I got so many reviews! The most I've ever had for a single chapter! THANK YOU ALL!
Well... A big thank you to everyone who reviewed! I really wanted to get this chapter out because it's the one that'll be starting off the main mystery of this fic. OK... so it used to be the chapter with the main mystery of the fic... T-T I decided to split it into two chapters... again... So the next chapter will probably be shorter... But this chapter will still have hints of the mystery! Please tell me your ideas about what the mystery is! That way, you can see if you guessed right next chapter. To anyone who reads Triforce Dreams: I promise I'll get to work on that soon, once I FINALLY get the chapter with the real mystery out (next chapter... I hope)! Promise!
Haha... This chapter will have descriptions for what Auri and Corey really look like! (without the dirt and grime) Oh and there'll be a bath scene, but I won't mention anything at all so... if you're really really squeamish about stuff like that then stop at the first mention of a bath. And... :waves piece of paper in air: I've sorta planned out all the chapters of this ficcy and it'll be around thirty chapters, give or take three... or four... or five... --' Yeah... so... enjoy! To the fic!
And... they did have scissors in those times, right? 'Cause I remember seeing something like that somewhere... And they did have oil lamps, right?
Chapter 6: Appearance
Seeing his sister fall to the ground in front of him, Corey ran up to her frantically. "Auri! Auri! Are you OK?" he cried, kneeling by her side.
"I- I'm fine," she replied shakily, slowly getting to her feet. She looked at the person she had crashed into, only to find that the figure was still standing in the shadows.
"That's good to hear," said the person, stepping into the moonlight. "So what's a girl like you doing out here? Say... you're uh... not lost or anything, are you?"
Auri continued to stare at the figure. "You..."
"Huh? Me? Wh- What about me? H- Hey! It's not polite to stare!"
"Y- You're Sacaen," the girl finally managed to say.
The person gave Auri a surprised look. "Err... Y- Yeah! I'm a warrior of the Kutolah tribe! Name's-"
"Guy! Is that you, Guy?"
Three heads turned to face the source of the voice. "Matthew?" Guy asked in a disbelieving tone of voice, seeing the familiar figure of the thief running toward them.
"The one and only!" Matthew exclaimed, grinning. "And it seems like you've found our two runaways too. Auri, Corey, why don't you two wait over there," he said, making a light gesture toward the siblings and then toward a large tree at the edge of the forest.
Guy only stared at the siblings' somewhat reluctant retreat, and then at Matthew, even more confused than before. "Uh... Runaways?"
"Tell you about it later. Lord Hector! Lord Eliwood! Over here!"
A few seconds later, two more familiar figures appeared on the scene. "Guy! I didn't know you were here!" Eliwood exclaimed once he saw the Sacaen.
"Well..." began Guy, looking at the marquess, embarrassed. "You see, Lord Eliwood, I've been training to be the best! But uhh... I uhh... ran out of money to umm... buy food, and jobs have been pretty scarce lately so I came here wondering if I could err... work here for a while..." he finished, a sheepish grin on his face.
"As a mercenary?" Marquess Pherae asked, smiling.
"Y- Yeah... I guess. So... err... can I?"
Eliwood grinned. "Of course, Guy! You can stay as long as you'd like! And whenever you'd like to leave, just tell me and I'll see if I can find something for you to do."
"Ah! T- Thanks, Lord Eliwood!" Guy exclaimed, bowing.
But before Eliwood could reply, Hector laughed and said, "You don't have to thank him; he'd do anything for an old comrade-in-arms. Speaking of which, would you like to come with us? Lyn and I just came this evening with a bunch of our henchmen and we're finishing up dinner just now. Maybe if we're quick we can still get some of the leftovers before they're thrown out to the dogs. That goes for you as well, Matthew."
Matthew bowed deeply, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Ah... Milord, you are so very kind."
"Err... err... y- yeah! Thank you, Lord Hector!" said Guy, quickly following Matthew's example.
Hector shrugged. "Don't thank me; thank Eliwood. He's the one who's feeding us." Turning to Matthew, he continued jokingly, "You're lucky I'm in a good mood today. Shame on you for setting such a bad example."
The Ostian spy merely grinned and nudged Guy in the side, saying to Eliwood at the same time, "Lord Eliwood, thank you for your hospitality."
Catching on a moment too late, Guy exclaimed, "Aah! Thank you, Lord Eliwood."
"It's no problem at all," Eliwood said, amused. "Why don't you head back to the castle before us, Hector? I wish to talk to Matthew for a while longer."
"All right. I trust you will tell me what exactly is going on later?" Hector said.
"Yes. And Guy? I think that you should head back with Hector. You haven't eaten dinner yet, have you?"
"Y- Yes sir!" Guy saluted and chased after Marquess Ostia, who had already started walking back to the castle. "Lord Hector! W- Wait for me!"
Once the two were fully out of sight, Eliwood turned to the Ostian spy. "Matthew?"
"What is it, Lord Eliwood?"
"Where exactly are the two?"
Matthew gestured toward the tree he had previously pointed to. "Corey! Auri! Come out for a second!"
Two heads peeked out from behind the tree, and two bodies soon followed. Once he was certain that Eliwood had gotten a good look at them, Matthew waved them back into hiding.
The marquess turned to the spy again. "What do you propose we do with the siblings?"
"Lord Eliwood, I believe it would be wise for you to give them their own room to spend the night." Matthew paused for a moment before continuing, "I have a... proposition I would like to make to you, Lord Hector, and Lady Lyndis regarding the two."
Eliwood nodded. "And for their dinner?"
"Send food and drink up to them. But do not let anyone else know that they are here. The girl has... a tendency to upset people."
"Really?" Eliwood asked, surprised. "She seems quite friendly to me."
Matthew shook his head. "Not in front of you, Lord Eliwood. But there are others in that room and I would rather they enjoy this evening without any... interruptions."
"I understand. Well, shall we head back?"
"Yes." Turning toward the tree, Matthew shouted, "Corey! Auri! It's time to go!"
Once again, two bodies appeared from behind the old elm, with the boy dragging the girl along. When they were close enough, he let go of his sister's hand, running toward the marquess. "Wow! Are you really Lord Eliwood?" he asked excitedly.
"Yes, you are... Corey?"
"Yep!" The boy grinned and turned toward his sister. "See, 'Ri? Mister Matt wasn't lying!"
The girl merely smiled at her brother. Turning to the marquess, she curtsied and said, "Lord Eliwood, I am Auri, daughter of the late Sir Grey."
Eliwood smiled. "I know, Matthew's already told me. I'm happy to see that both of you are alive and well. Please, come with me and Matthew to Castle Pherae; I'll have a room and dinner prepared for you right away."
Auri curtsied again. "Thank you, Lord Eliwood. Perhaps you could also provide a tub and some hot water?"
"Auri! I don't want to take a bath!" Corey exclaimed, only to receive a glare from his sister.
Amused by Corey's outburst, Eliwood laughed. "Of course."
"Ah... and Lord Eliwood?" Auri continued. "Could you possibly send someone to help me cut my hair? My mother... when she told us to escape..."
And for the first time, both Matthew and Eliwood noticed the frayed and uneven ends of the girl's hair, sure signs of hasty and unsteady sword strokes.
The marquess nodded. "Yes, I'll do that as well. Is there anything else I could help you with?"
"No, I don't believe there is. Thank you," Auri replied. "Corey?"
"Thank you, Lord Eliwood!" the boy quickly exclaimed.
Matthew grinned. "Well then, shall we get going?"
"Yes. This way," the marquess stated, starting back on the path to the castle, closely followed by three other figures.
The guards were quite willing to open the castle gates for their lord and his guests, patiently answering all of Corey's questions while they did so. Once the group was in the castle itself, Eliwood told Matthew to head for the dining hall while he led the siblings to their room. He then proceeded to lead them up a winding staircase to a long and richly decorated hallway, stopping at the first door. Using the key that was hanging on the door knob, the marquess opened the thick wooden door and stepped aside to let the siblings see their new "residence."
Both Corey and Auri gasped at the sight. The room was of a decently large size, with lush tapestries hanging from the ceiling. Two beds, with the blankets draping off to the sides, had been conveniently placed against one of the walls, not too close yet not too far from each other. In a corner of the room stood a large mirror, reflecting the light of the various oil lamps hanging from the walls. A plush velvet carpet stretched across almost the entire floor, ending at a small curtained-off area, to which Corey immediately dashed. He parted the curtains curiously, only to make a face at the contents of the area. Auri quickly followed her brother and looked over his shoulder. Sitting in the middle of a hardwood floor was a large bathtub, complete with a small bar of soap on a shelf next to it.
Auri turned to face the marquess, curtsying yet again. "Lord Eliwood! I- I... How can I thank you for this?" she finally managed to stammer out.
"Well, you can start by not curtsying," Eliwood replied, smiling. "I'll have someone bring the hot water and your dinner. Please, enjoy your stay," he finished, placing the key on a nearby table and gently closing the door behind him as he walked out.
Once the marquess was gone, Corey immediately proceeded to jump onto one of the beds. "This one's mine! 'K, 'Ri?"
Auri sighed. "All right. But take off your boots first; you'll get dirt and mud all over the sheets."
Corey nodded and set to removing his dirt-caked boots, watching his sister examine every little aspect of the room. "What do you think of this place, 'Ri?"
"Lord Eliwood seems to respect us. It's a good thing he knows of our status. But that other lord, Hector, was it? I don't think he knows of our parents, but we'll still have to be deferential. Hmph. The Sacaen, Guy, was just like the others; I'm sure he didn't even think of respecting us."
"But 'Ri! I always heard that Sacaen people are serious and quiet! He wasn't like that..." Corey said, looking at his sister with bright eyes.
"You're right... Maybe..." The girl paused for a moment and then shook her head. "No. He's just like the rest of the world; we're not good enough for him," Auri stated flatly, ending the conversation.
It was not long before someone knocked on the door, asking, "Miss Auri? Master Corey? I've prepared the hot water. Would you like me to bring it in?"
Auri looked up from her reveries and headed toward the door, opening it. "Yes. You do have a clean washcloth with you too, don't you?"
"Yes, miss," the maid replied meekly, as she walked in with a jug of steaming water in her arms and a few varying pieces of cloth draped over a shoulder. "I've also brought both you and Master Corey a clean set of clothes."
Jumping up from his position on the bed, Corey ran to the maid, grabbing one of her arms so that he could get a better view of the jug. "Wow! That's really hot water!"
"Ah... Master Corey, please don't grab my arm like that," the maid said apologetically. "I might spill the water and cause a mess."
"That's right, Corey. You don't want to waste all that hot water, do you?" Auri said, gently prying her brother's fingers from the maid's arm.
"But 'Ri! I'm big now like Mister Matt! I don't have to take a bath!" the boy complained.
"Corey!"
Seeing his sister's angry expression, the boy quickly responded, "I'm sorry, 'Ri... I'll go and take a bath..."
Auri smiled. "That's better, Corey. You can go first."
"Ah, miss? Where would you like me to put the water?" the maid asked, somewhat timidly.
"The bathtub's behind those curtains; you can put the washcloth on the shelf next to it. And put the clothes on my bed, the one to the right."
The maid nodded and proceeded to carry out Auri's orders. When she reappeared from behind the curtains, she quickly curtsied to the siblings. "Miss Auri? I'll go and get another jug of water... The tub was bigger than I expected..." she said, scurrying out the door without waiting for a reply.
When the maid's footsteps became inaudible, Auri turned to her brother. "Well, go ahead, Corey."
The boy grumbled a bit but picked up a clean white shirt and white pants from the pile of neatly folded clothes lying on the bed. He then shuffled to the curtained-off area, parting the curtains and stepping onto the hardwood floor. Peeking his head through the drapes, he said, "Don't come in 'til I'm done, 'K?"
"Of course," Auri replied, smiling.
She heard the sounds of water sloshing around in the tub and on the ground and resumed her inspection of the room. Examining the beds, she found that the sheets and blankets seemed fairly new and incredibly clean, as if they had only been used once or twice before. Satisfied, Auri continued walking about, head faced toward the ceiling so that she could better scrutinize the tapestries, which were richly decorated with various portraits of soldiers and their mounts, participating in wondrous battles with all sorts of fantastical creatures. But just when she was beginning to become engrossed by the pictures, Corey's voice disrupted her thoughts.
"I'm done! Can I go now?"
Auri turned to face her little brother, who emerged from the curtains with wet blond hair plastered all over his head. He stared at her with large blue eyes, lower lip slightly quivering, but she could only laugh quietly at the sight he presented. The shirt that the maid had brought was a few sizes too large for the boy, and, as a result, it sagged from his shoulders and hung far below his waist. Luckily, the pants seemed to fit decently well.
"All right, I suppose," she said, finally able to remain calm. "Where are you going anyway?"
Corey grinned, shaking off a few beads of water from his head as he did so. "I'm going to go and explore the castle!" he exclaimed. "Just like Mister Matt would!"
The previous signs of laughter on Auri's face disappeared almost immediately as she sighed. "I... guess I can't stop you, Corey. But promise me you won't go too far. Just stay in this hallway, all right?"
Nodding fervently, the boy made a move to dash for the door, but his sister grabbed his sleeve before he could run off. "Wear your boots, Corey. I know they're still dirty, but I don't want you getting your feet hurt."
Corey nodded again, this time grabbing his boots from Auri's hands and slipping them on his feet as quickly as he could. Before she could say anything else, he had already scurried to the door and was halfway into the hallway when he turned around, waved cheerily, nearly crashed into the maid as he turned to leave, apologized, and, finally, hurried into the hallway, looking for adventures.
Sitting on the bed, Auri sighed again, watching the maid step gingerly through the room to the bath-area. She heard the sound of the jug being set down on the ground, the sound of a tub being pushed around, the sound of water escaping into what would probably be a drainpipe, the sound of a tub being pushed back, and the sound of water filling a tub. Picking up the remaining clothes from the bed, a white blouse and skirt, along with a light robe, the girl stood up from the bed just as the maid emerged from the curtains with the empty jug.
"Miss Auri? I... I have to get a few things, but when I come back, would you like me to wait for you? Lord Eliwood told me that you wished to have your hair cut."
Auri nodded. "Yes. You can wait over there," she announced, pointing to a chair sitting next to the wall on the other side of the room. "I won't take that much time."
She walked slowly to the curtained-off area, and, once she was satisfied that she was alone, prepared for her bath, stepping heavily into the tub when she was ready. Starting by scrubbing off all the dirt and grime that had accumulated on her skin and hair in the few days that they had spent foraging for themselves, Auri sighed happily, relishing the relaxing feeling brought by the hot water splashing against her. Once she was satisfied that she had rid herself of the layer of dirt covering her body, she stood up from the tub and dressed herself in the clothes that she had brought in with her, taking care to dry out her hair as much as she could. Luckily for her, all of the clothes that she had been provided with fit her decently well.
When she was about finished, Auri stepped from behind the curtains, gesturing to the maid, who nodded meekly and hurried over with a stool, a comb, a small bucket and a pair of scissors. Sitting down on the stool, Auri waited quietly as the maid examined her still-wet hair, combing it out as gently as she could.
"Ah, Miss Auri," the maid began. "Would you like me to cut your hair short? It's very uneven right now; there are some parts where it is long and then some parts where it suddenly becomes short again, and I think it would look better if-"
"Yes," the girl replied, her voice cold yet slightly uneasy at the same time. "Go ahead. I suppose that if no one thought I was pretty before with long hair, no one will even want to look at me with short hair, and that's... not much of a change, anyway."
Not fully understanding what Auri meant and choosing not to answer, the maid merely nodded and began cutting the girl's hair short, holding the bucket underneath to catch the falling strands. It took her some time to finish her task of insuring that all of Auri's hair was about the same length, but the girl was quiet throughout the whole ordeal, eyes shut tightly.
"I'm finished, Miss Auri. Would you like to take a look in the mirror?"
Opening her eyes, Auri stood up from the stool and did as the maid had suggested, walking over to the large mirror in the corner of the room. She stood in front of it, regarding her reflection warily, almost as if she did not want anything to do with it. Her reflection only stared back with its, no... her brown eyes and light brown hair falling a bit below her narrow shoulders.
The maid walked up behind her. "Miss Auri, would you like a ribbon to tie your hair with?" she asked meekly, holding up a small, red strip of fabric.
Auri sighed and took the ribbon from the maid's hands, tying her hair into a short ponytail, which sat relatively high on her head. She mumbled something to herself, something along the lines of how the ponytail didn't change anything, but the maid again decided not to ask.
"I'll take my leave now, Miss Auri," she stated, picking up all the things that she had brought into the room.
Not receiving an answer, the maid interpreted Auri's silence as a "yes," and walked to the door, half expecting to hear a word of thanks. When she was rewarded with none, she paused for a moment before closing the door behind her, and then left the room, quietly declaring to herself that everyone in House Pherae was much more courteous.
Once she was convinced that the maid had actually left, Auri quickly slipped on her boots and rushed to the door, opening it hastily. She peeked around outside, looking for her brother, but all she found was an empty hallway.
"Corey?"
Meanwhile, wandering about the long and winding hallways of Castle Pherae, completely lost, was Corey. He hadn't meant to go so far from the limits his sister had set for him; he had only wished to follow a mouse back to its hole. But now he was lost, with absolutely no idea how to find his way back.
"Auri? Auri? I- I'm lost!" he cried, glancing around in the hopes that his sister would miraculously appear.
With every step the boy took, he felt more and more frightened, partially scared that he would never see Auri again, partially afraid that Auri would be so mad at him as to leave him... forever.
Corey gulped at that thought and quickly decided that it wasn't a pleasant idea to think about. "I'm not scared," he whispered to himself. "I'm brave like Mister Matt!"
However, when the only reply he received was the sound of his boots squeaking on the ground, the boy only became even more terrified. "I- I'm really not scared! At all!" he declared to no one in particular.
But the shadows on the walls only seemed to grow longer and the fires flickering in the torches only seemed to dance livelier. Nearly frightened out of his wits, Corey stumbled on his boots as he half-staggered, half-ran down the increasingly ominous corridor. He did not dare to make a single sound; it could have alerted any nearby monsters to his presence. And so he ran in silence, fervently wishing for anyone to step in and save him.
A light streaming from a half-open door attracted his attention, but the voices that were also issuing from the room were what really arrested his run. A voice? Two voices? Corey smiled happily, his previous fear almost completely forgotten.
I knew I would find someone!
Sliding up against the wall, the boy was prepared to open the door, enter the room, and meet the people inside, but he quickly decided that it would be impolite to barge upon their conversation. And so, Corey sat quietly beside the door, peeking into the room and waiting as patiently as he could for the talking to stop, which it soon did, but the boy was too engrossed in studying the furnishings of the room to enter.
The chamber appeared to be a library - it had shelves and shelves of books. Furthermore, there were two people in the room, a pink-haired girl and a purple-haired boy. Even though there were several oil lamps in the room, each hanging a good distance away from the bookshelves, the latter was reading a particularly thick book under the light of a candle. The girl was sitting opposite to him, staring.
The pink-haired girl was the first to speak. "Erk! It's been so long since we last spent some quality time together, but you just absolutely HAVE to insist on reading that book! Don't you want to enjoy my company?" she exclaimed.
The purple-haired boy, Erk, said nothing, only flipping a page in his book, but a faint rosy glow slowly spread over his cheeks.
"See? You're blushing! You DO like me, Erk! I knew it!"
Corey paled at that.
Th- They're not going to kiss, are they?
"It's the candle, Serra," Erk retorted with a calm voice, something that Corey found quite amazing. How could anyone be that collected, especially after an accusation like that?
However, the girl, Serra, refused to give up. "There! There! You're still blushing, Erk! I'm going to tell Lord Hector right now!" She stood up from her seat, but before turning to leave, she blew out the candle and winked cheerily at Erk, skipping away.
Luckily for Corey, he had already scooted to a safer area in the shadows by the time Serra left the chamber, and that, added to the fact that the girl had skipped in the opposite direction, insured that he was not seen. Once he was certain that he was safe, Corey scurried back to his previous position at the door, and was just about to enter when something stopped him in his tracks.
Inside the room, Erk had taken out a small book with a red cover from his cape. He mumbled a few words under his breath, and then stated one particular word a bit louder. "Fire!"
Within seconds, a small ball of fire materialized from thin air, and Erk, with only a quick hand wave, directed it toward the still-smoking candle, which quickly began to give off light again. Corey stared agape as the mage... he had to be a mage... resumed reading his book as if nothing had happened, quietly grumbling about "over inquisitive clerics."
I- I want to do that too! I don't want to be a knight anymore! I want to be a mage!
And so, once he was completely sure of his decision, the boy gently pushed the door open and stepped into the room.
"Go away, Serra," Erk said, still studying his book.
"But I'm not Miss Serra!"
The mage looked up, and, noticing the boy standing in the doorway, asked, "And who would you be?"
"My name's Corey, sir."
Erk sighed. "Did Serra send you to tell me something?"
Corey shook his head. "No, sir."
Another sigh, this one of relief. "Then did you want to get a book to read?"
Corey shook his head again. "No, sir."
"Then what do you want?"
Pointing at the candle, the boy smiled and said, "Mister Erk, could you teach me how to do that?"
While all that was taking place, yet another meeting was unfolding in Eliwood's study. The marquess of Pherae had asked Marquess Ostia and the princess of Caelin to join him and Matthew there, only stating that the Ostian spy had some important things to say. Once they had reached the study, Matthew had requested, politely, of course, that the door be shut properly and that none of the guards be nearby. Eliwood had quietly fulfilled all of the spy's desires, and thus, all three lords were quietly seated at a table, waiting for Matthew to begin.
The Ostian spy started by placing both hands on the table. "Lord Hector, Lord Eliwood, Lady Lyndis. I wish to ask a proposition of you," he announced quietly, but with a grin on his face.
The three lords looked at each other before Eliwood answered for all three of them. "We'll do whatever we can."
Matthew removed his hands from the table and sat down in the seat that had been provided for him. "I want to go on a... journey and if you could each spare one of your retainers for a few months, I do believe that I would greatly appreciate it."
The lords exchanged glances again, but this time, it was Lyn who answered. "We've nothing against it, but they'll have to be willing to go."
Nodding, the Ostian spy leaned back in his seat, satisfied that he had received the answer that he had hoped for and expected to get.
Silence fell over the room before Hector questioned, "Matthew, just why exactly do you want to go on this... journey?"
Matthew's grin grew only wider in response. "I'm glad you asked, milord. You see, I think I've found a way to save Leila from the clutches of death."
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A/N: Umm... can anyone please tell me what the FE characters (such as Serra or Rebecca) use to tie their hair? I don't think they're ribbons... Are they called "hairbands?" I'm not too sure about this. T-T If you know, then please tell me! Ahem. Anyway... :is so annoyed by her inability to describe hair styles: T-T I hope you all sorta understood what I was trying to say for Auri... It's not as high up as Lyn's, but it's not hanging loose either... Argh. Oh well... T-T As for why Auri didn't thank the maid, she thought of the maid the same way she thought of Matthew. :nods: Don't worry! It'll all change! Really! Eventually... Did you like this new little personality trait of Corey's? Did you even notice a "new" personality quirk? Please tell me if you did! Now I must go and figure out how the magic tomes work... T-T So... how did Guy turn out? OK? I hope... Well... review please.
