Disclaimer: I do not own Rekka no Ken, or any of the characters. That said you can't sue me.
"Eliwood, get up."
"For the last time, get up!" I yelped and tossed my arm out as I was roughly rolled off my bed.
"Goof 'Orning Hecer." I was annoyed, and frowned fiercely into my sheet which was wrapped around my head. My arm throbbed.
"Yeah, get up, you've already missed breakfast, but I bet Lowen saved you something." Hector sounded as disgruntled as I felt. I disentangled myself from my sheets, and gave Hector a sleepy stare. He wasn't looking at me, and was muttering about something under his breath. I glared at his turned back, and familiar hate boiled up in me. I stood up, and got dressed. My smile was more easily placed then it had been yesterday. Everyone was already up and busy. I passed Lyndis talking to Florina, Sain flirting with Serra, and Guy yelling at Mathew. I ducked into the cooking tent, and found Lowen, Rebecca, and Wil talking avidly. I let my smile slide a little, and glanced around the kitchen.
Lowen scrambled to his feet as soon as he saw me, and bowed. "L-lord Eliwood! I've saved you some breakfast!" Lowen produced a plate of whatever they'd had for breakfast, and I took it.
"My thanks Lowen." I turned, and knocked my hand against a pot. The pot clattered down, and landed squarely on my foot. I jumped on one foot, and balanced precariously on my 'good' foot.
"Milord! Are you all right?" Lowen asked as he hurried to pick up the pot.
"I'm fine Lowen, my thanks again. Rebecca, Wil." I nodded to them in turn, and walked out of the tent, tripping over my own feet. As soon as I was out I heard giggles, and snickers. I smiled, and found a place to eat my breakfast. The food that had been so painstakingly saved for me didn't look appetizing. I was hungry, famished, but I stared at it. I didn't want it. I trotted away from camp, and dumped it, then went to return the plate to Lowen. I dallied on the way. Marcus stopped me.
"Lord Eliwood, I give you good morn." Marcus greeted as he brushed his stallion with a respective half-bow. The same hatred I had felt for Hector broiled, and I smiled wider.
"Good morn to you as well Marcus. I hope it finds you well?" I asked in a chipper way that made Marcus smile as well.
"It does. I'm glad to see you finally awake." Marcus inclined his head towards Hector who was a few yards away talking to Lyndis. "Lord Hector said you were not inclined to waking."
"No, I'm afraid I wasn't." I tore my eyes away from the pair talking happily, and nodded to Marcus. "I need to get my dishes back to be washed, you'll excuse me?"
"Of course Lord Eliwood." Marcus bowed, and went back to his brushing. I started to walk away, and when I had passed Lyndis, and Hector-who got extremely quite when I went by- I tripped and fell. I heard Lyndis make a noise between a gasp, and a snort, and Hector sighed. I started to stand up, but Hector grabbed me under my arms, and hauled my to my feet.
"Watch where you're going, alright?" Hector warned as he pulled me to my feet.
"Sorry, I'll be more careful." I lied cheerfully.
"You better." Hector laughingly whacked my shoulder, and I went on. I stopped after I was out of their sight, and tensed when he chuckled.
"Like I said, he can hardly stand on his own two feet." Hector told Lyndis, still a hint of laughter in his voice.
"Has he always been like that?" Lyndis asked.
"Not as bad as he is now. He was always clumsy, but after he hit puberty it got really bad. Everyone thought it was just a result of his growth spurt, and that he'd grow out of it. As you can see, he didn't." Hector explained. I clenched my hands around the plate I was carrying. I hated him. The laughing way he talked about me made me want to scream. I ducked my head, and clenched my teeth.
"Lord Eliwood, if you hold that plate any tighter it will break." A calm sarcastic voice spoke. Instantly I knew who it was. I looked up with a curious look on my face, and then smiled.
"Good morning to you Erk."
The violet haired mage gave me a level, and minorly insulting look. "Good morning to you as well." I smiled, and walked winsomely away to the kitchen. No one was there. I placed the plate down, and smiled into it's marred reflection. It twisted the smile into a frown, and I drew away from it. My hand fell on a knife, and sliced my palm. All the knives we had were uncannily sharp, and kitchen utensils were no exception. I looked at my hand, and watched the crimson well up, and spill. It traced the lines, and crevices of my hand.
Staining, tainting, killing.
Blood did that: It stained clean hands; It tainted pure hearts; It killed innocent men.
I clenched my hand. Blood seeped through my fingers, and dripped onto the floor. I looked at it, and shoved my fisted hand in my pocket. There was a rustle, and I looked to the door. Two people walk in. One I knew well, and the other not so. It was Sain, and Priscillia. Sain was declaring the girls beauty, and she was listening, red faced. I frowned in a disapproving way, and walk forward.
"Sir Sain, might I remind you were are fighting a war." I looked disapproving in every way, but I couldn't care less what he did. I couldn't care.
"Lord Eliwood, I was merely telling the truth to this lovely flower of a woman." Sain was too used to this to be startled any more."You would not agree that her eyes are truly graced with the light of heaven?"
"Even if they are you should focused more on your training then chasing after women." I bowed to Priscillia. "No offense to you."
"N-none taken, Lord Eliwood." Priscillia stammered, still reeling from Sain's compliments. I nodded, and left. The warm sun hit my face, but it didn't brighten anything more then my vision. I heard Sain sigh, and lament about over-bearing authority. My smile returned, stretched and thin. Why was it so hard today? It had been easy in the morning even. Now it was harder I couldn't hold my face to the perfect mask it was used to. How many years had I used it, and it had never so hard for me. I used to slide onto his face, hiding the hatred I harbored. Now, why now? I needed my mask more then ever to hide myself. I was around too many who knew me. I hated it. I hated them.
If they would just leave me, but was that what I wanted? Really? Was it, what I wanted?
"Good Mo--orning Lord Eliwood!" I cringed away from the high pitched voice. I smiled, and felt my mask beginning to crack.
"Lady Serra, Good Morning to you. I hope you are well."
"Mostly." Her full lips turned into a half-pout, and she gazed at me with earnestly. "Is there something that troubles you today? Can I help you in anyway?"
Inwardly I recoiled from her. "Nothing at the moment Lady Serra, but if I find myself in need I'll be sure to come to you."
"Certainly, think of going to none other." She skipped off, calling for Erk. I threw insults after her, condemning what might have been her looking for a reward, but made me hate her more then before. She sought her own gain, and delved into others lives. She was...something. I watched her, and then retreated to my tent. It was quiet. I straightened my bed, and moved some clothes. A knife fell from them with a flash of stained metal, and I knelt, and picked it up. It was my knife. My escape.
I looked at the marred surface, and saw my wavering reflection. It seemed to turn into a younger looking face. happy, smiling, tear free, no mask. I scowled, and shoved the knife roughly into my sleeve. It ran up my arm, slicing it deeply. I hadn't meant to do that. I rolled my sleeve up, and pulled the knife out. Blood ran thickly down my arm. I ran my fingers through it, and watched it slide over my fingers, stain the ground. It began to pool around my hand, the ground drank its fill of blood. I smiled. I wiped my knife clean, and slipped it into my tunic. I waited for the blood to stop, and watched it pooling. My arm was red, sliding, living, shining dully with life.
Dead life.
That was what blood was when it left the body. Your death. I knew that, and I wasn't frightened. I heard laughter, and just chuckled. Something made it easy. I watched the blood, and wondered if it made it easier for me to smile.
I grabbed a cloth, and tied off the wound. A small bucket of water was standing in the corner, and I washed my arm in it. The water turned pink, and the blood settled on the bottom like a cloud. I rinsed off the bloody sleeve of my tunic and lay it down it dry. The water would need dumping. The cloud of death swirled as I moved the bucket, and then set it back down. I grabbed up my tunic with the dried blood on it, and slipped it on. I scrubbed the dried blood off, and looked over it to make sure no blood was visible. None showed, but I could see it.
Sliding, flowing, staining.
I grabbed up the bucket, and trudged out. It was getting hotter. People had retreated to their tents, and I was alone. Physically I was alone as I walked. In my mind I could hear laughter, soft trickling laughs. The merged with the stream as I approached it. It gurgled, and laughed at me. It could see that I was trying pitifully to hide the fact I was hating. It saw me through the mask I placed on my face. How could it? Why was it I couldn't fool the babbling stream? Why did it laugh at me too? Why should it care. I listened to its mocking voice. I splashed the water down into the stream, and watched as the cloud swirled into the clear water.
My hand had bled onto the handle of the bucket, aggravated by the abbrasive surface. I placed my hand in the clear running water, and watched it all wash away. It swirled around my hand for a moment, then was washed away from me. The water was cold, fed by mountain streams, and it began to numb any pain I had in my hand. The real pain it couldn't numb. I could find the coldest river, I could lie on ice, but it would still rage in with hot fire.
I filled the bucket again, and walked towards the camp. Blood dripped from my hand, and I knew what my mask was really made of. It was made of my blood. My dead life
A/N: Keehee... It's different from the first chapter, and pitifully short. Waah, I wanted it to be longer, but it just isn't. It's more focused on Eliwood's reactions to other people then his general Insaneness. -.- I'll make the next chapter longer, and put it up sooner. I promise. R&R, reviews are inspiration!