's trajectory came to full halt in front of the summoner's victims just as the entire room sparked with purple and white beams.

"Is that Holy?" Vivi asked in alarm. When he realized that his own question had just been answered, it was the guys' turn to mercilessly hang on to each other.

Before the impact of the Holy spell could reach its targets, the blue light from the Multina Racket embraced the two men and formed a 'Shell' around them. Holy's force was immediately repelled from the barrier and bounced all over the chamber before dissolving into space. When the commotion ended, Zidane shot open one and eye and found the two summoners laughing to their heart's content.

"Hehehe, how did you like that?" Garnet asked innocently. She extended a hand and helped the thief to his feet.

"What do you say, Vivi? You think they deserved the win?"

"Yeah, that gave me the willies!" The mage picked up his leather hat and adjusted it before putting his staff away. "Wow, you really had us there!"

"You two are lucky that I barely put any effort into forming that spell or else you would've been toast! Haha, but that was fun! Man, I wish we could do that again but that drained a lot of MP. Besides, NOW I'm sleepy." Eiko made her way to her bed and jumped right in, not even caring about changing into her pajamas. "See ya all tomorrow morning. We got a long road ahead of us."

"Yeah, I think I'll head to bed too…goodnight everyone," said Vivi as he made his way to his own bed on the opposite side of the room.

Just then, a knock was heard coming from the door before an Alexandrian maid peered in. "Your Majesty, would you like me to escort the children back to their own rooms?"

"No, it's alright. I want them to spend the night in here here. You can move the beds back to its original chambers tomorrow morning."

"Of course. Goodnight, Your Majesty."

The maid dimmed the lights in the room before leaving the Queen and the thief alone. There was short moment of silence before Zidane made his way towards the door. "Um…I guess I should be heading back to my room now…"

"Wait…" Garnet called out. She looked at the children before returning her gaze back to him. "Well…if you want, you're more than welcomed to spend the night in here too…" Her cheeks flushed from declaring the invitation, but luckily the chamber was too dark for anyone to witness. "I would like to spend more time with you since I haven't seen you much after Mother died…"

"I…" When he saw the plea in her eyes, he couldn't decline her request. "I will be more than happy to stay with you." He fiddled with the switch until the room was completely dark save for the tiny candles burning in the corner. He made his way towards the bed and removed his armor, shoes, and vest before taking a seat on the red carpet next to the mattress.

"What are you doing? I don't want you to sleep on the floor!" Garnet climbed on to the bed and made enough room for another person to accompany her. "Please, sleep here."

"What? Are you sure, Your Majesty?" Never in a million years did he expect her to say those words.

Garnet playfully rolled her eyes and nodded. "Yes, and don't call me 'Your Majesty.' I don't think I'll ever get used to that title."

"Heh, sorry. I still gotta tease you, Dagger."

"Now, I can get used to THAT name." When the brunette felt the presence of another person next to her, she smiled with satisfaction and submerged deeper beneath the covers. She never knew how shy Zidane was. Even though he flirted with almost every single attractive lady they've encountered on their journey, he was truly a noble and honorable man on the inside. After tucking the covers underneath her chin, he moved all the way to the end of the bed to ensure that the Queen would be able to rest comfortably without being burdened by a mere thief.

Garnet was about to beckon him to move closer, but then thought against it. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable to the point where he would prefer sleeping on the floor than beside her.

"Dagger?" he whispered. "You sure you really want to come with us and leave Alexandria behind? If…you change your mind, I understand…although I'm really going to miss you……" He quickly turned his back against her so she wouldn't be able to see the tears that were forming in his eyes as he said the last line.

"Yeah…I realize I'm just not meant to be a Queen. There's still so much I want to see, want to experience. I can't even help Alexandria if I stay here…but most importantly, I'm going to miss everyone…especially you. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me. Heh…there was so much I wanted to say to you when I lost my voice…but now that I got it back…I don't even know where to begin."

"Shh…you don't have to say anything. I understand…"

'Thank you, Zidane…"

"Dagger, it's my pleasure. Oh…by the way…"

"Yes?"

"I think you'll make a wonderful mother someday."

Her eyes widened at that sentence. He must've been referring to how she was treating Eiko and Vivi a few minutes ago, but she couldn't take all the credit. She had help from a certain young man. "And you'll make a wonderful father someday…"

--Fin

Author's Notes: This one-shot is actually somewhat based on a dream I had six years ago. It's a bit scary seeing how fast time flies. Well, I hope that was an enjoyable read and please leave me a comment or critique. Thank you so much for checking this fic out! Until next time!