Author's notes: I was glad people liked my first fic (check it out, please, if you haven't :D)..
TheOneandOnlyT: thanks for your comment. XD I know Serra is the only female supporter with Matthew—but you know, nobody said I had to limit myself. gah! XD
hyliansage: Matthew/Leila fans rock. :D I reviewed 'Wish', but ff.net screwed up my review. TT and I don't know about the mysterious girl. I was thinking Florina, but it's the reader's choice. XD and the FE6/7 artbook said Matthew is in his 20s. he's so old. TT
The Story Master 125: I'm not sure about the girl, like I said to hyliansage. And multi-chapter? I don't know, I might, but I'm not sure. XD I like one-shots. I'll think about it.
This is a HectorxFlorina fic. Go HectorxFlorina fans! XD Wahahaha. Fear the OOCness! XD;;;
Random fic recommendation: Wil fans, check out 'Fractured Fairytale' by Melfice. It is the best Wil sadfic. X3
Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem, but I wish I did. :D Nintendo/Intelligent Systems, if you sue me, you'll only get... nothing at all. :D
((( contrast )))
((( by cherikyandii )))
"Sometimes, Huey, I like dreaming about him." She whispered to her pegasus, her purple hair falling in her eyes. She ran her slender fingers through the pegasus' mane. "I'm living in fantasies, aren't I?"
The pegasus whinnied softly, as if agreeing. She giggled. "Why don't you encourage me? It'd be nice to tell him how I feel."
She took a step back from the pegasus, leaning down to pick up a small bag of carrots. She straightened herself and took a carrot; the pegasus looked at the carrot expectantly, then snatched the vegetable from her hand, and began munching.
"Huey! These carrots are for Fiora's pegasus. That's the only one you're getting." She scolded softly, a smile playing on her lips. "Fiora's been upset lately, so I have to feed her pegasus for her."
"Yeah, alright then."
She tensed and spun around, wavy hair flying, to face the source of the voice. There was a tall, red-haired man outside the stable door, his body outlined by the moonlight. Beside him, there was a large, blue-haired man grinning at him.
"Huey, oh no, it's him!" She whispered, more to herself than to her pegasus. She quickly jumped over Huey's gate and dropped to her knees, hoping they hadn't seen her.
"I thought Lyn said she was here. It's really late, I'm worried." The red- haired man said, his eyes searching the stable. "There's nobody here, though."
"I get it. She's afraid of me!" The blue-haired man said, pushing the red- haired man in front of him. "I'm not a big lunk, though, like Lyn said."
"Actually, Hector, you are." The red-haired man replied, chuckling. "She's afraid of all guys, even me."
"Eliwood, that must mean you're scary, too." Hector retorted. He pointed at Huey. "That's her witless winged horse. I say we torture it until it shows us where Florina is."
"Hector! Florina loves this pegasus." Eliwood said softly, walking to Huey and placing a hand on the pegasus' mane. "If you want her attention, you should treat her pegasus nicely."
She felt extremely nervous; Eliwood only had to look down to see her. It would be so embarrassing. She hoped if they did see her, her face wouldn't be as red as she felt it was.
"Hmm.. hey, I'm not like Hector." Eliwood coaxed, running his fingers gently through the mane, like Florina had been doing. "Can you show us where Florina is?"
The pegasus whinnied softly, but gave no indication that she could understand Eliwood's words.
Please, Huey, don't tell them, shush, please, don't show them where I am! Florina thought frantically, holding her hands together. Please, please, don't do anything!
"It doesn't know what you're saying, Eliwood." Hector scoffed, glaring at the pegasus. "You look stupid. Just like the dim horse."
Eliwood smiled at the pegasus, then turned to Hector, as if defeated, to leave. But his eyes suddenly brightened and he turned back around to face Huey.
"Wait a second... Lyn says Florina usually leaves some food with the pegasus. It should be down—Florina! Florina, are you okay? What are you doing down there?"
"What? Eliwood, don't be ridiculous." Hector said, leaning over to see if Florina was there. "Hey, there she is. Florina, are you okay?"
Oh no. Oh, no. Ohnononononono. Florina thought, looking up at Eliwood's clear blue eyes. Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!
She fainted.
"... in the stable."
My head hurts. Where am I?
"... I didn't ... why would I?"
I feel like Huey has trampled all over me.
"No... hey, look."
Look at what? What are you talking about?
"Florina? Are you okay?"
Oh, no. Lord Eliwood.. Lord Hector.. the stable .. Huey ..
Florina shrieked, sitting up suddenly, clutching the blanket. Everyone around her jumped, including the normally calm Fiora. She looked around, eyes wide, as the three lords, Priscilla, and Fiora all stared at her.
"I was... feeding Huey." Florina's voice was barely audible; in fact, it was barely a whisper. "Lord Eliwood... Lord Hector... t-t-they fright-t-t-ened me... I thought t-t-they were e-e-enemies..."
"That's understandable. Hector is a bit like a vicious enemy, isn't he?" Lyn asked, glaring at Hector. "I didn't know you were going to go terrorize her!"
"I told you, I wasn't! I was with Eliwood!" Hector protested, looking at Lyn. "Lyn, I'm wounded. How could you think like that?"
"N-no.. Lady Lyndis, Lord Hector was fine.. they were just l-l-looking for me." Florina raised the blanket over her nose. "I didn't m-m-mean to cause a-a-any trouble."
"You didn't cause any trouble, Florina. We're glad you're alright." Fiora reassured her younger sister, smiling. "Next time, don't panic so easily. It may cost you your life."
"Yes, sister." Florina replied, feeling the sweat trickle down her face. She hated looking like this, especially in front of Lord Hector. "I'm alright, now, really."
"Excuse me, Lady Lyndis, Lord Hector, Lord Eliwood. I'll be leaving now, since Florina seems to be well." Priscilla said softly, smiling politely at the three lords. "Oh! Lillia, she requested that everyone go back to sleep as soon as Florina is well."
"Thank you, Priscilla." Lyn said, smiling at the red-haired beauty. "Please thank Lillia for her worries, too."
"I will, Lady Lyndis." Priscilla said, exiting the tent. Florina stared after her, trying to avoid Hector and Eliwood's questioning eyes.
"Hey, Florina! Did I really scare you?" Hector asked, leaning forward, a hint of worry in his eyes. "Lyn always tells me to stay away from you, but I'm not that frightening, am I?"
"Lord Hector.. o-of course not!" Florina looked frightened as she sank lower into her bed. "You're.. quite a-alright.."
"Aha! Lyn, I told you. I'm not scary at all." Hector grinned proudly. "You're just jealous I'm stronger than you."
Lyn sighed, raising her hands in exasperation. "There's no way to win with you, Hector."
Fiora and Eliwood chuckled at Hector and Lyn's 'conversation', and then Fiora stood up. "Florina, since you seem to be alright, I'll try to get a few hours of sleep before daybreak."
"We should all be getting to sleep. Lillia said we'd be starting early tomorrow." Eliwood stood up to join Fiora."Let's go, Lyn, Hector."
"Yes, I must agree." Lyn said, standing up as well. "Good night, Florina. You should rest for awhile."
"Yes, Lady Lyndis." Florina answered, watching Fiora and Eliwood chat as they left the tent. Lyn followed the two, but as Hector rose to leave the room, she wished she had the courage to ask him to stay.
Don't leave. I have something to say. Please. Florina thought, slowly lowering the blanket. She felt her disappointment running through her, as once again, she watched Hector leave. I'm trying to speak.. please don't go. Wait.
"Wait!" She felt the words pass her lips, but she didn't realize he had heard it until he turned around curiously. "Lord Hector.."
"Yeah, Florina?" Hector said, smiling. "You need something? Matthew is in the tent next to this, he can go get it."
"No, I just... I... wait..." Florina mumbled, tugging the blanket that was tangled with her legs. "I must tell you something, Lord Hector."
"You have a voice!" Hector's smile widened. "I didn't know you could talk so clearly!"
She looked up at him in surprise, her cheeks red. He was still smiling. She loved his smile so much.
"I want to talk to you too. Come on." Hector said as he walked to Florina and grabbed her hand; he pulled her up, and the blanket fell to the ground, leaving Florina to stand in the middle of it. "Don't worry about the blanket. We'll get to it later."
She didn't feel anything except his hand holding hers.
A small breeze found its way through a certain wavy-haired pegasus knight's hair, as well as her strong, blue-haired companion.
She smiled gently at the twinkling stars in the faraway sky, thanking the heavens for her luck. She had finally gathered the courage to speak to him. And he had wanted to speak to her as well.
"Florina! Over here. Isn't this great?" Hector asked. He had lead Florina to a small hill where the grass reached to her knees. She saw a small clearing where the grass was flat, unlike the long blades of grass around them.
"Yeah, see that clearing? I asked Lillia to send Oswin to a shop." He was grinning proudly at her, as if happy with his little trick. "I ran off and found this place. It's great to be alone sometimes. Oswin can't bug me, and neither can Serra or Matthew."
"But, Lord Hector..." Her eyes suddenly seemed sad as they looked around the hill. "Don't you feel lonely? I would cry if I was alone here."
She looked up at him, and suddenly realized she had been able to speak to him without stuttering. "I mean.. please excuse me. That was stupid."
"No, it wasn't, Florina." He hid the sadness that had gripped him with a brave smile. However, she had seen the sad expression before he had covered it with a mask. "You know, I really miss my brother sometimes. Uther was mean, but he was really cool."
She didn't say anything, but instead stared at her boots. She felt a strange mixture of emotions... surprise, happiness, nervousness, and excitement. Her blood pounded in her ears, making her feel a little dizzy.
"Don't be so nervous. I'm not going to kill you." He was removing his armor, dropping it in a small pile beside the clearing. "Do you mind if I take off my armor? It's exhausting to wear it all day."
"Of course not, milord." She replied, watching him as he tugged off his leg protectors. He was now only wearing a sleeveless blue shirt, as well as dark brown pants. He looked rather strange without his armor and his cape. "You look—different."
"Without my armor, right?" Hector's grin was now back where it belonged. "Serra laughed at me when she saw me without armor. She said I looked a lot weaker. Is that right?"
Her eyes widened in surprise. "Milord, of course not! You're still strong!"
Hector laughed as he lay down on the grass, his eyes seemingly counting the endless number of stars. "Do you like stargazing?"
"I... I used to stargaze a lot when Fiora and Farina were asleep." Florina murmured, kneeling down beside Hector. He put his hands under his head to cushion it from the hard ground, then looked at her curiously.
"Who's Farina?" He reverted to stargazing, but was obviously waiting for an answer. "Is she like Fiora?"
"Farina isn't like Fiora at all. She's ambitious..." She seemed to be contemplating what to say. "She—really lives life to the fullest, to say the least."
"I get what you want to say. She's obsessed with money, right?"
She laughed and raised her slender hand to her lips. He turned to look at her and kept staring at her beautiful face; when she noticed he wasn't laughing, she glanced at him curiously and turned a bright shade of red.
"A-ah... Lord Hector."
"Don't call me that. I'm just Hector, okay?"
"I—I am sorry. I didn't mean to anger you."
"You didn't. I just hate how 'Lord Hector' sounds. So obnoxious."
"You're not obnoxious at all." She said quietly, lying down beside him. She could clearly see the faraway stars and the large, white moon. "You're a great person."
"You know why I love battles?" He asked suddenly, startling her. "It serves as an outlet for all my frustration. There are so many things I want to attack with my axe... but I can't. So I pretend that our enemies are my problems."
"That's... what I feel sometimes." She replied, after an awkward pause. "When Lyn or Fiora are overprotective. I want them to know I am not a child... I attack the enemies and let out my anger. It proves to them that I am worthy of being a part of this army."
"I didn't know you feel that way. I've never seen you angry," Hector said, smiling. "or sad for that matter. I like that in a person. It proves how strong they really are."
She was silent as she stared up at the sky and traced a shooting star with her index finger. "Hector... do you believe in wishing on a shooting star?"
"I think that stuff is for kids." Hector replied honestly, causing her to flinch. She felt stupid for asking such a childish question. "But I'm still a kid, Florina."
She felt him take her hand and grip it tightly. "Florina, we're still kids, you know. There are nearly no people in our group who are over 20, except for Oswin."
"What about Lord Marcus?" Florina asked, smiling. "But we are still young, aren't we? We're just 16..."
"Hey, look. That's another shooting star." He stared at the shooting star. "Let's both wish something, Florina."
"What should I wish, Lo—uhm, Hector?" Her eyes twinkled as she followed the shooting star. She tightened her grip on his large hand. "Oh wait. . it has to be kept a secret."
"Yeah, it does. Or else your wish can't come true." He looked like he was thinking about his wish, but his lips unwillingly smiled. "I wish... I could be a pegasus knight!"
She burst into a fit of laughter, and he couldn't help laughing with her. Her laughter was contagious. Florina secretly wished on the shooting star, and unbeknownst to her, Hector had also wished on the same shooting star.
Their laughter died down, and a tense silence took its place. They were both watching the stars, not uttering a word.
It seemed as though they were both content listening to each other's breathing. That is, until Hector broke the silence.
"Florina. What did you wish for?"
She playfully stuck out her tongue at him. "I can't tell you, or else it won't come true."
He sat up slowly, seemingly interested in his boots. Florina sat up along with him, worry in her eyes, but a smile on her lips.
She tried to read his thoughts, but she failed. She often wished she could read his thoughts, so she could learn what really ran through his mind.
It won't be awkward. She likes me. Hector thought, then turned and faced Florina so his eyes met hers. I'm sure she does. I want her to know...
He didn't realize how close her lips were until she softly pressed them against his lips, and he felt the blood rush up to his cheeks.
She was smiling as she backed away and giggled at his red face. "I wished for the courage to do that, Hector."
His lips were twitching, as if he couldn't decide on to smile or yell. When she raised her hand to her mouth and laughed, he decided to smile. He reached over and put an arm around her shoulders.
"Then maybe I shouldn't worry about the contrast between us." Hector said to himself, turning his gaze back to the stars. "Opposites attract, right? I'm crazy and she's sane. Those are opposites."
It was her turn to blush, as she slowly comprehended that his arm were the ones around her shoulders. She couldn't help but smile at his murmurs to himself, though.
"Hey, Florina. You know what I wished for...?" He asked her directly, turning once again to face her.
"What did you wish for?"
He pulled her closer, as though to reassure himself, then his trademark grin came back on his face.
"I wished for your love."
Author's notes: reviewing is the best. it is the coolest thing on Earth. so why don't you review? :D it only takes a few seconds, really. And I'll like you better if you do.