??????// spoiler

[Shotgunnova]

EDIT: I think the better question is how Zidane and Tantalus and everone got back to Alexandria so fast from Lindblum.

I really don't think it matters. He could have use Fossil Roo to go back, he could have built a bridge made of rocks, he could have caught a ride on a Zuu -- it's just a plot device. It's used throughout the game, and the swimming assertion isn't too far-fetched -- Quina does it to get back to the Mist Continent from Madain Sari...s/he also shows up in Lindblum after the Alexandrian Alexander tragedy somehow, too...

I like to think he took the elevator leaf from inside the tree and surfed back, which is as good a guess as anyone else, I s'pose. =p

[Avathar]

But i like the idea that the guys from Tantalus would travel all the way back to the Lifa Tree to find Zidane.
And Zidane would probably stay together with Garnet at the end. He'll become king, and he and Garnet will go on many more adventures (you don't imagine those two staying at the castle, now would ya?^^)
OR those two just have a great time together no matter what.

[Darth Cid]

But i like the idea that the guys from Tantalus would travel all the way back to the Lifa Tree to find Zidane.
And Zidane would probably stay together with Garnet at the end. He'll become king, and he and Garnet will go on many more adventures (you don't imagine those two staying at the castle, now would ya?^^)
OR those two just have a great time together no matter what.

Zidane: I like how you think.

[Zeromus_X]

I'd assume he'd have some importance, he did get with the queen after all.

[Darth Cid]

Zidane: The only beef we have with the ending is that Square shouldn't have made it such a long amount of time, for Zidane & Garnet to reunite, four to six weeks sounds long enough to lose hope someone is still alive, meaning Garnet's would still be growing back, besides which it took ten years for Garnet's hair to originally grow that long, so it would have worked better to have Zidane return when the hair is still growing back.

[Quindiana Jones]

I always thought that Tantalus never knew he was alive either, and, being the expert thief and sly person he is, Zidane managed to creep into the play at that point to make his triumphant return. I reckon he left Kuja in Iifa Tree (because it's a nice place really) and then hung around with Black Mages for a while, living his own little happy life. I think he then used Fossil Roo to get back and hitched a ride on the Theatre Ship from Lindblum (because Tantalus were heading to Alexandria to perform I Want To Be Your Canary again) without the Tantalus knowing. Then knocked Marcus out for that part and used it to make himself look cool.

[Darth Cid]

I always thought that Tantalus never knew he was alive either, and, being the expert thief and sly person he is, Zidane managed to creep into the play at that point to make his triumphant return. I reckon he left Kuja in Iifa Tree (because it's a nice place really) and then hung around with Black Mages for a while, living his own little happy life. I think he then used Fossil Roo to get back and hitched a ride on the Theatre Ship from Lindblum (because Tantalus were heading to Alexandria to perform I Want To Be Your Canary again) without the Tantalus knowing. Then knocked Marcus out for that part and used it to make himself look cool.

Zidane: Damn, with the eaception of using Fossil Roo you just told the fan fic I thinking of writing.