So, this started as a flashback for the next chapter of Moving On, but it ended up being a lot longer that I expected. I don't know if we really need a story for how Asbel and Cheria first met, but I liked the idea too much to pass up.
Asbel Lhant, sometime around age seven, had been out looking for Frederick. After asking several people, he was directed towards the small house where he lived. Asbel, an impatient child, had thrown open the door and loudly demanded Frederick. He was rather surprised to find that a girl around his age was the only one currently in the house.
The girl, as it turned out, was not happy with the intruder abruptly interrupting her reading. And so she set about giving Asbel a very loud reprimand about proper etiquette when visiting others. Asbel was initially taken aback, but eventually responded by trying to yell at her. That, in turn, prompted her to yell even louder.
And that was when everything fell apart. Cheria's yelling was cut off by a cough. And then another. And another. Asbel's irritation was forgotten as he watched her descend into a violent coughing fit. Coughing became hacking, and finally the awful spectacle reached its wretched end with her vomiting.
For a moment, there was no sound in the house but her ragged breaths. Asbel felt a stab of guilt in his chest.
"Are you okay?" Asbel asked.
"I... think... so..." was Cheria's haggard response.
She stood slowly, her hands against her chest, turned and began walking to one end of the house. Asbel slid one hand under her arm to help keep her steady, and led her back to her bed.
"So... What was that? Are you sick?" Asbel asked after she had settled in.
Cheria let out a sigh. "I'm always sick."
"Well, you take it easy, I'll get you something to eat."
"I'm fine. You don't have to do anything for me."
"Naw, it's my fault you got sick." After about ten minutes fumbling around in the kitchen, Asbel returned with a sandwich and a mug.
"Here you go. Enjoy!" Cheria spent a long time looking into the mug before trying to take a drink. The sludge it contained did not taste at all potable.
"Blech, what is this?"
"It's tea." Asbel replied.
"This isn't tea! It tastes like mud!"
"What are you talking about? It's fine." Asbel said before taking a drink. "Bluh... Guess that didn't turn out very well. But the sandwich should be good."
Cheria turned her attention to the sandwich. She examined it for a moment before starting to remove some of the meat.
"What are you doing?" Asbel asked irately.
"You put too much meat on it. I can't eat all this."
Asbel helped himself to the discarded meat. The two of them ate in silence for some time before Asbel finally decided to ask a question.
"So, what did you mean earlier about being sick all the time?"
"I've been sick since I was born. Grandpa always tells me that I need to stay calm and take it easy, so I never get to do anything."
"That sucks." Despite his words, Asbel sounded sympathetic. After a moment, he added "Do you always get sick when you yell?"
"It's not like I spend all my time yelling at people."
Silence reigned. Neither even made eye contact for a long time.
"I'm sorry." Asbel said finally.
"No, don't worry about it." After a minute Cheria added, "I'm really sorry about yelling at you."
"Yeah, well, you got sick, so that makes us even. Okay?"
"Yeah, I guess it does." Cheria replied.
"Y'know, if you don't like it here, you could come and hang out with me at my house."
"Really!?" Cheria perked up immediately. "You want to spend more time with me?"
"Yeah." Asbel said. "It'd be nice to have someone other than my brother to hang out with."
"You have a brother? I'd love to meet him." said Cheria, delighted by the idea of making a new friend.
"Nah, you probably wouldn't." said Asbel, not sharing Cheria's newfound enthusiasm. "He's always whining and crying and messing with my stuff."
"Don't talk like that!" Cheria now seemed rather upset. "You should be happy you have someone to do stuff with. Do you know how lonely it is to be an only child?"
"Fine. You come meet him and see how much you like him!" said Asbel.
"Maybe I will!" said Cheria angrily.
"Hey, calm down. I don't want you puking that sandwich up."
For a moment, Cheria seemed content to cross her arms and pout with actually saying anything, before finally mumbling an apology.
"Well, if you're okay, I still need to find Frederick-"
"Wait!" Cheria blurted out. "There's something I want to show you before you go."
As Frederick approached the door to the house he shared with his granddaughter, he heard some faint noise coming from within. Curiously, he opened the door and peeked inside.
"Cheria? Are you there?" he asked, but quickly saw her seated at the piano. More surprising was the boy sitting next to her. He bent hishands over the keyboard, and hammered out a series of notes that could only be described as music if one were feeling very generous.
"Arrg! I can't get this!"
"It's not so bad. Just watch." Cheria then took her own turn, and though her own playing was only marginally better, Asbel seemed impressed.
"Woah! How long have you been doing this?"
"Since I was little. I used to sit here and listen to my mother play."
"She doesn't play anymore? Why not?"
"She died a few years ago." Said Cheria, in a voice a little too calm to sound natural.
Asbel's eyes widened as her words sunk in. "So, it's supposed to go-"
Frederick cleared his throat loudly. "Cheria, you didn't say anything about having visitors."
Cheria quickly stood and turned to face her grandfather. "G-grandpa! I didn't really invite him, he just came in."
"Cheria? Your name's Cheria?" Asbel asked.
"Yeah, so?"
"That's a weird name."
"No it isn't!" said a flustered Cheria.
"Yeah it is. Have you ever met anyone else named Cheria?"
"Not really..." Cheria admitted sheepishly.
"Master Asbel, what are you doing here?" Frederick asked.
"Oh, I was looking for you earlier."
"Why?"
Asbel just shrugged. "I don't remember anymore."
Frederick turned his attention to Cheria. "I hope that you where not a bother to master Asbel,Cheria."
Cheria was still taken aback by what Frederick had mentioned earlier. "You're Lord Aston's son?"
"Yeah. So?" He then turned to Frederick. "She wasn't any trouble. I liked seeing her."
"Master Asbel, you need to go home. Your parents are worrying about you."
"Okay, fine." said Asbel, before reluctantly trudging to the door. Right before he left, he turned back to Cheria. "Come by the manor sometime. You'll really like it there." And with that, Asbel departed.
Cheria came to the manor three days later. And though her grandfather admonished her for it, she found it difficult to regret. So she returned, and found herself going there more and more often, until she, Asbel and Hubert had all become intimately familiar with each other. Cheria found herself much happier with the brother than she had ever been. And then one day, when Cheria was eleven, Asbel and Hubert came to Lhant with a new girl in tow and everything changed. But that is a Tale you already know.
My first story that isn't really comedy. How was it? Cute? Sweet? Where the voices right? Did it flow well? Do you have any advice to improve it? See any typos? If you have anything to say, leave a review. Hearing what other people think is one of the best parts of writing.