The thief and his princess
Summary:
When Zidane, the youngest thief in the infamous Tantalus group, meets the mysterious Dagger on the Alexandrian streets, he thinks of her as nothing but one of his many flirts. But with time, he will realize that the girl does not only hold the power to bind his heart forever, but that she is an unwilling part of a conspiracy that can easily destroy the world. - A FFIX AU Fan Fic
Chapter thirteen ~ Love grows?
"Finally some fresh air!" Zidane drew a deep breath as he straightened up. His eyes wandered around the plains while Dagger, Amarant and Freya made their way out of the last meters of the Fossil Roo.
The Outer Continent was a largely barren and arid land with rough rugged terrain. As far as Zidane's eyes could see, the sun was beating down on the dry earth. Far away, he spot a great forest, though it seemed dead even from his point of view. Beyond that, he could guess the ocean again.
"Just like on the map, huh?", he mumbled to himself as he fetched it from his pockets. The Outer Continent was quite wide, but not really long. Cid had marked the walls with the Eidolons on them to their left – beyond a massive rock formation.
"We have to get over that?", Freya asked as she looked over Zidane's shoulder.
"Uh-uh", Zidane nodded. "But no worries, Freya", he pointed out with a smile, "see that lil' village over there? I'm sure we can get through there!"
Freya followed Zidane's finger and indeed, not too far away, something resembling a small village seemed to be built across one of the ever present canyons, connecting the platform they were standing on with the mountain.
"Why did Cid forget to mention such important things?", Freya asked, more to herself, but Zidane had already turned to Dagger and grabbed the princess' hand.
"Come on, Dagger, you got a great point of view from there!", he dragged her towards the point he had been standing on.
"You can see so far!", Dagger exclaimed surprised and Zidane nodded grinning. "Yeah, without mist, the view's pretty clear."
Amarant grunted, but only Freya noticed. She turned her head but the warriors eyes were staring right through her, as if he saw nothing.
Are his wounds still troubling him?, Freya wondered as she examined the redhead's face. Kuja must have hit him quite hard back then – but after all those ruckus, we didn't properly check on him.
She almost opened her mouth to ask, but suddenly, Amarant's eyes cleared and he walked up to Dagger.
"We should get moving. It's not even midday and the sun is burning down hard already. Don't be fooled by your eyes: The village may seem near, but only due to the clear view. It might take hours before we arrive. The longer we stay in this heat, the more it will get to us."
Zidane stared at Amarant with wide eyes.
"What?", the warrior grunted as he crossed his arms.
"That was probably the longest speech you ever gave", Zidane replied with a laugh. "But you're right, we should get going."
Amarant proved to be right. Even after three hours of constant walking, the group still didn't arrive at the mysterious little village.
"It will take at least another two hours", Amarant, who was walking at the front, said. Suddenly, he heard a dull sound. Zidane had fallen on his butt and was breathing heavily.
"Gimme a break, man!", he complained as he scratched his head. "Not everyone's got your stamina." By saying that, he pointed beyond his back. Freya seemed to be doing fine, but Dagger was already stumbling, her eyes half closed.
Amarant's eyes opened wide as he watched the princess.
"I- it's okay", Dagger muttered as she set one foot in front of the other. "I can still go a bit f-further..."
Then, she tripped over her own feet and fell toward the ground.
"No!", Amarant was about to call and rush towards her, but Zidane was faster; he already held the princess in his arms. Carefully, he laid his hand on her forehead and cursed. "She's completely over-heated. She needs some rest!"
Amarant's eyes wandered around aimlessly. There were no caves, not even trees around who could afford shade. "Where?", he mumbled to himself. In a flash, the warrior fell down on his knees, breathing heavily. His eyes wandered towards Dagger who was near unconsciousness. Amarant's lips moved, but before Freya could lean in, darkness surrounded his mind and he fell.
"Amarant?!", Zidane coughed in disbelief. "Oi, Amarant! What are you doing? This is not the right time for a nap!"
Freya shook the warrior's shoulders, but his eyes remained closed. "His wounds", the Dragon Hunter whispered helplessly, "we haven't tended to his wounds."
Zidane clenched his teeth. He remembered well how he had asked Amarant to undress himself so he could check on the damage Kuja inflicted. But the warrior, stubborn as ever, had declined (quite impolite as well). Zidane had been sure Amarant remained the invincible, indestructible warrior and wasn't even troubled by Kuja's magic – now, he saw how wrong he was.
His eyes were drawn to Dagger, who has breathing unsteadily in his arms.
"Damn!", he cursed under his breath.
"Can we help you?"
Zidane jerked his head up. In front of him, two creatures were looking at him with big eyes. They were considerably smaller than humans and had greenish skin. As if trying to make up for their height, both had quite a width and wore colorful attire. Their faces were almost brute, as if a children had painted humans, with really round eyes, a big mouth and a flat nose. If not for their clothes, Zidane could never tell them apart.
"Rally-ho!", the left of them said. "I am Harold Pathknower and this is the lovely Jenny Greeter. Who are you?"
That's a girl?!
"We are travelers", Freya stepped forwards with opened arms. "We come from a place far, far away and we are on our... pilgrimage to a sacred place beyond those mountains", she gestured to the rocks at the village.
"You want to cross the Mountain Path?", Harold asked and made a quick sign. "That is sacred ground! People are not allowed to-"
"Harold!", Jenny stepped in with a raised voice – and Zidane noticed to his surprise that her voice was just as deep as Harold's. "Can't you see they need our help? Pilgrimage, sacred grounds, all these won't matter in the face of the needy!" Turning to Zidane and Freya, she grimaced (probably forming a smile): "Don't you worry. You and your two friends can come to our village. First, you need to rest – everything else can be discussed once your friends are taken care of."
When Dagger opened her eyes, they met a earthy, sturdy ceiling above her. Slowly, the princess raised herself up. She laid in bed and someone had given her a change of clothes. Embarrassed, she covered her chest and looked around. This could not have been Zidane's doing?!, she thought to herself panicking, but then she noticed that while the clothing was barely long enough for her to cover her knees, it was as wide as the blankets from the palace. Just then, she examined her surroundings more.
She was in a circular room with earthy walls and wooden floor. Pieces of ragged, green carpet laid around and a big vase with flowers she had never seen before polished up the room. Next to her were some others beds, and on each lay the piece of clothing she was wearing herself. All beds seemed to be empty except for one, but a white curtain blocked her sight as to whom was laying in it. The air was smelling clean and fresh, but with a slight hint of medication and peppermint. Tall windows let in sparkly sunlight and the curtains gently moved in the breeze.
A nursery station.
On the end table beside her was a small platter with a handful of fruits and a tiny bowl of stew. Dagger ate both and soon, a warm, secure feeling spread inside her body and mind. She even licked her fingers, where some drops had dripped down from the stew and decided that this hearty meal had been the best she had ever eaten. Then, she gladly sipped the fresh water that had been waiting next to the platter.
"Rally-ho", an unfamiliar, yet pleasant voice from beyond the door called. "Do you want to visit your friend?"
"Rally-ho to you too! Yeah, can I?", Zidane's voice answered and Dagger could well picture him grinning by the weird greeting. Just a second later, the door was opened and a small green creature walked in, followed by Zidane.
"Dag', you're awake!", he grinned as he walked up to her. The princess nodded. "Yes, I just woke up. Did you care for me?", she asked toward the unknown creature who was tending to the flowers. She looked up – Dagger was quite sure it had to be a she – and nodded. "Yes, we found you and your friends outside the village. You were heated up really badly and your skin was burning, but you don't need to worry about that anymore; here in Conde Petie, sunburns and the like are daily illnesses to us."
Dagger wanted to get up and bow, but she remembered her short shirt and instead only nodded firmly. "I am in your debt – thank you."
Now, the woman seemed to blush, though her cheeks turned blue instead of the expected red. "Don't mention it", she answered and left the room after a friendly nod towards Zidane.
"Who are these people?", Dagger asked him curiously. Zidane scratched his head as he grabbed a chair to sit on. "Well, don't know for sure, but I guess they're dwarfs."
"Dwarfs?", the princess echoed surprised.
"Yup. Small, wide, greenish skin. Sounds like dwarfs to me."
"But I thought dwarfs lived underground, doing a lot of smithing?", Dagger asked before Zidane could finish his line. The thief smiled and shook his head. "Maybe other dwarfs, but these certainly don't. Freya is currently talking around, trying to learn more about them, but I already learned they worship sunlight and the woods."
Dagger looked towards the door where the dwarf had left. "They seem to be good people to me", she smiled and the thief nodded. "Yeah, they do. They took us in without us asking and, just between you 'n me, Harold, one of them, told me that usually, strangers aren't allowed in before they say the keyword 'Rally-ho', so you can say they know what needs to be done."
"R-rally-ho?"
"Sounds perfect", Zidane nudged her slightly.
"What of Amarant?", Dagger asked after a short silence where both had just looked at the vase and the peaceful flower bouquet. Zidane waved his hands. "He's here too, but still unconscious."
"He lost consciousness?", Dagger gasped shocked.
"Y-yeah, but don't get worried", Zidane quickly said and laid his hand on her shoulder. "Looks like Amarant was injured worse than we thought from the fight; he fell down shortly after you did. Jenny said – erm, that's the girl from before – that the heat got to him much worse because of the fever from the wounds, but they did everything they could and he seems to be fine now. He's not bleeding anymore and breaths normally and the fever went down already as well."
Dagger sighed. "That's my fault. If only I had summoned Shiva earlier to-" but Zidane laid his finger on her lips. "Hush, Dag'", he smiled. "You did better than anyone else. It takes a lot of courage to oppose Kuja, but you did it! And he does not seem to be so invincible after all. You'll see, once you got new Eidolons, Kuja won't be a match to you anymore."
Dagger's lips formed a slight smile and she took Zidane's hand. "Thank you, Zidane. This world, this experiences, even this very room are things I would have never seen without you."
Zidane shrugged and smiled. "If you wanna make up for it, then go on a date with me."
Dagger gasped and pulled back her hand. "W-what?"
"Oh, come on", the thief winked and got up. "Give yourself a lil' push, Dag'. I'll meet up with Freya for now, so get some rest while you can." He left the room, leaving Dagger startled. She put her hands on her lips as she blushed deeply, then she chuckled girly. Her chuckle surprised her so much that she stopped for an instant, then she chuckled even more.
Thank you, Zidane.
A few meters away, Zidane met up with Freya.
"How are Amarant and Dagger doing?", she asked as they slowly strut along the main road of the tiny village. Zidane shrugged. "Jenny caught me before we were in reach of Dagger's ears and told me that Amarant's wounds are worse than expected. It will take at least a week for him to recover..."
"If?", Freya asked – she knew her friend too well.
"If he recovers at all", Zidane answered unwillingly. "But I wouldn't worry about it – you haven't seen him fight." As Freya opened his mouth, Zidane zipped her lips with his fingers. "Kuja doesn't count. No one stood a chance against that one except Dagger. What I wanna say is that Amarant's a tough guy. He won't die from that."
Freya nodded. "And Dagger?"
"She's doing fine. I asked Jenny and she said it'll be a matter of hours until she can walk around. She should avoid direct sunlight and heavy stress though, so I told her to rest up for now."
Again, Freya nodded. "I asked around, keeping up the facade of the pilgrimage", she said with a lowered voice. "This mountain connects to a place the dwarfs call the Sanctuary and apparently, the grounds are sacred. Tabu."
Zidane frowned. "So we gotta sneak through? Don't know whether Dag' can do that, but if I cause some fuss and Amarant guides her, that just might work."
The Dragon Hunter shook her head. "Sorry to disappoint you, but there's only one gate to the path and it's guarded at all times. They even have cover up guards who will switch in case of emergency or distraction."
Zidane cursed under his breath. "Then what are we gonna do? Going back is no option, not now." Surprisingly, Freya's lips puckered to a grin – the only time when Zidane considered her face scary.
"Well, there is a way. Some people may pass through if they undergo a certain ceremony."
"Really? Oh, that's great!", Zidane exclaimed. "What kind of ceremony?"
Then, he realized Freya's grin wasn't a grin, but a grimace. "A wedding ceremony."
Uncertain, Zidane stepped from one foot to the other as he stood in front of the nursery station.
"A wedding?!", he had asked Freya just a few hours ago. While kicking the ground, he had made the remark "Then it's all over. There's no way she'd marry me." Freya had to talk to him almost for thirty minutes before he even agreed on listening to her plan. Finally, she had managed to convince him that marriage was the easiest and safest way to pass through. She had even asked the Master of Ceremony if he would marry non dwarfs and to her surprise, the answer had been yes – apparently, not many unmarried dwarfs were left and there had already been ninety-nine couples, so the Master of Ceremony was impatiently waiting for the hundredth couple (and, considering the life span of dwarfs, this might well take a hundred years).
"Still", he mumbled to himself as he was standing in front of the door. "I don't believe it'll work out." The thief drew a deep breath before he knocked and entered.
Dagger was sitting upright in bed and ate a bread with some stew. "Hello Zidane", she said with a smile. "Has Freya found out something helpful?"
Zidane tried to erect his natural grin, but he could tell by Dagger's worried expression he was doing a poor job. "Erm, yeah, actually she did. That's Freya for you, you can depend on her for sure." He sat down on the chair from before, but his stiff muscles didn't allow him to fall into a relaxed posture. Dagger opened her mouth but Zidane, who couldn't bear the thought of her worrying even further, almost spat out: "You wouldn't mind getting married to me, do you?"
Dagger's expression was startled – as if a hundred naked man past her. Again, she tried to say something but Zidane decided to explain her the unromantic details.
"I mean, erm, I'm not trying to hit on you – unless you'd want that because then I totally would – wait, what? No, I meant that Freya said only people married here can pass their sacred Mountain Path, and the Master of Ceremony would make an exception for us because we'd be the hundredth couple. I mean, we can also be the hundred and first couple if you prefer and Freya and Amarant getting married first and -"
"Alright."
"I knew you wouldn't want that and I already told Freya that we would have to – wait, what?", Zidane asked confused. His palms were sweaty and he thought that maybe in his excitement, he didn't hear Dagger's rejection properly.
"Alright, let's marry", Dagger said calmly.
"You're okay with that? This is marriage. M-a-r-r-i-a-g-e.", Zidane asked now leaning forward in disbelief.
"No kidding", Dagger sighed and shook her head, then straightened up and looked Zidane in the eye. "I am a princess, Zidane. I was brought up always knowing that marriage won't happen out of love but for political or other strategic reasons. The marriage won't be legal back home anyway, so it's only on this continent. We need to find that wall to defeat Kuja, Zidane", she insisted as the thief stared at her speechless. "That is my goal and duty. Something as small as a wedding won't hinder me from that."
"Ah, yes sure. I was just... I didn't expect you to agree. But of course, you're right." Finally, he managed to grin naturally, but deep inside, he was somewhat hurt.
It's good to know she accepts our only way through so easily, but... Am I nothing but a strategy as well? A mean to get to Kuja?
Invisible to Dagger, he shook his head. I shouldn't think like that. Dagger is right, finding the Eidolons is our top priority. And the marriage won't be recognized anywhere else but this village. I usually don't stress about things so easily, so why now?
As he watched Dagger doing her short hair and talking about unimportant matters, always sending that shy, yet honest smile towards him, a thought approached him, just the way it did in Lindblum after his talk with Marcus.
Because I really like her. A lot.
By dawn, Amarant awoke. His muscles felt stiff and sore and he could feel how his skin hurt at the places where stitches barely clipped the flesh together.
I was hurt worse than I thought. But wait, where is...?
Panicking, he jerked his head around, but his sight was blocked by a white curtain. Impatiently, the warrior sat up to swipe the curtain aside, but a burning pain forced him back to bed. He clenched his teeth as he crouched and carefully took a part of the bandage away that was covering his triceps. The redhead did not twitch as he could see down to his bone, he simply wrapped the bandage back in place.
There was no need to check after the other wounds, they were surely the same. Instead, he lift himself up, much more slowly and carefully though. Pain shot through his body but regardless, Amarant made one step after another until he could brush away the curtain. His eyes met Dagger's face as the princess was sleeping soundly. If he hadn't been in so much pain, he might've heard her without getting up. The warrior approached Dagger and slightly bend over her. Not wanting to disturb her sleep, he didn't dare lifting the bandages off her arms and legs, but seeing her moving so easily in her sleep, her wounds couldn't be as deep.
The redhead let out a small sigh of relief before he limped back to bed. He closed his eyes and commanded himself to fall asleep.
The princess was alive and well and nothing else mattered to him.
Zidane was eating a small yet hearty meal with Freya at the local Inn. Appearance-wise, it looked exactly like the nursery station, except there were tables and chairs instead of beds.
The Innkeepers, Margaret and Granin Miller, had generously turned down Zidane's money and instead introduced them to the regulars of the Inn: Helen Birdkeeper, Jinkus Emptybottle, Barbara Gibgab and Walter Teamaker. Zidane could not link their names to their faces, but Freya did a remarkable job on distinguishing the dwarfs, so the thief let her do the talking while he poked his boiled owl without much appetite.
His thoughts kept wandering off to Dagger who still had to lay in bed and recover. Realizing marrying him means nothing to her hurt his feelings. Still, he could not help but admire her earnest behavior. A few weeks ago, Dagger was scared of everyone and everything and he couldn't even blame her for that, judging her former doing. But now, she had acquired self-confidence and bravely jumped into unexplored situations. Partly, he even felt proud because Dagger thanked him for opening up these new doors for her. If he could, he would do so much more but for the time being, all he really could do was guarding her through this dangerous and unpredictable journey.
Just as all the dwarfs were laughing about a remark Freya made about the Mist Continent, Jenny Greeter stormed into the room. "Ah, Zidane, Freya!", she called out relieved as she saw the two. "You need to come to the nursery station immediately, it's about your friend!"
Zidane was up before Jenny even finished.
"What's with Dagger?", he asked on their short way to the station.
"The girl? Oh, she's doing fine, you don't need to worry about her", Jenny waved away, her face still concerned. "It's your other friend I'm worried about – Amarant? It seems like he got up a few minutes ago."
Zidane raised his eyebrows. "Isn't that great? Means he's recovering, right?"
"No, it does not!", Jenny snapped at him. They were in front of the door leading to Amarant, but it seemed like Jenny wanted to warn them before letting them in. "The bed, the curtain, the floor, everything became a hell of a mess because your friend's blood spilled everywhere! He shouldn't have gotten up in the first place, but this good-for-nothing Harold just felt like a chatter with His Holiness and left his place!" Exhausted, the dwarf sighed. "Anyway, I want you to talk some sense into your friend. He might be a strong warrior but he's clearly not indestructible and if he continues walking around like that, he might even die." Without another word, she opened the door and portend the two to walk in.
After Jenny's outbreak, Zidane had expected the room to look like a massacre, but everything had been tidied up in Jenny's absence. Only the missing curtain around Amarant's bed indicated a change overall. Even the bedding of Amarant's bed had been changed or at least covered up.
Carefully, Zidane approached the redhead. The warrior seemed to be sleeping peacefully – but wait, wasn't his breathing a little too even?
Zidane almost laughed – but only almost. Still carefully, he poked Amarant's undamaged shoulder.
"Oi, Amarant, I know you're awake!", he pestered with amusement. Grunting, the warrior opened his eyes. "What do you want?"
Zidane's expression grew serious. "Jenny told us you were walking around. Why did you do that? You were bleeding like crazy!"
Instead of answering, Amarant turned his head and looked towards Dagger who was still sleeping despite the conversation. Zidane's expression became somewhat softer. "Ah, so you wanted to check on Dagger? I can understand, but man, you're seriously injured", he added while shaking his head. "Did you really think I would leave her side if she wasn't doing well?" Just for a moment, Amarant's pupils opened wide and Zidane could tell Amarant really didn't think of that.
"Oh man. Anyways, you really shouldn't walk around anymore. Dagger will panic if she sees you like this!"
"Why do you think was I pretending to sleep?", Amarant now asked back, his eyebrows almost meeting when he frowned annoyed. "As long as she thinks I'm asleep, she won't look at my injuries."
"Erm, well, that's-", Zidane started but he didn't manage to create a nice finishing. He sighed helplessly. "Alright, that's one point for you. Now you know she's safe, so no more straying, 'kay?"
In place of answering, Amarant grunted and closed his eyes.
After exchanging a helpless glance with Freya, the two of them quietly left the room to give the injured some rest.
Just like Jenny predicted, Dagger was able to get up and walk around the next day already. Together with Zidane and Freya, she explored Conde Petie.
To Zidane's surprise, she was not disgusted by the fact her stew was made of oglops and she tried out even funnier dishes when the dwarfs, who, without exception, had fallen for her, invited her to dinner. Once Dagger was distracted by the new things and people around her, Zidane went back to Amarant and told him about the whole wedding play. It wasn't to his surprise that Amarant did not mind marrying Freya; as long as it was for Dagger, he'd probably do everything. The warrior seemed to recover quite fast, but Zidane still ordered him to rest up as much as he could.
At times, the thief could tell that Dagger's thoughts wandered back to Amarant, but he managed to keep her off until the redhead's wounds stopped opening up at the slightest movement. After seeing Amarant feeling well and good, Dagger once again fell into the pleasure of exploring the village. The days flew by and the three learned a lot of cultural habits from the dwarfs as well as helpful geographic input. Sometimes, Zidane felt like this time of easiness and happiness should never end – who knew what obstacles they would have to face once they left the security of the village and entered unknown land even to the dwarfs?
But of course, his wish did not come true; after six days, Amarant was feeling well enough to walk around again and the day of their departure arrived – and with that, the day of their weddings.
It seemed as if every dwarf of Conde Petie had gathered around the Shrine. The Shrine was not an actual building but rather a free, open place in the middle of the village. While at the north end, a small plateau with a fabric ceiling was situated, the middle of the place was filled by a huge kirkboat in the colors red and blue. It was the ceremonial kirkboat on which every couple had to stand while they received their blessings from Father David Heavenguard (or "His Holiness", as the dwarfs called him) standing on the small plateau.
It had been decided that Dagger and Zidane would become the hundredth couple and so, the two of them were standing on the Kirkboat, side by side. It was midday and the sunlight filled out the entire place. Usually, the dwarfs to marry would wear a special attire, woven out of forest greens and wool, but since the party was in a hurry and none of the traditional clothes fit on either of them, they were allowed to wear their normal clothing.
Slowly, the muttering ceased and everyone stared to Father David Heavenguard who raised his hands to the sky.
"Spirits of the mountain, spirits of the wood, watch over this man and woman as they begin their journey..."
I can't believe I'm actually marrying her, Zidane thought to himself as he carefully watched Dagger's face. She was wearing a royal expression, full of determination and sincerity and her eyes watched Heavenguard.
"That they may support one another in sickness and in health..."
Could it be she agreed because she actually... likes me?
"Have the strength to carry you through the trials and the wisdom to follow the path..."
Gotta admit, I'd been pretty deep, showing off my skills in Lindblum – maybe she fell for me that time? Man, I'm such a stud!
"May the blessings of the Heaven be upon this man and woman", the dwarf ended the holy speech.
Grinning, Zidane turned to Dagger. "Now we're finally man and wife, Dagger! It's time for a kiss -" but as he leaned forward to kiss her, Dagger quickly turned around and left, leaving Zidane to catch himself mid-air from falling. "Playing hard to get, eh?", he mumbled, loud enough for the princess to hear though. For a moment, she paused in her walking and Zidane knew without seeing her face that she blushed, causing him to grin even more. "Hey, wait up, Dag'! A ceremony's not done without a kiss, you know? What if they won't let us through?"
As the two left for the traditional walk around village (Zidane was surprised to see how many things they had to do before being allowed to leave the village), Amarant and Freya walked up to the kirkboat, the Dragon Hunter quietly laughing. "Looks like Zidane's the old one again."
"Hm?", Amarant asked while Heavenguard repeated the words from before.
"He seemed quite confused Dagger was willed to marry him", Freya explained under her breath. "Usually, he never loses his cool and easy side around girls."
"Hm", Amarant said, now using it as a sound of acknowledgment.
"Don't you mind him being so close to her?", Freya now asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice. "She seems to like him as well."
For a moment, Amarant was silent, then he answered: "I don't think of her that way, if you wanted to imply that. I protect her. And as long as this is his highest priority as well, he can do or say whatever he wants."
Freya raised her eyebrows, then she smiled. "You're almost like an overprotective brother, do you know that, my dear?"
"I don't think of her that way either", Amarant replied but somehow, Freya could not really swallow his words.
Once Amarant and Freya finished their traditional walk around the village as well, they met up with Zidane and Dagger who were standing by the Weapon Stall, the last corner of the village. The two watchmen brothers, Matthew and Richard, guarded the entrance to the Mountain Path, but as they were already informed about the two married couples, they let them pass without hesitation. Dagger waved goodbye to some dwarfs, then the married couples turned and faced their new way.
Author's note
Hooray for this month's chapter. Writing this was really fun and I am glad I could get Zidane back to the attitude that fits him best (at least in my opinion). This was quite relaxing - no tough fights or whatsoever. The next chapters will be more story relevant, but you need a little breather like this once in a while, am I right?
As always, I appreciate constructive criticism or point-outs of grammar/word mistakes.
Until the end of next month!
Ruska