Ch. 2
Love is Silly
The black knight walked over to where a ship was waiting. A man with silver hair and fair complexion was waiting for him.
"Did you find what you needed to know?" The knight merely nodded. "So where are we going?" He finally asked after they both made it to the cockpit.
"Tartor."
The silver- haired man took a sharp intake; Tartor was a cruel world that he had always been taught to avoid at all costs. "Are you sure about that?" The black knight remained completely silent. "Very well," replied his companion in slightly annoyed voice, "But I am going to remind you one more time that you are an outlaw, wanted by the League for murder, treachery, and the willful endangerment of other's lives. I can only transport you under the feigned excuse of not knowing; I cannot help you."
The black knight just lent back and looked to the roof of the ship. His thoughts began to dwell on how he got here, on how all this had happened. "Just shut up and drive, Eagle..."
Ho! You weren't expecting that shit, were you? Sorry, I just had to gloat. Anyway, back to the reason you are here
2 years earlier.
Tello couldn't believe this, how he was, for all practical purposes, demoted to merely being a slave catcher. Yet the work was important, he had to admit that; slaves were becoming increasingly hard to find, and the Overlord and recently instituted this program on their four neighbors: Cephiro, Chizeta, Fharan, and Autozam. The purpose; to capture those of the populous secretly, never to take someone important, or well known throughout the land; that would be too dangerous, and Tartor was not yet strong enough to survive a war on four fronts...not yet anyway. The trouble was, this was also dangerous work, and whenever there was Tello, you could count on one thing; that he was going to be a few steps behind you all the way. And in Cephiro, where one's will determine all, that is especially dangerous. One of his slaves from another village then the one he was at currently stationed at left to get water, as was her duty. Tello looked at her in agitation and slapped her on the back of the head.
"Wench! You did not ask for the privilege of performing your duties!" The girl shrunk back in fear; she was one of the first 50 that Tello had acquired, and she was perhaps the most affected. When she didn't immediately respond, Tello snarled and raised his hand again, when he looked up in horror; coming towards his slave and he was a monster!! The thing looked like a large wolf, but had hair extending out too far, and was almost twice as high as a man. It sprang towards them, and both screamed, throwing their hands up for whatever meager protection it offered.
When Tello finally got the courage to open his eyes seconds later, he saw the monster's body slit in half, and a tall, dark-haired armored man armed with a curved sword was standing where the monster and previously been. He turned around and sheathed his sword.
"Are you alright, ma'am, sir?"
Tello looked at the muscular man with a twinge of envy, and answered harshly, "We are fine, thank you."
The strange man looked at Tello, nodded, then at the girl, and whispered sweetly, as she was only 16, and how about you, honey? Are you okay?" The girl, who for the past 5 months had been treated like a dog, like a slave, had forgotten what it was like to have someone talk civilly to her, as if she was a human being.
"I said that we were FINE!" shouted Tello at the top of his lungs. He was scared now; if this woman talked, he was dead, for of all the anti-slavery worlds, Cephiro was the strictest when it came to dealing with them.
The man looked at the man in cool contempt, sensing the cowardice within.
"I think that she, sir, would be the better judge as to whether or not she is okay. I am also curious as to why you are even with her; you do not look like her, so you cannot be a relative, nor can you be her lover, as you are far too old to be so to any woman her age."
His sharp eyes suddenly noticed the bruises on her arms from rough grabbing, and with a half-knowing, evil smile, he slid his hand partially up her back shirt, feeling the scars beneath... "Yes, far too old to be anything else to her, accept." He set the girl on her feet, and looked at her. "Do you want to tell me what is going on?" The girl shook her head violently, much to the relief of Tello, who laughed inside; that one was broken, so the knight was wasting his time if he thought he was going to get any information out of her.
"Very well, young woman; I sense a great deal of fear from you, so with your permission." He placed his hand on her forehead, holding it gently but firmly. "This might hurt a little bit," he warned her. "MIND GATE!!" The girl felt a slight twinge of pain as she literally felt all her memories up to this point being opened; her childhood, her abduction, her beatings, her 'meals'... The man had seen enough. He let her go, and spun wildly on the short, fat Tello.
"We have laws about slavery, 'Slavemaster Tello'. About the only smart thing you have done was keep who you were working for anonymous. Yes, don't act so surprised that I would know of an accomplice, because you are too much a coward to have the genitals to pull a move by yourself willingly." With that, he turned to the house.
"Lightning Bolt Onslaught!" Lightning reigned from the sky, destroying Tello's assumed residence. He walked over to a cellar door, opened it, and propped in. Tello looked around fearfully, and began to run, when he saw himself at the point of another sword, this one straight...and wielded by the SAME MAN!!! Tello nearly feinted from fright, and looked over confused, to see the man who currently held him at sword point helping up his slaves! With a command to wait, he walked over to Tello, who was now between two nearly identical men. He looked back and forth in confusion, wondering what was going on.
"Well, Lt. Lintas, what is it that you caught today?" The man with the straight sword bent his head slightly to hide his smile.
"I, Lt. Zagato? Why, I caught a man who tried to escape your custody, Brother."
Zagato flashed a rare smile; this may have been mean, but what the hell, it was fun, and it wasn't like this jerk didn't deserve it.
"We have laws against that, too, Slavemaster Tello. I wonder what King Ferio would think of this,"
"Yes," stated Lintas, who also knew the game and also liked to play it,
"He has a daughter, you know. I wonder what he would think if he imagined it was his she in that position."
"Of course, his wife was a prisoner once as well..."
"And if we know Aunt Fuu, she'll get into Uncle Ferio's ear about this."
Tello went to his knees, breaking down completely at this point. "Spare me, please!!! I beg of you! Let me go, I'll never do it again!"
He suddenly found himself picked up by the throat, looking square in the eyes of the one called Zagato, who seemed suddenly angry.
"Spare you? Spare you? Why should I do that? If we let you go, then who's to say you wouldn't do it again?"
Tello at this point had tears in his eyes, "I'll go away, and I will never come back!!"
Zagato looked at him in disgust, and threw him to the ground. "So be it. I give you four days to leave. After that, if you are still in Cephiro, I will hunt you down, and I will kill you." He quietly walked away, then turned back, and glanced at his brother. "I leave the, 'merchandise', in your hands, Brother." Zagato headed back toward the palace, Lintas started to lead the slaves to a re-finder facility, and Tello glanced at Zagato with hatred, but content that the spy- der he planted on Zagato that Tartor had stolen from Autozam would be enough to give him the opportunity of revenge...
A young boy of 16 with shoulder length blonde hair was practicing with a sword when he heard the grass give behind him. He turned around, seeing a young girl, who looked shorter then she was, with red hair and wearing red outfit.
She smiled at him, "Good morning, Calarga."
The young man, Calarga, looked down upon her, preparing for his favorite joke to play on her, "Why, Kila, I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming."
With a cry and a laugh, Kila play-acted offence, pretending that the slap she sent his way, which was easily avoidable, was a lot more serious then it ended up being. The two looked into each other's eyes for a minute. "So," Kila finally asked, "What is the son of the great swordsmaster doing out here, practicing with his prick-sticker, when he should be playing with his childhood friend?"
Calarga smiled, and picked up the blade in her sight; out of it, he produced another sword, this one lighter, meant to be wielded by females...
"Trying to placate the great swordsmaster for walking in when he and mother were slightly," Calarga looked for the right words so as to not ruin Kila's innocence."Busy, shall we say?"
Calarga suddenly tossed his extra sword to Kila, who caught it as if she'd handled a blade for her years. Calarga brought his sword down, but Kila expertly caught it on her own blade. They began to fence, often switching styles so as to confuse the other. Then Kila did a trick that Calarga had never even heard of, much less seen. Kila tossed her sword handle up at him; while he swerved back on instinct to avoid the blade, Kila grabbed his sword arm, twisted it, and held the blade two inches from his stomach. Calarga was caught completely unawares. She smiled at him and let go of his arm. Calarga shook it out and looked at the young woman in disbelief.
"You do realize, of course, that I am going to have to insist on you teaching me that," Calarga said. "Say, tomorrow, at noon sharp, on a picnic?" Kila glanced up shyly at him, and it seemed to the two that there were only them in the entire world...
"You might find later in the afternoon to be a better time, young Calarga."
Both nearly jumped at the new voice, though Kila recognized it, and with a cry of joy, ran into the waiting arms of her eldest brother. Calarga smiled in spite of himself, knowing full well that now he and Kila wouldn't be able to see each other for at least a week. By Pillar, that man was over- protective! He lost his smile when he noticed a glare from Zagato hurled a glare at him. Kila looked up at her brother, oblivious to the stare he shot at Calarga.
"Zagato!! Why don't you come with us?"
At that, Calarga nearly burst out laughing. The idea that Zagato would do anything social that was not formal...it wasn't that he was a cold man, just a solid one. He had feelings for everyone in the castle, some more then others, but he had a big time expressing them in an un-awkward way, accept with Kila. Zagato looked at her with a gloomy look, and Kila bent her head down in sadness. Calarga anticipated the speech Zagato was going to give about why neither he nor she would be able to go on the picnic.
"Zagato won't be able to come, because he will be busy tonight and tomorrow for the banquet."
A gruff voice came behind. Calarga and Zagato looked at the direction, recognizing it instantly. There stood the armed and armored Lafarga, Captain of the Guard. It was the person behind him, however, that Kila took interest to.
"Lintas!!!" She screamed, tearing herself from Zagato's hold and rushing into the waiting arms of her other brother. Lafarga smiled sadly at Kila; like her mother, she acted as if she were half of her age when she was happy.
"Calarga," he called.
"Yes, Father?"
"I wish for you and Kila to take your plans someplace else; my lieutenants and I have matters to discuss."
Zagato shot a fierce glance at Lafarga, while Kila and Calarga, who sensed a new opportunity, dashed away as fast as they could.
"Kids, they grow up to fast, hey Cap?" smiled Lintas.
Lafarga smiled back at Lintas, care free Lintas, perhaps the only man in Cephiro who could get away with calling Lafarga that. "Yes, and when they aren't busy growing up, they are busy making you feel old."
Lintas shot back, "You? Old? Ha, that's a laugh. You couldn't grow old if the Creator came and changed you himself." Lafarga smiled, than looked at Zagato, who now stood face to face with the two.
"Captain Lafarga, why did you allow them to.?"
Lafarga merely held a hand up. "I allowed them to be 16 years old, Zagato, nothing else."
Zagato looked at the direction that the young pair and ran of towards. "They are far too young to be."
"Oh come of it, Zagato!" Lintas cried out. "Just come out and say it; one of them looks too much like our little Kila, that's the only problem you have with it. That's the only problem I have with it, too." Lintas finished.
As they began to walk toward the palace to discuss matters of security with King Ferio, Lintas continued, "You can't always protect Kila, Zagato. You can't always keep her as a child."
"Watch me." Zagato simply stated.
Lafarga shook his head, how was it possible for these two to be so close and so different at the same time? Yes, both were strikingly similar and handsome, roughly the same height, and both were deadly with any type of sword, and both were incredibly skilled in the magic arts, but that is where all similarities end. Zagato was strict, disciplined and really saw all emotions that are publicized as silly. Oh, yeah, he was also fiercely protective of his sister. Lintas, too, was protective, but not in any way that went to borderline imprisonment. He was carefree and easy going, who genuinely liked to protect people, though his lack of discipline made him un-leader like. Lintas was a warrior straight out of a fairy tale, while Zagato was one who was straight out of Lafarga's playbook. And yet, strangely, when it came to personal choice, he had no preferences. He would trust either man with his life at any given time, or anyone else's life for that manner.
"You shouldn't attempt the impossible, Zagato. Even were you able to 'will' her as 16 years old forever, you would never be able to keep love from blossoming..." Lafarga immediately regretted those words.
"Love? She is too young to know what real love is, as is your son, Lafarga." Lafarga suddenly straighten up at this.
"Are you saying that my son is not a worthy match for your sister?"
Zagato chose his next words very carefully. "No, Lafarga; of all the available men, Calarga is the one I most approve of. It's just that, I'd really rather Kila not have anybody."
Lintas laughed at that comment. "Thank Pillar that the Creator never put you in charge of which emotions to give to the worlds, Zagato, otherwise love might run the risk of never being around!"
Zagato rolled his eyes. "Love. Love is the silliest thing I have ever known. It can take a man, and make him change his mind about his values, his priorities, and his duties."
Lafarga coughed a bit. "Speaking from experience, I think that love is the single most beautiful thing ever made."
Zagato looked at Lafarga with a wry grin in his eyes. "So, the warrior becomes a poet, neh? Yes, Lafarga, you have love, and look where it got you; running around, being dragged on a leash by Caldina. No thank you, I think I can live without that."
Lintas sighed and looked up, seeing someone on the balcony; a young woman with waist length, beautiful blonde hair and a green dress, her eyes boring into one man.
"So, Zagato," he said, tilting his head in their watcher's direction. "You think love is the silliest thing to happen to man?"
Zagato turned to his brother, looked in the direction his head pointed to, and stopped. Lafarga and Lintas exchanged knowing glances, while Zagato stood, looking at the woman who was Princess Emera, their eyes, which told the story neither could admit, locked in a loving embrace.
"Yes," said Zagato, in a voice barely above a whisper, "Love is completely silly..."
Lafarga glanced at Lintas, who was fighting a losing battle to stifle back his laughter. Grabbing the younger brother by the shoulder, Lafarga turned back at Zagato.
"When you are done, *ahem*, sight-seeing, Zagato, we will be in the security room." With that, Lafarga led Lintas away, who was on the brink of explosion. Zagato and Emera, oblivious to the two that just walked away, bore into each other. For what seemed like an eternity, the two merely gazed at the other, relishing in the silence, things they would like to do with the other (And believe it or not, a good many of them where with clothes on, though not all, of course). Of course, the moment could not last, and a voice calling Zagato broke him from the spell. He looked over to see Lafarga waving him towards him. Zagato sighed, looked around, and saw a white rose. He picked it up, and with a word, used a small, barely powerful enough lightning bolt to send it up to the princess. She caught it, and with tears forming in her eyes, she turned away. Zagato looked down, sighed, cursed himself as a damned fool, and walked away...
In another village, Tello looked at the spy-der feedback, a plan of vengeance already forming in his head. Yes, it would be breaking a few rules, because the woman was well known, but what the hell, that never stopped him before...besides, it would pay that Zagato back, in a way in which he could never retaliate...
Love is Silly
The black knight walked over to where a ship was waiting. A man with silver hair and fair complexion was waiting for him.
"Did you find what you needed to know?" The knight merely nodded. "So where are we going?" He finally asked after they both made it to the cockpit.
"Tartor."
The silver- haired man took a sharp intake; Tartor was a cruel world that he had always been taught to avoid at all costs. "Are you sure about that?" The black knight remained completely silent. "Very well," replied his companion in slightly annoyed voice, "But I am going to remind you one more time that you are an outlaw, wanted by the League for murder, treachery, and the willful endangerment of other's lives. I can only transport you under the feigned excuse of not knowing; I cannot help you."
The black knight just lent back and looked to the roof of the ship. His thoughts began to dwell on how he got here, on how all this had happened. "Just shut up and drive, Eagle..."
Ho! You weren't expecting that shit, were you? Sorry, I just had to gloat. Anyway, back to the reason you are here
2 years earlier.
Tello couldn't believe this, how he was, for all practical purposes, demoted to merely being a slave catcher. Yet the work was important, he had to admit that; slaves were becoming increasingly hard to find, and the Overlord and recently instituted this program on their four neighbors: Cephiro, Chizeta, Fharan, and Autozam. The purpose; to capture those of the populous secretly, never to take someone important, or well known throughout the land; that would be too dangerous, and Tartor was not yet strong enough to survive a war on four fronts...not yet anyway. The trouble was, this was also dangerous work, and whenever there was Tello, you could count on one thing; that he was going to be a few steps behind you all the way. And in Cephiro, where one's will determine all, that is especially dangerous. One of his slaves from another village then the one he was at currently stationed at left to get water, as was her duty. Tello looked at her in agitation and slapped her on the back of the head.
"Wench! You did not ask for the privilege of performing your duties!" The girl shrunk back in fear; she was one of the first 50 that Tello had acquired, and she was perhaps the most affected. When she didn't immediately respond, Tello snarled and raised his hand again, when he looked up in horror; coming towards his slave and he was a monster!! The thing looked like a large wolf, but had hair extending out too far, and was almost twice as high as a man. It sprang towards them, and both screamed, throwing their hands up for whatever meager protection it offered.
When Tello finally got the courage to open his eyes seconds later, he saw the monster's body slit in half, and a tall, dark-haired armored man armed with a curved sword was standing where the monster and previously been. He turned around and sheathed his sword.
"Are you alright, ma'am, sir?"
Tello looked at the muscular man with a twinge of envy, and answered harshly, "We are fine, thank you."
The strange man looked at Tello, nodded, then at the girl, and whispered sweetly, as she was only 16, and how about you, honey? Are you okay?" The girl, who for the past 5 months had been treated like a dog, like a slave, had forgotten what it was like to have someone talk civilly to her, as if she was a human being.
"I said that we were FINE!" shouted Tello at the top of his lungs. He was scared now; if this woman talked, he was dead, for of all the anti-slavery worlds, Cephiro was the strictest when it came to dealing with them.
The man looked at the man in cool contempt, sensing the cowardice within.
"I think that she, sir, would be the better judge as to whether or not she is okay. I am also curious as to why you are even with her; you do not look like her, so you cannot be a relative, nor can you be her lover, as you are far too old to be so to any woman her age."
His sharp eyes suddenly noticed the bruises on her arms from rough grabbing, and with a half-knowing, evil smile, he slid his hand partially up her back shirt, feeling the scars beneath... "Yes, far too old to be anything else to her, accept." He set the girl on her feet, and looked at her. "Do you want to tell me what is going on?" The girl shook her head violently, much to the relief of Tello, who laughed inside; that one was broken, so the knight was wasting his time if he thought he was going to get any information out of her.
"Very well, young woman; I sense a great deal of fear from you, so with your permission." He placed his hand on her forehead, holding it gently but firmly. "This might hurt a little bit," he warned her. "MIND GATE!!" The girl felt a slight twinge of pain as she literally felt all her memories up to this point being opened; her childhood, her abduction, her beatings, her 'meals'... The man had seen enough. He let her go, and spun wildly on the short, fat Tello.
"We have laws about slavery, 'Slavemaster Tello'. About the only smart thing you have done was keep who you were working for anonymous. Yes, don't act so surprised that I would know of an accomplice, because you are too much a coward to have the genitals to pull a move by yourself willingly." With that, he turned to the house.
"Lightning Bolt Onslaught!" Lightning reigned from the sky, destroying Tello's assumed residence. He walked over to a cellar door, opened it, and propped in. Tello looked around fearfully, and began to run, when he saw himself at the point of another sword, this one straight...and wielded by the SAME MAN!!! Tello nearly feinted from fright, and looked over confused, to see the man who currently held him at sword point helping up his slaves! With a command to wait, he walked over to Tello, who was now between two nearly identical men. He looked back and forth in confusion, wondering what was going on.
"Well, Lt. Lintas, what is it that you caught today?" The man with the straight sword bent his head slightly to hide his smile.
"I, Lt. Zagato? Why, I caught a man who tried to escape your custody, Brother."
Zagato flashed a rare smile; this may have been mean, but what the hell, it was fun, and it wasn't like this jerk didn't deserve it.
"We have laws against that, too, Slavemaster Tello. I wonder what King Ferio would think of this,"
"Yes," stated Lintas, who also knew the game and also liked to play it,
"He has a daughter, you know. I wonder what he would think if he imagined it was his she in that position."
"Of course, his wife was a prisoner once as well..."
"And if we know Aunt Fuu, she'll get into Uncle Ferio's ear about this."
Tello went to his knees, breaking down completely at this point. "Spare me, please!!! I beg of you! Let me go, I'll never do it again!"
He suddenly found himself picked up by the throat, looking square in the eyes of the one called Zagato, who seemed suddenly angry.
"Spare you? Spare you? Why should I do that? If we let you go, then who's to say you wouldn't do it again?"
Tello at this point had tears in his eyes, "I'll go away, and I will never come back!!"
Zagato looked at him in disgust, and threw him to the ground. "So be it. I give you four days to leave. After that, if you are still in Cephiro, I will hunt you down, and I will kill you." He quietly walked away, then turned back, and glanced at his brother. "I leave the, 'merchandise', in your hands, Brother." Zagato headed back toward the palace, Lintas started to lead the slaves to a re-finder facility, and Tello glanced at Zagato with hatred, but content that the spy- der he planted on Zagato that Tartor had stolen from Autozam would be enough to give him the opportunity of revenge...
A young boy of 16 with shoulder length blonde hair was practicing with a sword when he heard the grass give behind him. He turned around, seeing a young girl, who looked shorter then she was, with red hair and wearing red outfit.
She smiled at him, "Good morning, Calarga."
The young man, Calarga, looked down upon her, preparing for his favorite joke to play on her, "Why, Kila, I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming."
With a cry and a laugh, Kila play-acted offence, pretending that the slap she sent his way, which was easily avoidable, was a lot more serious then it ended up being. The two looked into each other's eyes for a minute. "So," Kila finally asked, "What is the son of the great swordsmaster doing out here, practicing with his prick-sticker, when he should be playing with his childhood friend?"
Calarga smiled, and picked up the blade in her sight; out of it, he produced another sword, this one lighter, meant to be wielded by females...
"Trying to placate the great swordsmaster for walking in when he and mother were slightly," Calarga looked for the right words so as to not ruin Kila's innocence."Busy, shall we say?"
Calarga suddenly tossed his extra sword to Kila, who caught it as if she'd handled a blade for her years. Calarga brought his sword down, but Kila expertly caught it on her own blade. They began to fence, often switching styles so as to confuse the other. Then Kila did a trick that Calarga had never even heard of, much less seen. Kila tossed her sword handle up at him; while he swerved back on instinct to avoid the blade, Kila grabbed his sword arm, twisted it, and held the blade two inches from his stomach. Calarga was caught completely unawares. She smiled at him and let go of his arm. Calarga shook it out and looked at the young woman in disbelief.
"You do realize, of course, that I am going to have to insist on you teaching me that," Calarga said. "Say, tomorrow, at noon sharp, on a picnic?" Kila glanced up shyly at him, and it seemed to the two that there were only them in the entire world...
"You might find later in the afternoon to be a better time, young Calarga."
Both nearly jumped at the new voice, though Kila recognized it, and with a cry of joy, ran into the waiting arms of her eldest brother. Calarga smiled in spite of himself, knowing full well that now he and Kila wouldn't be able to see each other for at least a week. By Pillar, that man was over- protective! He lost his smile when he noticed a glare from Zagato hurled a glare at him. Kila looked up at her brother, oblivious to the stare he shot at Calarga.
"Zagato!! Why don't you come with us?"
At that, Calarga nearly burst out laughing. The idea that Zagato would do anything social that was not formal...it wasn't that he was a cold man, just a solid one. He had feelings for everyone in the castle, some more then others, but he had a big time expressing them in an un-awkward way, accept with Kila. Zagato looked at her with a gloomy look, and Kila bent her head down in sadness. Calarga anticipated the speech Zagato was going to give about why neither he nor she would be able to go on the picnic.
"Zagato won't be able to come, because he will be busy tonight and tomorrow for the banquet."
A gruff voice came behind. Calarga and Zagato looked at the direction, recognizing it instantly. There stood the armed and armored Lafarga, Captain of the Guard. It was the person behind him, however, that Kila took interest to.
"Lintas!!!" She screamed, tearing herself from Zagato's hold and rushing into the waiting arms of her other brother. Lafarga smiled sadly at Kila; like her mother, she acted as if she were half of her age when she was happy.
"Calarga," he called.
"Yes, Father?"
"I wish for you and Kila to take your plans someplace else; my lieutenants and I have matters to discuss."
Zagato shot a fierce glance at Lafarga, while Kila and Calarga, who sensed a new opportunity, dashed away as fast as they could.
"Kids, they grow up to fast, hey Cap?" smiled Lintas.
Lafarga smiled back at Lintas, care free Lintas, perhaps the only man in Cephiro who could get away with calling Lafarga that. "Yes, and when they aren't busy growing up, they are busy making you feel old."
Lintas shot back, "You? Old? Ha, that's a laugh. You couldn't grow old if the Creator came and changed you himself." Lafarga smiled, than looked at Zagato, who now stood face to face with the two.
"Captain Lafarga, why did you allow them to.?"
Lafarga merely held a hand up. "I allowed them to be 16 years old, Zagato, nothing else."
Zagato looked at the direction that the young pair and ran of towards. "They are far too young to be."
"Oh come of it, Zagato!" Lintas cried out. "Just come out and say it; one of them looks too much like our little Kila, that's the only problem you have with it. That's the only problem I have with it, too." Lintas finished.
As they began to walk toward the palace to discuss matters of security with King Ferio, Lintas continued, "You can't always protect Kila, Zagato. You can't always keep her as a child."
"Watch me." Zagato simply stated.
Lafarga shook his head, how was it possible for these two to be so close and so different at the same time? Yes, both were strikingly similar and handsome, roughly the same height, and both were deadly with any type of sword, and both were incredibly skilled in the magic arts, but that is where all similarities end. Zagato was strict, disciplined and really saw all emotions that are publicized as silly. Oh, yeah, he was also fiercely protective of his sister. Lintas, too, was protective, but not in any way that went to borderline imprisonment. He was carefree and easy going, who genuinely liked to protect people, though his lack of discipline made him un-leader like. Lintas was a warrior straight out of a fairy tale, while Zagato was one who was straight out of Lafarga's playbook. And yet, strangely, when it came to personal choice, he had no preferences. He would trust either man with his life at any given time, or anyone else's life for that manner.
"You shouldn't attempt the impossible, Zagato. Even were you able to 'will' her as 16 years old forever, you would never be able to keep love from blossoming..." Lafarga immediately regretted those words.
"Love? She is too young to know what real love is, as is your son, Lafarga." Lafarga suddenly straighten up at this.
"Are you saying that my son is not a worthy match for your sister?"
Zagato chose his next words very carefully. "No, Lafarga; of all the available men, Calarga is the one I most approve of. It's just that, I'd really rather Kila not have anybody."
Lintas laughed at that comment. "Thank Pillar that the Creator never put you in charge of which emotions to give to the worlds, Zagato, otherwise love might run the risk of never being around!"
Zagato rolled his eyes. "Love. Love is the silliest thing I have ever known. It can take a man, and make him change his mind about his values, his priorities, and his duties."
Lafarga coughed a bit. "Speaking from experience, I think that love is the single most beautiful thing ever made."
Zagato looked at Lafarga with a wry grin in his eyes. "So, the warrior becomes a poet, neh? Yes, Lafarga, you have love, and look where it got you; running around, being dragged on a leash by Caldina. No thank you, I think I can live without that."
Lintas sighed and looked up, seeing someone on the balcony; a young woman with waist length, beautiful blonde hair and a green dress, her eyes boring into one man.
"So, Zagato," he said, tilting his head in their watcher's direction. "You think love is the silliest thing to happen to man?"
Zagato turned to his brother, looked in the direction his head pointed to, and stopped. Lafarga and Lintas exchanged knowing glances, while Zagato stood, looking at the woman who was Princess Emera, their eyes, which told the story neither could admit, locked in a loving embrace.
"Yes," said Zagato, in a voice barely above a whisper, "Love is completely silly..."
Lafarga glanced at Lintas, who was fighting a losing battle to stifle back his laughter. Grabbing the younger brother by the shoulder, Lafarga turned back at Zagato.
"When you are done, *ahem*, sight-seeing, Zagato, we will be in the security room." With that, Lafarga led Lintas away, who was on the brink of explosion. Zagato and Emera, oblivious to the two that just walked away, bore into each other. For what seemed like an eternity, the two merely gazed at the other, relishing in the silence, things they would like to do with the other (And believe it or not, a good many of them where with clothes on, though not all, of course). Of course, the moment could not last, and a voice calling Zagato broke him from the spell. He looked over to see Lafarga waving him towards him. Zagato sighed, looked around, and saw a white rose. He picked it up, and with a word, used a small, barely powerful enough lightning bolt to send it up to the princess. She caught it, and with tears forming in her eyes, she turned away. Zagato looked down, sighed, cursed himself as a damned fool, and walked away...
In another village, Tello looked at the spy-der feedback, a plan of vengeance already forming in his head. Yes, it would be breaking a few rules, because the woman was well known, but what the hell, that never stopped him before...besides, it would pay that Zagato back, in a way in which he could never retaliate...