A/n: As always, i just wanted to take a minute to say thank you to everyone still reading this story, along with my fellow writers keeping FF9 alive! This chapter is turning out much longer than the other, so i figured it would be better to break it into two parts so you wouldn't have to wait as long for an update. For me, this is one of the more difficult chapters to i've wrote and will mark the end of the first half of the story. I hope you enjoy this first part of the chapter and if you do, please leave a review letting me know what you think!

...

Carefully laying Garnet down on the soft bed, he admired her under the light of the moon that shimmered past the open curtains. He had of course thought she was beautiful from the first time they had met, but somehow, she had become even more breathtaking since he'd last seen her. Her soft pale skin almost radiated against the sharp contrast of her raven hair. For a moment, before the effects had taken their hold, he had seen the recognition in her eyes. The look of shock and betrayal was something that he had never wanted to see. Even if things had ended differently, would she have ever forgiven him? He supposed it didn't matter now; It was finished. he had done what he'd had to.

The sound of metal-clad boots hammered down the stone hallway toward the room, but he made no effort to flee. Not taking his eyes from her, he pulled the blood drenched blade free and dropped it to the floor. How had it come to this? As the stomping grew ever nearer and shouts of "The assassin was carrying her toward the royal chamber!" joined them, he reached down and gently rubbed her cheek barely noticing the smear of blood he left behind.

"I'm sorry.." He whispered softly. "I never wanted it be like this. I played it over and over in my head a thousand times, but I never thought it would go like this… I just wanted to-" The sudden loud banging against the door finally caught his attention. His time was up. Finally willing himself to look down at her blood-soaked dress, and the puddle that was slowly forming on the floor, he knew the damage had already been done; There would be no coming back from this. Slowly, he made his way to the balcony and carefully climbed on the top of the railing. He looked down at the frigid water that surely meant a frozen grave. At least it would be less painful than the castle dungeon, he mused. "Why can't the right thing ever be easy?"

The door burst, and soldiers began pouring into the room. Without another look back, He closed his eyes and leant forward feeling a strange sense of exhilaration as the wind rushed past him and he plummeted downward, weightless until the sharp pain of icy water turned everything black.

…

3 days earlier…

"Have you heard any news from Alexandria?" Zidane asked, propping his elbow on the large oak table and knocking a few construction plans to the floor.

"Would you please be careful?!" Mikoto asked, glaring toward the drawings. "Those are the designs for the new castle, I spent three weeks on those!"

"Sorry." Zidane mouthed, hurriedly picking them up.

"I'm afraid there have been no more updates on the assassin, my liege. The high council seems to be trying to keep the events as quiet as possible." A rather thin, bookish man with greying hair replied, looking down at his notes. "There was talk of one of the other councilmen seeking an apothecary, but it may have been nothing."

"Thank you, Reginald." Zidane replied, poorly concealing his annoyance. "I've asked u repeatedly to just call me by my name."

"No, my liege!" Reginald replied, shaking his head with amusement. Before Zidane could reply, he continued. "I'm afraid that would not be proper and would be most inexcusable in the eyes of any royal court!"

Zidane raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, but the man's cheerful demeanor did not change. "I was asked to help you become more kingly, and by the gods of old, I aim to do that to the best of my ability!"

"Where did you find this guy?" Zidane groaned, turning to Freya.

"I met him a few years back during my search for Fratley." She replied with a grin. "He is a very wise scholar and a good man, you would do well to listen to him. Not to mention he also holds a seat on the Alexandrian council."

Zidane groaned again theatrically. "Alright, Reginald. I'm guessing you're going to get onto me for slouching too?"

Not looking up from the parchment he was reading, Reginald replied "While it is frowned upon by some, a king may slouch or sit as he pleases."

This surprised him, as Steiner had always reproached him for his manners during their journey. "I assume you will be attending the banquet at the castle?" Freya asked him expectantly.

'Huh?" Zidane asked, surprised.

"Do you ever pay attention?" Freya admonished. "The banquet that Reginald mentioned three days ago?"

"Not ringing any bells, but you know how a feel about us having royal-"

"The one at Alexandria!" Mikoto Interrupted. "Remember? All of the suitors will be there to request the queen's hand in marriage!"

"Oh yea." Zidane replied simply, standing up from his chair and walking toward the window. "There's more important things that need to be done here."

"Ay, Don't think we can handle it do ye?" The dwarf grunted.

"Its not that I don't think you can, its just-" Zidane defended, but this time it was Freya that interrupted him. "You have to stop making excuses. We both know you need to go see her. I think it's long overdue."

after a moments hesitation, he turned to her and nodded solemnly. "You're right."

"Then shall we pick out your royal attire?" Reginald inquired. "There is a lovely seamstress that lives nearby whom I am certain can make you an outfit worthy of a king!"

"Can we please keep it simple?" Zidane pleaded as he followed the man out the door.

"but of course, my liege! After we are finished, I shall return to Alexandria and await your arrival at the banquet."

It wasn't a long walk to the seamstress's house, and before he knew it he was standing on a slightly raised platform being admired and inspected by both the seamstress and Reginald, who had explained to her what was needed and why.

"Oh no, this will never do." The older lady shook her head. "Even with my finest garments, you simply must have a proper haircut!"

"I couldn't agree more." Reginald added.

"What?!" Zidane exclaimed.

"My liege, you said on the way here that you would prefer that not everyone immediately recognize you. Well, a simple haircut along with the required mask should suffice to both make you appear more noble and obscure your identity from whomever it is you do not wish to notice."

As much as he didn't like the thought of having short hair after keeping it pretty much be the same style most of his life, he couldn't argue the counselor's reasoning. He peered into the polished tin mirror and ran his hand through his short beard that he now wore. "Can I at least keep the beard? I've kind of started to get used to it."

"Of course!" She replied enthusiastically. "I think it makes you look quite dashing my lord!"

As many of his golden locks fell away, he wondered what Dagger would think of him now.

-Alexandria Castle, The Day of the Banquet-

"Your majesty, all of the preparations for the banquet as requested have been finished, and the guests have already begun to arrive." Beatrix informed.

Garnet looked down at her elegant dress but showed little emotion. "Thank you, Beatrix."

"Are you feeling well?" Beatrix asked, showing concern. "If I may say so, you have not seemed like yourself lately."

Not acknowledging her, Garnet adjusted the white delicate mask she had chosen and straightened her pendant.

"I don't know why the council insisted that it would be better for everyone to wear masks with there still being no sign of the assassin but rest assured Steiner and I will defend you with our lives if anything were to go awry." Beatrix comforted, smiling warmly.

Garnet nodded, then began to walk out of the room and down the hallway toward the ballroom. "I'm fine; let's get this over with."

Upon entering the large brightly lit room, it became obvious that there were far more guests than she had originally invited, and if she had to guess, many more were to come. Laughter and jumbled conversations echoed around the stone walls and servers brought delicacies of many varieties to the large oak tables that lined the room as she made her way to her seat. If everything went as it should, guests would mingle and share idle pleasantries while waiting others who had received an invitation to arrive. Once the majority had had their fill of chatter and she had instructed her advisor start the welcoming speech, the large feast would begin.

Thanks to Quina, Garnet mused, there should at least be no complaints about any of the food. Until he/she arrived at the castle wanting to be the new head chef, food had always looked elegant, but lacked any real flavor. To the dismay of her advisors and others that had discovered her food tastes, she had come to realize that she actually preferred the tavern food that most of the townspeople ate every day. Quina had of course picked up on this right away and had begun to make some of the best dishes she had ever tasted. Just the thought of it made her stomach growl.

Sadly however, she had no plans of eating anything tonight and hoped Quina wouldn't be offended. Because, after the food would come the dance. Under any other circumstances, the dance itself might have sounded fun, even though there would be no one there she desired to partner with, but she knew the real reason for the dance. Most, if not all the men on the floor would either be secretly or blatantly wanting to get close to her. Not because of who she was, but WHAT she was. She'd be a fool to think any of them cared at all about how she felt. The only thing that mattered to them was the throne and the power that came with it. She hadn't wanted it to be like this. Gods knew this wasn't what she wanted; the thought of spending her life trapped in a loveless marriage made her skin crawl and feel sick to her stomach but she had made a promise. She had promised to herself that she would do what was best for her kingdom and like it or not, Alexandria needed the money a wealthy lord would provide. So, once they had all made their proposals, it was up to her to decide between them who would do the least damage as king. That man, regardless of whether she could stomach him would become her husband.

"Are the festivities to your liking, your highness?" Someone asked, jarring her from her thoughts. As she looked up, she we greeted by a friendly smile and a courteous bow. The top of his face was covered by a mask that faintly resembled a brown owl, but he still managed to seem friendly nonetheless. "I apologize if I startled you. Although I am a member of the Alexandrian council, I do not believe we have been properly introduced. My name is Reginald, and It is an honor to make your acquaintance."

"No, I should apologize; My attention was elsewhere." Garnet replied, with a practiced smile. "It is a pleasure, Reginald."

Reginald lowered his voice a bit, so as not to be heard by two nobles standing nearby. "Not all of us on the council are against you, your Highness. The many deeds you have done for your kingdom are not so easily dismissed."

She looked at him curiously, not quite sure what he was getting at. "Um, Thank you."

"No thanks necessary, I merely wish to one day see harmony between all the kingdoms of Gaia."

Again, she smiled, this one coming more easily. "I think that would be a goal we could all hope for."

"Indeed, it is. If I may be so bold, there is someone I would like to introduce you to after the feast commences. He has been looking forward to meeting you and-"

"There you are!" A man boomed over the chatter of the others, causing the rest of the room to go silent. "It's been far to long!"

Looking over at the direction the voice had come from, the first genuine smile of the night filled her face. "Uncle Cid!" She exclaimed, getting up and greeting him warmly with a hug. "Even with a mask, I would Recognize you anywhere!" Many that had begun watching the scene quickly lost interest and returned to their own conversations. "I haven't heard from you in months! I was worried something might have happened to you and Eiko. Have you not received my letters?"

"I am deeply sorry, I fear I have shirked a lot of my responsibilities recently." The Regent offered, guiltily scratching his beard. "You see, I have been diligently working on the new Hilda Garde IV. Ever since I have… returned to normal, new ideas just popping into my head! Aside from the Invincible, that I would still love to take a stab at, the Hilda Garde IV is destined to be the most advanced ship ever built!"

Garnet rolled her eyes but couldn't stay mad at him no matter how hard she tried; her uncle truly hadn't changed. "How is Hilda? Will she be arriving soon?"

"She is doing well, though I suspect that Eiko has her at her wits end." He laughed. "To this day I have never met such a rambunctious child!"

Despite her earlier turmoil, she found herself joining in her uncle's laughter. "That's definitely Eiko."

"I do wish they could have joined me, but alas Hilda thought it best if Eiko continued her studies in earnest." He waked with here to the nearby table and picked up a glass of wine. "How have things been here? The reconstructions seem to be going well from what I can see."

Garnet let out an exasperated breath. If only he had read even one of the letters she had sent him; She didn't guess it mattered now. "Everything has been fine. I'm glad both Eiko and Hilda are doing well. Maybe I will be able to see them soon."

"Of course, of course!" He replied, taking a deep drink of the wine. "You will always be welcome in our castle. Whenever your duties allow it, you may stay as long as you like."

"Thank you." Replied distractedly, "I'm really glad you came." She would have kept talking to him, and without a doubt his company would be far better that anyone else's but it was time for the feast to begin so she returned to her royal seat.

She looked toward where Beatrix always stood and found it odd that the general wasn't there. It worried her a little that the woman she had come to know as one of her dearest friends had left but felt certain that she had only left momentarily to deal with something more urgent and would be back as quickly as she could. Choosing not to dwell on it, she nodded to her advisor and the man quickly managed to quieten the room. He then began the opening speech that had been rehearsed. As expected, there were a few toasts at the end of it, along with a few additions from Cid and other high standing nobles to commemorate the event. As per the council's recommendation, what had begun as a sort of masquerade for the gathering of her many suitors would now become an annual feast known as Winter's Blessing.

Keeping in tradition, food was offered to Garnet first, and even though her nerves protested, she accepted it gracefully. She had had no intention of eating, but with all the looks of expectation directed her way, and a hidden glare from her advisor, she lifted the proper utensil and took the first bite. It was of course as delicious as all the other meals Quina had cooked, but she couldn't bring herself to enjoy it. Thankfully, she had gotten very good at faking it. She nodded to the waiter that had delivered her food. "It is magnificent!" she then turned to the guests. "You may all now feast!"