The note was so simple, easy to write; It was under thirty seconds work. Ridley, however, was bent trembling over it regardless, entirely stumped, and had been for what seemed like hours at best.
How to sign it? She twitched. -Love, Ridley?
Heat flushed behind her eyes. No. Certainly not that. Anything but that.
-Forever Yours, Ridley? She squeaked slightly even thinking about it.
This Is Horrible! She got up, pacing around impatiently. "Al!" Silence. "AL!"
The Castle steward pressed her door in, surveying the scene with the precursor to a debilitated grimace. "Lady Ridley?" Bowing gently. "Your call?"
"Yes...Ahem. I need your...can you help me sign a note?" She paced incessantly. "It`s for someone Important."
The Stewart smirked. "How Important, you may agree, will become relevant fairly quickly."
She stopped short, gasping. "The most important, Al!"
There was a moment that passed silently between them, while Al tried desperately to conjure a scenario that didn't involve the note being addressed to Jack Russel. "The Most important...? Surely You mean...The King?" He whispered, full of dread.
"Wow, no." She scowled. "Its obviously Jack. Do you think -Love, Ridley is..."
Al coughed. "Yes, Well. I imagine it hardly matters; The Monkey Brain won't allow himself to differentiate..."
"Al-!" She looked horrified. "Jack is...One of the smartest people I ever met..."
She finished lamely, while the Steward seemed to toe the line between breathing and choking.
"Ah...I mean, you're objectively wrong, but..."
"Silence!"
"Yes, lady Ridley."
She resumed her furious pacing, to all corners of the room. "It must be -Love, Ridley. That has to be it..."
"Have you considered...-Courteously, Ridley?"
"Too formal." She brushed him off without a glance. "That hardly Conveys my feelings..."
Al wiped his eyes patiently. "It appears -Love, Ridley may be the best bet, in that case."
She lost her breath. "AL!" She was squealing. "That's...Much too forward!"
"Right...Your words, Lady Ridley. Not mine."
She sat down abruptly, steam pouring from both ears. "Forget it, Forget it!" Her head dropped onto the desk. "I can...handle this..."
The Steward bowed politely, turning to leave.
-(The Next Day)-
"Sergeant!-"
Jack turned, glancing once around. "Yes, Lily? What's new."
She pulled him into an alley, lithely ducking the public eye. "I have a mission to covertly deliver you this message, Sergeant." Pressing a note to his outstretched hand. "Oh, and does the Acht Squad have any new missio-?"
"Not today..." He answered absentmindedly, studying the stationary. It's from the castle? "I'll Let you know."
"Sir." She bowed her head, taking off down the stretch.
"Hmm..." He wandered out again, into the sunlight, folding the paper open.
Dear Jack
Don't you dare read this where anyone can see!
Sergeant Russel looked over his left and right shoulders, noting Ridley's neat penmanship.
I was just thinking that it's been way too long since you saw me...
He cocked his head. They'd been together late last week...
And I miss you, so please take me out tonight. We can go wherever you want-Just not the Bar. Or the Vampire Club...Or Anywhere in Black town. Okay? So come pick me up at the Castle around 8, that's the traditional time. And You have to ask me, okay? You never read any of this.
-Love, Ridley
"My god..." He whispered to himself. "...She wants the D..."
-(At 8 That very night)-
"You there, What Time is It?" Jack motioned to one of the Guards at Castle Gate.
"8 PM, Sir." The Guardsman saluted.
"Excellent-" The sergeant smirked, stepping past the threshold.
"Yes, O dragonslayer." He heard them echo behind him.
Stopping only once to procure a cup of fresh water from the kitchens, Jack proceeded to knock twice at Ridley's door.
"FINALLY!" She sounded off shrilly, which he accepted as permission to enter; finding her cross legged, fuming on the mattress.
"You're late!" She hissed. "I can't BELIEVE you let me think you weren't coming!"
He chuckled, reaching out with the cup. "Never fear, hun. I brought you some water, it`s clear you're extremely thirsty..."
"!" She gasped, staggering back, and buried her face in the sheets. "I HATE YOU SO MUCH OH MY GOD!"
"Careful, please..." He sat next to her, grinning broadly and easing her face up. "You'll set your room on fire."
She managed only a pout and whimper, excessive heat pouring unapologetically from her face. She took the cup and sipped it gently, half glaring him down.
"You're way too self aware now..." she complained, and he laughed.
"Even so, will you let me take you out tonight?"
Her eyes twinkled when she glanced up, stars shining in them.
-(At the gate to the Radiata Castle)-
"Lord Chamberlain," Jack noted with what he hoped seemed like genuine surprise. "What a Shock."
"Yes, indeed." The Short man growled, glaring at his daughter, who hung shamelessly off the Dragonslayer's arm. "And What might this be...?"
"Reconnaissance Mission-" Jack sniffed at the same moment Ridley offered "A date-"
She whipped around to face him at lightspeed. "Oh, Excuse me! I didn't realize you'd be ashamed to go out with me-"
"A Date...!" The Chamberlain interrupted her, shuddering. "This is a bad dream...Oh please...Anyone But Jack..."
"What's THAT supposed to mean?" Ridley hissed, staring her father down faster than Jack could open half his mouth. "Jack is my-"
She stopped short, furiously red.
"No, Go ahead Ridley" the Sergeant leaned subtly towards her, grinning. "What am I?"
They stepped around the Chamberlain, who still looked like he expected to wake fitfully any second.
"Don't you worry about it-" She snapped back, clutching his hand.
"You can tell me, I promise-" he teased.
"I really, really can't" they faded from earshot.
-(At the Restaurant)-
"Did they..." Jack Blinked, gawking at the server ushering a Middle aged man from the room. "Kick someone out to get us this table?"
Ridley smiled, unconcerned. "That's what I'd do if The Dragonslayer came to my establishment."
He looked her up and down for a second, caught between a smirk and a grin. "Can I get used to those bedroom eyes, or is this like a limited time offer-?";
The red from her cheeks lasted only a moment, before her eyes sharpened wickedly. "Are you trying to take this to the bedroom, is that what you mean?"
The sergeant coughed to avoid choking on his Sprite. "Ah...I...Well!;
Her face lit up triumphantly. "What a pervert!"
"As if!" He cried, entirely flustered; slamming his drink down. "Look who stopped swooning for long enough to get clever-"
"Excuse me," A young waitress pulled up to the table. "Can I take...Your Order, O Dragonlayer?"
Jack Smiled for her, noticing her face light up and Ridley's darken all at once. "Oh yes, please- Maybe some Steak. That strikes me as traditional."
The Server scribbled something on a pad under her fingertips. "And for your...Friend here?"
Jack watched Alarm cross Ridley's face with a savage grin. "We're NOT Friends, This is my-" She started furiously, interrupting herself with a little gasp.
They sat in silence for a moment, with the server looking between them entirely lost, Jack Staring across at her Interestedly, expectantly, and her lip trembling slightly. "I'm his...Girlfriend..."
She managed in a small voice, brilliantly crimson, while Glaring across at the smug look on Jack's face.
"You can't seem to catch a break today-" He teased, as the server ran off to get the salad Ridley wanted.
"I just want to die..." She cradled her head.
"It's not so bad," He reasoned, twirling a fork. "Especially for someone who confessed her love to me just today-"
Her eyes snapped up onto his. "WHAT?!"
He smirked, extracting the note from his pocket. "It seemed to say right here...-Love, Ridley."
She gaped at him, mouth opening and closing ineffectively. "That's not...That doesn't..."
"Oh, my..." He feigned heartbreak. "So you don't feel that way about me-"
"No! I didn't say that," She sounded slightly panicky. "I do, just..."
Her eye twitched, and they sat in silence once more; She contemplated the satisfied, knowing look he was casting directly at her, finding no words.
"Ridley." He said it calmly, decisively. "I'll love you your whole life. You're everything to me."
She looked down, blood evaporating from every pore on her face. "I..." She started, but trailed off.
Jack was beside her, suddenly, silently lifting face by the chin. "You're going to kiss me..." She whispered while he angled her face into position.
"Yes."
-(after Dinner, at the castle gate)-
They looked up at the stars together. "After everything we've been through..." She squeezed his hand.
He smiled, applying gentle pressure to her small fingers.
"After all this," her face lit up, and he stared at her, fascinated. "You better take responsibility by marrying me..."