"Zidane!"

Zidane rose his eyes up from the art he had been studying, a boyish smile forming on his lips. "Hey. How's it going?"

Garnet loved that smile. It made her feel safe, and somehow made him look more charming. "I'm okay." She took her eyes away from his face, relocating her gaze to the painting Zidane had been lost in. He somehow seemed entranced before she called out his name. "Whatcha looking at?"

He stood up from his chair, running his fingers along the surface of it. His hand traced the figures of the warriors. They seemed proud and glorious, and those on the ground seemed to be dying heroically, as if they were sure that Hero's Heaven awaited them. "The Battle Of Two Realms. Lindblum and Alexandria. Nice, huh?"

She took a couple of steps forward, and bit her lower lip. "It is, but inaccurate. War has never been that elegant." Tearing her eyes from the picture for a moment, she looked at him coyly. "Zidane, you practically live in the castle now. I kinda figured you'd worn out your appreciation for hallway decorations."

He shrugged, the right side of his mouth turning up a slight bit. "I'm sorry, highness. But living here for 10 years of your life, this place is like the back of your hand. I, on the other hand, am still getting used to living in a place this huge. This is enormous."

Her smile waned a bit. "I can understand that." Then, like a flash, her face brightened. "So, any plans for today?"

He grinned. "If you consider wasting more of my youth inside castle walls plans, then I'm booked. If not, I'm up for something."

"Good. Anyway, I figured both of us could use a night out of here, so I figured dinner at an awesome restaurant."

He laughed out loud. "Oh boy! A place where I'm sure to get pampered and waited on." He sighed, "like I didn't get enough of that here."

She punched him in the arm playfully. "We're going to Hippos' ."

His eyes widened. "Wow, thank God you got a reservation!" Sarcasm dripped from his voice. "Seriously, that'd be great. All this fancy food just isn't my style. A nice, backwater diner would sure hit the spot."

"So it's a date then?"

"Sure."

She leaned over and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Great. See you later then? I'm gonna go walk around town a bit."

"Okay. " He smirked. "Take care of yourself now," he said in a motherly tone.

She glared at him, before jamming her hands into her coat and disappearing down the marble stairs. Zidane suppressed a laugh. He loved that even after all this time, he was still able to get a rise out of her. The way she put on hand on her hip defiantly. And how her hair still fell perfectly into place, still beautiful despite the anger resonating from it.

It only made him love her more.

Another thing to love about her was her hidden desire to be independent. She often hid away just how much constantly having guards looking over her shoulder annoyed her. But to a degree, their worries weren't for naught. One of these days, independence could transform into recklessness. He just hoped Garnet was too smart for that.

He spun around on his heel, nearly knocking down Steiner in the process. The knight stumbled backwards before retaining his balance.

"Rusty! How's it shaking?"

Steiner blinked a few times before replying. "If you are to become Alexandrian Royalty, you must speak with a noble manner! No one wants a ruffian as king!"

Zidane rolled his eyes. "Fine." He took a deep breath and said with an accent, "Good day, kind sir! What a nice, non-existent smile you have! And how are you faring on this splendid April afternoon?"

Steiner was clearly not amused. "You haven't changed that much, have you? This is still all a joke to you!"

Zidane sighed again, this time in irritation. "It's not a joke to me, Rusty. But you're taking this too seriously. Am I supposed to change everything about me for the sake of being a traditional king?"

"That isn't what I meant. What I mean was, you could at least use a bit of manners-"

"Hey, I've been nice to you. And it's not like I'm talking to Emperor Everything. You're just my friend. I can be myself around you. Or do you expect me to treat you like a normal knight?"

Before he could reply, Zidane was already at the foot of the stairs.

"What a king, you'll make…." Steiner mused aloud.

****************

"Get the hell off me, you asshole!"

The squeaky voice caught Amarant's attention. He quickly scanned his surroundings before spotting a tall, lanky guy being pushed around by a guy with bulging muscles and a thick neck. His nose was bleeding, and his right eye was swelling shut.

The skinny guy looked scared to death, his one brown eye reminded him of a mouse, wide with fear. Not that Amarant blamed him. This guy just wasn't an everyday thug. Most of the scum he usually dealt with were puny and weak. But this guy, he looked strong enough to pick up a bench and beat somebody over the head with it.

And here he was, threatening someone half his size. It made him angry. Oh wow, what a fighter he must be.

Without hesitation , he walked over to where Meathead was standing. It took the all brawn-no-brains loser a couple seconds to figure out someone was behind him. Amarant leveled him with a glare that could set hell on ice.

"What's your problem?" Meathead said defiantly. Armarant took note of the small blade in his pocket. That might make his approach trickier.

"Simple." His voice was cold. Even. "You breathing."

"Look, guy, I don't wanna have to hurt you. Just mind your own damn business."

Amarant didn't move. He just stood there, not taking his eyes off the guy. Like a hunter eyeing its prey. The skinny guy sat on the floor, his eyes on Amarant. But he refused to acknowledge him.

"You stupid asshole…" Meathead muttered, and swung a right hand to his head.

The punch was pathetic, sloppy. He didn't even have to block it. He easily sidestepped it.

Meathead's eyes narrowed in anger. "Bastard!" This time he sent a hook to his jaw, with more force.

How laughably easy. He didn't have to block this one, either.

He then reached for the knife, as Amarant gambled he would. Amarant caught the wrist with the knife, and pulled it back sharply behind him. The bear groaned in pain as the knife clattered to the floor. The puny dude sat in the corner, shivering.

Amarant let his arms go. Now with the knife out of the way, he could give him some room.

"Okay, enough with the games." Amarant stated flatly. There was no point in making this a real contest. He landed a hard right, clipping meathead in the chin. He probably broke his nose with his left. Then he calculated the correct spot under his ear, and hit it with a fast blow. Right before his eyes, the big guy crumpled to the floor.

Amarant nudged with the toe of his boot. Out cold.

"Hey, thanks!" He heard the voice call out as he left the scene.

Amarant didn't bother to reply. Hen never did to "thank you"s. It made him feel like they owed him something, and that made it hard to just pick up and leave right away. That was Amarant's lifestyle. So he hated it just as much as having to owe something to someone else.

He couldn't help feeling disappointed. He was hoping for more of a fight, but this was pathetic. What he wanted was someone trained to battle, no ridiculously sloppy street thugs like this one. But at least he taught them a lesson. That was what he lived for these days. Kind of a service to society. But did it count as a service if he enjoyed the ass-kickings? Still, either way Amarant was cleansing Alexandria of thieves and scum. Those that profited from other people's misery. Picked on those weaker than themselves.

Being a former wanted man himself , it was all pretty ironic.

*********

"Dad?" Eiko ran into the regent's throne room, brimming with childhood energy, just like she always had.

"What is it Eiko?" Cid raised a hand to the air. "Why the ruckus?"

Eiko tilted her head downwards, folding her hands in front of her, and her foot tracing a circle on the cobblestone floor. "I was just thinking about…Zidane and Garnet…"

Lady Hilda looked at Cid, startled with a realization. "Oh yes! Isn't their marriage ceremony to be held in 3 months?"

"Is this what this is about?" Cid queried.

Eiko's eyes shifted from the floor to Cid's face. "Actually, I was wondering if we could….you know…see them? I haven't talked to them since Garnet's Birthday, and I really miss…everyone."

Cid could tell by the way her eyes were glassy that she really did miss everyone. Normally, she gave him that look as a way of persuasion . But this time, her sincerity was apparent. A frown shadowed his rather dignified features. As much as he wanted to, he had to put the Trip to Alexandria on hold. He couldn't leave Lindblum in its current state. Not with the factions going on. Unless….

"Alright Eiko. I will contact Beatrix. Perhaps she wouldn't mind picking you up before departing back to the castle."

Eiko brightened instantly. After giving her parents a hug, she rushed out of the throne room.

Indeed, Beatrix was currently residing in Lindblum, trying to assist in keeping the battles among the Dreamers and Enforcers under control. Lindblum was split in half. All over a simple debate on how Lindblum was to be reconstructed. These days, beliefs and morals would often clash over more serious things, such as the laws of the city, and erupt into acts of violence. No longer did the debates have any point, all that remained was a strong hatred between the two groups. Cid's prosperous kingdom had begun to crumble, and he was powerless to stop it.

So perhaps a break from the chaos would do Eiko some good. She was too young to be exposed to this mayhem.

And it would probably do Cid some good as well. He knew Beatrix was dependable. She'd take care of Eiko. It would leave Cid more time to think about a plan of action.

If he didn't, he knew Lindblum would surely fall.