- Chapter 18 -
"No rose without a thorn, or a love without a rival."
~ Turkish Proverb
"We need to talk!"
Horace Vaughan, 20 years old, handsome, son of a nobleman, and engaged to be married to a simple blond girl of seventeen who came from a simple family and who happened to be named Fauna Griffin. The very same blond girl Fauna who happened to be the dearly beloved of Merlin's first apprentice, Maxim Horvath.
Horace had come to visit his bride but she kept ignoring him and seemingly didn't want him anywhere near her. Despite the fact that he was asking her what's wrong in a very calm and kind way, she seemed to have no intentions in telling him at all.
"There is nothing to talk about!" spat the blond.
The two had went out of the humble cottage and had found themselves under the shade of a tree. Still, Fauna kept her distance from her fiance, with arms across her chest, and back turned to him. When she realized just where they were standing, she silently cursed at herself and walked away from the tree. She had memories under that tree with a certain special someone, and she was not willing to spoil such memories by standing under its shade with Horace.
"In situations such as this one, we should talk about it," said Horace, following after the blond girl. "We're to be married soon, and as my wife..."
"I'm not your wife yet!"
Fauna had spun around sharply to face Horace, cutting him off mid-sentence and with a deadly look in her eyes. The look was frightful, as though she was looking up to him with so much hate. Not that he doesn't know why, he knew exactly why she was like that towards him. She still hadn't forgiven him, and he had even come to the conclusion that perhaps she never will.
It was entirely his fault; that he had admitted to himself already. He had forced himself on her and had taken away her virtue. Even as they were about to be married, her aunt still was cold towards him. Again, he couldn't blame the aunt also.
"Are you seeing someone?" he suddenly asked her.
The look of surprise on her face was rather expected but, still, it gave him a twitch of pain inside his heart, as she once again turned away from him. Not that she needed to answer it anyway, he knew the answer to his question was yes.
"I found out," he started again. "There are some of my friends who saw the two of you in town." He paused for a moment, waiting if she would say anything in reply. But when she didn't, he thought best to continue with the questioning. "Is it...true?"
"Yes it's true!"
She spun around to face him once again, the venomous look on her face still there.
"I love him, and he loves me," she said again, glowering up at him as much she could. "So you listen very carefully. You may have had my virtue, you may become my husband, but you will never have my heart and soul."
She said 'never' with so much meaning and from the deepest part of her heart.
"And you may never, ever, replace him in any way," she spoke again. "And don't you even think of hurting him, because I doubt whether you could hurt him at all. He's an apprentice to Lord Merlin, in case you don't know. He's a sorcerer. Remember that."
And then, for a hundredth time, she turned her back on him and stormed away, putting in as much distance as she could between the two of them.
As Horace stood there, watching his bride walking away at the distance, he thought that perhaps having Maxim Horvath as a rival was a no-winning battle. Not because the youth was a sorcerer, but because said youth had the heart of the girl he loves. Although at this point, he was much more the victor, because he was to be married to her, and no one can stop that.
Veronica simply looked down on the floor, kicking her legs as she sat on the stool. She knew that she was sharing the same feeling of boredom with both Maxim and Balthazar.
First of all, it was raining cats and dogs outside. Second of all, they have just finished each of their lessons and was left with nothing else to do. And third of all, well...they had nothing else to do for the day.
The boys did try to pass time by sparring with each other in their old-time friendly swordplay, but even after they collapsed to the floor, both panting heavily, they got bored of it too. Though Maxim suggested they should try new spells, Balthazar didn't agree, reminding his best friend what just happened the last time they did that. And the blond boy was successful in doing so with the help of Veronica.
Ten minutes passed and Balthazar found himself scribbling things on a parchment that didn't make sense, while Maxim tried to entertain himself by playing around with a mouse he found by trapping the little thing in one corner and watch as it try at its best to get out, but the youth kept blocking every possible exit.
With Merlin not being around didn't help with such boredom.
Balthazar found his eyes fixated on Veronica's back, as the girl's shoulders lifted when she took a breath to sigh. That was when an idea struck the blond boy all of a sudden. After a quick glance from where Maxim was seated on one corner of the room, Balthazar stood up from where he was seated and strode off to the girl.
When he came right in front of Veronica, causing her to look up to him, he smiled sweetly at her and bowed slightly.
"Are you quite bored, milady?" he asked as he stood up straight.
Veronica, though uncertain what Balthazar was trying to do, simply answered with a nod.
"Never worry, dear princess," said Balthazar, calling Veronica 'princess' as a manner of adopting it from Maxim. "I will be your prince."
By calling himself Veronica's prince, Balthazar was able to catch Maxim's attention, letting go of the little mouse and to be able to finally escape. Now, just like Veronica, Maxim was in the process of trying to figure out what Balthazar was trying to do.
"And as your prince," the blond spoke again, "I shall do all in my power to ease your boredom." He then winked at Veronica for effect.
"Pfft! Some prince you turned out to be too," said Maxim, standing up from his corner, and walking towards the blond boy. He wasn't able to notice the smirk that appeared on said blond's face.
Whatever it was the Balthazar had in mind, he seemed to have expected Maxim's reaction.
"Do everything in your power to ease her boredom, you say?" said the older apprentice, repeating what the blond just said. "You can't even help yourself in this boredom, which by the way, you are sharing with her."
The reason why Maxim did even dare to interfere with Balthazar, was that he at least found something interesting to help himself with his own boredom. And Balthazar was quite aware of that.
"Do care to pay respect here, dear sir," said Balthazar to the older apprentice. "I am trying to impress the lady."
Veronica still didn't know what was going inside Balthazar's mind, and so did Maxim, but he thought best to play along.
"What do you know about impressing a girl?" asked Maxim, a playful smirk sliced through his face, placing his arms across his chest.
Balthazar returned the smirk, but subtly. Everything was going to the way he wanted it to be.
"Are you challenging me for the heart of this fair maiden?" Balthazar suddenly burst out, surprising both his colleagues with his words. But when he winked at the eldest apprentice, and made a quick jerk of the head towards the Veronica's direction, Maxim caught on quick what the blond was meaning to do right from the start.
"Aye, sir," said Maxim, smirking to Balthazar and nodding subtly, before he turned to Veronica, who obviously still did not know what was going on.
"I do challenge you," the eldest apprentice spoke again, having Veronica's hand in his and bending over to kiss it. "I have the right." When he looked up to the girl again, he winked, saying, "I am, after all, her dearest knight."
Balthazar reached out for a wooden sword and aimed it playfully at his best friend. "Draw, sir! If you be a man!" he said.
On the other hand, Maxim also reached for another wooden sword, ignoring that he had a real one, and held it up on the blond.
"En garde!"
The two then feigned a fair duel, that lasted only twenty seconds, until Balthazar pulled Maxim close and whispered something in the older apprentice's ear. Veronica, who was silently watching, realized that her colleagues were doing a little act for her, though she wasn't entirely certain as to how to react to it.
Later, Balthazar and Maxim pushed away from each other, feigning another fair fight, until Balthazar thrust his sword right under Maxim's right arm, as the older apprentice backed away a few steps, faking an expression of pain in his face, as though he was showing that he was badly wounded by the blond's attack.
"I am hurt!" Maxim shouted in effect, quickly running a hand on his supposedly wounded part of his body.
The older apprentice fell to the floor as the blond and younger one came sitting down by his side.
"What have I done?" said Balthazar, still in character.
Maxim pulled Balthazar closer, clutching at the blond's shirt. "Take care...of her...for...me..." he said very slowly, then his head fell backwards, acting as though he died from the wound.
"Noooooo!" Balthazar burst out, showing great regret from what he had done, and rested his head on both hands.
Veronica realized that it was the ending of her two colleagues' little show for her, as she chuckled in amusement and clapped her hands together, cheering with, "Wonderfully played!"
The two raised their heads to look up to the girl and smiled. They both stood up and bowed, waving their hands so, as though there was a whole crowd of people who watched them.
"Thank you. Thank you. You were a wonderful audience," Balthazar was saying.
"We'll be here all week," Maxim simply added.
"It was well played," laughed Veronica, her boredom successfully eased off by her colleagues.
"You should play at the King's Court."
The familiar manly voice caught the attention of all three apprentices. They knew who's voice it was the moment they heard it.
When they all turned their heads towards the open door, their master stepped inside the room, a subtle smile on his face, and with hands casually clasped behind him. He approached the three apprentices, slowly, his eyes fixed on the boys.
It was Maxim who recovered first to reply.
"We can't. Our act is to one particular audience only." The youth turned his head to the girl behind him, indicating her with a hand, and turned back to his master once more. "And I doubt whether we could be of any good for the kind of audience at Court."
Somehow, the latter part that Maxim mentioned made Veronica and Balthazar chuckle to each other, and causing Merlin to quirk up a brow.
"One day, I'd have to get use to you on making remarks like that," Merlin said as he shook his head, his words directed to his eldest apprentice. "But, I do agree that you two made quite an act." And by two, Merlin was simply indicating the boys. "You seem good in portraying rivals."
The boys shared looks and smiles with each other.
"I only hope," their master spoke again, "that it wouldn't happen in real life."
"Of course it wouldn't," said Balthazar immediately. "We're best friends."
The master only tilted his head to one side and shrugged, as he turned around, saying to his apprentices, "You never know. It might just happen in the near future. But as I said, let us hope not. And by the way..." He then turned his head to look over his shoulders. "Veronica's room is almost done, and so by tomorrow, she'll be having her own room."
As Merlin left the room, he heard his apprentices whispering to each other from behind him, but it was something that did not concern him at all. Whatever it was, it seemed to have given them amusement since he heard their laughter before he was able to completely close the door.
Along the way, in his thoughts, Merlin was happy to have his apprentices that way with each other. Simply being happy together, and with each other's presence. But back there about what he said on him hoping for Maxim and Balthazar not to become rivals, he wasn't just teasing, he was telling the truth. He was speaking his mind openly to them.
If there was one thing he knows about best friends, sometimes, it's the best friends that makes the deadliest of enemies. And it usually starts with becoming rivals. And even if he is the greatest sorcerer of all, he could only hope that his boys wouldn't come down to that.
Two days had passed since Maxim last saw Fauna, or even visited her at her house. He was so excited in meeting her again when he had finished his chores in the castle and asked for Merlin's permission if he could finally go out to town.
Along the way, he happened to pass by a bush of roses and decided to bring Fauna one. He carefully seek for the one that had less thorns on the stem, but it was almost impossible. So he randomly picked one and thought that perhaps he'd remove the thorns with magic before he could hand it over to Fauna.
The wide smile on his face slowly disappeared when he caught sight of his dearly beloved came out of the cottage and accompanying a young man, older than him no doubt, and was holding hands with her.
As the two got to a horse that was waiting outside the fence, the young man turned to Fauna and gently kissed the blond girl on the lips. Maxim was already hidden behind a nearby tree when he saw this, and although Fauna didn't kissed back, or showed any such reaction that she liked what the young man did, the young sorcerer was already having thoughts in mind. Thoughts that were accompanied with questions.
Raising his sword, the blue jewel at the tip of the hilt glowing, Maxim couldn't help but cast a spell so he could hear what the young man was saying to Fauna, and these were the words he heard: "...forget but I promise, I will never force you on anything against your will. I'd have to go now, I'll be seeing you at church tomorrow."
With that, the young man mounted his horse, looked down on Fauna (who was already on her way back to the cottage) with a rather sad look on his face, and rode off.
As soon as Fauna came in the cottage, Maxim was already nowhere seen near the tree.
Inside the cottage, as Fauna went further inside, she immediately noticed a single red rose on the table at the dinning. Although she wondered why it was there in the first place, she approached the table and picked up the flower. But at the very same moment that she was about to raise it to her nose and try to smell its fragrance, a voice startled her.
"Careful there."
She almost jumped from where she stood, and cast her gaze towards a dark corner in the room. Out from that corner stepped out Maxim, his arms across his chest, and his eyes were frighting. Never had Fauna ever seen his eyes that way, that it sent shivers down her spine, making her back away a step or two. Until suddenly, he smiled at her.
"I haven't removed the thorns yet," he said.
Coming back to her senses, Fauna glanced down on the rose she had in her hand, and flashed Maxim an uneasy smile.
"Oh! Well, it seems I barely touched the thorns so I'm not hurt," she said to him.
He approached her even closer, but stopped at the table to have a drink of water from the nearby mug that was there.
"Did I startle you?" asked Maxim, drinking from the mug. He only spoke again after he had settled it once more on the table. "I've noticed the look on your face, and how you almost jumped when I spoke."
"You caught me by surprise," she replied, raising a hand towards her chest.
The young sorcerer nodded. "Are you happy to see me here?"
Fauna's face softened. "I'm always happy to see you. I've missed you, in fact. Where did you came in by the way? You didn't seem to have come from the front."
"No. I entered through the back door," answered Maxim, once again advancing a step closer. Then, his face turned very serious all of a sudden as he said, "I saw you accompanying a young man outside."
He watched unblinking as the blond girl's eyes widened.
"Who was he?" he finally asked.
"H-He's a...a friend," stammered Fauna, backing away further more each time Maxim advances towards her, until she found herself being cornered at the wall. "Just a close friend, is all."
"Close enough to allow him to kiss you on the lips?"
Fauna could feel her heart pounding hard within her chest. The time she had feared has come.
"Is there something you're not telling me?" asked the young sorcerer again, finally getting within a foot away from Fauna.
She looked deeply into his dark eyes before she could snap herself out of it and answer. "Maxim I..." She bit her lip.
How was she to begin telling him this?
Taking in a deep breath, Fauna gathered up her courage and once again opened her mouth to speak.
"Before I say anything, I'd like you to know that I planned to visit you in the castle and tell you there."
At that point, Maxim turned around, taking two steps away from her.
"Tell me everything I need to know," she heard him say, keeping his back turned to her.
Once again, she took a deep breath.
"I've known him since before I met you at the town square..."