This chapter dedicated to Dragi. For reviewing!
The Minstrel's Son
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Chapter Two
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"Whoa, look … there are Elves everywhere!" Takuya whispered. "I've never seen so many in one place, I've always thought they were spread far and few, except in Astaria!"
"Well of course, silly!" Izumi tossed her golden hair, drawing eyes as she laughed. "It is an Elfish border patrol after all. Naturally there'd be Elves here."
"Oh." Takuya blushed, slightly awed at all the elegant figures surrounding them. "Uh … who are we here to see again?"
"Lord Kouji, dummy. He's in command of this patrol." She said, and turned to him as if imparting a great secret. "He's gorgeous. And he's so young, too, and he's already practically leading the Astarian government, so he's obviously really smart. Everyone just thinks he's dreamy, and he is. Even some of the guys are after him." Izumi giggled and flicked Takuya's nose. "Will you, Takuya?"
"Of course not!" Takuya scoffed, uncomfortable, and unsure why the mention of this Elf Lord he'd never met made him feel … odd. "He's probably just a big stuck-up person. Like you, maybe."
She laughed, completely unperturbed by his childish insult. "Silly boy. You'll change your fickle mind when you see him for yourself."
"Oh, I'm sure Takuya will go head over heels. He's never been one to turn down a pretty face. And from the rumors I've heard, and your account, my Lady, I'm sure he is just as you say." Asbard smirked at Takuya, who glared back at him.
"What are you implying, old man?" He threatened, then cried out in surprise as Mist tossed her head in snorting laughter, or so it seemed, and nearly unseated him. "Mist! You're going to get me killed." At this point Sorayo re-entered the scene, looking hassled.
"We're setting off for Lornin in an hour, Izumi, Lieutenant Yamato's in a foul mood so we have to be ready to move out really, really fast." She said, jumping lightly into the saddle of her bay horse. "I don't know about Lord Kouji, but then he doesn't say much, does he?"
Izumi nodded. "All right. You should go help break camp. I'll take them there." With a quick salute to each other, Sorayo departed, while Izumi waved to Takuya and Asbard to hurry.
"What's the big deal? It should be quick, right?" Takuya asked Asbard quietly.
"It depends on the Lord's mood." He muttered darkly. "And the ones with the pretty faces are always the ones with the strangest tempers."
"Lord Kouji's usually pretty fair in his dealings." Izumi said, backing up her horse and smiling at them. "You'll probably be out of here in no … time …" She trailed off and stared at the sky, with Takuya and Asbard following her gaze. "Oh, Her'lis*. It's going to storm." She flicked round, heavy drops off her arm and shrugged. "Well, the faster the better then."
"Where is this Lord Kouji's encampment, Lady?" Asbard inquired.
"Izumi. No need to be so formal." She said absently, glancing up at the now ominously gray sky worriedly. "It's … over there." She pointed at a speck on the horizon. Takuya looked at it, gauged the distance best he could, and swore.
~~~~~~ --- ~~~~~~~~~
"These are the travelers, Lord Kouji."
Takuya looked up at the Elf on his horse, seeming to tower above him. He felt insignificant, which did not help his mood any, considering he was soaked. "Hello?" He asked, hesitantly. Izumi stepped on his foot and glared meaningfully at him while the stuck-up looking blonde Elf standing beside the Lord frowned disapprovingly.
"These are the ones without papers?" He asked. The Lord still said nothing.
"Yes, Lieutenant Yamato." Said Izumi calmly. "They say they are minstrels." Asbard's jaw worked furiously.
"We are minstrels!" Takuya said, surprised. "Look at the clothing and the stuff, and all the instruments! What kind of half-witted fool would pretend to be a minstrel? There's way too much to carry." For a moment, he thought he saw the slightest shaking of the Elf Lord's shoulders and heard the softest snickering, but dismissed it as too much sun. Asbard kicked him.
"You say you are minstrels but we have no proof." Lieutenant Yamato, whom Takuya decided to dislike, said sharply. "What can you do to convince us that you are indeed what you claim? After all, many can play and dance well but are far cries from being a minstrel." Asbard fingered his small harp meaningfully.
"Settle down, please, Yamato." For the first time the Elf astride the horse spoke, and Takuya felt inexplicable shivers run down his spine at the sound of the deep but not yet fully mature voice. "Bring the boy closer, Izumi."
"Yes, my Lord, but why?" She asked, kicking Takuya when he didn't move. Takuya gritted his teeth. It seemed that the two he thought were his friends were rather eager to set their feet in motion tonight.
"I'd like to see his face." The Lord said in a placating tone. "I just sense a strange aura."
"I'm not strange." Takuya muttered, just under his breath, forgetting the acute hearing ability of all Elves. Those in attendance suppressed smirks. "Everyone else is. I'm just trying to get to Astaria so I can earn some money, but can I? No …"
"That's unfortunate." Remarked Lord – Kouji, Takuya remembered – as he swung down from his mount. By this time he was rather close to the Elf and almost jumped when unbelievably dark blue eyes stared down into his own. "Because I'm afraid I may need to keep you and your guardian a while longer."
"Why?" Takuya blurted out, knowing Asbard was too polite to say anything. "We haven't done anything wrong!"
Lord Kouji looked at him again, looking slightly irritated. "Perhaps, and perhaps not." He said coldly. Takuya instantly decided that he was going to dislike this official too.
'Acting all holier-than-thou. I'll bet he's not so great at all.'
Remembering Izumi's words ("He's dreamy."), he tried to catch a glimpse of the face beneath the hood, but only saw a flash of pale skin and soft coral lips. The rain intensified, splattering down heavily, and Kouji turned to Izumi and Yamato.
"You two. Go tell the rest that we're going to move now. Lornin is only about an hour's hard ride from here, so it should be worth it to head there to wait out the storm. Take the old one with you." They nodded and moved off, followed by a surprised and irritated Asbard, who looked back at Takuya briefly before leaving.
Takuya made to go with them, but was stopped by a hand on his arm. When he turned around, those eerie blue eyes were inches from his and this time he did jump.
"Der'nath!" He swore. "You scared me!" Belatedly remembering his manners, he added grudgingly, "My Lord."
"Take off your hat." Lord Kouji said coldly, gesturing towards the minstrel's cap perched on Takuya's brown hair. "Do it."
"Why?" Takuya asked, although he did as ordered.
"I need to see if my hunch is true." Said the Elf, and calmly removed his own hood. Takuya barely suppressed a gasp. Izumi had been right; the Elf was gorgeous. Beautiful, even. Deep blue eyes stared out of a perfectly shaped countenance, with a small straight nose and full mouth. Dark hair rimmed the white face and contrasted startlingly with the paleness of his skin, the long, elegantly pointed ears – trademark of pure Elfin blood – mere light patches in the darkness of the night.
Takuya's breath hitched as the stunning apparition moved closer, and he felt goosebumps rise on his arms. One fine hand reached out, turned his head to the side, and Takuya felt himself blushing.
'Get a grip on yourself, Takuya! Why are you reacting this way? He's just an annoying, snobbish Elf Lord with too much gold for his own good!'
Slender fingers drifted across his right ear, and his blush intensified, along with the urgent need to laugh. Unfortunately for Takuya, he had very ticklish ears. The cool touch ghosted up and then touched the tip. Takuya's shoulders shook with suppressed, nearly hysterical giggles, earning him a strange look from the Elf.
'I'm being tickled by an Elf Lord. Wait'll the guys back home hear of this.'
"Your ears are Elfish." The voice stated calmly.
"They're what?" Takuya stopped laughing and stared at the figure in front of him, not entirely certain he had heard correctly. Elfish ears?
"They're Elfish. They're distinctly shaped. Can't you see?" Which was a rather stupid comment, thought Takuya, as he obviously couldn't see his ears. "They're remarkably thin, and the shell-like shape gives it away. Yes, I think I will need to detain you a few days. That man is not your father, the minstrel, no?"
Kulodis accent, noted Takuya, the words slowly sinking into his brain. "Wait!" He suddenly realized. "If you know we're minstrels, then why didn't you let us go?"
"You're not listening, are you, boy?" The condescending tone grated on the young teen's nerves. "I'm telling you now I'm not keeping you for your lack of papers. Dozens of people without papers cross the border daily. I'm delaying you because of your Elfish lineage."
"A lot of people have a little Elf in them!" Takuya shouted, confused and angry, completely forgetting both his station and that of the Elf sedately standing before him. "What's so special about me?"
Lord Kouji's impassive expression lowered Takuya's ire somewhat, forcing him to realize that he was behaving childishly. He snapped his mouth shut and contented himself with glaring. Finally, after a long pause, the Elf said, "It is true that many people have Elfish blood. However, those with enough to have physical consequences are carefully kept record of, because then Elfish powers may also be passed on. We are required to make sure that each one is documented. Most of these part-Elves – Izumi for example – carry papers identifying them, but obviously you have none."
"What kind of rule is that?" Takuya asked, forgetting his place yet again. "It's not like part-Elves will suddenly rise up and destroy everything."
"It's an idiotic rule. But we have to follow it anyways." Takuya gaped, unsure as to if he had actually heard 'idiotic' from the stately Lord's mouth. The same mouth formed a smirk, and the young minstrel's mouth dropped some more.
"Come with me. We'll ride soon."
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"Ah, I'm soaking! Not to mention freezing, and-" Takuya was cut off in the middle of his complaint by a violent sneeze. "And I'm sure I've caught my death of cold."
"What are you, a mother hen?" Lord Kouji snapped. "Everyone else is just as wet. I'm wishing now I hadn't ridden with you, but then I have to keep an eye on you." Takuya, suitably chastised, shut his mouth. It was true that the rest of the party was also dripping, and Lord Kouji was no exception, water running in little rivulets down his face, into the collar of his shirt and over the intricate brooch fastening his cloak. Takuya's eyes traitorously followed one particular droplet as it made its way down the pale, slender neck and pooled momentarily in the hollow of the collarbone.
Luckily, Lord Kouji didn't notice his staring. Unluckily, Izumi did. Takuya cringed as he turned to see the blonde snickering into her collar, and her merrily twinkling eyes told him that he'd hear about it later.
Asbard ran towards them, breathing heavily. "Takuya! Where've you been? And look at Mist, you'd better take of her now or she'll be down with cold quicker than that!"
Takuya sighed, dismounting. Leaning in close, he muttered, "I was riding with Lord nose-in-air over there. He had to 'keep an eye on me', as if I'd run away first chance I got or something." Asbard raised an eyebrow.
"Wouldn't put it past you, boy. Now take care of that horse!" Takuya sputtered indignantly until Lord Kouji spoke again, this time on the ground and again startling him.
"Master Asbard's idea is sound, boy. That Elfish steed of yours is shivering near much as you." The elegant head inclined slightly towards Asbard. "I believe that you might do well to hurry and prepare your music, minstrel. They here get few enough visitors, and any wandering musician would do well to seize a chance for some profit." Walking off with a satisfied air, he led his own black horse to a waiting groom and headed inside, presumably to dry off and change clothes. Takuya ground his teeth in rage, water flying in random directions as he shook his head much like a dog.
"The nerve!" He groused to Izumi while he rubbed down the gray. "He tells me to go take care of my horse while I'm still soaking wet and then goes off to take a warm bath himself!"
"Which one are you talking about, Asbard or the Lord?" She asked.
"Asbard! Kou- Lord Kouji! Both!" He snapped, forgetting the honorific in his anger and bringing the brush down with unnecessary force, earning himself a light kick from the horse. Izumi grinned.
"Already pleased enough with the Lord to be calling him by his name, Takuya?" Her tone dripped false honey, a knowing smile spread across her features.
"What do you mean, 'pleased'?" He countered, eyes narrowed. "I can't stand him. I don't understand what you Elves see in him besides a pretty face. I mean, it's not like I think he's pretty, but – I, uh, it's not like he's ugly or something." His ears turned bright red and he quickly turned his head to hide his blush. He caught Mist's bridle, guiding her into the stall.
Izumi laughed. "I knew it! You'll fall for him sooner or later, Takuya, I can tell you now." Takuya shook his head violently and glared as he picked up his bag.
"Your mind is a dirty, twisted place, Izumi." He informed her.
"Oh, I know." She replied, then abruptly changed gears and asked with genuine interest, "Well, what did you really think of Lord Kouji?"
Takuya blinked at her from where he was locking the stable door. "What did I really think?"
"Yes, silly. What did you think I said?" Izumi twirled a strand of blonde hair around a finger, then dropped down from where she had been sitting on the gate. "What appraisal have you for our young Lord?"
"Well …" Takuya frowned thoughtfully. What did he really think of Lord Kouji? Although he assured himself he had every reason to dislike the haughty Elf, he couldn't deny the intense feeling that contradicted his less-than-friendly attitude towards the other. It hadn't been hatred or anything like it; had he been able to name it he might even have called it fascination. The truth was, he wanted very much to express distaste at the mere mention of 'Lord Kouji', but he felt a powerful pull to find out more about the mysterious Elf. "He's, well, interesting. I don't really know his personality yet, but from what I've seen it seems rather cold. I can't say I hate him, but it isn't as if I'm mad for him or something."
Izumi raised an eyebrow. "It certainly sounds like it at this point, Human. Haven't you ever heard that opposites attract?"
Takuya groaned. "I knew you'd bring it back to that."
"What else?"
Searching for a change of subject, Takuya suddenly remembered his sopping wet condition and hastily excused himself to dry off before catching and subsequently dying of pneumonia. Izumi waved cheerily and went off to join her fellow Elfish guard and Takuya heaved a sigh of relief.
"Well, I finally got her off my tail." He muttered, and immediately ran smack into a tall, bespectacled figure. "Oh, I'm sorry!" He looked up to find a bluish-haired young man, looking vexed and more than a little stressed. The sorry condition of the poor fellow drove Takuya's finer instincts to the front and he asked, "Can I help you?"
"Oh, if only you could." The man said, taking off his dripping wet glasses and attempting to clean them on his equally soaked shirt, succeeding only in making them more saturated. "I doubt you'll know anything about this, after I don't remember seeing you in the guard party, and I would remember a minstrel, and oh dear, what will I do if I can't find him? The Astarian consulate will probably take off my head! No, they'll take off my legs, then my arms, and feed them to someone while I'm forced to watch and then take my head! What a mess, what a mess! Where could he be?"
Takuya's mind slowly translated the last string of words, which had been delivered at what appeared to be hyperspeed, in between gasps for air. "Er, who might you be looking for?" As an afterthought, he added, "I'm Takuya."
"Dear me, pardon my rudeness." The man extended a wet palm and Takuya shook it quickly. "I'm Joe Kidou. You wouldn't happen to have caught Lord Kouji anywhere, have you? I'm his advisor."
"Lord Kouji?" Takuya said, startled.
'What is it with this guy? Does everyone work for him or what?'
"Oh, do you know him?" Joe's eyes lit up behind the foggy glasses that kept slipping down his nose. "If you could just point me in his general direction, I'd be indebted forever, truly I would."
"Well, sort of." Taking him to his word, Takuya gestured randomly towards the building he'd seen Lord Kouji disappear into and watched as the lanky man rushed across the courtyard, calling out thanks over his shoulder. He appeared more legs and arms than anything else, and Takuya had to snicker as he imagined a fat Councilor trying to eat one of the flying limbs.
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Takuya breathed out in pleasure as he sank down, in dry robes, in front of a roaring fire.
'At least we've got decent quarters.'
He had to grudgingly admit that the Elf Lord had spared no expense in accommodating his unwelcome guests and his patrol. The beds were goosefeather and the pillows were unbelievably soft. Just looking at them, in fact, made him want to fall straight asleep …
"Takuya!" Said Takuya was rudely jolted from his half-asleep state by Asbard's enthusiastic, jingling entry. Jingling? Takuya's head turned towards the sound of money, eyes wide. "Look at all I made, boy! All I had to do was sing'em a couple of old legends and my hat was full!" The rich gold coins tumbled out onto the mattress and both minstrel and apprentice-son's eyes gleamed.
"This is amazing, old man!" Takuya breathed, shifting his hands through the loot. "It's real Elfish gold!"
"Exactly!" The 'old man' grabbed up a fistful of coins and grinned. "And that's why we'll stay with them as long as they can stand!"
Takuya stared.
"What?!"
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TBC~
*Her'lin- eh. Basically Hell in their mythology. I'm a lazy explanatifier today. Kya.
Eeks. Character development! 'Bespectacled figure' is really the only way to describe Joe. Not 'guy with glasses', or 'glasses perched on nose dude', or anything like that. 'Bespectacled' is simply a Joe adjective. I don't know why. It simply fits. Its such a fussy word that it matches him. And yes, I know, he was a little overdone. But I'd be spazzing too if I couldn't find my boss and an angry Consulate had threatened me with imminent death if I couldn't have him within the week.
Well then. That was the second chapter. I know it was miserably short (ten pages in print, six in web), but please bear with me while I work out the plot. The next chapter might take longer – ok, it definitely will take longer, but then again, this one was half-written when I posted the first. Meow! Please review. Please please please!
REVIEW!!
Also, to my single reviewer:
Dragi: Hey, thanks for reviewing! It makes me happy. Like this … :D :D :D. Anyways. I suppose this chapter is dedicated to you then. See, it's good to be the first/only reviewer. I'm not bitter. Never! Well, hope this helps to draw you into the story a bit?
Basic preview of Ch. 3:
Kuya gets papers declaring him an official Half-Elf! Now we can no longer call him a Human. And Half-Elf sucks to type! Oh well. Little to sacrifice for advance of plot, ne? More friction occurs between our bishies. More characters are introduced in true Digimon confusing pot-o-people style. Namely, randomly! Huzzas.
So then they head for Astaria. Naturally, Asbard deciding that the Elves pay him real well for singing a coupla legend songs (possible explication?!) will tag along 'under protection' and Kuya, poor soul, is dragged off too. More dealing with Izumi's fangirl-ness and Kouji's stick-up-ass-ness. More huzzaing!
Um … yeah. Huge PIP here. Really. I'm trying to shove Takuya into the Council somehow, but I need a way to figure it out. I may have him temporarily represent Centris (where he comes from) after something happens to the original delegate … yesss ..ss … evil plots underway!!! MWAhahaHAwaHAHA*koff*ha.
~Lokogato-sama
