Here is the final part to my "Cheria X Bailey" love story
Last time (I promise):
*SPOILERS (just for safe measure)
*DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything but the plot. The characters, the setting and all other elements belong to the creators of the Tales of Graces ƒ.
Now for the compelling conclusion...
Part 3:
Author's POV:
A week passed since the great lord's death, and his widow was left hopelessly "running" the tranquil Windorian village to the best of her knowledge. Countless letters have been sent to the capital requesting the early dismissal of the sole heir to Aston's position, but not once has Lady Kerri received response. The azure-haired mother grieved over the loss of her husband and two sons, believing it was up to her to keep Lhant afloat.
Noontime passed over Lhant with a perpetual sun, gently soothing the skins of her peaceful citizens. Alone in the grand study of her late beloved, Kerri sat mildly upon her husband's throne, arms crossed, reading some important documents as well as preparing yet another letter begging for the return of her eldest son. Such a sight—a once-submissive woman ruling over a grand territory by her lonesome, was both peculiar and uneasy to the good people of the border town. Despite the town's reluctance, the noblewoman was determined to take command of her beloved home, even if it was temporary.
"Lady Kerri, you have summoned me?" entered the elderly butler in usual raspy vocals.
"Ah, Frederic, there you are," responded the woman, looking upon him with the same gentle eyes.
Frederic made his way to the head of the grand desk, a tad befuddled seeing the lady of the house where a man once sat was very intriguing to him but nonetheless, admired her determination to serve her people well.
"Frederic, I trust you know why I summoned you here?" she asked in a stern voice, sounding somewhat like a feminine version of Aston.
"Pardon me, My Lady, but I do not."
"As you know, I have sent numerous letters regarding the return of Asbel from Barona's Knight Academy."
"Indeed, Lady Kerri, have you received word from the capital?"
"Unfortunately, I have not. I am unsure if the academy rejects the reception of mail outside of the city, or if my son is deliberately refusing to read them."
"I'm sure there must be an oversight of some sort. Even Master Asbel would—"
"—Asbel has abandoned his family and home for seven full years. His cache of excuses has finally run out. At this point, I have no choice but to send someone down there to retrieve him."
"Your Ladyship, would you like me to travel to Barona and retrieve Master Asbel?"
"No, Frederic, I need you here at the manor..."
The azure-haired Lady of Lhant shut her eyes and dipped her head down slightly, pondering a more likely candidate to travel to Barona.
"I would like to request that Cheria be sent to the capital."
Frederic was rather shocked at this request.
"Cheria? Are you sure, My Lady?"
"But of course. After all, Cheria is Asbel's closest friend."
"I regret to inform you, but Cheria expresses deep heartache upon hearing the very name of the young master. I'm not sure if she would be up for such a task."
"Regardless, I feel he would actually listen if she was sent there. I don't mean to sound harsh, Frederic, but this of the utmost importance. Will you please summon her to meet me here?"
"Unfortunately, Lady Kerri, my granddaughter is having a romantic picnic on Lhant Hill with Lieutenant Bailey. She is rather unavailable at the moment."
Frederic expected the transformed noblewoman to snap at him, demanding the immediate termination of the young couple's rendezvous. The gall he had to even say such words put him in an apprehensive state. Surprisingly the woman did not stir and instead, tilted her head down again, keeping her composure despite her request taking some time to follow through. She looked at her butler again.
"When is she due back?" she asked, clutching tight to her quill pen.
"Not for another hour, Your Ladyship."
"Frederic, I cannot wait that long. I must ask for the engagement to be called off. I'm truly sorry."
Frederic bowed courteously at the widow, knowing full well that her request pained her to carry out, especially since it interrupted an intimate moment in young Cheria's life.
"As you wish, Lady Kerri."
The elderly man exited the study with haste, only to be obstructed by two militiamen, who saluted the kind butler out of respect.
"Guards, please retrieve my granddaughter from Lhant Hill, immediately!"
"YES SIR!" cried the men in unison, exiting the home without delay.
Cheria's POV:
"Mmm Bailey, these peach gels are amazing!"
"Really? I trained with some Turtlez in the art of dualizing and they said I was 'no goodz' haha."
"Oh, Bailey, they are missing out!"
"I don't care. I'm not missing out on anything..."
He leaned in slowly and pecked my cheek with his soft lips. I smiled slightly, not knowing what to do or say at this point. Bailey and I have been together for a week and it feels great to be happy with him, but I still can't shake this feeling that there is...someone else. The soldier smiled wide at me, a sparkling, white smile to compliment his glittering, green eyes. He held up my chin and attempted to peck me on the lips but, I just couldn't do it, and I pulled away.
"Is something wrong, my angel?" he asked me, his curious head tilted in an innocent Sophie-esque manner.
"Bailey, I think...I think we need to talk." I responded, looking down as I grazed my palms across the vibrant flora around me.
His baffled face turned to a frown in an instant. His head still tilted like a sad puppy, I couldn't believe what I was about to do. I turned to him and spoke in a soft manner.
"Bailey, I'm so happy with you, you know that, right?"
His face returned to his puzzled state, a slight smile growing upon it.
"Of course, Cheria, and you mean the world to me too."
"I could imagine spending my life with you, getting married, having kids, living a life of normality just like I've always wanted."
The man clutched tightly into his pocket, a quadrilateral shape protruding from where hand had masked.
"Cheria, you really feel that way?"
"Yes, I do but—"
"Oh, Cheria, you don't know how happy that makes me. You are my world, my love, you are my EVERYTHING! I'm just so happy I can see you and feel your touch and—"
"—Bailey, please, let me finish..."
He paused mid-expression and slowly went back to his confused demeanor. This time, he knew what she was getting at. He slowly released the object in his pocket and placed his hand on the floral surface.
"There's...someone else, is there?" he asked, a sharp pain noticeable in his voice.
I turned my head again, refusing my want to sob and more so, to shield me from his hurt expression.
"I shouldn't have led you on...I like you Bailey, but you were right...it IS him..."
If I wasn't crazy, I felt the crumble of his heart with my own. I'm such a jerk. This man—the only man to ever show true compassion towards me...the one always there for me when nobody was...has fallen hard at the hands of me.
(DAMMIT!)
"Cheria..."
The man clutched his chest as he arose from the flowerbed. He moved quickly trying not to look at me in the process. I truly broke the poor soldier's heart.
"MISS BARNES! MISS BARNES!" a pair of oncoming militiamen called to me.
Bailey approached the men, each saluting respectively at each other. Upon the end of the salutation, Bailey continued to head towards home, leaving me behind with the two, masked soldiers. I arose from the bed of flowers and hastened to the guards.
"May I help you, gentlemen?" I asked politely with a slight bow.
"You have been summoned by Lady Kerri," replied one of the soldiers in a loud, military-like fashion.
"I was?"
"You are to report to Lhant Manor immediately!"
"Of course. Thank you, gentlemen."
I entered the manor quite anxiously, having not set foot in the stronghold since I saw the good lord pass. As expected, I was immediately greeted by my grandpa, who approached me with open arms.
"Cheria, thank you for coming here so quickly. I apologize for interrupting you date with Lieutenant Bailey."
"Oh, it's fine, Grandpa, really..."
"Lady Kerri is in the study. Go to her, quickly."
With that said, my grandfather returned to his post and I did as I was told. I entered the shimmering study, the sun shining brightly through the windows behind the desk, almost completely eradicating my vision. I walked over to the late lord's desk and curtseyed.
"Good afternoon, My Lady," I greeted.
"Oh, Cheria, no need to be so formal," she chuckled in a modest tone, "I summoned you here because I have an urgent request."
"Yes, of course! How may I help you?"
The blue-haired woman arose from the table and paced lightly behind me, walking about in a rather regal-like manner.
"As you know, my position as ruler of Lhant is but temporary."
"Yes, I've heard. It's quite ridiculous because you are doing an amazing job!"
"You are such a sweet girl, Cheria. No matter, Lhant is in need of its heir and after numerous failed attempts to reach him via letter, I believe it is time to retrieve Asbel in person."
"A-Asbel?"
The sharp pain in my chest made me cringe, a feature surprising picked up by a turned-away Lady Kerri.
"Your grandfather informed me of your uneasiness to reunite with him but as can see, there is NO other person he is more likely to respond to than you. I humbly request that you venture to Barona and get him, for the sake of Lhant."
"Oh, Lady Kerri, I will go...don't you worry. I'll make preparations and leave immediately."
"Excellent. Thank you, Cheria."
I bowed slightly and exited the room, and further, the manor. I went to the Turtlez Transport by the manor and paid my fees (lucky I was FINALLY old enough to ride one) and set off for Barona's port. The ride was uneasy; thoughts and emotions of what I did to poor Bailey were swirling throughout my head. I wasn't lying when I said I cared about him...but, this rejection—the way I led the man on to what he believed to be "true love", it was no better than what...what he did to me.
Upon reaching the port, I decided to browse the shops around the harbor as I waited for my ferry to depart. One of the stores, a rare gems and accessories called Talia's, sparked my immediate interest. A quaint, door jingle sounded upon entry of the facility, giving a warm, fuzzy feeling of invitation. I looked around at all this precious items. A variety of crystallized anklets adorned the walls. A large number of expensive colognes, eye-wear and scabbards completed a "men's" section of the store. Before me, a small clothing section of hair ribbons and feminine scarves were available as well (ooo, and on sale too!). For such a small place, the merchant sure had a lot of rare, unique and/or customized items and garbs.
My browsing was soon halted when I noticed a familiar figure at the register. A tall, brawny, silver haired man clad in an armor suit...
(BAILEY!)
I moved to a more disclosed location to avoid being seen. I was curious as to why he was here. Perhaps he was here to purchase some new cologne? I listened in as he talked to the store clerk.
"Bailey, you have returned so soon!" greeted Talia, with her own customer service-like charm.
"Yes...I-I did." He responded, the pain easily distinguished in his tone.
"Is something wrong, Bailey? You seem upset."
"I would, um, like to return this item."
"This custom-made ring?"
"Yeah...please."
"Was the item the wrong size or something?"
"No...it's just...there is no reason to have it anymore."
The store woman gasped.
"Oh no, Bailey, I'm so sorry. Would you like to talk about it? No one ever comes in here so I have some free time."
"It's nothing worth talking about..."
"Bailey, I've known you for many years, I don't like seeing you this way. You are such a good man...any woman would be lucky to call you "hers".
"Talia, that's how I felt about Cheria. There was no other young woman like her. The girl battled chronic illness, has been through heartbreak and isolation, saved many lives in the main village last week and stole my heart. She was my world, my everything, my guardian angel..."
"Bailey..."
"I'm sorry Talia, but right now, you seem to be the only person I can trust with my life. I'll serve the people well, I'll protect my home but when peacetime returns, you are the first face I want to see."
"Oh, of course, Bailey! That is so sweet of you! Thank you so much!"
The woman examined the ring in its casing, the gem-like, red cryas stone was glimmering so bright (even from where I was hiding), the shine refracting off the ceiling and wall behind Bailey.
"Such as shame, are you sure you want to return this?"
Bailey put his iron-clad hand to his chin and pondered for a moment, and then he put his hand, asking for it back. Talia returned the item obediently but when dropping the item into his possession, he seized her hand gently. Bailey removed the ring from the box and slid the jewelry on her finger, much to my and Talia's surprise.
"Bailey..." she froze, "what does this mean?!"
"Think of it as a "promise ring". I've made one bad decision, I refuse to make another."
After those words, Bailey exited the store. Talia smiled and held the ring to her heart before making her way to the backrooms. To avoid any sort of confrontation. I let myself out.
The air seemed a bit cooler around me...but why? Bailey seemed to have some sort of happiness from Talia now, so why do I still hurt? I am very happy for him, but this pain hasn't ceased. What's wrong with—?
"ALL ABOARD! THE FERRY TO BARONA IS ABOUT TO DEPART!"
I snapped out of my dilemma and headed towards the boat. The voyage was quiet. Like it had been for seven years, I was once again...alone.
I arrived at the capital in little time (having made multiple visits to Barona before as a child, the trip there was no fuss to me). Upon my arrival, I got off the boat and hastened for the academy (Lady Kerri should NOT be kept waiting).
I arrived at the academy soon after. Not much had changed since I last saw it. Around me, students and professors alike were either entering or leaving the building, passing me awkward glances, giving me the notion that I didn't belong. I moved off to the side to avoid any further stares. I pondered what I should do. Seeing all these students come in and out, I was bound to encounter Asbel walking out. I stood quietly and waited.
A great deal of time had passed. Thirty minutes? An hour? I was unsure. All but a few students remained. Suddenly, I heard of two pairs of footsteps approaching behind me. I turned around to see a middle-aged, muscular blonde man accompanied by a younger man—a slender brunette student that looked just like...him! The boy turned when he saw me, staring wide-eyed with his large azure irises, in shock as they connected with my own coffee-toned ones.
"Oh my goodness...Could it be that...It's really you, Asbel?"
END
Side-Notes:
*Lady Kerri never took charge of Lhant after the passing pf Aston (I made those side-details up to give some props to Lady Kerri :P).
*The character, Talia, is an OC (the shop she runs is made up, as well)
*Talia is loosely based off Marian, a Strahtan gem polisher and Hubert's friend.
*The final line (Cheria's quote) is directly taken from the cutscene when she reunites with Asbel.
REVIEWS! PLEASE REVIEW! Be brutally honest! I really want feedback on my first story :D I hope you enjoyed it (I sure had a blast writing it ^_^)