Van lounged on his throne, impatiently drumming his fingers on the
armrests.
Finally the Great Doors opened, and Van started in shock. From behind him, he heard Merle gasp, and Allen murmured something.
There bowing respectfully, was the mysterious boy, from the day before.
His great blue cloak spilled about him like water. His shoulder-length hair fell down, to cover his face.
Van regained his composure, and continued on as if nothing had happened.
"You may rise."
The boy knelt, brushing his hair from his face. Van noticed he was wearing black gloves, much like Van's own. For an instant, their eyes met. The stranger's eyes widened, but soon his features slipped back into their former coolness.
"Majesty." His voice was light, but it carried a deeper meaning. He gestured forward. "I am Kendai no Saira, Knight of the Caeli."
Van nodded to him. "Welcome to Fanelia, Kendai no Saira. I am King Van Fanel. You may speak as you wish." Van felt very silly saying these words. /Too formal. I sound like Vordon./
Kendai did not seem to notice. "I seek to stay in you palace, for a short while."
Van's eyebrows rose. "What reasons have you?"
Kendai looked uncertainly at the others in the Hall. "I may not speak of it in public. Perhaps somewhere private?"
Van nodded, and stood, gesturing for Allen and Merle to follow him.
Van led Kedai to a quaint room down the hall. Once everyone was inside, he shut and locked the door.
"There. You may speak freely."
Kendai looked uncertainly at Allen and Merle. Van watched solemnly. /This guy must have something important to say. He's no fool, though./
Van nodded. "They are under my confidence. They will tell no one."
Kendai nodded, and sat uneasily on the edge of a chair. "What I tell you is considered treason in my country, I am unsure that this is right…" He looked searchingly at the faces around him.
Allen shifted slightly, and Kendai's eyes flicked to him. "Are you by chance, Allen Schezar?"
Allen smiled grimly and nodded. "That I am."
Kendai nodded. "I thought as much." He looked uncertainly out the window. "I still feel a wrench at my heart to betray my country like this. I do not know if I can find the heart to tell you."
Allen leaned forward, locking eyes with Kendai. "If it is for the good of others, one must sometimes go against what one has been taught. Think not of your country as one, but as many, depending on you. Courage is believing in both yourself, and in others."
Kendai's troubled look faded some, and Van smiled gratefully at Allen. "Now, have you made your decision?"
Kendai nodded. "The time to be silent is past. I do this for all people here on Gaea." He took a deep breath. "Please do not interrupt me. What I have to say is of the utmost importance."
The others nodded, and leaned in. Merle moved closer to Kendai, until she was pressed against his leg, knowing he needed strength.
Kendai smiled softly. "Thank you little one." He closed his eyes, and began his story.
//A young man races along a corridor in a fancy house. His blond hair whips behind him, as his feet pound on the velvet carpet.
"Father! Father!" he yells, tearing through the halls. He finally throws open a mahogany door, and bursts into a study.
"Father! I've been accepted into the ranks of the Knights of the Caeli-Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't know you had company."
A gray-haired man stands behind a desk, and someone else sits in a chair facing the desk.
The gray-haired man steps towards the boy. "Kendai, this is General Raki of the Zaibach forces."
The boy's eyes widen. "Zai-"
"General Raki is here to propose a peace between Zaibach and our family. This is a great honor." The gray-haired man interrupts his son.
The boy stutters a quick apology, and stumbles from the room.//
//The boy stands pressed with his ear against the mahogany door. "Attack…Fanelia…Zaibach…" The boy's eyes widen, and he steps backwards, his feet making no noise on the plush carpet.
He hurries off down the hall, wiping a tear as he goes.//
//The boy mounts a black horse, a dark blue cloak around his shoulders. He draws the hood over his head, and shifts the cloak, so it is covering the sword belted at his waist. He rides off into the night, and doesn't look back.//
Kendai sagged slightly in his chair, head bowed.
Van took in what had been revealed to him. /So Zaibach is back…/ He watched Kendai for any signs that he was lying, but found none.
Allen stepped forward, and bowed to Kendai, catching the young man's aqua eyes with his own. "Well. I do not know if I would have had the heart to turn in my own family." Said Allen, looking straight at Kendai. "I admire your courage. You are more than you appear."
Van noticed that Allen did not say, "turn in your own father" but he didn't mention it.
Merle rubbed her head against Kendai's leg, and licked his hand. "Are you okay, Lord Kendai?"
Kendai smiled at her "I will be. But that was not all. My father found out that I was planning to warn you, and sent a few Zaibach Melefs after me. I stopped in an old temple, and they found me there. I ran, and found this ancient Guymelef in there, Ispano I think. I had no choice, so I grabbed an energist from a stand in the corner. The Guymelef accepted me, and we fought off the Zaibach Melefs, and escaped. I got here as fast as I could possibly go. But both Zaibach and Kourui no Saira know that I am trying to warn you. They may attack any minute!"
Van sprang to his feet. "Then what are we waiting for?! Allen, ready the troops-" He looked at Kendai, still sitting in the chair.
"Wait! What happened to the temple Melef you took?" Van eyed the boy suspiciously.
Kendai looked out the window. "It has a Stealth Cloak. It's hidden in a forest outside the city."
Van's eyes widened, as Kendai mentioned the Stealth Cloak. /This is quite the Melef. I have to see this./
He looked into Kendai's eyes, searching for any emotions. He saw a deep sadness, and a pounding anger, no traces of deceit or betrayal. They were so like his own, that his heart went out to the young man.
Van took a deep breath. "Well Kendai no Saira, it seems Fanelia owes you a lot. Would you do us the honor of staying in the palace?"
Kendai smiled uncertainly. "Of course, you majesty. I was just doing my duty as a Knight of the Caeli. I will protect the people!"
Finally the Great Doors opened, and Van started in shock. From behind him, he heard Merle gasp, and Allen murmured something.
There bowing respectfully, was the mysterious boy, from the day before.
His great blue cloak spilled about him like water. His shoulder-length hair fell down, to cover his face.
Van regained his composure, and continued on as if nothing had happened.
"You may rise."
The boy knelt, brushing his hair from his face. Van noticed he was wearing black gloves, much like Van's own. For an instant, their eyes met. The stranger's eyes widened, but soon his features slipped back into their former coolness.
"Majesty." His voice was light, but it carried a deeper meaning. He gestured forward. "I am Kendai no Saira, Knight of the Caeli."
Van nodded to him. "Welcome to Fanelia, Kendai no Saira. I am King Van Fanel. You may speak as you wish." Van felt very silly saying these words. /Too formal. I sound like Vordon./
Kendai did not seem to notice. "I seek to stay in you palace, for a short while."
Van's eyebrows rose. "What reasons have you?"
Kendai looked uncertainly at the others in the Hall. "I may not speak of it in public. Perhaps somewhere private?"
Van nodded, and stood, gesturing for Allen and Merle to follow him.
Van led Kedai to a quaint room down the hall. Once everyone was inside, he shut and locked the door.
"There. You may speak freely."
Kendai looked uncertainly at Allen and Merle. Van watched solemnly. /This guy must have something important to say. He's no fool, though./
Van nodded. "They are under my confidence. They will tell no one."
Kendai nodded, and sat uneasily on the edge of a chair. "What I tell you is considered treason in my country, I am unsure that this is right…" He looked searchingly at the faces around him.
Allen shifted slightly, and Kendai's eyes flicked to him. "Are you by chance, Allen Schezar?"
Allen smiled grimly and nodded. "That I am."
Kendai nodded. "I thought as much." He looked uncertainly out the window. "I still feel a wrench at my heart to betray my country like this. I do not know if I can find the heart to tell you."
Allen leaned forward, locking eyes with Kendai. "If it is for the good of others, one must sometimes go against what one has been taught. Think not of your country as one, but as many, depending on you. Courage is believing in both yourself, and in others."
Kendai's troubled look faded some, and Van smiled gratefully at Allen. "Now, have you made your decision?"
Kendai nodded. "The time to be silent is past. I do this for all people here on Gaea." He took a deep breath. "Please do not interrupt me. What I have to say is of the utmost importance."
The others nodded, and leaned in. Merle moved closer to Kendai, until she was pressed against his leg, knowing he needed strength.
Kendai smiled softly. "Thank you little one." He closed his eyes, and began his story.
//A young man races along a corridor in a fancy house. His blond hair whips behind him, as his feet pound on the velvet carpet.
"Father! Father!" he yells, tearing through the halls. He finally throws open a mahogany door, and bursts into a study.
"Father! I've been accepted into the ranks of the Knights of the Caeli-Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't know you had company."
A gray-haired man stands behind a desk, and someone else sits in a chair facing the desk.
The gray-haired man steps towards the boy. "Kendai, this is General Raki of the Zaibach forces."
The boy's eyes widen. "Zai-"
"General Raki is here to propose a peace between Zaibach and our family. This is a great honor." The gray-haired man interrupts his son.
The boy stutters a quick apology, and stumbles from the room.//
//The boy stands pressed with his ear against the mahogany door. "Attack…Fanelia…Zaibach…" The boy's eyes widen, and he steps backwards, his feet making no noise on the plush carpet.
He hurries off down the hall, wiping a tear as he goes.//
//The boy mounts a black horse, a dark blue cloak around his shoulders. He draws the hood over his head, and shifts the cloak, so it is covering the sword belted at his waist. He rides off into the night, and doesn't look back.//
Kendai sagged slightly in his chair, head bowed.
Van took in what had been revealed to him. /So Zaibach is back…/ He watched Kendai for any signs that he was lying, but found none.
Allen stepped forward, and bowed to Kendai, catching the young man's aqua eyes with his own. "Well. I do not know if I would have had the heart to turn in my own family." Said Allen, looking straight at Kendai. "I admire your courage. You are more than you appear."
Van noticed that Allen did not say, "turn in your own father" but he didn't mention it.
Merle rubbed her head against Kendai's leg, and licked his hand. "Are you okay, Lord Kendai?"
Kendai smiled at her "I will be. But that was not all. My father found out that I was planning to warn you, and sent a few Zaibach Melefs after me. I stopped in an old temple, and they found me there. I ran, and found this ancient Guymelef in there, Ispano I think. I had no choice, so I grabbed an energist from a stand in the corner. The Guymelef accepted me, and we fought off the Zaibach Melefs, and escaped. I got here as fast as I could possibly go. But both Zaibach and Kourui no Saira know that I am trying to warn you. They may attack any minute!"
Van sprang to his feet. "Then what are we waiting for?! Allen, ready the troops-" He looked at Kendai, still sitting in the chair.
"Wait! What happened to the temple Melef you took?" Van eyed the boy suspiciously.
Kendai looked out the window. "It has a Stealth Cloak. It's hidden in a forest outside the city."
Van's eyes widened, as Kendai mentioned the Stealth Cloak. /This is quite the Melef. I have to see this./
He looked into Kendai's eyes, searching for any emotions. He saw a deep sadness, and a pounding anger, no traces of deceit or betrayal. They were so like his own, that his heart went out to the young man.
Van took a deep breath. "Well Kendai no Saira, it seems Fanelia owes you a lot. Would you do us the honor of staying in the palace?"
Kendai smiled uncertainly. "Of course, you majesty. I was just doing my duty as a Knight of the Caeli. I will protect the people!"