Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fiction using elements not belonging to the author. Such elements belong to their respective owners. Any similarities with other stories by other authors, either living or dead, are purely coincidental.
Maxi took a deep breath. It felt good to be at sea again.
"Ah, yes. Back to the sea once again." He said. "The sound of the waves. The coolness of the breeze. The smell of…barf?"
He turned around to see Yunsung with his upper-body over the ships railing and Talim rubbing his back.
The seekers of the Soul Edge are once again in the move. Their destination now was Cassandra's homeland of Greece. There they hope to get the magical weapons, Dvapara-yuga and Krita-yuga, repaired so that they may finally destroy the demon sword. Along with them was Siegfried Schtauffen, a warrior with great knowledge about the demon sword.
"Hey, Maxi, can't this floating pile of lumber go any faster?" Yunsung shouted.
"Be patient, we'll get there soon enough."
"Talim, you better get him inside and into bed. That would make him feel better." Suggested Raphael, who was in a break from training Amy how to fence.
The girl nodded and helped Yunsung to the cabins
"Alright, Amy, back to practice."
The French girl just nodded.
Siegfried looked at how the two trained. He could see the smile in Raphael's face as well as the enjoyment in Amy's eyes.
"They almost seem like father and daughter."
"They are." Said Ivy, who was watching beside him. "She rescued him once, and since then they've been together. Raphael has been providing for her ever since they met and Amy has never left his side. Even when we embarked on this journey she wouldn't leave him. 'Who would hide you next time?' she said."
The knight couldn't help but chuckle at the last part. Such devotion for such a young child. He suddenly remembered an old memory. An image of a man and a boy formed in his head. The boy was attacking the man with a wooden sword almost his size. The man only blocked and parried the attacks and shouted instructions to the boy. They both had smiles in their faces.
'Father.'
Those were better, happier times.
His mind was brought back when he heard someone call him.
"Siegfried, come. Let us train as well." Mitsurugi cried.
The knight remembered that he had promised the rounin a match. Taking his sword on his shoulders, he moved up to him.
"Siegfried, are you serious about fighting Mitsurugi with a broken sword?" Cassandra asked in a worried tone.
"It's not as big and as heavy as it was before but it will do." The knight said.
Xianghua leaned to Cassandra and asked, "Did he just say 'as big and as heavy'?"
That night the ship was still at sea. The group had agreed to keep watch on the ship by pairs. Siegfried was on the helm. Looking at the vast sea, he silently prayed that he would get them lost. He heard one of the doors to the cabins open and saw Cassandra come out. They were paired together to watch the ship that night. It seemed that the group had been conspiring to always get them together.
Cassandra looked around and saw Siegfried on the helm. She quickly went up to him.
"How is Mitsurugi?" he asked.
"He's fine now." Cassandra answered. "Taki is staying with him. You really kicked his ass."
Siegfried only sighed. His duel with the rounin ended with an unexpected result. At first Mitsurugi was getting the upper hand until Siegfried countered a strike. He was use to using a very heavy sword so he accidentally put too much force in his blow. It sent Mitsurugi flying to the crow's nest.
Cassandra looked at Siegfried as she sat down on a box near the railing. His hands were firmly on the helm and his eyes looked straight out to sea. He looked very regal.
"You look like a fine helmsman." She commented.
"Actually, I'm praying I won't get us lost."
The two chuckled at the comment. Cassandra really liked being with the knight. He had a very noble and serious air around him. He also had a fine sense of humor. As she thought about these things, a yawn suddenly came out of her. Siegfried turned to her and saw the tired look in her eyes.
"If you're tired you can go back down." He said. "I think I can handle it all here."
"No, it's okay." She replied. "It's just that I'm not use staying up this late at night."
"What did you do before all of this?" he asked.
"I was a helper in my father's bakery. I took over my sister's work when Sophitia would go around carrying out the oracles of the gods." Cassandra paused and looked at her companion. "How about you, Siegfried? How was you're life before you decided to take the burden you had before?"
Siegfried was silent for a moment. Seeing that the wind ha stopped blowing, he locked the wheel of the helm, sat down beside Cassandra and began to tell his story.
"I lived in Germany when I was a boy, in a village near the Black Forests. My father was the captain of the knights in that place. He was a good and honorable man. My mother was his childhood friend. They fell in love and got married. And then I was born. My father named me after the hero of our legends. Ever since I was young I wanted to be like my father. One day, he went on a journey and never came back. At that moment on I lost my path. I became a bad son. I gave my mother a hard time because of my ways. I was a disgrace to my father's good name. As time went on I became worse. I became a brigand, an outlaw, everything my father thought me not to become."
Siegfried paused for a moment, as if pondering if he should continue. Cassandra could clearly see the tears in his eyes.
"One day I found out that my father was dead. Because of my sorrow I went mad. I sent out to find his murderer, not knowing I would only cause pain and suffering to others. Finally I realized what I have done, but it was too late. I knew my soul was already damned. I must have taken my burden thinking I could atone for my sins."
The knight's turned around, seeming unable to face his companion.
"I'm not worthy of the name Siegfried Schtauffen. I have no right to be called the son of my father and mother. I don't even deserve to live."
Siegfried suddenly a pair of arms wrapping around his chest. He felt Cassandra laid her head on his back; her tears wetting his shirt. Her hold was tight; her sobs, barely audible.
"Don't say that." She said sorrowfully. "Don't you dare say you don't deserve to live. As long as you are alive there is still hope."
"You don't know some much pain I've caused, Cassandra." He said in a hard voice as he broke free from Cassandra's embrace. "How can you even speak words of encouragement to me?"
The question made Cassandra drop her arms. Why was she sympathizing him? Why was she so affected by his sorrow that she wanted to take it all away from him?
'Why do I even bother when he doesn't even seem to care?'
Siegfried immediately knew he made a wrong move. Here was someone who wanted to ease his plight, yet she turned her down. She wanted to help him yet he cast her away. He turned to her to speak.
"I…I…I'm sorry Cassandra. I didn't mean to say that."
"No, you're right." Cassandra said as she stood up, tears falling from her eyes. "What do I know? I've never been through what you have. I've never been through the pain of having a loved one gone in your life. I've never felt what it was like to have the person you look up to disappear with out you knowing. I've never known what it was like to go mad."
Cassandra made her way to Siegfried and put her hand on his cheeks. Her face and voice softened as she continued to speak.
"But I know deep in my heart that you are a good and kind man, Siegfried. You're soul is not damned nor are you evil. I may not know much about your religion, but I also know that you're God will forgive anyone who repents. You must not lose hope."
"I know that." Said the knight as he fell to his knees. "But the memory off all that I've done; it's just too much for me to bear."
Cassandra knelt before him and cradled his head in her arms. "Then let me bear it with you."
Siegfried was really confused. Why would she want to bear his pains with him? She hardly knew him at all.
'No one must bear this burden except me. No one must know of my secret. If she were to know it would only destroy the future she has.'
The knight broke from the embrace and looked Cassandra in the eye.
"I thank you for your concern and sympathy, milady. Alas, I cannot allow myself to share my burden with you."
She looked at him with tears flowing down her cheeks. "But why? Why won't you let me?"
He saw the tear in Cassandra's face. It pained him to see anyone cry for him, let alone her. In his mind he debated his next course of action. Should he tell her?
"I…I am…"
Before Siegfried could finish he suddenly felt something that made him stand up look out at see. There, a short distance from them was another ship. He could feel the evil aura from it. Taking the telescope Maxi gave him, he quickly scanned the ship.
Surprised by her companion's sudden change in behavior, Cassandra wiped her tears and stood up.
"Siegfried, what's wrong?"
Still scanning the ship, the knight finally spotted the helm. What he saw brought a chill down his spine.
'Cervantes.'
He quickly turned to his companion.
"Wake the others, Soul Edge approaches!"
At the helm of the reconstructed Adrian, Cervantes smiles as he closes on his prey.
'Ahoy, land lovers. Prepare to be boarded.'
