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year 5, quarter 3
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Sir Fratley walked through the town of Torensten with his head downcast, his black, wide-rimmed hat covering his the upper half of his face from the view of onlookers. His long, bladed spear rested up against his shoulder the way he held it, it's long shaft leaning up against him with the curved, notched blade held high near his head and out of danger for any that would be passing by. This place... was a strange one to say the least, a town almost completely populated with adventurers both savory and not all gathered around the message boards. The architecture was inconsistent in both design and upkeep, as if it were populated and maintained by several different cultures at once, each making their priorities known with how they conducted themselves and constructed their buildings. Even among such... interesting people, the lone Bermecian had caught the eye of several dozen as he passed by, some staring at his swaying tail when he had passed as if he couldn't notice, others watching with wide... disgusted eyes as if he were little more than enlarged vermin. Such gazes were not unfamiliar to the knight fore those outside of Bermecia rarely laid eyes upon their kind... or so he was told. Their race was isolationist, closed off within the sandy dunes and mountainous desert, their country only known by the power of their warriors and the intellect of their tacticians... or at least, they were. Fratley was still coming to grips with the fact that his people, nearly down to the last man, woman and child were slaughtered. His own people, before he could know them again... dead. A residual, dull ache flashed through the chest of the Dragon Knight, his eyes hardening lest his gaze fall towards the ground in reflection of his mood. "...None of this is familiar..." Fratley muttered softly, his gaze flicking from a pub with so much business there was a line outside the door... to pair of human merchants arguing over the price of goods. Nothing here resembled at all the places he had been... of the places he could remember. It was too... alien.... From the dress of some to the odd hand-held cannons of others, the warrior felt almost like a knight-out-of-time...
...And worst of all, he couldn't remember how he'd gotten here...
"Have I... lost my memory again...?" He mused somberly, turning his attention inward! He remembered the destruction of Cleyra, watching what remained of his people... burn in a pillar of concentrated magical power. He remembered... wandering the world for answers, trying to follow the rumors of his victories, of his conquests to discover who he was... He remembered finally having a moment to explore his feelings for Freya... and coming to understand how much he loved her.
"...But if I remember all of that..." Fratley muttered, looking down... then up towards the cloudy sky above. "...Then why can I not remember how I journeyed to this land...?"
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 23, 2020 16:03:25 GMT -6
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Garnet hadn't made much progress in the past few days. She had taken on the odd healing job to keep gil at hand to pay for her accommodation, it seemed a talented White Mage was always needed, but it wasn't particularly fulfilling work, nor had she found Zidane still. She was rather proud of how she was managing on her own; she was no (longer) a stranger to new cities and environments, but she had always travelled with others. Even when she had ended up in Treno she had Steiner and Marcus with her. But now she had nobody, and she had done rather well, she thought. Much better than she would have done when she first left Alexandria, all that time ago...
See, Zidane? You might not be with me in person, but the lessons you taught me are always by my side...
One of the oddities she had come to learn about Torensten was the fact that the beings there were considerably less diverse than she had expected. A city this large should have had a population of vastly different races. Back on Gaia (that still seemed odd to think), you would see a broad mixture of people, not just humans, but people derived from a range of different species. Here, almost everybody was human. There was an occasional person with unusual ears or perhaps a strange build, and the odd swish of a tail that occasionally Garnet thought might be Zidane, and was disappointed to find out wasn't, but the usual diversity was missing.
Which was why it was odd she walked almost right past the Burmecian. She was so used to passing people of all kinds back on her travels with Zidane, it didn't immediately strike her as odd. But only a moment after she stopped and she turned. She clutched the pendant around her neck thoughtfully for a moment. She had plenty of experience dealing with Burmecia as of late. Plenty of peaceful negotiations had started, Alexandria pledging what aid it could to help rebuild Burmecia, although with the damage dealt to Alexandria, that was not as much as Garnet would have liked. She made her best effort to help undo the damage her mother had done, but she knew she would never be able to fix it entirely. She had also offered new homes to Cleyran refugees, but it was a drop in the water. Her mother, Alexandrian soldiers, had taken their homes. And she was now Queen of Alexandria. She had done everything she could to stop it, and yet her heart still twisted with guilt when she thought about it.
It was that almost stopped her approaching the Burmecian, but she forced herself to. He was from Gaia, and that meant a potential ally. Or somebody lost and suffering as she was when she first arrived, and whom she could help. Either way, he deserved her attention. It was like Zidane always said, you don't need a reason to help people. She had to try.
"E-excuse me!" she called out, following behind him in a trot. "Yes, uh, you are... from Burmecia, aren't you?" she asked, dropping into her informal 'Dagger' speak. "I'm from Gaia as well. How long have you been here?" she asked, trying to get the basic information first. "My name's Dagger," she introduced, deciding to stick to her alias. Telling a Burmecian she was Queen of Alexandria here was possibly a bad move, at least until she got more information.
Fratley was so lost in his thoughts... What was this place..? What caused him to journey here? Where was Freya and the others... what was left of them...? It... It wasn't like how he was when his memory failed him before, lost in a disturbing state of infantile awareness, as if he were a child born yesterday... He... He knew who he was, everything he had learned... his love... It was all there, firmly in his soul. A relief to be sure but-
"Hmmm...?"
Sir Fratley glanced over his shoulder, spotting a young human girl jogging right up to him, expression full of hope! Odd... She... stood out among the other people here... too soft, gentle, almost like a girl fresh out on adventure, her eyes so tender and innocent, one might think they have never been touched by the world. She had a serenity about her which suggested young royalty, of a girl that wanted for nothing, a woman of line of leaders... At least, that's what she appeared to be at first glance. As Fratley turned to face her fully, he got a better look of the young woman, how she introduced herself so awkwardly, referring to Gaia as if... they weren't on it right now. The Dragon Knight would tilt his head in confusion, an unhandy smile curling across his lips.
How odd!
"Why yes, I am." The knight responded courteously. "I am Sir Fratley of Burmecia." Dagger, as she would introduce herself, would question him on a topic he HIMSELF wanted to know: How long had he been here exactly? He remembered walking into this town... perhaps a handful of hours ago...? The land itself... a collection of days? Before that...
........................
"I have only just came to this city." Fratley settled on, his smile turning downward into a thoughtful frown. "I... believe I came to this land... some time earlier but I am uncertain... There is much I... do not remember." He paused, his frown deepening slightly, brow furrowing as if struggling with something. Amnesia... It was a daunting foe indeed. Intimidating. This towering void of nothing that a blade cannot cut, a hollow wound in one's mind that cannot heal. For as strong as Fratley was... he couldn't help but feel vulnerable with this new gash in his memories...
"Ms. Dagger," He asked, his gentle smile returning gradually. "You speak of this land as if we are not on Gaia. Surely that isn't so."
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 24, 2020 14:48:29 GMT -6
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Sir Fratley?
The name took her back in surprise, because of how recognisable it was. Even if she hadn't known Freya, even Garnet had heard of Sir Fratley. He had a reputation as perhaps the second most formidable warrior in all of Gaia (behind Beatrix, of course). Possibly third or fourth now, after the feats of Steiner and Zidane, but still certainly well known. But beyond that, he was known to her because of what he meant to Freya. Oh, it was rare for the Dragon Knight to talk about it, but Garnet knew what he meant to her. She had heard Freya discuss with Zidane Fratley and his lost memories. "Sir Fratley?" she repeated, in a slightly startled gasp. "O-of course, I know you. I journeyed with Freya, your..." ...lover? Spouse? Paramour? What was the right word? Garnet always struggled describing relationships when there was no formal term. "...partner," she finished. Her face lit up in a smile at meeting him. An ally! "I have heard so many stories about you, it is such a pleasure to finally meet you!" she said enthusiastically. "I am afraid that I may have not been initially honest with you. Dagger is... a pseudonym I use when needed. As I'm sure you will have guessed..." Surely Freya had told him, and he knew who she had travelled with. "...I am Garnet Til Alexandros of Alexandria," she introduced herself, with her usual formal bow. "I... cannot ever truly express my regret for what happened to Burmecia and Cleyra, and the crimes my mother was responsible for. I am... so... very sorry." The words felt hollow and meaningless, but she tried nevertheless.
"I'm afraid I don't have many answers for you, but no... It seems that this is not our world..." Garnet explained, feeling the need to best explain to him. She knew that he had issues with his memory, and he seemed to struggle remembering how he got there. Garnet, when she thought about it, couldn't easily remember the transition either. Just, one moment she was in Alexandria, then she was here, and the connecting tissue was a blur. "Did Freya tell you of our journey to Terra? We know that travelling between worlds is possible. Something... has brought us here. And not just from Gaia, but from other worlds too. I don't fully understand it but... We are not here alone. I have seen Amarant, and Eiko, and..." she paused, her expression darkening for a moment. "...Kuja is here also, and still alive." Fratley deserved to know that. "He is the one truly responsible for all the crimes all of our people suffered. The destruction of Burmecia, of Cleyra, of Alexandria, of Lindblum, all of it was by Kuja's manipulations. I... found him here, but I was alone. I couldn't stop him. Not on my own..." she said, staring at the ground, ashamed. She looked back up, trying to find her confidence again. "Is Freya here with you?" she asked hopefully. Freya would know what to do. Amarant and Eiko were fine, but neither were the type to lead well. Freya was an experienced warrior and a hero. She would know what to do, surely.
The knight blinked in surprise at this sudden display of awe and reverence. Dagger spoke of him as if she had known of him... before, hearing of his exploits across the lands and holding them in high esteem. Normally, he would brush off these exclamations of acclaim with either a nod of a soft laugh, never one to take more pride than was due from his own accomplishments... even if he doesn't remember them. It was not the prospect of learning more about himself that grabbed his attention, however, but the mention of his lover Freya who had spoke him so fondly! His smile only grew when he heard that... he couldn't very well help it! She was a kind soul for as strong and battle-hardened as she was, speaking well of him wherever her journeys took her... even at this girl's side. But for what reason would she find herself traveling with this Dagger...? Fratley had come to know Freya as a very... reclusive sort, she who would seek out her horizons alone, trusting in her strength. The knight's gentle eyes locked curiously upon Dagger's, as if beckoning her to go on.
...He should have known by that look on Dagger's face there was something she was holding back. She wasn't even trying to hide it! As her awe and reverence fell away, she revealed a far more somber and guilty expression, her fragile, porcelain features collapsing into a heap of dust. Her gaze, far more empty and struggling, her body-language tense... as if she were about to admit a personal crime. Fratley's expression hardened, his gaze crystallizing, his once-relaxed posture straightening as Dagger revealed her true nature: as Queen of Alexandria.
"..."
Fratley was ashamed to admit that that his initial response was outrage. Even if it didn't quite break through his now icy exterior, burning anger arched up his nerves like bolts of lightning, wild and difficult to control. The ruler of the empire who destroyed his home, murdered his people, leaving them with little more than the clothes on their backs and the memories of the fallen was standing before him... Fratley's gaze fell like hammers towards Garnet, determined to pass an ugly judgement... but just as quickly, his eyes softened again, his grip upon his staff... loosening from its ever-tightening hold. It wasn't her fault... She was but a girl struggling in this harsh world, inheriting a throne dripping with the blood of her family's wars. Even if it was the blood of his people, the blood of his FAMILY... Fratley could see little more, in this moment, than a poor, grieving person who sought to do the impossible and make amends. Freya had told him her story, how her own family planned to use her as an engine for destruction, how she had to flee in order to save her own life and, eventually, the soul of her people.
...She was as much a victim as Burmecia was.
"...Thank you." Fratley murmured, bowing his head before the young Queen. "I... cannot forgive what your country has done to mine... There are too many dead, to much blood to wash away so easily... But thank you, your majesty. It is a meaningful gesture. Please know I do not blame you for the war between our peoples, that the anger I hold in my heart is not for you."
...Fratley smiled again, lifting his head... but this time, his expression was tainted, made heavy with the weight of his pain.
Garnet would continue, explaining that, for reasons beyond her understanding, this wasn't, in fact, Gaia! Somehow, they had been transported to another world! Fratley would nod as Garnet questioned if Freya had told him of other worlds, of Terra, of Kuja, his gaze growing darker once more. He was the mastermind behind the wars that ravaged the world, the man who's hands were stained sanguine with the deaths of Gaia's most devastating wars. A monster who deserved the most expedient punishment possible... but even still he could not stay angry for long. Watching Garnet struggle... it was easy to remember that she was only a child doing the best that she could as her nightmares were reborn before her eyes. Were it his place, he would've offered her a hand of encouragement, perhaps a kind word to soften the impact of all that were suddenly falling upon her shoulders.
...But it was not. He was a mere knight... and of a remnant of a rival kingdom no less. Garnet was a Queen, no matter her age. Who was he to presume to be her equal?
"She did not travel with me to this land, your majesty." Fratley sighed, an aching pang shooting through his heart as he spoke. "...But if each of us are being drawn to this place... it is not impossible she has found her way here as well..."
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 25, 2020 15:48:05 GMT -6
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The moment that passed was tense, and Garnet felt her heart skip several beats. Fratley was, quite rightfully, angry, it seemed, and she wondered if she had misjudged in telling him who she truly was. She had presumed that Freya would have already told him about herself and her dual identities, but now she wondered if she was mistaken, and for a moment worried that Fratley might want to take revenge.
Fortunately, it passed a moment later, and it was revealed that Fratley was every part the noble warrior and kind soul Freya herself was. Although her stomach knotted again when he said that he could not forgive Alexandria. She was its Queen now, and she had to try and make right the sins of the kingdom's past. She paused, hesitating for a moment, her royal presence disappearing into a nervous fiddling of the pendant around her neck. She had no idea what to say. "I promise you, Sir Fratley, on my return, I will dedicate my life to restoring the relationship our nations once had. Alexandria will never again me an engine of war. What my people did... They... did because of manipulation and trickery. They were victims of Kuja as much as anybody else, and... they suffered for it. So many lives were lost on all sides..." she shook her head sadly. "All I wish is for peace between all of our nations. We were all victims of a great evil, and... I hope that one day... I know that Alexandria cannot be forgiven, but... I hope that they can be a friend again. I hope... you can trust in my heart to do the right thing, for all the people of Gaia," she said awkwardly. It was her intention, of course. She would never again allow Alexandria's troops to march to war against other nations. She would, and already had, sent aid to help Burmecia and Lindblum rebuild, but it would never be enough. Alexandria's dark shadow would extend for centuries. She realised her kingdom might never escape the shadow that Kuja had left behind...
When he spoke again, she shook her head and gave him a kind smile. "Please, Sir Fratley, no companion of Freya Crescent need ever call me 'your Majesty'. To you, I am no Queen. Only a friend. It may have begun as an alias, but those close to me, those I treasure most, call me 'Dagger', and it would do me a great honour if you would join them," she offered with a smile. It wasn't quite true, of course, Beatrix and Steiner still called her by her title, but she imagined Steiner wouldn't be able to call her anything but 'your Majesty' if his life depended on it. She was still surprised he had managed to adapt from shrieking 'your Highness!' every few moments to her new title.
"I am sorry to hear that Freya is missing. Zidane is also missing, so I understand your longing. I hope you're right, and that they're both out there somewhere," she said gently. Oh, how she hoped he was right. Maybe if Fratley found Freya, it meant that there'd be hope for her finding Zidane too.
What Garnet declared came from the heart, Fratley believed. He could hear it in her voice, how it trembled with emotion, how she seemed to swell with determination as she made her promise, how she looked him in the eye as she declared her intentions... Fratley believed that she believed would keep her word... But the Dragon-knight was an older man. Even if he had lost much of his memory before now, he had seen enough post-amnesia to know that the world was as harsh and cruel as it was complicated, and that the ruler Alexandria prior to Garnet wasn't uncommon. With Burmecia's population whittled down to a mere handful scattered throughout the deserts and mountains, with half of their kingdom in ruins and the other half obliterated, with two mighty nations bordering it with their militarys growing more powerful all the time... It wasn't even certain Burmecia would rise again. So much of their culture... so much of their greatest artists, philosophers, teachers... dead. It would be an easy matter to conquer them now or at any time in the near future. All it would take would be another hungry ruler with a vision strong enough to forego any promises made in times past.
Fratley believed Garnet wanted to help his people, to right the wrongs of the past... But unless there was a way she could raise their brethren from the dead...
Kuja was the puppet master, Fratley knew. Freya had filled in the gaps from the sacking of Burmecia to the end of the world. He knew that accursed genome was the mind behind the wars, the creator of those pointy-hatted devils and the manipulator behind Alexandria.... but even so, Fratley still blamed them... It was they who sent in an army to kill his kinsmen, they who ordered genocide, they who obliterated what amounted to a camp of refugees. Fratley hated Kuja... and his time would come... but Alexandria... its blood-debt was far more weighted.
The Dragon Knight gave the young Queen a sad smile and a wordless nod, knowing that, in the end, these promises might not mean anything. The Queen was young and she was an idealist. She wanted to believe she could try and do the right thing at opportunity. Politics would, however, force her to grow harsh and grow selfish, to turn her eye to her kingdom before the withering body of Burmecia... or what was left of it. Fratley may live to see the first wave of Alexandrian support, to see soldiers marching into their ruins with food, supplies, medicine. Architects next, as a gesture from the Queen, to help reconstruct what had been destroyed, building off what remained of Burmecian households and shops, an Alexandrian head atop a Burmecian body. No doubt the remaining of his kin, first gratified with their resources, would grow resentful as they saw what remained of their culture crushed under an Alexandrian relief effort, the once isolationist country turning into a puppet-state as more and more of Garnet's people came to fill the gaps of their society. Hatred that would grow... and threaten to destroy what the Alexandrians did not as his society... turned into hers.
There was no official ruler of Burmecia, no mature royal body nor military... so, the voice of the country would fall upon the desperate, those that would throw themselves at the feet of the nearest official until their bellies were full, before turning violent as the remembered what they had. Principles would be lost between hunger and nostalgia, leaving only war... or destruction. ...It was just how things were, if his journeys have taught him anything. Fratley did not resent this truth, but was merely saddened by it. He was but a soldier doing what he could to best serve his people, to make sure they lived to see their numbers grow. Some might call him a traitor for foreseeing this possibility and not raising his spear against it...
But what was a soldier to do...? Should he watch the people he'd sworn to defend die hungry in their homes?
"Your offer is most gracious, your majesty." Fratley curled his free hand into a fist, bumping the flat of it against his chest in a solute as he bowed in thanks, his expression heavy, barely holding it's warm, happy shape. "I have no doubt you will fulfill your promise, fore that is in your nature as Queen."
Much to Fratley's surprise, snapping him out of his ever-darkening mood, Garnet would dismiss the humility the Dragon-Knight, remarking that any friend of Freya's was a friend of hers and that he should address her as such! At that, Fratley tilted his head, an odd grin coming over his face. Here stood a Queen of a mighty nation, she who stood leagues above him in terms of power and influence... coming down to his level willingly and readily, beseeching him as a friend and ally. So odd... even more uncomfortable given the cultural infusion he foresaw in his people's future. He... did not know if he was ready for such a step... Freya described the Queen with a remarkable reverence given the history between their peoples and even journeyed alongside her to save the world!
...Why was it so hard... to offer an olive-branch now that he was told he could...?
"Very well... Dagger." Fratley decided, his heart torn in two ways. "It is my honor to be called your friend. I... hope I make myself worthy of being named such."
Garnet would confide in Fratley, since they had made their friendship formal, that she too felt a pang of loneliness as her companion, Zidane was missing as well... Ah yes, the heroic thief that defended his kin as much as he could, who nearly gave his life a dozen times over for Gaia despite his birthright as a weapon against it. ...Fratley respected the image Freya painted of him, of a noble man with enough flaws to make him human. It would be his honor to meet him some day. The Dragon-Knight would gently extend his free hand, resting it upon Dagger's shoulder, offering her a genuine, hopeful grin.
"We will find them. After all, they are likely looking for us too."
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 26, 2020 0:31:36 GMT -6
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"I hope that I can, Sir Fratley," Garnet nodded when he confirmed his belief in her. Technically, she had trained her entire life to be Queen, to fulfil promises and make diplomatic relations, but only once she took the position had she realised how unprepared she was. Sometimes she wondered if her mother had ever intended for her to take the crown; she wasn't the real Garnet Til Alexandros after all. Had her mother always known she was a summoner? Had she been raised for the slaughter always? No, she couldn't believe that. She wouldn't. She remembered her mother as loving and kind before the loss of her father. Before Kuja. She was unprepared because how could you ever be prepared? She had been, and still was, young to become a Queen, and she had spent her life focusing on what it meant to be a princess, not a ruler. Sometimes she felt so lost. She knew that she was lucky to have advisers who were loyal to her side in Dr Tot, Beatrix and Steiner, but she still felt incredibly out of her depth. Especially with the shattered legacy she had been left.
"The honour is all mine, Sir Fratley," she said with a bow. "Did Freya ever tell you what she did for me? I was... in Lindblum, when the news of the invasion of Burmecia came. I... couldn't believe it, and I tricked everybody into eating sleeping weed so that I could escape and return to Alexandria alone, believing that there had just been a misunderstanding. That if I could only talk to my mother, that I could clear everything up. I honestly... I just didn't believe she could be capable of such an act," Garnet began to explain, a sad, wistful look on her face as she recalled how naive, how foolish, she had been, and yet still remembering the hope. The desperate belief she had wanted to feel, and the heartbreak at realising she was wrong. "Of course... I was wrong, and my mother took me prisoner, and ripped from me my Eidolons. It was that power she used to destroy Cleyra. I... was very ill after they had been taken from me, and my mother... she was going to kill me," Garnet went on to explain. "But Freya came with Zidane and Vivi to Alexandria to rescue me. My mother had just decimated her home, annihilated her people, and destroyed their last refuge. She had every reason in the world to leave me to die. I was the daughter of the woman who had taken everything from her. Surely letting me die would have been a small piece of justice for her..."
Garnet shook her head. "But she didn't even consider it. Not for a moment. She came to rescue me. She helped to save my life. And when... When my mother sent her forces to prevent our escape, she stayed behind. To allow my escape. I... She should have hated me," Garnet eyes wandered to the dusty ground, her pendant turning over and over in her hands as she fiddled awkwardly. "She should have hated me. I was the daughter of her enemy, my power had been used to destroy Cleyra, but not only did she come for me... When I had to escape, when I was too weak to fight for myself, she stayed behind and covered my escape. She even fought alongside Beatrix, just for me, despite... Everything Beatrix had done to her. She gave up everything, she was willing to give up her life, just for me..." Garnet trailed off, and closed her eyes for a moment to recenter herself. She looked up at Fratley, the pendant falling from her hands. "So, believe me, Sir Fratley, when I say that it will always be my honour and privilege to call Freya and all those close to her my friends. There is nothing I can ever do that will repay her bravery and kindness," she explained, still feeling that her words to express her feelings were terribly inadequate.
The touch on her shoulder was pleasant. Most people were fairly stand-offish with a Queen, and physical contact was something she didn't get much in her day to day life. She missed it. On the road it had been different, with Zidane, it had been different, and she would be lying if she said she didn't want a hug. She smiled softly back up at Fratley. "You're right. I'm sure they will come. Your lost memory and Zidane's apparent death didn't stop them. Simply being on another world will not even slow them down," she smiled weakly, knowing that it was more of a wish that her words be true than any kind of realistic hope.
Fratley tilted his head thoughtfully as Dagger relayed the story between her and Freya from her perspective, a story of respect... and integrity. In a way, it much like the legends of the ancient Dragon Knights, those whom had aided in the founding of Burmecia. These tales told of soldiers who were betrayed by their kin, sent to wander the deserts alone with naught but the clothes on their backs and the weapons they had with them. Years would pass and as their former kinsfolk learned of their continued survival, would send wave after wave into the deserts to slay them... only to come back empty-handed each time. It was only when an ancient drake of old would attack their former kingdom would the knights return, slaying the dragon and asking for nothing in return. After all, it was a knight's duty to uphold their vows, to prize their integrity and promises above all else. Even with uncountable numbers of her kinsmen dead, even with Fratley himself having lost his identity... Freya kept true to herself and the code of Chivalry, defending and protecting her friends, no matter who they might be. In a way, she had embodied the ancient warriors of legend from whom all Burmecian knights model themselves, putting herself at risk and tossing her doubts to the side for a cause much larger than herself.
Freya had told this story to him more than once from her perspective, always emphasizing her friendship over the battles, her feelings for Dagger over her resentment of Alexandria. Remembering her voice swell with pride as she recounted Garnet's coronation for him... Caused a small, fleeting smile to touch his lips. She was an honorable warrior to the end, someone Burmecia would do well to make Queen.
...But Fratley wasn't deafened by the honorable portrayal of his girlfriend, however.
Dagger recounted her story with a twinge of self-doubt that did not go unrecognized. Polluted with "even ifs" and "even thoughs," like she hadn't deserved Freya's devotion. The knight's gaze flicked down at her pendant as she fiddled with it as if it were a keepsake from worse times, her voice so drenched in self-criticism, one might start to believe she really WAS responsible for everything! Watching this girl so unprepared for the responsibility of royalty cracked and scarred by the crushing weight of it all...
It hurt Fratley to watch. She was an innocent, he and Freya had judged, a girl who needn't bare the sins of her forebears as the one responsible... Even though she was Queen standing before her inferior, Dagger did little to hide how much she was hurting, how heavily the weight of her mother's massacres weight on her mind. Before Dagger could continue, Fratley would take his new role as her friend into his own hands, stepping into her space and wrapping an arm around her, pulling her against him in a gentle hug.
"Do not doubt yourself..." Fratley murmured softly. "Freya does not choose her friends lightly... nor does she give them up easily. She... I... We are your friends, Dagger. No matter the circumstances, we cannot abandon you."
Fratley would step back and offer the summoner a soft smile, attempting to stifle the ever-crushing air of self-doubt and blame surrounding Dagger. "Indeed, they will find their way here soon enough... then we will discover the purpose of this world."
Post by Garnet Til Alexandros XVII on Aug 26, 2020 15:45:15 GMT -6
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Garnet was startled by the hug at first. Hugs had never been a common expression of love to Garnet, even if she had craved the contact, even back when her father was alive. But she thought that the day of his funeral might have been the last time she had ever been hugged until she met Zidane. Princesses didn't get hugs, certainly once they were teenagers they didn't, and definitely not in public, anyway, and she had nobody left to give them in private. It was even worse now that she was a Queen.
But she wasn't just a Queen. She was eighteen, she was alone, she had been reunited with the love of her life and then lost him all over again, she had come face to face with her mother's murderer and had nowhere to go and no place to call home. And so, for a brief moment, she let herself not be a Queen, and instead, retreated into Fratley's arms, burying her face in his chest for a moment and letting the world pass around her, for a moment feeling safe and hidden from everything.
She broke off the hug afterwards, and smiled up at Fratley, appreciation for the gesture written all over her face. "Thank you. I think I needed that," she confessed after a moment. She turned away for a moment, hands back on her pendant, as she thought about what Fratley had said.
"After all this time, all these adventures, I still... don't understand what I did to earn such wonderful friends. I owe them all my life, so many times over..." she turned back, forcing herself to release the pendant and stop the nervous gesture. "...and I don't just mean that they saved it. I mean... that without them, I'm... not sure who I'd be, but I'm sure I wouldn't be the person I grew into. I'd have... led some meaningless life, some shallow, naive... little royal who never knew anything about the outside world..." she said with a sigh. "And every time I was in danger, every time I thought I was alone, they were there for me. They risked their lives for me, even when I couldn't do the same for them. I'm not sure I'll ever understand why they were so willing to fight for me, but... I will never ever forget it. I love them all," she said, and she managed a small smile.
"You know, I was raised a princess, in a castle, I was surrounded by perfect luxury... I could have had anything I wanted... but I think... even though all those horrible things happened, even though it was frightening and intense and stressful, I think travelling with Freya, with Zidane, with the others, was the only time in my life I was truly happy," she admitted somewhat awkwardly. She paused, and decided best to move on.
"Sorry, I'm... reflecting on things. I shouldn't live in the past. We need to keep moving forward. Amarant, Eiko and Mitiko are all here as well, so there is a good chance Freya is too. This world seems to not have... as much variety in people as Gaia, so hopefully finding another Burmecian will be easier," she suggested, trying to focus instead on the current affairs than her past. It was the way Zidane had taught her to think, the way she had got through her trauma. To focus on the present, and not the past. To keep moving forward, and let go of those things she couldn't change.
