Chapter 4: Courtship.
"Princess Gwendolyn, he has asked me to give you this." Myris said.
Gwendolyn turned to look at what the pooka brought her and felt her heart stop. "That's my spear. What is it doing here?"
"Oswald said that it was given to him." Brom replied, rubbing his scraggly beard.
Though her father Odin has never been kind to her and Griselda, and she didn't expect any better, his actions still hurt. Gwendolyn took the spear and lightly fingered the runes inscribed on it. This was the spear her sister wielded, and passed on to her shortly before her death. Does Griselda really mean so little to their father that he could give away her spear like it was nothing?
And why is the Shadow Knight, her enemy, giving it to her? What is he planning? Didn't he know who she was?
As if able to read her mind, Myris said, "He said you'll be more at ease if you have a weapon at hand."
The answer was so unexpected Gwendolyn could only stare. He wanted her to have this so she'd be at ease? Why...why is he being so considerate?
"You...you seem to think highly of him, Myris." She said instead.
The pooka smiled. "He's been very kind to us Princess Gwendolyn. Not many would allow pookas to work for them. People look down upon us like we're...not humans."
"I'm sorry Myris." Gwendolyn said, patting her furred hand.
"'Tis not your fault, Princess Gwendolyn. Look," Myris pulled out some coins from her apron. "He has given me this to get you something from the Rabbit Cafe."
"Is that a commemorative coin?" Gwendolyn said, a bit surprised, those coins were really hard to find.
Myris beamed. "Yes. Would you like a Strudel or Napple pie?" Some items on the menu can only be bought with commemorative coins, making such food highly coveted.
"A...a strudel would be nice." Gwendolyn replied, but her brows were furrowed in confusion. Why, why is he being kind to her?
Had she been brought up in another country, Gwendolyn would have realized she was being courted. But for a war nation like Ragnanival, where pride and honor equate to military merits, women considered marriage as the highest disgrace. And the Valkyrie who couldn't fight anymore were given as prizes to 'worthy' men. There was never any need to woo a Ragnanival woman, instead, men sought Odin's favors for he alone decides to whom she will be wed.
Her father has given her to the Shadow Knight. Gwendolyn's heart clenched with pain. Was her transgression really that grave that her father would punish her like this? Give her to the enemy's elite soldier? He who has slain so many of her sisters. It appears she's destined to suffer.
"Looks like Oswald needs more sterner dummies. He made quick work of the last batch." Brom's voice interrupted her depressing thoughts.
Gwendolyn looked at the dwarf who was gazing down at the window. Below them at the courtyard, several straw dummies were placed for combat practice. Oswald stood at the middle, in front of him was a heap of hay and straw and whatever was left of the supposed dummy he was practicing on.
"Been working on some wooden ones." Brom said to Gwendolyn as she stood beside him, "those will have to do in the meantime."
"I'll be off to do some smithing milady. Just send Myris if I'm needed for anything." The dwarf excused himself and left her in the solar.
Gwendolyn stood at the window and continued to watch the Shadow Knight. The day was getting warmer and he had taken off his shirt.
She has never found anything interesting in any man to warrant a second glance, however, she has always appreciated great combat skills. Gwendolyn couldn't help but be in awe as Oswald executed one of his sword techniques.
No wonder he's so unstoppable. She thought, watching as he swung his sword with flawless skill and ease. He wasn't using his Belderiver, but a crude iron sword with no edge to speak of. Still, it cut through the dummy like a hot knife to butter, in the space of a breath it was rendered into another heap of debris.
As if feeling her eyes on him, the Shadow Knight paused from his exercise and looked up at her. Gwendolyn was taken aback when she felt an electric connection the moment their eyes met. Though there was a distance between them, he held her full attention with nothing more but the intensity of his gaze.
Was it surprising then that weaker men had trembled just at the sight of him? Rumors had circulated that the Shadow Knight looked like a demon, but this was no unsightly demon before her. No...he actually looked...handsome?
Gwendolyn shook her head, wondering what was wrong with her.
Do you fancy him?
No! Gwendolyn felt her cheeks burn from embarrassment as if she was a little girl again. I couldn't possibly feel anything but hatred for him. He killed so many of my people. I shall take revenge the moment it presents itself.
Oswald had felt his heart skip a beat when he realized that she had been watching him practice. He wasn't aware that it was her at first, just that instinctive feeling of being watched. And then, he could only stare at her, meeting her eyes as if mesmerized. So distracted was he, that he barely heard the approach of the goblins who attacked out of nowhere.
Greatly outnumbered and without his Belderiver, Gwendolyn felt her heart clench with fear for Oswald. Too worried to even question the emotion, she grabbed her spear and rushed from the room to help him.
When she got to the courtyard door, Oswald had already felled a dozen or so bandits with just the crude sword, but more of them came like an army of ants.
The dress impeded her movements, and without her wings, she could not glide. Still, Gwendolyn wielded her spear, guarding his back against the poisoned throwing knives.
"I'll cut through a path for you." Oswald said, "get back inside."
"No, I will stay here and fight." Gwendolyn said, striking down a goblin that was foolish enough to come close.
"Give up now." The goblin who appeared to be the leader spoke. "There's just you and the girl. We got you surrounded."
"What do you want?" Oswald hissed, reigning in his anger as he assessed their situation.
"The castle treasures, do not resist and we'll spare your life. Just walk away boy."
"Let him stay, make him watch while we have fun with his girl hehehe-ugh!" The goblin fell dead, while the leader gaped in utmost horror.
Everything happened too quickly, Gwendolyn had felt a chilling coldness behind her back and only realized that Oswald had transformed when the bandits started screaming.
"'Tis the Shadow Knight! Run!"
The goblins scattered, but he was faster than them, striking them down with a single swing of his sword.
Such a fearful sight, Gwendolyn thought as she watched. His movements were too quick for mere human eyes to track, a blur of shadow that warped between invisible space. They never saw him coming, the goblins fell down dead one by one, until only the leader was left, begging for his life.
"I surrender! Please spare me!"
But there's no mercy left in him for anyone who would dare threaten his wife. They have doomed themselves the moment they endangered her.
Oswald would have chased after the other goblins who have fled, but Gwendolyn called to him.
Though bloodlust still raged in his veins, he forced himself to calm down and assess the damage. He looked at her searching for any signs of injury.
"Not mine." She quickly assured him when he saw the blood splatters on her dress.
"What in blazes happened here?!" Brom's gruff voice boomed behind her.
"Goblin attack." Oswald said, dropping his crude sword.
"You both alright?" The dwarf asked.
Oswald looked at Gwendolyn, not hearing much what the dwarf was saying. This close, she's so breathtaking. Even sweaty and skin flushed from the heat of battle. She looked amazing.
Feeling his eyes on her, Gwendolyn turned her head. There it was again, that inexplicable feeling of connection, intangible yet in no way any less intense. Heat that got nothing to do with battle suffused her cheeks and she looked away, breaking the connection.
"I...um, thank you for giving me this spear." She said.
Oswald shook his head, "The spear belonged to you. I only returned it."
"'Twas my sister's." She said, then wondered why she told him that.
"'Twas not me who took her life." Oswald said quietly. "I just want you to know that."
Gwendolyn sighed, her heart aching for her sister. "No...it was Brigan's delay that day that led to Griselda's death."
"Brigan." He remembered the huge, overbearing brute. Gwendolyn killed him to rescue a Valentinian princess, which led to her punishment.
"That day..." Gwendolyn said, her voice unsure as she looked at him again. "Why...why did you spare my life?"
Oswald was caught unprepared for that question. What was he to tell her? That he had been infatuated with her before the Cauldron war even began?
"'Twas as I said, the battle was over, any more deaths would just be a waste..."
He could see that she didn't believe him completely. He almost smiled despite himself.
Someday...he will tell her everything.
"Let's clean up this mess." Oswald turned to Brom.
"Leave the cleaning to us milady." The dwarf said to Gwendolyn, more of the servants arrived now that the danger has passed.
Gwendolyn nodded, then took another glance at Oswald who was dragging at least three goblins at his sides. He moved with such ease as if he was merely dragging feathers then dumped the bodies in a corner.
It was a grisly sight, and his face clearly showed he didn't care for the carnage either. This came as a surprise to Gwendolyn. She had thought, as the rumors suggested, that the Shadow Knight was one bloodthirsty bastard.
There was even one rumor that stated he would bathe in the blood of his slain enemies, more demon than man.
Yet here he is. With the proper clothes and groomed hair, he could pass off as a nobility. He doesn't have the gargantuan built of the berserkers in Ragnanival, yet Gwendolyn found his form more...pleasing. Built for speed rather than brute strength, he was muscular but on the lean side. And more importantly, he doesn't stink like most men do. Gwendolyn felt her cheeks flush with heat as she caught herself admiring him.
What is wrong with me? She thought in horror.
The spell, it must be her father's spell.
Her face red, Gwendolyn turned and marched towards the castle door. This has to stop. She can't allow her feelings to control her. She must fight back.
-o-
He visited her room again that night.
Gwendolyn forced her breathing to stay relaxed, even as her senses remained on full alert. Her hand still under the pillow, clutching the knife she had hidden there.
She would rather die than submit to him.
But Oswald just stood there at the side of the bed. Silent and unmoving as the shadows.
His nightly visits puzzled her, he would come at an hour when he thought she'd be deeply asleep. But all he would do was just stand close.
Gwendolyn felt the slightest caress at her cheek and realized he has touched her so gently. And with a small sigh, he walked away again.
Gwendolyn clutched the sheet to her chest as soon as he was gone from the room. Why...why does my heart ache?
It must be her father's spell that's making her feel this way. There simply could not be any other explanation.
Yet the ache in her heart lingered. And with growing horror, Gwendolyn realized that she ached for that man. He seemed so...sad, so lonely.
She released the blade under the pillow. Knowing that even if she were to fight him, she will surely lose her life. She had fought the Shadow Knight in battle once...never had she seen someone as quick as he was, and felled soldiers with just a single strike, not even Ragnanival's beserkers stood a chance.
Yet he had let her go. It had been a puzzle to her since then. Why didn't he kill her?
Not far from the bed, the psypher spear Gungnir hung on a weapon stand. It had hurt to find out that Odin gave her sister's spear away. But it was quickly replaced with confusion when Myris told her that Oswald wanted her to have it.
She still couldn't believe that he has presented the spear to her. Why was he being so kind to her?
There must be some ulterior motive for his kindness. Surely there has to be something...
Gwendolyn shook her head, hardening her heart against him. He must be a master manipulator, playing with my emotions. I cannot let my guard down.
Perhaps her father made sure that spear is within reach so she could take revenge on Oswald for all the blood he had shed.
Yet it doesn't make sense for him to give her the spear, knowing who she is, can he really be that arrogant? So confident of his skills that he wasn't disturbed at all that she could use that spear against him?
The questions began to make her head hurt. Gwendolyn knew there were no clear answers. She lay restless in the bed for a long time, until exhaustion finally sent her to a fitful sleep.
Rest didn't come easy either for the man who stood at the window, at the room just beside Gwendolyn's. Ever since she woke up from Odin's spell, this has been his quarters. With a long sigh, Oswald gazed out at the window, looking at the swirling colors that lit up Ragnanival's night skies.
How could...loving someone, hurt this much? He wondered.
Yet he had never felt so alive as he did when in her presence.
Love is nothing more than a fool's fancy. A cynical voice inside him whispered. Enough of this foolishness. What you need is a good tumble with a wench. Preferably one with a heavy bosom and long, supple legs.
Oswald shook his head, that will never work...he wanted...Gwendolyn.
Then fuck her and be done with it! You need no one's permission, not even hers, she belongs to you.
She's not an object.
Hopeless fool. The voice continued. You sleep alone on this cold, lonely bed when nothing but a wall separates you from her warm body. Take her...take everything...possess her completely.
No...not like this.
What foolishness is this? Plenty of beautiful girls out there, less troublesome too.
The heart cannot be controlled. Oswald closed his eyes. If it chose to love someone, it cannot be dictated, nor diverted to someone else. Had it been that simple, he would have chosen never to love anyone at all.
But...he does love her. And it's such an exquisite pain he would never wish on even his worst enemy.
Such irony it is, that of all the men in Erion, Onyx, the ruler of the Fire Kingdom, would be the one who would understand the feelings he's experiencing now best.
Oswald glanced at the letter on the table. It arrived late that evening. He's been summoned to honor an oath he made to the Fire King. He has to leave in a few days to keep that promise.
See what love made you do? The voice continued to taunt him. Instead of simply vanquishing a foe, you empathized with the enemy. All because Onyx shared the same pain of losing Gwendolyn you had felt.
Oswald grimaced. He was making little progress with his wife. She remained distant, and he feared that she'll run away once he's gone.
He swallowed as he tried to get his emotions under check. Yet, even so, he wants her to remember him, to let her know how he feels even when he's not here.
The ring Titrel. The key to controlling the Crystallization Cauldron. Fairy Queen Elfaria gave her life for it, and Gwendolyn's sister was lost in that war as well.
So much power contained in something so small. Yet to Oswald, it was more than just a key that could turn the tides of war. It was the proof of his love. He had staked his own life on that battle with Wagner. The dragon who had seethed with fury over the death of his friend, who had waited for the chance to get revenge. He did it, out of the wishes of his own heart, not dictated by anyone. For the chance to be with Gwendolyn.
Of all in his possessions, this is the only one worth presenting. Would it be enough to let her know how much he loves her?
Oswald has no answers. All he knew was that the stubborn hope in his heart, though small, still kept him going.
A/N: Stupid muse is driving me crazy. Chp 6 is done, unless it's actually chp7? Good lord, muse likes to time travel lol. Now I'm trying to organize the middle chapters, still piecing them up together as stuff is still all over the place. ugh.
Gwen's spear actually has a name, Gungnir, but it was only mentioned in the artbook. Cornelius's sword too, but I can't recall what it was.
Thank you Mitsuru-sempai for leaving a comment. Much love. :D