A/N: It has been many years since I last wrote a fanfiction and published it. Please do not expect anything... I don't think I have improved since the last time I wrote something and if anything, I've only gotten worse. But since I know that richass is in high demand, I decided hey, why not.
Set after the game, after F-Arc, probably a month or two after the ending scene on Lhant Hill.
Up on Lhant Hill, there was freedom.
A calming sea breeze swept through the blanket of flowers, their stalks bending just slightly, bowing to the majesty of this sacred place. The tree, a living monument, stood proud atop its ocean bluff. Sounds of the wind in its leaves fluttered through the air like a magic spell, casting serenity and peacefulness into the hearts of its audience.
A charming laugh mingled with the sounds of the late afternoon, heartfelt and pure. The laugh belonged to a thin man, tall, and with flowing golden hair, who was sitting leisurely on a picnic blanket beneath the shade of the enormous tree. Beside him, a certain knight blushed and stared fixedly at the ground while he scratched lightly at his head, embarrassed.
"I-I didn't think it was that funny." Asbel spoke slightly defensively, and though he tried to sound like it didn't matter it was clear that he felt it did.
"I am sorry, Asbel!" Richard tried to clear the amusement from his voice but it was near impossible to do so. "It's just, I never realized you would be so shy."
Asbel took that moment to glance at his king. The smile he found on that man's face was enough to assuage all his fears. It was obvious that Richard could see no fault in him, and it was kind of endearing to see that kind of unshakable faith. Even if Asbel felt it might be slightly misplaced he could still appreciate its warmth.
"Richard..."
"Yes, Asbel?" The king tilted his head slightly when he asked the question, and the sun danced upon his lovely golden hair, as it moved gently framing his face. The knight was, for lack of better word, suddenly distracted once again by something on the ground, a lovely flower perhaps.
"Richard, I am sorry that I didn't have the courage to see you during all that time. When I was in the knight academy, they kept us so busy that I hardly felt the passage of time at all." Asbel tried to collect his thoughts, though now they just sounded like a large collection of excuses.
"It is fine, Asbel. Truly. I was no better..." Richard's voice trailed off and he seemed lost in thought. Asbel took the opportunity to look at him once again, for somehow his majesty was much easier to gaze upon without the penetrating depth of his eyes. As expected, Richard was now seemingly very interested in a flower beside him. He fingered a red violet and gently moved to pluck it.
"It was mostly my fault, though. I thought of you all the time, but I..." Asbel cut himself short, realizing how embarrassing this all sounded. How could Richard stand to listen, even!
There was a moment of silence, and Asbel worried that maybe he'd crossed the line. That was definitely too cheesy of a thing to say! Although it looked more like Richard had dredged up some unpleasant memories. Asbel fretted about it and still came up with nothing. Richard was holding the red violet in one hand, tracing the petals with his other. Then Asbel noticed, that a tear was sliding down Richard's gentle face. He sat up and reached across, hoping to wipe it away.
"Richard? What's wrong...? Was it something I-"
That seemed to bring Richard back to his senses. He suddenly looked up at Asbel's hand and leaned away, realized suddenly that he had watery eyes, and did not hesitate to wipe them dry with the back of his own sleeve. "Asbel I'm sorry, it's fine. I just remembered something..."
Asbel wanted to let it go, but the thought that something could make Richard this sad was worrying him. What could he possibly be thinking about?
"You can tell me." Asbel placed his hand atop Richard's on the picnic blanket, trying to reassure him.
Richard looked deeply into Asbel's eyes then, and it seemed as though he were trying to decide something. Asbel just smiled, trying everything to bring back their happy moments from just before. After a few minutes had passed this way, Richard finally spoke.
"When... when I was younger, you know I was confined to the castle, yes?"
Asbel simply nodded, silently, while unconsciously also tightening his grip on Richard's hand.
"Well... I too thought about you all the time." He smiled sadly, then closed his eyes and took another deep breath. "However, time passed very slowly for me. Every day felt like it was dragging on and on. Those days were so painful... that, I somehow invented an imaginary friend."
Asbel tried to let this sink in, but he still couldn't understand why Richard was so upset, all of a sudden. Those days were long gone, a distant memory! The only hope was to just keep listening. But Richard had stopped talking.
"An imaginary... friend?" Asbel tried to move the conversation along, though he had to admit it still didn't make any sense.
"Yes. I had an imaginary friend called Tiger Festival." Richard played with the red violet again, using his free hand. "Tiger Festival was always by my side. We played together, and ran away to the storage room instead of doing school lessons..." Richard smiled slightly, "...and we generally did everything together. We were inseparable. Whenever I needed help, he would always give such excellent advice!"
Asbel tried to wrap his head around this new information. "So... you met someone named Tiger Festival?" Asbel laughed to himself quietly. "Seriously, what are the odds!"
"No Asbel, I mean, he was imaginary. Tiger Festival was just a figment of my imagination, or so the doctors said. The doctors were baffled too, of course, and they thought I was having delusions. But at the time, I was so sure he was real..." Richard looked into Asbel's eyes, trying to see if his friend could possibly believe him. It was a true story that he had never told anyone. Though of course, aside from Asbel, there really was no one to tell.
Asbel's puzzled look made Richard wonder if perhaps he should not have spoken at all. It was an embarrassing thing to admit, actually, that he had been driven mad by the loneliness of his childhood. Or rather, that was what the doctors believed.
"So you mean... you met someone who was from your imagination? That is so cool, Richard!" Asbel paused, trying to read his friend's expression but it was hard to know what Richard was thinking. "Why... does that make you so sad?"
Richard took another deep breath, and it was clear that this was not an easy subject to discuss. Asbel began to regret all his questions... but Richard began to speak,
and Asbel listened.
"All that time, I thought that Tiger Festival was real. So, I thought he was helping me pass notes to you while you were at the knight academy. I thought that you weren't answering because it was my fault that Sophie died... I kept writing, but you never replied. And the thought that you might hate me, I just couldn't bear it..."
"What?" Asbel's eyes opened wide, and he was clearly taken aback. Letters? He had never received any letters from the castle... oh, but maybe the letters were imaginary too? Also...
"Richard, I hope you know... that I could never hate you." Asbel looked deeply into Richard's eyes, trying to connect with him in the most sincere way. "Not even a little. Not ever."
Richard chuckled, a small smile coming back to his features. "Don't worry, Asbel. I know that now. I finally..." and with that, Richard leaned forward just slightly, blushing, in a confidential way. He dropped his voice to a near whisper, "...I can finally believe that in my heart, and it makes me feel like crying... because I know now... that it is no delusion."
Richard began leaning in a little further, slowly, and Asbel did not back away. Both were blushing deeply, though the color of the sky had started turning to sunset and it masked their coloring ever so slightly. Asbel closed his eyes, all his senses heightened, his hand atop Richard's feeling ever so warm...
Then a voice rang out, across the clearing.
"A~sbel! Ri~chard!" It was Sophie's voice. Asbel leapt away from Richard as though he had been burnt, and Richard had to grab him in reassurance that he was nowhere near the cliff edge. It was more a reflex than anything. Embarrassed, Richard let go and looked away, now blushing profusely. He coughed once to clear his throat.
"Yes, Sophie?" Richard called out to her, as though nothing at all had happened this whole time.
Sophie's form became visible as she walked over the top of the hill, and started coming towards them in the clearing. The colors of sunset and the sound of cicadas became more apparent, and both of them realized they must have been here for much longer than they thought.
"Cheria says that dinner is almost ready."
"Okay, tell her we are on our way!" Richard smiled, straightening his cravat with one hand.
"I-It's okay, Richard." Asbel spoke confidentially, almost in a whisper. But to Sophie, he spoke much louder. "Wait for us, Sophie! We're coming!" And he jumped to his feet, quickly busying himself with putting things away.
And although Richard felt a little disheartened at his lost opportunity, he took comfort in knowing that it would not be the last. He would be able to express all of his feelings, someday. All of the thoughts that he had kept buried were coming to the surface, and this was but one of the first steps. Now that the world was safe and everything had settled down, he could come to Lhant hill at any time he wished... the paperwork could wait.