Okay, I'm sorry, but I dunno why the hell is doing this sort of formatting. The line breaks, asterisks and double dashes are gone, and until I can find a way to fix it...
Immortal Skies
Chapter Three -- Tides of Spring
It was a crisp, clear morning, with the radiance of spring not to be doubted, and people of Vinay del Zexay had taken full advantage of this. While many others chose to sit outside cafés or stroll by the town plaza, some few opted to enjoy a good meal at the Seaside Inn. It was in this very restaurant that Louis had thanked his good fortunes and invited the wine seller's daughter for a warm drink.
He would've chosen some other less-crowded place, but the girl, Diana, didn't want to be too far from their shop in case an extra hand was needed. She had graciously accepted the invitation from the young squire without reluctance, though, which Louis happily noted. Several minutes later, they find themselves seated quite warmly inside the Seaside Inn, enjoying the scrumptious aroma of freshly baked bread among other things. Louis had immediately taken to light chatter, noting that in their previous dates it had been quite effective, his choice stories making a nice impression on the young girl. Apparently, though, Louis has little reason to attend events and social gatherings outside the Knighthood, as was the case of someone in his shoes...thus, his whole world revolved around being a squire, and soon-to-be-knight. And of course, that limited topics of conversation on his part. So the inevitable had come to pass...
"And all seven men came after her, one after the other...they were surprised to find themselves fallen over her blade single-handedly! After that, well...hardly any of them followed suit. And she wasn't even a captain, then," Louis finished happily, drowning the last of the cider from his cup.
This time, Diana did not even bother to feign a smile of interest as he ended yet another story of the Silver Maiden's prowess in the battlefield. It was all well and good, she supposed. After all, the female captain of the Zexen Knights was well-loved in Zexen, and her heroics must have been made into hundreds of songs by bards. She herself had been held captive several times with tales of the female knights' exploits, amazed that a woman could dare such feats. So naturally, a squire, who was working quite closely with the infamous Chris Lightfellow, must be singing all kinds of praises to her. And she had to admit from the start they were very engaging stories, but...she sighed. Couldn't she and Louis have a conversation where he could leave off elevating his captain to the level of a goddess?
At the silence that ensued after gulping down the last of his drink, Louis gazed at his companion with thoughtful green eyes. The fifteen-year old Diana, with her dark auburn hair falling into ringlets that framed her face, was resting her chin in the palm of one hand. She looked somewhat...distracted.
"Have I said something wrong?"
Diana, with her large blue eyes, and dainty, freckeled face, turned to look at him. "You admire your captain a lot, don't you?"
Louis nodded slowly. "Of course! She's one of the greatest knights of all time."
"Hmm..." Diana seemed to ponder on this bit of information for a while. Then she peered at his face closely. "Do you like her?"
"W-what!" Louis seemed shocked at how bluntly the girl asked the question. His left hand gripped his cup, and he lifted it to his lips automatically, without thinking.
"The cup is empty, Louis," he was reminded gently and patiently, with an air of maturity that was rare for a girl of fifteen. Louis' face reddened, and he put the cup down. "I asked you if you like her," she pressed, staring intently at his nervous face.
"W-well... Lady Chris is my captain..."
"But she's a woman, isn't she?" Diana snapped, trying with great difficulty to hide her growing irritation. She didn't know why she seemed bothered, and she was surprised to hear a note of annoyance in her voice. "And you like her in that way, don't you?" She bit her lip almost immediately after throwing out that last question. Why did that sound so accusing?
"I think..." Louis coughed, then continued bravely. "I do admire Lady Chris. She's one of the greatest, and most amazing women I have ever known. She has my eternal loyalty and respect."
Diana said nothing. She just stared at him expectantly.
"Are you asking me if...if I like her? You mean...the way...that I l-like you?"
Her face flushed beet red; it was a good thing that Louis had suddenly found the cup in his hand utterly fascinating, and he didn't have to see her blush.
"You were talking about her all the time, that I...I thought..." She trailed off, furious with herself when she felt her cheeks burn hotter. What was the matter with her?
"Well, she is my Captain. And a hero of Zexen," Louis said, suddenly looking sheepish. "I do apologize if I talk about the knights a lot. It's just that I spend most of my time with them, that I hardly know of anything else to talk about." He smiled at her; the stain on his cheeks was still there. "Why don't you tell me more about yourself? You must be tired of hearing boring knight stories from me all the time."
"Oh, no!" She shook her head vehemently, suddenly in a brighter mood. "I've never been outside Vinay del Zexay much, so I don't know much about anything else other than the city itself. It's great to hear of your adventures in faraway places. It must be terribly exciting, being a knight..." She looked coyly at him. "The female captain of the knights, Lady Chris...she must be really wonderful," she said magnanimously (after that confession from Louis, she felt like being magnanimous). When Louis nodded, albeit more hesitantly than he would've earlier, she continued. "Do you think...one of these days, maybe you could introduce me to her? And to the other knights, too?"
Diana did not notice how the smile froze on Louis' face. It wasn't that the young squire dreaded introducing her to Chris, it was that the other knights were bound to get on his case. He wasn't sure he wanted to introduce Diana to the rest of the knights, yet. He could already picture the jeering faces of Percival and Leo as they crack jokes about boys in their puberty, Borus' interrogation of the girl, Roland's mild amusement, and Salome's patronizing glances. Of course, the mental images were highly exaggerated, but they were enough to make him cringe.
"Louis?"
"Oh, of course!" Louis was quick to reply. "Certainly I'll introduce you to them, if that's what you want." Then again, meeting the Six Zexen Knights were probably going to make an imperssion on her... Diana's eyes twinkled happily, and she smiled sweetly at him.
From another table nearby, the sound of chairs abruptly scraping the floor was heard. Two men ambled towards the exit in a rather awkward, and conspicuous manner, as if they were in a hurry to get out. Diana stared at the two strangers, now gone, with a puzzled look on her face. Louis had caught site of the flurry of figures, but that brief moment was enough to merit the look of embarrassed fury (if there was such) on his face as he recognized who they were...
"Gaaahhhh!" Percival gasped, clutching his stomach, finally releasing all his pent-up laughter. Borus' shoulders shook as he, too, errupted with loud, laughing coughs. The two staggered blindly just outside the inn, not so much drunk on the small amount of alcohol intake, but with mirth.
"I didn't know it was going to be that priceless," Borus said, not quite shaking out all of his laughter yet. "I can't believe he didn't even realize we were there!"
Percival wiped the tears from his eyes, and elbowed Borus. "Shame on you for spying on the poor kid like that," he said. "I would've thought you were above that, Borus."
The blonde eyed his companion skeptically. They weren't really spying; well, not technically. They hadn't meant to, anyway. It was just pure coincidence that Louis and Diana happened to be at the Seaside Inn where they were...amusingly enough, they had to pick a table near the two knights, who were dressed in their arming doublets--Borus in black, and Percival in white--and not so easily recognizable had they been clad in iron. Nevertheless, the opporutnity had presented itself, and Borus was the one who had motioned for Percival to keep quiet and remain unnoticed...at least for the sake of their own fun at Louis' expense.
"Is the pot calling the kettle black?"
"Ah, but this sort of activity is just right up my alley. The Borus I know never engage in anything as fun," Percival said, grinning wickedly. "After all these years, I was trying to knock some sense into you men. I didn't know it would have to take a near-beheading with Leo's axe to get you on the right track!"
Borus' face colored a little and he scowled at Percival's reference to an accident which happened during training, just a week before the Swordsman of Gale came back. "I see Leo must've been telling you stories."
"No, not him," Percival chirruped. "Chris did."
Borus' cheeks reddened even more, and his eyes were glowering. "She told you about that?"
"Aye, she did! Be at ease--you're assured that you've at least provided her enough amusement while I was gone," Percival replied cheerfully. "To think she was left with you starch bags...no wonder she was so happy to have me back that she kissed me!"
"WHAT? How dare--ow--!" Shooting a murderous look at Percival, Borus rubbed the back of his head where he was whacked. "What the hell was that for?"
"To lighten you up," Percival replied, undaunted. "I was joking." When Borus didn't stop glaring, and threatened to retaliate with his fist, Percival backed off. "Hey, I thought it would work. Want me to get an axe instead?"
"Oh, don't do me any favors, Percy, or I'll make you eat that axe."
"Better and better!" Percival's grin widened even more. Then he gave a mock sigh of disbelief. "Honestly, you haven't changed a bit, Redrum. You always sound like you've just swallowed a bullfrog at the mere mention of Chris."
Borus' eyebrow twitched at Percival's exaggeration, but to the latter's secret disappointment, he refrained from his usual characteristic outburst that would've proved his claim to being truly the Swordsman of Rage. "I'll thank you to drop the subject now, Percival," was all he said.
"Then don't thank me--"
"Will you stop getting on my case already?"
"Not now, when you're so obviously and delightedly annoyed."
Borus groaned in exasperation. When would he ever learn that dealing with Percival would always lead to talks like this? In all their years of companionship, Borus had learned little about handling Percival's talent for getting under one's skin with just a few chosen words. But he wasn't to be blamed. Among the five other knights, no one else knew much about how best to deal with this habit of Percival, either. Not even Salome was spared from getting a bit flustered whenever Percival decided to pick on him. Probably Chris and Roland were the only ones who could ignore the digs without so much as batting an eyelash. But then, Borus knew precious little about practicing a decent degree of control over his temper, much less about ignoring comments that were meant to get his shackles up.
"Well," Percival persisted, "You should probably take tips from Louis, since he seems to be doing considerable progress on his love life as compared to your nonexistent one...But then again, I'm not so sure Chris will buy that stammering bit." Percival imitated Louis' embarrassed expression as he pretended to blush and stutter. "I l-love you Chris!" he squeaked. "M-marry me! P...please?"
"Shut up, Percy," Borus finally growled, slapping the back of Percival's head, but the unrepentant latter merely errupted in a new fit of laughter. "Only a few days after you return, must you pester me so immediately with your nonsense?"
"But of course! You have to admit that was a pretty smooth save by Louis, though, so you might seriously consider trying it," came the unfazed reply, with a conspiratorial wink. "Speaking of the beautiful lady, why aren't you with her today? You usually jump at the chance to accompany her on missions...well, missions anywhere. Heaven forbid any harm to come to Chris Lightfellow whilst Borus Redrum lives."
Borus pointedly ignored (rather admirably and successfully this time) the latter remark. "Well, she and Salome insisted that no further assistance was needed. She even left Louis here, and Salome did the same to Irving." The two avoided the crowded Port Avenue, and they had already passed by several shops on the street when they rounded on the corner. Several people bowed their heads in greeting to the two knights, and they returned each with nods of their own. Borus continued. "What about you? I'm surprised you haven't accompanied Leo to the ruins," he said, referring to the excavation site a little to the north from the outskirts of the capital city. The ruins were a recent find by the local Archaeology Association, and a high-priority request came for a little assistance for exploring the site.
"Leo assured me he can handle it on his own," Percival answered, with a dismissive wave of his hand. He smiled at a young maiden who passed their way, who, in turn, blushed deeply and nodded in greeting. "He mentioned I should be paying an obligatory visit to the training hall today. He doubts I had any sword practice back at home."
"Ah," Borus said, rubbing his gloved palms together. "Finally an idea with some merit. I must say I have been looking forward to a match since your return." It was his turn to grin evilly. "I just hope you're still good with your sword, as you are with your wayward tongue."
"Oh, I'm even better. I've had quite challenging sparring partners back in the village, excellent and even more skilled, I daresay, than you have ever been, Redrum."
"Really now?" Borus raised a single eyebrow dubiously, the grin still on his face. "And who might those skillful swordsmen be?"
"Rosemary and Buttercup."
Borus' eyebrow rose higher.
"My scarecrows."
"Now I don't wonder why your intelligence has improved remarkably since you left, what with your newfound companions." Borus clucked his tongue. "Why don't you put your sword where your mouth is, Fraulein, and be kind enough to turn it blade first?"
"Hmmm...I remember saying something like that to one arrogant squire a long time ago," Percival remarked, scratching his chin. "But you improvised the latter part. Good for you." He patted Borus on the shoulder, and the latter laughed good-naturedly at that. The pair had reached the town plaza after the long-winded path they took. Percival noticed something at the corner of his eye and he did a double-take at the crowd that was gathered around a bunch of performers, playing music. A fairly familiar head bobbed over the others, quite noticeably because of its owner's height, if not for the striking hair color.
"Isn't that Roland?"
He adjusted his coat uneasily, feeling the stares and curious glances behind his back.
Looking indifferent about being visibly mulled over was one thing, but attempting to actually feel the indifference was proving a much arduous task. Though looking at him now as he stood among the townspeople, no one would have thought that the elf was paying the none-too-subtle scrutiny with any mind. One would probably go so far as to assume that being one of the six highly respected knights of the country, he was quite used to his fair share of ogling. And in fact, being an elf, a rarity in this part of the continent, had already assured him of that wherever he went.
But being wondered about from a fair distance was not quite as disturbing as it was up front.
Perhaps, among the knights--the people who surrounded him for most of his time--they were more discreet with their inquisitive gazes. Or probably, they had all gotten used to having him around. Sure, the elven knight was not one for mouthing wasteful words...he was one of the less vocal knights around, and certainly, that made him an enigma. People usually respected that air of mystery around him and rarely asked questions that might be perceived as callous, sensitive, or plainly absurd. People usually gave him peace.
That was not the case right now, though. He was being stared at quite openly by a handful of these people.
He could damn himself for having been born with lengthy limbs. Or having been born with light purple hair that made him stand out like a sore thumb in a typical crowd. In any case, he was there among the townspeople, standing at the plaza. Maybe he could stare them down into turning their gazes elsewhere...but why should he act as if he were doing something out of the ordinary, when he was merely enjoying a stroll outside just like everyone else? Alright, so maybe it wasn't like him to be among crowds, but who were these people to assume what he was like and what he wasn't like?
And so Roland stood his ground, determined not to argue with himself anymore.
And while the minutes ticked by, he was recalling why he was there in the first place. His gaze turned downward at the ensemble he had donned before leaving the Knights' Hall. Underneath his coat, he was dressed in his arming doublet, not the dark brown and orange suit that was their uniforms (reserved for official missions, for whenever they represent the Zexen Federation), but his own suit he used for practice. He was scheduled to be attending to trainees and their archery, but it was not until early afternoon. Even so, he had woken up quite early and had decided to visit the training hall on his own (thus, he had dressed for it) until he realized he had one more pressing matter to attend to...
He had promised to see her perform at the town plaza this morning.
Roland had seen very little of her the last month. Winter was at its fiercest then, and though sometimes Nei, Toppo and Shabon had managed to perform in a few cafés at least, these were very rare occurences. The three had found a temporary home at the capital city of Vinay del Zexay when winter began, and they could hardly travel elsewhere. It was also during this time that the knights' and the trio's paths had crossed as they did a year ago when they were all quartered at Budehuc Castle. The trio had performed in the Seaside Inn, and the knights (minus Percival) had been celebrating there, as well. Chris was well-acquainted with their company, having been the one to recommend them at the fire bringers' headquarters, and personally retrieving Shabon when she had gone missing in the big city of Vinay del Zexay a long time ago. The others, having frequented the bar at the Budehuc Castle back then, were also familiar with the three jongleurs. But Roland was friendliest with the elf Nei himself, and it was a friendship that had developed whilst he had passed time in the castle grounds. He had been surprised to see someone of his kind there, and even more so when he had learned that she had actually been in Vinal del Zexay prior to arriving there.
But the first time he had met her, it was not under the usual terms of new acquaintances, and in fact, was a rather awkward introduction. Roland had been riding hard one fine morning, finishing at least half a dozen laps at the racetracks. It wasn't so much that he was intent on training doubly hard with horeseback riding that day, but he had spotted Kenji jogging towards his direction when he was about to practice with his bow...and that made him go running for the opposite way, anxious to escape on what would've certainly been an exasperating episode with the aerobics-obssessed Kenji. Short of breaking into a run, he headed towards the stables and hastily requested Kathy to saddle up one of the Zexen steeds for him. Having successfully thwarted Kenji's plans for competition--he had been avoiding the stables then, having been beaten soundly by Percival for more than a dozen times a few days before--Roland had decided that he might as well spend his morning riding. And when his horse's tongue was nearly grazing the ground in exhaustion, and after making sure that Kenji was nowhere in sight, Roland had then decided to take a break. By that time, he was dripping heavily of sweat, and he smelled of dirt and horses, so he walked off to a secluded area by the lakeside where he could freshen up. He had meant to wash his face by the lake, but he stripped off his drenched shirt first and carelessly threw it by the hammock, which was tied between two sturdy trees...and that was when an aggravated yelp came from within the folds of the said hammock.
Roland was shocked, not having counted on any other soul within the vicinity. How he could have missed the maiden's sleeping shape and form, and her unmistakable bright aquamarine hair, he couldn't say. The sound of protest made him rush to the hammock, fully prepared to apologize a thousand times over to his victim, but the words died in his throat as he was shocked even further. From the hammock rose a decidedly pretty young lady, whose delicate features were scrunched up in disgust as she held up the sweat-drenched shirt between two fingers...but even with her dishevelled hair, a pair of slender, unmistakably pointed ears protruded from underneath.
The apology was momentarily forgotten. Before he had time to think, Roland had blurted out something he could've slapped himself silly for saying--
"You're an elf!" he exclaimed.
"I'm glad you noticed," the elven stranger had replied dryly as she continued holding up his shirt. "Is this yours?" she had asked.
Roland's face had turned exactly three shades of red, as if his hair wasn't enough of a contrast as it already was. For the second time within the five minutes that had elapsed, he had let his instinct run amok again, and he found himself fumbling incoherrently with a confusing combination of elven and human words, most of them in form of apology (although really, it was difficult to tell).
The girl had taken one look at his reddened face, and heard the monologue for a few more seconds...before collapsing into a fit of giggles. Chagrined, Roland put a stop to his babbling and stared helplessly at her. No one who knew the elven knight would have dreamed that he could look so flustered.
She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't speak the elvish tongue much. I was raised by a human mother," she revealed to him, thoroughly amused. Then she tilted her head to one side and peered up at him with an expression of curiousity. "You're Sir Roland of the Zexen Knights, aren't you?"
Gathering his scattered wits about him, Roland replied. "I'm terribly sorry about this, m'lady, I hadn't expected anyone around, I did not know you were sleeping..."
The girl smiled at him. He was very surprised that she still hadn't burst in anger at his rudeness, probably too amused at his embarrassed state. Then he remembered that she had asked him a question.
"Yes," he ammended quickly. "I am Roland Lesaurus of the Zexen Knights. But I must beg your pardon again, m'lady, for I cannot place you..."
"Oh, don't worry about it. You haven't met me before. I've simply heard of the only elven knight of Zexen while I was in the city." Her smile had brightened then, and the shirt in her hand was forgotten. "I'm Nei," she had said, and that was that.
And after retrieving his shirt from her clasp, the two of them had washed their faces together by the lake...for the foul-smelling shirt had plopped right into the elven maiden's sleeping face then and had woken her up rudely. Thoroughly ashamed of himself, the elven knight took it upon himself to invite her to tea. Then that had led to an exchange of several more invitations, inlcuding Roland frequenting the bar during his free afternoons, to hear her play the bouzouki, together with her other minstrel companions, Toppo and Shabon. Partly feeling an obligation to pay since he hadn't been so quick to forget the error he committed upon her person at their first meeting (for he realized, were he in her shoes, he would've been much less merciful to the offender), and partly because the elf Nei had proven herself an intriguing character, Roland began seeing her more often. Whilst the rest of the knights tried their damndest to drown their apprehensions regarding the war with mugs of ale, he was content to listen to the music the jongleurs provided. Sometimes, though unplanned, they also met by the lakeside, where they spent long afternoons just talking. Nei was so vibrant as a storyteller, that she had made an avid listner out of Roland. He discovered that she was fiercely independent and mature even at her young age, intelligent, charmingly quirky, and a witty conversationalist. It had amused her greatly to catch the usually stoic elf off his guard with her offbeat remarks, and rejoiced when she was awarded a rare smile that cracked his impassive countenance entirely. And because they wore both elves, they shared a deeper understanding between them, a strange feeling of companionship that neither could, nor sought to explain. It was a wordless bond, intangible and subtly expressed, but undeniably existing. In a world of difference, they felt the same.
And because of this, Roland valued their companionship very much. He and Nei had then become staunch friends.
A few months ago just before winter, she, with Toppo and Shabon, arrived once again at Vinay del Zexay. Before this, though, the last time Roland had seen her was at the victory feast in Budehuc Castle, which had taken place two days after the defeat of Luc. Many months had passed since then. Nei was quick to renew their friendships, though, inviting Roland and the other knights often to special engagements after their chance meeting at the Seaside Inn. Roland couldn't always pay attendance, but he did go whenever he was free. And just two weeks ago, he remembered he had promised her he would see their opening performance at the town plaza (their first engagement in two months), as a tribute to the incoming season.
And that was today.
The three minstrels had just finished their performance, fortunately, as Roland broke out of his reverie. He supressed a sigh of relief, anxious to put a stop to the ogling. Although the music was exquisite, he had not appreciated it as well as he should have, uncomfortable as he was being at the receiving end of curious stares. He turned his gaze now to the trio, who were bowing and smiling to the audience who greeted them with warm applause. He noticed Shabon was not collecting donations, and when one of the people extended their bills, the little girl shook her head and refused politely, saying something he could not hear from his distance. He realized their performance that morning could only have been at the special request of one of the merchant guildmasters, and they had most likely been paid in advance. Lately, most, if not all of their engagements within Vinay del Zexay had been for hire.
When the crowd dispersed, the trio turned to pack their instruments. Roland saw Nei place her bouzouki carefully back in its case and gestured to her companions. Shabon was smiling and nodding, and Toppo was replying to something Nei had said. They talked for a few brief moments, until Nei pointed to something and seemed to ask them a question. When Toppo nodded, she looked satisfied, and then with a nod to her, Toppo took hold of Shabon's hand and together they walked away, leaving Nei to herself.
Roland slowly made his way through the remaining people in plaza, easily parting a path for himself. On the way there, however, he had bumped into a middle-aged, bearded man by accident. He stopped for a while, holding the man by one shoulder, lest he lose balance.
"I'm sorry, sir, are you alright?"
The man looked up at him for a brief moment, before nodding. "Yes, thank you." He pointed his blue eyes across him and without another word, walked away.
Roland stared after him for a while, wondering why he was thanked. The man seemed distracted; he didn't even look as if he understood Roland's apology.
"Roland!"
The elven knight turned around at the sound of the familiar voice, and saw Nei rushing towards him. She was smiling widely, obviously pleased. When she finally reached him, she clasped both of her hands together and tucked them under her chin, her eyes twinkling merrily. "Ah, I'm glad you came!" she exclaimed. "I wasn't sure if you'd remember."
"I came as soon as I could," he said, deciding not to mention that he had almost forgotten about his promise. "But I was a few minutes late, and I wasn't able to hear the beginning of your performance."
"Oh, it was just a few short pieces, anyway. I noticed, though," she said, grinning up at him. "It's pretty easy to spot you in the crowd. But I'm really glad you came. As I said, I wasn't quite sure if you'd remember, and certainly you have other more important duties to attend to." She cringed slightly. "I hope I hadn't pulled you off from work, had I?"
"No, do not worry about it. I am not needed in the training hall until this afternoon."
She smiled at him again. "That's good to hear." She inched sideways as she looked at someone behind Roland's back. "Why, isn't that Sir Borus and Sir Percival?"
At the mention of two of his comrade-at-arms, Roland looked over his shoulder. Certainly it was Borus and Percival, heading towards his way, grinning.
He didn't think he liked the way they were grinning.
"Roland!" Borus said, as he whacked the taller elf soundly at the back with such force that almost made him keel over Nei. He regained his balance as soon as Percival had come to join their little group. "Fancy seeing you here," the blonde continued, still grinning. Then he turned to the other elf. "Ah, Nei, it's always a pleasure to see you!"
"Oh, I --"
"My fair maiden, is that really you?" Percival came forward after having asked the question, armed with a brilliant smile.
"Sir Percival," she said, brightening upon seeing him. "It's been a long time! This is the first time I've seen you since Budehuc Castle!"
"I know," he replied warmly, his eyes twinkling. He took hold of both of her hands, and with a another devastating smile, proclaimed--"Can it be possible that you seem even lovelier than the last time we met, Lady Nei?"
There was a miniscule twitching of Roland's left eye. At that moment, he dearly wanted to put an arrow through the raven-haired fellow's back.
Nei blushed prettily under the reknowned rake's flattery, though she retorted back in jest. "And I see you haven't lost your silver tongue, Sir Percival. Can you even be more of a shameless flirt?"
At her bold comeback, Borus howled with appreciative laughter. Roland on the other hand, was still not liking the exchange, and was glaring at Percival. And though the latter was charmed by the lady's refreshing sense of humor, he was not to be beaten. So he said to her--"Your words wound my heart! Do you doubt me, m'lady, when I tell you that you are the fairest of all elves I have ever laid eyes on?"
"Not really," she answered, her mouth twitching into a grin. "Since I'm sure I'm the only one you've ever laid eyes on."
"Then what about Roland?" Borus quipped.
"Excuse me?" Roland could not believe he was being dragged into such a senseless discussion.
"Oh, would I risk an arrow embedded in my back--?"
"The idea has some merits," Roland said, frowning.
"--than say that you outshine my friend, Roland Lesaurus, a thousand times over? Truly, I'd much rather look at your face than his any day. Yours have such a variety of emotions, after all." Percival smiled as Nei rewarded him with a tinkle of laughter. He looked slyly over his shoulder at Roland, before adding, "Don't you think so, Roland?"
The elf looked sternly at him, while Nei shook her head, amused. Borus and Percival were both grinning maddeningly, until Roland rested his hand heavily on Percival's shoulder, and said, "I've been thinking, Fraulein, that the trainees are prepared for a more challenging ordeal with their archery today. Perhaps they're ready for...moving targets."
Percival blinked.
Realizing Roland's meaning, Borus now laughed and turned to look at Percival, and remarked to the elf, "His mouth moves fast enough, that's for sure."
"Have a heart Roland! It hasn't been a week yet and already you and Borus are jumping at the chance to cause me bodily harm!" He wiggled his eyebrows. "Are you so afraid I might win the hearts of your ladyloves?"
Now Borus scowled, and Roland and Nei exchanged exasperated looks. The elves knew, that while their stay at Budehuc Castle, some people accounted them for being in love...and simply because they were seen by some nosey journalist talking to each other! Nei doubted that if it were any other person, human, and not elf, then there would have been no room for gossip. The issue had never been so openly suggested with the two of them present before, but she was secretly glad that Percival's insinuation did not cause awkwardness.
"By the goddess, Percival, you're worse than a gossiping female," Borus snapped. "No offense, Nei."
"None taken, Sir Borus."
"Don't you have something better to do?" Roland asked.
"I--"
"Ah, yes, thank you for reminding me, Roland. I just promised to kick his ass in the training hall. Come along, Fraulein," Borus said, quickly dragging the raven-haired man's arm and winking at his elven friend steathily so Nei didn't see. "You're due for a lesson in keeping your mouth shut."
"Farewell, fair maiden!" Percival bellowed, still grinning madly as Borus continued to drag him along. "May our paths cross as often as yours and Roland do!"
Roland swore under his breath, and Nei flushed. Both stared at the retreating figures of the knights as they disappeared into the crowd.
At length, Roland cleared his throat and turned to Nei. "So," he began, surveying the plaza, "Where did Toppo and Shabon go?"
"They went ahead. Toppo has an appointment with the owner of the theatre and Shabon went with him. Actually, I'm supposed to meet with some people, too," she said, gesticulating with her hand.
"Don't let me keep you, then."
"Oh, it's okay, I still have a few minutes to spare. It's on the way to the Knights' Hall, actually."
"Might I ask who the people you're meeting with?" Roland asked.
"Just some staff members over at the Vanders guild."
"You are acquainted with the Vanders?"
"Not the Vanders in particular," she replied. "Just some of the members in the guild. They were partly responsible for our performance here this morning."
"I see. I can escort you there now, if you wish."
"If it isn't too much of a trouble..."
Roland gave her a wry smile. "You are being too polite, m'ady. It's just me." Before Nei could respond, he extended his arm to her. "Let's get going, shall we?"
She smiled brightly at him. "My thanks."
Late in the afternoon, a man in a brown coat stood by the docks, staring out into the harbor. The sun had dipped a good deal from where it had been hours before, when he had first glanced out his window after waking up. He turned his gaze to the men picking up their cleaning materials, chagrined to realize that they were already finished cleaning the ships for the day. When he had come out to take a stroll, the cleaning men weren't even there yet, and now they were packing up. He had been waiting that long.
The sound of fluttering wings and squawking of sea gulls caught his attention. When he shifted his head slightly to his side, he was surprised to see another man standing quietly beside him.
"Primus?" The man had said. He had glassy blue eyes that were nearly sandwiched between a black bushy beard and a faded green cap. He didn't appear to look at the man in a brown coat as he spoke. "Primus?" he said again, this time with lesser volume.
Brown-coated man nodded. He reached into his pocket and produced a silver coin, flipping it to reveal the details embossed on it. "I've been waiting. I thought you would never come."
"I apologize," came the reply. "But it couldn't be helped. There's trouble at the brass."
A frown creased the man's features, and he pulled his coat tighter around him. "What do you mean?"
"The missing of the Six is now back. He's here in the city, and I have seen him with my own eyes."
"That's the trouble? We've known about that. We've known that he was due to arrive any day now."
"Then you don't think having all six of them present is going to be difficult?"
"Not at all. At least not that one. We've been counting on his return. Who we want to be rid of, is this." The man in the brown coat flipped his hand again and this time revealed a card. It was a card taken from a simple playing deck, showing the king of clubs.
A pair of bushy black brows rose slightly. "He will be difficult, that one."
"Yes, but once the shrewd bastard is out of the picture, we can get to the others far more easily."
The bearded man smirked. "You have a knack for picking formidable enemies." He gave a single nod, as if to approve. "And the red queen?" He asked.
"Nothing has changed. She is not to be harmed. But she will be dealt with eventually. Now, be prepared to execute the plans soon. I shall inform you when to strike, but the means and the process must be accomplished without a flaw. So take your remaining time and use it wisely. You must be prepared within a fortnight." This time, he took something out from within the folds of his long, brown coat and handed it to the glassy-eyed man. It was an envelope, and a signature was scribbled on where a seal should have been.
With this, the man tipped his faded green cap, pocketing the missive as he went on his way.
Author's Notes:
- Screams "FILLER CHAPTER!" doesn't it? Originally, it was to be Nash and Sierra's chapter, but I just had to insert this. ; I just wanted to write of some other characters (minor ones), and include short stories of them if I can (like Roland/Nei, for one ). I got carried away writing Roland's shirtless story (I promise, I really hadn't meant it to be so lengthy!); I will probably have to update his progress with Nei on future chapters. ; Just consider it a tribute to Roland/Nei fandom.
- I'd like to be able to draw you Percival and Borus in their arming doublets, because if you can only see them the way I imagine them...well then I'm sure you'd be enjoying the view very much. All I can do is describe them in detail when the opportunity comes up. For the meantime, you can picture Seed's suit (from Suikoden II) since it's similar to that, only with closer-fitting sleeves.
- Took down the Author's Notes on characters and settings for the meantime. To people who have read it before, and might possibly remember, kindly forget about all that. I've cancelled the original prequel anyhow, so I ought to be establishing new ground rules on the past and whatnot. Sorry. ;