Candle in the window

Advice is a form of nastalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, and presenting it for more than what it's worth.

Chapter 13

Kai-Stern walked through the halls of the castle occasionally

touching the stone that made up the walls. Cold and lifeless bricks given life by the mason, architect and finally the inhabitants. These walls were once a safe harbor of feelings that bounced back and forth, refreshing the heart. Now... Kai-Stern walked through a side door and onto the steps, knowing Tetheus wanted him to stay under the watchful eyes of

the guards.

A humming came from the garden path, coming closer he heard the

foot steps. The water dragon knight brushed golden locks behind

his ear. He was carrying a bouquet of flowers, beautifully

arranged so that every color and shape accented the others.

Blue eyes noticed the blue dragon officer. The former elf

smiled and came closer.

"Good day Kai-Stern." Rune nodded. "How are you feeling today?"

"Fine, uh, that tune," the albino asked, "where did you learn

it?"

"Tune?" blue eyes blinked. "I believe I first heard Lord

Lykouleon singing it, but Lady Raseleane was the one to teach

it to me. It's beautiful isn't it? It's about..."

"It's a sad song." Kai-Stern told him.

"I suppose so." Rune frowned, "But," he smiled, "Even though

it's about sadness and loss the song never refers to giving up.

There's a verse, hmm, which is it?" he touched his chin.

"Yes," the dragon knight of water remembered. "'And the sun, it

rose in the distance, above the heather hill.'" He sang the

piece beautifully, like silver bells on the summer breeze.

"'And the highway man goes riding, riding, riding.'" Lovely.

"You see? Even after the sorrow, the sun rises and people move

on. That's the way of life."

"Hope." The secretary of foreign affairs muttered.

"I think so too." The golden haired knight smiled.

"Rune?" Kai-Stern asked. The former elf seemed to have a fresh

prospective, perhaps his advice would be worth merit.

"Yes?"

"If you care about someone, you'd tell them wouldn't you?"

"Hmm." Rune was always reliable to answer a question to the

best of his ability, "I guess it's hard to translate feelings

into words but, I would try to convey my feelings some how.

Why?"

"Just curious." Light yellow eyes looked away.

"Oh, Well," he nodded, "If you'll excuse me."

"Of course." The frosty haired dragon stepped out of his way.

The water dragon knight walked up the steps, humming. The blue

dragon officer stood in the sun light for several minutes

thinking, but not really concentrating. The heart doesn't

think, it feels. That's why it's so impossible to concentrate

on problems of the heart.

//What if it's true? What if something happened to me that I

can't control myself? Could I hurt someone? Could I hurt

Lykouleon, even if I...//

"Kai-Stern!" Rath's voice was a plaintive whine irrupted from

his left. The albino had just enough time to turn around before

he was hugged by the fire dragon knight.

"Rath? What's wrong?" The blue dragon officer touched the boy's

black hair with the hand that wasn't pinned in the sudden

embrace.

"They took my sword and fire won't help me get another one."

Rath's red eyes looked teary. The little elemental dragon held

up a sign: [That would be stealing]

"Well if you're asking me to get you one, it's out of the question." Kai-Stern stood his ground although he was grateful

for the distractions of the mundane. The albino smiled, messing up the fire dragon knight's hair. "I'm not a child, don't pat me on the head like I'm one."

"Hai, Hai." He waved his hand.

"Don't blow me off like that. Quit it or I'll sick Crewger on

you." Rath jumped back and pointed at the large white beast who

promptly licked his fingers. "Crewger?!" He stomped his foot.

"You're supposed to growl ferociously." The teen leaned down, his hands at his hips and frowning. The ice hound jumped up putting his paws on the young man's shoulders and licking his face. "Ah, stop it! You guys are all jerks!"

The fire dragon knight fell back as the animal continued to

lick his face. He complained as he hid behind crossed arms.

That didn't stop Crewger, the ice hound licked his fingers and

started chewing on his sleeve. Kai-Stern burst out laughing.

With all the stress of these past days, this was a welcome

relief. Red eyes blinked as the dragon, hound and knight all

looked at him, confused. The albino just kept laughing.

"Glad to see you're feeling better." Ruwalk's voice came from

the vaulted veranda.

"Did you bring me a sword?" Rath zoomed over to the brown and

red haired officer. His red eyes sparkled with hope and

admiration.

"No." He guarded his brown eyes from the volley of sparkles.

"Ah." The fire dragon knight kicked the dirt in defeat.

"What's up?" Kai-stern took off his thin glasses to clean them

with a white handkerchief.

"Are you free?" Ruwalk asked.

"Lately," the light yellow eyed officer shrugged. "Always."

"I wanted to ask you a favor." the yellow dragon officer told

him. "It's about Lord Lykouleon."

"Boring!" The dark haired boy with a lick of white in his bangs

announced before he stomped away, indignantly. The fellow

officers watched the boy leave before looking at each other.

What's his problem?

"What kind of favor?" The albino slipped his glasses in his

pocket and pulled out a cigarette.

"Could you talk to him for me?" The brown and red haired dragon

approached his fellow officer. "I've been trying to be patient,

but...He's not eating very much lately. I'm starting to worry."

"Hm." Kai-Stern lit his cigarette between his lips and let out

a heavy breath with a gray puff of smoke. Pinching the white

cancer stick between his middle and forefinger, he focused on

his companion. "So, he hasn't said anything?"

"Not a word." Ruwalk shook his dark locks. "He just smiles and

fakes that everything is fine. It's like he's...I don't know,

waiting for something." his eye brows knotted in confusion.

"Like what?"

"That's what I want you to ask him about."

"But you're his old friend or something aren't you?" the blue

dragon officer took another breath from the cigarette.

"There are certain things you discuss with certain people." The

yellow dragon officer explained. "There are just some things he

can't talk to me about. Understand?"

Kai-Stern nodded. He understood too well what it means to only

share so much with the ones you trust. The blue dragon officer

smoked another inch of the paper wrapped weeds before he put it

out. The secretary of foreign affairs would take this

responsibility.

It was probably his fault anyway. Kai-Stern would never tell

Ruwalk that, it was really non of his business. He forced a

kiss on his Lord and despite his efforts, he was still hurting

that honorable dragon. The albino officer hoped that avoiding

his lord would help him forget that it even happened, however,

a deep part of the light yellow eyed dragon didn't want him to

forget.