OH MY GOD! YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO LOVE THIS!
Background of the title- 'here's to the road ahead' is a statement that Yuri and Estelle would keep saying over and over and I can't help but feel like it evokes so much meaning. It's vague and simple, and yet, it carries the connection between these two so much
And so, I decided to use this statement for my own purposes-and at the very end of this chapter, you'll see why~
I won't spoil you but all I can say is this-ENJOY and WEEP/CRY TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT
Also, I dedicate this chapter to SpaceMalarkey at A03 community (the one who inspired me to write this lovely chapter-I hope that this was enough and sorry if I wasn't able to incorporate the badass Estelle that you wanted but I did it in my own way and I hope you can forgive me)
ANYWAY, ENJOY AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU ALL THINK IN THE COMMENTS BELOW! I'M EAGER TO KNOW YOUR OPINIONS AND CRITICISMS!
It took three more months for everyone else to find out on their own.
After Repede and Hanks, Rita was the next one. During the weekends, she would often come to pay a visit to her best friend at the Palace and whenever she does, she always seems to find Yuri lingering around. At first, she thought that he was there to discuss something with Flynn or like her, hang out with a certain princess…until she caught them sharing a kiss in the library.
Both Karol and Patty found out at the same time—after stocking up the guild's supplies, they went back to the living room to see the pair on the couch, with Yuri's head resting on top of Estelle's lap and the latter gently brushing off the strands of hair on his face. It was such a peaceful sight, not even the young pirate girl could bring herself to say something and instead, suggested that they should give them some privacy.
As one of the older members of the group, Judith and Raven already had the assumption that they've been dating but preferred not to say anything until they got the confirmation. While waiting for that to happen, the two would secretly be making bets—who was the first to confess, who decided on what to do during their spare time, who was the top or bottom when it came to their sexual activities, and so on.
And finally, there was Flynn who was the last to find out.
Though unlike the others, he had happened to come across a rather scandalous moment between them during one of his patrols around the Palace. Recently, he'd been gaining reports from one of the guards regarding the strange noises coming from the depths of the library. Determined to solve the problem, the knight went ahead and entered—only to discover that it was his childhood friend/foster brother and the princess making out inside one of the secret passageways.
What followed afterward were the scurry of footsteps and ear-piercing screams—as Yuri advanced through the hallways, half-naked, with Flynn already hot on his trail, with a murderous gaze and his White Knight sword at hand and ready to attack…and chasing after him was poor Estelle, who's hair was disoriented and her exposed neck filled with red swollen marks, trying to keep up in hopes to stop the latter from attempting to execute her boyfriend.
Thanks to the incident, even the members of the Council and some of the Imperial Knights, including the Schwann Brigade were notified of the pair's relationship.
As expected, the majority disapproved of this, claiming that someone hailing from the Lower Quarter, especially Yuri, who's renowned for his reputation as an infamous vigilante, would be tainting the royal blood and putting the future line of royal descendants in jeopardy.
To their surprise, Ioder was the one to defend them—pointing out that with Yuri as a member of a guild, allowing him and his cousin to get together would surely strengthen the affiliation between Dahngrest and Zaphias in the future.
"I've never seen Estellise this happy before," The prince expressed openly to the Council and Imperial Knight representatives who were seated in the round table in the large conference room. "And either of you plans on taking away the one source of happiness she has, then by all means…" Smiling pleasantly, he proceeded to deliver his next sentence with a hint of malice. "Raise your hand so I can officially terminate you from your service."
Every single person in the room were stiffened in place, bewildered to hear those words come out of his mouth. Despite his weak and feeble appearance, he sure knew how to dominate the room. They cast glances at each other, waiting for any of them to surrender their title and leave.
A few minutes passed and still, nothing.
Ioder smiled, quite pleased.
"Good," And seated himself on his chair. Taking his reading glasses from the table and pushing them to the bridge of his nose, he seized hold of the documents laid out before him and cleared his throat. "Now, let's continue with what we are here to discuss…"
Now that the word of Yuri and Estelle going out were public—mostly in the Palace, the Lower Quarter, and amongst the members of Brave Vesperia, they made certain that the two of them spend more time with each other (though it took longer for a certain blonde knight to accept it and try not to swing his weapon at the smirking swordsman)
With Ioder being chosen as the future emperor to lead the empire, this allowed his cousin, Estelle, to be given more free time besides studying and being locked up in her room.
Taking pride in her accomplishments, he entrusted her with the Blue Crystal Rod, a ceremonial staff that indicated her status as his right-hand woman and vice-emperor in times of need. That way, she wouldn't be pressured with choosing to remain at the castle or go outside and journey with her friends.
Back at Dahngrest, Karol made sure to be wary with where he stationed Yuri on his work—often times, relocating him at towns near Zaphias to give him a chance to visit Estelle, Hanks, and the community.
It's about a year since then and everything was back to the usual norms.
Through the aid and support of their friends and family, Yuri and Estelle were able to spend more quality time together without any intrusions or problems.
It all seemed well for a good long while…
Until one cloudy afternoon, behind the large crates below the staircase of the inn—there seemed to be some sort of commotion coming from Ted and the children.
From the looks of their disappointed faces, they seemed to be venting out their anger and complaints concerning a certain princess.
After she was finished with her storytelling, Estelle would usually play with them—most of the time, it involved them playing with the water pump, with girls and boys teaming up and splashing water against the other, or making snacks under her supervision.
But now that she's with Yuri, it seems that the activities they used to do with her were slowly fading away into non-existence. Hoping to get a chance to hang out with Estelle again, they started formulating their plans.
"It's not fair!" One of the boys cried, making a pouty face. "Why does big brother Yuri have to take away Miss Estelle from us?"
"We can't let that happen!" A little girl wailed, stomping her feet.
Ted bobbed his head in agreement. "There must be some way to get her to stay here longer with us…" He mumbled under his breath, followed by a low groan. "What do you guys think?"
The rest of the children ruminated through their thoughts, trying to think of a solution.
Suddenly, one of the girls cried out, "Oh, oh! I got it!" Excusing herself, she ran inside the inn, leaving the others to glance at each other in confusion. Two minutes later and the little girl returned, holding what appears to be a thick brown book. Opening the front cover and flipping through the pages, she finally landed on one particular page. "Check this one out!"
The other children leaned in to take a look at the picture displayed before them. "Is that…a bird?"
"No, a Penguinist! You know, those black and white flying monsters from the Blade Drifts of Zopheir!" The girl clarified to them, a bit annoyed. When she received a few odd looks, she released a frustrated groan.
"Anyway!" And then pointed a finger to the page she was referring to, "It says right here that when a Penguinist finds the one that they love, they would search the entire beach to find a perfect pebble to give to their partner! And when they find it, they would give the pebble to them!"
She smiled brightly as she continued to read the passage with confidence, "And see here? The pebble is a symbol of their love! And that they would always be together forever!"
One of the girls cheered. "We love Miss Estelle so this is perfect!" She chirped, bouncing up and down.
"Yeah!" A boy exclaimed, revealing his two front teeth. "So, that covers the requirement!"
"This plan can't fail for sure!" Another girl cheered, clapping her hands enthusiastically.
Overwhelmed with joy, the green-haired boy jumped to his feet and raised a fist bump into the air. "That settles it! After lunch, let's head down the river with buckets and fetch some pebbles!"
On the other side of the Lower Quarter—on the ground floor level of a slightly run-down house, foster father and son were sitting on a couch in the living room. Each holding a mug of brewed herbal tea, the two were engaged in a private matter of their own.
"So, when are ya gonna tie the knot with her?"
The instant he heard this, Yuri tried his best not to choke or spat out his drink. Collecting himself, he cast a weird look at the bearded man who stared back at him with an amusing grin.
"What kind of a question is that?" He asked, bringing his other hand to rake his hair through his mane as he groaned. "Honestly, I don't know…the Council's been dragging my ass around and interrogating me lately. Something about how I'm nothing more than a legal concubine to Estelle or whatever— "
Something hit him on the head, startling him. Quickly, he turned to face the bearded man and raised a questionable eyebrow. "What was that for?"
"Never say that again!" Hanks suddenly cried, shooting him a glare.
The dark-haired man blinked. "…What? Concubine?"
Again, he was hit on the head. "Hey!"
"I forbid you from saying that!"
"Okay, fine! Geez!" He cried as he placed his hand on his throbbing head and massaging it. "What's with you all of a sudden?"
Sighing, Hanks lowered his arm and veered his eyes to the wooden flooring. Putting his mug on the nearby coffee table, he spoke up, "Yuri, be honest with me…Do you really see yourself that way?"
"Huh?"
Facing the swordsman once more, Hanks continued. "Do you feel inferior whenever you are around Estelle?"
Yuri furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't care about her title. Princess or not, she's still Estelle to me." He explained, putting his beverage on the table as he crossed his arms over his chest. "There's no feeling of inferiority or superiority between us."
Hanks mustered a tiny smile. "Good, good," He mumbled, nodding along. "Then, keep thinking that way and don't let those higher-ups get to yer head."
Yuri scoffed. "Easy for you to say…" He grumbled, looking the other way.
Unfortunately, Hanks heard this and sighed.
Adjusting his glasses, he began with, "You know, when you weren't around," He glanced down at his joined hands on top of his lap. "Estelle would have so many men courting her, both in the nobility and in the Lower Quarter. She could've chosen any one of them but no—she chose you because she wanted to be with you. She loved you and saw a future with you." Finally, he turned his head to lock eyes with the dark-haired man. "Tell me, Yuri, and be honest with me now. Do you see a future with her?"
Yuri stayed quiet, contemplating over his foster father's words. Slowly, his lips curved slightly upwards.
"We've actually been talking about it for a while now…" He admitted, chuckling lightly. "That if the Council or the Imperial Knights refuse to accept our relationship, we'll run away together and live in Halure…find a house closest to the big tree, like what she would've wanted and then maybe…" He stopped right there, heaving a deep breath as he recalled the conversation that he had with his girlfriend the other day.
"When we're ready, maybe we could start planning…"
"Planning what?'
Estelle flashed a big smile toward his direction. "You know, building our future. And maybe…" She collected her hands together and brought them close to her chest, closing her eyes as she muttered softly. "…start a family together."
At that time, it never occurred to Yuri how serious Estelle was about the two of them. And yet for some reason, he couldn't help but secretly yearn for it…a family, complete with children of their own—sporting pink hair and ebony eyes or black hair and green eyes…
Such a thought made him unconsciously smile.
When he was young, he never dreamed of finding himself in a situation like this—suddenly, he was committed to another human being, a woman who unconditionally loved him for who he was regardless of his status or the blood in his hands, who supported him and was there for him when he needed it the most…he found them all in Estelle and never once did he ever question about it.
Two years later and here they were, still committed and supporting each other despite the great distance between them when it came to their work.
While Yuri was drowning in his thoughts, Hanks took notice of the strange smile on his lips and frowned. Minutes passed and he grew worried. When he called out his foster son's name but didn't get a response, all he could do was sigh.
Suddenly, his ears picked up a muffled sound coming from the front door. Standing up, the bearded man staggered over, twisting the knob, and pushing it open.
"Ted?"
"H-Hanks!" The boy cried, revealing a set of white teeth. "Can I borrow a bucket from you? Pretty please?"
Hanks blinked, unable to grasp the meaning behind his words. "What?"
"Or a plastic bowl or a pail?" Ted suggested while trying to regain his breathing. "Whatever you have is fine!"
Hanks pursed his lips, thinking it over. "Let's see here…" And ushered the boy to come inside. As Ted closed the door behind them, he followed after the old man who went over to the nearest closet and started rummaging inside. "This'll take a minute…"
Ted nodded, "Take your time!" And then turned around, beaming brightly when he immediately spotted his brotherly figure sitting on the couch. He hastily raced over and greeted the swordsman with optimism. "Yuri!"
"Hey, Ted!" Yuri greeted back, rising up from his seat and walked over to playfully tousle his hair. "Making mischief again, I see,"
"Look who's talking!" Ted countered back, laughing. "Oh, by the way, is Miss Estelle coming tomorrow for another reading?"
Yuri nodded. "She should be," He confirmed, setting a hand on his hip. "It's her favorite pastime,"
Hearing those words were enough to make Ted's face lit up. "Really? Oh, I can't wait!"
"Ted, come over here," Hanks called him over, gaining their attention.
Nodding, the boy scurried to the bearded man's side and graciously took the bucket in his hands.
Catching sight of this, Yuri raised an eyebrow. "What's it for?"
Ted peered up to look at him and gave him a toothy smile. "It's a secret!" Reverting his focus back to the other male, he thanked him before heading out the door.
Once he left their field of vision, both father and son turned to look at each other.
"What was that about?" Yuri spoke up, breaking the ice.
Hanks half-shrugged. "Beats me," He mumbled, followed shortly by an exasperated sigh. "Ted's always been the weird one out of the bunch." He snuck a glance at the dark-haired man and chuckled. "Sort of takes after you,"
Yuri's eyes widened. "Hey!" He cried, though he couldn't seem to contain the grin plastered on his face.
Hanks laughed. "Just messing with ya," He assured him, patting him on the shoulder. He then gestured his arm over to the two empty mugs situated on the coffee table in the living room and added, "Anyway, do me a favor and clean that up,"
Yuri nodded, "Sure," He replied, already doing so. "What about you?"
"I'm gonna take a quick nap," Hanks yawned, making his way to the stairs. As he started ascending up the steps, he paused and looked over to his foster son who already got a hold of the cups on each hand.
"Yuri,"
Hearing his name, the swordsman stopped and peered upwards. "Yeah?"
The bearded man softened his gaze. "If ya really serious about her, start thinking about yer next step," He warned him in a gentle tone. "You never know…someone might take her highness's hand in marriage before you do…"
After leaving his foster father's house, Yuri started pondering about what to do.
Hanks was right on the Gald—in any serious relationship, the next fundamental step would be to get married.
"…Proposing to her sounds like the normal thing to do," He muttered to himself as he paced back and forth inside the confinements of his room. Closing his eyes, he tried to recall how much Gald he had in his possession. When it suddenly dawned to him that he didn't have enough to purchase an engagement ring, he let out a groan. "And of course, my bad luck would bite me in the dust…"
Mentally beating himself for it, he decided that the best thing to do was to wait. And once he saved up enough Gald, maybe then he'll be able to get down on one knee and confidently declare the big question that he'd always wanted to ask her.
He grinned, liking the sound of his idea.
And just like that, brushed away the anxious feeling in his chest and slept with Repede keenly observing him in the background.
Bur of course, Yuri was in for a rude awakening as the universe had other plans for him—which seemed to include a mob of children who were ready to steal his girlfriend away.
The next day arrived and with it, blessed the Lower Quarter folks with the blue sky and white clouds.
Huddled together, Ted and the children grinned to themselves before erupting into fits of giggles and chuckles.
"What's with you guys?" Marie asked, smiling. "You've been in good spirits since yesterday."
"Oh, it's nothing!" Ted assured the middle-aged woman with a toothy grin. "We just can't wait to see Miss Estelle!"
Hearing this, Marie couldn't help but feel touched by his declaration. "You really love her, don't you?"
"Yes!" The rest of the other children cried unanimously, followed shortly by another burst of laughter.
Marie smiled, leaning over their table to reclaim the dishes they used to eat their breakfast. Before she could say something, she heard a strange whistling from outside.
"SHE'S HERE!" A high-pitched voice exclaimed, belonging to one of the girls from outside.
On cue, the children quickly excused themselves from the inn and scampered off to the small square where the public well was located. As soon as their eyes landed on the pink-haired woman holding another book in her hands, they quickened their pace.
"Miss Estelle!"
"You're here!"
"Yay! Storytime!"
Taking notice of the large mass of children coming toward her, all Estelle could do was giggle, crouch down to her knees and opened her arms, welcoming the little troublemakers into her arms…sadly, she had underestimated the numbers and ended up getting toppled over in the process. Even so, she laughed heartily and in response, the children did the same.
Removing themselves from her, some of the boys and girls helped their princess properly sit upright and surrounded her.
"You all are full of energy today," Estelle pointed out, "Did something wonderful happened?"
The children looked at each other, exchanged grins before looking back and nodding their heads in unison.
Smiling sweetly, Estelle asked them to share the information with her.
As the leader of the children, Ted stepped forth. "Miss Estelle, on behalf of the Lower Quarter orphanage, we just wanna say that we love spending time with you and we hope that you will continue to read us stories and hang out with us!"
Estelle tipped her head to the side, placed a hand to her chest and bowed her head. "Why, thank you so much," She expressed, blushing a little, "I, too feel the same way."
"Really?" A little girl chirped, smiling widely.
The princess bobbed her head in response.
Together, the children cheered.
"That's great to hear!" Ted went on, suddenly getting excited. "Because we have a proposition!"
Curious, Estelle quirked her eyebrow. "Oh?"
Peering over his shoulder, the green-haired boy gave each and every boy and girl around him a knowing look. Turning back to face the princess, he took another step forward.
From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of his big brother Yuri and Repede descending down from the Public Quarter with a heap of grocery bags in their arms (and for the canine's case, one perched on his mouth and another strapped on his back)—it seemed like they were returning from one of Marie's errands.
Ted quickly bracing himself, inhaling in a deep breath as he proceeded to take out the small item from inside his pocket. Seeing this, the other children followed after them.
"MISS ESTELLE!" The children cried all together, earning looks from the wandering men, women, elderly—even Hanks who just walked out of his house.
As for Yuri and Repede, upon hearing this, they both stopped in their tracks and watched the incident unfold before them.
"WE LOVE YOU!" They exclaimed at the top of their lungs as they proceeded to take out and present the pebbles toward the shocked princess. "PLEASE MARRY US!"
Estelle's eyes slowly widened, her hands placed over her mouth as she tried to process their declaration.
…An awkward of silence was filled in.
Collecting his ragged breathing, Ted slightly slanted his head and inwardly grinned when he caught sight of Yuri staring at them, completely frozen in place.
Meanwhile, Repede sat down and began scratching his neck with one of his legs. He then turned to a familiar bearded man who looked back at him with his mouth propped open.
Based on their looks, Ted and the children exchanged triumphant smiles. Yes, their plan worked! And now, all they needed to do was wait for the pink-haired woman's impending answer.
Another moment of awkward silence ensued.
Shuffling his feet, Ted slowly walked over to the princess and asked if she was okay.
Blinking her seafoam eyes, Estelle forced a smile and nodded her head in reply.
Again, the children cheered while some sighed in relief.
"So? What do you think?" Ted pressed on, a bit jumpy.
"I-uh…" Estelle trailed off, pausing briefly to choose her words carefully. "I don't know what to say," Inhaling a deep breath, she looked at each and every single boy and girl and offered them a smile. "It must've taken a lot of courage for all of you to do this,"
Something lightly tugged her on the shoulder, catching her attention.
"Miss Estelle?"
Moving her head to face the little-ponytailed girl, she smiled. "Yes, sweetie?'
"So, are you gonna accept our pebbles?"
Estelle blinked. "You mean the ones that you have in your hands?"
The children nodded at once, smiling. "Yeah! We read in a book that if we give you pebbles, that means you'll stay with us forever and ever!"
"…Oh, I see," Estelle mumbled, finally understanding what they meant. Glancing over the pebbles resting in their hands, she smiled and said, "Why don't you give me some time to think it over? Would that be alright with all of you?"
Ted and the children gathered in a circle, closing in as they began to discuss over the matter. Once they reached a common conclusion, Ted took the initiative to be their lead speaker. "Sure! Anything for you, Miss Estelle! Take as much time as you want!"
Estelle smiled and mouthed a soft, "thank you" to them before standing up from the ground. Dusting off the invisible dirt from her white and pink dress, she took notice of their spectators around the area. Despite their eyes focused on her, she resorted to raising her hand and waving to them.
Some nodded, others waved back in return.
Then, she turned to glance over at Hanks who couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle to himself. He then directed his finger behind her and she followed. Her eyes widened as she saw her boyfriend standing in front of her, his expression somber…with a hint of jealousy in his eyes.
Smiling, Estelle approached him and pecked him on the cheek. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it," And after waving her hand toward Repede who barked back, she excused herself and made her way back to the children waiting for her in the public square.
From a distance, Yuri watched his girlfriend interact with Ted and the children—even though they made quite a scene about a few minutes ago, she simply brushed it off and allowed herself to take control of the situation, acting as if nothing had happened at all.
Suddenly, he heard a soft chuckle next to him. Yuri moved his head to the right, unsurprised to find his foster father standing next to him.
"Told ya someone's gonna do it first," He cackled while shaking his head in dismay.
Yuri rolled his eyes. 'They're just kids," He said, his tone as calm as ever. "They don't know what they're saying."
Hanks snorted. "Oh? Don't tell me that you don't remember the time when you first fell in love?" He reminded the dark-haired man, which earned him a baffled look. "You were the same age as these kids. But unlike that witch, Estelle handled it well."
When Yuri didn't have a comeback, Hanks continued. "You better hurry now—it seems like the children managed to rile up some of the men with their public proposal," He pointed out, jerking his chin over to a certain group of young males nearby. Casting a quick glance at his foster son, his eyes softened. "Do what you think is right and I'll be here to support you all the way,"
For the rest of the day, Yuri was alone to ponder and think.
Quite often, he would find himself staring at the banks of the river, gazing intently at the small pebbles that were similar to the ones that the children gave to his girlfriend earlier.
Rolling up the sleeves of his tunic and pants, he proceeded to bend down to his knees. He threw his hands inside the cold depths of the water before withdrawing it back. His lips remained in a straight, thin line as his eyes fixated on the tiny fragmented pieces of dirt and sand on his open left palm.
Fueled with determination, he inserted both hands this time and started moving around. About two and a half hours later, he managed to collect at least five small pebbles and three large rocks.
Gathering them in his arms, he headed straight for his room.
Unknown to him, a certain bearded man looked out through his window, his eyes fixed on the swordsman. Crossing his arms over his chest, he mustered a smile of approval.
"Okay, this is it…" Yuri mumbled to himself, pacing back and forth with his hands inside the pockets of his hands. "You can do this…" In an effort to ease his worry, he cast a quick glance at his canine companion who seemed to be observing his every move.
"Yuri!"
The swordsman quickly turned around, surprised to find Hanks, Ted, and Marie standing not too far away from him. "Hanks," He addressed his foster father first, then the rest. "And everybody…what's up?"
"We noticed that you've been restless since breakfast," Hanks began, his expression hardening. "We were wondering if everything's alright,"
"No worries here," Yuri assured to them with a smirk.
Noting his odd posture, Marie gave him a weird look. "What's going on, Yuri?"
Blinking, the swordsman asked what she meant.
Taking the initiative, Hanks cleared his throat and said, "Yuri…" Then peered upwards to face the latter. Squinting his eyes, he searched through his foster son's face for any traces of negativity—anything that reflected on some form of hesitation or distress. But none of it was there—and instead, it was the look that Yuri always wore: solemn yet with a hint of mischievous as evident with the sparks in his ebony eyes. "Are you really gonna do this?"
Catching on to what he meant, Yuri nodded, followed by a bold smirk. "Wish me luck," And winked.
As soon as he saw this, Hanks produced a prideful grin.
Soon, Marie finally understood as well and clapped her hands. "Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed, her face flustered. "I can't wait to see it!"
"What? What?" Ted cried with a pouty look. "Can't anyone tell me?'
Yuri flashed him a devilish smirk. "Let's just say that I'll be stealing your thunder," He hinted with another wink.
Luckily, Ted was still at a loss of what was going on.
Few hours passed and when the time came for Estelle to show up in the Lower Quarter finally arrived, all Yuri could do was widen his grin.
"That's my cue," He said, glancing over his shoulder and waving over to them, "Wish me luck,"
"Go for it, Yuri!" Marie encouraged him, smiling away.
Hanks laughed heartily. "You go get her, boy!"
"I don't know what's going on, but good luck!" Ted joined in.
Accepting their words of encouragement, the swordsman quickly turned to face the canine who looked back at him with a knowing look. Lifting the pipe on his mouth, Repede barked.
"Thanks, Repede," And off he went in the direction to meet up with his partner.
"Yuri, over here!"
The dark-haired man grinned, approaching his girlfriend standing close to the entrance to the Middle Quarter. As expected, she was surrounded by the children from the orphanage. Once they were in close distance from each other, Yuri cleared his throat, alarming their little audience. "Can I borrow Estelle for a few minutes?"
The kids looked at each other, frowned, and then shook their heads.
Giggling, Estelle crouched to her knees and softly whispered to them. All of a sudden, the children cheered and then hastily ran off into the background.
Confused, Yuri turned back to look at his girlfriend and asked, "What did you tell them?"
Estelle smiled. Bringing her hands behind her back, she answered, "I assured them that if they gave me some time with you, I'll extend my stay here a little longer."
"Good call," He noted, earning him another giggle.
"So, what's the matter?" Estelle started, taking his hand and leading them down to where the center of the small square. "Have you been eating well? Have you been sleeping properly?'
Yuri rolled his eyes. "Yes, mom," He drawled out, which earned him a playful nudge on the shoulder. Even so, he laughed.
"Yuri, please be serious!" Estelle cried childishly, puffing her cheeks, "So are you going back to Dahngrest for more work?"
"No, not for another week," Yuri assured her, gently stroking his thumb over her the surface of her hand. "I just thought that it was a nice day outside—and then thought, who should I spend the whole afternoon with?" Placing a finger under his chin, he mumbled, "There's Hanks and Marie, but they've been busy since this morning. And there's Repede, but he seems to prefer sleep over me. Then there's Ted and the kids…"
Estelle dramatically gasped. "You're telling me that I was your last resort?"
Yuri glanced at her, his eyes slightly widening when he noticed the painful expression on her face. Crap, that was wrong. "No, it's not that, it's just—"
Before he knew it, he saw that Estelle suddenly lit up, going on her tip-toes and poking him on the nose with her finger. "Just kidding~"
The swordsman blinked, and upon realization, laughed. "Wow, you're getting pretty good,"
Registering his words, Estelle casually shrugged her shoulders. "What can I say? I learned from the best," She said simply, smiling away.
Once more, they strolled around the Lower Quarter, holding hands and greeting every passerby they happened to bump into along the way.
Descending further down the stairs, they turned to their right where they found themselves in front of the entrance of the wall. Exchanging smiles, the two of them advanced forward.
Along the way, they encountered a few monsters. Luckily, they weren't powerful and so, after a few hits and blows, they vanished instantly.
Half an hour passed and once they finished off the monsters around the field, the pair managed to climb up on the small summit—a secluded area with a large tree and white flowers sprouting about. But what made the place worth it was the fact that it was one of the few, if not, the only place that displayed a panoramic view of the majesty that was their hometown—the Capital City of Zaphias.
Yuri and first found this special spot when he was returning home after walking out of a promising career as an imperial knight with Repede only being a mere pup. Over the years, whenever Yuri needed to think things through or just needed some alone time to himself, he would come here (often by the presence of Repede).
So far, he managed to share this place to a few exclusive people he held dear to him—the first being Repede, then Hanks and Flynn at the same time—before Flynn left on his pilgrimage, and now Estelle—who at the time, was just a stranger to him and she had somewhat stumbled here…then again, who would've thought that they would visit this place every now and then, this time as a real couple.
Estelle let out a sigh as she plopped herself down on the grass, her eyes scanning over the horizon. "So beautiful…" She said aloud, smiling widely.
Unknown to her, Yuri snuck a glance at her and nodded in reply. He then turned back to face the view before them, unable to catch the quick look that Estelle gave to him in return.
Sitting down and holding hands, the two watched as the afternoon sky began to transition from a clear blue to a reddish-glow. Behind the city, they noticed that the sun was beginning to make its descend—signaling that the day was coming to an end.
Yet, for some reason, neither of them wanted to leave.
"Yuri?'
"Hmm?"
"There's something that I've been meaning to tell you…"
Moving his head to face his girlfriend, Yuri arched his eyebrow. "What's up?"
Judging from the way her shoulders were stiffen and how her eyebrows were furrowed together, he knew that something was bothering her. "Estelle?"
"Remember how yesterday…" She began, peering up to face him. "Ted and the children asked me to marry them on the spot?"
Becoming reminded of this, Yuri chuckled. "Yeah, what about it?"
"I'm not sure if you saw but they were offering pebbles to me for some reason," She went on, releasing her hand from his and enclosing it with her other fist. "When I went back to the castle, I decided to research on it…"
Yuri nodded intently, waiting patiently for her to keep going.
"The pebbles that they gave me…it was inspired by the Penguinists from the Blades of Zopheir," Estelle explained to him, giggling.
The dark-haired man pursed his lips as a memory of a flying bird with a black and white color scheme resurfaced from the back of his mind. Upon realization, he laughed. "You don't say?"
"I'm not sure if the children overlooked this but when a Penguinist gives a pebble to another Penguinist, they are choosing them as their romantic partner. The pebble…is equivalent to that of a human proposal. And once the other party accepts it, both Penguinists are destined to always be together—romantic partners until death."
Yuri smiled. "That sounds cheesy," He commented, but as he delivered those words, began fingering the small pebble he kept inside his pocket. "So, what about it?"
Estelle blushed. "Oh, well…" She trailed off, smiling. "It's just that I'm quite flattered by what they did. Despite their misconceptions of love, I knew that they meant no harm and that they did it simply out of love…"
"Are you trying to say that you're planning on rejecting them?" Yuri wondered aloud, followed by a chuckle. "If you are, don't you think that's a bit harsh?"
Estelle turned to look at him and giggled. "Actually, I was thinking…" She trailed off, looking up to see the first stars twinkling in the dimly lit sky. "Maybe I shouldn't reject them."
Listening to her words, Yuri's eyes widened. "What?"
"Rejection…it's a word that evokes so much pain and sadness," She explained, her eyes softening. She then stood up, her gaze elsewhere. "And so, I thought long and hard for a few days now. It wasn't until the incident that happened with the children yesterday that it finally occurred to me…"
Yuri stood up as well. He tipped his head to the side, still not quite understanding what she meant. "And that would be?"
Catching sight of his confused look, Estelle giggled. "Like I said, I'm not going to reject them. Instead, I'll be presenting them with an alternative—one that would still allow me to see them every day, and also…to be with you,"
Yuri's eyes slowly widened as he watched his girlfriend get on one knee, with her gloved hand gently brushing his own. Lifting her arm, she uncoiled her fist—revealing a pebble.
"Yuri Lowell," She began, "Will you marry me?"
The dark-haired man stared wide-eyed at the princess, who gazed back at him with the same loving eyes as she wore on that very same night they decided to make love together, giving away each other's virginity on the night of his twenty-third birthday.
There was a moment of silence—neither spoke nor moved.
Until suddenly, Yuri started cracking up.
Worried, Estelle asked if she did something wrong.
The swordsman waved his hand dismissively. "No, you did nothing wrong," He assured her, followed by another laugh. "It's just that…you always seem to be one step ahead of me," He then bend down on one knee. Removing his hand away from his pocket, he then presented her with his uncoiled fist—to her surprise, he too had a pebble.
"Estellise," He began, his voice becoming soft, "will you marry me?"
He watched as the corners of his girlfriend's eyes begin to water. "I…" She stammered, unable to form proper words. Biting on her lower lip, she cried out, "Only if you say yes to mine!" And looked back at him determinedly.
Once again, Yuri was caught off-guard. Recovering quickly, he resorted to teasing her, "Hey, shouldn't the man be the one to propose?"
"Yuri," She began, still smiling, "For the past four years since I've known and been with you, I've started to break every single castle rule and regulation. At least let me break another tradition by allowing me to propose to you!"
"That's not a yes!" He teased her.
Estelle puffed her cheeks. "Yuri, just say it!"
"Nope, not until—"
"YURI!"
Yuri simply laughed, leaning forward to press his forehead against hers and breathing in her natural cherry blossom scent.
This woman would surely be the death of him.
And if this was what their future together was going to be—full of silliness and teasing, love and compassion, empathy and support, and overall—someone to remind you of how human you are and how wonderful the world truly is—then so be it.
Let this naïve, innocent, stubborn, curious, clever, brilliant, compassionate, kindhearted, warm and loving, and dare he'd admit—pretty enticing, badass cleric and white knight who can wield swords/rods and read books to the children—the wonderful woman before him be the one he'd proudly call his bride-to-be, his wife, and possibly, a mother to his children.
"If we can't agree on which one of us would say THAT word," He said finally, "then why don't we use this one instead?"
Estelle frowned. "What do you mean?" And looked down to find his hand reaching outward toward her.
"Here's to the road ahead."
Hearing this, the princess smiled brightly.
Gazing into his ebony eyes, she accepted his hand and shook it.
Unable to contain her giggle, she repeated the same words—"To the road ahead."
YAY! YOU DID IT! YOU MADE IT TO THE END OF THE CHAPTER!
WHAT DO YOU THINK? HONESTLY, I'M STILL SMILING AS I'M WRITING THIS NOTE TO YOU ALL BECAUSE THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER WAS COMPLETELY NOT PLANNED AT ALL!
AND ALSO, IF ANY OF YOU ARE WONDERING, THE PLACE THAT YURI AND ESTELLE WENT OFF TO-THAT SECRET PLACE THAT THEY WENT TOGETHER WITH THEIR PROPOSAL-THAT'S THE MAIN MENU OF THE GAME! (the one with Yuri and Repede looking out into the distance with the beautiful view of Zaphias at night)
ALSO, I MENTIONED THAT I WAS GOING TO BE USING A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE-THAT WAS A BIT OF IODER, TED AND THE KIDS, AND MOSTLY YURI*** (I miss writing Ioder-and if you like the way I characterized him, I recommend checkmate and SoSN! He's fleshed out there!)
NOW THAT YUSTELLE ARE FINALLY ENGAGED-WE WILL BE HAVING TWO MORE CHAPTERS LEFT! AND ALSO, THE NEXT UPDATE TO THE NEXT CHAPTERS WOULD BE DURING THE WEEKENDS ONCE MORE!
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW!
ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND COMMENTS!
IF YOU CAN, PLEASE COMMENT BELOW AND LET ME KNOW OF YOUR THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS REGARDING THIS BEAUTIFUL CHAPTER!
SEE YOU SOON!
RECOMMENDED SONG: SAM YUNG (I SEE THE LIGHT PIANO ARRANGEMENT)