"What's your viewpoint on fate, Ver?"
"Fate, milord?"
"Fate, destiny, purpose, whatever you want to call it. What do you think about it?"
"I think…I think that if people believe in it, they aren't able to truly live, always thinking that everything they do is predetermined. Even if it is, if we act like there's no real purpose to our life, we can't truly live. You have to believe that you're doing what you're doing because you chose to, not because it was written down somewhere by some higher power. Otherwise, why live at all?"
"…I see…"
"Hm? Did I say something wrong, milord?"
"No, Ver, it's okay. It's just…I've never considered that viewpoint before. It's an interesting philosophy."
"It is, isn't it? You know, milord, I'm glad I was given this chance to get to know you better."
"I'm glad, too, Ver. It's because of you that I've repaired my relationship with my father, after all."
"Oh, it was nothing…"
"Don't be modest; it doesn't become you. But truly, Ver, you've changed all our lives, especially mine. Thank you."
"…Milord…"
"Verian! Verian!" The flaps that were the entrance to my tent flew open to admit the young girl. Pink ponytails bouncing in her excitement, she grinned at me as she approached where I was sitting at my desk. I smiled slightly at her enthusiasm, though she was unable to see it due to the cloth that covered my entire face except for a strip across my eyes.
"What is it, Serra?" I asked, wondering if Matthew had managed to get Guy stuck in a tree again. Sometimes the thief was more trouble than he was worth, but he never failed to entertain when things were boring. Personally, though, I thought the peace and quiet was nice.
Planting her hands on her hips, Serra briefly closed her blue eyes as she sighed in exasperation. "It's Karel. Someone left a sword out and he found it."
She had no need to say more, though if I had let her, she'd continue to babble on about how people should really be more considerate of each other and not leave blades out where a crazed swordsman might find them. Instead, I thanked her quickly and hurried out of my tent, following the now audible sounds of outrage and fighting to where the swordsman was. Karel with a sword outside of battle was not a good thing for the health of any bystanders that happened to get too close.
Skirting around Kent and Sain's tent in an attempt at a shortcut, I nearly ran into the two cavaliers. "Ah! Verian! I'm terribly sorry!" Kent was quicker to recover than his brown-haired companion, though Sain wasn't fare behind the redhead.
"Ditto on that, but I don't suppose you could do something about the crazed swordsman before he actually kills Raven, hmm?" He actually looked a little worn out and I guess that he and Kent had been trying to delay Karel's advance on the mercenary and come out on the losing end. Not that that was surprising. The real surprise was that they were physically unhurt except for being exhausted.
"Of course. I was on my way. If you'll excuse me…?" I edged past them, silently cursing the closeness. I wasn't a very touchy-feely guy and tended to avoid any physical contact if at all possible. Finally, though, I was free and I continued on my mission.
A few seconds later, I cam upon the fight. Several people were standing off to one side, well out of range of either blade, watching the two men nervously. I couldn't blame them. Karel could be scary when he put his mind to it and Raven…well, Raven was like a less violent version of Karel. They were too alike for comfort and the tension between them often resulted in fights, such as this one.
Seeing as how they hadn't actually gotten to the point where they were dealing out serious blows, I took a moment to catch my breath and smooth my robes. The people watching had caught sight of me and were whispering among themselves, casting quick glances from me to the two fighting swordsmen. I ignored them, concentrating on avoiding the swords long enough to get the combatants' attention.
"Karel! Raven! Stop this instant!" My voice could probably have been heard three miles away, had there been anyone around to hear. My time with this small army had taught me the valuable lesson of pitching my voice just right to carry and intimidate. It came in handy a whole lot more than I wanted it to; doing it for any length of time left my vocal cords feeling raw.
The mercenary glanced at me, so I knew he had heard, but Karel didn't spare his attention for even the briefest of moments, launching another strike when he saw the lapse in Raven's guard. I sighed. This was going to be a bit harder than I'd hoped it would be.
"Karel, if you don't drop your sword, I'll make sure you're left out of the next battle as well as the one with Nergal!" That got his attention and he looked at me, a look of disbelief crossing his face briefly. I reverted to my normal voice. "That's better. Now, give me the sword and leave Raven alone; he still needs rest after that last battle. Besides, I think I saw Karla looking for you earlier."
Reluctantly, Karel lowered the sword and handed it to me hilt-first. I took it and tucked it into a sheath I kept on me under my robes. "Good. Thank you. Oh, Raven?" He paused from where he'd started to walk away.
"Yeah?"
"I'd like to see you in my tent at your earliest convenience, if you would." It wasn't a request and he knew it. I could see the tense look that passed quckly over his face before he nodded. "Thank you."
The danger past, the small group that had gathered started to disperse and I let myself relax for the first time since I'd set foot out of my tent. Maybe some time in those hot springs that were nearby would do me some good...