Title: The Knight and the Blacksmith

Genre: Romance, Drama, and Humor

Summary: Cecily leaves Housman to hone her skills as a knight. Upon returning she finds out there are other things that have changed or perhaps have always been.

Rating: T for now at least

Part 1: Six Months Later

(Note: I consider some time has passed disregarding the fic so the characters are a little older than previously stated in the manga/anime.)

It was another quiet day just outside of Housman. Things have been unusually quiet since Cecily left for the Guard Sanctuary. Those she left behind have had to adapt to life without her; however, things were a bit more peaceful without the clumsy knight running around.

At the blacksmith, Luke Ainsworth's residence, things were carrying out as they normally did. Breakfast had just been served and Lisa was cleaning up, while Luke was working the day away in the forge. Things were mostly going as they did every day, with Cecily or without. That was, until there was a knock at the door.

"Hm, I wonder who that could be, we don't have any orders due? It could be a new client!" Lisa said to herself, hopping down from the sink and shuffling towards the door.

"Oh hi Aria, you know you don't have to knock to come in." Lisa greeted her friend with an ear-to-ear smile.

"I know, but I figured it would be more appropriate." Aria explained. Lisa tilted her head in curiosity.

"Appropriate for what Aria?" The demon sword smiled.

"For the surprise." She said stepping to the side to reveal…

"CECILY!" Lisa shouted and lunged for the lady knight and hugged her as hard as she could.

"Hey, Lisa haven't seen you in a while, did you get taller?" Lisa tilted her head up and nodded.

"Did your boobs get bigger Cecily?"

"I've been gone for six months and that's what you say!" Cecily yelled, her face red in embarrassment. Lisa let go of Cecily and took a step back to get a better look at her. Cecily's hair had grown a little longer in length. She tacked on some muscle while she was away, making her legs and arms thicker. Cecily had a more voluptuous shape.

"Wow Cecily you have abs now?" Lisa pointed out as she looked for changes in her friend. Cecily did develop toned abdominal muscles during her training. And as Lisa pointed out, her breasts did get somewhat bigger.

"When did you get back?" Lisa asked.

"Earlier this morning, I dropped by the guild to pick up Aria and headed here." Cecily replied when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Oh… you're back." The one standing behind her said in between breaths. Cecily turned to face him.

"Luke…" She gasped as she looked on at him. "You look different." She said as she noticed the biggest change in Luke, his hair. He still wore it long but not nearly as long as he once did. It was wild looking, as if he self-cut it, as it trailed down to the nape of his neck.

"So do you." He said in reply as he noticed the changes in her. They stared at each other for about a minute until Luke began walking towards her and his house behind her. She held her hands up expecting a hug or some sort of greeting from Luke as he approached her. Luke hopped up the stairs and looked over at Cecily.

"Um, what are you doing?" He asked, oblivious to her action. She turned a shade of red again and awkwardly threw her hands behind her head.

"N-nothing, don't worry about it." She readjusted herself and continued. "By the way Luke, I wrote letters to everyone and got replies to them all besides the one I gave you. Care to explain?" she asked with some agitation in her voice. Luke meanwhile was getting himself a glass of water.

"…I was busy…" He said in between sips.

"Too busy to read a letter?" She asked with a raised brow.

"Oh no, I read it, and by the way, your grammar needs work." He remarked, heading back outside to his forge. By then he had Cecily fuming.

"You…. You..!" she yelled shaking her fists, ready to explode. Luke walked up to her and turned.

"Welcome back Cecily." He said quietly with a soft smile, and walked away. That smile of his left stopped the raging Cecily dead in her tracks. She stood for a minute to try and figure out what just happened. Luke seemed so awkward to her, but she liked him for it.

"Um, Cecily…" Lisa spoke, snapping Cecily out of her trance. The lady knight turned to Lisa. "If it makes up for anything, Luke meant it when he said he was 'busy'."

"What do you mean Lisa?" Cecily became ever so curious to find out what kept Luke so occupied that he couldn't respond to her letter.

"Well he went away too, he was gone for a while."

"What do you mean he was 'gone'?" Cecily asked again as Lisa continued.

"After you left, he finished the order the Mayor asked him for and left. I don't know where he went but he said it was 'very important' that he go, and that I had to 'run things' here."

"I say you inspired him to get training done Cecily. I don't know if you noticed but he does seem a little more built than he was before." Aria inquired. Cecily had to think for a few seconds.

"So when did he get back here?"

"Well about a week ago. He came back a filthy mess, so I think you're right about what he was doing Aria. He said he 'figured something out' and went right to work in the forge, and has spent most of his time in there ever since. I have no clue what he's working on, he won't even let me in there." Lisa explained everything she knew.

"Well I'm gonna find out right now!" Cecily said, marching out of the house and towards Luke's forge.

"That's not such a good idea, Luke hates being interrupted from work." Lisa remarked as Aria giggled.

Cecily slammed the door to the forge open shocking Luke who just picked a cup of melted metal out of the oven, and causing him to drop it.

"Look what you made me do you dork!" Luke shouted at Cecily who stood in awe at the countless Katana blades lying around the forge.

"Um, I um…" she couldn't get any words out at all but Luke sure could.

"Argh, get out!" he said throwing the clamp he used to pick the cup up out of the oven at her. She squealed and shut the door just in time avoiding the hit. She slumped down to the ground with her back against the door and heard Luke mutter some profanities on the other side.

"What was that just now? All those blades lying around…wait, 'figured something out'…he didn't figure out how to make a 'sacred sword' did he?" She looked down and pondered the possibilities. She got up after a minute and headed back towards the house rejoining Lisa and Aria.

"Well did you find anything out?" Aria asked.

"I think Luke figured out how to make a sacred sword, or at least he's real close to it, there were blades every where." That instantly caught the attention of the other two in the room.

"You, really think so Cecily?" Lisa asked in wonder. To think Luke discovered the secret behind a sacred sword.

"Well it's the only thing I could come up with." Cecily said shrugging her shoulders. "Anyways, Aria are you ready to go?"

"Yep, let's go." The demon sword got up and they were on their way.

The duo of Cecily and Aria were quickly approaching the Cambell house, making their way through town.

"By the way, didn't you like what he did with his hair, he looks more dangerous." Aria said as she discussed the blacksmith they had just left.

"Do we still have to keep talking about that jerk Aria?" Cecily protested as they walked right past the market.

"Oh wait a minute, Cecily, your birthday's coming up right?" Cecily nodded.

"Yep on the twenty first I'll finally be eighteen." That got Aria thinking.

"So that would make you a legal adult then Ms. Cambell. So you should do certain 'adult' things to celebrate." Cecily needed to think about it for a second and kept getting images of a certain blacksmith in her head.

"ARIA!" she yelled again in protest, making the demon sword laugh. "It's not funny!"

"Yes it is. You act all juvenile whenever I bring up your love life, and it's funny every time."

"Am I really that immature?" Cecily asked with her eyes narrowed towards Aria.

"No, just when it comes to this. Good think you have Luke who's just as screwed up as you."

"I don't have him!" she yelled her face getting red, and as usual she ran away yelling, heading home as fast as she could.

"Hey wait up Cecily, we need to plan out your wedding!" she called out after her as she scurried on.

Next up, Cecily's birthday, what surprises is she in for?

Please read and review feedback wanted.