Author's note: Ah, this chapter got really long, so I split it into two
parts. R&R.
Disclaimer: I do not own Magic Knight Rayearth and all of its characters
are products of CLAMP.
Chapter Two: Ill Tidings Part 1
A tall, pale figure of a woman drew herself up from the darkness that now surrounded the throne room. She lifted a single slender finger and pressed it against the jewel on Clef's crown. Muttering a few words, she forced a bit of the surrounding darkness into the jewel, then sealed it by tracing two markings upon it, that slowly faded away. Her creepy laughter began echoing throughout the now pitch black throne room.
"All of our preparations have been made. Soon, not just Cephiro, but every world will belong to me." The malevolent tone reflected the evil smile that had begun spreading across her pale face. "The only thing left to do is quietly watch as these fools suffer as their countries fall apart before their very eyes, as they begin losing to their own hearts. Little will they know, that their pain and fear will only work towards reviving my power."
"Mother, does that mean I'll be strong enough again to go out and play?" A second, smaller figure had made itself present.
"Of course, my cute little daughter. Once you regain your strength I'll let you play as much as you want, especially with that red Magic Knight you desire so much."
The smaller figure giggled and twirled happily as the pale faced woman's eyes grew larger, making the slits in her glowing blue eyes more apparent.
"We must depart from here now that everything is ready. Let us wait and see if even those legendary Magic Knights can stop what's coming."
She stopped speaking and her figure writhed for a moment, then within the blink of an eye, there were three figures. The three new figures disappeared as did the smaller giggling shadow behind them, as the darkness fell away, leaving the throne room and the unconscious mage without any visible traces that could show that they had ever been there at all.
The princesses of Fahren and Chizeta were looking up proudly at their magically created decorations. Aska, with help from Chang Ang, had created several illusions, some of which included dancing lions, fireworks and, to Sang Yung's embarrassment, miniature Sang Yungs. Tarta and Tatra had countered this display by making miniature Djinn, who were at that very moment doing little tricks and dances. Umi had looked up to witness the spectacle and quickly turned her gaze back down to the ground, looking more than a little ill. Aska blanched at the dancing Djinn, looking like she was trying hard to resist the urge to stick out her tongue in disgust. Tarta had begun to notice Umi's expression and became curious.
"Hey, what's the matter with you?" Umi jumped, startled as Tarta's voice interrupted her thoughts about the Djinn, shook her head, while trying desperately to compose herself. "No, it's nothing really..." She began to laugh nervously as Tarta started to look a bit angry, but Tatra cut in giggling over the situation and began patting Tatra on the head.
"I'm sorry, Tarta believes that the Djinn are truly handsome spirits. That's why she doesn't understand the rest of us."
Umi nodded, wondering to herself how anyone could find those disgusting macho types attractive.
"Understand what?" Tarta turned on her sister with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. Tatra began giggling again and Tarta finally exploded. "Elder sister!!"
"Umi?"
Umi turned when Ascot called her and wondered why he was blushing so much. She looked over his shoulder and saw that some of the others, like Ferio and Fuu, had started dancing to the soft music that was present. Umi grinned as she watched Fuu's face turn red at something Ferio had said to her as she danced, knowing she'd get to tease Fuu about it later.
"Umi, um, would you, maybe, like to, well...?" Ascot seemed to be stumbling on the words, but Umi got the gist of it and took his arm, happy to have an excuse to be away from the fighting twins.
"Sure, let's go!" She was rewarded with a glowing smile from Ascot as they moved to where the others were dancing.
"Aw, isn't that cute." Tatra turned back to her little sister and put a hand on top of her head, ruffling her hair as if to console her. "I'm sure you'll find a handsome boyfriend someday Tatra and he'll look just like the Djinn."
Tarta put her best scowl on her face, irritated with her sister's whimsical tone.
"Oh, be quiet. It's not like you have a boyfriend either, you know."
Tatra smiled sweetly, laughed a little at her sister's confused expression and turned to walk towards the place where the people from Autozam were standing.
"No way, Tatra, do you have a boyfriend? Elder sister!" She shouted as Tatra continued to walk away, still laughing, leaving Tarta frustrated.
Geo and Zazu had been watching the decorations moving up above them, with such peculiar expressions on their faces, that Eagle, standing nearby, choked on the wine he was drinking and began to chuckle to himself.
"Well, they're...interesting..." Zazu chose his words carefully and trailed off as two of the Djinn and the illusion Geo and him had dubbed, the balloon kid, began fighting each other.
Geo shook his head. "'Interesting' is too nice of a description. I'm still not sure which one of them scares me more, that balloon kid or the dancing Djinn."
"Yeah..." Zazu used Geo's momentary distraction to grab hold of the wine bottle Geo had placed by his chair. He grinned as the bottle was still nearly full.
Geo looked down at his companion, sensing mischief, and he soon felt an overwhelming amount of irritation as the mechanic tried to hide the stolen bottle behind his back.
"I'm not letting you have that."
"Have what?" Zazu said putting an innocent tone in his voice.
"You know exactly what." Geo's voice turned into a growl. "Give it up, you're not old enough to drink anyway."
"Oh, come on! You've given me glasses of wine plenty of times, so what's the big deal? You don't have enough tolerance to drink this stuff anyway and it shouldn't go to waste!" Zazu held his ground as Geo's expression became a little scary.
"There's a big difference between a glass and a whole bottle! Besides, even if I can't drink it, I'm sure I can find someone older who can."
"Geez, I'm not a little kid! I can handle myself!"
"Hmph, you're a conceited little brat is what you are."
"What did you say?!"
"My, you two really are close."
Geo and Zazu stopped arguing and turned, both of them thoroughly embarrassed to see Tatra had been standing beside them and had heard the whole thing.
"It really is hard to imagine that you two aren't siblings."
"You've got to be kidding," Geo replied, regaining some of his composure, "I mean, come on, me and him related?"
"I second that thought." He ignored Geo's scowl as Tatra began to giggle to herself.
"Well," Tatra took a hold of Geo's arm, "shall we go dance? Unless you had someone else in mind?"
"Of course not!" Geo spluttered quickly, color coming into his complexion. "But, I, well, um..."
Zazu rolled his eyes and as Tatra pulled on Geo's arm again, he stuck out his foot, causing Geo to trip and have to balance on Tatra's shoulders. Tatra put her arms around him to steady him and before they left to dance, Geo turned his head back to give Zazu a look, who was smiling innocently at the whole event.
I'll get you for that. The look said.
Zazu waved at the departing couple with an evil grin on his face as they went to dance. Eagle had witnessed the whole thing and began laughing quietly to himself, remembering how much he missed Geo and Zazu's interactions while he had been asleep.
"Zazu is just too clever sometimes. I agree with Tatra though, they really do act like siblings."
He had been speaking to Lantis, but Lantis didn't seem to be listening. He had a distant, withdrawn look to him as if he was searching for something far away or trying to hear something no one else could. Eagle placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Lantis, is something wrong? Are you okay?" Lantis snapped back to reality at Eagle's words and found himself looking into a pair of worried golden eyes.
"I'm fine," he placed a hand on his forehead, as if in pain, "it's just..."
What was that evil presence I felt? It was gone so quickly...was it real?
"Lantis?" Eagle was shaking him a little now.
"It's nothing, don't worry."
"But-"
"Lantis! Eagle!" Hikaru was bouncing up towards them, stopped abruptly, and smiled up at the two of them. "I want to go dancing."
"With whom?" Eagle felt happiness creep over him as those bright red eyes and cheerful smile turned towards him.
"With Eagle," she grabbed his arm, "and Lantis." She placed a hand on Lantis's arm and began tugging on both of them. "Let's go!"
Eagle and Lantis exchanged confused glances and smiled at Hikaru's innocence. Hikaru couldn't help being so naïve, that was what made her so cute and neither of them wanted her any other way, even if it was frustrating when it came to romantic feelings.
"I don't think this will work." Eagle placed Hikaru's hand over Lantis's. "Please go ahead. Enjoy yourselves."
"But Eagle," concern had filled her eyes, "won't you be lonely by yourself?"
"Not at all. Really, I'll be okay." His heart had begun warming as she spoke those kind words and he wanted to hold her gaze for as long as he could.
"Then, I'll come back and share the next dance with you! I promise, so wait for me." She walked off, holding Lantis's hand.
Eagle put on a cheerful façade as he watched them go, one he was particularly good at, so that he could hide the flood of feelings that were surging beneath the surface. Of course, part of his turmoil stemmed from his relationship with Lantis and Hikaru, but especially with Hikaru. He loved her more then anything and his heart beat so fast whenever she was around that it was hard for him to hide his true feelings, but he knew Lantis felt the same way and, to make matters worse, Hikaru loved them both. Things might be okay now, but this love triangle was going to hurt one of them very much in the end and that was a thought that constantly plagued his mind. Eagle pushed the matter aside and went back to thinking about the other thing that was bothering him. He hadn't seen a look like that on Lantis's face since Zagato was alive and waging war in Cephiro to save Princess Emeraude.
What in the world could have gotten him so worked up? It can't be that serious, can it? Well, I'll just have to make sure he tells me later. Eagle smirked as all signs of the worry he'd seen on Lantis's face had melted away as he danced with Hikaru, holding her close. At least I've found the perfect distraction for him.
Hikaru kept her promise and came back to dance with Eagle. The party went on for a bit longer, before people began departing, some alone, some in couples. Everyone had seemed to have a good time and their wasn't a sign of tension or displeasure in any of their expressions. Eagle stayed with Hikaru and Lantis as everyone began leaving, keeping a single wish close in his heart.
Please, let us all enjoy these peaceful times and let them be here to stay.
In all the liveliness of the party, only Lantis seemed to notice Clef's disappearance and no one noticed that one couple had left much earlier then the others.
Geo and Tatra had sneaked out while the others were distracted and headed straight to Tatra's room for some privacy. Tatra was sitting on the bed, brushing her hair and took surreptitious looks at Geo, who was standing against the wall.
"You still look so nervous being in here. It's not like this is the first time you've been in my room and we've been alone.
"I still feel like I'm intruding or something."
She studied his face for a moment, taking his expression into account, before she got up and walked over to him.
"Is it really that uncomfortable for you to be here with me?" There was a bit of hurt creeping into her voice.
Geo heard it and winced. "That's not what I meant!" He reached out a hand and brushed back some of the long strands of hair as he ran his fingers slowly through it. "Every time I put my arms around you I never want to let you go. You're different then any other woman I've met, you've got a kind and sweet nature, mixed with the intelligence and authority to maintain strong leadership. You were always on my mind after the first time I talked to you in Cephiro, knowing that I'd fallen in love with you." He closed his eyes and smiled at the fond memory. "There's no way you could ever make me feel uncomfortable."
She laughed, that nice ringing tone he enjoyed so much. "You really are shy about your feelings, even now." Tatra came closer to him and wrapped her arms tightly around him, resting her head on his chest for a moment before looking up at him.
"Remember when I first told you I loved you?"
Geo held her close to him, feeling the warmth of her body against his. "I really thought I had been dreaming. It was just too perfect. 'How could she ever love me?' That question kept running through my mind. But then, we kissed and I knew that there wasn't any way I could be dreaming and taste something that sweet."
Tatra began to lean forward to repeat the past experience, but he placed a reluctant finger on her lips. "That's why it bothers me that we have to keep our whole relationship a secret. It doesn't feel right for me to hide something like this because it almost makes me feel like we're doing something wrong by being together. I know that isn't true and it's necessary to keep our relationship a secret because of our statuses. You're the princess of Chizeta, heir to the countries' throne and I'm affiliated with the Autozam army, one of its most elite and highly regarded members to boot. Our countries haven't been the best of friends in the past and I doubt either of our countries' people will be overjoyed about our relationship." He sighed. "Worst of all is how I'm keeping this whole thing from my friends, as if I don't trust them. I hope they forgive me. I just wish..." Tatra placed a hand over his mouth, quieting him.
"Our statuses don't matter to me and I know, given time, our people can learn to accept our love. Don't worry about your friends, Geo, because I've met all of them and they have good hearts. They won't hold this against you. For right now I want to enjoy our precious time together, so that I can be close to you for as long as possible."
She leaned up and they kissed, treasuring the moment as they held each other close throughout the night.
Presea woke up early the next morning, brewed some tea and headed for the throne room. Clef was usually there and Presea made a habit of going their at an hour when they would have some privacy. Clef was a very busy man and she felt it was her duty to make sure he relaxed once in a while and didn't overexert himself. The doors opened as she approached, so she walked through the room and stopped in front of the throne were Clef was sitting with his staff against the wall.
"Clef, I've made you some hot tea. Would you like some?"
He nodded, not meeting her eyes as she slowly poured him a glass and handed it to him. Clef started sipping at the tea absently still ignoring her. Presea began to feel like something was wrong as he hadn't produced a chair for her or invited her to speak with him, like he always did.
"Clef," she began nervously, "have I done something wrong?"
"Well, you are bothering me. I had sought a little peace and quiet this morning, but you interrupted me."
His icy tone hurt her, but she steadied her emotion, desperate not to show any signs of weakness.
"I'm very sorry, Master Mage Clef." She bowed to him and turned to go, but his voice stopped her.
"Something terrible is going to happen to the three countries outside of Cephiro. Clef proclaimed this with a nonchalant, matter of fact tone.
"What do you mean 'something terrible'?" He didn't respond to her question, so she continued. "In any case, we've got to do something! How can we help those people from the other countries?"
Clef's features darkened before he snapped at her. "Utter foolishness! What reason do we have to help them when it has nothing to do with Cephiro? If they choose to fight against one another, then it isn't any concern of ours."
Presea gaped at his unfeeling callousness, telling her that they shouldn't concern themselves with people who had become their allies, people who had been helping them all this time. What could have happened to him in such a short time to make him say such horrible things?
Presea shook her head, dismay clear in her voice. "If they are going to fight, then we have to try and stop them! These people from the other countries are more than just our allies, they're our friends and they've stuck beside us to help rebuild a country that isn't theirs! We can't just- " Clef waved his hand to silence her, almost as if he were trying to sweep the matter aside.
"As I said, it is no concern of ours." His eyes narrowed and his voice took on an apathetic tone. "It doesn't matter if they helped us or not, if they wish to fight with one another, why should we stop them? Besides, if it has nothing to do with Cephiro, it won't matter to us even if they all kill each other. Why should we care?"
Presea had heard enough and turned to go, her heart beating quickly in her chest. She fled the room and as the doors closed behind her, she started shaking. A teacup shattered on the floor beneath her, but she hardly noticed. Her heart felt so heavy that tears had come to her eyes and she tried desperately to wipe them away.
My dear Clef, the thought was filled with deep sorrow, what in all of Cephiro could have happened to make you say such things? Clef...
Zazu had barely woken up, thinking about how much he'd enjoyed that bottle of wine, when he got an urgent knock on his door. Grumbling, he made his way over to the door and opened, revealing a crewmember from the NSX. The crewmember saluted and then began speaking.
"Chief mechanic, we have received an urgent message from the government in Autozam. I was ordered to give the message to either the Commander, sub- Commander, or yourself depending on who was the easiest to find."
Zazu raised an eyebrow and the crewmember handed over a small portable computer where the message had been copied on to. Zazu felt his heart sink as he read the message and he nearly dropped the small computer in shock. His feelings must have showed on his face because the crewmember began apologizing to him, but Zazu only shook his head, not listening, not comprehending.
"No way..."
For the message that the government had sent them was a declaration of war.
Chapter Two: Ill Tidings Part 1
A tall, pale figure of a woman drew herself up from the darkness that now surrounded the throne room. She lifted a single slender finger and pressed it against the jewel on Clef's crown. Muttering a few words, she forced a bit of the surrounding darkness into the jewel, then sealed it by tracing two markings upon it, that slowly faded away. Her creepy laughter began echoing throughout the now pitch black throne room.
"All of our preparations have been made. Soon, not just Cephiro, but every world will belong to me." The malevolent tone reflected the evil smile that had begun spreading across her pale face. "The only thing left to do is quietly watch as these fools suffer as their countries fall apart before their very eyes, as they begin losing to their own hearts. Little will they know, that their pain and fear will only work towards reviving my power."
"Mother, does that mean I'll be strong enough again to go out and play?" A second, smaller figure had made itself present.
"Of course, my cute little daughter. Once you regain your strength I'll let you play as much as you want, especially with that red Magic Knight you desire so much."
The smaller figure giggled and twirled happily as the pale faced woman's eyes grew larger, making the slits in her glowing blue eyes more apparent.
"We must depart from here now that everything is ready. Let us wait and see if even those legendary Magic Knights can stop what's coming."
She stopped speaking and her figure writhed for a moment, then within the blink of an eye, there were three figures. The three new figures disappeared as did the smaller giggling shadow behind them, as the darkness fell away, leaving the throne room and the unconscious mage without any visible traces that could show that they had ever been there at all.
The princesses of Fahren and Chizeta were looking up proudly at their magically created decorations. Aska, with help from Chang Ang, had created several illusions, some of which included dancing lions, fireworks and, to Sang Yung's embarrassment, miniature Sang Yungs. Tarta and Tatra had countered this display by making miniature Djinn, who were at that very moment doing little tricks and dances. Umi had looked up to witness the spectacle and quickly turned her gaze back down to the ground, looking more than a little ill. Aska blanched at the dancing Djinn, looking like she was trying hard to resist the urge to stick out her tongue in disgust. Tarta had begun to notice Umi's expression and became curious.
"Hey, what's the matter with you?" Umi jumped, startled as Tarta's voice interrupted her thoughts about the Djinn, shook her head, while trying desperately to compose herself. "No, it's nothing really..." She began to laugh nervously as Tarta started to look a bit angry, but Tatra cut in giggling over the situation and began patting Tatra on the head.
"I'm sorry, Tarta believes that the Djinn are truly handsome spirits. That's why she doesn't understand the rest of us."
Umi nodded, wondering to herself how anyone could find those disgusting macho types attractive.
"Understand what?" Tarta turned on her sister with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. Tatra began giggling again and Tarta finally exploded. "Elder sister!!"
"Umi?"
Umi turned when Ascot called her and wondered why he was blushing so much. She looked over his shoulder and saw that some of the others, like Ferio and Fuu, had started dancing to the soft music that was present. Umi grinned as she watched Fuu's face turn red at something Ferio had said to her as she danced, knowing she'd get to tease Fuu about it later.
"Umi, um, would you, maybe, like to, well...?" Ascot seemed to be stumbling on the words, but Umi got the gist of it and took his arm, happy to have an excuse to be away from the fighting twins.
"Sure, let's go!" She was rewarded with a glowing smile from Ascot as they moved to where the others were dancing.
"Aw, isn't that cute." Tatra turned back to her little sister and put a hand on top of her head, ruffling her hair as if to console her. "I'm sure you'll find a handsome boyfriend someday Tatra and he'll look just like the Djinn."
Tarta put her best scowl on her face, irritated with her sister's whimsical tone.
"Oh, be quiet. It's not like you have a boyfriend either, you know."
Tatra smiled sweetly, laughed a little at her sister's confused expression and turned to walk towards the place where the people from Autozam were standing.
"No way, Tatra, do you have a boyfriend? Elder sister!" She shouted as Tatra continued to walk away, still laughing, leaving Tarta frustrated.
Geo and Zazu had been watching the decorations moving up above them, with such peculiar expressions on their faces, that Eagle, standing nearby, choked on the wine he was drinking and began to chuckle to himself.
"Well, they're...interesting..." Zazu chose his words carefully and trailed off as two of the Djinn and the illusion Geo and him had dubbed, the balloon kid, began fighting each other.
Geo shook his head. "'Interesting' is too nice of a description. I'm still not sure which one of them scares me more, that balloon kid or the dancing Djinn."
"Yeah..." Zazu used Geo's momentary distraction to grab hold of the wine bottle Geo had placed by his chair. He grinned as the bottle was still nearly full.
Geo looked down at his companion, sensing mischief, and he soon felt an overwhelming amount of irritation as the mechanic tried to hide the stolen bottle behind his back.
"I'm not letting you have that."
"Have what?" Zazu said putting an innocent tone in his voice.
"You know exactly what." Geo's voice turned into a growl. "Give it up, you're not old enough to drink anyway."
"Oh, come on! You've given me glasses of wine plenty of times, so what's the big deal? You don't have enough tolerance to drink this stuff anyway and it shouldn't go to waste!" Zazu held his ground as Geo's expression became a little scary.
"There's a big difference between a glass and a whole bottle! Besides, even if I can't drink it, I'm sure I can find someone older who can."
"Geez, I'm not a little kid! I can handle myself!"
"Hmph, you're a conceited little brat is what you are."
"What did you say?!"
"My, you two really are close."
Geo and Zazu stopped arguing and turned, both of them thoroughly embarrassed to see Tatra had been standing beside them and had heard the whole thing.
"It really is hard to imagine that you two aren't siblings."
"You've got to be kidding," Geo replied, regaining some of his composure, "I mean, come on, me and him related?"
"I second that thought." He ignored Geo's scowl as Tatra began to giggle to herself.
"Well," Tatra took a hold of Geo's arm, "shall we go dance? Unless you had someone else in mind?"
"Of course not!" Geo spluttered quickly, color coming into his complexion. "But, I, well, um..."
Zazu rolled his eyes and as Tatra pulled on Geo's arm again, he stuck out his foot, causing Geo to trip and have to balance on Tatra's shoulders. Tatra put her arms around him to steady him and before they left to dance, Geo turned his head back to give Zazu a look, who was smiling innocently at the whole event.
I'll get you for that. The look said.
Zazu waved at the departing couple with an evil grin on his face as they went to dance. Eagle had witnessed the whole thing and began laughing quietly to himself, remembering how much he missed Geo and Zazu's interactions while he had been asleep.
"Zazu is just too clever sometimes. I agree with Tatra though, they really do act like siblings."
He had been speaking to Lantis, but Lantis didn't seem to be listening. He had a distant, withdrawn look to him as if he was searching for something far away or trying to hear something no one else could. Eagle placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Lantis, is something wrong? Are you okay?" Lantis snapped back to reality at Eagle's words and found himself looking into a pair of worried golden eyes.
"I'm fine," he placed a hand on his forehead, as if in pain, "it's just..."
What was that evil presence I felt? It was gone so quickly...was it real?
"Lantis?" Eagle was shaking him a little now.
"It's nothing, don't worry."
"But-"
"Lantis! Eagle!" Hikaru was bouncing up towards them, stopped abruptly, and smiled up at the two of them. "I want to go dancing."
"With whom?" Eagle felt happiness creep over him as those bright red eyes and cheerful smile turned towards him.
"With Eagle," she grabbed his arm, "and Lantis." She placed a hand on Lantis's arm and began tugging on both of them. "Let's go!"
Eagle and Lantis exchanged confused glances and smiled at Hikaru's innocence. Hikaru couldn't help being so naïve, that was what made her so cute and neither of them wanted her any other way, even if it was frustrating when it came to romantic feelings.
"I don't think this will work." Eagle placed Hikaru's hand over Lantis's. "Please go ahead. Enjoy yourselves."
"But Eagle," concern had filled her eyes, "won't you be lonely by yourself?"
"Not at all. Really, I'll be okay." His heart had begun warming as she spoke those kind words and he wanted to hold her gaze for as long as he could.
"Then, I'll come back and share the next dance with you! I promise, so wait for me." She walked off, holding Lantis's hand.
Eagle put on a cheerful façade as he watched them go, one he was particularly good at, so that he could hide the flood of feelings that were surging beneath the surface. Of course, part of his turmoil stemmed from his relationship with Lantis and Hikaru, but especially with Hikaru. He loved her more then anything and his heart beat so fast whenever she was around that it was hard for him to hide his true feelings, but he knew Lantis felt the same way and, to make matters worse, Hikaru loved them both. Things might be okay now, but this love triangle was going to hurt one of them very much in the end and that was a thought that constantly plagued his mind. Eagle pushed the matter aside and went back to thinking about the other thing that was bothering him. He hadn't seen a look like that on Lantis's face since Zagato was alive and waging war in Cephiro to save Princess Emeraude.
What in the world could have gotten him so worked up? It can't be that serious, can it? Well, I'll just have to make sure he tells me later. Eagle smirked as all signs of the worry he'd seen on Lantis's face had melted away as he danced with Hikaru, holding her close. At least I've found the perfect distraction for him.
Hikaru kept her promise and came back to dance with Eagle. The party went on for a bit longer, before people began departing, some alone, some in couples. Everyone had seemed to have a good time and their wasn't a sign of tension or displeasure in any of their expressions. Eagle stayed with Hikaru and Lantis as everyone began leaving, keeping a single wish close in his heart.
Please, let us all enjoy these peaceful times and let them be here to stay.
In all the liveliness of the party, only Lantis seemed to notice Clef's disappearance and no one noticed that one couple had left much earlier then the others.
Geo and Tatra had sneaked out while the others were distracted and headed straight to Tatra's room for some privacy. Tatra was sitting on the bed, brushing her hair and took surreptitious looks at Geo, who was standing against the wall.
"You still look so nervous being in here. It's not like this is the first time you've been in my room and we've been alone.
"I still feel like I'm intruding or something."
She studied his face for a moment, taking his expression into account, before she got up and walked over to him.
"Is it really that uncomfortable for you to be here with me?" There was a bit of hurt creeping into her voice.
Geo heard it and winced. "That's not what I meant!" He reached out a hand and brushed back some of the long strands of hair as he ran his fingers slowly through it. "Every time I put my arms around you I never want to let you go. You're different then any other woman I've met, you've got a kind and sweet nature, mixed with the intelligence and authority to maintain strong leadership. You were always on my mind after the first time I talked to you in Cephiro, knowing that I'd fallen in love with you." He closed his eyes and smiled at the fond memory. "There's no way you could ever make me feel uncomfortable."
She laughed, that nice ringing tone he enjoyed so much. "You really are shy about your feelings, even now." Tatra came closer to him and wrapped her arms tightly around him, resting her head on his chest for a moment before looking up at him.
"Remember when I first told you I loved you?"
Geo held her close to him, feeling the warmth of her body against his. "I really thought I had been dreaming. It was just too perfect. 'How could she ever love me?' That question kept running through my mind. But then, we kissed and I knew that there wasn't any way I could be dreaming and taste something that sweet."
Tatra began to lean forward to repeat the past experience, but he placed a reluctant finger on her lips. "That's why it bothers me that we have to keep our whole relationship a secret. It doesn't feel right for me to hide something like this because it almost makes me feel like we're doing something wrong by being together. I know that isn't true and it's necessary to keep our relationship a secret because of our statuses. You're the princess of Chizeta, heir to the countries' throne and I'm affiliated with the Autozam army, one of its most elite and highly regarded members to boot. Our countries haven't been the best of friends in the past and I doubt either of our countries' people will be overjoyed about our relationship." He sighed. "Worst of all is how I'm keeping this whole thing from my friends, as if I don't trust them. I hope they forgive me. I just wish..." Tatra placed a hand over his mouth, quieting him.
"Our statuses don't matter to me and I know, given time, our people can learn to accept our love. Don't worry about your friends, Geo, because I've met all of them and they have good hearts. They won't hold this against you. For right now I want to enjoy our precious time together, so that I can be close to you for as long as possible."
She leaned up and they kissed, treasuring the moment as they held each other close throughout the night.
Presea woke up early the next morning, brewed some tea and headed for the throne room. Clef was usually there and Presea made a habit of going their at an hour when they would have some privacy. Clef was a very busy man and she felt it was her duty to make sure he relaxed once in a while and didn't overexert himself. The doors opened as she approached, so she walked through the room and stopped in front of the throne were Clef was sitting with his staff against the wall.
"Clef, I've made you some hot tea. Would you like some?"
He nodded, not meeting her eyes as she slowly poured him a glass and handed it to him. Clef started sipping at the tea absently still ignoring her. Presea began to feel like something was wrong as he hadn't produced a chair for her or invited her to speak with him, like he always did.
"Clef," she began nervously, "have I done something wrong?"
"Well, you are bothering me. I had sought a little peace and quiet this morning, but you interrupted me."
His icy tone hurt her, but she steadied her emotion, desperate not to show any signs of weakness.
"I'm very sorry, Master Mage Clef." She bowed to him and turned to go, but his voice stopped her.
"Something terrible is going to happen to the three countries outside of Cephiro. Clef proclaimed this with a nonchalant, matter of fact tone.
"What do you mean 'something terrible'?" He didn't respond to her question, so she continued. "In any case, we've got to do something! How can we help those people from the other countries?"
Clef's features darkened before he snapped at her. "Utter foolishness! What reason do we have to help them when it has nothing to do with Cephiro? If they choose to fight against one another, then it isn't any concern of ours."
Presea gaped at his unfeeling callousness, telling her that they shouldn't concern themselves with people who had become their allies, people who had been helping them all this time. What could have happened to him in such a short time to make him say such horrible things?
Presea shook her head, dismay clear in her voice. "If they are going to fight, then we have to try and stop them! These people from the other countries are more than just our allies, they're our friends and they've stuck beside us to help rebuild a country that isn't theirs! We can't just- " Clef waved his hand to silence her, almost as if he were trying to sweep the matter aside.
"As I said, it is no concern of ours." His eyes narrowed and his voice took on an apathetic tone. "It doesn't matter if they helped us or not, if they wish to fight with one another, why should we stop them? Besides, if it has nothing to do with Cephiro, it won't matter to us even if they all kill each other. Why should we care?"
Presea had heard enough and turned to go, her heart beating quickly in her chest. She fled the room and as the doors closed behind her, she started shaking. A teacup shattered on the floor beneath her, but she hardly noticed. Her heart felt so heavy that tears had come to her eyes and she tried desperately to wipe them away.
My dear Clef, the thought was filled with deep sorrow, what in all of Cephiro could have happened to make you say such things? Clef...
Zazu had barely woken up, thinking about how much he'd enjoyed that bottle of wine, when he got an urgent knock on his door. Grumbling, he made his way over to the door and opened, revealing a crewmember from the NSX. The crewmember saluted and then began speaking.
"Chief mechanic, we have received an urgent message from the government in Autozam. I was ordered to give the message to either the Commander, sub- Commander, or yourself depending on who was the easiest to find."
Zazu raised an eyebrow and the crewmember handed over a small portable computer where the message had been copied on to. Zazu felt his heart sink as he read the message and he nearly dropped the small computer in shock. His feelings must have showed on his face because the crewmember began apologizing to him, but Zazu only shook his head, not listening, not comprehending.
"No way..."
For the message that the government had sent them was a declaration of war.