Disclaimer: I'll say it once, and I'll say it a fourth time... I, sadly, do
not own Suikoden. *sigh* But what I'd GIVE to own Ace! *drools*
A/N: I am -so- very sorry that this took so long... and it's probably not even worth the wait. As I said in Chapter Three, this chapter was absolutely EVIL to write. EVIL! So the end result is that this is the worst chapter as of yet, and it took the longest. *grumble grumble* -_-
* * *
Chapter Four
* * *
I once heard someone say that it is important to live life to it's fullest.
But what if it's not possible?
I will watch my friends die, just as I watched my own father die.
I wish I were stronger. Then I could abandon this place entirely, and escape the ultimate death of all whom I care for.
And even if I tried, took a chance, acted on the feelings that have been building in my heart for years, I would only hurt him. I cannot watch him die. If I begin to sever my ties, remove myself from my friends, then perhaps I will survive -their- deaths. Perhaps I could bring myself to leave before it happens.
I have not seen the future as the former flame champion did. I have not seen the inheritor of this rune. He gave his life for Sana, but his methods are secrets that I do not know. If I were stronger, I would know what to do.
If I were stronger.
But I am afraid.
If I showed him what I felt, and lived on while he died... I would not be able to bear it.
The hug was just friendly, just a reassurance between friends.
It was cold outside, and it was warmth.
It was just between friends.
I can control myself.
It was only between friends.
~
...Was it?
*
Chris spun slowly around, putting a vacant grin on her face. She prayed to the Goddess that her disguise would fool Borus. It was the ultimate test. "Can I help you, sir?"
Borus silently looked at her for a moment. Something was so... familiar about the dark-haired waitress before him. Although her eyes were definitely the wrong colour. He stumbled over his thoughts before remembering what he had meant to say. "...Could I have another ale, please?"
Chris mentally sighed in relief. He had looked as if he were going to say something completely different. "Just a moment... s- sir." Chris whirled away from the table, hoping and praying that Borus had not seen the brilliant red on her cheeks.
This was not turning out as she hoped.
Chris had just walked into the kitchens when she bumped into Lucy heading in the opposite direction. "Oh! Lucy!" The other woman turned around quickly, a tray with a bowl of stew balanced on her palm.
"Yep?"
"Could you do me a favor?"
Lucy smiled. "Sure!"
"What table is that going to?"
"Umm... that one over there." She pointed with her free hand to a table in the entrance room, where a man in grey sat alone at a table.
"Great!" Chris edged closer to the tray Lucy has holding. "I'll take this," Chris gestured to the other woman's tray. "...and you serve THAT man his ale." Lucy glanced at the man her friend spoke of, and Chris watched Lucy's amber eyes light up with recognition.
"Oh, HIM! Sir Borus!" Lucy whipped her tray away from Chris, and smiled mischievously. "Oh no you don't. You're just shy, aren't you?" Chris tried to protest, but was completely ignored. "I think you should get to know him!"
"NO, I don't think s-"
"Yes, yes, you will. Go fetch the ale." When Chris didn't move, she glared. "Now." Chris sighed and hurriedly obeyed. The usually cheerful Lucy wasn't looking too cheerful: she was beginning to verge on menacing.
When Chris returned, tray and mug of cold ale in hand, Lucy grinned and ushered the other women out of the kitchens, in Borus' direction.
"No no no no no..." Chris muttered and tried to head back into the kitchen, but Lucy wasn't hearing any of it. "Lucy!" Chris pleaded quietly. "I CAN'T. Please, I'll take the Entrance Room, and you can take the Fireplace Room instead!"
"Nope." Lucy casually grinned at a customer as they passed. Chris looked to make sure Borus wasn't looking in their direction, and spun around roughly to face the other waitress, nearly losing the mug of ale in the process. She ignored a glare from a patron, and confronted Lucy.
"I am NOT facing him again."
Lucy merely grinned. "Yes you are. You don't LOOK like the shy type... but you'll get over it soon enough."
"No! I'm not shy, it's just that-"
"He's Sir Borus!"
"Precisely!"
"Oh! So you're just star-struck!"
"NO!"
"Oh, we'll fix that soon enough."
"Lucy... please!" Lucy ignored Chris' pleas, and shoved her towards Borus with her hip.
"Go." Chris was VERY thankful that Borus' back was to them, but they were too close to him now to protest any further. Chris pasted a smile on her face as she approached the table, and placed Borus' drink on the pine tabletop. She turned as if to walk away again, but Lucy interrupted.
"It's not too busy tonight... Ria, you should sit down, and chat a little with Sir Borus." Chris' eyes widened in horror as she shook her head.
"No, I don-"
"Yes, why don't you? I don't think I've met you before..." Chris noticed through a growing fog of nervousness and dread that Borus put emphasis on the word 'think.' She silently swore to herself.
"I cannot leave Lucy to serve the whole place by herse-"
"Nonsense. I am perfectly capable." Lucy ignored Chris' feeble protests, and pulled out the chair across from Borus.
"But the place is fairly bus-"
"No, it's not. I've been working here for two years. I know how to deal with the situation. I would be ashamed if I didn't!" Lucy glared. "Now SIT."
"...So you're... Ria?" Chris just nodded dumbly as she was roughly pushed into the chair by Lucy. "I'm Borus, as I think Lucy has already mentioned." Chris was drowning in dread as he smiled at her.
'He'll recognize me... He'll recognize me... He'll recognize me...'
His brown eyes were searching her face. "So, where are you from?" He was -sure- he knew her from somewhere.
"T-Tinto. I was born here, but we moved when I was five." Chris didn't even notice the error in her lie.
"Oh, so you probably wouldn't remember much about Vinay del Zexay..."
"No, I do." She hastily added. "We've visited every so often, so I know my way around." Borus just nodded, and took a gulp of his drink.
"So you haven't been at this inn for long." Chris just nodded, and tucked a stray strand of mahogany hair behind her ear. She had bound her hair differently from her usual style, and was thanking the Goddess that she had remembered to do so. "Are you sure I haven't met you before?"
Chris nodded confidently, although she couldn't quite bring herself to meet his eyes. "Positive."
Borus nodded absently, trying to scrounge up a memory of her, trying to reason out where he could have met her before. Perhaps he had just run into her at one point in Vinay del Zexay.
But she seemed so much more familiar than that.
*
Two hours later, the awkward conversation had grown into a chat between friends rather than a discussion between strangers. Borus was sure he knew the woman. Chris was trying to remind herself that she -didn't- know the man.
Well, RIA didn't.
*
"Friday night's a busy night, and You, sir, are distracting my employee." The large innkeeper had abandoned his post at his desk to approach Borus and Ria, who had been chatting animatedly at a table in the Entrance Room. He noticed Ria whisk off to serve another patron when she spotted him drawing near, and he smiled slightly at the blonde knight. Borus grinned impishly at the aged man.
"Is that such a bad thing?"
"Go elsewhere ta bother her." Borus raised an eyebrow. "Take her ta the market on Port Avenue. Her day off is Sunday." He paused, and Borus missed the mischevious glint in the older man's eyes. "Not tammorrow, but the next day, ya know." Borus raised his eyebrows at the innkeeper's jab at his intelligence, ready to protest fiercely.
"...Take who to what market?" Chris poked her head into the conversation as she passed, a grey rag in hand to wipe down a table. Borus deflated, his anger abandoned.
"You, milady." The innkeeper began.
"How about it? On Sunday?" Borus spoke over the innkeeper's rough voice. Chris nodded, smiling.
"I thought you'd like it n'all... seeing as you moved when ya'were just seven." He smiled reluctantly at his employee. "See the old sights, n'all."
Borus opened his mouth to agree when he realized what the large innkeeper had just said. "Seven? ...I thought you said you were five?" Both men looked at Chris questioningly. She desperately wished that she had ignored the urge to partake in this particular conversation.
"I- Well- I was young, and, well, don't err, remember exactly. Around that range somewhere... Five to seven..." She trailed off, and smiled nervously. Acting was NOT her talent. "Heh, well, I should go... back. Back." She avoided Borus' questioning eyes, turned tail and fled into the kitchens, leaving the light wooden kitchen door swinging emptily behind her.
"It's just a perfectly honest mistake..." Borus began, not sounding entirely convinced.
"This is an Inn, m'boy. She certainly isn't the first person to come here with secrets in her pack." The innkeeper abandoned Borus to keep vigil at his desk once again, completely ignoring the knight. He pulled out his notebook and resumed work on the never-ending daily tallies. "...And she certainly won't be the last."
Borus glared slightly at the Innkeeper's back before he shrugged and turned, heading for the back door which led to the stables.
He crossed the night-blackened gravel of the wide lane that led, through an alley beside the inn, out to the main street and let himself into the dimly- lit stables. "Hello?" He heard a rustling then a loud clang and clatter as a boy launched himself out of what appeared to be the tack room. Borus grinned slightly at the new stable-hand.
"Hu- hullo sir." The boy yawned. "How can I help you?"
"I'm on my way now, so I'll ju-"
"Is YOURS the white one, sir?" The boy's eyes were wide. "It's such a beautiful horse, and I've been thinkin' that it MUST belong to a knight or a nobleman or a noblewoman or a king or a queen or a princess or a pri-"
"No," Borus gently interrupted the boy. "I'm afraid that it isn't my horse." Borus saw the boy's crestfallen look, and hastily added. "I apologize, but I'm sure you'll meet the owner soon enough... Speaking of this white beauty, where is it? ...May I see- you've got me quite curious now!"
The boy nodded and grinned eagerly before he launched himself towards a large stall. "Oh, this'a one, sir!" Borus scrutinized the pale mare before him.
"Has Lady Chris been here?" Many a person could have a horse such as this... but this mare just seemed so familiar.
"N-n-n-no Sir! Not that I know of, sir!"
"Hmm." Borus nodded curtly and moved on towards his own horse.
'The white horse could be anyone's.' He led his chestnut gelding past the mysterious horse's stall.
'Chris isn't the only one in the world who possesses a silver mare.'
*
Anna strode through the front door of the Knight and Squire Inn, and thumped some potch on the Innkeepers desk. "A room for three nights, please."
"Your name?"
"Beth." The scrawny old innkeeper bobbed his head, and retrieved a key from a drawer in his desk. The woman did not look very cheerful.
"This way, milady."
Anna nodded brusquely, and followed the spindly man up the stairs. She took the key from his once he showed he which room was hers, let herself in and closed the door in the old man's face without another word.
Chris was making things difficult for her, and Anna was -not- pleased about it.
She had followed the woman from the Lightfellow residence, and had discovered that the "Silver Maiden" was now going under the name "Ria Marmor," and that the woman had somehow changed her appearance.
Anna's plan was perfect until the younger woman decided that she would get friendly with the blonde knight and get a job at the inn.
Anna shrugged as she removed her cloak and threw it on a small wooden chair. She then detached her bow and quiver from her back, where they had been hiding from prying eyes.
Her arrangement would still work. 'The Knight and Squire' was just three blocks down from the Dancing Dragon Inn: very strategically placed.
Borus and the 'Dancing Dragon' were just small complications.
The arrangement would still work.
Sitting down on the wood floor, she fastidiously began to polish her bow.
*
"Have you ever visited the market?" Borus grinned at Chris as she nodded. It was late Sunday morning, and the two were just passing the Lightfellow residence on their way to the market. Chris tried to avert her eyes from her house.
"Only a couple times, but when I was younger." She went as if to turn left. Borus stopped, raising an eyebrow as she stalled, and turned to look at him.
"Where -are- you going?"
"Errr... Isn't this the route?" Chris couldn't hide the flush of embarrassment creeping into her cheeks. She had turned automatically, moving as if to take her normal route to the market. She preferred her detour, as it allowed her to avoid the crowds of Port Avenue.
"It can be, but -this- is a more interesting route for a visitor." He gestured towards the straight path he had been taking and looked at her for a moment before smiling. She hurriedly joined him as they walked down towards the shore in silence.
Borus grinned as they drew near to the crowd on the sea-side road. The city always felt so alive when there were this many people enjoying the salty air and cool spring breeze in the marketplace.
The crowd of people was enormous once they reached the area where the market booths were assembled and Borus grabbed Ria's hand as he dragged her into the throng. He looked over his shoulder at her face as they pushed through the mass of people, heading for the first stall. She was grinning, and he found the action to be quite contagious.
He couldn't deny that she looked like Chris.
But there were so many uncertainties... Her dark hair and blue eyes for one.
They stopped briefly at a Calerian Merchant's stall, and then continued on.
Chris pushed past a chestnut-haired woman, laughing an apology over her shoulder as Borus pulled her farther into the crowd. For once she was a member of the crowd, instead of the object of one.
It felt nice.
"Oh! Borus, wait! We missed one!" Chris pulled Borus' hand, and directed him over to a duck's booth.
"Could I offer you two some Soy Sauce, quack?" The duck smiled a ducky-grin at the pair, while Borus eyed the Grasslander merchant with suspicion. "How about some of these, miss?" The duck gestured with a white wing to some tiny seedlings. "They're on sale: Just for today, quack!" Chris recognized the seedlings as young versions of the towering water plants in Duck Village.
"Umm, no thank you." Chris smiled at the duck before moving on to the next stall, dragging Borus by the hand.
She found herself surprisingly reluctant to release it.
*
They sat on one of the cushioned benches before the fire, content in their silence after their day in downtown Vinay del Zexay. Chris found herself leaning against Borus' shoulder, his arm draped comfortably around her waist. She closed her eyes, half asleep, lulled by Borus' breathing and the crackle of the fire. She didn't notice that Lucy was deliberately stuffing all of the customers into the Entrance Room.
Borus took a breath, looking quietly at the top of Ria -or Chris'- head, her dark hair shining in the firelight. It was now or never. He needed to know. "Chris?"
"Hmm?" She responded quietly, not realizing what she had just done.
"So I was right, then. You ARE Chris." Her eyes flew open in shock and comprehension, and she pushed away from Borus. She just stared at him, an expression of horror slowly creeping onto her features. "It makes sense. I thought I recognized you the minute I saw you. The horse in the stables. Why you left early. Why your lies didn't match up." Chris flinched and he paused. "You still LOOK like yourself, underneath your blue eyes and dark hair... You still have your voice. Your smile." He shook his head. "I should have figured it out earlier."
Chris didn't know what to say. She wanted to be angry with him for tricking her, for taking her unawares. She wanted to be angry with him for figuring it out so quickly.
But she wanted to explain, to smooth away the look of hurt and confusion on Borus' face. "I- I- Well-" But every explanation, every excuse, seemed woefully pathetic.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Borus searched her face with his eyes. "...And how did you do -this-?" He gently brushed the corner of her eye with warm fingertips. She closed her eyes and leaned faintly into his touch.
"...I... inverted the power of the True Water Rune."
"You WHAT?"
She sighed. "I can explain." '...I think.'
Borus sat back from her, but she kept her eyes closed, her head tilted forwards. "Please do."
* * *
A/N: I'm sorry this chapter turned out to be awful, I really am. Now if you all review and tell me how to fix the bloody thing, then I will go fix it. Until then, I am not going to look at it in case I follow-through with my desire to throw it out the window. ^_^
Pleeaaasee review... please? ^_^ I PROMISE that chapter five is more interesting. PROMISE. *evil giggle* The plot gets a'rollin in chapter five... heeheehee
On a perky note, I got early-acceptance to my university of first choice today! *dances madly around the room* Woooo Hooooo!!! ^_____^
Oh, and I am having issues. There are -three- possible endings to this fic, and I can't seem to make up my mind on which one I want. Errg. -_-
If you want to help, then let me know and I'll send you an email with possibilities (I'll minimize spoilers, but there'll be a couple, obviously) ^__^
***And now for the people that I officially adore!***
Fallen Dragon: Sorry 'bout the cliffie... glad you like the fic, though! ^_^
Reemossa: I stopped cause I was getting into evil chapter four territory, hahaha! ^_^ I'm delighted you think Borus is cute in this! Mwheeheehee And, while this wasn't very fast, it does happen to be very long (fortunately or unfortunately, depending on the viewpoint, hahaha)!
Sindaaraniel: Mwheeheehee! You were right (well, Borus out of your three were right)! ^__^ OOO! A shirtless Ace POSTER!?! Squeeeee! *pins it up on the wall* *drools* heeeeheeeeheeee ^_^ Naw, you are most definitely NOT wasting any of my life ^_^ I almost e-mailed you for help, but then I decided that what I needed help with was too complicated to explain anyway. Heh. Thank you for the offer, though. Very kind of you. ^_^
pikinanou: Snow in April SUCKS. I'm happy, though, cause it was REALLY warm today, and so I am HOPING that there will be no more evil snow. It supposed to go down to minus one on Friday... I think I'm going to cry if it does ;_;
Mika Blue Eyes: hahaa, my 'laws' have tumbled out of the window and are in a heap of mush down on the front lawn... ^_^ Hope you liked this chapter!
SS Sexy: The only thing that's going off a cliff here is this chapter! ^__^ Glad there's lots of other fans of Chris/Borus out there (I don't mind Chris/Percy, as long as Borus is not the bad guy. Which he usually is. *growl* There are FAR too many Chris/Percy fics out there, and not enough Chris/Borus! AGH!)!
Lady of Genesis: O.O I have a double! ...Well, technically, a triple, 'cause I have an evil twin ^_^ (...and so my evil twin and I are not actually related. MEH! ~_^ ) I love snow... as long as its NOT IN APRIL! *glares out the window* I'm happy, though because it was REALLY warm today (shorts and t-shirt weather! Hurrah!), so the snow is all gone... well, mostly. -_-;
Keshoo Neko: Thanks for the advice: I will keep that in mind (although I know that this chapter really WASN'T an improvement... sorry ^^; )! ^__^
Death-Hunter: Sugar-highs are wonderful things. I was on one for about two hours after school today ^___^ And I do hope the beard isn't too long by now! ~_^ heehee
shewhoistoolazytothinkofaname: ^___^ Creative review-name: I like it! hehehehee
Runa Westwind: heeheeheee! Hope you like this chapter (and I hope you got my email... my computer is evil, so I hope that it sent!) ^___^
*****Thank you SOOOO much to all who reviewed!*****
A/N: I am -so- very sorry that this took so long... and it's probably not even worth the wait. As I said in Chapter Three, this chapter was absolutely EVIL to write. EVIL! So the end result is that this is the worst chapter as of yet, and it took the longest. *grumble grumble* -_-
* * *
Chapter Four
* * *
I once heard someone say that it is important to live life to it's fullest.
But what if it's not possible?
I will watch my friends die, just as I watched my own father die.
I wish I were stronger. Then I could abandon this place entirely, and escape the ultimate death of all whom I care for.
And even if I tried, took a chance, acted on the feelings that have been building in my heart for years, I would only hurt him. I cannot watch him die. If I begin to sever my ties, remove myself from my friends, then perhaps I will survive -their- deaths. Perhaps I could bring myself to leave before it happens.
I have not seen the future as the former flame champion did. I have not seen the inheritor of this rune. He gave his life for Sana, but his methods are secrets that I do not know. If I were stronger, I would know what to do.
If I were stronger.
But I am afraid.
If I showed him what I felt, and lived on while he died... I would not be able to bear it.
The hug was just friendly, just a reassurance between friends.
It was cold outside, and it was warmth.
It was just between friends.
I can control myself.
It was only between friends.
~
...Was it?
*
Chris spun slowly around, putting a vacant grin on her face. She prayed to the Goddess that her disguise would fool Borus. It was the ultimate test. "Can I help you, sir?"
Borus silently looked at her for a moment. Something was so... familiar about the dark-haired waitress before him. Although her eyes were definitely the wrong colour. He stumbled over his thoughts before remembering what he had meant to say. "...Could I have another ale, please?"
Chris mentally sighed in relief. He had looked as if he were going to say something completely different. "Just a moment... s- sir." Chris whirled away from the table, hoping and praying that Borus had not seen the brilliant red on her cheeks.
This was not turning out as she hoped.
Chris had just walked into the kitchens when she bumped into Lucy heading in the opposite direction. "Oh! Lucy!" The other woman turned around quickly, a tray with a bowl of stew balanced on her palm.
"Yep?"
"Could you do me a favor?"
Lucy smiled. "Sure!"
"What table is that going to?"
"Umm... that one over there." She pointed with her free hand to a table in the entrance room, where a man in grey sat alone at a table.
"Great!" Chris edged closer to the tray Lucy has holding. "I'll take this," Chris gestured to the other woman's tray. "...and you serve THAT man his ale." Lucy glanced at the man her friend spoke of, and Chris watched Lucy's amber eyes light up with recognition.
"Oh, HIM! Sir Borus!" Lucy whipped her tray away from Chris, and smiled mischievously. "Oh no you don't. You're just shy, aren't you?" Chris tried to protest, but was completely ignored. "I think you should get to know him!"
"NO, I don't think s-"
"Yes, yes, you will. Go fetch the ale." When Chris didn't move, she glared. "Now." Chris sighed and hurriedly obeyed. The usually cheerful Lucy wasn't looking too cheerful: she was beginning to verge on menacing.
When Chris returned, tray and mug of cold ale in hand, Lucy grinned and ushered the other women out of the kitchens, in Borus' direction.
"No no no no no..." Chris muttered and tried to head back into the kitchen, but Lucy wasn't hearing any of it. "Lucy!" Chris pleaded quietly. "I CAN'T. Please, I'll take the Entrance Room, and you can take the Fireplace Room instead!"
"Nope." Lucy casually grinned at a customer as they passed. Chris looked to make sure Borus wasn't looking in their direction, and spun around roughly to face the other waitress, nearly losing the mug of ale in the process. She ignored a glare from a patron, and confronted Lucy.
"I am NOT facing him again."
Lucy merely grinned. "Yes you are. You don't LOOK like the shy type... but you'll get over it soon enough."
"No! I'm not shy, it's just that-"
"He's Sir Borus!"
"Precisely!"
"Oh! So you're just star-struck!"
"NO!"
"Oh, we'll fix that soon enough."
"Lucy... please!" Lucy ignored Chris' pleas, and shoved her towards Borus with her hip.
"Go." Chris was VERY thankful that Borus' back was to them, but they were too close to him now to protest any further. Chris pasted a smile on her face as she approached the table, and placed Borus' drink on the pine tabletop. She turned as if to walk away again, but Lucy interrupted.
"It's not too busy tonight... Ria, you should sit down, and chat a little with Sir Borus." Chris' eyes widened in horror as she shook her head.
"No, I don-"
"Yes, why don't you? I don't think I've met you before..." Chris noticed through a growing fog of nervousness and dread that Borus put emphasis on the word 'think.' She silently swore to herself.
"I cannot leave Lucy to serve the whole place by herse-"
"Nonsense. I am perfectly capable." Lucy ignored Chris' feeble protests, and pulled out the chair across from Borus.
"But the place is fairly bus-"
"No, it's not. I've been working here for two years. I know how to deal with the situation. I would be ashamed if I didn't!" Lucy glared. "Now SIT."
"...So you're... Ria?" Chris just nodded dumbly as she was roughly pushed into the chair by Lucy. "I'm Borus, as I think Lucy has already mentioned." Chris was drowning in dread as he smiled at her.
'He'll recognize me... He'll recognize me... He'll recognize me...'
His brown eyes were searching her face. "So, where are you from?" He was -sure- he knew her from somewhere.
"T-Tinto. I was born here, but we moved when I was five." Chris didn't even notice the error in her lie.
"Oh, so you probably wouldn't remember much about Vinay del Zexay..."
"No, I do." She hastily added. "We've visited every so often, so I know my way around." Borus just nodded, and took a gulp of his drink.
"So you haven't been at this inn for long." Chris just nodded, and tucked a stray strand of mahogany hair behind her ear. She had bound her hair differently from her usual style, and was thanking the Goddess that she had remembered to do so. "Are you sure I haven't met you before?"
Chris nodded confidently, although she couldn't quite bring herself to meet his eyes. "Positive."
Borus nodded absently, trying to scrounge up a memory of her, trying to reason out where he could have met her before. Perhaps he had just run into her at one point in Vinay del Zexay.
But she seemed so much more familiar than that.
*
Two hours later, the awkward conversation had grown into a chat between friends rather than a discussion between strangers. Borus was sure he knew the woman. Chris was trying to remind herself that she -didn't- know the man.
Well, RIA didn't.
*
"Friday night's a busy night, and You, sir, are distracting my employee." The large innkeeper had abandoned his post at his desk to approach Borus and Ria, who had been chatting animatedly at a table in the Entrance Room. He noticed Ria whisk off to serve another patron when she spotted him drawing near, and he smiled slightly at the blonde knight. Borus grinned impishly at the aged man.
"Is that such a bad thing?"
"Go elsewhere ta bother her." Borus raised an eyebrow. "Take her ta the market on Port Avenue. Her day off is Sunday." He paused, and Borus missed the mischevious glint in the older man's eyes. "Not tammorrow, but the next day, ya know." Borus raised his eyebrows at the innkeeper's jab at his intelligence, ready to protest fiercely.
"...Take who to what market?" Chris poked her head into the conversation as she passed, a grey rag in hand to wipe down a table. Borus deflated, his anger abandoned.
"You, milady." The innkeeper began.
"How about it? On Sunday?" Borus spoke over the innkeeper's rough voice. Chris nodded, smiling.
"I thought you'd like it n'all... seeing as you moved when ya'were just seven." He smiled reluctantly at his employee. "See the old sights, n'all."
Borus opened his mouth to agree when he realized what the large innkeeper had just said. "Seven? ...I thought you said you were five?" Both men looked at Chris questioningly. She desperately wished that she had ignored the urge to partake in this particular conversation.
"I- Well- I was young, and, well, don't err, remember exactly. Around that range somewhere... Five to seven..." She trailed off, and smiled nervously. Acting was NOT her talent. "Heh, well, I should go... back. Back." She avoided Borus' questioning eyes, turned tail and fled into the kitchens, leaving the light wooden kitchen door swinging emptily behind her.
"It's just a perfectly honest mistake..." Borus began, not sounding entirely convinced.
"This is an Inn, m'boy. She certainly isn't the first person to come here with secrets in her pack." The innkeeper abandoned Borus to keep vigil at his desk once again, completely ignoring the knight. He pulled out his notebook and resumed work on the never-ending daily tallies. "...And she certainly won't be the last."
Borus glared slightly at the Innkeeper's back before he shrugged and turned, heading for the back door which led to the stables.
He crossed the night-blackened gravel of the wide lane that led, through an alley beside the inn, out to the main street and let himself into the dimly- lit stables. "Hello?" He heard a rustling then a loud clang and clatter as a boy launched himself out of what appeared to be the tack room. Borus grinned slightly at the new stable-hand.
"Hu- hullo sir." The boy yawned. "How can I help you?"
"I'm on my way now, so I'll ju-"
"Is YOURS the white one, sir?" The boy's eyes were wide. "It's such a beautiful horse, and I've been thinkin' that it MUST belong to a knight or a nobleman or a noblewoman or a king or a queen or a princess or a pri-"
"No," Borus gently interrupted the boy. "I'm afraid that it isn't my horse." Borus saw the boy's crestfallen look, and hastily added. "I apologize, but I'm sure you'll meet the owner soon enough... Speaking of this white beauty, where is it? ...May I see- you've got me quite curious now!"
The boy nodded and grinned eagerly before he launched himself towards a large stall. "Oh, this'a one, sir!" Borus scrutinized the pale mare before him.
"Has Lady Chris been here?" Many a person could have a horse such as this... but this mare just seemed so familiar.
"N-n-n-no Sir! Not that I know of, sir!"
"Hmm." Borus nodded curtly and moved on towards his own horse.
'The white horse could be anyone's.' He led his chestnut gelding past the mysterious horse's stall.
'Chris isn't the only one in the world who possesses a silver mare.'
*
Anna strode through the front door of the Knight and Squire Inn, and thumped some potch on the Innkeepers desk. "A room for three nights, please."
"Your name?"
"Beth." The scrawny old innkeeper bobbed his head, and retrieved a key from a drawer in his desk. The woman did not look very cheerful.
"This way, milady."
Anna nodded brusquely, and followed the spindly man up the stairs. She took the key from his once he showed he which room was hers, let herself in and closed the door in the old man's face without another word.
Chris was making things difficult for her, and Anna was -not- pleased about it.
She had followed the woman from the Lightfellow residence, and had discovered that the "Silver Maiden" was now going under the name "Ria Marmor," and that the woman had somehow changed her appearance.
Anna's plan was perfect until the younger woman decided that she would get friendly with the blonde knight and get a job at the inn.
Anna shrugged as she removed her cloak and threw it on a small wooden chair. She then detached her bow and quiver from her back, where they had been hiding from prying eyes.
Her arrangement would still work. 'The Knight and Squire' was just three blocks down from the Dancing Dragon Inn: very strategically placed.
Borus and the 'Dancing Dragon' were just small complications.
The arrangement would still work.
Sitting down on the wood floor, she fastidiously began to polish her bow.
*
"Have you ever visited the market?" Borus grinned at Chris as she nodded. It was late Sunday morning, and the two were just passing the Lightfellow residence on their way to the market. Chris tried to avert her eyes from her house.
"Only a couple times, but when I was younger." She went as if to turn left. Borus stopped, raising an eyebrow as she stalled, and turned to look at him.
"Where -are- you going?"
"Errr... Isn't this the route?" Chris couldn't hide the flush of embarrassment creeping into her cheeks. She had turned automatically, moving as if to take her normal route to the market. She preferred her detour, as it allowed her to avoid the crowds of Port Avenue.
"It can be, but -this- is a more interesting route for a visitor." He gestured towards the straight path he had been taking and looked at her for a moment before smiling. She hurriedly joined him as they walked down towards the shore in silence.
Borus grinned as they drew near to the crowd on the sea-side road. The city always felt so alive when there were this many people enjoying the salty air and cool spring breeze in the marketplace.
The crowd of people was enormous once they reached the area where the market booths were assembled and Borus grabbed Ria's hand as he dragged her into the throng. He looked over his shoulder at her face as they pushed through the mass of people, heading for the first stall. She was grinning, and he found the action to be quite contagious.
He couldn't deny that she looked like Chris.
But there were so many uncertainties... Her dark hair and blue eyes for one.
They stopped briefly at a Calerian Merchant's stall, and then continued on.
Chris pushed past a chestnut-haired woman, laughing an apology over her shoulder as Borus pulled her farther into the crowd. For once she was a member of the crowd, instead of the object of one.
It felt nice.
"Oh! Borus, wait! We missed one!" Chris pulled Borus' hand, and directed him over to a duck's booth.
"Could I offer you two some Soy Sauce, quack?" The duck smiled a ducky-grin at the pair, while Borus eyed the Grasslander merchant with suspicion. "How about some of these, miss?" The duck gestured with a white wing to some tiny seedlings. "They're on sale: Just for today, quack!" Chris recognized the seedlings as young versions of the towering water plants in Duck Village.
"Umm, no thank you." Chris smiled at the duck before moving on to the next stall, dragging Borus by the hand.
She found herself surprisingly reluctant to release it.
*
They sat on one of the cushioned benches before the fire, content in their silence after their day in downtown Vinay del Zexay. Chris found herself leaning against Borus' shoulder, his arm draped comfortably around her waist. She closed her eyes, half asleep, lulled by Borus' breathing and the crackle of the fire. She didn't notice that Lucy was deliberately stuffing all of the customers into the Entrance Room.
Borus took a breath, looking quietly at the top of Ria -or Chris'- head, her dark hair shining in the firelight. It was now or never. He needed to know. "Chris?"
"Hmm?" She responded quietly, not realizing what she had just done.
"So I was right, then. You ARE Chris." Her eyes flew open in shock and comprehension, and she pushed away from Borus. She just stared at him, an expression of horror slowly creeping onto her features. "It makes sense. I thought I recognized you the minute I saw you. The horse in the stables. Why you left early. Why your lies didn't match up." Chris flinched and he paused. "You still LOOK like yourself, underneath your blue eyes and dark hair... You still have your voice. Your smile." He shook his head. "I should have figured it out earlier."
Chris didn't know what to say. She wanted to be angry with him for tricking her, for taking her unawares. She wanted to be angry with him for figuring it out so quickly.
But she wanted to explain, to smooth away the look of hurt and confusion on Borus' face. "I- I- Well-" But every explanation, every excuse, seemed woefully pathetic.
"Why didn't you tell us?" Borus searched her face with his eyes. "...And how did you do -this-?" He gently brushed the corner of her eye with warm fingertips. She closed her eyes and leaned faintly into his touch.
"...I... inverted the power of the True Water Rune."
"You WHAT?"
She sighed. "I can explain." '...I think.'
Borus sat back from her, but she kept her eyes closed, her head tilted forwards. "Please do."
* * *
A/N: I'm sorry this chapter turned out to be awful, I really am. Now if you all review and tell me how to fix the bloody thing, then I will go fix it. Until then, I am not going to look at it in case I follow-through with my desire to throw it out the window. ^_^
Pleeaaasee review... please? ^_^ I PROMISE that chapter five is more interesting. PROMISE. *evil giggle* The plot gets a'rollin in chapter five... heeheehee
On a perky note, I got early-acceptance to my university of first choice today! *dances madly around the room* Woooo Hooooo!!! ^_____^
Oh, and I am having issues. There are -three- possible endings to this fic, and I can't seem to make up my mind on which one I want. Errg. -_-
If you want to help, then let me know and I'll send you an email with possibilities (I'll minimize spoilers, but there'll be a couple, obviously) ^__^
***And now for the people that I officially adore!***
Fallen Dragon: Sorry 'bout the cliffie... glad you like the fic, though! ^_^
Reemossa: I stopped cause I was getting into evil chapter four territory, hahaha! ^_^ I'm delighted you think Borus is cute in this! Mwheeheehee And, while this wasn't very fast, it does happen to be very long (fortunately or unfortunately, depending on the viewpoint, hahaha)!
Sindaaraniel: Mwheeheehee! You were right (well, Borus out of your three were right)! ^__^ OOO! A shirtless Ace POSTER!?! Squeeeee! *pins it up on the wall* *drools* heeeeheeeeheeee ^_^ Naw, you are most definitely NOT wasting any of my life ^_^ I almost e-mailed you for help, but then I decided that what I needed help with was too complicated to explain anyway. Heh. Thank you for the offer, though. Very kind of you. ^_^
pikinanou: Snow in April SUCKS. I'm happy, though, cause it was REALLY warm today, and so I am HOPING that there will be no more evil snow. It supposed to go down to minus one on Friday... I think I'm going to cry if it does ;_;
Mika Blue Eyes: hahaa, my 'laws' have tumbled out of the window and are in a heap of mush down on the front lawn... ^_^ Hope you liked this chapter!
SS Sexy: The only thing that's going off a cliff here is this chapter! ^__^ Glad there's lots of other fans of Chris/Borus out there (I don't mind Chris/Percy, as long as Borus is not the bad guy. Which he usually is. *growl* There are FAR too many Chris/Percy fics out there, and not enough Chris/Borus! AGH!)!
Lady of Genesis: O.O I have a double! ...Well, technically, a triple, 'cause I have an evil twin ^_^ (...and so my evil twin and I are not actually related. MEH! ~_^ ) I love snow... as long as its NOT IN APRIL! *glares out the window* I'm happy, though because it was REALLY warm today (shorts and t-shirt weather! Hurrah!), so the snow is all gone... well, mostly. -_-;
Keshoo Neko: Thanks for the advice: I will keep that in mind (although I know that this chapter really WASN'T an improvement... sorry ^^; )! ^__^
Death-Hunter: Sugar-highs are wonderful things. I was on one for about two hours after school today ^___^ And I do hope the beard isn't too long by now! ~_^ heehee
shewhoistoolazytothinkofaname: ^___^ Creative review-name: I like it! hehehehee
Runa Westwind: heeheeheee! Hope you like this chapter (and I hope you got my email... my computer is evil, so I hope that it sent!) ^___^
*****Thank you SOOOO much to all who reviewed!*****
