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year 5, quarter 3
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Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 16, 2020 9:52:31 GMT -6
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When Garnet had first arrived in Torensten, she had obviously been concerned, how could she not have been, but she had also felt a thrill of excitement. After a year of Queenly duties, she felt like she was back on an adventure, and more than that, she felt a small spark of what perhaps could be called smug confidence; she had spent the last year being the perfect Queen, but she knew that she had all the skills now to survive as a commoner. She knew how to speak like one, how to act like one, she could blend in perfectly with them, so sometimes it felt like she was harbouring a secret alter-ego while having to be present as the Queen. Part of her even used to toy with the idea of getting disguised and sneaking out onto the Alexandrian streets just to be Dagger again.
However, as time went on in Torensten, Garnet was beginning to realise that perhaps she had over-estimated her abilities. Yes, she knew how to speak like a commoner (or, well, she thought she did, of course most people could immediately tell she had some form of upper class upbringing), and she knew how stores worked and had even managed to barter for clothing and some gil by selling her tiara and gown, but it was becoming more and more clear that when travelling she had left the usual arrangements to Zidane or Steiner. Finding inns to stay at, buying supplies, and most importantly to her right now, purchasing weapons. Garnet had only ever used staffs or rods as a last resort, and usually left it up to Zidane, Steiner and Freya to arrange the purchase of weapons. They knew far more about them than she did after all. Studying weapons had never been part of a princess's education, after all, and the only things she knew about them were from stage plays.
She had thought it would be simple. Find a weapon's shop, and inquire about the purchase of a staff, but even that had proven more challenging than expected. For starters, it was very hard to find a weapon's shop. She had found not one, but two establishments so far called The King's Arms, which naturally she suspected would sell weapons, but instead, it turned out that they were local drinking establishments, with some very worrying looking drunk clientele that Garnet did not wish to interact with. She had also found an establishment named The Rifleman, which had a picture on it of a man wielding some kind of small cannon, but once again it developed that it was some kind of place to purchase drinks, talk loudly, and generally be uncouth, and she quickly vacated the place.
Why were so many places named after weaponry if they did not sell it? This city really did seem quite illogical when you thought about it...
Finally, however, she found what appeared to be a shop selling weapons, and made her way inside.
She immediately felt out of place. A relatively petite, young girl in a silky outfit with long hair and, what she hoped wasn't vain to observe, pretty features did not fit in among the towering, muscular patrons of the shop who were all purchasing sharp, deadly looking weapons Garnet doubted that she could even lift. She spotted one of the shopkeepers who had just finished outfitting a large looking woman with a particularly nasty curved sword. "Uh, greetings, I would like-" she began, but her soft voice was lost in the din among the other shoppers, and the shopkeeper quickly walked past her. Garnet paused, frowning. She turned to another nearby. "Yes, uh, hello, I was-" but again, she was ignored. Most people who saw her there seemed to assume that she was lost, or waiting for a boyfriend or father to finish their purchases.
Finally, she made her way up to the counter, where the store owner was reclined. "Greetings. I would like to purchase a weapon, please," she said, finally glad to have somebody who couldn't ignore her. "Oh, would you now?" The shop owner grinned with amusement. "And what weapon would that be? I'm not sure we have one that'll match your fine clothes, m'lady." Garnet paused, looking down at her outfit. She had bought it in exchange for her gown and tiara from a rather upper class establishment, yes, but it was a standard commoner outfit, wasn't it? "O-oh, I am not a Lady. My name is Dagger," she said rather sheepishly. "I'm sure it is. You didn't just read that off that sign over there, did you?" he asked with an amused grin, pointing to a nearby sign selling daggers. "N-no, it is my name. A-and I would like... to buy a staff please," she said finally, still caught off guard. "Oh? And what type of staff would that be, my la-...Dagger?" The shop owner grinned. It was obvious that he was having fun with this little girl out of her depth, and was mocking her. He had no time for aristocrats playing commoner, which was what Garnet obviously was to him, and was more than happy to humiliate the poor little rich girl in front of the others in the shop, several of whom were now watching with amusement. "A... a mage's staff," she said after a pause. "Aye. A mage's staff. Do you want a Bo staff? Perhaps a Jo staff, for your... dainty size? Or something more traditional? Maple? Oak? Hazel? Chestnut? Blackthorn?" he asked. "What size? Would a stave do? Or a racket? Perhaps a rod?" Garnet held up her hand, looking frantic and confused. "P-please stop. I just wish... to purchase a basic mage's staff. Can you please assist me?" she asked desperately. "I can't help you if you don't know what you want, my lady. Perhaps it best to return to books and leave the fighting to the men, hm?" he suggested, still grinning sickeningly.
Garnet, without much of a response to hand, simply huffed, her hands on her hips, and turned and marched out, annoyed. Fine! She was sure she could find another shop...
"Angry" and "Pirate" is not a combination you want to be on the wrong side of
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
Torensten. It was a city unlike any he could have imagined -- tall, complex, and swarming with people. It wasn’t so foreign as that metal monstrosity up north, but it was still almost too much to take in. Faris stood on the edge of one of the city’s most prominent marketplaces, arms crossed as he looked up to the sky. Or rather, to the sky trains. They sailed along like mini airships on their path, laden with passengers ferried from one side of the city to the other. It was too loud. Too busy. Too much.
Yet here he stood with nothing better to do than linger on the sidelines, watching the people bustle past. He was here for a reason. A reason he hated. A reason that could wait a little while longer.
Yuna. She’d been like a spot of sunlight on the horizon. She’d been gentle, yet strong. Caring, yet fearless. She’d had a good heart with a fire in it, and that fire had really put his life into perspective. Not the piracy, but Yuna’s friends. Caius more specifically and his cause.
Faris sighed and started into the crowd. All around him were market stalls selling all manner of swords and platemail and fearsome arrows. The place attracted a rough crowd, and he pushed past them with a hard look to keep them in line. Faris knew these kinds of people, and he knew to stand tall and look them right in the eye. These were men with something to prove, and men with something to prove would break down anyone in their way to prove it.
He didn’t notice the girl at first. He’d been so caught up in his own dread that she didn’t quite stick out to him the way she should have with her small frame and long hair. She was the kind of girl that didn’t quite belong -- not among these would-be mercenaries and sailors with their boasting and tall tales. He didn’t notice until he heard a snide voice. A gruff voice. It was taunting her.
”And what weapon would that be? I’m not sure we have one that’ll match your fine clothes, m’lady.”
”O-oh. I am not a lady. My name is Dagger.”
”I’m sure it is.”
Faris stopped. What kind of low-life cur would string a woman on like that? Faris turned to see them deep in some kind of exchange. The man was boorish with thin eyes and a wide smirk. The girl was nervous with her hands clasped and her eyes wavering. She wanted a staff. The man thought she was too soft to carry one.
Faris felt a rage grow inside him that he quickly clamped down. What right did he have refusing a lady service just for her pretty face? Well, if he wouldn’t get her a staff then Faris was more than willing to do the job.
”A man, eh?” Faris marched towards the table, eyes bright with a challenge. ”You’d best give up your weapons then. You’re no more a man than a wood louse!”
”Wha-?” To say the man was surprised was an understatement. In fact, he looked baffled, taking in the pirate with the worn tunic and wild, violet hair. Once the shock passed, his eyes turned hard. ”It’s none of your business,” he said. Faris gave him a look that was even harder.
”It’s my business when a lass is made to feel small,” he said before turning to her. For her part, the whole encounter had gotten nothing but a sharp huff from her and a turn of her back. Still, Faris shot her a smile. It was good to know when someone was on your side.
”I can sell to whoever I want.” The man drew himself up to his full height. In truth, he towered over Faris at about half a foot taller. He scowled dangerously. ”Keep walking.”
A lesser man might shrunk away from someone with that many muscles and that big an advantage. Faris just laughed. ”I'll not drop a fight once it's started,” he said. ”You’d do best to hand over a staff. The strongest you have.”
”And you’ll get out of here if you want to keep arms.”
Faris’ eyes glinted. ”I wasn’t asking.” There was a great flash of light as he called upon his crystal shards. He felt the fire crystal’s power surge through him with a searing heat as his tunic hardened to crimson armor and his headband elongated into a full helm in the form of a dragon’s snout. Finally, a familiar weight dropped into his hand. His spear. He spun it until he held the man in a death’s grip.
”That’ll be your best staff,” he said. ”Free of charge.”
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 18, 2020 14:11:16 GMT -6
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Garnet simply wanted to exit the shop, feeling humiliated and useless. How helpless was she that she couldn't even purchase herself a weapon? She had been so stupid, thinking that she'd be able to do this on her own, but after all of her experience, after all the adventures, she was still just a dumb, silly little rich girl who didn't know a thing about the real world. She was still a stupid princess, no matter what her title may have been. She had thought she had come so far, but now she felt like the same shy, uncertain girl who had first fled Alexandria...
And then somebody came to her defence. And just like every other time in her life, Garnet needed rescuing. She felt so ashamed, so useless. She had thought she had come so far, and yet, here she was, back at the starting point, as helpless as ever. She felt so frustrated. Did these people not understand? She had faced down dragons and monsters and a man with enough power to destroy a planet? She knew pain and loss and danger. She wasn't a dumb little girl anymore! Why wouldn't anybody take her seriously?
Something shifted, and the man who had come to her defence seemed to suddenly be clad in armour, threatening the shopkeep with a spear. Garnet could take it no more, and sprang forward, placing a gloved hand upon the shaft of the spear, and looking at her armoured saviour, staring into that helm. "No, please," she asked, her voice soft and gentle, but with resolve. "I do not wish for violence..." she said, before turning back to face the shopkeeper. "This man is correct. He can choose not to serve me. As we can choose how to respond," she said, her eyes returning to the warrior. "And I am choosing to walk away," she nodded, turning back to face the shopkeeper again. "Violence is something I suspect this man is familiar with. And not something I suspect will dissuade him. But there are... other avenues," and suddenly, Garnet seemed to have a smile on her face, as she took a step closer to the shopkeeper. "Go on, do as the little lady says," the man snarled at Faris, even though he was quite still and pale with fear. "Too soft to even take her revenge. I did her a favour, making sure she doesn't get herself hurt," he beamed smugly. "Won't take my...?" Garnet paused. "Oh! I think you've misunderstood. I didn't want to see you hurt. That doesn't mean that I won't take any action," she almost laughed. "See? I told you that I'm not a Lady, and I didn't lie. But you were right, I'm not really called 'Dagger' either. My name is Queen Garnet Til Alexandros XVII of Alexandria... and yes, I am quite aware that my kingdom is far away. But how many travellers come here looking for weapons? How many from distant worlds arrive? I have been here for a few days now and observed it to quite a few. And if that is the case, you have to ask yourself, how many are from my world? How many know who I am? I am the Queen of Alexandria... and you... shall forever be known as the man who denied me service. Let us hope that it doesn't impact your business too badly, shall we?" she smiled sweetly, and turned to the man who had come to her aid. "I don't suppose that you could assist me in finding a more respectable weapons shop, could you? After all, a Queen does need her elite guards, and you seem rather talented," she offered to the pirate. She didn't have much gil to pay, but she wanted to make a show of hiring this man just to make the shopkeeper more miserable and more aware of her position. Boasting about her title and position was not something she did lightly, not even when in an official position, but it seemed her best weapon here.
Rather ironic, since she had arrived attempting to be undercover...
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
”No, please.”
Faris couldn’t say he was surprised. He wasn’t unsurprised either. He was perfectly in the middle, half expecting her to accept his ill-gotten spoils with a thank you and half expecting that she’d protest. It didn’t much matter to him either way. It was better that she saw someone was on her side no matter how she felt about it.
But then she gave her speech. And Faris winced.
She had a certain way about her, head held tall. She had a certain authority to her voice that he hadn’t heard before and that certainly needed no help from him. She scolded Faris first and then turned her scorn towards the weapons dealer. She had a way for diplomacy. No wonder considering she was a queen.
When she called, Faris came in a heartbeat. It was half in interest and half on instinct. She just had that kind of presence.
Faris willed his crystal’s power away, and in another flash of light, his armor had melted away. He shot the shopkeeper one last challenging look before he hurled his spear into the air. It dematerialized before it could skewer him. Serves him right.
”So you’re a queen,” Faris said as they joined the crowds. Queen Garnet til Alexandros the seventeenth of Alexandria. It was a mouthful for sure. ”That’s a surprise, but I’ve heard worse.”
A certain princess on his pirate ship for instance. Or a certain history of his own.
”I put you in a rough spot,” he said, shaking his head. ”That’s not what I meant, but it’s what I did. He’s a yellow-bellied cur that’ll tear a lass down if he thinks he can get away with it. Men like that make my skin crawl.” He scowled. There was a reason he’d started dressing like a man.
”It was as much for me as it was for you. I’m a princess myself, after all.” He couldn’t keep the bitterness from his tongue. ”Princess Sarisa Scherwil of Tycoon.” A strange name. The kind of name he’d have used for ransom not so long ago.
”Though that'll be Faris to you. The former's not a name I’ll take if I can help it.”
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 23, 2020 13:03:38 GMT -6
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The man who had come to her aid spoke to her, and thankfully didn't seem too offended. The more Garnet replayed the confrontation in her head, the more she felt a little ashamed. There was no shame in just walking away. It's what Dagger would have had to do had she been real. But, no, Garnet had used her position, her power, which was meaningless here, to belittle the man. He may have been rude, but she was ashamed of how she had acted. A Queen's title was not for that. It was a noble position that she was blessed to have, not something to throw around like a petty, spoiled child.
She listened to the man speak, of course a little confused by his... colourful language...
(Yellow-bellied cur?)
She filed away the reference for later thought, to try and figure out what it meant. Garnet may have been naive, even now, but she didn't tend to question things she didn't understand out loud. Not with strangers anyway. She just made note of the term and decided to remember it for later. The man spoke about how her presence as a Queen was a surprise, which was natural, and she felt the need to speak up. "Please, no, what you did was noble, and it was kind. I am... sorry, for my actions. I am who I said I am, but... it's not a position I should use in that manner," she shook her head, a little ashamed, and her face had turned a shade of pink. "It was petty of me. I... was angry that he would get away with shaming me and I lashed out using my title. It was something a spoiled child would do. It wasn't becoming of a Queen. Please, accept my apology," she said with a slightly stiff bow, since she no longer particularly had to pretend to be 'Dagger', at least.
When the man... wait... woman?... revealed that he... she... too was a princess, Garnet looked shocked. More than shocked, she took a step back, slightly reeling. More at the effectiveness of the disguise than anything else. She even felt a pang of jealousy. She had spent the better part of a year travelling as Dagger and never come anywhere as close to being as convincing as this person was in their disguise. Perhaps she should have thought of disguising herself as a man! No, that was nonsense. Garnet had barely any idea how to act as a commoner, let alone as a man.
"Your... disguise... is most convincing," Garnet admitted after a moment. "I... could learn a lot from you," she admitted. And to think, she thought she had the speech pattern down. "Very well, Faris it shall be, if you do me the equal favour and call me 'Dagger'," she smiled, before pausing. "Uh, I mean... sure thing, I'll call you Faris, if you call me Dagger," she replied with a smile and an attempt to speak in a more common manner. It was true that Garnet thought she'd gotten pretty good at it over her year adventuring, but since then she'd been a Queen again, and sometimes slipped back into her old habits, and had to remind herself how to speak in these situations.
Faris really cares about Lenna. She's probably the most important person to him.
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
The queen’s reaction was just about what he was expecting. It was the same reaction he always got whenever he revealed his gender -- let alone his blood status. It was a useless status, he thought, but it was one he hoped would put the poor girl at ease. At least just a little bit. In truth, he guessed that they had nothing at all in common, most of all in background, but he wasn’t about to give that away. Not just yet at least.
”Your disguise is...most convincing,” she said after a moment, and Faris laughed. She was still in shock. Understandable.
”It’s not a disguise,” he said. ”I’ve lived like this for years. I’m a sailor by trade.” For years. By that he meant his whole life, but best not to let her know that.
She was cute, trying to talk like a commoner. She had a knack for it too. He could tell she’d been practicing.
”You don’t need to worry about masking your tongue,” he said. ”Not around me, anyway. This lot is another story.” He jerked his thumb towards the monster-hunters, adventurers, and general thugs surrounding them. There was nary a woman in sight. Well, except for the two of them that was.
”They wouldn’t take me seriously,” he said. ”Not as a woman, and a young one at that. They’d always go about hollering, ordering, and the things they’d whistle…” Faris scowled. ”Aye, that was enough for me. I decided I’d be a man from then on. I still don’t have quite the figure, but the muscles don’t matter if you’re fierce enough. But that doesn’t quite feel like you.”
Faris stopped and looked at her. ”My sister’s the queen,” he said. ”And she’s one of the strongest people I know. She didn’t take well to a sword, but she wielded a staff just like you. It was her heart that gave her strength. She cared for just about anyone -- from a man to a moogle to a drake.”
He shook his head. The things they’d done for that for that wind drake!
”You seem like that type,” he said. ”You don’t have to have a fierce eye to have a fire in you.”
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 24, 2020 16:10:57 GMT -6
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When Faris explained how his disguise was not a disguise at all, but who he truly was, Garnet looked on in shock, but with obvious admiration upon her face. The thought of a princess running away to be a sailor was almost unfathomable to her; she had her entire life planned out for her for as long as she could remember, vague memories of Madain Sari not withstanding. And yes, she had her adventure and it had been so many things, and she had grown as a person immeasurably because of it, but she still felt like under it all, under the experience and the adventure and the person she had become, she was still inescapably a princess. Not even a Queen. That word stuck with her and followed her around. She was a princess. She would always be a princess. But Faris? Faris had somehow escaped that destiny, and become a swashbuckling hero. It would have been like finding out Zidane had once been a princess (a thought she immediately regretted having). It baffled her, but the potential was quite exciting too.
"I'm sorry, I assumed... you were trying to hide your heritage," Garnet admitted after a moment. "But I think I understand. When I first left my castle... my mother, my own kingdom, guards, even magical beings... they were all looking for me, and I didn't wish to be found. I took the name 'Dagger' as a disguise. But... somehow... Dagger became something else," she said, stopping for a moment. She turned away, because it was easier when she was having such thoughts, fiddling intently with her pendant as she tended to do when she felt shy or nervous. "Dagger could be brave and bold when Garnet was only shy. Dagger was an adventurer. Dagger saw such sights and learned so much because of her friends. Sometimes, even now, I think I'm more Dagger than Garnet..." she said, before turning back with a slightly sheepish smile. "I think, if I had the choice, if... I didn't have the responsibility I had, and you asked me, if I would rather be a Queen or Dagger, and journey forever with my friends, adventuring all over the world, I would choose Dagger. Every time."With Zidane by my side."But unfortunately, it wasn't to be. Not... at least, until I came here, to this world. I still don't know how I got here, but..." she sighed, and smiled. "I'm sure you've heard such stories by now, if you haven't experienced it yourself. It seems everybody here has..."
"You must tell me your story!" she suddenly said with excitement. "How did you become a sailor? I spent my life in a castle. I never knew the outside world until I finally fled to try and stop my mother's schemes. But... you must have seen so much from a young age! It's a life I could never have imagined for a princess. I would love to hear about it!" she beamed enthusiastically.
"Oh, but I like speaking like this," Garnet smiled when she mentioned about hiding her tongue. It was true, Garnet did. It felt.. somehow more in touch with the people around her. And she took a little joy, yes, from having mastered it so (in her opinion, anyway). Of course, to most people, she still sounded a little stiff and formal, but by Garnet's standards, she was positively lax. "I had... some difficulty being taken seriously at first... or so I felt, but I would never have thought to disguise myself as a man," she admitted. Faris seemed to agree that a male disguise wasn't a particularly great thing Garnet would be able to pull off, nor would she want to, and instead moved on to talk about her sister.
The way she spoke of her sister made Garnet smile. That admiration, that love... Garnet had that admiration for her friends, but... not for her family. She loved her mother, even after all she had done, even though she was gone, but... at the same time, she could never look up to her. Not the way Faris looked up to her sister. "Your sister sounds truly wonderful," Garnet smiled. "I... don't think I can quite live up to her reputation. I... have made some selfish and silly decisions in my time. Even now... there's... a tiny part of me, that's glad to be here. To be Dagger again. If I could find... Zidane... my travelling companion, I am not sure I'd ever want to return to Alexandria. I could... continue this journey forever. But... my Kingdom... needs me," she hesitated again. "See? Selfish. I'm sorry if that disappoints. Your sister sounds incredible. I hope I can meet her some day,"
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
”You left the castle on your own?” That was a surprise. Despite his encouragement, she didn’t seem like the type to go wandering about. Of course, Lenna had done the same when it came down to the safety of her father and the wind crystal. Their father, he supposed. And their kingdom while he was at it, but that didn’t have quite as strong an argument.
”A name’s a powerful thing,” he said. ”It sounds to me like you’re both Dagger and the queen, but those are two lives apart from each other. And I couldn’t stand being Sarisa.” Faris made a sour face. It had only taken one night in his rightful place by blood, and he’d just about been ready to break through the stone walls. It was a relief when he’d caught Bartz and Galuf ready to strike out on that meteor.
”I could have been queen,” Faris said. ”But I’ve got a sister, and one who was better trained for it too. I turned it down and left for my ship with hardly a thought on it. It’s not the kind of choice I’d have envied if I’d been in your shoes.”
Then again, she’d have guessed there’d be a whole line of succession thought out already if Faris had been in Dagger’s shoes. They’d thought he’d died at sea afterall.
But it didn’t seem like Dagger was satisfied with only mentions of it. Her eyes lit up and she leaned forward, positively glowing. ”You must tell me your story!” she said and Faris shifted.
”Ah. My story?” Now that was something he didn’t want to bring up when he was trying to empower her. It wasn’t that he didn’t mind talking about it, but if she knew he’d never really been a princess at all…
Well, he wasn’t about to start lying now.
”Well…” he said slowly. ”To start with, I didn’t do much running from it until they tried to crown me queen. When I was young, I fell off a wind drake in the middle of a typhoon. They thought me lost at sea, but I was found by pirates before the waves could take me. If they’d known who I was, they’d have ransomed me off, but they raised me instead. I’m a pirate first. I didn’t know a thing about my blood until I found my sister.”
Until he’d taken her for ransom. Now that was an awkward tale.
Faris paused and reached under the collar of his tunic. He pulled out a gleaming red gem on the end of a chain, showing it to her. ”This was the only clue I had,” he said. ”It’s the royal pendant. It matched hers, and we knew.” He stored the thing away, rearranging his scarf as he did so.
”This disguise isn’t for everyone,” he said. ”I took it because I was tired of being treated like some little girl or a wench they couldn’t keep their eyes off of. Have you ever tried being the only woman on a shipful of pirates?” Faris laughed bitterly. ”Aye, they treated me like one of their own once I looked the part -- after I switched ships, that was. I’ve worn it for so long that most times it’s hard to remember how I started. It feels right, I suppose.”
Call yourself anything long enough, and it became true. It had all gotten a little fuzzy once Lenna started calling him her sister, but a year with his crew was enough to take care of that. He felt better as a man. Stronger. It gave him an edge in dodgier places like this. He wouldn’t give it up to anyone but his closest of friends.
”Now my sister, she was raised in the palace -- a princess through and through. But when her father… er, our father went missing, there wasn’t a wall tall enough to hold her. She ran away on her own searching for him. That’s how we met, and we traveled the world together for a time afterwards. Once it was done, she went back to the palace and took on the throne. If she was here, she’d be fretting just as strong to go back. It was all for Tycoon in the end.”
Faris shook his head. ”But me? I’d choose this in a heartbeat if I had to go back to that castle otherwise. I already chose my own life on the sea. Now if that isn’t selfish, I don’t know what is.”
”You’re free to choose your own life, lass. If this is what you want to do then there’s no use feeling bad about it. You’re stuck here until we find a way out anyway. You can be Dagger all you want.”
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 28, 2020 14:27:14 GMT -6
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Garnet registered the surprise in Faris's voice when she asked about her leaving the castle on her own and allowed a playful smirk to cross her lips. It reminded of her actual escape, when Zidane, who had been a stranger to her then, suddenly seemed so surprised to find her trying to escape. Given how things had ended up, it seemed ridiculous now, but for a moment, fleeing the castle had been so much fun, and she had loved shocking Zidane with her daring. "Well, that was my intention, yes. It sounds... naive and childish... but my mother had been acting odd, and I was worried about her. Nobody seemed to take me seriously in the castle, so I thought to escape to my Uncle Cid, who ruled a neighbouring kingdom for help," she admitted when Faris asked, a wistful smile surprising her as it formed on her lips. "It didn't really work out the way I intended, however. It turned out that my Uncle had sent kidnappers to extract me, so I ended up trying to get kidnapped by the very people trying to kidnap me, all while my own bodyguard tried to 'rescue' me from myself. It... could have gone better..." she smiled, but the smile faded away after a moment as she thought about what it all really meant. She decided not to elaborate. Faris didn't need to hear her entire tale, and the story of what her mother had truly done wasn't one she wanted to recount. Not now. Besides, she still didn't know, in truth, if running away had been the right thing to do. She still stayed up late at night, wondering if her fleeing had provoked her mother. She was sure she would have still extracted Garnet's Eidolons, and without Zidane, without Vivi, without the friends she made fleeing, she probably would have died there, or certainly been helpless to stop Brahne, but... she still sometimes worried that the blood of Burmecia at least was on her hands, that her mother had moved to attack them because she had fled...
She smiled a little, back in the moment, at Faris's assessment of her two identities. Three, of course, technically, but Garnet hadn't even mentioned 'Sarah' yet. She tried not to think about her other life, her life in Madain Sari. It was too complicated to deal with, it was too much pressure. It felt like something pushing down on her brain and sometimes she was worried she'd lose her mind trying to reconcile it all. "You're right. I like being Dagger. Being Dagger is fun. Sometimes, I feel that it's the real me, but..." she paused, hesitating for a moment. "...sometimes I feel like I'm just pretending. I mean, I was raised a princess. I spent my entire life being taught to be the perfect princess. I don't just... forget that. It's... ingrained in me. Sometimes, when I'm Dagger, I feel like a fake person. Like I'm listening to others and desperately copying them, just to try and fit in, and it's not the real me at all. But whenever I'm Garnet, I... feel like Dagger is hiding beneath the surface, wanting to break out." Garnet paused again, and shook her head softly. "Sorry, we've just met. You don't want to hear my identity crisis," she said with a soft smile.
She listened to Faris's story, with a mixture of awe and wonder, and perhaps a little bit wry amusement. It was ironic, really. Faris was a princess who was lost at sea and never knew of her heritage. Garnet, on the other hand... Faris's sister sounded more like Garnet herself, although she had been driven to leave her castle to try and save her father; Garnet had left... well, she had left to try and save her mother, truth be told, only, save her from herself. And she had failed. She tried to imagine what it must have been like for Faris, surrounded by pirates. She imagined Treno, and remembered how out of place she had felt when she had first gone there. She hadn't been frightened persay, she had a job to do there and wouldn't let it scare her, but she felt increasingly awkward and found the city deeply unpleasant. Even now, she was no fan of visiting Treno unless she had to, although these days of course it was a considerably more public affair if she tried.
"That is..." she paused, unsure how to describe Faris's story. Tragic, certainly, but it was hard to see the tragedy when it was the only life Faris had known. Much like Garnet herself, she supposed, and her life as Sarah. "I know this must sound insane, but... I.. understand how it feels. You see, I... wasn't born a princess at all. I was born in a far away town of summoners. But the town was destroyed. My mother fled with me out to sea but perished. I was found by the royal family, and... they raised me as their own, replacing their own daughter who had passed away. I... didn't know any of this," she paused, and allowed herself a smile. "Bizarrely, I suppose we have opposite experiences. You were a princess raised as a pirate, and I was a summoner, raised as a princess. But what I mean is... that I know what it's like, to... know you were somebody else. That you should have been somebody else, that you had an entire history, an entire life, taken from you. I was... once called Sarah, and I lived in a village far away. I had a mother and father who loved me, but even now, I can barely remember them. I remember a song... I remember images... but... it's all lost. I was raised a princess. When I think of the word 'mother', it's... the Queen I see, not my birth mother. I know, factually, where I'm from, but... I don't feel like that person. I suppose it's the same for you. Being told you're a princess means very little if you weren't raised as one," she said, feeling at least some sort of kinship between them, even if it was in how different their lives could have been.
"I... wish it was that simple..." Garnet admitted when Faris said she could choose to be Dagger. "But... Alexandria, my kingdom... It is my responsibility. Whether or not it is my birthright, my mother and father... the Queen and King, are dead, I have no siblings, the people... look to me now. Running away and being Dagger would be nice, but... I can't. I have to, at some point, grow up and face my responsibilities. Even if I don't want to..."
You've got a lot of brass, or mayhap you're just lacking in brains!
Faris tilted his head. Understood how it feels? A town of summoners? He nodded, thoughtful, as she spoke. It seemed an odd coincidence, that was for sure. He was royalty, lost and raised as a pirate. She was a villager, lost and raised as royalty. It was a funny kind of reversal that would have made him laugh if it had been a respectable thing to do. Instead, the girl seemed to take it as a kind of crisis. Faris couldn’t blame her for that.
Faris had known in an instant who he was when it came to it. He’d tossed his past aside and taken what he thought was his true self without much thought about it. But it wasn’t an easy thing to do, and it wasn’t something he’d have expected from everyone.
”The way that I see it, you’re a princess through and through. I don’t put much stock in blood. I wanted my answers and I got them, and I got a sister on top of that. We’re not who we’re born to be. We are who we are, and that’s all there is to it.” He paused. He felt like a liar leaving it at that. ”But, well...I guess I can’t say it’s all nonsense to me.” He’d struggled with the truth for a few nights at least. On those nights when he hadn’t known whether to stay or go.
They were still walking, parting through the crowds like a butter knife. When Faris walked, people knew to get out of the way. He supposed he had that look in his eye.
”Aye. That’s the burden of the throne.” Faris smiled wryly. ”Lenna said the same when I offered to take her around the world. She’d had her adventuring. She’d kept her kingdom standing, and she was needed back at the helm. But if you’re stranded here anyway, you might as well take the time for yourself. Take my word, it won’t be easy charting the way back home.”
He was starting to think that it was impossible, in fact. He decided to keep that little suspicion to himself.
They came across a more open part of the marketplace. The streets opened into a plaza crammed tight with stalls and vendors and people all packed in like schools of fish. There were stands selling crystals from the academy and wheat from Provo and vibrant spices carted in from Aljana. This was the kind of place with a constant hum of conversation as steady as the ocean waves. Somewhere, there was music.
”You’re out for a staff, you said?” Faris stopped, crossing his arms as he looked the place over. ”That’ll be on the far side. The merchants here are a damn sight nicer than that street you were prowling. And I’ve got an eye for weapons myself.” Faris started ahead towards the blacksmiths and the men that served as go-betweens. This time, the crowds couldn’t part for him if they’d wanted to. He had to shoulder his way through, glancing back every now and then to make sure the princess didn’t get lost in the shuffle.
”You might not know the name of the staff you want, but why don’t you tell me the type? And how much gil you’re ready to put on the table.”
