AN: Total drabble that popped in my head on day. Done in a "Choose Your Own Adventure" style because I felt like it. Ending A was written first (when I was really happy and stuff) and then Ending B demanded to be written (because I was having a really bad week and needed to take it out on someone... Sorry Borus). Instead of having Ending A be a dream or fantasy, I just figure I'd let the readers choose. The style was fun to use, so I'm thinking of writing a longer story using it. Whatever ending you choose, I hope you enjoy it.

And as a note: Italics represent Borus' devil while bold italics represent Borus' angel. (as in he's got one on each shoulder...)

Birthday Wish

It was early morning as he sat and watched the waves pounding against the harbor's stone seawall, his forearms crossed on the back of the wooden chair he was straddling, his chin resting on the crossed arms. The sky was still dark but subtle indications of the coming dawn could be seen in the rousing of the birds along the shore and the nighttime revelers returning home. He sat in front of an empty store—a café where a small table and pair of chairs had been left out in the night, replaying the events of the day prior.

In preparation for the next campaign, the knight commanders and their underlings had been called back to the capitol. While the senior knights had been given orders to prepare for war, their juniors had spent the day handling the details of their departure. He and his best friend were to join the ranks of the senior knights that day as a reward for their valor on the battlefield and to replace two of their fallen commanders. He could not deny his nervousness at receiving a command position, but he was honored that his superiors had recognized his skill.

"Stop fidgeting, Borus." Percival whispered to him as they stood waiting on the council's convenience.

"Sorry." He muttered as he tried to calm his nerves. "I always get nervous when I'm around the council. You know that."

"Well, stop. It's not befitting a commander. And you know that."

"And that's an even scarier thought."

Percival just grinned at him with his wide, playful smile.

"It'll be fine, Borus. Just wait and see." Borus looked skeptically at his friend.

I'm twenty-four, wait twenty-five and being asked to lead men, some of them years older than me, into battle. I feel so unworthy of this task, but I guess it doesn't take much skill to tell someone to go kill Grassies or die trying.

The commission confirmation did not take long and shortly after the ceremony, the senior knights, both old and new, gathered for a small celebration.

He looked around the room at his comrades barely conscious of the conversations going on around him. Toasts were made and the wine flowed freely.

"It's not often that I would allow such debauchery on the night before we are to depart for battle, but it is also not often that we welcome two gentlemen as fine as Borus and Percival to our ranks." Sir Galahad said jovially, toasting the two newly promoted knights. "May your swords be swift and true and may St. Loa protect us all!" Shouts of "here, here!" filled through the small room in the guild hall. He smiled at the lack of ceremony among his fellows in comparison to the stiffness of the council's undertaking. The opening of the door to the small room drew his attention with a squeak. Truthfully it drew the attention of everyone in the room as the squeaking of the door cut through the din. A slight young woman with silver hair and a sword strapped to her hip slipped quietly into the room. She seemed uneasy with the attention being placed on her entrance as she made her way to her senior and the captain of the knights, Sir Galahad.

"Ah Chris, Come to join us?" Galahad said as he saw her approach.

"I came to tell you that I finished preparations for our departure tomorrow."

"Excellent, excellent. Come have a drink with us to celebrate the promotion of Sir Percival and Sir Borus."

"Shouldn't we be getting to bed early, Sir? We do have a long journey in the morning."

He found himself glancing at her frequently and he noted the touch of nervousness in her voice as her superior ushered her further into the room.

"One celebratory glass won't hurt, Chris. It's moments like these that help us remember why it is we fight after all."

"I guess you are correct in that, Sir."

"Of course he is, madam." Sir Pelize replied as he past her a tall thin glass of a pale sparkling liquid.

"Who knows, Lady Chris, the next promotion we celebrate may be yours."

"I don't know about that, Sir Myriam. I am a long way from warranting a command. There is still so much for me to learn."

"Aye." Galahad said seriously, "But you are a quick study, my dear."

He smiled as he saw a flush of pink spread over her cheeks as her superior patted her on the shoulder. The flick of a finger against his ear drew his attention away from the exchange between the young woman and the elder knights.

"Hey." He said annoyed

"You're staring again." Percival murmured quietly.

"Oh." He glanced back at the young woman as she tried inching her way to the door but was continually drawn back into the small room by the older men. Percival stood from his seat next to him and called for another toast.

"Well gentlemen. It seems we have two things to celebrate today." Oh no, Percival, don't.

"Oh, Sir Percival? And what is the second?" Sir Lanchet asked before taking a large swig from his glass.

"Well, my dear friend and our brother, Sir Borus was born some twenty-five years ago today." Borus tried to sink into the seat as cheers of congratulations and happy birthday spread through the room. He smiled politely as each of the men offered their well-wishes for a long life and a good day.

"Happy Birthday, Sir Borus." He heard her say timidly as the crowd of men flowed such that she was now next to him. She had slid into Sir Percival's recently vacated seat in an effort to remove herself from the crowd. She was now perched uncomfortably on the edge of sofa, her eyes darting around the room as if looking for an opening through which she could escape.

"Thank you, Milady." He said. His voice sounded stiff in his ears, as stiff as his back became when he realized she had sat next to him. He noticed the double take she made toward him at his use of the honorific, which made him smirk. His mirth was short-lived, however, as he noticed Percival and Sir Galahad talking conspiratorially on the other side of the room. His brow furrowed as they continued to glance toward him as if to punctuate their discussion.

"What do you think they're talking about?" the feminine voice next to him asked, drawing his attention from the conversing pair.

"Hmm?" he asked looking at her, but then seeing how her line of vision had mimicked his own, he frowned.

"I'm not sure, and frankly that scares me."

"I thought you and Sir Percival were friends."

"Yeah, he's my best friend actually, but that doesn't mean he's not a pain in my ass some times." His eyes grew wide and he blushed heavily. "I'm sorry, Milady, I should be more careful with my tongue."

"It's alright, Sir Borus. It's not like I haven't heard worse."

Stupid, stupid, stupid he thought as his attention turned back to the pair of not so subtle conspirators.

"Percival is a source of mischief. I may see him as a brother, but I don't trust him as far as I could throw him." He smiled as she made a half-giggling snort at his assessment of the taller knight. "He's probably plotting with Sir Galahad some means to get me awfully drunk for my birthday. I wish he wouldn't make such a big deal of it."

"Why not? You only have one birthday after all."

He shrugged as he watched them approach. He did not feel like explaining why he hated his birthday just then. It was an uncomfortable topic on most days, and even more so on the actual day itself.

"We should be more concerned with our attack preparations right now." He lied. Truthfully, he wouldn't mind getting horribly drunk and passing out just to forget the whole day, but it was too late to start that now and he doubted Lady Chris would be interested in hearing such an assessment.

"Aye, we should. This celebration, while nice, has distracted us enough I think. Besides, I find the field far more comfortable. Wouldn't you agree?" She responded. Always thinking of her duty, he thought. She's probably the best of us.

He nodded as he took a small sip of his wine. More comfortable indeed, my home is in battle.

"Well Borus, Percival told me he had something planned for your birthday." Sir Galahad said as he approached, smiling mischievously.

"Why does that worry me, Sir?" he said as he looked from his senior to his grinning friend and back.

"Chris, you've hardly touched your champagne." Galahad's attention turned to the young woman who was now blushing heavily.

"I was hoping to review the preparations for departure with you before I left for home, Sir." He watched as she shifted uncomfortably on the seat as several pairs of eyes regarded her.

"Oh yes, yes of course." Galahad replied and Chris began to rattle off the arrangements she had made. He could not help but watch her as she spoke, his eyes drifting to the movements of her plump and oh so feminine lips. If I could ask for one thing, he thought, it would be to kiss those lips. He felt his neck grow warm and his eyes drift half-closed as his mind slipped into a fantasy of what kissing her might be like. He decided that if given the opportunity, he would like to kiss her lightly, to make her wonder if she had really been kissed at all. If she seemed to want it, then he would kiss her again more firmly, letting her feel just a bit of the desire he has felt for her since their first meeting. But who am I kidding. I doubt she would ever let me or anyone. A firm hand on his shoulder shook him from his fantasizing.

"You're staring again." Percival's voice hissed in his ear. He blushed heavily at being caught with her so near. He was usually much more careful about when he let himself think such base thoughts.

"Come on, Borus, we should get going. Leo and Roland are already at the pub." He sighed as he stood.

"Very well; let's get this over with." Sir Galahad turned from Chris' report to bid them farewell.

"Have fun gentlemen, but remember if you are not up and ready to go in the morning, we're leaving without you."

Percival chuckled.

"Aye, Sir." Borus nodded as Percival started to drag him from the room. Galahad turned back to Chris and then back to the departing young men.

"Chris, you should go with them and have some fun. Reports can wait until we are back at Brass Castle." He glanced back as he heard Galahad's recommendation to see Chris nodding a very small nod before standing.

"Ah the Lady is to join us then?" Percival grinned as he draped his arm around Borus' shoulder. Borus looked at him frustrated before pushing the offending arm from him.

"Sir Galahad thinks it would be good for me, I guess." He watched as she did her best to look at them without actually looking at them before she continued to the door. Once out of the room, they followed her down the long stairs in the guild hall.

"Do not be offended if I use this opportunity to head home for the night."

"Aww, Chris. You should have a drink with us. At least one, for Borus' birthday?"

"Percival, if she doesn't want to, don't make her feel obligated."

"You're no fun… Well then, Lady Chris." Percival bowed with a flourish and took her hand. "Until the morning; May you rest well." He rolled his eyes as he watched Percival's overly dramatic display. Chris, he noticed was blushing heavily and stood rigidly at the gesture.

"Good night, Lady Chris." He said as he pulled Percival away.

"Remember what Sir Galahad said gentlemen. Don't get too drunk." He heard her call after them. He thought he detected a hint of amusement in her voice but it may have been the product of his imagination. Well that and the two glasses of wine I had already, he thought.

The squawking of early morning sea birds circling overhead as a large ship found its moorings drew him from his recollection of the night's events. The sky was beginning to turn a dull gray as the sun slowly approached the horizon. Borus felt stiff from sitting backwards and leaning on the chair's back. His head was still swimming from a wee bit more alcohol than he should have had. He chuckled to himself as he thought of the state Percival would be in now if he was still as foggy as he was. This was definitely one of those times that I drank him under the table. He stood and stretched deciding that perhaps it was time to head home. He walked along the docks towards the western edge of the city. At this early hour, even the few guards that typically patrolled the area around the guild hall had grown lax in their duties. As he turned up an avenue leading towards the city gates, he saw Lady Chris stepping out of the small gate at her family home's courtyard entrance and turn toward the docks. Quickly he ducked back towards the shops of Port Avenue, hoping he had not been seen. What am I afraid of? He asked himself. He took a deep breath and made the turn once more. Just up a ways, cross the street and down the alley to the next street over… She might not even notice you're still out.

"Sir Borus?" He turned as he heard her call his name.

"Lady Chris. What are you doing up so early?"

"I'm just… taking a walk. And it seems I could ask the same about you." She looked him over, her critical eye evaluating the situation. "Or perhaps I should ask what are you doing out so late?" He chuckled nervously as he ran his hand through his hair and over his face.

"I was just heading home actually."

"I cannot believe that you and Sir Percival have been 'celebrating' all night."

"Oh, no. I can't speak for Percival mind you… he's probably passed out with that barmaid he picked up right now, but I left the pub hours ago." She won't believe you, not when you still reek of ale.

She stepped up to him, inches away from his face. Her pale eyes searched his for any hint of a lie. Times like these I envy Percival's height, he thought as they stood nearly nose to nose. While he had a bit of a height advantage on her, it was very, very small and not at all advantageous in this moment.

"If you left so long ago, why are you still out?" her eyebrows were raised questioningly. He shrugged and looked away from her, toward his feet and getting an eyeful of her body on the way.

"I just wasn't ready to go home." He looked up and saw her relax just a touch as she took a half a step back, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. First the lobe of her ear, then on her jaw with kisses that are so very soft, like the brush of a feather and light breath against her pulse as they drift downward to her collarbone. He felt his jaw twitch in anticipation and he squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to staunch the flow of his fantasy. He was happy that the sky was still relatively dark, so she could not see the flush he felt on his cheeks.

"Well then, I guess I should let you be on your way then. Good… night, Sir Borus."

"Good morning, Lady Chris." He turned as she stepped around him, his eyes following her down the avenue. He watched her walk for a moment before he got the better of himself. Dammit all, he thought. If not now, then when Borus, huh?

"Lady Chris?" he called after her. When she stopped and turned to him, he took his opening to approach her.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering if you could, maybe do me a favor."

"Well that depends."

"Well two favors actually." He wondered if he looked as much like a school boy trying to avoid punishment as he felt.

"Maybe, Sir Borus, what are these favors?"

"Well the first, could you not tell Sir Galahad how late I was out?" His heart soared as she smiled and chuckled a bit. Goddess, that smile is beautiful.

"Sure, and the second?" He locked eyes with her and felt his heart beat rapidly in his chest. He must have looked a fool to her as he tried to ask repeatedly before actually getting the words out.

"I… Would you…" He licked his lips and felt his brow knit in frustration at his inability to express his desire. "You can say no if you want."

"How can I say yes or no if I do not know the request?"

"Oh. Um…" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steel his nerves. "Could I… Would you let me kiss you?" Her light eyes widened as he finally voiced the request. He watched as she chewed on her bottom lip while she considered his request. A multitude of emotions flooded her face, most of which he could not interpret.

Decision time!

If you think Chris should say Yes to Borus' request: Read Ending A

If you think Chris should say No to Borus' request: Read Ending B