Disclaimer: The story is mine. The template and medium are not.
Chapter 5: Lindblum
Once Blank was ready and Ruby had been persuaded to give Little Zidane back to Dagger, they set off to where the Prima Vista was docked.
"Now y'all take care o' yerselves and that little darlin', ya hear?" Ruby called as they left.
"Oh no," Blank sighed, glancing at Zidane, who was happily cooing as his tail rewound itself around Dagger's arm. "Now she's gonna want one."
"Don't you want kids, Blank?" Vivi asked.
"Well, sure," he replied, "but you have never lived with Ruby. If she sets her heart on something, she won't let it rest—ever. And then, when we do succeed . . . from what I've heard about pregnant women," he shook his head ruefully as he started up the ship, "well, let's just say I have less chance of surviving those nine months than she does."
A few hours later found the group well on their way to Lindblum and faced with a problem. The baby needed a change, and they had forgotten to bring Adam. The same argument as before broke out, though this time, Steiner was fighting. Just when it appeared as though the job would never get done, there came an exasperated growl from the corner of the cabin. Amarant then stalked over to Dagger, took the kid, and went to the next room.
Everyone else was left stunned. No one moved for a few silent minutes. When he came back, he dumped the now contented boy backed into Dagger's lap and then left without a word.
". . . Uh . . .unexpected," Quina offered.
"Indeed . . ." Freya added, with the face of one plotting to get the full explanation later. "I suppose that problem is solved, then." She glanced out a porthole. "And it's just as well. I can see Lindblum on the horizon; we'll be there shortly."
"Oh, good!" Eiko jumped excitedly. "I can't wait to see Mom and Dad again!"
"Ah!" Little Zidane exclaimed, mimicking Eiko's sentiments, as much as could be expected from one so young.
The newly rebuilt metropolis was abustle with its usual activity as the Prima Vista passed through its gates, heading for the docking bay at the palace. Steiner made sure to stand at the bow and announce their presence to the guards in order to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.
"Well, I guess here is where we part," Blank said as the party came out of the cabin and onto the deck. "I hope for your sakes that you get him back to normal soon!" He waved as they stepped off the ship.
After Blank had left again, the party made their way to the audience hall, where they were told the regent and his wife were just wrapping up daily meetings. As they waited outside in the foyer, Little Zidane decided this was a wonderful opportunity to take a nap and was contentedly nestled in Dagger's arms, tail secured between her shoulder and elbow.
Once the meetings ended, delegates and personal servants filed out of the hall in their usual pompous fashion. Freya and Steiner discreetly maneuvered Dagger—with Little Zidane—behind them in order to forestall awkward questions. Once the coast cleared, the party headed into the audience hall, Dagger moving gently so as to not disturb her burden. Eiko broke composure first.
"Mom! Dad! I'm back!" she cried excitedly, running forward to pounce on her adoptive parents. They reacted in kind.
"Eiko, sweetie!" Hilda gasped happily, scooping the little white mage up into a welcoming hug. "We weren't expecting you back so soon."
Regent Cid, after giving Eiko a hug, turned to the rest of the group in greeting. However, before he could say anything to that effect, a small squeaky yawn was heard, turning all eyes to Dagger and the blond infant she held.
"Oh my!" Hilda said with a smile, whilst Cid nodded his head in agreement. "Congratulations, Garnet! He is adorable!" With an inaudible sigh, Steiner opened his mouth to explain yet again when Dagger spoke up.
"Why, thank you Lady Hilda," she said cheerfully, pulling some of the coverings back to give the regent and his wife a better look at the drowsy baby. "Isn't he just the most precious little thing?" she asked as they came forward.
"Yes indeed," Cid agreed as Hilda stroked the small boy's hand. "You and Zidane must be very proud."
"Oh we are," Dagger replied, her face beaming.
As conversation continued in this vein, Steiner was standing back, practically having a conniption in the corner. Had the queen lost her mind? Why was she suddenly acting as though the child were truly her own? Was there something going on here that he did not know about? Could it really be true? No! No, that was simply impossible. Zidane had not even been back that long…
The captain came back to reality as Cid was commenting that the babe looked just liked his father.
"He certainly does, doesn't he?" Dagger replied proudly.
"Where is Zidane, by the way?" Hilda asked.
In an energetic panic, Steiner ran forward, making wide gestures and pointing at the infant.
"No!" he cried dramatically. "No! You don't understand! This!" He jabbed his finger repeated at the little blond, "This boy right here IS Zidane!"he shouted, desperately trying to convince everyone of their current insanity. Vivi and Eiko could take it no more and let loose their giggles, falling together to the floor, rolling in laughter. Amarant had not moved, though Freya thought she saw the corners of his mouth turn up as she moved her hand to cover her own grin. Quina just looked confused all around.
By now, Steiner was on his knees, panting with the effort of his energetic persuasion. Dagger finally gave in and started to laugh also, even as she tried to comfort Little Zidane, who was not happy with all the loud noise suddenly surrounding him. Once she had calmed him down, Dagger then turned to Cid and Hilda, who were looking somewhat confused.
"Sorry," she said with a grin, "Steiner is correct." She and the others then began to tell the story of Zidane's transformation whilst the captain stood off to the side, befuddled.
"Hmm . . ." Hilda mused when it was finished. "That is interesting." The baby had once again been passed down to Vivi and Eiko, who were having fun playing and laughing with him. Lady Hilda knelt down to take a closer look. Gathering a little magic into her fingertips, she gently began to poke and prod, running her fingers over and around the little Genome, who was quite entranced by the colorful, sparkling lights. After a few minutes, she stood back up, turning to the rest of the party.
"Given that I do not know what the spell was or what may or may not have gone wrong with its execution, I cannot guarantee an accurate hypothesis." At a nod from everyone, she continued. "From what it feels like, there is nothing wrong with him."
. . . Not quite the expected diagnosis.
"What?"
"How can that be?!"
"But Zidane be TINY! How nothing wrong?"
"Please," Hilda calmly said over the hubbub, "allow me to explain. According to Zidane's body, his condition is perfectly normal. Normally, when a status spell is invoked, a spell trace is left on the receiver, which is what holds the effect of the spell in place. The only way to 'break' a spell is to remove the trace or wait for it to dissipate. This is why Esuna and remedies are not working; there is no spell trace present to remove."
"Then how is the effect holding?" Vivi asked.
"Rather than attaching an effect, it seems that what the spell has done is removed his growth, reverting him to a previous state," she explained. Everyone with expertise in magic nodded with interest while everyone else looked at one another, confused, but trusting them to know what they were doing.
"Alright then, give me until tomorrow morning to figure out the counter spell to re-attach his growth," Lady Hilda said with subtle confidence. "Until then, please get some rest."
"Are you sure?" asked Vivi. "You don't want any help?"
The look on Hilda's face at that almost made the little black mage want to run for cover.
"Oh, no need," she replied with a somewhat manic smile. "I'll be just fine."
"Ah, yes. Well then, we'll just leave it to you," Freya gave a swift bow and then she and Eiko quickly herded everyone else out of the room. Once they reached the guest wing, the short white mage gave a giggle then shrugged.
"Sorry, you'll have to get used to that," she explained. "Mom with her magicks is almost as bad as Dad with his machines."
"We'd noticed," came the cumulative reply.
That night when it was about time for sleep, it was suggested that someone else take Little Zidane this time so that Her Highness might get a proper night's rest. However, after considering this logical idea, Dagger found herself shaking her head.
"It really is not that bad as long as there is enough padding on the chair. And besides," she added, glancing at her charge, who was sleepily gnawing on her pendant, "he . . . well . . ."
Eiko grinned, "He likes you best!" Everyone was amused to see the blush that spread across the teenaged queen's face at the blunt outburst.
"It would indeed make sense," Freya agreed, "for him to be most comfortable with you, especially in such a vulnerable state." Dagger smiled softly and managed a nod.
That night, as she sat in the rocking chair, gently moving back and forth, she contemplated her response and reaction. Little Zidane certainly enjoyed being held or played with, and it did not matter who it was caring for him: he was happy. However, for times of rest, he did seem to have some preference for her arms over others. How did she feel about that?
It was certainly no secret that she and Zidane loved one another deeply. Even the Alexandrian nobility had accepted this fact by now. No, the thought that the blond preferred her above all others was not the reason for her blush earlier. What was it, then?
Perhaps it was the idea that he needed her. Not that he had not needed her before, of course. In most of their adventures up until now, it had always been a partnership. He would protect her and the others, taking on their enemies in hand-to-hand combat, while she supported him from behind, providing healing, warnings, and occasionally summoning an Eidolon. Even outside of battle, if she was having a bad day, her boy would do whatever it took to get her smiling again. When he was troubled, she would put forth any effort to help him find a solution.
Now . . . now he was relying on her for even his most basic needs, physical or emotional. For anyone to need her so completely was . . . amazing. For that person to be Zidane —the charismatic and cocky former Angel of Destruction, who possessed an unrivaled sense of courage of strength, and was a renowned hero throughout all Gaia and (what remained of) Terra —was simply indescribable.
Dagger came out of her reverie as the little boy in her arms shifted. When they had first settled down for the night, he had decided that upright would be best, fussing whenever she tried to lay him down. So Dagger had placed him on his tummy against her and reclined back into the rocking chair, one hand supporting him from underneath, the other on his back. He was now sleepily peacefully, his head resting on her chest, tail curled around her upper arm. Thinking how sweet and innocent he looked, Dagger gently combed her fingers through his golden hair and grinned as his little fingers instinctively curled into fists, grasping the fabric of her nightgown. Bending her neck slightly, she kissed him on the tip of his head, making him coo softly in sleep, then settled back to try and get some sleep herself.
"Hopefully tomorrow will see you back to normal," she whispered fondly, "but for now, we can stay like this."
(A/N): I LIVE!! Holy cow, I am so sorry for that wait. Fear not, the next one will not be nearly so long in coming since the muse has decided to come back. Thank you so very much to all of you who are enjoying this