My breath caught. What was this he was talking about? Casselia? His only love? No, it couldn't be... I slowly peeked behind a secure pillar, one of many that were scattered about the room. I heard footsteps near me, coming closer and closer. It couldn't be... It couldn't be... And then at once, I saw him. Though he looked vaguely different in appearance, I could make out his wonderfully dark sapphire eyes, strong chin, and deep voice.
Zagato.

~*~

The Heart of Cephiro
Part Six; Misconceptions.
Author; JuBunny

~*~

The steely, icy sense of betrayal stained my blood, as I watched a man and woman embrace through salty tears. Pain choked my lungs, as I blinked back the blurry vision that stained my eyes. Rubbing a fist on my eyelids, I turned around and dashed blindly through the corridors. The hurt and loss coarsed through me like a fire, the flames spitting upon my heart like the crack of a whip.
How could he have done such a thing to me? How could he have told me that he loved me, and then gone off to profess his love to some other woman? The anger boiled up inside of me, making me retch in anguish. I thought that he had loved me...
I found myself back in the prayer room, throwing my lethargic body upon the chair that lay in the center of the room. I curled up into a tiny ball, and cried myself to sleep.

~*~

I awoke a few hours later to find a gentle hand running through my hair. In surprise, I turned my head around to see, through bleary eyes, the eyes of Zagato.
"Emeraude... Are you all right?" he asked, his voice trembling, though I was not sure if it was of concern or not. Immediately, I shivered in his embrace, about to smile up at him, when I remembered...
"What do you want of me?" I hissed at him coldly, sending him shuddering and pulling away from me in consternation. I glared at him icily, my eyes no larger than tiny slits upon my wet and red face.
"How dare you even think of hiding what you did to me? I saw you... You, you were with that girl, that Cassellia... Don't try to hide it from me, Zagato. I know what you are up to." I seethed, staring at him dejectedly.
He looked confused, to say the least, shaking his head and staring at me in bewilderment.
"What are you talking about...?" he began to say, but I stopped him in mid-sentence.
"You know very well what I mean, Zagato. I'm sick of you playing games with me," I spat out the words, turning away from his baffled gaze. "Guards" I called out, "Please, escort High Preist Sol Zagato out of here." No sooner than I had muttered those words, two muscularr, heavily-armed men entered the room, grim looks plastered on their faces. I turned back to Zagato.
"It was lovely speaking to you, but I suggest that you leave... Now. Without struggle," my words came out shakily, as I bowed my head down. The last thing I saw were his pleading eyes, as the guards removed him from my sight.

~*~

"Princess, may I have a word with you?" I heard Clef's voice echo from outisde the room, as the door sloly creaked open. I nodded my head, still rubbing the tears of shock from my eyes, as he stepped forward.
"Under the circumstances of the more common monster attacks at night, we have hired a Master Swordsman to protect you, along with the High Priest. He has trained under my supervision, along with his brother. I do hope you will allow him to stay."
I consented, a quirkish look appearing on my face. His brother?
"Lantis, this is her majesty, Princess Emeraude of Cephiro. Princess Emeraude, this is Lantis," Clef said, extending an arm out to motion to a figure that entered my room.
I gasped, as he entered the room. No, it couldn't be...
I peered into his strong blue, almost violet eyes, his ebony black hair, strong jaw, muscular form, and he looked like the man that I had loved.
Indeed, he was so much like him, that it startled me beyond anything else.
This had to have been a mistake..
Who would have done such a cruel thing to my heart as showing me Zagato?
Yet still, he was not that which I perceived him as at first.
Zagato had longer hair, more caring, loving eyes. Indeed, this man that stood before me was not him.
The man was many personalities. He was Lantis, he was my guard, and he was the Zagato I had seen in the shadows with that woman.
So, it hadn't been Zagato after all?

~*~

End Part Six; Misconceptions.

~*~

IMPORTANT: Okay, please, please, please do not get mad about this chapter! I swear, as a lover of Emeraude and Zagato, this will not end up as it seems! Things are going to get bettter, I promise! It's just that, right now, there has to be this chapter, and no matter how I do it, it would've had to have had this kinda bad characteristic to it. No, Emeraude does not hate Zagato. You'll see in the next chapter! Just please, don't get mad at me! *cries*

Okay, enough of that...

Gomen, please forgive for not having been able to write much lately... My mother and I have not been getting along, and she's been hurting me. So, I have not had time to get on the computer. Luckily, this situation is over, and things are looking much better.

Gomen nasai, minna!

Much luv and kisses to all my MKR friends out there! *blows kiss*

~ JuBunny
Page 3 Printed 05/25/93 08:00 PM