Rilkean Heart

by trixieshairflip

21 years after Zidane's return to Alexandria, the party has grown into their peaceful lives with the restoration of peace on Gaia. In turn, their children have all flourished into talented, well-respected young adults. But what happens when the new generation begins to turn against the very heroes who saved the world? Formerly, "Bones of an Idol".

4. At the Brink of Night

My room and this distance,

awake upon the darkening land,

are one. I am a string

stretched across deep

surging resonance.

Things are violin bodies

full of murmuring darkness,

where women's weeping dreams,

where the rancor of whole generations

stirs in its sleep . . .

I should release

my silver vibrations: then

everything below me will live,

and whatever strays into things

will seek the light

that falls without end from my dancing tone

into the old abysses

around which heaven swells

through narrow

imploring

rifts.

-Rainer Maria Rilke, "At the Brink of Night"

IXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIX

Lilia could do nothing but wait out, and surmise, the nature of her demise.

She sat at her vanity, looking dead into the mirror at her miserable reflection, unable to conjure a whole thought. Everything was fragmented, her eyes puffy and red from crying, observing the moulding on the mirror, on the ceilings, the fine detail of the room, the comforts, the hard wood floors, the elegant, expensive area rug.

She knew she would be abandoning the space quite soon. She reached out to pick up her hairbrush, and began combing it through her brown locks, watching the hair loosen for a moment, then fall back into curls each time.

"And why should I be so grateful? I have created my own destiny…worked so hard to be where I am…I deserve this space! And they are going to take it away from me! How dare they…"

The teenager got progressively angrier as each moment went by, and slowly let the hand holding the brush fall into her lap. A tear rolled down her cheek, though it was more born of anger than sadness.

She heard a knock on the door. She didn't answer, knowing well they would enter anyway. She thought, they were coming to take away every ounce of dignity she had left.

Beatrix briskly opened the dark cherry wood door without another second wasted. She glanced into her parents' solemn faces for a moment before continuing to brush her hair, completely at a loss of how to speak to them, how to handle the situation. The two knights were well aware of her drama, and Beatrix was having none of it.

"Adelbert. Take the brush away from her. Now." She ordered, pointing at her girl. A fat tear rolled down her cheek upon hearing this, and she began to sob violently.

Steiner hesitated heavily, nervously looking between his daughter and his wife. He felt frozen to the spot, soles stuck to the ground like they were glued.

"Do it. Now." Beatrix demanded.

"But darling, this borders on brutal cruelty! Can't we just-

"No. This is a great deal of the problem, your coddling her at every end. Enough. She wants to be the general of the army, we start treating her like so," She insisted, turning to her daughter. "Give your father the brush."

Lilia did not look at either of them, her crying settling into quiet sobs, continuing to brush her hair like it wasn't happening.

"You are even unworthy of the title of Lieutenant General in this moment," Beatrix said coldly, once again gesturing to her husband, who looked to be at a loss of what he could possibly to do save the situation.

"Take the brush. Now."

The tone of her voice was final. Steiner understood why she wanted him to do it specifically. He and Lilia had a special bond.

He stepped towards her slowly in an attempt to reduce the clanking of his armor. He began to wish that maybe Beatrix would rescind her wishes, that the whole thing would just blow over and they could be a loving family unit again. But no—things had not been that way for ages, not as long as Lilia became such a fiercer warrior. It was all about the fighting, imminent war, the resistance, the glory, the fame.

He wanted no more of it, the moment he grabbed her wrist tightly, watching her try to writhe out of the grip, and forcibly removed the brush from her hand. The girl's body fell to the floor like a lifeless doll, and Steiner could look on no more. He immediately trudged out of the room, the irritating sounds of his armor echoing through the hallway. All that was left was Beatrix, who flipped her hair and the sight before throwing her hands to her hips.

"You look pathetic. Get up. You will display such behavior no more. You are going to start acting like a Major or you will be dismissed from the army. Do I make myself clear?"

Lilia's fingers felt clammy against the cold floor. She inched her head up slowly to look into her mother's angry red eyes. Her own emerald ones were no match in ferocity, and she crumpled back into the floor, defeated.

"The theatrics will stop. I do not care if you are my kin—oh! Now wipe those ridiculous tears away," Beatrix ordered, tiring of her overwrought display of emotion. "Your friends will be here shortly to help you gather your things…only the essentials. Leave the sentimentality at the door…you won't need it where you are going."

With this statement ringing through the air, she turned swiftly and followed her husband down the hall, footfalls like a cat's, and she was gone.

Lilia was left on the floor. She knew the message was coming. She didn't know why she tried to fight it, why she acted like a child, why she didn't just start to pack up her things before they came. It may have saved her relationship with her mother if she could have just did as she was told. But no, it could never work that way. She composed herself, heaved herself up from the floor, and walked weakly to the side of her bed, preparing to kneel down and remove some items from underneath it. Right on cue, Heather and Lynne, her only two friends and subordinates, crowded the doorway with concern for her.

"Lils! We're sorry, eh! 'Ad to follow the gen'ral's ordahs!" Heather exclaimed in her rather rude accent, unsure if she should approach the young major, who was clearly angry and unwilling to respond in a kind manner.

"Yes…we were ordered to help you pack up your things. I suppose your mother thought of it as her last act of kindness towards you for the time being…I mean…I think she still loves you!" Lynne said, a bit stupidly.

"Of course she still loves me!" Lilia cried, insulted, throwing a book over her shoulder. It nearly smacked Lynne in the face, but she was agile enough from her training to dodge it. "Just be quiet and help me, then, or leave at once!"

The two young women looked at each other with stagnancy before packing things in the boxes left for them. It was a half an hour of packing before Heather discovered a doll under Lilia's bed and brought it to her attention.

"Ay Lils…d'ya wonta take this doll wif ya? I know ya mum said no "persnal" ey-ems but…I fink vis one would go un-no-issed."

She held up the doll, and Lilia turned her head from her business to look at it. Without any warning, she ran up to the girl and snatched the doll away, horror written over her features.

"Geez, Lils! I woz jus' askin' a question!"

"Why would you even touch this? Bring this to light?! I thought I had gotten rid of this thing…" Lilia yelled, glowering at the doll in her hand before her expression softened, and she remembered everything that she associated it with.

"My…my parents had given this to me when I was little. I believe it was my mother's, given from her mother…"

She continued to muse on the doll for a few moments. She remembered that her mother never let her meet the rest of her family, and he father's family were all decreased, as far as she knew. The mere reminder of this threw her off balance once more, and she set her eyes back to Heather. She lifted her arm behind her head and threw the doll violently at the window. It fell with a light thud on the floor, both the others staring at it with fear mingled with a touch of sadness.

"Leave it on the floor. My parents will find it later when they've come to inspect my job done. That'll serve them a little reminder," she figured, dusting her hands off and continuing to pack some of there things away in boxes.

"Oh, and would you please try and clean up your accent?" Lilia mentioned to Heather. "I know the "rich speak" as you call it doesn't much suit you but my god…my mother will mark you for that one!"

IXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIX

The girls never seemed to slow down. It was as if they were supplied endless amounts of energy from the Gods; Gods meant to torment and punish the mother of them for all of her sins. After a long hard day of training soldiers to be the best in the land, she felt she hardly had any energy left for herself, let alone two small children.

Nevertheless, Beatrix found a way to persevere and summon up whatever was needed of her to be the best mother she could. And, she surmised, she wasn't a great one, not like her queen, who had endless time to spend with her two children, one who was even younger than Lilia. And this made her feel guilty, guilty that she had been so negligent to bring two humans into such a life, such a world.

They often had to hire a nanny to take care of them the entire day. It was only at dusk that she and her husband had any time to spend with their daughters. But they seemed to adore the two nonetheless.

"Mommy, daddy, watch! I'm going to kill ALL the beasts! Bandersnatch—DIE!" Lilia screamed, waving her wooden sword wildly at her sister, who kept dodging her every move.

"You're never going to become a knight striking like THAT!" The elder Steiner teased, firing her younger sister up even more.

Steiner chuckled to himself, placing a hand softly on Beatrix's thigh. "Now, now, Lea…be kind to your younger sister! Support her in her aspirations!"

Beatrix shot him a glare.

"No. Do not encourage violence in her; foster restraint and a gentle hand," she scolded. "Lilia, be very careful with that sword! You may hurt your sister if you are not careful!"

Lea rolled her eyes as she dodged another one of Lilia's swings.

"Mother, I do not think she is going to be able to get one at me…"

She spoke too soon. While she was distracted by dialogue with her parents, the young girl was struck hard in her left arm, recoiling at the blow and falling to the ground.

"OUCH! LILY! THAT'S GOING TO LEAVE ME A BRUISE!"

"Lilia, I told you to calm down!" Beatrix insisted, getting up to walk over to the two. Before she could take another step, Lea was off the ground, tackling her sister in revenge, placing her in a chokehold.

"H-Help…c-can't…breathe…"

"CURE!" Beatrix shouted, casting the spell over both girls, before grabbing Lea by the ear and dragging her back to her father. "That is enough from you girls. This is why we do not allow you to fight one another. The art of combat is hardly a joke."

She released her ear and she sat on the ground next to her father, tears in her eyes.

"She struck me first, mother, you saw!"

"Enough from your mouth," Beatrix ordered as Steiner ran to pick up Lilia off the ground, whispering something in her ear. He carried her to the place where they all sat, and after settling into a more serene mood, they all rested together there, watching the warm colors mingle on the horizon. Steiner reached into one of the storage spaces in his armor and presented a gift to Lilia.

"Lilia…I know your birthday is next week…but I wanted to present this to you early."

He placed a lightly worn doll in her hands, her face lighting up with joy.

"Well, I technically found it for you, as it was my mother's, given to me when I was about your age," Beatrix noted, stroking Lea's hair, knowing she would be slightly jealous, but she never cared much for dolls anyway.

"Mommy! Daddy! I LOVE it!" She cooed, squeezing it close to her chest and rocking it.

"What will you name it?" Steiner asked as she jumped into his lap.

"I think…I will name is…ROSE! After mommy!" She exclaimed, hugging it even tighter.

Beatrix sighed. She hoped dearly that the girl never grew up to be like her or her mother. She had given the doll as tradition, to pass on one of the few good memories she had of her mother.

Perhaps growing up to become like Beatrix wouldn't be the end of the world. After all, to be a warrior is honorable, but it is to risk your life and sanity in unmeasurable danger.

But to be selfish, to be a liar, to deceive in the name of one's own gain at the expense of others…that was a far worse fate.

IXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIX

"Do not be silly, Sir Walton…the young girl has talents even beyond her mother!"

The Alexandrian Theatre was filled, row to row, with nobles from all over the continent. They had gathered to witness part one of the bi-annual series that named Crystal headlining vocal act.

"No. I was speaking of the princess, dear Petunia. Her vocal prowess does not succeed a third of her mother's."

The lady brought up her hand and smiled, shrugging.

"I thought you were speaking of the Lady Steiner."

"What is this fancy with all you ladies and Leopoldine Steiner? There is a strange obsession with the woman wrought upon this land!" He exclaimed, gesturing to the woman of many talents, who had stationed herself at the harp for the evening. It had been a battle for attention between Crystal and Lea—Crystal had much of the attention simply for being a princess, but Leopoldine always attracted equal attention, particularly from the ladies of the land, and no one could quite admit why.

"Well…simply take a gander at her marvels…" the lady trailed off, tracing circles on her thigh with her finger. A grand golden harp decorated with additional flourishes of gold left sat upon her rather small shoulder, and her arms shimmered with sweat in the dimly lit stage, as they plucked and glided masterfully along the strings. She played very carefully in concentration at the princess's cues, and less on her playing, which she felt she could do with her eyes closed.

"I must admit, she does play rather well…" the lord admitted. "But the princess! She is beautiful, no?"

Petunia tilted her head to get a better look at Leopoldine, ignoring the Lord Walton's comments.

"It's almost as if she's so quick, you can't even understand her technique…I hear harp is her instrument of choice, after violin of course. I am surprised she is not on the violin this evening!"

Lord Walton rolled his eyes and crossed her arms as he listened to her continue on about Leopoldine.

Indeed, the young woman was unbelievably talented, that she aroused a great jealousy from all other musicians in Alexandria, but she was amiable enough that they could never have true disdain for her. Crystal, on the other hand, felt as though she deeply relied on her in these moments. She felt that singing was not her forte, though her mother put her up to a concert twice a year, and she could not say no. The queen had her own concerts, but they only took place once a year. And so fill up that void, she devised two for her daughter, singing both old folk songs of Alexandria, Madain Sari, and originals written by none other than Leopoldine.

She peered, exasperated and uncomfortable into the audience as the last note of the evening rang out, and everyone stood up to applaud her, while the rest of the musicians did the same. Leopoldine stood up at the front of the stage and bowed, as she organized the event. The ladies in the audience screamed wildly. Before long, they were able to exit the stage to retire for the evening.

"Hey, what's up with all the women admiring you so?" Crystal asked Lea backstage, eliciting a simply smile from the older girl.

"I do not have the faintest idea, to be honest. I think they just like me because I am the general's daughter. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Nonsense!" Crystal insisted. "They don't feel that way about Lilia!"

Leopoldine sighed, grabbing the case to her harp. "That's because Lilia is a brat, and everyone knows that!"

"Oh, but there must be more to it than that! And by the way, why are you going to Lindblum tomorrow?" Crystal asked as she followed Leopoldine back onto the stage.

"It is nothing, My Liege. Simply a diplomatic mission." She answered briskly, grabbing her harp gently to put it in its case. Crystal caught a flush running over her skin.

"Hmmm…strange. Eiko has not yet invited you to a talk in Lindblum. She usually comes here and has mother in company. Does my mother not know?"

"And speaking of your mother!" Lea interrupted, pointing to stage right, where the queen was waiting, Beatrix and Steiner right beside her. "Go, she is waiting to applaud your job well done."

Crystal scoffed and leaned down to Lea's ear.

"I'm going to find out what is going on between you and Eiko! And that is a promise!" She said before walking gracefully over to her mother.

"You did a simply astounding job, my dove!" Garnet exclaimed, reaching down up to hug her daughter. She looked into her face and saw sadness. "Are you not happy?"

Crystal sighed. "I don't know. I do not much enjoy singing in front of people, you know that. I have never been quite so good at it."

"Nonsense! Princess, you sang as well as 10,000 angels riled up in chorus!" Steiner insisted, shaking his fist in the air.

"I concur, princess. You were a sight to behold and a pleasure to the senses,' Beatrix added.

The queen smiled and ran her fingers through her daughter's raven hair.

"You will sing, no more then. I cannot force you to partake in something you do not wish to. I have ideas that will please you much more than these, anyway."

"You mean that?" Crystal asked, her pit in her stomach lightening up and eventually floating away. "W-What could you possibly have in mind?"

Steiner's face scrunched up at this news.

"My Queen! What ever do you mean? This program is tradition!"

"Now Steiner…I have broken many a tradition before, why not now?" The queen reasoned, waving him off as she usually did. Beatrix glared at Steiner to calm down, and he did so without another word, as he had learned better than to go against the queen's wishes over the years.

"My dear daughter…we are going to take a month's trip to Madain Sari! And your cousin and I are going to train you…your father has agreed to look over things while we are gone on this mission. You will be a master of the art of summoning!"

She reached into her dress's secret pocket as she watched Crystal's face glow as her namesake, and she pulled out a whole pumice, shimmering like the star it was.

"A-A…Pumice…? So…you're going to have me learn-

"Ark. That is correct. Your training begins a week from tomorrow. Do read up on the summon and learn as much as you can before I teach you these last few summons…"

"Oh, joy!" Crystal squealed before scurrying off to the library. Garnet smiled sadly, knowing she would likely not hear her daughter sing for a while. She raised her head and saw Lea approaching.

"My Queen. Your daughter did a splendid job this evening…" she said, curtseying to her.

"Do not be foolish, your skill is what carried the concert to greatness. How is it that you became so masterful at your craft?" Garnet questioned, unable to recall when Lea mastered the harp in addition to piano, flute, and her beloved violin.

"I spent a lot of time studying music and its extensive theory as a child, and mostly it went unnoticed," Lea mused, smirking at her mother, who was the first to foster her interests, and eventually, her prowess. "Which is interesting, since I am the oldest of all the children."

"Ah, I believe everyone was quite smitten with Your Majesty when she was first with child. At that point, you were just beginning to show your spectacular talent," Beatrix noted, returning the smile.

Lea bowed her head at her mother in great humility. "I don't mean to interrupt, Your Grace, I am just going to pack up my things and be off to retire for the evening. I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow."

Garnet furrowed her brows in the question that rested on her tongue.

"Yes, you told me days ago that you were meeting with Eiko, but I was preoccupied…what exactly might this meeting entail?"

The older Steiner girl waved her hand in the air to dismiss concern, walking back to her harp to pick it up for a quick exit.

"I say, it is nothing to worry about, Your Majesty. Simply a meeting of the minds, if you will."

Harp in tow, she tried to hurry towards the exit, when she was again stopped by the queen.

"Eiko usually has one of her many hands do her bidding. She is more concerned with both the restoration mission and the uncovering of artifacts of Madain Sari…why now?"

"I believe she wants to get involved in the resistance, Your Grace," Lilia said curtly, very evidently wishing to be out the door at this moment. "And you have given me permission to do so. It would be gross neglect if I did not attend this meeting, one in which nobles will surely be present, and some not so far in your corner. I have to strategize and also defend you."

Beatrix felt she must chime in, "Indeed, My Queen. You surely do not believe that this is not an important meeting?"

Garnet shook her head. "No, no, I do believe it is quite important. Just strange for Eiko to go about it this way, and as extravagantly as she is, what with having a large dinner party and all."

"It is well known that Lady Eiko loves to throw a good soiree," Steiner noted almost lovingly, thinking on her very social personality.

"Quite true," Lea said finally, curtseying once more. "Now if you will excuse me, My Liege. I must be going off to rest; it is going to be a long day tomorrow!"

She felt it safe to start walking, and the three left followed her gait all the way to the door, until she was no longer in sight. Garnet turned back to her guard and smirked mischievously.

"I'm gonna find out what the two of them are really up to…" she announced to her knights, both of whom looked nervously at one another. They knew of their daughter's unusual attractions, and had no problem with it, having suspected as much since she came of age. They didn't want to believe, however, that she might be acting on them, and in a most inappropriate relationship.

Eiko could be very persuasive.

IXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIX

"I…I am not sure what exactly you are implying."

Leopoldine was simply puzzled at her current company. While all the nobles were all very fine and cordial, they appeared to have secret motivations behind their questions aimed at her.

"Well, surely you don't believe that every single Alexandrian rallies behind your queen. Some may have even joined the resistance!" one of the Lindblumese nobles said, shrugging as she took a sip of her deep garnet Burmecian wine. Lea watched as she puckered after the sip, and started playing with the stem of her own wine glass.

"If my intelligence reports render me correct, most of this "resistance" is outsiders that have somehow infiltrated the city, perhaps migrants from Burmecia or even Lindblum, but very few are Alexandrian. Yes, there is indeed overwhelming national support for Queen Garnet, from Dali to Treno."

"Have you considered that some of the resistance may hail from Dali or Treno? How on Gaia would you have gained these statistics? I bet somebody on your intel team is bluffing," A noble man noted, glancing over at Eiko, who shone nothing but sheer amusement on her face. Lea frowned at her emphatically, and her only response was a hard tongue in her left cheek.

"I do not understand why you think this way," Lea insisted, taking a huge sip of her Trenian white wine. "You suppose my team is lying, yet you have no proof of such and have never met any of them. It is perhaps possible that some are Trenian—

A noble woman who had been staring at Lea the whole time, nearly frothing at the mouth, interrupted. "And your mother is Trenian, is she not? Trenian women are known to be quite beautiful, no? Particularly nobility there…and if your mother has hailed from nobility like it is rumored…perhaps the world is simply jealous of your gene pool. But alas, they still want you to keep it Trenian. Your mother mated with an Alexandrian, and your Queen, well…there's not much to say there. To think there is no hatred out there for the mutts of the world…is simply naive. Yes, Treno is Alexandrian territory but that doesn't mean they identify with the peasants of Alexandria."

Lea was taken aback at this blatantly discriminatory, classist comment, once again peering at Eiko, who was still smirking fiercely. "I do not understand what that has to do with anything. The resistance exists because of the late Queen Brahne's actions in Burmecia and Lindblum, nothing more, nothing less. And not every person that lives in Alexandria is a peasant!"

"And you don't suppose that maybe your mother had something to do with Brahne's tyranny? 'Tis foolish to not think on it. There is much hatred funneled at her, and has been for years," the woman continued, eyes resting on Lea's bosom once more. "The people are sick of seeing her, sick of her tyranny on the land. But you…maybe they like you…"

"No, Brigette, darling. It is because the new queen is simply foolish! She is too trusting of her people, and too ignorant of the anger that has been boiling inside of them for decades, unknowing that her silly "reparations" and the "restoration project" will never be enough," her husband insisted.

"That is quite enough!" Lea demanded. "I come here to have a conversation about global policy with like-minded individuals and what do I happen across? A grand roast, a blazing fire of insults thrown at my family and friends, and my queen, nonetheless. Incredible."

Lea pushed her chair back with her legs in an attempt to get up and leave, before Eiko summoned her to sit back down.

"You're really doing this right now?" Lea spat at Eiko, eliciting a gasp from her noble friends.

"You dare speak to our lady in such a manner?" One voice chimed in.

"Yes, I do dare. She has been silent all this time without a word. You would think the leader of the free world would have something substantial to say to all of this buffoonery."

Lea did not usually have this sharp of a tongue, but when she was angry, she had difficulty containing her rage, and often threw it down just as she felt. She was blunt, yet sincere, so much like her mother. Eiko did not stop grinning, she bit her lip and insisted once more that Lea take a seat.

"Sit, my dear, my beloved friend, sit! My nobles have gotten mouthy and out of hand, it is true," she began, motioning with her hands gracefully through the air as she always did. "But they have a point. There is no doubt somebody…or some group perhaps, that truly despises both your mother and of course, the queen. We must now draft up solutions instead of this disdainful parley."

Lea clenched her fists in response and begrudgingly sat down, fumbling for her glass of wine and partaking in another large gulp before slamming it down as hard as she could without breaking the glass.

"Nobody here has intended to embarrass you…or make you feel at all uncomfortable…yes?" She motioned to her people, and they all grunted half-heartedly in agreement. "So let's get back down to business, shall we?"

The tiara on her head and the jewels that adorned her entire body nearly blinded Lea as she tried to look into the woman's teal eyes, but after having no success, Lea drummed her fingers on the wood of the table and stayed silent. Something southwards stirred in her, though she stuffed it down as best as she could before Eiko could speak again.

"I propose this plan," Eiko announced just as the food started to roll out on portable trays. "Lindblum will deploy some extra help to Alexandria and start a pro-Alexandrian campaign across the country, announcing that our alliance remains in tact and that our Queen Garnet is a benevolent force to be reckoned with. That is about as much as can be done on our end, but I think you'll find Lindblum tends to have quite the effect on the morale and psyche of this entire continent. Who disagrees?"

Everyone murmured in assent, save for Lea, who simply grimaced even harder as the servants started to fill up her plate with food. Eiko winked at her before taking another sip of her own white wine, and Lea picked up her silverware and began to eat as a distraction, though she didn't feel very hungry.

IXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIX

"Alright…plans have unfortunately changed…"

Crystal bit her lip as her eyes roved over each of her friends' faces. She looked down at her hands sheepishly.

"My…my mother told me I am to train in Madain Sari for a month to master my summoning skills. She deems in necessary for my advancement."

The rest of the room looked bewildered, some even sad, save for Bentley and Fredryck, who both sighed in relief.

The meetings usually took place in the dimly lit, smoky basement of Blizzard Breakers, where they all took part in playing card games, as well as planning out their next move as Alexander's Angels. They were all gathered along their usual long table amongst the drunks and harlots of the city, partaking in a variety of unsavory acts all around them. The room reeked of the marijuana plant and there was a live, mediocre band playing in the background, and Lilia began to be irritated by all the noise, and sneered at Bentley, who was smoking a joint of the stuff. With her luck, her mother would catch her smelling of the stuff on her way back to her new home.

She didn't want to think about her mother at the moment. She was still so angry.

"Crystal, I really think we need you here. Your magic provides us with such brilliant defense, that I am not sure we can survive without it. The resistance, there are many of them, and they are always ready to strike…" Lilia said, shifting her gaze from Bentley to Zerrick for approval.

"I agree…I think your magic is a priceless asset. One that we need to have in some shape or form in order for us to beat these guys," Zerrick agreed, trying to snatch the joint out of Bentley's hand. "Ay, bro, give me a hit!"

Bentley shook his head and held it out of reach.

"Nah, dude. You know I'm the only one that can function high. What if a riot ensues tonight? The last thing I need is you dead."

"I'm not going to die after having one hit, now pass it over," the young man insisted, finally able to snatch the joint from his comrade's hands. He took one large inhale that ate through the majority of the joint, passing it back to Bentley.

"Yeah man, smoke all of my weed why don't you?"

"Be quiet!" Lilia insisted. "That drug is illegal in Alexandria, you know. Your mother would have your head, Zerrick."

"Can we please get back on topic?" Crystal pleaded. "We need to figure out what we're going to do without me."

She rubbed the horn on her head in grave silence, feeling the intensity of those around her.

"I mean, I suppose one of us could learn some magic. Lils, you know some white magic, don't you?" Fredryck noted scathingly, implying that her magic skills weren't very apt.

Lilia scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know some basic white magic, but I focus most of my energy on physical skill. You know that. We need a real mage in this place."

"And we don't know any other summoners. You, Queen Garnet and Lady Eiko are the last ones!" Sapphira said glumly, nearly crumbling to the floor in dramatic desolation.

"Yes, but can't we extract Eidolons from you? And couldn't Kuja use summons or something?" Lynne pondered.

"Don't be stupid. Extracting Eidolons would kill her," Lilia said. "And Kuja had some sort of mechanism…an airship I think it was? That was able to take on summons. But we no longer have such technology, and even if we did, we would not use it for fear of harming a summoner."

Crystal grabbed her glass of beer and took one last swig before emptying it. Bentley raised his eyebrows at her seductively, proud that his girlfriend was a beer drinker.

"The only people that can use summons properly are summoners," the princess added. "Anyone or anything else, and the power is quite diminished."

"And I can't summon either. I was born without a horn, and so was my brother. I suppose we weren't gifted with the genetics," Zerrick added, sighing.

"It's not like you'd want to summon anyway. You're perfectly powerful enough in trance, I'd say…" Lilia said, smiling and patting him on the back lovingly.

"How did that even happen anyway? You're dad is a freaking ALIEN, bro. I thought two different species of anthro couldn't mate, let alone with aliens?" another one of Bentley's boys asked.

Zerrick responded quicker than the boy expected. "You know the story. My dad was created as destroyer of this planet, but apparently HIS creator wanted him to leave behind some very powerful offspring that could be brought home to Terra…so he was created with genitalia similar to a human, and obviously it was functional…so I guess we're half human, half Terran…half genome."

As everyone pondered this, one of the drunks burped loudly in Heather's ear as he walked by the table.

"Ya know, I don' much like vis playce, yea? Too many drunkahds," she whined, inching ever closer to Lilia. The major knew she was a bit of a coward, deep down.

"But you HAIL from the slums, you git," Lilia said half playfully, shoving the girl back towards the dirty man. Heather shook nervously, not wanting to be reminded of her past.

"Don't call them slums. Alexandria doesn't have slums. They have some areas that are just a little more poor than the rest."

Fredyrck scoffed. "Don't be stupid, Crystal. No one cares about the ridiculous drivel your mother puts out. They're slums."

Crystal looked hurt by this statement, and grew silent. Bentley noticed this interaction and shook a fist at Fredryck, who pretended not to notice it.

"Can we get back on topic, please?" one of Bentley's boys said, swirling his beer around his glass in a bored fashion. "I can't wait till we have another brawl. I live for the tussle…"

"That's not what we want. We don't want a tussle, or a struggle of any sort. We want to win, and we want to do it cleanly without casualties. What kind of solider would I be if I did not oversee that?" Lilia questioned herself, looking down at her gauntleted hands.

Zerrick motioned to the waitress to grab another beer. "But sometimes it cannot be helped. You've never experienced war, Lils. Sometimes people do die. We just gotta make sure it isn't any of us…"

The moment after he ordered his next beer, the horns sounded, creating an eerie silence in the bar. Everyone knew what the horns meant.

"Shit…I had a feeling this might happen…" Zerrick said quietly, a hint of fear in his usually cheerful voice. Crystal leaned over the table as her skin began to turn sallow. She knew she had too much ahead of her to lose her life now, being the target of many of the attacks. There was no way she'd be able to get back to the castle in one piece. She needed to fight.

Lilia began to realize that everyone talked a big game they couldn't back up, as she looked around at their fear-striken expressions. When it came down to it, they were all just scared little children.

Still, each person shot up from their seat and dashed towards the stairs up to street level. Left behind were Heather and Sapphira, who were both too stunned scared to move. Lilia stomped back down the stairs upon noticing that Heather was not present.

"Heather! Get your ass up here! Your are a soldier for Alexander's sake!" She yelled at her subordinate, who quickly obeyed and ran nervously up the stairs. "Sapphy, please go home. Your mother will be waiting for you and worried sick, at that."

Sapphira nodded and Lilia kindly led her up the stairs and watched her scurry down the cobblestones, frightened to death. Lilia furrowed her brow and looked up at the clouds, which were charcoaled with the portending of bloodshed. She clutched at her hilt by instinct and followed the sound of the horns.

IXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIX

Queen Garnet's trustworthy hand paced around Lindblum Castle's grand guest room, clutching her 4th glass of wine tighter than ever. As she took in the sights, the decor, the architecture, it became obvious to her that Eiko had recently remodeled to her liking. After her parents' death, she took it upon herself to become the true ruler of Lindblum, and in doing so, made her own policies and created a lifestyle, an aesthetic, of her kingdom.

It was an extravagant aesthetic.

She had to stop and ponder for a moment, just why Eiko had to have a painted portrait of herself in every room, why every inch from the walls to the ceiling had to have some trace of gold leaf, and why there were so many statues erected of fallen summoners in every corner.

Perhaps she was being insensitive, she thought for a moment. After all, she was one of the last of her kind, and they were bound to go extinct at some point. Maybe she was so obsessed with herself and her own wealth because she knows she is one of the last. And the last of her direct line. At least Garnet had her daughter.

But there was something else that struck her eye, even more so than the gold or the paintings of herself. She inched closer to what looked like a relic, glinting off walls of its glass encasement. It was not something that she remembered hearing of from her queen, nor could she recall any stories about it. Why it was in the guest room and not in some vault, Lea did not have a clue. She placed her fingers daringly on the glass to see if she could get a better look at it. On it's outer shell, it appeared to Lea as an opalescent jewel, one that was opaque but shined with all the colors in the rainbow. The inner shell was more fascinating, however. It didn't show blood red like a garnet, but poppy red. It made her reminisce on the way her mother's eyes sometimes looked in the sunlight, or when she was particularly angry. Childhood feelings flooded back to her in light of this thought, and she could not put her finger on why.

Suddenly, the double doors swung fiercely behind her, and shown the way in by her servants, Eiko pranced in the room and like some ostentatious buck prowling for his doe of the season. Lea, presenting herself in the exact opposite fashion, turned her back to the woman immediately.

"Normally I would hold my tongue for such as your stature, but I must inform you…you have far too many strange collectables for a grown woman, my lady," Lea noted scathingly, turning back to the jewel encased in glass, taking another large gulp of wine. Eiko chucked softly in the background, inching over in a worryingly slow fashion.

"I see you like my choice in decor. I cannot say I am surprised at this," Eiko said, ignoring Lea's previous statement. The younger woman did not answer to this, and attempted to avoid growing physically close to the royal by walking towards the sliding door to the balcony.

"What do you think of the jewel? I saw you staring into it's glimmering depths as I walked in…"

"And you walked in uninvited, without a knock or notice," Lea reminded her, forfeiting a chance to ask about the jewel. She opened the door to the balcony in a flourish of anger, walking with as heavy a foot as she could manage to the edge.

"Why so hostile?" Eiko asked, her tone becoming more serious. "You tell the nobles what they want to hear. That is my job now. I keep them happy with gossip and causerie. You should be thankful I steered them away just in time to input a solution…they smell the reeking dead body in the family closet."

"My mother's demons have nothing to do with me," Lea spat angrily as she turned toward the woman, unsure why she was so fired up. She knew it was just business. "Those are issues for her and my father to sort out between themselves, and believe you me, they've done a lot of work over the years. Don't be so naive as to think I didn't hear my mother scream bloody murder in the middle of the night as a child. And it happened so very often."

There was no trace of coy amusement left on Eiko's face. She understood perfectly well her mother's past, knew of the agony it caused an entire continent, how much fear it plagued in the hearts of so many, how an entire population was almost wiped out. After all, she was part of an extinct race.

"Listen to me. I am sorry, I did not mean for it to come off in such a way as that. I truly needed you here this evening so you could tell them yourself…Dagger, your mother, father, and the rest of the family…I know you have it all under control. Hell, those four saved the world together! Why would I ever doubt any of you for a second? My people need to learn, so they can figure out how to help. And to learn they need to meet you, to listen, and to know you. I didn't bring you for show, or for entertainment. Even if that's tough for you—

"They don't know me. They'll never know me. Your nobles don't give a rat's bottom about anyone but themselves," Lea concluded, and Eiko could no longer look her in the eye, knowing that they were full of both rage and passion. Lea focused on her horn instead, and felt an out of place disdain for it. She tried to tell herself it looked ridiculous on her small face, instead of endearing to her intriguing mix of bold and delicate features.

"We need all the help we can get, even still…" The queen regent answered, still attempting to get closer to Lea. "And as well prepared I think Alexandria is, I am always prepared to be the backup plan in turn. We wouldn't have been able to save the world without a few backup plans in place, you know…"

"I am quite finished hearing about how you saved the world, you did this, my mother did that," Lea complained in disgust. "Can you stay in the present for one moment with me, please? Yes?"

Eiko nodded, a bit sheepishly. Lea found that mildly pathetic.

"Why didn't you defend me sooner? You saw those nobles swoop at your so called hidden "carcus" of mine like starved vultures! I was put in the hot seat and made to look a fool. And not even the most brilliant woman can defend her kingdom justly in the company of ten of the wealthiest people in the entire world…as my hostess, you are supposed to intervene in such a way that would allow me to do my job. And I must say, madam, you did an unsightly poor job at playing hostess this evening."

"So insult me some more, go ahead. You expect me to be able to control things I can't! Well I have to play the "bad bitch" here…because nobody else is going to run the kingdom like I do. And you know I keep the wealthy in check. They respect me, because I let them have their fun and then I shut it down when it goes too far. I am sorry you got caught in the crossfire, I truly am, but believe me when I say they are on board for the cause of protecting the interests of Alexandria," Eiko insisted, finally getting close enough to grab hold of Lea's hands, taking note of the sparkling stars and sharp crescent moon above them. It felt romantic, in a way.

"But that's not why you brought me here…I know…" Lea led on, allowing the older woman to inspect her own rusty brown eyes. "And do not lie to me a second longer about it…"

The tears began to well, almost on cue, Eiko thought. If this was going where she believed it was…

"You know that I am…I have…strange urges…" Lea poured out, fighting to stifle a sob. "…And…and, I think…perhaps you brought me here to…mock me…"

Yes, there it was, Eiko thought. Leopoldine Steiner was a gay woman.

"I know…my condition is unnatural…and I have been actively fighting it my whole life, never to tell a soul…and yet here you are…why are you smiling again?"

Lea was incredulous, and very close to crying hysterically. Eiko had to place her hands on her face to calm her down, and ensure her that she was most certainly not mocking her.

"I…am smiling because I understand you. I understand, wholeheartedly, how you are feeling right now…because…"

The queen regent believed in that moment that she might have a fit, a warping of the mind. What was she about to do? Why was her face moving ever closer to Lea's, her sparkling amber eyes, the rosy cheeks brightening her yellowish skin, the perfectly shaped lips, parted ever so slightly…she could feel hot breath on her own lips…

And it was done. She had pressed her own to those lips, just begging ever-so sweetly for attention. They shared, and even relished in this intimate moment, neither one expecting, yet neither one doubting of it's imminence. Lea initiated the intensity of the kiss, and pulled the older woman's face closer by her collar, releasing the hidden desires that she had kept inside her heart for so long. After a few minutes of deep kissing and caressing, Lea felt she must somehow come back to her senses, and pushed the older woman away.

"And what of your husband?" She shouted suddenly, realizing that she had been riddled with intense anxiety over what had just occurred. "And where is he, anyway? Will he not think poorly on you for this?! What of my career? I am finished if you talk!"

Eiko observed the woman wiping her lips on the back of her hand and gazing at them as if they didn't belong to her at all.

"Please, do not do this. My husband knows of my inclinations. It is not the first time I have philandered with another—

"Do not say any more! I do not wish to hear of your midnight romps over town! You will leave me alone!" Lea insisted, shoving her body past the taller woman's and storming out of the guest room towards the airship dock, where she made a sudden request to be flown back to Alexandria in the middle of the night. Eiko's gaze followed her trembling frame outside the room, appalled at herself for how she attempted to conduct the situation.

"…I must be smarter on this one…" she whispered, the southern wind whipping her hair into a frenzy before the stars in the sky, heartbreak plaguing her countenance.

IXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIX

Notes:

I forgot to mention that Eiko's name in the story is Eiko Fabool-Carrey, and is married to a man who is regent, but we have not yet been introduced to him.

The end takes place on a similar timeline within the day-Lea is not yet aware of the extreme turmoil that is happening in Alexandria as she leaves Lindblum.

I meant to update sooner, but my computer got wiped and the file along with it. I had to rewrite everything from scratch, which was not fun, but it allowed me to improve the chapter and make it a little shorter so that it's more readable.

Any feed back of questions are welcome. Thanks for reading! Next update to come sooner than the last.