Chapter 20 Shaiden

It was great to finally have Kook back, it took him a good 4 days to fully recover, but he was very weak after the plague, but things were finally starting to cheer up around here, it was coming up to the middle of summer and it was nearly time for the yearly summer ball, we have a ball every year during the summer, to celebrate all the good things that have happened throughout the year, there was loads to do leading up to the ball, what would normally happen is that half of us would help with the preparations, while the rest of us are on duty, then after a few hours we'd swap over, just like our morning duties now, now that there was more of us we would finally be able to get everything done much quicker.

One morning it was me, Kookaburra, Nightingale, Ballista, Tinkor and Madeva getting a few things ready, we split into 3 groups of 2 and spread ourselves around the room, me and Nightingale were both sorting out the decorations, I stood up onto a nearby stool to reach higher, Nightingale was holding the other end of the banner and was directing me which way to place it.

"Left a bit...bit more...up slightly...yeah, that's good." She said.

Slowly, I got back down and moved the stool to the other side, so I could get the other side up, again Nightingale was stood directing me, we had a rather good little system going.

"Are you sure that you don't want me to do that?" she asked.

"No, it's alright, I'm fine." I replied. "What do you think? Up a bit? Left a bit?"

"Erm...just bring it down slightly and to the left...yeah, that's perfect."

I secured the banner tightly onto the wall before stepping down from the stool and stepping back to look at the banner from the distance.

"Yeah, that looks alright." I said.

There was still loads to do, so we wasted no time to get as much finished that we could do. We switched around so now me and Nightingale were arranging the flowers that were displayed around the room, we were working very hard before Nightingale suddenly stopped.

"What's up Nightingale?" I asked.

"Nothing." She replied smiling.

I looked behind me to see what she was looking at and Kook and Madeva were putting up the decorations.

"So you still have a crush on Kook then?"

"Yeah."

"You do know that the king's probably not going to change the rules any time soon."

"Yeah, I know that, but I don't really care."

Wow, she really does like him, I mean really really does like him. I remember when I had a boyfriend a couple of years ago, he was all very sweet and very good looking but he just wasn't the one for me, and he must have thought that I wasn't the girl for him, as I gathered when he dumped me.

We were in the great hall preparing it for the ball for around 2 hours before we went back to our duties and the others took our place for another 2 hours, after they'd all come back to the duties, I felt the need to share what Nightingale had told me in the great hall while we were arranging the flowers.

"Guys, are any of you aware that Nightingale still has a crush on Kook?" I asked.

"Yeah." Said Ballista

"No." Said Skabb.

"Well now you know."

"Why are you even asking us this?"

"It's just that Nightingale told me that she still has a crush on Kook while we were in the great hall." I paused before I had an amazing but also bizarre idea. "Do you think that the king would get rid of the rule on defenders can't be in relationships?"

"No, I don't think that so. He's not really the kind of person who would go and change his mind so quickly, I don't think that that rule has been changed here for years."

Well it was worth thinking about, I looked up at the lookout tower and I could just make out Nightingale and Kook at the top talking to each other, I feel sorry for them both, they both like each other, neither of them have any idea about that, and they can't be together anyway even if they did know, I thought that it would be best if I went to speak to them about this.

"I'm just going to go and speak to Nightingale and Kook, I won't be long." I told the others.

"Okay."

I put my weapon down and walked to the lookout tower, it was a fair walk from where I was, but I had to get this off my mind, it was around 10 minutes until I actually got to the lookout tower but I still had all the steps to go up first, I could still see Nightingale and Kook at the top still talking, halfway up the steps and my legs started to ache and my lungs started to burn, I had to stop for a couple of minutes and get my breath back, when I finally did, I slowly walked up the remaining steps, I was again out of breath then I got to the top, I placed my hands on my knees and looked to the ground as I got my breath back, but I had a bit of a shock when I looked up from the ground, Nightingale and Kook were right in front of me, but they weren't talking anymore, at first I thought that they were hugging because they were so close to each other, but when I looked at their heads, I saw something that I really wasn't expecting to see, they were...kissing?

"Okay, what's going on here?" I asked shocked, Nightingale and Kook were also shocked as I gathered when they jumped out of their skin.

"Shaiden what are you doing up here?" Nightingale asked.

"I think that the most important question is what are you two doing?"

"We...err...we were...erm..."

It was obvious that they were nervous about telling me the truth, so I decided to calm them down, and show them that I just want to know, as I'm curious.

"Look, you don't have to be nervous, I'm not angry, I'm just a bit surprised, and I just want to know what's going ton. Have you two been lying to us this whole time?"

They were both silent for around five seconds before they gave their answer.

"Erm...well, the thing is Shaiden...err...we've been in a secret relationship for nearly a year now, we didn't want anyone to know, will you promise us that you won't tell anyone about what you saw?"

"I don't know. I want to tell the others, but I don't want to make you two unhappy...alright. I won't tell anyone, ninja's promise. But don't you think that it may be best if you told the others, it'll be much less to hide."

"Well, three of the others already know."

"Who?"

"Faetal, Ballista and Vane."

"How long have they known for?"

"A few months."

"And I take it that they promised not to tell anyone."

"Yep."

This was all very sudden, Nightingale and Kook have been lying to us all this time, and I was also surprised with the fact that Faetal, Ballista and Vane have also known all this time. I must have been talking to Nightingale and Kookaburra for around thirty minutes before I went back to my duty, I had to talk to Faetal, Ballista and vane about this secret, Ballista was the first one of them that I saw.

"Ballista, can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked.

"Course."

"I've just been talking to Nightingale and Kook and they've told me that you, Faetal and Vane are hiding a secret."

"Erm...yeah, that's true."

"What is it?"

"Oh...I can't tell you."

"Is it the fact that Nightingale and Kook happen to be in a relationship right now?"

"How do you know?"

"Ah ha, so it is that."

"Damn, you're good. Yeah, that's it. How did you find out?"

"I saw Nightingale and Kook kissing when I went to talk to them, they told me the truth."

"And I take it that you've promised to them that you're not going to tell anyone?"

"Yeah, we're on the same team now."

My emotions were all jumbled up, I was happy because Nightingale and Kook are finally together, I was angry because they've been lying to us, I was sad because I had a feeling that this probably isn't going to last long for Nightingale and Kook and I feel sorry for them, but those were all overtaken by my excitement of the summer ball vastly approaching.

The great hall was nearing completion, there was just a few small decorations to put up, me and Faetal were putting up a few streamers talking about the summer ball when Faetal suddenly changed the subject.

"So what do you think about Nightingale and Kook dating?" she asked.

"Oh...erm...yeah, I think it's sweet."

"Yeah, they just seem to be the perfect couple. They're so sweet to watch."

"Yeah."

"Do you think that Kook will ask Nightingale to dance with him at the ball?"

"Hm...maybe not."

"Oh yeah, because he won't be able to ask her for a dance without giving away the fact that they're dating, by the way what are you going to be wearing at the ball?"

"You'll just have to wait and see."

After another three hours work the great hall was not full of life and had the look of summer, ready for the summer ball.