Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy IV

Well hello! I haven't seen you in like... 30 seconds!

Yeah, I know. Lame joke. But that's what I'm good at...

Enjoy!

031. Spill

And as for Damcyan, I am glad to see such progress. It is good to see Damcyan as the main merchant county again. Even if you should do more business with us! But that's something to discuss when we come to Damcyan soon.

On another note, I'm glad to see that your children are doing well. I'm sure that Damcyan will continue to do well under their leadership.I'm sure you'll make great leaders - and even better artists - of them yet. With all the children of Eblan, Baron, Damcyan, Mysidia, Troia and Fabul, getting along so peacefully, it looks like war won't be something any of our descendants will have to face in the future. Thank the gods for that.

I'll see you soon, Edward.

From Rydia, your King and Queen of-

"Rydia! There you are." The door swung shut behind Edge, the energetic as ever, even twenty years after his first glory. I looked up from my paper, and tenuously balanced the pen over the ink pot.

I stood up and looked at him, narrowing my eyes curiously. "Shouldn't you be in a meeting at this time? Or, I don't know, running the country?" I asked with a hint of a smirk. We needled and ground at each other, but it only ever came from a place of love. The real anger came out in magic and shouting and cursing.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I have some time off now, actually. Here was me thinking my own wife might want to see me..." He trailed off, feeling sorry for himself.

"Well, your wife was actually engrossed in writing to her dear friend. And now she has been interrupted." I walked around the desk, approaching Edge wIth a grin.

He walked over to me too, nearing the desk, his hand brushing along the smooth, dark wood.

"Well, that poor Edward is going to have to wait for a minute, isn't he?"

Edge brushed his hand further along the table, and was raising his hand to touch to my face perhaps, when the traitorous little ink bottle was knocked on it's side by Edge's less than careful fingers. He did fumble to catch it with a tragic look of regret in his face, but it was too late.

"Edge!" I cried, practically leaping over the desk to try and salvage the poor paper. But it was no use - the almost entire paper was soaked in the thin, watery, midnight ink. All those words I'd written, all those sentiments... Gone. Almost felt like I'd wasted part of my life in that shocking, heart-breaking moment.

"What have you done this time!?" My voice was strained and help a note of irritation, I'm sure. Of all our years together, living in the same few rooms, this had never happened. And at least when it did, I probably should've been thankful it wasn't over some important bill, but I still felt a pang for my poor letter.

"I'm sorry, sorry, I was just moving my hand and then it hit the bottle! The bottle jumped out at me!"

I'd never heard him apologise so much in my life. His hand were coated in the sticky ink, dying the bronzed, tough skin a kind of blackish hue. It was almost comical, and brought the hint of a smile to my face.

He stopped his rabid apology at the sight of the small grin on my face. "What?"

"Well nothing. Just that I've never heard you apologise so much in my life."

He heaved a hefty sigh. "Well in that case, I'm not helping." He stepped away from the desk that I was currently bathing in fresh water, and dunked his hands into the nearby bowl - one that was kept full all day long with the help of my (adjusted) magic.

"Edge you little-!" I growled, narrowing my eyes at his back. "Get back here! You caused it, so you can clean it up!" I exhaled quickly, and sternly through my nose. It was his fault my desk was now a stained, inky mess.

"Oh really?" He inquired, leaning over me.

"Yes." I hissed, taking a firm hold of his scarf and pulling him down to my level, his face close enough to kiss.

"Well, I'll just have to-"

We were both distracted by a sharp rap on the door. The sallow face of one of the parliamentary aids looked around the corner. "Perhaps this is not a god time-?" He offered.

But Edge shook his head and I let go of his clothes. Gods know what that must've looked like to him. "What is your message?" That regal tone was like a flick switch for him - off in front of us, and on in front of any Eblanian. Sometimes his two-face-ness unnerved her; god knows it had at first.

"Your presence is requested in parliament for a spontaneous debate over the worth of Princess Cuore's marriage. The Queen, Crown Prince, and Princess Royal's presence is cordially requested. The debate will commence in one hour." He delivered his message in a quick fashion, before bowing out of the room in an instant.

Edge and I looked at each other, the inky mess on our hands, and laughed.

"Well, we should probably wash up quickly."

"And wear something more appropriate." I pointed out, eying his grey, sweaty training garb and my less than regal beige dress.

"And then call the eldest children." Edge sighed, mentally checking the list of things to be done.

"It takes a while to get to parliament."

"No it doesn't. It's only across the castle." Edge pointed out, like the smart-ass he was.

I stuck my tongue out at him, and worked my hands in the water, watching it turn murky, and the ink lift from my pale palms.

"And to think, if you hadn't have been clumsy enough to knock over the ink, our lives would be so much easier!" I gloated, finally getting one over on he-who-could-not-bear-to-admit-his-wrongs. I could finally smile smugly to myself, despite the letter lost in ink.

Okay, so that's it for this week! I hope you all liked this week's offerings - but remember, I'll usually just be posting one prompt, every Sunday.

Please review if you've got time and follow for more. Thanks!