Hey, Legault's finally here! I like the way I portrayed him...
Flaming Soul: Thanks for your review!
Spectral Flame: That paranoia is intentional, if you haven't noticed. That's what you're like when you're in love, and you're not sure whether the other person loves you back. You overanalyze everything the other person does :P
Dreamer of Riddles: Thanks for your review!
Hamano Ayumi: I know all about the supports, but thanks for your offer :)
Fury: Thanks for your review!
May: Thanks for your review!
Jeanie: I know Legault's not that old, but he struck me as someone in his late 20's, so that would make Lyn ten years younger than him. That qualifies as "many more years" for me :P
Lemurian 04: Thanks for your review!
hyliansage (x4!!): Uh...wow. You wrote too much for me to respond to everything, sorry. XD
MagicianFairy: Aesha will be included eventually. How she will be included...well, you'll have to wait to find that one out.
The Blazing Blade: I put so much effort into this story that I don't sleep, that's how! :P Thanks for your review!
BlackEmerald: Thanks for your review!
Seproth: Thanks for your review!
Emerald-Latias: Thanks for your review!
Firelien: I actually haven't started writing my Kent/Fiora story, but I have several ideas planned. Like I said, I've had too much schoolwork recently to really be able to focus on two stories at once. I think you'll have to wait until this is finished :/
timmycheese: Unfortunately, I don't think there's anyone to pair her with, lol. I support Hector/Florina, and I hate Lyn/Rath, so...who else is there?
Gigantor04: Um...ok. That whole review still struck me as really weird though :P
Ragnarok-legend: Thanks for your review!
Inferno-Hero: Thanks for your review!
FireEdge: Thanks for your review!
littlefreeze: Thanks for your review!
Poyo: Well, I've fulfilled your first request, but the second...I don't think I can do that ;)
TrisRika: Thanks for your review!
Oswin the Nino Fan: Why do you think Nino's acting "weird" around Matthew? That's how I would expect her to act...
gentleness28: Oh yes, the request...well, I think you probably already know what it is, but if you could, maybe you could draw a Jaffar/Nino pic? (what else would it be? :P)
Dark: I did make Jaffar a "hide-his-emotions" type. That doesn't mean he can't think about emotions though :P
Nocturna-Fire-Demoness (x3!): Haha, you're not the only person who's in shock that I'm male. I can't tell you how many times people assumed I was a girl when I first started writing here :P
Ryst: Good, you think Lyn's in character :D I was rather unsure of that at first...
Onward to...
Chapter Fourteen
First Step
It was strange, Jaffar thought as the army left the manse and began its march towards the Shrine of Seals, that not only did he not know anything about love, but he was also unsure as to whether or not he wanted to be in love with Nino. The emotions he had felt the previous day, the feelings that he had speculated might be what he wanted to know about, had certainly been pleasant, and if they were love then such an emotion would be desirable in his eyes. But, he wondered, was this search perhaps not really worth it? Could it be that when he discovered how love felt, it would turn out that it was not an emotion he wanted to experience?
He thought back to the reason that he was attempting to learn about this emotion in the first place: Lyn's question. He was not doing this, he reminded himself, because he wanted to love the girl. He simply wanted an answer to the question of whether or not he loved the young mage. He had no idea of what repercussions the answer would have, but that mattered little to him. He just wanted to know...
His thoughts strayed back to the young mage herself; his gaze slowly turned towards the green-haired girl walking alongside him as the army marched towards its goal over the flat plains on the borders of Sacae and Bern. The warm, sunny day seemed to brighten her mood, if that was possible considering her normally bubbly personality. In just one afternoon, with Rebecca's help, Nino had made friends with what seemed to be every female member of the army. As the battalion marched onwards, the young mage was almost constantly chatting with at least one girl (sometimes more), laughing and seeming to forget the seriousness of the battle she would eventually have to take part in.
But Nino seemed to make a point of staying beside the assassin, which was a good thing. After thinking about the events of the past few days, Jaffar had realized that his initial desire to protect Nino had gone beyond just protection and had extended itself to include a desire to see her happy as well. It was as though her emotions were contagious; he had felt miserable when she was saddened, felt warm inside when she was delighted. Now, as she smiled brightly, he felt exceptionally good—which brought back the original question of whether or not he loved her.
It was a never-ending cycle.
Jaffar knew that cycle might end, though, when he spoke with Legault. He had caught sight of the slippery thief early in the day, as the army was preparing to march. The thief wore a dark-blue shirt, pants, and cape, the attire any thief might wear to avoid detection while still being able to move easily. He also had a bandana of the same color tied over his long, light-purple hair. He seemed to grin constantly, and his blue eyes, over one of which two long scars traveled, always held a mischievous glint.
The problem was not Jaffar's ability to speak with the thief, but his ability to speak with Legault privately. He had a horror of Nino finding out about his conversation with the thief; like with his desire to ask someone about his feelings, he knew that his discussion of love would only make the young mage feel extremely awkward and embarrassed, and he didn't want that. But he couldn't risk talking to Legault while the army was marching, even if the young mage was not nearby—she had friends, and her friends might overhear and tell her what they heard. Above all, he wanted his conversation with Legault to remain a secret.
He again looked over at Nino. For once, the green-haired girl was not talking with anyone, though that fact did not seem to disappoint her in the least. Catching Jaffar's gaze, she smiled warmly up at the assassin, saying nothing, seemingly content with just his presence.
As warmth flooded him, Jaffar marveled at how just the sight of Nino's smile could trigger so many emotions within him, while at the same time raising so many confusing questions.
Do you love her?
-----
It was not until the army had finished marching for the day and the camp had been set up that Jaffar knew he would be able to speak with Legault privately. After they had set up their tent, Jaffar had informed Nino of Canas's offer to speak with her. She had been instantly delighted at such a prospect, and was about to rush off to the shaman's tent, when Jaffar had stopped her.
"Why are you speaking with him?" he had asked. Like what had happened the previous day, the notion that Nino desired to spend time with others hurt him. He had supposed earlier in the day that the girl deserved to have other friends—after all, he couldn't exactly provide her with any female companionship—and spending time with them was understandable. But why would she wish to see Canas, of all people?
She had answered with a smile. "He's teaching me how to read."
Her answer had certainly surprised the assassin. "You...don't know how?" he had asked, somewhat incredulous. Surely Sonia, although she despised the girl, would have taught Nino how to read at some point...
The young mage's gaze fell the tiniest bit. "Well...no, not really," she had answered slowly.
"Then how can you use magic so well?"
She had blushed a little then, obviously pleased at Jaffar's compliment of her skill. "Well..." she had answered, "I watched what my mo—Sonia did, and then I just copied her. I didn't really expect anything to happen, though. I was pretty surprised."
Jaffar knew little of the ways of magic, but he had never thought that someone who was unable to read would be able to unleash such power as Nino had with her Fimbulvetr spell.
For the first time in a long while, the Angel of Death had been impressed.
"Very well then."
Now, as he stood alone outside his tent, with only the moon's light and the campfire illuminating the army's camp, he decided that this was the best time to speak to Legault.
Noticing some silhouettes around the campfire, Jaffar began to walk towards the center of the camp, so that he might ask someone which tent Legault was staying in. He supposed he could have just asked Nino, since Canas and Legault were tent-mates, but no—Nino could not know of this conversation, he reminded himself.
The assassin neared the campfire, but then quite suddenly he noticed that two of the silhouettes around the campfire belonged to an embracing Eliwood and Ninian, and he quickly turned away. He didn't want to think about them...
But as he gazed about the camp, Jaffar noticed that there was nobody else outside their tents, and therefore nobody else he could ask about Legault's whereabouts.
So, clenching his jaw, he turned back to the campfire, to the love-struck pair. The two of them held each other gently, their heads close together...the sight of them sickening the assassin. Why did they know about love...
"Eliwood," Jaffar muttered forcefully as he approached the campfire, trying his best not to look at the two lovers.
Both Eliwood and Ninian raised their heads at Jaffar's voice, the latter of which seemingly saddened by the disruption of the peaceful moment. "Jaffar?" Eliwood asked in reply. "What is it?"
"I need to know where Legault is staying," he declared quickly, intent on getting this conversation over with as quickly as possible.
"Oh." The red-haired lord looked about the camp for a moment, before pointing at one of the tents. "I think he's in that tent," he replied.
"Thank you," Jaffar responded, and walked away without another word.
Why were they so lucky?
-----
Jaffar opened the front flap of the tent quickly, expecting to see Legault inside, but he was quickly disappointed. The only people in the tent were Canas and Nino, both of which were poring over a book laid on the ground as the former showed the latter the meaning of the letters on the pages.
The assassin was instantly filled with frustration. The thief had managed to evade him again!
"Where's Legault?" Jaffar demanded, causing both Canas and Nino to jump.
Noticing who it was, the green-haired girl giggled a little. "He just went looking for you," she informed the assassin, clearly amused by this development. "I bet he's in our tent right now."
"Yes, probably," Canas added, also slightly amused. "I told him you were looking for him, and he set off to find you at once."
The frustration left him quickly. Now, at least, he knew where the thief was. "All right," he replied.
He let the flap fall back into place, and turned around—only to find Legault's grinning face staring right back at him.
"Well, the Angel of Death," the thief said casually, as if Jaffar was just any other normal person. "I've not seen you in some time."
"Hurricane..." the Angel of Death replied, clenching his jaw in anger. It seemed to him as though Legault was enjoying the fact that Jaffar had had to chase after him.
"Canas informed me that you wished to speak with me," the purple-haired man said, inspecting his fingernails and seemingly not caring a whit about whom he was speaking with. "I can't fathom what for, though."
Jaffar let out a breath, recognizing the thief's usual relaxed tone of voice. He had heard that the Hurricane had always been a bit eccentric. "I need to speak with you privately," he declared flatly.
That apparently got the thief's attention, as he raised his head in surprise. "Oh?" he asked in response. "Very well then. Where do you propose we talk?"
Jaffar wordlessly started back towards the tent he shared with Nino. Legault followed just as silently.
-----
"The Black Fang's finished, isn't it," Legault said, serious for once, as he sat opposite Jaffar in the lantern-lit tent. "The commander's dead, the Four Fangs have disappeared." Then, quite suddenly, he fixed Jaffar with an intense gaze. "How does that make you feel, Angel of Death?" he asked.
Jaffar only stared back silently, wondering what the point of Legault's question was.
"Well, there's just no point in talking to you, is there?" Legault went on when he noticed the assassin's silence. "It's just like your friend Sonia said: you truly are soulless."
"She's not my friend," Jaffar declared vehemently. He despised Sonia, and wanted nothing to do with her, even though she no longer lived.
"No, I suppose she wouldn't be," the thief responded, half to himself, his voice taking on his usual relaxed tone again. "After all, an assassin has no friends, only temporary acquaintances. Isn't that right?"
The assassin only stared back silently.
"I suppose this conversation is leading nowhere," Legault casually went on, inspecting his fingernails for the umpteenth time. "Very well. What did you wish to speak with me about?"
Jaffar got straight to the point. "What does love feel like?" he asked flatly.
That certainly surprised the thief. He abruptly looked up at Jaffar, his eyes wide. "Excuse me?!" he asked, clearly unable to believe what he had just heard.
"What does love feel like?" Jaffar repeated.
Legault's eyes widened even more, if that was possible. Then, quite suddenly, an amused grin appeared on his face, and he began to laugh. It was as though Jaffar's question was so incredible as to be amusing to him.
Jaffar took a deep breath, staying silent. What was so funny? This was a serious matter to him!
"Is this your idea of a joke, Angel of Death?" Legault asked after he had calmed down, still clearly incredulous. "I wasn't aware you had a sense of humor."
Jaffar only stared back silently, intently at the thief.
Legault's eyes widened again. "My, you're serious about this, aren't you?" he asked. Then, unexpectedly, his expression became grim. "Put it out of your mind. There's no way someone like you would ever hope to understand."
"Why not?" Jaffar demanded heatedly. He wasn't about to be turned away from his answer. Not when he had been searching so intently!
Legault let out a snort of disbelief. "Why not? You're an assassin, Angel of Death! Love could never have any meaning to you."
"I am no longer an assassin," Jaffar declared vehemently. "I am no longer the Black Fang's killing engine."
"And I'm the queen of Bern," Legault countered sarcastically. "To you, the only thing about me that matters is whether you can kill me or not." When Jaffar tried to protest, the thief went on, "You know my strength. You know how I fight. But you don't know me, Angel of Death. What I like, what I dislike, the kind of life I've lived up to now...to you, to any assassin, it's just useless information. That is why you can never hope to understand love. Honestly, I don't see why you wish to understand in the first place."
And with that, he got up, and walked toward the front of the tent.
"I told you, I am no longer an assassin," Jaffar tried to stop him, getting up angrily. "Why will you not just tell me?"
Legault turned his head, a solemn glint now in his eyes. "Do you know of the stories they used to tell about you?" he asked. "They say there were countless corpses stacked upon one another. And there, atop the bodies, they found a lone child sleeping. You." He turned back towards the front of the tent. "Angel of Death..." he said softly. "It is the perfect name for you. You are death incarnate. You feel nothing, fear nothing, desire nothing. You kill, and nothing more." He sighed, a hint of sadness unexplainably creeping into his voice as his head turned towards Jaffar again. "You say you have changed, but the ways of death will never leave you. Do you understand now? That is why love cannot have any meaning for you."
And he walked out of the tent without another word.
But Jaffar stood there silently, staring ahead angrily, refusing to believe what Legault had told him. He had changed! Why would Legault not believe him? Why couldn't Legault just tell him how love felt?
-----
Jaffar was still seething when Nino returned. He had refused to give up so easily; he would find a way to get Legault to tell him what he sought. Sooner or later, he would know. He didn't care what he had to do, as long as Legault would tell him...
But the sight of Nino struck a sudden fear into him. She stared at him, clearly concerned, and Jaffar wondered whether she could tell what he was thinking about. He had resolved to keep his conversation secret, but had Legault gone back to his tent only to tell Nino what they had spoken of?
"Jaffar?" she asked softly, slowly. "Is...is everything all right?"
Of course everything wasn't all right! But he couldn't tell her that. He closed his eyes, turning away from her. He couldn't tell her, couldn't tell her...
"Jaffar..." she whispered sadly.
He turned his head back towards hers at the sound of her voice, opening his eyes.
Couldn't tell her...
And then, quite suddenly, an overpowering emotion hit him. He was suddenly filled with the overwhelming desire to tell her everything. He wanted to tell her about his feelings, about his confusion, about everything she had done for him...more than anything, he wanted to hold her close, to let her warmth soothe him, just as it had so many times before...
And before he could restrain himself, before he could tell himself he couldn't, he had stepped forward and thrown his arms around her small figure.
She only gave a tiny squeak of surprise before she returned the embrace.
He said nothing, had reminded himself that he couldn't tell her about his conversation with Legault. He merely let her little body warm him, comfort him...
She somehow sensed his discontent, even though he did not voice or show it; she closed her eyes and whispered soothing words in his ear. It was all right, her voice told him. She didn't know what was the matter, but it would be all right, everything would be all right...
And then it was over. The embrace could not have lasted more than a few moments, but for Jaffar, it was as though all of his problems had been wiped away. His frustration with Legault was suddenly nonexistent. His confusion about love was still there, but for the moment it had diminished to almost nothing.
Nino's cheeks were red, but she was smiling, the happiest that Jaffar had ever seen her—that alone multiplied his delight tenfold. She looked up at Jaffar, seeming to understand everything, even though he had said nothing. And he, in turn, understood what her gaze meant, even though she had not spoken.
Wordlessly, with an almost delirium-inducing warmth coursing through him, he lay down on his bedroll, while Nino silently did the same, turning out the lantern.
His confusion about love, his issues with Legault...they could all wait until tomorrow, he thought. For now...he still might not be sure if he was feeling love, but he was quickly becoming more and more certain.
Wow. What a way to end the chapter! I myself am still not sure how I thought of that.
So...what did you guys think? Is Legault in character? Did the scene at the end seem realistic? Please tell me! I really like the way I did this chapter, but I always want to improve :)
Please review!!!
-TheOneAndOnlyT