Did they know?
I could see them from where I stood. Lying together in the grass with fingers threaded together. The blond would speak, and Cecil would reply with the softest voice. I faintly heard a joke here, a compliment there. There was a breeze that caused Kain to pull the kings scarf up to their chins to protect them from a chilly breeze that had swept over this hill. The king made a small remark about this being nothing compared to the chilliness of the Lunar Subterranean. Now it was Kain's turn to laugh in agreement. Was this scene a moving painting with sound?
It was outside of this frame and to my left, that the Queen sat. Her eyes watching carefully over the young prince of Baron. Ceodore danced and sang as if he were still a young child who was not yet the age of 17. This had begun when I had begun playing a cheerful tune for everyone. My calloused fingers had been plucking strings before I even noticed the pair not too far from us. Did the teen wonder himself about what was going on between his father and the family friend? Most likely not. He looked content in just being his mothers entertainment for the afternoon. Did he really, not see this at all? Did Rosa not care about the two sharing such small intimacies?
We were all older now. Kain, Cecil, Rosa and I. Perhaps this affection meant nothing at all, seeing as how we were all aging. It would make sense really. It was a natural need to give as much love to those around us when our days were continuously growing shorter by the minute.
Yet this was odd to me. I had never felt a need to be curled into the arms of Edge, or any of them. It was even a bit uncomfortable when Ceodore himself would go to hug me.
I continued my watch over them. This time the two were on their stomachs, wearing that striped scarf as if it were a veil and laughing about it. Oh, if only I could better hear what they were saying! What was it that had brought them so close together! For a while I had always felt that Cecil would never mind if Kain came home. How wrong I was... That moment when we were all face to face again without all the illusions, the King looked as if some of his age had went away. Maybe something had happened there. Something that sparked this affection. Given the ability and inner strength I would have asked. But this was most likely no concern of mine.
"Edward? You're so silent. Is something the matter?"
I turned to the white mage, her face was one of concern and even Ceodore was looking my way. Of course something was the matter! Her husband was laying a bit too close with another man. Neither she nor her son seemed to notice it. I wanted to give an answer right away but her face fell a bit more as did her tone,
"Oh dear... Something must have happened for you to have stopped playing..."
Stopped playing? Ah... Looking down to my harp I realized that at some point I had stopped the sounds I was making. My own thoughts intervened and took me over. Shaking blonde tresses, I and gave the instrument a strum. Motioning to Ceodore to begin singing, I reassured her.
Smiling I attempted to ease her mind, "It is nothing. Let us continue."
This was definitely something.