"A traitor?" you say as your thoughts pronounce themselves. I am starting to get confused….Does this mean there is an enabler to Alvar, just as he was an enabler to Hanako?
Pairs of eyes glance nervously (and distrustfully) at each other. Magistrate's eyes rested on Albel, and then shot towards you.
Clair shrugged her shoulders. "This is the game, Magistrate. It is hard to trust anyone at this point. As long as our loyalties are with Aquaria and Airyglyph, all should work out well. Have faith in Apris."
Magistrate Lasselle is always looking for opportunities to suspect Airyglyph. Still, it made sense. Who would have access to the Queen and her personal assets, the Ikelo's Book of Prophecies?
Lasselle turned his head dubiously towards the Queen.
"Bite your tongue. You are too quick to judge. Do as Clair said. Have faith in me, the Crimson Blade, and above all, Apris." Here the Queen stood. "From the bottom of the sacred waters, I thank you all for this task you are about to undertake. Please stay overnight, so we can leave to Suferio in the morning."
Lasselle glowered as he followed the Queen to the audience chamber. Nel and Clair accompanied them as Tynave and Farleen left elsewhere.
Only you and Albel remain above the gardens. You carefully place the lethal weapon back in its case. Looking up, you see Albel staring at you. You are face to face.
"What do you want? Just tell me already." you ask, not unkindly, but with curiosity. It was that same face again. The expression that wasn't anger, sadness, or happiness.
"You've changed somehow," he observes, eyes still glancing searchingly into yours.
"So have you. A few weeks ago, you wouldn't have cared to remember my name. …Why bring this up?" Confused, you shake your head. "I am going to try to find a room…."
You find yourself glad to leave Albel and the awkward silence. He is acting stranger and stranger. Like he wants to tell me something.
"I want you before Alvar has you," Albel mutters bizarrely, heavy footsteps approaching you from behind.
Confused, you stop. You hear the familiar chink of metal and drawing of the katana. You whirl around, eyes open in shock.
"N-no…What are you doing? Are you the traitor? Are you going to kill me?" your voice tapers into a high, fearful pitch.
Albel says nothing as he swings down the Crimson Scourge. You roll out of the way.
A large split in the stone stood testament to the Crimson Scourge's fearsome power. If you were still there, you would have been seared in half.
I am going to die if I don't do something. He wants to kill me before Alvar does. With the Crimson Scourge, no less! A sword rumored to have cleaved the sky in two.
All emotions drain, replaced by adrenaline racing through your veins. In one swift moment, you pick yourself up from the ground and draw your katana, the first time you drew it out for serious combat.
Albel's eyes disappeared as shadows swept over them; the only thing visible was the demonic gleam of his grin.
You can only think with your muscles as you see your katana move in defense, blocking every consecutive and ongoing blow from Albel. Your body is racked against the castle's stone wall. You can't attack from this point.
Rapidly, you whirl around his blade as it fell unto the stone wall, cracking it. You run, stumbling slightly, over to the ledge. You leap as far as you can, gripping tree branches and falling onto the ground. You feel the twigs graze your arms painfully.
You pant and try to recover as you see Albel leap clear over the edge, figure sailing through the air. He hit the ground running. This time, you run to attack him, katana running parallel to the earth.
The shling of the blades were almost deafening, the gleams nearly blinding. You anticipated the clash of the katanas, of two stalwart forces conflicting yet greeting, deathly but desirable.
The Undine cut through the air as it made undulating and nearly artistic movements, not unlike waves. The only time it was interrupted was by the Crimson Scourge.
However, using two hands is slowing you down and distributing your weight unevenly. You balance using your left hand, allowing the right to continue the surging motion. You have a slight speed advantage over Albel due to your lighter frame. He is now defending, moving backwards until pinned against the castle wall. Using the last bit of remaining strength, you thrust Undine forcefully against Crimson Scourge, knocking it out of Albel's hand. It flew dispiritedly onto the grass below.
You swung Undine so that the blade rested against Albel's chest, and grasped his chain that was swinging off the neck collar, bringing his face millimeters away from your own. The green eyes that were once soft were hardened.
"You can't do it," Albel said over his panting breath. In response, you press the katana more strongly across his chest, slicing open the front of his shirt. Your heart races as he draws another breath. "I am your strongest weakness. That may be the nature of your defeat. You are still too soft."
Your eyes widen and your grip shakes. Sensing the lapse of strength, Albel grips your wrist with his clawed hand and brings it down to your side. You drop your katana in half-hearted acquiescence. I can't do it. Does that mean I...that I might actually lo--
His voice interuppted the course of your thoughts, resuming the same soft tone from his more 'gentler' moments. "...that must be the reason why I feel I should protect you. Noone will die on my behalf, anymore...." His clawed hand grips yours slightly tighter and his normal hand takes your chin. He pulls it up so that your eyes may meet his. Your heart feels like it jumped into your throat. A lingering sadness can be seen behind the initial antisocial and distant gaze. Your brows furrow in confusion as your cheeks begin to feel very hot.
It all became clear when Nel, Tynave, and Farleen appeared from the top of the balcony overlooking the garden. "That's quite enough, Albel," Nel said. "How did she do on her test?"
He dropped his hands quickly, turning away from you as if he didn't do anything. "...She passed. Her training is complete."
This was a stupid test the whole time? The ground before you began to warp and blur as your eyes watered. You couldn't tell if it was in anger or in relief that Albel wasn't a traitor. Trying to hide your emotions you busy yourself picking up Undine and wiping the blade off with a piece of torn uniform.
Nel continued. "Very well, you are in the running of becoming a member of the Secret Legion if you keep it up," she nodded and left, Tynave and Farleen following suit.
You look at Albel who was examining Crimson Scourge. His top is completely sliced open and exposed to the sun, who allowed his rays to play along his upper toned body. You savor the moment, seeing as there won't be much more in the future. He sheathed the katana and wordlessly mounted the steps to the balcony, leaving you alone in the garden to contemplate the eventful day.
A/N: Whoa...super long upload waiting time. D: I am sorry! My computer with most of the upcoming chapters is with some computer guy that may be able to resuscitate the poor thing from the super viruses. :'[ I am expecting it back by Halloween....but no worries! Remember those fillers I mentioned to ya'll in older chapters? I will upload those until then. :'D They are just fun little spoofs I couldn't fit anywhere else. They are different in that they aren't in the same POV as normal chapters, follow other characters, and may be really random (so they really don't follow the plotline). Definately look forward to those!
As for this chapter, hopefully the part will satiate your need for fluff, it'll hold you over until the real "action" happens. -wink- Which is coming up fast, I am planning! If you are impatient, blame Albel's antisocial habits he is trying to break. X'D He's so hard to keep in character! :'D