Eien ni Ai (Forever Love)
Episode One--
Shifting beneath the glaring gaze of the sun, Glenn watched with mild amusement with his head at a slight angle as children not much younger than him in age crossed the span of a few acres in a game of tag. It was watching them and hearing the varying pitches of their laughter that he realized how ancient he felt on the inside. Innocence was more often than not a state of mind, and if that was the case Glenn had had his stolen a long time ago.
It was the familiar weight of a hand against his shoulder that caused him to finally look up, and against the sun's glare he saw the outline of Cyrus' face, blonde hair falling before his eyes.
"Are you ready to go, Glenn?" He asked the younger man, removing his hand from his shoulder and instead sweeping those locks of gold out of the way of his emerald eyes. Glenn gave a mute nod, his eyes tarrying a moment longer on the scene that lay before him before turning and following the knight-to-be down the grassy slope of a hill that led towards the road.
After a moment of silence, Cyrus slowed in his footsteps to match his friend's pace, looking at him with concern written across his face. "Glenn...you are never this quiet, I thought you would be happy about the ceremony, or at least for me."
"I am happy, Cyrus...I just..."
"You just...?"
With reluctance, he heaved a sigh and finally relayed to Cyrus that which had been upsetting him for quite some time, ever since word of the 'ceremony' had first reached his ears.
"Becoming a knight is a big deal, Cyrus....I don't suppose I have to tell you that much..."
"No...you do not. I have worked very hard for this..."
"And I'm really proud of you!" Glenn stopped his progression toward the road all together and turned, regarding his friend with an equal amount of hidden despair and excitement. "I know you've worked for this forever but..."
"But?"
Glenn lowered his eyes, as if to admit such a thing was a disgrace. "But I'm afraid for you."
It was Cyrus's almost surprised chuckle that made Glenn feel as though he must justify himself. "It's not funny Cyrus! Being a knight means your life isn't your own anymore; it's the king's...and it means you could die--"
"Glenn..." Cyrus spoke gently, though cutting him off. "Do you have faith in me?"
"Yes..."
"Do you believe me when I say no one will ever be able to take my life without a fight on my part?"
Glenn managed a vague nod, keeping his eyes averted. Cyrus laughed softly and ruffled Glenn's sandy-brown hair.
"I would not have pursued my dream of becoming a knight if I did not believe I had what it takes to survive, more...to flourish as one. You helped me realize what I am capable of...I owe all of this to you, and I am not going to let you down. So would please stop worrying?"
"Uh...huh..." Finally relenting, Glenn sighed. "But that doesn't mean that when you leave I won't be worried about you..."
"If you are so worried about that, then why don't you come with me?"
The younger man's head jerked up, his eyes studying Cyrus's face with a cautious hope. "I...I can do that?"
"Train under me as a squire, Glenn...I would be obliged if you would accompany me. Life is always better when experienced with a friend."
"Ne...Thank you, Cyrus!" He dared to reach up and wrap his arms loosely around the older man's neck in a hug. Looking a bit thrown off at first, Cyrus soon smiled and reached up with one hand to pat Glenn's back.
"It is not going to be a leisure trip, Glenn. Please...keep that in mind."
"I know...and I don't care..." As long as I'm allowed to stand by you...the last part, added mentally, almost slipped from his lips, yet he somehow managed to keep from saying it. He released his friend's neck and took a step backward, bowing his head enough so that his hair was able to hide the soft pink that was rising in his cheeks.
"Shall we go?"
"Indeed." Cyrus nodded, and once again resumed his walk toward the forest, which bordered the castle. Most castles utilized trenches filled with water, otherwise known as moats, to protect it from the possibility of an attack, yet this castle's protection was in the form of a leafy forest which bred its fair share of monsters. One traveling alone would do well to heed the sign posted just inside the entrance of the forest and be wary of hostile creatures, but with a bit of caution one could make it through relatively unscathed. It was when large armies, of human blood or otherwise, tried to penetrate the forest that it was the most difficult to break through. The path was only wide enough to let three pass at a time, and those that strayed from the path soon found themselves face to face with those creatures that lurked in the dark. A far more useful protection than a moat, though it took hundreds of years to grow as large as it had.
Despite his knowledge of this, Glenn kept close to Cyrus's side, glancing about nervously from time to time. It was here that Cyrus rescued him from the children that regularly taunted and teased him. Glenn had been born prematurely, and because of this he was a bit behind the other children in growth and mental progression. He eventually caught up, and even surpassed some of the others when it came to intelligence, but for a long time his small size and slow wit made him an easy target.
Cyrus was his only friend for a long time, and arguably his only true friend still. Their friendship didn't always spare Glenn from taunts, but the children quickly learned that when Cyrus was around it was best to leave Glenn alone. Naturally Glenn found himself as Cyrus's shadow more often than not. Even to the point where he thought of him as more of a family than the woman who had given birth to him.
As they neared the palace, Glenn again felt Cyrus's hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see the knight give him a reassuring smile. There were no words exchanged to explain why Cyrus felt he needed to reassure Glenn, but there needn't be. At times their relationship exceeded the limitations of verbal communication. The squire felt his heart flutter a bit at that, but he couldn't explain why, nor did he really want to at the time.
Finally their feet hit the stone pathway that led up to the front gates of the palace, guarded diligently on either side by stern looking aged men, who could not help but regard Cyrus with a certain amount of contempt. Being only twenty-one, Cyrus had not yet proved himself to the older crowd, and yet at the same time he was too old and too experienced to find his place among the younger hopeful knights. Glenn knew that Cyrus was just as good, if not better, than the men that mentally degraded him, and he could not help but make a face back at the older man who scowled at them as they passed. Cyrus was too mature for such acts; Glenn blessed the day because he wasn't.
"Cyrus! Glenn!...You've arrived, good." The newly wedded Queen's elated voice met their ears as they stepped beyond the grand double doors that led into the hallway of the palace. She rushed down the red-carpeted steps to greet her newest knight and her youngest cousin. One of her slender arms surrounded the two of them simultaneously and hugged as tightly as she could, until her husband followed, chastising her on the danger of getting overexcited when you were royalty.
Queen Leene waved a hand, as if the words of the King were pesky flies floating about her head, and smiled, stepping back. "An enormous banquet has been prepared...I hope you're both hungry."
"Famished." Cyrus informed her with a slight nod of his head, a smile playing on his lips. Whenever Glenn watched the two of them together, he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that had Leene not been married to the King, she and Cyrus would be courting.
Leene nodded, accompanied by a dazzling smile. She waited until she caught her cousin's eyes to give a tiny wink before turning and leading them down the corridor to the left where the banquet hall was located.
Following in Cyrus's shadow, as he often did, Glenn's fingers found the smooth stone that made up the walls of the corridor. They were ever so slightly chilled to the touch, and yet somehow the castle managed to maintain a feel of warmth. Or perhaps...it was simply Cyrus's closeness that aided him in avoiding whatever chills the palace contained. This thought briefly flittered through Glenn's mind, but he quickly waved it away. It was one of many random thoughts, actions, and feelings that had recently begun to spring up without cause. And they all centered around Cyrus, why did his cheeks grow red whenever his long-time friend was around? It hindered him from feeling comfortable around Cyrus and had even led him to avoid him on occasion. It was frustrating, not being able to explain why he was torn between being at Cyrus's side every waking moment, and wanting to stay away for fear of those...feelings. For the time, however, he decided to push the confusion from his mind and just have fun. This was to celebrate Cyrus's success; it would be selfish to focus on himself.
The corridor emptied out into a large circular room, and immediately they were greeted by the heavy scents of meat and alcohol. It was decorated much like the ballroom, on a scale that was slightly less grand, yet more extravagant than ever a party held for the induction of a knight. But these were no ordinary knights; these were to be the five knights inducted into the Knights of the Square Table, a new legion that would plan and carry out the defense of the kingdom.
Looking around, Glenn managed to spot two more of them. Menne was an aged veteran who might have been slightly weaker than the younger, more able-bodied knights, but who made up for it with an incredible intelligence. He was a hardened man; prone to angry outbursts and mild shows of chauvinism, but a good man nonetheless. The other was Krysta. Only thirty years old, Krysta was the only woman who had ever held such rank as a knight. She was not immune to the sexist remarks she often got from the less mature soldiers, but she managed to hold her head high. For that Glenn respected her, he knew if he was in her place he would have turned and ran.
"Cyrus! I'm so awfully glad you're here." A feminine voice cooed, and Glenn and Cyrus's head turned almost in sync to find out to whom it belonged to. Sinuous as a panther, Lorelei wound through the sporadic crowd until she made her way over to Cyrus, one of her fingers curling around an ebony strand of hair. "I was afraid I had somehow missed you."
"No, I was simply running late..." Cyrus informed her, making a slight nod toward Glenn. "I had to locate Glenn before I came to the castle."
"Oh." She seemed a bit thrown off, glancing toward Glenn for a moment before returning her gray eyes to Cyrus. "Say...Cyrus, when are you going to stop babysitting? You can't possibly think that boy can tag along with you everywhere."
Glenn scowled, obviously wounded by the statement but speaking not a word to her. Instead he broke away from Cyrus and headed for the table where a number of wine glasses were lined up, as if on display. He no longer wanted to listen to their conversation, though he believed he thought he heard Cyrus say something along the lines of "Glenn is not a child, Lorelei...I do not change his diapers. He is a friend..."
He picked up an emerald colored glass and studied the ruby contents within, the odor it emitted was what Glenn would have called 'caustic fruit'. There was a bitter sweetness to it, that made his nose wrinkle in reaction. He had only once or twice drank before, and it took only a sip each time for him to learn that alcohol was not a taste that appealed to him. Even now he hesitated, with the glass held delicately in his hand and touched lightly to his lips.
His eyes strayed over in Cyrus's direction in time to see Lorelei let out an almost annoying laugh, playfully pushing on the knight's chest. Something told him he'd need that dulling of senses. Throwing his head back, he drank down the contents of the glass and set it back down on the table with a tiny clink, quickly hoisting another to his lips.
Something told him that he did not want to remember this night.
Episode One--
Shifting beneath the glaring gaze of the sun, Glenn watched with mild amusement with his head at a slight angle as children not much younger than him in age crossed the span of a few acres in a game of tag. It was watching them and hearing the varying pitches of their laughter that he realized how ancient he felt on the inside. Innocence was more often than not a state of mind, and if that was the case Glenn had had his stolen a long time ago.
It was the familiar weight of a hand against his shoulder that caused him to finally look up, and against the sun's glare he saw the outline of Cyrus' face, blonde hair falling before his eyes.
"Are you ready to go, Glenn?" He asked the younger man, removing his hand from his shoulder and instead sweeping those locks of gold out of the way of his emerald eyes. Glenn gave a mute nod, his eyes tarrying a moment longer on the scene that lay before him before turning and following the knight-to-be down the grassy slope of a hill that led towards the road.
After a moment of silence, Cyrus slowed in his footsteps to match his friend's pace, looking at him with concern written across his face. "Glenn...you are never this quiet, I thought you would be happy about the ceremony, or at least for me."
"I am happy, Cyrus...I just..."
"You just...?"
With reluctance, he heaved a sigh and finally relayed to Cyrus that which had been upsetting him for quite some time, ever since word of the 'ceremony' had first reached his ears.
"Becoming a knight is a big deal, Cyrus....I don't suppose I have to tell you that much..."
"No...you do not. I have worked very hard for this..."
"And I'm really proud of you!" Glenn stopped his progression toward the road all together and turned, regarding his friend with an equal amount of hidden despair and excitement. "I know you've worked for this forever but..."
"But?"
Glenn lowered his eyes, as if to admit such a thing was a disgrace. "But I'm afraid for you."
It was Cyrus's almost surprised chuckle that made Glenn feel as though he must justify himself. "It's not funny Cyrus! Being a knight means your life isn't your own anymore; it's the king's...and it means you could die--"
"Glenn..." Cyrus spoke gently, though cutting him off. "Do you have faith in me?"
"Yes..."
"Do you believe me when I say no one will ever be able to take my life without a fight on my part?"
Glenn managed a vague nod, keeping his eyes averted. Cyrus laughed softly and ruffled Glenn's sandy-brown hair.
"I would not have pursued my dream of becoming a knight if I did not believe I had what it takes to survive, more...to flourish as one. You helped me realize what I am capable of...I owe all of this to you, and I am not going to let you down. So would please stop worrying?"
"Uh...huh..." Finally relenting, Glenn sighed. "But that doesn't mean that when you leave I won't be worried about you..."
"If you are so worried about that, then why don't you come with me?"
The younger man's head jerked up, his eyes studying Cyrus's face with a cautious hope. "I...I can do that?"
"Train under me as a squire, Glenn...I would be obliged if you would accompany me. Life is always better when experienced with a friend."
"Ne...Thank you, Cyrus!" He dared to reach up and wrap his arms loosely around the older man's neck in a hug. Looking a bit thrown off at first, Cyrus soon smiled and reached up with one hand to pat Glenn's back.
"It is not going to be a leisure trip, Glenn. Please...keep that in mind."
"I know...and I don't care..." As long as I'm allowed to stand by you...the last part, added mentally, almost slipped from his lips, yet he somehow managed to keep from saying it. He released his friend's neck and took a step backward, bowing his head enough so that his hair was able to hide the soft pink that was rising in his cheeks.
"Shall we go?"
"Indeed." Cyrus nodded, and once again resumed his walk toward the forest, which bordered the castle. Most castles utilized trenches filled with water, otherwise known as moats, to protect it from the possibility of an attack, yet this castle's protection was in the form of a leafy forest which bred its fair share of monsters. One traveling alone would do well to heed the sign posted just inside the entrance of the forest and be wary of hostile creatures, but with a bit of caution one could make it through relatively unscathed. It was when large armies, of human blood or otherwise, tried to penetrate the forest that it was the most difficult to break through. The path was only wide enough to let three pass at a time, and those that strayed from the path soon found themselves face to face with those creatures that lurked in the dark. A far more useful protection than a moat, though it took hundreds of years to grow as large as it had.
Despite his knowledge of this, Glenn kept close to Cyrus's side, glancing about nervously from time to time. It was here that Cyrus rescued him from the children that regularly taunted and teased him. Glenn had been born prematurely, and because of this he was a bit behind the other children in growth and mental progression. He eventually caught up, and even surpassed some of the others when it came to intelligence, but for a long time his small size and slow wit made him an easy target.
Cyrus was his only friend for a long time, and arguably his only true friend still. Their friendship didn't always spare Glenn from taunts, but the children quickly learned that when Cyrus was around it was best to leave Glenn alone. Naturally Glenn found himself as Cyrus's shadow more often than not. Even to the point where he thought of him as more of a family than the woman who had given birth to him.
As they neared the palace, Glenn again felt Cyrus's hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see the knight give him a reassuring smile. There were no words exchanged to explain why Cyrus felt he needed to reassure Glenn, but there needn't be. At times their relationship exceeded the limitations of verbal communication. The squire felt his heart flutter a bit at that, but he couldn't explain why, nor did he really want to at the time.
Finally their feet hit the stone pathway that led up to the front gates of the palace, guarded diligently on either side by stern looking aged men, who could not help but regard Cyrus with a certain amount of contempt. Being only twenty-one, Cyrus had not yet proved himself to the older crowd, and yet at the same time he was too old and too experienced to find his place among the younger hopeful knights. Glenn knew that Cyrus was just as good, if not better, than the men that mentally degraded him, and he could not help but make a face back at the older man who scowled at them as they passed. Cyrus was too mature for such acts; Glenn blessed the day because he wasn't.
"Cyrus! Glenn!...You've arrived, good." The newly wedded Queen's elated voice met their ears as they stepped beyond the grand double doors that led into the hallway of the palace. She rushed down the red-carpeted steps to greet her newest knight and her youngest cousin. One of her slender arms surrounded the two of them simultaneously and hugged as tightly as she could, until her husband followed, chastising her on the danger of getting overexcited when you were royalty.
Queen Leene waved a hand, as if the words of the King were pesky flies floating about her head, and smiled, stepping back. "An enormous banquet has been prepared...I hope you're both hungry."
"Famished." Cyrus informed her with a slight nod of his head, a smile playing on his lips. Whenever Glenn watched the two of them together, he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that had Leene not been married to the King, she and Cyrus would be courting.
Leene nodded, accompanied by a dazzling smile. She waited until she caught her cousin's eyes to give a tiny wink before turning and leading them down the corridor to the left where the banquet hall was located.
Following in Cyrus's shadow, as he often did, Glenn's fingers found the smooth stone that made up the walls of the corridor. They were ever so slightly chilled to the touch, and yet somehow the castle managed to maintain a feel of warmth. Or perhaps...it was simply Cyrus's closeness that aided him in avoiding whatever chills the palace contained. This thought briefly flittered through Glenn's mind, but he quickly waved it away. It was one of many random thoughts, actions, and feelings that had recently begun to spring up without cause. And they all centered around Cyrus, why did his cheeks grow red whenever his long-time friend was around? It hindered him from feeling comfortable around Cyrus and had even led him to avoid him on occasion. It was frustrating, not being able to explain why he was torn between being at Cyrus's side every waking moment, and wanting to stay away for fear of those...feelings. For the time, however, he decided to push the confusion from his mind and just have fun. This was to celebrate Cyrus's success; it would be selfish to focus on himself.
The corridor emptied out into a large circular room, and immediately they were greeted by the heavy scents of meat and alcohol. It was decorated much like the ballroom, on a scale that was slightly less grand, yet more extravagant than ever a party held for the induction of a knight. But these were no ordinary knights; these were to be the five knights inducted into the Knights of the Square Table, a new legion that would plan and carry out the defense of the kingdom.
Looking around, Glenn managed to spot two more of them. Menne was an aged veteran who might have been slightly weaker than the younger, more able-bodied knights, but who made up for it with an incredible intelligence. He was a hardened man; prone to angry outbursts and mild shows of chauvinism, but a good man nonetheless. The other was Krysta. Only thirty years old, Krysta was the only woman who had ever held such rank as a knight. She was not immune to the sexist remarks she often got from the less mature soldiers, but she managed to hold her head high. For that Glenn respected her, he knew if he was in her place he would have turned and ran.
"Cyrus! I'm so awfully glad you're here." A feminine voice cooed, and Glenn and Cyrus's head turned almost in sync to find out to whom it belonged to. Sinuous as a panther, Lorelei wound through the sporadic crowd until she made her way over to Cyrus, one of her fingers curling around an ebony strand of hair. "I was afraid I had somehow missed you."
"No, I was simply running late..." Cyrus informed her, making a slight nod toward Glenn. "I had to locate Glenn before I came to the castle."
"Oh." She seemed a bit thrown off, glancing toward Glenn for a moment before returning her gray eyes to Cyrus. "Say...Cyrus, when are you going to stop babysitting? You can't possibly think that boy can tag along with you everywhere."
Glenn scowled, obviously wounded by the statement but speaking not a word to her. Instead he broke away from Cyrus and headed for the table where a number of wine glasses were lined up, as if on display. He no longer wanted to listen to their conversation, though he believed he thought he heard Cyrus say something along the lines of "Glenn is not a child, Lorelei...I do not change his diapers. He is a friend..."
He picked up an emerald colored glass and studied the ruby contents within, the odor it emitted was what Glenn would have called 'caustic fruit'. There was a bitter sweetness to it, that made his nose wrinkle in reaction. He had only once or twice drank before, and it took only a sip each time for him to learn that alcohol was not a taste that appealed to him. Even now he hesitated, with the glass held delicately in his hand and touched lightly to his lips.
His eyes strayed over in Cyrus's direction in time to see Lorelei let out an almost annoying laugh, playfully pushing on the knight's chest. Something told him he'd need that dulling of senses. Throwing his head back, he drank down the contents of the glass and set it back down on the table with a tiny clink, quickly hoisting another to his lips.
Something told him that he did not want to remember this night.