It Started With a Kiss

There were rules for these things. You never went against the rules. No exceptions. The moment they broke the rules was the moment things would unravel. The moment they broke the rules was the moment they began down a path they had to finish.

Chapter 4: Bring on the night


Uneasy.

Nervous.

About to explode from anxiety.

That's all Rikku could think to describe how she felt right now. Tonight was The night. This was the night she would be recognized by her people as a woman. It happened to every royal princess before her. Every royal was soon to arrive. Her mother and father had returned from their trip for this. On the eve of your 18th birthday a celebration is thrown in your name where all nobles and royals looked on as you entered for the first time into the court you shall rule as a respected woman. Also to happen that night was her first dance. To this date she had been allowed to dance with noble's sons who had asked her father or mother. But tonight she came out from the shadow of her father and gained freedom to choose who she wished to dance with. She got choice and respect…but this freedom didn't come close to neither what Gippal offered her nor what he gave her.

Since the day Gippal saved her, she had kept her word to treating him more as a companion. They had danced nearly every night since then and in those hours, she felt like they talked about everything. He had so many interesting things to say about culture and sights he's seen. She could be dazzled in his conversation for hours. And as the moon became high in the sky and her body began to become drowsy, he would walk her to her room. When she'd lay down to sleep, she could hear in her mind the lullaby he had played for her many times. Her mind became at ease instantly and she succumbed to slumber. And each night her dreams would hold that dream she held the night she found him in the piano room. Only at the end of the dream she would always see him in the distance, holding his hand out to her. One thing that bothered her though was she was never able to reach him before she awoke. She was always running to him, tripping, and then running again. Each time it was as though he got further.

She deducted that that was why she was in his company so often during the day. She asked him to join her in her activities and walk with her among the grounds. He would read her poetry and play the piano for her. She even enjoyed him during her meals; though he rarely ate. Yet her favorite moment had to be the yesterday's noon when she had taken a break from her final studies. She didn't quite feel like lunch or doing anything so she and Gippal found solace under the shade of a Montezuma Cypress Tule Tree that had been on the land for nearly 2 centuries. Gippal let her rest her head on his lap as he stroked her hair. She sighed contently and they talked calmly. Guards loomed in the far distance, keeping keen watch. They had since she encountered that beast. But Gippal told her stories he had read and then suddenly a question popped in her mind. She asked if he truly enjoyed her company. He said,

"Being by you is like a man who has been in the desert for years finally finding water. Before you were born, I was that dehydrated man, but now that you're here, I wish every day to swim in your presence." His words were so genuine and true. She felt it.

"So….if ever we were forced apart…"

"It would only make me desire to be with you. And I would fight to be by your side if ever you desired me there. I would never cease."

"So if I summoned for you….even in the midst of the impossible…"

"I would always come. Nothing could keep me from you." He promised. And although she knew the answer, somehow his pledging it made her heart flutter.

And the fluttering had yet to cease. So as she stood behind the large two mahogany door encrusted with gold, awaiting to make her entrance, she only had one person on her mind. She had wished he were there to escort her into this large extravaganza but this was something she had to do on her own. So with every Regal fiber in her being , she assumed her stance and watched the door open. The room quieted to silence that a soulful bird wouldn't dare to interrupt. She entered and it seemed like millions in the room, yet as she looked to the bottom of the grand stair case, one pair of eyes caught her full attention.

You look breathtaking.

His voice in her head seemed like their own little secret these past few days.

She descended as gracefully as she was taught. Took hold of the hand of the Count appointed to her entrance. She would be in the hands of only a few gentlemen this evening. As appointed by her father but the moment she was waiting for was her first dance. She ,as a now officially recognize and respected young woman, would be allowed to choose her first dance suitor for the night. This symbolized all she had accomplished and the trust the royal family had in her decisions. So it was the moment she anticipated the most.

As the nght progressed her mind never wandered from it. Every face she saw , every man she met, she determined whether they would be the right choice for her dance. No one stood out to her. No one seemed right. She sat at her seat next to her father and mother's thrown, and worried. If she chose no one, it would be outrage. If she chose the wrong person, it would be a shame to her family. She tried to hide the strain in her face as she sipped the wine handed to her by a servant. But then the clock struck midnight and she knew the time had come.

In the stories she had heard as a babe, the magic ended when it struck midnight. The princess ran away and returned to normal. And at that moment, that's what she felt like doing. The music stopped. Everyone's eyes turned to her and her father stood. She hesitantly took her father's hand and let her emerald gown fall in place to the floor. Her satin slippers felt like bricks as she tried to get her feet to move. She hadn't chosen a suitor. She hadn't found one. Not one. She would shame her family…. Her throat clenched as her father let her hand go. No remedy could fix this pain in her stomach of failure.

So as she came to place in the center of the marble ballroom floor, her voice braced to speak and announce the news. Then she spotted him. Gippal. Standing in the middle of a group to the back…the ballroom lights made him look some kind of different. He had on his usual outfit. Blouse and chaps but he dawned some kind of jeweled pendant. She hadn't noticed it until the sunlight hit it. His hair pulled back in a sharp ponytail , he looked stunning not even dressed like some of the others in the room. And it came to her. She saw it register on his face as soon as she thought.

Gippal, come to me.

Her voice begged. Something she hadn't done since she was a child. And that was to her father. Only once. She had begged to attend a tea with her mother, and he had told her begging was very unbecoming of a royal.

I hear no begging in your voice, My Lady.

Then come to me.

This choice would cause a social blunder. No princess has chosen a Sire at her Becoming.

This made Rikku think. No princess had done what she wills to do…the people would speak of it across the country. How it would be received, she could only begin to imagine. But this….this was her chance to begin her true freedom. Reign in the shadows of her ancestors…or prepare the Albhedia for …her reign?

"Princess?"

Rikku's thought is interjected by her father's voice. He urged her on.

She swallowed one final time then turned to her court. No words needed to be spoken as she let her well-manicured hand reach out. No one knew to whom until Gippal emerged from the crowd. Silence that had been traditional was compromised now as he approached her. Whispers could be heard.

As he bowed before her and grazed his lips against the back of her hand, she had made her own decision and had truly gotten a taste of the freedom she was entitled to as a woman. Yet she also felt this tinged feeling deep within…..heavy responsibility.

"Your dance of choice, My Lady?" Gippal asked as he stood.

She brushed off the last feeling to the back of her mind and smiled. She would enjoy this night…fully.

"The princess desires to dance Avaulta !" Gippal announced with a just as happy grin to the court. It is not a common dance for The Becoming, but a well enjoyed one when danced.

The music began and smiles formed in the crowd as the pair danced. They would take 2 steps left and a fierce clap, then the same to the right. They would meet in the middle, turn by right then separate; and repeated. They'd meet, turn by left and separate. The crowd enjoyed, evident by the rhythmic clap that kept to the beat. And then he would take lead. They would dance 5 steps left and then to the right. What really made the crowd cheer was when he vaulted her into the air and set her down just as easily. She couldn't help but laugh joyously as she backed away and honoured.

'This dance was not so dreadful after all ', she thought and Gippal responded by vaulting her once more. And soon the crowd joined in the dance.

Soon the becoming dance merged into a normal celebration, and the royals rejoiced in merriment over her becoming of a woman. Rikku actually found herself smiling and laughing. But it was due to a well clad Sire who never left her side.

"We mustn't sneak off so swiftly. " Rikku giggled as Gippal took her hand and led out the side doors to the crisp night air. The music seemed muffled by the purity of this night. The moon and stars illuminated the lush grounds of the palace.

"Had we not, I feared they might've desired our dance to display all evening." Gippal responded. He brought her to a more secluded area of the outdoor patio where they were hidden from the eyes of anyone who may not have been wrapped up in celebration. It was a sweet nook nestled by the rose vines and a lovely sculpted fountain.

He released her hand and let her take in the peaceful surroundings. She walked up to the rose vines and let her hand thumb the petals. She couldn't decipher the feel of her fingers from the feel of the silky petals. The thorns kept her from picking them with ease as a child; still do.

"And what a display it was. I would joyfully give another should it please them. "She said.

" And I would willingly accompany should it please you. For that smile would be enough of an award a thousand times over." Gippal came up behind her and plucked a rose off for her, stem still intact. Its vibrant red hue illuminated in the moonlight.

"You shamelessly flatter; Silver tongues can do well only in a room of heartless politics or heartbroken maidens." She replies . She let the perfume of the rose fill her nostrils with a quick inhale, as she moves to take a seat on the fountain

"For which you are neither, Your Majesty. " He insists.

For a moment Rikku let her mind wander. That feeling from earlier returned. She had finally pinned down what it was and its cause: Pressure for having the whole security of her people on her shoulders. Suddenly the night felt heavy on her psych. Her mind raced with what she could only imagine to expect in this upcoming few years.

A masculine hand came to caress her elbow, only then did she realize Gippal had taken a seat next to her.

"Do not let the worries of tomorrow sour your good mood." He advised her.

"How can one not ponder tomorrow when, as a royal, that is all I am given to ponder?" She sighs, looking down. A deep gut feeling almost forced a tear from her eye.

Gippal's hand comes up and wipes the tear before it escapes more than a centimeter.

"Don't let it sullen a rare and gorgeous face such as yours, My Grace. Merely ponder… more pleasant things." She didn't get a chance to respond as his hand caressed the side of her face, smoothly moving down to her chin, and turning her to face him.

She cautiously watched him through partially closed lids, remembering what happened last time. But something about this felt different. He wasn't showing her anything, confirmed when his lips touched hers.

Something in her…deep down broke in a way. One moment it was and innocent kiss. The next a heat built up in her that couldn't be controlled. Her hands trailed, quite inappropriately for a princess, up his chaps to his blouse. He caressed her midsection , keeping mind not to go any lower for her and the royal family's dignity. But Rikku wasn't quite paying attention to that. No, she wasn't paying attention to it at all.

She almost let go, that tingling burn in between their skin making everything about him so enticing. Almost….

She would have had it not been for a Gippal's sudden jerk. It frightened her, the switch from being caressed to his frigid state. She slowly parted from his lips only a few inches to see why. A expertly sharpened steel-tipped arrow aimed right for her face was caught in his grasp. A shriek of fear shot through her. She felt numb yet she found herself fall from the fountain's perch.

But that was soon replaced with a different feeling when something heavy and large and mass feel with a loud thump beside her. She somehow managed to move her muscles and began to turn her head.

A voice in her mind, mystical, warned "Don't look. "

But it was too late. When she peered at what had fallen beside her, a scream of pure horror that could've reached miles, left her. A guard came running out, had gone in to give Rikku and Gippal privacy, and saw the chaos.

"DRA BNEHLACC RYC PAAH YDDYLGAT! DRA BNEHLACC!"

The guard's shouts didn't get through to Rikku, nor did the hands that brought her off the ground. In fact , everything going on seemed a blur. The nobles' yells. The ladies in waiting that escorted her with the guards to her chambers. None of it registered. She hadn't even realized she had gotten the dead's guards blood on her lovely gown.

Rikku didn't come to for a while. Only a single voice was finally able to break through her discombobulated state. And at first she didn't understand it even.

She looked about her surroundings and took in what has occurred. She was in her chambers. On a chair by her balcony door, which was locked securely as far as she could tell. Her gown had been changed into a night gown, she could tell by the lighter material. The noise from outside told her a search had still been in 1rogress for the assassin who tried to kill her.

That dreadful feeling returned. But she didn't have time to linger on it as a voice reac2ed her once more.

"My Lady, can you hear me?"

"Gippal?" She spoke aloud ,although the voice as in her mind.

"I am being barred from your presence by your guards. May I come to you?"

She arose. The sound of Gippal near her felt just right at this moment. Her feet were uncovered, and the cold marble floors stung but she cared not as she came to the door. The guards almost jumped when she opened them.

"Princess, is there something the matter?" A guard said approaching the door. She simply held her hand up to cease his words. She didn't wish to speak with anyone but Gippal. He stood diligently poised a few feet away in the hallway. She opened her door a tad wider and beckoned him with her same outstretched hand. But the guard, extended his sword in front of Gippal.

"That is unwise , Princess. By the King's orders, we are to allow no one into your room until the assassin is found or the premises is secured."

Rikku rolled her eyes. She longed for Gippal….

And like that Gippal spoke up.

"Kind Knight…" Gippal spoke. The guard looked to him. He had a strange glow to his eye….or maybe it was just Rikku that saw it. "If my lady desires my presence, it is most unwise to bar it from her."

The guard slowly withdraws his sword, his words studdering out "S-sorry. M-my apologies, P-Princess."

Gippal does a courteous nod to the guard before proceeding in.

Rikku walks back into the middle of her room , her hands clasping her gown gently. She hears him close the door behind him. She doesn't kno how many steps he takes but suddenly his voice is right by her ear…and not in her head.

"All you need do is desire it, and it is yours."

"How do you know I am desiring something at this moment, ser?" She coyly asks.

His hand comes up to brush the hair from her neck, that had been released from that head aching bun by her chambermaids. His touch sends chills down her spine, but it's the soft embrace of his lips that does much more.

"Your body tells me all your mouth refuses to murmur." He whispers to her.

She tries to hide a shudder.

"Please allow me to answer your body's call…..Do what I've been yearning to do for….heavens only know how long." He sounds….like his breathing his labored. Rikku didn't understand. He sounded as though he ached-

"I do ache." He says. His tongue grazes the shell of her ear. This time a shudder does escape her.

His hands take hold of her waist and turn her to face him. She feels so….open….vulnerable.

"I …" Her routine told her to say this was not how a lady, a princess at that, acted. But the words couldn't come. Instead she said " I have never been with a man in ….any manner."

Gippal suddenly begins to glow a strange tone. She can….hear….a melody….but it wasn't coming from him….She heard it in her mind.

"I…shouldn't…."

Gippal leans in and kisses her neck. Slowly trailing them down to her bosom. Rikku gasps at the sensation of his breath on her skin. It burned…but it a good way.

"Please…..its calling to me in the sweetest melody….even a nightingale couldn't mimic." He pleads. She notices he begins to walk her backwards, her gown slowly rising. Her mind didn't allow her to wonder where nor did it try but she had an idea when she bumped into her Queen sized Canopy bed. The silk quilts cooling her bare calves.

"Were …you not the one who told me, begging is quite unbecoming?" She said but it ended in a surprised tone when he put his hands behind her knees and lifter her onto the royally high bed.

"Those were not my words, although they were true….but I cannot help it, my lady." He says. He climbs onto the bed , like a predator over its prey.

"I mean to cause no harm….just immense pleasure." His kisses continue after that and Rikku can barely keep up .

He was in midst of disrobing her when a strange feeling came over her. It was like she could no longer feel, nor see…she became drowsy. Was this Gippal's work? What was he doing?

…This is not the doing of your Sire…

She suddenly finds herself in this dream…forest of some sort. It is different from the one she first dreamed of…but similar in a way. She sees a light ahead, but doesn't run toward it.

"Who are you?"

…..This attempt on your life tonight will not be the last…

"What do you mean? Who are you?"

….The attempts will continue….and they won't stop at you…. Your kingdom will suffer…many will die…

"You threaten my kingdom? I demand you reveal yourself!"

….The answers you seek, and even ones you do not, await you beyond The Veil….

"I do not seek answers and I will not seek this 'veil'"Rikku yells to the voice.

…..Then see what awaits….

A flash turns Rikku's darkened forest into a terrible scene. She was standing at the palace's front gates. The skies were darkened with black smoke and deep amber hues. She smelled….death. Bodies lay all around her, blood soiled the once lush green terrain. Screams…cries filled the thick air…

Her beautiful kingdom, her people, was gone…

….This awaits you….your kingdom….

"But why…?" Rikku asked as she looked around.

….. Because his heart is a dangerous thing…

"His….Who's?" She was so confused. Too in shock at the sight she as seeing. Then the front doors, once a pristine white Birchwood and gold, opened to reveal an image that horrified Rikku to the bone.

Gippal stood there in a disheveled demeanor, his wounds apparent of a great battle. But it was what he held in his arms…. A bloodied, lifeless body with blonde hair.

"That's…" She couldn't even say the words.

…You…..This is your future…an inevitable one if you do not cross 'the veil'…

The voice is suddenly fuzzier as she can only focus on the figure and its face. Gippal's angelic manner seemed….odd now. How could he be blood soaked and still have such eyes. Ones that had a strange glint to them. Despair?

..My….lady…

The dream Gippal's voice seems so far away. But oddly it wasn't from his mouth. Its like he looked at her, but didn't see her.

My Lady….can you hear me?...

This voice was closer. But something told her to run.

…. What is keeping you from me?...

She turned to run and suddenly the world behind her was falling into darkness. There was no where to go.

…He will ….leave you…..

…Who is this voice?...You intrude into my master's mind….

…..He will…..kill you….

Release her!...

….He is…. Your end….

Rikku couldn't think. There were too many voices in her head. Too many sights. This was all too much. She wanted it to stop. She wanted it to end. She wanted them to….

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Another flash and Rikku opens her eyes with a start to find the gore scene gone. She is in her bed and …Gippal is staring at her cautiously. She probably had the same stare only with a threatening hint to it.

She spoke before he could even mutter a word from his deadly lips.

"Who are you and what do you want from me?"

He begins to speak but she feels it is a lie.

"I will not hesitate to have you locked in the dungeon if you lie to me." She threatened. She grabbed her robe, realizing her state of undress.

His eyes softened.

"I am your Sire, Master. Born and sworn to protect and serve only you. I want nothing from you. I only wish to give you all I can."

His words sound so sincere but after her night and that…dream, she didn't really trust anything right now.

"I do not know what has shaken your faith in me, My Lady, but I swear to you nothing has changed. I am still the same companion you have kept by your side since we met that night." He promises. But she isn't quite convinced.

He said only he was connected to her mind, yet another …voice reached her. Showed her things.

"I do not know what or who that was but I promise to you as your Sire , I will find them and erect the punishment you see fit for violating your inner sanctum." He tells her. He begins to move closer on the bed but Rikku flinched at his sudden movement, so he ceased.

"Please do not fear me….I mean no harm…." His voice sounds hurt. It does something to Rikku. Magic?

"Tis not magic, my lady." He begs. " Tis is my sincerity. "

Sincerity ,sure….right before he kills her.

"Why….would you think that? What did you see?"

What she saw…..needed answers. Now.

"I can find the answers you seek, if you so desire it." Gippal vowed.

She didn't want anything from him.

"The only thing I desire is you away from my presence." She spoke. He didn't get to respond, nor did he try. He diligently bowed and turned, Rikku felt a pang in her heart but didn't understand why. Nor did she care.

She should've stuck with her first thought when they first met. This strange being was not meant for a princess. And apparently he was something to watch closely. Very closely.

The night air hit virgin skin as a fire would. A cool burn that even a cloak was hard to keep out. Rikku was used to the warm satin sheets at this time of the hour. But that was her old life….before Gippal. She didn't even want to hear that name right now. She was too busy scaling a wall and hiding in topiary to worry about him right now. The search since her attempted assassination had since died down, at the assumption that the premises were secure. But there was no doubt in her mind, when the chambermaids came for her in the morning , the entire castle would go into mayhem to find she were gone.

She prayed to the Gods that her mother did not worry too much and her father would trust by her note that she was alright. It was a simple note. One that spoke all they needed to know and her only purpose in life right now.

I wish to find answers these palace walls could never give me. I will be long gone by the time of your reading this, but do not fret for your little Princess. I am a woman now. And I do not plan to return until I find just what that means in my life.

-Yours Ever-Truly

Princess Rikku

TBC


Alright, I know it's been eons since I last posted but I have been working on my stories. Promise. I lost my USB Drive and I'm still looking. It has my IJB update and CAROT updates. So let's all hope I find it or I'll have to start from scratch…DUN DUN DUN! Luckily this chapter is up and I can start the next. This may not make sense now but the plot has to thicken in order for it to get really good. Hehe. I know many may be upset about that little Rikku/Sire-Gippal tease. So tell me your thoughts. What exactly is so dangerous about Gippal's heart? And is that vision really the future? Can it be changed? And what about the rules? Have some already been broken?

Let me know how you feel about the other stories as well. Haven't read them? Go read them. I appreciate all the support from my faithful readers!

Xoxo,

Ayata-Ayumi