A/N: I know this is a really short chapter, but I have an idea for what the lastchapter is going to be like, and I needed something to fill the gap. Sorry for the long update time... read my profile if you need to know why.
Kent awoke with a start in the corner of the infermary with a pounding headache. He noticed that a steaming glass of tea had been placed on a small end table next to him, and the drapes that were usually pulled shut were strung open, letting in the mid-afternoon sun.
With shaky hands he sipped at the tea, burning his tounge in the process. With a sigh, he placed the cup back onto the table, and was surprised to find Lyn had left the infermary.
"Excuse me." He asked a passing-by nurse as he stood up and stretched his stiff body. "Would you happen to know when Lady Lyndis checked out this morning?"
"Why, she left right at the break of dawn!" The young nurse replied, giggling constantly at everything in the room.
"Did she mention where she was heading?" Kent asked politly, even though his headache was constantly wearing him down, forcing him to use all of his energy to keep his calm demeanor.
"Maybe."
Why does this happen to me? Kent thought to himself as he stared at the nurse in disbelief.
"Did you hear anything or not?"
The nurse giggled again, and he felt his patience ebbing away. If anything, he could always blame the tea...
"I heard a lot of things this morning! The nurses, the patients, the birds outside..." She said looking up at the ceiling and using her fingers to count each thing she listed. After several moments of listening to her unnessecary rambling, Kent slammed his hand on the table to silence her.
"Please, just tell me!" He pleaded. "Did you hear where Lady Lyndis was off to this morning."
"Nope."
"Unbelievable." Kent said to himself in annoyance as he stormed into the hallway, narrowly avoiding a small group of castle cooks as they passed him. He was so engrossed in his vengeful thoughts against nurses when he noticed the echoing sound of footsteps behind him.
When a quick glance behind him revealed that there had indeed been no one behind him, Kent became uneasy. Half of him was telling him that it was nothing and that he was hearing things because of his lack of rest. The other half was tense, waiting for a sudden attack that could endanger his fatigued body.
Deciding that the best course of action would be to keep walking, he eventually found himself agreeing with the former idea in comparison to the latter. It was an easier thought to accept, and he found that it would be easier to relax if he had nothing to worry about.
Yet he could not shake the thought that there might be an attacker waiting in the dark corridors for an unsuspecting victim to walk through...
"Kent!" Sain's voice broke through the thick silence of the corridor as he rounded the corner. Standing with a mob of people in the middle of the hall, Kent looked questioningly at the crowd as he strode over.
"Sain, what is all this-" He began but was interrupted by an turmultuos cheer from the small audience.
As Kent peered over the heads of the rather short villagers, he observed that a jousting match was occuring in the training field and he had no doubt stumbled upon the set of doors that led to the grounds.
Figuring a breath of fresh air would do him some good, Kent quickly made his way through the crowd, leaving Sain behind him.
Outside, the weather conditions were not much better than the conditions had been inside the castle. The air was heavy and humid, allowing for the laziest villagers to become warm and uncomfortable. The two people sparring felt the heat as well, for their movements seemed slower than they might have been under different circumstances.
Sain had caught up to him, obviously eager to talk to him about something or another. Kent on the other hand was not in much of a mood to uphold a conversation with anyone, yet the promise he had made himself the day before rang his his head.
It seemed that even the smallest details related to Lyn in some way, for something in his surroundings always seemed to remind him of her. Constantly his mind was tortured by her presence, yet he knew if he were to act upon his feelings he would betray his duty.
Perhaps what he feared most was rejection. How was it that he had the courage to fight countless battles on the front lines, but he could not tell Lyn three simple words that he inwardly was dying to say?
His head was throbbing, his heart was aching, and his mind had become a labrynth of thoughts. For the rest of the day he walked through the castle, and when the sun slowly began to sink into the sky, Kent dejectedly trudged to his room.
"Why couldn't thing's ever be easy!" He said to the walls of his room, falling onto the bed that lay near it. As he turned his head, he noticed a large amount of cumbersome paperwork that had been orderly stacked on the table. With a sigh, he relocated himself to the table where he would be able to complete the incredulous task ahead of him.
Nearly three full bottles of ink, two candles, and four broken quills later (he had become increasingly frustrated with several of the papers, and his patience was at an all-time low, allowing for the quills to become a perfect use of his anger) he had finished the papers, only to find that the sky had just begun to lighten and the sun had begun to peak over the crest of the hills.
Several options crossed his weary mind at that moment, several of them totally out of proportion to the situation available. The time had passed at a rapid rate while he had finished his paperwork, leaving him with no time to sneak in a few hours of sleep. He could call in sick, yet some how the idea didn't appeal to him. He had never deserted his duty, and he would not do it now.
Kent drummed his fingers on the oak table impatiently. Sooner or later he would have to report for duty, and with no sleep, he would be unable to pay attention to his surroundings.
And then, for no logical reason at all, Lyn crossed his mind, and he remembered the oath he had made to tell her yesterday. The day had gone by quickly, without a trace of her.
How could I have told her when I didn't see her? He told himself repeatedly, yet part of him couldn't accept it as the truth. I should've tried harder.
Throughout the day, he constantly found himself resting on walls and the battlements around the castle. Faithful to his duities, he would suddenly snap awake, scan the perimeter, and then slowly resume his silent watch.
Most guards were quite confused when they saw the Crimson Shield leaning up against the wall in contrast to his alert watch. Not daring to ask what made so tired, they walked away. Much to his dismay, Kent found that he had become the popularmeal-time topic that evening among the guards.
Much to his delight, the morning had been uneventful, in exception to the ominous clouds that cluttered the skyline. As he sat quietly near a table stirring his food with his fork, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you feeling ok?" The voice asked gently, and Kent found he was unable to answer, for the element of surprise was on her side, and he had not expected to see her at that hour.
Kent watched as Lyn sat down besides him, and with a nod, he smiled weakly. The last thing he wanted to do was become another burden for her, especially when his problems were irrelevant.
For a moment, there was silence between the two, and Kent noticed that the dining hall had become increasingly crowded. If there was any time he would be able to find privacy between himself and Lyndis, this would be his best shot.
"Would you like to accompany me outside, M'lady?" He asked her, taking a sip of a glass of water that had been placed near his plate. She nodded, and the two made their way into the courtyard.
It had been empty, just as he had predicted, and slowly, the two strolled through the lush, cobblestoned courtyard.
"Lyndis, I have something in which I would like to talk to you about." Kent said suddenly once they had reached the center of the courtyard.
"How many times must I ask you to call me Lyn? Drop with the formalities Kent, we've been through too much for that."
"Ok then..." He muttered. "Well...Lyn, I've been meaning to tell you this for some time now, but there was never the right chance..."
"Kent." She interrupted. "Please, just say what your trying to say."
"Lyn, I love you."
Her body went rigid, and the courtyard seemed to silence as the four words escaped his mouth. Kent cursed himself silently for being so unsociable.
"Kent... Why did..." She stuttered uselessly, and then looked at him. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and he could tell that the response she was about to give would not be the one he had hoped for.
"Kent, I hate have it like this, to resound things like this... Kent, I am to be married to Lord Hector within the next year."
Silverfox09: Let me just remind you that this is indeed a Kent/Lyn story, and I intend to keep it that way. Hector/Lyn is a good pairing too, and I have no intentions of bashing it. Hector was just the first person that came to my mind, so yeah.
Please review!