Zidane Tribal, thief of charm and tail, once just another rogue in Tantalus, found himself center stage—literally. Under the moonlit sky of Alexandria, Tantalus performed “I Want to Be Your Canary” for nobles and commoners alike. But behind the curtain, the plan was clear: kidnap Princess Garnet.

“Just a job,” Zidane muttered, sword at his side. Then she bumped into him—hooded, breathless, already fleeing. “You’re with Tantalus, aren’t you?” she whispered. “…Crap. She’s onto us.” “Will you kidnap me?”

He blinked. “Huh?” Her eyes, deep with fear and hope, searched his. “I need to leave Alexandria. Please…”

Thus began a chaotic escape. Captain Steiner, armor clanging, thundered behind them.

“Princess! Unhand the Princess this instant, you scoundrel!” Zidane grinned. “Rusty, chill out. I’m just escorting her highness to freedom.” “I shall strike you down for insolence!”

Steiner never let up—dutiful to a fault. He blamed Zidane for everything: Whenever the princess went missing, magical accidents, bad weather. But even he softened when Master Vivi, a shy black mage, joined them. With glowing yellow eyes under his hat, Vivi asked softly, “If I was made… does that mean I’m not… real?” Zidane knelt beside him. “Real or not, you’ve got friends. That’s what matters.”

Garnet—now “Dagger”—hid her royal blood. Her white magic soothed wounds, but her heart ached. She sang when no one listened—a lonely song only Zidane seemed to notice. “You always sing when you’re sad,” he said one night. “I’m always sad lately,” she replied.

Then came Freya, Dragoon of Burmecia, spear in hand, sorrow in her eyes. “I’ve waited years for Sir Fratley,” she said, watching the rain. “But even love fades when the world forgets you.” Zidane took her hand. “We remember, Freya.”

Then there was Quina, tongue lolling, fork in hand. “Me want frog. Or cake. Or oglop. Oglop taste crunchy.” Steiner recoiled. “Keep that creature away from Master Vivi!” Quina smiled. “You taste crunchy too?”

Eiko, spunky child summoner of Madain Sari, crashed into the group like a whirlwind. With a horn on her head, and moogle Mog hidden in her dress, she declared, “I’m in love with Zidane!” Zidane choked on his dinner. “I’m seven. I’ve got time,” she added. Dagger rolled her eyes, then looked away.

Amarant, brooding and red-haired, watched from the shadows. “Why follow me?” Zidane asked. “To understand why someone like you wins,” he muttered. “Because I don’t get it.” Zidane shrugged. “Maybe you’re not supposed to.”

But as laughter echoed, darkness loomed. Kuja arrived, silver-haired and poisonous. “Sweet Garnet, you shine even brighter..” Zidane stood firm. “You lay a finger on her, I’ll break every one.” Kuja smirked. “Then we shall dance, monkey.”

Queen Brahne, once majestic, now monstrous, waged war with Garnet’s stolen power. Her jesters Zorn and Thorn spoke in riddled reversals: (Zorn) “Take the girl we must!” (Thorn) “We Must take the girl!”

When Brahne wept in her final moments, she reached for her daughter. “I… I only wanted… power…” Dagger’s hands trembled. “You were still my mother.”

Regent Cid, transformed into an oglop (and later a frog), chirped, “Just don’t eat me!” Quina stared. “Froooog…?”

And yet, in the middle of chaos, romance lingered like a fading note.

Zidane flirted with every girl—but his heart always found its way back to Dagger. “Why do you look away when I smile at you?” he asked. “Because… I want to believe it means something. And I’m afraid it doesn’t.” “Then I’ll stop smiling at anyone else.” “…Liar.”

He wasn’t. Not anymore.

They weren't just a band of misfits—they were each other's family. Fighting to stop Kuja, the mist, and the fate written by gods they’d never met.

In the silence between battles, Garnet sang again.