DISCLAIMER: If I owned Final Fantasy IX it'd be recreated for the PS3 with voice acting AND have a sequel by now.

I didn't even have time to think before I got thrown against the wall on the other side of the room. Luckily I'm on the couch so it didn't hurt. It just knocked the wind out of me. I try to get up but the ship is too steep now. If we weren't in a dangerous situation and if I wasn't pretending to be the princess I'd laugh at how everyone is scrambling. Although it doesn't last, eventually everyone gets out of the room and I'm stuck. I can't see Steiner anywhere. Where'd he go? All I hear is the loud sound of inner functions going haywire eventually joined by a high-pitched noise. It sounds like someone screaming while on helium-I found out how that sounds the hard way when I was younger-and I bring my hands to my ears to block out the deafening noise and start to get up and walk toward the door.

I get startled as someone enters the room and runs toward me.

"Come on, Garnet!" It's not Steiner but the boy called Zidane. He grabs my left arm and starts to pull me toward the door through the steepness of the room, going quicker than me when I tried to get to the door. I don't say anything as he's pulling me. He's only helping me because Tantalus is holding me hostage! Then again, I have a question to ask him.

"Uh, Zidane?" I shout over the loud noises.

"Yeah?" he shouts back.

"Where's Steiner?"

"You mean the guy in the rusty armor? I saw him fall out the window."

"WHAT?"

"Don't worry! I'm sure he's fine! I know you were expecting him to come to your rescue and all but you'll just have to settle for me at the moment!"

I don't have time to say anything else because we're already at the door and he starts to run. I pick up my dress so I won't trip. I notice we're now holding hands (how'd that happen?)but I decide not to argue because we're not in the best situation right now. He steers me to what looks like the control room and shouts to the others. A tiny argument starts but I can't hear anything they're saying. Then he steers me to the back of the ship where I see the ground below me.

"We have to jump!" Zidane shouts.

I face him, bewildered. "WHAT? No way! We'll die!"

"Just trust me!"

And still holding hands, we jumped to the ground below while hearing the sound of an explosion behind us.

...

I woke up around eleven and I'm currently walking around my kingdom, surveying the damage. It's not much, thank goodness. Just a few buildings damaged. No deaths either.

I really hope that girl is okay. I just can't believe someone would try to kidnap me on my birthday! She must think I was behind it. Ugh! Why do I get lucky all the time? For once, I want to be affected by something without being protected somehow just like every other normal person! For instance, when I was five I pulled a tablecloth off of a huge table and the dishes that were on it missed me by a few inches! There have been plenty of other times as well.

But now that I think about it, I guess I have been affected by two things: Two years ago when my father died I was so distraught. That same day I saw a little girl playing with her father and wished death on him. I regret it now. That little girl must've been a toddler or maybe a little older. It would make her worse off than me. What if that was her only parent? Then she'd be a poor orphan who would've died soon unless someone decided to take her in... Why did I wish death on him in the first place? Maybe it was because if something bad happened to me I'd want everyone else to feel it too. I didn't want to be the only one who was suffering.

The other time was when I was six. I had a horrible sickness that nearly claimed my life. I only remember the high fever and the sweating and the panting and moaning... I could not keep my eyes open so that's probably why I don't remember. Apparently my tutor gave me all sorts of different remedies in hopes that I would get better. Something worked and I was better eventually. Mother and Father were so relieved! But wait... Mother acted a little strange once I got better. I didn't think much of it at the time...

Why am I thinking of these things? All of these things are irrelevent now. They have nothing to do with my current situation!

I walk back to Sam and Peter's house and see them eating breakfast.

"Haha! I told you she'd come back, Dad!"

"Well, well, Garnet. Do you want breakfast? You have to be starving by now."

I smile and sit at the table with them and look at my breakfast in front of me. It is a little fish by the looks of it. Without being rude I pick it up with my hands and start to eat it. It's a little burnt but overall it isn't that bad. All of a sudden I'm overwelmed by their kindness. "Excuse me... But why are you being so kind to me?"

They look at each other. Peter keeps eating while Sam stops to look at me. "You're just a young girl. And with the scare last night I didn't want you to get hurt."

"Oh... How thoughtful," I say with a slight smile. I'm a complete stranger (at least that's what I'm acting like) and yet they decided to help me...

"Say, shouldn't you be gettin' home to your family soon?"

Sam snaps my thoughts shut and I hurry to answer him. "Oh, well... I don't think they'll be especially worried at the moment..."

That didn't make much sense but thankfully no one asked any questions.

We're all silent again and I keep noticing Peter looking at me from time to time.

Tomorrow once my horn vanishes I will go to the castle and tell everyone I am in fact okay and that it was all my fault. And that someone should try to save that girl. Yes, surely they will understand.

...

I opened my eyes only to find myself on a bed. I bolt up and look myself over. The dress is a little dirty and ripped, the heel on my left shoe broke and I can feel that my bun is all messed up and lop-sided. It's practically falling out and a lot of my hair came down. What the heck happened? The last thing I remember was jumping off of the Prima Vista with Zidane... Aw! Don't tell me I got knocked out again! Ugh!

I get up and notice I must be in a little inn. I walk through the door and out the inn. Where is Zidane? He has to know what happened to me! I don't even pay attention to my surroundings, I'm just looking for Zidane. Luckily I don't have to look far; he's across from the inn. I run over to him, stumbling along the way.

"Zidane? What happened?"

He turns to me and looks me over. "Wow, you're a mess."

I glare at him. "Yeah, as if you didn't know! Now tell me what happened!"

He puts his hands up as if to surrender. "Okay, okay, yeesh. So remember when we jumped off together? Well your head hit pretty hard on the ground. I started to carry you but then Rusty over here," he points to Steiner who I didn't even notice standing next to him, "starts yelling at me so he carried you instead." He finishes with a look of disappointment on his face. Ugh, I do not need this. I still can't even think straight! I don't wanna deal with him so I turn to Steiner-interrupting whatever he was about to say.

"And what happened to you? You just disappeared when the ship started to go down."

"Well my armor saved me from certain death... I fell and started bouncing away..."

"Okay, that's...good... I guess... Now where exactly are we?"

"We're in the Village of Dali. We flew over Evil Forest and by the time the ship crashed we just had to go through the Ice Cavern to come here," Zidane answered. "And you've been out for a long time. It's almost sunset right now."

I look up and to my amazement, he's right. The sun is almost at the end of the sky. I don't know what "Evil Forest" or "The Ice Cavern" is and frankly I don't really care. My expression must've interrupted what ever Steiner was about to say... again.

"Well," Steiner said. "I'm going to look for an item shop. And you! Monkey boy! Do not do anything to Her Highness!" He then walked away with 'clanks' and all.

Zidane rolled his eyes without responding. I still must look pouty because now Zidane is giving me a look.

"What?" I demanded.

"You know... You don't seem very... princessy."

I freeze. But quickly recover. "What do you mean?"

"Well, just the way you talk... You don't have a royal tone in your voice. And you use certain words and phrases that someone like me would use."

Oh no. He's suspicious! But why him? Why didn't Steiner figure it out already? He's smirking at me. Is he messing around? Oh crap! I couldn't think straight on the Prima Vista and I wasn't watching how I talked... And I did pretty much the same thing just now! Crap, crap, crap! I have to throw him off. Ugh, it won't work but I might as well try...

"What would you know about royal speech?" I ask, putting the "royal tone" back in my voice.

His smirk turns into a grin. "Ah, see, right there. You just changed your voice because I caught you off guard. And you should perfectly well know that Tantalus has been in Alexandria numerous times to perform for the royal family."

My eyes narrow. "And what does that have to do with anything?" I'm trying not to let him get to me... Not working.

"So, Tantalus has heard the queen and even you talk before. You sound different."

"How different?" I ask, my eyes still narrowed.

"Well for one thing your voice is a little higher in pitch and I already told you that you talk pretty casually... Oh you look different too. You're thinner than you were the last time we came to Alexandria. And I can tell you're not wearing a corset."

I subconciously cross my arms over my stomach. How would he know something like that?

"And your face is slighty different. I'm not sure how, it just is. Prettier, actually. I can tell you're somehow slightly shorter, too."

My eyes widen as heat rushes to my cheeks. How does he notice everything? Me and Garnet thought we looked almost exactly alike! He has to be bluffing. "Well... People change as they grow older. I have never noticed these changes you speak of." Oh, what's the point? We both know he's on to something.

"Uh huh. Sure."

"So what exactly are you saying to me?"

"Hmm. I'm saying either there's something wrong with you or..." He trailed off, making his grin even wider. "you're not actually the princess! Haha!"

My eyes widen some more. I think he's just joking... But he's right on the money! I turn my surprise into a scowl. "You... You... You imbecile!" I shout, looking for a proper word. I heard someone say that once. I hope it's good enough. "Are you trying to toy with me? You're lucky I don't have you imprisoned for talking to me this way!"

He laughed once. "I'm so scared!"

I turn around and stomp away. I trip over my one heel and fall on the ground. I get up and angrily take off my heels and throw them at Zidane. I'm not sticking around to see what happened. I walk back into the inn where I'll sleep (or at least pretend to sleep) until tomorrow. As I try to let sleep take me away, I faintly hear someone shout something that sounds like 'I'm so stupid!'. But I don't pay attention to it and try to relax.

Author's Note: Okay I lied. I wrote a draft for some of this because I got writer's block. Oh well, whatever. I'm feeling more confident about this. But also very tired... I've never dedicated myself to writing a whole story before. So if there're long intervals between the posting of chapters just assume I'm being lazy or that I have writer's block or that I'm editing the story a lot (or that certain people in the house don't want me to spend so much time on the computer). XD By the way, I gave up on trying to read the stupid P&P book. I know the main plot and that's all that really matters. -_-