Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters
Platina rode much faster than she would on a leisurely ride, not caring if Dia was able to keep pace with her Rapidash, only wanting to travel as far from the estate. She knew she shouldn't wear her horse so pulled her to a stop. She bit her lips and didn't turn to Dia when he stopped next to her. "There is nothing in this land that will hurt me so you do not need to stay with me."
"I want to stay," He said softly. "I don't want to leave you alone when you feel like you are. You aren't… you have me and your sisters even if you don't think so. Please look at me."
She didn't what brought her to humour his request but she turned her eyes to him and was glad that her heart had iced over long ago so her pain didn't show in her face. She kept her eyes forward as she pet her Rapidash. She didn't know how to answer him since he was clearly becoming closer to her than he should since she was already engaged.
"I appreciate your care but there is no need," Platina told him. "When Pearl writes back, I will ask him to take me to Scotland for a month. Our wedding date has not been arranged and I admit that we haven't spoken on it but I believe that once we speak, the arrangements will come easily."
Dia bit his lips, knowing very well the letter she spoke about. He had put off writing an answer and knew that she was expecting his letter to arrive any day now from past experience. Dia sighed and leaned his head down on the horse's neck. How could he watch her leave to Pearl when she loved him? No, she loved a lie, a commoner in king's cloths made of paper and lies.
He would spend every moment he had with her trying to make her smile though. He reached over and placed his hand over hers and smiled at the warmth. "I want to show you something. Come, I found it while going over your family's map and I'm sure you'll love it."
Platina trusted him not to hurt her or lead her into danger but knew that they were becoming much to close. She followed him, her ride easily keeping pace with his, as he led her to a trail she never been to before. The truth was she never explored the estate much when she was little because she was constantly at school and later never felt the need to explore a place that held so little warmth for her.
Dia spoke excitedly though he wouldn't tell her what their destination would be. She smiled softly at his childlike excitement that was all his own charm. He often poked fun at himself and she liked how he was so comfortable with himself that he was able to do so.
"Tell me about Pearl," She asked and a pain pasted through his face before he hide it beneath a wide grin. "You did say that he sent you to watch over me so you must be close with him if he trust you so. I know he is a great man from his letters but I want to know how he treats his people. What is your opinion on him?"
"He is my best friend, even after he returned to Scotland for a time." Dia answered honestly. "He is a great man, even if he is rather impatient at times. He may be a little rough around the edges but I assure you that his intentions are always good and will never raise a hand to you. We were close since we lived so close, even is our stations were so far apart. People would often compare us, saying that I should've been more serious like him but I didn't mind the comparison. They were true and I never felt jealous for anything he had since he earned them fairly. I never felt jealous…"
Until now, He thought to himself with a tear in his eyes, until you. He was slightly surprised when he felt something press against his cheek and tilted his head down to see Platina raised a napkin to his cheek. He gave her a reassuring smile and pressed the napkin back to her hand. He couldn't have her so close and break his heart even more. Her gilded eyes drew him into a hope he knew wouldn't be fulfilled.
"You have nothing to be jealous for," Platina told him. "You are a good man as well even if you are different from Pearl. You surprised me though, with your words of Pearl. He always seemed so warm and patient in his letters and I would never say he was one of a hasty nature."
"Maybe you bring out the best in him," Dia told her, hoping to reassure her and hide his identity. "Come we are almost there! I was hoping to show you when we made another round to the tenants but since you expect to leave soon, I want to show you now. It should be just past here."
He dismounted and held out his hand to her to help her from her horse. She lightly placed her hand in his and even through their gloves she could feel the heat of his hand. She slid from the horse and he caught her easily, surprising her with how gentle he could be. She stayed in her arms for a little too long, just caught in his eyes before stepping back. She thought she was well past the age to blush but she still felt the telltale heat in her cheeks.
"Where is this thing you wish to show me?" She asked and he nodded, pushing back some branches for her to pass easily. She breathed in deeply at the sight of the decaying tower before bunching up her dress so she could easily run to the ruin. Dia smiled at the excitement in her face and it took a moment for his awe to fade so he could follow her.
She was already at the tower, trying to find a way inside without breaking the door when Dia reached her side. She ran her hand over the carvings above the doorway before ordering Dia to get a parchment and pencil from her saddle bag. He did so and when he returned, he found her carefully examining the lock before taking a pin from her hair, letting it fall over her shoulders.
He watched her pick at the lock, mesmerized by the urge to run his hand over her ebony hair to see if it would flow easily through his hand. Platina noticed the change in light and tilted her head back to him and held out her hand for the parchment to write several things down.
"This tower must be over a hundred years old from the pattern and structure and these damages suggest that it must've seen battle during the English civil war between the Royalists and Parliamentarians. To think that this place was a simple ride from the estate! It is much too small for a battle field and I wonder why it was attacked."
She looked at Dia expectedly and he only gave her a sheepish grin. "I don't know either. I saw a tower in one of the older maps and saw that it wasn't in the more recent ones. I thought you might find it interesting."
"You must show me the maps when we return," She told him excitedly before holding out her hands to him. "Lift me please. There are some engravings above the door but I fear I cannot read it."
Dia gulped but she was looking at him expectedly and knew he couldn't refuse him. His arms came around her waist before easily lifting her into his arms and she placed her hands on his shoulder in reaction. He blushed, having her so close but she was so engrossed in the tower that she didn't notice. She quickly wrote the engraving down on the paper.
She tapped his shoulder to signal for him to place her on the ground again and did so quickly so she wouldn't notice how she affected him. She mumbled something beneath her breathe, her face poised in thought. "My beloved, Quartz, may you be safe. I don't remember anyone in my family with that name. Come, the answers must be inside."
"Be careful, I didn't check if it was safe for us to explore," He told her as she opened the door and went inside. It was dark inside and she pulled a torch from beside the door. It was a bright day but not enough light would pass through the windows. He told her to wait outside, telling her that he would get some flint for the torch. She leaned it against the door before going back inside to explore.
The dim light was enough for her and went into the tower that was in disarray. The stone was cold beneath her slipper feet and went to open the curtains to allow more light in. The small tower room was comfortable enough and she knew that the room wasn't meant for war. She opened a door and found a set of stairs. She looked back to see if Dia had returned but saw that he didn't and sighed. Her curiosity got the better of her common sense and ascended the stairs, using her sense of touch to guide her.
She stopped at a door and opened it to find another small bedroom that was brightly lit from the large hole in the wall. A thick carpet covered the ground and was uneven at several parts. She carefully leaned out of the hole and waved to Dia who paled at the sight of her leaning dangerously out of the room. She assured him that she was safe and told him to climb the stairs to meet her. She breathed in the fresh air and enjoyed the sight of her estate emerging from the trees before returning to the little room.
She explored the chamber and pulled several books from the small bookcase on the side of the room. It was in Latin and quickly translated it in her mind and saw that it was a diary of Lady Quartz. She also found that the layer of dust were not even, as if someone had been her before even if it had been long since that visitor had been there.
She found the Jhoto crest on a ring left forgotten beside the bed and wondered at it. She reached further under the bed and her fingers just brushed something before she heard the door open. She turned and saw Dia behind her, breathing heavily, as if he raced up the steps.
"Thank God," He breathed as sat against the wall since there was little else to sit. "I was afraid that you might fall out that window. But did you find anything of interest?"
"Just a diary but it might explain the existence of this tower and why it was taken off the maps." She told him as she handed him the diary and slipped the ring into her pocket. "I also found a ring but it doesn't seem to be from the same era as the diary from its design. Now-"
Her eyes caught something and she walked past him to kneel in front of a chest. The design was reminiscent of a marriage chest from the 17th century. The lock was very old and she wondered at how she could pick it, if she would be able to do so. She knew the exact moment he knelt next to her from the sudden heat against her arm.
"Let me help," Dia's words made her realize that she spoke her thoughts out loud and when he took out a knife from his boot to break the lock, she grabbed his arm.
"You cannot break this lock!" She told him and took the knife from him. "It would damage the lock and I won't be able to study it when I bring him home. You mustn't break anything in a ruin for it is something that connects us to our past, from which we must learn. Now let me try to pick it."
"Who taught you how to do so," he asked her in awe and she blushed slightly.
"My sister Blue insisted on teaching all of us and I must admit that I used this skill quite often when I was in school. You see they would often keep the letters sent to us until the end of the week but I couldn't wait for Pearl's words and would pick the lock of the front door and wait for the mail carriage each night for their for his letters."
Dia didn't say a word at the love in her eyes brought out by his letters. He loved her and wished that her knowing the truth wouldn't hurt her and they could be together. She deserved a real knight but he couldn't help but imagine that the knight was him.
"We must take the trunk back with us so I can examine it in my study." She told him as she moved to one side. "Your Mu should be able to carry the trunk and hopefully Blue will know a way of opening this without damaging it, though I don't know how to ask her for help after not being able to comfort her."
"She would be glad to help a sister," Dia smiled at her and went to the other side of the trunk to help her move it. She hesitated and her foot got caught on the edge of the carpet. She almost fell forward, if it wasn't for Dia catching her shoulder and she found herself so close to him she could fell his breath brush her cheeks. Something darkened in his eyes and he brought her face closer to his.
It donned on her that he was going to kiss her and pulled away, feeling a loss when they separated. "I'm engaged to Pearl. I'm sorry but I…"
"I'm sorry," He said at the same time and sighed. Why did he try to kiss her? He only ruined everything, the bond that was beginning to form between them. "I shouldn't have done that but I assure that something like this will never happen again. Just let me take this for you. I want you to know that I would never do anything to hurt you and I want to protect you."
As a knight would, the thought crossed Platina's mind before she shook herself. It shocked her more that she wondered about the emotion his kiss would've brought out. She loved Pearl so she couldn't possibly fall for anyone else.
"I'm heading to Lance's estate," Gold told his friend who was oddly silent. He was used to his friend's lapse of silence but this time it was much more eerie. He turned his gaze to Lyra who was looking between Silver and Blue who was also silent. Gold couldn't bring himself to leave his friend in such a state. "I could put off the trip for a day if you want to go out for a drink with me."
"No," Silver said quickly. "I know how important finding what happened to your mother is to you and I don't want to hold you back. Go, I'll be alright and I'm returning home anyways. I have work that I've been putting off since… since I've lost my sight."
"Don't stay angry," Gold knew that there was no arguing with his best friend. "I know how much your sister means to you and I don't want you to lose that because you regress to your stoic self. If you need anything, just send me a note and I'll be right back for you."
He went to Blue as silently as he could and gave her a slow smile to reassure her and whispered something to her and Crystal wondered at what it was. He wrapped an arm around her waist and led her from the room after Crystal hugged her sisters, saying goodbye.
Lyra watched the two leave the room before moving to Blue who was still quiet. She took her hand and whispered to her, "You need to tell him who I am. I can't stand to see him angry at you or to watch you in pain. Please tell him."
"As long as you're happy," Was the only thing she said to her with a wide smile that didn't reach her eyes. She knew that in the end, they didn't need her and her role was to help them find happiness as well as keeping Yellow alive for as long as possible. They deserved happiness.
"I only want to make up for causing his blindness, not draw you two apart," Lyra whispered frantically. "I want his forgiveness so wouldn't that be easier if he knows that it was I that caused his blindness? Wouldn't it be easier for him to accept if he let himself be angry at the person that truly deserves it?"
"One week," Blue told her. "I promise that in a week we will tell him. I just want to give him a little more time for him to fall in love with you. I promise to visit you late but I need to prepare for tonight's performance. Tell Silver I love him."
"Does it matter if he does fall in love with me? In the end he'll only hate me for keeping this a secret from him."
Crystal couldn't help but look back at her home and worry about her sister even when they were so close to Lance's estate. Gold placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him. "If you wanted to stay with your sister, you only need to tell me. I can take you back right now if you wish."
"Blue will take care of her," Crystal hesitated. It was hard to let go of the need to control the situation to keep her sisters happy but knew that Lyra was finding her own way. "I have protected Lyra enough. Seeing Blue and Yellow showed me that. I don't want to keep her from her passion so much that she starts to resent me for doing so."
"You and Lyra look very similar for being adopted." Gold mused as he maneuvered the wagon down the road. Crystal actually smiled at that and he thought how much more beautiful it made her.
"We are sisters, twins actually. We lived in an orphanage until Lady Berlitz found us and took us in. We were lucky that a good orphanage took us in. I hear stories of how vile some can be and it makes me sick. Lyra and I visited the orphanage often to bring them some things."
"You have a good heart, I admire that about you." Gold smiled. They looked back at the road when they heard someone call out to them. Gold broke out into a smile and waved to the group of women running towards him. He handed the reins to Crystal before jumping off himself and running to them, ignoring Crystal's cry for him to be careful.
"You're back!" One woman latched onto his arm and started pulling him to the estate. He laughed easily with them but told them that he needed to bring the carriage into the stables but would speak with them later. He gestured to Crystal to come forward with the carriage and grabbed the reins when she moved the carriage next to him.
"They seem happy to meet you," Crystal said as they entered the stables. She moved off the carriage and noticed something from the corner of her eyes as Gold moved to place the horses in a free stall. She moved towards the flash of yellow she saw but stopped when Gold called out to her.
"I'm going to see Lance right now and I want you to be there. I'm sure that you'll think of something I don't." Gold told her and she ran to his side. She looked back to see a little blonde boy try to give the horses a carrot but was too short.
"You'll enjoy this estate," Gold told her which brought her attention back to him. "I haven't been back for a while and I'm glad that not much has changed. It seems like not many people had heard about my new title. Actually, I was wondering if Falkner was here since he was the one that taught me about breeding and training horses."
"Everyone seems very friendly," Crystal said since she couldn't really think about anything else to say in such a new place. She wouldn't admit that she as a little jealous seeing those girls fawn over him. It was obvious that he made quit a name for himself and she didn't have to think too much to what that it was of being a rake.
"Are you jealous?" He said as if he read her mind and nudged her. She blushed but scoffed at the idea and told him exactly what the thought of being jealous of others given him attention. He only laughed and brushed away her rejection. "You break my heart."
"No one can break your heart," She told him as he held out the door for her with wide gesture. He raised a brow at her and she smiled. "Yes, you remembered to open the door for a lady and I congratulate you on doing so. You are learning you lessons well."
"I have a great teacher," He told her and led her to the waiting room after telling the butler that he wanted to speak with Lance for a moment. From habit, he went to the tea set on the table and poured some tea for her. She thanked him and patted the seat next for him to sit. "See, I have my pinky out."
"I see how serious you take my lessons. You aunt is paying me to reform you and I can't do that if you continue to undermine my lessons." To be honest she was finding herself taking a liking to his unique charm even if it was rather vulgar at times. She didn't know if she could think of him as being like the other proper men she had met before.
"I do take it seriously," He told her. He clutched his heart and said exaggeratedly. "I used to be a horrid man that seduced and ravish every woman I came across but you changed me."
"I won't dignify that with an answer," She took a slip from the tea cup.
"I think that after I shall take you dancing," He gave her his slow smile when she turned her gaze up to him in question since she knew that they were far from London and any balls. He didn't seem to realize that difficulty for he went on, "I haven't seen you dance for so long since we've been traveling. I would love to see what dance you'll do."
"I've been trained in ballet and ballroom but I enjoy-" She stopped as she scanned the room and her gaze landed on the painting over the fireplace. She didn't realize she dropped the cup in the cup, shattering it on the ground. She jumped over the broken pieces and stood in front of the large painting.
It was of a field of rolling fields that she saw from Yellow's window every day. She recognized the acrylic paint strokes and the accuracy of the scene. She raised her finger to the corner of the painting and brushed it over Yellow's signature as anger raged over her.
When she heard someone enter the room, she threw him a glare at the man that entered. She knew for a fact that her sister did not sell any of her paintings. "How did you come to have my sister's painting?"
Dia stared at the blank paper in front of her and sighed. He looked back at the letter Platina told him to send to himself weeks ago. He knew that Platina slept deeply so he wasn't afraid that she would walk into the kitchen. She was expecting a reply but he didn't know how to answer. The words used to be so easy but know that he knew her more and his feelings becoming deeper, he didn't know what to write to her.
She wanted to visit Pearl in Scotland and meet him in person but he couldn't answer that. He wanted to say yes since he knew that it would make her happy but it wasn't something for him to promise. If he was honest with himself, he would admit that he didn't want the illusion to end either.
He saw another side of her during his time with her. She was more saddened by her withdraw with her sister than she first said in her letters. He wanted to give her the knight she knew in her letters but he couldn't change into Pearl no more than Pearl could pretend to be him.
Dia wished he could do something more for her than just give her reassuring words. He tried to take her to the tower but that only seem to cause more tension between them. He leaned his head against the kitchen table he was using.
Her happiness was more important to him though than his own selfish need so pulled out another piece of paper to write to Pearl. He told himself he could write her with an answer once he received an answer from Pearl. But he knew that this deceit had to end.
I'm back and I'm glad to be. I haven't updated in so long but my laptop broke (our new baby bunnies chewed at the charger cord) so haven't been able to do any serious writing/editing on my laptop. I was so sad that I wasn't able to tell you all since it's hard to communicate to all of you through FF. So I made something that I can communicate my readers so you'll know when something like this come up again. I have a link on my profile but I'll have it here: pocket-luv101.(tum)(blr).com