Another Morning in Baron
By: MogEmpress
Fandom: Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Pairing: None
Rating: K+
Genre: Fluff
Disclaimer: I do not own anything- storyline, characters, etc.- in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years except for a copy of Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection.
Summary: Ceodore and his father, King Cecil, have an important talk before he leaves with Kain to repair the many places affected by the previous destruction.
Ceodore woke up bright and early before dawn. The stars were barely starting to fade away as the sun began to rise. It was not unusual of the fifteen year old Prince of Baron to jump out of bed in mornings such as this morning and be fully dressed in the usual navy blue armor over black garments of Baron's knights and his fabulous cashmere red and white scarf, especially when his mind ran like a freight train. He thought about what his father, King Cecil, told him about his destiny and about what will come of this world since he defeated the Creator and the army of Maenads alongside his friends and family.
"Destiny is something for you to create for yourself." Ceodore repeated the thought in his head while he was threading his fingers through his silky, spiky blond tresses. He could not believe that he used to have so much doubt about his Lunarian legacy and so much doubt about his own potential as a knight and the Prince of Baron. He always thought that everyone wanted him to follow in his father's footsteps. That was until he met Kain Highwind, who was a Hooded Man shrouded in light blue cotton. During his time with Kain, Ceodore learned to shed the fear of losing a lot and shed the fear of disappointment.
"Father, I understand now. I do not have to follow in your footsteps just to become the future king of Baron. All I have to do is follow my own path."
He turned on the kitchen light, revealing the eggshell-colored walls, the mahogany cabinet that exhibited the fine porcelain plates and cups from Troia, the mosaic-tiled floor that revealed an elegant rainbow of colors, the silver stainless steel fridge,oven, and sink, and the dark brown wooden table and chairs. As the aroma of fresh, whole fruit,freshly-baked English muffins, smoked bacon, cooked sausage, and freshly brewed black coffee flowed through the whole kitchen, Ceodore came back down to earth and sat down at the nearby chair, preparing his plate. The sound of armored footsteps unhurriedly approached the kitchen. The young prince turned his head and saw that Cecil was awake and primly dressed in his silver armor over white garments. Cecil even wore his same blue and white scarf and beige cape he always wears. The only flaw was that his long, silver hair was disheveled from a good night's rest. Cecil stretched and yawned before sitting down at the chair to the left of his dear son.
"Good morning, Ceodore." He spoke benevolently. It was typical of King Cecil to speak in a benevolent and formal manner, even around his wife, Queen Rosa, and Ceodore.
"Good morning, father."
As Ceodore poured his father a cup of bitter black coffee with cinnamon and vanilla creamer and one sugar, Cecil looked at him with those beautiful light blue eyes and smiled at him. The prince looked at him and wondered what he was going to say.
"Ceodore, I spoke with Kain last night,"
"Oh? What did he have to say?"
He was so close to over pouring his cup of coffee until he looked away for a moment and stopped what he was doing.
"He resigned his duties as a dragoon in order to become the new Red Wings Captain. You will be serving under his command."
"Yes, sir."
"Your mission now is to repair the world from the meteorite damages. The world is at peace now, so I will have the airships disarmed to prevent any redundant warfare."
Ceodore took a sip of his coffee and then devoured an English muffin, a few grapefruit slices, and a few slices of bacon. As the prince continued to nom mercilessly on his own food, Cecil gawked worriedly at his son, fearing that he would choke.
"Slow down, babe," the king spoke, "We still have time before we get to training and there is still plenty of time before you leave with Kain in the next few hours."
"I'm sorry, daddy. I was just hungry."
"No need to apologize. I just did not want you choke or get a stomach ache."
While Ceodore washed the meaty aftertaste of bacon down with some bittersweet coffee, Cecil placed a soft, lotion-moistened hand above his left hand and looked into the prince's baby blue eyes. Ceodore turned to face him again and saw that loving grin on his father's face.
"Before we get to training in the next hour and a half, I would like to have a word with you."
The prince's eyes widened and his mouth dropped with astonishment. His heart raced from the anxiety of what Cecil will say to him.
"You're not in any trouble, love." The king reassured him, "please, don't fret."
He placed his other hand below his son's hand, holding that calloused hand gently in his own soft, moist hands.
"Ceodore, the reasons why I am strict sometimes with all this training is because not only do I want you to become more confident, but also because I know you have what it takes to be a knight and my little prince."
"Father…" Ceodore sighed before lowering his head, trying his best to hide his tears of joy. It would have been a shame to show his tears… or at least he thought so until Cecil tenderly placed his hand below Ceodore's chin; holding the boy's head high above his palm.
"Like I have said numerous times, your destiny is for you to create."
The king opened his arms, waiting for the prince to hug him. Ceodore got up out of his chair and leaped into his father's arms; standing gracefully by Cecil. As his tears of joy continued to flow like a waterfall, Ceodore was just happy to hear those kind words of wisdom. Those very words let him know that King Cecil of Baron loved him no matter what and was very proud to have Ceodore Harvey as his child. Cecil encircled his firm arms around the prince and planted a small kiss on his smooth forehead.
"Don't cry, Ceodore," Cecil murmured into his son's ear, "Everything is going to be alright."
He took a cloth napkin from the table and wiped away the tears that fell down the prince's face. Then, he petted that head of unkempt blond hair as a means of comforting his son.
"Father, I missed hearing those words from you. I missed you very much."
"I know, my son."
It was not long until Ceodore stopped crying. He looked at his father with a youthful smile as bright as the August sun and said, "Father, I love you."
Cecil's heart melted from the uplifting sound of the prince's angelic voice and the sight of that vivid smile for the first time since they had returned home a couple of days ago.
"I love you too, Ceodore." Cecil responded cheerfully.
Ceodore sat down back at his chair, ready to finish breakfast. Cecil and Ceodore ate an English muffin with strawberry jam, half of the remaining grapefruit slices, and many pieces of bacon in a manner so synchronized that when Queen Rosa and Sir Kain walked into the kitchen, they were in awe at the most faultless father and son moment. Rosa was dressed in a modish pink dress with ruffled sleeves and a black and silver lace belt. Her long blond hair was pulled back by a silver butterfly clip. Ceodore always thought his mother dressed very chic. In Ceodore's perspective, his mother was always very the first time in a while, Kain let his beautiful, long blond hair down. Usually, he would have it pulled up. The new Red Wings Captain was fully dressed in elegant light blue and white dragon-like armor; the very sign of his former position as a dragoon. As usual, a white cape was draped over his slightly muscular back.
"Good morning, my babies." Rosa spoke softly as she planted a kiss on Ceodore's head and then sat down next to Cecil and gave him a kiss on his lips.
"Good morning, mother."
"Good morning, honey."
"Morning, Cecil," Kain said enthusiastically as he walked up to the table and fixed his plate full of fruit, bacon, and sausage. He sat down at the chair next to the right of Ceodore and patted his back before saying, "Morning, prince."
"Oh, good morning, Sir Kain."
Ever since Kain came back for the first time in seventeen years, it seemed like Baron was normal the remainder of the morning, everyone just sat down, ate breakfast, and conversed about plans for world peace such as disarming the airships, reconstructing the world, and contributing to Damcyan, Fabul, and Eblan's financial needs. Finally, there was a sense of peace in the world. It was just another morning on earth; another morning in the kingdom of Baron.