A/N: WRITER'S BLOCK LIKE WHOA.But finally! I'm so sorry it's taking me forever with these updates, and sorry if this chapter is lacking in quality, but I was just trying to get it done. But yes! Third chapter! Getting this far doesn't sound like much, but if you guys knew how much of a procrastinator I really am, then you would understand why I'm so excited/proud. Or maybe you do understand how much of a procrastinator I am because of how slow I am with updates?
Anyways, thank you thank you once again to my reviewers, and just a regular thank you to those of you who have endured my fic thus far :D I'm very glad that you guys like it, and I hope this chapter will be satisfactory. And again, forgive any typos or grammatical errors. I'm much too lazy to proofread this, and much too eager to post this to get a beta. Erm, enjoy!
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Chapter 3: Caelin
Lyn sighed as she stirred her tea some more. There wasn't anything to stir into the tea, and it wasn't too hot to drink. It was merely something to do to try and pass the time.
Why, oh, why had she said they'd start for Caelin this morning? She was exhausted, and there wasn't any rush to get there. She would've said she'd changed her mind, had Kent not been up since before dawn preparing everything. When she woke, Kent told her he had everything under control, and for her to just wait. Normally she would've protested and helped anyways, but she was just so tired.
Caelin wasn't far away, and once she arrived, she'd have to start on the arrangements to hand Caelin over to Ostia. Who knows how long that would take! Lyn was dreading going through with all of it. But after it was all over...
She sighed, dreamily. Sacae. The land of her birth. She would finally get to see it again. Those endless rolling hills of the greenest grass, and that clear, azure sky… She missed it so very much; it made her heart ache just thinking about it.
She did feel a little guilty, though, leaving behind her responsibilities. And she had taken a liking to living in Castle Caelin, but… No matter how hard she tried, she would always be an outsider in that world. People would always think her a savage from the plains, even if she were the most polite and well-mannered person that ever lived.
Lyn sighed and lifted the teacup to her lips, taking a sip of her drink. The tea had an herbal smell to it, and a slightly spicy taste. It made her miss home even more.
"Lyn?" came a quiet voice. Lyn turned just in time to see Florina take a seat next to her at the table in the nearly-empty room. The shy Pegasus Knight gave her a small smile.
"How are you this morning?" she asked. Lyn managed a smile, which was interrupted by a yawn.
"Sleepy," Lyn replied. "How are you feeling?" She reached over and tucked a strand of Florina's hair out of her face, which made the lavender haired knight blush.
"I'm fine," Florina said. "I just finished packing. I want to find my sisters before we leave and say goodbye, though… Fiora said she's going back to Ilia, but not right away. And Farina is…" Florina hesitated, making an uncertain face at the wooden table top in front of her. Lyn gave a small laugh.
"She's going to be a pirate now, right? With Fargus?"
Florina nodded. "I… I'm not really surprised at it… She always has loved money. And Fargus seems like a good man… For a pirate captain, I mean… I'm just not sure what to think of it."
Lyn grinned. "Well, it seems like money isn't her only motive."
At that, Florina's face brightened a little, and she nodded. "Yes! I'm very happy that she and Dart are together… Truth be told, Fiora and I never really thought she would find someone." She giggled. "I think Fiora is a little jealous that she found someone before her."
The two girls snickered. Lyn was happy that Florina would be going back to Ilia. They would still be able to see each other often, and things would be like they had been, before any of this started, except with a few differences, of course. That was the way she wanted things to be.
There was a loud shout that came from outside.
"That sounded like Fargus," Lyn said. "You should go find Farina before they leave."
Florina nodded and stood, then hesitated a moment before bending down and giving her Sacaen friend a light peck on the cheek. Lyn turned and flashed her a smile, making Florina giggle and blush before leaving to find her sister.
Lyn laughed to herself. She and Florina had been keeping their 'real' relationship secret for quite a while now. It was common knowledge that they were close friends, but nobody knew just how 'close' they really were. She knew there was nothing to be ashamed of, but they had both decided to keep it a secret, nonetheless.
She took another sip of her tea, only to find it was now getting cold. No matter, it was just as good this way as it was hot. She sat a while, her mind drifting wherever it wanted, when she heard voices drifting in from the hallway.
"Mark, are you sure you won't accept?"
"I'm positive. I need a good deal more training before I can be appointed to such a high position."
"How can you say that? You just led this army to a victory against Nergal! The fate of the world depended on it! And we have had no fatalities or even major injuries throughout our entire journey!"
The two figures entered the large mess hall. Lyn saw it was their tactician, Mark, and Eliwood.
"It doesn't matter. I'm not ready to be Pherae's, or any other territory's lord tactician. I do thank you for the gracious offer, but I cannot accept it," Mark said.
Eliwood gave a small sigh. "Well, should you ever change your mind, my offer still stands."
"I thank you again, milord," Mark said with a small bow.
"No need for formalities, Mark! I, like everyone else, owe you my life. We would not have come this far without your genius," Eliwood told him, smiling kindly.
Mark gave a wry grin. "Flattery gets you no where."
The red-haired lord laughed and clapped the young tactician on the shoulder. Mark looked like he winced a little.
"I will miss you, Mark. Good luck to you," Eliwood said with a smile. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have things I must attend to."
Mark nodded his head and watched Eliwood leave. When he was out of sight, the tactician gave a small sigh. Lyn caught his eye and waved him over to sit with her. He crossed the room and sat across the table from her.
"So, you've turned down the opportunity of a lifetime. What are you going to do now?" Lyn said sarcastically, giving her friend a smile.
Mark frowned. "Very funny, Lyn."
"No, honestly, what do you plan to do? Just wander like you did before?" Lyn asked. She was hoping he would say no; Mark had a tendency to overexert himself. He would always stay up late making battle plans, or taking notes on the happenings of their last skirmish, or reading. He had passed out from exhaustion more than once since she met him. In fact, that was even how she met him.
"Actually, I plan on leaving for Etruria with Lord Pent and the others," Mark told her.
"Etruria? Why there?" she asked.
"There's something that I need to do that will require an extensive amount of research on magic. Well, I don't really have to do it, but I would like to try. It's doubtful I'll be able to achieve it," Mark said, looking mildly frustrated with himself.
"Do you plan on becoming a mage?" Lyn teased.
"No!" Mark exclaimed, as if it were the most absurd thing he'd ever heard. "Of course not! I've no aptitude for magic. I just need an understanding on how some things work."
Lyn smiled. "Well then, I wish you the best of luck with whatever it is you plan to do."
Mark raised a brow. "You're not going to prod me about what it is I'm doing?"
Lyn shook her head. "If you wanted me to know, you would've told me by now."
The tactician gave her a small smile. Lyn had known Mark the longest out of all of her comrades – aside from Florina, of course – and there had always been a mutual understanding between them. Lyn could tell just by the way the tactician acted that he wasn't the most social person in the world. He would always fidget and speak in disjointed sentences, with long periods of awkward silence in between whatever words he could manage to get out. The only time he didn't act like that was when he had a plan. But whenever it was just them, the words came easily, and Mark was much more relaxed.
"… And that's why Erky and I are going to have the best wedding EVER!"
Lyn saw Mark immediately tense. Yes, it was her. And she was coming their way, they could tell. The two looked at each other and immediately knew they wouldn't be going anywhere for a while.
Not but a moment later, Serra entered the room, her arm linked with Rath's (because they were just such good friends) and the cleric talking his ear off. The nomad looked quite miserable. He spotted Lyn and Mark from across the room, and mouthed the words, "Help me."
They tried hard not to laugh.
"Serra!" Lyn called, feeling sympathetic. She figured Rath had better things to do than have his ear talked off by the pink haired monster. And considering he was involved with Wil, Lyn wouldn't have been surprised if he had to put up with talk-attacks every day. She was sure he didn't need Serra to add to that.
"Oh, hi there, Lyn! Hi Mark!" she chirped, and made her way over to the table, dragging Rath with her. "Rath and I were just looking for Wil, and I was telling him about my wedding until we find him." She giggled.
"So, um…" Lyn looked across the table at her tactician friend. She was at a loss as to what to say to deviate Serra's attention from her fellow nomad. Mark, on the other hand, was a genius at coming up with things on the spot. He gave her a small, discreet smile. He knew exactly what she wanted him to do.
"Boasting about your wondrous wedding again, Serra?" he asked her, a sarcastic tone in his voice. "I'm pretty sure they won't be anything compared to some of the others I've heard about."
"That's ridiculous!" Serra retorted. "My wedding will so be the best, and you know it!"
"I'm not so sure…" Mark trailed off, his gaze wandering from the fuming cleric. Lyn tried hard not to laugh. She'd seen Mark put on acts like this before, and they never ceased to amuse her.
"It will be!" Serra insisted. She sat down next to the tactician, effectively releasing her hold on Rath, and glared. "For starters, it's going to be in Lord Pent's castle. Do you know how fabulous that place is? It's gorgeous! You'll see for yourself when you get there. Anyways…"
Serra continued ranting about her wedding to Mark, who was purposely looking bored and even yawning now and again to keep her going. He had successfully captured her attention, and she didn't even see Rath sneak out of the room.
The nomad only dared to let out a small sigh of relief when he could no longer hear Serra's voice. And, needless to say, that took quite a while. He found himself outside near the stable and he could hear voices talking quietly within. He stepped towards the stable, stopping near the doorway and listening only when he found one of those voices belonged to Wil.
"Kent... I mean… Really? Are you sure? It's an honor and all, but do you really think I'm up to it? I'm still not that good and I mess up a lot… And I don't think I'd be a very good teacher, and that kind of position requires teaching new recruits stuff, right? And I'm not much of a leader, so I don't think I could lead very well in battle, and I know it's not as important as your position, or your former position, but it would still matter a lot if I screwed up, right?"
"Wil, please. Slow down," Kent pleaded, a slight tone of irritation in his voice. "Are you saying you don't want to be commander of our archer division?"
"No! I mean, yes! I mean… wait," Wil spat out. He stopped and thought a moment. "Well, um, what I meant is that… I do want to be the commander! But I just don't know if I'll be really good, you know? But I'll get used to anything too difficult in time, I guess…"
"You don't have to accept this if you don't want to."
"I want to! Really!"
Kent gave a small laugh. "Don't sound so unsure of yourself, Wil," he said. "You're a very capable archer; I've seen how much you've improved since I first met you. You deserve this. I would not offer you this if I thought otherwise."
Wil beamed. "Thank you, Kent! That really means a lot coming from the commander of the knights of Caelin! I mean, former commander, I guess you're sort of my liege now, huh?"
"I'd… rather not think about that at the moment," the cavalier responded, sounding unsure. Wil opened his mouth to question it, but Kent cut him off. "I really must finish with the preparations now, Wil. I shall inform you when we are ready to leave."
The red-haired knight turned on his heel and left before Wil could conjure up a question. After a moment of staring after Kent and twisting his features into a variety of confused faces, Wil shrugged and turned back to Rath's mare, which he had been grooming before Kent had asked for a word with him.
Rath stood where he was for a moment and watched Wil. He watched the way he hummed to himself happily, the way he had an extra hop in his step, a broader smile on his face than he did before. Then he remembered the way Wil had acted the night before. Wil hadn't even woken him up that morning. There was something wrong. Rath knew it. And it had to do with him.
"Wil," he said, loud enough for the other to hear.
Wil stopped his humming immediately and snapped to attention. For a moment, he looked like a wild animal that was scared and cornered.
"Rath! Oh, um, hi! I was just brushing your horse… I figured she was a little dirty and stuff from all the traveling and she might like to feel… um… clean?" Wil stammered. He had a grin on his face that could fool anyone. Except Rath.
"… I heard you speaking with Kent," Rath said.
"Oh… Um… You did?" Wil asked, not knowing what the other's reaction would be. But Rath just gave him a soft smile, something he would only let Wil see.
"… Congratulations."
"You… You mean it? I mean… you think I really deserve it?"
Rath nodded.
Wil hesitated a moment, staring at the other, then made his way across the stable and threw his arms around him, impulsively. Rath returned the embrace, though he didn't know what the sudden outburst of affection was for. He had originally sought out Wil to ask him some questions about his strange-even-for-Wil behavior. But he had a feeling that now wasn't the time to ask such things…
He gently stroked Wil's hair, keeping his other arm around the younger man's shoulders in an attempt to comfort whatever was ailing him. Wil clung to him tightly, almost as if for dear life.
"Hey, Rath?" Wil said, the sound muffled because his face was still pressed against Rath's shoulder.
"… What is it?"
"I just… um… I really love you, you know!"
Rath smiled a little. "… I know."
Rain. Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain.
Kent let out an exasperated sigh for about the fifth time in the past hour. They had left Badon a week ago, and only a day after they left did it start raining. And it hadn't stopped since.
Travel had been tantalizingly slow, especially with this company. Or at least, it seemed slow to Kent. Everytime they made camp, no matter how wet and cold it was, Lyn and Florina would dance around in the rain, and Legault would tease Heath (often resulting in a lot of shouting), and Sain would chase around Guy, whose hair often came undone because of the rain, causing him to look rather feminine. And of course, it was just his luck to walk in on Wil and Rath during rather heated kissing sessions on what seemed to have become a regular basis.
After traveling for so long with the same people, Kent should have, by all means, been used to their antics. And in all truth, he had become accustomed to everyone's quirks. But every little thing that everyone did just made him more aggravated.
Kent wiped his hair away from his forehead, though it took the rain only seconds to plaster it over his brow again. He could hear Sain trying to sweet talk Lyn and Florina, but his fancy words were being drown out by the rain, so the only responses he ever got were "What!" or "I can't hear you!" which was quite distressing for the green cavalier.
Kent sighed in frustration again.
He had so much ahead of him. As if being the commander of the Caelin knights at such a young age wasn't stressful enough, Lyn had decided he was to become the steward for Caelin, so he would be taking her place while she was in Sacae. That is, if she ever came back.
His heart wrenched. Everytime he thought on her words, he couldn't help but feel as though she betrayed him in some way. He knew that she was his lady and liege, and he was just her knight, but he couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, there was a little something more between them, something that went unsaid.
Or maybe Kent had just hoped for that. But either way, whatever he thought was there wasn't, and she was leaving him – and all of Caelin – for the plains of her birth.
His horse shook his mane a little, trying to rid himself of the water attached to each hair. Kent gently patted his neck, noting to himself that his horse was really the only one he could count on to always be there for him.
"Kent!"
The red-haired knight sighed yet again. "What is it, Sain?" he asked, irritation seeping through his voice like venom.
"Don't think you think we should stop and rest?"
"No, Sain. We stopped only a few hours ago."
"But it's raining!"
"It's been raining! And we'll never get to Caelin at the rate we've been going! Can''t you just put up with it!" Kent fumed. He normally wasn't one to get so easily agitated, but his nerves were shot, and he had no patience for his fellow knight at the moment.
Sain looked at him with a mixture of surprise and shock on his features. Kent sighed.
"I apologize, Sain," he said, his calm demeanor regained. "I… have a lot on my mind."
"Well, if it's any consolation," Sain said, "you won't have to deal with me for much longer, my friend."
Kent raised a brow. "What do you mean by that?"
Sain grinned at his comrade. "I'm resigning as a Caelin knight."
Had Kent been walking, he would've stopped dead in his tracks, and everyone would've crashed into him, creating a domino effect of people falling over. But luckily, he was riding his horse.
"What?" he asked, incredulous. "Why!"
Sain shrugged, nonchalantly. "With Lady Lyndis and the lovely Florina gone, there won't be any beauty worth pursuing in Caelin!"
Kent glared at him.
"Sain," he said, trying to control the tone of his voice. "Surely that cannot be the real reason. You'd be promoted to commander of the Caelin knights if you stayed!"
"Too much responsibility," Sain replied. "Sub-commander was ideal, though. I was able to show off for all the ladies without having any of that."
"Even though you were supposed to…" Kent mumbled.
Sain laughed. "You worry enough for the both of us, mother. But either way, there's nothing left in Caelin for me now, so what reason do I have to stay?"
What about me? Kent's mind yelled, though he wasn't quite sure why he had thought that. Sure, he and Sain were friends – quite good friends, at that – and they had been through a lot together, but that was no reason for Sain to feel an obligation to stay with him. They weren't that close.
So then, why did he feel worse about Sain leaving than he did about Lyn?
The group reached Caelin less than a week later, and yet still, Sain was all Kent could think about. What would it be like with him gone? They'd been together for so long, it was hard to imagine. It was as if Sain had just always been there, cooking up some sort of mischief, and Kent had always been there, scolding him for it. He always thought it was a nuisance in the past, but now… Kent thought he just might miss it.
He hadn't seen Sain much since they arrived. Most of his time was spent with Lyn and all the advisors at Caelin, going over all that needed to be done in order to transfer Caelin's rule to Ostia, and for Kent to become steward in Lyn's stead. He found his mind wandering more than once to the green cavalier, and had to be discreetly – though not very lightly– kicked in the leg by Lyn.
And whenever he tried to sleep, he kept remembering the night of their victory. Sain – although completely drunk at the time – had kissed him. The memory never ceased to turn Kent's face red as his armor. Surely it hadn't meant anything. He had kissed Fiora as soon as she walked into sight.
Maybe that's what made him dwell the kiss so much. Fiora was a woman. Sain loved women. That was quite obvious. So why did he also kiss a man? Could he not tell in that state who Kent was? He couldn't have possibly mistaken him for someone of the opposite gender. Or so Kent hoped.
But after hours of arguing with himself in the dark, he would always fall asleep with that image in mind, and a small smile on his face.
Wil held his breath in hopes that the sound of the footsteps would fade. And soon. He hated hiding out like this, but he couldn't help it. He bit down on his lip. Were they getting closer? Or were his ears just playing tricks on him? But his fears were laid to rest when he heard – definitely, this time – the sound dim and die away.
He let out a long sigh of relief.
He knew Rath was looking for him. No doubt he wanted to talk to him, considering he was leaving tomorrow. And as much as Wil treasured the few words the nomad ever did say, he just couldn't bring himself to listen this time. But he knew Rath would find him eventually, and he'd have to listen to whatever he had to say anyways…
Wil peered around the room, making sure Rath didn't decide to hide under a table and then jump out at him (as unlikely as that may be), then he crept to the door, and looked both ways before stepping into the hall. He walked along the wall, trying to be as swift as possible, until he broke into a run.
This is stupid! he told himself, though his mental reprimand didn't stop him from running. I can't keep avoiding him… I mean, I'll have to talk to him eventually… He probably thinks I'm mad at him! Or even that I hate him! Or that…
Wil's train of thought was interrupted when he collided face first with the hard, stone wall. He half-yelped, half-cried out a curse, and held his nose, which hurt quite a lot from the impact. He sat with his back against the wall, feeling vaguely like crying, and wondering what in the world he was doing.
"What was that noise?"
"I didn't hear a noise. Still paranoid about the Bern riders, my pet?"
"No, I'm not! And stop calling me that!"
"Whatever you say, darling."
Wil recognized the voices immediately; it was Heath and Legault. What they were doing in the hallway, however, he didn't want to know. But at the moment, he didn't feel much like moving, and unless something completely and totally obscene was going on, he didn't plan on going anywhere for a while.
"Don't call me that either!"
Legault ignored this. "So then, Heath, precisely why did you drag me down that labyrinth of hallways and into this forsaken corridor? Did you have something… in mind?"
"N-no! Nothing like that!" Heath protested, frantically. Wil found himself trying hard not to snicker, as he could picture perfectly in his mind the leering grin that Legault was no doubt wearing on his face at that very moment.
"Then indulge me."
"I… Er… Legault… Are you sure about this?"
"'This' being what, exactly?"
"You know! About…going to Ilia," Heath said, his voice a little sheepish.
In response, the lavender haired thief let out a sigh. "Not this again. Listen, Heath. I'm coming with you. Whether you like it or not."
"No! I didn't mean that!" Silence from the thief. "What I meant was… Do you think we should go to Ilia?"
"I don't see why not. Where else would we go?"
Heath sighed. "It's just that… A while ago, I spoke to Kent about joining the Caelin knights, and he really seemed for the idea. But then… well… we… you know…"
"Go on." Legault had a very pleased tone to his voice.
"Kent just seems so depressed lately. Haven't you noticed? I can't help but think that if I stayed here to help him, that he might feel better…"
Now that Wil thought about, Kent had seemed rather down-in-the-dumps lately. But what for…
"Heath, think about what you just said."
A silence.
"… What about it?"
"When was the last time you even spoke to Kent?"
"… Uh…"
"My point exactly," Legault replied. "I highly doubt that whatever has him acting this way is your decision to go to Ilia. It's not as if you and he are even close. In fact, I wonder if he even remembers this conversation you speak of."
"Well… I guess…"
Legault gave a short laugh, and Wil heard the sound of a stumble, along with disjointed stutters of protest from the wyvern rider. From the ruffling of fabric, he could only guess that Legault had pulled him into an embrace. Though knowing Legault, it wouldn't surprise Wil if he'd done something else, too…
"You… you just want to keep me all to yourself…" Heath mumbled, sounding embarrassed.
"Mmhmm," came the response. "And it's working quite well."
Wil couldn't help but smile a little. The two continued talking, but he wasn't listening anymore. Despite how perverted Legault could be, and how much Heath shouted at him, they really did have a wonderful relationship. He found himself wondering if he and Rath could ever have a relationship like that.
Then he wondered if he and Rath could ever really have a relationship at all…
Wil's thoughts were interrupted once more by the sound of a moan – the voice sounded suspiciously like Heath's – so he decided he'd sat there in the dark hallway for quite long enough.
He got up and quickly brushed himself off before his ears took in anymore unwanted sounds, and made his way down the hall in the opposite direction of the two 'lovebirds.'
Wil wandered aimlessly, not really caring or even paying attention to where he was going. He was no longer afraid of meeting up with his beloved nomad and having to explain that he'd been avoiding him because he afraid of losing him, as silly and childish as that seemed. In fact, Wil wanted to meet up with him. He would've been delighted to turn the next corner and see Rath, and run up to him and hug him, and tell him that he loved him, and other mushy things that would no doubt make Wil feel more like a ten year old girl.
But every turn was a disappointment; there was no Rath anywhere he went. Just my luck, Wil thought, now that I want him to find me, he's disappeared! Wil would've sought him out, but… Where to begin? Castle Caelin was quite large…
When all else failed, Wil made his way up to the roof; a place he often liked to go in the year he'd spent there. It was peaceful, and beautiful when the night sky was clear, like it was tonight. Wil had always been mesmerized by the stars, and he walked across the castle roof with his head lifted towards the sky, unable to tear away his gaze.
Which was fine, until he tripped and smashed his nose for the second time that day.
Wil sat up, rubbing his nose again, marveling that it wasn't broken or bleeding, and muttered another curse. Except this time, he got a response.
"H-hey! W-watch where you're going n-next time and m-maybe you won't trip again!" said the lump he had tripped over.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Guy!" Wil apologize, knowing immediately from the stutter who he was dealing with. "I don't know what I've been doing lately, my head's way up in the clouds and I've been tripping and smashing into things all day! I guess I've just had a lot on my mind, especially with all you guys leaving tomorrow and stuff…"
"Y-you mean… you're not coming with us?" Guy asked.
Wil stared at the young swordsman, curiously. "What do you mean, I'm not coming with you?"
"I… It's just… Aren't you and Rath… um… Together?" He seemed to have a hard time saying the last word.
"Well, yeah, I guess we are… Or were… I really don't know which anymore! I was actually kind of looking for him since I wanted to talk and, well, I found a Sacaen, just not the right one!" Wil laughed at his own joke. Guy didn't say anything.
"Erm… Anyways…" Wil said, clearing his throat. "I guess I just wanted to tell him that… I don't think it could work. I mean, I really want it to – I mean REALLY want it to – but, I mean… where would we go? I know Rath doesn't like living in Lycia, and Sacaens are kind of discriminated against… And I think I'd like it in Sacae, especially from what everyone's told me about it, but, I just wouldn't fit in there, you know? And Rath's heart is really set on going there, so I haven't had the heart to ask him if he'd stay here, because part of me really wants to stay here, especially since Kent said I could be the archer division commander which is a real huge honor for someone so inexperienced as me…"
"W-wait a minute," Guy interrupted. "Why… Why don't you think you'd fit in with Sacaens?"
"Huh?" Wil asked, blinking. "Why? Because… well, I'm not a Sacaen! I'm definitely not a nomad."
"You're more of a nomad than I am…" Guy said, hugging his knees to his chest.
Wil laughed. "No I'm not! I'm from Pherae!"
"Th-that's not what I mean," Guy responded. "I left Sacae because I… I didn't really fit in. I can't hunt… I can't shoot a bow… I can't even ride horses. I-I'm actually scared to death of them… But you… You can do all those things… A-and you're really good at them t-too… So… you'd probably fit in fine…"
"You really think so?" Wil exclaimed excitedly, startling the other. But Wil drew back and gave Guy a suspicious look. "Wait… Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden? Don't you like Rath too?"
Guy's face visibly flushed red, even in the dim light from the moon and stars.
"N-no! I mean… I used to… Or maybe I s-still do.. But… th-there's sort of someone else now…"
"Matthew! Right?" Wil beamed. Guy looked like he just had a heartattack.
"Wh-what? M-m-m-m-matthew…!" he squeaked. Wil grinned.
"Ah-ha! So I was right!" he declared, victoriously. Guy stared down at his feet, trying to hide his tomato-red face.
"W-well… Maybe… I-I don't know…"
"And it's so obvious he likes you too," Wil continued, grinning happily.
"Wh-what?" Guy squeaked. But Wil ignored this and instead grabbed Guy's hands.
"Thanks a lot, Guy! Wow, I never, ever thought you'd be the one to help me with my problem! I promise I'll do whatever I can to get you and Matthew together, but right now, I have to find Rath!"
Wil was gone by the time Guy fully realized what he had said. And it turned his face even redder.
Kent wasn't quite sure why he was up at some ungodly hour of the morning, dressed in his formal clothes, and paying a visit to the throne room. Soon to be his throne room.
It hadn't really quite hit him until now that he was going to be responsible for all of Caelin. Everyone would depend on him in their time of need, and he would have no one, no one at all to support him.
It was official; everyone was leaving. Wil had come to him earlier that night and told him that he'd decided not accept the position of archery commander after all. Kent couldn't say this wasn't a surprise – it wasn't too hard to guess where Wil would be instead – but he felt all his hopes dissolve away when even the chatty archer decided to leave.
The carpet beneath his feet muffled the sound of his boots as he moved closer to the throne. This wasn't as much of a task as he was making it out to be, surely; after all, Caelin was just one small territory in Lycia, not an entire kingdom…
But regardless! In less than a day, he'd be completely alone. Everyone would be leaving, going off to Sacae, or Ilia, or wherever, and leave him there in Caelin.
Kent approached the throne slowly, and stared at it for a moment, before turning and seating himself upon. He looked around the empty room and felt his despair rise. He let his head fall into his hands.
"How am I going to do this…?" he muttered aloud. What he did not expect, however, was a response.
"With my help, of course!"
Kent's head snapped up and he found himself staring Sain in eyes.
"What…?" was the only thing Kent could manage to say.
"That's right," Sain confirmed. "You're going to rule Caelin with my help. I suspect you'll be especially loved by the women because of it."
"Sain, what in the world are you talking about?"
"I changed my mind," Sain told him with a grin. "I'm staying here. Besides, you need a capable commander, right?"
"But…" Kent continued, dumbfounded. "… Why?"
"Why? Well… how can I put this in a way that even you'd understand?" Sain asked himself, trying to look thoughtful.
"What do you mean by—" Kent's question was cut off as lips pressed against his own. His eyes widened in disbelief as he realized – no, this wasn't a dream, and yes, this was really happening – that Sain was kissing him.
When Sain pulled away, Kent realized he'd moved so that he was sitting on his lap. But he was too busy gaping to do anything about it. Sain waved a hand in front of his face.
"Hello? Kent? Are you still alive?"
"Of course I am!" the red haired knight responded. "But… Sain… I thought you liked women…"
Sain mock-gasped. "You mean you're not a woman?"
"Sain!"
The green cavalier laughed. "I'm telling you this now, so don't ever think otherwise. You're the only exception. Ever. Got it?"
Kent's body finally unfroze, and he wrapped his arms tightly around the other man.
"Hey! Kent! I have to breath, you know!"
"Sain… You don't know how much… I… Thank you…"
Sain grinned. "Yeah, yeah… I know."
Where could he be?
Wil didn't know how many times he'd asked himself that question in the past couple of hours. He could've sworn he'd searched the castle through at least three times. But he couldn't find Rath anywhere!
Where could he be…?
He now regretted avoiding Rath earlier. If he had felt even half as frustrated as Wil did, then Wil wasn't sure if he'd be able to ever forgive himself. He didn't ever want Rath to feel like this. But if only he could find him! Then he'd feel better, and Rath probably would be too, and all the tension would be—
Stables!
The thought hit him like he'd hit his nose twice that day. Without wanting to waste anymore time – and swallowing any doubts he had – he ran out to the stables as fast as he could, and flung the doors open dramatically, startling a number of the horses that were held within.
"… Wil?"
Yes! Wil mentally cheered at his victory, but wasted no time dwelling on it. He ran towards Rath and leaped for him, wrapping his arms around his neck and practically strangling the nomad in the process.
"… Wil… I've been looking for—"
"No! Don't say anything!" Wil said, pulling back from Rath a little ways and smiling like a maniac. "I want to tell you about my decision."
"… Decision?"
Wil took in a deep breath. "Rath, I've decided that… I want to go with you to Sacae!"
Rath brushed the other's bangs away from his eyes, but his face showed no hint of emotion. "… Why?" he asked.
"You don't want me to go?"
"… I thought you were going to be the commander of the archery division…"
"Oh!" Wil piped up. "Well, I was going to, but I decided against it, because, I mean, I had my doubts from the start about whether or not I'd be able to do very good with a position like that, but not only that, I'd be without you! And…" Wil clung to the older man again. "… I just… I don't think I could stand that."
He glanced up, blushing at how utterly stupid he must've sounded, only to be met with a soft smile from Rath.
"I'm… glad," he said, struggling for the right words. "… Glad that we… feel the same way."
Wil grinned and pulled Rath down towards him, giving him a clumsy kiss.
"Come," Rath said, threading his fingers through auburn hair. "It is late, and we must get you ready. It will be a long trip."
A/N: Great googly moogly. This chapter turned out to be a lot longer than I thought it'd be. I hope that makes up for me being so horribly late with it… Oh, and if anyone for whatever reason is wondering what's going on with Mark, it's this idea I had for a sequel that I may or may not write. It features a totally baseless crack pairing. Mark is part of it, because Mark doesn't get enough love and OC tacticians are evil. But I have a lot of fic ideas right now. My attention span can't keep up…
I'm so sorry if anyone was OOC. Remember, this is my time writing these characters, and please, have mercy. Also sorry if this chapter is choppy. Also also sorry if this is becoming monotonous. I just like parallelism, okay?
Can anybody tell that I love Serra? I know I make her sound super annoying, but she's just so devilishly cute.
Next chapter: SACAE. 'Nuff said.
Plug Time! Everyone, read metal goat's RathWil drabble collection entitled A OneSided Conversation. Those things are awesome. EXCEPT THE ANGSTY ONES THAT MAKE ME WANT TO EAT HER BRAIN! But the others are just pure greatness :D You must go read them. Now. … I SAID GO! (RathWilUhai OT3 :D Uhaaaaaaiii!)
Randomly: Has anybody else noticed how much Guy looks like Zhao Yun from Dynasty Warriors? (And a HOORAY for hack-n-slash games!)