-Chapter 2- (The Old Kingdom - Riot of the Blood Kyo)
Later that night, Lothair informed Fal that the girl's name was Marle, and she never had many friends growing up. He then hired the "Knight" to be a babysitter of sorts. But his name would be discovered on Fal's own account, that way he can be familliar.
It was Fal's intent to leave the morning after, so he slept soundly.
There was a knock at his door that night.
Fal rolled over to face the sound. "Mnnnnn...." He groaned. "...Come in..."
The door creaked open, and in walked Lothair.
"Brother?" He checked to see if he was still awake.
"Mnn."
"I need to talk to you about something." Lothair croaked.
Fal was slow to reply. He groggishly pulled his abdomen into an upright position and wiped the sleep from his eyes. The cold night air stung his skin as he pulled the blankets up as far as they could go.
"...What is it...?" He asked, half not interested.
Lothair sat at the bottom of Fal's bed. He twiddled his large thumbs until he spoke.
"The reason I asked you to come here..." He muttered. "...Was so that you could help me."
Fal's uninterested eyes closed.
"That's why I came to our family reunion." He dragged out. "To help you manage the kingdom."
Lothair shook his head. "No. That's not it.", "I had you come here to help protect my daughter."
Fal's eyes shot open. "Now why in God's name--"
"Shhh!" Lothair hissed. "Let me explain." He began. "I know I can trust the 'Knight', but she needs more. She keeps telling me she can hear things in the darkness at night, and brother, you have to help her overcome her fear of the dark."
Fal was silent.
"Please!" Lothair begged.
Fal waved his hand in front of his face. "Ah ah! I don't deal with children whether they be my brother's offspring, or my brother himself!"
Lothair gave Fal a swift punch in the arm.
"Ow!" He retorted. "What in--"
"Don't be such an immature curr!" Lothair replied. "We both know that you have nothing to go back to after all this is over. You just have to stay with her during the night, and that is all!"
Fal cradled his newly-bruised arm. Knowing that what he said was true, he agreed.
"But why can't the 'Knight' stay with her?" Fal questioned.
There was a brief silence.
"He can't stay in the castle. He's buisy at night." Lothair grumbled. "Anyway, I'll leave you to get some sleep, my brother."
And with that, he left the room and slowly closed the door behind him.
Fal retreated back into the bed and slept again.
T'was a cold morning as he made his way out of the cozy room onto the chilling stone floors to the Great Hall. Sitting at the table, Fal noticed that he was the only one with rosy cheeks and nose. He sniffled.
All the family of his were there, as was the Knight and Marle.
Fal slowly warmed to the idea of eating with family, but by the time this occured, he had left the table to dress. He did so, and leaving his room, he ran into Marle, who was feeling rather inquisitive. Her soft feet padded along side of his.
"Why's your name Fal?" She asked "It's funny."
Fal looked down at her.
"My real name isn't Fal. 'Fal' is a nickname I was given in the Wars of the western cities, it's short for 'Falcon'." He replied.
"Why'd they call you 'Falcon'?" Marle asked.
Fal looked upwards and gave a perplexed look.
"Perhaps because I was like a predator to them. I really don't know."
It wasn't apparent to him why she was asking these questions.
"What your real name?" She questioned.
Fal cocked his head to the side and looked upwards again.
"...Real name is William Riot." He replied.
Marle giggled. "Willie Willie Willie!!" She cried in glee. "Your name is Willie!"
Fal stared daggers at Marle.
"Let's let that be... a secret. Between you and me." He tried to trick her into ceasing.
Marle nodded. "Okay." She smiled. "So..."
"When's your birthday?"
"The twenty-eighth of the coldest month."
"Have any kids?"
"Two. They've grown up and gone."
"What're their names?"
"I don't remember."
"That's sad. What's their mom's name?"
"Don't remember either."
"That's sad. You must know her name. Where do you live?"
"In the desert."
"Where?"
"Five thousand paces south from here."
"That's a long way away. How will you get home?"
"I can walk."
"Oh. That sounds tiring. What's that?"
She pointed to his side, obviously at his sword.
"That's my sword."
"That's dangerous."
"I know."
"Then why do you carry it around?"
Fal stopped and looked at her.
"Because a man needs a sword."
Marle shook her head. "No he doesn't."
Fal continued walking with her. He groweled in frustration as she pelted him with more questions that he didn't knw the anwsers to.
Fal came to the front doors and stopped.
"What're you gonna' do?" Marle asked.
Fal rolled his eyes at how much a child could pester a man of his age. Already he was begining to feel stomach-sick at the very thought of more questions. He hoped this would be the last.
"I'm going outside to think awhile." He replied.
Marle let out a faint gutteral noise, but before it became any hint of a word Fal retorted.
"Alone."
Later that night, Lothair informed Fal that the girl's name was Marle, and she never had many friends growing up. He then hired the "Knight" to be a babysitter of sorts. But his name would be discovered on Fal's own account, that way he can be familliar.
It was Fal's intent to leave the morning after, so he slept soundly.
There was a knock at his door that night.
Fal rolled over to face the sound. "Mnnnnn...." He groaned. "...Come in..."
The door creaked open, and in walked Lothair.
"Brother?" He checked to see if he was still awake.
"Mnn."
"I need to talk to you about something." Lothair croaked.
Fal was slow to reply. He groggishly pulled his abdomen into an upright position and wiped the sleep from his eyes. The cold night air stung his skin as he pulled the blankets up as far as they could go.
"...What is it...?" He asked, half not interested.
Lothair sat at the bottom of Fal's bed. He twiddled his large thumbs until he spoke.
"The reason I asked you to come here..." He muttered. "...Was so that you could help me."
Fal's uninterested eyes closed.
"That's why I came to our family reunion." He dragged out. "To help you manage the kingdom."
Lothair shook his head. "No. That's not it.", "I had you come here to help protect my daughter."
Fal's eyes shot open. "Now why in God's name--"
"Shhh!" Lothair hissed. "Let me explain." He began. "I know I can trust the 'Knight', but she needs more. She keeps telling me she can hear things in the darkness at night, and brother, you have to help her overcome her fear of the dark."
Fal was silent.
"Please!" Lothair begged.
Fal waved his hand in front of his face. "Ah ah! I don't deal with children whether they be my brother's offspring, or my brother himself!"
Lothair gave Fal a swift punch in the arm.
"Ow!" He retorted. "What in--"
"Don't be such an immature curr!" Lothair replied. "We both know that you have nothing to go back to after all this is over. You just have to stay with her during the night, and that is all!"
Fal cradled his newly-bruised arm. Knowing that what he said was true, he agreed.
"But why can't the 'Knight' stay with her?" Fal questioned.
There was a brief silence.
"He can't stay in the castle. He's buisy at night." Lothair grumbled. "Anyway, I'll leave you to get some sleep, my brother."
And with that, he left the room and slowly closed the door behind him.
Fal retreated back into the bed and slept again.
T'was a cold morning as he made his way out of the cozy room onto the chilling stone floors to the Great Hall. Sitting at the table, Fal noticed that he was the only one with rosy cheeks and nose. He sniffled.
All the family of his were there, as was the Knight and Marle.
Fal slowly warmed to the idea of eating with family, but by the time this occured, he had left the table to dress. He did so, and leaving his room, he ran into Marle, who was feeling rather inquisitive. Her soft feet padded along side of his.
"Why's your name Fal?" She asked "It's funny."
Fal looked down at her.
"My real name isn't Fal. 'Fal' is a nickname I was given in the Wars of the western cities, it's short for 'Falcon'." He replied.
"Why'd they call you 'Falcon'?" Marle asked.
Fal looked upwards and gave a perplexed look.
"Perhaps because I was like a predator to them. I really don't know."
It wasn't apparent to him why she was asking these questions.
"What your real name?" She questioned.
Fal cocked his head to the side and looked upwards again.
"...Real name is William Riot." He replied.
Marle giggled. "Willie Willie Willie!!" She cried in glee. "Your name is Willie!"
Fal stared daggers at Marle.
"Let's let that be... a secret. Between you and me." He tried to trick her into ceasing.
Marle nodded. "Okay." She smiled. "So..."
"When's your birthday?"
"The twenty-eighth of the coldest month."
"Have any kids?"
"Two. They've grown up and gone."
"What're their names?"
"I don't remember."
"That's sad. What's their mom's name?"
"Don't remember either."
"That's sad. You must know her name. Where do you live?"
"In the desert."
"Where?"
"Five thousand paces south from here."
"That's a long way away. How will you get home?"
"I can walk."
"Oh. That sounds tiring. What's that?"
She pointed to his side, obviously at his sword.
"That's my sword."
"That's dangerous."
"I know."
"Then why do you carry it around?"
Fal stopped and looked at her.
"Because a man needs a sword."
Marle shook her head. "No he doesn't."
Fal continued walking with her. He groweled in frustration as she pelted him with more questions that he didn't knw the anwsers to.
Fal came to the front doors and stopped.
"What're you gonna' do?" Marle asked.
Fal rolled his eyes at how much a child could pester a man of his age. Already he was begining to feel stomach-sick at the very thought of more questions. He hoped this would be the last.
"I'm going outside to think awhile." He replied.
Marle let out a faint gutteral noise, but before it became any hint of a word Fal retorted.
"Alone."