Harbinger
...x...
Contrary to general opinion, it took a great deal to upset Kent. That the usual cause of irritation was the very man who knew exactly how to provoke such an emotion and did so in relative frequency was a factor rarely considered by outside observers. Even with such provocation, Kent usually managed to conceal his opinion behind a placid exterior. The discovery of a recent development, however, caused him to frown disapprovingly. For a few moments he stared with narrowed eyes at the offending object, as if determining its fate then and there.
When his deliberation had finished, he turned to look at Sain who was eagerly bouncing on his heels in pride and excitement. "Take it down, Sain."
Immediately, Sain's expression feel into one of exaggerated disappointment, "Awww, Kent! Come on!"
Kent remained unmoved, his gaze hard. "Take it down."
"Mistletoe is a part of the season, you know that! You wouldn't have me take down one of the many proponents of yuletide cheer, would you?" Sain waggled his finger knowledgeably at his unimpressed friend.
"Take it down before it causes no end of trouble, Sain. That's an order."
With a dramatic sigh, Sain looked for a nearby object to step upon so he might take the sprig of (by his reckoning) innocuous fun from the doorframe, "Fine, Kent. But you still really need to relax more often."
"And you need to take things more seriously," Kent scowled, watching to make sure that Sain was actually doing as commanded. "And that being the case, why are you not wearing your armor? We have jobs to perform tonight."
"Why?" Sain asked the word as if the answer were the most obvious in the world, setting a chair down square in the center of the doorway. "Because tonight is a ball, a festival, and I fully intend to have fun, unlike this stick-in-the-mud I happen to know."
Kent snorted.
"Besides," he continued, "I really doubt anyone will do anything, do you? The worst that may happen is an angry drunk and we don't even really need the formal armor to handle that anyway. So, my boon companion," he placed his boot to the chair, lifting himself up and dirtying the cover-sheet in the process. He teetered a moment, trying to set his balance right again, setting his second foot down on the chair as well when he had regained it. "I have decided to go without." He smiled down at Kent before turning to his task at hand, reaching up to grasp the leaflets of the plant suspended above him.
Satisfied that Sain was indeed doing as instructed, Kent nodded approvingly and left to attend other locations in the castle for both inspection and supervision of other knights not so unlike the scurrilous cavalier he had just left.
...x...
Couldn't he see that he was too close?
During her time spent at Castle Caelin, Florina had definitely already improved in her ability to stand and talk to men. She was still rather shy but, as Lyn-ah, Lady Lyndis- had pointed out, she didn't shrink back so quickly and nor did she hide so easily. Eye contact was still hard, and talking did not necessarily come any easier than it did before her arrival, but she had made undeniable progress. That she was getting to know the people here better certainly helped things as well.
In spite of all of this, Florina had gone quite pale and quite silent as, while turning a corner, she had bumped precariously into one of the many knights employed in the castle. She had intended to apologize, and quickly, but found she could not when she brought her gaze up to see his face and found an unusual, and alarming, smile stretched across his face. She didn't like the way he looked.
"Hello, Florina." His tone betrayed thinly veiled intentions of some sort.
"Umm... ah..." Tragically, she could compel no words out of her throat where they timidly hid from the man's presence in a way she herself could not. Blinking the terror from her eyes, she struggled to maintain eye contact as she managed, in a whispery voice, to utter, "Ah.... H-hello, Cam."
She tried to back away in futile attempt to subtly let him know he was standing far too close for any degree of comfort on her part. However, he calmly matched her step-for step, still grinning uncomfortably down at her.
"I-is there.... umm.. Is...c-can I help y-you with a-anything?"
"Oh... I think you can."
She flinched as he reached over her towards something she could not see. She heard a small 'snap' as he took whatever it was and brought it down between them.
It was a moment before she realized she had squeezed her eyes closed and could not see whatever it was he was holding in front of her. She blinked a bit, allowing the object to come into focus. At the sight of the white berries peeking out at her from their lofty positions on their short green stems, she emitted a sharp squeak. He was holding mistletoe!
"Do you know what happens around this time of year?" Cam inquired, lightly brushing a thumb and forefinger over one of the berries as he leaned just a little bit closer.
"Uh..ummm..." She was quickly becoming far less confident (if she was even confident at all to begin with), and color had long since left her face. "P-please...d-don-"
"They say," he continued, without even giving pause to acknowledge her stuttered attempt at a reply. "That for every berry on a sprig of mistletoe," he delicately plucked one to emphasize, "a kiss may be given to whomever stands beneath it."
"Ah!" Was all Florina could muster, no longer having the stamina for even a stuttered defense or refusal.
"Well?" His terrible, knowing grin split his face and she knew she could not stop what was about transpire. She was positive she could start to feel his breath on her face as she shrunk back and squeezed her eyes shut.
Then...
"That is enough of that."
Her eyes snapped open to see Kent reach between them and fist his hand over the entire spray of mistletoe, firmly crushing the plant into oblivion. He pulled his hand back just enough to reach his forefingers out to snap the last berry out of Cam's fingers and smite them into his fist like the others. His eyes narrowed dangerously upon Florina's oppressor into a glare dark enough to snuff a candle. Cam flinched visibly, withering beneath Kent's extreme disapproval and his authority to act upon it.
"Ah, err... it would seem... there are... no berries that remain." He chuckled mirthlessly, trying vainly to escape Kent's unblinking unfriendliness. "I err... I guess I'll go." He backed away in a manner not unlike that of a predator surrendering his catch to a stronger, less-exhausted foe.
Kent's fierce gaze followed the retreating knight all the way until he rounded a far corner and remained there for a short while afterwards. When he was certain that the devious fellow had gone, Kent let out his held breath, slowly blinking, his gaze softening, before turning to Florina. "Are you well, Florina? Did anything happen before I intervened?"
It was, unfortunately, just a little too much for the poor, timid, pegasus knight, and she fell out of consciousness, pitching off her feet. Kent quickly lunged forward, catching her in his clean, free arm before she fell too far. Such an action, however left Kent in a bit of a predicament. He wanted to move her to a less conspicuous location, but with only a single available arm to the task (his other hand was terribly gummed up with the sap of the berries he had crushed), he didn't think he could do so as appropriately as he wanted, as was necessary.
Thus, he was stranded in the middle of the hall, Florina slumped over his arm, the treacherous plant still clutched in his fist. It was almost as if...
"Oho! Kent, my friend..."
Oh, but of course.
"Sain." His voiced dripped with a venom that clearly advertised that he was not in the mood and that he shouldn't dare finish his sentence.
But since when had Sain ever been the truly obedient type?
"Such scandal! I did not think you were the type! And to think, all this time..." He held his chin in his hand in imitation of appraisal. All the while, Kent's gaze grew narrower and more dangerous. If a storm cloud could have formed over his head, his antagonist was sure he would have made it so. Sain, of course, was not so intimidated. After all, what could Kent do but stand and precariously keep his careful hold on poor, passed-out Florina?
However, he had pity on his friend. Drawing his hands up in a motion of peace and surrender, he stepped forward towards the crimson commander, infuriating grin plastered over his features, "Here, let me help you with her." He stepped towards where Kent was delicately supporting the pegasus knight, gingerly sliding his arms beneath her petite form and lifting her up.
Kent shook his arm in hope to restore the feeling in it sooner, gesturing with a tilt of his head the direction Sain should follow him. "If you had removed the mistletoe- as I had instructed- in the first place, this would not have happened." He grimaced at the sticky mass of sap glistening in his palm. With luck, it would not ruin the fabric of his glove. He began to rub his hands together in effort to roll it together into a stringy mass. Perhaps the result could be used to catch birds later, if he even kept hold of the troublesome stuff long enough.
Sain frowned at him, confused, "Oh, but I did! You saw me."
"Clearly not."
Sain puzzled over Kent's words for a moment before realizing, "Oh! You meant all of it?"
Kent looked at him skeptically, "What else would I mean?" Noticing what it was he had his friend follow him for, he tilted his head again. By the wall, beneath a large window was a petite couch. Couches such as it were used so ladies of court could gaze out the window in comfort, but it would suit their, or rather Florina's, needs just as well.
Sain chuckled a little as he carefully set Florina on the couch, laying her gently on the small cusions. "It's not like I put it all up myself. The decorators did, and you cannot blame me for their own decision-making when it comes to making Castle Caelin look spectacular. I may certainly enjoy the mistletoe, but I am not the one to be blamed for its installation and use." He grinned, folding his arms behind his head.
"So, I am either mistaken or a liar if I say that I witnessed you roaming the castle with one of their ladders in tow and at least one of their baskets of decoration underarm. Is that it?" Kent arched an eyebrow at his friend who was, surprisingly, caught a little off-guard.
Sain jerked a little, sweeping a fist to his mouth to awkwardly cough into it as he found the hall ceiling far more interesting than anything else presently around him. "I..err... Anyway, even I was to attempt to take it all down, as per your instruction, I would need one of these such ladders, and you know they are all being used to decorate the atrium and the rest of the castle."
"Tch," Kent scowled.
"Well," Sain clapped him on the back, somewhere between his armor-covered shoulder-blades, "It cannot be as terrible as you imagine, my friend. Lighten up, enjoy the evening. I'm sure Lady Lyndis will be doing the same."
The redhead stepped away from his friend's hand, presently taking a dislike to the contact. "Hardly, I would say. I have never heard of mistletoe being employed in Sacae, and what a discourtesy it would be to her if she were approached without being equipped with knowledge of the 'tradition',"
"I'm disinclined to believe she is so ill-informed." Sain said absently as he peered down the end of the hall, wondering if he saw someone or something move at the corner.
"Oh? Is that so?" Kent's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he leaned just a little closer to Sain, as if that might help him identify deception. "Sain."
"Yes of course it is. I... Whoa, whoa! Kent! I had nothing to do with it, I swear!" Frantically he tried to back away from his friend, only to have his upper arm caught in a crushing grip. "Ahh! Honest I didn't!"
Kent said nothing, only fixing him with a glare that told him he better explain himself. Sain chuckled nervously, licking his lips before speaking. "I offered to, err.. teach her earlier, but she told me she had already been informed. By Wil, I think she said."
Slowly, after rolling Sain's words about in his head and staring at him for a short time, Kent released his friend. Sain gratefully rubbed his arm, backing away a little as if wary Kent might attempt to grab him again for some other reason.
Kent, instead, let out a sigh and looked down to Florina before looking back up at Sain, "As terrifying as it may be to leave her in your care, I have things to do and she cannot be left alone. Seeing as how you have suddenly decided you have nothing better to do than your own devices, keep an eye on her until she wakes, which should be soon. And make sure no one else tries to catch her beneath the mistletoe without her consent again. Can you do that, at least?"
Sain smiled and waved at him as he leaned against the wall by the window, "Of course, my friend! You may leave yon angel in my care. I will keep her safe from all manners of other men."
"See that you do," Kent nodded stiffly before turning and striding down the hall, still trying to remove the mistletoe sap from his hand.
...x...
Things were running smoothly. With the actual beginning of the festival yet to start, however, Kent still had much to do. Cam had still evaded his critical eye and punishment for the incident with Florina from earlier in the afternoon, and the knowledge that he was still out there was uncomfortable knowledge to him. Though the rest of the day had so far proceeded without and incidents of similar nature, he had the uncomfortable feeling that something was not quite right.
This feeling was propagated by the constant sensation that he was being either watched or followed, possibly both. Knitting his brows a bit, Kent ceased his pace to turn and look behind him. He found standing there, at a close distance, a girl, specifically, one of the great many maids of Caelin Castle, as identified by the basket on laundry she balanced on her hip. Her mussy brown hair was tied up to keep it out of her way while she worked, though several curls had pulled themselves free and spilled onto her cheeks.
She was smiling. And for some reason, this unsettled Kent.
"May I be of assistance?" He asked, wondering why, if she said 'yes' whatever kind it might be that a maid would follow him for, of all people.
She giggled and, instead of speaking, took several steps until she was standing right before him. Her grin never leaving her face, she raised herself up on the balls of her feet and leaned towards him. Suddenly very uneasy, Kent took several steps back.
"Ah, forgive me, but... I have things I must be doing. If you'll excuse me." He hastily nodded to her before turning around and resuming his walk, though, at a speed faster than before.
It wasn't the first time something of similar nature had occurred to him during the day. His duties had been regularly interrupted by other such women and it completely baffled him. It was not like he'd done anything different during the day or that he'd given cause to attract their attention. At first, he'd thought it might've had something to do with where he had been seen, each time he'd been approached. But, to his surprise, there were no commonalities between any places he'd been approached.
And so he began to suspect foul play.
Somehow, Sain had done something. Whether by spreading rumor among the female staff or some other manner of deviousness, the whole situation pointed firmly the flirtatious cavalier. And after striding through the halls (experiencing yet another awkward encounter with one of the female staff), Kent found his target loitering in one of the decorated halls, a crisp pear-a couple bites already taken- he had filched from the food preparations in hand.
"Sain," he said as he stepped next to his friend.
When Sain turned to find him standing there, a grin spread across his face, "Kent, my friend! I did not expect to see you again for sometime. I thought you were busy." He pulled the edge of his sleeve over the heel of his hand and wiped some of the sticky pear juice from the corner of his mouth.
"I was busy, Sain. Unfortunately various distractions and interruptions of the feminine variety followed me wherever I went and I have accomplished very little. Whatever you have done, undo it. I will not be made spectacle of."
"Me?" Sain took an expression of mock aghast, "Whatever do you mean? I have done nothing. Must I be accused of everything?" The corners of his mouth threatened to twitch upward, however, and Kent would not be fooled by such poor control of his hidden mirth.
"Sain," his voice fell to the dangerous tone that always came forward when Kent was not in the mood for games of any sort, which was, unfortunately, far too common.
"I speak the truth, Kent; I, myself, have done nothing to encourage the lovely ladies to approach you. Are you sure it is not something on or about your person that has inspired such exquisite attention?"
"My... person? Sain, you are not making any sense!"
Sain smirked and, placing his hands on Kent's back, shuttled him over to one of the walls where a large, floor-length mirror was mounted. "Well, why don't you look and see for yourself?"
Kent looked quizzically at Sain a moment before turning to see his reflection as suggested. He was met, unsurprisingly, with his usual reflection. "I see nothing, Sain." His friend's evasiveness was beginning to grate on his nerves.
"Mmm, look closer, I think."
Kent took a deep breath reminding himself that strangling his friend, while a great way to reduce stress, was not the best way to resolve the problem he presently faced. He peered closer at his reflection for something he may have missed and Sain had seen. After a moment, he realized his back was also reflected in the mirror. Turning around he realized there was another mirror directly behind him on the second wall. He dismissed the knowledge as inconsequential and turned back around to face himself again. However, as he did something in his pivoting reflection caught his eye.
Green? He wore no green.
Holding his position, he squinted at the partially-hidden reflection of his back. And, clinging the the back of his bevor by some unnatural trick, hung those innocent little harbingers of holiday mischief.
"Mistletoe? Sain!" Kent scowled at his snickering companion. Utterly disgusted with his childish behavior-when had he put it there?- Kent shook his head at the other man as he reached his arms up, intending to remove the troublesome plant from it's lofty location.
However, he soon encountered a problem with this action. His arms stopped rising after a certain point. His movement was impeded by the constricting range of his epauleons and he could reach neither high enough or far enough to even attempt to touch the tiny plant. Kent scowled and tried several more times to stretch for it, failing at each attempt.
Expelling a puff of air in irritation, he turned to Sain and said, "All right, you've had your fun. Now, take it off."
Sain's lips pulled up smugly, "No, I don't think so." He took a bite from his pear, savoring the slight crunch and the sweet flavor. "You need this, I think."
Kent was taken aback, "Need this? For what? If for the 'relaxation' of which you alluded earlier, this is a step in the wrong direction!" His fisted his hands at his sides, his face reddening, "Take it off!"
"No. Not yet, anyway. The event hasn't even taken place and you're already trying to take down seasonal artifacts? I'm afraid I can't support such an action, my friend. Best of luck to you." Smiling devilishly, Sain waved his hand at his stunned friend, as he stuffed the pear into his mouth and retreated to leave him alone in open-mouthed horror.
...x...
Breathless, Lyndis slid to a halt, hiding behind a large plant that had been brought inside as a part of the decorations. Her face was flushed with excitement and she wore a wide grin. At the sound of nearby movement, she ducked down and shuffled around the plant to avoid detection. When it, whoever it was, had passed, she slowly peeked out from her hiding spot.
She had learned early on about the curious tradition associated with a particular plant hung around the castle, fortunately without experiencing it firsthand. She discovered, however, that as lady of the castle, she was put in the position of being a target of some sort. After all, what kind of honor would it bestow upon the man who caught a kiss from the lady of the castle? She had a game of dodging all who decided she was the greatest prize.
The game complicated, however, when she had to also avoid the eye of several of her handmaids who were insisting that she must get dressed! Such a constricting dress they had presented to her, too. The body looked much too tight and the skirts were layers upon layers of cloth, such that she thought it must weigh as much as one of the large wolfhounds used by the hunting staff alone. No, she would not wear it. At least, for as long as she could she would keep from doing so. And she had no intention of ever surrendering.
Thus, there she was, sprinting from hiding place to hiding place, avoiding sight as she could and snaking out of confrontations as they came. In fact, on her next move, she collided rather ungracefully into Cam.
"Why, Lady Lyndis, such a surprise it is to see you here!"
"I can hardly say the same to you, Cam. I was not aware that you needed to frequent this side of the castle in the preparations you."
"Oh, but Lady Lyndis, you too are expected elsewhere. Please, allow me to escort you." Cam swung his arm wide, intending to sweep her into a side-hug she would not be able to escape.
Experienced from the tricks and attempts from earlier in the day, Lyndis smoothly ducked out of the gesture and a couple steps away. "I appreciate your kindness, Cam. But I think I will be fine on my own. Perhaps later I will take you up on it." She smiled impishly and spun off, darting behind objects she passed so that she would confuse and become lost as quickly as possible.
With great agility, she soon had covered several halls and part of the great atrium before she had collided with yet another knight. It was, however, not in the open that she had run into him, but in her intended hiding spot. Back flattened to the wall, she had found Kent.
He jumped, startled, hastily backing away, his eyes wide with shock, his breathing accelerated. "Lady Lyndis!" Upon closer inspection, she could see that his usually tidy hair was disheveled, and his face a little pale. Haphazardly clinging to him, pinned between an epauleon and his bevor, a lady's scarf hung past his shoulder. Fingerprints were also visible decorating many locations across his armor.
"Kent?" She looked up at him curiously and taking a step forward.
Instinctively, as if expecting some sort of terrible thing or by interest of self-preservation, he backed away two steps of his own. Placing one hand over his other upper arm, he brushed away some imaginary attachments and attempted to straighten himself more presentably, though he still radiated the air of being exhausted. "Lady Lyndis, ah... are you well?"
"I...yes, Kent. Of course I am. Are you?" Her brows knitted in concern. It was completely unlike him to behave in such a manner. What had happened to him this day?
He took another step back, "I...ah, I have things I should be doing. Please excuse me, Lady Lyndis." He bowed hastily and turned to leave, but as he did so, something caught her eye.
She stepped forward, catching him by the arm, "Kent. Kent...is that...mistletoe?"
His jaw tightened and he swallowed, his embarrassment discovered. After a short moment, he nodded slightly.
"Then here, bend down. Let me take care of that for you." She pulled gently on his arm, bringing him further down to her and reaching forward with her other hand. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but seemed to change his mind or was capable of finding no words and closed it. First she took the shawl and slid it out of the niche it was caught it. Then, pulling him down just a little more, she reached behind his neck where the spring had been smashed into him, the sticky sap of a few burst berries affixing it in place. She gently pried it off with her nails.
As she withdrew, however, she did not yet full release him. Instead, she rose up on her toes and lightly kissed his cheek as she brought the mistletoe over their heads. Surprised, he turned to stare openmouthed at her while she released him and settled back on the ground.
"Well, I couldn't let you go unscathed," she grinned. "Did I do it right? I can redo if you want."
"Ah! No! No.. you were fine-great-ah! It was..." He petered off, his words failing him and his cheeks tinting with color. Instead he opted to give her a nod.
She giggled a bit, "Good! I did not want to perform incorrectly. Though, hmm," She held up the mistletoe she had liberated him from, "what should I do with this, now, you think?"
Kent stared at it for a moment before coming to a decision, "I think...milady, I might have a use for it."
"Oh?Then it is all yours. With what you've been through today, I'm sure you've earned it."
...x...
It was late into the night before Sain saw Kent again, and when he did, he greeted him with pleasant surprise. "Kent, my boon companion! Are you well? I see you no longer have the mistletoe, a shame though that is." He tilted his glass of wine to his lips, taking a small sip.
Kent swirled his own glass of wine, nodding to Sain's arrival. He had since tidied himself up though he yet still wore his armor. "Sain." He arched an eyebrow at him, "A shame, you say?"
"Yes of course."
"Why? Because you shared in neither the company nor the complete humiliation of the entire experience? Or something else entirely?"
"Oh, come now. It loosened you up, did it not? And you met several women as a result of it, something you were lacking in before." Sain draped his arm across Kent's shoulders, shaking him a little for emphasis as he spoke.
"I suppose I did. In fact... the experience led me to a lady who informed me she would be pleased to meet you." Kent spoke evenly.
"Oh?" Sain's voice pitched up to indicate his surprise and pleasure at the new knowledge. "Really?" He carefully set he glass down on a near table and brushed his tousled bangs around with his fingertips.
Kent did not speak but instead, after setting his own glass down, motioned for Sain to follow him as he walked to the edge of the atrium and towards one of the halls. Before taking the door to one of them in hand, he looked to the side, catching the nearby Lady Lyndis's eye as she talked to a nearby noble. She nodded to him with a slight smile, which he returned, before continuing her conversation, despite probably wishing to be anywhere but there. Sain eagerly followed Kent through the door.
After a short period of walking, Sain started to get curious. "Kent...where is this vision of loveliness?"
Kent still said nothing, continuing to walk towards his unknown destination. When he led the two of them outside, Sain actually halted, his smile having drained into an expression of confusion. "Kent..."
In a single, swift motion, Kent's arm came up behind his head and locked him in a chokehold, using it to keep him walking. Had Sain been wearing his armor as Kent had, the motion would not have possible. At this, Sain balked, digging his heels in and trying to pull his head out. Kent's ironclad grip kept the both of them moving, however. "Kent! Kent! What are you doing! Come on, let me go! What's going on? What are you doing?"
"I'm bringing you to see the lady, just as you wanted." He responded archly, as he led them through a door.
His tone coupled with the sight struck something with Sain and he began to writhe as best as he was able, frantically trying to get free. "Buddy! Friend! Boon companion! Kent! Kent, please! You can't do this to me!" He struggled as best he could, his flailing arms batted away by Kent's free one.
"Oh? What happened to 'vision of loveliness', Sain? I think Milli might be offended." Kent said as he finally drew to a stop, letting Sain anxiously view the 'lady' before him.
'Milli' was a cow, one of Caelins's many dairy cows, to be specific. And, around her neck was tied the troublesome sprig of mistletoe that had been employed by Sain himself earlier in the day.
"Well?" Kent asked, adjusting his hold to lower Sain so he was level with 'Milli', and yet still unable to back out. A hand behind his head ensured that he had to keep looking straight.
Sain's voice came strained now, as he made one last pitch for freedom, starting to laugh hysterically. "Kent, Kent come on! Please! Don't do this!
"I'd close my mouth if I were you."
Sain squeaked and sealed his lips, even going as far as to roll them inwards. With his face level with her own, Milli took a lazy interest in Sain, her great nostrils whiffling hot puffs of breath over his face. She seemed to take a moment for deliberation, before pushing her face into his. She licked him not once nor twice, but three times before leaning back and promptly forgetting he existed, or at least finding her food source to be much more worth her attention.
The experience, however, caused a great, involuntary shudder of revulsion to ripple through Sain multiple times. He squeaked and whimpered and did his best not to inhale too deeply lest some of the residue get sucked into his own nose and to keep his eyes closed for similar reason.
"Well? Was it worth it, Sain?" Kent asked, releasing his prisoner to kneel on the ground as he arched an eyebrow at him.
Sain took one of his sleeves, pulling it tight over the heel of his hand with his fingers and using it to smear some of the moisture from the area around his mouth. "I'll eat my boots if I ever accuse you of having no imagination ever again."
"I'll make sure that you do."
...x...
Fin.
Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope this was fun. c: