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Disclaimer: I no own Suikoden, there.
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Chapter 3 Leaving you behind
The sun was bright in the sky, without a single cloud in sight. The wind was blowing gently, weaving through the trees in the courtyard of Brass castle. The magical rustling of the trees mingled with the sound of citizens bustling about. The day was off to a better start than anyone could of thought.
Two knights stood near the back gate of the castle, engrossed in their own private conversation, completely oblivious to the weather.
"You don't have to worry about a single thing, Borus. I'll take good care of her." Percival said; wearing normal civilian clothing instead of his armor, looking calm and patient as ever, but the blond knight standing beside him continued to look doubtful.
"Right, you better," Borus replied without any conviction whatsoever. "Maybe you should have suggested staying at Vinay del Zexay…"
"Oh, come on Borus. She lives there for Sadie's sake! What kind of vacation would that be?"
"Well, it would be a safer one, rather than going to such a remote village."
Percival couldn't help but smile at his best friend, who looked more worried than angry this once. He shook his head as Borus continued to mutter about the dangers of taking Chris to Iksay, Percival sighed and stroked the muzzle of his horse absently. The fact was that Borus was not so much worried about Iksay being dangerous, but rather that Chris was to be out his sights for the next few days. "I thought we all discussed this and agreed to give Lady Chris a chance to rest from her duties."
"Yes. But still…."
The two of them were so absorbed in their conversation, neither noticed Chris coming out of the castle and was heading towards them.
"… Remember what happened the last time you brought her to Iksay?"
"Of course I do, but that attack was unexpected, and it was my mistake."
"Exactly! So that's why-"
Chris smiled inwardly as she caught bits of their conversation. She was practically standing right beside Borus when the two of them finally noticed her and stopped arguing. "Is something wrong?" She asked, trying to conceal her smile as the two men exchanged wary glances.
"Lady Chris! We were just, uh, just talking about, er…"
Chris laughed, and both Percival and Borus stopped to gaze at her, with the sunlight upon her silver hair shimmering as a light breeze blew by. And as she tilted her head slightly to look at them, her violet eyes were now warm and good-humoured, no longer shadowed with woes.
"You seem to be looking much better already, milady." Percival nodded as he watched her take the reins of her white mare from him.
"Yes. I must admit I'm rather excited by the idea."
Mounting his horse swiftly, Percival smiled and waited. "Shall we get going then, Lady Chris?"
Chris nodded, then turned to Borus. "Will you be joining us, Borus?"
Borus shook his head somewhat reluctantly. "I'm afraid not, milady. I have to finish up some certain matters here. I regret not being able to accompany you." He added, and by the expression on his face, Chris could tell that his regret was beyond words.
'I will always stand by your side, no matter what.'
Chris faintly heard his words echo in her mind, her eyes closed slowly as her emotions began to stir, accentuated by the realization of something deep inside her soul, a knowingness hidden in her heart.
What… is this I'm feeling…?She opened her eyes to find Percival and Borus both frowning at her.
"We best leave as soon as possible if we are to arrive at Iksay before sunset, milady." Percival gently reminded her.
"Oh, right." Chris shook her head to clear away the daze. She placed her foot on the saddle and was about to heave herself up onto the horse when Borus suddenly spoke.
"Percival! You better not let anything happen to Lady Chris." And then, after pausing briefly he spoke again in a softer tone. "Lady Chris, please take care."
Chris stopped suddenly, and instead of mounting her horse she turned to face Borus, who was momentarily stunned when she leaned in close and whispered into his ear.
"Don't worry about me, Borus. I'll be fine… But, thank you."
Pulling back, Chris felt her lips accidentally graze Borus' cheek. She saw his face start to turn red from the touch and he was speechless. For a second they looked at each other, both at a loss for words.
"Um… Milady?"
Startled slightly, Chris let out a small gasp but then quickly recovered herself. "Sorry about that, Percival!" She said as lightly as she could, and mounted her horse quickly. Beside her, Percival was pretending not to notice the fact that Borus' face was turning to the colour of a tomato.
"Well, we're off, Borus! Stay sober while we're away, alright?" Percival said cheerfully.
"R-Right. See you both in a few days…"
"Goodbye, Borus." Chris said, and then followed Percival out the gate. Turning back slightly, she saw Borus watching them leave, with one armor-cladded hand at his cheek.
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It was until Brass castle was out of sight, and Chris couldn't seem to find anything to say to Percival. All she could think about was how her plan of showing the tiniest bit of weakness and gratitude had gone awry. She cursed herself silently for foolishness, then reprimanded again for regret. At that thought she became even more confused. Did she really mean to give him the idea? She knew how much he loved her, well, in fact, everyone knew. But the problems lies in whether or not she reciprocated. No, she didn't at the moment, and she couldn't. Another complication was the last thing she needed.
"So, milady. If you don't mind me asking- what was that back there?"
"H-Huh?" Chris blinked a couple of times to ward off the thoughts, then turned her head to see Percival smiling slyly at her. "Wh-why are you looking at me like that!"
"Well, it seems to me that our beautiful goddess has finally set her sights on someone."
"D-don't be ridiculous!" Chris stuttered hastily. "How long is this festival of yours, if there even is one?" She asked, desperately trying to change the subject without being too obvious about it.
"Of course there is one." Percival answered, fully aware of Chris' avoidance. "And even if there isn't, I'd have the village hold one in your honor, Lady Chris."
"How long is it going to be? For a week?"
"No. Tomorrow's the last day actually."
"What?" Chris gave Percival a surprised look. " But you said we're going to stay there for the next three days!"
"So I did."
"But…"
"Don't worry, milady, there's plenty of other activities in Iksay. The village may look small, but there are plenty of fun things even without a festival to attend. It'll be great, I promise."
Chris felt her heart skip a beat at Percival's tone of voice. He sounded so earnest that it surprised her. She shook her head, and began to wonder. Out of all the knights, she had thought Percival be the least smitten by her. True, he had this undeniable charm and air of confidence that make many other women swoon. But, he always seemed to be there to help her out, and she knew she could count on him for just about anything. Deep down, Chris felt he was more of a good friend to her than anything else.
"I'm sure it will be, Percival. Thank you."
At this point in time they were already half- way across the Yaza Plains. Even with the sun shining bright at midday, there was a pleasant breeze that swept the outstretching grassland. Chris marveled at the wonderful weather. Having been tied to one problem or another for the past month, she never had the time to notice the beauty of the outside world. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath of fresh air and sighed. It felt good to be out in the wilderness once again.
I can't believe how much I miss wandering around the grasslands… maybe, I was never meant to be burdened with such a prestigious title… Maybe…Oh, what's the point?
The steady trotting steps of her horse began to blend with the rhythm of her mixed thoughts. One question led to another impossible dilemma, in which she pondered on and on. She vaguely acknowledged the fact that Percival was beside her, watching her ever so curiously.
I wonder what those weasels at the Council intend to do about the conflict between those trading envoys from Tinto… Is Salome going to be able to handle it? Perhaps it was unwise of me to leave on such short notice; it's bound to cause problems…
Chris shook her head, which began to throb as the doubts grew worse and worse. Completely lost in her thoughts until the sound of Percival's voice brought her out of reverie abruptly. It took her a couple of seconds to remember where she was and what she was doing. Going to Iksay, taking a break, right.
"What is it, milady? You seem rather distracted."
Chris turned her head to look at him, not quite sure on how to answer the question. Percival had his eyes glued up front, but was watching her from the corner of his eye. He saw her blink a few times before answering in a tentative tone.
"Percival, I'm suddenly not so confident that this is a good idea. I suspect an ill response from the Council when they hear of my absence. I don't want to cause anymore problems than needed." She sighed and looked down at her gloved hands gripping the reins, what a drag.
Percival was unusually silent for about a minute. "How about this, we stay at Iksay for the next few days. And you, Lady Chris, you try not to think about anything besides relaxing and having fun." Chris opened her mouth to protest, but was surprisingly cut off when Percival continued. " And I, Percival Frauelin, promise to immediately alert you, should an emergency arises."
"But that's not-" Chris stopped as Percival promptly made his horse pick up pace and went ahead of her. Scowling slightly at being ignored, Chris deliberately kept her original pace, even so, the distance between them was all but a meter or so the entire way. As they continued on their way, Chris noticed Percival looking over his shoulder to glance at her. Catching his gaze dead on, she tried to keep her face stony, but couldn't resist a smile when he winked at her, all his charm and calmness in place.
After a couple hours through the plains, their surprisingly safe journey came to an end. Staring towards the horizon, Chris could see the spinning wheels of the windmills far off, amidst fields of light green grain plants.
When they entered the village, Percival surprised Chris, by dismounting his horse and then coming over to her. He held out a gallant hand to help her off her horse, which she accepted after a moment of indecision. Percival simply grinned at her puzzled expression and said. " Welcome back to Iksay, Lady Chris."
Chris shook her head and smiled. "Yes, I suppose, it is good to be back." She tilted her head. "Aren't you going to show me around again, Percy?"
Percival laughed. "Of course."
Together, they entered the village.
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A/N: Please leave comment, your support means a lot to me!