Part V.
"Rody!" Percival cried in surprise. "I--we didn't see you there, sweetheart..."
Rody shook his head, his expression one of mortal pain. His eyes turned red behind a film of tears, and he bit his lower lip to keep it from trembling.
"...Rody? Rody! Rody, listen to me! It's not what it looks like--Rody! Please don't cry... Oh, goddess--Rody--don't leave!"
As the magician fled with a strangled cry, Percival lept out of the bed, only to swoon as a sudden pressure built up in his head. "Argh!" he groaned. "I can't see--! Go after him, Borus!"
"And what?" Borus cried. "What am I supposed to do? You said it!"
"You know I didn't mean that," Percival growled, holding his throbbing head. "I was being sarcastic!"
"So? I'm not the one who should apologize to your boyfriend."
"Borus?" Percival started, crawling painfully back into bed.
"Eh?"
"You are slime."
"Funny," Borus smirked as he stepped over the spilled food all over the floor. "I thought you'd already taken the title."
"Good heavens!" Nurse Mio cried as she nearly slipped in the spilled milk. "Sir Percival! What on earth have you done today?"
"Starved," the knight wailed.
"This is a mess! I thought Rody was going to take care of you."
"Well, Borus ruined that, too, it seems."
The nurse frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about, but this has to be cleaned up! Who can I send for?"
"Louis attends to Lady Chris, just down the hall..."
"I'll go get him then, as soon as I check you out."
"I don't need anyone else 'checking' me 'out'." Percival groaned in agony as the surprisingly strong nurse forced him to sit up in the bed.
"What is going on with you and Sir Borus?" she demanded.
"That's kind of personal, don't you think?"
"Not if it's endagering my patient's health!" Mio retorted.
"No; just my love life."
"If you don't straighten this out, I've a bad feeling things are going to get a lot worse..."
"And how," Percival sighed. But he really didn't know how to fix this one. Just one more fine mess Borus has gotten me into, he thought angrily. This was different, though; he didn't think any of his smart-mouthed, witty comments would save him this time.
Three more days went by, and while Percival recovered from his head injury and went back to work, he didn't see Rody a single time. He became sloppy with his training and made more mistakes than his students. He couldn't wait until the week ended and this training period would be finished, so things could get back to normal. He needed a decent night of rest to get his energy and color back, then he could deal with Borus and crawl to Rody on his knees, begging to be forgiven.
It was actually by mistake that he ran into Rody that day. He'd finished training for the morning and just headed to the mess hall for lunch, when he caught the trailing black fabric of the magician's robes from the corner of his eye. "Rody!" he screamed without reserve. "Rody, please wait!" The trail of the robe vanished around the corner.
Oh, no you don't! Percival thought. Rody may be quicker, but Percy knew a shortcut. Taking a side path, the knight dashed down the next hall and bumped right into Rody on the other end.
"Let go! Let go! I said, let go!" Rody shrieked, struggling.
But Percival refused to relent. "Not until you listen to me, Rody. Dammit, stop squirming! Use your rune magic on me if you have to, but I am not letting you go!"
The boy finally stopped struggling and stood stiffly in the knight's grasp. "...I can't hurt you," he murmured. "I can't use my rune against you, Percival." He looked like he wanted to cry again.
Percival was afraid he was hurting him. "...Rody, I'm going to let go now, but please don't run. Okay? Now listen to me. What you saw--" He broke off suddenly, realizing they had attracted a slight crowd in the hall. Everyone had been wondering why Percival had been alone these past few days...and why Rody was always crying. Surely the castle's most talked-about couple hadn't given up on each other after just a few short weeks...?
"...Rody, we can't talk here. Please--if you really care, meet me tonight."
Rody couldn't refuse...because he did care...he cared sooo much... "...Where?" he asked with difficulty.
"I don't suppose you'd like to come to my room for dinner tonight?"
Rody sobbed silently.
"...Okay, then. How about the theater? Tonight, at ten o'clock? No one will be there, and we can talk in private. Rody, is that okay? You remember the theater--where we first kissed?"
How could I forget? Rody nodded, a tear finally escaping, no matter how hard he fought it.
"Good. Be there tonight, and I'll explain everything to you." Percival wanted to kiss Rody so badly, just to tell him it would be okay, to comfort him for the rest of the day, but...it would have only hurt him more. Instead, he placed his hands on the magician's shoulders for a moment, kissing his forehead instead. Then he hurried on his way.
"See you tonight, boys," Borus murmured from the midst of the crowd, but no one heard him.
"Rody!" Percival cried in surprise. "I--we didn't see you there, sweetheart..."
Rody shook his head, his expression one of mortal pain. His eyes turned red behind a film of tears, and he bit his lower lip to keep it from trembling.
"...Rody? Rody! Rody, listen to me! It's not what it looks like--Rody! Please don't cry... Oh, goddess--Rody--don't leave!"
As the magician fled with a strangled cry, Percival lept out of the bed, only to swoon as a sudden pressure built up in his head. "Argh!" he groaned. "I can't see--! Go after him, Borus!"
"And what?" Borus cried. "What am I supposed to do? You said it!"
"You know I didn't mean that," Percival growled, holding his throbbing head. "I was being sarcastic!"
"So? I'm not the one who should apologize to your boyfriend."
"Borus?" Percival started, crawling painfully back into bed.
"Eh?"
"You are slime."
"Funny," Borus smirked as he stepped over the spilled food all over the floor. "I thought you'd already taken the title."
"Good heavens!" Nurse Mio cried as she nearly slipped in the spilled milk. "Sir Percival! What on earth have you done today?"
"Starved," the knight wailed.
"This is a mess! I thought Rody was going to take care of you."
"Well, Borus ruined that, too, it seems."
The nurse frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about, but this has to be cleaned up! Who can I send for?"
"Louis attends to Lady Chris, just down the hall..."
"I'll go get him then, as soon as I check you out."
"I don't need anyone else 'checking' me 'out'." Percival groaned in agony as the surprisingly strong nurse forced him to sit up in the bed.
"What is going on with you and Sir Borus?" she demanded.
"That's kind of personal, don't you think?"
"Not if it's endagering my patient's health!" Mio retorted.
"No; just my love life."
"If you don't straighten this out, I've a bad feeling things are going to get a lot worse..."
"And how," Percival sighed. But he really didn't know how to fix this one. Just one more fine mess Borus has gotten me into, he thought angrily. This was different, though; he didn't think any of his smart-mouthed, witty comments would save him this time.
Three more days went by, and while Percival recovered from his head injury and went back to work, he didn't see Rody a single time. He became sloppy with his training and made more mistakes than his students. He couldn't wait until the week ended and this training period would be finished, so things could get back to normal. He needed a decent night of rest to get his energy and color back, then he could deal with Borus and crawl to Rody on his knees, begging to be forgiven.
It was actually by mistake that he ran into Rody that day. He'd finished training for the morning and just headed to the mess hall for lunch, when he caught the trailing black fabric of the magician's robes from the corner of his eye. "Rody!" he screamed without reserve. "Rody, please wait!" The trail of the robe vanished around the corner.
Oh, no you don't! Percival thought. Rody may be quicker, but Percy knew a shortcut. Taking a side path, the knight dashed down the next hall and bumped right into Rody on the other end.
"Let go! Let go! I said, let go!" Rody shrieked, struggling.
But Percival refused to relent. "Not until you listen to me, Rody. Dammit, stop squirming! Use your rune magic on me if you have to, but I am not letting you go!"
The boy finally stopped struggling and stood stiffly in the knight's grasp. "...I can't hurt you," he murmured. "I can't use my rune against you, Percival." He looked like he wanted to cry again.
Percival was afraid he was hurting him. "...Rody, I'm going to let go now, but please don't run. Okay? Now listen to me. What you saw--" He broke off suddenly, realizing they had attracted a slight crowd in the hall. Everyone had been wondering why Percival had been alone these past few days...and why Rody was always crying. Surely the castle's most talked-about couple hadn't given up on each other after just a few short weeks...?
"...Rody, we can't talk here. Please--if you really care, meet me tonight."
Rody couldn't refuse...because he did care...he cared sooo much... "...Where?" he asked with difficulty.
"I don't suppose you'd like to come to my room for dinner tonight?"
Rody sobbed silently.
"...Okay, then. How about the theater? Tonight, at ten o'clock? No one will be there, and we can talk in private. Rody, is that okay? You remember the theater--where we first kissed?"
How could I forget? Rody nodded, a tear finally escaping, no matter how hard he fought it.
"Good. Be there tonight, and I'll explain everything to you." Percival wanted to kiss Rody so badly, just to tell him it would be okay, to comfort him for the rest of the day, but...it would have only hurt him more. Instead, he placed his hands on the magician's shoulders for a moment, kissing his forehead instead. Then he hurried on his way.
"See you tonight, boys," Borus murmured from the midst of the crowd, but no one heard him.