Never Let You Down
Chapter Five: Jonathan
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A/N: Okay, since I finished Aveyond 3 a few days ago, I suppose I should update this again...
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I awoke the next morning to find the sun streaming in on my face. I glanced at my wife next to me, who was still sleeping peacefully. Sighing, I got up and stretched my arms and then made my way over to the window. I pulled the curtains closed, so the sun's rays wouldn't wake Anna.
Last night I had taken my wife out dancing, both as a celebration for her completion of Lucia's lovely dress and to just get her mind off of all that was taking place here at the castle. I hadn't seen her so happy as she was when I twirled her around; Anna loved to dance. The way her emerald eyes lit up when we performed the waltz, the way her hair flowed in the freedom of the foxtrot--it was all magical.
I noticed how her pink ears perked up when a blue-eyed man took to the piano. She listened intently as he played a piece titled "Love of My Life" while another man sang. In my opinion, the words fit Anna perfectly, and I had never been so in love with her in my life as I was at that moment.
I hadn't wanted the night to ever be over, but, unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. When we arrived back at the castle, Lucia and Soren were already there and Maks and Dmitry were gone. I had forgotten our room key--again, as Anna felt the need to point out--so we spent some time tracking down Charlotte, who had all the extra keys. Luckily, she hadn't retired for the night--which actually wasn't surprising, since it seems that she never sleeps, so she most graciously gave me the spare key--after a lecture on how I shouldn't be so forgetful and whatever else she included.
As it was now about time for my shift as the noble family's butler, I quickly changed into my uniform and quietly left the room, closing the door carefully behind me. Out in the hallway, Charlotte was talking with the girls' tutor, Kym. Both of the blondes waved when they saw me coming, but then dove back into their conversation, so I decided not to bother them and instead walked in the direction of the kitchen.
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When I made it to the dining room, I found Aslyn lying in the middle of the floor, face-down...for no apparent reason. When she noticed that I was only a few feet away from her, the eight-year-old swordswoman-in-training held her practice blade above her head and ordered, "Anyone that tries to pass will face the wrath of my sword."
I frowned and sat down beside her before questioning, "Miss Aslyn, why do you look so sad?"
"There's nothin' to do. Karenna's in her room studying, and I don't have anyone to practice my swordplay with," she replied, looking up at me with sad eyes.
There wasn't any way I was going to let her smack me around with that thing, so I decided on another suggestion. "Well, shouldn't you be studying too?"
"No, Kymmie gave me the day off from school," she lied, turning her head the other way, a clear indication of the fib.
"Now, why would she do that?" I couldn't help but to smile.
She sighed, "That doesn't matter. I have a better idea anyway. Why don't you and Miss Anna have a baby so I can have someone to play with? It's obvious that Lucia's never going to have kids..."
I bit my tongue to keep from saying anything. I knew that Lucia didn't want Aslyn or Karenna to know what happened in the desert. I had promised to keep the secret for her and Soren, though I knew that they would find out eventually. My wife said that she figured that Lucia just didn't want to tell the girls until they were older and could understand it more. I doubted that they would ever truly understand their sister's pain...her burden was more than one could bear, and still she kept fighting on.
I felt sorry for Aslyn, having no one to entertain her, but Anna and I wouldn't be having children any time soon. My wife had wanted a baby before the events of the Branded massacre, but now I think we're both too afraid. It was highly likely that our child would be Branded, as she was a laguz and I was a beorc, so it just wasn't a possibility.
"Sir Jonathan? Are you okay?" I snapped out of my daze to find the little girl staring at me expectantly.
"Y-Yes, I'm fine."
"Good. Say, would you play with me?"
I gave a sigh of relief, glad that she changed the subject. "I will, as long as it doesn't involve swords at all."
"B-But...that's no fun!" she whined, giving me puppy-dog eyes and crawling into my lap. She looked up at me with her pleading eyes and continued, "You're really really mean, sir!"
I laughed and ruffled her hair as she continued to pout. "It's still a no, sweetheart."
"Fine, I'll just ask Miss Anna to instead! She turns into a pink kitty anyway, so she's cooler!" She started to get up, but I pulled her back.
"Don't bother Miss Anna, she's still sleeping, " I warned her.
"Aslyn, are you bugging Sir Jonathan?" We both turned to see Lucia standing a few feet away from where we sat. The blue-haired little girl instantly ran over to her oldest sister, who picked her up in her arms.
"He won't practice with me, Lucia!" she complained.
Her sister turned to me, a disapproving look on her features. "Now, I can't understand at all why a grown man wouldn't let you hit him and boss him around!" she said sarcastically.
"I know, I'm such a bad person," I joked.
"You're both being mean now!" the girl cried.
Lucia patted her younger sister's hair. "I'm sorry. Would you like for me to practice with you instead?"
"Oh, would you please, Lucia? I'd like that very much!" she exclaimed.
The woman sat her sister back down on the ground. "I'll meet you out there, okay?"
"Uh-huh!" The young girl quickly grabbed her blade and headed out for the training grounds, leaving just me and Lucia.
"Thank you, Milady."
She laughed, "I'm sorry about that."
"It isn't a problem, Miss Delbray. Now, would you happen to know where your husband is?"
She thought for a moment before answering, "I think he's in our room reading something. Why?"
Giving her an evil look, I replied while walking towards the stairs, "It's not any of your concern, Milady." I looked back over my shoulder to see her standing with her arms folded, playfully glaring at me. I only laughed and turned back around.
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The door was already open a crack, so I knocked on it lightly and let myself in. Soren looked up from whatever he was reading as I entered. "Oh, Jonathan, do you need something?"
"I just came to talk to you about your new student," I answered, half bowing.
"I see. She hasn't been causing any trouble, has she?" he asked, closing his tome and turning to face me completely.
He gestured at a chair, which I don't recall being there a few days ago, on the other side of his desk, and I sat down before continuing, "Well, I'm not really sure of her intention, but she's been asking all of the staff about Lucia's past."
"She has?" He paused for a moment before inquiring, "No one has told her anything, have they?"
"Not that I know of, sir. Charlotte informed me of all of this before she got around to asking anyone that would know anything."
"That's good. Thank you for bringing this to my attention; I'll be sure to take care of it," he said.
"Thank you, Master Soren. I'll let you know if I hear of anything else." He nodded at me as I made for the door.
When I came out of the room, my wife was waiting there, tapping her foot impatiently. Her light pink tail was swishing back and forth. "Anna, what is it?" I asked, pulling her closer to me and scratching her fuzzy ears.
She pulled away from me and answered, "I need to talk to you...in private...definitely away from Lord Soren. I'll be in trouble if he finds out."
I gave her a concerned look before taking her hand and leading her down the hallway. She looked so scared, but I couldn't figure out why. I couldn't think of anything that she had done that would make Soren angry with her.
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I sat down on our bed and patted my lap for Anna to sit down. She walked over and curled up in my lap, tears already streaming down her face. "You're going to kill me," she muttered.
I wrapped my arms around her and sighed, "I will not. What's wrong?"
"Well, I went to the library this morning, and my journal's been stolen. And...and..." she trailed off, crying hysterically.
I pulled her closer, attempting to comfort her. "And what, darling?"
She looked away from me as she replied, "I had written some things about Lady Lucia in it."
I sighed, "About what happened in the Grann Desert?"
"Y-Yes... Oh, Jonathan, I'm so sorry. I never meant to do this to her...now someone will find out what happened."
I began running my fingers through her fiery red hair. "Don't worry about it; I'll find the diary. Maybe you just overlooked it." I hope that's the case. I knew that if Lucia and Soren's secrets got out, we would likely be fired...or worse. But I wasn't about to let anything happen to Anna.
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A/N: I finally got this finished. I don't know why, but I couldn't concentrate. I found a way to put Kym into the story at least. And, wow, I wonder who the guy playing the piano was...
Anyway, the next chapter should be Lacey's (wonder why) and then they'll start switching back and forth from Geoffrey's view to Lacey's view, with some others possibly thrown in at some point.