ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING

By Chiharu Tanaka

Summary: Slight AU, post-game. Asbel Lhant, a Knight of Windor would do anything to protect the King. Including dressing up as a woman. Asbel/Richard

SPOILER WARNING: You have been warned.

Disclaimer: Tales of Graces belongs to Namco Bandai.

And so, the heroes of Ephinea were celebrated as they triumphed against the evil Fodra Queen and before that, the almost-Armageddon caused by Lambda. As the rest received their honorary titles, gifts and whatnot, Asbel Lhant was quickly reinstated as a Knight of Windor, to his glee; finally he would be able to protect the King once more. Kerri Lhant, his widowed mother, decided that she could let her son achieve his dreams first. There was no rush to make him a Lord, after the world was finally at peace and the treaty between the three nations was about to be signed.

Which brings us to our tale - a grand ball was held in the beautiful oasis city of Yu Liberte after the contracting of this treaty, and it was a lavish ball as all the delegates from all three nations assembled for the momentous day.

"There are a lot of rich people out there," the soft, innocent voice of Sophie Lhant rang throughout the room as she peered through the glass windows of the third floor of the Residential Palace, next to the large central building that housed the President's Office.

"Of course! There's bound to be a lot of fancy-schmancy people and whatnot at a party this size!" the upbeat Pascal answered, dressed in a short green dress, a short dark jacket and a small hat atop her red-tinged white hair. "But don't worry! To me, you're the fanciest!"

"Really?" said Sophie with a smile. The elegant white dress with a hint of pink details accentuated the lilac colour of her hair, and she even had her favourite flowers - sopherias - pinned onto her let-down hair.

"But Asbel's gonna be pretty fancy too. I mean, did you see that dress?" the Amarcian exclaimed again, remembering the dress hung by the wooden rack. It was Cheria's creation - something she was rather proud of. Pascal was just about to wonder whether Cheria had other pretty dresses - in yellow - in her closet...preferably something with a skirt that looked like a valkines...

"Get me out of this thing!"

Pascal and Sophie turned their attention to the screen where Asbel had been changing, and a flustered Asbel wearing the said dress came out, a giggling Cheria behind him. In a very unladylike fashion, Pascal dropped to the floor in laughter, holding her stomach for dear life.

"I look RIDICULOUS!" Asbel yelled as he caught his reflection in the long mirror, face almost as red as his hair. "I don't know why the hell did I listen to you guys...Cheria, get me out of this dress!"

Cheria stopped laughing for a second before approaching him. "Asbel, you know why you have to do this. It's not like we WANT you to wear a dress."

Sophie blinked. "Why is Asbel wearing Cheria's new dress?"

"It's because he has a special mission," Cheria explained. "To protect the King."

Asbel's hands, that were about to untie the laces of the corset of his dress stopped as he heard Cheria's words. She was right - he was doing this for Richard. The King's life was in grave danger, and in a foreign country, he was not about to take any chances. Not that he doubted the capability of the Strahtan military, under his younger brother Hubert's command...it was just...

"This group is very real, and very dangerous," Captain Malik had said when they received the letter - stuck onto a blade not too different from Cheria's, only laced with poison, near the King's chambers. Richard had no clue of this, and Asbel didn't want him to - he was already burdened enough with the country's affairs. "We have to make sure His Majesty is safe during that treaty, and the ball that comes afterwards."

"But Captain, who would do such a thing?" he had asked.

"Asbel, there are a lot of people who don't want this coalition to happen. Especially when many people - more than you can imagine - harbour a grudge against King Richard for what he did."

"But that wasn't his fault!"

"I know. I know that, but we cannot expect people's hearts to change so easily."

Asbel clenched his fists. It wasn't his fault! It was Lambda's fault to an extent, but he couldn't blame the alien being now residing within him. A hand reached up to touch his left cheek, where just above it was his violet eye - the one that reminded him of Lambda's existence.

I'm going to protect Richard. Even if it humiliates me to no end.

"Asbel?" asked Sophie as the three girls (Pascal was up now, but still laughing) looked at him.

He sighed. "Okay, Cheria...let's continue. Sorry for the drama."

The girls giggled as he retreated back to behind the screen with slumped shoulders. Once Cheria was done tightening the laces of his corset as to "give him a waist" as she said, they proceeded to put the wig onto his short burgundy hair.

"I'm almost afraid to ask this," he said as Sophie sat behind him to hold the wig steady while Cheria pinned it in place, "but where did you get this wig?"

"I have my sources," Cheria replied sweetly with a bobby pin in her hand. Asbel gulped, remembering how scary his childhood friend could be sometimes. But he was glad that they patched up after 7 years of not seeing each other. She was still a nag, but a lot more comfortable around him now - like the sister he never had.

So this is what Pascal feels like to have an older sister.

After they were done with the wig, which cascaded over Asbel's shoulders and stopped between his scapulas, Cheria grabbed an aqua-coloured ribbon and deftly tied any remaining loose hair and plaited it into a neat braid, creating a sweet half-up, half-down do.

"Asbel looks very pretty," said Sophie, staring at him intently. He blushed.

"Sophie, don't."

It amused Cheria to no end, and they proceeded to make-up. "Hold still," she said as Asbel kept fidgeting as she tried to put mascara over his lashes.

"How can I hold still? You can poke my eye with that...thing! Man, you ladies sure use the weirdest things to make yourselves pretty."

Cheria knocked on his head with her knuckles. "And who do you think we do that for, hmm? Now be still, we're almost done."

A shade of berry pink was painted onto his lips, and a puff or two of powders and blushers later, Cheria completed her share of the mission. "There. Oh my gosh! You're like the older sister I always wanted!" she squealed as she turned Asbel's chair to face the mirror.

Asbel was astonished to look at himself as a girl - it was quite the shock because he actually pulled it off pretty well. "That's...really me?"

Sophie clapped. "Cheria, you're amazing! Can I have make-up done too?"

"Of course! Asbel, get out the chair."

The lad furrowed his eyebrows, before letting Sophie sit on the chair. "There's a problem though...I kind of have this purple eye...won't Richard know it's me? And won't he recognize my voice, too? I'm not good at doing falsettos."

Pascal, who was now more surprised at Asbel's transformation rather than amused like she was earlier, pulled out a small plastic case from her pocket. "All taken care of!" she said, before unscrewing the top. Inside was two clear concave discs, of which had blue coloured rings, suspended in water.

"What's that?"

"They're contact lenses!" said Pascal. "My sister made them, you see, because secretly, she wears glasses just like Hu. But she's those kinda girls who wanna be pretty and wear make-up and all that, and she's actually neat enough to keep these plastic thingies clean, and so...ta da!"

"I don't get it. How does it work?"

"Well, you put these lenses directly over your eyes. Fourier said that there's something about the reffy power of the material, and she had to make it using methods which involve a lot of ga-chinks and swipy-swipeys...but in short, they work the same way normal glasses do."

"But I don't need to wear glasses..."

"Don't worry, these have none of that funky power thing she was talking about. It's just coloured lenses. They kinda mask the colour of your eyes, that's all. Just like hair dye. Aren't we a bunch of fashionable fellas?"

Asbel's eyes twitched. Are you okay with this, Lambda?

Do what you must.

Pascal had to go wash her hands ("Or else Fourier will really, seriously kill me if I get that eye infected,") before placing the blue lens over his purple irises. He fidgeted as well, and Pascal had to hold his other shoulder to get the lens in. "There! It's like the old Asbel again."

Once again, he was astounded with the reflection of himself. But before he could be confident enough to leave the room as a new person, he turned to the Amarcian. "What about my voice?"

"That can be taken care of with my little voice-changing doohickey here!" she exclaimed, producing another item out of her pocket. This time, it was a silver choker with a blue gem in the middle.

"A choker?" asked Asbel, as the prettified Sophie and Cheria now joined him at the couch, looking at Pascal as she made that cat-like expression on her face.

"Not just any ol' choker - it's a voice-changing one! Here, allow me to demonstrate."

She placed the choker around her slender neck and pushed a few buttons. "And lastly this button and..." she mumbled, before giving a cough as the choker beeped a few times.

"Asbel, this Captain Malik speaking and I want you to run a hundred laps around this building!" said Pascal in the deep baritone voice of Malik. "And while you're at it, run off to the desert and get me some bananas."

"Pascal sounds just like the Captain," said Sophie, amused.

"That's incredible!" said Cheria. "How did you do it?"

"Oh, it was just a project in my teen days when I wanted to pretend to sound like the Overseer," said Pascal after she pushed a few buttons and her normal voice returned. "I just gave an old choker a KA-CHONK and a WHAM and there! I never though it'd be useful until now."

"How many voices do you have in there?"

She counted with her fingers. "Well, I got my sister's, Poisson's, the Overseer's...and pretty much everyone on our team. And a few other Amarcians too. Hey, wanna see me pretend to be Hu?"

Sophie got off the chair to answer a knock at the door. A few buttons later, Pascal cleared her throat again. "Pascal, will you just disregard those banana pies for a second and hurry up? We are going to be tardy, and the King does not appreciate tardiness. Honestly, this insufferable woman..."

Asbel and Cheria broke into laughter, just as Hubert (dressed in a formal black tuxedo rather than his modern purple-and-red ensemble) and Malik (in a teal overcoat that reminded Asbel of a duke) appeared with Sophie. The young lieutenant was not amused. "Speaking of tardiness, you are all going to be late for the ball. Sophie, if you see my brother, here is his invitation..."

"But he's sitting right there," said Sophie, pointing at the long-haired woman sitting next to Cheria.

Hubert's glasses slipped off the bridge of his nose as he stared wide-eyed at Asbel. Malik, as well, before he broke into a guffaw. Hubert was compelled to snicker as well.

"Hey! Stop it, you two!" Asbel said, cheeks on fire.

"That...is a brilliant disguise," said Hubert in between gasps of air. "Cheria, you are a genius."

"Why thank you," said Cheria, standing up and curtseying in her dark blue dress, complimented with a short light blue bolero and skirt.

"And that little contraption is like you said in the letters?" asked Malik.

"Yup."

Pascal quickly programmed the gadget at Hubert's impatience grew, and when it was secured around his neck, his disguise was almost complete. "Say something, Asbel," said Pascal.

"Umm...hello?" he said, his voice coming out gentle and feminine - somewhere between the pleasing tones of Cheria's girly voice and Fourier's womanly one.

"Astonishing," said Hubert. "It appears to be that I have an older sister now. And here I thought having one was already unbearable as it is."

Cheria glared at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing. Here is your invitation, Asbel - and from now onwards, you shall be known as Aveline Bryant."

"Bryant? Mom's maiden name?"

"I thought that posing as a cousin would improve your chances at deceiving the King. You are, after all, one of the worst liars I've ever come across."

Asbel frowned. "Gee, thanks a lot, Hubert."

"Now that everyone is ready, it's time to leave. His Majesty should arrive at the ballroom any minute."

Cheria handed Asbel the last piece of his disguise - his mask - before they exited the room. It was a masquerade ball - which made Asbel's job easier, but also made the assassin's job easier as well. But as he slipped the mask over his head to cover his upper face, Asbel was determined to protect Richard, even at the cost of his life and dignity.

Richard Windor, sitting at the three throne-like seats prepared for him, the President and Chancellor Eigen, scanned the ballroom for familiar faces just as the speeches ended and the music began. He spotted Sophie first of all, with her extremely long lilac hair and he noticed that Cheria was there with her as well, after closer scrutiny.

Malik, in his formidable height, stood above the crowd, but he seemed to be patrolling the dance floor. He couldn't fathom why, but Malik was always very cautious. It was a trait of his that made him such a good mentor.

Hubert was not too far from the President, and he was already dancing with the President's beautiful dark-skinned daughter. He was flustered, but Richard knew he had his eyes on someone else. Now, if only that someone else would dance with him - he wasn't even sure if she knew how.

Pascal was near the punch table, eating as much of the delicacies as she could (as some of them were made of bananas). He hoped that she would not overeat or it would be disastrous. He stood up, ready to speak to his friends. "Excuse me, honoured sirs, for I would like to have a dance as well. Will you join me?"

"Oh, no, these aged bones are far too old to be twirling about like you youngsters," said Chancellor Eigen.

"Go on, Richard," said the President.

Richard nodded, and took leave with a flair of his cape. He was in a regal attire, dressed in a green overcoat - the colour of Windor - and fitting trousers and boots. Of course, he had a golden mask covering half his face, reminding him of his days as 'Masque de Barona'. Passing by the noblewomen batting their eyelids at him, he went straight to Sophie and Cheria, disappointing them.

"Sophie, Cheria," he said.

"Aww," said Sophie with a frown. "Richard found out."

Cheria giggled. Sophie did always stand out from the rest. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Have you seen Asbel?" asked Richard. He was looking forward to seeing Asbel - at least he had a companion to talk to, which would make the ball a lot less boring.

"Oh...he uh...couldn't come. He's taking care of Lady Kerri in Lhant."

"Really?" asked Richard. Even without looking at his whole face, Cheria could tell he was disappointed. "How regrettable. Still...no matter. I have two beautiful ladies here, and I would like to know if one of you would honour me with a dance?"

Cheria smiled and pushed Sophie towards him. "This would be good practice for Sophie," she said. "But Sophie, remember not to step on his shoes okay? Do it like we practiced."

Sophie nodded, and took Richard's hand. She felt relieved - not too long ago she would feel strange by just touching him, and now they were able to hold hands - just like when they made that friendship pact.

Richard led Sophie into a slow waltz, and despite their height difference, Sophie easily moved with him. Perhaps it was part of her inner grace and agility. Although he couldn't imagine her stepping on his feet - it must've been painful for Cheria. Or Asbel...if he had any part in her practice...

As they twirled, Richard saw at the corner of his eye that Hubert had finally summoned the courage to ask Pascal to dance with him, and she was stepping on his feet rather frequently. Although in pain, Hubert seemed to be enjoying her company, as evidenced by the stupid grin on his face.

Cheria was not partner-less for long, and soon the hawk-eyed Malik had already asked her for a dance. She seemed relieved as well, since she was very shy despite her confident countenance. But Asbel was nowhere to be seen...

Of course he's nowhere to be seen. He's not here.

"You're a very good dancer, Sophie," said Richard as the music changed and several pairs began breaking up to get refreshments or resume chatting without spinning around in circles.

"Thank you," said Sophie with a smile. "Asbel said I improved a lot. I'm glad, because I got to dance in the end."

"You should dance some more. Why don't you ask Malik if he'll dance with you?"

"Okay," she said, and hurried to another end of the hall to where Malik and Cheria was. Richard checked his pocket watch. It read half past seven, and he breathed out a sigh.

It's going to be a long, boring night...

Asbel watched as Richard walked back up the stairs to the 'throne' area. Even with a mask, he knew it was Richard. Even after years of separation, he would always be able to tell Richard apart from the rest.

Richard walked with a regal flair, confident and elegant, and Asbel had always admired Richard for that. A small tinge of jealousy tugged at his heart as he stared at the floor, leaning against an ornate pillar. He wanted to be there by Richard's side; to tell him of the things that happened recently, and to talk about the latest swords made by the master smith of Barona...

It's just one night. Just be patient.

"What are you doing here?" asked Cheria, startling him out of his reverie.

"Cheria!" he exclaimed in his womanly voice.

"You're supposed to be near Richard. Why don't you go there and ask him for a dance or something?"

"You know I can't do that. I thought it's the guys that have to ask the girls for a dance."

"Asbel...you are such a chivalrous..." Cheria began, but after looking over Asbel's shoulder, changed her tone. "...King Richard!"

Asbel turned around, and sure enough, there was Richard standing before him. He was glad he did not wear high heels, because then he would be the same height as the tall King, which was odd for a woman.

"Hello again, Cheria. I believe I haven't been introduced to your lovely friend here."

Cheria had to fight against her will to prevent herself from laughing. "Oh, that's right. This is um...Lady Aveline Bryant. She's uh...Asbel's cousin."

"I can see the resemblance," said Richard, making both Asbel and Cheria uneasy. But before they could say anything else, Richard took Asbel's hand in his and kissed the back of Asbel's hand, sending a chill down both Asbel and Cheria's spines.

"Y...Your Majesty -" said Asbel.

"Pleased to meet you, Lady Aveline. I am Richard, and there's no need to address me so formally."

Cheria grinned and turned towards the punch table. "I'm going to have a drink now, so...enjoy yourselves!"

"Cheria, wait -" Asbel protested, but the girl was already gone. His eyes narrowed. She can be really quick if she wanted to be.

"So, Lady Aveline...would you care to dance?" asked Richard, holding out his hand. Asbel gulped. It was now or never, and it was too late to turn back.

"Yes, I'd...love to."

It was not much of a mystery as to why Richard was compelled to meet this woman. First, she was rather tall for a woman - he didn't know if she wore high heels beneath that long skirt of hers. Two, she was a beautiful woman, with long, slightly wavy burgundy hair cascading over her shoulders and back and slightly tanned skin - well, as much as he could tell from her exposed collar, half of her face and her hands. Three, she was dressed in something Cheria had once asked him for opinions for (when she had to de-stress during saving the world journeys, she sketched dresses) and he knew that this woman must be acquainted to Cheria to an extent.

Finally, and most obviously too, was because she resembled Asbel. Of course, Asbel never mentioned that he had relatives that looked like him, but then again, relatives never really think they resemble each other, even though they do.

'Aveline' picked up her long skirt as they moved towards the dance floor, her dress an elaborate and elegant white filled with light blue and green details and a dainty little blue bow complimenting her hair and Richard was getting more and more interested in this woman.

"So, Lady Aveline..." he began as they moved to the music.

"Please, just call me Aveline."

"Aveline, then. How are your parents?"

Asbel bit his lower lip. Uncle Bernard and Aunt Mathilda were well, the last time he met them. But he was pretty sure Richard had never met them - his mother's family was of very distant nobility. "Oh, they're doing very fine. Thank you for asking."

They fell into another awkward silence, and Asbel refused to meet his eyes - afraid that those large blue irises of his would blow his cover. Besides, with Richard's hand over the back of his waist, it was rather uncomfortable, to say the least.

But why is my heart beating like mad?

"I'm sorry if I'm not a good host."

"Oh no, you're not. I'm honoured to be in your presence."

"You flatter me."

Asbel smiled, and this earned a smile from Richard as well. He kept Cheria's words in his mind - 'If you don't know what to do or say, just do it or say it like how I would'.

"It's just..." Asbel began. "It's the first time I've been to Yu Liberte. It's a beautiful place that just...takes my breath away."

Richard's smile grew. "Yes, Yu Liberte does that to some people. Including myself, actually. But I still prefer Windor. I can't help but be a little biased to my own country. What about you?"

"Of course. I love Windor, it's my homeland."

"Okay...so what's your favourite place in Windor?"

Asbel didn't need to lie to answer him. "Lhant," he answered. "There's this hill that overlooks the ocean, and filled with sopherias..."

"I know that hill," said Richard fondly. "How did you come across it?"

"Oh...Asbel...he took me there when I was little. Hubert was always against us wandering alone, but Asbel was...persistent."

"He certainly is."

Asbel looked up, eyes finally meeting Richard's hazel irises. He felt like those eyes - like swirling pools of honey - could drown him, and so he turned elsewhere again. "You...you sound like Asbel is very dear to you."

"He is," Richard said simply, making Asbel blush. "When he was young - I'm sure you're aware of this - he was quite the troublemaker. I was twelve when I visited Lhant for the first time. You wouldn't believe this, but he broke into my room when his father clearly told him not to - and he dragged me all the way to Lhant Hill just to show me...the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen in my life."

Asbel smiled. "That sounds like something he would do."

"We were attacked after that, and I actually fell off the cliff. If it wasn't for Asbel...and Sophie's quick reflexes, I wouldn't be here and alive. They saved my life, and we made a friendship pact, right at that tree at the end of the cliff."

"The three of you must be really good friends."

"We are," said Richard with a smile, remembering all the events that the three of them had to go through. "We will always be good friends."

Asbel felt glad, but deep down inside, he wondered - for how long could he stay by Richard's side before he had to eventually assume the role of Lord of Lhant?

"Enough about my stories...what about you? Do you have anything interesting to share with me?"

"Oh, no...my stories are nowhere near interesting."

"Humour me."

Asbel racked his brains. Deception was not an easy job. Think like Cheria...think like Cheria... "Well...when I first came to Lhant, Asbel ran off to Lhant Hill with Hubert without me, when I had promised Cheria that we would all go together when she was better. He picked some sopherias out of guilt...and he gave me one to make up for his mistake. It's the first sopheria I ever got, so I pressed it, and made it a bookmark."

Richard listened to her, and strangely felt a tinge of envy. It must be nice to be related to him. At least she can visit him as much as she likes.

"You must like reading then."

Asbel pressed his lips together. Well, reading's more of Hubert's thing, actually... "Yes, I do."

"What other things do you like?"

Asbel racked his brains again. "Well...I like sopherias," Sophie does. "And cooking," Cheria does. "And collecting cryas," Pascal does...I think. "And singing." The Captain is good at that.

"Singing?" asked Richard incredulously. "If that's the case, why don't we step outside to the balcony? I'd like to hear you sing."

Asbel looked mortified as Richard broke the dance, slowly leading him away from the crowd. Even with this voice, I'm sure I'm still tone-deaf. "No!" he exclaimed, stopping at the doorway. "No, you do not want to hear my singing. It's awful."

Richard laughed, which only made Asbel blush harder. "You are really something else, do you know that?" he said.

Asbel kept silent, not knowing how to react to that. Richard once said that he was different from the other people he's ever met. Even when they were children.

"I get that a lot," said Asbel with a smile.

"I'm sorry," said Richard. "I didn't mean to offend you..."

Cheria left him one last advice: if all else fails, just be yourself. "No, I'm not offended. I am strange, at least to my peers."

"Why do you say that?"

Asbel was startled by his question, but quickly reminded himself that he was Aveline Bryant, not Asbel Lhant. "I guess...I'm just not a normal girl, that's all," he replied lamely, keeping his cover closed.

"To tell you the truth, I'm not very normal myself," Richard said. Having said that, there's always one man who would always believe in me...

"That makes two of us, then," 'she' said, as they were walking towards the balcony.

They continued talking about many things, about swords ('she' said it was because her father had a collection), Lhant and many other things that they - surprisingly, or not - had in common.

Richard turned to face 'her', and suddenly felt a little strange. Here 'she' was, a perfectly beautiful woman - someone whom he could have such a lengthy conversation and dance with; someone he could possibly marry - but yet he knew his feelings were for someone else, that person just didn't know it.

Then...why am feeling nervous around her?

"It's a beautiful night tonight, isn't it?" 'she' asked.

When was it that he realized his deep, powerful feelings towards Asbel? Truthfully, he always thought of Asbel as a good friend when they were children, but his desire to see the lad only grew stronger once they returned to their original lives. He even snuck into the Knight Academy to see him - but he was never sure if Asbel ever wanted to see him again - after all, it was partly his fault that Sophie 'died' back then.

But with every hidden encounter, Richard's longing for Asbel grew. At first it was just simply wanting to have his friend back at his side, to support him through the tough times under the oppression of his Uncle Cedric and the expectations of his dying father. It grew into a desperate loneliness, which was why Lambda got to him in the first place.

After that fateful day in the Barona Catacombs, it was like Asbel never left. His warmth and friendliness shone through his smile and his touch, and his loyalty exuded from the determination of his blade to protect Richard from any foe. Even after Lambda, no, after all that he had done to his people, and to the people of Ephinea, Asbel always considered him a friend - and was always his ally. Always.

"Richard?"

Pushed back into reality with a jolt, he turned to 'Aveline'. "I'm sorry...this is embarrassing. I seem to have spaced out for a moment."

'She' smiled at him - an honest grin without any façade; the mystery that was 'her' face hidden beneath her mask. He felt curious - wondering what 'she' looked like beneath it...

"What were you thinking about? You seem troubled, even though you just signed a peace treaty."

"I have some things on my mind," he replied. "Truthfully, I wish Asbel was here tonight. It feels a bit...I don't know...dreary without him."

He saw 'her' eyes widen momentarily, as if surprised. Then 'she' asked, "You hold him in such high regard...don't you?"

"Of course. He was my first ever real friend. In a life-or-death situation, he's the only person I can count on. Had it not been for him, I...don't think I can be the King that I am today. He makes me smile in the darkest hour, and protects me from whatever evil trying to harm me, inside or out. If there was any better word for it, I think we were made for each other."

Asbel blinked. The words came from Richard's mouth with such honesty. Is that how he really thinks about me? I had no idea I was...that important to him.

"Do you have someone like that, Aveline?"

He looked up at Richard's slightly taller self, his heart racing faster that he thought it would. "I..." he began, feeling anxious as Richard stared at him intently, his face coming closer as they stood by the balcony. "I don't know..."

His breath tickled against Asbel's face as the younger lad felt his face burning up in the desert night. The moonlight bathed Richard in a silver glow, making him more ethereal than he already was. "May I..."

What's he gonna do? Don't tell me he's gonna kiss me! That's insane! I should step back...but maybe not...wait, I'm not supposed to feel this way!

"May I take off your mask? I'm really curious as to how you look like," he said, his voice lowered and almost hushed, sending a thrill down Asbel's spine at that proximity. The King's gloved finger was already on the sides of his mask and sliding it upwards...

"Wait, no!" Asbel said quickly, grabbing hold of Richard's wrist with tremendous force. When he realised what he did, he let go and Richard withdrew his hand, shaking it slightly.

She's unusually strong for a woman...that hurt.

"I mean...you can't!" Asbel said again, unusually high-pitched even for Pascal's contraption, and quickly turned around to head back inside. He fumbled to readjust the mask as he did so, and heard Richard a few steps behind him.

CLICK!

"I'm sorry, Aveline, I didn't mean to..." Richard began, but a whizzing sound caught their attention. Asbel hurried to Richard's side and pulled him downwards mere miliseconds before a poisoned dagger flew out from the darkness and onto the wall.

"Damn, they're already here!" Asbel cursed under his breath. Richard was about to get up, but the well-dressed woman had done so before him, and reached between the folds of her skirt to pull out a sword.

An assassin leapt from the rooftop, landing a few feet near them, and charged towards them with throwing daggers in his fingers. Asbel deflected them with his blade, and as the assassin jumped into the air and flipped before producing a ninja blade to decapitate Richard, the Knight had parried against the attack.

"Over my dead body!" he yelled, pushing the assailant back.

Asbel charged forward and delivered a powerful sideways slash with brilliant lights flashing and knocked the assailant into a dizzy state, before delivering three consecutive kicks - in a dress - which sent him flying towards the end of the balcony.

Another assailant came from behind, and Asbel turned around and slammed the assassin's head with the end of his scabbard before delivering a series of powerful slashes and kicks.

The third assassin came from behind Richard, and once Asbel saw him, charged forward so quickly he seemed to disappear into thin air, and a series of slashes later, Asbel delivered one powerful final slash before skidding to a stop and sheathing his sword whilst kneeling beneath the full moon.

Soldiers began to run up towards the chaos and Asbel rushed to Richard's side. "Richard, are you okay?" he asked, still in his disguise.

Richard's eyes widened in disbelief at the person who had just saved his life. There's no one else who fights like that...

"Asbel...?"

The Knight gasped, realising that his cover had been blown. He turned on his heel and ran back into the building just as the soldiers began securing the perimeter. He ran past Malik, Hubert, Sophie, Pascal and Cheria, who tried calling out to him but failed.

Richard turned to the doorway the redhead disappeared to with a weight in his heart.

Asbel...

The chaos was averted, and to say the least - the party was over for the night. The military had to issue a formal apology (to Hubert's dismay) and the guests were escorted back to their hotel with an assurance that extra security will be provided around Yu Liberte.

Malik had confirmed the identity of the three assassins - the same ones who wanted Richard dead back in Windor. How they got through the tight security around the city was another mystery, but they were arrested and apparently worked only in that small number of three.

Richard was surprised that nobody informed him of such a threat on his life, but Malik explained that it was Asbel who didn't want him to know. "He didn't want you to worry," the Captain said.

"He knew that you've been under a lot of stress," said Cheria. "He's a bit dense, but I know that he really cares about you."

A sigh escaped Richard's lips. You didn't need to keep anything from me...

The night had quieted down, but Asbel was still in his guest room; Cheria's dress already tossed over a chair together with the wig, ribbons, shoes and mask, his make up removed with a generous amount of soap and whatever else he could find in the bathroom, and Pascal's choker placed atop the small round table. He was dressed in a pair of trousers and a green long-sleeved shirt, looking at the ceiling with embarrassment and regret.

Why the hell did I listen to them? Now I've just made a complete idiot out of myself...

"Doesn't matter what you were disguised as. Maybe all you wanted to know how he really felt about you." Lambda suggested.

That's crazy talk! He's a man - and a King, no less! Richard's my friend, I'm not supposed to feel anything towards him!

"But you enjoyed it, didn't you? Even if it was for a while."

"Shut up!" Asbel yelled, sitting up and grabbing his head. "I am not about to destroy my friendship with him, and my dignity as a man - by agreeing with you!"

"Fine, continue your denial if that makes you happy."

He groaned. He had conflicting thoughts regarding Richard, but none with severe accusations. Lambda was only adding oil to the fire.

A terse knock rapped at his door. "Asbel?"

He cursed inwardly. It was Richard, and he was only a few feet away, obscured by a wooden door. "Asbel, I know you're inside. Open the door, we need to talk."

The redhead kept silent, sitting cross-legged and ready to jump out the window (it was the 4th floor!) at a moment's notice. He would rather sustain a fracture than face Richard right now.

Richard was persistent, and he continued knocking and pleading for Asbel to come out; but nobody knew tenacity like Asbel Lhant did, and after a good ten minutes, the knocking stopped and Asbel breathed a sigh of relief.

Lambda did not bother him after that, and he laid back down on the bed to try and push the irrational thoughts out of his mind. Just as he was about to fall asleep, there was another knock at the door.

"Asbel? I brought you some food. Cheria thought you might be hungry so she made curry."

It was Sophie, he realised. Judging by the rumbling of his stomach, a plate of curry and rice sounded like a pretty good idea. He walked on over to the door to let the little girl in.

But when he opened the door...

"Ri...Richard!" he exclaimed. An identical copy of Pascal's choker was around Richard's neck, and there was a tray with curry rice in his left hand. The King quickly blocked the door with his right hand.

"Asbel, we need to talk," he said, in Sophie's voice.

The younger lad frowned and retreated back into the room, sitting down on a chair. This was about to be unpleasant, but it had to be done. Richard closed the door behind him and placed the tray on the round table. After taking a seat, he pulled the choker off his neck before continuing. "Cheria made this for you."

"I'm not hungry."

"Asbel..."

"Look," Asbel said, refusing to look at Richard. "I'm really...really embarrased now, okay? So just...say what you want to say and just leave. You're probably here to laugh at me, aren't you?"

Richard stood up, and the next thing Asbel felt was satin-like fabric with ruffles against his cheek, and a pair of strong arms around his neck.

"You have no idea how glad I am that 'Aveline' was really you, Asbel."

Asbel felt like his breath was stuck in his throat. He was almost afraid to ask, "Why?" but did it anyway.

"Because for a moment, I thought I could fall for this made-up cousin of yours," Richard replied with a relieved grin. "Of course, I was really surprised to see you in a dress..."

Asbel pushed him away. "Go on, laugh."

Richard snickered, unable to hold back after all. Asbel frowned, before taking the curry rice and eating it - he was really hungry, after all. "Asbel, why did you resort to cross-dressing to protect me?"

"Don't ask me, it was Captain Malik's idea!"

Richard laughed again. He could be so silly sometimes. "Asbel, Captain Malik was just teasing you. But given the circumstances, I bet Cheria just jumped at the chance to dress you up and everyone just went along with it because they thought it'd be amusing."

"I bet it was," Asbel said in between mouthfuls. "Now that you have your laugh, I suggest you return to your chambers. I don't really want to talk about this anymore."

"No, as your King, I'm permitted to do as I please. I'm going to sit here and wait until you finish your meal so we can talk."

Asbel was not happy with this, but complied anyway. After chewing his last spoonful, he set the dish back onto the tray. "There. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"You're...aware of all the things I said about you, am I right?"

The redhead blushed. "Y...Yeah."

Richard smiled at his endearing reaction. "Well, I meant every word I said. I don't know why it took me so long to realise it."

Asbel looked puzzled. "Realise...what?"

Oh dear heavens, he is a hopeless case.

Deciding that using words would never get the message across, Richard boldly reached across and grabbed Asbel's shoulders firmly, before their lips were sealed in a kiss. On instict, Asbel tried to resist him, but he found himself powerless against Richard, and his own will.

When they broke apart, Richard was still able to taste the curry that Cheria made, and gave his lips a quick lick. "That's what I realised. And I wanted you to know that...I love you, Asbel Lhant."

Asbel stared at him with an expression in between flustered surprise and utmost horror, his heart beating so quickly it could just jump right out of his chest. "B...But Richard, you're a guy! And you...you're the King! And...and I'M a guy!"

Richard's hand (which was gloveless this time) reached out to hold his chin. "Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't feel the same way. If you do that, I will leave and pretend this never happened," he said, his voice in a grave tone.

A gulp. Those hazel eyes had mysterious powers, he had to admit. Richard knew he would never lie, not even to save his own skin, so he was unable to do anything but stare at Richard - waiting for a response.

"You can't, can you?"

"What do you expect me to say? I dressed up as a woman to protect you from danger, only to have you find out, and then you come up to my room at this ungodly hour to kiss me and tell me you love me!" Asbel exclaimed in disbelief.

"You're too thick-skulled when it comes to subtle feelings like these. I had to do what was necessary," Richard said with a smirk. He knew Asbel felt the same way - it was written all over his bewildered expression.

Asbel's eyes twitched. "Richard..."

"Yes, Asbel?"

The younger lad grabbed the King's collar with both his hands. "You're crazy if you think I'm going to play along with this. You KNOW this isn't going to work."

"I'm not asking you to keep it a secret."

"That's not what I meant!"

"Asbel," he said, pulling Asbel's hands off his collar. "Can you just forget about everything else for a moment?" He took Asbel's left hand in his and placed it over the younger man's chest. "Just...listen to your heart. Tell me what I want to hear. Tell me what I know you've been trying to tell me."

"I don't know, this is all so crazy..."

"Do it."

Asbel sighed, and closed his eyes as his cheeks reddened. "This is nuts, and I blame you for it. I...I...I love you too, okay? You've been driving me insane ever since I saw you again in the Barona Catacombs...even after the whole Lambda thing...I still believe you. I still want to be your friend, right there by your side."

"And you are. You always have been, and you probably always will," said Richard, stroking his cheek. "You are my everything...and I want you to know that you can count on me, for anything."

Asbel did not resist when Richard leaned in to kiss him again, and this time Richard allowed himself to passionately savour the young Knight's lips and mouth. Asbel tensed and relaxed in intervals at the King's touch, but eventually he responded, leaving with a soft moan as their lips parted.

"Do you want me to return to my chambers now?" asked Richard, smirking.

Damn, he's handsome when he does that...

Asbel's cheeks turned redder, right to the tips of his ears. "You're the King," was his ambiguous reply.

Richard's smirk grew wider as he planted a kiss on Asbel's forehead.

"If you say so."

Sophie was dressed in a pair of white pyjamas, seated between Cheria and Pascal as the former was looking out the window and the latter was looking at an Amarcian contraption with a screwdriver.

"There's something I don't understand," she said.

"And that is?" asked Cheria, turning her full attention to the girl.

"If Asbel's mission was really just to protect Richard...why did he have to dress up like a girl?"

Pascal waved her screwdriver like a wand. "I think I can answer that!"

"You can?" asked Cheria, sceptical of Pascal's claim.

"Yeah. I was talking to the Captain and I asked him the same question. He said that he was just joking, but you and Asbel took it so seriously. Asbel could have done a pretty good job as a regular male bodyguard."

Cheria frowned at first, but then smiled. "Hee hee, at least it gave us a chance to see him in a dress."

"Oh, and the Captain also said that there was too much sexual tension between Asbel and Richard, so maybe this cross-dressing thing was the perfect solution."

"S...Sexual tension?" Cheria almost screamed. "B...but they're both...they're both MEN!"

"C'mon, Cheria, it ain't wrong for a man to love another man. It's the same love, after all. I mean, I'm a girl and I love love love Sophie! Isn't that right, Sophie?" she asked, hugging the girl in pigtails.

Cheria was entering a state of panic, and it only escalated as Sophie asked, "Cheria, what's 'sexual tension'?"

"It's something only adults should talk about," she quickly answered Sophie. "Pascal, that's NOT the kind of love Malik was talking about."

"It's not?"

Cheria sighed, feeling a vein throbbing across her head. If this cross-dressing scenario did play out to release their so-called 'sexual tension', then Windor was in for trouble.

Big trouble.

THE END

A/n: The only AU part of this story is that 1) Cheria no longer has a crush on Asbel after 7 years apart; and 2) Asbel does not become Lord of Lhant immediately. I'm sorry if the story is a bit OOC - I haven't exactly finished the game yet, and I'm not familiar with writing yaoi (this is my first full-length yaoi romance, I believe). And this is also partly inspired by Once Upon A Time by little rosebud.

I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Please review! It'll do great for my self-esteem and future (Tales of Graces) writing projects.