A/n: I hope this chapter doesn't feel too much like a filler chapter, I had planned on skipping this part of the story, but I felt like it was needed. Anyway, I appreciate all of you for continuing to read my story! If you enjoy this chapter please take a few minutes to leave a review and let me know what u think!
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"So, this is Mélamar…" Beatrix marveled, looking at the steadily growing kingdom as the airship slowed toward the landing dock. "You did all of this?" she asked, eyeing Zidane
Zidane shrugged awkwardly and looked away from her. "No, I just tried to help here and there where I could.
"Mm. I see." Beatrix replied, giving him another look he couldn't quite decipher. "Either way, establishing a full-fledged kingdom in such a short time could not have been an easy endeavor."
"It wasn't, but thanks to everyone working together, it's come a long way." He replied, gazing at it fondly.
"I'm sure you did a lot more than you would admit to." Garnet added, joining the conversation and slyly slipping her hand into his hoping that Beatrix wouldn't comment. "So, what is this surprise you wanted to show us?"
He grinned at her appreciatively. "Now that would be telling, wouldn't it?" He teased as the airship clanked to a halt in the dock.
"Your Majesty! You've returned!" A small crowd exclaimed, excitedly greeting their arrival. Zidane let out a light groan as he walked toward them. "I've told all of you before, you can just call me Zidane. I'd really prefer that you don't be so formal."
"Well, this is a change." Garnet grinned, fighting back a laugh. "Shall you lead the way your highness?"
"Don't start that with me." Zidane shot back at her with the most serious expression he could muster, though it was met only with a deceivingly innocent smile.
"Pardon me, your Excellence. I meant no disrespect." She teased, brushing past him and heading to where she thought the center of the city would be.
Beatrix raised an eyebrow as Zidane gaped after her. "Something wrong?" she asked bemusedly.
"Uh.. No. Nope." He answered, regaining his composure and hurrying after Garnet, leaving Beatrix to ponder how much he had really changed since his return. Perhaps he truly was as unique as Garnet often argued. As she began to follow after the pair, Blank turned to Burtrard who had been standing silently nearby. "What about u?"
"Oh dont let me intrude." Burtrard waved dismissively. As the new treasurer, i believe it would be wise that I get acquainted with the markets. So, it will be a while before I head to the castle."
"Suit yourself." Blank shrugged, walking off to join the others.
Walking through the city, with Zidane trailing close behind, Garnet couldn't help marveling at how quickly the place had grown. It wasn't nearly as large as Alexandria, but the houses and streets that were finished were incredibly well done, not even the walkways were haphazardly thrown together as one might expect from a city built so quickly. As they walked through the market, past all of the various shops and stalls, she realized the city did have one thing that Alexandria sorely lacked. The presence of fresh fruit and vegetables during the winter was very surprising, but the main difference was simply the harmony. Despite being filled with people of almost every race and culture, most seemed to be treated equally.
She was slightly taken aback as even one of the most elegantly dressed merchants greeted the poor citizens just as enthusiastically as they did the wealthy ones. "How did you accomplish that?" She found herself asking incredulously. "I've been trying to get rid of the oppression of the poor since I ascended the throne, but no matter what I did, the wealthy still shunned the poor. What did I do wrong?"
Zidane placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head dismissively. "I think getting people to change is probably one of the hardest things to do. We just got lucky here because everyone knew we were starting things differently and weren't set on what to expect."
"But look at them!" Garnet exclaimed, gesturing to a poor girl dressed in a homemade burlap jacket buying a small roll of leftover fabric from the silk dealer. The amount the little girl paid looked to be a single coin and was obviously less than what the fabric was worth, but the merchant wordlessly accepted it and after jotting down a note, moved on to the next customer. "It can't just be because this is a new kingdom! There's no way our merchants would take less than what their merchandise is worth, no matter how bad the customer needed it! Your merchants cant just be that much nicer, I think I've even seen a few of them in Alexandria."
"A lot of the merchants here do travel." Zidane acknowledged. "Some of them are only seasonal."
"Then what are you doing differently?" She implored, her frustration at herself more than evident.
Zidane walked toward the merchant in question, stopping a few feet from his stall. The man looked at him, gave him a nod of respect, then carried on helping his customers. "I think some of them do it because they genuinely know what it is to not have anything. When most of the people first came here, even a lot of the ones that are wealthy now came with only the clothes on their back." He paused for a moment collecting his thoughts, but Garnet didn't interrupt him. "I can't pretend everyone has that sentiment though, a lot of them just do it for the tax break."
"A tax break?" Beatrix asked as Garnet pondered his words.
Zidane nodded again. "For the regular taxes we took a page out of Alexandria's book and basically copied it only adjusting where we had to since people here had even less money. Once we saw a gap growing between merchants importing their goods versus stuff made or sold here, we came up with our own merchant tax laws to try to make it more fair but also not drive away the merchants we desperately needed."
"Can you explain it?" Garnet asked, her gaze still fixed on the spot she had been staring lost in thought.
"It's more complicated than something I could have come up with on my own, that's for sure. I owe a lot to Reginald, but basically when a traveling merchant enters the country or an established one orders his goods from somewhere else, they're charged an importation tax based on the value of their goods and a separate income tax based on how much profit they make. If they sell at a price that's a lot higher than what it should be, the tax is heftier than if they sell it for a price that falls in line with what our trade council determines is fair market price." Zidane finished, hoping he explained it correctly.
"That makes sense." Garnet commented. "But where does the tax break come in?"
Zidane moved away from the stall and resumed walking toward the direction of the castle that was still under construction, with Garnet and Beatrix close behind waiting for him to continue his explanation. Blank kept up with the trio, but showed no interest in the conversation.
"Even with the taxes like that, the poorer people were still struggling to get the things they needed just to survive. So, we negotiated and came to an agreement that if a merchant would sell their lesser valued products at the price of just one Gil to those obviously in need, it would be considered charity and as long as everything is documented likes it's supposed to be, our treasury would either pay them for the total cost that the merchant paid for the item or reduce the merchant taxes they owe by that amount."
Zidane glanced at Garnet, and he could still see the wheels turning in her mind. "But wouldn't that eventually cause the treasury to go broke?"
As they continued forward, the castle doors steadily came into closer view. "We were worried about that at first, and I guess it could go bad if someone tried to take advantage of it, but so far there's only been one merchant that we've actually had to give money to, and that's the baker. He gives away all of the leftover bread at the end of the day to anyone that's hungry. Thankfully, mostly because of Mikoto, grain is cheap and hasn't been too hard to come by."
"Do you believe that things will stay this tranquil here?" Beatrix asked suddenly, causing Zidane to slow down. "If left alone, maybe. But my general and advisor are pretty sure that we'll be attacked soon."
"By Alexandria or Treno…" Garnet added softly.
Zidane nodded solemnly. "If Braxton is willing to try to kill you to get the throne, then it's only a matter of time."
"What will the kingdom if it is attacked?" Blank asked the question that was on all of their minds.
"How bout we discuss that later?" Zidane smiled, pushing the castle doors open. "Theres someone I think u might want to meet."
"Who?" Garnet began to ask as they entered the castle foyer but was met by a familiar voice. "Garnet?" She turned sharply toward it and standing on the left hand stairs was Freya smiling broadly at her. "Freya! It is you!"
"That it is." Freya chuckled, walking toward her and embracing the younger woman in a hug. "It's been quite a long time. Too long."
"What happened to you? You were coming to visit every few weeks and then you just stopped. I was really worried about you!" Garnet exclaimed, unable to hold back her own smile at finally being reunited with her old friend
Freya smiled at her apologetically. "I'm sorry I stopped coming, my hands were bit tied for a lot longer than I would have liked… Thanks to Zidane though, I'm back on my feet and doing well."
"I'm just glad your okay." Garnet replied, shaking her head dismissively. "Are you visiting here or-"
"No, this is my home now. I loved Burmecia, but.. i can't go back there at least not for a long while." Freya interrupted grimly but softened when her words were meet with a look of deep concern. "Dont be sad for me, I'm happy here. I've little hope that Fratley will ever visit me here but it comforts me knowing he left Burmecia in good health to continue his adventures."
"Then that's good at least." Garnet smiled apologetically, remembering how hard it had been on Freya that he hadn't remembered who she was.
"On a brighter note, I'm sure Vivi will be excited to see you too." Freya grinned.
"Oh, Vivi is here too?" She returned, unable to hide her surprise.
"Indeed, He's quite something these days. He's become something of a magical scholar, always looking for new spells that can help out the city." Freya answered, finally turning her attention towards Zidane. "I'm glad you returned safely as well, your Highness."
"Oh come on!" Zidane complained, earning a snort from Blank. "We've been over this!"
Fighting a chuckle along with Garnet, Freya retorted bemusedly. "Like it or not, that is your title title, so you might as well get used to it."
Zidane sighed theatrically, but chose to change the subject. "Is there any food? I'm pretty sure we're all starving."
"You can say that again..." Blank added.
"Yes, your highness. As soon as we received word of your arrival we started preparing a feast for your return." A blond-haired teenage girl with green eyes that worked as one of the castle staff chimed in. "As per your requests, we kept the luxurious items to a minimum. Also, um your highness, there are quite a few of the merchants and business merchants that will be attending, and I think some of them hoped to have an audience with you."
"Thank you. I wish it could have been more private, but I have been gone a while so I guess it's to be expected. Is there anything else?" The girl's face reddened considerably and she stuttered for a moment before Freya jumped in. "I think you're flustering the poor girl. There are other matters that needed tending to, but i think they can wait til tomorrow. For now, I don't think a celebration is uncalled for. Do you?"
Zidane eyed Garnet for a second before responding. "Sure, this time I think that'd be a good idea."
"We all heard about what happened in Alexandria so what do you say we try to make it be how that celebration should have went?" Freya smiled.
"That sounds like a plan." Zidane agreed.
"I- I think everything should be ready to start in just a couple hours sir- your highness." She quickly bowed nervously. Garnet felt bad for the girl, it wasn't easy adjusting to life in a castle.
"What's your name?" Zidane asked gently.
"Um... Claire sir." She offered, looking to be on the verge of panic.
""You're new here aren't you?" He asked, though the answer was obvious.
"Yes. I mean I am sir! I'm so sorry if im not doing a good job! I- my family was living on the streets of Treno and we didnt have anywhere else to go when we moved here. My- My parents tried to get a job, but they're not in good health right now and can't work so we didn't know what to do till Lady Freya was nice enough to give me this job. Please, don't fire me. I dont know what else I can-" Clair rambled breaking into tears before Zidane finally cut her off.
"Hey, Hey. Calm down, you haven't done anything wrong." He offered, getting a look of relief in return. "Try to relax. In truth, we're really no more special than you. I may be your king, but thats just a job with a fancy title. So, just keep working hard and I'm sure you'll accomplish all the things you're wanting to."
Her redness didn't fade away, but she finally seemed to relax a little. "Thank you sir. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"Hmm." Zidane pondered for a second. "If the food isn't gonna be ready for a while, I'm sure Dagger would love a hot bath before party. Would you care to help her with that?"
Garnet looked down at the clothes she had purchased from Dali and grimaced at their filthy state, having trekking for days on foot and encountering various monsters along the way. They hadn't had time to relax in treno, so she wondered how many days it had actually been since she'd had a proper bath, not counting a failed attempt at bathing in the frigid creek near one of the places they had camped. The icy water had sent her scurrying back to the warmth of the campfire.
As if reading her thoughts, Claire exclaimed enthusiastically. "Of course! I'll be happy to help you! I'll make sure to find you something clean and nice for you to wear tonight! Come with me!" She finished, taking Garnet by the hand and leading her forward. As they started to round the corner, Garnet turned her head and mouthed "Thank you." to Zidane before disappearing down the hallway.
"I dont think I'll ever get used to this." Blank commented, looking around.
"Huh, what do u mean?" Zidane asked, heading up the stairs and toward his chamber.
"This. We used to just be thieves, now look at us!" Blank answered sounding equally astounded and frustrated.
Zidane shook his head. "You're telling me. Sometimes I really can't help but wonder if I really did die back there in the Lifa Tree and maybe all of this is just some messed up afterlife."
"..." Neither Blank nor Beatrix made any reply, the mood immediately sobering.
"C'mon, y'all are both special guests here. I'll show you where your rooms are so you can wash up and relax too." He offered, looking weary.
"Yea, that sounds great." Blank nodded. "looks like you need to rest too."
"I'll be fine by the time the party starts." He reassured before showing them to their rooms and closing the door to his chambers behind him. Walking into his private bathroom, he propped himself up with both arms beside the hand washing basin and gazed into the mirror at the dirty blond-haired man looking back at him. "It wasn't easy and it sure as hell didnt go according to plan, but we did it. I still haven't told her exactly how I feel like I promised I would, but shes here now and I dont plan on screwing this up. So, it's time to get clean and dress up in something nice for her; she deserves an unforgettable night. "