A/N: I've been meaning to get back into this fandom for a while now. And yes, I said "back" because my first story on this site was posted here, although I doubt anybody remembers it. Frankly, I believe it's better that way.

This story has been sitting in my documents forever, so I decided to revive it. It is basically a series of snippets that centre around the Baron three and their relationship before the events of the game. The main pairings will probably be Cecil x Rosa and Kain x Rosa, since I'm gonna opt for canon. ;P

Most of the scene that opens this chapter is taken from a flashback in the game, in events following the Giant of Babil. Naturally, spoilers will occur.

Chapter 1: Childhood (part 1) – First Impressions

Cecil stood alone in the large courtyard flanked by the two west towers. He wasn't sure the exact reason behind his pause in motion – only that he had been on his way to his favourite spot in the castle, and had gotten the oddest feeling that he was being watched. Despite trying to dismiss the idea as being folly, he had turned back the way he had come in order to peer up to the top of the tall tower, as if to pinpoint the source of the feeling and find someone staring back at him. It had been a few seconds since he had started looking, however, and he was beginning to feel very foolish.

He decided that it was nothing and made to turn around, but a voice from directly behind him spoke, startling him.

"So you're Cecil!" it remarked.

Naturally, Cecil had not been expecting someone to be standing nearby, and it was all he could do to avoid jumping a foot into the air. He suppressed his shock as best he could before turning around to greet whoever it was. The voice had been unfamiliar and had sounded… young, so he was not surprised to see another boy standing a few steps away. What surprised Cecil was that he was there at all – he rarely saw any other children in the castle, and when he did, they were always accompanied by an adult and never spoke to him.

The boy was standing with his arms swinging lazily at his sides, and an odd expression on his face that Cecil couldn't name, which quickly turned into a smirk when he got a good look at Cecil. He was taller than Cecil, and had pale blue eyes and a head of shaggy, dirty blonde hair. He was altogether unfamiliar to Cecil, which only made the latter curious. His clothes suggested that he wasn't the child of a noble, but he clearly wasn't just any child either, since he was wandering the castle so freely.

"Who are you?" Cecil ventured, speaking with the polite tone taught to him by the nobles.

The other boy crossed his arms and stared right at Cecil. He spoke in a confident tone that almost seemed challenging. "I'm Kain – Kain Highwind," he said, as if it were an important announcement. "My father is Sir Richard Highwind, the commander of the dragoons."

Indeed, Cecil had heard of Commander Highwind, one of the greatest warriors of Baron's military, so he could now place an explanation on Kain's sharp features and unusually long blonde hair. He was confused about why he'd never heard of Kain before – the Commander had never explicitly mentioned having a son, although Cecil knew that his wife had lived in the village and had died some years ago.

Instead of introducing himself in turn, since Kain already seemed to know who he was, Cecil gave a slight nod. "Pleased to meet you," he said, and he meant it. Having his first encounter with another child be with the son of Commander Highwind wasn't a bad start. Hopefully it wouldn't be his last encounter.

But instead of exchanging pleasantries with him, Kain turned his back on Cecil, his arms still crossed. "Don't think you can be friends with me, just because the king treats you like you're special."

Cecil blinked, wondering if – hoping, more like – he had misheard. Kain's voice had a slight edge to it, so he doubted it, but he still said, "What did you say?" while taking a couple hesitant steps towards the other boy.

Kain turned back to him abruptly, a scowl etched onto his face. "Want a fight, do you?" he said, sounding genuinely threatening. "What's a soft, spoiled little boy like you going to do to me?"

Those words sent Cecil's good spirits plummeting and he protested before he could stop himself, the words sounding childish to his own ears. "I'm not spoiled!"

Kain lunged forward and seized Cecil by the wrist before he could even register what was happening, drawing his other arm back as if to deliver a punch. "Talk back to me, will you?" he hissed. His grip was painfully tight. Strangely, though, there was no anger or aggressiveness in Kain's expression that might match his words or his stance. Only that strange scowl.

Cecil flinched, waiting for the impact of Kain's fist, but it never came. As he stood there, staring fearfully into the other boy's blue gaze, he got the feeling he was being played with – challenged in some way – but the revelation didn't comfort him. Instead, he felt a sense of despondency such as he'd never experienced before. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He wasn't sure if he should try to defend himself or play along (if that was even possible). He didn't even know how he had triggered the chain of reactions that had led to this.

One second ticked by, and then two. Cecil stood, frozen in Kain's grip, as both of them waited for the other to say or do something.

"Stop it!"

A shrill, annoyed voice rang out, and a young, vaguely familiar girl ran towards them from around the side of the castle, her pink skirts bunched up in her fists to allow her mobility. Her blonde hair was tied back in a bun and two strands fell loose, framing her face.

Almost as soon as she appeared, Kain released Cecil's wrist like it had burnt him and stood still. The scowl melted to be replaced by a look of surprise and half-indignation. "Rosa!"

The girl – Rosa – stopped a little ways behind Kain and glared at him. Cecil was almost glad that he was not the target of her anger, so fierce was her expression. He ducked his head and scuttled a few paces back, rubbing his wrist.

"'Men of Baron fight not without just cause'," Rosa said to Kain sharply. "That's what his Majesty taught us, isn't it?"

Kain only cowered for a moment under her gaze, but quickly recovered himself, as the hostility that Cecil had seen before flared up. "But he's the one who–"

"Dragoons don't make excuses!" Rosa retorted, putting her hands on her hips.

Kain faltered for half a second, then growled. "I know that!"

Cecil looked between the two and felt awkward and almost… responsible for their argument. After all, he had been involved in the fight too, and had clearly said something to rile Kain. Dropping his wrist, he took a tentative step forward and mumbled, "I started it."

Rosa looked like she had been about to say something else to Kain, but stopped when Cecil spoke. She glanced in his direction and he saw a hint of admiration in her face. "You're an honest one, aren't you?" she said, her voice sounding a lot more gentle from before. She shot a quick, pointed look at Kain as she finished speaking.

Kain didn't seem to notice. "See?" he said, glaring at Cecil. "It wasn't my fault!"

A smile lit up Rosa's face and she let out a brief giggle to let out tension. "I guess it wasn't," she said, turning to direct her smile at Cecil, who looked away and blushed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kain staring at him, a scowl seeping into his expression again… along with something else.

"So what's your name?" Rosa asked curiously, directing the question at Cecil.

Cecil continued to avoid her gaze and became absorbed with the pavement under his feet. "Cecil," he mumbled.

A faint, but audible gasp was heard from Rosa. "So you're–" she began.

Cecil's jaw clenched as he felt a squeezing inside of him. He didn't allow Rosa to finish her sentence. "I'm sorry for causing trouble," he said, and forced himself to look up briefly for the sake of courtesy. "I hope this didn't disrupt your stay at the castle in any way." He glanced quickly over at Kain, but the blonde boy remained silent, glaring off into space. Cecil took a small step to the side, left of Rosa, then another and another until he was walking towards her, although he clearly meant to pass her by.

Before he could, however, she spoke. "Wait. Where are you going?"

Cecil kept his eyes trained on the ground. "I-I have somewhere I need to be," he said, hoping that it didn't sound too much like an excuse. "I apologize." Then he was quickening his step drastically until he was past Rosa and heading towards the side entrance into the castle. He heard Rosa briefly call after him, but he didn't even turn his head. Not even when he heard footsteps echoing on the tiles behind him.

"Don't pay him any mind," Rosa told Cecil reassuringly. "Kain can be a bit pigheaded at times, but he's alright once you get to know him."

After his first meeting with Kain, Cecil had retreated from the courtyard and had come to the place he'd been meaning to go in the first place: his favourite place in the castle – the parapets on the north wall. Though many soldiers preferred to keep their eyes eastward, in the direction of the hills, lest a swarm of monsters appear, Cecil found a strange sense of contentment with gazing out towards the distant speckle of the sea, and beyond that, to the hazy shimmer of the Damcyan desert. Guards kept watch along the wall and to each direction behind him, but Cecil took care to keep out of their way and indeed had become accustomed to the constant sound of armour clinking and men muttering amongst themselves.

Rosa stood a little ways behind him and he could hear the concern in her voice. She had followed him up there, speaking words of comfort and cheer all the way. He could now remember having seen her in the castle before and assumed she was the daughter of a lady of the court. She certainly spoke like it and she had a very particular presence. Still, it was his first time ever really speaking to her – or to another child at all. Baron was quiet for the most part and children were scarce those days.

"Are you upset?" Rosa was persistent.

At last, Cecil tore his eyes from the sea and turned his head slightly to acknowledge her. "No," he said quietly. Even as he said it, he wasn't sure if he meant it. Kain's strange behaviour had frightened him, and his disdain had shone clearly through his words and actions. Cecil had never stopped to think before about how other children might view him, and by extension, how he would get along with anyone. He'd never had to before, so he had never spared the subject much thought.

At this, Rosa fell silent. Cecil realized he rather liked the way she talked. She had a sincerity and gentleness about her, but she was bold in opinion and seemingly protective in manner. In only a few words, she had silenced Kain, and she had chosen to come with Cecil rather than staying with someone Cecil assumed was her friend.

After a moment's silence, he heard the sound of footsteps and a heartbeat later, Rosa was standing beside him, trying to follow his gaze to the horizon. His eyes flicked quickly to her. From the moment she'd made her entrance, back in the courtyard, he had thought she was some sort of nobility. Now he was certain. She had hair the colour of gold – and that was no exaggeration – and wore a simple pink travelling dress and cloak. She must have come from the village of Baron to the south, which explained why he never saw her in the castle, apart from brief glimpses now and then.

She glanced quickly at him, saw him looking back at her, and looked away. He did the same, feeling his cheeks growing hot as shyness made his throat close up. They did not say anything at first.

At last, Rosa broke into the silence with the words Cecil had been dreading. "So it's true then? You are Cecil, the king's illegitimate son?"

"Yes," he said, although he winced at the last part. It was true he was not the real heir; everyone knew it. The king had taken him in on an act of generosity – one he would never be able to repay and one that set him apart from others, as he had learned that day.

Rosa glanced towards him again, but this time when he met her gaze, she didn't look away. "And your real parents?"

Cecil looked down. "No one knows," he said, and that was true for the most part. There were many speculations as to who had really sired him, but no one was certain.

"I'm sorry," Rosa said, sounding genuinely apologetic as she looked away. "I shouldn't have been so forward. We've only just met and–"

"No, I don't mind," he said quickly, not wanting her to leave. "I'm glad I met you." The moment he said it, he quickly tried to think of a way to back up the statement. "I almost never meet other children – children my age, that is."

"It must get so lonely!" Rosa exclaimed, staring at him in pity.

He shrugged slightly, even though Rosa was right. Then the memory of his confrontation with Kain came back to mind, and his brow furrowed.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Rosa commented lightly, which earned her a surprised look from Cecil. She smiled. "I'm sorry, it's just I'm used to Kain talking my ear off. We live really close, so I see him often."

"Do you live in the village?" said Cecil interestedly, wanting to affirm his presumption.

Rosa nodded. "I'm here because my mother is visiting the king."

"Your mother?"

"Joanna Farrell. She's the king's sister's daughter. She used to serve at the castle as a White Mage, but she decided to live in Baron and work there." Rosa didn't sound boastful as she spoke of her mother's status; it was more as if she was stating facts.

Cecil tilted his head. "And your father?"

A shadow passed over Rosa's face briefly. "Dead. But he used to serve in Baron's military. He was a dragoon. That was why my mother wanted to be a White Mage, you know. To protect him." Rosa smiled, almost sadly, as if this were a story her mother had told her long ago and she was recounting it to Cecil now. "He worked under Commander Richard Highwind. Kain's father."

Cecil nodded, remembering Kain's introduction.

"Kain's rather proud of him," said Rosa thoughtfully. "But Commander Highwind has never actually met his son." She lowered her voice as if she were telling Cecil a secret. "I don't even know if he knows he has a son. But please don't tell Kain."

Cecil frowned deeply. "Why would I?"

She shrugged, but then seemed to understand what he was saying and said gently, "As I said, don't let him bother you."

Cecil lifted his chin, trying to put some strength behind his words. "We only just met. I cannot be too bothered at this point."

Rosa laughed. "That is true. He will studiously avoid you for the first few days, but after that, perhaps you could be friends."

Cecil gave her a long, studying look. "This implies we will be seeing each other again."

"Perhaps," said Rosa, and he saw a glint in her eyes of something he couldn't yet discern.

He decided to change the subject. "So would he really have fought me back there?"

Rosa shrugged, still smiling faintly. "Kain picks fights with everyone," she said. "Or at least, anyone he sees as a potential threat." She looked at Cecil and her smile widened. "But I have a feeling he will have to get used to you."

Cecil allowed a small smile to come onto his own face as he looked back at her. Putting his encounter with Kain Highwind aside, meeting Rosa Farrell had been altogether a pleasant experience, and he felt a stir of excitement rise up within him at the thought of being able to see her again. For the first time in his life, he did not feel that familiar pang of loneliness.