Filling In The Blankets

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy IX or any of its characters.

Chapter 62: Someone from the Past

Beatrix leaned back in her seat, the creak of the bar stool drowned out in the chatter and clink of mugs and dishes in the bar. Steiner sat across from her, eyeing her wearily.

"It's just so frustrating!" She groaned, rolling her eyes towards the ceiling. She let her head lull backwards as her almond eyes glazed over. It was so unprofessional that Steiner actually (and accidentally) laughed out loud.

Her head snapped back up and she glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest. Steiner replied by taking a swig of his drink. "It is a big city… We just have to be patient, Beatrix," he told her, though he felt the anxiety as well.

How long could they go in this place without being recognized? How long until their presence alerted Kuja – only a few fields and a mountain range away? This was different work than recruiting at Ipsen's Castle… That place was under the protection of mist and a deep valley, and most of the people were fighters. Right away their leader had come to the resistance who had quite literally landed on their doorstep.

This was different. They were close to the enemy – within the enemy lines. Their ship wasn't close enough to make a quick get-a-way and though it was still possible, was highly unlikely. Skilled fighters and thieves had to wander among common citizens, trying to look for other rebels amongst these average people…

Sally said she would help them by contacting others, but who knew how long that would take.

"Maybe we should go talk to her again –" The woman jumped from her stool, turning quickly on her heel. She was already on her way out by the time Steiner realized it and grabbed her arm.

"I know…" He muttered, frustration lingering in his own eyes, "How anxious you are… believe me, I am too… but we can't go around ruining the only chance we've got. Let her take her time."

"But it's wasting ours!" She hissed, trying and failing to convince him that this was what they needed to do.

"Let's just go back to the hideout," he suggested, reaching back to the table and finishing his glass. He found with a spark of amusement that Beatrix hadn't even touched her own drink. "Maybe someone can tell us something…"

"You better be right," she grumbled angrily, telling him she'd wait for him outside. He paid the bartender and wandered out after her, where she leaned against the stone bridge offering protection from the canal, her eyes scanning everything around her.

As he moved to her side in silence, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Though it wasn't as though either of them were fully armored, they were back in their casual clothing – Beatrix finally out of that wretched dress. But with this new sense of comfort came the paranoia that someone might recognize them…

Steiner was suddenly on edge, feeling as though eyes were piercing through his clothing and flesh, hooking him, willing to drag him in closer. He put an arm protectively over Beatrix's shoulders, hoping to shield her from the fiery feeling.

"What's wrong?' She whispered. From her tense nature, he could tell that she had already felt it.

"Let's just keep moving…" He muttered back to her, flicking a glance over his shoulder. There weren't many people out, but the ones that were weren't paying any attention to them.

It was strange and unsettling, and neither of them had to tell the other to pick up the pace as they rushed back home.


"What will you have us do, M'lady?"

She pushed her blonde hair from her eyes and turned around, her gaze tearing into the man in front of her. With a flicker of hesitation in her eyes, she sighed allowing her shoulders to slump.

"Do what you can to bring them to me… Just those two… I want them as inconspicuously as possible…"

"Straight out from the street?"

"We're risking too much of a fight the closer they get to that old building… I do not know what they're here for, but I must speak with them…" a fire burned in her mind, hardening her eyes as she stared back down at the retreating duo. "Go now… Quickly."

"Yes, M'lady…" And within a moment, he vanished completely from sight.

She gripped the railing a little tighter, anxiety clutching her insides. Its cold fingers squeezed the breath from her lungs, and she leaned heavier on the stone in front of her.

She prayed this went according to plan…


"There's definitely someone watching us," Beatrix finally told him, her voice so low he almost didn't hear her.

He nodded in the faintest way he could manage, his grip around the woman's shoulders still tightening. He could feel her prickle underneath him, and knew she was feeling the uneasiness he was.

"We do not have much more to go," he whispered to her after a few moments. A few people rushed by them, but no one paid attention to the quickly moving couple, latched to each other like they were the other's life source.

They rounded the corner. Only two more left turns to the Tantalus building. It was only a couple of blocks, and they could see (in the way distance) Dagger and Zidane leaning against the railing talking. Instantly, this caused both of them to relax. There wasn't much they could do about the awful feeling, but with seeing some familiar faces came reassurance that nothing bad would happen.

And then from out of nowhere, hands were punching them, groping at them, and trying to stifle their shuffling movements and jerky sounds.

Steiner shoved hard against the first man that veered him back into the darkness of an alley. Beatrix reared hard against another man – more slender, but still as strong. They wrestled for a moment, before he slammed her against a wall.

She groaned, and Steiner fully turned, ready to assist her. "Beatrix!" He hissed feeling every bit the need to be quiet – much like their attackers.

She slumped backwards, wilting towards the ground. One man caught her under her armpits and heaved her back into a standing position. Then he ducked down, grabbing her by the waist and throwing her over his shoulder.

She was limp, and her hair flung forward in front of her face, her curls sprawling around her like a veil.

The former captain yanked and bucked, trying to get to her. His heart was hammering in his chest, and he continued to utter her name in hushed urgency. Eventually, one man got a hold of his head and smacked it against the wall.

He knew it wasn't enough to kill him, but could already feel his struggles weakening as he sunk to the brick ground himself, the world around him going black.


It felt like an eternity and a half before either of them finally awoke. Beatrix groaned, her swimming vision slowly stitching back together – everything in her line of sight becoming one instead of two or three.

She pushed herself up, taking in her strange surroundings. The colors were all a haze and the world swung, so she closed her eyes again. When she let her other senses take over, was when she noticed the couch.

With her eyes snapping downward, she saw her hands had sunken into a plush lounging sofa, the purple fabric caressing her sore body. Swirling designs were carved into any visible piece of the dark, glossy wood. It was a sturdy frame, yet dainty and nearly frail looking – almost giving off the affect nobody should be sitting on it.

Again she tried to look around the room, having a little more success than last time. Turning her head this way and that, she spotted Steiner on another couch not far from where she was seated, his eyes still shut, his lips pressed into an irritated line.

"Steiner!" She whispered, trying to stand. But she swayed on the spot and collapsed back onto the couch, gripping it tightly so she was sure it would stay under her despite all of the spinning.

"I see you've awakened!"

The voice was feminine but booming, much like Beatrix's own voice to the rest of the resistance. She sat rigid, her attention torn between this new presence and Steiner's condition.

Eventually, her eyes had to move across the room to the woman who had entered. She crossed the carpeted (how long had it been since Beatrix saw that?) room with elegance and confidence.

"Who are you?!" The brunette snarled. She knew if she stood, she'd only look weak, so she decided to stay seated, but stay on her guard.

The blonde woman's lips twitched upward. "I'm surprised you don't recognize me."

The ex-knight shifted through every person she would know that hadn't died from the war, and drew up a blank. Who could know her that she didn't know? Perhaps… Perhaps it was one of Zidane's dreamer friends? Her eyes narrowed. That would make her with Kuja.

But… something about this woman was off. She was older, and her poofy, extravagant dress lined with shining threads and glittering beads didn't match a Dreamer description. That, and they had brought her here – which she recognized as the insides of the Lindblum palace – instead of shipping her and Steiner off to Kuja.

"No guesses, Beatrix?" She asked, her voice almost… teasing.

Suddenly, her eyes became soft and she walked forward, kneeling in front of the woman. Beatrix flinched back, if only slightly, until her honey eyes locked with light blue ones. Slowly, some sort of recognition blossomed in the very corners of her mind, and without even realizing it, she blurted the woman's name out into the silence of the room.

"Lady Hilda Fabool…" She gasped, unable to contain herself.

A large grin crossed the woman's features as she stood and gave a slight, royal bow, "In the flesh…"


"Dagger, meet Sally…"

"Pleased to meet you," She told the older woman pleasantly, a smile firmly on her lips. Her hands were laced together behind her back, and she stood both feminine and a little sheepish. "I apologize for not coming a bit sooner…"

They'd been in Lindblum for about a week. It had been a few days since Baku, Steiner, and Fratley had spoken with the woman, and Zidane, Dagger, and Vivi decided to take their place and come to speak to her.

The others were out in the city running missions. It seemed their presence alone was affecting people, and they were finding their own way to recruit help. If not doing that, they were helping to get supplies nobody could get anywhere else, and Ruby was helping the orphaned children with most of her time, and all of her energy.

"It's quite alright," The woman ushered them inside, taking a minute to glance around the bright square, just to make sure nobody was watching. She shut the door and turned to them, the three still standing, waiting to be invited in. "Such wonderful manners!" She praised with a grin, ushering them further into her shop.

They wound through the homey wooden hallways, creaking with protest as they padded over the floorboards. Eventually, they came to the stairs past the storage room Zidane had been trapped in, and appeared in the familiar kitchen. Immediately, Sally was grabbing four cups for tea, and gestured for them to sit at her chipped dinner table.

"I'm glad you came to hear what I have to say," she told them with a smile. "I was able to contact quite a few people around Lindblum."

"Really?" Zidane asked excitably. "Like who?!"

She frowned and shook her head. "Unfortunately, not many of the ones I know are fighters. There are a few who are bound to know more skilled warriors outside of my small circle, but many people with ordinary jobs like docking, loading, seamstresses, and even a baker would like to help in any way that they can!"

Zidane did a good job hiding the disappointment that had skittered into his gut. He was hoping for some more man power in the fight against Kuja, not people who weren't prepared to battle. But Dagger seemed to be reacting in the completely opposite way.

Her eyes were dazzling as she leaned forward and bounced as though she'd just been told she was receiving a surprise gift. "The baker – can he make many things out of small resources?"

"It's what we're known for best in Lindblum. All those with a skill from baking to docking have learned to work with basically scraps – there just isn't enough supplies sent in to keep us all well-afloat."

"He would be perfect!" She gleamed, a smile tugging hard at her lips. "And the seamstresses? They don't need a lot of supplies either?"

She chuckled, "Aside from myself, these ladies are the best that I know. They could probably make you armor too, with the help of a blacksmith – Kuja sends a lot of his army's armor here to get fixed or recreated even though there are never any actual soldiers inside the city – save for the patrol at the gate and wall, who don't do their job anyways."

Dagger glanced at her two companions, hoping for the same sort of enthusiasm. When she received only confused and forced smiles, she rolled her eyes and turned back to Sally. "The docking and loading men could be trained to fight –"

"They'd be more than willing!" She added with a wink.

"And you say there are fighters that expand further than the few that you know?"

"As long as they're still here," she shrugged, a little sheepish, "Like I said, I don't know them."

Dagger gave her one determined nod. "Right!"

The woman finally put the hot tea in front of them, and instantly, Dagger's fingers curled around the cup to keep them warm as she stared down at the rickety table, her face full of concentrated thoughts.

Zidane and Vivi greedily took their cups, cradling them as their eyes scanned the girl sitting in the middle of them. Just what was she thinking about?

"You won't make these people fight, right?"

Her question came from nowhere, but as she sat across from the trio, her hands clutching her mug so firmly, her knuckles were white, and her lips set in a hard line, they knew she was serious.

"No, we could never ask that…" Dagger answered automatically. She felt a little guilty, because it wasn't completely the truth. They would ask if people would be willing to fight, but they would never make someone do it.

From the way the resistance worked at this point, however, most people who joined fought at some point or another – so those who joined from Lindblum with no intentions of participating in the war directly, would probably be pressured into it just by everyone else's actions.

"You will make a fine Queen…" Sally's comment was hardly above a mutter, but it still effectively had Zidane and Vivi wheeling around to stare wide-eyed at the girl. The latter stared, her fingers sliding limply off the glass, her chocolate eyes never leaving the grinning woman in front of her.

"Wh-what did you just say?" She asked timidly, sounding more like the quiet girl Zidane had met a year ago, back when he'd first arrived at the resistance.

"Oh, don't be so nervous!" The old woman laughed, "Just the way you hold yourself reminds me of the Regent Cid, and the royals of Alexandria…" She let out a soft chuckle, "You remind me so much of Victoria, it is hard to swallow…"

Though the two dreamers didn't know the name, Dagger definitely did; she stood so fast the chair flew back and clattered on the ground. "How did you know her?!" She demanded roughly, her eyes set hard, and her defenses up.

This didn't seem to bother Sally however. She shook her head with weak amusement. "My dear, I've been around a long time…" She gave another wink, "Though I still look like quite a catch, I've done tailoring for almost every royal for the past two generations. I'm old enough to be your grandma!"

"How did you know her?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, and her eyes shined brightly, brimming with tears.

"Like I said…" She nodded slowly, grinning eyes gazing at the girl. "I tailored for her…" She clicked her tongue and pushed off the counter. "But not just any dress… I did two in Victoria's rule… One for her wedding…"

The girl almost melted on the spot.

"And one for her coronation."

"You knew my mother for that long?!" Finally, the two boys were clued in.

"Your mom?" Zidane mumbled, though the raven didn't even realize he had spoken.

"King Conry and Regent Cid were quite the feisty kids… I watched from a distance as my best friend's two sons grew into fine young men… In addition, I watched Conry and Cid fall in love with two lovely young women…"

"You were there?" She couldn't wrap her head around it. Someone who knew her parents? Her father?! The one in her life so dear to her heart, yet she hadn't laid eyes on him once in her life.

"My best friend, Quintessa Fabool of Lindblum, and her love, Reks Alexandros had two sons, who you know to be Cid and Conry…" She tilted her head, trying to explain it so that all three of them could understand. "One would rule Lindblum as Regent – the younger of the two… and the eldest would rule Alexandria as King... Eventually, Conry met Victoria, and wed…"

"Tell me how," she pleaded quietly, wringing her hands eagerly in front of her face, leaning forward in rising anxiety and excitement. "Tell me about Victoria…"

The woman shrugged, "Unfortunately, I cannot tell you much of the ways they met… Only Conry and his most trusted guards knew exactly where Victoria was from. But she was fiery and passionate, and despite the unknown heritage, the people fell in love with her… She was accepted with open arms, and she was a fine ruler, still strong after Conry passed away…"

Dagger's heart ached with overwhelming happiness. She had found out more information on her parents in the last five minutes than she had ever been able to weasel out of Beatrix and Steiner, or even Cid! She suspected they didn't want her to dwell on the fact, but hearing these stories were the most amazing words ever uttered in her presence.

Sally decided to move forward from story telling. She knew Dagger knew nothing of her family, which was why she wanted to share just a little… the girl had every right to gain an incentive strong enough to keep her going – no matter what would happen in the future. "You are so like Victoria… You are sweet and kind, but passionate about your cause and your loved ones…" Her eyes slid to Zidane for a fleeting moment. The blonde missed it, but Dagger's cheeks burned crimson when she caught the flickering movement. "I knew right away that it was Princess Garnet that I was speaking to."

It was quiet for a moment, before said princess finally picked up her chair and settled back down into it, her gaze off in another world, a smile dancing upon her lips.

The others weren't quite sure what to say. They hadn't heard anything of Dagger's parents in all this time that they'd been in the resistance. Hearing just bits and pieces had Zidane itching for more – but he knew he couldn't ask her… at least not now.

That brought him back to why they were sitting in Sally's cramped kitchen anyways. He cleared his throat, noting that Dagger didn't bother giving her attention.

"When can we meet these people who wish to join us?" He asked, his voice cracking a little from being silent for so long.

Sally turned to him looking exhausted, as though she was relieved that the subject was off of Dagger's parents. Something told him that if she continued with the story, she'd also be able to relay to the girl the death of her family – something she didn't want to do. She shouldn't really have started with the blast from the past in the first place.

"I can have them come in pairs of two to your hideout throughout the day tomorrow."

Zidane nodded and glanced at Vivi, "Think we can get everyone to help us get them out?"

Vivi nodded, "I think we could probably manage."

"Good!" The woman gave one curt shake of her head. "Now go! Prepare for my people tomorrow… It'll be difficult getting all these rowdy people to settle down and listen… You'd better tell everyone to make sure they're home."

The dreamers nodded and stood, "Right!"

Sally glanced at the girl, finally coming back into focus. "I'll see you there tomorrow as well," she told all three, deliberately ignoring Dagger's probing eyes. "Goodbye! Thank you for the company! An old woman needs someone to gossip with every once in a while!" She gave a girly wave, and a hooting laugh before excusing them from the room.

They moved back down the stairs quietly, all too caught up in the bit of information about Dagger's parents that they heard. So many thoughts were running through the girl's head. She remembered that night so many years ago when her mother had swept her up from bed, slung a small pack over her shoulders, and ran with her down the stone corridors, all for just her to escape.

Dagger had been back through those halls many times. Though she could no longer remember the correct route to get to the castle, sometimes on the way into the depths of the winding dungeon (when the group got that far; sometimes their trips just wouldn't work out) she'd stare at the stone, partially illuminated by torches and feel like she'd seen them before, Beatrix and Steiner flanking her mother as they ran.

Zidane and Vivi weren't sure what to do. Should they say something to her? Should they completely avoid the subject? They took a few quick glances at each other, before shrugging and following the girl as she roamed the street. Her thoughts were so deep, she didn't have any idea where she was going.

The breath of the hot sun was beating down on them, and the two dreamers tried to be patient with her silence. It was only when they turned a corner and Zidane glanced up, unable to see the bell tower that overlooked the sections of the city surrounding their hideout that he finally spoke out.

"Dagger, you doing okay?"

Her eyes seemed to come back into the focus, sharpening as she spun around to face him. "Huh?"

"We're just… getting a little far away from base, that's all," he shrugged, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "I know you probably have a lot to think about, but maybe we should head the other direction."

A light blush crept over her cheeks as she laced her fingers together, suddenly shy. "Sorry about that."

"Not a problem," He grinned, tucking his hands behind his head and moseying back in the direction they came. Vivi stared at her, his eyes almost swallowed in the brightness of the sun, before pulling down on his hat, and following the blonde.

Her feet pivoted in her boots, making a crunching sound on the sandy stone before she began to backtrack, following behind the other two. Her mind was clouded with questions that she knew Sally would refuse to answer, and her heart ached with longing.

Her parents were long passed, but she felt every day like she could walk back into the arms of her mother, like she could every day when she was small. Biting her lip, she watched Zidane and Vivi. Both of them had lost their loved ones to the war. Zidane's parents had been brutally murdered in front of him, and Vivi's grandpa – nobody knew where he was, or if he was even around anymore…

Yet both of them seemed at an almost complete ease. Should she be like them after so many years? The sadness in the loss of her father still settled over her in a haze sometimes but… she'd never met him. How could she know if she would have loved him?

Because you know you just would have… He died protecting you – protecting everyone.

And just like that, her eyes snapped to the back of Zidane's head, gaze locking in on him and staring hard. Would she lose Zidane in the same way?


"You disappeared all those years ago…" She whispered, unable to raise her voice anymore.

The older blonde woman rose to her feet and laced her fingers together elegantly in front of her. Her eyes bore down into the younger woman's, and a sad smile overwhelmed not just her ruby lips, but all of her features.

"Indeed…" She sighed, wringing her gloved hands. "The events of how I got separated from Cid are still so hazy to me… I believe I will never know exactly what happened, but I do know that the first thing I can remember doing after losing the resistance, was return to Lindblum."

"How did you survive?" She breathed, her head and eyes and mostly, her heart aching.

She sighed and glanced at Steiner, his brow creased despite his state. "Kuja hadn't taken over the city yet… He wasn't surprised to see that the royals had fled, along with many of the citizens…" Her eyebrows shot up, and her look was defiant. "What he didn't expect was such a strong Lady still leading the remaining city folk…"

"He didn't kill you?"

She sucked in a breath. "I would prefer to tell the story once Steiner has awoken…" She shrugged, almost sheepishly. Beatrix had forgotten how playful the ever-poised woman could be. "I apologize for the rough handling… I had to make it as quick and quiet as possible, and I don't believe either of you would have gone with my guards, had they told you who sent them…"

"You are correct," Beatrix's lips curled into a smile.

The woman's eyes suddenly became soft as she slipped her hands into Beatrix's and pulled her up. The brunette swayed on the spot, but the elder of the two kept her standing. She gave the woman's gloved hands a tight squeeze and shot her a tender smile. "Look how much you've grown… It has been so long."

"Too long," The brunette correct with a small smile.

"Tell me," Hilda bit her lip, unsure. "Who of the original resistance is still alive?"

Beatrix smiled, trying to remember back to the group of traveling tents and scared citizens. Hardly any skilled fighters were among them, and they had so few supplies it was startling. She rattled off a few names that really didn't seem to spike Hilda's interest. Beatrix knew the two names she was after.

"Garnet is alive."

The woman gasped, tears instantly pricking her soft orbs. "Garnet?" She whispered, lips puckering and eyebrows pulling together. "Oh my…" She gripped Beatrix's hands harder. "How old is she now? What's she like? Ohhhh!"

The brunette smiled, "Garnet, who now goes by the alias of Dagger, is sixteen. She's going to be seventeen in just a couple of weeks. She is… Oh Lady Hilda – she is phenomenal. She's poised and a wonderful leader. She's passionate about everything she does and believes in, and when she wants to be, she has more confidence than I ever thought possible to get through some of the things we've been through…" A slow smirk crossed over her features. "Plus, she's in love."

"Love?!" Squeaked the lady. "Love?! With who?!"

Beatrix frowned. "We should probably explain the whole story to you first, before I tell you that…"

She nodded excitedly, "Wait for Steiner?"

"Mhm!" The brunette nodded, and then shot her a sideways glance. "You know…"

"Yes?" Her eyes looked more hopeful than she meant to let on.

"Cid is still alive."

There were no squeals of delight or sighs of relief or cooing words to express her happiness. But Beatrix didn't need that to know her reaction. Somehow, her expression spoke tenfold what a simple gesture of sound could make. Her eyes got a little wide, and her lips contorted into a half smile, half quivering grin. Hilda's face flushed and she stood a little higher on her toes, almost leaning forward in exasperated relief.

It was as though a floodgate had opened, and it all washed out over her face. She wasn't expecting this answer.

"And he still talks about you all the time. He is convinced that you're alive."

If Beatrix through her expression before was relief, she was wrong. The woman felt choked up herself, seeing the pure expression of love and the weight of the world lifting this older woman a little lighter and prouder. It was as though the years of constant battling with Kuja and his looming shadows didn't matter, knowing that Cid was out there, always looking.

"Here I am," she said, almost lamely, in a shaking voice. "You really mean this, Beatrix?"

"Why would I lie?" She mumbled back, wrapping the woman in a hug. When Beatrix became part of the royal guard – before Kuja had seized Alexandria (and maybe even after that, before Hilda disappeared), she had gone to Hilda for absolutely everything. Every woman conversation, and every doubt about ever moving forward in life… She had wondered to her superior if she had made the right decisions, and all of her insecurities had been poured into her. They were tremendously close, and now, it was like that bond was rushing back with a vengeance for lost time.

"It's good to see you," She told Beatrix simply, though both knew that it was so much more than that.

Before they could continue their conversation, a groan sounded next to them as Steiner stirred on the plush couch. The brunette grinned at Hilda, looking so much younger than twenty-eight years old.

"Good!" Hilda laughed – a strong and confident sound. She strode over to the couch where Steiner's eyes fluttered open, and he was sitting up, the expression on his face mirroring Beatrix's earlier one. "Now we can get down to business!" She stuck out a hand, offering it to Steiner.

Recognition dawned on him far quicker than Beatrix, as his eyes widened, taking in her appearance.

"Yes Steiner, let's save the dramatics… We have a resistance to talk about."


A/N: Well, I hope you liked that chapter! The whole thing with Dagger's family was completely spontaneous, but I hope it wasn't too confusing. Did Hilda coming back into the picture shock you? Or not really?

I hope you enjoyed! Let me know how I did!

Oh! I also apologize if whoever is reading is upset I didn't make Brahne Dagger's mother… That lady scares me way too much to have her be someone who mirrors Dagger so well, so I just made an OC :) Hope you don't mind too much! Also kind of bull shitted Dagger's father, but I figured since we don't hear much about him in the game, I have free range with kind of whatever I want to do! Sorry if it confuses you guys!

-zesty-