Though there was a possibility that Beatrix would betray them, Andrew trusted his game knowledge and the bond she shared with Garnet. Thus, following Beatrix's pledge of allegiance, he obeyed Garnet's instruction to return her weapon and armor.
Witnessing Andrew materialize her equipment out of thin air, Beatrix felt compelled to remark, "That's a peculiar ability. Does it function akin to an Item Pouch?"
Adopting a smile, Andrew surprised Beatrix by replying, "My secrets are the Princess's to share."
"It's fine, Andrew," said Garnet, rising from her soon-to-be throne and approaching him and Beatrix, grasping his arm as she met Beatrix's gaze and revealed, "Andrew is to be my husband. Please be sure to protect and serve him as you would me."
Blinking in surprise, Beatrix asked, "Truly...?" before directing her gaze to Andrew, her shock apparent.
"I will explain the details later," affirmed Garnet. "For now, please return and convey my intentions to my mother and our forces. There is no need for further conflict."
With her hands freed, Beatrix gave a proper Alexandrian Knight's salute, smacking her fist against her sizeable bosom as she exclaimed, "As Your Majesty wills!"
Casting one final glance Andrew's way, Beatrix turned on her heels and departed with confident strides. She had been filled with doubts for the past year, but now that she had seen how much the Princess had grown, she was once again optimistic about Alexandria's future.
Seeing Beatrix depart to carry out her orders, Garnet exhaled a sigh of relief and leaned against Andrew, clinging to him for support. Beatrix was the idol of virtually every woman in their military, so having her side with them would go a long way toward restoring peace and preventing further conflicts.
Hugging Garnet's head to his chest, Andrew whispered, "You did well..." in a gentle, assuring tone. In response, Garnet looked up at him, standing on the tips of her toes to give him a chaste kiss before smiling as she said, "I couldn't have accomplished this without you, Andrew. I surely would have done something, but things only went this smoothly because I had you at my side. Thank you..."
Adopting a smile, Andrew wrapped his arms around Garnet and held her firmly within his embrace, his expression and tone softening as he said, "I should be the one thanking you for keeping me at your side..."
"And I shall continue to do so hereafter..." asserted Garnet, reciprocating Andrew's embrace and awarding him an additional kiss. She couldn't have imagined feeling this close to someone a few weeks ago, but now Garnet truly understood why so many plays and dramas touted love as the most powerful force in the world. With Andrew's love and support, she felt she could achieve absolutely anything...
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As their relationship was no longer a secret, Andrew was sleeping with Garnet in her room, enjoying the feeling of her pajama-clad body pressed against him as he gazed absentmindedly through the transparent sheet surrounding her luxurious bed like a canopy. He genuinely felt like a King, but, at the same time, he couldn't help feeling that his actions might have 'complicated' things.
If Brahne agreed to surrender, Andrew couldn't imagine Garnet simply leaving the Kingdom she had been appointed as Queen to travel to the Outer Continent. She was able to do so in the game, but that was largely due to the fact much of Alexandria had been destroyed, and they 'had' to stop Kuja before the literal destruction of their world. This time around, a lot of Kuja's plans had been derailed before they could be executed, and due to his inborn 'expiration date,' there was a chance he would kick the bucket before he could implement any new ones...
Though he couldn't recall the timeline perfectly, Andrew knew that Kuja had been scheming for around twenty years before the start of the game. That implied he could not cause widespread destruction on his own, so if Brahne yielded and Garnet's Eidolons were never used to wage war, there was a good chance the plot he was familiar with would disappear, leading to a 'gap' that could last several decades, potentially even longer...
'Well, not that it matters...' thought Andrew, staring at the sleeping face of Garnet with a smile. He was determined to protect her and the world she called home, so even if Kuja achieved Trance or Garland sent an army of Genomes to attempt genocide, he would fight and give it his all to defeat them. It didn't matter if their attack came in a few months or several tens of years. He just had to fight when it was time to fight...
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Several days after her visit and subsequent departure from Alexandria, Beatrix returned. She wasn't alone, however. Instead, she, and several of her most trusted subordinates, arrived through the port of Alexandria with Queen Brahne, stripped of her royal vestments and deprived of the many pieces of jewelry that usually adorned her body. More notably, she was in chains, her wrists and ankles bound as she was guided along with a hood covering her head and face.
Matching Andrew's expectations, Brahne did not surrender when Beatrix returned carrying Garnet's words. Instead, she did something that sealed her fate, ordering her fleet to sail for Alexandria to reclaim the castle and city by force. They initially did just that, but the eleven-day journey gave Beatrix more than enough time to speak privately with her Commanders, Captains, and Lieutenants. Then, a day before they sailed into the harbor, they staged a mutiny, denying Brahne's ambitions with force.
When she saw her mother in chains, Garnet initially looked like she was going to burst into tears, but as there were soldiers of both Lindblum and Alexandria present, she 'greeted' her with dignity and poise, listing out the crimes she would invariably be accused to justify her forced abdication of the throne. It unnerved her how Brahne just stared back at her with eyes like a dead fish, but she held out until the end, concluding the address by instructing that Brahne be confined to her lakeside villa and placed under strict, twenty-four-hour surveillance.
Reinforcing the notion that power has shifted from Brahne to Garnet, the Knights from both Alexandria and Lindblum clapped and cheered as the would-be tyrant was escorted away. That night, Andrew had to console a crying Garnet for several hours, but when he awoke the next morning, she had a notably resolute air about her, seemingly having aged and matured several years in a single evening. He was a little worried she was pushing herself, but Garnet assured him that, so long as he remained at her side, she could endure anything...
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As Andrew had anticipated, Garnet's coronation was arranged less than three days after Brahne's deposition. Nearly every citizen of Alexandria gathered to witness the event, their cheers liable to be heard in Lindblum due to how excited and relieved they were. After all, no one, sans those who stood to profit from selling weapons, supplies, and building materials, was looking forward to a new war after thirty years of peace. Thus, when it became known that their beloved Princess Garnet had stopped the 'evil' Queen's ambitions, the residents of Alexandria showered her with all their passion and praise.
What the citizens didn't expect, as Garnet had decided it the morning of her coronation, was that she would be sharing her limelight with someone else. Andrew had been dressed and dolled up in clothes befitting a Noble, and before a crowd of tens of thousands, Garnet publically announced his appointment as her Consort, marrying them on the spot. Her declaration caused a second wave of excitement, with most of the residents happily commemorating Garnet's and Andrew's union. However, as the latter was completely unknown to most of them, the city was abuzz with discussions about his identity and whether or not he was even 'worthy' of the position he had been assigned...
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With most of her mother's furniture being moved to her villa and Garnet's being relocated to the former Queen's room, she and Andrew were in the process of consummating their abrupt marriage when a knock was heard from outside, the voice of Beatrix stating, "I apologize for the disruption, Queen Garnet, Prince Ashford, but may I enter?"
Though Andrew looked like he had just seen a ghost and heard something completely absurd, Garnet was comparably calm, responding, "You may," even though she was seated atop him with his dick deep inside her pussy. As a result, Beatrix entered their bedroom, scarcely batting an eye as she performed a Knightly salute before explaining, "Your mother entreated me to deliver a message for her. With Your Majesty's permission, I shall do so now."
"Proceed," said Garnet, surprising Andrew as she began rocking her hips in a shallow, undulating motion.
After bowing her head in acknowledgment, Beatrix raised her face and stared directly at Garnet and Andrew, her expression as calm as a lake on a windless night as she stated, "The former Queen wished to congratulate you on your coronation and matrimony. She expressed that now isn't the best time, but once things have calmed down, she would like to meet the man Your Majesty has chosen to share her life with."
Adopting a dazzling smile, Garnet began to accelerate her pace as she stated, "You have my gratitude for coming here to convey my mother's words to me, General Beatrix. Please return and inform her I will visit as soon as is 'acceptable.' Until then, I shall focus on fulfilling my duties as Queen and ruler of Alexandria."
Matching Garnet's smile with one of her own, Beatrix cast her one-eyed gaze to Andrew and mused, "Then I shall do my part by praying that Your Majesty's and Prince Ashford's evenings are long and fruitful. A Kingdom without an heir is akin to a castle made from sand, waiting for the tide to come in."
Though Andrew was too taken aback to speak, Garnet exhaled a throaty chuckle, narrowing her eyes into an alluring smile as she looked down at him and asserted, "Worry not, General. If my husband and I are not with child, we shall be soon. That much, I can assure..."
"Then I shall not hinder Your Majesty's efforts," said Beatrix, bowing low and respectfully before turning around and departing Garent's chamber. In her wake, the newly anointed Queen adopted a playful smile, tracing her finger along Andrew's chest as she teased, "You're a Queen's Consort now. You'll need to get accustomed to servants and subordinates arriving at less than 'opportune' moments. In such instances, the best thing to do is behave like everything is normal. That is the simplest way to retain your dignity and reinforce the sentiment you exist in a different world from the common man, woman, and child..."
Regaining his smile from before Beatrix's interruption, Andrew replied, "I'll keep that in mind," before giving Garnet's ass a light smack. She startled a bit when he did but then gained a 'predatory' smile as she began to move and shake her hips vigorously. Then, as bluish-white light emanated from the depths of her irises, she cast Haste on herself, pushing Andrew to the brink of climax within seconds as her Queenly pussy gobbled and bobbed his cock at twice the usual speed and intensity...
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Hearing the report from his subordinate regarding Brahne's detainment, a frown developed across the face of a slender, androgynous man with long silver hair that resembled feathers near his crown. He had spent the past year and a half kissing Brahne's ass and convincing her that going to war with the remaining Kingdoms was the best way to guarantee her people's safety. Now, barely a month after her abrupt disappearance, the Princess intended to be sacrificed had suddenly returned, deposed his pawn, and become Queen. How was that possible?
"Someone must have interfered..." muttered the silver-haired man, a cruel smile developing across his face as he rose to his feet, hips swaying like a cat as he departed his VIP booth in Treno's Auction House, eager to see the situation in Alexandria himself...
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