In Matters of the Heart...
Dedication: This is dedicated to Bonny Fyfa. Her story may have died, but I'm still in love with it, and hope that she gets her computor privilliges back and her story revived!
Disclaimer: I don't own Thats or Kitchel. Nor do I own that wonderful realm from which they come. Wish I lived there, however. I'd settle for being a maid in the castle! Don't wanna be some Mary Sue...
Warning: Some cussing(Trying to be good about my language! I want presents for Christmas, ya know!!), no real time line(Some time after the books, I suppose...), no connection to any of the other stories I'm putting up here. Side pairings, too! ...Well, they are actually pretty well featured to be side pairings... Ah, well, I just felt like writing them in. :sweatdrop: Hey, it's still mainly a Thatchel!
Oh, they are also celebrating Christmas. No offence meant to all those who celebrate a different winter holiday. It's just that I'm the most familiar with Christmas. Well, with the pop-culture version. I know about as much about traditional Christmas as I do Hannukah.
::n::
"Thats, do you know where--," Rune entered the Dragon Knight of Earth's private chambers.
"...Whoa. What happened in here?" he looked bemusedly around the spacious bedroom, eyes jumping from sheets of multicolored paper spread across the floor, to long strands of bright ribbon, to boxes of different sizes, some open, some already sealed closed.
"Hey," Thats answered distractedly, holding bright green and red paper in place around a small present and searching blindly for a missing pair of scissors with his other hand.
"What are you doing?"
He glanced up, spotting the previously vanished object and snatching it in his right hand, "Presents. Holiday spirit and all that."
Rune looked around the room again.
"Presents... For the whole castle?"
"Lord, no. Just the basic people. You, Rath, Cesia, the officers, the Lord and Lady, some of the Dragon Fighters, that maid who cleans my room," he paused, ticking off names on his fingers, "And a few other people."
Rune let out a low whistle.
"Wow. That's a lot. Where'd you get the money?"
"Oh, you know," The ex-thief casually shrugged, "Sold some stuff. Nothing belonging to the castle!" he added in quickly, correctly predicting his friend's next accusation.
"Just some old stuff I'd picked up a long time ago that I didn't want, but never got around to turning in."
Rune stared around the room again.
"Geez. Hord, much?"
Thats rolled his green eyes.
"Hey, at least I got you a present. A nice one, too."
"Really?" the Elf looked curious, "What? Can I see it?"
The Dragon Knight of Earth shook his head vigourously, sending brown hair flying in all directions.
"Nope. Gotta wait," he grinned, casually shoving a patially wrapped box behind his back.
Rune rolled his eyes good naturedly.
"Got it. Do you need any help with the wrapping?"
"Nah," Thats glanced around the messy room, "I've got it."
"Whatever you say. But Thats," Rune said, suddenly realizing something, "Chirstmas is tomorrow. You realize that, right? How are you going to get all of this finished, much less handed out in time?"
The Dragon Knight of Earth laughed, "You underestimate me. I'm a thief, remember? I'll get it done."
"All right," Rune decided to let him have it his way, "I'll leave you to your wrapping, now. You better have gotten me something nice!" he teased, leaving his friend to his own devices.
As the door slid shut behind the Elf, Thats relaxed, shoving an already wrapped parcel under his bed.
"Good thing he didn't see that."
He ran his hand through his messy hair, "Elves. Very distractable."
Rolling his eyes, he pulled the small, partially-decorated box out from behind his back.
"Great. Why is this thing so hard to wrap?"
The ex-thief turned the item over in his hand, smoothing out the already crinkling paper and tape.
Green eyes narrowed in a fierce glare at the innanamite object which obliged by promptly falling to the ground.
"Ah, no!" Thats scrambled to pick it up, brushing it off quickly.
"Damn. Dented."
About to glare at it again, he decided against it, instead placing it gently on the floor and picking up a different parcel, still in need of wrapping.
"Why do I have the feeling that this is gonna take me all night?"
The empty room provided him with no response.
"Yeah," he sighed, "I thought so, too."
"Rath, have you seen what Thats is up to?"
The dark-haired Knight cocked an eyebrow curiously.
"No. Why?"
"He's attempting to wrap presents for half the castle in a few hours," Rune explained, sitting himself down on a wooden chair across the empty dining table from his friend.
Rath gave the other a questioning look.
"As before, why?"
The Elf shrugged, crossing his white-clad arms over the smooth wooden surface.
"Tomorrow's Christmas."
Rath leaned back, slowly processing that information and all that it implied.
He sat up suddenly, resting his chin in the cup of his hand, elbows on the table, an impish smirk on his face.
"What're you getting me?"
Rune looked at him, torn between indignation and embarrasment.
"Uh, what?"
"Come on," the half-demon teased, "You have to have gotten me something. It's Christmas."
The Dragon Knight of Water managed a shaky, not-quite-convincing grin.
"Yes, I did. I got you something. Of course. I, um," he stood akwardly, searching for a plausible excuse, "Need to, um, go feed the Darnias now."
That said, he left as quickly as his screaming concience would let him, heading for the castle gates, monthly paycheck still hot in his hand.
Rath snickered to himself.
"That got rid of him. Now," he casually reached under the table, retriving a small pile of hastily wrapped presents.
"I have my own delivering to do."
Glancing down at the box on top, he laughed again at his mental image of Rune's face.
"I suppose I should drop this off at his room..." his dark eyes suddenly widened in unconcealed shock, "Shit. I forgot to get something for Cesia."
"There!" Thats wiped an imaginary bead of sweat from his brow, "Finished another one."
He placed the foot long package on top of the already sizable pile of gifts next to him, looking at them admiringly.
"That was a nice one," he commented, "No tears. Nice and smooth."
He stood, stretching, and stole a glance around the spacious room.
"Good, almost done. Just a few more."
His eyes trailing over the few parcels left unwrapped, they were suddenly drawn to the smallest box, now devoid of paper, laying on his bed.
The Knight's mouth set in a disgruntled line.
"Stupid thing. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why'm I spending so much time on it?"
Striding across the chamber, he snatched it up, casually tossing it from hand to hand.
"Huh."
He raised the rough package to his face, settling a light, half meant glare upon it.
"Just like her."
Carefully pushing the palace doors open, Rune slipped inside, holding them in place, then pulling in two large, stuffed to the brim bags behind him.
As the doors slammed back into place, shaking the ground he was standing on, he looked up the long flight of stairs before him, a long soul-wrenched sigh tearing from his lips.
"Great. Just great."
He began to resignedly climb the stairs, hoisting his purchases with him, and pausing every few feet to readjust his grip upon the stinging handles of the bags.
"Who's bright idea was it to go shopping on Christmas Eve, anyway?" he grumbled to himself, hauling the items up another few steps before halting once again, rubbing his smarting palms.
"Yes," he sighed once again, wincing at the opening blisters appearing on his hands, "This is going to be a long Christmas."
Rath grinned, his odd lock of white falling messily into his face.
"Yes, knew I had something, somewhere."
He was seated in his room, hastily packing a length of silken material fashioned into what appeared to be a short dress into a small red bag.
"Good idea: buying everyone birthday presents early."
A mischivious smile appeared on his face, and he made no attempt to remove it, still too pleased at his brillience to much care.
"Now all that I have to do is hand these out," the cocky grin broadened, "Easy enough."
Mind filled with a temporary Chirstmas cheer, he left the room, whistling a light hearted tune to himself.
"Yes," he locked the door behind him, "It's going to be a good Christmas."
"It's going to be a crap Christmas," Thats declared, lying face down on his bed, head resting in his crossed arms.
"I'm all but finished, and I'm stuck," he complained, "On one last stupid wrapping job."
The said present sat untouched on his pillow, virtually staring him in the face.
"I'm running out of time if I want to deliver these," the Knight sulked, stealing a glance at the finshed presents sitting expectantly by his door.
"But," he let his voice trail off into the silence, thick with temptations of both cheer and misery.
"I need to finish this."
Thats pushed himself off the mattress, coming to rest in a seated position on the edge of the bed, feet hitting the floor.
He ran the image of the box through his mind, musing over it silently.
"Maybe," Thats considered the newfound idea, "I'm going about this the wrong way."
A grin lit upon his face as an old memory surfaced.
"It's like wishing on the Dragon Eyes."
Relief soared through his body as the young man stood, snatching up a chosen few packages and started out of the room. He stopped, considering. Then he backtracked, lightly picking up one more small unwrapped box, and dropped it into his pants pocket.
"Just in case."
It was night. Dark light shone in through the windows, and the yellow glow of a candle snuck in under the crack of the door. Footsteps halted outside, then a key was placed in the lock and turned. The bedroom door opened, allowing a slim figure entrance.
Kitchel yawned.
"Man, it's late," she spoke to the shadows, her hand still resting on the chill bronze doorknob.
"Actually, it's still rather early. I'm just tired."
Shrugging, she sauntered inside, dropping her jacket lazily on the floor and placing the half-spent candle next to her bed.
It was Christmas night, but she was all alone.
Review? Please?
Part two coming soon! :grins:
Kudos to anyone who caught the line from book five.