Happy LaviYuu Day everybody!
~x.x.x.x.x~
Of Swords, Spells, and Karma
Chapter Four: Lessons, a Ball, and the Angry Decision!
The next day fell into a standard routine that was there before Princess Ida's arrival. Early in the morning, things went smoothly. The royal family had breakfast and then the royal siblings attended their tutoring sessions, which Princess Ida attended due to curiosity. There were four lessons, spaced out in one and a half-hour time-slots with a ten minute transition period: Chemistry with Komui, Weaponry with Zhu Mei Chan, History with Bookman, and Art with Tsukikami. Originally, they were also supposed to have a basic Magic lesson as well, but it was cancelled due to the upcoming events.
They entered one of Komui's rooms around roughly nine o'clock. Their professor, tall and purple-haired with glasses was busy scribbling on the board when they entered. He only stopped when he finally turned around from his work and noticed them.
"Ah! You've all arrived! I hope you had a good breakfast because today's lesson will require all the energy you have!" Komui's voice was certainly very excited and cheerful that morning. Such cheerfulness that early in the morning tended to get on people's nerves, but since Kanda, Beatrice, and Timothy were used to it, they didn't mind Komui's eccentric behavior much. Princess Ida and Tyki, on the other hand, found it hard to take the other man seriously. But Tyki was able to hide his thoughts more successfully than Ida, not that anyone would notice.
Komui started to lecture, pointing excessively to the board on the wall that he had been scribbling on moments before. After a topic, he answered questions as they arose. "Now, pay attention. Equilibrium is a very important state to achieve; balancing chemical equations are not difficult if you just pay attention and be careful with your calculations."
"Excuse me, but what use is chemistry in the real world, Professor Komui?" Princess Ida finally asked, unable to stay quiet in the classroom with this loud eccentric. "That is, if you don't mind my asking." She added as a quick afterthought.
"What use? What use?" Komui's eyes held in them a shocked and excited gleam. "My dear princess, chemistry is one of the many foundations of nature and we humans use it very often in our own lives. For example, cooking is chemistry, is science! The right ingredients must be used and the directions carefully applied when following any recipe to ensure a baking success! It is science because when we are in the middle of an experiment, it is crucial to follow the directions so as to not cause a most fatal disaster!"
Princess Ida's eyes widened. "Really? I never would have guessed that."
"Why, my dear! How could you not?" Komui gestured to Tyki. "I've heard that your advisor is a magician and thus creates potions. Surely you know something of the matter, like perhaps when he goes out to collect some ingredients or has cautioned you against pouring in too much of one item? That is chemistry as well, and the instructions for spells and potions are not a thing to be taken lightly. Aren't I right, Advisor Mikk?"
Tyki covered the lower half of his face with his hand. "Yes, quite." He added nothing more, so Komui continued to speak.
"See?" He said with a beam. "Chemistry is quite important and you'll do well to learn it! Now, who is ready for an experiment?" Komui's hands clasped together and his eyes were bright behind his glasses. Kanda, Beatrice, and Timothy sincerely prayed in their hearts for Komui to not go to the extreme, especially because they had guests with them this time.
The rest of the lesson involved minor incidents where Komui had misplaced several ingredients and they had to go crawling on the floor and looking through cupboards in their search for it. Even Ida and Tyki participated, though inwardly they knew they would never do such a thing ever in their own castle as such was beneath them. But for now they would be helpful enough to be in their hosts' good graces.
After they gathered all the ingredients, Komui wrote down the instructions on the board and individually they completed the assignment given to them. It took over an hour to do and by the time they finished, their lesson time was almost up.
"Very good, very good!" Komui said, cheerfully collecting their experiment results, paper and concoction alike. "Well, you may be off now. Run along children, run along." Komui waved his hand at them, a clear sign of dismissal. He didn't even look up as they exited the room. Princess Ida frowned at this gesture of disrespect to royalty, but the Falaron children seemed uncaring of that small detail. Exiting the room, they headed out into the second courtyard where their next instructor was waiting at.
~x.x.x.x.x~
"Now, if you have any questions at all, Princess Ida, feel free to ask." Zhu Mei Chan said kindly at the beginning. Then, he addressed his main pupils. "I know you have just been waiting for this particular session for the longest time, but-" Zhu was cut off by a loud voice.
"WHAAAAAAAAATTT?" Timothy exclaimed at the top of his lungs, the lingering echoes vibrating all around them, and causing nearby servants to halt in their duties and glance toward the youngest prince. Oblivious to the stares, Timothy continued his outburst. "What do you mean but!"
Zhu frowned at him. "Prince Timothy, please behave yourself. If you will allow me to explain myself-"
"I-" Timothy began again, but was cut off by his older sister.
"Tim! Stop it. Let Zhu explain himself." Beatrice said sharply, and Timothy shrunk back. "Please continue."
"As I was saying," Zhu cleared his throat. "We unfortunately must handle something else today, due to the hectic schedule plan for the next upcoming days. I know how disappointed you are, but perhaps we can do this activity another day."
"And what activity is this?" Princess Ida asked politely before Timothy could speak.
"Ah, it is nothing but one of our more extensive kinds of training, Princess Ida." Zhu answered honestly.
"If it is nothing more than that, why is it that they have needed to wait so long?" Princess Ida retorted.
"Well, it is just the way things are run here, princess. And, really, it is just a simple exercise." Zhu replied and said nothing further, intending to close the topic from discussion.
However, the youngest child had other plans. "Zhu, it can't be just that! You know how long we've been waiting for this—especially nii-san!" Timothy exclaimed, not even caring of their guests' opinions as he looked up at Zhu with a pout on his face.
Zhu looked down at the young prince who looked up at him with an expression of sadness. He also gave a quick glance at his best pupil with a hint of regret in his eyes. He returned his attention to Timothy. "I know, but cheer up! I have planned something else that is just as exciting!" Zhu detached Timothy from his person and strode purposefully past them to a table farther back in the courtyard. Everyone followed him in an orderly fashion, thus how they ended up staring at a small pile swords lying neatly in a row on the table.
"You see," Zhu began, picking up one of the weapons, "I've picked out several of our blades for our exercise today. With the help of some others, I have decided with little difficulty that today's task will be a treasure hunt!"
The three siblings' brows rose. Treasure hunting? With swords? Kanda scoffed while Beatrice looked uncertain and Timothy curious. Princess Ida and her advisor Tyki Mikk looked confused and Zhu continued to explain. "There will be numerous objects lying around. Your task is finding out which object is the accessory that matches the swords. The object of that is to sharpen your notification of objects. When all the objects have been matched, you will face off each other and some of my other pupils depending on which sword you hold in your hand."
Beatrice spoke up. "Zhu, how is this like a treasure hunt? It's more like putting together a puzzle. And why only swords?"
"Good question. It's a treasure hunt because you must find exactly which object matches the swords. Although the puzzle part of it is a nice touch." Zhu answered. "I chose swords randomly, and then spent hours customizing an item for each." This was said with a smile, but the Falaron children knew that what Zhu really meant was that they should appreciate all the working hours he had put into this project of his.
"This doesn't seem much of a challenge at all though." Timothy grumbled.
"Well, if you don't match each accessory correctly then you will be forced to stay until it has been completed." Zhu said cheerfully. "And if you take too long, then you won't be able to participate in the face off where the winners will get prizes. You must stay until you've completed it, even if it is past the time that the lesson is over. So, take your time! I most definitely won't be the one to explain to Bookman about lateness."
Timothy stiffened almost immediately. Princess Ida took the silence as an opportunity to speak. "Could I participate in this exercise? And my advisor as well if he wishes it."
Zhu nodded. "That's completely fine, my dear." He looked at Tyki to see if the young advisor would participate, but Tyki shook his head no. Shrugging, Zhu began to divide the swords and soon enough there were four small and equal piles on the table. "Pick a pile and begin the hunt!"
Everyone did so, going off at once. Kanda, Ida, and Timothy immediately went in search of the hidden objects while Beatrice stayed at the table, observing her pile of weapons carefully. Zhu observed how Kanda had kept to himself all this time, and easily guessed the other's mood. 'He must be really mad,' Zhu sighed. 'Hopefully he can cheer up soon.'
In a few moments, Kanda and Timothy had gathered together many accessories and dumped it on the ground next to the table. Beatrice immediately bent down and rummaged through them while Kanda and Timothy started sorting through their own. Ida returned moments later with a handful of accessories and added hers to the pile. Zhu however, noticed that overall, quite a few items were missing, and wondered how long it would take for them to notice it.
The atmosphere was quiet as each did their own work. While Zhu observed the four, Tyki played with a stack of cards in his hands. The silence did not last long as the foreign princess was not accustomed to silence whereas the Falaron siblings were. Cautiously, Ida spoke out, intending to start a conversation. "So, how many have you finished?" she asked, taking a glance up to look at the others' progress. Beatrice and Kanda's pile had substantially diminished as the two continued to fit on the swords accessories successfully. Timothy's finished pile was considerably less than that of his siblings but to Ida's dismay, still more than hers. This she could not stand and furiously worked to finish her pile sooner, not uttering another word in the process. Which was just as well, because none of her hosts had bothered to give a response to her question.
In a short time, all the accessories but a few were accounted for. This time, Beatrice and Kanda simultaneously got up to search the forest. Timothy, when done with his pile, got up and joined them. They returned with the remaining few before Ida finished her pile and soon all the piles were done. Zhu nodded approvingly and clapped his hands, signaling the start of the sparring match.
"Pick a sword, any sword." Zhu said while motioning to four of his students on the other side of the courtyard. They came quickly, and lined up, facing the four students. "Ready your weapons everyone. First match: Timothy and Otto." Kanda, Beatrice, and Zhu's three other students immediately backed away from the announced two. Ida quickly followed their lead and stepped back to stand next to Beatrice and Kanda. "Start."
Swords clashed almost immediately. That was like Timothy, who liked to rush ahead. Otto, anticipating this, raised his sword to defend. Timothy moved his sword away and Otto took this opportunity to leap back from him. They glanced at each other, wary.
"Second match: Beatrice and Tema. Start." Kanda, Ida, and the remaining two students of Zhu moved away accordingly as Beatrice and Tema stepped forward to meet each other. Weapons clashed in the background as Timothy and Otto resumed their fight. Unlike her brother, Beatrice was not one to charge in foolhardily. She was more of the type to think and act. However, she was like them in the way that she liked to get things done, and quickly. She moved, and Tema, her opponent, did so at the same time. Their swords clashed against each other now, and four swords rang in the courtyard.
Zhu turned to Ida and Kanda. "Princess Ida, do you wish to have a sparring match as well? If not, then Kanda's match will start."
Ida looked at him. "You mean, against two people?"
"Well, I wasn't planning on it, but yes. It's a rather good training exercise."
Ida went over the idea in her mind and quickly decided. "Very well. I would like to present a taste of my own abilities. You may, of course, give me advice for improvement." She added to Zhu after a moment.
Zhu smiled. "Well, then. Third match: Ida and Cleo. Start."
Ida and Cleo took up their stances on opposing sides, sizing up each other warily. Seconds later, Cleo struck, but Ida blocked it efficiently and not startled, because she knew the move would come. Wanting to see the extent of her opponent's skills, Cleo rapidly slashed at Ida, who turned out to be a very proficient defender. It seemed that Falaron castle's Cleo would win this round, but Tyki Mikk knew better. And indeed, for Cleo swung too hard and missed her target; Ida took that opportunity to change the tables. Ida was on the offense now, and Cleo was forced to parry every blow.
Although most of the spectators admired the third match, Kanda did not, turning instead to give Zhu a meaningful glance. "Fourth match: Kanda and Zorro. Start." Kanda turned away from Ida's match, ready to start his own, for he still had within him feelings of disappointment and annoyance. Zorro was one of Zhu's finest students, and due to Kanda's own skills, Zorro was a person he knew well, for few had the prowess to stand against him at the level he was at. Wanting to work out his frustrations, Kanda, like his siblings, launched the first attack which was dodged by his opponent. They fought, pitting sword against sword, their movements too quick for the eyes of the not trained to follow. Every minute had a sequence of twenty strokes and each had power behind them, intending to wear the other out. Every movement Kanda made was calculated and every response Zorro made was immediate. The two were well matched and familiar with each other's fighting styles. It could also be said that they were so in tune with each other's movements that they could send messages to each other as they struck, a powerful thing that was useful when they were in a team together. This happened now, and after one final clang! the two stopped abruptly as they started. Kanda and Zorro respectfully bowed to each other, indicating their match as finished. However, other swords still echoed throughout the courtyard. Turning, they observed the others' matches.
Timothy was still desperately pitting against Otto who seemed to dodge the former's movement with utter ease. Beatrice, on the other hand, was skillfully keeping on the offensive against Tema. Ida, Kanda noted without interest, was holding her own against Cleo's maneuvers, even putting up a tough fight against the later. Each battle lasted for only ten minutes more, fascinating the spectators in the area. Well, all except Kanda, but the majority of the servants watching from the corridor, Zhu, Zorro, and Tyki included, were captured by the scenes. Each did not end as expected; Timothy and Ida won their matches while Beatrice lost hers. Although Kanda was the victor of his own match, he passed Zorro the final claim, choosing to be on the losing side with his sister. Even though he took the title of winner often, Kanda did not want it this time for if he accepted the prize, he knew Zhu would take that as a sign of forgiveness, and he did not want that at this particular moment. True, he had taken out his feelings of anger through his exercise with Zorro, but he was not yet ready for forgive Zhu for postponing yet again that long-awaited lesson.
Zhu clapped his hands. "Well done, you eight!" he said happily, beaming. Tema, Zorro, Ida, and Timothy held small items wrapped up in their hands, but before they could unwrap it, Zhu shooed the latter two away, pushing Beatrice and Kanda towards the door. "Hurry, or you won't make it to your next lesson!" Zhu said cheerfully. Taking the hint, the royals dashed off towards their next lesson, three of them praying they would make it in time. Tyki Mikk hurried after them, as he was not yet familiar with the layout of the castle and was not about to lose his charge from a wrong turn.
~x.x.x.x.x~
Calmly, they composed themselves in front of the door before walking into the room. Sitting behind the large wooden desk at the front was Bookman who did not even spare them a glance as they filed into the room, taking their seats in front of him with Tyki Mikk and Ida slightly off to the side. When two minutes passed with silence, Ida and Tyki began to wonder if something was wrong, and sub sequentially jumped when Bookman suddenly spoke. "You are all late." He looked up at them, especially taking note of their special guests. "Princess Ida, Advisor Mikk, you are welcome to observe the lesson from where you are. As for you three," Bookman's attention turned to his main pupils, "I hope that you studied last night, because you have a pop quiz today." He stood and turned to face the blackboard behind him. With chalk in his hand, he began to scribble a series of words: 3 minutes. Dusting off his hands, Bookman faced them and began to quiz them verbally at a rapid pace, stopping only when three minutes passed. "Excellent work. I'm glad to see that you have remembered the material of your previous lesson. Now, we will start the next lesson."
To Ida's disappointment, Bookman was like most traditional tutors in that he only lectured and asked questions. His teaching methods was most certainly nothing like Zhu's and Ida did not bother to pay too much attention to the lesson being taught as she was not a true pupil of Bookman's. Instead, she spent the majority of her time admiring Kanda who did his very best to ignore the eyes boring holes into the side of his head.
Half an hour later, Timothy, Beatrice, and Kanda were busy scribbling down words on paper, and Tyki Mikk was making polite conversation with Bookman at the front, when there was knock on the door and two servants came in. "Here are the inkbottles you called for, sir." Mita said politely, going forward to set the basket down on Bookman's desk. Tyki stepped away and backwards to accommodate her and almost ran into Lavi who was following the other. "Aah!" Lavi dropped his package in surprise but made a grab for it at the same moment Tyki did. They accidentally touched hands, but then Tyki released his hold on the package when he saw that Lavi had it in his hands securely. "Dreadfully sorry about that sir." Lavi said with the package at his side and he bowed to Tyki as the latter regained his balance. "No problem." Tyki said, giving Lavi a charming smile. Pretending as if the incident never happened, Lavi walked to Bookman's desk and put down his burden down, quickly leaving the room with Mita in tow while closing the door behind them. After looking at the basket's contents Bookman put both it and the package away in one of his drawers.
Tyki returned to Ida's side and twenty minutes later, Bookman collected the papers from Kanda, Beatrice, and Timothy. After that they were forced to read their classroom textbooks for twenty more minutes before giving Bookman a twenty minute essay on the subject. At the end of class, Bookman held the door for them as they filed out of his classroom. "I hope you found the lesson to your interest." Bookman said to Ida and Tyki as they were the last two out of the room. "Of course, we found it rather fascinating." Ida said breezily, lying without another glance at Bookman as she sailed out, trailing behind the others whom were walking rather far ahead. Kanda was leading them to their next destination at a rapid place.
~x.x.x.x.x~
"Welcome to class, your highnesses." Tsukikami said, greeting them with a bow. "Today, we will be studying the artwork of Vincent van Gogh and some other famous artists." The instructor walked over to a covered easel and removed the cloth to reveal a painting depicting a town at night with the stars and moon overhead in the dark night. "This, is the famous The Starry Night painted by van Gogh!"
The young royals stared at the painting in silence. Ida didn't care too much for it because she had already learnt about it before. Kanda finally spoke up, and his comment was not altogether nice.
"It looks like it was blotted with lots of cheese stains."
Tsukikami sweat-dropped. "Yes, well, everyone thinks of it as a masterpiece."
Kanda's expression was square. "Not me."
Timothy and Beatrice considered the painting themselves. "I like it, Tsukikami." Timothy said cheerfully. Beatrice nodded and said politely, "It is a lovely piece."
"Well, what do you think of this?" Tsukikami walked over to another covered painting and removed the cloth to reveal the same piece but used by a different medium. "This is van Gogh's The Starry Night drawn with a reed pen sometime after the original The Starry Night was created. Admittedly, it is not the same as the original, but it gives off a very calm vibe."
"It's nice." Kanda stated, not looking at anyone but kept his eyes on the picture. Strangely, it gave him a peaceful feeling, not that he would admit it.
Tsukikami smiled in relief, thinking, 'At least there is one picture he likes,' and said aloud, "I'm glad you think so. Timothy, Beatrice?" He turned to the two siblings inquiringly.
"I still like the other one—it has more color to it!" Timothy declared.
"Mm. Both are equally exquisite." Beatrice said with a smile.
"What do you think of van Gogh's piece, Princess Ida, Advisor Mikk?" Tsukikami asked, remembering that he was supposed to include the castle's guests in his lessons with the royal children.
"Van Gogh was a brilliant painter." Ida responded immediately, but she truly cared not for the work or of its creator.
"I agree. And have to say that the second painting compels me, it seems so artistic." Tyki Mikk said with a smile.
"It's good for everyone to take an interest in art. Let's take a look at another artist's work: Froi Tiedoll's Garden of Eden!" Tsukikami revealed a landscape painting full of bright and vibrant colors. That particular painting was known to capture audiences and Tsukikami was delighted to find that the royal children were no exception to this. Well, Kanda he was not sure of, but from the lack of critical comment from the former, Tsukikami assumed that he found the painting to his liking, which was just as well, because he'd really just rather have cooperative students.
Tsukikami then turned his expert eyes on his two guests. While Ida was enraptured by the painting—had she really not seen it before?—her advisor seemed to be merely viewing it almost with boredom. Tsukikami's brow furrowed and he tried to make his observations less obvious. His intuition was right, however. That advisor had to be carefully watched; Tsukikami's gut told him he was a dangerous individual, though there was no clue indicating why.
After showing them all three more paintings, Tsukikami passed them pens and sheets of paper, Ida included, and said, "I am glad that you all take an interest in these famous pieces. Your assignment today is to compare all the paintings, and then pick out the one you like best and write a paragraph explaining the reason why you like it. This will be read over by me. You have until the end of the lesson slot."
As soon as he finished talking, everyone got to work on their assignment. Several times, Ida attempted to make conversation with Kanda, but he only replied politely to her questions and never asked any questions of his own, preventing the conversation from continuing. She was drawn away from Kanda by Beatrice and Timothy separately at different times, and her advisor did nothing but watch the scene, amused. Tsukikami kept to himself behind his desk, and when they finished their assignment, he collected their work and saw them out of his room. Glancing at the clock, Tsukikami noted that it was four-thirty in the afternoon. Hurriedly, he put the papers away in a drawer of his desk and exited the room, locking the door behind him and continuing down the hall. The ball would start in exactly two-and-a-half hours, so he had to get ready.
~x.x.x.x.x~
Kanda rubbed his temple. The day was becoming a hectic one. Early in the morning, things went smoothly with his lessons, but now, he had to prepare for the evening ball, an event that he did not look forward to. Since his clothes had been prepared beforehand, he did not have to spend anymore time with the Royal Tailor, something that he was grateful for. However, that just pushed another pile of duties on his shoulders and he felt himself gaining a headache from it.
"Nii-san?" It was Beatrice at his side, and he glanced at her questioningly. "Here," she said, holding up a plate of soba noodles. He took it gratefully. "I know you haven't had anything to eat yet, so I asked Chef Ramosse to fix up a quick plate for you."
"Thanks." Kanda said, digging into the plate of food.
She smiled at him and cheerfully said, "No problem."
Having food in his stomach made Kanda feel slightly better and he started up a conversation with his sister. "Have you finished your duties?"
She shook her head. "Not quite, but there's nothing left for me to do except to get dressed and report to Mother. You?"
"The same, practically. Where did Timothy run of to?"
Beatrice shrugged. "Who knows? I'll see if Tsukikami has him ready for the evening." She stood and Kanda stood with her. "I'll go with you." He said simply and she smiled at him, happy. Together, they walked down the long corridor in a peaceful silence, taking the time to organize their thoughts.
~x.x.x.x.x~
"Ardua's Royal Family!" The herald announced and all the guests clapped politely as the Falaron family entered the room.
"Princess Ida of Palauhikila!" Ida made her own appearance and the clapping continued.
Just then, before a quiet crowd, King Leonard stepped forward to address his guests. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to our welcoming ball for our special guest, Princess Ida. It is with hope that she enjoys her stay at our castle in the fine kingdom of Ardua where we have made our home. As much as it is a celebration for her, we hope for you, our citizens to enjoy this night of happiness."
Princess Ida bowed her head to the king and then, with a wide smile on her face, she said, "Thank you for your kindness, King Falaron. I just know that I will love it here." She turned towards her guests. "And I look forward to learn more of this kingdom which is so different from my own." She paused and gave them a truly dazzling smile. "Thank you all for having me."
The citizens burst into a thunderous applause, all of them happy for their King and Queen. And the princess from Palauhikila as well, she seemed like such a nice girl, perhaps she would melt the cold heart of their prince? Such a thought, to see their second prince happy, made them smile. And the rest of the family would follow suit, and truly, Ardua would be the fairy tale kingdom of happiness.
All the royals spent the next hour mingling and interacting with the guests at the party. In actuality, they were simply the rich folk of Ardua who were able to attend such social events. Lords, ladies, dukes, and duchesses with their family members were all gathered round at the ball. In total, there were many, many guests. However, mingled among them were servants, all of the middle and lower classes in society. They were the secret ears in the castle, the invisible people among those visible. But most of them never minded their position just because most of the castle members were respected and kind people. And certainly, many never stayed too long. Still, there were never too many servants around who had not gone through the screening process which decided if they were allowed to enter the castle.
In the second hour, the music began to play and soon everyone was pairing up to dance. Kanda found himself saddled with Ida—he had been talking to her a minute before the music started (more like she sidled up to him) and so he had no choice but to ask her for a dance as it was required from him.
"Prince you are so kind. And such a wonderful place you live in." Ida said gracefully, fluttering her eyelashes at Kanda as they danced together.
"I am glad to know you think that of me. I hope to visit your own home one day in my life." Kanda responded politely, his mind rejecting the words coming out of his mouth. He really wished that she would go through the rest of the dance in silence. Thankfully, she did, but she held Kanda's unwilling hand in a firm grip for another two dances. During those dances, he caught glimpses of Beatrice on the dance floor with many other partners who asked it of her, and of Timothy who danced with the teenaged daughters of the rich citizens there.
Before Ida could ask Kanda for another dance, she found herself next to Beatrice and the young lord she was currently dancing with. She hadn't yet realized that Kanda had maneuvered them to this exact position—she only thought it an annoying coincidence.
"Excuse me," Kanda says politely to the young lad before Ida can say a word. "If I may have a dance with my sister?"
"But of course." The young lad bows, recovering from his surprise and gracefully releases Beatrice's hand and taking the hand of Ida that Kanda had detached from him moments before. Ida mentally fumed as she was forced to dance with a stranger when she had her ideal in her grasp. However, as befitting her status, she danced gracefully with the man, focusing her current attention on him and learning as much as she could from him. After all, it is always good to have connections.
Kanda and Beatrice moved farther and farther away from the other pair in their dance.
"Had enough?" Beatrice asked bemusedly.
"Yes. It was a good thing I spotted you, or . . ." Kanda didn't complete that sentence and he didn't have to because they both knew his train of thought.
"And you?" He asked, out of politeness with only the slightest hint of curiosity.
"Oh, I'm doing well. I haven't exactly danced with a stranger, but it has been a while since I met these people." Beatrice admitted.
They danced to the rest of the song in silence, and as the ending came, Kanda passed his sister to Timothy nearby and directed Timothy's partner to another. After this, he vanished into the crowd, leaving his siblings together as the next song started, happy and upbeat.
"I saw him dance with her three times, Bea, did you see?" Timothy exclaimed in wonder.
"Yep. I saw it alright." Beatrice replied wryly. "Such an amazing brother we have, don't you agree, Timothy?"
"I want to be even cooler than Yuu-nii when I'm older!" Timothy declared, and Beatrice chuckled at that.
"Good luck with that. Although I doubt that you will go through too much trouble in achieving your goal."
"Hey! I know I'll be more awesome than him, and keep my personality to boot!"
Beatrice laughed. "I can't wait to see that day." She commented.
The song ended, and before another one started up, a different young lad came over to them. "If I may have this dance, my lady?" He held out his hand to Beatrice and she took it with a smile.
"Certainly," she replied to the man, and then looked at her brother. "I'll see you later then."
Timothy watched as his sister was led away by the handsome man. He was tall and blonde, his eyes a gentle green color, his white suit fitting his body perfectly and Timothy knew that this man's his smile was what had caught Beatrice's eye. Timothy's eyes narrowed as they got farther away—there was something about that man that he didn't like, but he couldn't put a finger on it. No matter, Timothy knew what he was going to do during the next dance: discreetly spy on his sister. Sure, it wasn't the best thing to do, but it was his sister after all, dancing with someone who he felt was strange. Maybe it was his imagination, but Timothy certainly didn't want to face himself or his brother if he happened to be right about this guy who seemed to charm his sister easily.
~x.x.x.x.x~
Kanda stared impassively at the mob of guests at the welcome ball hosted for the princess. He hated these events more than ever as they had slowly increased in the past year. He had had to deal with the rich women who were interested in only his wealth and his appearance. So as to not soil his family's royal name, he had to be the polite and charming prince that everyone thought he was. He felt himself suffocating in this role, the crowded room stifling. The only good part of his princely role was that he truly was of a solitary nature, and that everyone knew at least that small fact about him. This allowed him to have his space, and as a prince, he could certainly keep others waiting at a reasonable time. Still, he never enjoyed these parties and often used the advantages that his status gave him.
A flash of red caught his eye and without thinking, he moved his hand slightly, motioning the figure over. It was Lavi, he knew, Lavi posing as a butler and mingling among the people, blending in as a servant and nothing more. Kanda envied his ability to just slip away from the event, to physically escape from a situation when he felt uncomfortable but never showed it. His dark eyes watched Lavi move through the sea of people to reach him and it was only a minute later when the redhead stopped.
"Care for a drink, Your Highness?" Lavi's voice was velvet as he offered the tray of half-full wineglasses to Kanda.
"Che." Kanda reached out and took the glass from the tray, swirling it in his hand. "How long do you think this party will last?"
Lavi chuckled, an infuriating noise to Kanda's ears at the moment. "A long, long while, of course."
"I've been in here for three hours." A statement.
"It would be wiser to stay through two more." Careful advice.
"That's ridiculous." He took a sip from his glass.
"But required."
A silence fell between them and the volume of noise rose around them.
"No longer than one."
"I can nudge company towards you." An offer.
"Che." The customary response.
A smile grew on Lavi's face. "Care for some food?"
Kanda shook his head, he didn't feel hungry, only tired and bored. But Lavi took this as a signal and winked (more like blinked) at him, taking his leave quickly.
It didn't take long for Lavi to return and to bring someone else along as well. This time, Lavi's hand held a platter of appetizers and behind him was Beatrice, free at last from the suitors that pursued her as avidly as Kanda's own. "Your Highnesses, I think I'll leave this to you." He set the tray down on the table beside Kanda's chair and left them, privately giving Kanda a wink that actually looked like a wink instead of a strange and out-of-place blink.
Kanda ignored him and turned to his sister who decided to take a seat beside the food so that the tray was in-between them. The silence was comfortable and they spent time in the partially shrouded corner eating the appetizers Lavi had handed them and watching the guests of their party mingle about in a chaotic yet ordered manner. They spent half an hour like this, resting, when Kanda noticed his sister become alert. Following her gaze, his own eyes landed on a blonde man dressed in white. Immediately, questions ran through his head, from who the stranger was and to why his sister was alert to him, even if she didn't quite know it yet.
"Brother," Beatrice stood suddenly, "I think I shall make my appearance again. This way, they do not suspect too much of your own missing presence." She moved away from him then after his gruff comment of "whatever". But his dark eyes followed her, suspicion in his mind.
Minutes later, Timothy was suddenly beside him, but Kanda didn't mind his brother's appearance. "What is it?" He said, knowing something was on his brother's mind.
"It's Bea-nee. I don't like the guy she's with."
Immediately, Kanda was alert, his main attention on Timothy while another part of it was in the crowd where he knew his sister was in. "What about him?" He asked this in a light tone, and Timothy paled slightly, perhaps he shouldn't have mentioned it? But Kanda would've found out sooner or later.
"Well, he seems like a pretty decent guy, but I dunno, there's just something about him that bugs me. And I don't know why." Timothy let out in a rush, finally relieving himself of his suspicions to his brother. It felt good to confide in someone else, and he was glad that Kanda didn't dismiss his suspicions like his parents would have.
"I doubt he will dare do anything in public. Do you think you can keep an eye on him?"
Timothy pouted. "I've been doing that for the past hour. Isn't there anything else I can do?"
Kanda shook his head. "You stand out too much already. Think of it as an exercise in stealth."
Timothy sighed but complied with his brother's directions as he left his seat.
Another servant walked by with a tray of drinks, but paused in front of Kanda, who reached out for a drink. At the same time, he ordered in lowered tones, "Fetch Helena."
He left with a slight bow and disappeared into the crowd. Some minutes later, as Kanda sipped his drink, someone stopped to stand behind him.
"You asked for me, my Prince?" A familiar female voice inquired in lowered tones.
"Do you see that lad dancing with Beatrice? Blonde with green eyes, wearing white."
"Yes, I see them."
"Stay close and watch him. There is something odd about him."
"They will not leave my sight," Helena promised. "Is there anything else?"
"If you see Tsukikami, remind him to stay by my brother." Kanda set his glass down on the table.
Helena dipped her head forward in a bow and then vanished into the crowd.
~x.x.x.x.x~
Lavi served drinks and appetizers to the guests, making sure that everyone had some kind of drink or food if they wanted it. He was a part of the crowd and he actively listened to all the conversations around him as he walked by, invisible to those who thought he didn't matter because he was a servant. There was a few among them who would recognize him though, so he did his best to stay away from them, so as to not ruin the fun he was having in fooling the princess and her advisor. Already, her entourage believed him to be nothing more than an experienced worker in the castle. And from them, he learned much about the princess than had been presented to the Falaron family. Lavi had chuckled to himself at this discovery; she was definitely no "perfect" match for Kanda and certainly not deserving in any way of Ardua's prince.
'Think of the devil and he shall arise', Lavi thought bemusedly as he caught sight of the blonde princess and her advisor. "Ah, Princess Ida, Advisor Mikk, do the two of you care for a refreshment?" He offered to them a glass from his tray and the man took it while the girl ignored it completely. Truly, she was what anyone might have suspected of any high and mighty noble who thought the world was centered around her. Lavi certainly wasn't fooled, but he wasn't about to let them know that.
"Thank you." Lavi's eye flickered upward for a second, surprised at the comment, to find Tyki's golden eyes on him. He quickly cast his eye downwards but gave the two a smile. "I hope the two of you are enjoying the party. Is everything to your liking?"
Ida opened her mouth, but Tyki cut in smoothly, aware of his princess's mood at the moment. "Yes, everything seems amazing." He answered, never taking his eyes of the red-head whom he recalled bumping into during that history lesson. There was something about this young man that intrigued him, and he was surprised, because people hardly ever intrigued him. So this was a first, definitely.
"How are you?" The question out of his mouth surprised even Ida, and Lavi had no choice but to respond.
"Busy. But I'm pleased that you are enjoying yourself." Lavi smiled then appeared to catch a glance of someone else beyond them. His face turned apologetic. "I'm sorry, but I have to attend to other guests now. Please, continue to enjoy the party." He bowed, turned away from them, and walked off into the crowd. Tyki was left to stare after him until Lavi disappeared from sight and Tyki turned back to Ida who was studying him curiously and with a strange look on her face. 'Really,' he thought, 'I must teach her how to be less open with her facial expressions; she is as easy to read as an open book. Well, to me anyway.' He flashed a smile at her. "Yes, my Princess? Is there anything wrong?"
Ida pursed her lips. "It's nothing. Only," she paused, giving him an inquiring glance, "are you interested in him? That servant boy?"
"Him?" Tyki chuckled. "Don't be silly now. Really, I don't know where you get these kinds of assumptions."
Ida looked as if she would say more, but Tyki downed his glass of wine and set it down on some other servant's tray. "Why don't we go look for your lover-boy instead of dallying around here?" He suggested and Ida's mind immediately took off.
"Come on, then." Ida elegantly glided into the crowd and Tyki followed a step behind her.
~x.x.x.x.x~
"My dear, I think tonight has been a success!" King Leonard exclaimed to his wife in one of the rooms by the ballroom.
"Of course it is, my dear." Queen Etsuko said, leaning towards the mirror and applying a fresh coat of lipstick to her lips. It was a reddish-pink color and when she was finished, she capped the stick closed.
"Darling, Princess Ida is such a lovely girl. The other girls were wonderful too, but I think she may be the one for our Yu." King Leonard adjusted the crown atop his head and tugged at the cloth of his outfit.
Kanda had escaped from the pressure of the ball and was now walking down the quiet halls towards his rooms. His parents' voices and his name made him stop by the door he was previously going to pass and he listened to them intently. Even though he had a great respect for his parents, (especially his mother), and would never eavesdrop on them, he felt that this discussion was vital to his future. So he stopped and pressed his ear close.
"Oh? What makes you say so? That's what you said about the other visiting ladies." This was said dryly as the queen fanned herself lightly.
"I know what I see. She is such a lovely girl-"
"You've said that already."
"-and I think she should just be given a chance. Besides, I think our Yuu's heart will heal quite well with her help-"
"What makes you think he needs help?"
Kanda smirked a little at his mother's outspokenness. Of course she would never behave this way in public and certainly never had in her own home, but her husband's own outgoing personality was growing on her, and hence the interruptions. He nearly gasped at his father's next words, he hardly ever heard his father raise his voice to his mother before.
"Would you stop interrupting me for a second, woman?" His voice raised and she raised her brow at him in return. He used her silence to finish his thoughts. "I think, no, I am sure, that our Yuu secretly likes Ida and given time they will become very happy together. Which is why, even though he may seem angry or irritated at our news, we must be firm and not give in. After her three-month stay with us, I am sure that they will push for marriage without our prompting!"
Kanda could not believe his ears. His father had arranged for Ida to stay for three months at their castle? In his home? But . . . when she had first arrived at the castle, his father had only said she would stay for two weeks, not three months! Never before had his father lied to him about something so important, or done something so completely against his wishes. Turning his attention back to the conversation, Kanda feverently prayed for his mother to make his father see sense instead of carrying out some daydream.
But his mother must have felt regret at how she had spoken to his father earlier, for she said, "Do you really think so?"
And then Kanda knew that if he stayed at this castle, his future would be doomed. He detached himself from the wall and the door, not bothering to stay for the rest of his parents' discussion. As his feet silently lead him away down the corridors to where his room was, his thoughts ran wild in his head.
'How could they? I've always been polite because I am a prince and was raised this way, but . . . this! Knowingly! Against my wishes!' Kanda felt himself becoming angrier and angrier until he was a ball of raging fire. He entered his room, and slammed the door, knowing the sound would echo through the halls but not caring because the party was really loud and with the open vents in the ball room, enough sound would carry to cover the slamming of his door.
He tossed himself on his bed, but quickly got off it. He began to pace as his anger would not let him sit still, at least not until this red-hot anger cooled down into a cold-blue flame within him. From pacing, he switched to practicing his sword stances. That always helped him think better.
His parents liked Ida. He hated Ida. Ida was staying with him. He would be forced to marry her. Bea and Tim might eventually like her. But he hated her, and that advisor of hers creeped him out as well. Her voice was annoying. She was so fake. He hated liars. But he would be forced to stay with her until the end of his life. He would never be able to go out into the world. He would be tied down to the crown. He would be chained, not free. Free to search and seek out the whereabouts of his beloved older brother. Alma. Alma had also been tied down, Kanda knew it though he never spoke of it; they were like each other in that way. But Alma was no longer tied down. Because he was no longer here.
The thought froze Kanda in his tracks. It ran over in his mind again. That was it! That was the solution. Kanda was calm now, deadly calm, like the calm before the storm. His anger was no longer red but blue as it should always be. He had a plan and he would execute it. But when? Tonight? He nodded, thinking it over. Yes, before anyone notices, before they can notice, before they suspect anything.
But what of his siblings? He paused. If he left, they would feel the same pain that he had felt at Alma's disappearance. They were young, but strong and willful, just like him. They would be fine under the castle's protection. And he was certain his father would not try to set up marriages for either of them until they were at least sixteen.
Kanda thought about staying in the castle and tolerating Ida for the rest of two weeks. Could he somehow convince his father to send her back afterwards instead of extending her stay? But his father was stubborn, sometimes to the extreme. He thought back on the conversation he had overheard and he felt the anger starting to rekindle.
Opening his closet he grabbed some clothes and then walked around the room, packing up everything essential for a trip in a bag. His father could not be reasoned with, so there was no point in him staying any longer than he had to. Perhaps once he was gone for a while his father would come to his senses. That or he would become furious. But at this point Kanda could not find it in himself to care.
When he was finished packing he opened his door, bag in hand. He would have stepped forward but stopped, surprise etched onto his face.
Lavi stood before him, and Kanda already knew that the other guessed his plan after seeing the bag he carried in his hand. Nevertheless, he had to ask.
"What'cha doing Yuu?" His voice was soft.
"Leaving." Kanda's face had schooled back into its cold and uncaring mask, taking the surprise out of his expression.
"Now?"
"What does it look like?" Kanda moved to step past Lavi.
"Well, I hope you weren't planning on leaving me behind Yuu."
Kanda stopped, and gave Lavi a questioning glance.
Lavi feigned a hurt expression. "Yuu, I'm shocked! After all we've been through, you were planning to leave me like everyone else? We're best friends!"
Kanda glared at Lavi. "Well, I wasn't planning it, it just happened." He narrowed his eyes at the red-head. "How the hell did you know about this if even I didn't know about this?" He demanded.
Lavi gave him a cheeky grin. "Yuu, I'll always know what happens to you." There was complete confidence in his voice. "Besides! Yuu needs me!"
"What makes you think that?"
"'Cause you obviously don't know where the hell you're going and that will make you an easy bait to find. Ya stick out like a sore thumb and ya don't have the appropriate connections that I do."
Kanda scowled.
"So, I'm going with you, whether you like it or not! Wait for me by your courtyard. I'll be back in an hour."
"Half an hour."
"But-"
"Half."
Kanda's insistence left Lavi no room to argue, well not unless he wanted Kanda to actually leave without him. He gave the prince a cheeky smile. "Half an hour then. And don't even think about leavin' without me, Yuu, or I'll tell everybody where you went!" Lavi wagged a finger at Kanda before dashing off to gather his stuff.
~x.x.x.x.x~
At the party, Beatrice and Timothy found themselves sitting down at the seats that their brother had long since vacated. Helena and Tsukikami were hovering nearby but did not bother them, as requested by the siblings.
"Oh, there they are," Beatrice said, pointing out their parents to her nine-year-old brother.
He rolled his eyes. "I can see them." He told his sister, and then squinted at his parents. "Do they seem kinda weird or something?"
"Our parents drunk?" Beatrice sounded horrified at the thought. "Never."
Timothy scowled. "I never said that. And when is this party going to end anyway?" He yawned. "I'm getting tired."
Beatrice looked down at him. "Yes, it is quite late already. I'm surprised that Mère hasn't already sent you to bed or told Tsukikami to take you there." She turned slightly to glance Tsukikami's tall form.
"I'm not that much younger than you," Timothy grumbled as he held in another yawn. Although he knew his siblings often envied him for being young enough to leave fancy parties early, he did not want to go to sleep later than his sister this night. He didn't like the fact that she had danced with that man five times already, and was certain that if he was not in her company, she would be with that man again. And there was no way he would allow that to happen. Although there was nagging question in his head: where was Yuu-nii? Timothy hadn't seen him since the last time they had spoken at the party. And he wished his older brother was there to keep an eye on his sister, because he knew that Beatrice would never do anything that Kanda showed even slight hint of disapproval towards. Neither would he, for that matter, but that was beside the point.
"You should sleep." Beatrice motioned and Tsukikami came over. "Please take Timothy back to his chambers. I will tell our parents so they don't worry."
Timothy scowled and gestured sharply at Helena. Once she was standing next to them, he jabbed Beatrice's elbow. "If I have to go then so do you. We can both tell Mère et Père and leave together."
Beatrice scowled at her brother. "Don't be a brat Tim, it's not becoming."
Timothy opened his mouth to argue with her, but was interrupted by his advisor clearing his throat. "If I may speak, your highnesses? I would advise for you both to get some rest. You've already stayed the appropriate amount of hours required."
Helena nodded in agreement. "Let us escort you back. There will be plenty of parties for you to attend in the future."
Beatrice sighed but relented. "Oh, alright then. Let's go."
~x.x.x.x.x~
In his room, Lavi picked up a satchel full of clothes and other items. He had packed it many days before hand, suspecting that soon, Kanda would snap and simply run away from everything, disappearing like his older brother had long, long ago. He was glad that he had been on the right track and thus prepared for the moment when it came. He walked over to the door but hesitated when he touched the handle, and looked back at the room he shared with his grandfather.
Should he leave a note? He wanted to, but… Lavi shook his head. No, it would probably be better if he didn't. Lavi grabbed the door handle before he could second guess himself and left, the door closing with a click behind him.
Walking down the empty corridor, he headed for one of the castle's side kitchens. There were few people bustling in and out of them—mainly everyone was assigned to the main kitchen staff. Thanks to that, Lavi was able to sneak in and steal a sack full of food without anyone noticing.
That done, Lavi headed for the Master Swordsmith's forge. His footsteps were quiet, and even though it was quite dark in the forge, Lavi had been there enough times to know his way around. Feeling around and stepping gingerly, Lavi stopped at a table.
"Aha! There you are!" Lavi's arm reached down and picked up a sword, admiring it in the single beam of moonlight that penetrated the cave. "Now, just to find the other one. . ." Rummaging around, Lavi found the small hammer behind the shields and took it, taking his leave.
~x.x.x.x.x~
Kanda kept glancing up at the moon. What was taking that damned rabbit so long? Surely it had been past half an hour already? Kanda felt a scowl emerge on his face, along with an emotion he could only label as nervousness. He had planned to be gone before anyone noticed and not get caught. But now—
Before he could finish that thought, a soft voice penetrated the silence.
"Yuu?"
Kanda breathed a sigh of relief. "Here, you idiot."
Locking onto his voice, Lavi immediately walked over to Kanda. "There you are!" The moon overhead was almost straight, indicating that midnight was coming. "For a minute I thought you'd left already. Sorry for making you wait."
"Che. You took too long."
"Hey, I did not! And at least I'm here, right?"
"Tch. Let's just go. Now."
Quickly and quietly, the two stole away from the castle using the secret path only they knew. They continued, walking in the dark as the moon hung high overhead, illuminating their path. The castle grew smaller and farther from them as they trudged on steadily, making no noise but soft footfalls along the dry dirt path where many feet had trodden on.
~x.x.x.x.x~
A/N: There you have it: more interactions with the characters. It seems like I'm making Beatrice and Timothy mere followers of Kanda, huh? But, they are that and their very own person. Anyway, the true adventure has just begun! Please read and review-all sorts of feedback are appreciated!
Thanks to Yuerai, Ninja Mafia Mistress, anon, and Yuu13 for reviewing the last chapter!
Response to Reader Reviews
Yuerai: Thanks for giving this story a chance! I hope that this chapter satisfies you!
Ninja Mafia Mistress: Thanks for your review! I really appreciated knowing what you would've have liked to happen—that helped me increase the length of the chapter and gave me more ideas to work with! You were plenty of help!
anon: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like the concept!
Yuu13: Thank you for supporting this story! And yes, Kanda and Lavi belong to each other.
A/N #2: Edited and revised on May 7, 2017.
