The Man Clad in Blue
Chapter 1
She landed in front of the main gates to Castle Pherae. As Huey settled upon the soft grass in front of the castle gates, she felt a wave of fear pass over her. She gulped. This was it, she thought. This was Castle Pherae. No mistake about it. Her thoughts ran at a thousand miles a second, relaying all of her fears and considerations. Amongst the scramble of thoughts, she remembered the letter that had brought her all the way from Ilia, with her finest clothes in tow…
Dear Florina,
I sincerely hope that this letter finds you well. As you may or may not know, it has been two months (or maybe more, depending on the speed in which this letter finds you) since the great defeat of Nergal and the Black Fang. In commemoration of this monumental victory, you are sincerely invited to come to Castle Pherae to attend our annual Grand Harvest Festival!
The Pherae Grand Harvest Festival is a fantastic opportunity for all of the heroes to gather and meet up in the aftermath of our victory. There will be food, there will be drinks and there will be much dancing and jubilation. It will be a fantastic opportunity to see you, and everyone else, for you are all my dearest friends.
Therefore I hope you will be able to attend this year's festival on the 14th of January. Do send word on whether you can attend or not, and I hope to see you soon!
The Marquess of Pherae,
Eliwood
Every word from the letter stood out in Florina's mind, like a meticulous painting. When she had initially received the letter, she felt a mixture of fear and excitement bubble inside her. Unlike her sisters, who greeted the news with glee and instantly had letters dictated to approve their arrivals, Florina's nerves resurfaced at the thought of attending a gathering like the letter explained. What if the food was strange? What if they only served alcohol? What if she wasn't as good a dancer as anyone else?
And what if there were men?
It was a shame, Florina thought, that her fear of men had started to come back since the end of the conflict against the Black Fang. In the heat of the numerous battles, Florina had become used to men, especially the ugly ones. Even more so, she had become cynically used to driving lances through such ugly men. Florina dared to think that it was getting enjoyable towards the end (unless they had a bow and arrow). She had even got used to the men in the group.
But long days in Ilia after the conflict had slowly brought her back to who she was: a shy, timid, albeit excellent pegasus knight (the one difference since the Black Fang conflict began). With a lance or sword in hand, Florina's fears could be allayed by focusing on training, be it herself or others. But Eliwood's invitation promised no lances, no swords, and no conflict. Just food, drink, dancing and fun.
Which was alright, Florina thought. Except for the men. Especially him…
Ever since Huey had unceremoniously landed on the man clad in blue metal, Florina could not eject him from her thoughts. His blue hair, his rugged looks and his brash actions screamed out everything Florina hated in a man; these were a few of the things that forced her timid quietness out the most. And yet, she couldn't stop thinking about him. Tongue-tied since she first set eyes on him (and since Huey first set her feet on him), she couldn't muster the strength to talk to him. And yet, merely weeks later, the greatest opportunity had presented itself. To talk to the man named Hector.
Hector had just completed what was possibly the most stylish kill in his entire life. He, upon Mark's command, had gone to face a series of pegasus knights that had flown over the horizon of the Dread Isle. Near the mountain range where they approached, Hector battled and defeated each with ease. In a sudden twist, the final pegasus knight launched his lance at Hector, only for it to catch in his armour. Brought up into the sky, the two tussled in the air aboard the flustered pegasus, before Hector knocked the rider cleanly towards the ground. Falling off himself, he fell about fifteen feet before finding a soft landing in the recently deceased rider. To add insult to injury, Hector's axe dug into the rider as he landed.
Florina's heart jumped as he landed merely feet in front of her and Huey. As if Hector was a present from the gods above, she suddenly felt a surge of bravery. Shifting off of Huey, she landed on her weakened, nerve tinged legs. Her heart was thumping behind her delicate breast plate as she saw Hector slowly get up to his feet, his cape billowing as he rose. His back was turned to her; he measured a head's height taller than Florina as he stood. Florina felt every force inside her try to run away, but she only had this one chance. A fleeting thought into a future where she was unmarried and alone forced her to act.
"…Umm…" she murmured. Hector jerked; Florina realised that the landing he'd suffered had left him dazed somewhat. He didn't turn around, just stood, rubbing his back a little.
"Huh?" he grunted. That voice, Florina thought. Such a deep, beautiful voice, for all the wrong reasons too. It was a gruff voice that wouldn't have been uncommon in a bandit's throat. But when Hector spoke, his very tone gave Florina butterflies in her stomach. Why couldn't he just turn around and take her in his arms? Why couldn't she find any words to say? She watched as Hector grabbed a vulnerary, hidden in his armour, and started to apply it to his back.
"…Umm…I, umm…" Florina murmured. "Damn" she thought. "Why can't I say anything? I feel like someone's squeezing my throat…" No matter how hard she tried, her nerves had frozen her still on the spot. Hector was clearly focused on applying his vulnerary to his back, not even looking towards Florina's way.
"Heh?" he called gruffly. "You say something?"
Florina sighed. He didn't even know who was trying to call to him. She had to try harder.
"…"
Nothing. Inside, Florina was screaming. But her lungs, nor her voice box, would help her out on this one. Suddenly, Hector started to move away, making his way towards the rest of the group, who were gathered outside of the newly appeared magic seal that had enveloped the temple in the distance.
"…Guess not, then" Hector murmured as he jogged towards the seal. He didn't even cast a glance towards Florina, still frozen in her place. She just watched as he jogged away, each step unfreezing her and filling her with disappointment. Her heart sunk as she watched Hector become smaller and smaller. The chance was gone. She would have to join the rest of the group and keep fighting, for it was Eliwood's strict policy that talk was kept to a minimum during fights. Huey nudged Florina gently with her snout.
"…Ehh…" Florina exhaled sadly, body hunching.
Florina watched as her sisters, Farina and Fiora (who had ridden with her to Pherae) were taken into the castle gates by the guards. They must have said something to her, but Florina was completely lost in her recollections. She knew that Hector would have been invited to the festival as well, and that somewhere inside the great walls of Pherae Castle, was that very man. The man that made Florina feel like a poorly built house, prone to falling apart at any second. The guards greeted Florina and guided both her and Huey into the castle.