Author's Note: Wow... it's been a long time everyone! The reason why, is because I just got soooo excited now that I've graduated, that I didn't even sit down and write the continuation of my stories. As you all know that fanfiction.net has been down so many times every time I go in there, but no fret, I worked on all my stories while it was out so you don't have to wait any longer! Here is the continuation of that wonderful fic- Medieval!!!!!! Yeay! Come on everyone! Jump around!
Chapter 12 - The Truth Hurts
The touch of the morning breeze woke him up from a deep slumber. He squinted his eyes slowly, blinking a couple of times, before finally opening them to a new light that blinded him. Lifting up his hand to block the rays of light that poked through, Calik sat up from bed and looked around tiredly. How long has he been asleep?
The sound of the flapping tent startled him. He jerked his head around to find an old man, whom he, for a moment, forgotten and when he realized whom it was; he gave him a questioning look.
"How are you feeling, my lad?" he asked, stepping forward.
Calik nodded his head. "I am fine. What has happened?"
"You were brave," was the man's only respond.
Confused, Calik stared into his eyes and got off of the bed. "What do you mean?"
The man dressed in animal fur walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, grinning. "I mean, you rescued my dear Terris from danger, which means I give you permission to take her hand in marriage."
The young man's eyes widened. "Marriage?" There was no mistake that he had grown attraction to the young woman, but marriage to such an early age was something he cannot comprehend. Something deep in his heart was telling him it was far too late.
The older man nodded. "Yes. Come with me and you shall meet her." He turned around and left the room, followed by the blond.
There was shock the moment Calik stepped out of the tent. People from all over the village gathered around him, each man and women patting him on the back as he walked by. Nero led him through the crowd casually, until they were in the very middle of the village, surrounded by the people staring at them. Calik felt overwhelmed by the attention as the people began to whisper to each other. His confusion was even more satisfying, many questions running in his mind on what was going to happen to him?
The blond man felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and noticed two young women putting a silk, snakeskin shirt on him. Calik could only stand and watch curiously as the women continued to dress him in a formal fashion. They kept his regular black pants on, though his black shirt was now covered in the white polo shirt, with the buttons all the way to the base of his neck. He glanced at Nero and furrowed his eyebrows. Despite his thoughts on refusing the proposal, without his own permission whether he wanted to get married or not, he went along with it. He was afraid that if he turned it down, the people would be very disappointed and this village was the only place he has called 'home' so far. If he left it, then there are no other places he was able to live in. Calik unbuttoned the first button near his neck and took a deep breath. The morning was already going by so quickly and he had no time to speak to them at all.
When he was dressed up, Nero placed a hand on his shoulder and grinned. "Follow me, lad. You shall soon see your bride-to-be."
Calik nodded and followed Nero to his tent, which was the largest out of all the tents in the village to indicate his superiority. He went inside with wonder and mostly, curiosity on where the old man was taking him. The tent itself was small, with its beautiful designs mostly made of animal fur that he guessed they hunted for both food and clothing. The tent was made of bear fur and cedar tree that kept it standing above their heads and the ground was made from more fur, which, in his guess came from a large moose or a buffalo. Above him, hung a lantern made of silver metal that they probably refined themselves so it can be strong for the winter. Calik looked beyond the books, pass the small, empty table and found he staring at an attractive young woman dressed in a marvelous white fur dress. The dress made her shoulders bare and showed her perfect curves that he has never seen before from her. He looked beyond her dress and lifted his eyes to her face. He saw the familiarity of Terris' face. "Ter-Terris, is that you?" he gasped, trying to keep his mouth closed from gaping.
Terris blushed and grabbed the sides of her dress, then curtsied. "Yes, 'tis I, Sir Calik. I have waited here for you until my father brought you to me." She looked up and smiled widely.
Calik smiled back, though he felt a churn in his stomach that he could not remove. Marriage? He cleared his throat, thinking of that word and glanced at Nero. "Sir Nero, I know that marriage is a custom to you when a man rescues a woman from danger, but-"
"You are part of our village, Sir Calik and whatever laws here in the village are acquired, it must be followed by a member of this village." Nero stared at him, overwhelming the shorter blond. Nero may have aged, but his brute strength and stature still stayed with him. He was ten times larger than himself and that was something he certainly did not want to face.
The large man placed a hand on the small of his daughter's back and gently pushed her towards the newest stranger. Smiling, the daughter took Calik's hand and squeezed it gently. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for rescuing me, Calik. Being a wife to you will be my payment for your bravery."
Calik had no choice but to smile and nod. He stared into her eyes and recognition of someone appeared in them. This someone was the same face that he saw while trying to rethink about who he was and where he came from. The same blue eyes, blond hair, height and feature, relived within this young woman and he could not help but stare.
It was only moments now until they are to be wed.
****************
She wept and thought about screaming to the Gods of how they could have done this to her of all people? Why does fate exist in such a cruel fashion? "Selphie........ I have been weeping for as long as I can remember and I cannot seem to wipe it all away with one hand, but two. My heart has been broken for him and my hopes are losing, thinking that I have lost him forever."
The former handmaiden placed a hand on her head and stroked her gold tresses gently. She glanced over to her love, whose been sitting quietly on the bed and lifted a mournful lip into a smile. "My dear Queen, I feel ill seeing you like this, but you must not lose hope for losing hope will only make the false come true."
Quistis lifted her eyes up to her friend. She wiped the tears from her eyes and forced a smile on her face. "You're right, Selphie. I must send a search party to look for my dear Knight."
Selphie nodded. "That is the wisest of you, Your Highness. Then do what you must and send someone capable of searching for someone dear you lost."
The blond Queen smiled and sat up so her eyes were at the same level as her Handmaiden and pulled her in for an embrace. "You are my dearest friend, Selphie, thank you." She glanced over at Zell and smiled. "Zell, you are lucky to have someone as kind as Selphie."
"Not to mention, beautiful," he spoke, winking at the blushing Handmaiden.
Quistis smiled and glanced at Selphie. "I must go on now for the King will be worried for me. Good bye, my sweet." She leaned over and kissed Selphie on the cheek, then walked out of the house and into the darkness.
****************
"Ah, there you are," his deep voice echoed in the darkness. He watched her approach him as he stood outside the room where the young boy was taken in. Quistis forced a smile towards her husband and glanced over his shoulder to look at the young soldier lying on the bed, his eyes closed in a deep slumber. "Where have you gone?" he asked.
Quistis smiled. "I went to go for a walk for I was weary to think that our old friend, Seifer could be dead."
Irvine shook his head. "Nay, he is not dead. He is alive, so says this young boy," he said, nodding his head towards Sharn. "They have been separated, but proof has it that Seifer is still alive."
"Truly?" she asked, glancing quickly at the young boy.
Irvine nodded. "Yes. I will send some men now to search for him. The young boy told me that they have lost each other somewhere in the forest area, however I am not certain which it is. I will have to command a search from all over the forest." He gave his wife a sweet embrace, before leaving her alone in her thoughts.
Quistis watched him go and when he disappeared in the darkness, she turned her head inside the room where the boy rested and stepped inside. A young woman with dark tresses was bathing him with warm water around the wound inflicted upon him and she looked up to find the Queen standing there silently.
"Your Highness..." She bowed her head and continued to wipe the dirt off of the young man.
Quistis approached the boy silently and looked down. "Is he able to speak?"
The young maiden leaned over and stroked his hair gently. Sharn immediately opened his eyes at the sign of a touch and looked up to see the blond Queen staring at him. He wearily lifted up his head towards her and forced a smile on his face. "Your Highness... I must tell you-" He gasped, the pain at his side worsening. The young woman worriedly lifted up his shirt and stared at a large wound. She looked up at the Queen.
Quistis stared at the woman and noticed the gash. She shook her head at the young man and kneeled down beside the bed. She placed a hand on his lips to stop him from speaking any further. "You must not speak, young one. You must save your energy come tomorrow for your wound is a danger to your life."
The young boy shook his head and lifted up a hand to remove the Queen's hand from his mouth. "No, I must tell you now, before it is too late. I have seen him being taken by strangers from the village. I have seen it all with my own eyes. He does not know himself...." He closed his eyes and frowned. "I have failed him-," he murmured. "I have failed him."
Quistis leaned over and stroked the young lad's hair. "How have you failed him? There was nothing you could do to save him by yourself. There were men after you and you had no choice but to run. He told you to run from danger and that is what you did. You followed his orders, because he knew it was better for you to be safe for a young boy like you." She glanced at him and noticed his head had tipped away from her, his eyes shut in despair. He had fallen asleep. The Queen gazed at the young maiden and nodded. "Make him well, Rinoa," she spoke softly, then stood up and left the room quietly.
*****************
Hours had passed that the ceremony ended of their wedding. Nero led them to his daughter's tent to 'fulfill' their wedding night and to 'fulfill' his dreams of having many grandchildren. Calik and Terris entered the tent with heavy breathing, one with confusion and the other with nervousness. When they were inside, Terris turned and began to undress herself, but Calik immediately grabbed her hand from reaching the top of her clothes and shook his head.
"Must we do this?" he whispered in her ear as he leaned close to her.
Terris smiled and looked into his eyes. She leaned over and kissed him full on the lips. "Yes," she whispered back. "When a man and a woman have become husband and wife, they must fulfill their duties by embracing each other in a night of passion."
Calik sighed. "This is a duty?"
Terris giggled and leaned over once again to kiss him on the lips, however, Calik stepped back to look at her. "What, am I not your wife to you?" There was a slight anger raging in her voice.
Calik shook his head. "You seem nervous, Terris. Do you wish to do this?"
The blond girl stepped closer. "Of course." She attempted to wrap her arms around him, only to be pushed gently away by the tall man. Terris folded her arms across her chest and turned her head away to frown. "No," she admitted. "My father wishes it and I do not want to disappoint him."
The taller blond walked towards her and placed a hand underneath her chin. He lifted her head up to look at him and tears of sadness fell from her eyes. "This is not about your father, Terris. This is about you and your happiness."
The young woman closed her eyes. "If I do not make my father proud, then I shall be shunned from this place and never to return again. I do not wish to leave my brother or my friends here." She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. "You must understand, Calik."
"Do you love me?" he asked.
"The- the moment I set my eyes on you," she stammered. Saying those words were overwhelming and as she looked into his eyes, he saw the surprise on his face. She looked down shyly and smiled. "What do you think of me now?"
Calik smiled. "I think you will make a lovely wife..." He stared into familiar eyes. Eyes that he has seen before, but could not quite see who it was. Through her he saw someone else and he leaned closer to kiss the young woman full on the lips.
GoodGurl: AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!! Calik is kissing Terris! Could they have gone through with it? Or was Calik mesmerized by Terris' looks that he saw someone else??? Hm.................. Find out on the next chapter!!!!
Chapter 12 - The Truth Hurts
The touch of the morning breeze woke him up from a deep slumber. He squinted his eyes slowly, blinking a couple of times, before finally opening them to a new light that blinded him. Lifting up his hand to block the rays of light that poked through, Calik sat up from bed and looked around tiredly. How long has he been asleep?
The sound of the flapping tent startled him. He jerked his head around to find an old man, whom he, for a moment, forgotten and when he realized whom it was; he gave him a questioning look.
"How are you feeling, my lad?" he asked, stepping forward.
Calik nodded his head. "I am fine. What has happened?"
"You were brave," was the man's only respond.
Confused, Calik stared into his eyes and got off of the bed. "What do you mean?"
The man dressed in animal fur walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, grinning. "I mean, you rescued my dear Terris from danger, which means I give you permission to take her hand in marriage."
The young man's eyes widened. "Marriage?" There was no mistake that he had grown attraction to the young woman, but marriage to such an early age was something he cannot comprehend. Something deep in his heart was telling him it was far too late.
The older man nodded. "Yes. Come with me and you shall meet her." He turned around and left the room, followed by the blond.
There was shock the moment Calik stepped out of the tent. People from all over the village gathered around him, each man and women patting him on the back as he walked by. Nero led him through the crowd casually, until they were in the very middle of the village, surrounded by the people staring at them. Calik felt overwhelmed by the attention as the people began to whisper to each other. His confusion was even more satisfying, many questions running in his mind on what was going to happen to him?
The blond man felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and noticed two young women putting a silk, snakeskin shirt on him. Calik could only stand and watch curiously as the women continued to dress him in a formal fashion. They kept his regular black pants on, though his black shirt was now covered in the white polo shirt, with the buttons all the way to the base of his neck. He glanced at Nero and furrowed his eyebrows. Despite his thoughts on refusing the proposal, without his own permission whether he wanted to get married or not, he went along with it. He was afraid that if he turned it down, the people would be very disappointed and this village was the only place he has called 'home' so far. If he left it, then there are no other places he was able to live in. Calik unbuttoned the first button near his neck and took a deep breath. The morning was already going by so quickly and he had no time to speak to them at all.
When he was dressed up, Nero placed a hand on his shoulder and grinned. "Follow me, lad. You shall soon see your bride-to-be."
Calik nodded and followed Nero to his tent, which was the largest out of all the tents in the village to indicate his superiority. He went inside with wonder and mostly, curiosity on where the old man was taking him. The tent itself was small, with its beautiful designs mostly made of animal fur that he guessed they hunted for both food and clothing. The tent was made of bear fur and cedar tree that kept it standing above their heads and the ground was made from more fur, which, in his guess came from a large moose or a buffalo. Above him, hung a lantern made of silver metal that they probably refined themselves so it can be strong for the winter. Calik looked beyond the books, pass the small, empty table and found he staring at an attractive young woman dressed in a marvelous white fur dress. The dress made her shoulders bare and showed her perfect curves that he has never seen before from her. He looked beyond her dress and lifted his eyes to her face. He saw the familiarity of Terris' face. "Ter-Terris, is that you?" he gasped, trying to keep his mouth closed from gaping.
Terris blushed and grabbed the sides of her dress, then curtsied. "Yes, 'tis I, Sir Calik. I have waited here for you until my father brought you to me." She looked up and smiled widely.
Calik smiled back, though he felt a churn in his stomach that he could not remove. Marriage? He cleared his throat, thinking of that word and glanced at Nero. "Sir Nero, I know that marriage is a custom to you when a man rescues a woman from danger, but-"
"You are part of our village, Sir Calik and whatever laws here in the village are acquired, it must be followed by a member of this village." Nero stared at him, overwhelming the shorter blond. Nero may have aged, but his brute strength and stature still stayed with him. He was ten times larger than himself and that was something he certainly did not want to face.
The large man placed a hand on the small of his daughter's back and gently pushed her towards the newest stranger. Smiling, the daughter took Calik's hand and squeezed it gently. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for rescuing me, Calik. Being a wife to you will be my payment for your bravery."
Calik had no choice but to smile and nod. He stared into her eyes and recognition of someone appeared in them. This someone was the same face that he saw while trying to rethink about who he was and where he came from. The same blue eyes, blond hair, height and feature, relived within this young woman and he could not help but stare.
It was only moments now until they are to be wed.
****************
She wept and thought about screaming to the Gods of how they could have done this to her of all people? Why does fate exist in such a cruel fashion? "Selphie........ I have been weeping for as long as I can remember and I cannot seem to wipe it all away with one hand, but two. My heart has been broken for him and my hopes are losing, thinking that I have lost him forever."
The former handmaiden placed a hand on her head and stroked her gold tresses gently. She glanced over to her love, whose been sitting quietly on the bed and lifted a mournful lip into a smile. "My dear Queen, I feel ill seeing you like this, but you must not lose hope for losing hope will only make the false come true."
Quistis lifted her eyes up to her friend. She wiped the tears from her eyes and forced a smile on her face. "You're right, Selphie. I must send a search party to look for my dear Knight."
Selphie nodded. "That is the wisest of you, Your Highness. Then do what you must and send someone capable of searching for someone dear you lost."
The blond Queen smiled and sat up so her eyes were at the same level as her Handmaiden and pulled her in for an embrace. "You are my dearest friend, Selphie, thank you." She glanced over at Zell and smiled. "Zell, you are lucky to have someone as kind as Selphie."
"Not to mention, beautiful," he spoke, winking at the blushing Handmaiden.
Quistis smiled and glanced at Selphie. "I must go on now for the King will be worried for me. Good bye, my sweet." She leaned over and kissed Selphie on the cheek, then walked out of the house and into the darkness.
****************
"Ah, there you are," his deep voice echoed in the darkness. He watched her approach him as he stood outside the room where the young boy was taken in. Quistis forced a smile towards her husband and glanced over his shoulder to look at the young soldier lying on the bed, his eyes closed in a deep slumber. "Where have you gone?" he asked.
Quistis smiled. "I went to go for a walk for I was weary to think that our old friend, Seifer could be dead."
Irvine shook his head. "Nay, he is not dead. He is alive, so says this young boy," he said, nodding his head towards Sharn. "They have been separated, but proof has it that Seifer is still alive."
"Truly?" she asked, glancing quickly at the young boy.
Irvine nodded. "Yes. I will send some men now to search for him. The young boy told me that they have lost each other somewhere in the forest area, however I am not certain which it is. I will have to command a search from all over the forest." He gave his wife a sweet embrace, before leaving her alone in her thoughts.
Quistis watched him go and when he disappeared in the darkness, she turned her head inside the room where the boy rested and stepped inside. A young woman with dark tresses was bathing him with warm water around the wound inflicted upon him and she looked up to find the Queen standing there silently.
"Your Highness..." She bowed her head and continued to wipe the dirt off of the young man.
Quistis approached the boy silently and looked down. "Is he able to speak?"
The young maiden leaned over and stroked his hair gently. Sharn immediately opened his eyes at the sign of a touch and looked up to see the blond Queen staring at him. He wearily lifted up his head towards her and forced a smile on his face. "Your Highness... I must tell you-" He gasped, the pain at his side worsening. The young woman worriedly lifted up his shirt and stared at a large wound. She looked up at the Queen.
Quistis stared at the woman and noticed the gash. She shook her head at the young man and kneeled down beside the bed. She placed a hand on his lips to stop him from speaking any further. "You must not speak, young one. You must save your energy come tomorrow for your wound is a danger to your life."
The young boy shook his head and lifted up a hand to remove the Queen's hand from his mouth. "No, I must tell you now, before it is too late. I have seen him being taken by strangers from the village. I have seen it all with my own eyes. He does not know himself...." He closed his eyes and frowned. "I have failed him-," he murmured. "I have failed him."
Quistis leaned over and stroked the young lad's hair. "How have you failed him? There was nothing you could do to save him by yourself. There were men after you and you had no choice but to run. He told you to run from danger and that is what you did. You followed his orders, because he knew it was better for you to be safe for a young boy like you." She glanced at him and noticed his head had tipped away from her, his eyes shut in despair. He had fallen asleep. The Queen gazed at the young maiden and nodded. "Make him well, Rinoa," she spoke softly, then stood up and left the room quietly.
*****************
Hours had passed that the ceremony ended of their wedding. Nero led them to his daughter's tent to 'fulfill' their wedding night and to 'fulfill' his dreams of having many grandchildren. Calik and Terris entered the tent with heavy breathing, one with confusion and the other with nervousness. When they were inside, Terris turned and began to undress herself, but Calik immediately grabbed her hand from reaching the top of her clothes and shook his head.
"Must we do this?" he whispered in her ear as he leaned close to her.
Terris smiled and looked into his eyes. She leaned over and kissed him full on the lips. "Yes," she whispered back. "When a man and a woman have become husband and wife, they must fulfill their duties by embracing each other in a night of passion."
Calik sighed. "This is a duty?"
Terris giggled and leaned over once again to kiss him on the lips, however, Calik stepped back to look at her. "What, am I not your wife to you?" There was a slight anger raging in her voice.
Calik shook his head. "You seem nervous, Terris. Do you wish to do this?"
The blond girl stepped closer. "Of course." She attempted to wrap her arms around him, only to be pushed gently away by the tall man. Terris folded her arms across her chest and turned her head away to frown. "No," she admitted. "My father wishes it and I do not want to disappoint him."
The taller blond walked towards her and placed a hand underneath her chin. He lifted her head up to look at him and tears of sadness fell from her eyes. "This is not about your father, Terris. This is about you and your happiness."
The young woman closed her eyes. "If I do not make my father proud, then I shall be shunned from this place and never to return again. I do not wish to leave my brother or my friends here." She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. "You must understand, Calik."
"Do you love me?" he asked.
"The- the moment I set my eyes on you," she stammered. Saying those words were overwhelming and as she looked into his eyes, he saw the surprise on his face. She looked down shyly and smiled. "What do you think of me now?"
Calik smiled. "I think you will make a lovely wife..." He stared into familiar eyes. Eyes that he has seen before, but could not quite see who it was. Through her he saw someone else and he leaned closer to kiss the young woman full on the lips.
GoodGurl: AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!! Calik is kissing Terris! Could they have gone through with it? Or was Calik mesmerized by Terris' looks that he saw someone else??? Hm.................. Find out on the next chapter!!!!