Disclaimer: They are not mine (I wish they were). Don't sue.
Warnings: Yaoi rated R.
Summary: Chapter 8 up. Seifer's first day in Esthar. (yaoi: SxS beware). Balamb Garden is a knights' school. Seifer Almasy is one of those knights. Being the personal guard of Sullen, the most good-looking and greatest wizard, he is sent to find out why Galbadian army has attacked Dollet. Does Sorceress Edea have something to do with it?! And why does Elder Guardian of Time refuse to show in the Union council?!
Up to chapter 8. Enjoy!
Sons of Elder Guardians
By Azure Knight
Chapter 8: Falling ...
You?!" they said at the same time.
"You know each other?" King Laguna asked, while everyone looked surprised at them both.
Gathering his bearings, Squall was the one to answer, "Yes, my father. This man is the knight I have spoken of. He was the one with me when Nida was killed." He returned to beside his brothers and sister who were looking at him as if he had two heads instead of one. But they couldn't be accused guilty. After all, Squall had spoken twenty-two words in one sentence. That was a Guinness record for their brother.
"So, you're also the one who were protecting my son in the palace, even if you didn't knew who he was. I own you more than I thought. I would like to give you your audience now, but I understand that you must be tired from your journey. Say, why don't you go clean yourself and rest a little before supper?! You're invited to our table during your stay here. What do you say?" the king offered.
"Why, I'll be honored, your Highness. I accept and thank your hospitality, King Laguna." Said Seifer bowing, once and again glancing at the beautiful middle prince. 'The merchants were right. He is so beautiful as they told, I must've had suspected before, when I met him. No way a knight could ever be so young or would hid so much behind a thick brown cape.' He thought.
Squall also sneaked now and then quick glances at Seifer. He didn't know what that man was doing there but he wouldn't let what had almost happened in Deling happen here again. He would stay as far as he could from that handsome knight. Though he didn't know that other people had other plans to him and the blond.
"Very well." Said Laguna, "Kiros, would you mind taking sir Almasy to his dorms please?"
Bowing sir Kiros answered "Of course not. Please sir Almasy, follow me." Seifer bowed once again to the king and to the princes and princess and left the room behind Kiros, under the judging looks of the royal family.
ºººººººººº
Lake walked beside his brother Squall. They were heading to Lake's room to prepare him for supper. "How did you meet that gorgeous man, Squall?" Lake asked. "He stumbled against me,..." his brother answered.
"Geez, why don't I have your luck?" Lake sighed unhappy. "Luck?! Why do you want people stumbling against you?" his brother asked feigning ignorance.
"Yeah, yeah. You know what I'm talking about. There isn't a person who doesn't notice how beautiful you are. They never say anything about my beauty." Squall glared at Lake.
"What does that mean, Lake?"
"I bet that that man likes you. He couldn't keep his eyes to himself since you entered the room. What happened in that day Nida dyed, hum?!" Lake stopped walking, trying to press his brother. There was something about the way the knight and his brother looked at each other, as if Squall was trying to forget some event and that knight didn't let. And it wasn't Nida's death. But Lake had chosen badly his words.
"Nida died." Squall said. He liked Nida. They had grown up together and were very close. Nida had loved Squall since always and now had taken that love to the limit by letting himself be killed instead of his prince. Squall had felt guilty because Nida had died in his place, because he wasn't where he was supposed to be and Nida had gone looking for him. He founded death instead. He attributed his fault to the blond knight.
Squall continued walking ignoring his brother's insistence refusing to talk until they got in the room. Lake could be very persistent and was also very perceptive. More than his sister Rinoa and his father. Maybe his older brother and sir Kiros could compete with him, but it was hard to win the thirteen-years-old prince.
He eventually stopped pressing when they reached his room and focused his attention on the clothes he was going to wear in the dinner, to Squall's relieve.
ººººººººººººº
Seifer looked at himself in the mirror of the room Kiros had given him. Three divisions composed the room: a bathroom, a bedroom and a living room. The bathroom was large and decorated with white and blue glazed tiles. The bathtub was painted in the same colors and occupied the biggest part of the bathroom. You could almost swim in it. The bedroom was also large with a canopy bed made with light yellow and light blue sheets hided by a manufactured counterpane. It had also a pine wood closet and a fur-lined couch. Next to the couch had a long-length window that showed the palace's inner garden. The living room was very simple with a pine wood little table at the center, two fur-lined sofas, many green plants and huge pots and bibelots.
For the dinner with Esthar's royal family, the blond knight had dressed in his most beautiful and finest clothes, that is, the clothes he used in the Councils. Sullen always said he looked very good in them. Seifer smiled looking at his reflection. He wanted to look good that night; he wanted to impress a certain prince. The quiet and fascinating prince Squall. He didn't know what in that boy attracted him so much, but he was being pulled towards the prince. For his beauty? For his silence? For his innocence? He didn't know. But one thing he knew, his instincts had never failed him, they wouldn't fail him now, either. As always, he would follow them.
Dusting some dirt from his gray shirt with his family's red crosses on the sleeves and smoothing a fold of his also gray cape, he looked at himself a final time in the mirror, seeing if anything was out of place. Because he found nothing, he closed the closet door and passing a hand through his hair he placed the black hat in his head. Then he left the room and followed the servant to the palace's dining room.
ººººººººººº
The palace's dining room was very alike to the rest of the palace: big. In the huge table with an immaculate linen crème tablecloth furnished with lace laid the finest porcelain, imported from the high regions of Trabia and the shining crystals from Shumi village.
In the table already stood prince Sea with a beautiful purple and blue cloth, sir Kiros and sir Ward and princess Rinoa dressed in a simple yellow long skirt and a tight blue bodice. When Seifer arrived, the servant introduced him and he gave the boy his hat and beloved Hyperion. It wasn't polite to carry weapons or hats at the table.
Once he reached the table, prince Sea motioned him to sit and they started a conversation. A few minutes after the doors opened again and the remaining princes were annunciated. Immediately after Lake entered the room dressed in rich velvets and silks. He was shining like a precious jewel. He was truly beautiful. But his beauty was pale once compared to the creature that entered after him. Squall.
Squall was dressed totally in tight dark clothes what intensified his white skin and slender frame, where nothing stood out of place. He was just perfect. His unruly hair fell to his face almost hiding his smoky eyes and he moved with a feline grace that made everyone stare at him for some seconds until Lake rolled his eyes and pouted what stole a discreet laugh from his older brother Sea who applauded and complimented his younger brother from his good taste in cloths.
ºººººººººººº
When prince Squall entered the room all the looks reserved to Lake until then, passed to Squall, forgetting about the poor prince's existence. Prince Lake then rolled his eyes and pouted. His older brother noticing Lake's sadness chuckled and complimented him. I applauded too and said a few words myself to avoid suspects, but my attention and my eyes were reserved to the enchanted prince I saw behind Lake. His beauty took the breath to all in the room but they recovered faster then me, maybe because they saw him every day. I wasn't used yet to those silver rays he carried in his eyes that gave the blue that smoky appearance and I still didn't knew if they were natural or reflections of the silver jewelry he wore: a necklace with a griffon-like head in the end and a ring and a earring with the same picture. He was also using three crossed black belts in his waist with silver buckles. It appeared to me that they were protecting something what give me a shiver through my spine.
When I returned to his eyes I saw he had his in me. He had been checking me out just like I had him. When I caught him I smiled and he blushed embarrassed, turning his head to the door where a tall man entered. He had long gray hair and piercing green eyes with a strange glow in them. He appeared like a fighter, a general or something. He talked a few minutes with Squall and then the both seated across from me while Lake was sitting at my side. I looked at the man again. He reminded me of Aerith. I wondered if he was an Ancient as well.
"Who's the man beside prince Squall?" I asked Rinoa. She said his name was Sephiroth and that he was one of the few people her brother talked to frequently. "He is like Nida was, only this one's older and fights better. He is my brother's teacher in weaponry and manners. He saved my father's life once so he dinners with us." I looked again at Sephiroth and then again at Squall who was listening to his tutor. I felt someone's look in me and I found that that person was prince Lake. When I looked at him he looked at Squall meaningfully and at me again and smiled, whispering "A tip: don't try to impress him, try to get his trust. You may have a chance. He's more intelligent than beautiful. And he's very beautiful, isn't he?" I felt my cheeks a little bit warmer than usual and nodded embarrassed to the boy who was trying to contain his laugh, successfully to my sake, and who was more perceptive than he looked.
In that moment, king Laguna entered the room apologizing for the late. Seeing him move to the head of the table, I understood where Squall had gotten that feline grace, he had inherited it from his father. He was also very lean and elegant, but had some clumsiness in his walk Squall didn't have, what gave the son the stern look that in his father was almost childish.
He seated and the supper was served. It was Esthar regional plates. They smelled good and tasted even better. I was delighted with the food and the company.
"I'm sorry. I had some sudden business I had to attend." Laguna apologized and then he turned to me, "Oh, and Sir Almasy, no we are friends now, you share my table, right? Sir Seifer. That's better; after all you're still young. Do you agree, don't you?" Laguna asked me. I nodded. "Certainly king Laguna."
Laguna smiled. And a beautiful smile he had for an old man. "Sir Seifer, it is then. As I was saying, tomorrow I'll have to leave the palace for one or two days because of this problem, so I won't be able to give you an appropriate audience. Because many of my knights, my son Sea and my daughter Rinoa are coming with me, Lake has to study and Sephiroth has to leave on a trip tomorrow, my son Squall will be vulnerable, so I would like you to be his knight for two days, until I arrive." Squall and me looked at Laguna surprised, for the seeing of it we were the only ones who didn't know of it. Sephiroth looked at me suspiciously. As Laguna seemed to being expecting me to say something, I did. "It would be an honor. I thank you for such a deposit of confidence in me. I'm glad I will be useful. Do not worry; nothing shall happen to prince Squall, while I'm by his side. I make a vow to protect him with my life if necessary." Laguna and Sephiroth seemed happy with my vow and both nodded.
"For your kindness, prince Squall will have the mission of showing you around the palace. We have a beautiful garden and wood. Maybe you could even ride through the fields outside, but carefully because of the monsters and be always together, you hear Squall?!" Laguna said. Lake and Sea smiled. Their brother liked to ride alone through the fields. This worried them all a lot.
I smiled kindly to Squall who looking at me with those gorgeous eyes murmured something like "Yes, father."
End of chapter 8
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A/N: Chapter 9 "Knowing you..." will be up soon.
Warnings: Yaoi rated R.
Summary: Chapter 8 up. Seifer's first day in Esthar. (yaoi: SxS beware). Balamb Garden is a knights' school. Seifer Almasy is one of those knights. Being the personal guard of Sullen, the most good-looking and greatest wizard, he is sent to find out why Galbadian army has attacked Dollet. Does Sorceress Edea have something to do with it?! And why does Elder Guardian of Time refuse to show in the Union council?!
Up to chapter 8. Enjoy!
Sons of Elder Guardians
By Azure Knight
Chapter 8: Falling ...
You?!" they said at the same time.
"You know each other?" King Laguna asked, while everyone looked surprised at them both.
Gathering his bearings, Squall was the one to answer, "Yes, my father. This man is the knight I have spoken of. He was the one with me when Nida was killed." He returned to beside his brothers and sister who were looking at him as if he had two heads instead of one. But they couldn't be accused guilty. After all, Squall had spoken twenty-two words in one sentence. That was a Guinness record for their brother.
"So, you're also the one who were protecting my son in the palace, even if you didn't knew who he was. I own you more than I thought. I would like to give you your audience now, but I understand that you must be tired from your journey. Say, why don't you go clean yourself and rest a little before supper?! You're invited to our table during your stay here. What do you say?" the king offered.
"Why, I'll be honored, your Highness. I accept and thank your hospitality, King Laguna." Said Seifer bowing, once and again glancing at the beautiful middle prince. 'The merchants were right. He is so beautiful as they told, I must've had suspected before, when I met him. No way a knight could ever be so young or would hid so much behind a thick brown cape.' He thought.
Squall also sneaked now and then quick glances at Seifer. He didn't know what that man was doing there but he wouldn't let what had almost happened in Deling happen here again. He would stay as far as he could from that handsome knight. Though he didn't know that other people had other plans to him and the blond.
"Very well." Said Laguna, "Kiros, would you mind taking sir Almasy to his dorms please?"
Bowing sir Kiros answered "Of course not. Please sir Almasy, follow me." Seifer bowed once again to the king and to the princes and princess and left the room behind Kiros, under the judging looks of the royal family.
ºººººººººº
Lake walked beside his brother Squall. They were heading to Lake's room to prepare him for supper. "How did you meet that gorgeous man, Squall?" Lake asked. "He stumbled against me,..." his brother answered.
"Geez, why don't I have your luck?" Lake sighed unhappy. "Luck?! Why do you want people stumbling against you?" his brother asked feigning ignorance.
"Yeah, yeah. You know what I'm talking about. There isn't a person who doesn't notice how beautiful you are. They never say anything about my beauty." Squall glared at Lake.
"What does that mean, Lake?"
"I bet that that man likes you. He couldn't keep his eyes to himself since you entered the room. What happened in that day Nida dyed, hum?!" Lake stopped walking, trying to press his brother. There was something about the way the knight and his brother looked at each other, as if Squall was trying to forget some event and that knight didn't let. And it wasn't Nida's death. But Lake had chosen badly his words.
"Nida died." Squall said. He liked Nida. They had grown up together and were very close. Nida had loved Squall since always and now had taken that love to the limit by letting himself be killed instead of his prince. Squall had felt guilty because Nida had died in his place, because he wasn't where he was supposed to be and Nida had gone looking for him. He founded death instead. He attributed his fault to the blond knight.
Squall continued walking ignoring his brother's insistence refusing to talk until they got in the room. Lake could be very persistent and was also very perceptive. More than his sister Rinoa and his father. Maybe his older brother and sir Kiros could compete with him, but it was hard to win the thirteen-years-old prince.
He eventually stopped pressing when they reached his room and focused his attention on the clothes he was going to wear in the dinner, to Squall's relieve.
ººººººººººººº
Seifer looked at himself in the mirror of the room Kiros had given him. Three divisions composed the room: a bathroom, a bedroom and a living room. The bathroom was large and decorated with white and blue glazed tiles. The bathtub was painted in the same colors and occupied the biggest part of the bathroom. You could almost swim in it. The bedroom was also large with a canopy bed made with light yellow and light blue sheets hided by a manufactured counterpane. It had also a pine wood closet and a fur-lined couch. Next to the couch had a long-length window that showed the palace's inner garden. The living room was very simple with a pine wood little table at the center, two fur-lined sofas, many green plants and huge pots and bibelots.
For the dinner with Esthar's royal family, the blond knight had dressed in his most beautiful and finest clothes, that is, the clothes he used in the Councils. Sullen always said he looked very good in them. Seifer smiled looking at his reflection. He wanted to look good that night; he wanted to impress a certain prince. The quiet and fascinating prince Squall. He didn't know what in that boy attracted him so much, but he was being pulled towards the prince. For his beauty? For his silence? For his innocence? He didn't know. But one thing he knew, his instincts had never failed him, they wouldn't fail him now, either. As always, he would follow them.
Dusting some dirt from his gray shirt with his family's red crosses on the sleeves and smoothing a fold of his also gray cape, he looked at himself a final time in the mirror, seeing if anything was out of place. Because he found nothing, he closed the closet door and passing a hand through his hair he placed the black hat in his head. Then he left the room and followed the servant to the palace's dining room.
ººººººººººº
The palace's dining room was very alike to the rest of the palace: big. In the huge table with an immaculate linen crème tablecloth furnished with lace laid the finest porcelain, imported from the high regions of Trabia and the shining crystals from Shumi village.
In the table already stood prince Sea with a beautiful purple and blue cloth, sir Kiros and sir Ward and princess Rinoa dressed in a simple yellow long skirt and a tight blue bodice. When Seifer arrived, the servant introduced him and he gave the boy his hat and beloved Hyperion. It wasn't polite to carry weapons or hats at the table.
Once he reached the table, prince Sea motioned him to sit and they started a conversation. A few minutes after the doors opened again and the remaining princes were annunciated. Immediately after Lake entered the room dressed in rich velvets and silks. He was shining like a precious jewel. He was truly beautiful. But his beauty was pale once compared to the creature that entered after him. Squall.
Squall was dressed totally in tight dark clothes what intensified his white skin and slender frame, where nothing stood out of place. He was just perfect. His unruly hair fell to his face almost hiding his smoky eyes and he moved with a feline grace that made everyone stare at him for some seconds until Lake rolled his eyes and pouted what stole a discreet laugh from his older brother Sea who applauded and complimented his younger brother from his good taste in cloths.
ºººººººººººº
When prince Squall entered the room all the looks reserved to Lake until then, passed to Squall, forgetting about the poor prince's existence. Prince Lake then rolled his eyes and pouted. His older brother noticing Lake's sadness chuckled and complimented him. I applauded too and said a few words myself to avoid suspects, but my attention and my eyes were reserved to the enchanted prince I saw behind Lake. His beauty took the breath to all in the room but they recovered faster then me, maybe because they saw him every day. I wasn't used yet to those silver rays he carried in his eyes that gave the blue that smoky appearance and I still didn't knew if they were natural or reflections of the silver jewelry he wore: a necklace with a griffon-like head in the end and a ring and a earring with the same picture. He was also using three crossed black belts in his waist with silver buckles. It appeared to me that they were protecting something what give me a shiver through my spine.
When I returned to his eyes I saw he had his in me. He had been checking me out just like I had him. When I caught him I smiled and he blushed embarrassed, turning his head to the door where a tall man entered. He had long gray hair and piercing green eyes with a strange glow in them. He appeared like a fighter, a general or something. He talked a few minutes with Squall and then the both seated across from me while Lake was sitting at my side. I looked at the man again. He reminded me of Aerith. I wondered if he was an Ancient as well.
"Who's the man beside prince Squall?" I asked Rinoa. She said his name was Sephiroth and that he was one of the few people her brother talked to frequently. "He is like Nida was, only this one's older and fights better. He is my brother's teacher in weaponry and manners. He saved my father's life once so he dinners with us." I looked again at Sephiroth and then again at Squall who was listening to his tutor. I felt someone's look in me and I found that that person was prince Lake. When I looked at him he looked at Squall meaningfully and at me again and smiled, whispering "A tip: don't try to impress him, try to get his trust. You may have a chance. He's more intelligent than beautiful. And he's very beautiful, isn't he?" I felt my cheeks a little bit warmer than usual and nodded embarrassed to the boy who was trying to contain his laugh, successfully to my sake, and who was more perceptive than he looked.
In that moment, king Laguna entered the room apologizing for the late. Seeing him move to the head of the table, I understood where Squall had gotten that feline grace, he had inherited it from his father. He was also very lean and elegant, but had some clumsiness in his walk Squall didn't have, what gave the son the stern look that in his father was almost childish.
He seated and the supper was served. It was Esthar regional plates. They smelled good and tasted even better. I was delighted with the food and the company.
"I'm sorry. I had some sudden business I had to attend." Laguna apologized and then he turned to me, "Oh, and Sir Almasy, no we are friends now, you share my table, right? Sir Seifer. That's better; after all you're still young. Do you agree, don't you?" Laguna asked me. I nodded. "Certainly king Laguna."
Laguna smiled. And a beautiful smile he had for an old man. "Sir Seifer, it is then. As I was saying, tomorrow I'll have to leave the palace for one or two days because of this problem, so I won't be able to give you an appropriate audience. Because many of my knights, my son Sea and my daughter Rinoa are coming with me, Lake has to study and Sephiroth has to leave on a trip tomorrow, my son Squall will be vulnerable, so I would like you to be his knight for two days, until I arrive." Squall and me looked at Laguna surprised, for the seeing of it we were the only ones who didn't know of it. Sephiroth looked at me suspiciously. As Laguna seemed to being expecting me to say something, I did. "It would be an honor. I thank you for such a deposit of confidence in me. I'm glad I will be useful. Do not worry; nothing shall happen to prince Squall, while I'm by his side. I make a vow to protect him with my life if necessary." Laguna and Sephiroth seemed happy with my vow and both nodded.
"For your kindness, prince Squall will have the mission of showing you around the palace. We have a beautiful garden and wood. Maybe you could even ride through the fields outside, but carefully because of the monsters and be always together, you hear Squall?!" Laguna said. Lake and Sea smiled. Their brother liked to ride alone through the fields. This worried them all a lot.
I smiled kindly to Squall who looking at me with those gorgeous eyes murmured something like "Yes, father."
End of chapter 8
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A/N: Chapter 9 "Knowing you..." will be up soon.