Hidden Roses
Chapter 7 – In the Night
::dodges the multitudes of objects, both blunt and sharp but undoubtedly mostly sharp, from readers that may have actually liked this story and had actually waited the 3 years it took for this thing to actually be updated::
Since it's been 3 years since I last updated this fic, I'm going to save my whole author note thing until after the fic. :O So…READ ON!
"Lord Nadil, I have been observing you for a while a now and I must say you really have been acting rather…odd lately," Sabel stated as he watched his Lord put on his nightshirt. Somehow, he felt watching Nadil dressing was a bit odd, but he had to address him. "And now that I have been observing a bit longer, I must also add that your shirt is inside out."
Nadil blinked and looked down at his shirt before realizing what Sabel had said was true. He took off the shirt and sighed before sitting down onto his bed. "I have no idea what is wrong with me to be honest," he said as he stared down at the shirt in his hands. "I have never felt so…confused in my life."
Sabel walked over to him. "So you're new at this, that's why Lord Lykouleon has agreed to assist you."
"I have been on the throne for how long? Less than a year? No one here even knows that I am the new Lord except for the few youkai who actually keep up with any new events that leak through. The people know that a youkai lord is here, they just don't know it's me."
"You're using contractions again…" Sabel just grinned at Nadil's look. Even though Nadil was a few years older than him, Sabel always found himself having to look out for him. "We came here to ask for their permission to cross the border and handle the water yokai problem and we got it, which is of no surprise," Sabel added as he picked up something from Nadil's dresser. "You're doing fine, my Lord—"
"Nadil."
"Nadil," he said airily as he replaced the object and turned around to look at Nadil, the Yokai Lord's head still down. "Are you ever going to get out of this slump? Your father entrusted you to handle everything and everything is fine. Everything you have done couldn't have been done better." He smiled. "Besides, you have us. We have been by your side since the beginning, back when you were training."
Nadil just continued to stare at his shirt as his thoughts drifted. "But now we have Zoma and Kharl with his doings to worry about. He is probably the cause of this mess."
There was a knock on the door and Nadil quickly slipped his arms into the sleeves of his shirt, making sure it was not inside out this time. "Come in, Gil."
The feline like yokai opened the door and raised an eyebrow at the two in the room and Nadil's rather tussled up look. "…I hope I'm not interrupting something…"
Sabel gave a quick laugh before smacking Gil on the head. "Of course not! Only those crazy girls out there would think of that!!" he snapped.
Nadil just looked at them with arched eyebrows. "Right…what is it that you need Gil?"
The yokai coughed before giving Sabel a sidelong glance and presented his report. "I have finally returned—"
"Yeah, no kidding," Sabel interrupted. "Where were you anyway?!"
"You will find out if you would let me finish my senten—"
"Get on with it already!"
Gil slapped a hand to his face, twitching slightly before giving a low growl. "Will you just shut up and let me speak?"
Sabel gave a huff and crossed his arms. "Well I never…speaking to me like that, and with that sort of tone!" But he gave Gil a small grin.
The Captain of the Guard gave a sigh and a shake of his head. I will never understand him. "I have returned from the Realm of Eternal Darkness." He paused. "A rather…misleading name as there were streetlamps, though dim, and candles…" Seeing their looks he coughed. "Right, anyway, last night I saw something rather interesting. A certain someone came out of Kharl's place."
"Were Shyrendora or Shydeman there?" Sabel asked.
Gil just looked at him. "No, I did not see them there. But the person I saw leaving was—"
"Rath."
Sabel and Gil blinked as they looked at Nadil, who had gotten up and was staring out an open window. "…How did you know?" Gil asked.
Nadil gave a small shrug. "I had a feeling."
Sabel leaned over to Gil. "It's another one of his…feeling things," he said softly.
A sweat bead broke out from Gil as he just glanced at the yokai. "You are strange, you know that?"
"Better than being Mr. Serious," Sabel answered.
"At least I don't lose my head over everything."
"I do not lose my head over everything!"
"Oh, oh, you're starting to lose it now."
"You know, that sentence sounds so strange when you say it in a dead calm voice."
Gil just shrugged and returned his attention to Nadil, who seemingly was oblivious to what was going on behind him. "At any rate, this will cause problems, Nadil. What if the Dragons are—"
"Lykouleon would not do something that would endanger his tribe or the people living in Draqueen," Nadil said suddenly. "Whatever Rath was doing it was of his own doing, not Lykouleon's. The Dragon Lord might not even know of this."
"Then we should tell him," Sabel said suddenly. "He has to know, this is of a serious matter. Everyone knows that Kharl is wanted by every tribe for all of his actions, something that has been going on for years!"
"We have no proof," Gil pointed out to Sabel. "Even if Nadil himself told the Dragon Lord, Lord Lykouleon would not believe us. Rath is his son and because of that parental bond he will not believe it. Even if we showed concrete evidence he would still deny it. It's inevitable."
"Then what are we going to do?" Sabel asked impatiently. "Just stand around and do nothing?"
They turned to their Lord and waited him for an answer. There were a few seconds of silence before, without turning, Nadil said, "We will just have to keep an eye on him. Rath is the Prince of the Dragon tribe and he knows his duty. He has loved ones here and he can keep his head. Or should at least. As Gil said we cannot do anything rash or make accusations. Until we know why Rath went to see Kharl we cannot say a word. We have been at peace for only a short time now compared to the eons of war we have been through. We cannot do anything that could jeopardize this frail treaty that is only concrete through words. There are still grudges between all four of the tribes and something that deals with the royal houses could set off another bloody war. The recent uprisings from the lower yokai are bad enough."
Sabel stared at Nadil. That was the longest passage of dialogue he had ever heard his Lord speak, except in speeches. Gil, too, was surprised and somewhat proud. It was apparent that, though slowly, Nadil was starting to become more comfortable in his position and the leadership and political skills he had inherited from his late father were coming through. The two looked at each other nodded.
"Excellent idea, Lord Nadil—"
"Nadil," the Yokai Lord once again said.
"Yes, Nadil," Sabel grinned. "Well it's way past your bedtime," he suddenly said in a cheerful tone. "And you can't appear at the head of the table at breakfast with sleep in your eyes. What will the guests think?"
At this Nadil whirled around and looked at them startled. "Guests?"
Gil just arched an eyebrow. "I think I heard that a young lady and a little boy were staying with us for the night?" Sabel nodded.
"Oh…yes those two. Well then if that is all I shall retire for the night."
The two captains glanced at each other before wishing their Lord a pleasant night of rest and exiting the room. They stood behind the door and hesitated a few moments before walking off to their own quarters.
When they were a fair distance away, Sabel let out a sigh. "Is it just me, or are Cesia's and Zoma's presence here troubling Nadil?"
Gil held a bent finger to his lips as he thought over Sabel's statement. "I am not fully sure…though whenever we mention either he seems to stiffen."
Sabel just looked at him. "…Right. He's acting oddly."
"In layman's terms," Gil muttered.
They walked in silence for a few more steps before a thought struck through Sabel's mind. "You don't suppose…he has…"
"No," Gil said flatly. "He's only just met the girl for Kainaldia's sake."
Sabel blinked. "Um…that wasn't what I was going to say, but that's an idea, too."
Gil smacked himself and his big mouth. Now Sabel would undoubtedly drop hints to either of them and try to set them up. Wait a minute, why am I thinking this to begin with? He glanced at Sabel. It's finally happening. I'm turning into him
Sabel stared at Gil. "You know…you're making weird faces. You're trying to go for the circus aren't you? If you are, think you could give me backstage passes? Well two, one for me and one for Galaba—"
"Shut. Up."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Though he had said he would sleep, Nadil was far from sinking into his king sized bed waiting for him; everything still made and practically untouched. He had instead walked into another part of his room and out into the balcony, feeling the slight breeze blow through his still unbuttoned shirt, slowly walking out and leaning forward against the railing, his arms crossed upon it as he stared out into the back courtyard. Below him he could see the vast gardens, the moonlight flowers now in full bloom as it was a full moon and with little clouds the flowers could take in all the moonlight they desired, their petals creating a soft glow along the pockets of green and variety of other softened colors of the other flowers. Soft path lights made from the glow of night dew specially made from Kainaldia illuminated the pebbled stoned walkways even though there was no one out walking. Still, it created a wonderful peaceful setting, a setting Nadil needed and with that thought in mind he went back into his room. After listening through the door he left his room and quietly walked down the hallways as he made his way down to the gardens.
The soft moonlight washed over him as he could feel his nerves lessening, the soft breeze filled with the moonlight flowers scent gently brushing against his face. Closing his eyes for only a moment he noiselessly walked along the stoned path, quietly taking in the gentle environment. As continued to walk through the gardens, his mind drifted and he felt a soft throbbing on his lower arm. He stopped and gently rolled up his left sleeve, his eyes only looking at the long black gash. After a few more moments it disappeared and only a faint soft trace of the scar could be seen. Closing his eyes he unrolled his sleeve and continued his walk.
The young demon lord continued his aimless journey until he found himself in a far corner of the estate. In front of him was a wide clearing with dummies set up as well as other various traps and training tools. It was here where he as well as his officers practiced every now and then to hone their skills. With the moonlight still shining brilliantly above, he moved his right arm a little away from him as black wind started to swirl around his arm. As the wind flew faster a sword suddenly materialized into his hand and without a sound Nadil was suddenly in the center of the clearing, his blade flying as the attacking dummies flew at him mercilessly. He deflected all their attacks, and with a single swing finished off the remaining dummies. His hair moved with the wind as he slowly straightened, his breath calm and steady.
Standing there in the center of the clearing, Nadil let his eyes fall close, feeling his sword pulsating in his hand, feeling it wanting to fight more, to once again feel the objects fall beneath its blade. But Nadil's mind was too far away to hear its silent cries. He could feel the wind gently pick up a bit, feeling it blow through the strands of his hair, feeling and hearing the soft rippling of his clothes, a deep sense of calm slowly spreading throughout him as he let out a soft breath, his sword dematerializing into the black winds that once again appeared around his arm. After another silent moment he reopened his eyes and looked down at his left arm before slowly walking back out of the clearing and back to his room.
After slipping silently back into the estate and changed his clothing and lying down on the bed, Nadil's thoughts once again drifted. The thrill of mock battle had distracted his mind only to a small extent, and even then he could only think of one thing, or rather one person.
Cesia.
He could not understand it and it annoyed him to no end. He had only met her twice and she's all he could think about. He tried to figure out Zoma's situation and ended up thinking about Cesia. He tried to plan ahead his duties for the following day and once again he was reminded of Zoma, which in turn brought him back to Cesia. Even just wondering what would be for breakfast reminded him of Cesia! Even the wind reminded him of her. No matter what he did it was Cesia, Cesia, Cesia.
For a moment, Nadil wondered if he was going crazy. Not only was he thinking about her but he also kept having this vague feeling that he had seen her somewhere before, somewhere outside of Draqueen. But that was highly unlikely. From what Sabel had told him earlier that evening she had been raised with the Dragon Prince and Bierrez as well.
He raised his left arm and held it above his face, the thin pale red lines of his scars seeming to throb and pulsate with every passing second. It was not the first time they had bothered him, nor would it be the last and he knew it. He could still hear the rain of that night, the shouts and screams, the smell of blood and death. As much as he had tried to erase the event from his memory he knew he could never forget those beautiful pale violet eyes looking at him with love and protection even after the soul had disappeared, nor the sound of his father cry in rage at the limp body impaled by the dead attacker's spear, his own hands streaming with blood not of his own.
Forcefully he willed the memory away and sighed, his head starting to ache as a torrent of thoughts surged through his brain. Now was not the time to dwell on a past that could not be undone. The list of things needed to be done and resolved seemed to go on for eternity: quell rebellions; continuation of the peace treaty; this issue with Zoma and Kharl; his own past that continually creeps back into his mind; and of course Cesia. And those were only the major problems; there were still many internal issues within his torn realm. With a sigh Nadil rolled over to his side, his longs bangs brushing against his smooth pale face as he closed his eyes, and wondered if his late father ever had such feelings of distress or apathy in his youth.
As he felt sweet sleep come to him he could hear his father's words as if the elder youkai was sitting right next to him: Though you must trek through the poisonous sands of the desert of toil, every step brings you closer to your destination. Be well prepared and keep focus and your journey will be over sooner than you realize. Once it is finished, it is finished. It is the beginning that is most toilsome.
"First step…huh…" he muttered sluggishly under his breath as he let the hands of dreams take him away.
--;; OMFG this is a pain in the butt to edit now...stupid changes...my paragraphs won't even indent. Oh well. If anyone knows how to do it with this new system, information would be very nice.
Yes, the last time this fic was updated was back on June 16, 2004. Crazy huh? You would think that I would have just forgotten this altogether and not bother with updating.
But no, that doesn't happen because…even though I never wrote much I ALWAYS kept thinking about my fics. Always. And so I decided that it was high time that I wrote something.
Oh, and if you're new and have no idea who I am, that's okay, I was like one of the first people to ever write a DK fic. My most popular ones have been taken down because they were in script format (Dragon Knights and the Dragon Eyes, a Monty Python and the Holy Grail parody, and Dragon Knights Fairy Tales). And if you're NOT new and actually remember me…well good to see you again :D
(deletes original rant that was in here) – I'll save it for another time.
Anyway, if you somehow missed all of my other warning or just started on this chapter (which would be weird…) there is a butt load of OOC-ness going on. Obviously Nadil. He's not all evil and not bent on taking the world. And it's going to stay that way. I think Rath and Nadil did a brain switch, and it'll be more apparent later if I ever get to it. Everyone else is relatively on the mark otherwise…right now. Might change, might not, depends on what I do.
I was also working on Demon of the Opera but I kind of got into another slump…especially noticing that it was starting to sound very similar to this one. So I decided to work and try to at least make more or less some progress on this fic before tackling Demon of the Opera again. I don't want to use the same or similar scenes cos that would just be tacky.
Reviews are nice; this chapter I sorta had lying around for a while and I almost scrapped it before I figure something I could do with it. Truthfully I just added like three paragraphs and it was done, eh-heh. Go fig.
Hopefully the next chapter and future chapters will come quickly. Like I said, it's been a while and I'm trying to remember what all I had planned for this. I remember most of it but…meh. I might also try to update some other fics, but I think this will be my priority.
Until I start a new story. Which is something I usually do. ::cough::
Anywho, thanks for reading (if you still are) and I look forward to seeing you again hopefully soon…as in sometime within the next week or so. ::bows:
