Some days the princess liked to fantasize about having a normal life out in the village. She imagined being an absolute no one, with a name that stirred nothing in the soul because it was as common as bread. Fiona Ponderlily. Katie Rose. Rowan Woods. A girl with that name could wake up early with nothing better to do than to wipe the morning dew from the crystal lights outside. A girl like that would probably work at an ordinary shop as a tailor or a weaver, would love petunias, and would keep a collection of sea shells collected from walks about the Rising Falls. She would make sure her younger sister stayed out of trouble. Visit friends and chat for hours over scones and cups of flowery teas. And they would hug her in return when they parted for the day, telling her 'see you tomorrow'.
And...maybe she would fall in love. On a lucky day at the market she might unexpectedly bump into someone with her bags of groceries and spill potatoes all over the ground. And he might help her pick them up. Then he would mistakenly brush his hand against hers…
It must be a wonderful feeling, to feel the warmth of another. To feel love wrapped around your whole being in a tight embrace. Or so she assumed it would be wonderful. She couldn't remember.
Sometimes if she closed her eyes she could vaguely recall someone holding her close, and the faint smell of chamomile. But it was always nothing more than a dream.
When no one was looking she sometimes tried to pretend someone had reached out to her lovingly, and folded her fingers around her own opposite hand, just to imagine what it would feel like. But she knew it just looked silly.
She clasped her silly hands together behind her back and glanced over her shoulder, checking to see if her two guards were still behind her.
Of course they were.
They were all there together, at the top of the clock tower, the sun setting in a beautiful mix of oranges and pinks across the sky. The clock tower itself was a large monument atop a garden lined hill among long winding stone pathways and fountains, standing as a beacon for all those wishing to lose themselves in the hours. A pinnacle achievement of technology, all thanks to the work of the castle alchemists and scientists. The weighted bags of sand and pulleys twisted the two long poles on the clock face around at even, steady intervals. Granted, it had to be re-tuned quite frequently and sometimes it fell off a bit in accuracy by the end of the week when the maintenance was due, but it was still impressive to have something keep track of the hours that wasn't just sticks or stones stabbed into high sunny places.
After climbing the circling stone staircase of the technical wonder, one would find a quaint little viewing area with some seats, flower boxes, and even scopes filled with polished glass for spying on the people of the town squares and market below.
Kairielis leaned up against the railing and took a deep breath in of the twilight air. She decided it had the triumphant smell of freedom. Which apparently smells an awful lot like the gardenias blooming next to her.
She fiddled with the blindfold she had temporarily tied around her wrist, now that it wasn't necessary any more. What a crazy, unexpected, topsy-turvy mess of a day. It was still hard to believe she had only met these two this morning, but everything already felt so different.
And that one really had done what he promised, despite all her doubts earlier. He had taken her on an adventure without even leaving home.
"I'm...not so sure about this."
It was a bit of an understatement. She gripped the reins in front of her, trying to suppress the shaking of her hands. Riding the wyvern wasn't the problem. No, she had done that plenty of times. It was riding a wyvern while blindfolded that had her concerned.
"Don't worry! We're right here next to you!"
Thanks a bunch, Sora, for that comforting notion, she thought to herself sarcastically. It's not like they could catch her if she fell off or crashed the poor creature into a wall. Hopefully the fact that Riku was guiding the mount with a lead in front would prevent that from happening. Hopefully.
"But...is the blindfold really necessary for this?"
"Absolutely!"
She could tell that Sora was happy, at least. She still wasn't sure herself.
"And we are going to...where, exactly? I know you said 'adventure' but that isn't very specific, and I'd like to know how long I'm going to have to sit here in the dark."
Both literally and figuratively…
To her surprise, Riku answered for him.
"You're on your way to not see the town, just like he said."
Those two probably couldn't be any more frustrating right now if they tried, but she decided not to voice this thought out loud, lest one of them take it as a challenge. But after the wyvern had been cajoled into a slow walk, she wondered if this whole thing was more than just a deceptive play on words.
"Um…what should I-"
"Just keep your ears open. Oh! And your nose."
She waited, silently trying to observe as much as she could with her unimpaired senses as her mount trudged along some unknown path. Might as well do her best to give it a try. She could hear people muttering a bit among themselves, likely about the strange display of their princess being paraded around like a circus attraction down the cobbled streets. She did her best to not concern herself with it, sitting up as straight and tall in the saddle as she could.
If I am going to look ridiculous, as least I can look regal while doing so.
She also was wondering with trepidation what Sora could possibly be wanting her to use her nose on when the answer came wafting straight into her. It was a pleasant mix of freshly baking bread, the strong flowery smell of vanilla and yeast.
"This is one of my favorite places." Sora introduced something to her; not that she could see it.
"And over here is Claire. When she's not rolling dough or frosting something she's out in the courtyard feeding the pigeons with the spare crumbs."
The even sounds of a broom sweeping across cobblestone abruptly stopped and she heard the light tap of shoes, slowly approaching closer.
"Ah, you little scamp! I was worried you weren't going to come visit much any more now that you are guardi—o-oh my...i-is that…?"
Kairielis could hear a woman's voice stuttering a bit in surprise. It seemed she was finally noticed. She tried to bob her head a little, doing her best to not unknowingly break any of the various rules on decorum about how far to lower her head to others. The rules were quite specific about that sort of thing in regards to the status of the person she was greeting. Which...was a lot easier to determine when you could actually see the person you were trying to recognize the presence of.
There was some hushed, hasty mumbling as she overheard her two knights were now struggling to explain this whole ridiculous parade to the presumed baker she couldn't see. Something about introductions and 'maintaining impartiality'.
"I see!" She could hear the woman again—Claire, was it?-and then the ruffle of clothes, like she was moving somewhere. Also there was a strong smell of flour. She really must be a baker.
"Well, in that case, it's very nice to meet you, Your Highness!"
She wished she could see what was going on. Reaching up to take off the blindfold, she heard Sora hastily call out to her.
"Hey! Uh...if it's okay could you keep that thing on a bit longer? I want to introduce you to all my friends and show you my favorite places around the town but you said you weren't allowed to actually get to know anyone, so...if you leave that on until my tour is done there shouldn't be any problems, right?"
"To elucidate: he's allowing you to meet people while still maintaining your impartiality towards them." Riku interjected and surmised.
Is that was this was about? To take her out to 'not see' the town, meeting people without actually seeing who they are and what they look like? So she wouldn't actually know who they are? It was kind of a crazy idea, but...maybe it was just crazy enough to work?
She rested her hand back in her lap, willing to let her tour guide do his work.
"Okay, great! To start, I wanted to introduce Claire, here. Even though her custard tarts are super popular she saves a few now and again especially for us knights up at the castle because she thinks every good deed fuels another. And nothing fuels goodness better than delicious desserts!"
"Oh stop it with those honeyed words already. Unfortunately, no custard tarts until this heat wave passes. They don't manage too well. Last thing I want to do is make anyone sick."
She sounded quite motherly.
Kairielis smiled a little to herself, thinking she could maybe picture what she looked like in her minds eye, safely knowing that her assessment was only a mere guess.
"How long have you been baking for?" She couldn't help it. Even though she was blindfolded, it didn't mean she couldn't ask her own questions, right?
"I opened this place ten years ago and she's been the pride of my life. Nothing feels better than making sure the hungry don't stay that way for long. And this little one certainly loves his sweets."
Sora's voice bounced back, carefree and excited. "Who doesn't?"
"The one who has to share a bunk with you and constantly worry about ants."
The baker let out a full belly laugh. "Oh dear, I hope he isn't leaving crumbs everywhere."
"No way! I always make sure to eat every bite, I promise." She heard Sora huff a bit. "And so far no ants."
"An accomplishment for the ages."
Kairielis could hear Riku's finely tuned sarcasm from even up where she was sitting.
Equally amused, Claire momentarily flounced off into her shop, judging by the sounds of her shoes clacking against the stones and the faint jingle of a store bell. When she returned, she must have had something good with her, because Sora was cheering quite happily about it.
"I know that Her Highness isn't allowed to accept anything edible, so I put something else in there for her, if it's allowed."
This piqued her interest, but she couldn't check at the moment. Even then, the present would have to be approved first before she could get her hands on it. More rules. She heard Sora thanking the baker profusely for whatever it was, and to her surprise the wyvern already started moving once more.
"Sorry to pull this short, but it's time to move along."
It seemed like Riku was doing his best to keep their little adventure focused.
Kairielis had no idea where Claire was now, or if she was even hanging around anymore, but she tried to raise her voice before getting too far away, just to make sure she could still be heard.
"It was nice to..." She realized that 'meet' probably wasn't the right word in this context. "I was very glad to learn about you, Claire. Thank you for your thoughtful gift."
Another soft rustle of clothing that was perhaps the baker offering a bow or curtsy. "You're very welcome, miss."
As the wyvern departed from the vicinity of the bakery, she could hear Sora hanging back and waving off some last minute goodbyes. Riku, leading the beast below her off to the next destination, kept his voice low.
"Claire is really quite charitable. Most likely because she lost both of her children during Darkfall."
"Oh...that's..."
There really wasn't an adjective terrible enough for her to choose.
"It's not an unusual story. But in her case, rather than let her grief consume her, she instead embraced the citizens of this area as her surrogate children. She really enjoys being able to see people happily eat her cooking. She also takes a vested interest in those she knows were left starving during the Reconstruction, making lots of cheap or even free food available for them."
"Is that why Sora goes to visit her every now and again? To keep her company and cheer her up?"
There was a bit of an unusually long pause. Long enough for her to notice, but not long enough for her to be sure if it wasn't just her overthinking it.
"...Probably. He's mentioned something along those lines. But he also really likes the free sweets so it's a toss-up."
Kairielis smiled to herself, remembering that old phrase: you are what you eat. She was a little jealous that he could eat sugar soaked breads without having to worry about fitting into those dreadful thin bone-lined dresses for political outings. Not...that he ever should need to wear a dress in the first place, but still. She figured with all the physical training they had to do every day he could probably afford to eat whatever he wanted anyway.
Speaking of Sora, she finally heard his feet approaching and he once more began his tour, directing her attention over to something else not visible.
"Over there is where Old Lenny lives. He's huge, and he actually knows how to count, too!"
...What? That was a...horribly insulting thing to say about someone. Surely she was missing something here. Just flat out calling someone a fat simpleton seemed remarkably out of character for him. By the sounds she could discern, it seemed like they were currently going over a wooden bridge. What, was Old Lenny a bridge troll?
Riku grunted. "It can't count, it's a fish. It's only interested in bugs, and floating specks that look like bugs."
Well, that certainly explained things, then.
"Then you've never met Old Lenny! I'll go show him to you, he should be swimming here this time of day."
"And I guess she'll just have to take your word for it?" She assumed Riku was making some kind of indication towards her blindfold.
She shrugged in his direction, hoping she wasn't just motioning to the air. "It's okay. I like the idea of a big, fat, old, counting fish. I'll choose to believe it even if I can't see."
Sora seemed to like her answer.
"Okay, so, if you hold up your fingers he can swim in circles that exact number of times. Go ahead, try it."
She heard some more rustling, and a bit of splashing coming from the gurgling pond below the bridge. After some silence, Riku didn't deny the mathematical feats of Lenny the old fish. He only sighed, then Sora gave a quietly triumphant 'told you so'.
She was perfectly content filling in the lines about what just happened.
As they continued on, nearly every street had more and more people that Sora was introducing her to. All of them, once they figured out what was going on with their little parade, were quite happy to say a few words and wish them all good tidings. She was also a bit stunned that he not only knew all of these people but that he could keep their names straight as well. Clearly Sora made a habit of getting to know people of all types.
He also had a very odd way of introducing them that was a bit hard to explain. He never listed merely their occupations or generic traits to her, but something intimately unique each time. No one was just 'nice,' there was always some reason why he thought so. And it always seemed accurate. Not that she could really be sure, but no one seemed to argue against him.
"Over there is Alain Verreau. Don't ask me how to spell it, I barely learned how to say it properly. He is usually painting the shoppers in the market when it's really busy because he thinks people are the most honest when they aren't posing. So...most of his paintings are of people arguing over fish."
She could smell tarnish and paint, mixed with the distant scent of seafood; hear the swish of a brush against an easel. A man grunted triumphantly and spoke in such a thick accent she had trouble understanding what exactly he was saying.
"Za gurl on zee steps, vonz more zee its 'ere. Vye zis 'ame painvul vace? Zee ez now een tvelve painting."
Despite the accent, Sora seemed to process what he had asked, and pondered things for a moment, humming in thought. "Maybe she's just looking for a friend? You could always try setting up your stuff by the stairs sometime. She might talk to you."
"Zis...may worth tryink. But light ees no good zere."
Before she could stop to question it, they were already moving on. She wondered where this man could have come from, and what language his home spoke. Why would he come to live here, rather than there?
"It's a great time at the market! In the early mornings on the right days you can hear prices being shouted across the streets so loud that a lot of people wear hats over their ears to block out the noise."
"Hats knitted lovingly by yours, truly!" A chuckling elderly voice drifted up to her ears, but she wasn't sure if it was male or female.
"Sarah, you've still got the record for furthest squash thrown in the rotten vegetable chucking contest, right?"
"Oh you know it, dear." Another elderly cackle. "You youngsters think you have me licked but I still show you up every year. Only time you'll beat me is when I'm cold in the ground!"
Kairielis wondered if this was a case of her being abnormally muscular, or everyone just humoring her, but she preferred to picture the more amusing option in her head.
She could hear the rattle and bustle of crowds close by, and fearfully retracted inwards in worry that she might brush against someone unknowingly, but Riku offered her his reassurance that they were taking quite a wide berth, so she could relax. Sora continued trying to guide her with his words.
"There are so many stalls here today, but on market day it's even crazier! Fish, fruits, strings, beads, candles, animal feed, just about everything. Today it looks like there is a sale on octopus, so people are all lining up, buckets at the ready."
She knew she had smelled something fishy.
The tour moved on, and steadily, bit by bit, Kairielis began to understand. While she was currently clouded in darkness with only the sound and smells of the world around her, she felt far from isolated. Such vibrant and distinct lives pulsed through the streets; the lifeblood of her kingdom. And there were so many fascinating souls among them.
"If you do go to the market, never, ever haggle prices with Darlene here. She has a really sharp eye, tongue, mind...pretty much sharp everything. Even her collection of antique knives. I'm not sure what makes a knife antique, but she seems to have figured it out."
"And I know how to use 'em, too. If you wanna look at the collection that'll be one silver piece per person!"
All of these people...
"And this is Wilbur Larson. He always keeps a bottle of freshly ground up clovers with him for good luck, and likes hiding a little around the town when he goes on walks to spread the luck to different people who might come by during the day. Maybe that means us today?"
"Maybe so!"
She heard the sounds of someone blowing sharply into the air, and the sudden rush of the scent of freshly cut grass.
I never even knew their names before…
"Rielyn Aysel teaches really formal ballroom dancing after she was inspired by the crazy bobbing and weaving of the birds she used to watch."
"Still do! Those little guys give me great new dance step ideas."
And while I still couldn't pick them out among the others…
"Emmett Brown is normally not out on Tuesdays, but he is trying to get over some of his superstitions. It's really hard to change habits like that, so it's great he's trying to get over a new one every day. How are you doing today, Emmett?"
"N-not poorly...pet three black cats so far."
...Because they would all blend in together like pebbles on the shore,
"Gwen Kaven is always looking for every mystery of the world and trying to solve it. It's a great way to help people feel a bit less anxious about what they can't understand. Oh! And if you ever lose something it's a good idea to ask her for help."
Somehow just knowing that those pebbles are a small piece of the shoreline is wonderful.
They turned off of the cobblestones, and she could feel her wyvern padding through what felt like dirt roads.
"Do you smell something that's a bit like roasted apples? That's coming from the orchards where Akio makes cider doughnuts. People will line up there all day just to grab one."
"Why am I not surprised that you know where all the unhealthy stuff is sold?"
Even though it was maybe not as novel to him, she was glad that Riku also seemed to be somewhat enjoying the little tour as well, in his own way.
"Sora...you seem to know so much about nearly everyone. It's really impressive."
"Hmm? Oh, yeah...I guess so."
What, did he think everyone could nearly name a whole town full of people so easily?
"It's just that I owe a lot to the people of this town. They each have helped me out now and again, so...whenever I can I try to do the same. After a while I guess I learned a lot about them all without thinking."
She was curious about what sort of things he could need a whole towns worth of expertise on, but recalled what Ienzo had told her that morning about his title, or lack thereof. He had passed his exams because of accumulated good deeds.
"The truth is I actually failed the knight entrance exam my first time. I spent the time waiting for the next test doing favors around town. I decided that, even if I don't ever pass the exam—being a knight isn't about titles or even how strong you are. It's about supporting the people who need it if they find a problem they can't solve themselves. And I decided to try to do that all the time, if I'm a knight or not."
"Did you pass the next exam?"
"Yeah...so now I have some more responsibilities, but I still feel the same way about helping out." He cleared his throat. "It looks like we might have a bit more time left, so...did you want to keep going?"
"Please."
It was all she had to say. Almost like he was extra motivated, Sora led them through the streets now as if it was a race, calling out names and places as they went past in a flurry. He was shouting out all manners of descriptions, stories and types of people.
A courtyard where lovers lingered at twilight to hear poetry sung by the minstrels, the park for young children that was guarded heavily by a stern Miss Gloria Blitherbottom who hated pea soup, the old farm tool shop that everyone claimed was haunted by the ghost of a goat, and Daryll Baggerton the goat herder who said that was rubbish.
But Sora's voice soon was drowned out by something else entirely. What had once been mumbling among the people as they questioned this strange event as they passed by, became cheers across the alleys once word began to spread. All sorts of people were shouting, down from windows up high above her, from the fields and open shop doors alike. Likely running from all over just to catch a glimpse of her on her strange parade.
All thanking her.
Every single one.
From the crystal mines, to the alchemy shops, ateliers and food stalls alike, everyone stopped to greet her. At least, as far as she could tell anyway. The town simmered with sounds, or even the lack of them. The blacksmith hammers stopped pounding, the peddlers halted their peddling, just so they could call out to her instead. Perhaps there was a grouch or two sitting in the back, vexed that their shopping was to be interrupted—but if those people existed, they certainly weren't making their presence known to her.
The same beautiful reality that she always knew was once more reflected back to her like the shimmering water of a shallow river. On the surface the reflected image was clear and obvious. She loved the people of this town. And they loved her. But while that love was brimming and full, it was just as shallow as the river. Even if she tried to reach in and submerge her hand in the waters, to look any deeper, the image on the surface would shatter and be swept away on the current. She loved them, so she couldn't touch them. They loved her, so the same. Imprisoned by love, by duty, always forced to watch the waters of the river pass her by on its journey elsewhere.
But today it was a little different. She could actually feel the love that she had only ever been told was there. And that made all the difference.
She was starting to feel a little overwhelmed by everything, all the names and details swirling in her head like a whirlpool. All the thanks she had never been able to hear herself before. And among that dizziness, her heart had never felt so alive. She clutched at her chest; fearful and inspired. She was so moved that she hadn't even noticed the tears at the edges of her eyes being soaked up into the blindfold's fabric.
Kairielis felt like, while she was currently deprived of her sight, it was almost as if she was seeing the town for the first time. Really seeing it. Hearing it. Feeling the way it moved and breathed.
A true whirlwind adventure.
And just when she thought she couldn't take any more, the clamor of voices slowly dimmed, and it seemed that they had arrived at a more quiet corner of town.
"Hey, so...it's getting a bit late now, so there's just one last place I wanted to go, if that's okay."
She could only just nod off in Sora's direction, her head still swirling.
"Okay. When we get there you can take your blindfold off. Er...you should, I guess, because otherwise you'll miss it."
"Miss what?"
"The sunset! Where we're going will have one of the best views in town."
She didn't doubt his words, but she had no idea how right he was until they finished guiding her to the base of the tower and told her to finally remove the slightly damp cloth from in front of her eyes. She blinked against the harsh light, trying to adjust her eyes as they ascended the stairs to the viewing area at the top. When she finally got there, and could gaze at the wide expanse in front of her, the scattered roofs of the shops and houses she had just been led through bathed in reddish orange light, she felt the overwhelming hum of freedom singing inside of her.
The sunset really was something else.
Kairielis breathed in the scent of the gardenias next to her once more, still feeling full of renewed hope. To know that all the people that she could barely see bustling down beneath the tower, like little specks, were the same sort of people she had learned about today was a real blessing. Sure, she wouldn't ever really be sure if that one crossing the courtyard with a hand cart was Darlene, Amber, or possibly Elizabeth, but she supposed in the end it was better that way. It was one of them. Or none. But she knew they lived, somewhere beneath her, and she had to do her best to keep them all safe.
She peeked over at her two knights and her exhausted wyvern, roped to the platform perch where it sat back on its haunches, snoozing into its own breast.
Riku had his arms crossed, and was leaned up against one of the banisters, his eyes focused intently on his surroundings. He looked like picturesque vigilance, not a hint of sleepiness on his face. His friend, however, had plopped himself down on the edge of one of the bench chairs by the clock tower overlook, looking like a typical carefree teenager and at the moment, was yawning heavily.
They were so opposite, but fit together more naturally than jam on bread.
"Thank you again for the...adventure. For fixing it. For everything."
Still yawning, Sora mumbled back a few unintelligible words before she was actually able to parse what he was saying.
"…eeling better...s'all that matters..."
She was pretty sure she understood.
"I'm feeling much better." And, also feeling a little bit more bold than usual, she decided to join him over on the bench.
Sora glanced a bit at her and slid slightly to make sure she had enough room, but she was definitely aware about keeping a decent space cushion between them.
"I never knew so many different types of people lived outside the castle."
And quite a lot more she hadn't even gotten a chance to meet, too.
She heard Riku murmur a bit, acknowledging her statement. "And most importantly, you'll never know if he was telling the truth about any of it."
There was no way that tour had been a lie. Maybe if Riku had been the one running it, but she was fairly sure that Sora lacked a single deceptive fiber in his entire being. She decided it would be a good opportunity to mess with him again, though.
"Oh? He was lying to me? I'll be quite cross if I find out you were a liar, Sora."
She tried to settle her face into shocked disbelief as if she was horrified at the mere thought, not trusting her acting skills. However, by the fact that he started trying to utter out a panicked defense she figured she'd done a pretty good job at looking upset.
"Huh? I didn't-if I was lying why would I have bothered with asking you to wear a blindfold the whole time?"
Gently tipping her head side to side, she tried to keep that same serious look on her face, but a tiny smile slipped out. "Maybe you're just trying to cover your tracks, to keep me from suspecting you of deception?"
He could only laugh at this, and point to himself incredulously. "Me? The true devious mastermind?"
Alright, so at least he agreed it was an absurd accusation.
"Of course there's only one way to know for sure!" She said, trying to sound decisive as she did so. She was making this up as she went, after all. "Even the best actors can't hide the truth in their eyes."
"In...my eyes?"
Putting a hand across her heart, she grandly started reciting as if from memory. "The eyes are windows into the soul! They show only the truth! If you stare deeply enough into them, you can read the secrets that lie within the heart."
It sounded like something that would be found on some preachers book, anyway. Not bad for something off the cuff, she thought to herself proudly.
"Really? Like this?"
She turned her head, startled to see the pair of twinkling sky colored eyes focused on her own. Incredibly, breathtakingly closely. She felt hot chills, like sudden streams of both fire and ice were now flowing through her body at the same time. Why was he this close to her? He really shouldn't be getting this close to her.
"Y...yes. Like that."
But more importantly...why wasn't she moving herself away from him?
Still waiting for her answer, he sat, gazing up at her face with eagerness.
"So, what do you see?"
It's just a game. There's no harm in playing along.
Yet the more she stared into his eyes, the more she began to feel like the even ticks of the clock tower had begun to slow, the space between seconds growing longer and longer until time crawled to a stop altogether.
She wondered how long he would wait for her. Or if he was content just waiting.
And the one answer, the only answer she could think of tumbled unceremoniously out from her lips.
"Love."
Time snapped back into motion as he fumbled backwards, somehow managing to trip himself while sitting down.
"A...U-uh..."
He stared up at her, blinking, feet twisted sideways around the seat of the bench, half fallen over the edge.
Of all the stupid, stupid things to say!
"No, no, I didn't mean...I wasn't saying..." She lightly smacked her own cheeks in hopes that it would help her actually spit her explanation out. "I meant about the town! About the people that live here! You are a very loving person and I can tell you care a lot about all of them. That's...that's what I saw."
What in the name of all that is holy is wrong with me...
Riku was looking impressively dour in the corner, and she didn't even want to try seeing what was hidden in his disapproving eyes, knowing it would be some sort of reprimand. She waited while Sora struggled to right himself up from the twisted half fallen position he had ended up in.
"O-oh!" He managed to free his foot. "I think I get what you mean. Sorry for misunderstanding."
"I-it's okay..."
She felt more foolish than this morning standing over the burnt carpet, if that was even possible. Stealing another glance at his face, she saw he was back in his seat, smiling up at her again.
"So...um..." She fiddled with a lock of her hair, tucking it behind her ear, trying to think of something to change the subject. "I hope this doesn't offend you, Sora, but why did someone like you try to be a knight in the first place?"
She wasn't sure why she thought he would be offended. He just laughed, like she should have expected.
"Why? Is there something else you think I should be doing?" He flashed her a playful grin with that bright face of his.
And the princess suddenly felt something very odd that she couldn't explain. But perhaps if she had to try, she would have settled on the words warmly thankful.
"I'm not sure. I could see you working with animals. Like the wyverns, maybe?" She bobbed her head over towards the sleeping one perched out over the edge of the tower.
She heard Riku grunt a little from the pole he was rigidly bracing against. "Don't encourage him, he's already smuggled more than enough illegal pets into the barracks as it is."
"Pets...?"
"...if you can call them that." Riku corrected himself.
"Hey, just because it's not a typical cuddly animal doesn't mean it doesn't need looking after!" Sora tried to defend himself, but it only made her more curious.
"Um...what sort of animals?" It was impossible to hide the shiver of trepidation lacing her voice.
She glanced back at Riku, who started counting them out on his fingers.
"A crow, at least two lizards, more mice than I can count, and then there were the crickets..."
"It was just one cricket..." Sora mumbled.
"I don't care how many it was or wasn't. It was still too loud. That stupid thing kept me up for weeks."
Half of her almost expected something even more out of the ordinary, like a spotted Gargoyle. Kairielis also recalled the brief conversation with the baker from earlier in the day and tipped her head teasingly to the side.
"But no ants, at least?" She then giggled at the sour look on the face of the boy next to her. "So that settles things. You'd be running a bug circus."
"Sounds about right."
There was a certain heaviness in the way Riku said this that almost made it even funnier to her. Bunking with Sora seemed to have quite a few unexpected hurdles. But she realized he had also not answered her question.
"You said before you would be happy enough not being a knight, but yet you still fought hard to earn the position. There must be a reason."
He looked uneasy now. Maybe she shouldn't have pushed the question.
"It's...because of a promise. A really, really important promise I made with someone. It's because of that, I...it's because of that person I'm here."
He was being vague, but she could tell there was a lot of meaning he was putting behind those words. Whoever he made this promise with must have been someone special. And he was staring at her again, with that same bright vibrancy she had started coming to expect from him. She started to wonder what he was looking for when he stared at her like that. Was he trying to read into her eyes? See what truths lay inside of her heart? While he had put her on the spot before she had never gotten the chance to ask him what he could see in her. She was sure if she asked him to he would say something unwaveringly positive and sweet.
Or at least something more eloquent than what I flubbed out.
Keeping her gaze locked on him, she smiled a little, trying to think good thoughts just in case it helped somehow. It helped that he was basically radiating positive thoughts himself. Oddly, Sora was the first to break eye contact. He fidgeted and abruptly turned away.
Hmm, that was odd.
Ah well, maybe she could at least try and figure out who this mystery person was that he made a promise with.
"So...was that promise you made with Riku? Maybe when you were kids?" She took a stab at a guess, but he seemed to find her attempt pretty funny and laughed, denying it with a head shake.
"With...your parents?"
"Nah, my mom is still trying to get me to quit and come back to work at the accessory shop with her. I miss her a lot sometimes but I don't think I could sit inside all day and not get antsy."
Riku chuckled a little bit. "You know you can't. I remember all the complaining you did that one summer you had to watch the place for a month..."
"Yeah, well her health has never been better so hopefully never again."
"Uh-huh. But if I remember correctly I ended up doing most of the work."
"Says you! I was the one having to deal with all the customers."
The two of them were having some light-hearted jabs at each other, but Kairielis couldn't help but worry maybe his work was keeping him away from his family a bit too much.
"I hope you're able to visit her, at least?" She fiddled with her dress a bit.
"Oh, I do! Every chance I can! She'll always say it's not enough time, though."
Another laugh from him, but Kairielis wasn't anywhere closer to her answer to who this mysterious person was that he made his promise with. Yet with each guess she was stealthily learning a bit more about him. She decided to try again, with a wildcard guess this time.
"Was your promise to...one of Riku's parents? A teacher? A neighbor?"
"Aw, now you're just stretching. Nope, nope and nope."
She was starting to get a bit flustered with not getting a single hit, or even any semblance of a clue. She just kept throwing guess after guess at him, all misses. Finally, exasperated, she gave it one more shot.
"Was it someone special? A girl, perhaps?"
His voice caught in his throat and his pre-planned 'nope' stuttered to a halt.
"K-kind of..." His cheeks reddened slightly and he looked away again.
Oh...
She paused, shocked. Honestly she hadn't expected to actually get a result with that one. She wasn't sure why it had seemed so far-fetched, now that she actually considered it. Why wouldn't a cute, considerate guy like him have at least several interested ladies lined up? But for some reason that almost made her feel...strangely frustrated. Joining the knights to impress a girl was just so...shallow. And disappointing.
"I see." He must have noticed the terseness in her voice and he glanced back over.
"Uh, it's not exactly-"
"No. It's fine. That sort of thing isn't my business."
It really wasn't. She shouldn't have asked.
Tossing her hair over her shoulder she tried to quell some of the energy that was suddenly coursing through her. Irritating, pulsing, fiery energy.
"But...um..."
Sora might have been trying to say something, but she wasn't really listening to him at the moment.
Standing up, she paced around a bit before finally settling up against the railing. She needed to change the subject. Anything.
"Riku, what about you? Why did you become a knight?"
She wasn't expecting him to answer, but was surprised when he offered up one relatively quickly. Maybe he sensed that she was a bit on edge and was trying to ease her down a bit.
"I already informed you my father was a knight, correct?"
She nodded, remembering when it had come up briefly before.
"He taught me the most important thing I can do in my life is have the strength to protect what matters most to me. I decided being a knight would help me with that goal."
"A very noble goal." As she had expected from him. "If I might ask, though...what matters the most to you?"
His answer came back wonderfully simple and prompt.
"Family." He thumped Sora softly on the back of his head. "And to me, family is more than who is related to you by name or blood."
"Heh...and you call me a sap, huh?"
"Oh, you are, don't worry."
Sora had such a content, yet slightly embarrassed laugh about the compliment, and she could see Riku was trying not to show too much of a smile himself. Their happiness was almost contagious.
It was so, so hard to stay upset with them around.
She sighed, staring out at the pinkish orange sunset, smelling the gardenias. Night would be closing in soon, and it would be better for her to be back within the castle grounds before it got too late. After all, the wyvern needed to be returned to the roosting room, dinner would be fully prepared by now, and she still hadn't yet trimmed some of the branches off her bonsai trees. She also had the gift from Claire still sitting in its bag that she would have to hand off to the inspectors for approval. She didn't have high hopes that she would see it again, or even learn what it was in the first place.
Despite how wonderful this day had been, she still felt pings of sadness echoing throughout her. If only she could have someone like that in her life. Someone who wasn't family, but cared enough that it didn't even matter. Someone who decided you were just as close to them as any brother or sister. A...surrogate family, like the one Claire had made for herself. While others could reach out to one another for help, she was always left out in the cold.
Yet, despite the lack of such a thing in her life, to know that bonds that strong existed around her and weren't solely found in children's tales, filled her with hope. Just because she couldn't experience it, it still made her heart glad to see.
"This kingdom is...all the more richer because of people like you two, loving and protecting it. I just wanted you to know that, no matter where your futures take you, I wish you happiness."
Maybe it wasn't an impartial thing for her to say, but she believed every word.
"I...had fun today. Please take care of yourselves tonight, okay?"
She paused at her doors, resting her fingers on the engraved wood. Sora gave her a silly salute. Earlier today she might have thought he was mocking her again, but she was confident now that wasn't the case at all.
She knew that soon after they made it to her room, the night guard would come to relieve them and she would have to say goodnight. She had never really met the night guards. Ideally she wouldn't have to, so she couldn't even be sure if they were the same people as always or if they shuffled the position around as well. Either way, she was a little sad at having to turn in and bid these two knights of hers farewell. She had never felt that way before, and the entire walk back up to her room she tried to convince herself it was fine, that they would be along soon in the morning.
She didn't want to say goodbye. Not even knowing they would be back. So she stood, hovering, by the door. She had been specifically warned not to do this, not to play with fire and get attached, but now she was idly watching the flames lick at her skin, only waiting for the pain of the burn to come. And the worst part was, she couldn't admit it, or she knew Riku would chastise her for her carelessness.
"Did you want us to walk you over to your bed, too?" Sora asked her innocently, maybe unsure as to the source of her hesitation.
She blanched, feeling hot embarrassment again at the predicament she had gotten herself into.
"Of course not!"
"S-sorry, I only-" He seemed taken aback by her outburst, but she doubled down.
"W-what an impertinent question. Of course you aren't allowed in my room! You would only be allowed in if I was being attacked by some hooligan in here." She shoved open the door and marched in, spinning on her heel to scoff haughtily back at them both. "And I doubt that's going to happen!"
Shutting the door with a heavy slam, she instantly regretted it, but had far too much pride to take it back now. She really should open up the door and face them for a proper goodnight, but part of her feared if she saw them again she wouldn't want to close the door again. Her fingers hovered on the handle, and just as she was about to inch the door open, she heard a soft knock and a cheery voice calling out to her from the other side.
"We'll see you bright and early tomorrow! Good night, Kairi!"
What in the name of all the holy deities of the Gardens was wrong with her today? She slumped against the wood of the door and sighed. Giving herself a few motivational taps on the cheeks, she resolved to get herself to bed immediately. This was nothing some good rest couldn't cure, she hoped.
It only occurred to her later, after she had changed into something comfy and crawled under her covers, that she realized what had just happened.
He had called her Kairi again.
"So...other than almost breaking nearly every rule in the book, how do you feel?"
Sora made sure to follow his friend closely, not wanting to get lost in the halls of the castle another time today.
"Pretty good!"
"Is she how you thought she'd be?"
Sora pondered this for a moment, letting the sound of their clomping boots fill the quiet candle lit hallway.
"I think so. She's kinda stubborn and bossy sometimes, but that's just because she's a really determined person. I can tell she's motivated to do her best and has this really sweet kindness to her. Like...she tries to see the good in everybody."
"Explains why she could put up with you."
Sora grumbled and purposefully stomped his boot down on the heel of his friends' shoe, causing him to stumble out of it. Riku rolled his eyes and stopped to readjust it before starting to lead them back towards the barracks with the other knights.
"I still remember how nervous you were this morning. Buzzing around, refusing to sit down, making an absolute menace of yourself..."
"Ugh..." He couldn't really refute that point. He had been extremely nervous. But anyone would be!
"Anyway, anything else you need to tell me?" Riku pressed, and Sora knew there was something specific he was trying to weasel out of him.
Better to just be honest.
"Well...I wasn't expecting her to be so..."
"...cute?" His friend filled in the blank for him, and Sora flushed.
"N-no!"
"So you're saying she's not?"
"I didn't..." He groaned. "Stop putting words in my mouth! I was going to say I wasn't expecting her to be so...relatable."
"In what way?"
"Well...I was worried that she was going to end up all proper and stuffy like most of the people around here. But I can tell she likes being silly too, and while she follows the rules she wishes she didn't have to."
"She's got a bit of a temper, though. You'd better be careful not to make her cross with you again."
Sora shrugged playfully. "It'll be fine! Besides, she's kinda cute when shes flust-"
Oops.
Riku gave him a look and he knew he was caught. "M-hmm. So it wasn't my imagination and you really were checking her out a little?"
"M-maybe a little..." He couldn't hide the smile he felt spreading across his face.
"That's what I was worried about."
Riku stopped short, and Sora crashed into him with a yelp.
"You can't get too attached to her."
"But..."
"You can't." Riku gripped his shoulders firmly, a bit too firmly, and shook them. "Not just because it would be taboo, but because I don't want to see you getting hurt. You need to at least try to keep your orders in mind."
He slumped his head forward. Above all, no matter what the orders said, there was no way he was going to treat her like an object or precious trophy to hang on the wall. She was her own wonderfully spirited person and he wasn't going to ever see her as less than that. He just couldn't understand why they wanted, no, ordered everyone to do something that cruel.
"...she's really lonely, Riku. I want to help. And...the promise I..."
He felt his friend release his shoulders just before giving his hair a rough tussle. "I get it. You know that I do. But you need to focus on your responsibilities and keep any fantasies you might have in your head where they belong. I saw the way you were looking at her. Nip that stuff in the bud."
"R-right..."
"You want to protect her. And that might include protecting her from yourself."
"What makes you so sure this is going to be a problem, anyway?"
"She's frustratingly exactly your type."
Riku was the one being frustrating. It made sense for him to be concerned but Sora felt like maybe his friend was taking things a bit too seriously. Just because he thought she was a little…absolutely beautiful.
And what did he mean by 'your type'? He didn't even realize that he had a 'type'.
"I don't think..." Another glare from his friend silenced him and he backed down. "Okay, okay..."
Riku nodded, as if convinced, and started walking again.
"Also, just giving you fair warning in advance- if I ever hear you moaning her name in your sleep you are going to wake up to a face full of cold lake water."
That was more than uncalled for so Sora shot him a frosty glare.
"Give me a break...I'm not gonna-"
"You sleep talk all the time."
He deflated. "...seriously?"
"Seriously."
Shifting his weight between his shoes, Sora started feeling the heat of embarrassment rising in his face. "...a-about what?"
Riku was clearly enjoying this way too much, but dropped the matter unusually quickly. "I'm just messing with you. If you do talk, it's gibberish, mostly."
Gibberish was fine! He could deal with gibberish. Sora was about to relax when Riku about-faced to give him a stern look once more.
"But I'm serious about the other things. Don't forget that. Help her, protect her, hell even if you get a crush on her it's not ideal but it should be fine. Just don't fall in love, please."
"It's only been one day, how could I possibly fall in love in a day?" This wasn't some fairy tale, after all.
His friend rubbed his temple and eyes, an unseen heaviness weighing down on him.
"Please, Sora. You're important to me, and..." He sighed. "I can already see this spiraling out of control, so I wanted to at least try and stop it, to save you from the heartbreak.
There was a lot more bouncing around in his head, but Sora decided a simple response was best for right now.
"Thanks."
"I'm glad you listened. At the end of it all I know you aren't the kind of person who can easily put a stopper on your feelings, so no matter what happens just stay honest with me. I've got your back."
Sora burst into laughter. "I know you do. That's why I always have to find new ways to keep you on your toes so you don't get rusty."
He dodged under Riku's attempt at smacking his arm and continued down the hall. It was looking more familiar now, so he was fairly sure he wouldn't need guidance the rest of the way back.
The two knights walked side by side, both appreciating the mild coolness the night air brought with it. Sora was starting to feel fairly drowsy, so once the barracks came into view he yawned.
His relief was short lived.
"Heya, punks."
Oh, great. That slicked-back head of blond hair approaching them was unmistakable.
It was Seifer: that annoying guy who kept insisting he and Sora were rivals even though Sora definitely didn't remember signing up for anything of the sort. That pestering kind of guy who would stop at nothing to try and prove he was Mr. Bigshot to everyone and everything.
Mr. Bigshot sauntered right up to them, a sneer plastered on his stupid face.
"Heard you two had a lovely romantic time taking the princess out on the town. Little lover boy already trying to sink his claws into her and doom us all? I bet stalking is a lot easier when it's royally mandated." He cracked his knuckles. "Maybe I should fix you up so there's nothing to worry about."
Sora bristled. For the last time, just because he joined the knights for her sake in the first place didn't mean he was some crazy obsessed stalker. Before he could retort, Riku stepped out between them.
"Seifer, how many times do I have to tell you to leave him alone?"
Rolling his eyes, he made a mocking bow. "Oh! Well, pardon me. I forget how tough it must be for you, having to guard two princesses now."
"I'd rather be a princess than a jealous jerk."
Not an elegant retort, Sora considered, but at least it got his point across.
"Tch. Me? Jealous of a dunce like you? Not likely."
"Then don't act like it." Riku said simply, yet pointedly.
Seifer jabbed a finger into Sora's shoulder.
"You'd better watch yourself. Your knight in shining armor isn't always going to be there to save you."
Not wanting to start a fight this late at night, Sora just smiled back at him. "Thanks for the warning, I'll do my best."
His face looking like it was about to steam, Seifer made a gesture to indicate he was definitely not letting things go before finally stomping off, muttering more insults as he went. Sora was sure he heard 'air head' and 'poser' several times.
"That was weird..." Usually he wasn't so...overtly aggressive. Competitive, sure, but not...outright mean. Something was definitely under his skin, more than typical.
Riku kept his eyes steadily on the retreating knight until he disappeared around the corner.
"It's good he left. I wasn't in the mood to deal with him right now."
Sora definitely felt the same way. All he wanted was a quick shower and to crash into bed. This summer was so unusually hot, and so much had happened today in particular.
They both finished up the night routine as quickly as possible.
But even as tired as he felt when he was finally dropping into bed, he just couldn't relax. Intrusive thoughts kept creeping into his mind, forcing his eyes to snap open.
One in particular kept circling back to him like a hungry shark. That melodious giggle that sounded like a forest stream rolling across a shore of pebbles. That faint tint of pink on her cheeks when she was excited about something…
Up on the clock tower, her eyes had focused on his so innocently and full of life; a window into her heart. And when he peered in that window, he saw sparks of real, pure happiness and it made something inside him melt.
'You wanted to kiss her.'
That snarky little voice inside of him started to laugh.
Shut up!
He yelled back at it inwardly and smacked the palms of his hands over his eyes, hoping maybe he could blot it out.
But, smelling blood, the thought circled back around.
'If she wasn't the princess you would have tried.'
No! I…
It refused to leave him alone.
'Her skin seems really soft, doesn't it?'
Shut up, shut up, shut up!
'She's everything you hoped she would be. Because she never changed.'
It's not like that...
'Finally being around her just confirmed what you should already know.'
No, I don't know! I don't know anything…
And it said the words he had been dreading inside.
'You're already in love...aren't you?'
No way! I can't be! It's only been one day! No one could possibly fall in love that fast! Even in the fairy tales the snow princess took at least three days to find-
'But it hasn't been only one day; not even close. Surely you know that much.'
He started to feel a little sick, like his stomach was floating.
But Riku told me not to…and I said that I wouldn't!
'He must have already realized it's a lost cause. You can't hide from it.'
No…that's...
'Just admit it.'
Leave me alone...
'You love her.'
It was incredibly hard to ignore all those tell-tale giddy tingles he felt pulsing through his body as half of him was realizing what the other half was trying so desperately to deny. The thought of her was making his heart beat faster. And he couldn't sleep.
Sora stuffed his face into his pillow and groaned with muffled anger.
This sucked.
He was not the only one left restless that night. Alert ears could make out the warbling singing from one of the guards as he paced about during the night watch.
Somewhere deep, in caverns dark. It lingers, waiting, for its mark.
The beast of black, the seed of death once more will rise, leave us bereft.
Fear all, the call, for that foul day, the day our light for'er fades away…
The guard, temporarily distracted by a swooping bat, let his voice trail off into the night.
But something, somewhere deep, in caverns dark, had been listening.
Because it was already awake.