Note To Reader: This is probably my first and only attempt at writing a one-shot about Alicia and Regal. I thought this canon couple was meant to be and try to explain their lives before the death. This is accurate since it is from reliable source of information. Thanks for reading and hopefully, this worked out the way I wanted it to.
Summary: Regal had been saddened by the loss of his father, but ran the company bravely. Then, he met Alicia and life just got better for the two of them until a man named Vharley came along… One-shot, Regal/Alicia (Regalicia)
Love…you can't live with it…but you can't live without it.
-Anonymous
The Flower's Name
By Potter29vo
That early morning day when the sun was rising high and the birds were singing wonderfully, a carriage of three was moving steadily down the road. The blissful day was displayed by the pleasant moods of father and son.
Regal was the boy's name, and he was barely in his early teenage years and at those times, he was a bit hyper like most boys his age. He wanted to show his father that he could drive the carriage as well as he could despite his own lack of experience. This challenge left the blue-haired older man considering for a moment, but in the end, agreed to his son's request.
Regal was delighted and took control of the carriage. The sweet taste of independence had almost gotten the better of him, however. He was moving faster and faster as the road sloped downhill. Like anyone would guess, the teenage boy had lost control of the carriage soon enough despite the horses.
It wasn't a rock…something far worse, but not a human being either. Not that terrible at least. He had accidentally run over a dog.
The dog's breathing was slowing down and the carriage's wheels wore out its brown fur coat with skid marks. It was such a horrible sight to see for young Regal. His father instantly got off the carriage and tried to help to free the dog, but it was no use.The poor animal was gone.
Regal still didn't realize the situation before him as an appalling event in his life. But just as his father was about to help the dead life in front of him by pushing the wheels, footsteps were approaching the carriage in a fast pace. Regal's father spun around and found himself in front of an elderly lady.
When the older woman found the animal she was searching for, her eyes filled with tears. She wept and wept over the defenseless and lifeless creature. Never did Regal see such a horrible moment in his life since he was the son of a President, a person who was always treated by someone else at all times. This made Regal have restive feelings about the whole thing.
The woman finally overcame her grief to look up at the people before her, but this time, the hopeless tears were gone and were now filled with rage. Regal got down from his carriage to meet the woman's eyes.
"Are you the one responsible for killing my dog?" she inquired.
Regal had been born in nobility and would never tell a lie unless he didn't want to live anymore. He calmly faced the woman and answered politely. "Yes, I am. I am terribly sorry." He pulled out some gald from his pocket; the amount was staggering and anyone would have taken it. "Please accept my apologies."
The elderly woman slowly backed away from the gald that was offered to her. She did not appear rich herself, but for some reason, she would not accept this offer. "You cannot buy a life with gald! No amount of gald in the world could replace my dog, Lilly. My dog was my friend, a precious family member!"
The words sunk deep into Regal's heart until his father soothed his emotions by patting him on the back. There was nothing they could do about it now. Before they left though, the woman spoke once more. "Terrible things will happen to your family members too…don't forget, a life for a life."
At that time, Regal and his father never paid any attention to those words. They lived happily together.
The next several months were the most difficult in Regal's life. Everyday, he would watch with sorrowful eyes as his father grew ill. His father would never regain the health he used to have.
The third month passed, and his father could no longer leave his bedroom. Regal sat by his father's side the last night of the month, holding onto the hand of the older man who had raised him all these years. Neither spoke…his father would not eat…his father could not sleep…something was not right.
"Father, please speak to me. Tell me that you'll be all right and you'll live to see my family. When I do get a family, I want my children to have a grandfather." The boy spoke softly, his gaze mixed with sadness and at the same time, hope that there for one last miracle left.
His father took all his strength left to say some last words to his son. "Be strong, Regal. I could not tell you I'll live to see your family for that would be a lie. Promise me you'll never kill another being again by all means. You have carried the sin of killing that dog; the woman was right—a life for a life. Please promise me." Regal was shaking off his feelings by crying into his father's hands.
"I promise, Father…I will never kill another being...if I do, I will get the punishment I deserve," the young Bryant stated bravely and solemnly.
His father nodded a few times, tears rolling down his face. "Don't die, Father…" The words rung in the older man's ears, but soon, he could hear no more. He smiled before breathing his last.
Regal broke apart.
Months passed by, and months turned into years. Regal ran his father's company with efficiency. He had no hatred in his heart, however for the old woman. He knew his father was right and he must keep his promise no matter what. Regal used all this time to enhance his cooking skills when he's bored, and made a very reliable Duke with his political skills.
Then, one afternoon when he rushed back to his room to get important documents that he had accidentally left behind, he found a white flower in a slender vase atop his desk. He didn't remember it being there earlier; he asked the new maid about it.
The youthful pink-haired girl with two ponytails walked up to her master obediently and gasped when Regal asked her about the white flower in his room. "I'm so sorry, Master Bryant. I am truly sorry. Please forgive me. I am sorry for putting that flower in your room without your permission. I will throw it out right away. I am terribly sorry."
Regal stemmed the flow of apologies by lightly touching her shoulders. "No need for apologies. There is only one thing I want to ask you." She stared up at him. He smiled gently. "What's the name of this delicate flower?"
The maid calmed down a bit when she heard this question. At least, a question she knew the answer to. "Master Bryant, the name of this flower is Presea."
Regal rubbed his chin in thought. "I had never seen such exquisite plant before." Most flowers around here did not have the same elegant smell as this one, and the petals were just daggling off with such brightness.
The maid giggled at this comment. "It's because this type of flower only grows in Ozette."
After that day, the maid placed a new Presea flower in a vase for Regal everyday before it wilted. When he was bored, she would talk to him about her life and things on her mind. In one day in particular after a year and a half, he asked her what it had been like to live in Ozette. "Oh, it's very dark and gloomy there. But that is where my home is, and I would not have wanted to live anywhere else," the maid replied truthfully.
"Do you have any family members?" he asked as the two sat opposite of each other in Regal's room.
"Yes, I have an older sister. She has the most beautiful voice in the world. She always sang me to sleep. Oh, how I miss her." Her shoulders drooped. Regal lifted her chin to meet his gaze.
"It's all right. I will let you go on leave by next week to visit your home and your elder sister," he replied as the maid hugged him out of joy.
She pulled quickly away though, her cheeks flushed. She started to apologize once more for touching her master without permission. Regal enjoyed her honesty and her manners. He calmed her down like the first time they spoke to one another.
"I…" He was growing red himself. "May I have your name?"
The girl was surprised at the question but answered gently, "My name is Alicia Combatir." The two watched each other for a moment before Regal spoke again.
"Alicia, thank you for bringing more joy to my life by having these conversations with me. Don't worry; I will arrange a trip to Ozette for you." The two left the room together and talked a little while longer. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by George.
The next morning, Regal woke up from his slumber and thought the first thing he would see was the Presea flower brought in every morning by Alicia. There was none.
Regal jumped out of bed and dressed hastily before checking her room. After finding it empty, he now searched for George. When he found the man at his workplace, he asked immediately, "Where's Alicia? What happened to Alicia?" He knew her well enough that she would never leave his place without permission.
George, for someone who was guilty, was very calm and answered his master. "Master Bryant, Alicia was sent off to Vharley for an exsphere experiment," he replied.
Regal was livid.
"George, can't you see? Alicia and I are in love," Regal cried out as most of his employees turned to see if it was really their President who had spoken those words. Regal didn't care, though. "I love Alicia and I would not stop until I get her back."
Everything was perfect. Alicia had become a permanent part of his life. He was heartbroken and nothing seemed to be right anymore. He wanted her back…he wanted to see her bright face again. He wanted her in his life again.
After much waiting, it was the day he would agree to exchange his own company's mine for the person he cared about the most with Vharley. At the location where they promised to meet, he thought he would see Alicia the moment he got there, but he was wrong. The only thing by Vharley's side was a monster, which was ordered to attack Regal the moment he arrived.
At first, the monster had to be defeated until Regal realized the creature was actually Alicia. He could never harm the person he cared the most! He discontinued his attack and received a painful blow from the monster in front of him.
Suddenly, he heard Alicia's voice within the monster and was horrified. "Master Bryant…Regal… please kill me…" She pleaded with all her heart; Regal could not hold back the tears filling his eyes.
"How can I kill the person I love?" he asked her, his hands balled up in fists.
"It's because I love you that I want you to kill me," Alicia answered, her voice choked.
But Regal still hesitated and soon enough he had flashbacks of the time he had spent with his beloved. How her words would bring joy to his life…
"…Here is today's Presea flower, President!"
"Urm, Mr. Bryant, today's Presea flower is beautiful!"
"Regal! This is the first Presea flower of this year!"
"Master Bryant, how do you like your Presea flower today?"
Regal opened his eyes and knew he had to do as she asked, for her own sake. He had promised his father he would never kill another being and yet, he must. With one blow with his powerful hands, the monster fell to the ground…motionless.
Even luck wasn't on his side, rain started to fall as he cried in front of Alicia's grave. Was it wrong for a man to cry? Was it wrong for a man to show emotions? If it was, he was guilty. The promise he made to his father…the person he had loved the most…he had lost both of them. The only way to make up for both of them was to receive the punishment he deserved.
He went straight to prison.
After the journey was over, Regal and another pink-haired girl were riding in the same carriage on the same road that summer. They had gone to Ozette recently and were now on their way to Meltokio. But Regal knew there was one person he wanted to see.
They stopped by the road where he first met the aged woman and went straight to her home with the pink-haired girl by his side. He knocked on the door and found himself face to face with the woman once more. "I came once again to apologize… I finally understand how you felt about losing someone or something you truly loved. It was painful and now I have gone through the feelings myself."
The woman accepted this apology and for the first time, noticed a bouquet of flowers in Regal's arms. "The bouquet?" Regal stared down at the bundle in his arms and handed it to her.
"These are for you," he answered as the woman took them with happiness filling her eyes. She had forgiven him.
Regal and the other girl were about to leave when the woman asked one last question, "These white flowers are truly beautiful…what is their name?" Regal and the girl by his side exchanged glances before answering.
"Presea."
Ending Notes: Fluffy words, no fluffy action. This was quite a short one-shot but I thought there should be a need for at least one Alicia/Regal fic in this section (if there are more, just tell me I'm wrong). If anyone knew the story, they would notice that I added a little taste to my fic to spice things up. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this really really short one-shot. Here are some questions that might be unanswered:
Where in the world did Alicia get those Presea everyday? Plot holes really… the drama CD didn't mention anything about it. I guess she has a stack of them just in case.
Why did it take Regal so long to ask Alicia for her name? Well, the fact that a master and maid weren't supposed to talk in the first place… and that he was too shy to ask her until he really knew her better.
Just how did Regal and Alicia fall in love? The CD didn't explain much either, but I'm guessing that they had affections for each other when Regal first saw the flower. He had a "special bond" with it, and feel in love with the person who gave it to him. Also, he was lonely in his company when he's not on one of those meetings so he needed a friend! Friendship leads to love.
Hopefully this help with some confusion, right Kumiko? Thanks a lot! Sorry for the delay of the other one-shot I planned with the three pairings. The next one-shot will be somewhat like this one as well…another delay. R & R! Love ya.
