Beautiful.
Dedicated to someone you will never know or meet.
Summary: She was beautiful. So beautiful. The one he had been looking for his whole life . . . and he didn't hesitate to trade his life for hers. Another of my first pairings. Rated T. Angst/Tragedy.
Lyn watched the scene unblinkingly, almost consciously aware of the feeling as it engraved the pain into her memory. Florina was kneeling in front of the grave, her eyes red and swollen from crying. The one man she had gotten close to, in such an unlikely manner; and then he was snatched away from her. It wasn't fair. Lyn cursed as she felt the grief rise, jamming a painful lump into her throat. With tears in her eyes, Lyn left Florina to her mourning. It was her right to mourn his passing, her right.
His death had caught everyone by surprise. A lot of things he did caught people by surprise. But it was the way he had died. Most people simply thought that the fool had sacrificed his life to save the girl, but very few people knew he did it for the pure love contained in his heart. His death had touched the entire camp, however slightly. But for most, it was a major loss.
Except for Florina. The only man she had gotten close to, the only man she would probably ever get close to was dead. She had cared for him, cherished him, and even felt that elusive euphoria known as love. And he'd paid the ultimate sacrifice for her foolishness.
Florina held the flower to her heart, her lavender hair spilling over her shoulders. It was the flower he'd given her, so long ago . . .
"My lady!" he cried. Florina automatically flinched; it wasn't his fault. He couldn't help being what he was: a male.
"Yes, Sain?" she asked quietly. The cavalier grinned.
"Milady Florina, please stay by my side. You could get hurt in this forthcoming battle! Allow me to protect you." he said gallantly. Florina gently tugged on the reigns of her Pegasus, and he accordingly rose higher. Sain was now craning his neck to try and keep eye contact with her. Florina smiled shyly.
"I-It's okay, Sir Sain. If there's a-any danger, I just fly higher." she called down. Sain was leaning back precariously, eyeing off her slender form, her tight Ilian uniform blending wonderfully against the snowy white hair of her Pegasus, and the bright white of the beating wings.
The cavalier was awed by the beauty, both of the rider and of the mount. He had dreamt of flying on occasion, to soar brilliantly through the clouds with a sturdy charger still beneath you . . . it was a pity the Pegasus Knights of Ilia only accepted female riders.
Up in the sky, Florina giggled as Sain continued to try and keep eye contact. The boy was almost at a ninety degree angle, and he still kept his balance. The Pegasus Knight giggled again. Any second now . . .
"Whoa! Hey! Waaah!" Sain cried. Florina had timed it exactly- the cavalier fell off of his horse. Suddenly, Florina bit her lip and swooped down to ground level. Sain had fallen off his horse in what looked like a silly manner, but it shouldn' t have resulted in injury!
The tiny Pegasus Rider jumped out of her saddle and rushed over to the groaning cavalier. Her hands stretched out towards his forehead, but recoiled instinctively. There was blood on his brow; not much, but there was blood. Florina burst into tears, curling up into a ball.
Sain got to his feet haltingly, and wiped the blood away. Sure, he fell off on purpose- he knew he was going to- but he did so in order to gain favour with the lovely Florina, not send her into tears! And he certainly didn't mean to smack his head so hard on that rock.
"Florina," he said awkwardly. "I'm alright. Really." He tried to give her a pat on the back, but she only cried harder. The cavalier really was at a loss. What the heck do I do? he wondered.
"You don't need to cry- I'm alright!" Sain cried, accidentally drawing attention from those closest to him. "It's . . . I mean . . ." he stuttered. Finally, he grasped Florina by the shoulders, heaved her up, and embraced her fondly. The girl was so shocked by what was happening that she didn't squirm or struggle. Sain continued hugging her.
"I'm alright." he whispered in her ear, her lavender hair half-covering his back. "I'm okay." Florina was startled, and she wanted to pull away . . . but she didn't. Somehow, this chronically-flirtatious cavalier was comforting her, and Florina slipped into the embrace.
Lyn rushed over and quickly grabbed Sain by the back of the neck and pulled him away. The cavalier turned around to protest when a knee swiftly came up and caught him in a tender place.
Florina winced at the treatment Sain got for his troubles. Lyn could sometimes be overly harsh on the cavalier, and this was one of those times.
"Um . . L-Lyn? It w-wasn't his fault . . ." The Sacaen, however, was deaf to all pleas.
"Sain! I've told you about trying to make moves on Florina! You're to leave her alone!" she ordered. Sain tried to hobble away.
"Milady Lyndis! I wasn't trying to-" Kent cut in, however, having seen the entire ordeal.
"Sain, don't try to lie. You wanted Florina to participate in your usual lewd activities. You're pathetic, Sain." he said. Sain shot Florina a pleading glance, and the Pegasus Knight saw the hurt in his eyes.
"Lyn? I-I . . ." Florina started. Lyn turned away from Sain and marched ahead.
"I don't know why he's still under my rule." she muttered angrily, and Florina felt worthless.
"Lyn." she said firmly, and the noblewoman turned to her.
"I'm sorry for what Sain did, Florina. You won't have to worry about him again." she said gently. Florina wanted to correct her, to say what really happened . . . but in the end, she held the reigns to her Pegasus and drifted high into the sky, where she could be alone.
And where she could come to grips with her feelings.
Florina was, perhaps needless to say, heartbroken. Sain had left her alone.
"Sain." she whispered to the grave. "You swore you'd never leave me. You swore to protect me. Do you remember?" The churned-up soil seemed to mock her, with the headstone at it's peak laughing, jeering. We have claimed another one, it cried. We have taken your loved one away, and you can't do anything about it.
"Sain." she whispered again. All she wanted to know was the answer to the one question, the age-old question.
The question that had plagued her heart since that moment where he died.
"Why?"
Slowly, Florina approached the cavalier after the battle. A curious pair had joined their 'Legion', a cleric named Serra and an uptight mage named Erk. Florina liked Serra; she made her laugh. Erk was very quiet however. He liked his books, and Florina found him to be friendly too. He didn't talk excessively, like Serra. He was quiet, like her. But he wasn't shy, the way she was.
Quietly, she approached Sain, mentally rehearsing her apology.
"Hey Florina." he said sullenly, and Florina choked. How did he hear her?
"You can come and sit down." he said, patting a place next to him on a log. Florina crept over, feeling overwhelmed, and timidly sat down on the opposite end of the log. Sain chuckled.
"It's okay, Florina. I won't 'make a pass' or anything. Come and sit here." he said, and patted the log again.
Slowly, nervously, she crept over to Sain and sat roughly a metre away, watching him with large eyes. The cavalier felt unexpected sorrow at her reaction.
"Is it because of me? My reputation as a 'woman-hunter'? Or is it your natural fear of men, Florina?" The Pegasus Knight shivered, and Sain took his cloak from his shoulders and held it out to her. Florina watched the cloak, not moving. The Caelin Knight sighed, exasperated, and tossed the cloak to her. She caught it and gratefully wrapped it about her slim frame.
"Th-thanks." she squeaked. Sain didn't look at her, but turned and watched the sunset as it reflected on the lake in front of them.
"I don't know what it is, Florina. I never really wanted to be this way; I just am. I try to control it, and I think I am. But everyone thinks the worst of me . . . I don't know what to do." he said wistfully. Florina was startled. She too had shared the uniform opinion of Sain, but it was tempered slightly by her . . . well, what some would call her naiveté. Something like this coming from a known womaniser . . . it was unnerving.
"Sain . . ." she said hesitantly. "I'm sorry I didn't speak up to defend you. I'm just . . . weak." she spat with sudden contempt. Sain looked up quickly.
"Florina, you're not weak." he said. The Pegasus Knight looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"I am, Sain! I am weak! I can't believe how I didn't see how people have been coddling me for so long!" she shrieked. Sain was a little awed.
"Florina, hold on a second. Look at what's happened. Not lately, but right now." he said, struggling to hide a grin. The small girl stopped and looked at him.
"What?" she asked. Sain finally showed his smile, and revealed his secret.
"You're not stammering. Neither are you so scared around me, one of the 'scariest' men around." he explained. Florina looked deep into her soul, and found a lot that scared her. A lack of fear, a new euphoric feeling caused by the lack of that fear, and strangely, passion.
And so she locked into a tight embrace with Sain. The cavalier felt a rush of joy at this new development, and kissed her softly on her head. The moment he did, he felt his heart leave him and soar with the Pegasi.
Florina had never felt this way about any man, and she was giddy with the rush of a new development.
"Sain," she whispered. "Promise me you'll never leave me. Promise me you'll never let me come to harm." The Green Lance separated slightly to look her in the eye.
"I promise, my lady." he said. "You are the most beautiful person I know . . . will ever know. As long as I live, you will not come to harm."
Florina held him tighter. It was exactly what she needed to hear.
The Pegasus Knight blinked as the memory faded. He had been so much to her. It was incredible how so much could change for the better in such a short amount of time. It was also ironic how things could be reversed so quickly, Florina thought bitterly. They had cared for each other, and even experienced what some might call 'love', but Florina wasn't sure. It must have been strong attraction, nothing more.
It had to be strong attraction. It was the only way she could bear the pain. If it truly had been love . . . how could she go on?
She blinked as a tear fell onto the patch of moist earth beneath her. I can't do it, she thought. I can't read the epitaph. He was my world, and it came crashing down. He hadn't broken his promise. He'd died for her. Florina gritted her teeth; how could he have done it! Why didn't he let the bolt hit her!
Still, if the bolt had killed her instead of him, Sain would be here, crouching over her grave, how would he bear the pain? Could she really wish it on him?
"A ballista? Lord Lundgren must be getting serious." Kent commented. "Deploying siege engines is no mean feat." Lyn nodded, her Mani Katti appearing from nowhere.
"I don't care. I will save my grandfather. How do we stop it?" she asked fiercely.
"Usually, you use someone with good defense as bait so that the enemy wastes bolts until someone can walk up and knock the fool on the head." Kent explained.
"Florina." said Sain, suddenly realizing the extreme danger. "Do not take to the air! The ballista would target you in an instant!" Florina nodded and faded backwards to tend to Huey.
"Wil." said Lyn. "Do you think you can use it? The ballista?" The archer bit his lip, sizing the instrument up.
"I think so. It's just a really big bow, right? I should be able to figure it out." The Sacaen nodded, satisfied.
"Then it's settled. Everyone, let's go!"
And thus the battle began.
Kent volunteered to be sent out into the woods to bait the ballista, along with Dorcas. The two crept along, silent and unseen, until the ballista spotted them. Kent cursed and quickly raised his shield. Dorcas pulled almost a dozen branches in front of him at once, extremely thick, sturdy branches. The bolt shot through the woods towards the axeman, who quickly let go of the tree limbs. The branches immediately sprung apart, colliding with the bolt and spinning it a long way off-target.
"Nice manouvere." the cavalier commented. Dorcas nodded. "Thank you, Sir Kent." Kent's eyes widened. "Dorcas, on your right!" The serene fighter instinctively jerked out his axe and beheaded the hapless Caelin soldier. Kent gave him a confused look.
"I heard him coming." Dorcas explained.
"Ah." said Kent, at a bit of a loss. Dorcas turned so the ballista was on his left.
"There are many of the foe coming. They could slow us down." said Dorcas, gesturing towards the approaching force. Kent bit his lip. This force could probably be taken down with a bit of trouble, but the ballista would complicate things quickly.
Sain was waiting back with the rest of the force, and he, like the rest, was anxious to the point of fingernail-biting. He caught Florina's eye and grinned. She offered him a shy grin back. Fortunately, Lyn did not see this unspoken flirting- her sights were too concentrated on the Brigand sneaking through the mountains towards the village.
"Florina!" she cried. "There's a bandit about to raid the village! Warn them! I'll come with you!" Erisal, the tactician, shook his head.
"Lyn, the ballista could pick both of you off in an instant! We're going to-" Lyn rounded on the unfortunate tactician.
"Erisal, I will not have this village destroyed! I won't willingly let others suffer what I have!" she cried. When she turned back, Sain and Florina had already left, and were on their way to the village. At first she wanted to cry out, to warn them, but then she remembered that Sain had an iron sword with him, and she visibly relaxed.
Florina urged Huey onwards towards the village. Her fingers were turning white from gripping her slim lance so hard. Bows frightened her, they frightened any Pegasus Knight, and this ballista downright petrified her. Beneath her, she heard the gallop of hooves, and she peered down to have a look.
Sain was riding at full pace beneath her, trying to catch up. He really was a superb rider, but he couldn't fly, and so he was lagging. His iron sword was held in his hand, and he was making a beeline for the Brigand.
Florina landed quickly and tried to close the gates when an old man appeared.
"Good afternoon lass." he said. Florina was trying to close the gates quickly, and was looking over her shoulder with the fear bright in her eyes.
"Tell you what, lass." continued the old man with no idea that she wasn't listening. "Take this here Lancereaver. It's good against them lances." Florina grabbed the sword from his hands and finally shut and bolted the massive iron gates. She breathed a visible sigh of relief when the village was safe, only to turn around and see a toothless Brigand standing over her, with an enormous axe.
Florina screamed when a swooping nose sounded behind the Brigand, and he fell with a nasty splat.
"It was almost too easy." said Sain, sheathing his sword. He looked around warily, when a scream came from Lyn, back at camp.
"The ballista!" she cried. Florina looked up to see an enormous bolt plunge out of the clouds towards her. Sain was already riding off.
"Sain!" she screamed. The cavalier looked briefly behind his shoulder before turning the whole horse and galloped towards the girl as fast as he could- it wasn't fast enough, and he knew. Florina was sobbing as the messenger of death swooped down-
And the armoured body of Sain shot across it's flight path and intercepted the shot through the heart. Florina froze, and looked over questioningly at the horse. Sain must have dived a good seven metres to intercept that bolt!
Florina crouched at his body, and looked into his eyes. Please, she thought. Don't let him die. And if he . . . if he has to, please let me tell him how I feel . . . she begged. She looked him in the face, and it was the hideous hue of collapsed beeswax. Blood matted the corners of his mouth, and his eyes were glazed. He was already dead.
Florina collapsed over his body, not caring about the blood that soaked her uniform, her sobs shaking her entire body.
Sniffing, Florina stood and turned away from the grave of the courageous cavalier. He had done his duty, and that was enough to satisfy his best friend. He had performed to the best of his ability and fulfilled his vows, and that satisfied his liege.
And he had fallen in love with Florina, which satisfied her heart. The breeze seemed to whisper to her as she left, and she smiled at the message; a message no doubt from the soul of her dearly departed love.
"Florina . . . thank you . . . for being the one . . . who I searched for . . . and found . . ."
The end.
Thanks to everyone for reading, and R&R. I'll be starting a new multi-parter soon, but expect for Person's Unknown to still go ahead!