Homecoming

[crowned_jewel]

Characters: Zidane and Garnet -- Open later, after they've had some time alone.
Progress: Ongoing
Summary: When Zidane returns to Alexandria, he's in for more than one surprised.
Location: Alexandria Castle
Date: April 27, 1805
Warnings: Mood Swings?

Comments

[princessstealer]

At that moment, the thief-turned-King was climbing up the ivy under Garnet's bedroom window - their bedroom window, actually, but it wasn't yet second-nature for him to think of it like that. They'd had a few months before he'd disappeared, but with the memory loss (although that was rapidly getting remedied now that he was out of the Void's influence) and kind of the sense of disbelief about being king made it seem more like a dream. Dagger, though, was clear in his mind again - and there was absolutely no doubt that he wanted to see her more than anything.

Buuuuuut he had to play with Steiner. He just had to, so of course he wasn't using the proper entry method. The airship had dropped him off as close to the castle as it could, then he'd used his thief skills to get up to the wall and start climbing it. Grinning when he got far enough up to see that the window wasn't closed, Zidane got both hands firmly on the sill, kicking himself up the wall with the soles of his boots, using his tail for balance and as an extra handhold. He

[crowned_jewel]

The window. The window?! No, he couldn't use a door like a normal person, of course not! Suddenly, she was in a panic. She felt like her heart was ready to leap out of her throat. No time left to think. It was just her good fortune that he had bothered to announce his presence before he entered -- it allowed her time to duck behind one of the high-backed chairs, hands clinging to the ornate wood as he pulled the fabric aside--

And she stared at him, gaping like a fish. There he was, flesh and blood, and although for the briefest instant she want to forget about everything that was keeping her behind that chair, and just run over to him, throw her arms around him, yell at him for leaving--

Instead, she settled for just frowning, and yelling, "Why couldn't you have used the door?!"

[princessstealer]

The running, the yelling, the hugging were what he expected. What he got was entirely different, and the first thing that came to mind was... honestly, to ask why she was hiding behind a chair. But before he could ask that or take more than two steps in her direction, arms starting to raise to bring her into them, Zidane was stopped cold in utter confusion by her... rather emphatic question.

"...I wanted to see you before I saw Steiner or Beatrix." And he wanted to tweak Steiner's tail a little, but the first reason's still most of the truth. "Sorry I disappeared - believe me, I didn't want to at all."

[crowned_jewel]

For a moment, Dagger must have looked like a frightened little mouse. She would have shrunk back, skirted around the edge of the furniture, if he hadn't stopped all on his own. But when he spoke, she relaxed a little. The tension eased out of her shoulders.

"I believe you." And she did. No one ever left Gaia by choice. or came there, either, but that was beside the point. "I'm sorry. It's just... there's something I have to tell you first, because if I don't, you'll find out anyway--" she paused, curling her fingers around the top of the chair back. "But first, please tell me you at least remember this."

And with that she lifted her left hand, to display the gold band that had been there for nearly a year. If he didn't remember that, this was going to be even more difficult.

Later?

[captain_rusty]

Having been dismissed by Garnet, Steiner nonetheless stationed himself outside her door. He made certain that he was far away enough to give the Queen the privacy that she clearly wanted, but close enough so that the entrance to her chambers remained in view. If Zidane wanted to see her, he'd have to go past Steiner.

Which only served the monkey-boy right for boasting about how he'd find Garnet first.

But that was only a minor irritation, easily forgotten. Steiner knew that the royal couple needed to have a long talk in private. Garnet was pregnant and goodness knows, he'd been fretting about this ever since he found out. It'd be a huge shock for Zidane too. He almost felt like the wind had been taken out of his sails when Zidane returned; Steiner had been making all these plans to take care of Garnet by herself and then of course Zidane just had to waltz in and make an entrance and if he freaked out about the pregnancy and tried to dodge responsibility Steiner was going to kill himHe wouldn't, of course. Zidane was a good man at

Later! : D

[crowned_jewel]

It was a wonder that Steiner had not been alerted to Zidane's entrance -- what with Garnet's occasional outbursts. Of course, she'd been known to talk to herself in recent months, and she could very well have been on her sky phone. Whatever the case may have been, it was some time later that the door to the Queen's chambers creaked, slowly swinging open.

"It's good to have you home--" was the sound of Garnet's voice as she emerged from the room --

--leading Zidane by the hand.

After their seclusion~

[princessstealer]

The genome was smiling very widely as he followed his wife, watching her with such a dopey look that likely several of his friends would have called him on it - at least until he saw Steiner. The smile transformed into a grin and he raised his free hand in greeting to the knight.

"Hey, Rusty! I'm back! How's it goin'?"

See Steiner? His threat to see Dagger first came true!

[captain_rusty]

Steiner's jaw dropped. Yes, literally.

For a moment, he could only gape at the pair of them. They looked happy, but he couldn't quite wrap his head around the fact that Zidane was even there.

"How?" he asked dumbly. Then he shook his head. "You - how did he get inside? I have been watching this entrance with the utmost vigilance!"