The interior of the massive airship, Draconis, erupted into bursts of applause and cheers as the four heroes dashed inside, safe and sound. Without wasting any time, the pilot started up the ship, and with a fierce roar, Draconis flew downwards back to the ground. Above it, the Aethersphere exploded in a brilliant display of lights and fire, blinding everyone on board who happened to be looking outside. Bits of debris began to rain down, one striking the ship and causing it to rock violently. Cursing, the pilot switched gear and pushed the speed of Draconis to maximum, heading straight for Darilshied.brbr
Stahn Aileron stared fixatedly outside, and winced as a particularly large piece of debris slammed into the ground with a deafening explosion, flattening the landscape around it. Trees were uprooted, and the ground split apart, chunks flying high into the air.brbr
"Whoa." Stahn managed. "I hope none of those rocks hit a town."brbr
"With your kind of luck, I'd say most of the towns will be smashed." Rutee grinned, looking outside as well. Her eyes widened as she witnessed a spectacle much similar to what Stahn had just seen. She whistled in amazement. "Okay, I see why you're hoping none of those things hit a town." Her face twisted into a mask of worry. "I hope the children in Cresta are okay..."brbr
"They're be fine." Stahn said firmly. Rutee looked at him.brbr
"And how would you know?"brbr
"Country boy instinct." Stahn grinned widely. "Hey, hey, no violence!" He protested as Rutee threw a punch at him. "Help me, guys!" Stahn called to Garr and Philia. Philia merely giggled, while Garr shrugged.brbr
"Ah, what I'd give to be young again." He said wistfully.brbr
"You're not that old, Garr." Rutee paused in her torment of Stahn, who, cleverly enough, began to sneak away. "Mary's older than you are. So are Karyl and Khang." Garr shrugged again, and settled down on the floor, due to a depressing lack of seats around in Draconis. Philia did the same, a look of mirth on her face. Rutee stared at her, not quite understanding what had gotten her so amused, but when she turned back to resume her beating of Stahn, she realized that he was no longer there. "Hey..." Looking around, she saw him silently creeping away out of the room.brbr
"Country boy!" She yelled, and Stahn froze in his tracks. "Where do you think you're going?"brbr
"Erm... the washroom?"brbr
"You just went there about a minute ago."brbr
"... Lies!" Stahn said feebly, and bolted out of the room. Rutee promptly gave chase. As Philia drifted off to sleep, Garr leaned against a wall, waiting for the flight to end. And quite suddenly, he was startled by a triumphant cry of "Got ya!", followed by an uncharacteristic scream of terror.brbr
~~~~~brbr
The group of four were greeted by a wave of tumultuous applause as they stepped off Draconis, which immediately took flight once again, swooping dramatically above the city of Darilshied, much to the delight of the people. The days of living in fear and darkness beneath the Aethersphere had resulted in tension, anxiety, fear and anguish all being built up in the people, and today was the glorious, glorious day in which the Aethersphere was finally destroyed. The people felt immensely relieved, never mind the fact that part of the town lay in ruins due to the falling debris. There had been no casualties, and that's all that mattered. As Stahn looked around at the people screaming and cheering at the four of them, he suddenly felt lost. All this had started because he had been a stowaway aboard Draconis. He wasn't some hero who had appeared out of nowhere to save the world, he was just a stowaway trying to get back to his hometown. Not only that, he had become caught up in the whole adventure because his attempt to steal a ride had been foiled, and he had met Dymlos. Without Dymlos, he would have been killed by the monsters that attacked the ship, and he wouldn't be here today.brbr
Stahn felt a burning pain in his chest when he thought of Dymlos. Dymlos had been a good friend. Of course, at first both of them did not get together very well, but as time progressed, they became nearly inseperable. Stahn only realized this when he had to stab Dymlos into the Eye of Atamoni to destroy it. It was at that point he felt confused and afraid, afraid of losing his good friend. Dymlos knew this.brbr
i"It's okay, Stahn. We've lived too long already."/ibrbr
Those words rang in his ears. The very last words of the Swordian, Dymlos, his friend. Stahn swallowed painfully and exhaled. The world had been saved, but at the expense of many people. Dymlos, Atwight, Igtenos, Clemente, Chaltier, Leon and all the people of Oberon, who had been manipulated right up to their deaths. Stahn suddenly felt very, very tired, and glad that the long adventure was finally over. He did not want to fight anymore.brbr
Stahn started as a shadow loomed above him. Without bothering to even glance up, he guessed that they were approaching the castle. True enough, the cobblestone path soon changed to one of marble as they climbed up a flight of stairs. He heard the sounds of a heavy door being pushed open, and he looked up. The four went into the throne room and bowed courteously at the king.brbr
"No need for the formalities, in fact, I should be the one bowing to the four of you! You have saved the world from imminent disaster!" He laughed. Then his face grew serious. "On the behalf of all the people of Seinegald, and dare I say, the entire world, I thank the four of you."brbr
"We thank you for your kind words, Your Highness," Garr stole a glance at Rutee, who looked bored out of her mind, "This would not have been possible had it not been for your support." Stahn nudged Rutee, who sighed and tried her best to look interested. The king laughed.brbr
"All part of a king's duty." He smiled, then opened his arms wide. "Tonight, we're holding a grand feast in honor of you heroes! Be sure to attend!" With that, the king rose from throne with an almighty groan and ordered all the guards to follow him and prepare for the feast. Soon, only the four were left.brbr
"Well, what are all of you going to do once the feast is over? The adventure and our journey has come to an end." Garr asked, voicing out the question every one of them had in their minds. "I am returning to Heidelburg to resume my position as king. I'm afraid the people will be wanting someone to govern the kingdom." Garr smiled faintly.brbr
"I will be traveling around the world. I feel that I must learn more about the people before I can return to the temple." Philia said. Rutee looked at her incredulously.brbr
"Not to make fun of you, but don't you think you need to loosen up a little and think of yourself instead of the temple and Atamoni just for once?" She asked. Philia shook her head.brbr
"I'm afraid this is who I am. It's difficult to change on a whim." She giggled.brbr
"You're one to talk, Rutee." Stahn smirked. "You're always thinking of the orphanage. I seem to recall you always searching for Gald on the ground while the rest of us fight off dangerous enemies." At this, Rutee's face turned red as Garr, Philia and Stahn burst into riotous laughter. With a low growl, she pounced on Stahn, and held him in a tight headlock, grinding her first into the side of his head.brbr
"Ow ow ow! I give up, Rutee!" Stahn cried. "Stop doing that!" Basking in victory, Rutee released Stahn and stepped back.brbr
"So, what are you going to do once the feast is over, Stahn?" Garr probed.brbr
"Well... I don't really have anywhere to go, so I thought I'd just head home to Lienna." Stahn threw Rutee a glare as she muttered 'country bumpkin'. "What about you, Rutee?"brbr
"Obviously I'm going to head back to Cresta." Her face took on the rare look of worry. For a moment, Stahn was lost in her amethyst eyes, filled with tenderness and care for the children she was taking care of. He hardly ever saw this side of her, the non-haughty, non-arrogant side. This side was the one Stahn often believed was the true Rutee. He believed that beneath the air of arrogance, there lay a kind-hearted girl who wished for nothing more than to be able to take good care of orphans like herself. "I need to make sure the kids are alright." Then she saw Stahn staring at her. "What? Something on my face?" Startled, Stahn turned a bright shade of red, babbled incoherently, and excused himself, running out of the room. Rutee stared at him, and then, much to the surprise of both Garr and Philia, let out a tiny giggle. Not her usual loud, arrogant laugh, but the giggle of a girl, one who is smitten with something. Philia started to say something, but Garr lay a hand on her shoulder, shook his head, and led her out of the room.brbr
~~~~~brbr
The feast was a grand one indeed. Around the long table sat the king, the four heroes, all the high-ranking officials and the nobles of Darilshied. A huge lamp made of gold, silver and copper hung high above the table, its light shining brightly and lighting up the ballroom. Food of all types adorned the table, and golden goblets of wine stood ready for drinking. Garr and Philia both ate in a dignified manner, sampling the heavenly combination of pheasant meat and red wine running down their throats. Rutee simply gobbled everything down without any apparent worry about choking. Stahn, on the other hand, merely poked despondently at his food, an unusal thoughtful look on his face. Rutee was the first to note this.brbr
"What's the matter?" She asked thickly through her food. "The food not up to your standards?"brbr
"N-no, I'm just not really hungry." Stahn stuttered.brbr
"But this food is fantastic! It'll make you hungry!"brbr
"Rutee, that's not possible."brbr
"Eh, suit yourself." Rutee shrugged and resumed her eating spree, much to the dismay of those sitting near her. After another minute of poking at his food, Stahn let out a sigh and got up, leaving the ballroom, heading towards one of the many balconies of the castle. Upon seeing him do that, Rutee gulped down the remainder of her food and followed. At this, all those who were seated near her immediately seized the opportunity to fill their plates with as much food as possible. Philia was about to get up and follow Rutee, but Garr halted her with a look.brbr
"Let the lovebirds settle this." He grinned.brbr
~~~~~brbr
"Something bothering you, Sta- country boy?" Rutee demanded as she spotted him leaning against a railing and staring at the sky. A sigh was all she got in reply. Her expression softened, and she dropped her arrogant air. "What's wrong?"brbr
"It's just that... during the adventure, the four of us have always been together, and now we have to part ways. It feels... lonely." Stahn choked. "I guess I've gotten too used to companionship." He said bitterly, remembering Dymlos and the other Swordians. "Pathetic, huh?" He asked, tilting his head higher.brbr
"I feel that way too." Stahn looked at Rutee in shock. "I don't want to go back to Cresta all alone. You guys are like my family, leaving all of you kind of makes me feel like an orphan, like that time when my parents left me at the orphanage. I know the kids are there, but some day they're going to grow old and leave the orphanage. It's different with you guys. I feel like you guys will always be there. But now..."brbr
"All good things must come to an end... huh." Stahn muttered.brbr
"No, I don't believe that!" Rutee said vehemently, and once again Stahn was overcome by surprise. It was then he noticed that her face had a red tinge to it.brbr
"R-Rutee..."brbr
"I want to stay with you guys, but... I can't leave the children alone..." She said in despair, not sure what to choose. "If I stay with you guys, I'll always be worrying about the kids... but if I go back to the kids... it'll be so lonely... oh, I don't know what to do!" Stahn was sure Rutee was a little light-headed due to the wine. The Rutee he knew would not say these sort of things out loud.brbr
"You should go back to the children, Rutee." Stahn said to her. "They need you. A lot more than we do." He had meant that in the nicest way possible, but Rutee, being Rutee, took it the wrong way.brbr
"Oh, so you people don't need me around, do you?" She demanded angrily. "I'm just some burden you guys can't wait to dump, right? I bet the three of you are going on some other journey and leave me behind because you don't need me!" Stahn saw, much to his horror, that tears were welling up in her eyes. "I can't believe you said that. I thought I liked you!" Too late, Rutee realized what she had said, and the little common sense not numbed by the wine told her she should not have said that out loud. She immediately covered her mouth with her hands.brbr
"..." Stahn simply stared at her, his eyes wide.brbr
iNow's the time to tell him you like him, idiot!/i Rutee's mind screamed at her, but she could not form the words.brbr
iS-she likes me?/i Stahn was at an equal loss of words. And before his brain started working again, Rutee quickly ran away, and locked herself in one of the rooms. Stahn simply stared, not sure what to do. He had two paths open to him. He could charge the door, scoop Rutee into his arms and proclaim his love for her, or simply leave. The first choice didn't seem likely because he did not quite have the guts to do so. The second one seemed more logical. Rutee was a little drunk, he feared that once Rutee regained her senses, she would reject him. He could not handle that. He stood there for a few moments, looking at the door sadly, then turned and left. And inside the room, Rutee curled up into a ball, cursing herself for not having followed what her mind told her to do. She heard Stahn's footsteps slowly fading away into the distance, and as she listened, she sobbed quietly to herself.brbr
~~~~~brbr
"What? Stahn's left already?" Garr asked, disbelieving. The pilot of Draconis nodded.brbr
"Came in early, he did. Asked me to fly him to Lienna as fast as I could, and so I complied. He asked that I do not bring any of you over to Lienna because he wants some time alone. Said not to worry about him and that he was fine."brbr
"If something could get Stahn to get up early and miss his precious hours of sleep, it must be important to him. We should do as he asks." Philia said.brbr
"What I don't understand is why he would leave without bidding us farewell... he doesn't seem like that sort." Garr frowned. "Oh well. He must have his reasons."brbr
"Ready to leave, sir?" The pilot asked. Garr nodded and headed into Draconis, followed closely by Philia. Rutee stood outside the entrance for a brief moment, staring at the palace, her face carefully kept expressionless. Then she turned around and went inside. The pilot took Rutee to Cresta first, where the children of the orphanage greeted her with happy squeals. Unfortunately, the orphanage itself had been destroyed by the falling debris, as had nearly half the town, and the children had been forced to leave in the ruins of the orphanage for the time being. It was a sad sight. Once a proud structure, now most of it lay in a pile of rubble and charred wood, with lots of cloth hung up to provide a temporary shelter.brbr
"... These children cannot live in such a place." Garr observed. "If you do not mind, madam, I would like to take all of you to Heidelburg. You can all put up at the castle until you get a proper orphanage built." He said, bowing respectfully to the old lady who had been taken care of the children in Rutee's absence.brbr
"My, such manners. I can tell you're a king indeed, young man." She laughed lightly. "Thank you for your kind offer. Are you sure we will not be imposing on you?"brbr
"Not at all, madam."brbr
"Very well then. Thank you so very much." The old lady smiled at Garr. "Come, children!" Laughing and pushing one another, the children swarmed into Draconis, drawing a startled cry of "Holy Atamoni! We're being raided by kids!" from the pilot. Philia smiled at the sight and proceeded inside to play with the children, while Garr and Rutee went to pry whatever wasn't destroyed from the rubble and carried them up into Draconis.brbr
"Thanks for the help, Garr." Rutee managed a weak smile at him, but the smile did not reach her eyes, which were cold and seemed like a pair of amethyst mirrors. Garr shuddered a little, wondering what was wrong with her.brbr
"No problem."brbr
"Where are you heading, Miss Philia?" The pilot asked. She looked thoughtful for a moment.brbr
"I think I shall go to Heidelburg with Garr and Rutee for the time being. These children are so delightful." She laughed as one of them played with her white dress, and another ran in endless circles around her.brbr
"I see. Well, last stop's Heidelburg, then!" Starting up the engines, the pilot threw Draconis into full throttle, and the dragon took off, reaching the grand city of Heidelburg in a few minutes. Once there, Rutee and Philia took the time to wrap the children up in the sheets of cloth they had brought along to protect the children from the cold. Philia noticed that Rutee handled the children with a tenderness that could not be seen at all in her normal attitude. Smiling to herself, she shooed the children along and hurried them to the castle, where they began to run around and choose their rooms, rendering the guards helpless since their code of honor prevented them from being able to stop the children from doing what they wanted without hurting them. As Garr entered through the front gate, a guard hurriedly ran towards him.brbr
"My lord, we're being swarmed by children!" He said in despair, with so much helplessness in his voice that Garr, Philia and even Rutee, in spite of her mood, laughed.brbr
"Do not worry. They are here under my protection."brbr
"They are?"brbr
"Yes, please allocate them rooms as quickly as you can."brbr
"Yes, sir!" The guard went speeding away, blowing his whistle, and yelling commands to the other guards who came running. In record time, all the children were comfortably settled in two rooms, with a third going to Rutee and the old lady. Philia was wide-eyed at the efficiency of the guards.brbr
"They are very well-trained, Garr." Philia said. Garr laughed.brbr
"I should hope so. If they have been slacking off while we were up on the Aethersphere, I shudder to think what state the castle would be in." He led Philia and the old lady to the children's rooms, helping them to unpack all their belongings, most of which were toys, all the while laughing at the antics of the hyper children. But the adjacent room, Rutee's room, was devoid of all sounds.brbr
As Rutee unpacked all of her belongings into the drawers and closets in the well furnished room, she paused as she came across the box of Gald Stahn had given to her some time ago, after they had retrieved the Eye of Atamoni for the first time. She looked at it sadly, then blinked away her tears fiercely and stuffed the box back into her backpack, which she promptly placed into a large drawer. Her wish was almost complete; both Garr and Philia were still with her. But, as she looked around the room, devoid of any other humans, she was suddenly acutely aware of the missing sound of Stahn's voice, his ever lasting optimism and laughter.brbr
And she felt very, very alone.brbr
~~~~~brbr
"Stahn." Lilith called. Her brother groaned once, and turned away from her, stuffing his head under his pillow. "Stahn!" There was no reaction this time. Reddening in indignant anger, she stormed to the kitchen and grabbed a frying pan and a ladle before heading back to where Stahn slept. Holding the utensils close to Stahn's ear, she began clashing them together as hard as she could, creating a most dreadful din. Stahn gave a yell and jumped out of bed, and promptly fell off the side onto the floor.brbr
"Ow." He moaned, his voice muffled. Lilith loomed ominously above him.brbr
"About time you got up." She scolded. "It's time for lunch already!"brbr
"Alright, alright." Stahn yawned as he forced himself to get to his feet. He blinked as Lilith grabbed his right hand and pressed a sheet of paper into his hand.brbr
"What's this?"brbr
"A letter came from Garr this morning." Lilith told him. Stahn began to read the letter, sitting down on the bed. Leaving Stahn alone to have privacy, Lilith left and went to prepare lunch. Stahn wondered what Garr was writing to him about. Philia had sent him a letter 3 weeks ago telling him that all three of them, Garr, Philia and Rutee, were in Heidelburg.brbr
iIt has been a long 3 weeks since we last parted. I know, 3 weeks isn't that long a time, but when I think back of the adventure and the memories we share, 3 weeks seems like an eternity. Everyone is doing well. Philia spends all her time taking care of the children alongside Rutee, now that the old caretaker has passed away. Philia received a letter from the temple asking her to take up the position of High Priestress, but she said that she has no plans to do so just yet./ibrbr
At this point Stahn smiled. It was just like Philia to turn down a request like that. He also mentally thanked his friends for allowing him time to be alone. After the one letter from Philia, they had stopped writing to him, and he was grateful for that. He wanted to be alone, to not think of them for some time.brbr
iHeidelburg is doing exceedingly well these days, but I cannot claim credit for that. I haven't done much except try to pry the children off the petitions./ibrbr
Stahn laughed at this, imagining Garr struggling to stop a hyper bunch of children from taking away the scrolls with the petitions on them.brbr
iThe townspeople are a highly cooperative group, and they are the ones who are helping Heidelburg's business grow. I have to say that I am proud to be the king of this wonderful place.brbr
However... Rutee is not doing very well./ibrbr
Stahn began to read more hurriedly, the cold hand of worry grasping his heart painfully.brbr
iThe children have told me that Rutee isn't herself these days. They say that she no longer participates actively in their games and merely spends her time sitting in a corner and staring off into space. I have noticed it myself as well. Her eyes no longer hold the spirit of the festy and haughty girl we once knew. I'm counting on you to help her. I request this of you not as the King of Heidelburg, but as a friend, a companion who has traveled with you, and a person who is concerned for Rutee's health. Rutee is pining for you, Stahn. I have heard her whispering your name countless times. Please help her./ibrbr
His face reddening, Stahn quickly folded the letter and slid it into his pocket. Going over to his closet, he picked out his armor and his sword, and then squeezed some recovery items into his backpack. As he put on the armor, he groaned at the unaccustomed weight, and eyed it suspiciously, thinking that perhaps one of the kids in Lienna had put weights on his armor as a joke. He hurried out of his room, hoping to sneak away before Lilith saw him... but she spied him out of the corner of her eye.brbr
"Stahn! Where are you going?"brbr
"Heidelburg. It's an emergency." Stahn told her, putting on his traveling boots.brbr
"What emergency?"brbr
"Rutee." Lilith nodded sagely, having long ago noticed the affection both shared. Packing the lunch she had prepared into a bag, she gave it to Stahn. "Eat this on the way, Stahn. Good luck." Stahn thanked his sister, and started to head out the door, but was then struck by a thought. Fishing into his pocket, he pulled out a pouch and emptied all the Gald onto his hand, counting it.brbr
"Lilith, you travel to Neutstadt all the time, right? Tell me, what is the price of..."brbr
~~~~~brbr
"Big sis! Big sis! Play with us, pretty please?" One of the many children pouted, resting her head in Rutee's lap.brbr
"Yeah! Pretty please?" Another climbed onto her back. Smiling faintly, Rutee plucked the children off her and set them down gently on the floor.brbr
"Not now, big sis is tired, okay?"brbr
"You're always tired! When will you be not tired?" Rutee bit her lip, knowing that she was treating the children unfairly. Just because she was having problems didn't mean she could not play with the kids, right? Why should she get the kids down and depressed, like she was? Standing up, she flashed them a thumbs up.brbr
"All right, big sis will play with you! Don't regret it when you lose!" Watching from the doorway, Garr heaved a sigh of relief. Rutee was starting to revert back to her usual self, and he was glad. Philia was not around this time to keep the children company; she had to attend a meeting with other members of her order to settle some issues. Although she had not yet taken up the offer of High Priestress, all the members revered her and treated her as one. Rutee led the children out to the large courtyard of the castle, where a thick layer of snow lay. Immediately the children began to group themselves, forming two teams, and each team began to build their 'fortress', building them as fast as possible because the rules of the game stated that only 30 minutes was to be given to build the fortresses.brbr
Finally, when the fortresses were complete, everyone ducked down behind them and began to make snowballs. With that done, they began chucking the snowballs at one another. Of course, snow when tightly packed together would form a solid ball of ice that would hurt if it hit anybody, so the children's snowballs were loosely packed and often lost large chunks along the way to the opposing team's fortress. That did not stop the children from having fun, however. Soon, almost all of them were covered from head to toe in snow, with the exception of Rutee, who had far better reflexes than anybody else. She managed to sneak up behind the enemy team, and dumped a huge load of snow on their feet, causing them to squeal as the cold pervaded their shoes. Rutee was then pelted with snowballs, and she fell to the ground, laughing, feeling far better than she had in weeks.brbr
"Gee, I thought you would be moping inside the castle, not playing outside." Came a voice Rutee had not heard in a long time. Leaping to her feet and whipping around with the gracefulness of a feline, she stared in surprise as a man with long blond hair stood in front of her, scratching the back of his head and laughing.brbr
"S-Stahn..." Sensing an 'adult conversation' coming, the children ran back into the castle, giggling, and clambered around the doorway, watching. The two guards there each let out moans of exasperation as children climbed onto their heads and shoulders to get a better view.brbr
"Rutee... I'm sorry about the other time. I didn't really know what to say." Stahn said nervously. She shook her head slowly.brbr
"It's okay... neither did I."brbr
"But... I've been wanting to know... d-did you mean what you said?" He asked, going so red that one of the children pointed at him and screamed: "Tomato!", and was immediately shushed by all the others. Rutee herself was blushing furiously.brbr
iDo it now! Don't mess up again!/i Her mind was yelling at her again. Not quite trusting her mouth, she nodded vigorously. Stahn went even redder, if that was possible.brbr
"I... I like you too." He paused, then added: "A lot." There was a pure, ephemeral moment of silence, in which both basked in happiness and did not know what else to do. Then Rutee did what her instincts told her to do. She pounced on Stahn and held him in a headlock.brbr
"Took ya long enough to 'fess up!" Stahn made some feeble attempts to get her off, then fell over backwards into the snow, laughing. With a shriek of surprise, Rutee fell off Stahn's back and landed next to him. She took one look at Stahn's still red face, coupled with that laughter she had missed so much, and then she, too, began to laugh, feeling as though she was floating on air. The happiness that shot through her very being was enough to make her want to erupt with joy and run around Heidelburg screaming.brbr
"Hey, Rutee?"brbr
"Yeah, Stahn?"brbr
"Your shirt's undone." And a scream ripped through the air.brbr
~~~~~brbr
Within days, Rutee had gone back to her old self, much to the delight of the children, and much to the relief of Stahn, Garr and Philia. Stahn now took Philia's place and helped Rutee take care of the children, something he could do exceedingly well. Philia had said it was due to his ability to bond with children. Garr theorized that Stahn had the ability to mix well with just about anyone. Rutee argued that it was merely because Stahn had the mentality of a kid. Although Stahn protested and said that wasn't true, the fact remained that he was excellent with children, whatever the reason was. He and Rutee made a good pair, and were often stuck on one team in the snowball games, with all the children on the other. Philia, now that she had nothing much to do, spent her time in the library. Garr... well... he was stuck with the same job.brbr
It was soon apparent to everyone, even the children, that Rutee and Stahn were both deeply in love. They hardly spent their time apart, and it seemed that Stahn was rubbing off on Rutee in a good way. She had mellowed, no longer as aggressive and short-tempered as before, and became far more tolerant towards other people. Stahn, on the other hand, wasn't being influenced in any way. He still overslept a lot, much to the children's dismay, who wanted to play with him.brbr
However, early one morning, about 2 months after Stahn's arrival at Heidelburg, Rutee woke up and saw that Stahn's bed was empty. At first she thought that he had just gone outside to play with the children, but when she found each and every one of them sleeping soundly in their rooms, she began to panic. She feared that Stahn had left her again, left her to return to Lienna. She looked all around the castle, and then, to her great relief, she found him in the library, doing nothing in particular. She sneaked up from behind him, and then yelled loudly, hoping to startle him, but he did not respond. Concerned now, Rutee twisted her body around so she could see Stahn's face. He jumped a little, then leaned back on his chair.brbr
"Rutee! You scared me."brbr
"What are you doing here so early in the morning?" She asked, suspicions growing as she noticed that Stahn looked incredibly nervous.brbr
"N-nothing!" He said, shaking his head. He grew increasingly nervous as Rutee leaned dangerously close to him, her mouth twisted into a frown. "What?"brbr
"You're hiding something." She said in a low whisper. "And I want to know what it is." Faced with the potential threat of being smashed into pieces by Rutee, Stahn gave in. His face turning red, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little box. It was not anything unique, in fact, it was made of cardboard, and appeared to be a little crushed. Prying the crumpled cover off with some difficulty, he pulled out... a ring. Once again, it wasn't anything special. The experienced Rutee could tell at a glance that the ring was not made of silver, although it seemed so. Probably aluminium, she decided. The gemstone fixed on the top was obviously a fake, it was just a simple colored stone. However, it was the very idea of what the ring meant that sucked the breath out of her and left her staring blankly at the ring.brbr
"I know it's not of a very good quality," Stahn muttered sheepishly, "But I didn't have enough money. And I didn't know if you'd accept."brbr
"A... Accept what?" Rutee asked breathlessly. Stahn's blush grew, and he muttered something incoherent. "What?"brbr
"Willyoumarryme?" He babbled. Rutee did not catch it, and leaned closer to him, so close that she could almost feel the heat radiating from his burning face. "Repeat that. Slower." Stahn gulped, steeled his nerves, and knelt down on one leg in front of Rutee.brbr
"Will you marry me, Rutee?" Stahn finally managed. She stared at him, then with a delighted cry pulled him into a kiss. When they pulled apart moments later, Rutee nodded and said: "Well, duh."brbr
Typical of Rutee to answer like that, isn't it? Well, she cannot exactly be blamed for that. After all, her mind had gone completely blank with joy and excitement at the prospect of finally getting married. She blinked as Stahn stood up suddenly, a firm look of resolve on his face. Grabbing hold of Rutee's arm, he started to pull her out of the library.brbr
"Where are we going?" She demanded.brbr
"To get you a proper ring, what else?"brbr
"But you just said you didn't have enough money!"brbr
"We'll charge it to Garr. He has plenty of money." And so, about thirty minutes later, Stahn and Rutee walked out of a jewellery shop right outside the castle, Rutee now the proud owner of a gold ring with a diamond on it. As they left the store, the confounded store owner briefly wondered just exactly how he was going to approach the king and ask for payment of a ring.brbr
However, even though Rutee had the gold ring, she would put on the aluminium one for years and years to come.brbr
~~~~~brbr
It was to be a simple, small wedding. Stahn had initially planned on just inviting the children of the orphanage, his sister and grandfather, Garr, Philia and all of his other friends. He had also planned to wait a few weeks, maybe even a few months, until everything was good and ready. Garr and Philia helped him with the intricate planning, writing out the guest list and preparing suitable amounts of food. And just when their plan was completed, Rutee, with her habit of jumping into matters without thinking, spread the news of her marriage, and Garr was left with no choice but to shelf the plans and pray that perhaps he himself could one day use it. Stahn and Philia were left devastated that their days of hard planning had gone down the drain.brbr
The marriage was a historic event, one that nobody wanted to miss, since two of the four heroes who had saved the world were getting married. How often did you get to see that? So many people wrote in that they wished to attend the marriage that Garr was soon at his wits' end as to how he would be able to hire enough cooks to prepare the massive amount of food needed. First, Stahn and Rutee just had to invite Garr, Philia, Karyl, Mary, Chelsea and Khang. Following that, it would of course be logical that they invite all of their family members and closest friends, and then the cycle goes on and on and on... until pretty much everyone in the entire continent was invited.brbr
Nobody missed the occasion. Nobody wanted to. Lilith and Stahn's grandfather were the first to arrive, with the grandfather bawling and crying his eyes out, and with Lilith wiping tears of joy away from her face. Next were the children, giggling and running around the chapel dressed up in fine suits and dresses, courtesy of the Heidelburg castle. They were everywhere: the seats, the stand, the grand piano, and somehow, through mysterious means, one of them ended up on the grand lamp hanging on the ceiling. Mary, Dalis, Chelsea, Khang and Karyl were the next to arrive. Karyl began to play some of his more famous tunes, much to the delight of the children, who all ended up sitting in a circle around him. Chelsea latched onto Garr and refused to remove herself, while Mary and Dalis settled down in the seats quietly and waited for the ceremony to commence. Khang... well... he attacked the food with a vicious ferocity not seen even in the Arena. Alba had already passed away, and could not attend the wedding. And then came all the townspeople, and people from faraway cities. They filled every inch of the chapel, trying to climb onto each other to get a better view.brbr
When everyone finally settled down, Karyl led a group of musicians in playing a slow tune, and the doors at the back of the chapel opened, and out came... two children. The audience went bug-eyed, wondering if their two heroes were just mere kids, when they realized that the children were part of a procession. Garr, acting as the best man, appeared, having finally gotten Chelsea off him. Finally, Stahn himself appeared, having finally managed (with much difficulty) to comb his mop of hair. He was dressed in an elegant black suit, and somewhere in the audience, several young ladies sighed. Then came more children, scattering flower petals onto the floor, and onto dismayed people's heads. Finally, Rutee appeared in a long, sweeping gown, whiter than the snow outside, so fine was the material used in the creation of the gown that it reflected light with the radiance of diamonds. Philia stood right behind her, acting as bridesmaid, holding up the tail end of the gown and walking with the same, slow footsteps that Rutee used. The chapel fell silent, everyone watching with held breaths as Rutee stepped up next to Stahn, who suddenly looked incredibly nervous and flushed.brbr
"My dear fellows," said the elderly old priest with a smile on his wizened face, "we are gathered here today to see these two joined in holy matrimony. If there is anyone here who has a reason why these two should not be married here today, speak now, or forever hold your peace." He looked around, waiting to see if anyone would speak up. None did. Nodding to himself, he turned back to the couple.brbr
"Do you, Stahn Aileron," the priest started, but suddenly heard a muttered 'Airhead-ron' from the audience and paused. When all that greeted him was silence and a confused look from Stahn, he coughed and continued. "Do you, Stahn Aileron, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife for as long as both of you live?"brbr
Stahn swallowed hard, gathered up what remained of his courage and said firmly: "I do."brbr
"And do you, Rutee Katrea, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"brbr
iHell yes!/i Rutee's mind screamed.brbr
"I do." Rutee spoke.brbr
"Then I pronounce you man and wife. Go forth..." He did not need to continue, as Stahn slipped the gold engagement ring onto Rutee's hand, and Rutee did the same. Then, lifting Rutee's veil, Stahn drew her into a long kiss. The chapel practically exploded as everyone burst into thunderous applause, clapping, whistling, cheering, screaming and doing all sorts of other wild things. A cup of punch ended up on Khang's head, but he did not seem to mind. The people parted to allow the newly wedded couple to head towards the reception table where the wedding cake was, and Rutee lifted up the knife, her eyes burning with determination and happiness. For a moment, Stahn feared she might go wild and chop up the cake into pieces tiny enough to fall into the spaces between the stones on the road, but his fears were unfounded, as Rutee gracefully put a single slice into the cake.brbr
"And so you two finally got married." Mary smiled as she came towards them, wrapping one arm around Rutee. "Took you long enough."brbr
"Not my fault you and Dalis were married ages ago, right, you old lady, you." Rutee returned with a smirk. Dalis smiled somewhat sheepishly while Mary began to laugh.brbr
"I'm so happy for you, Stahn!" Lilith cried, clearly very moved. Stahn scratched the back of his head.brbr
"Thanks, sis. Say, when are you going to get married? Almost every single male in Lienna is dying to marry you." He grinned, and Lilith punched him in the shoulder, her face turning red as she recalled the number of times she had caught people peeping at her in the bath.brbr
"Where's your honeymoon going to be?" Lilith ventured, and Stahn suddenly seemed to be struck by a thought.brbr
"I knew I forgot something..."brbr
~~~~~brbr
In the end, the couple ended up spending their honeymoon in a little cottage that was just built on the outskirts of Cresta. Nobody had bought the house yet, and Garr had offered to purchase it for them. It was huge, easily enough to accomodate the couple and all the children of the orphanage, and immediately the couple began to make plans to turn the house into an orphanage once their honeymoon was over. It was a pretty little place, made entirely out of wood, with a little shed built next to it, and a creek running behind. It was surrounded all in flowers, trees and grass, and only a bridge led to where Cresta was. It was quiet, and that was just how the couple liked it.brbr
"I've been making fun of you and calling you a country boy, but staying in this place sure qualifies me as a country girl." Rutee admitted as she walked around the place.brbr
"Is that a bad thing?"brbr
"Nope." Rutee laughed. For the entire honeymoon, Rutee and Stahn went on a trip around the world to pick up pieces of furniture and other ornaments they felt would go well with the orphanage. Hardly what one would consider a honeymoon, but with Rutee and Stahn's love for children, they did not quite mind it. Draconis and its crew played important roles in their quest, as well, helping them to carry their crates and boxes of items back to Cresta. The crew offered to help them unpack, but Rutee turned them down.brbr
"Why don't you accept their help?" Stahn asked, carrying two boxes into the house.brbr
"They've helped us more than enough. This is our home, so we're going to do it up ourselves." Rutee answered, carrying one inside. "Hurry it up, Stahn. It's going to rain, and we still have a lot more to bring inside." Stahn groaned, but picked up his pace. His wife rewarded him with a peck on his cheek. "Thanks." Flushing, Stahn mumbled something and very nearly tripped over his own feet. Rutee giggled at the sight of Stahn carrying boxes stacked up so high that only his ears could be seen, and the sight of his burning red ears. Finally, after about 20 minutes, all the boxes were finally inside the house. Stahn slumped down onto the floor, breathing heavily.brbr
"Aw, man," He moaned, "During the adventure this would not have even gotten me winded."brbr
"I know how you feel." Rutee agreed, sitting on the floor next to him, no less tired. "We still have to unpack the stuff, though."brbr
"Can't we do it later?" Stahn grumbled. "I'm tired."brbr
"C'mon, we can't keep imposing on Garr, can we?"brbr
"... You're right." Stahn sighed.brbr
"Thanks, honey." Rutee smiled, sitting on Stahn's lap to give him another kiss and causing Stahn to turn red again.brbr
"Right. Let's get started." Stahn said, standing up with newfound strength. He lifted up one of the boxes with an almighty grunt...brbr
And dropped it on his foot.brbr
"Ow! Son of a-!" Stahn started, but then he noticed Rutee glaring at him.brbr
"-gun." He finished lamely. He recalled Rutee telling him not to use any profanities so that the kids would not pick the words up. Rutee had already made the effort to do so, and it had been a long, long time since he heard Rutee swear. Rutee nodded in satisfaction, then opened up the box, pulling out the many books they had bought for the children to read in their spare time. Opening up another box, she took out a small book shelf, and carried it along with some of the books up the stairs. Stahn took the rest and followed. There were a total of three rooms on the second floor, and they headed into the one furthest down the corridor. It was the largest room in the house, and was fully furnished with double-decker beds and colorful cupboards packed full of clothing. Going over to one of the walls, Stahn took the book shelf from Rutee and picked up a hammer which he had left in the room earlier. Rutee passed him a box of nails, and he began to fix the book shelf onto the wall. Once that was done, they filled it with the books. They repeated this for all the other rooms. Next, they placed bed sheets in all the rooms, and followed up with setting up the kitchen. However, that was all they could do for that day, and they retreated to their room for a well deserved rest.brbr
Although it had been a week since they had been married, Stahn still felt somewhat embarrassed sleeping next to Rutee. Rutee, on the other hand, had already long since gotten used to it. She snuggled up to him, wrapping her arms around Stahn. Following that, she rested her head on Stahn's shoulder, so close to Stahn's face that he could feel the air she exhaled on his cheeks.brbr
"You're blushing again." Rutee laughed and poked one finger into his right cheek. "I'll never understand you. We're married, aren't we?"brbr
"Yeah..."brbr
"Then, why are you blushing?" Rutee kissed him on the cheek again. Stahn smiled.brbr
"I can't wait until the house is completely done." Rutee said in a wistful tone. "With all the kids and you... And maybe even a kid of our own!" She winked at Stahn, who spluttered and stared at her, his eyes widening and his face going so red Rutee feared his face might explode.brbr
"A-a-a-a-a kid of our o-own?" He stuttered.brbr
"Why not?" Rutee shrugged. Stahn promptly fainted.brbr
~~~~~brbr
It took them a few days, but finally the orphanage was completely done up. The finishing touch was the sign they placed next to the bridge leading the Cresta. In bold, proud letters, the sign read: bDunamis Orphanage, Owners: Stahn Aileron, Rutee Katrea./bbrbr
"I still don't understand why you insist on naming the orphanage, and our future kids Dunamis." Rutee said.brbr
"I don't want the kids to grow up with the torture of being called 'Airhead-ron' their whole childhood. I'm scarred for life, you know." Stahn laughed. At this, Rutee giggled. Their moment of intimacy was interrupted, however, when there came a great shadow from above and a roar. Looking up, they saw Draconis landing behind the orphanage. As the doors slid open with a hiss, Garr, Philia and the children of the orphanage all came out. The children wasted no time in busting into the house, laughing and screaming wildly. Stahn winced as there came a crash, followed by accusation cries.brbr
"Amber did it!"brbr
"No, it was Tom!"brbr
"Lies!" And so on and so forth.brbr
"The vase..." Stahn moaned. Rutee ruffled his hair affectionately.brbr
"It's okay." Garr and Philia both came up to them. Stahn immediately noticed that Philia's normally white robes now had gold symbols on the edges. He grinned at her.brbr
"I see you're High Priestress now."brbr
"I was forced into it." Philia giggled. Then she took a good look around the place. "I have to say, this place is beautiful. You two have good taste."brbr
"I agree." Garr nodded. Stahn laughed.brbr
"You like it? Took us a long time to get it completed. It's our pride and joy." He said, patting the sign. "I really have to thank you, Garr. Without your help, we wouldn't have this place at all."brbr
"Think nothing of it." Garr waved a hand dismissively. "We're friends, aren't we?" Stahn was about to answer, when there came another crash from inside the orphanage. Stahn groaned.brbr
"Tom did it!"brbr
"Liiiiieeesss!"brbr
~~~~~
Rutee immediately realized that something was wrong when she woke up one morning and found Stahn missing. Hurrying down the stairs, she saw him slumped over the table, reading a sheet of paper. As she approached him, she could hear the faint sounds of him sobbing, and she began to worry. She laid a hand on his shoulder slowly, careful not to startle him, and sat down on a chair next to him. He gave no response to her touch.brbr
"Stahn, what's wrong?" Stahn looked up at her, his eyes red, streaks of tears running down his face.brbr
"My grandfather... died two days ago. Lilith just wrote to tell me." He choked and began to cry again. Rutee held him close, and he bawled, hugging her tightly. Rutee remembered how much Stahn had loved his grandfather, even if the old man was a little strange. Stahn cried and cried, and Rutee rested her head on top of Stahn's, stroking his hair gently and whispering words of comfort. Finally, after a few minutes, Stahn calmed down and pulled away from Rutee, whose shirt was soaked through with his tears.brbr
"I-I'm sorry." He said, bowing his head. Rutee smiled.brbr
"Don't be silly. It's okay."brbr
"Thanks, honey. I love you." Stahn kissed her. However, they pulled apart once they heard the cries of a baby from upstairs. They hurried up the stairs and entered the room closest to the stairway, where, in a cot, lay a baby with messy blond hair, crying and screaming. Rutee immediately picked the baby up and cradled him in her arms, cooing softly to him until the baby calmed down.brbr
"You sure are good at comforting people, Rutee."brbr
"Nah. Just you and Kyle. You two are so much alike, I don't know whether to be happy or sad."brbr
"What's that supposed to mean?" Stahn pouted, pretending to be hurt. Rutee simply giggled and placed Kyle back into his cot. As she looked at Kyle, she could not help recalling a conversation she, Stahn, Garr and Philia had a few months ago, after Kyle had been born.brbr
i"You two have a kid already?" Garr asked in disbelief, shaking his head. "What's his name?"brbr
"Kyle Dunamis." Stahn smiled, apparently very proud of his son.brbr
"Boy, I still can't believe you two have a child already. Makes me wish I was younger..."brbr
"Garr, you're only 4 years older than Stahn." Rutee pointed out.brbr
"Ahhh... what do you know? Being king makes you age much, much faster." Garr laughed. "I may only be 26 now, but I feel like I'm 40."brbr
"Keep thinking that way, and you'll end up looking like you're 40, Garr." Philia smiled.brbr
"Gah! Then I'll never get a wife!" At this, all four of them burst in laughter./ibrbr
She was startled out of her thoughts as Loni came into the room, yawning and rubbing his eyes.brbr
"What happened, mom?" Loni yawned. "I could hear Kyle crying."brbr
"He's probably hungry." Rutee smiled. "Could you look after him for me? I'll go fix up some breakfast." Loni was instantly awakened at the prospect of having food.brbr
"Alright, leave it to me!" He said energetically, settling down on the floor next to the cot. Rutee and Stahn left the room, unable to hide their smiles.brbr
"So young, and already he's acting like an older brother to Kyle." Stahn grinned.brbr
"That's a good thing. Sooner or later I won't be able to keep up with them." Rutee sighed.brbr
"Dear, you're only 21, and you still have a great figure, if I may add."brbr
"Don't you start thinking that will get you anything special tonight!" Rutee playfully punched him in the shoulder and started making breakfast.brbr
"Awww... nuts." Stahn joked, and proceeded to help his wife. This was how he had always wanted life to be. To be with Rutee all the time, to be able to look after his son, and to be able to look after orphans, all without having to carry a sword by his side. He had always loved the peaceful, quiet country life, and now that this had been granted to him, he would never let it go. He placed one hand around Rutee's waist.brbr
"Rutee?"brbr
"Yes, dear?"brbr
"I'm glad I met you."brbr
"So am I, Stahn. So am I."brbr
Stahn Aileron stared fixatedly outside, and winced as a particularly large piece of debris slammed into the ground with a deafening explosion, flattening the landscape around it. Trees were uprooted, and the ground split apart, chunks flying high into the air.brbr
"Whoa." Stahn managed. "I hope none of those rocks hit a town."brbr
"With your kind of luck, I'd say most of the towns will be smashed." Rutee grinned, looking outside as well. Her eyes widened as she witnessed a spectacle much similar to what Stahn had just seen. She whistled in amazement. "Okay, I see why you're hoping none of those things hit a town." Her face twisted into a mask of worry. "I hope the children in Cresta are okay..."brbr
"They're be fine." Stahn said firmly. Rutee looked at him.brbr
"And how would you know?"brbr
"Country boy instinct." Stahn grinned widely. "Hey, hey, no violence!" He protested as Rutee threw a punch at him. "Help me, guys!" Stahn called to Garr and Philia. Philia merely giggled, while Garr shrugged.brbr
"Ah, what I'd give to be young again." He said wistfully.brbr
"You're not that old, Garr." Rutee paused in her torment of Stahn, who, cleverly enough, began to sneak away. "Mary's older than you are. So are Karyl and Khang." Garr shrugged again, and settled down on the floor, due to a depressing lack of seats around in Draconis. Philia did the same, a look of mirth on her face. Rutee stared at her, not quite understanding what had gotten her so amused, but when she turned back to resume her beating of Stahn, she realized that he was no longer there. "Hey..." Looking around, she saw him silently creeping away out of the room.brbr
"Country boy!" She yelled, and Stahn froze in his tracks. "Where do you think you're going?"brbr
"Erm... the washroom?"brbr
"You just went there about a minute ago."brbr
"... Lies!" Stahn said feebly, and bolted out of the room. Rutee promptly gave chase. As Philia drifted off to sleep, Garr leaned against a wall, waiting for the flight to end. And quite suddenly, he was startled by a triumphant cry of "Got ya!", followed by an uncharacteristic scream of terror.brbr
~~~~~brbr
The group of four were greeted by a wave of tumultuous applause as they stepped off Draconis, which immediately took flight once again, swooping dramatically above the city of Darilshied, much to the delight of the people. The days of living in fear and darkness beneath the Aethersphere had resulted in tension, anxiety, fear and anguish all being built up in the people, and today was the glorious, glorious day in which the Aethersphere was finally destroyed. The people felt immensely relieved, never mind the fact that part of the town lay in ruins due to the falling debris. There had been no casualties, and that's all that mattered. As Stahn looked around at the people screaming and cheering at the four of them, he suddenly felt lost. All this had started because he had been a stowaway aboard Draconis. He wasn't some hero who had appeared out of nowhere to save the world, he was just a stowaway trying to get back to his hometown. Not only that, he had become caught up in the whole adventure because his attempt to steal a ride had been foiled, and he had met Dymlos. Without Dymlos, he would have been killed by the monsters that attacked the ship, and he wouldn't be here today.brbr
Stahn felt a burning pain in his chest when he thought of Dymlos. Dymlos had been a good friend. Of course, at first both of them did not get together very well, but as time progressed, they became nearly inseperable. Stahn only realized this when he had to stab Dymlos into the Eye of Atamoni to destroy it. It was at that point he felt confused and afraid, afraid of losing his good friend. Dymlos knew this.brbr
i"It's okay, Stahn. We've lived too long already."/ibrbr
Those words rang in his ears. The very last words of the Swordian, Dymlos, his friend. Stahn swallowed painfully and exhaled. The world had been saved, but at the expense of many people. Dymlos, Atwight, Igtenos, Clemente, Chaltier, Leon and all the people of Oberon, who had been manipulated right up to their deaths. Stahn suddenly felt very, very tired, and glad that the long adventure was finally over. He did not want to fight anymore.brbr
Stahn started as a shadow loomed above him. Without bothering to even glance up, he guessed that they were approaching the castle. True enough, the cobblestone path soon changed to one of marble as they climbed up a flight of stairs. He heard the sounds of a heavy door being pushed open, and he looked up. The four went into the throne room and bowed courteously at the king.brbr
"No need for the formalities, in fact, I should be the one bowing to the four of you! You have saved the world from imminent disaster!" He laughed. Then his face grew serious. "On the behalf of all the people of Seinegald, and dare I say, the entire world, I thank the four of you."brbr
"We thank you for your kind words, Your Highness," Garr stole a glance at Rutee, who looked bored out of her mind, "This would not have been possible had it not been for your support." Stahn nudged Rutee, who sighed and tried her best to look interested. The king laughed.brbr
"All part of a king's duty." He smiled, then opened his arms wide. "Tonight, we're holding a grand feast in honor of you heroes! Be sure to attend!" With that, the king rose from throne with an almighty groan and ordered all the guards to follow him and prepare for the feast. Soon, only the four were left.brbr
"Well, what are all of you going to do once the feast is over? The adventure and our journey has come to an end." Garr asked, voicing out the question every one of them had in their minds. "I am returning to Heidelburg to resume my position as king. I'm afraid the people will be wanting someone to govern the kingdom." Garr smiled faintly.brbr
"I will be traveling around the world. I feel that I must learn more about the people before I can return to the temple." Philia said. Rutee looked at her incredulously.brbr
"Not to make fun of you, but don't you think you need to loosen up a little and think of yourself instead of the temple and Atamoni just for once?" She asked. Philia shook her head.brbr
"I'm afraid this is who I am. It's difficult to change on a whim." She giggled.brbr
"You're one to talk, Rutee." Stahn smirked. "You're always thinking of the orphanage. I seem to recall you always searching for Gald on the ground while the rest of us fight off dangerous enemies." At this, Rutee's face turned red as Garr, Philia and Stahn burst into riotous laughter. With a low growl, she pounced on Stahn, and held him in a tight headlock, grinding her first into the side of his head.brbr
"Ow ow ow! I give up, Rutee!" Stahn cried. "Stop doing that!" Basking in victory, Rutee released Stahn and stepped back.brbr
"So, what are you going to do once the feast is over, Stahn?" Garr probed.brbr
"Well... I don't really have anywhere to go, so I thought I'd just head home to Lienna." Stahn threw Rutee a glare as she muttered 'country bumpkin'. "What about you, Rutee?"brbr
"Obviously I'm going to head back to Cresta." Her face took on the rare look of worry. For a moment, Stahn was lost in her amethyst eyes, filled with tenderness and care for the children she was taking care of. He hardly ever saw this side of her, the non-haughty, non-arrogant side. This side was the one Stahn often believed was the true Rutee. He believed that beneath the air of arrogance, there lay a kind-hearted girl who wished for nothing more than to be able to take good care of orphans like herself. "I need to make sure the kids are alright." Then she saw Stahn staring at her. "What? Something on my face?" Startled, Stahn turned a bright shade of red, babbled incoherently, and excused himself, running out of the room. Rutee stared at him, and then, much to the surprise of both Garr and Philia, let out a tiny giggle. Not her usual loud, arrogant laugh, but the giggle of a girl, one who is smitten with something. Philia started to say something, but Garr lay a hand on her shoulder, shook his head, and led her out of the room.brbr
~~~~~brbr
The feast was a grand one indeed. Around the long table sat the king, the four heroes, all the high-ranking officials and the nobles of Darilshied. A huge lamp made of gold, silver and copper hung high above the table, its light shining brightly and lighting up the ballroom. Food of all types adorned the table, and golden goblets of wine stood ready for drinking. Garr and Philia both ate in a dignified manner, sampling the heavenly combination of pheasant meat and red wine running down their throats. Rutee simply gobbled everything down without any apparent worry about choking. Stahn, on the other hand, merely poked despondently at his food, an unusal thoughtful look on his face. Rutee was the first to note this.brbr
"What's the matter?" She asked thickly through her food. "The food not up to your standards?"brbr
"N-no, I'm just not really hungry." Stahn stuttered.brbr
"But this food is fantastic! It'll make you hungry!"brbr
"Rutee, that's not possible."brbr
"Eh, suit yourself." Rutee shrugged and resumed her eating spree, much to the dismay of those sitting near her. After another minute of poking at his food, Stahn let out a sigh and got up, leaving the ballroom, heading towards one of the many balconies of the castle. Upon seeing him do that, Rutee gulped down the remainder of her food and followed. At this, all those who were seated near her immediately seized the opportunity to fill their plates with as much food as possible. Philia was about to get up and follow Rutee, but Garr halted her with a look.brbr
"Let the lovebirds settle this." He grinned.brbr
~~~~~brbr
"Something bothering you, Sta- country boy?" Rutee demanded as she spotted him leaning against a railing and staring at the sky. A sigh was all she got in reply. Her expression softened, and she dropped her arrogant air. "What's wrong?"brbr
"It's just that... during the adventure, the four of us have always been together, and now we have to part ways. It feels... lonely." Stahn choked. "I guess I've gotten too used to companionship." He said bitterly, remembering Dymlos and the other Swordians. "Pathetic, huh?" He asked, tilting his head higher.brbr
"I feel that way too." Stahn looked at Rutee in shock. "I don't want to go back to Cresta all alone. You guys are like my family, leaving all of you kind of makes me feel like an orphan, like that time when my parents left me at the orphanage. I know the kids are there, but some day they're going to grow old and leave the orphanage. It's different with you guys. I feel like you guys will always be there. But now..."brbr
"All good things must come to an end... huh." Stahn muttered.brbr
"No, I don't believe that!" Rutee said vehemently, and once again Stahn was overcome by surprise. It was then he noticed that her face had a red tinge to it.brbr
"R-Rutee..."brbr
"I want to stay with you guys, but... I can't leave the children alone..." She said in despair, not sure what to choose. "If I stay with you guys, I'll always be worrying about the kids... but if I go back to the kids... it'll be so lonely... oh, I don't know what to do!" Stahn was sure Rutee was a little light-headed due to the wine. The Rutee he knew would not say these sort of things out loud.brbr
"You should go back to the children, Rutee." Stahn said to her. "They need you. A lot more than we do." He had meant that in the nicest way possible, but Rutee, being Rutee, took it the wrong way.brbr
"Oh, so you people don't need me around, do you?" She demanded angrily. "I'm just some burden you guys can't wait to dump, right? I bet the three of you are going on some other journey and leave me behind because you don't need me!" Stahn saw, much to his horror, that tears were welling up in her eyes. "I can't believe you said that. I thought I liked you!" Too late, Rutee realized what she had said, and the little common sense not numbed by the wine told her she should not have said that out loud. She immediately covered her mouth with her hands.brbr
"..." Stahn simply stared at her, his eyes wide.brbr
iNow's the time to tell him you like him, idiot!/i Rutee's mind screamed at her, but she could not form the words.brbr
iS-she likes me?/i Stahn was at an equal loss of words. And before his brain started working again, Rutee quickly ran away, and locked herself in one of the rooms. Stahn simply stared, not sure what to do. He had two paths open to him. He could charge the door, scoop Rutee into his arms and proclaim his love for her, or simply leave. The first choice didn't seem likely because he did not quite have the guts to do so. The second one seemed more logical. Rutee was a little drunk, he feared that once Rutee regained her senses, she would reject him. He could not handle that. He stood there for a few moments, looking at the door sadly, then turned and left. And inside the room, Rutee curled up into a ball, cursing herself for not having followed what her mind told her to do. She heard Stahn's footsteps slowly fading away into the distance, and as she listened, she sobbed quietly to herself.brbr
~~~~~brbr
"What? Stahn's left already?" Garr asked, disbelieving. The pilot of Draconis nodded.brbr
"Came in early, he did. Asked me to fly him to Lienna as fast as I could, and so I complied. He asked that I do not bring any of you over to Lienna because he wants some time alone. Said not to worry about him and that he was fine."brbr
"If something could get Stahn to get up early and miss his precious hours of sleep, it must be important to him. We should do as he asks." Philia said.brbr
"What I don't understand is why he would leave without bidding us farewell... he doesn't seem like that sort." Garr frowned. "Oh well. He must have his reasons."brbr
"Ready to leave, sir?" The pilot asked. Garr nodded and headed into Draconis, followed closely by Philia. Rutee stood outside the entrance for a brief moment, staring at the palace, her face carefully kept expressionless. Then she turned around and went inside. The pilot took Rutee to Cresta first, where the children of the orphanage greeted her with happy squeals. Unfortunately, the orphanage itself had been destroyed by the falling debris, as had nearly half the town, and the children had been forced to leave in the ruins of the orphanage for the time being. It was a sad sight. Once a proud structure, now most of it lay in a pile of rubble and charred wood, with lots of cloth hung up to provide a temporary shelter.brbr
"... These children cannot live in such a place." Garr observed. "If you do not mind, madam, I would like to take all of you to Heidelburg. You can all put up at the castle until you get a proper orphanage built." He said, bowing respectfully to the old lady who had been taken care of the children in Rutee's absence.brbr
"My, such manners. I can tell you're a king indeed, young man." She laughed lightly. "Thank you for your kind offer. Are you sure we will not be imposing on you?"brbr
"Not at all, madam."brbr
"Very well then. Thank you so very much." The old lady smiled at Garr. "Come, children!" Laughing and pushing one another, the children swarmed into Draconis, drawing a startled cry of "Holy Atamoni! We're being raided by kids!" from the pilot. Philia smiled at the sight and proceeded inside to play with the children, while Garr and Rutee went to pry whatever wasn't destroyed from the rubble and carried them up into Draconis.brbr
"Thanks for the help, Garr." Rutee managed a weak smile at him, but the smile did not reach her eyes, which were cold and seemed like a pair of amethyst mirrors. Garr shuddered a little, wondering what was wrong with her.brbr
"No problem."brbr
"Where are you heading, Miss Philia?" The pilot asked. She looked thoughtful for a moment.brbr
"I think I shall go to Heidelburg with Garr and Rutee for the time being. These children are so delightful." She laughed as one of them played with her white dress, and another ran in endless circles around her.brbr
"I see. Well, last stop's Heidelburg, then!" Starting up the engines, the pilot threw Draconis into full throttle, and the dragon took off, reaching the grand city of Heidelburg in a few minutes. Once there, Rutee and Philia took the time to wrap the children up in the sheets of cloth they had brought along to protect the children from the cold. Philia noticed that Rutee handled the children with a tenderness that could not be seen at all in her normal attitude. Smiling to herself, she shooed the children along and hurried them to the castle, where they began to run around and choose their rooms, rendering the guards helpless since their code of honor prevented them from being able to stop the children from doing what they wanted without hurting them. As Garr entered through the front gate, a guard hurriedly ran towards him.brbr
"My lord, we're being swarmed by children!" He said in despair, with so much helplessness in his voice that Garr, Philia and even Rutee, in spite of her mood, laughed.brbr
"Do not worry. They are here under my protection."brbr
"They are?"brbr
"Yes, please allocate them rooms as quickly as you can."brbr
"Yes, sir!" The guard went speeding away, blowing his whistle, and yelling commands to the other guards who came running. In record time, all the children were comfortably settled in two rooms, with a third going to Rutee and the old lady. Philia was wide-eyed at the efficiency of the guards.brbr
"They are very well-trained, Garr." Philia said. Garr laughed.brbr
"I should hope so. If they have been slacking off while we were up on the Aethersphere, I shudder to think what state the castle would be in." He led Philia and the old lady to the children's rooms, helping them to unpack all their belongings, most of which were toys, all the while laughing at the antics of the hyper children. But the adjacent room, Rutee's room, was devoid of all sounds.brbr
As Rutee unpacked all of her belongings into the drawers and closets in the well furnished room, she paused as she came across the box of Gald Stahn had given to her some time ago, after they had retrieved the Eye of Atamoni for the first time. She looked at it sadly, then blinked away her tears fiercely and stuffed the box back into her backpack, which she promptly placed into a large drawer. Her wish was almost complete; both Garr and Philia were still with her. But, as she looked around the room, devoid of any other humans, she was suddenly acutely aware of the missing sound of Stahn's voice, his ever lasting optimism and laughter.brbr
And she felt very, very alone.brbr
~~~~~brbr
"Stahn." Lilith called. Her brother groaned once, and turned away from her, stuffing his head under his pillow. "Stahn!" There was no reaction this time. Reddening in indignant anger, she stormed to the kitchen and grabbed a frying pan and a ladle before heading back to where Stahn slept. Holding the utensils close to Stahn's ear, she began clashing them together as hard as she could, creating a most dreadful din. Stahn gave a yell and jumped out of bed, and promptly fell off the side onto the floor.brbr
"Ow." He moaned, his voice muffled. Lilith loomed ominously above him.brbr
"About time you got up." She scolded. "It's time for lunch already!"brbr
"Alright, alright." Stahn yawned as he forced himself to get to his feet. He blinked as Lilith grabbed his right hand and pressed a sheet of paper into his hand.brbr
"What's this?"brbr
"A letter came from Garr this morning." Lilith told him. Stahn began to read the letter, sitting down on the bed. Leaving Stahn alone to have privacy, Lilith left and went to prepare lunch. Stahn wondered what Garr was writing to him about. Philia had sent him a letter 3 weeks ago telling him that all three of them, Garr, Philia and Rutee, were in Heidelburg.brbr
iIt has been a long 3 weeks since we last parted. I know, 3 weeks isn't that long a time, but when I think back of the adventure and the memories we share, 3 weeks seems like an eternity. Everyone is doing well. Philia spends all her time taking care of the children alongside Rutee, now that the old caretaker has passed away. Philia received a letter from the temple asking her to take up the position of High Priestress, but she said that she has no plans to do so just yet./ibrbr
At this point Stahn smiled. It was just like Philia to turn down a request like that. He also mentally thanked his friends for allowing him time to be alone. After the one letter from Philia, they had stopped writing to him, and he was grateful for that. He wanted to be alone, to not think of them for some time.brbr
iHeidelburg is doing exceedingly well these days, but I cannot claim credit for that. I haven't done much except try to pry the children off the petitions./ibrbr
Stahn laughed at this, imagining Garr struggling to stop a hyper bunch of children from taking away the scrolls with the petitions on them.brbr
iThe townspeople are a highly cooperative group, and they are the ones who are helping Heidelburg's business grow. I have to say that I am proud to be the king of this wonderful place.brbr
However... Rutee is not doing very well./ibrbr
Stahn began to read more hurriedly, the cold hand of worry grasping his heart painfully.brbr
iThe children have told me that Rutee isn't herself these days. They say that she no longer participates actively in their games and merely spends her time sitting in a corner and staring off into space. I have noticed it myself as well. Her eyes no longer hold the spirit of the festy and haughty girl we once knew. I'm counting on you to help her. I request this of you not as the King of Heidelburg, but as a friend, a companion who has traveled with you, and a person who is concerned for Rutee's health. Rutee is pining for you, Stahn. I have heard her whispering your name countless times. Please help her./ibrbr
His face reddening, Stahn quickly folded the letter and slid it into his pocket. Going over to his closet, he picked out his armor and his sword, and then squeezed some recovery items into his backpack. As he put on the armor, he groaned at the unaccustomed weight, and eyed it suspiciously, thinking that perhaps one of the kids in Lienna had put weights on his armor as a joke. He hurried out of his room, hoping to sneak away before Lilith saw him... but she spied him out of the corner of her eye.brbr
"Stahn! Where are you going?"brbr
"Heidelburg. It's an emergency." Stahn told her, putting on his traveling boots.brbr
"What emergency?"brbr
"Rutee." Lilith nodded sagely, having long ago noticed the affection both shared. Packing the lunch she had prepared into a bag, she gave it to Stahn. "Eat this on the way, Stahn. Good luck." Stahn thanked his sister, and started to head out the door, but was then struck by a thought. Fishing into his pocket, he pulled out a pouch and emptied all the Gald onto his hand, counting it.brbr
"Lilith, you travel to Neutstadt all the time, right? Tell me, what is the price of..."brbr
~~~~~brbr
"Big sis! Big sis! Play with us, pretty please?" One of the many children pouted, resting her head in Rutee's lap.brbr
"Yeah! Pretty please?" Another climbed onto her back. Smiling faintly, Rutee plucked the children off her and set them down gently on the floor.brbr
"Not now, big sis is tired, okay?"brbr
"You're always tired! When will you be not tired?" Rutee bit her lip, knowing that she was treating the children unfairly. Just because she was having problems didn't mean she could not play with the kids, right? Why should she get the kids down and depressed, like she was? Standing up, she flashed them a thumbs up.brbr
"All right, big sis will play with you! Don't regret it when you lose!" Watching from the doorway, Garr heaved a sigh of relief. Rutee was starting to revert back to her usual self, and he was glad. Philia was not around this time to keep the children company; she had to attend a meeting with other members of her order to settle some issues. Although she had not yet taken up the offer of High Priestress, all the members revered her and treated her as one. Rutee led the children out to the large courtyard of the castle, where a thick layer of snow lay. Immediately the children began to group themselves, forming two teams, and each team began to build their 'fortress', building them as fast as possible because the rules of the game stated that only 30 minutes was to be given to build the fortresses.brbr
Finally, when the fortresses were complete, everyone ducked down behind them and began to make snowballs. With that done, they began chucking the snowballs at one another. Of course, snow when tightly packed together would form a solid ball of ice that would hurt if it hit anybody, so the children's snowballs were loosely packed and often lost large chunks along the way to the opposing team's fortress. That did not stop the children from having fun, however. Soon, almost all of them were covered from head to toe in snow, with the exception of Rutee, who had far better reflexes than anybody else. She managed to sneak up behind the enemy team, and dumped a huge load of snow on their feet, causing them to squeal as the cold pervaded their shoes. Rutee was then pelted with snowballs, and she fell to the ground, laughing, feeling far better than she had in weeks.brbr
"Gee, I thought you would be moping inside the castle, not playing outside." Came a voice Rutee had not heard in a long time. Leaping to her feet and whipping around with the gracefulness of a feline, she stared in surprise as a man with long blond hair stood in front of her, scratching the back of his head and laughing.brbr
"S-Stahn..." Sensing an 'adult conversation' coming, the children ran back into the castle, giggling, and clambered around the doorway, watching. The two guards there each let out moans of exasperation as children climbed onto their heads and shoulders to get a better view.brbr
"Rutee... I'm sorry about the other time. I didn't really know what to say." Stahn said nervously. She shook her head slowly.brbr
"It's okay... neither did I."brbr
"But... I've been wanting to know... d-did you mean what you said?" He asked, going so red that one of the children pointed at him and screamed: "Tomato!", and was immediately shushed by all the others. Rutee herself was blushing furiously.brbr
iDo it now! Don't mess up again!/i Her mind was yelling at her again. Not quite trusting her mouth, she nodded vigorously. Stahn went even redder, if that was possible.brbr
"I... I like you too." He paused, then added: "A lot." There was a pure, ephemeral moment of silence, in which both basked in happiness and did not know what else to do. Then Rutee did what her instincts told her to do. She pounced on Stahn and held him in a headlock.brbr
"Took ya long enough to 'fess up!" Stahn made some feeble attempts to get her off, then fell over backwards into the snow, laughing. With a shriek of surprise, Rutee fell off Stahn's back and landed next to him. She took one look at Stahn's still red face, coupled with that laughter she had missed so much, and then she, too, began to laugh, feeling as though she was floating on air. The happiness that shot through her very being was enough to make her want to erupt with joy and run around Heidelburg screaming.brbr
"Hey, Rutee?"brbr
"Yeah, Stahn?"brbr
"Your shirt's undone." And a scream ripped through the air.brbr
~~~~~brbr
Within days, Rutee had gone back to her old self, much to the delight of the children, and much to the relief of Stahn, Garr and Philia. Stahn now took Philia's place and helped Rutee take care of the children, something he could do exceedingly well. Philia had said it was due to his ability to bond with children. Garr theorized that Stahn had the ability to mix well with just about anyone. Rutee argued that it was merely because Stahn had the mentality of a kid. Although Stahn protested and said that wasn't true, the fact remained that he was excellent with children, whatever the reason was. He and Rutee made a good pair, and were often stuck on one team in the snowball games, with all the children on the other. Philia, now that she had nothing much to do, spent her time in the library. Garr... well... he was stuck with the same job.brbr
It was soon apparent to everyone, even the children, that Rutee and Stahn were both deeply in love. They hardly spent their time apart, and it seemed that Stahn was rubbing off on Rutee in a good way. She had mellowed, no longer as aggressive and short-tempered as before, and became far more tolerant towards other people. Stahn, on the other hand, wasn't being influenced in any way. He still overslept a lot, much to the children's dismay, who wanted to play with him.brbr
However, early one morning, about 2 months after Stahn's arrival at Heidelburg, Rutee woke up and saw that Stahn's bed was empty. At first she thought that he had just gone outside to play with the children, but when she found each and every one of them sleeping soundly in their rooms, she began to panic. She feared that Stahn had left her again, left her to return to Lienna. She looked all around the castle, and then, to her great relief, she found him in the library, doing nothing in particular. She sneaked up from behind him, and then yelled loudly, hoping to startle him, but he did not respond. Concerned now, Rutee twisted her body around so she could see Stahn's face. He jumped a little, then leaned back on his chair.brbr
"Rutee! You scared me."brbr
"What are you doing here so early in the morning?" She asked, suspicions growing as she noticed that Stahn looked incredibly nervous.brbr
"N-nothing!" He said, shaking his head. He grew increasingly nervous as Rutee leaned dangerously close to him, her mouth twisted into a frown. "What?"brbr
"You're hiding something." She said in a low whisper. "And I want to know what it is." Faced with the potential threat of being smashed into pieces by Rutee, Stahn gave in. His face turning red, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little box. It was not anything unique, in fact, it was made of cardboard, and appeared to be a little crushed. Prying the crumpled cover off with some difficulty, he pulled out... a ring. Once again, it wasn't anything special. The experienced Rutee could tell at a glance that the ring was not made of silver, although it seemed so. Probably aluminium, she decided. The gemstone fixed on the top was obviously a fake, it was just a simple colored stone. However, it was the very idea of what the ring meant that sucked the breath out of her and left her staring blankly at the ring.brbr
"I know it's not of a very good quality," Stahn muttered sheepishly, "But I didn't have enough money. And I didn't know if you'd accept."brbr
"A... Accept what?" Rutee asked breathlessly. Stahn's blush grew, and he muttered something incoherent. "What?"brbr
"Willyoumarryme?" He babbled. Rutee did not catch it, and leaned closer to him, so close that she could almost feel the heat radiating from his burning face. "Repeat that. Slower." Stahn gulped, steeled his nerves, and knelt down on one leg in front of Rutee.brbr
"Will you marry me, Rutee?" Stahn finally managed. She stared at him, then with a delighted cry pulled him into a kiss. When they pulled apart moments later, Rutee nodded and said: "Well, duh."brbr
Typical of Rutee to answer like that, isn't it? Well, she cannot exactly be blamed for that. After all, her mind had gone completely blank with joy and excitement at the prospect of finally getting married. She blinked as Stahn stood up suddenly, a firm look of resolve on his face. Grabbing hold of Rutee's arm, he started to pull her out of the library.brbr
"Where are we going?" She demanded.brbr
"To get you a proper ring, what else?"brbr
"But you just said you didn't have enough money!"brbr
"We'll charge it to Garr. He has plenty of money." And so, about thirty minutes later, Stahn and Rutee walked out of a jewellery shop right outside the castle, Rutee now the proud owner of a gold ring with a diamond on it. As they left the store, the confounded store owner briefly wondered just exactly how he was going to approach the king and ask for payment of a ring.brbr
However, even though Rutee had the gold ring, she would put on the aluminium one for years and years to come.brbr
~~~~~brbr
It was to be a simple, small wedding. Stahn had initially planned on just inviting the children of the orphanage, his sister and grandfather, Garr, Philia and all of his other friends. He had also planned to wait a few weeks, maybe even a few months, until everything was good and ready. Garr and Philia helped him with the intricate planning, writing out the guest list and preparing suitable amounts of food. And just when their plan was completed, Rutee, with her habit of jumping into matters without thinking, spread the news of her marriage, and Garr was left with no choice but to shelf the plans and pray that perhaps he himself could one day use it. Stahn and Philia were left devastated that their days of hard planning had gone down the drain.brbr
The marriage was a historic event, one that nobody wanted to miss, since two of the four heroes who had saved the world were getting married. How often did you get to see that? So many people wrote in that they wished to attend the marriage that Garr was soon at his wits' end as to how he would be able to hire enough cooks to prepare the massive amount of food needed. First, Stahn and Rutee just had to invite Garr, Philia, Karyl, Mary, Chelsea and Khang. Following that, it would of course be logical that they invite all of their family members and closest friends, and then the cycle goes on and on and on... until pretty much everyone in the entire continent was invited.brbr
Nobody missed the occasion. Nobody wanted to. Lilith and Stahn's grandfather were the first to arrive, with the grandfather bawling and crying his eyes out, and with Lilith wiping tears of joy away from her face. Next were the children, giggling and running around the chapel dressed up in fine suits and dresses, courtesy of the Heidelburg castle. They were everywhere: the seats, the stand, the grand piano, and somehow, through mysterious means, one of them ended up on the grand lamp hanging on the ceiling. Mary, Dalis, Chelsea, Khang and Karyl were the next to arrive. Karyl began to play some of his more famous tunes, much to the delight of the children, who all ended up sitting in a circle around him. Chelsea latched onto Garr and refused to remove herself, while Mary and Dalis settled down in the seats quietly and waited for the ceremony to commence. Khang... well... he attacked the food with a vicious ferocity not seen even in the Arena. Alba had already passed away, and could not attend the wedding. And then came all the townspeople, and people from faraway cities. They filled every inch of the chapel, trying to climb onto each other to get a better view.brbr
When everyone finally settled down, Karyl led a group of musicians in playing a slow tune, and the doors at the back of the chapel opened, and out came... two children. The audience went bug-eyed, wondering if their two heroes were just mere kids, when they realized that the children were part of a procession. Garr, acting as the best man, appeared, having finally gotten Chelsea off him. Finally, Stahn himself appeared, having finally managed (with much difficulty) to comb his mop of hair. He was dressed in an elegant black suit, and somewhere in the audience, several young ladies sighed. Then came more children, scattering flower petals onto the floor, and onto dismayed people's heads. Finally, Rutee appeared in a long, sweeping gown, whiter than the snow outside, so fine was the material used in the creation of the gown that it reflected light with the radiance of diamonds. Philia stood right behind her, acting as bridesmaid, holding up the tail end of the gown and walking with the same, slow footsteps that Rutee used. The chapel fell silent, everyone watching with held breaths as Rutee stepped up next to Stahn, who suddenly looked incredibly nervous and flushed.brbr
"My dear fellows," said the elderly old priest with a smile on his wizened face, "we are gathered here today to see these two joined in holy matrimony. If there is anyone here who has a reason why these two should not be married here today, speak now, or forever hold your peace." He looked around, waiting to see if anyone would speak up. None did. Nodding to himself, he turned back to the couple.brbr
"Do you, Stahn Aileron," the priest started, but suddenly heard a muttered 'Airhead-ron' from the audience and paused. When all that greeted him was silence and a confused look from Stahn, he coughed and continued. "Do you, Stahn Aileron, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife for as long as both of you live?"brbr
Stahn swallowed hard, gathered up what remained of his courage and said firmly: "I do."brbr
"And do you, Rutee Katrea, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"brbr
iHell yes!/i Rutee's mind screamed.brbr
"I do." Rutee spoke.brbr
"Then I pronounce you man and wife. Go forth..." He did not need to continue, as Stahn slipped the gold engagement ring onto Rutee's hand, and Rutee did the same. Then, lifting Rutee's veil, Stahn drew her into a long kiss. The chapel practically exploded as everyone burst into thunderous applause, clapping, whistling, cheering, screaming and doing all sorts of other wild things. A cup of punch ended up on Khang's head, but he did not seem to mind. The people parted to allow the newly wedded couple to head towards the reception table where the wedding cake was, and Rutee lifted up the knife, her eyes burning with determination and happiness. For a moment, Stahn feared she might go wild and chop up the cake into pieces tiny enough to fall into the spaces between the stones on the road, but his fears were unfounded, as Rutee gracefully put a single slice into the cake.brbr
"And so you two finally got married." Mary smiled as she came towards them, wrapping one arm around Rutee. "Took you long enough."brbr
"Not my fault you and Dalis were married ages ago, right, you old lady, you." Rutee returned with a smirk. Dalis smiled somewhat sheepishly while Mary began to laugh.brbr
"I'm so happy for you, Stahn!" Lilith cried, clearly very moved. Stahn scratched the back of his head.brbr
"Thanks, sis. Say, when are you going to get married? Almost every single male in Lienna is dying to marry you." He grinned, and Lilith punched him in the shoulder, her face turning red as she recalled the number of times she had caught people peeping at her in the bath.brbr
"Where's your honeymoon going to be?" Lilith ventured, and Stahn suddenly seemed to be struck by a thought.brbr
"I knew I forgot something..."brbr
~~~~~brbr
In the end, the couple ended up spending their honeymoon in a little cottage that was just built on the outskirts of Cresta. Nobody had bought the house yet, and Garr had offered to purchase it for them. It was huge, easily enough to accomodate the couple and all the children of the orphanage, and immediately the couple began to make plans to turn the house into an orphanage once their honeymoon was over. It was a pretty little place, made entirely out of wood, with a little shed built next to it, and a creek running behind. It was surrounded all in flowers, trees and grass, and only a bridge led to where Cresta was. It was quiet, and that was just how the couple liked it.brbr
"I've been making fun of you and calling you a country boy, but staying in this place sure qualifies me as a country girl." Rutee admitted as she walked around the place.brbr
"Is that a bad thing?"brbr
"Nope." Rutee laughed. For the entire honeymoon, Rutee and Stahn went on a trip around the world to pick up pieces of furniture and other ornaments they felt would go well with the orphanage. Hardly what one would consider a honeymoon, but with Rutee and Stahn's love for children, they did not quite mind it. Draconis and its crew played important roles in their quest, as well, helping them to carry their crates and boxes of items back to Cresta. The crew offered to help them unpack, but Rutee turned them down.brbr
"Why don't you accept their help?" Stahn asked, carrying two boxes into the house.brbr
"They've helped us more than enough. This is our home, so we're going to do it up ourselves." Rutee answered, carrying one inside. "Hurry it up, Stahn. It's going to rain, and we still have a lot more to bring inside." Stahn groaned, but picked up his pace. His wife rewarded him with a peck on his cheek. "Thanks." Flushing, Stahn mumbled something and very nearly tripped over his own feet. Rutee giggled at the sight of Stahn carrying boxes stacked up so high that only his ears could be seen, and the sight of his burning red ears. Finally, after about 20 minutes, all the boxes were finally inside the house. Stahn slumped down onto the floor, breathing heavily.brbr
"Aw, man," He moaned, "During the adventure this would not have even gotten me winded."brbr
"I know how you feel." Rutee agreed, sitting on the floor next to him, no less tired. "We still have to unpack the stuff, though."brbr
"Can't we do it later?" Stahn grumbled. "I'm tired."brbr
"C'mon, we can't keep imposing on Garr, can we?"brbr
"... You're right." Stahn sighed.brbr
"Thanks, honey." Rutee smiled, sitting on Stahn's lap to give him another kiss and causing Stahn to turn red again.brbr
"Right. Let's get started." Stahn said, standing up with newfound strength. He lifted up one of the boxes with an almighty grunt...brbr
And dropped it on his foot.brbr
"Ow! Son of a-!" Stahn started, but then he noticed Rutee glaring at him.brbr
"-gun." He finished lamely. He recalled Rutee telling him not to use any profanities so that the kids would not pick the words up. Rutee had already made the effort to do so, and it had been a long, long time since he heard Rutee swear. Rutee nodded in satisfaction, then opened up the box, pulling out the many books they had bought for the children to read in their spare time. Opening up another box, she took out a small book shelf, and carried it along with some of the books up the stairs. Stahn took the rest and followed. There were a total of three rooms on the second floor, and they headed into the one furthest down the corridor. It was the largest room in the house, and was fully furnished with double-decker beds and colorful cupboards packed full of clothing. Going over to one of the walls, Stahn took the book shelf from Rutee and picked up a hammer which he had left in the room earlier. Rutee passed him a box of nails, and he began to fix the book shelf onto the wall. Once that was done, they filled it with the books. They repeated this for all the other rooms. Next, they placed bed sheets in all the rooms, and followed up with setting up the kitchen. However, that was all they could do for that day, and they retreated to their room for a well deserved rest.brbr
Although it had been a week since they had been married, Stahn still felt somewhat embarrassed sleeping next to Rutee. Rutee, on the other hand, had already long since gotten used to it. She snuggled up to him, wrapping her arms around Stahn. Following that, she rested her head on Stahn's shoulder, so close to Stahn's face that he could feel the air she exhaled on his cheeks.brbr
"You're blushing again." Rutee laughed and poked one finger into his right cheek. "I'll never understand you. We're married, aren't we?"brbr
"Yeah..."brbr
"Then, why are you blushing?" Rutee kissed him on the cheek again. Stahn smiled.brbr
"I can't wait until the house is completely done." Rutee said in a wistful tone. "With all the kids and you... And maybe even a kid of our own!" She winked at Stahn, who spluttered and stared at her, his eyes widening and his face going so red Rutee feared his face might explode.brbr
"A-a-a-a-a kid of our o-own?" He stuttered.brbr
"Why not?" Rutee shrugged. Stahn promptly fainted.brbr
~~~~~brbr
It took them a few days, but finally the orphanage was completely done up. The finishing touch was the sign they placed next to the bridge leading the Cresta. In bold, proud letters, the sign read: bDunamis Orphanage, Owners: Stahn Aileron, Rutee Katrea./bbrbr
"I still don't understand why you insist on naming the orphanage, and our future kids Dunamis." Rutee said.brbr
"I don't want the kids to grow up with the torture of being called 'Airhead-ron' their whole childhood. I'm scarred for life, you know." Stahn laughed. At this, Rutee giggled. Their moment of intimacy was interrupted, however, when there came a great shadow from above and a roar. Looking up, they saw Draconis landing behind the orphanage. As the doors slid open with a hiss, Garr, Philia and the children of the orphanage all came out. The children wasted no time in busting into the house, laughing and screaming wildly. Stahn winced as there came a crash, followed by accusation cries.brbr
"Amber did it!"brbr
"No, it was Tom!"brbr
"Lies!" And so on and so forth.brbr
"The vase..." Stahn moaned. Rutee ruffled his hair affectionately.brbr
"It's okay." Garr and Philia both came up to them. Stahn immediately noticed that Philia's normally white robes now had gold symbols on the edges. He grinned at her.brbr
"I see you're High Priestress now."brbr
"I was forced into it." Philia giggled. Then she took a good look around the place. "I have to say, this place is beautiful. You two have good taste."brbr
"I agree." Garr nodded. Stahn laughed.brbr
"You like it? Took us a long time to get it completed. It's our pride and joy." He said, patting the sign. "I really have to thank you, Garr. Without your help, we wouldn't have this place at all."brbr
"Think nothing of it." Garr waved a hand dismissively. "We're friends, aren't we?" Stahn was about to answer, when there came another crash from inside the orphanage. Stahn groaned.brbr
"Tom did it!"brbr
"Liiiiieeesss!"brbr
~~~~~
Rutee immediately realized that something was wrong when she woke up one morning and found Stahn missing. Hurrying down the stairs, she saw him slumped over the table, reading a sheet of paper. As she approached him, she could hear the faint sounds of him sobbing, and she began to worry. She laid a hand on his shoulder slowly, careful not to startle him, and sat down on a chair next to him. He gave no response to her touch.brbr
"Stahn, what's wrong?" Stahn looked up at her, his eyes red, streaks of tears running down his face.brbr
"My grandfather... died two days ago. Lilith just wrote to tell me." He choked and began to cry again. Rutee held him close, and he bawled, hugging her tightly. Rutee remembered how much Stahn had loved his grandfather, even if the old man was a little strange. Stahn cried and cried, and Rutee rested her head on top of Stahn's, stroking his hair gently and whispering words of comfort. Finally, after a few minutes, Stahn calmed down and pulled away from Rutee, whose shirt was soaked through with his tears.brbr
"I-I'm sorry." He said, bowing his head. Rutee smiled.brbr
"Don't be silly. It's okay."brbr
"Thanks, honey. I love you." Stahn kissed her. However, they pulled apart once they heard the cries of a baby from upstairs. They hurried up the stairs and entered the room closest to the stairway, where, in a cot, lay a baby with messy blond hair, crying and screaming. Rutee immediately picked the baby up and cradled him in her arms, cooing softly to him until the baby calmed down.brbr
"You sure are good at comforting people, Rutee."brbr
"Nah. Just you and Kyle. You two are so much alike, I don't know whether to be happy or sad."brbr
"What's that supposed to mean?" Stahn pouted, pretending to be hurt. Rutee simply giggled and placed Kyle back into his cot. As she looked at Kyle, she could not help recalling a conversation she, Stahn, Garr and Philia had a few months ago, after Kyle had been born.brbr
i"You two have a kid already?" Garr asked in disbelief, shaking his head. "What's his name?"brbr
"Kyle Dunamis." Stahn smiled, apparently very proud of his son.brbr
"Boy, I still can't believe you two have a child already. Makes me wish I was younger..."brbr
"Garr, you're only 4 years older than Stahn." Rutee pointed out.brbr
"Ahhh... what do you know? Being king makes you age much, much faster." Garr laughed. "I may only be 26 now, but I feel like I'm 40."brbr
"Keep thinking that way, and you'll end up looking like you're 40, Garr." Philia smiled.brbr
"Gah! Then I'll never get a wife!" At this, all four of them burst in laughter./ibrbr
She was startled out of her thoughts as Loni came into the room, yawning and rubbing his eyes.brbr
"What happened, mom?" Loni yawned. "I could hear Kyle crying."brbr
"He's probably hungry." Rutee smiled. "Could you look after him for me? I'll go fix up some breakfast." Loni was instantly awakened at the prospect of having food.brbr
"Alright, leave it to me!" He said energetically, settling down on the floor next to the cot. Rutee and Stahn left the room, unable to hide their smiles.brbr
"So young, and already he's acting like an older brother to Kyle." Stahn grinned.brbr
"That's a good thing. Sooner or later I won't be able to keep up with them." Rutee sighed.brbr
"Dear, you're only 21, and you still have a great figure, if I may add."brbr
"Don't you start thinking that will get you anything special tonight!" Rutee playfully punched him in the shoulder and started making breakfast.brbr
"Awww... nuts." Stahn joked, and proceeded to help his wife. This was how he had always wanted life to be. To be with Rutee all the time, to be able to look after his son, and to be able to look after orphans, all without having to carry a sword by his side. He had always loved the peaceful, quiet country life, and now that this had been granted to him, he would never let it go. He placed one hand around Rutee's waist.brbr
"Rutee?"brbr
"Yes, dear?"brbr
"I'm glad I met you."brbr
"So am I, Stahn. So am I."brbr