Dagger looked down at him. There were only a handful of times he'd ever knelt in front of her; she could count them all on one hand, and recall them with astounding clarity. She could feel her throat closing up, and she blinked back the burning sensation that she hoped wasn't tears.

"Zidane..." his name was barely a whisper.

She wanted, more than anything, to believe him. Take him back, forget the whole thing ever happened; forget the pain and loneliness that had threatened to swallow her, resigning herself to a future devoid of everything she'd come to treasure.

But that pain was still so fresh. As much as she wanted it to go away, the fear of it coming back was suffocating.

"Since that day you came back... all I've ever wanted was for you to stay with me. Maybe it's to much to ask of you... but it's what I need."

She paused, her eyes falling from him, to the ground. "Who I am is never going to change. It's not all of me... but I am always going to be the Queen of Alexandria. I have a responsibility to this land, to these people. We were... just kids, when we met. We have to grow up, sometime."