Filling in the Blanks
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy IX or any of its characters.
Chapter 122: We Appear
Usually, it was very difficult to tell if Freya was annoyed. The Bermecian was very stagnant; poised in her presentation and refusing to show any sign of weakness.
But Ruby watched her leg bounce up and down in the moonlight as the two of them sat in a cove in the canyon wall on lookout duty, waiting for the others to come back. The small team that went out to recruit the chocobos had been gone for an entire day, and Ruby could only imagine how irritated that made Freya. Or perhaps even a little mad.
She didn't want them to go – for obvious reasons of course. But nobody else seemed that concerned, except perhaps Steiner. But he was concerned if Dagger rounded a corner without him, so the girl didn't think that really counted. She brushed her long hair out of her face, deciding that watching the unusually fidgety demeanor of her friend was making her just as anxious, so she turned her eyes downward, out into the vastness that was the desert in front of them.
In the moonlight, the dirt wasn't as harshly burnt orange. It had a richer, maroon color to it that made it easier on the eyes to stare at. Without the sun scorching down on it, she could see how a place like this might look beautiful. The vastness allowed her eyes to travel far, and in the distance, she saw the Iifa Tree and the light of torches all the way from Conde Petie. The horizon swallowed up their once-home in the forest, but she knew exactly in which direction is was, and could stare as long as she wanted, imagining the trees springing forward into her vision.
She did hope that one day, the scars of where their home had been – where Kuja had burned the brush and trees to the ground searching for them – would heal. She hated to know that they were the reason that part of the forest had died, and why nothing would grow there again for a long time.
Shaking her head to stop herself from latching onto the past, her eyes followed the wall of the canyon they sat nestled in, knowing that when the others came back, they would be scaling the side of the rocks. This was the perfect lookout spot because of the natural crumble of the wall; they were able to sit so their heads did not exceed the height of the canyon walls, but the crater-like opening where they sat had crumbled the length of wall in front of them a bit too, essentially hiding them from view from down below or far away, but allowing them to see what was coming without having to stand.
"Ruby," Freya started.
Ruby turned towards the woman with her eyebrows raised. She was wondering what Freya would have to say – she usually wasn't one who liked to talk, especially when she was so stressed.
"Yes, darlin'?"
"Aren't you nervous?"
"Nervous? 'Bout what?"
"Blank coming home safely."
Ruby scoffed and shook her head, waving her hand flippantly in front of her face. "Honey, hardly nuthin' scares me anymore. Blank's been hurt, he's been petrified, he's been missin', he's been angry at me, he's been split up from me, he's left me, we've split up, we've moved teams… The only thing that'll scare me is when we go up against Kuja. Nuthin' else."
"How did you get to be like that?"
She shrugged. "It felt like a waste of time bein' worried about Blank comin' home. That bonehead is leavin' durin' an emergency and when it's not even close to an emergency, so I can't tell one from the other these days. I love him, but if I love him too hard, I'll kill myself with all the worryin'. So I've just stopped. He'll come home when he's good and ready."
"What if he doesn't come home?"
"Then I go out and find him."
"What if he…" she trailed, unable to say it because the possibility, like all of the resistance members, especially the elites, was high.
"Passed on? I'd still find him. I'd still slap him silly for dyin' and then I guess the problem would solve itself, because I wouldn't haf'ta wait for him to come home anymore." She shook her head, "But it don't mean I wouldn't be heart broken and sad."
She snuck a peek at Freya, but the Bermecian's face did nothing to give her away. Ruby sighed, "That's just the way I look at it."
Freya nodded, "To be freed from fear. That is the only paradise we have in this war-torn world."
Ruby had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. "Nah, I don't think so. We got each other. We got good meals and good trainin' and laughs." She gestured out in front of her, "we've got talks like this. Don't be so hard on this life, Freya. I wouldn'ta met ya otherwise."
To this, Freya finally let on a smile and allowed herself to relax. Her leg stopped bouncing and her shoulders drooped, finally released of the tension they'd been feeling since the trio had gotten back from their recon mission.
"It seems my friends have been teaching me this over and over through the last few years."
Ruby was going to say something, but clasped her mouth shut when she saw Freya now fiddling with the ring on her left hand.
"Do ya miss Fratley?"
Even though she shouldn't have been surprised by the question, the woman looked startled. She curled the fingers of her right hand around the ring finger on her left, the ruby just poking through her pale blue skin.
"What I mean to say is, do ya fear Fratley not comin' home?"
She nodded, "I do. Fratley is with some of the best knights I have ever seen in my lifetime, and really, I do believe he is in a safer place than we are. But I wish we were facing this war together. So long did we spend apart."
Ruby nodded, "Are ya angry at him for choosing to stay in Cleyra?"
Freya sighed. "I was for a long time. I was angry that he chose his duty to Bermecia's sister city, who we had been disgruntled with for a long while, over me. But I know, after having a clear head about it for months now, that if he would have asked me to stay with him I would have declined. Because I would choose my duty to this resistance over staying in Cleyra with him, where I could not be a help to the resistance."
"I think that's a great answer."
A moment of pause passed between them, but before either could continue on with the conversation, Ruby's eyes caught movement over Freya's shoulder and she calmly leaned forward, pointing with her finger. "Would ya look at that. A sight I never thought I'd see."
Freya turned eagerly, seeing a cluster of shadows racing quickly along the canyon wall. As they neared, she was able to make out Eiko, grinning widely though she was barely able to hold on, leading the small group of chocobos.
In fact, within a few seconds she was able to see everyone with their own chocobos, and then a handful of extras along with them.
"Thank the heavens they're home," Ruby mumbled, releasing a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
Freya smiled, remembering Ruby's story about not being afraid if Blank came home, but it seemed she could not dispel the emotion completely. Though perhaps the relief when he arrived was different than fear when he was away. Perhaps that's what she had meant all along.
Most of the rest of the resistance was asleep. There were few that were up, sitting around the still-hot coals in the fires, and others laying on their backs staring up at the stars. A few walked from clearing to clearing, keeping guard and making sure everything was alright. This wasn't exactly necessary, but it did help the more anxious resistance members feel useful; it was usually the same rotation of people, weekly at least.
Freya and Ruby met the nearly-silent group of chocobos around the sharp corners into Madain Sari. Their friends sitting atop the chocobos barely made a sound, hoping not to disturb anyone – including their newfound friends.
"Incredible…" Freya breathed, hating to admit she was happy they had gone, but did so graciously. "What beautiful creatures."
Zidane dismounted swiftly. A couple of the others had a hard time getting off. Cinna's leg got stuck on the body of his chocobo and he slipped off the side, landing hard on his face. His mount simply ruffled his feathers and stretched his long neck, feeling stiff after the weight of a rider – especially such an ungraceful one as Cinna.
"The moogles and the chocobos agreed that each night, a small cluster would run from the Iifa Tree to Madain Sari to join us, to make sure not too big of a group moved all at once. There will be more coming."
Blank hopped off of his ride and led Ruby over. The girl was tentative, but unafraid. Freya followed suit.
First he introduced her to his own chocobo. The bird had wide, dark eyes that seemed a little more expressive then the rest. He was smaller than the others, but his claws shifted in the dirt in a restless kind of way that told Ruby he was fast. The creature sort of reminded her of Blank already, and she knew that's how they bonded in the first place.
Still without fear, she held up a steady but slow hand to his beak. He ruffled his wing and quickly nudged his nose into her hand, his eyes never leaving her. Once her hand fell on his beak, she moved it up slightly between his eyes and gave him a little rub. He cawed softly.
A smile broke out on her face then, as another chocobo trotted up next to her. With her hand still on Blank's mount, the other creature nudged her free hand until she mirrored the movements of her other hands.
"I guess they like you," Blank said.
"Told ya they would."
"Hmph. Stop trying to take mine away from me," he grumbled at her, patting his chocobo lightly at the base of his neck. That wide-eyed, fierce expression came back to his face as he turned to look at Blank. Blank let on a soft little smile for the bird, and he cawed quietly once more.
Freya watched Ruby interact with her chocobo before approaching the others. She decided that on this night, she would not pick a creature to be her mount; as a bermecian, she was a strong believer in the chocobo picking its rider. Her time would come; plus, all of these chocobos seemed a little smaller. Freya was tall – she needed a tall chocobo.
However, she did make a point to run her long fingers over the feathers of each chocobo; her way of greeting them all and showing them they were welcome. All of them seemed to respond well to the gesture.
"We have kept most of the first clearing empty in case you were to come back with friends," Freya told the group. "We warned those who stayed not to make a ruckus when the chocobos joined us. We wanted a restful night for our new allies before everyone wants a chance to see them tomorrow."
Zidane turned to his chocobo and grinned. The creature stared back at him with a tilted head. "You guys are basically celebrities." His chocobo chirped at him in response.
Marcus rubbed his head, adjusting his bandana once more. "Let's all get some sleep. I, for one, am beat."
The others nodded in agreement as Ruby and Freya bid them farewell. Ruby's chocobo shuffled its feet back and forth, unsure if she should go with the others, or stay with her new friend. The girl gave a smile and gestured for her to follow the others, and so the creature trotted away after the small group.
"The rest of our shift with be impossibly long now," Freya sighed.
Ruby grinned, shrugging her shoulders in a 'what can you do' kind of gesture, before turning to head back to their crevice in the canyon wall.
Dagger's eyes wouldn't get tired no matter how hard she tried. She listened for a long time to the steady and healthy beat of Zidane's heart. It relaxed her, but it sent her mind on a million journeys all at once. He was talking in a hushed tone to Vivi, who was on the other side of Zidane. The genome's head was turned towards him, and had she not been laying on his chest, she doubted she'd be able to hear him speak at all.
Vivi was asking several questions about chocobos: what Zidane's thoughts were on the mythical Chocobo Island, if he would want to ride into a battle on one, how to fight from on top of a chicken running at top speed. She thought they were all valid questions, but after a while, their light conversation fell into the background and she was left with her own thoughts, laying with her head nestled comfortably into the crook between Zidane's arm and chest.
These chocobos were so new and exciting and she truly thought they would bring quite a bit more hope to the people of the resistance. It had been a long time since anything particularly exciting had happened to them that was good. But her stomach seemed to churn at the very gesture of these creatures. It was another process that would need training, and she felt that they were almost out of time.
If Dagger was being honest with herself, regardless of if it was something she would admit to others or not, she was surprised they had had this much time. She couldn't believe they didn't have to go into their final battle while any of their best fighters were recovering – save for Beatrix who was still a little wobbly with a concussion, but otherwise doing okay – and she knew that their luck would run out soon enough.
If they wanted the upper edge on this battle, they were going to have to make a move soon. Alexandria itself would always wait for them, but how long would Kuja? She felt comforted in knowing that, if any of their friends had to have been captured, that it was Quina. Part of her felt uncomfortable and upset admitting that to herself, but she knew it was in good cause. The qu radiated harmlessness. She truly believed in her heart that Kuja wouldn't waste his time trying to torture answers out of Quina as he might have been trying to do with Zidane. The man already thought qus were a waste of space, and so why would one know any information that would be helpful to him?
Regardless, it was coming to be their time to act, and the time was moving swiftly nearer. They needed to be ready. She wholeheartedly could say that the resistance was making impressive progress each and every day, though it hardly seemed like the elites were involved in much of the training process these days, always running a different errand, but they really were. She had been watching their progress before they'd left to meet with the chocobos and she was thoroughly impressed.
"Hey, are you awake?"
She heard the low rumble in Zidane's chest as he turned his head, tucking his chin so he could stare down at her. His movement was the only reason she knew he was speaking to her.
Raising her head, she blinked at him, "Yeah, why?"
He shrugged, "Just seeing if you were. What are you thinking about?"
"A lot of things," she admitted, though the tone of her voice left no room for further conversation on the matter.
He nodded, "Can't sleep?"
She shrugged.
"Do you want to take a walk?"
She sat all the way up, "Everything okay?"
He nodded genuinely, "Yeah. I just can't sleep either."
She glanced over to see Vivi rolled the other way. The way his body was relaxed, she guessed he had fallen asleep a little while ago during his conversation with the genome.
"Okay," she nodded and both of them rose.
Picking their way across sleeping resistance members, they headed in the direction of the kitchen and dining plateau. Two chocobos raised their heads as the two of them slipped away, but made no sound.
Once they were away from sleeping resistance members and closer to the plaza with the crumbling fountain, the two stopped trying to be so sneaky. Walking hand in hand, they simply enjoyed each other's presence for a small while. Neither found it necessary to fill the silence at this time a night. But Dagger was very aware of his fingers intertwined with hers, and she smiled.
"You want to know what I still love about Madain Sari?"
"Still love?"
"Yeah, this place is too damn hot."
Dagger giggled before responding, "What do you still love?"
He stopped, his head lulled back and his eyes scanned the night sky. "How the stars still light our path and make it unnecessary to use torches."
Without letting go of his hand, she tilted her head back and stared up along with him.
There were billions of stars in the sky, each lighting the way a little at a time. It was completely clear and completely calm that night and Dagger recognized some of the constellations that Cid had taught her when she was much younger.
"Oh!" they seemed to both gasp at once, pointing up at the sky.
"Did you see it?!" Zidane asked excitedly, his index finger stretched upward.
She nodded excitedly, never taking her eyes off of the stars, "A shooting star!"
He finally pulled his head back up from its craned position and held her other hand with his. He ran his thumbs of her gloves, staring at her with a lopsided grin. "You know, shooting stars are good luck."
"I thought you were supposed to make a wish on shooting stars."
He shook his head, "I don't remember a lot about my parents or my home, but I do remember my mother saying to me that wishing doesn't help us succeed. But a little luck never hurt."
She found a smile on her own face as well, tugging at her lips, "I kind of like that."
Nodding, he continued, "So what, Garnet til Alexandros the 17th, will you do with the luck you've found tonight?"
She puckered her lips in thought, unable to completely wipe the smirk off of her face. Dagger loved these moments where Zidane was so teasing and silly.
"I think I'll push for a few more nights like this, with you."
His eyebrows shot upward in a challenging way. "You're using the luck of a shooting star on not being able to sleep?"
She snorted and pushed him away from her. He released one of her hands, but kept a firm hold on the other. "I'm using my luck to see the man I love smiling like this. I'm using my luck to feel the way I do now."
His expression softened into something loving and saved only for her. "Well, I'll make your wish come true then."
He leaned forward, about to give her a kiss. She raised a finger to put it to his lips, whispering, "I thought shooting stars weren't for wishes."
"Shush," he hushed her, grabbing her free hand to hold both of hers once again and kissing her anyways. She felt her own smile in the kiss and his pushed right back against her with his own.
Three weeks of training with the chocobos had simply flew by. Steiner felt good; he felt like mostly everyone was starting on the same page, and so it was fairly easy to keep everyone at the same skill level. That made maneuvering with their new mounts a lot less difficult.
He was currently sitting in on one of the quieter training sessions, watching Beatrix ride her own chocobo. The woman had made a full recovery, though if she moved too quick, he saw her flinch as the healing slice in her back was creased.
However, she never said a word about it, and each day he insisted to inspect it with Sally to ensure there was no infection. It was nearly healed, but the skin around it still raw. Beatrix's memory of the entire escapade in Conde Petie was fairly fuzzy, but from what she could recall, Steiner was impressed that those were the only wounds she sustained.
The woman was a natural with the chocobo, as everything else. Steiner decided early on in his training that this was another activity she would surpass him at quickly, and he wasn't wrong. Beatrix's grace left Steiner's riding with something to be desired, but he was used to her overshadowing him, begrudgingly, and so wasn't very bothered.
Her hair was pulled back in a bun, looking much less formal than she usually did, but no less beautiful. Her almond eyes were sharp, and he watched the muscles in her neck, shoulder and arm as she swung her Save the Queen sword at her target. Her late jumpstart to training had her sparring with rookies on the chocobos, but she was always quickly advancing to better opponents.
Sparring matches didn't last long with her, however. Newer resistance members were intimidated by her in general, and watching her come full speed ahead, half standing on her chocobo swinging a massive sword down right frightened them. By the end of the day, she was usually training with a wooden dummy.
"Steiner," she called to him, pulling him from his thoughts.
His eyes lifted to her. She was panting, wisps of hair falling from her bun and a sheen of sweat visible on her face in the sunshine.
"Come spar with me?"
He shrugged, "My chocobo isn't around."
She nodded, swinging gracefully off of her chocobo, swinging her sword so it rested on her shoulder. "How about a regular sparring match, then?"
He couldn't help but let on a grin and stand from the ground. While Beatrix's feisty attitude was half of the reason he fell in love with her in the first place, he was glad they didn't bicker quite as much as when they first met. Though he did have to say, there were a few memories of his from long ago that didn't involve any fighting. And those were some of his favorites of all.
"I never took you as much of a drinker," he remembered her voice one night while they were staying on the outskirts of Lindblum. A whole pack of scouts had entered the city to relax before heading home, their mission complete.
He stared down at his drink, a crease in his forehead, before answering. "I guess I didn't either."
Without an invitation, Beatrix sat on the barstool next to him, hooking her boots on the metal rung that ran around the trim of the bar. "I'll have what he's having," she told the bartender, before turning her attention back to him.
"No smart remark tonight, Adelbert?"
He cringed, "Nobody calls me that."
"I do," she said shortly, receiving her ale and taking a sip. She made a face. "This is awful."
He shrugged, pointedly taking a large swig of it. She nearly rolled her eyes, but stopped herself all the same.
They were quiet for a moment. "Do you want to talk about it?"
He shook his head. "It's been three weeks now, Beatrix. Talking about Alexander would be highly unproductive."
All of her instincts told her to reply snidely, but she stopped herself. "Grieving isn't unproductive, Steiner." He relaxed, hearing her soft voice say the name he was so used to hearing. She tried her hardest to use his first name, as calling him Steiner when she was Nathaniel's lover – girlfriend – partner – whatever they were seemed odd to her. But he was right, nobody called him Adelbert.
"He's gone… There's nothing I can do to change that."
"But it doesn't mean you can't be sad about it, you know…"
He chose not to answer her, taking another sip of his drink. Her eyes shifted downward, staring at the dark ale in her wooden mug. She could see the reflection of her face in the dark drink, so she took another quick swig to erase the image from the liquid. Things were complicated in the Steiner family. It was clear that Alexander and Adelbert were close – Nathaniel always having been the odd one out. He was hard on his younger sibling, while still having respect for his elder. While Alexander gained the respect he needed from his family simply by being the oldest, he was never cruel or harsh – always gentle, with a smile. He was a fantastic knight – even Beatrix advised the Rose Brigade to model themselves after him, and she usually liked to stay away from that kind of thing.
Nathaniel and Adelbert weren't close, but their personalities were alarmingly similar. Both were jealous, and always competing with each other to have the upper hand. Nathaniel showed this in the community, as Adelbert showed it in knighthood. The youngest of the three didn't understand why Alexander garnered so much respect from their brother, but he didn't, and that, she believed, was where his "blowing things way out of proportion" characteristic came from. Adelbert was strict and harsh, much like Nathaniel, because he believed that was the only way to win the approval of Nathaniel himself.
Of course, knowing all of this, she certainly couldn't side with Adelbert. That would just cause a giant argument – Nathaniel was one of the most stubborn people she had ever met.
Because of their stoic relationship, Alexander was sort of the glue that held the three siblings together. Once their father disappeared, all responsibility fell on him, and he bore it surprisingly well. But with him gone…
"Are you parents still alive, Beatrix?"
She shook her head, "No. Why?"
"What did it feel like, being the last of your family left?"
In any other circumstance, she would have taken high offense to a question like that. But she let it slide this time, for contemplative purposes. "I felt alone for a long time," she admitted. "No amount of training or work could distract me from the fact that these people who I was very close to, were gone. But, with a little bit of time, I was able to take up purpose again in what I was doing, and it got easier. Now what pushes me forward is… if they were here, would they be proud of what I've done?"
"I feel that way, now that Alexander is gone."
"Then do what you know would make him proud."
"What do you think that is?"
"Not letting his death make you cold and angry. Not forgetting that you still have a little family left, no matter how much you don't get along with Nathaniel. Keep pushing forward, because he knew that you were a fantastic knight."
Steiner rubbed his face, releasing a sigh into his hands. "Do you really believe all of that bullshit?"
She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I don't lie about stuff like that, you should know that."
He glanced at her then, and for a long moment they stared at each other. Steiner wasn't sure if she knew about his long-time admiration of her, as Alexander was the only one he ever told, and how despite their clear differences, he cared for her. But he thought their relationship was growing – they could tolerate being in the same room with each other, anyways.
"I don't give you enough credit for what you do," he told her, taking another sip of his drink. This was his third ale – she had entered the bar far later than him. Her outline was a little fuzzy.
"What do you mean by that?" she pondered.
He chuckled, finishing off his drink and putting a small pile of coins on the counter. It was time for him to go, before he said something stupid. She was right. He didn't get along with Nathaniel, but they were still family. And that meant not overstepping any boundaries.
"Good night, Beatrix. Thank you for your words."
He walked out of the bar then, not daring to sneak a last glance at the confused woman he left at the bar.
"Hey, are you coming?"
He shook his head, blinking his eyes a few times to shift his thoughts away from the memories. He glanced around him, realizing that when he stood up, he had made no motion to walk towards her.
Remembering that conversation in the bar from all those years ago, he was able to tell that that's when their relationship had started to change. They began getting closer and closer, despite their constant rivalry. He knew that that night was the start of what Beatrix had finally admitted to him when they saw Nathaniel again: her disconnect from his brother as she grew closer to Steiner. Nathaniel's jealousy would get the best of him and he would eventually leave.
A huge wave of circumstantial emotions overtook him. The way that things fell into place in their life had him nearly staggering. He knew that Beatrix was giving him a strange look, but he couldn't help the sudden epiphany. He knew that his entire thought process hardly made sense – but when did his thoughts about Beatrix ever make sense?
He moved towards her. "Let's not spar."
"What?"
He smiled at her, taking her hands in his. "Let's just… walk."
She had to resist the urge to pull away, her cheeks reddening a little bit at the tender moment in front of new recruits. She felt their stares – it wasn't often people saw the two of them looking like a couple.
"What are you talking about?"
Steiner smiled at her, releasing a chuckle very similar to the one he seemed to always have when she asked what he meant by things.
"I love you," he said suddenly, brushing her hair away from her face.
"Steiner –"
"Let us spend a few moments together, not training or worry about the health of one another."
While Beatrix had no idea what he was talking about, she realized that this nostalgic feeling he was having was serious and real. "Okay," she agreed, taking his hand and pulling it away from her face. She didn't release it though, as she rested her sword against the weapon stand and began pulling him away from the training area. "Let's… walk."
It was silent for the first few minutes of their journey. Most of the time, Beatrix and Steiner shared their time together on the dining plateau due to late nights when they were unable to sleep, or planning some next move. But today, Steiner led her in the direction of the water and the Summoner's Cove.
"Where are we going?" she finally asked.
He shrugged, "I'm not too sure."
"Steiner, what's wrong with you?" There was evident concern in her voice.
He smiled at her, "Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking about…" he sighed, suddenly feeling silly, "about us when we were much younger."
To his surprise, a chuckle escaped her lips. "That feels like a different life completely."
"Indeed, it does."
"If we are to win Alexandria back, what's the first thing you want?"
"A bed," he answered with a rare grin on his face.
She let out a soft laugh, uncharacteristic to her usually harsh demeanor. She noticed that about herself lately; she was getting softer. "What is the first substantial thing you want?"
"A home with a bed in it," he said, "and that's an honest answer."
Beatrix rolled her eyes. He thought she looked so young, rolling her eyes with her hair tossed up in a messy bun. It was foolish and childish, but the idea made his stomach flutter with nerves.
"What do you want?" he asked her.
"Order," she told him, almost instantly. "I want to live in a real city again. I want to live where there are fighters and citizens and professions and homes and businesses. I want to have to pay for things and earn my money. I want holidays and special occasions. I want my shift to end one day so I can have time to myself, doing something unrelated to training and protecting."
"I think I'm going to get my bed first."
She stared at him with playfully narrowed eyes. Not exactly sure where his humor was coming from, she ignored it. "I want memories like when we were young again."
"Memories of things that are trivial?"
She nodded. "It sounds… absurd. But nice – to have the only thing I worry about being how long the apple ale will be in season in my favorite pub of Alexandria."
"That does sound absurd. We'll have clear connections to the queen, she can make apple ale in season always."
Beatrix let out another laugh. "I suppose none of what we want will matter for awhile. Dagger will need a lot of help."
"I think you need to give her a little more credit," his tone was suddenly very serious, but not in a hostile way. "I think when the time comes for Dagger to truly lead, she will be able to rise to the occasion. However, she is going to need us to help enact her visions of a better future. In that way, I agree with you."
The brunette smiled at his response, "Though knowing Dagger, I don't believe she'll let us give up any more of our life. I think her decision will be to give all of us a break. It might make the recovery process of Alexandria a little slower, but it will be well-earned."
"I can envision her doing that as well."
Their conversation lulled as they came to the bridge that lead to the Summoner's Cove. There was smoke coming out of the top of the formation – that usually meant that Eiko was there with a few of the moogles, going over old artifacts that were long forgotten inside. Sometimes Dagger would join her, other times it was Vivi.
"It's times like these that I miss Victoria," Steiner admitted.
Beatrix let on a gentle smile, "And Conrad."
"I wish that more people remembered and understood how much more than a king and queen they were. They shaped us into the people we are…" he gestured to the two of them, "they were mentors. And friends."
Her almond eyes landed on the entrance to the Summoner's Cove. She blinked slowly, remembering people who had passed away long ago. "You know, it's funny… how much of Conrad I see in Dagger. Even more than I see Victoria."
"Looks nearly identical to her mother; so closely matched to her father. I wish she could have known him. He was a great man."
"I think it will be important for us to find whatever we can – Lindblum, Alexandria, maybe even Bermecia – all of the information that's recorded about Dagger's parents. She deserves to know as much as we can tell her."
"Hopefully as things settle down, more people who remember the royal family will come forward. But we will have to fill in all of the gaps – no matter how many there are."
Beatrix nodded, looking back at Steiner. Their eyes held a sharp sense of seriousness. In each other, they saw the commitment to Dagger so fiercely. It was easy to forget about it, being with each other every day and constantly looking over far more than the raven-haired girl. But those last moments with Victoria burned in their minds, as vivid as the day it happened. They're duty would always be to the true heir of Alexandria. It was their duty as knights, and as friends of the late king and queen. Dagger was their family – the resistance was their family.
Steiner suddenly stepped away from her, shaking his head and rubbing the back of his neck. "My apologies," he began, "I did not take you away from training for a conversation so heavy."
"It's refreshing to remind myself what all of this struggle will lead to," she admitted. "Even if the ideas are heavy."
"In any case," he smiled, "let's go down by the water. I'm not sure in all of our time in Madain Sari that I've done that once."
She nodded, "Don't think that this excuses you from the spar you owe me," she told him as they slid down the rocks towards the dock.
Steiner snorted, "You have a big desire to lose, Beatrix. I've been training while you've been resting."
"Maybe you'll be a bit more of a challenge then," she fired back.
"Maybe I'll surprise you."
A/N: I don't know, I felt like that was a good place to stop. I'm sorry it's taken so long to get an update out to you guys! I have some good-bad news. Bad news: I just went through a breakup. It's been hella tough the last couple of weeks, but I'm surviving. The good news: it gives me way more time to write. For example, I wrote this chapter in 3-4 nights of writing a bit before bed.
I think author wise, this will be a good thing. I need to make more time for you guys! And this story. I really do love it.
So because I've been depriving you guys so much, I've given you a bit of fluff this chapter. Hopefully I'll find some direction in getting that out of my system so that I can fill you guys with some actual story line in the next chapter. Yay!
Thanks for hangin' in there with me!
-zesty-
