Chapter 20—Under All Circumstances
"What happened to the news crews?" Flora asked, noticing that the crews were not waiting outside the restaurant.
"I do not know," Nathaniel started, "but they might be waiting in the theater; we gave them plenty of time to prepare themselves."
"Is Yesenia okay? I recall her saying that she also loved you."
"She said she did not want her feelings for me to interfere with her friendships with the two of us. She was quite mature about 'losing', especially for someone her age. Marta is only one year younger than me, yet you saw her reaction to our love."
"By the way, do you remember Desert Hill?"
"How could I possibly forget?"
"It's ironic that I got wounded because I didn't wear my helmet. Back in Xanria, I used to ride my bike everywhere. No matter how confident I got in my balance, I always wore my helmet, not to mention I always wore a padded jacket and pants, just in case. I never fell off, but I was just cautious. Maria never fell, either, but she's far more reckless, not to mention she doesn't wear any safety gear; she goes speeding around in a tank top and shorts, not even wearing a helmet. How ironic that I was wounded in battle because I forgot to wear my helmet. I guess some people just get bad luck."
"That was far more than bad luck; bad luck does not give me nightmares about your death, bad luck does not make me unable to think of anything but you, bad luck does not make me leave Sarasaland to be by your side. To call such a disaster mere bad luck is to dismiss The Beggar as an ordinary book." Nathaniel then realized that he had stopped walking and was holding Flora's hands. He let go of Flora's hands, allowing her to embrace him. Nathaniel responded in kind. "I love you, Flora. I was worried I might lose you; calling that bad luck would be an insult."
Flora found herself unable to say anything. She loved Nathaniel greatly; she admired his devotion to her, his manners, his kindness, his knowledge, his logic… Flora noticed that unlike her three ex-boyfriends, Nathaniel was not bending down slightly in order to see her face. "It's also nice that he's short," she thought. Nathaniel was only a few centimeters taller than Flora, meaning she didn't have to strain her neck to look at his face while they embraced. She also realized she didn't want to let go of him. The feeling was new to her, not wanting to let go of her lover. Of course, that was mainly because an embrace like this with any of her ex-boyfriends usually led to her shirt or dress being messed with. "Is Nathaniel being tempted to do that?" she thought. "It must be hard to resist that."
Finally, Nathaniel broke the embrace. It was now Flora's turn to be surprised. It was a proven fact that males were more easily aroused than females, yet Nathaniel was the one to break off.
"As much as I would love to continue, we should not miss the opera," he said. "I found it incredibly… difficult… to stop. I fear we may be getting too intimate for such an early stage of our relationship. I do not know if I would be able to restrain myself in more—"
"I understand," Flora interrupted. "You said yourself that you don't want to go too far unless you're married to me first."
"I hope our love lasts long enough for us to have that pleasure."
"Me, too. By the way, Arthur's coming to Chai City after school's out."
"To become a knight?"
"Yep. He takes his work in the fields quite seriously; he almost never speaks unless it's with his family. He'd probably rise through the ranks with no trouble."
"I just hope he has the sanity for it. Not everyone can handle the carnage of the battlefield."
"Please don't remind me."
"Sorry."
Nathaniel and Flora went on into the theater, Nathaniel holding the door for Flora and a number of others following them. While Nathaniel was busy, a Toad in a green jacket came up to Flora, recognizing her from somewhere.
"Pardon me, are you Commander Flora Ornilla?" he asked. Flora turned and saw him.
"And if I am?" she asked in response.
"The name's Henry."
"Henry Vimson?"
"Yeah. You remember Jenny, don't you?"
"How could I forget her? She was one of my closest friends. So you're her boyfriend?"
"I was… until she died. It was quick, wasn't it?"
"Yes; she died mere seconds after the blow. I know that she missed you greatly when she was still alive."
"I still miss her. It was just awful to learn of her death. I bought the best engagement ring for her that I could afford. I was going to propose to her once she returned, but she returned in a coffin. During her wake, I put the ring on her finger. Her family approved, not to mention I had a feeling she would have said 'yes' had she lived."
"She and I often swapped stories about our lovers. Of course, back then, Nathaniel and I weren't an official couple. She said she wanted to marry you once she got back."
"Why did her wound have to be fatal? Why couldn't it have been like yours? Even if she died from it, at least I could have seen her one last time!" Henry sighed and calmed himself. "I envy you and Lord Nathaniel; you got wounded, but you survived. The story of Lord Nathaniel going into Desert Hill to be with you is the stuff of romance novels. Your relationship's become the envy of budding couples all over Sarasaland. I wished, make no mistake. I wished all the time for Jenny to come back alive, but the Ztars didn't protect her."
"Nathaniel says the Ztars hold no power on the Fire, Thunder, and Star Continents," Flora said. "Even if they could have saved Jenny, granting invincibility would be too much; they would be intervening too directly in mortal lives."
"I know. It still hurts, though. I could have married her."
"I'm sorry I don't have any words to comfort you with."
"You don't need to; I need to get over Jenny's death on my own. Thanks for your company, though. By the way, where's Lord Nathaniel?"
"Holding the door. He saw a bunch of people behind him, so he's waiting for a gap in the crowd so he can close the door."
"I am not holding the door anymore," Nathaniel said. "I feel like a complete idiot. Apparently, the doors lock open if you open them wide enough."
"Well, at least you got some exercise," Flora said with a laugh.
"Lord Nathaniel, it's a pleasure," Henry said.
"This is Henry; he was Jenny's boyfriend before she died."
"Well, it is always a pleasure to meet someone my age who likes opera," Nathaniel said, shaking Henry's hand.
"He says our event in Desert Hill is the stuff of romance novels."
"It does not surprise me. News crews tried to interrogate us before dinner on all sorts of topics. There is also the fact that I turned down two different Birabuto nobles for her."
"Ladies Marta and Yesenia, correct?" Henry asked.
"Yes. Marta was a pain in the neck who only cared for my power, but Yesenia was by all means fit for her title, if not more."
"I recently learned that she has left Naritsya with a bunch of peasants."
"So she was not just thinking out loud when she said she would do that. I hope nothing bad happens to her. I may not love her, but I still consider her to be a friend."
"She doesn't sound that smart."
"I do not know exactly how smart she is, but she is in a stage during which people are quite impulsive. Besides, I would rather be friends with a kind idiot than a cruel genius."
"I certainly agree there. It would be nice to have the best of both worlds, though."
"I have met the best of both worlds," Nathaniel said, blushing. In response, Flora blushed as well.
"It's nice to see the two of you together. Hopefully, I'll be able to move on someday. I'll never forget Jenny, but staying in one place is foolish."
"I agree. If you will excuse us, we still need to get our tickets."
"Of course, of course."
Nathaniel went on toward the reserved ticket booth and picked up his tickets, along with two programs at Flora's insistence. This time, though, Flora waited until she and Nathaniel were seated before reading the program. Immediately flipping to the synopsis, Flora started reading, the orchestra already tuning.
--There would have been a line here, but the editing program is being stubborn--
When the opera was over, Nathaniel and Flora both had the opera on their minds.
"What a sad story," Flora said.
"Sad, but good," Nathaniel responded. "A story does not need a happy ending to be a good story."
"I agree. For example, I found The Black Lord to be an excellent story. In addition, the movie, Solar Shell, was one of the best. It's hard to find a modern movie that turns out so good."
"I agree completely. Of course, since Solar Shell was produced by Marina Mushzek and Luigi Star, it is only natural that the film be incredibly relevant to the real event. Doopliss's acting was impeccable as both Mario and Luigi."
"By the way, aren't most spies Duplighosts?"
"Most, but not all. For example, one of our best spies is actually… Oh, I am sorry, but I just remembered that such information cannot be revealed."
"It's okay; I won't prod you for it. You answered my question, anyway."
Boarding the train, Nathaniel and Flora found themselves unable to sit down. One of the riders, upon noticing Nathaniel, offered his seat, but Nathaniel declined.
"There's another thing I like about you," Flora said. "You don't misuse your power."
"As I have said many times, nobles are in no way superior to peasants. If I had such arrogance, I would not be dating you."
For a while, they were unable to speak. Nathaniel, naturally, escorted Flora to her hotel room. Flora found herself unable to shake the feeling that he was going to try to enter. "Is he really going to try?" she thought. "Is tonight going to be the night? What will my parents think? I'll have to refuse. I can't let it happen. If he asks, I'll give a stern 'no'. There's no way he's—"
"I believe this is your room," Nathaniel said, interrupting Flora's thoughts. "Thank you for coming with me to the opera. I will also look forward to seeing you at the ball."
"Thank you for asking me to come. Both dinner and the opera were wonderful." Flora embraced Nathaniel again. Nathaniel had no trouble responding in kind. Yet again, that wonderful feeling washed through Flora. Tilting her head so her cap would not rub against his, she kissed Nathaniel on the lips. "This is it," she thought. "He'll either say 'goodnight' and leave, or he'll try to come in. If he tries the latter, I have to stop him. I can't let him in, I can't let him in, I can't let him in…" She continued saying that mantra in her mind until Nathaniel broke the kiss.
"Goodnight, Flora," Nathaniel said, still holding on to her. "I love you."
"Goodnight, Nathaniel." Flora broke the embrace after those words and went inside, somewhat surprised to close the door with Nathaniel still in the hall, walking off. As she changed into her pajamas to go to bed, she thought about what had happened. "He didn't try to come in," she thought. "Maybe he just wasn't in the mood."
"He was definitely in the mood," another side of Flora said. "He just wasn't going to impose on you. He definitely had it on his mind; he just didn't want to try it."
"A gentleman under all circumstances… He didn't even try to get into my mouth; it was just an ordinary kiss, if a long one." Flora did her nightly routine of dusting off stray spores, brushing her teeth, and washing her face. Once she was ready for bed, she tucked herself in and fell asleep thinking about Nathaniel; he was almost too cautious.
--End of Chapter--There would have been a line here, but the editing program is being stubborn--
Author's Notes: Cautious to a fault--that's me in a nutshell. I've been in love with someone for over two years, yet I don't have the courage to tell her. Tomorrow, I'm going on vacation, so don't expect any new chapters from now until August 26th.