Prompts:
16. Excuses
17. Vengeance
18. Love
19. Tears
20. My Inspiration
Descending from his Jump, Kain landed wrong, rolling his ankle. He stumbled to catch his balance, then looked up to see Cecil's concerned expression.
"Kain," Cecil panted, breathlessly. He lowered his sword. "Enough. There's a storm coming in and you can't safely Jump,"
Kain, too aware of the gray clouds gathering overhead and the wild winds that teased them, shook his head. "Excuses," he muttered, ignoring the throbbing pain from his ankle. "Again."
"Again?" Cecil asked, unsure, watching Kain's movements carefully.
"Again," Kain repeated. He lifted his spear, then smirked.
Sword drawn, Cecil charged; Kain met the dark blade eagerly.
Using Cecil as a proxy, King Odin took his vengeance.
Odin didn't rebuke Kain again for refusing the Dark Knight training, but Cecil's new moody silence, his withdrawal from friends, and each terrible cut on his arm was a punishment for Kain, reprimanding him for his disobedience.
It should have been you, Odin told Kain without saying a word. Cecil's black blade taunted Kain, a reminder of Odin's wrath and the depths the King was willing to go.
What if Odin pushed too far? Would Cecil ever have the courage to say no? Kain wondered.
Kain desperately hoped Cecil could.
Love was a complicated emotion for Kain Highwind.
He thought he loved Rosa, with her gentle nature and understated beauty. He appeared under her window one night, flowers in hand and the moonlight highlighting him like the hero in a romantic tale.
Rosa had been kind in her rejection – she loved him, but as a friend, she told him, eyes full of sympathy.
Days later, Kain watched from the rooftop as Cecil and Rosa snuck off into an alleyway, away from prying eyes, exchanging clandestine kisses.
Why not me? Kain wondered, his jealousy burning a hole where love had been.
The acrid smoke in the air burned Kain's eyes, tears streaming down unchecked.
"You'd betray your king?" Kain asked, flinging the accusation at Cecil, who stood before the burning backdrop of the tiny village of Mist as it was rapidly consumed by flames; a terrified girl watched them with huge eyes.
"Betray him?" Cecil countered, angrily. "Any man who'd wish for this is no king of mine."
Kain laughed, suddenly giddy with relief. It had taken a genocide, but Cecil was finally telling King Odin no. Kain's cheeks were wet with tears again, but Kain knew it was from love.
"What inspires you, Kain Highwind?" The strange man, Golbez, asked, face hidden in his helmet. "What passion drives you?"
Kain looked aside, suppressing the thought of Cecil and Rosa together, and how the image made his blood run mad with jealousy. It had been what pushed him to try harder, to show everyone he was the better choice – for the throne, for the Red Wings, for Rosa.
"My inspiration is my father," Kain lied. "To be the greatest Dragoon in the skies."
"What if you could be better than your father?" Golbez proposed. "And Cecil?"
"How?" Kain asked, curiosity piqued.