Six Months

Kera sat in front of her cottage, mending in the late afternoon sunshine and watching Paine with the neighbor boys. They were playing at swordfighting, as usual, Paine waving the new wooden sword that Auron had sent as a gift for her fifth birthday -- she had lost interest in dolls already. Another warrior in the family, Kera thought with a silent sigh. Wasn't one enough? She tied off her last stitch, then stood up. "Paine! Come in and wash up. It's time to make dinner."

Paine obeyed. She paused in the doorway, looking up at her mother. "Mom, when I grow up, can I be a warrior monk like Uncle Auron?"

Kera smiled and smoothed Paine's hair. "I'm sorry, sweetie, but girls aren't allowed to be warrior monks. You could be a Crusader, though." Not for the first time, she wondered why her brother hadn't just joined the Crusaders and avoided all of this nonsense about vows and secret engagements. But no, he had to go the noble, difficult route. As always.

"Okay." The girl went into the house. Kera was about to turn and follow her, when an approaching figure caught her eye. It was a warrior monk, garbed in orange, with a longbow strapped across his back, and he was walking rapidly toward her.

"Can I help you?" Kera asked. Her heart started pounding with the same fear she felt with every unexpected message from Bevelle.

"Are you Kera?" She nodded. He saluted, then removed his helm to reveal tousled brown hair streaked with blond, a friendly face, and a recent scar on his left cheek. He looked too cheerful to be delivering bad news, and Kera decided it was safe to breathe. The officer looked vaguely familiar -- was this one of the men who'd been in the village for the Sinspawn attack? "Lieutenant Kal, at your service, milady. I come with a message from your brother, Captain Auron."

"Tell me," she said.

"He asked me to tell you that he has made a full recovery from the injuries he sustained in the battle at Djose and that he has been well since. However, given recent events he will be unable to take the leave he had planned for next month. He sends his apologies and hopes to make up for it soon. Also, I have a letter."

The lieutenant held out an envelope, and Kera took it. "Arelle" was written across the front in Auron's neat hand. She raised her eyebrows at this -- normally his letters to Relle came under plain cover or bundled up with a note to the family. He must trust this particular courier. Kera bowed formally to the young man. "Thank you, Lieutenant. Did Auron really send you all this way just to tell me this?"

He smiled. "No, milady. I was being dispatched to deliver messages to Guadosalam and Djose Temple anyway. The captain asked me to make this brief side trip as a favor to him, and I was happy to help."

"Well, you have my thanks. Dinner will be ready soon; would you like to stay?"

"Thank you for the offer, milady, but I must hurry to Djose."

"All right then. Safe travel, and may Yevon be with you."

"And with you." Kal saluted again, then left.

Kera turned the letter over in her hands, fighting the temptation to open it. Instead, she walked next door to Relle's cottage and knocked.

Relle cracked the door open, then pulled it wide when she saw Kera there. She had flour in her hair and a streak of berry juice across her forehead. "Come in."

Kera entered to see the kitchen table covered in dough and half-finished bowls of fruit filling everywhere. "What in the name of the fayth have you been doing?" she asked, amused.

"Making pastries for Dix," said Relle. "I swear, that man practically sells these things before they're out of the oven. Now he wants to set up some deal with Djose Temple, and I don't know that I'll be able to keep up. But I hate to refuse him, because... well, you know."

Kera did know -- Relle and Dix were getting along fairly well these days thanks to their business partnership, which made life much easier for Auron. "I'll talk to him; no point in working you to death. Would you like to come have dinner with us? I'm cooking."

"Yes please," Relle said with a sigh. "I'm so tired of looking at the kitchen."

"Anyway, I came over to give you this. It just arrived from Bevelle." Kera held out the letter. Relle looked at it, then took it gingerly, opening it as if afraid it might explode. Kera watched her friend's expression carefully as she read the note. It was the same every time -- first eager anticipation, her eyes hopeful that this would be the letter summoning her to Bevelle at last; her face falling as her hopes were dashed, her true feelings quickly covered by a mask of false cheerfulness. It was heartbreaking to see, and Kera was getting tired of it.

Suddenly, Relle gasped. Her hands convulsed, crumpling the paper between them.

"What?" Kera asked, reaching out to Relle. "What's wrong?"

Relle shook her head without speaking and handed Kera the letter. She took it, smoothed out the crinkles, and read.

Dear Arelle,

I received the letter that you sent via Kinoc. No apology is necessary -- I take the blame for the episode entirely upon myself, and there are no words to express just how sorry I am for the way I treated you. I am glad that you understand my reasons for not staying that night, but I should never have left without saying farewell. It is true that I lost a good friend at Djose that day, along with many others of my squadron. Perhaps this fact explains my behavior, but it does not excuse it. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.

These years of separation have been difficult, I know. For both of us, but perhaps more so for you. I well remember your words about understanding what you were getting into when you agreed to wait for me, but I doubt that either of us really expected then that six years would pass with no end in sight.

So let me show you the end. For some time now, I have been planning to make you a formal offer of marriage once I receive a commander's rank. Although no one has approached me officially yet, I have a strong feeling that such a promotion will come within the next six months. Give me these six months, Relle. At the end of that time, I will send for you, whether I have been promoted or not. You have my word.

Unfortunately, it seems that I will be unable to take any leave in the near future, but I hope that the prospect of being reunited for good soon makes up for that. I will keep you updated on the situation. Be well.

All my love,
Auron

Kera's heart lurched. She looked up at Relle and saw her eyes shining with happiness. "Six months," Relle said. "Six months!"

A smile split Kera's face as she embraced her friend, and finally soon-to-be sister. "Six months, then," she whispered back.