Heh, been awhile, hasn't it? Well, I'm sorry this story took so long to get out, but I was working diligently on it, I swear...it just became a little difficult to write.

Anyway, this is a Kent/Fiora story, but it also includes, as a significant character, another woman Kent has feelings for: Lyn. As you will see shortly, however, Kent found out some time ago that Lyn did not feel the same way as he does, and that is something he simply cannot forget...

This story was originally planned to be a one-shot, but it got a little longer than I anticipated, so I decided to make it multi-chapter. It won't be as long as my other multi-chapter stories, though, but there should be four or five chapters before this story is finished.

So read on and enjoy :)

chapter one
shattered

It was a rare occurrence for the red-haired cavalier to see his Lady Lyndis practicing her swordplay. He certainly enjoyed watching her when he got the chance, though; he didn't think he would ever see anything more beautiful and graceful anywhere in the world.

She was alone, as always, and he stood a distance away from her on the grassy field, out of her sight. As her knight, he greatly respected his lady's privacy, and it was because of this that he witnessed Lyndis's practice so rarely—he would never even think of spying on her without her knowledge, not when he knew she wished to be alone and undisturbed. The only reason he now stood where he did was because he was patiently waiting for her to finish her training exercises. There was something very important that he had to tell her privately, and this early in the morning, while the rest of the camp still slept, was the best time to do so.

He didn't dare disturb her, though, not as he watched her battle an imaginary foe, not as he witnessed her thrust, slash, dodge and parry with such speed and fluidity she seemed almost unreal. He was nervous of speaking with her, possibly more fearful than he had ever been about anything else in his life, and he wasn't the type of person to get nervous about almost anything. Still, he could feel fear flowing through his veins, but Lyndis's graceful movements seemed to put him at peace, if only slightly.

In battle, with bloodstains and dead bodies all around her, she was a terrifying sight, cutting down enemy after enemy without even suffering a scratch. But by herself, she was beautiful, her long dark-green hair flying behind her as she moved, her emerald eyes sparkling with a determination he could discern even from a distance.

He had fallen for her, of course, fallen not only for her grace and beauty on the battlefield, but also for the calm, caring plainswoman he knew so well. He would protect her with his life, not just because it was his duty to do so, but because he cared too much about her to do anything else. And even as he watched her, he could feel his heart swell with his love for her, a love that—if everything went as it should—he would soon reveal.

With one final thrust, her training ended, and slowly she sheathed her sword, breathing heavily after the exhausting exercise. She stood with her back to him for a few moments, catching her breath, before she turned—and stopped short as she saw him. "Kent?" she called; he was too far away for her to speak normally. "Is that you? What are you doing there?"

He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what he knew was going to be a difficult task. As she started walking towards him, he called back, "Milady Lyndis. Forgive my intrusiveness, but I needed to speak with you...privately." So far, so good, he thought.

The plainswoman stopped a few feet before him, grinning amusedly, her eyes glittering with curiosity. "How long have you been waiting here?" she asked, more jokingly than anything. But even as she said those words, all amusement suddenly disappeared from her face, and a very slight pink tinge crept onto her cheeks. "Were you watching me?" she added, completely serious now, almost nervous.

Kent silently wondered what her sudden change in demeanor meant, hoping her apparent embarrassment meant that she was flattered by his gesture. Still, however, he could feel the heat rise to his face at the question, and he quickly fought the blush that threatened to appear—how unbecoming of a knight he was acting! "I, ah...did not want to disturb your training," he replied, knowing he probably looked like a fool and cursing himself inwardly for it.

"Oh." Strangely, Lyndis looked almost relieved. "Well then," she went on, dismissing that particular issue. "What do you need to talk with me about?"

His brown eyes were focused on her green ones, but he found that it was quickly becoming harder and harder to keep his gaze there. Still, he persevered; he did not know when he would next have a chance to speak with her if he failed to tell her what he wanted. Knights were not supposed to speak with their lieges about such personal matters, after all. He was only speaking with Lyndis now because this matter was a very special exception.

Slowly, uncharacteristically hesitant, he reminded her of the question she had asked him the other day, the question that had made him think about just how deeply his feelings for the plainswoman ran. "You asked me the other day..." he said, putting all his effort into keeping his eyes on hers, "...why I continue to serve you so diligently, milady." The question had been asked absently, and she had quickly dismissed the issue, but it had remained in his mind for a long time afterward.

Lyndis was silent for a moment as she recalled the question. "Yes," she said after a time, clearly unsure of Kent's reason for telling her about that. "You said that you protected me because it was your duty to do so," she went on, recalling the cavalier's answer. "What about it?" Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Again Kent had to fight the urge to blush, which was difficult as it was not a sensation he was used to feeling. Still, he pressed on—above all, he knew, knights had to be in control of their emotions at all times.

His eyes, however, suddenly seemed to move on their own, and Lyndis's gaze finally forced them to the ground. "Milady Lyndis..." he mumbled, finding it hard to speak any louder. "I thought about what you asked me..." He had to pause then, trying frantically to think of the words with which to express what he wanted. "I realized...there was more to my desire to protect you than...just my sense of duty."

The curiosity sparkling in Lyndis's eyes slowly disappeared, and once again Kent could swear that she seemed just the slightest bit nervous—how out of place such an expression seemed upon her face! "Kent," she said quickly, as though trying to end the conversation, "is this really the time to be talking about something like this?" She looked towards the battalion's camp. "Everyone will be—"

"Please, let me finish," the red-haired cavalier interrupted, feeling a new surge of courage rush through him as he raised his hand to silence her. Ordinarily, he might have asked why she seemed so uncomfortable, but he couldn't stop speaking now, not when he had so much momentum! It was not right for a knight to interrupt his liege, but again, this matter was a very special exception.

But as quickly as it had come, his boldness vanished, and once again Kent felt like a fool as he struggled to speak. His throat felt very tight, but he finally managed to mutter, "Forgive me." His head followed his eyes' lead and dropped toward the ground, and a wave of horror passed through his insides as he realized he was blushing furiously and couldn't do a thing to stop it. "This is...very difficult for me to say..."

"Kent..." was all the plainswoman managed to reply, glancing again at the camp as though she was considering running away from him. Her expression was pained, but he couldn't blame her; this situation had to be just as if not more awkward for her as it was for him.

"Milady..." the cavalier went on, his gaze still fixed intently on the ground before him. He took a deep breath before speaking again. "I...I realized...that I do not stay by your side because I feel I must. I..." He stopped, unable to speak further. Why did this have to be so hard? He was barely able to breathe, so tight was his throat. He took another deep breath, but found he was still not composed enough to speak, so he did so again.

Before he could say a word, though, Lyndis abruptly turned toward the camp. "I-I apologize, Kent," she said awkwardly, but her voice still carried that same tone as before; it sounded as though she wanted to end the conversation as quickly as possible. "I really should be going..."

She took a step forward, but stopped instantly as she felt the cavalier's hand rest tightly on her shoulder. Mortified, she gasped and looked up at her knight's face, her expression one of complete shock. "Kent!"

Kent was just as horrified as she was, his breath now coming in short gasps. He wasn't sure how he had mustered up the courage to reach out and grab her like that, but the reason behind his gesture was clear to him. He couldn't stop speaking now, not under any circumstances. Nothing was going to prevent him from revealing his feelings now, not when he was so close...

"Milady," he breathed, before she could think of struggling against his grasp. "I am sorry. But I must speak my mind."

He felt Lyndis's body relax, but the emotions on her face did not change; in fact, she seemed even more troubled. Why that might be, he didn't know, but he couldn't afford to be stopped by his concern for her at this point. Tentatively, he released her shoulder, and when she did not flee from his presence, he figured she was willing to let him say what he wanted to.

"Milady," he said again slowly, watching her expression intently. She only stared back, her eyebrows arching sadly as though she was certain what he was going to say had to be horrible. Odd, he thought, considering what he wanted to tell her, but...he quickly pushed that thought out of his mind. Telling her his feelings was all that mattered right now.

He abruptly thought of Sain, thought of how his companion would give long-winded speeches about his feelings to the women of Lord Eliwood's army...and then, knowing how much luck the brown-haired knight had had with that method, proceeded to do the exact opposite.

"I love you." He nearly blurted the words out, so sudden was his decision to speak; he even surprised himself with his courage. An enormous weight had just been lifted off his chest, and he felt his body relax with the relief of finally telling her.

But there was still the matter of Lyndis's feelings for him.

He studied the plainswoman's face, desperately searching for any sign that she had been gladdened by his revelation, any sign that she might return the love he had for her.

Unfortunately, he found none. Her expression had only worsened; she seemed even more saddened than before. She almost looked—Kent had never seen anything like this in her expression before—like she wanted to cry, and not out of joy.

He could feel the hope in his stomach start to fade. A sickening sensation replaced it, a feeling that threatened to devour all the happiness in his body. She couldn't...no. She had to return his feelings. If she didn't...oh Saint Elimine, what would he do with himself!

Lyndis was silent for only a few seconds, but to the cavalier each second felt like an hour. He desperately wanted her to speak, to say anything. If only to end this awkward moment between them...

Abruptly the plainswoman's eyes squeezed shut, and she drew in a sharp breath as she turned her head away from him. "Oh, Kent..." she muttered, her voice laced with an intense anguish, as though she wanted nothing more in the world than to not have to say what she was about to say. "I'm...sorry..." she whispered. "I'm so sorry..."

"M-...milady?" the cavalier said slowly, cautiously. He could feel the sickening sensation inside him begin to grow, but the dying hope within him clung to his mind desperately, as though against all logic she might still return his feelings.

"I...feared you might feel this way..." Lyndis confessed, still not looking at him. "I'm so sorry, Kent..." Her discomfort during their brief conversation suddenly made sense; she had apparently discerned his feelings for her without his knowledge.

And the grip of his dying hope gave way.

His breath became a ragged, shuddering gasp; he wanted nothing more than to scream into the early morning sky. But somehow, his sense of duty still held fast, preventing him from losing control. A knight could not allow his emotions to rule himself.

But it hurt so much...

"L-Lyndis..." he choked out, feeling his throat begin to tighten rapidly. "Y-you...you d-don't..." He was not even looking at her now, staring off into space blankly. This couldn't be true. It had to be a nightmare...

"Kent..." Lyndis said softly, her voice laced with pain. "I do care for you, I really do...but..." Finally, the anguish became too much for her, and she buried her face in her hands. "Oh, Kent...I-I didn't want to hurt you like this..."

Kent couldn't speak, couldn't even move. The sickening sensation in his stomach had taken hold, and his entire body felt numb. A voice in his head, sounding very far away, told him to wipe away the tears rapidly filling his eyes, told him that he could not look this way in front of his lady. But he could barely find the strength to move his hand, and before he knew it, silent tears were flowing down his face.

Lyndis chose that moment to look up, and upon seeing the cavalier's pained expression, she let out a pained moan and buried her face in her hands again. She truly had not wanted to hurt Kent in any way, but this...

"I'm so sorry, Kent..." she repeated for what sounded like the millionth time to his ears. Then, turning, she sprinted back to the camp, leaving Kent staring into space blankly, breathing raggedly, feeling as though his entire world had just been shattered...

Well...pretty sad first chapter. What do you guys think of it? Is everyone in character? Please, don't hesitate to point out any problems you see, as I'm always trying to improve.

In case you couldn't tell by the italicized font, this entire chapter was a flashback. You see, Kent's going to have some trouble forgetting his feelings for Lyn even as he falls for Fiora...not to mention the confusion he's going to have from realizing he may be going against his duty to Lyn and from the "policy" he and Fiora will come up with. He really isn't going to be having a good time in the next few chapters...but I promise you it will all get resolved in the end. :) In the meantime...

Please review! (man, it's been awhile since I last said that)
-TheOneAndOnlyT