The sky was cloudless and an endless blue. The park was calm and still. There was a large pond, lying underneath the rows of Cherry Blossom trees. The blossoms floated down to earth, as drifts of pink snow. At the end of the pond was a park bench, painted green with the words 'R.I.P - Rest In Park' engraved on the back of it. Sitting in this chair, with a packet of sliced bread by his side, was the 1st Knight himself: Phantom. He was smiling softly to himself. He threw a piece of bread into the water. A pair of ducks paddled up to it to eat it. Phantom watched them in extreme interest.
"Yes, my ducks... Come to me... And you shall have ultimate power!" he muttered.
"Quack!" said the ducks. Phantom laughed.
"Yes, my ducks... That is quite true..."
Phantom chucked another piece of bread at them. "Feed. Eat, my ducks, eat the flesh of that wheat." He went quiet in thought.
"Phantom? What are you doing out here?" A girly voice asked. Phantom glanced over his shoulder. Rolan stood there, looking concerned.
"Ah! Rolan my boy! I'm recruiting new Chess to replace..." his voice trailed off. Rolan sighed. He walked over and sat next to him.
"Phantom... They're just ducks. They can't fight," he said.
"You're wrong!" Phantom snapped. "They're pure evil!"
Rolan went silent. The evil General didn't seem himself lately... Ever since Peta died. Rolan hated seeing Phantom like this, it made him want to cry.
"Phantom... I know you miss Peta but..." Rolan started. Phantom whacked Rolan around the head.
"How dare you mention that betrayer around me!" he shouted. The ducks took fright and fled. Phantom growled. "Now look at what happened! Where will I get new Chess now?"
Rolan threw his arms around Phantom.
"Please! Phantom, stop this! You're depressing me," he said. Phantom hugged him back.
"You'll stay by my side, won't you?" he asked Rolan softly.
"Of course I will!" Rolan replied.
"You'll never ever betray me," Phantom said under his breath.
"Please, Phantom can you get over Peta?" Rolan asked. Phantom hid the sadness that stabbed his heart.
"I don't think I can ever get over him, Rolan," he said in a strained voice, "Guys like him are hard to find nowadays."
Rolan frowned. "I know you can get down about this... But you need to be strong. Peta wouldn't want you to become weak..."
Phantom growled.
"I am not weak! How dare you say that!" he shouted, standing to his feet. Rolan fell forward and landed in a heap on the concrete path. Phantom looked down at Rolan in disgust. "You are the only weak one here, Rolan. You have great power and yet, you never use it. Why just injure someone when you could kill them in one blow?"
Rolan rubbed his head and sat up.
"That's not being weak! Being weak is when you're so up yourself that when you do lose, you give up on life!" he exclaimed in a wobbly voice. "Being strong is when you except change and live with it! So what if I lost? So what if I should've destroyed Alviss when I had a chance... So what?"
Phantom looked stricken be Rolan's powerful words. Rolan was panting for breath as he stood to his feet.
"At least I didn't give up! At least I continued to believe in the Chess! At least I'm not trying to recruit ducks!" he ranted. Phantom hung his head.
"You're right, Rolan."
Rolan's eyes widened in shock and his mouth gaped like a fish.
"I'm... I'm right?" he stammered. Phantom looked up and smiled.
"Thank you Rolan... I lost myself in grief... You are right. I shouldn't give up just because Peta's dead..." as he said this, tears sprung to his eyes. "Even though my heart is shattered, Peta wouldn't want me to be lost in grief..." He laughed and slapped Rolan's shoulder. "I am weak. You are the strongest boy I know... It's not about power; it's about love and hope."
Rolan beamed up at Phantom, blushing slightly. Phantom sighed and looked out across the pond.
"There used to be lots of ducks here..." he said dreamily. "Peta and I used to come here when we wanted a break from the world..." He laughed as happy memories flooded back. "When we had just met, Peta and I came here together. He made me laugh when he caught duck after duck to drain their blood... I dared him to drink it once... He said it was too sour for his liking..."
Rolan continued to smile. "That's good. You should remember all the good times and leave out all the rest. He has taken his beating and shared what he made... But now his time has come and gone and now it's time to move on..." he said sweetly.
"You're quoting a song, aren't you?" Phantom laughed. Rolan laughed and nodded.
"Yeah... One of my favourites..." he replied. Phantom wrapped his arm around Rolan's shoulders.
"Maybe I should listen more closely to that song... For Peta's sake," he said as he led Rolan away from the pond.
"When my time comes;
Forget the wrong that I've done,
Help me leave behind some,
Reasons to be missed.
Don't resent me,
And when you're feeling empty,
Keep me in your memories,
Leave out all the rest...
Leave out all the rest." - Leave Out All The Rest, Linkin Park, Minutes To Midnight.
In memory of Peta,
His evil vampire-grin will
Surely be missed.