Author's Note: Please keep in mind while reading this chapter that in Baron, the Serpent Road (the path that links Baron and Mysidia together) has not been brought into existance yet. I think knowing this will help everyone who reads this chapter appreciate a portion of it a little more. ^^



Chapter 10: The Meeting and the Promise

"Tomorrow is the first day in July." Alexia noted that night over supper. "My goodness, the summer is just flying by this year!" Rosa nodded a little as she took a bite of her chicken breast and chewed it slowly. What her mother had really meant was: "Tomorrow is the two month anniversary of your father's death."

"Rosa..." Alexia suddenly said, and Rosa looked up from her plate, blinking.

"What is it mother?" Rosa asked, and Alexia smiled a little, folding her hands and resting her chin on them as she propped her elbows on the table.

"Have you done any better with your magic?" Alexia questioned, and Rosa raised her eyebrows, not expecting a question like this to come up.

"Erm...well...uhh..." Rosa squirmed in her seat. "Don't forget Mother, I haven't been at lessons forever, and..."

"I know honey, but have you gotten anything on your own?" Alexia pressed, and Rosa sighed, shaking her head.

"Not really..."

"Hmm, that's what I thought." Alexia replied, and sighed a little. "Rosa...the truth is...I am beginning to get a little concerned over your magic powers. They arn't developing as nicely as one would expect from a young lady such as yourself. We know you have the power, but...something in there is not clicking. You know what I mean?"

"Yes, Mother." Rosa said, her tone dropping considerably. "But I'm trying my best...please don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad!" Alexia cried. "No Rosa, I could never be mad at you for such a thing! But I do want you to become the very best you can be, and I'm afraid that maybe the wizards in Baron arn't helping you reach that." Rosa blinked and clutched onto her water glass rather suddenly.

"What do you mean...?"

"I was speaking with our neighbors today," Alexia said. "And word has it, in Mysidia, the village of magic, there was a pair of twins born there that have already developed a considerable magic backround, and they are now only one year old!! There is an elder in the village who apparently teaches the principles of both White and Black Magic, and is very good at it. He was also the teacher of the Great Sage Tellah, you know."

"I've heard of him in class." Rosa nodded, and took a sip of her drink. "But what do these twins and this elder have to do with me?"

"Well, I was thinking perhaps you would like to go abroad to Mysidia for a year or maybe more." Alexia suggested. "I am sure it would do your magic ability wonders..."

"Go abroad?!" Rosa cried, widening her eyes and nearly dropping her glass. "For a year OR MAYBE MORE?!" Alexia blinked.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Uhh...I..." Rosa bit her lip and leaned back in her chair, struggling to calm the frenzied beating of her heart. How could she tell her mother that she didn't want to leave Baron, now that Cecil was apart of her life? The time for the truth was now. If she held back, she would be digging herself one hell of a hole.

"There...um...are people here that I would like to be close to..." Rosa began, and Alexia sighed, closing her eyes for a moment and then reopening them.

"Rosa...we all have friends, but sometimes we need to make small sacrifices for ourselves every once in a while." Alexia explained. "Besides, you will see them again someday! It is not like anyone around here is going anywhere anytime soon."

"But there's this guy..." Rosa tried again, but this just made things worse.

"Boys are not as important as your own well being Rosa!" Alexia cried. "You're young, you still have a while yet before you need to settle down...Listen, right now, it is yourself that is more important than anything else. This trip will be good for you dear. The truth is, it may be the only chance you have to explore lands outside of Baron. Honestly."

"Ahhh...but....!" Rosa began to struggle for words, and she got the sinking feeling that she was going to end up losing this battle.

"I really, REALLY think this would be a good idea." Alexia pressed on. "I am insisting you do this darling. It's for your own good. Don't you want to come back to Baron and surprise everyone who had doubt in you? Prove them wrong?"

"...." Rosa tried to hold back a sob, and looked back down at the table.

"There is a ship departing from Baron's harbor near the end of the week that is going to Mysidia." Alexia added. "I bought you a ticket. But since I know you will have some good-byes to say, I will start letting you go into town again on that leg if you promise you will be careful."

".....The end...of the week....?" Rosa just couldn't hold it in anymore, and began to sob softly, shaking her head as her newly-cut hair swayed back and forth in her ponytail. How was she going to tell Cecil this? Now that they could finally be together again, they were only going to be broken apart, and for a year, at that! Rosa knew that her mother just wanted the best for her, and that she really had no idea what she was making Rosa part with, but Rosa knew she would not be able to explain to her mother without getting a repeat of the boy lecture. But the worst part was, Rosa really had no desire to hurt her mother by refusing the trip to Mysidia. It was what her mother wanted, and Rosa would only end up regretting it if she disobeyed her wishes. She knew that in the end, if it were between Cecil or her mother, Rosa would have to go with the latter...no matter what...

"Rosa, please don't cry...I don't want you to be upset..." Alexia trailed off, and Rosa looked up, putting on a small fake smile as she reached up and rubbed her eyes.

"Oh Mother...it's just that I am going to miss you so much..." Rosa said softly, and Alexia blinked, putting on a small smile of her own as she reached across the table and clasped Rosa's hand in her own.

"I'll miss you too dear!" Alexia cried, tears starting to form in her own eyes. "But everyday, I'll pray for your well being, and I'll always be thinking of you..."

"I'll be praying for you too." Rosa sniffled, and began to stand up, pushing her chair back with her good leg. "But I'm actually not very hungry anymore...do you mind if I retire for the night?"

"No, of course not dear, I think I will retire myself." Alexia said, and stood up, taking their dishes into her hands. "You just go lie down and try to get some sleep. You're going to have a busy week ahead of you."

"Alright." Rosa nodded, and with that, retreated to her room, deserting her crutches back in the dining area. She never wanted to see those stupid things again, as far as she was concerned. Rosa shut her door behind her quietly and walked over to her pure white vanity, where she collapsed in the chair set infront of it and gazed at her reddened reflection in the mirror. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment to try to un-blur her sight thanks to her tears, and when she opened them again, everything became much more clear. She reached up and pulled the soft blue ribbon out of her hair, letting it fall to her shoulders as she began to run her brush through it. After that task was done, she gently pumped a tear-drop size of cream into her hands from a bottle that her mother had bought her a while back, and began to massage it underneath her eyes to make them look less puffy. Rosa had never touched the stuff until now, but she was a little pleasently surprised to see that it actually worked as her mother said it would when she gave it to her.

"I can't believe I am trying to...pretty myself up for a guy." Rosa chuckled to herself, and smiled more as she pulled open a drawer and tried to find a pretty pair of earrings to wear. "Not that I'm...trying to impress Cecil or anything..." After finding the earings, she gently fastened them on and stood up from the vanity, walking over to her closet to find something to wear. There were so many fancy dresses that were burried within, but Rosa dug in further and found a simple soft red dress that only went down to her knees, and also pulled out a cream-colored cloak to wear with it just incase it was chilly.

"Perfect." Rosa smiled to herself, and tossed the clothing on her bed.

**********

That night, when the grandfather clock in the parlor struck the hour of 11, Rosa slipped out of her room, all dressed up and wide eyes as she quickly searched around to make sure her mother was no where in sight. Letting out a soft sigh of relief, Rosa slipped over to the door and pulled on her boots, and then made her exit outside. Sure enough, it was cold, just as she predicted, and immediately tugged her hood from her cloak up and over her head as she slipped over to the small garden where she and Cecil had discussed their meeting that afternoon. The moon tonight was full and shining, pouring it's silver light all over Baron and giving everything a subtle glow.

"Please don't be late..." Rosa whispered to herself, and nearly screamed when a hand clasped onto her shoulder and exclaimed: "You're the one who is late!"

"Ah--ack!" Rosa cried, and whirled around, only to see Cecil standing there and laughing as he dropped his gloved hand from her shoulder and grinned. Rosa let out a deep breath and put her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes a little.

"Cecil, you scared me!"

"Sorry." Cecil said, and laughed again. "I was hiding in the bushes!"

"I guess so." Rosa smiled, and reached up to pull down her hood. "But I'm glad you're here." Cecil smiled back and reached up himself, running his fingers through her hair.

"You got it cut."

"I hate long hair!" Rosa chuckled, and with that, pulled Cecil down with her as she sat down. He promptly sat and slipped closer to her, resting his head on her shoulder.

"But it's still long." Cecil pointed out. "Only a little past your shoulders."

"Shorter than it was." Rosa corrected, and smiled as she rested her head against his. "Thanks for coming..."

"I wanted to." Cecil said, and reached down in his own black cloak, pulling out a sealed bottle of cherry pop. "Here it is, like I promised!" Rosa smiled more and took it into her hands, kissing Cecil on the top of the head.

"Thank you...I actually forgot about this, hee hee." Rosa confessed, and set the bottle down beside her for now. However, she suddenly remembered what she needed to tell Cecil, and her face fell a little. Cecil looked up at her after a few moments and frowned himself, lifting his head from her shoulder all the way to peer into her face.

"Rosa...something wrong...?" Rosa sighed a little and looked back at Cecil as she folded her hands in her lap.

"....Yes...actually...there is..." Rosa bit her lip and shook her head. "Cecil...tonight...over dinner, I found out something rather disturbing."

"What, what is it?!" Cecil cried, taking Rosa's hands into his. "Come on, tell me!"

"I'm getting to it!" Rosa cried softly, and felt her eyes begin to water again as she stared right into Cecil's crystal blue orbs. "....My mother...she's become concerned over my lack of magic abilities lately, to be blunt about it."

"....Ok..." Cecil trailed off, and Rosa continued, her voice wavering a bit.

"....Cecil...she wants me to go to Mysidia to study magic abroad...at the end of the week. I'll be leaving with the ship that is departing for Mysidia, for she has already bought me a ticket. But um...I'll also be gone for a year...maybe even more than that." Cecil blinked and opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out. His throat made a little choking noise as Rosa bowed her head and struggled to keep her tears in.

".....What...?" He finally managed to whisper, and Rosa sniffled, just nodding her head to confirm her words. Cecil looked away from her and Rosa looked up at him, pressing her lips together as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I'm really sorry...if I had any control of the situation...then...then I wouldn't go!" Rosa cried, squeezing his hand tightly. "But Cecil...I understand if you don't...want to be with me anymore...I..." Suddenly Cecil turned back around and silenced Rosa by pressing his lips to hers a little roughly, causing her to lose her balance and tumble backwards in the flowers. Rosa let out a little cry of surprise as Cecil toppled over with her and lifted himself up, breaking the kiss as he stared down at her.

"Rosa...don't be foolish..." Cecil whispered. "Just because you're going away...doesn't mean that I don't want to be with you..."

"....Cecil..." Rosa trailed off and reached up, pushing her hair back from her eyes. "....A year is..."

"....Is a long time." Cecil finished for her, and sighed a little. "I know. But...still...I don't want to just let you go like this...not after everything that has happened..."

"Well I don't want to go at all!" Rosa suddenly cried, and threw her arms around Cecil, pulling his body down closer against hers. "I don't want to leave Baron...I don't want to leave you! It sounds silly...but even though we've only known each other for a short time...I..."

"Rosa, please...calm down..." Cecil said softly as he ran his fingers through her hair. "You're going to wake someone up..."

"Cecil...." Rosa sobbed and kissed at his lips softly. "I'll miss you so much..."

"I'll miss you too, Rosa..." Cecil trailed off, and kissed back, gently caressing at her cheek. "But...we have one more week, don't we?" He kissed again, and Rosa nodded a little as she sniffled.

"Yeah..." She smiled a little and nuzzled against Cecil's hand. "...I'm sorry...you must think that I am being a baby over this..."

"No, I don't." Cecil said, and gently kissed at her tears, letting the tip of his tongue lift them from her fair skin. "I understand how you feel...And that's why I am going to try to make it better for you." Rosa blinked.

"What are you going to do?"

"We can spend everyday together, if you'd like, before you have to leave." Cecil offered. "If I have to sneak out everytime, I will...I'll bring you whatever you want, and..."

"Oh Cecil..." Rosa smiled more and gently pressed a finger to his lips. "That's very kind of you...but Mother also said that I could go outside again...! So we won't have to go to such extremes to see each other." Cecil smiled back at this and touched the tip of his nose to hers. "But I still would like to see you..."

"Whatever you want." Cecil said. "I'll do whatever you want."

"...Thank you..." Rosa sighed, and gently cupped his face in her hands. "But...what are we going to do when..."

"Lets just not think about it now." Cecil suggested gently, and brushed his lips over hers. "We have all week..."

"...You're right..." Rosa trailed off, and pressed her lips to his, sliding her eyes shut as she relaxed back against the flowers and wrapped her arms around Cecil's neck. He leaned in a little and gently parted her lips with his tongue, entering her mouth slowly as she pressed up against his body a little in surprise. Electric currents seemed to replace Rosa's nerves as she hesitently ran her tongue over Cecil's, feeling as if her heart were about to stop beating. This felt so radically different from when Baigan had forced himself on her. There was no fear, no struggling, no pain-- it had all been replaced with desire, yearning, and a soft warm feeling all throughout her body.

So different, and so good.

"Cecil..." Rosa murmured against his lips, and gently ran her hands up and down his back, pressing her body up even closer against his as he continued to kiss her deeply. She didn't know how she would be able to part from him in just one week...It was only 7 days. Even if she did see him everyday until then...

It will be ok... Rosa tried to tell herself in her head. Everything will be ok...everything will work out for the best...

Cecil doesn't want to leave me...and we'll still be together, even though we'll be far away...





But... I wish that...this...right now...would last forever...





End of Part One

To be continued!