Chapter 15- Hidden Love Revealed
"Mmmmm..." Celes murmured in her sleep. "Terra, you look so beautiful in that dress...and Edgar is so handsome...wait silly, you forgot your veil...you have to look perfect for all our friends..."
Celes' dream from last night kept recurring to her, as she lazily lounged in a nice, warm bathtub full of sweet-smelling bubbles. Terra was getting married in that dream, and all of their old friends were at the ceremony. Celes had been a bridesmaid, while Relm was the cute flower girl. It was a peaceful dream, but Locke had not been in any of it. What a disappointment!
A maid knocked on the door, saying to Celes that breakfast was ready. Celes quickly got out of the bath, and rubbed herself down with a towel to get dry. After hastilly getting dressed, Celes ran a comb through her wet hair and thumped downstairs so that she wouldn't miss the good food!
When she made it to the dining room, Locke turned in his seat in surprise. Celes was standing in the doorway, huffing and puffing to regain her breath. She was still slightly damp, causing her clothes to cling to her a little more then usual. Celes finally regained herself and ran her fingers through her hair, sitting down next to Locke. Locke blushed deeply because he was still staring at her and looked back to his food.
"I'm so excited about tonight." Celes commented as she stuffed food into her mouth hungirly. "It must be a great honor to meet the famous Maria."
"What are you talking about?" Edgar snorted. "You are, like, better then Maria! Celes, why didn't you ever consider a career in singing!?"
"Hmmm, might have been because I was forced into another job." Celes smirked some, and Edgar stuttered.
"O-o-o-oh yeah!" He cried, feeling slightly embarassed.
"Dope." Sabin muttered.
"I'm excited too." Locke said nervously, still not able to look at Celes again. "Maria's a real knockout, eh?"
"Then you're saying Celes is a knockout too, right?" Edgar pressured, and grinned. "Cause you know they look alike...I'd say Celes was hotter though..."
"Big brother!" Sabin cried.
"Tis true." Edgar said, and smirked. "I am simply being an honest man. It is my duty as king!"
"Hmmm, Edgar, maybe it would do you some good to keep quiet." Was all Locke said in reply to his last comment. Edgar sighed and began to just pick at his food.
Celes sighed also and looked down. She knew what Sabin was talking about now. And she wished that Edgar would keep his big mouth shut.
Suddenly, the Chancellor came in, looking quite disturbed.
"Um, your highnesses..." He said. "There is a strange man outside who is here to see Celes...but he looks rather dangerous!"
"What?" Celes cried, and stood up. An overwhelming sense of worry washed over her.
"I'll go." Locke said, and pushed Celes back down in her chair. Before Celes could respond, he left the dining room.
"Goodness, who could it be?" Edgar said.
"I-I-I don't know." Celes said worriedly. "I don't need this right now...."
They all sat in complete silence for the next five minutes, and Celes was sure he heart was beating so loudly, the whole room could hear it. Did something happen to Locke? Why hadn't he come back?
Suddenly, there were footsteps, and loud laughter. Celes gasped and stood up right as the dining room doors opened.
"Ha-ha-ha, that was a good one." Locke laughed.
"Yeah, I know!" The man with him replied. Celes gasped.
"Setzer!" Celes exclaimed, and smiled brightly. Setzer looked to her and smiled back.
"There you are!" He said happily.
"Uhhh, you two know each other?!" Chancellor exclaimed.
"Of course we do." Setzer snapped. "Celes and I go way back, you crazy coot. How could you keep me away from her, hmmmm?"
"Just looking out for the safety of our guests." Chancellor muttered. "It surprises me who our highness befriends..." With that, he left the room.
Setzer waved to everyone and plopped down in Locke's chair, which made Locke raise his eyebrows. Celes sat beside him, and he kissed her hand.
"Stunning as ever, my lady." Setzer said, and winked. "And, I see there is no ring on your finger..."
Celes laughed a little. "That's right!"
"How about we try another coin toss?"Setzer joked. "Heads, I get to marry you, tails, you win!?"
Locke glared angirly at Setzer.
"What are you trying to pull?" Locke cried, and turned an angry shade of red.
Setzer turned and looked back at Locke.
"My, my, touchy, arn't we?" He smiled. "We were just kidding, eh?" Setzer suddenly flipped a hidden coin from his hand, and watched as it landed on...heads.
"Hee-hee, lucky guy." Setzer smirked, and Locke looked down. Celes bit her lower lip, and stood up.
"Well, Setzer, I would love to visit more, but I have to get ready to leave." Celes said nervously, not wanting to see Locke any angrier.
"Leave, to go to the opera, right?" Setzer asked. "I know, I'm your escort!"
Celes blinked. "Oh?"
"Yeah!" Setzer grinned. "I got a job in Jidoor's Opera House so I could get cloer to my sweet Maria..." Setzer practically started drooling.
"But the question is, does Maria have a restraining order against you yet?" Sabin asked.
"Of course not!" Setzer cried. "I'm charming the pants off of her!"
"Lets hope not, their might be un-expected little waundering gamblers running about." Locke said dryly.
Setzer laughed. "Oh, how I wish it could ever get that far..." He looked to Celes, and winked. She simply blinked back in surprise.
"Well, then maybe I should get ready too." Locke said, and prepared to leave the room.
"Wha? Why?" Setzer cried.
"I'm actually Celes' escort." Locke smirked, and blew some hair out of his eyes. "You're just the driver." With that, he left. Celes reddened, and looked to Sabin and Edgar for help. Setzer shrugged.
"A jealous man, no?" Setzer asked innocently. "Heh, well, I won't give up Celes! You're just as beautiful as the day I stole you away from that dork on-stage, and I'll be damned if I give up on any lady who has no ring on her finger just because Locke Cole says so!"
Celes gasped.
"See ya in a bit." Setzer said, and winked. "I'll be waiting on my ship."
Celes watched as he left the room, and nearly collapsed on her shaking legs.
"He wasn't serious, was he!?" Celes cried.
"I.....couldn't tell." Sabin said softly, and excused himself from the room, leaving also. Celes looked at Edgar with pleading eyes.
"Sounded serious enough." Edgar said, and stood up also. "I know for a fact that Locke and Setzer have never been on good terms with each other. Maybe this is why."
"This is ridiculous." Celes argued, and backed towards the door. "There is no way Setzer really likes me. No way at all. You see how he is, he's like that with every girl! Right!? And besides, he likes Maria!"
"Well....umm....Maria DOES look like you." Was all Edgar said in reply. Celes felt her eyes watering.
"No!" She cried, and balled her hands into fists. "This is making Locke angry. And...and.."
"Did you ever stop and think about why he might be angry?" Edgar asked.
"No, but I don't care..."
"Why are you so upset?" Edgar questioned, and walked over to Celes. He practically got up in Celes' face, and she gasped. His blue eyes pierced into hers, and she found that she couldn't hold back anymore.
"Because, I love Locke!" Celes cried, her tears spilling over onto her cheeks. "I've loved him forever, but he doesn't love me back! In fact, he said all I was to him was a friend...and...at this rate, I might lose him as a friend if Setzer keeps this up!"
Edgar's face softened, and he backed off.
"Celes..." He trailed off. "Listen....you're the bravest girl I know, other then Terra."
"What good does that do me?" Celes asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Well, then maybe, you should gather up your feelings and tell him soon, huh?" Edgar suggested. "Believe me, Celes, nothing was harder for me in the world then telling Terra how I really felt. But once I did, I realized I had nothing to lose. Even if Terra didn't like me back, we would still have a history together, something that no wayward emotions could ever destroy. We were all together for the rebirth of this very world. And if that doesn't keep Locke close to you as a friend or as anything else, then he's not worth it. I hate to say it about my best friend, but it is true."
Celes slowly nodded, and smiled a little.
"Alright!" She smiled. "That's what Terra almost told me also. To just tell him the truth. And I'm gonna do it, tonight."
"Good for you, kiddo." Edgar smiled, and winked. "You'll be ok!"
As Celes and Edgar approached the doorway, Locke, from outside the doors, heard their footsteps and took off to hide behind a huge marble column as Edgar pushed the doors open and escorted Celes to her room. When those two were gone, Locke stepped out, his face blushing terribly at what he just heard, his heart beating a mile a minute.
"Celes.....loves me...?" He whispered to himself, and let out a soft moan as he leaned back against the column.
Despite how Locke tried, he could not gather his thoughts. He closed his eyes, and let out another moan while running his fingers through his hair.
"Celes..." He murmured. "Celes....I...don't know what to do..."
"Mmmmm..." Celes murmured in her sleep. "Terra, you look so beautiful in that dress...and Edgar is so handsome...wait silly, you forgot your veil...you have to look perfect for all our friends..."
Celes' dream from last night kept recurring to her, as she lazily lounged in a nice, warm bathtub full of sweet-smelling bubbles. Terra was getting married in that dream, and all of their old friends were at the ceremony. Celes had been a bridesmaid, while Relm was the cute flower girl. It was a peaceful dream, but Locke had not been in any of it. What a disappointment!
A maid knocked on the door, saying to Celes that breakfast was ready. Celes quickly got out of the bath, and rubbed herself down with a towel to get dry. After hastilly getting dressed, Celes ran a comb through her wet hair and thumped downstairs so that she wouldn't miss the good food!
When she made it to the dining room, Locke turned in his seat in surprise. Celes was standing in the doorway, huffing and puffing to regain her breath. She was still slightly damp, causing her clothes to cling to her a little more then usual. Celes finally regained herself and ran her fingers through her hair, sitting down next to Locke. Locke blushed deeply because he was still staring at her and looked back to his food.
"I'm so excited about tonight." Celes commented as she stuffed food into her mouth hungirly. "It must be a great honor to meet the famous Maria."
"What are you talking about?" Edgar snorted. "You are, like, better then Maria! Celes, why didn't you ever consider a career in singing!?"
"Hmmm, might have been because I was forced into another job." Celes smirked some, and Edgar stuttered.
"O-o-o-oh yeah!" He cried, feeling slightly embarassed.
"Dope." Sabin muttered.
"I'm excited too." Locke said nervously, still not able to look at Celes again. "Maria's a real knockout, eh?"
"Then you're saying Celes is a knockout too, right?" Edgar pressured, and grinned. "Cause you know they look alike...I'd say Celes was hotter though..."
"Big brother!" Sabin cried.
"Tis true." Edgar said, and smirked. "I am simply being an honest man. It is my duty as king!"
"Hmmm, Edgar, maybe it would do you some good to keep quiet." Was all Locke said in reply to his last comment. Edgar sighed and began to just pick at his food.
Celes sighed also and looked down. She knew what Sabin was talking about now. And she wished that Edgar would keep his big mouth shut.
Suddenly, the Chancellor came in, looking quite disturbed.
"Um, your highnesses..." He said. "There is a strange man outside who is here to see Celes...but he looks rather dangerous!"
"What?" Celes cried, and stood up. An overwhelming sense of worry washed over her.
"I'll go." Locke said, and pushed Celes back down in her chair. Before Celes could respond, he left the dining room.
"Goodness, who could it be?" Edgar said.
"I-I-I don't know." Celes said worriedly. "I don't need this right now...."
They all sat in complete silence for the next five minutes, and Celes was sure he heart was beating so loudly, the whole room could hear it. Did something happen to Locke? Why hadn't he come back?
Suddenly, there were footsteps, and loud laughter. Celes gasped and stood up right as the dining room doors opened.
"Ha-ha-ha, that was a good one." Locke laughed.
"Yeah, I know!" The man with him replied. Celes gasped.
"Setzer!" Celes exclaimed, and smiled brightly. Setzer looked to her and smiled back.
"There you are!" He said happily.
"Uhhh, you two know each other?!" Chancellor exclaimed.
"Of course we do." Setzer snapped. "Celes and I go way back, you crazy coot. How could you keep me away from her, hmmmm?"
"Just looking out for the safety of our guests." Chancellor muttered. "It surprises me who our highness befriends..." With that, he left the room.
Setzer waved to everyone and plopped down in Locke's chair, which made Locke raise his eyebrows. Celes sat beside him, and he kissed her hand.
"Stunning as ever, my lady." Setzer said, and winked. "And, I see there is no ring on your finger..."
Celes laughed a little. "That's right!"
"How about we try another coin toss?"Setzer joked. "Heads, I get to marry you, tails, you win!?"
Locke glared angirly at Setzer.
"What are you trying to pull?" Locke cried, and turned an angry shade of red.
Setzer turned and looked back at Locke.
"My, my, touchy, arn't we?" He smiled. "We were just kidding, eh?" Setzer suddenly flipped a hidden coin from his hand, and watched as it landed on...heads.
"Hee-hee, lucky guy." Setzer smirked, and Locke looked down. Celes bit her lower lip, and stood up.
"Well, Setzer, I would love to visit more, but I have to get ready to leave." Celes said nervously, not wanting to see Locke any angrier.
"Leave, to go to the opera, right?" Setzer asked. "I know, I'm your escort!"
Celes blinked. "Oh?"
"Yeah!" Setzer grinned. "I got a job in Jidoor's Opera House so I could get cloer to my sweet Maria..." Setzer practically started drooling.
"But the question is, does Maria have a restraining order against you yet?" Sabin asked.
"Of course not!" Setzer cried. "I'm charming the pants off of her!"
"Lets hope not, their might be un-expected little waundering gamblers running about." Locke said dryly.
Setzer laughed. "Oh, how I wish it could ever get that far..." He looked to Celes, and winked. She simply blinked back in surprise.
"Well, then maybe I should get ready too." Locke said, and prepared to leave the room.
"Wha? Why?" Setzer cried.
"I'm actually Celes' escort." Locke smirked, and blew some hair out of his eyes. "You're just the driver." With that, he left. Celes reddened, and looked to Sabin and Edgar for help. Setzer shrugged.
"A jealous man, no?" Setzer asked innocently. "Heh, well, I won't give up Celes! You're just as beautiful as the day I stole you away from that dork on-stage, and I'll be damned if I give up on any lady who has no ring on her finger just because Locke Cole says so!"
Celes gasped.
"See ya in a bit." Setzer said, and winked. "I'll be waiting on my ship."
Celes watched as he left the room, and nearly collapsed on her shaking legs.
"He wasn't serious, was he!?" Celes cried.
"I.....couldn't tell." Sabin said softly, and excused himself from the room, leaving also. Celes looked at Edgar with pleading eyes.
"Sounded serious enough." Edgar said, and stood up also. "I know for a fact that Locke and Setzer have never been on good terms with each other. Maybe this is why."
"This is ridiculous." Celes argued, and backed towards the door. "There is no way Setzer really likes me. No way at all. You see how he is, he's like that with every girl! Right!? And besides, he likes Maria!"
"Well....umm....Maria DOES look like you." Was all Edgar said in reply. Celes felt her eyes watering.
"No!" She cried, and balled her hands into fists. "This is making Locke angry. And...and.."
"Did you ever stop and think about why he might be angry?" Edgar asked.
"No, but I don't care..."
"Why are you so upset?" Edgar questioned, and walked over to Celes. He practically got up in Celes' face, and she gasped. His blue eyes pierced into hers, and she found that she couldn't hold back anymore.
"Because, I love Locke!" Celes cried, her tears spilling over onto her cheeks. "I've loved him forever, but he doesn't love me back! In fact, he said all I was to him was a friend...and...at this rate, I might lose him as a friend if Setzer keeps this up!"
Edgar's face softened, and he backed off.
"Celes..." He trailed off. "Listen....you're the bravest girl I know, other then Terra."
"What good does that do me?" Celes asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Well, then maybe, you should gather up your feelings and tell him soon, huh?" Edgar suggested. "Believe me, Celes, nothing was harder for me in the world then telling Terra how I really felt. But once I did, I realized I had nothing to lose. Even if Terra didn't like me back, we would still have a history together, something that no wayward emotions could ever destroy. We were all together for the rebirth of this very world. And if that doesn't keep Locke close to you as a friend or as anything else, then he's not worth it. I hate to say it about my best friend, but it is true."
Celes slowly nodded, and smiled a little.
"Alright!" She smiled. "That's what Terra almost told me also. To just tell him the truth. And I'm gonna do it, tonight."
"Good for you, kiddo." Edgar smiled, and winked. "You'll be ok!"
As Celes and Edgar approached the doorway, Locke, from outside the doors, heard their footsteps and took off to hide behind a huge marble column as Edgar pushed the doors open and escorted Celes to her room. When those two were gone, Locke stepped out, his face blushing terribly at what he just heard, his heart beating a mile a minute.
"Celes.....loves me...?" He whispered to himself, and let out a soft moan as he leaned back against the column.
Despite how Locke tried, he could not gather his thoughts. He closed his eyes, and let out another moan while running his fingers through his hair.
"Celes..." He murmured. "Celes....I...don't know what to do..."