I am nobody, and I will be nobody too.
Now I'm too small to live, of course:
later it'll be the same.
Mothers and fathers,
think of me.
Of course it isn't worth the trouble of raising me:
I will be mowed down anyway.
Nobody can make use of me: it's too early now;
tomorrow, too late!
I have only this one dress,
and it's getting thin and bleached;
however, it will last an eternity
in the eyes of God.
I just have these few locks of hair
(they never change) that once
somebody loved.
Now he is through with love.
- "The Song the Orphan Sings", Rainer Maria Rilke
Translated by Robert Bly.
IXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIX
The entire court of the three kingdoms was watching him pace the new Alexandrian court room. He had refused a lawyer, and just as well refused to sit at the table of the accused.
Garnet saw this as an admission of guilt, though she could not prove it.
It was a trial of sorts; he had chosen to be kept as a ward in Alexandria Castle during his imprisonment; Zidane feeling as though he couldn't bear to throw him in the dungeons. He had looked too much like his dead brother.
And for as many terrible crimes he had committed against both Gaia and Terra, he was still that.
In his few weeks as prisoner he partook in dalliances around the castle; mostly opting to keep company with the female soldiers. He stood watch when they battled and critiqued them, much to Beatrix's dismay. She quickly dismissed him from the training grounds, and forbade him to come around again. He resigned to simply meeting them afterwards in the barracks, and followed them around the grounds, making them laugh or ruminate deeply on philosophical notions they had not once before considered. Once Beatrix was finally able to rid the soldiers of him, he confined himself to the library, the dock at dusk, or took up private conversations with Zidane all through the night.
The royal family and their guard watched on wearily, knowing that Zidane's consent was needed for judgements. If Garnet had had it her way, the man may have been executed, but she was sympathetic to Zidane and his cause of empathy for all people. It was a great part of why she adored him so much.
Still, she couldn't shake her intuition screaming at her: the man wants something. He wants something. Wants always turned into needs, and needs came with stipulations for the rest of them.
Many others in the court did possess such warm, fuzzy sentiments about the man.
He bore quite the resemblance to the former villain; his hair was white and long (sans feathers), and his wardrobe androgynous, though not quite as much as his predecessor. He was donned in mostly black with the splash of red or gold here and there, and wore a long earrings in both his ear.. He had a manner of speaking not dissimilar to Kuja, and a gait that left no doubt that he was at least part Genome.
"...It is simply my time to come forward...to meet my family and integrate myself in it. The place where I belong."
"Then why has it taken so long to make yourself evident to us; your obvious family?" Garnet questioned, a heavy brown eyed-gaze piercing the thin, nearly translucently pale man. The others of the court nodded.
"And let's face it-why wouldn't you want to get in on the riches of the Alexandrian Royal Family sooner?" Freya questioned, clearly skeptical of his sudden intent. Fratley nodded his head in agreement, and noticed his son smirking devilishly from the gallery where he was seated. He had always thought the boy should study Burmecian law.
"It is a peculiar thing to believe, that I should come forward as a child or young teenager. Sullen, insecure, riddled with doubt! Only to come into judgement such as this? For you must understand," Kajal continued, motioning to the gallery where the general public sat. "For as much damage as my father has done to the world, I knew his sins would pass down and permeate...to taint my reputation, once white as snow!"
Zidane sat in the middle of all the royals present. He looked over to his right where Beatrix & Steiner sat. Beatrix held a look of sharp, yet controlled judgement, and Steiner looked at bit like a leaf about to shake off a fall tree, beet red with anger. He then peered into the gallery where Mikoto sat, wondering on her opinion. As usual, her expression remained emotionless, but he could sense her anxiety about the situation. She wanted the least to do with Kuja and his legacy.
"And you are how old again?" Garnet asked.
"I am 23."
"So you're even older than Lea," Zidane said out loud, scratching his head. Zerrick balked.
"Who is your mother?" Lea asked abruptly, before Garnet had the chance to.
"I wish I had the answer to that question," Kajal stated, looking dramatically melancholy at that moment. Freya rolled her eyes.
"How do you know your father is Kuja?" Eiko asked, unamused. Lea's head unwillingly jerked hard in her direction, red eyes locking blue eyes. They hadn't spoken since their rendezvous in Lindblum.
Kajal simply smiled at them, inspecting the scene, holding his hands behind his back as he paced the well of the room. "It was the tail. I noticed there were no subspecies of anthro that looked quite like me on the lost continent, so I did some research. As it turns out, recent biology books have Genome listed as a subspecies."
He motioned over to the accused table before walking over and picking up the large, fat volume. He held it up for everyone to see and flipped through it until he found the page his proof was located on.
"Page 768 of The Complete Bestiary of Gaia, edition 56. It states, "Genomes are extraterrestrial creatures sent from the planet Terra, obtained from the inside of the planet. Originally intended to be vessels in the acquisition of the soulstream. Their characteristics include golden blonde hair with tails akin to those of primates. These subspecies of anthro have instead mated with and integrated their offspring with select other species on this planet, creating a yet unnamed subspecies of antho. They appear to possess a comparable level of intelligence to other anthro beings."
"Mama! Is that why that scientist guy visited us all those times?!" Jagger blurted out from the gallery, and his nanny promptly put her hand over his mouth to quiet him.
"I presume you're one of them, then?" Eiko questioned, yawning and checking her manicure. "That still does not prove that Kuja is your father. Any one of these genomes could be your parents."
"Not true," Lea noted. "If he is indeed 23, then Kuja would have to be his father...unless Consort Zidane has fathered children he has no knowledge of."
"It can't be. Trust me, I would know if I had fathered a child! This ain't my kid!" Zidane announced, inspecting the young man that stood before the court.
Steiner stood up, shaking his fist in the air. "But you! Your hair is not blond like a Genome's!"
Kajal let out a sigh, proceeded by strange giggle. "I dye my hair silver. It helps me remember that I am Kuja's son. Not to mention that Princess Crystal also does not have a trace of blonde in her hair...unless she dyes it, that is..."
"Just like he did…" Zidane noted, thinking back solemnly on his brother. "He did so much to cover up the fact that he was a genome…"
"And there are exactly four in this room...if you don't count the one currently in utero…" Kajal noted, drawing distinctly direct attention from every single person in the room. Undecipherable babbling ensued.
"BE SILENT!" Lea screamed out, putting a halt to the rise in noise.
Every royal, noble and common man turned their head to gawk at the queen, who fidgeted nervously, but kept her ground.
"Though it is wildly inappropriate of you to announce that to the court, I am curious as to how you know that, seeing as I have told only my husband, yet."
The young man stepped forward and patted his temple with his left hand. "As I'm sure you have already guessed, every single genome and perhaps every single person with genome blood in them, has a special god-given talent. I am able to read minds. And during the course of this trial, your mind has drifted numerous times to your anxiety, praying that it does not affect your unborn child in an adverse fashion."
Garnet skin ashened, and she gulped, knowing that he was telling the truth.
"Oh yeah?" Zerrick challenged from the stands. "What am I thinking right now, then? Huh?!"
Kajal waved him off and turned his back. "I do not much care what you are thinking right now. I have trained myself to tune in selectively over the years. This ability of mine had garnered much grief for me until I learned to control it."
"Well, I don't believe ANY of us have special abilities, really!" Crystal thought aloud, looking over at her older brother for validation. He nodded his head. "And if I do, it's only because I am also of the summoner race...the most powerful Gaians ever to exist!"
"I don't have an answer as to why none of you appear to be so special," Kajal said, holding his head high and observing the many stained glass windows in the room, all of which cast a plethora of different colors over his features. "My only guess is that you all have some magical ability to some degree that you have not yet tapped into. My father's was black magic. Zidane's may have been his ability to trance and display devastating damage to his foes..."
"And you know this because you've read my mind?" Zidane asked, allowing some annoyance to color his tone.
Kajal turned his attention from the windows to Zidane. "I know this because I've read your history in books. You're quite famous, you know."
Eiko appeared to have had enough of his reasoning, and stood up to make her questions very direct, and very intimidating.
"That doesn't make even a bit of sense. Kuja could do black magic because he was imbued with that ability through Garland. Zidane was given his Dyne ability, and he was wicked fast. There is no one to give these powers to these new genomes, yourself included. Someone...or something must have taught you that ability."
Kajal stared her down, his icy blue eyes threatening hers. Eiko did not appear to feel uncomfortable by this exchange.
"This is all heresy," Lea concluded. "Lady Eiko, if you would kindly take your seat so that we may continue-"
"Dare you challenge a queen, lowly puppet? Know your place in the court!" the older women cried out, quickly approaching her threshold of tolerance.
"I oversee all court activities in the Kingdom of Alexandria, now you will be seated!" Lea insisted, losing her own temper and slamming her hands down on the wood of the table.
"Enough of this! Eiko, sit!" Garnet ordered. The younger royal had no choice but to obey, as she was not currently in Lindblum where she ruled. She sat down grudgingly, and said no more.
Lilia sniggered from somewhere in the gallery. Lea recognized and took note of it.
"May I inquire of your upbringing?" Crystal asked, politely, solemnly. "You must have parents of some sort."
"All I know is that when I was a baby, I was found in Fossil Roo, in between a large boulder and a wall. I was left there to die."
"Yes, the classic tale of woe!" Steiner shouted. Beatrix nudged him in the ribs, causing him to yelp inwardly.
"Now, Master Steiner, we must let him tell his story!" the elderly Doctor Tot explained slowly, one hand over his beak as he focused very intensely. Kajal smiled and bowed at the doctor. He continued.
"I was, of course, found by a miner when he heard the cries of a babe...from there, they were uncertain what to do with me, save for kill me off just to spare me the life of an orphan. One of the miners petitioned for my life, however, and they resolved to have me sent off the Esto Gaza, where the Great Monks agreed to raise me and subsequently take me on as a child apprentice. So, I was raised as a Monk in Esto Gaza, but as a child, I always knew I was very different from other people."
"So what is your real name?" Fratley asked.
"My given name is Robert Smith, a silly, boring name, wholly unsuited to me. I changed my name once I found out about my lineage."
"You certainly do not have the appearance of a monk…" Beatrix noted, quiet until now.
"Ahhhh yes...I am no longer a monk, you see. I have taken on a new life as a gambler in Treno...I never lose my bets because I can read the minds of those who are foolish enough to try and play on my level."
"How noble of you! Stealing people's money for a living…" Freya noted scathingly.
"Hey, now!" Zidane defended his nephew. "I used to do that too!"
"Well, it is one way for me to make a living, certainly…" Kajal continued, paying no mind to Freya or Fratley, who were looking at each other with extreme skepticism.
King Puck, who did not much care to be a king at all, usually had Freya and Fratley do his all of his bidding. He twiddled his thumbs the entire trial. "It sounds like a fair living to me!"
The gallery began to talk amongst themselves, and it became increasingly noisy in the room. Lea became irritated with not being able to hear the important parts of the trial, and ordered another silence. Lilia couldn't help but stare at Zerrick, who looked distressed that the pompous, wealthy orphan man may be his cousin.
"You still have not answered the real question that everybody is trying to get at…why did you come now? After all this time? What with the riots and the suspicious activity in the kingdom as of late….it is strangely convenient," Garnet said, only looking at the ground before Kajal's feet.
"I cannot disagree...but it is quite the buzz around Treno that the kingdom is struggling to keep enough forces to hold down the riots...and if I am not mistaken...many of the rioters are hailing from Treno. After years of keeping to myself and denying my heritage...I felt that I must step in to take matters into my own hands...to prevent any more harm from befalling Alexandria."
He smirked and closed his eyes, placing a hand to his temple. He made it quite clear that he was reading someone's mind. In a sudden realization, his eye burst open, pupils dilating and lashes fluttering.
"Lady Eiko...I would also like to help you find your parents...I cannot read their minds, as there is interference somewhere...but they are alive…"
It took the young royal a moment to process what she had heard, but she stood up immediately once it hit her, clutching her chest, tears welling in her eyes.
"M-My...parents? They...they died in an airship crash 2 years ago!"
"That was only presumed, yes? They found the wreckage of the Hilda Garde III but never found the bodies of Regent Cid and Lady Hilda, am I correct?"
Eiko nodded, now needing the table below to balance herself against falling over in shock.
"Where are they?! Can we go pick them up?!"
Kajal turned his back to the court once more, beginning to pace, hands behind his back.
"As I said... I have no information of where they may be. I can only faintly get a mental signal from them…"
"And you cannot find a location?" Garnet asked, desperate for her cousin.
"No. There is psychic interference."
"This is all still quite convenient," Freya echoed Garnet. "How are we supposed to just let you run free when there is so much suspicion surrounding you? And what of the summoners that became hypnotized during the fight with Yojimbo a month ago?"
The young genome shrugged. "Innocent until proven guilty. What I can tell you is that there is an alien presence here in Alexandria; one that is somehow fogging up the minds of the summoners...I do believe it is a presence that can sense the immense impact of your energy and attempts to feed off of it, or perhaps block it...as far as my powers range, I have no way of telling you what it is or where it lies, or what it is here for, or how it exerts its power...but I can help you stave off its presence…"
Crystal and Garnet looked at each other worriedly, and gulped.
"And how do we know you do not have anything to do with these attacks?!" Steiner yelled at him.
"What reason would I have to hurt my family? This is why I didn't come around sooner...I knew I would stand accused of some crime I did not commit simply because my father was a terrible person. But alas, I am not he."
Garnet shook her head and stood up. "He is right. We must acquit him of any wrongdoing if we do not have proof. It is unethical to even hold a criminal trial for someone who is not charged of a crime in the first place."
"If he were a simple civilian you would have charged him! There would be no doubt he had something to do with all this mess!" Freya said, standing up to walk out of the courtroom in disbelief.
"Wait just a minute!" Eiko ordered, stopping the dragoon in her tracks. "Kajal, can you help me find my parents?"
Kajal did a move eerily similar to Kuja, in that he bowed to Eiko. "Yes, Your Majesty. I will help you as much as I can."
"Let us have a vote then," Garnet announced. "All those who vote him innocent, please rise."
Reluctantly, all members of the court rose and placed their right hands over their hearts. Even the skeptics unable to convict without evidence, and followed in suit.
"It is settled, then," Lea projected to the gallery, banging her gallet. "Kajal Tribal, as you have named yourself, are acquitted of any crime under Alexandrian jurisdiction. You are free to roam the commons as you wish."
The court got up from their seats to attend the grand lunch hosted by Alexandria, fully expecting Kajal to be present and questioned further on a smaller scale. Zerrick and Crystal, however, stayed put in the room a little while longer, staring at each other in great distress.
"Zaz, I don't have a good feeling about him," Crystal finally spoke up.
"I don't either," Zerrick's voice echoed through the empty room, scratching his chin and looking up at the beautiful stained glass that covered the walls of the room. Each one was a strikingly painted image of every one of his mother's beloved summons. She designed the room to look very similar to the Eidolon Wall.
"I know he his half genome, but he is not like us...he is...different somehow. I don't know. Something about his energy feels foreign to me," Crystal answered, focusing on the glass of her most beloved summon, Alexander. "Now that I have my full summoner's training finished...I can take him on if need be. We simply have to watch for him to make a wrong move!"
"But what if...he really is innocent? And we're just...somehow...paranoid or something?"
Crystal shook her head, and broke her own visual connection to the portraits by standing. She placed a yearning hand on the royal pendant her mother had gifted her at the end of her training in Madain Sari.
"Trust me...he's not, by any stretch of the imagination, innocent. The riots have been too quiet as of late for that."
"Yes...that is very true. And holy shit, Crys, we have another sibling on the way?!"
"You're thrilled?" she answered, shaking her head as she walked down the steps to the well. "Jagger is a handful enough."
"What, you don't want a sister?!" He teased.
IXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIX
Weeks went by before Lilia was able to get back on her feet and train again.
She was physically injured to the point of immense pain, even with the slightest movement, but it was her psychological state that kept her in the lowest of spirits, inside the prison of her own mind.
Her parents had allowed her to stay in her old room to heal her wounds, Beatrix keeping a vigil over her whenever possible. Mostly, she liked to watch her in sleep, if only to make sure her daughter didn't somehow try to leave life behind by sheer will of death. She understood that her daughter had been broken by her defeat, so much so that she would speak of the most dire and distraught circumstances for how she believed the remainder of her life would play out.
"Darling, do not say such things. Please rest," Beatrix would counter, almost shaken to the point of tears for her youngest daughter. Lilia would shake her head defiantly. Tears not for pity, but for truth, would roll down her cheeks, glistening by the light from the window, shifting in her bed as to lay so her back was turned to the woman who loved her most.
Only one of her children could make her this emotional.
This went on for days upon days. Sometimes, Steiner would take over the watch and Lilia seemed to be in better spirits after his visits. He had a way with her, coming back to their quarters after hours long conversations in high hopes that she would recover from her hysteria, which was the only thing Beatrix could define it as.
She often sulked at the edge of their bed, shoulders slouched, eyes low. Steiner sat beside her and held her hand, trying to estimate the amount of pain Beatrix felt at not being able to provide their young daughter with solace. He knew that she lived for her children, if nothing else, and her life would cease to have any true meaning without them.
After the atrocities both had committed, their daughters had immediately breathed new meaning, joy and love into their lives. Neither could bear the idea of anything terrible happening to them.
The room glowed with an authentic warmth that only the moon could provide. Steiner didn't know what to say to her at first, and got up from their bed to light the candles in the room so they could both see inside the small room. Beatrix paid him no mind, her face painting a thousand words as she peered out the window, sulking. Steiner stood at the opposite side of the room, unable to resist watching her heavenly, timeless beauty bask in the glow that encased her form. Though she often looked sad, her sadness with filled with a constant, undeniable glory. He couldn't bear not being able to find the words to say, and sat back down next to her, mind brimming with the potential of just one sentence. Even still, she did not look at him, only now at her lap. Knowing her truly, intimately, understanding her dreams, emotions, passions, and fears, all contributed to his belief that he was the luckiest man on Gaia, even if she still believed herself some kind of monster after all the years passed.
"Lilia…she will recover in due time. Simply, be patient and keep speaking with her," Steiner found the words to say, gripping her hand tight, attempting to read her expression. Her face wept, though she was not crying.
"I…I am afraid I have been too hard on her. That she will never come to trust me again. That I have soiled her existence in some way by simply being her mother," Beatrix began, placing her free hand on her stomach, sickened by the idea. "I never wanted this life for her, you know that well. This is just one of many reasons…"
Steiner nodded his head in empathy. "But this is the life she chose, you know. Neither of us bargained with her—it simply is."
"We led her by example. She saw us, fighting for our beloved country…loyal, unwavering…and she was inspired by us. She felt that what we had accomplished were the greatest feats on Earth, and perhaps they were at the time," Beatrix reasoned, her focus shifting to all the many innocent civilians she had massacred. "Still...she doesn't understand the traumatic stress disorder that ensued upon me...unable to forgive myself. I wanted to leave the army and never come back, perhaps to off myself, to find new life...I don't know what I was thinking. I never once intended for this body to bear a child, to bring a beautiful soul into such an ugly world, let alone allow either to be dragged into such a bloody, fruitless existence as the one I have led."
Steiner found no answer to this. He held her hand still, trapped in the comings and goings of each individual point filtering through his brain. He understood that Lilia had willingly chose such a life, and thus, could do nothing to stop it. He felt her pain as a mother, only slightly less acutely as a father, but somehow knew that his daughter would come through the entire ordeal.
"But she will not lead the life you did! You made sure she will lead a much better one! You...will drive yourself mad if you keep blaming yourself for her shortcomings or failures...she must come into herself. Do not forget your own advice you had given me...we all must let go of her process..."
Beatrix turned to him and pleaded into his intense, dark brown eyes, always brimming with passion.
"Darling, we have had this discussion countless times, I am aware. But...do you not feel her slipping away from us?"
The captain contemplated this for a moment, his usual scowl deeper than ever.
"It would only be a natural progression...she is merely a teenager, yet. Do you not remember being one yourself?"
Beatrix pondered this point for a moment. It was unusual for Steiner to be the voice of reason. She placed her hand on his, resting on her thigh, thankful that he was taking the time to really listen to her.
"Only the rather unfortunate predicaments," Beatrix started, flipping her greying hair. "And therein lies the problem. Even if I did, how could I have predicted the girl become so haughty? Save for the fact that you are her father…"
Steiner smiled at the thought of Lilia's familiar nature, focusing on the ground at his feet.
"And my sweet Leopoldine...never this unruly, never once gave us any problems," he mentioned, now thinking fondly on his first born.
"Ah, yes. An old soul if ever there was one…" Beatrix trailed off, remembering that Lea was supposed to perform calming harp music for Lilia. "And speaking of Lea, was she ever summoned to see her sister this evening?"
"No. Lilia petitioned me request a postponement of the music healing sessions," Steiner replied, removing his hat and head mail, scratching the back of his silver-haired head. "She is still quite bothered by the memory of Lea saving her life during the fight with the new summon..."
Beatrix suddenly frowned at him, eye blinking in confusion.
"Why would you allow for that? Lilia needs music therapy now more than ever!" Beatrix scolded as she removed her uniform and hastily changed into her nightgown. "Of course she's going to be a tad bitter over the fact that her sister saved her!"
"She should be thankful, certainly," Steiner reasoned, not wanting to upset Beatrix further and attempting to put himself in his daughter's shoes. "I simply...have the feeling that she feels inferior to Lea. She's besotted with this strange notion that Lea does everything perfectly, and that she cannot live up the standard that she sets..."
"That is absolutely preposterous! She cannot possibly use that as her reasoning!" Beatrix said coldly. "And you just assumed this?! We will discuss this later."
She tied the last string on her nightgown and left storming out of the room, leaving Steiner mildly shaken, wondering what he could have said differently, to get him in less trouble.
She opened the door to her daughter's room without knocking, and found Lilia inspecting her broadsword. She rolled her eyes when her mother came through the door frame.
"Can't I have one minute of damn peace? Your favorite child just left! After proudly chiding me, might I add!"
"Enough from you or I will injure you further!" Beatrix snapped, roughly grabbing the chair next to her bed before sitting down hard on it.
"Is that what you want?" Beatrix asked again, this time causing Lilia to stare angrily at her sheets, bracing herself by clutching them in her hands.
"My pride and joy," the general softened, starting to heed seriously what Steiner had said about her inferiority complex. "Do you truly wish to get better? To heal your body and mind so that you may get back to training?"
Lilia had all her answers lined up.
"Yes mother, I do. But I will never heal with her taunting me at every end! It is almost as if she despises me so and loves to remind me of why I am less than her!"
Steiner was right. Beatrix shook her head, chuckling at the notion.
"Lilia Rosamund, you are being ludicrous. Lea would not have saved you were it not for her deep, profound love for you as her only sister."
"We have no such bond," Lilia stated plainly.
Beatrix kept her gaze fixed on her daughter as not to appear intimidated, but she swore she could feel the last of her brown hairs turn grey.
"There is not a thing I can tell you to make you forgive your sister, but please let her at least aid you with her healing magic."
"And that's the real kicker too, you know?" Lilia told her mother, pointedly. "She can even perform white magic."
"That of which is different from your own," Beatrix pointed out, reaching over to run a hand through Lilia's chocolate brown ringlets. "You have your own extraordinary talents, those of which she was always jealous of growing up."
Lilia allowed her mother the pleasure of touching her without recoiling. Beatrix's heart soared as she cupped her youngest's face in her hands.
"You father and I love you with a fervency hotter than a thousand suns. We do not want anything to happen to you, but you must understand our struggle to balance discipline with care."
"Maybe I don't need cared for," Lilia stated sullenly, only staring at the bouquet of red roses on her nightstand.
"We all need cared for. A human touch, a gentle hand, the help of friends and loved ones," Beatrix mused. "It gives one's life meaning. It took me many, many years to finally realize and accept this."
Beatrix didn't know where she would go from this part of the speech, when an idea suddenly hit her.
"You know," she began in a tone so unusual to her regular speech patterns, that Lilia's ears perked up. "I was not always so talented. As a girl in Treno, the only thing I was ever truly known for was my affluent lineage and my 'supposed' beauty. I was not gifted in any sort of way, never thought myself as beautiful, none of it. To me, I was simply a lost child."
"But you played the piano as would a virtuoso, did you not?"
"No, never like that. And you-a truly skilled warrior, showing marks even from a young age. I did not start my first lick of training until I was your age, and I was not very good," Beatrix remembered, almost grinning at the memory. "And to be quite frank, I never did understand why General Marceline decided to recruit my sorry self. A foolish girl at best, run away from home with only one hope for solace."
"Oh," Lilia said, her tone tinged with shock. "I...didn't know about all that."
"What? You suppose I was immediately an expert at everything I attempted? Hardly so. I never really even took knighthood seriously. For me, it was a welcome escape from the living hell of my girlhood. I was safe here in Alexandria...for the most part."
Lilia pondered this statement, "But...how miserable would you have been? I know you do not like to speak of your family and your childhood, but I am curious as to how growing up with such affluence could possibly make you so miserable!"
Beatrix chuckled, moving aside to start arranging things in Lilia's room, despising clutter.
"...You know that money does not produce happiness. Nor does power over the weak. You were raised in affluence, and dare I say, you are not so happy now!"
"I suppose that is true," Lilia admitted, biting her cheek. "But I am still quite curious to hear about your story. For instance, what was your mother like? And your father, too?"
The general shook her head and continued the cleaning, not making eye contact. "My father passed away many years ago, and I do not keep in touch with my mother, as you know."
"But what about Claudia! What was the hook up there?"
"She is King side, my second cousin. They asked me to allow her to meet the prince since she was such a fan...and it seems like it is working out fairly well…"
"But that's the last you'll tell me of your family, yes?" Lilia concluded, turning her back to her mother by rolling into her bed.
"I'm afraid so. Are you tired, my girl?" Beatrix prodded, moving over to the bed and pushing the covers over Lilia's shoulders. She allowed one of her hands to caress the girl's hair once more. "Will you now sleep?"
"Well I'm not going to listen to Lea play that stupid harp, if that's what you're asking!"
IXIXIXIXIXIXIXIXIX
Chapter notes:
I was totally going to make this chapter longer, because it is mostly dialogue, but then I realized I haven't posted a new chapter since August! GASP! So I'm just going to leave it as is. I don't want to leave you guys hanging, and I want this to be one of the most exciting FFIX fanfictions ever written. (We'll see about that one).
As far as Leopoldine's name and how it is presented, I had to shorten it basically at all times, in and out of speech, because it makes me wary to type out, so I'm sure it's tiring to read.
The NEXT chapter will be a very important one, as it will detail some of the inner workings of what is going on in the heads of our heroes (or not), and I will post that one shortly after this one. There are inspirations in this story that I am drawing from both FFVII, and FFX, my second favorite FFs. So if you see something in the storyline that sort of echoes those games, you'll know why! Not a crossover per se, but almost.
The Beatrix full backstory on her childhood and entrance into Alexandria is to follow. My goal is to shed some light onto her character, her masks, her trauma, and why she has acted in the way that she does in the past. The Beatrix and Steiner connection is well thought out and revamped from what people usually assume, as I think my theory makes the most sense with the storyline in the game.
I am super excited about where this story is going, and I hope you all are too!