-Chapter 14-
War of Two Worlds
"Mother…
I've made it to Conde Petie, yet I failed to listen to my dear cousin and help my friend.
I made mistakes since stepping foot on the Outer Continent.
I can't help but wonder…did you make mistakes also?
I have wondered if making mistakes meant failure.
So…
Tell me mother, did you feel the same way I did when your mistakes hurt those around you? How did you overcome them? How did you and papa overcome the mistakes made that hurt the people you loved?"
Will I find those answers as well? Like you have?
I'm worried about telling you what happened today…would you be upset at me? I hope not…
I'm sorry mother if I let you down.
I hope you and papa will forgive me for letting you down.
I promise that I won't let myself give in to my failures.
I won't lie to myself anymore about how I how feel about all of this now.
I hope you and papa will be well without me; I hope everything will be alright while I'm away from home."
"Oh darling thank you so much for taking the time to see me oh I love what you've done with the palace as always!"
"Uhm...not much has changed since you were last here; we just maintain its cleanliness as always."
"Oh ho ho ho charming, they do say Alexandria's palace has indeed the best household services anyone would die for!"
"While true yet we all hold ourselves accountable here, in fact from time to time even myself and Sarah take part in the cleaning."
"Dear heavens! Why do such….vial task? There are far more better things to worry about dearie, besides you've tons of maids, speaking of I'm quite famish from the long journey could you be a dear and have one of them fetch me a drink?"
"….."
"I would like your strongest wine here, in fact I believe a Treno tonic red whisper would do much wonders for me since it's still the afternoon."
"…..Certainly…I…I'll call forth for someone to kindly serve you Mrs. Winston…."
Garnet picked up a small wooden handled silver glass bell before her, she weakly rung it carefully as the sound echoed inside the dining hall; she had hoped no one would hear it but at the same time she knew it wouldn't look well before her guest. She placed the bell back on top of the table, she held her hands together as the noble sitting to her left smiled with delight while fanning herself with her large lavender fluffed fan.
"Please you may call me Gertrude, no need for all the formalities so suddenly, after all you're the one who did embrace your true name did you not?" the noble said as she continued fanning herself. Despite being a good distance away, Garnet could feel the small breeze coming from Gertrude's fan. It felt as she was purposely trying to keep the attention to her.
"I mean no offense, I'm only maintaining properness that is all." The Queen replied numbly.
"Please my husband isn't here and after all we are close contacts are we not?"
"Close contacts?"
"Why yes! Surely you've not forgotten about us now have we? After all we've done for the royal family all these years, you surely wouldn't want to lose touch with us now do we?"
Garnet shook her head.
"I'm certain that any communication we have with one another is surely in good faith is it not?"
Gertrude let out a harsh laugh; it nearly made Garnet cringe.
"Oh you're quite funny! The only times we've ever spoken is at galas and meal times, yet we barely get to speak like this! I seem to only get letters from your advisors than from you personally; I feel as if we should speak on our own terms and not that of middle person to converse with one another."
"Uhm I'm not fully comprehending what you mean…Gertrude?"
"I mean we should modernize how we converse, after all isn't that what you wish for?"
Garnet could feel her fingers fiddling with themselves, she wasn't fully grasping what the noble was trying to nod to her. She felt like a sign was just thrown out there in plain view and just missed it. In a sudden split moment she heard the footsteps of one of her maid's walking into the dining hall, giving her a huge relief in the awkward moment.
"Your Majesty, Lady Winston." The maid curtseyed as Garnet and Gertrude looked over to the maid. "How may I of be of service?" The maid followed up.
"Oh be a dear and please grant me a Treno tonic red whisper and oh please make it extra strong, the drink I had at the party when I was last here was certainly wonders!" Gertrude grinned. Garnet felt the back of her spine flare up, realizing she had spiked Gertrude's drink Sarah's birthday.
"Certainly! And Your Majesty? Your usual?"
Garnet shook her head quickly without thinking.
"No…nothing for me Chiyo…uhm…thank you and uhm…perhaps open a fresh one from the wine cellar…if that's alright…." The Queen stuttered. Chiyo blinked a few times noting the Queen's stutter. Then realizing the idea of a fresh bottle coincidentally registered in the maid's mind to not spit in Gertrude's drink this time.
"At once Your Majesty." Chiyo bowed and took her leave.
"Ohh I love when they're fresh from the cellar, you certainly know how to pick the right bottles." Gertrude said as Garnet looked towards her.
"We rarely use them around here."
"Heavens to betsy! You've much selection around here, please spice it up a little why dunchu?" Gertrude laughed as Garnet closed her eyes trying to think about her daughter. "Oh speaking of which; how is Her Highness by the way?" Garnet opened her eyes, feeling as if Gertrude read her mind; she looked towards the noble fanning herself constantly; it reminded her of Brahne's habit of fanning herself constantly.
"She recently just…departed for Daguerro earlier before your arrival."
"Oh she has? Goodness I was hoping to meet with her, after all she seems to have been avoiding us ever since her fiasco of a birthday festival; goodness my poor son still wishes for an apology for what she has done to him."
Garnet clenched a fist with her right hand as it laid on her lap.
"I do apologize for my daughter's absences but she made it clear that her focus to remain with her studies was most important before she fully undertakes the duties of being the Princess of Alexandria."
"Hardly, tell me Garnet, how long does she plan on being on this study abroad now?"
"Hmmm…..she didn't specify to be fairly honest."
"Oh hohoho…no specific time you say?"
Garnet shook her head.
"Please my dear son wishes to meet with her; after all poor Radcliff still has nightmares of that night. The poor dear still wakes up thinking he's going to lose his eye sights again."
"I highly doubt that." Garnet thought to herself.
"Haven't you forgotten your own maids were blinded too?"
Garnet shook her head again.
"It was only two of them…they both have forgiven her for the incident, they don't have any flash backs to that…incident whatsoever…" Garnet quickly eyeballed the dining room's entrance praying Chiyo or anyone at this point to walk in on their conversation.
"Must be nice." Gertrude snarled. "Radcliff hasn't been all well and in fact he nearly has to skip classes because of it."
Garnet blinked few times and gently brushed her short and soft hair back.
"I apologize for my daughter not being readily made available…as I spoken; she has been preoccupied with much on her plate…"
"And yet you allowed her to leave Alexandria of all timings?" Gertrude arched an eyebrow as she closed her fan; surprising Garnet.
"What do you mean?"
"Perhaps maybe you are trying to keep her away from what happened?" Gertrude laid an elbow on table while leaning closer towards the Queen. "My husband might fall for your gullible reasoning but I'm not; our personal jurisconsult tells me that he has reasons to believe you're purposely hiding your daughter from my son."
Garnet felt her entire body freeze like a blizzard storm, in some parts Gertrude was not wrong. In the aftermath of Sarah's birthday Garnet purposely avoided all letters from the Winston family. Her only personal responses was mostly towards Gertrude's husband, his request to meet with her daughter were only met by rejections of her busy schedule.
"What makes you certain that I am committing such action?" Garnet arched an eyebrow.
"Certainly did you forget what you said at the night of your daughter's birthday?"
Garnet felt her fingers fiddling with themselves again, she knew exactly what she said that night. Something she would never forget.
"If any of you have any problems with my daughter, then leave and never come back here ever again! I could care less what contracts or terms we have with one another, they mean nothing to me and Alexandria anymore! If you're only here to throw your weight around our people then you will never be welcomed back here ever again!"
Her words echoed in her ears, she had a feeling they would come back to haunt her; out of all the nobles that decided to come back at her would be the mother of the son Sarah involuntarily harmed. She let out a sigh and kept her eye on Gertrude's ice cold brown eyes glaring towards her.
"Did you forget your own words Garnet?" Gertrude asked as Garnet shook her head.
"I didn't forget…and…I stand by those words." Garnet clenched her fists.
"And I ask again, are your purposely keeping your daughter away from us? Knowing full well she maliciously attacked my son?" Gertrude laid her fan on the table.
"The story I was told was your son spoke ill-worded words towards my daughter and our family. Those who partook in their means of wishing to take my daughter's hand in marriage must under no circumstances cause abuse of any kind towards her."
"And verbal abuse constitutes physical altercation?" Gertrude carefully squinted her eyes towards the Queen. Garnet unclenched her fist; it felt like she was being tested with mind games from the noble. She had to choose her words carefully in the moment.
"Though I do not condom violence of any kind…" she started off slowly. She let her eyes lay on her hands, she took a glance at her wedding ring. Thinking about Zidane and Sarah; she twiddle the band with her fingers. She looked back up towards Gertrude with a stern look on her face. "If it's an act of self-defense and was in any form and way put in harm's way…then anyone has opened themselves out to an equal act towards them as well."
"Ohh I see now…" Gertrude picked up her fan and started fanning herself. "Then do tell me this Your Majesty."
Garnet arched her eyebrow as Gertrude leaned back on her chair, making herself feel comfortable.
"Do you like this dining set? The table? The chairs?"
Garnet looked at the table and chairs setup before them. Admitting to herself she was not one for any particular furniture brands or styles in particular; in her mind they were meant just for meal times and nothing more. Compared to her noble guest, one who has the most expensive furniture had higher influence values to the world causing the ripple effect of wanting to have more expense taste with one another.
"It serves its purpose…I hardly wonder of whom made it and where it came from; twas always here for as long as I remember." Garnet shook her head.
Gertrude laughed.
"Oh my, only to serve its purpose? I could say the same for your maids as well…they're only purpose here is to just serve us and nothing more." Gertrude snickered.
"They're just like you and I who hold a position to make income. They do an honest person's work and I do everything I can to pay them well and give them a welcoming environment where they are not stressed beyond their capacities." Garnet snapped back.
"Oh really Your Highness? You've certainly have changed the way things have been ran here I see. Your STEP MOTHER however was quite different compared to you."
Garnet felt a twitch in forehead, a nerve struck the area like an animal on the prowl.
"Mother ruled the kingdom her way when she helmed the throne and as for I, I run it differently from her. If my people are pleased with the end results of their lives being changed for the good then I know I am doing my job well then."
"On the contrary, you seem not to know how things are truly ran around these parts."
Garnet blinked her eyes in disbelief.
"What do you mean by that?"
Gertrude let out a smirk.
"You see, all the furniture in this palace; I can promise you this, my husband made quite a deal with your step-mother and father then. Promising them only the best our shoppe has to offer. To the point where even the King himself didn't wish for anyone else to sell him any third rate furniture to him, he simply only wanted the best. So my dear Winston was able to lock in a grand term of agreements where only WE can supply the Alexandria Castle with our FINEST furniture. Any attempts to make any purchases from another would be considered a breach of terms and we would be given such a wonderful settlement from those breaches. You could say we have much higher influence than you're honestly well aware of."
Garnet looked away from the noble giving thought. She didn't honestly care for anything the noble stated about their terms of agreement being the supplier of the palace's furniture. If this was what truly was on the table for her in regards to the sanctity of Sarah, the choice was clear to her. She looked back to the noble.
"If you're trying to say you want your furniture back because of what my daughter has done to your son. Then so be it. You may take it all back then." Garnet said feeling pleased, it struck a nerve with the noble.
"Just like that? You're not even going to reconsider the effects it'll have on your palace? How it will be presented to the world? Surely you must be out of your mind!" The noble raised her voice.
"Then you should've just gotten straight to the point and not waste my time." Garnet said as she brushed her hair. Chiyo just entered the dining hall with Gertrude's drink on top of her serving tray, she approached the noble beside her and presented the drink in front of her.
"You're Treno tonic red whisper m'lady." Chiyo kindly said while taking a quick bow to the lady.
"Wait just a moment my dear lady." Gertrude responded as Chiyo blinked her eyes.
"Oh…certainly." Chiyo placed the drink before Gertrude on the table then took a few steps back.
"Mark my words Your Majesty, you're still very young at this game, just because you say you are willing to part ways with all the furniture we've given to your adopted family doesn't mean it's the end of this. My husband may be the one writing all the terms but I hold the gil closer to us than he ever will. My son was viciously attacked by your daughter and I will not let that go."
"And I stand by with my daughter, your son hurled slurs at her; we do not condom any of that here in Alexandria." Garnet raised her voice as Chiyo kept changed her attention between the Queen and Noble.
"Stand by her all you wish; I can promise you many nobles in Treno are displeased with your actions since the passing of the late Queen. I can promise you it will not be the last you'll see of me." Gertrude picked up her glass. "Judge not what you see before you, but judge those from their actions." Gertrude took a quick sip of her drink then tossed it directly towards Chiyo. The maid let out a yell as the drink splattered all over her outfit with the glass and serving crashing onto the marble flooring. Garnet gasped, she stood up from her seat and slammed her hands on the table.
"You've overstayed your welcome! I'm going to ask you to leave now, don't make me ask Beatrix to be the one to escort you herself." The Queen said furrowing her eye brows. Gertrude however let out a laugh while Chiyo dropped to her knees and pulled out a cleaning clothe from inside her apron and started cleaning herself up.
"Oh what a pity, we had barely just started our conversation…forgive me for the short trip then." Gertrude smirked.
"I've no reason to, you've caused enough harm already, leave now before I summon for Beatrix." Garnet pointed out towards the entry way. Gertrude raised her shoulders and let out another laugh.
"Then so be it Your Majesty; do tell all your so called helpers that we will be by very soon to collect all of our furniture; and also we will be in touch soon to deal with your daughter. After all I am paying quality gil for our jurisconsult."
"I'm sure you are; my daughter is off limits until further notice."
Gertrude stood up from her chair, she walked along the table, pacing slowly towards Garnet as she watched her carefully. She shifted her right foot to the side in anticipation that the noble may try to lay a hand on her. The noble stood just a few steps away from her, the breeze of her fan was strong as it was being waved. The noble's eerie smile glared at the Queen as the noble gently bowed to her.
"Twas an honor to meet again…Garnet." She whispered to her. "We will certainly meet again soon."
Garnet stood silent, the noble let out smirk to the Queen as she walked past her taking her leave. The Queen followed the noble with her eyes as she left while hearing the loud clicks of her heels making contact with the marble flooring. The noble was out of sight, Garnet let out a reliving sigh; she then looked over towards Chiyo and rushed to her aide.
"Chiyo are you alright?" The Queen asked as she got on her knees catching the maid off guard with her presence."
"Oh Your Majesty, your assistance is not needed, I can handle this." Chiyo said politely as she waved her hand towards Garnet. The Queen shook her hand extended her hand to the maid. "Please, I don't mind lending a hand." Garnet smiled as Chiyo's hand stopped from the cleanup.
"Are you sure? I mean it was only a small glass."
Garnet shook her head.
"I rather help out than let myself be caught up like Gertrude. Do you have another cleaning clothe?"
"Oh uhm…I do here." Chiyo dropped her own cleaning cloth reaching behind her apron pulling out another, she handed it to Garnet; the Queen grabbed the cloth and began cleaning the spilled wine on the floor.
"Thank you." Garnet said as Chiyo watched in awe by the Queen's assistance.
"Certainly you're not like the others, it still amazes me to this day your willingness to help us along." Chiyo smiled.
"I've learned from my own daughter how to care for others the same as they would for me. I've learned how to be proactive with helping all of you as well."
Chiyo resumed her cleanup of the spill with Garnet helping along, the two managed to clean off the floor and Chiyo started dabbing her outfit to remove any liquid remnants on herself.
"I'm terribly sorry she tossed her drink at you…I didn't think she would so such a thing."
Chiyo shook her head.
"Wouldn't be the first or the last for me, if it's worth a note, the children I've dealt with were more mature than her." Chiyo teased as Garnet let out chuckle.
"Goodness was that from your last job?"
"Hmm! They were only three years old too, two brothers and three sisters."
Garnet gasped in awe.
"Goodness so many children!"
"They were all little angels in my book; I'm sure when they become of age they'll be wonderful people in their lives."
"Weren't you a maid here in Alexandria also?"
"Why yes, in fact it was my first job before coming here."
"Oh goodness that's quite the jump; how did you end up here?"
"I can give you three chances but you're only going to need one guess and I'm sure you'll know the answer to that already." Chiyo winked. Garnet let out a smile.
"Rubie picks her workers all too well."
"She certainly does."
Chiyo extended her hand offering to take Garnet's cleaning cloth, Garnet laid hers in Chiyo's hand, the maid quickly placed the clothes behind her apron and picked up the serving tray first then collecting all the broken glass pieces and laying them on the tray. The two stood up from the floor.
"If I may ask Your Majesty, is it true what she said? That she will be reclaiming all the furniture from the palace?" Chiyo asked as she folded the cleaning clothes in her hands.
Garnet nodded.
"I believe so…but…"
Chiyo raised an eyebrow.
"But?"
Garnet looked out towards the dining table.
"Something inside of me feels like…she meant more was coming than just taking back her furniture…and I can't shake this feeling that…something is going to happen to my daughter because of what happened on her birthday…"
"Dear goodness…it does sound like a feeling you shouldn't ignore.
"Hmmm." Garnet nodded.
"Your Majesty, if I may ask…and you may not answer if you do not wish to."
Garnet shook her head.
"I don't mind, what is it?"
"Does Her Highness know about…any of this? I've heard some rumors here and there that she's not aware of the situation pertaining to conflict taking place between her and Radcliff Winston whatsoever."
Garnet closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head.
"She doesn't…"
"Hmm I thought so, well I promise not to speak a word about this to anyone outside of the place. I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable with the topic at hand…I just…worry about what could happen to all of us here as well."
Garnet opened her eyes and looked to the maid.
"You're absolutely not wrong there…I have been worried as well…I've never told Sarah anything about the after effects of that night. Even when she raised a question I told her that it was all taken care of…when in hindsight, it's not. Even Rubie and Melody knows that is the truth also…so I asked them if anyone asks to please note speak of it around my daughter…especially with Nadine and Mei…they too know of this first hand…"
Chiyo nodded her head.
"Well I can assure you all of us here will make certain nobody will speak of this upon Her Highness' return; after all I'm certain only those close to the palace know of her true whereabouts. We all swore to keep Her Highness safe until this predicament is resolved on your end Your Majesty." The maid smiled as Garnet smiled back to the maid.
"I swear I don't deserve any of you here…" Garnet said as she looked around the dining hall.
"Your Majesty please! We all love being here and to be fairly honest…I think we could use some new furniture around here; besides our beds aren't the most comforting if anything this would do you well to perhaps support locally." Chiyo winked.
Garnet looked to the maid quickly.
"Goodness…you're right…I feel awful for not thinking of that sooner!"
Chiyo let out a chuckle.
"I may not be quite well versed in the political worlds but after hearing that woman's threats, seems like she already sealed the deal. If anything you'll score more points with Alexandrians."
Garnet smiled.
"I swear some of you always give me wonderful ideas to pass on to the Kingdom."
"It's the least we could do Your Majesty." Chiyo smiled.
…
A groggy moaning sounded off inside the Inn, a body sore like never before, arms felt weak, head feeling minor tingly sensations all foreign, the struggle to lift themselves up; normally easy for one to do when waking up from a sleepy slumber; proved harder than normal.
"Ughh…"
Rose found herself opening her eyes coming awake, her eyes slowly regaining vision from a long slumber, her arms and hands still struggling to push her up.
"Don't push yourself!" a voice called to her as she looked at the stoned ceiling above her trying to look for the source of the voice calling to her. "Rose, take it easy." The face of her friend stood above her, she gasped and felt a small tremor in her own body.
"Sa…Sarah…" she said feeling scared.
"You're okay Rose, thank the gods…" Sarah sighed with relief.
"Whe…where are we?"
Sarah smiled.
"We're at Conde Petie, we were able to get away from those creeps back at port."
Rose closed her eyes and sighed disappointedly. "Oh…" she rolled her head to her left on the pillow.
"Rose?"
Rose remained silent, she thought back to her beating, her eyes twitched with fright. She could feel the pain coming back to her from that moment, the laughter, and the sounds of the punches. She felt her hand slowly clenching a fist, ready to throw it.
"Rose?"
Rose gasped and looked back up to her friend.
"Eiko…where's Eiko"
"Over here!" She called out as she popped her head above Rose with a smile. "Looks like your back with us now, thank goodness.
"Oh…"
"I know bad joke…didn't mean to but…I'm very glad you're alright Rose, Sarah hasn't left your side here all morning long."
"She…she didn't?"
Sarah shook her head.
"Nope, I stayed here all morning long…even skipped a meal too."
Rose gasped.
"But…are you not hungry?"
"Nope, I was gonna stay here all day waiting for you to wake up. If anything I wasn't alone sort of speak."
"Huh?"
Sarah tapped the side of the bed as Zoe popped her forepaws and head on the side of the bed looking at Rose. Sarah chuckled.
"Even Zoe is here too, she's okay as well. I'm so relieved you're alright the most to be honest. Here let me help you up" Sarah said as she placed her hands behind Rose's back; catching her off guard.
Sarah gently lifted her friend up from her bed, sitting her up as Rose felt the soreness of her entire back, she struggled to keep herself up but Sarah and Eiko gently adjusted her pillow beneath her lower back to help her keep up.
"Is that better?" Sarah asked as she gently started massaging her friend's back.
"A…a little…" Rose solemnly said as she looked to Sarah.
"Rose…I'm…I'm sorry…"
"Huh? But…but why? I should…I should…I should be apologizing…" Rose looked to her bedsheet covering her lower legs. "If…if…if anything…I let you down…" Rose lowered her head.
"Rose don't say that! I got reckless and put you and cousin Eiko in danger…I should've listened to her from the beginning and…it wouldn't have gotten you hurt like this…"
Rose looked back to her friend with Zoe panting alongside of her; it wasn't often that Rose and Sarah were ever in danger of any sorts. Some harmless jokes were tossed from time to time where they would hide in certain parts of the palace and the Red Rose away from their parents. Not once did they ever face any dangerous situations that would cause harm to them, the two were not known for getting themselves into dangerous situations growing up. They both knew where certain parts of the palace was off limits and always listened to their parents reasoning for why they were off limits.
Rose felt like she crossed a dangerous path, she didn't expect to be put in harm's way so quickly after leaving Alexandria. Her entire body still felt sore, she couldn't fathom how to live with it presently. The numbness was the worst feeling she ever felt.
"I...I should've done better also…"
"Oh boy do I have to have this conversation with you as well?" Eiko raised an eyebrow as Rose looked to her on her left.
"Huh? Wha…what do you mean?"
Eiko crossed her arms.
"Sarah gave me that same spiel also, so I'll give you the more simple version of what I told her. Truth is it's neither of you two's fault. You both did only what you naturally would do when you feel your life is in danger and that's to defend yourself and those around you. Am I right?"
Rose gingerly nodded.
"So you only acted on impulse, if anything I'm willing to bet all my gil you're parents taught ya how to helm your sword didn't they?"
Rose nodded.
"Hmm…yes…they taught me all they knew…"
"And I'm guessing you didn't really fight back like they asked you too because you didn't wanna hurt em. Am I right?"
Rose closed her eyes and nodded her head.
"Called it." Eiko snapped her finger and uncrossed her arms.
"Cousin…how…how did you know?" Sarah asked while tilting her head.
"Cause Rose would never hurt her parents. She cares about them too much so I can only imagine how hard it must have been for them to train Rose knowing know she didn't want to fight back. I honestly don't blame Rose because she doesn't have that natural instinct Beatrix and Steiner have because they trained for many years. If anything I'm sure even they knew Rose wouldn't even harm them"
Rose opened her eyes and looked towards Eiko.
"You're really smart Eiko…" Rose said as she let out a sigh.
"I've watched you two grow up and I've walked the same path both of your parents walked. I know what to expect from both of ya and to me it's my responsibility to keep you both safe. So don't take it to heart blaming yourself thinking you didn't do a good job protecting us. It was your first time being caught in a situation like that and you've never been exposed to it before. I'm not expecting everyone here to be amazing at their first rodeo, it's my job to make sure you all get out of those problems alive and unharmed."
"Hmm." Rose looked towards Sarah and Zoe, she noticed Zoe seemed unharmed from their encounter, she gently lifted her right hand and placed her hand before the pet's nose as Zoe instinctively licked her hand. "Zoe seems alright also…" she said.
Sarah smiled.
"I was so scared she got hurt badly but thankfully she came back alright, she must've ran somewhere to hide to recover for a bit cause she can back and saved us too." Sarah said as she rubbed her dog's forehead. "But more so I'm more worried about you…"
"Both of us are, you were beaten pretty badly…" Eiko said as she lowered her head a bit.
"…I know…" Rose pulled her hand away from Zoe and lifted her other and looked down towards them. She spotted the bruises all over her hand, the biggest one she noticed was on her wrist; reminding her of the moment her rapier was knocked out of her own hand. She rubbed her bruised wrist with the fingers of her left hand, gently massaging it.
"Sarah…Eiko…I…I don't know…if I feel confident in myself…holding my blade anymore."
"Don't say that." Sarah laid a hand on her friend's back. "Don't say that Rose!"
"Rose you're just as capable holding your sword and fighting back!" Eiko assured.
Rose laid her hands on her lap.
"I'm no knight…"
"You're more than a knight Rose; you're my closest friend and we always look out for one another." Sarah slowly massaging her friend's back.
"….."
Eiko looked towards Sarah. "Sarah…I think you need to tell her." She said as Rose looked to her.
"Tell me…what?"
Sarah nodded and Rose looked to her friend.
"Rose…there's…there's something I need to show you…" Sarah said as Rose felt confused. "Show…me…something? Rose asked.
Sarah kneeled beside the bed, she picked up her father's daggers that laid on the floor beside her feet, she then stood up and revealing them to her friend. Rose looked at the daggers the clean steel and designed amazed her, she had never seen anything like them in her life. Her only exposure to weapons was only that of her parents' swords they carried with them. From time to time she would see her parent's subordinates with their swords in the sheaths.
She looked back to her friend.
"They're…like…smaller swords…but…why are you showing them to me?"
"Maybe I should show you instead…" Sarah grabbed the Orichalcon and gently laid the Mythril Dagger on top of Rose's lap as she watched. Rose looked back up to her friend as she took a few steps back, Zoe looked over and pushed herself off the bed and followed Sarah along.
Sarah briefly looked at Zoe.
"Zoe sit by Rose." She said as the pet let out a soft bark and walked back to the bed and planted her lower body on the ground watching Sarah. "Good girl." She said as she looked towards Rose and Eiko.
"Wha..what is going on Sarah?" Rose asked.
"Rose…please don't feel…discouraged by what you're about to see."
Sarah took one deep breath and raised the dagger before her face. She gripped the helm tightly with her left hand. She closed her eyes. Her ears blocking out every sound inside the room, not even the running water that could be heard was audible to her.
Her eyes quickly opened with a fierce focus, her fingers opened, with a slight push of her lower two fingers, the dagger slowly began to spin, the blade fell blade first as Sarah's hands quickly grabbed the helm and with great speed her left hand thrusted the blade sideways to her left and with her entire body spun along in the same direction, her knees then bent, her left leg extended out and her right leg bent her dagger extended before her face and her right hand fisted behind the dagger and eyes piercing with focus and tail as stiff as it could be extending far behind her.
Rose with her own eyes couldn't believe how fast Sarah moved with such ease; even in Garnet's jumpsuit.
Sarah jumped in the air performing a backflip and landing back in a lower stance like position, she looked up to her friend letting her left hand flow in a circle with the dagger in hand, pulled it back closer to her own face. Then thrusting the dagger forward and back swinging left and right, up and down. Eiko herself recalled the fight all too well, watching the princess revealing her ability to helm the daggers with ease. She knew Zidane would not let a small detail go to waste, the thief in him was visible in Sarah's movements, every time she swung her dagger around, it was as if she was watching Zidane fight all over again from their ventures.
To Rose however, it was an eye opening experience that left her speechless. She wondered how long her friend held this secret from her and why. Sarah's movements was not of this world in the eyes of Rose, every time she swung her dagger before her was as if she was seeing someone different before her. The young princess she spent her entire life with beside Rose who shared memories together, shared laughter, shared play time, shared lessons, shared meals, was not the same person before her. The princess tossed her dagger in the air and took one last jump to it catching it with her hand and back flipped one last time and landed on her feet with her hand up in the air.
"Now there's something I haven't seen in a very long time." Eiko let out a smirk. Sarah took one deep breath and sheathed the dagger behind her brown leather belt.
"Rose…I'm…I'm sorry for not telling you about this sooner…" Sarah said as she approached Rose's bed with Zoe following along.
Rose looked up to Sarah as she stopped before her, her eyes felt numb; was it because of what she had just witnessed? She glanced at the Mythril dagger laying on her bed, she couldn't shake the fact her own friend was able to handle it with such ease.
"….When...when did you…learn to helm…the daggers…like that…" Rose melancholy spoke.
Sarah took a deep breath and can see Rose was not very happy with what she had just saw, knowing her friend had nearly had a brush with death.
"…A month before…we left yesterday…" Sarah gingerly said.
"…"
Rose looked up to her friend, she didn't know whether to feel glad, sad, betrayed, or even give thought on what to say next. She promised herself she wouldn't let anything happen to Sarah, yet to see Sarah was able to walk away from their encounter with not even a scratch on her made Rose feel even more disappointed in herself.
"I…I"
"Rose…please…I beg of you…I didn't meant to hurt your feelings…I just…I only did this because…"
Sarah looked to Zoe then Eiko then back at Rose.
"I wanted to protect all of you too…I would never ever think you are weak…"
"…"
"Rose…I mean it…I knew from the beginning that…this wasn't going to be an easy trip…I didn't expect us to be attacked like that so soon…"
"…..."
"I care about all of you…I wouldn't be able to live with myself if any of you got hurt…yet…it still happened and…I didn't listen to cousin Eiko like I should have because…it got you hurt…and I take responsibility for my recklessly that ended up hurting you."
Rose let out a sigh.
"I…I guess…"
"Rose…please don't say something you'll regret…I beg of you…please don't say what I think you're going to say."
"Rose, do you mind?" Eiko waved her hand as Rose looked up to the summoner along with Sarah. "Look…I know what you're probably gonna say…but let me tell you something. Something I don't think you even know."
Rose tilted her head.
"Truth is…yeah you're not gonna be amazing with your swordsmanship skills. Thing is it takes time. Even your own mom was like that too, she wasn't the greatest at first because it took time for her to get better. I know very well how much you look up to her and she sees it too. Same goes for Sarah, she looks up to her parents too and I'm sure everything she's learned was all thanks to them among many others who've helped influenced the person she is today. Including you."
Rose looked to her friend who smiled to her. With some confusion she looked back towards Eiko.
"I can promise you that even myself I'm guilty also of feeling like crap when I first was living alone, I had nobody to teach me anything to defend myself. All I knew was calling out for the Eidolons to protect me when I was very young. Younger than both of you. It wasn't easy living that life, being scared and not knowing if I was gonna get killed or not from bunch of wild beasts running around these parts. Truth is that was only way to fight, but little by little my moogle friends were the only ones who showed me a small sense of defending myself. So I relied on them and Eidolons to be my friends to back me up."
Eiko crossed her arms.
"Over time the more I got exposed fighting the better I got, that's all thanks to Zidane, Garnet, Steiner, Beatrix, Freya, Quina, and Vivi back then. We all learned from each other to better ourselves as a group traveling together. For your mother despite not fighting alongside with us to the very end she did teach us some good lessons when we first met. The truth is Rose everyone has different levels of fight in them, you're just developing yours. Sarah is too, truth be told when I watched her fight that asshat, I could tell she wasn't too extremely focused, she did slip up a few times. And that's okay because we learn from our mistakes and well sometimes failure is best lessons for a better tomorrow."
Rose sighed and looked back to Sarah.
"Rose, in my eyes you did everything you could to protect us. I'm honestly grateful for it. Even I know I there are some things I could've done better…"
"Like listening to me?" Eiko arched an eyebrow as Sarah looked at her cousin hesitantly. Rose looked along also. "Take it from me Rose, I'm here to make sure you two get home safely when all of this is done. I promised your parents I would do everything I can to look out for you, not just Sarah but you as well. Because you said it yourself you wanted to be independent, not all places in the world are this bad; it's just some people out there just…love to hurt people…and it's sick. But the best part is that we have the ability deep down to fight back. You do as well; you jus haven't found it yet that's all. So we'll help you find that power deep inside you to get you ready the next time it happens."
Sarah nodded her head.
"And…I would love to help you train as well."
Rose let out a small gasp and looked to her friend.
"You'd…want to train me…too?" Rose asked.
"Of course! Rose nothing would make me feel happier than to see you be successful, I want you to be amazing too Rose." Sarah smiled.
"Like wise, after all I'm not here just to teach Sarah, I'm here to give ya some good life lessons too!" Eiko nodded her head and smiled.
Rose looked back and forth between Eiko and Rose. She felt her disappointment rescinding in her mind, she couldn't til this very moment believed the people she wished to protect still saw her no different as she was before their attack. Still believing in her that she will grow stronger with time. In a split second their furry companion hopped on the bed startling Rose as Eiko and Sarah gasped.
"Zoe! What are you doing?" Sarah said as she gently grabbed Zoe's collar attempting to pull the pet off the bed. Zoe resisted and gently walked a few steps before Rose and started licking her face. Rose tried to resist but found herself unable to yet to her own surprise she slowly begin to let out a soft laugh. Catching the attention of Eiko.
"Rose?" Eiko said trying to pull Zoe away.
"Zoe! Stop!" Sarah called again but Zoe continued; Sarah nearly gave up on controlling the animal but turned her attention to her friend's laughter. "Rose I'm so sorry!" she followed up.
Rose found the strength to hold Zoe's head and gently pushed the animal away as Zoe planted her behind on between Rose's legs and the Mythril dagger while looking up towards Rose.
"It's…it's alright…" Rose said as she smiled at the pet. "I…I needed that…to be honest.
Eiko and Sarah sighed simultaneously then smiled.
"I guess Zoe just wanted you to feel better too." Sarah said as she brushed her free arm across her forehead.
"Sarah…Eiko…I'm…I'm sorry for letting myself feel bad about what happened…" Rose said as she looked towards the two. "I'm…I'm grateful for both of your words and…I know it will be quite some time before…I feel better about it."
"I'm glad Rose…and I meant what I said about training you. I want to help you as well."
"Same here!" Eiko gleefully said. "We gotta stick together and look out for each other from here on out and I expect both of you to listen to me too. I promised both of your parents that I would get you guys home safe and sound. I know they're probably gonna ask about this but I'm gonna let this be our little secret. Nobody needs to know about what happened back there, the three of us…okay four of us will make this our little secret. Okay?"
Rose looked towards Eiko.
"You mean…I…I shouldn't tell mother about this?" she gingerly asked.
Eiko nodded.
"Yup! Rose your gonna have to learn how not to tell secrets to anyone now. I know back there you accidently slipped out the tongue but I dun think anyone will believe a bunch of criminals that Sarah came around here. All they know is Sarah is in Daguerro, a more believable place than Madain Sari. It's what she told everyone when she went out to publicly address everyone over in Ticket Square."
Rose blinked a few times and looked at Sarah.
"Yup! It's the first time I ever lied to my own people, nobody other than people back home in the palace knows about where I am. Everyone outside of the palace think I'm at Daguerro at this time. It's very hard to reach out to people there since well...let's be honest, Mognet hasn't really been good as of late…which…doesn't really surprise me." Sarah hesitantly laughed.
Rose felt even more confused.
"I…I'm a bit lost…"
Zoe nudged her head against Rose's upper torso and planted her fore body on top of her while panting as Rose watched.
"Think of it this way Rose." Rose looked towards Eiko. "We're on a secret plot to save a civilization from extinction and your helping us make it happen by keeping it a secret, because if people found out…well…lets just say it's a sad assumption to say that people might not be too keen on the idea of Sarah bringing back a civilization from the dead…in light of what happened to Alexandria awhile back."
"You mean…the night Bahamut attacked Alexandria?"
"Bingo!"
"Sarah and you are gonna be the ones to save it! It's a real life story for you two!" Eiko smiled.
"Oh…dear me…" Rose felt flustered by the thought.
"Rose, we're gonna do great! I promise!" Sarah smiled as Rose looked up to her. "And trust me, I rather it be you at my side than anyone else."
"You…you mean it?" Rose said.
"I mean every word." Sarah smiled.
"Hmmm."
As if on cue Zoe let out a soft whimper while wagging her tail, everyone looked towards the pet as Rose laid her hands on animal's back.
"I guess that's one way of putting it…Zoe." Rose smiled. With her right forepaw Zoe brushed it against Rose's shoulder as everyone laughed together.
"Hmm! Hey Rose, the bath house is really relaxing here, why don't we take one together before we head out for Madain Sari?" Sarah said as Rose looked to her and let out a relieving sigh.
"That…sounds nice actually." Rose smiled.
…
"Do we have everything?" Eiko asked as she picked up her satchel from off the ground.
"Hmm! I believe we do; Rose are you ready?" Sarah looked over her shoulder as Rose walked up to her.
"Hmm I do, I wish we could've seen more of Conde Petie, the sprawling vines just fascinate me so much." Rose said as she looked around the Inn one last time.
"Aye lassy they be holdin our home here we great ease; also be glad ye doin mooch better too." The Inn Keeper said as everyone looked towards him.
"Hmm thank you so much for your hospitality." Rose said as she bowed towards the keeper. "I hope to come back here soon to see more of the greenery here."
"Aye lassy we noot be leaving here soon. May all three of you safely travel towards the Sanctuary now."
Eiko rolled her eyes. "They still call it that!? Gods it's been over years and they STILL CALL IT THAT!?" she thought to herself. "And what do we owe you?"
"Aye it's on the hoose, it's the least we can do for ya lasses. Long as yer friend here feels better."
The girls looked to one another in shocked by the dwarf's generosity, Sarah looked towards the Inn Keeper.
"Are you certain? We really don't mind paying for the night we spent."
"Not a gil will do ya good here now lass, your friend's recovery is payment enough for me here." The Inn Keeper waved a hand.
"Oh dear…thank you so much." Rose said as she felt slightly bad.
"That's very nice of ya! We definitely appreciate the thought!" Eiko said smiling.
"Aye be safe now on yer travels. Don't let anymore hooligans hurt ya now." The Inn Keeper waved the group.
"We won't! Thank you very much for your help!" Eiko said as Rose and Sarah bowed to the keeper.
"Thank you very much!" Rose and Sarah said together and Zoe let out a soft bark to the Inn Keeper.
"And dun forget to treat your duggy too! She was quite the happy one!" The keeper said as Sarah laughed.
"She's always been such a pleasant dog to have around, she's earned many treats from me!" Sarah smiled.
"Alright you two, lets head out now." Eiko said as she looked to Sarah and Rose.
"Hmm!" Rose nodded her head. Eiko led the way as Sarah, Zoe, and Rose followed along. Rose kept looking around the area she was walking through, amazed by Conde Petie's architecture she has never seen before. The group did a small tour of the area before the picked up their belongings, Rose was shocked to hear Zidane and Garnet had a marriage performed here; she only knew about their formal marriage took place in Alexandria.
The sights of Conde Petie remained the same for Eiko, no drastic changes stood out to her during their visit; she told her story of how she first met Zidane, Garnet, Vivi and Quina here to Sarah and Rose. For Rose however, she admired the vines the most during their visit. The fascination of their web like layout stood predominant to her. In Sarah's mind it was a good distraction for Rose to take in, overcoming her brutal assault. Parts of her still felt bad for what she had put her friend through; yet as Eiko had said she shouldn't take the full blame to heart. It was best to take what had happened to them as a lesson to remember to listen to the summoner who has their safety in her hands.
The group had reached the last shop outside of the structure where the large branch supporting the entire village lead out towards Madain Sari. The two dwarfs waved their hands to the group.
"Rally-Ho!" the two said as the girls stood before the shop stand.
"Rally-ho!" They responded back. "By any chance do you have any feather hats available? Sarah asked as she, Rose and Eiko dropped their satchels on the ground and Zoe sat beside her.
"Aye lassy no can do here. We only offer a ritual hat here." One of the dwarfs said as he pulled one out from behind the stand and placed it on the counter.
"Oh that will do just well actually!" Eiko said as she pulled out a small coin pouch that was held on her belt.
"Will that work too cousin?" Sarah looked towards her who stood on her right.
"It will, it's better anyways, besides you both need it more than me. Make it two please!" Eiko said as she laid out several gil on the counter.
"Two it is then now lassy. Headin to the Sanctuary are ya now?" he said as he pulled out another hat from behind the counter laying on top.
"Aye Thomas now, didn't you say thar be some creatures runnin amuck lately?" the dwarf said looking other to his colleague with a yamaka.
"Thar have been lad, best you three buy yeself some weapons while you're here. Them creatures be ruthless lately." Thomas said as she stood beside his worker.
"Oh no that won't be necessary, we got all we need here." Eiko grinned.
"Yep! If anything my friend here is a real knight in shining armor!" Sarah looked to Rose as her friend looked back at her confused.
"Me? A…a knight?" Rose said as Sarah gently nudged Rose's hip unintentionally causing Rose to yelp and hop in place.
"Aye, you okay lassy?" Thomas asked as he looked towards Rose.
Rose shook her head.
"I'm alright…just…just…a bit dizzy that's all…" Rose said as she brushed her hair back and looked towards Sarah and Eiko. "Uhm…" she looked back towards Thomas. "I'm quite alright though."
"Aye lassies you certain now? It a long way to the Sanctuary now, best ye stock up a bit." Thomas said as he collected the gil from the counter with Eiko taking the two hats.
"We'll be alright, if anything Rose why dunchu show em what you got?" Eiko looked over to Rose with a smirk.
"Huh?" Rose looked over. "You mean?" Eiko nodded her head as she placed the hats inside her own satchel.
"Oh uhm…sure…"
Rose carefully with her right hand gripped the helm of her rapier. She felt the soreness of her wrist still lingering as she gripped her rapier. She pulled it from out of her sheath; the blade reflected the sunlight briefly to everyone as the two dwarfs marveled at the sword. Rose carefully laid her rapier on the counter as Thomas took a closer look at it.
"Now this here is a real blade ain't it now?" Thomas said as he studied the metal of the blade.
"Yup! My best friend here got it specially made for her." Sarah smiled.
"Hmm…it…it was a gift from…my mother…and father." Rose said.
"Ye dun say now? Do you mind if I have a lookit?" Thomas asked looking towards Rose.
"Hmm…I don't mind." Rose said.
"Thank ya very mooch lassy." Thomas said, he carefully picked up the rapier.
Thomas studied Rose's rapier, marveled by its design, he gently rubbed his finger against the blade, the metal to his fingers was like a musical instrument. He could hear the sound of his finger brushing across, smiling with much delight. Rose on the other hand didn't really see what sparked the dwarf's interest in her sword; to her it was a gift from her parents.
"No doubt; this is Alexandrian steel! The finest in all of Gaia!" He said while Eiko and Sarah smiled.
"How did you know?" Sarah asked interested in Thomas' note.
"Aye lassy, only an Alexandrian blacksmith can make the finest steel; we dwarfs don't have the hands like we use to but only an Alexandrian have the hands of gods to forge this fine blade. Even to the finest details, ye see dis rose here? Ain't no easy task to forge, me hands are too big to make this little edging, especially with the two swords croosin."
The girls looked at the emblem etched on the dome of the rapier, they knew it was the newly crafted family crest of the Beatrix-Steiner family; it was not much to their knowledge how weapons are forged and what goes into it.
"See here now, dis be the finest forging I've ever seen, the dome is so well preserved that not a spec rust whatsoever. Forgin you may see some form of rust after the heat melts but this one has none."
"Wow! That's incredible!" Sarah's eyes glowed as she looked closer to the sword. Eiko nodded her head looked towards Rose.
"Looks like your parents gave ya a good one Rose!" The summoner smiled as Rose held her hands together and sheepishly looked away with a small hint of red flourish on her cheeks.
"Oh uhm…tha…thank you; I never really had a chance to really asked how it was forged…" she said as her eyes kept the attention of her sword.
"Lassy you better keep this one close to ya, this blade will do you wonders now." Thomas said as he rotated the sword more, he took a closer look inside the half dome where the helm met, he then gripped the helm with his hand feeling the smooth leather in his hand.
"This grip certainly fine for a lass; it does feel good on the hand." He said as took his hand off and looked closely at the leather, something in the corner of his eye caught his attention as she carefully held the dome with his hands looking inside.
"Well now; this is new." He said as the girls looked closer trying to see what the dwarf found.
"Hmmm? What is it?"
The dwarf studied his finding; marveled by what he saw.
"Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero." he said.
"Um…gesundheit?" Sarah said, feeling confused. Thomas laughed at Sarah's respond.
"Yer a funny one lass, this be an old language I've not seen in ages!" he said smiling as he revealed the wording inside the dome to the girls. Rose gasped never noticing it.
"I've…I've never seen that before!" She said as the engraving of the words was clean and clear to everyone looking at it.
"Not gonna lie, I would miss it too, but what does it mean?" Eiko curled a finger with interest.
"Well now; it's been quite the time since I studied this language. But if memory doos me well; it means Seize the Day, live in the present without worry aboot…hmmm tomorrow if I'm reading this correctly." Thomas said as he studied the wording.
"Seize…the day…" Rose gave thought as she lowered her head, taking a glance at her hands.
Sarah let out a small gasp then looked at Rose.
"Rose, it's a message from your parents!" Sarah enlightened her friend. Rose gingerly looked towards Sarah.
"Wha…what do you mean?" Rose asked as Eiko looked over towards her.
"I think I get it now, I think it's a way of you to never be worried about what happens to you tomorrow by living through today." Eiko nodded. "Come to think of it, your parents always told you not to worry about what's going on around you but to live for yourself too!" Eiko lowered her hand.
"You mean…not to worry about…tomorrow?"
"More like not to worry about your future Rose." Sarah smiled.
"Oh…" Rose looked to her rapier; given to her on her fifteenth birthday by her parents, she kept it close to her feeling her fate had already been predetermined. Yet it was never, it was always in her own hands and her parents subtly left that notation with Rose's rapier. Rose could see the connection in her mind, thinking back to when she admitted to her parents she didn't wish to be a soldier. She reached out for her sword and Thomas carefully relinquished it; Rose looked inside the half dome seeing the words as clear as day. She read them to herself; it was as if she could hear her parents saying them to her the more she read it.
The truth was they didn't know what her future would be but only to remind her that no one but her is the decider of her own future. She could feel a tear escaping from her right eye, she tried to hold back; it proved harder than to do.
"I…I didn't think…they would…leave me something…like that..." she sniffed and brushed her right eye with her free hand.
"It's because they care about you Rose." Sarah assured.
"They always want you to remember that you control your own life, not others." Eiko smiled.
"Aye lass, yer parents sound like a lovely pair who raised ye well. This blade is more than just a blade, it's your family's calling to you." Thomas said as Rose looked to him.
"Wha…what do you mean?" Rose was puzzled.
"Think dis way lass, your parents raised ye, they took care of ye, and most of all they want you to live a life of yer own choosin, life is full of surprises and they want ye to make one that sootes you best."
Rose let the words settle in her mind, she thought back to who she was then as she is now. Being the yes person than being the leading person. She never spook for herself until she finally realized what she truly valued in her life, the idea of not wishing to become a soldier; her own idea that she predetermined on her own accord knowing she is the daughter of a revered General. Her hand gently gripped the helm tightly, she took a deep breath, carefully sheathing the blade back on her belt, hearing the steel sounding off as it reached the dome. She looked at her sheath, the words stood out more prominent than before.
"I see…" Rose slowly said, she looked towards Sarah and Eiko. "I'm…I'm thankful to…be a part of this journey with all of you…" Rose followed up.
"And so am I! I'm happy you're with us." Sarah smiled.
"And you're definitely going to kick ass on our way to the….Sanctuary." Eiko cringed at the thought of calling the Iifa Tree, sanctuary. Sarah let out a soft chuckle.
"Cousin…language." Sarah playfully slapped Eiko's arm as the summoner grinned.
"Aye ye bess be off now, it's a bit of a walk towards yer destination now is it not?" Thomas asked as the girls looked towards him.
"Yes it is and thank you again for the hats! It'll definitely be needed for these two." Eiko said as Sarah let out a smile and Rose smile weakly.
"Thank you very much for your help." Sarah bowed her head.
"And…thank you for…the enlightenment, I'm glad to have learned something new today." Rose bowed her head.
"Mooch appreciated and young lass, I encourage you to always be open minded to the world around ye, it's big out there and you will always be learning new things every day now." Thomas said with his attention aimed at Rose. "You've much ahead of ya, cease the day like your sword speaks highly of, your parents will be prood of ye." He smiled as Rose found herself letting her smile feel more genuine.
"I…I will…thank you very much."
Sarah looked towards Rose and smiled. "I'm proud of you Rose." She thought to herself.
"Okay you two, lets head on out." Eiko waved her hand as Sarah and Rose looked over and nodded their heads. Everyone picked up their satchels and Zoe wagged her tail happily as she watched.
"Safe travels lasses!" The two dwarfs waved.
"We will!" Sarah said while she raised her mother's robe hood above her head as Eiko took the lead with Rose following along and Sarah; and Zoe; following from behind. Sarah looked to her friend as she looked around their surroundings, she let out a sincere sigh knowing her friend is growing before her eyes. The group followed the large branch towards the canyon ahead of them; Rose found herself holding the helm of her rapier with her hand; as if she didn't want to lose it even more now. She let out a smile to herself, she closed her eyes for a brief second and opened them to the horizon before her; with Eiko in view.
She let out a sincere sigh and felt refreshed for the first time in her life.
"Rose…
I know you must be feeling assured knowing your parents will always be proud of you and will always remind you to be yourself. I am proud of you as well…you did your best to protect me and I am so grateful that you came with me. Part of me still feels awful for what you went through but as cousin Eiko said, we are all responsible for our own actions and we can make amends for them.
I hope you will listen to your parent's message to you, now ever close to than before. Cease your day Rose, I will help you cease the day so tomorrow you will not need to worry anymore.
Our parents do everything they can to look out for us no matter what problems we are facing. They do everything they can to guard us by any means necessary and remind us that we are in control of our own fates and not those around us. No matter what threats are made towards us, we will stand firm in our beliefs to reach our tomorrow. I know mother will always protect me and I will protect her too.
I can see the canyons ahead of us now, our destiny we chose brought us here, we are now in a whole new world now.
Rose…
Cousin Eiko…
Let us work together to be strong, just like our parents did before us…
To be the beacon of hope others seek…"