Author's Note: It is to my personal research that practically nobody reads the top a/n so I'm not going to bother writing anything important here anymore. Chapter 14 is up, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kyou Kara Maou or any of its characters but the OC and plot are mine… xD silver lining…
Chapter 14
Both of them stood battle ready, hands on hilts, as the man stepped out of his hiding place. His sandy brown hair stood short and looked slightly messy though it was clear he put effort into keeping it as tidy as possible. The slightly oversized collar of his grey trimmed vivid auburn overcoat was kept up and even though it was buttoned fully, it revealed a white undershirt. Twin swords were belted at his waist. The ends of his auburn pants were tucked into his high riding boots which were a dark shade of brown. His deep blue eyes were alert and bright, carrying an almost threatening aura with it. The expression on his face discouraged socializing.
Out from the corner of her eye, Ysabel saw Conrad's fingers slack slightly. "Lo—"he started. Conrad was interrupted by the ringing of metal as the new comer drew his swords. Ysabel's narrowed eyes widened. It felt as if someone had struck a bell inside her mind. "Lo…" It felt so familiar. A... a… a name! She was sure of it. A place? No, definitely a person's. Ysabel was so lost in her own thoughts that she only brought up her sword with moments to spare. The newcomer had attacked her!
"Lo…" The first syllable kept ringing in her head. It nagged at the back of her mind as she pushed the attacker away. "Lo…" The attacker stumbled backwards but quickly regained his composure. Ysabel's eyes narrowed again. This wasn't your average soldier.
Her eyes were blinded with tears. She fiercely tore her eyes away from the towering figure and ran.
Ysabel blinked. Flashback? "Lo…" That syllable hung there, in a place just inches away out of her reach. She didn't have time to ponder more before the newcomer dashed forward again. There swords met. His eye reflected determination this time. "Lo…"
She pulled open a heavy wooden door and ran down the flight of stairs that waited on the other side.
Ysabel's eye widened when she noticed that she parrying against only one of the attackers sword. The attacked brandished his second sword and it came swinging down on her unprotected left side. A move out of pure desperation, Ysabel left hand let go of her hilt. She immediately felt the burden increase on her right. Ysabel's eyes flashed as she willed the air around her hand. The attack spot short as it met an invisible force. The attacker only showed slight traces of being taken aback before he continued to apply pressure.
"Lo…" Ysabel's right hand was straining. Perspiration ran down her forehead as she tried to hold her position. She wasn't too concern about her right at the moment. It was the left that held her worry. She could feel control slowly slipping away despite her best efforts. Just as her wind sword disappeared, Ysabel dropped and rolled out of harms way.
She panted as she scouted the cells for something. Her eyes met a boy with sandy brown hair and a small frame sulking in a corner. She unlocked the bars and pulled the door open. He looked up.
"Who are you?" Ysabel shouted at the attacker. "Lo…" That bloody syllable was getting very annoying.
Something flickered behind the attacker's eyes. A faint sign of… pain? Regret? Sorrow? Ysabel couldn't really pinpoint it but she was sure it was somewhere along those lines. The attacker ignored her question, brandished his swords and dashed forward with inhuman speed. "Lo…"
She threw a sword at the feet of the boy. "Get up," she demanded. Her eyes were no longer teary. The boy was taken aback for a moment, fear flickered in his eyes. "Now!" she half shouted. He cringed before taking hold of the sword and standing up… "Battle ends at first blood!" She drew he own sword and ran forward.
CLASH! "Battle ends at first blood!" Ysabel's eye widened. Hold on, she mused silently. It wasn't only the little girl's voice yelling the last line. The attacker's voice rang with the clashing of their swords. "Lo…" Ysabel's brows knotted. This was getting severely annoying. Placing her weight firmly on her legs, she pushed the attacker back and began to fight back.
Left, right, left, right. It was clear from the way the boy held his sword that he was new but not entirely foreign to swords. He was holding himself pretty well. Something flashed behind his eyes! It was… excitement. That was all the confirmation she needed.
Left, right, left, right. It was like being in two battles at once. Ysabel found herself unconsciously moving identically to her flashback. "Lo…" CLASH! The ringing of steel sounded again. Ysabel gritted her teeth in effort not to fall under the pressure. Ysabel looked at her attacker and it connected. How could she not have noticed that this was the boy in the flashback?
Their swords met. She was slowly falling prey to the boy's superior raw power. He took a step closer. That was his mistake. He was too close. She slipped one of her legs behind his front foot and tripped him. He fell backwards; his sword fell from his grip. Her sword was instantly at his throat. Satisfied, she flicked her wrist and cut the sleeve of his shirt before turning around. She picked up the fallen sword and left without saying a word, not forgetting to lock the bars again.
The increase of pressure brought Ysabel back from her flashback. She held her hilt with both hands but even so, her wrists were threatening to give. She needed to wait for that step. She had a feeling that one way or another, the attacker would do so. "Lo…"
For what seemed to be hours, they held in that position. The attacker still hadn't taken the step. Ysabel could feel herself slowly losing her grip. She couldn't hold much longer. Then it struck her. That was years, centuries, ago! A fighter of his caliber would have conquered such an obvious mistake and habit ages ago. In other words, Ysabel was in trouble. She needed to end this quickly.
"Lo…" Setting aside the irritating syllable for now, she searched her mind as to what do to next. She barely had any strength to push his back now. Her wrists suddenly slacked unintentionally but Ysabel quickly regained her hold. Of course, the attacker had taken advantage of her slip up. He pushed, forcing Ysabel to take a step back. Her eyes widened as he took a step forward. That was it!
Ysabel took another step back, just to make sure. The attacker stepped forward again. Careful not to show triumph on her face, she feigned a step backwards. This time, without even letting her fully step back, the attacker stepped forward. He realized his mistake too late. Mustering what fragments of strength she had left, she pushed him back, causing his unbalance then swung out with a left foot, amplifying the kick by swinging her entire body around. Before the attacker could recover, Ysabel's sword point appeared at his throat. He looked at the point of her sword, then back up at her, as if expecting something. Ysabel flicked her wrist and cut the sleeve of his coat. "That's what you wanted, wasn't it?" she said. She felt as if a ton of bricks had been dumped on her head as she remembered.
She stood behind her father as they walked down towards the cell block. They walked another length before coming to a stop before a cell with a sole boy that looked barely ten years of age. The grill creaked open and he looked up, his eyes filled with fear again. Charles' voice reverberated off the stone walls. "I'll give you a chance to atone for your past crime—" a sword in its scabbard was thrown down at his feet. "Will you take it?"
A pause. His eyes no longer reflected fear but determination and gratitude now stood in its place. He stood up and bent down to pick the sword up. Charles smiled. "Good lad. We'll make a soldier out of you yet, young Lo…"
"Gan?" the word slipped from her mouth. Ysabel looked down at him. A new kind of feeling arose within her. It was the feeling of reacquainting with a long lost friend. A happiness with blurry origins swelled up inside her. "Logan?"
Logan smiled from his position on the ground. His eyes were still bright and alert but its aura was replaced with one of warmth and openness. "Welcome back," he said. "Your Exellency."
(I was planning on stopping here but because I feel obliged to, I'll continue another chapter's worth.)
The trio rode down towards Blood Pledge Castle at a slow walk but it was mostly due to the fact that an overexcited double black was bombarding a poor soldier dressed in vivid auburn limitless questions.
"So they aren't only ten aristocrats?" Ysabel cocked her head to one side. If she remembered correctly, Günter (in the anime) said that Shin Makoku was divided into ten countries which were ruled by one family.
Conrad and Logan exchanged looks. "No," Logan replied. "They are, in fact, eleven." His face darkened vaguely. "But because Edel's bloodline stopped, the country's government fell to the von Bielefeld, our neighbors."
"That's why Wolfram has been… avoiding you," Conrad added.
Ysabel blinked. Wolfram had been avoiding her? It never really struck her as that. She had always thought that the fact that they hadn't had a proper encounter yet was because time didn't permit. Or was it? Now that she thought back… Ysabel turning the corner to find a fleeting glimpse of blonde hair disappearing down a different hall was a common happening inside the castle. Now that she thought back, Wolfram really had been avoiding her…
"Hm…" Ysabel needed to sort this out.
"Any other questions?" Logan asked.
Ysabel searched her mind. They were actually a whole lot of things she wanted to ask but she decided to stick to the more recent ones for now. A light bulb lit above her head. Ysabel started to explain how she unintentionally unlocked the Hidden Sword technique. "My body just reacted so I'm pretty much guessing that it's something I did when I was a kid."
Logan nodded. "Lord Charles designated it to be an exercise for practicing the 'Hidden Sword' and also sharpening reflexes," Logan started and continued with a semi-amused smile. "But you saw it more as a game."
Ysabel swore that her sweatdrop was near visible. Leave it to mini her to think of everything as a game. Heck, from what she heard about her childhood so far, it sounded like her past self had trouble differentiating games from sword fights. And speaking of sword fights…
Battle ends at first blood!
Why did her past self do that anyway? Logan did something, probably something considerably bad, to get himself wound up in a cell. Ysabel had gone downstairs to test his skills and willingness to enter the army. That was pretty much all she could make out.
"Hey Logan," Ysabel started. She felt awkward. She was sure this was something that hovered under personal.
"Yes?"
"If you don't mind me asking," she continued hesitantly. "Why… why were you in the cell?"
The traces of shock were very vague but they disappeared almost as fast as they had come. The trio had come to a complete halt. Logan was silent for a moment, as if trying to consider his words. From the look on Conrad's somewhat somber face, Ysabel could tell that he knew something about it but was waiting for Logan to face her himself.
"I…" he started very tentatively, "was a local thief that got away with all my crimes. You could say I was a real thorn in the side of the Edel patrol."
Ysabel's brow knotted. Thievery? She thought it would have been something much more severe. But that fact was based off the feelings she experienced in the memory. Nothing more. But also, Logan said 'crimes' but Charles had only accounted him for one. So which one was the one that ended him up in the Edel penitentiary?
"One day," he continued. "I was cornered. So I resorted to an idiotic act. At that time, a little girl was out in the market with her mother. I took the girl hostage. And as you've probably guessed, it didn't turn out quite the way I planned." He ended the last sentence with a sad smile. They started moving again. "I'm sure you know the rest of the story."
Hostage? That did seem like the kind of thing that Charles wouldn't forgive lightly. It would probably have taken his daughter's word to convince him. They were near the gates of Blood Pledge now. Ysabel didn't have anymore time to ponder before the sound of galloping horses pierced the air.
The trio looked up to see two horsemen approaching. Both of which were dressed in a long, auburn overcoats. The female rider had her dark blue hair tied high. She had sharp grey eyes that looked almost hawk-like. The male counterpart had blonde hair that rivaled the Bielefelds' and lilac eyes. They pulled their mounts to a complete halt before the trio.
"First and Second Lieutenant Nadine and Hayes," Logan introduced.
Nadine made a sharp salute while Hayes did the unexpected. He nudged his grey stallion forward and took hold of Ysabel's hands. "Wha--" Ysabel said, taken aback at Hayes' action.
Hayes bowed his head and murmured something only barely audible. "Whatever your orders, Your Excellency," he said in a all-serious tone. "Be sure that I will execute them with every ounce of effort such a lowly military man such as myself can possibly produce."
Something stirred inside Ysabel. She couldn't think, hence she couldn't respond. She absolutely hated brain cramps. "Thank… you?" she answered unsurely.
"No," he said, his head still bowed. "It is I who must thank you." He looked up and starred into her eyes. "For finally appearing." He kissed the back of her hand lightly. "The one whose beauty pales heaven's very light."
"Hayes," Nadine said from behind him. Her tone was chilling and void of all emotions. "Stop playing your games."
"Okay okay, Nadine," Hayes laughed as he returned Ysabel her hands. "My apologies, Lady Ysabel." He brought his right hand up in a smart salute. "Second Lieutenant Hayes Volfield."
Ever heard of the saying 'a woman can't resist a man in uniform'? Well, sayings like that originated from people like Hayes. Ysabel grinned. "Not too bad, Hayes," she said. "Your courting skills are very well polished."
Hayes chuckled. "Why thank you, your Ladyship. I did a bit of asking around and you didn't seem like the type that would fall for my usuals, so I improvised a little."
Ysabel found herself falling into an amusing 'get-to-know-each-other' conversation with Hayes. Nadine made a comment every now and then but mostly let her partner do the talking. It the brief encounter, Ysabel gathered this much: Hayes was the gentleman of the bunch and Nadine was the one to keep him in check. As more and more words were exchanged, Ysabel decided she was going to like the silent soldier and flamboyant courtier.
Conrad hung behind as the second and third in commands of the Edel Royal Garrison introduced themselves. After the ruling of the Bielefelds was made official, the garrisons in Edel had changed their uniforms to the standard blue of the nobles. Only the personal guards of the previous ruler, through much argument and persistence, had been permitted to continue using the auburn of the Edels.
The military system in Edel was the same as the rest of Shin Makoku. They would have one normal army, ranking from new recruits, called cadets, to Generals. Then they would have another separate force. The personal guards, also known as the Royal Garrison, whose members were aces carefully selected from the normal army. They ranked from Privates, the lowest, to Captain, the head.
Conrad had expected the usual. Introductions, salutes, the such but definitely not the courting performed by the Second Lieutenant. A strange and unfamiliar feeling rose inside him. It was something close to… impatience but it wasn't exactly that.
"I apologize for his behavior," Logan said suddenly. "It's just the way he is."
Conrad was about to answer when he noticed that his right hand had moved unconsciously to his hilt. Thanking silently that it was in one of Logan's blind spots, he slowly moved his right hand back to the reins of his horse.
Conrad nodded in understanding. "His type appears every now and then."
Logan indulged himself with a smile. "It's time like these where one wonders how a person like him got so high in the food chain."
Silent agreement passed between them but in truth, something else was eating at Conrad. "Is it… really alright?" he asked the man beside him. "That she doesn't remember the upper half of the story?"
Logan was silent. His expression was blank. "She doesn't need to remember," he said finally.
This matter was somewhat personal but most of the rankings knew the story. The story of how the Captain of the Royal Garrison of Edel got to where he stood. "Are you afraid she'll reject you if she found out the truth?"
Again a pause. "No," Logan replied. "If it's still Ysabel von Edel standing before me, that is one thing I'll never have to worry about."
"Then why?"
"How should I say this? The Lady, she has a lot on her mind right now, doesn't she?" Logan said. "As long as I remember that I owe me my allegiance and my life, it doesn't matter. Simply put, she doesn't need to remember because I do." Logan's grip on his reins tightened.
A/n:
Right so, how was the chapter? This is probably the longest chapter I've wrote so far, apart from the first chapter that had to be spilt, heh. Not much to say except that it's finally my school holidays! I get roughly a month off so I'll try to upload at least 2 to 3 more times before school starts again.
Thanks so much to Lady Shisou and TwilightVixen for reviewing on my last chapter! I don't know where I'd be without you guys' support!
Of course, thanks to all the readers for sticking out with me for so long and patiently waiting for the uploads. You guys are the best!
FAQ
1.Did you model Logan after Graham Acre from Gundam 00?
A: Yes I did! J Though I admit, I originally wanted him to look somewhat like Berlis.
2.Did you model Hayes after Brock in Pokemon?
A: Hell no. Cause he's from a retarted series. I modeled Hayes after Jenos Hazard from Black Cat. J
3.Gah! Shinou wasn't in this chapter, I can't find out what his nasty scheme is. Will he be in the next on?
A. Er… No, I don't think so. Next chapter's dedicated to Logan!
4.What took you so long to update? I was waiting for ages!
A. Well… during the last month of school, they bombard us with assignments so that we're too tired to brage to other schools that we don't have holiday work. Plus, third season came out and I need to twist the plot a bit so that I could in cooperate it.
5.Now that the third season's out, will you pull kkmREWRITE longer?
A. I can only say 'probably'. I love this anime but I'm not sure what I'm planning to write will clash with the cannon plot for season 3. So this is still pending.
6. From the above, you stated that you watched Gundam 00. WHICH MEISTER DO YOU LIKE THE BEST?
A. SETSUNA HANDS DOWN!!
7.Excellent! Start a Nena Trinity Hate Club with me?
A. Absolutely. Grrrr…
Right, so until my next update,
Forever,
Val.