Chapter Two: The Boy and the Waterway
"Cecil?" Rosa repeated, and he nodded. Rosa said the name again, liking the way it felt so natural on her lips, and finally took Cecil's hand, giving it a good, firm handshake. Cecil laughed a little and pulled back.
"I didn't expect that sort of grip." He admitted. "Actually, now that I realize, I should have bowed or somethin'....uhh..." He trailed off, looking slightly frustrated. Rosa laughed and shook her head.
"Listen, you don't have to do any of that with me." She said. "I'm not a princess or anything...and even if I was, I wouldn't care! People should not worry about such trivial issues, huh?"
"That's what I think." Cecil said, and slowly ran his hand through his shining hair. Rosa was surprised when she realized she was staring, and her face became quite red when his gaze returned to hers.
What's wrong with me? Rosa wondered as she placed a hand on her own burning cheek. He's just like every other guy I have ever met...Although...none of the guys I know have blue eyes like his...and a voice like his...and...
"Rosa?"
"Uh, yes?!" Rosa asked, blinking.
"I told you I'm not going to be delayed all morning." Cecil snapped, his voice suddenly returning to the stern demeanor it had when she had ran into him.
"I'm sorry!" Rosa exclaimed. "Lead the way!" With that, Cecil took off in a steady sprint, and Rosa followed, easily being able to remain by his side. Her blonde ponytail was blown fiercly back by the wind, which was now stronger then before. She could feel the rhythm of her heartbeat grow stronger with each second longer she took examening Cecil's profile, and she knew it wasn't just from running fast. Suddenly, Rosa felt the tight tug of her ponytail release, and her long blonde hair spilled all over her shoulders as her weakly-tied ribbon flew off behind her. Rosa made a slight noise of surprise and tried to look back to find where it blew to, but the ribbon had disappeared. She let out a slight moan of disappointment, and Cecil turned to look at her.
"I know, I know, no stopping." Rosa said just as he was about to open his mouth to speak. She tried to make herself laugh by thinking what a coincidence it was that Cecil had warned her about her hair and that someting had actually happened, but she couldn't. That ribbon had been a gift from her father...Cecil could sense the sadness is Rosa's eyes, even though he didn't know what the big deal was over a silly ribbon. However, he didn't have time to think about it, for he heard someone call out his name.
"Cecil! I'm over here, sorry I'm late!" Cecil stopped, and Rosa promptly did as well, her heals bringing up dust in the empty road. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and blinked when she saw who was coming. This boy was a few inches taller then Cecil, and his hair was a bit longer and a sunny gold color that was only outdone by his emerald green eyes. His outfit was nearly identical to Cecil's, except that instead of blue pants, his were green and lazily kept up by a leather belt with a large silver buckle with a dragon encrusted on it. He looked at Cecil for a moment and then to Rosa, his eyes lighting up at her. Rosa blushed even more then she had been before. This boy was nearly as handsome as Cecil! She couldn't believe she was even thinking about that though. Why did she have to go out again? Oh yes, to retrieve her father's belongings from the king... So why was she following Cecil? That's right, she was going to bail him out if he needed an excuse for being late. Rosa smacked her forehead. She had suddenly become a major ditz, something she did not find attractive in a young woman such as herself or in anyone else, for that matter.
"Who's this?" The boy asked, smiling softly at Rosa. Rosa lifted her hand from her forehead and Cecil rolled his eyes.
"That's Rosa....umm....Ferrel?" Rosa nodded and Cecil put his hands on his hips. "She ran into me on the street and told me she he would help get us out of trouble for being late." The boy nodded and smiled more.
"Excellent! I can't believe I got lost in Baron... it's really been a while since we've been back here, huh Cecil?"
"Yep." Cecil said, and sighed a little, running his fingers through his hair. "It has been...almost too long, Kain. Anyway, we had better get going, huh?"
"You are Kain?" Rosa interrupted. Cecil and Kain...
"That's my name!" Kain said. "Not as pretty as Rosa, but I deal." Rosa turned even redder and heard Cecil snort.
"Kain..." Cecil said between clenched teeth.
"Oh right, we really do need to go." Kain said. "Follow me, I know a shortcut to the castle from here."
"You do?" Rosa questioned. "I have been living in Baron my entire life, and..."
"So have we!" Kain grinned. "I'm surprised we have never met." Rosa was surprised also, and she pressed her lips together in thought. It didn't occur to her until now that these two really were total strangers to her...and that what she was doing could be dangerous.
Wonderful!!! Rosa thought, and grinned. I've been dying for a good adventure! She smiled to herself as she began to follow both Cecil and Kain through a small alleyway between two homes. That was why she had wanted to follow Cecil so badly... her internal desire for an adventure! How silly it was of her to think that it could have been because of something else...
The group emerged from the alleyway, and Rosa was surprised to find themselves at the edge of town, where only a waterway divided the town of Baron from the plains that the castle was set in. Rosa noticed that the water's current was fairly strong today, and could easily drag a person along in it's depths. Kain easily leaped over the waterway with amazing height and grace, making Rosa's jaw drop. Cecil looked to her.
"Don't look so surprised." Cecil said. "He's been a Dragoon Knight ever since we were entered secondary school, and he's good at it." Rosa gasped.
"A Dragoon Knight since that age?"
"Of course. If you don't start when you're young, you won't get anywhere as an adult, for whatever it is that you want to do." Cecil said, as if he had recited it from memory. With that, he took a leap himself, and also easily landed on the other side of the water, although not as gracefully as Kain. Rosa hesitated.
"And what is it that you want to do?" Rosa asked.
"I'm going to become a Dark Knight, of course." Cecil said. The words sent a shiver down Rosa's spine. A Dark Knight... she had heard her mother speak of that before. Had her father been a Dark Knight? Rosa found that she couldn't remember what his position in the military was exactly. She would have to ask her mother, or rather, the King later.
"Are you coming, Rosa?" Kain asked. She nodded and took a deep breath, taking the leap. However, once Rosa was in the air, she felt the dread instinct dead on that her jump would be too short. She would either fall very short and possibly drown in the waterway, or worse, fall a little short and hit her head on the road on the opposite side!
"Ahhhh!" Rosa screamed, and clenched her eyes shut, not being able to bear to look. However, she heard a small splash, and a second later, she landed forcefully into someone's arms and felt her rear get just a bit wet. When she opened her eyes, she was met with Cecil's, and she found herself being held safely in his arms, right above the water, while he was completely soaked from the waist down. Rosa instinctively wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder as she took a deep breath. Her heart was beating so strongly, she was almost sure Cecil could feel it too.
"....Thank you....!" Rosa whispered, and closed her eyes. She had been seeing spots of light from the shock of falling. Cecil didn't say anything, but turned to get out of the water instead. Rosa looked up and saw Kain, who had quite the relieved look on his face.
"Whoa, I'm so glad Cecil got to you in time!" Kain cried, and smiled. "Because chasing you down the waterway would just be a pain in the butt, huh?" Rosa smiled back and giggled a little. Rosa looked to Cecil and was about to say thank you again, thinking he didn't hear her the first time, when she felt him squeaze her waist gently and set her down on the road before hauling himself out of the water.
"Be careful next time." Cecil said, not looking at her. "Are you always as accident prone as you have been today?" He walked on ahead and joined Kain's side as Rosa pulled herself up and sighed, brushing off her leotard.
No....no I'm not. Rosa thought, and bit her lower lip. I've never....felt like this before...
The group managed to get to Baron Castle without further delay, but everyone looked like they had been in a storm with Levithan himself with the exception of Kain. Rosa's hair was everywhere, along with drips of water on her legs and behind, and Cecil was soaking wet and leaving a trail of water wherever he walked. They were greeted by the guards with a hint of disgust in their voices.
"Lady Rosa, is that you?" One asked, and Rosa nodded tiredly.
"Cecil, Kain, Cid has been waiting for you for ages!" The other guard scolded. "Go inside immediately and find him!"
"Of course." Kain answered for all of them, and dragged Rosa and Cecil inside the palace. Rosa sighed and tried to pull her hair out of her face.
"Who is Cid?" She asked. "Your father, perhaps?"
"What?" Kain asked, and laughed. "Cecil and I arn't related."
"Don't tell me you've never heard of Cid, the master engineer." Cecil said, and smirked.
"That Cid?!" Rosa exclaimed excitedly. "Why, yes, I have seen him about the palace numerous times, but we have never spoken! You mean to tell me you are aquainted with him?"
"Of course." Cecil said. "We're like sons to him. He's been one of our more closer guardians since we were adopted by King Baron when we were 2 and 3...."
"Huh? Adopted by the king?!" Rosa cried. "Wait a minute, I'm confused...."
"Cecil! Kain! Is that you? You've grown so much since I last saw you two trouble makers!" A loud voice boomed out in the palace entryway, and the group turned to see a large, hairy red-haired man approach them in a blue engineer's suit and huge goggles over his eyes. However, as he apporached them, he pushed the goggles up, revealing his clear blue eyes.
"Cid!" Kain exclaimed excitedly.
"Oy..." Rosa muttered, and put her hands on her hips. "They didn't need me after all!"
"Cid..." Cecil trailed off, as Kain and Cid came over to them.
"Well, I'm glad you didn't jump on me for a hug like you used to!" Cid joked, and slapped Cecil's back, nearly making him topple over. "You sure matured a lot too! Is that was three years of elite secondary education does for you? I oughta go there myself...har har har!!!!"
Three years? Rosa thought. So that's why they haven't been in Baron. They've been away at school. If they are out, then Cecil and Kain must be around my age, because I just got out of secondary school too.
"School was boring." Cecil said, and shook his head. "We couldn't wait to return to Baron for military training."
"And it is also good to be home." Kain added. Cid nodded and pulled at a strand of wild hair. "Looks like the king was right about you two... you did a lot of growing up and you look stronger too. Cecil... did you return...to master the dark sword at last?"
"....Yes." Cecil replied. "It was the King's orders, was it not?" Rosa did not like how serious Cecil had become. Apparently, Cid was disturbed by it as well, but it was also at this time that he finally noticed Rosa.
"Hey, I've seen you around, haven't I girly?" He asked.
"Yes, I'm a white wizard in training here and I also take archery lessons." Rosa explained. "I'm Rosa Ferrel."
"Ferrel...? Why is that name so familiar?" Cid asked.
"...My father, was......." Rosa trailed off. She suddenly couldn't say it. She reached up to touch her hair ribbon, but of course, it was not there.
"....Oh...your father was Lawerence Ferrel, eh?" Cid asked, and Rosa nodded. He sighed a little and patted her on the head. "Sorry about your loss kiddo...I wouldn't have asked but..."
"Lawerence Ferrel was your father?" Cecil asked, and took a new interest in Rosa. "He was a powerful Dark Knight! You never told me that!" So, Rosa's suspicions had been confirmed. Her father had indeed been a Dark Knight.
"I didn't feel it was important to reveal." Rosa said a little snottily, bothered that Cecil was only chosing to talk to her so openly now. "At any rate, you now know, and I really need to be seeing King Baron, so if you'll excuse me..." Rosa did a quick bow and was about to turn around, when Kain grabbed her shoulder.
"Hey, I don't even get a good-bye?" Kain asked sweetly. Rosa smiled a little and raised her hand in the hair to wave.
"I bid you and Cecil good-bye." Rosa said. "I gather that since we have been in the same town for 14 years without gatching a glimpse of each other up until today, it will be another 14 years until I see you again." She peered at Cecil for a moment before turning and exiting the room. As she did so, she could hear Cid's loud voice echo off the walls of the palace.
"Now Cecil, you gotta explain to me why the heck your pants took a swim without the rest of you! And how did you meet that girl?"
"....Oh, it's a long story..." Cecil said. "Just forget it."
"Forget it...."
"....Forget it....."
Rosa made a slight face and slammed the door shut to the room behind her. Like she cared what Cecil had to say about her!
Well, that's it for now ^^;;; Chapter 3 is already more then half-way done!
"Cecil?" Rosa repeated, and he nodded. Rosa said the name again, liking the way it felt so natural on her lips, and finally took Cecil's hand, giving it a good, firm handshake. Cecil laughed a little and pulled back.
"I didn't expect that sort of grip." He admitted. "Actually, now that I realize, I should have bowed or somethin'....uhh..." He trailed off, looking slightly frustrated. Rosa laughed and shook her head.
"Listen, you don't have to do any of that with me." She said. "I'm not a princess or anything...and even if I was, I wouldn't care! People should not worry about such trivial issues, huh?"
"That's what I think." Cecil said, and slowly ran his hand through his shining hair. Rosa was surprised when she realized she was staring, and her face became quite red when his gaze returned to hers.
What's wrong with me? Rosa wondered as she placed a hand on her own burning cheek. He's just like every other guy I have ever met...Although...none of the guys I know have blue eyes like his...and a voice like his...and...
"Rosa?"
"Uh, yes?!" Rosa asked, blinking.
"I told you I'm not going to be delayed all morning." Cecil snapped, his voice suddenly returning to the stern demeanor it had when she had ran into him.
"I'm sorry!" Rosa exclaimed. "Lead the way!" With that, Cecil took off in a steady sprint, and Rosa followed, easily being able to remain by his side. Her blonde ponytail was blown fiercly back by the wind, which was now stronger then before. She could feel the rhythm of her heartbeat grow stronger with each second longer she took examening Cecil's profile, and she knew it wasn't just from running fast. Suddenly, Rosa felt the tight tug of her ponytail release, and her long blonde hair spilled all over her shoulders as her weakly-tied ribbon flew off behind her. Rosa made a slight noise of surprise and tried to look back to find where it blew to, but the ribbon had disappeared. She let out a slight moan of disappointment, and Cecil turned to look at her.
"I know, I know, no stopping." Rosa said just as he was about to open his mouth to speak. She tried to make herself laugh by thinking what a coincidence it was that Cecil had warned her about her hair and that someting had actually happened, but she couldn't. That ribbon had been a gift from her father...Cecil could sense the sadness is Rosa's eyes, even though he didn't know what the big deal was over a silly ribbon. However, he didn't have time to think about it, for he heard someone call out his name.
"Cecil! I'm over here, sorry I'm late!" Cecil stopped, and Rosa promptly did as well, her heals bringing up dust in the empty road. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and blinked when she saw who was coming. This boy was a few inches taller then Cecil, and his hair was a bit longer and a sunny gold color that was only outdone by his emerald green eyes. His outfit was nearly identical to Cecil's, except that instead of blue pants, his were green and lazily kept up by a leather belt with a large silver buckle with a dragon encrusted on it. He looked at Cecil for a moment and then to Rosa, his eyes lighting up at her. Rosa blushed even more then she had been before. This boy was nearly as handsome as Cecil! She couldn't believe she was even thinking about that though. Why did she have to go out again? Oh yes, to retrieve her father's belongings from the king... So why was she following Cecil? That's right, she was going to bail him out if he needed an excuse for being late. Rosa smacked her forehead. She had suddenly become a major ditz, something she did not find attractive in a young woman such as herself or in anyone else, for that matter.
"Who's this?" The boy asked, smiling softly at Rosa. Rosa lifted her hand from her forehead and Cecil rolled his eyes.
"That's Rosa....umm....Ferrel?" Rosa nodded and Cecil put his hands on his hips. "She ran into me on the street and told me she he would help get us out of trouble for being late." The boy nodded and smiled more.
"Excellent! I can't believe I got lost in Baron... it's really been a while since we've been back here, huh Cecil?"
"Yep." Cecil said, and sighed a little, running his fingers through his hair. "It has been...almost too long, Kain. Anyway, we had better get going, huh?"
"You are Kain?" Rosa interrupted. Cecil and Kain...
"That's my name!" Kain said. "Not as pretty as Rosa, but I deal." Rosa turned even redder and heard Cecil snort.
"Kain..." Cecil said between clenched teeth.
"Oh right, we really do need to go." Kain said. "Follow me, I know a shortcut to the castle from here."
"You do?" Rosa questioned. "I have been living in Baron my entire life, and..."
"So have we!" Kain grinned. "I'm surprised we have never met." Rosa was surprised also, and she pressed her lips together in thought. It didn't occur to her until now that these two really were total strangers to her...and that what she was doing could be dangerous.
Wonderful!!! Rosa thought, and grinned. I've been dying for a good adventure! She smiled to herself as she began to follow both Cecil and Kain through a small alleyway between two homes. That was why she had wanted to follow Cecil so badly... her internal desire for an adventure! How silly it was of her to think that it could have been because of something else...
The group emerged from the alleyway, and Rosa was surprised to find themselves at the edge of town, where only a waterway divided the town of Baron from the plains that the castle was set in. Rosa noticed that the water's current was fairly strong today, and could easily drag a person along in it's depths. Kain easily leaped over the waterway with amazing height and grace, making Rosa's jaw drop. Cecil looked to her.
"Don't look so surprised." Cecil said. "He's been a Dragoon Knight ever since we were entered secondary school, and he's good at it." Rosa gasped.
"A Dragoon Knight since that age?"
"Of course. If you don't start when you're young, you won't get anywhere as an adult, for whatever it is that you want to do." Cecil said, as if he had recited it from memory. With that, he took a leap himself, and also easily landed on the other side of the water, although not as gracefully as Kain. Rosa hesitated.
"And what is it that you want to do?" Rosa asked.
"I'm going to become a Dark Knight, of course." Cecil said. The words sent a shiver down Rosa's spine. A Dark Knight... she had heard her mother speak of that before. Had her father been a Dark Knight? Rosa found that she couldn't remember what his position in the military was exactly. She would have to ask her mother, or rather, the King later.
"Are you coming, Rosa?" Kain asked. She nodded and took a deep breath, taking the leap. However, once Rosa was in the air, she felt the dread instinct dead on that her jump would be too short. She would either fall very short and possibly drown in the waterway, or worse, fall a little short and hit her head on the road on the opposite side!
"Ahhhh!" Rosa screamed, and clenched her eyes shut, not being able to bear to look. However, she heard a small splash, and a second later, she landed forcefully into someone's arms and felt her rear get just a bit wet. When she opened her eyes, she was met with Cecil's, and she found herself being held safely in his arms, right above the water, while he was completely soaked from the waist down. Rosa instinctively wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder as she took a deep breath. Her heart was beating so strongly, she was almost sure Cecil could feel it too.
"....Thank you....!" Rosa whispered, and closed her eyes. She had been seeing spots of light from the shock of falling. Cecil didn't say anything, but turned to get out of the water instead. Rosa looked up and saw Kain, who had quite the relieved look on his face.
"Whoa, I'm so glad Cecil got to you in time!" Kain cried, and smiled. "Because chasing you down the waterway would just be a pain in the butt, huh?" Rosa smiled back and giggled a little. Rosa looked to Cecil and was about to say thank you again, thinking he didn't hear her the first time, when she felt him squeaze her waist gently and set her down on the road before hauling himself out of the water.
"Be careful next time." Cecil said, not looking at her. "Are you always as accident prone as you have been today?" He walked on ahead and joined Kain's side as Rosa pulled herself up and sighed, brushing off her leotard.
No....no I'm not. Rosa thought, and bit her lower lip. I've never....felt like this before...
The group managed to get to Baron Castle without further delay, but everyone looked like they had been in a storm with Levithan himself with the exception of Kain. Rosa's hair was everywhere, along with drips of water on her legs and behind, and Cecil was soaking wet and leaving a trail of water wherever he walked. They were greeted by the guards with a hint of disgust in their voices.
"Lady Rosa, is that you?" One asked, and Rosa nodded tiredly.
"Cecil, Kain, Cid has been waiting for you for ages!" The other guard scolded. "Go inside immediately and find him!"
"Of course." Kain answered for all of them, and dragged Rosa and Cecil inside the palace. Rosa sighed and tried to pull her hair out of her face.
"Who is Cid?" She asked. "Your father, perhaps?"
"What?" Kain asked, and laughed. "Cecil and I arn't related."
"Don't tell me you've never heard of Cid, the master engineer." Cecil said, and smirked.
"That Cid?!" Rosa exclaimed excitedly. "Why, yes, I have seen him about the palace numerous times, but we have never spoken! You mean to tell me you are aquainted with him?"
"Of course." Cecil said. "We're like sons to him. He's been one of our more closer guardians since we were adopted by King Baron when we were 2 and 3...."
"Huh? Adopted by the king?!" Rosa cried. "Wait a minute, I'm confused...."
"Cecil! Kain! Is that you? You've grown so much since I last saw you two trouble makers!" A loud voice boomed out in the palace entryway, and the group turned to see a large, hairy red-haired man approach them in a blue engineer's suit and huge goggles over his eyes. However, as he apporached them, he pushed the goggles up, revealing his clear blue eyes.
"Cid!" Kain exclaimed excitedly.
"Oy..." Rosa muttered, and put her hands on her hips. "They didn't need me after all!"
"Cid..." Cecil trailed off, as Kain and Cid came over to them.
"Well, I'm glad you didn't jump on me for a hug like you used to!" Cid joked, and slapped Cecil's back, nearly making him topple over. "You sure matured a lot too! Is that was three years of elite secondary education does for you? I oughta go there myself...har har har!!!!"
Three years? Rosa thought. So that's why they haven't been in Baron. They've been away at school. If they are out, then Cecil and Kain must be around my age, because I just got out of secondary school too.
"School was boring." Cecil said, and shook his head. "We couldn't wait to return to Baron for military training."
"And it is also good to be home." Kain added. Cid nodded and pulled at a strand of wild hair. "Looks like the king was right about you two... you did a lot of growing up and you look stronger too. Cecil... did you return...to master the dark sword at last?"
"....Yes." Cecil replied. "It was the King's orders, was it not?" Rosa did not like how serious Cecil had become. Apparently, Cid was disturbed by it as well, but it was also at this time that he finally noticed Rosa.
"Hey, I've seen you around, haven't I girly?" He asked.
"Yes, I'm a white wizard in training here and I also take archery lessons." Rosa explained. "I'm Rosa Ferrel."
"Ferrel...? Why is that name so familiar?" Cid asked.
"...My father, was......." Rosa trailed off. She suddenly couldn't say it. She reached up to touch her hair ribbon, but of course, it was not there.
"....Oh...your father was Lawerence Ferrel, eh?" Cid asked, and Rosa nodded. He sighed a little and patted her on the head. "Sorry about your loss kiddo...I wouldn't have asked but..."
"Lawerence Ferrel was your father?" Cecil asked, and took a new interest in Rosa. "He was a powerful Dark Knight! You never told me that!" So, Rosa's suspicions had been confirmed. Her father had indeed been a Dark Knight.
"I didn't feel it was important to reveal." Rosa said a little snottily, bothered that Cecil was only chosing to talk to her so openly now. "At any rate, you now know, and I really need to be seeing King Baron, so if you'll excuse me..." Rosa did a quick bow and was about to turn around, when Kain grabbed her shoulder.
"Hey, I don't even get a good-bye?" Kain asked sweetly. Rosa smiled a little and raised her hand in the hair to wave.
"I bid you and Cecil good-bye." Rosa said. "I gather that since we have been in the same town for 14 years without gatching a glimpse of each other up until today, it will be another 14 years until I see you again." She peered at Cecil for a moment before turning and exiting the room. As she did so, she could hear Cid's loud voice echo off the walls of the palace.
"Now Cecil, you gotta explain to me why the heck your pants took a swim without the rest of you! And how did you meet that girl?"
"....Oh, it's a long story..." Cecil said. "Just forget it."
"Forget it...."
"....Forget it....."
Rosa made a slight face and slammed the door shut to the room behind her. Like she cared what Cecil had to say about her!
Well, that's it for now ^^;;; Chapter 3 is already more then half-way done!
