Dear Edgar,

How long have we known each other? It has been… many years. I believe we were children when first we met. Yes, one of my oldest memories is us playing in the stables attempting to scare the horses. We were trouble, weren't we? I know you are probably wondering why I am writing you, and you will be correct in assuming it is not simply to reminisce. I write to ask you a great big favor, as we used to call them. I would speak it to u in person, but I fear my words would fail me. I guess in a way, I have always been a coward. I know that I am the one that was born with noble blood, but why should our bloodlines determine our future? It is not fair! I ascend the throne in two months, and I haven't the heart to tell them that I will surely lead the kingdom to ruin! I am no more fit to be a king than the beggar that always stopped us at the end of Squire's Way… please I don't know what the solution is, but you were the one that had the answers, not I. So, if you can, and for the sake of a close friend, will you help me? With great thanks, Domitri

Zidane carefully closed the old book and gently placed back in his vest pocket. Why didn't Domitri want to be king? Wasn't that his duty to his people? He guessed that line of thinking was hypocritical, he was meant to be the angel of death after all; wasn't he? Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he got up from the broken piece of stone he had stopped to rest at. Burmecia wasn't too far away now, maybe a few more days at the most.

Traveling by himself hadn't been nearly as easy as he had hoped it would be. Even the weaker fiends that they had killed so easily back then was a struggle. Had he truly gotten so weak? As much as he didn't want to admit it, maybe Mikoto had been right.. maybe he would never regain his strength? What if he was not even strong enough to protect her? Especially if Freya really had..

No, it had to be a lie. If there was one person that had always cared about other people more than themselves, it was her. It would be impossible to name all the times she had helped him in the past, let alone everyone else. It had to be a lie. So, why was he sure that Burtrard had been telling the truth? He had always been able to tell when someone was lying; one of the benefits of growing up a thief, he supposed. If Freya really were behind this, would he be able to stop her? Even if he was physically strong enough?

He looked down at the small pile of wood at his feet. Exhausted as he was, more wood was needed if he was gonna have a halfway decent fire. During their travels together, he had always enjoyed gathering firewood, but now he only looked at the small pile with resigned defeat. It would take at least a couple of hours to collect enough to last the night, let alone finding something he could kill and clean for food. Judging by the growls from hi empty stomach, it was gonna be a long night.

…

The nights were steadily getting colder, and he hadn't been able to catch any food. The fire would last, but damn where was Quina when you needed him/her? Somehow Quina always managed to find food. He missed the meals they all had together, but more than anything he missed having someone to talk to, one person more so than the others. "Is she nice and warm in her castle bed without me?" Zidane rolled over on his cot facing the fire, its gentle whisps of flames trailing off into the night. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't imagined (hoped might be closer to the truth) on many nights that back in Alexandria, she was lying awake in her bed thinking about him.

With that thought, always came the self-loathing that had become all to familiar to him. He knew it wasn't healthy, but he was powerless to make the thoughts go away. After all, had she ever even thought of him as more than a friend? One forced on her because she had no one better to turn to at the time? Hell, they had never even kissed… unless you counted that one night they had shared a bottle of whiskey after the others had fallen asleep. Even though she had not been able to talk it had been a night he wouldn't forget.

Zidane lay sprawled out on the lush grass, the nearby stream glistening coolly in the moonlight. The sound of it splashing gently over rocks and occasional cries of crickets were the only sounds filling the night air. Thankfully, he had managed to find this spot far enough away to avoid Steiner's snoring. Like other nights when he found the rare opportunity to be alone, his gaze was fixed solidly on the sky above him. Without breaking his gaze, he brought the bottle of whiskey to his lips and relished as the liquid burned its way down his throat.

Despite what most people would believe, he had never been much of a drinker. Even in his Tantalus days, Blank had often joked that he was a lightweight. The truth was it had nothing to do with not being able to handle his alcohol. Growing up, being a thief was all he had, and being drunk made you sloppy. All it took was being sloppy once or twice and you'd end up imprisoned or worse.

No, the only times he drank was when there was something he desperately needed to forget… how many nobles could say that? The thing was, lately, every time he saw her a part of him wanted to forget, because it hurt. The despair on Garnet's face was obvious to everyone, but every time he saw it, it was as though he could feel her pain and he swore that if she ever started back smiling he would do everything he could to help her stay that way. He had tried flirting with her earlier, if only to cheer her up, but it had only served to make her seem even more distant. What the hell was he thinking!? His tail smacked against the ground angrily and he downed another swig of whiskey. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? He-

His thoughts were cut short as a leaf crunched behind him; he didn't have to open his eyes to know who it was. He turned toward her and was met with a stony gaze that flickered from his face to the half empty bottle. "Hey, uh, it's not what it looks like.." he tried to defend lamely, but one look into her expression said that it was a waste of effort. "Okay, it's exactly what it looks like.. But I'm not a drunk! I just.. Zidane trailed off as she picked up the glass bottle, studying it. Wondering if she would pour it out, he was startled when she quickly brought it to her lips and began to gulp.

"Woah! Hey! That's not wine, you don't wanna-!" He yelped, as he tried to grab the bottle, but missed. When he finally managed to take it from her, she had drunk most of the bottle. His initial shock was replaced with surprise at how much she had drank. She however, glared at him accusingly.

"Even I don't chug the whole damn bottle!" He exclaimed, scratching the back of his head. "This is some really strong stuff."

Her glare softened, but if anything she still seemed just as pained as she had been. "Want to sit with me?" Zidane asked softly.

When she crossed her arms and made no move to sit beside him, he added: "I'm sorry about earlier… I don't know what I was thinking." Turning back toward the stream, he tossed a small pebble into its depths. "I tend to do that a lot around you, and i- anyway, I promise I won't try anything."

A few moments passed, but finally he heard her settle down in the grass beside him. At first, he thought maybe they would just sit quietly and enjoy each other's company, but before long he couldn't resist talking to her, even if she couldn't answer back. "I um.. I'm sorry about what happened in Alexandria… All those people… I don't know if I could have done anything to stop it, but I wish I would have gotten there sooner.."

He paused for a moment, but knew she wouldn't be able to reply and he didn't dare look at her face. "Steiner told me about how you led everyone, and that you couldn't have done any better. I know I wasn't there, but I know you and I know that you did everything you could. It wasn't your fault. None of it. It's those scumbags we have to stop!..."

Gathering up his courage, he turned to look at her. It was then that he saw the tears running down her face, any resolve he had left, with them. "Dag.." He breathed softly as he scooted closer and gently put his arm around her shoulders. To his surprise, she leaned in towards him instead of away. "Everything will be okay.."

She shook her head, her breath breaking into sobs.

"Look, I know I can't fix anything that happened, but if you ever need someone to talk to, I mean if you ever need me… I'll be here."

Garnet broke from his embrace slightly and looked up into his eyes, the tears still glistening on her cheeks.

"It may not be worth much." Zidane smiled sadly. "But I'd do anything for you." He expected her to leave laugh maybe, what he didn't expect was the feeling of her lips on his. It definitely wasn't his first kiss, but even though he could smell the alcohol on her breath, it was unlike any kiss he'd had before.

"Thank the gods Freya had been keeping watch that night." He thought as he absentmindedly tossed a stick into the fire. "Steiner would have never believed that all I did after that kiss was hold her till she passed out, then carried her back to camp. After all, since when does a thief do anything remotely honorable? I could have taken her then, if I'd wanted to. It had even made her angry that I wouldn't do anything, but it wouldn't have been right. For once I wanted to be the kind of man she deserved, it didn't matter what anyone else thought…"

Zidane rolled back away from the fire and looked toward where Burmecia would soon be. "I know I've let you down before, but one way of the other, I won't let you down again."