Good Bye Doesn't Mean Forever
Although we may say goodbye to our friends and family, we shall always see them again. Whether it is in another life, in another light, or in another time, you will never truly say goodbye.
- Rosamanelle
Hamel. The great City of Water, renown throughout Elrios for its stunning white and blue cresting buildings, for its great, untamed bodies of water, green-tinged seawater glittering like one massive crystal as it flowed with the tide, in, out, in, out, capped by frothing white sea foam, so perfectly edged that it was like a painting done by some great painter. So lovely was this city that so many people flocked to its warm, sandy beaches and white paved roads that it had to be expanded, not once, but twice, in an effort to keep up with the growing population. Once called the most inspiring place on Elrios, a host of artists and poets came each year to paint, photograph, and draw many of the alabaster buildings trimmed in cerulean. Hamel was guarded by an elite group of guards, called the Guardians of Hamel. The Guardians trained since they were young, cared for by not only their mothers, but special combat-trained babysitters who acted as teachers. However, our story does not start here, no. It starts thirteen years back, with the birth of a Prince. A Prince of the Guardians.
13 Years Prior
A young woman screamed, clenching her teeth while gripping the pearly white bed sheets, writhing in pain, sweat dripping down her slender body, a large bump protruding from her stomach. Lacherette Seiker, wife of the Iron Colossus, Helputt Seiker, was having a baby. The doctor and his many nurses, frittered about, fussing over this and that as they watched with worry over the frail, blonde woman. Curses flowed out from Lacherette's mouth as she screamed with pain again, another tremor over taking her. Her husband, a tall, well-built man with messy, spikey russet hair and blue eyes, hovered over his wife nervously. "Are you alright, dear?" His wife laughed weakly, poking him.
"Do I look alright to you, Helputt?" Helputt sighed.
"You've looked better, I have to admit." Lacherette grinned, wincing, her breath labored, blonde hair matted to her forehead with sweat. Her husband pushed the sweaty blonde mop out of her face, trying not to wince as she screamed again, before speaking once more. "Like the first time we met?"
Helputt shook his head. "No, the first time we met I thought you were a boy, a sloppy, pig-like boy. Remember?" The relationship between the Iron Colossus and his wife was a strange one, almost very childish, where they offended each other on a daily basis, but were still a very loving pair. Before the now very pale Lacherette could respond, she screamed once more, the doors flung open as a very familiar dark-skinned woman with dyed pale lavender hair and orange eyes courtesy of contact lenses stormed in, a very meek looking elven woman with green tinged blonde hair tied in a ponytail by two thick, orange bands, gold-green eyes, a green and blue checked halter top covered by a cropped, short-sleeved turtleneck white jacket, a golden zipper down the front attached to three shining copper bells that jingled and chimed every time she moved. She wore a pair of white, frilly shorts, her pockets done up with two more copper bells as buttons, a pair of black, fingerless gloves on her hands. Her green and white sneakers squeaked a bit against the floor as she walked behind an outraged Daisy, stopping in front of Helputt and Lacherette.
"This impudent woman is named Rena. She claims that you chose her to be the child's combat teacher, although it is my decision to make! What is the meaning of this, Helputt?!" Helputt smirked.
"Daisy, although it is your job, quite frankly none of the combat teachers you would choose are suited to teaching my child, who is soon to be born. Rena is a well-known Combat Ranger in the elven cities and rural towns, rumored to soon be promoted to a Wind Sneaker, one of the most elite elven martial artists. I would say that she is more than qualified to teach my child, no?" Daisy was left speechless, and soon everyone – including the very elf she was protesting against – ignored her, focusing their attention on Lacherette, who, after a painfully long time, gave birth to a healthy young boy. Lacherette turned to Rena, smiling gently.
"Please, choose a name for this child. You will, after all, be caring for him the most." Rena's verdant eyes glimmered, before she smiled, laying a gentle hand on the new mother's shoulder.
"We will name him after your grandfather then." Lacherette nodded, embracing her newborn son.
"Welcome to the world, Chung."
By the time Chung turned thirteen, he saw Rena as more than his combat teacher. He saw her as his friend, or even as his sister. Creeping around the corner, he saw said elf whirling around, destroying a practice dummy with well-placed kicks at such a fearsome rate that he knew he would have to make more later. Ducking behind the wall, he peered out again, and, upon seeing how absorbed Rena was in her drills, stealthily slid around the corner, sliding along the wall as quietly as possible, not caring if he got his blue shirt dirty. "Chung," Rena said, not even bothering to take her eyes off of her drills. "Where are you going? You know you're not allowed to go outside until you complete my training for the day." Chung pouted, blue eyes flashing.
"But Renaaaaaaaa…." Rena chuckled, tucking a stray strand of blonde hair behind her pointed ear, turning around to face the smaller boy. Chung sighed. "You always catch me. When're they promoting you to a Wind Sneaker already? It's been the talk of the town since I was born!" Giggling, Rena started to gather up the pieces of destroyed training dummies.
"Chung, you know that good things come –" "To those who wait, I know. You've said that so many times before. Pray tell me, does your elven culture have any more wisdom past that?" Rolling his eyes, Chung cut her off with a sigh.
Rena sighed, flipping her hair, before walking up to Chung and slinging her arm around him with a childish grin. "You betcha~! And because you asked, we're going to spend the whole afternoon learning it!" Chung groaned.
"Anything but that." Rena grinned mischievously, poking Chung in the ribs.
"Anything?" Chung shook his head.
"Allow me to restate that. Anything but that while using hyperbole." Laughing, Rena detached herself from Chung, sauntering ahead, fully enjoying the sunny weather that came with Hamel's warm season. A sudden breeze playfully tugged at the loose ends of her hair and the hem of her blouse, stirring them up into a light, crazed dance of movement. Tugging her shirt down in an attempt to cover her now exposed midriff, Rena turned to Chung, green eyes gleaming playfully.
"You're a smart kid, Chung. Tell me, do you think you're ready for your next step in training?" Chung blinked, before nodding slowly, lest his voice betray him. Rena smiled, her eyes half-closed. "Good. Now, tell me, what do you think is the weakest part of your attacks?"
What was seemingly a simple question stunned the prodigious Seiker child into oblivion. What was the weakest part of his attacks? Was it his speed, his strength, or his wielding? Pondering the question, Rena gave him a knowing smile. "Take your time. I was asked the same question once, but I had to choose between my arrows, close quarters combat, or something completely new." Chung perked up with interest. Since when did Rena use arrows? Seeing his interest, Rena opened up a shed and plucked a green and white bow adorned with a copper bell from its depths, before marching over to the archery range, Chung trailing her like a puppy. Raising her arm, Rena wordlessly pulled back the bowstring, leaving a glowing, magical trail behind her, which solidified into an arrow. Aiming at the target swiftly, she let go of the string, sending the arrow out straight and true, plunging the arrowhead deep into the bull's-eye. Mouth agape, Chung slowly turned to his companion.
"What was the 'something completely new?'" Rena thought for a moment, before gesturing with her hands flamboyantly as she fumbled for words.
"Well, it had to do with twigs, and something about magic… Or was it alchemy, not magic? And there was a sword called… Arundel? Urendil? Erandil? Erendil? Something like that. There was a lot of wind and swords and Yggdrasil leaves and stuff like that. Oh! There were also explosives, too. The twigs exploded or something like that, or was it leaves that exploded? I don't really remember, it was so long ago…"
Something in Chung's mind just clicked as he listened to Rena babble, his eyes lighting up. "Rena, can you get me a couple dozen books on alchemy and samples of explosives from all over Elrios?" Before she could ask questions, Chung answered them for her. "I know how to become stronger now."
What was it about this human boy that drew her in? Rena, an ageless elf of Yggdrasil, didn't know. Was it his passionate heart that sought justice? Perhaps it was his eyes, so blue that you could see the ocean in them. Or maybe, just maybe, it was his honesty, never brutal but always true, softened in every way possible. She sighed, resting her chin on her hands, deep in thought as she watched said boy read his books, eyes skimming over the words at a lightning fast speed, flipping the pages as he absorbed the information.
What a shame it was, that she was an elf, someone who had lived for hundreds of years, and he was still a boy who was barely thirteen. The age gap was tremendous, like a woman of seventy falling in love with and marrying a newborn child. Except the age gap between Chung and Rena was bigger. But that was alright. Love has no form, no shape, but the weight behind it was different for everyone. It was something that ignored gender, age, race, and religion, it ignored all 'social statuses' and everything socially acceptable, and drove people to do crazy things. Acts of passion could lead to arguments, theft, and the loss of life.
But that was alright.
Because, you see, Rena was an elf. She could remain apathetic, pretending that she held no such feelings. She could keep on her bright smile and pretend nothing was wrong so easily. And even though her heart felt heavy, she could continue to watch him.
She watched him as a teacher – please put the emphasis on the teacher – as he slaved away over his Destroyer and Disfrozen, a new idea he had thought up that combined magic with explosives, a new form of alchemy. Surely Chung was destined for greatness sometime in the near future. It was Rena who brought him food and drink as he continued to fine-tune his weapons, who stood next to him as a friend while his father dubbed him the 'Shelling Guardian,' a new title created just for him.
The blonde guardian thought of Rena like a mother, like a sister maybe, but never as more than a friend.
That's just how it was.
Rena would accept it, after all, she never expected much to come out of this… she wouldn't call it relationship, more like friendship.
Helputt recently announced that, in order to make peace with Altera, Hamel's long-time enemies, Chung, the only member of the Guardians of Hamel who was below thirty, would be married to the extremely young Queen Eve, who was no older than him. Rena met Eve as a friend of her soon-to-be husband, and was completely blown away by her pale, delicate features, long, silvery hair that was tied up in buns, and regal aura. Compared to Eve, Rena might as well have been a slug. Chung was, undoubtedly, unhappy with this arranged marriage.
"Father, why do you not have the Prince marry Eve? He is only a year older than I am!" His father sighed, massaging his temples.
"Chung, I can understand your reasoning, however… The king said that it would be showing greater allegiance if we married one of the Guardians, the sole protectors of Hamel to the Queen of Altera rather than the Prince. Besides, the Prince is already betrothed, remember?" Chung sighed, tugging on his russet-tipped blonde 'ears' with annoyance.
"But Father, please –" "I'm sorry, but my answer is final." Cutting his son off with a sharp glare, Helputt slumped into his chair as Chung stormed off, enraged.
"Dear El, I hope he can forgive me."
As if to rub salt into his wounds, Rena was called back into the elven world after being promoted to a Wind Sneaker. Chung refused to accept it.
"No. Rena, you can't leave! I need you right now more than ever!" Eve, who had happened to be passing by, stopped to attempt to comfort her fiancé in any way. Rena sighed, running a hand through her messy hair.
"Chung, I've been delaying this too long. I should've been called back and promoted by your tenth birthday, but now you're fifteen. Sorry I can't stick around any longer." Chung shook his head, blonde hair flying wildly.
"No! You can't go, please! You're my only friend left!" Rena frowned, something Chung had never seen her do before, before giving him a quick hug.
"I'm sorry to leave you like this. Goodbye, Chung." Turning around, glancing over her shoulder remorsefully one last time, Rena strode across the courtyard, placing a hand on the tree, disappearing almost instantly as she was transported back to the elven city of Eldruida.
Rushing over to the tree, Chung began to claw at it, ignoring as his hands were scratched and bloodied, calling for his teacher, his friend, the one who stole his heart. Eve put a hand on Chung's shoulder. "Chung, goodbye doesn't mean forever. She loved you too, and will definitely come back for you. As a matter of fact, I have a proposition on how to get out of this unwanted marriage."
The next day, Chung announced that he and Eve decided that they would only want to be married at the age of seventeen. Which gave the wedding planners two years' time to prepare for the wedding. Eve also signed an agreement stating that should something happen to Chung (He was in the Royal Military, you know) Altera would automatically pledge allegiance to Hamel, and vice versa. Eve also stated that this agreement would come into effect should she reject Chung as her 'lawfully wedded husband.' No one suspected a thing.
When Chung turned sixteen, upon gaining greater skills with his newly upgraded Destroyer and Disfrozens, he was named the elite captain of the Guardians of Hamel, but politely declined the title. It was assumed because he would be the King of Hamel in a years' time, and did not wish to hold many titles. He was, however, starting to lose hope that Rena would ever come back.
At the stroke of midnight, exactly a week after Chung's birthday, a green glow emitted from the tree that Rena had disappeared into almost precisely a year ago. Stepping out of the glow, a tall, busty elven woman adjusted her side ponytail, fixing the black hair ties that held it in place, automatically straightening the flowery hair pins that held back her greenish-blond bangs. Her black tube top was attached to a white collar-like choker by two long pieces of white fabric, pinned in place by a large gold brooch, two teal ribbons extending down from it. The bottom of the tube top was held down by a black-and-gold corset, flaring out with frills to meld into her green, frilly skirt adorned with black and white ruffles, black ribbons attached to gold loops encircling her waist. In place of gloves were long, green, flowing half-sleeves, adorned with a black ruffle and a golden pin identical to the one on her throat. Long, black, boots with several clips and a white flower on the outside edged gracefully slid across the courtyard ground, a well concealed, small bow decorated with white feathers, pale green flowers, and copper bells jingling slightly as the Wind Sneaker causally walked across the courtyard, taking in everything with green-gold eyes.
"My, this place hasn't changed much since I left. It had only been a year, though… I wonder, did Chung get married yet?" Rena sighed, basking in the memories of the past.
Something had compelled Chung to wake up in the middle of the night. Slipping into a simple blue T-shirt and white, cotton pants, he picked up his massive Destroyer with ease, walking over to Eve's preservation pod, tapping it lightly. Golden eyes opened, and Eve slowly slid out, her normally perfect silver hair in disarray. "Chung. May I ask what you require of me at this time of night?" Silently motioning for her to follow him, Chung crept out of the room and down the stairs, into the courtyard. Mouth agape, he was soon joined by Eve, who also gaped at the Wind Sneaker in front of them. Rena hummed happily, inspecting the duo.
"My, how much you've grown, Chung. I'd say you're taller than me now~!" Dropping his a Destroyer with a clang (And startling Eve as he did so) Chung gave the Wind Sneaker a massive hug, almost toppling her over.
"Rena, let's run. I don't want to marry Eve, and she doesn't want to marry me. You feel the same way I do, don't you?" With a smile, Rena shook her head.
"You can't abandon your duties, you –" "Everything's been taken care of! Please, run away with me." Upon seeing the begging light in Chung's eyes, Rena sighed, giving him a tender hug.
"Alright. But first, you need to do something for me."
When Helputt woke up in the morning, the last thing he expected to see was a note on his bed. A note from Chung, nonetheless. Opening it up, he puzzled over the single word written upon the parchment.
Goodbye.
Eve smiled, appearing beside Helputt and scaring him half to death in the process. "Goodbye doesn't mean forever."
Me: I shall never write Chena again.
Aisha: It wasn't that bad...
Me: It was horrid. My eyes are burning.
Raven: I thought you were going to write something sadistic again.
Eve: The request was specifically this plot line, quote unquote: 'Chung and Eve are forced into an arranged marriage, Rena is a childhood friend. The two run off together :D'
Rena: ...So you came up with this? =w=
Me: I know. Terrible.
Chung: As Rosa was probably going to say, this is a one shot for The Cynical Asian since he won Rosa's Q&A Contest! ...You were going to say that, right?
Me: ... Pfft, yeah, of course I was... ^^;;
Ara: I think this was okay... cough cough not really cough cough :P
Me: Thanks. -.-
Ara: Just being honest! :D
Elsword: It would've been better if I was in it...
Me: I can't do that. Because you're currently tripled until I finished Oh My El *le me using blatant advertising*
Aisha: Please don't remind me Q.Q So... Many... Elswords...
Me: So, I'm going to end this here because I'm lazy and I don't want this clogging up the whole story.
Chung: Don't forget to favorite, follow, and R&R!
Me: Oh, and Kiyo? You follow a story just in case there're SEQUELS!
Raven: Stop that, you're weirding me out.
Me: Okay... Love y'all! Chu~
Elsword: ELGANG OUT! *disappears in a flash of light*
Me: Whaaaaaaaaaaa- *connection lost*