-Chapter 6-
Gentle Reminders

"A month had passed since my birthday, since then mother and I sat together to learn more about what exactly happened to me that night. It became clearer now; I am without a doubt gifted with the powers of the summoner tribe that myself, mother and Eiko now hold together. A magical spell was casted because of my emotional stress that I've held on for so long trying to maintain my family's name for such a long time. It triggered the spell because of being upset over the mockery I was enduring aimed towards myself, my family, my friends, and my dear pet too. The long years of suppression finally triggered a spell deep within my own body.

On top of that…I began to wonder about the mysterious ability known as trance. I vaguely recalled mother mentioning to me about it when Uncle Kuja began unleashing destruction on Terra and nearly destroying Gaia along the way. The only other knowledge I know about trance was reading about old mythology books in the library. Not even Dr. Tot taught me anything about it. One thing is certain from all the books I've read, if Uncle Kuja's destructive matter is a possibility, could that mean I too myself possess the ability to unleash lethal consequences that in some ways could cause total destruction?

Did mother and papa and our close friends have the powers of trance as well?

If this is indeed true and I possess these unfathomed powers, am I a threat to my home? To all the people of Alexandria? To my parents? My family? My friends?

Mother took the initiative to sit down with me to learn about my potential summoning abilities. Would she know anything about trance as well? Or…since Kuja is related to papa…does…that mean he would know if I have the ability to trance as well?

"FETCH!"

Zidane threw across the palace courtyard a small rubber ball with all his strength as Zoe darted along giving chase. Sarah watched along as she smiled happily. The ball bounced off the ground as Zoe caught it with her mouth and darted her way back to Zidane and Sarah.

"Come here Zoe!" Sarah called out as she patted her upper legs. Zoe rushed and circled around with her tail wagging as Sarah reached for the ball. Zoe let out a gentle growl as she and Sarah tugged at the ball. "Let go." Sarah said. Zoe refused and tugged the ball harder while Sarah gripped it tighter as she laughed.

"And…drop!"

Zoe released her grip on the ball and looked up to Sarah while panting.

"She's getting better at listening." Sarah complimented as her father smile.

"With all that training we do with her, it's paying off really well; she's having fun and obeying the most important commands when we need her too. She's definitely a perfect fit for us." Zidane said as he knelt down and began patting Zoe's forehead.

"Papa I'm so happy we brought her home, she's one with our family."

Zidane smiled.

"She certainly is Sarah."

"Hmm!"

Sarah looked out across the courtyard then back at Zoe. "Ready?" Zidane scooted away from Zoe as her ears perked up and eyeballed the ball.

"And….FETCH!" The princess threw with all her strength the ball as Zoe dashed off following.

"Nice throw, that one really went far." Zidane watched.

"Wow I didn't think I was getting stronger throwing it. I normally can't throw that far."

Zoe jumped up in the air catching the ball with her mouth then started darting her way back towards the father and daughter.

"Nice catch Zoe!" Zidane cheered as Zoe wagged her tail happily and circled between the Sarah and Zidane.

"Wanna see a cool trick?" Zidane looked up to Sarah as she looked back at him. "A trick? Did you teach Zoe something new?" Sarah tilted her head curiously. Zidane let out a small grin.

"Watch and see."

"Zoe, drop it!" Zidane extended his hand out as Zoe walked up to Zidane and released the ball into Zidane's hand. Zidane stood up as Zoe watched eyeballing the ball intently. Zidane rotated his upper torso left and right then looked out across the courtyard.

"Ready?"

Sarah watched her father as he did a few more stretches.

"And…." Zidane extended his arm holding the ball as far behind him as he could.

"FETCH!"

He threw his arm forward as Sarah watched along and saw Zoe darting across the courtyard. Sarah shook her head blinking a few times and looked back at her father.

"Papa…wh…where did the ball go?" she asked.

"Heheheheh!" He snickered. "A thief never reveals his secrets." Sarah arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Papa you know mother doesn't like it when you pull such thievery nonsense… where did the ball go?"

"It's right here." Zidane raised his tail in Sarah's eye level while letting out a smirk. Sarah shook her head and looked out to a confused Zoe looking around the courtyard and barking at her and Zidane.

"Papa! That's so mean!" she pouted while placing her hands at her hips, a sight all too familiar to Zidane.

"Hehehe your mother gave me the same exact reaction when I played tricks." Zidane winked.

"Papa let Zoe have her ball."

"Alright alright. Zoe!" Zoe ran back towards Zidane as he revealed the ball, she barked a few times excitedly and sat herself on the grass.

"Here ya go, sorry girl." Zidane dropped the ball before Zoe as she laid her entire body on the grass and started chewing on the ball.

"Don't play that mean trick again on Zoe papa, please?" Sarah pleaded as she knelt down petting Zoe's forehead. Zidane knelt down and started petting Zoe's body. "I won't angel, I promise." Zidane smiled as Sarah looked back to him with her sincere smile.

"Gods you look so much like your mother when she was your age. It's almost like I'm seeing her all over again." Zidane complimented.

"Was it because you couldn't keep your eyes off her?"

"Haha! You caught me red handed, she was eye catchy."

"As in catchy like the berries on the tree meeting the twigs?" Sarah winked.

"WHA!? WHO TAUGHT YOU THAT!?" Zidane's jaw dropped as Sarah chuckled.

"You can thank Uncle Blank for teaching me about your little mishaps papa."

"HE…HE WHAT!?"

Sarah kept chuckling.

"I'm only teasing papa, I'm not gullible."

Zidane let out a scuff but couldn't help but be impressed.

"So you already know bout…how you…you were born huh?"

Sarah nodded.

"You and mother's story about the fairy moogles bringing babies to the palace was quite far from the truth. Let alone unlikely since most moogles have already told me that is only a fairy tale." Sarah tilted her head with her eyes giving a sneaky vibe to her father. He shook his head and held the back of his head.

"No fooling ya huh?"

Sarah smiled.

"I learned from the best parents."

"Aww shucks…you're just pulling my leg now aren't ya?"

Zoe let out a gentle bark, Zidane looked at her.

"Hey! No siding with her on this!"

Sarah laughed; she let out a sincere smile and looked at Zoe who looked back at her panting.

"Papa…can…can I ask you a question?"

Zidane looked at his daughter with a surprise look.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" He asked as he placed a hand behind her back. Sarah lowered her eyes for a moment then slowly looked towards her father.

"What…do you know about…trance?"

Zidane's felt his stomach tense up, as if something was squeezing the life out of it. He looked away from his daughter, his breathing felt heavy; he could feel his tail tensing itself as if it was gripping onto the something. He let out a deep sigh as his daughter kept her eyes on him.

"Well…trance…it's a…a very-"

"Please don't lie papa…please? For me?" Sarah lifted her hand off Zoe's head and laid it on her father's shoulder. Her blue eyes and soft skin face were irresistible to Zidane, knowing he and Garnet created the child before her. After her birthday incident, Zidane spent more time with Zidane as much as he could, even taking a break from his tour with Tantalus to keep Sarah happy and less stressed. He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them, keeping his eyes on her with her puppy dog like eyes looking back at him.

"I could never lie to you Sarah…I know that after your birthday you must have a lot of questions about yourself. And your mother and I we honestly didn't know what to do about it. We both talked it over and she said that as long as we told you the honest truth about everything you need to know about…your potential abilities, we would give you the right answers and not try to veer away from the truth."

Sarah let out a small sigh.

"I understand papa…however I would like to know about it…do you know anything about it?"

Zidane looked out across the courtyard; he had his attention looking out to the stream of water circling the palace. Listening to its coursing movement made him think how much Sarah was growing up so fast before his eyes.

"Guess there's no stopping ya huh?"

"I just want to know if there's more to me that I should be aware of before I hurt others…especially you and mother."

Zidane shook his head.

"I'm sure you've heard it many times before since your birthday…but you don't have it in your heart to hurt the people you care for." Zidane looked at his daughter. "The thing is Sarah…trance is an emotional trembling that causes our emotions to surge into a power entity like being that raises our strength and give us powerful abilities that normal magic can't really replicate per say."

Sarah took her hands of her father's back; she looked to her hands hovering above Zoe who was looking past her hands to her. Sarah kept rotating her hands looking at her palms then the back of her hands. Zidane watched as his daughter continued studying her hands; he gently laid his right hand on her shoulder as she looked up to him catching her off guard.

"It's not really what I know that would be the right answer to give you, it's what I've seen it do that would be a more realistic answer I can give. For me I was able to unleash some wicked elemental attacks that did some pretty immersive damage during our intense battles against some pretty crazy monsters we encountered."

Sarah lowered her hands; she adjusted her posture finding herself sitting on top of her legs. Her tailed curled around her body, her blow bow found itself resting next to Zoe's foreleg as the dog spotted the princess's tail and started sniffing it. She then laid her head against it while looking up to the father and daughter.

"Papa…am I capable of being able to trance as you have?"

Zidane sat on the grass with his legs crossed and tail curled around him as well, he laid his hands on the ground while leaning back while keeping his attention to his daughter. There was talk between Zidane and Garnet about the potential of her being able to trance as they have during their adventures. However one fear between them was if her trance would result in the possibility of jittering down the path Kuja took during his trance phase on Terra. They both had the same fear of their daughter falling victim of her fears; all too similar to Kuja's fear that caused him to send utter destruction upon Terra and Gaia.

They debated about telling Sarah, even long before her birthday, they didn't know whether or not to keep it a secret away from her to prevent the same fate Kuja had. While at the same time Sarah was not like him, not by any means or ways. Yet their genetics were spliced in creation of her through natural means. Sarah was no doubt in the relms of her mother's summoning abilities and her parents trance abilities. One small minor detail Sarah didn't know was that her parent's and Uncle weren't the only ones who could trance too.

"The truth is…it's possible." Zidane's voice faded.

Sarah closed her eyes, for as long as she was able to understand herself; she had at times wondered if there was more to her than what meets the eye. Sarah opened her eyes.

"I see…" her voice sounded disappointed Zidane leaned forward and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Angel…I don't want you to think your death coming after everyone. See…the actual good thing is we can control it. See it mostly comes out because we're so emotionally heated up in battle; it's very rare that it comes out during an emotional trauma or in some cases in moments where your angry about something in which I've only seen it happen a few times in my lifetime. So…if you were thinking that it could've happened during your birthday, well luck was on your side that night, you weren't close as far as I was told about what happened to you."

Sarah closed her eyes.

"You mean…it could've happened that night?" she opened her eyes.

Zidane hesitantly nodded.

"In reality...yes…it could have."

Sarah took a deep breath and slowly exhaled trying not to over react to the truth her father just told. It crossed her mind instantly that she could have possibly killed everyone at that exact moment.

"Papa…I…I could've…"

"Don't say it." Zidane interrupted as he cupped his daughter's soft and gentle cheeks. It caught Sarah off guard; she looked into his caring blue eyes. The same blue eyes she has like him. No doubt he know apart of him was in her, the willingness to want to help those for no reason at all.

"Sarah…deep in your heart, you don't have it in you to ever want to cause pain and suffering to everyone around you." He gently shook her head. "Not in a million years." He leaned his head in gently resting his forehead with hers and closed his eyes. She looked into his closed eyes feeling surprised by his movement. She found her hands holding the side of his torso.

"You are my daughter and I helped teach you everything I know to help you make the right choices in life, to know the difference between right and wrong. I'll be damned to ever see you hurt another person maliciously." He opened his eyes, expressing his confidence in her. He pulled his head back as her confused expression followed along with her eyes.

"You are Sarah til Tribal the 1st, don't you ever forget that. No trance or summoning or magic will ever change who you are. You will always be yourself."

He gently patted her shoulders; he looked towards her pendant, as it shimmered against the sunlight.

"Your mother and I are very proud of you Sarah. Don't you ever forget." He looked back towards her. "I'm sorry to getting off track with what you asked but…I just want you to never forget how much we care about you." He smiled.

Zoe stood up and gently laid her forepaws on Sarah's lap and started panting. Sarah and Zidane looked at the happy dog as Sarah removed her right hand off her father and laid it on top of Zoe's back. Zoe leaned up and started licking Sarah's face; Sarah instinctively pulled away but Zoe kept her licks going. Sarah leaned as far back as she could while Zoe moved herself on top of Sarah's chest causing the princess to fall on her back, letting out a laugh as Zidane watched.

"Zoe! Stop! Me and papa are trying to talk!" She princess struggled to speak while still laughing. Sarah tried pushing her pet off but the dog kept resisting. Zidane leaned forward and gently grabbed Zoe's collar and tugged it carefully.

"Alright Zoe off now." He said while letting out a small laugh. Zoe pushed herself off Sarah, the princess then brushed her tunic then leaned up, followed by shaking her head and sitting upright on the grass.

"Sorry angel, didn't think Zoe wanted to help chime in her own little help to ya." Zidane smiled while leaned up with Zoe beside him.

Sarah shook her head.

"It's okay…I kinda needed that…from you and her. But…I do appreciate the kind words." She said happily feeling relieved from her mild anxiety.

"Did you still want me to tell you more about trance?'

Sarah nodded.

"Please."

…

Knock Knock Knock

"Hmm? Come in?"

The set of twin wooden oak doors opened inside a generous size oval shaped study room, a large tall stained glass filled with Alexandrian landmarks and the palace overlooked the entire room, book shelves surrounding the room and a beautifully crafted cherry wood desk, with the Queen of Alexandria sitting behind it on her large red cushioned matching cheery wooden chair, both on top of a large red rose colored carpet. Entering the room the daughter of her General; gingerly closing the door behind her. A large clank sound sounded off against her rapier as it became caught between the doors, startling the young woman as she opened and pulled her sheath forward allowing the door to close. The Queen let out a sincere chuckle as the nervous woman approached her desk.

"And what do I owe the pleasure of being your audience today Rose?" The Queen smiled as she lowered her quill on top of several pieces of golden parchment paper on the desk. Rose bowed to the Queen and stood straight.

"I…I came forth to request an audience with you…Your Majesty…" she said nervously.

"Rose, you may relax, after all you're my dear friend's daughter and you are always more than welcome to address me casually." The Queen smiled as she laid her hands on top of the desk.

"Oh…apologies…I didn't mean to…" Rose covered her mouth while letting out a small cough then returned to her straightened stance.

"I wanted to stop by and ask you…something…something important." She said.

"Oh? I'm all ears." The Queen gently scooted her seat closer to her desk, she placed her elbows on top of her table and lifted her hands up, holding them together she rested her chin on top of them.

"I….well…it's about…the upcoming recruitment for Alexandria's military." Rose dusted off her red jacket quickly. "I'm just…a bit overwhelmed that it's coming so soon and…I feel nervous about it."

Garnet smiled.

"Why are you nervous? Is it because you feel that you are obligated to attend?"

"Uhm…no it's not that…I just…"

Rose could see in Garnet's brown gentle eyes how much they reminded her of Sarah, despite her friend's eye color matching her father's. Rose looked up towards the glass stained window, seeing all the sights Alexandria was known for, the palace being the most prominent feature of the window, the ticket booth, several rowed houses, windmills, church, and Alexandria's coat of arms centered.

"It's beautiful isn't it?"

"Huh? Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean to be distracted." Rose quickly redirected her attention towards the Queen as she smiled at her.

"It's alright, I too get distracted by it as well, can you believe this was only created in a mere week? The artist who designed did everything she could to present this as a gift after my return from my long adventures when the palace was rebuilt. Such a gorgeous piece of artwork, I love having it watch over me as I do my work or take the time to settle down and read peacefully."

"Oh, it must've been quite the gift to receive." Rose slowly looked up towards the window.

"It certainly is." Garnet smiled.

Rose slowly returned her attention towards the Queen.

"But…much apologies but…I…I wanted to ask you some…advice about…what I may do to serve you and Her Hig…I mean…Sarah well."

Garnet leaned back on her chair with her hands still remain in position, she glanced at the red dressed young lady. The Queen can recall the days of her being a well-mannered with small hints of being timid child. The memorable moments she remembered Rose was always being close to Sarah, despite being complete opposites in personality, they always balanced one another that complimented their friendship together. As they grew older their friendship remained strong to each other, however Rose found herself feeling torn by her newfound commitments to her parents and her place in Alexandria's military.

"My such a question to ask Rose." Garnet replied gently. "Why do you ask? You are a close family friend to us and a dear friend to Sarah too."

Rose gently brushed part of her hair back then held her hands together.

"It's because…I don't wish to let…mother and father down…I apologize if this is inappropriate to ask of you."

Garnet shook her head.

"It isn't, to be fair even Sarah has asked me similar questions as well."

Rose let out a small gasp in disbelief.

"But…she has everything here…I…not to compare but…I myself don't have as much as she does…I mean…what I meant to say is…is…" Rose's eyes drifted away from the Queen. She felt flustered trying to find the right words to say to the Queen.

"It's alright Rose, honesty will help you feel better, please continue. I'm not here to pass judgement on you."

Rose nodded then looked back at Garnet.

"What I meant to say was…I'm not as…fortunate as she is…though mother and father do so much for me, I feel as if I'm not well enough to helm such responsibilities."

"Hmm I see now that wasn't so hard to say was it now?" Garnet smiled. Rose shook her head. "Well now, Rose may I ask you a very important question once I grant you an answer?"

"Uhm…of course Your Majesty…by all means.

Garnet let out a gentle smile and rest her hands on the table.

"The truth is Rose, you've done so much for us already, there is nothing more you can do to better serve us. You're kindness and generous heart is more than enough for us to savor. It's not how much you do for one that constitutes being a prosperous…servant. It's the heart that matters most; the quality you bring shows how much you mean to them. One prime example is how much you've decorated our rooms around the palace with your plants, their beauty and serenity relaxes our mind and soul. Being my daughter's closest friend is the most wonderful gift you could bring us. Seeing her with you brings me peace knowing my daughter has someone close to her she can be happy with, someone to share wonderful memories with and most of all, someone she can trust with her life."

The Queen's words eased Rose's mild anxiety she was feeling inside. To watch her best friend growing up to become the next in line for the throne gave much pressure to her not knowing if they would remain friends. Along with trying to find the right path in the life ahead of her, she couldn't figure if she wished to continue down the path of the solider like her parents before her.

"I…I see…I'm grateful to have fulfilled Sarah's desires and your wish of having someone she can…depend on in me." Rose said gingerly.

"Oh Rose, I know you feel timid by all these responsibilities you are undertaking and I know for a fact you're parents have unconditional full support of your life decisions ahead of you." Garnet smiled.

Rose nodded.

"They…they do…I just don't wish to disappoint them…" Rose looked away from the Queen.

"For as long as I've seen you grow up alongside my daughter Rose, you've never once been a disappointment with anyone here."

Rose slowly looked back towards the Queen.

"I'm…glad to know that still stands…"

"Have I answered your question Rose?"

"Hmm…yes Your Majesty." Rose nodded. Garnet smiled, she scooted her chair back and stood up, she walked around her desk in her white dress ivory dress standing before Rose as she looked up to her.

"May I ask what your heart seeks in your life Rose?" She asked as she held her hands together.

"Uhm…" she paused for a moment giving thought of what to answer the Queen. Not often did Rose's interactions with the Garnet was personal, most times they had chatter about her studies, times with Sarah, her parents and her florist skills & ideas for the palace. She pressed her lips together and gently blinked her eyes.

"I…I want…I want to be…a botanist…and florist together…" Rose responded.

"What a wonderful path to choose Rose."

Rose shook her head in disbelief.

"You're not…not concerned of me not joining the military?"

Garnet shook her head.

"Rose, you've a gift inside you, a powerful gift, different from your parents. It brings people joy and serenity when they are in their rooms here at the palace. It's such a wonderful gift to have that not many people here offer. The day we finished the gardens, I've never once seen it empty, there's always someone there enjoying its beauty. The beauty that you brought for us Rose; you probably may not know this but your parents always speak highly of these skills, did you know that?"

Rose let out a small gasp.

"They…they have?"

Garnet nodded.

"They're very proud of your newfound skill; to be quite honest, they have been indirectly encouraging you to follow that path more because they see how happy it makes you. For them they wish to see your happiness flourish with a path that allows you to stay true to who you are deep inside. As I said before, this power you have deep inside of you can be used for wonderful things in your life. For which with great power comes great responsibility."

Rose saw in the eyes of the Queen her deep sincerity towards her, feeling her comfort made her think back of her choices recently. She wondered to herself if she was truly happy with where she was going with her life. Her childhood was filled with memorable life experiences with her parents, with Sarah, the maids of the palace, and Zidane & Garnet themselves with their friends too. Many people have considered Rose apart of the royal family with her close ties to Sarah. During which some have mistaken their relation as sisters until it was learned she was Beatrix's daughter. Most have speculated the General's daughter would protect the Princess of Alexandria as her mother guards the Queen herself.

Rose's felt her heart feeling lighter; she placed her right hand above her chest and slowly lowered her head. The words of the Queen settled nicely in her mind. She looked back at her.

"Your Majesty…thank you…for your words…I'm grateful to have come to you for advice…" Rose quietly said. Garnet took a few steps forward and placed a hand on Rose's shoulder.

"You truly are a blessing on these palace grounds Rose, your family is very happy for your birth and are proud of the person you have become today. I myself am proud to have you live here and forever happy to you consider you the closest sibling to my daughter she could ever ask for." The Queen smiled.

Rose let out a weak yet gentle smile towards the Queen. Garnet removed her hand and took a step back as Rose gently raked her hair with her hand. A loud knock rapped from the doors, nearly startling Rose.

"Hehe, don't be startled now. Tis only a knock." Garnet looked over Rose's shoulders. "Please come in."

One of the two doors opened as Rose turned around seeing a large visible tray with a large spout and small cup entering first with Melody following along. "Good afternoon Your Majes…oh Lady Rose, I wasn't expecting to see you here, if I had known I would've provided an additional cup for you as well." Melody said as she approached Garnet and Rose.

"Oh…I'm so sorry I didn't mean to not announce myself of being with Her Majesty." Rose bowed back to the maid who stopped before her also taking a gentle bow.

"It is quite alright young lady and much apologies for short coming my greeting to you Your Majesty."

Garnet gently waved a hand.

"Melody there's no need to always be so formal when you're around me." Garnet smiled.

"Ah but Your Majesty it's quite hard to loosen up such composure after all these years."

Garnet gently chuckled.

"Always one for formalities." The Queen teased as Melody gently laughed.

"On the contrary Your Majesty. Lady Rose may I bring an additional cup to serve your fresh brewed Darjeeling tea?"

Rose shook her head.

"Oh no thank you Melody, I was…I was about to leave." She said.

"I see, well now I do wish you a wonderful rest of the day should we not cross paths again." The maid smiled.

"Hmm! Thank you for the offer and…" Rose turned towards the Queen. "Thank you for your time Your Majesty; I appreciate your kind words." Rose bowed to the Queen.

"You're most welcome Lady Rose; please don't hesitate to come by again, even for a quick chat. I always enjoy your company." Garnet smiled.

"I…I will…please enjoy the rest of your afternoon." Rose turn around and looked towards Melody. "And you have a wonderful afternoon as well Melody." She bowed to the maid.

"You as well Lady Rose." Melody smiled.

Rose nodded her head and took her leave as everyone watched her exit the room.

"My how much she's grown." Melody said as Garnet nodded her head.

"It's hard to imagine how fast they've both grown." Garnet said.

Melody turned toward the Queen and walked around her standing before her desk. She gently lifted the spout and carefully placed in on top of the desk followed by the cup as the Queen watched. Melody then rested the tray against her apron while holding it with both hands.

"Melody, may I ask you a question?" Garnet asked as she watched Melody walk around he.

"Of course Your Majesty." Melody said as she turned towards the Queen.

"Well…do you remember the days when Sarah and Rose would always run around the palace playing together? Full of energy and always full of smiles with one another?" Garnet asked as she held her hands together.

Melody smiled and looked over her shoulders.

"Who wouldn't?" She replied then looked back to the Queen. "Those two are quite unique with one another. You couldn't separate them even with the strongest sword ever built."

"Hmm, you're quite right."

"All these years they spent with one another and their willingness to help quell your illness was truly the most memorable efforts of their childhood. It truly bonded them more because of their common goal for you Your Majesty."

"Hmm…I wouldn't be where I am today if was not their efforts as well."

Melody nodded.

"Sometimes in life we are gifted with such wonderful people who bring all of us many joys and assurances when life calls for a helping hand. You had your husband when you first fled the castle and your daughter had Rose to help with you. It's remarkable how life finds a way for all of us to in a place of sanctuary."

Garnet smiled.

"Such wise words Melody."

"Oh Your Majesty I'm just a mere maid nothing more." Melody teased as Garnet let out a chuckle.

"I see Nadine has brushed off on you as well."

"She certainly has, it's a remarkable feeling to know that all of us here in the palace are connected so deep with one another. As for Her Highness and Lady Rose, their lives have truly touched all of us deeply and no matter what happens, they will certainly care for one another in their own ways. I know Her Highness must still be worried about what happened during her birthday but I know for certain she has all the help she needs to overcome her concerning uncertain future before her."

Garnet's eyes slowly drifted away from Melody as she stared off to the right towards a shelf full of books.

"I'm certain you and Lord Zidane have spoken to her about her unfound new abilities, have you?"

Garnet slowly nodded as she looked over towards the stained glass window.

"I've slowly had this conversation with her, she seems to be taking it somewhat well but I know that she must still have many more questions to ask. I know Zidane will have to answer some questions to her as well about her heritage from his side of her family tree."

Melody nodded.

"Her Highness is quite brilliant in her studies Your Majesty, I'm sure she will helm herself well with great understanding. I know that Lord Zidane's relationship to him will certainly be brought up but only the truth will allow her to quell her feelings about her abilities."

"Hmm."

Garnet continued studying the stained glass hoping to find an answer on it. Melody made a valid point about answering any question her daughter will have for her and Zidane.

"Your right." She turned towards Melody. "You're absolutely right Melody. I promised her I'd be the mother she needed. I promised her I'd answer any questions she may have."

Melody smiled.

"You always have Your Majesty, don't forget, you may be a ruling monarch in these lands. However inside these palace walls you a mother of a dear daughter who looks up to you."

Garnet smiled happily and nodded.

"I always appreciated you being my conscious at times when I need one Melody."

"And I am grateful for being able to be by your side as well Your Majesty."

"What I know about my parents is they always promised me that they would help me by any means necessary. However it does extend out to those around them as well. Their selflessness of always helping others no matter who it may be was the one greatest reason my mother fell for papa. He would help anyone for no reason at all. Mother followed his words close to heart and it was well perceived by everyone around her.

I know what I will be asking more of from them about my newfound abilities will without a doubt be their greatest challenge in their lifetime. Apart of me feels awful for putting them in this position but life itself is full of mystery. They've experienced more shocking events that's changed their lives forever and that experience they know will be their guidance for me as I learn how to cope with such powers.

While I may have been a child trying to help my mother cope with her illness, now she and everyone around me, will now try to find the answers I'm looking for now. It will not be an easy path however I was right about my birthday becoming the moment where my life was going to change like my mother before me. Now I must undergo this quest to learn more about myself. It starts here at home first. I believe in my parents' ability to continue to raise me well as they have since my birth. I am forever grateful for their unconditional love and compassion. I know I am in good hands with them and with everyone around me.

Yet…

I'm worried about asking them….about the mysterious woman who I saw on my birthday."