Dagger. She thought about the name she'd taken. The memories it held, the way it had become a part of her; on their long journey, she had occasionally forgotten that it wasn't her real name. Thinking back on it, the name itself sounded ridiculous. Because who actually named themselves for a knife? Crazy people, that's who.

And oh, had she been crazy.

She hadn't known it at the time. She was too busy breaking up arguments between the ex-Tantalus member and the knight, Steiner. Too busy grieving over two mothers lost, over her kingdom laid to waste, over her inability to protect the things that mattered to her. Too busy worrying over the problems of the others who had become like a new dysfunctional family to her. Amarant, who had fought for them on a whim, while seeking his own answers, then disappeared. Eiko, who, since their return, had become even more the little sister that she had always wanted and the daughter that Cid and Hilda never dreamed of having. Quina, who had been a source of laughs and confusion, and as the royal chef was now the source of fifteen pounds that clung to her hips. Freya, the determined Dragon Knight, who still came to visit with Fratley when they took breaks from their reconstruction work in Burmecia. Steiner, who'd been at her side until the very end when they'd returned here. Home. Alexandria.

Garnet smiled fondly at those memories, fingering the crystal she wore around her neck. A reminder of the difference between the person she was born as and the person she'd become.

"Are you nervous?"

Garnet smiled reassuringly at the female general. "A little," the young Queen admitted. "It is my first time in public like this after a year." As an afterthought, she said slyly, "But why should I be nervous? You're the one with a little bundle of joy on the way."

Beatrix's hand went to her stomach automatically, and her face turned pink. "Well!" The woman feigned offense at this, but smiled. It had been awhile since Garnet had made jokes. She had, after all, been through much before her return. "The people missed you much, Your Majesty."

Beatrix stepped forward to help her into her dress. Garnet gave a tiny shrug. "Not that much. I was always there, after all." And she had been. Dressed as a commoner, her hair tied back in a ponytail and her face turned down, she'd always been there, helping to rebuild her castle, her city, and her people's faith.

"They missed knowing you were there." The general straightened the dress, and surveyed her handiwork. Of course the citizens had felt her presence—sensed it in a stranger's smile as she passed, in the way an odd, fragile-looking girl toiled and sweated, bled and cried—but no one could say why exactly. It was always just a feeling, a hunch.

"They knew," Garnet insisted. "And I couldn't always be there. There were other things that I had to attend to." Like the passing of a friend. Those memories still stung, still needed time to heal over completely. She'd been there, held Vivi's hand as awareness left his eyes. She'd stayed to watch him being buried, cried into Mikoto's shoulder and said her goodbyes to him before returning home.

Beatrix said nothing at the sadness that glazed over the Queen's eyes. Silence stretched lazily for a moment, then she murmured, "I have preparations to make, Your Majesty. By your leave." She saluted, then turned on her heel and left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Garnet glanced around her room with a sigh. She'd had it built to resemble her old one. The same bed with its canopy of silk was in one corner. Near it, a vanity that she rarely used; she'd been far too busy with rebuilding her home. But there were some differences. A wooden table with smooth, intricate carvings of chocobos that had been donated anonymously lounged in the center of the room. This, she suspected, was the work of Amarant, who she had always known had a heart hidden under his cold exterior. No one else of the group would have the free time or the patience for woodwork. Especially not the patience.

She dragged a chair to the window and pushed it open, with a sigh. The bustle of the city drifted up to her from below. Alexandria was returning to what it had been before.

"Things carry on as if you're still here," Garnet whispered to herself, "Zidane. It isn't the same, but everyone is still going on. Still living. I think, before he stopped, Vivi was thinking of you. Hoping that you're okay. It was harder for him than any of us know." She breathed in the fresh air.

"Wherever you are, I want you to know that I'm making it. I'm pushing on without you, even though it's hard. I'm sure that's what you wanted, after all."

Garnet turned at a loud knock on her door. "It is time, Queen Garnet. The play will begin soon," Steiner announced.

"Of course," she said with a smile. Tantalus was performing her favorite play. Just like they had so long ago. She brushed away a stray tear and walked to the door.

Outside her window, he'd leaned on the roof and listened to her as she spoke to herself, to him. He drank in her every word, reveling in the voice that he'd missed for so long. She was, indeed, making it. Rebuilding her kingdom and living with hope for the future.

"I'm proud of you, sweet canary of mine," the man said, his blue eyes bright with emotion. In the past, he'd have scolded himself for falling in love with a Queen. Now, he decided, he'd just go along with it.

After all, a member of Tantalus always caught his canary.

A/N: I get the warm fuzzies reading over this again. xD It was spur of the moment, cute and fluffy. Reviews are appreciated. :)