*Note: 14 February 2000 and 15 February 2000 editions are rated MA; see profile for other posting sites.

Title: Word of the Day v. FFIV
Author: Garnet Eyes
Archived: fanfiction .net, livejournal .com
Last Updated: 11 Mar 2011
Summary: 16 February 2000 edition.
Rating: M
Characters/Pairings: Cecil, Kain, Rosa
Author Notes: lugubrious, adjective;
1. Mournful, dismal, or gloomy, esp. in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner.
Disclaimers: Final Fantasy IV is owned by Square-Enix and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

...

Usually, it was Cecil who couldn't keep up, and Rosa and Kain were often made to wait for him. It wasn't that big of a deal, but it could be kind of a hassle when they were chasing something and Cecil would inevitably fall behind. But that was kind of expected, because he was little and he'd never ventured beyond the castle walls until Kain had rather bullied him into doing it. Rosa actually thought it was sweet, how stubborn Cecil was about doing everything that they did anyway. The two blondes had been exploring for their whole lives and they had the stamina to do it that the adopted prince hadn't gained. Kain wasn't exactly patient, but he was good about keeping track of both Rosa and Cecil and he'd always double back when the little prince got caught up on something. Rosa often didn't have to look, but she usually did anyway because Cecil was like a cute little rabbit what with how he didn't make much noise in the first place so it wasn't always easy to know that they were leaving him behind.

This past time, though, she'd been stupid and when she saw that Cecil was lagging she didn't call to Kain, she just turned and went to help the little prince herself. By the time she'd turned back around, Kain had disappeared, and it wasn't reliable that he'd gone straight. So she kept by the little prince's side and they'd settled for the wait. It hadn't lasted long, but that wasn't for the reason they'd hoped for. Rosa had seen it first, and only then because she was facing the correct direction; she'd immediately stood and grabbed Cecil's hand, forcing him to stand as well. She'd never seen a cat that big, but she could tell even before it fully crouched on the ground that it wouldn't be friendly – there was bloody foam around its muzzle, and they had nothing to defend themselves with. So she'd told Cecil to run, and she took her own words to heart all the same. She'd been doing fine until her foot caught on a root protruding from the forest floor, and then she'd barely had enough time to pull her foot free before snarling jaws were bearing down on her and Rosa couldn't even scream. Cecil got in the way, somehow, although she hadn't the sense to even know that he'd been there before that horrible beast had the tiny prince in its jaws and began wrenching him around like a badly abused rag doll. It wasn't until she felt something warm and wet hit her face that she regained her bearings enough to realize that that thing was killing Cecil and there was blood everywhere and she'd screamed.

Kain was suddenly there, a big branch in his hands that he swung at the monster with all of his might and knocked the thing hard enough for it to stagger and drop Cecil to the ground. While Kain continued to swing at the beast, Rosa crawled across the ground to the unmoving prince and felt tears in her eyes as she looked at all of that blood. She didn't know what to do at all, and she hated herself for that because he'd gotten in the way to protect her and now he was dying and it was her fault. Kain managed to fend it off – it had been limping when it scampered away, so he'd done a good job on it – and his eyes had gotten big when he'd turned to Rosa and Cecil, but he hadn't panicked and Rosa could not have been more grateful to know him than she was just then. He'd picked up the limp form in his arms, and the prince wheezed but that was the only acknowledgement he gave, and Rosa staggered to her own feet and they'd run as hard and fast as they could all the way back to the castle.

Rosa hadn't even felt her twisted ankle until one of the healers pointed it out to her while she was being cleaned up and checked over along with the other two, but she hadn't cared because it wasn't a big deal, not like what had happened to Cecil. Kain had a few claw marks, but nothing deep, and he'd suffered worse injuries in his life so he'd shrugged it off after his wounds had been cleaned and dressed. Cecil had been taken away from them, though, and both of them feared that they'd never see him again. It took all day for the white mages to agree that the adopted prince was stable, although they would only know for sure if he lived through the night. If. Rosa hadn't gotten any sleep that night, and neither had Kain; the blondes had secreted themselves into the room Cecil was being kept in, and they had fidgeted and watched him but neither one could speak. It was painful to watch his labored breathing, but at the same time it was soothing because it meant that he wasn't dead. About halfway through the night, his breathing pattern changed and Rosa felt a lot of heat radiating from his forehead, and she hurried to gather a bowl of cold water and a rag. She and Kain took turns changing the water and keeping the fever down, and it was something to occupy their hands and their minds so they were both happy to do it. By the first light of the morning, there were hints of blood seeping through the bandages on his chest, and Rosa was pretty certain that the strips of cloth needed to be changed but she was terrified of what she might find under the bandages.

King Odin was the first to appear come morning, although he didn't seem the least surprised to see both exhausted, hapless blondes hovering around the bed. Cecil's fever was down, although it was still clinging to him, but he'd survived the night, so he had to get better. Rosa would never forgive herself if he didn't.