Okay, so this is my first Star Ocean fic. I worked crazy hard on this chapter and I do plan on this story being about eight chapters long. I like to think this chapter is really long, but whatever. It took a good week of complete dedication to write. Each chapter should be pretty long, or at least I'm going to attempt it. I have a few other ongoing fics, so I'd say this one will be updated about once every two to three weeks. I'm sorry for such a wait, but its the best I can do.
The scenes from the game are far from exact. I played it through once and cannot remember exactly how everything occurred, but I do have a general idea and basis for most things that happened. I also apologize for and OOCness that occurs. Please, if I get to bad feel free to yell at me.
Here's a few guidelines to how I write, just so you don't get lost.
'Thought'
"Speech"
Lyrics
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Star Ocean or any of the characters contained within it. I also do not own Evanaescence of their lyrics. Please don't sue me, for I am poor.
IMAGINARY
There were so many things that were so confusing anymore. These strange invaders with large floating ships were something she never imagined she would see in her life. Nothing made any sense to her. Though Fayt and Cliff had briefed her on the circumstances of their arrival, she still understood little of what they were talking about, and she could tell they were still hiding some things. There was absolutely no way they were engineers from Greeton, of that much she was sure. But then again she had known that for quite some time now. She was also sure that they knew that she did not believe them although there was no need to confront them yet on their infidelities.
She sat, overlooking the great city that was Aquios. They were to meet with the Queen very shortly concerning what exactly they were supposed to do about this new threat to their land. Granted, Vox, the warmonger of Airygliph was dead, there were even more problems right not. Her country had no clue what this new enemy was capable of. At least with Airygliph they knew the basics of what they were getting into. But Airygliph and Aquaria right now were under a sort of cease fire because of the recent events. It was strange, to not have to worry about an attack from the neighboring country at any moment. Speaking of attack, she wondered what had ever happened to the infamous fighter, one Albel the Wicked. He had not shown himself during the battle, luckily for her allies. He was definitely something to behold in the heat of battle.
'That man should be hung for all he has done.' She thought to herself. There was so much suffering caused by just that one being. It was utterly ridiculous. Her anger began to flare up inside her. One day she was sure she would make that man pay, and he would pay dearly...
She decided to stop her thoughts for a little while. A headache was coming on and that wasn't exactly something she felt like dealing with. Instead she took to looking at the view provided to her. The sun was beginning to caress the horizon, awaiting its time of rest. The soft hues of the sky were nothing short of beautiful. Soft tones made the city below look so calm and peaceful, a paradise. A content sigh passed her lips. It was times like these that always reminded her of what she was always fighting for. This city, these people, they were her life. Without them, nothing mattered.
"As long as I live, I shall protect you..." She said to no one in particular, but her words were clear. This city meant the world to her.
She turned back towards the doors. The Queen would be expecting them soon and it was rude to keep Her Majesty waiting. With a deep breath she opened the door, and entered the castle. Fayt and the others had to be around here somewhere. It was just a matter of finding them. That could be quite a feat in itself being that the members of what was now her group could be quite random at times. She decided to just wait for them, more than likely they would seek her out like they always seemed to.
As usual, she was correct in her assumptions. Before long Fayt had arrived and she had accompanied everyone to speak to the Queen.
What a meeting that had been. She did understand that the war was basically over, however she did not even consider seeking aid from those who she still considered their enemies. That and Her Majesty was to meet with the hooligans! On their own territory no less! These things struck her as outrageous and she could feel herself beginning to doubt the sanity of her Queen.
But, despite her own quarries she would obey her orders as she always had. As of this moment she was preparing for this unorthodox journey into those godforsaken ruins. Her many possessions were strewn about her bed along with her armor, which she had taken of earlier so she could repair and refit a few minor things. She never did get to address that, but what she had would have to do. She picked up her armor, pulling it over her head, and fastening everything to her liking in proper places. Overall, she was expecting this journey and meeting in the Mossel Ruins to be simple. For a moment she thought about restocking on certain items, but figured that what she had would do. It wasn't like they were heading into that dangerous of territory, and the others usually had some extra items on them. Besides, all she really needed was mental rejuvenators being that she could heal most physical ailments.
Without another thought on the matter she grabbed her weapons and exited her room, heading out into the hallway of the grand castle. She saw Fayt approaching her and gave a nod in his direction. She watched as he smiled and picked up his pace toward her. Something about that boy confused her so much. He seemed so naive, yet at the same time he handled most things generally well. That and he controlled Cliff Fittir oddly well, considering his size and strength disadvantage. She let her thoughts drop as he reached her and began speaking to her.
"Are you ready to go?" He asked. His consideration for others was another things she admired about him. It was also strange how easily he commanded her trust. She wasn't exactly the most trusting or gullible person around.
"Yes, we can leave at any time that you're ready." She said to him, giving him a tiny smirk. She wasn't one to smile a ton, and the small smirks she did give were a sign of her trust towards whom she was speaking.
"Okay, then let's go get Cliff, Rodger and Maria. Mirage is staying behind." Fayt said to her.
"By the way, have you seen Cliff?" He asked her. Of course, why would he know where he was, they were only traveling together. Sometimes the things they did made absolutely no sense to her.
"No, I haven't. I assumed he would be with you or Mirage. " Nel said lightly. Maria would be easy to find, mainly because she had said that she would be at the chapel. It wasn't a new practice to have to search for a member of the group. So they began their search of the blonde headed warrior. Rodger was also nowhere to be seen. But chances were he was probably somewhere around where Cliff was. Though the two clearly clashed, Nel had a feeling that Rodger did sort of look up to Cliff for his inhuman strength. Very shortly they found them and were en route with the Queen to the Mossel Ruins.
Nel drank in the darkness and heat relief of the cave that led to the ruins. That desert wasn't exactly what she had expected to come across, but they had traversed it eventually, stopping as often as they could to reload on their water.
"Well, I have a hunch we should go this way." The ever vigilant Cliff said to the group. Nel sighed at his suggestion. She wasn't sure if she was the only one who noticed, but Cliff had a lot of hunches. As Cliff said this Rodger gave him a dirty look. Maria also gave him a look. Apparently she wasn't the only one who seemed to notice his hunches. She suppressed a chuckle, it was funny how these people seemed to make her more easy going. The Queen had remained oddly silent during this whole journey. It seemed that she was leaving the journey up to those who were used to traveling. Again, her Queen was growing in her eyes.
The group turned to Fayt for the answer of which direction to go. Oddly enough he had concurred with the blonde man. So yet again they were moving, and slaying monsters that always seemed to pop up out of nowhere.
After about ten more battles they had finally come upon the specified meeting place. As they entered they saw the King of Airygliph along with Woltar. Instinctively Nel raised her guard. Truce or not, she couldn't trust a Glyphian as far as she could throw them, and in Woltar's case, she would be lucky to even get his large body to move an inch.
Though she had a distinct dislike of the King and especially Woltar, she did bow as was expected of her. Soon the Queen Romeria and King Arzei were talking about the problem of this giant ship and how exactly they would be able to defend themselves. She was listening, but at the same time she was also zoning out the conversation. It was expected of course, that she would be doing at least part of the work in this defense plan, but when it came to building weapons, she very rarely assisted with that. It was far from her expertise.
"In order to get close enough to that ship we would need to lift our Thunder Arrow into the air. We were hoping that you would be willing to help us in that matter." Romeria said, after they had both agreed that their countries would work together in order to defend themselves from this new threat.
"Yes, we would be willing to help, but what exactly are you proposing?" Arzei replied. Nel listened carefully at this point knowing that this was what they had come all this way for.
"We were hoping that you would be able to supply an air dragon that would be able to support the Thunder Arrow." The Queen explained. Nel sighed, this part of the plan she knew, and she was quite uncomfortable with the idea of using an air dragon. Her gaze wandered over to the King who seemed to be deep in thought. It seemed he had been expecting that answer, and he seemed slightly concerned.
"I'm afraid that we do not have an air dragon large enough to support such a weapon." He said after a few moments. This bit of information instantly angered Nel. Then there was no point of this meeting. She closed her eyes, forcing down the many words that were on the tip of her tongue. It would be utterly disrespectful to use such language in the presence of the Queen.
"So then, this meeting is over?" The Queen asked. Nel admired how calm Her Majesty had managed to stay.
"I did not say that. There is a dragon that could be used. However, he would need to be captured." The King said.
It was then that Fayt interjected. "So all we have to do is capture this dragon?"
The king gave the blue headed boy and odd look. "Yes, if you put it that way. But none of my men have yet to find and defeat the Marquis. It will not be an easy task for anyone." He explained coolly. To him, it seemed as if his men were being insulted, and in his opinion, his men were far from incompetent.
Nel could no longer hold her tongue at this point. "So there is no need for an alliance with your country?" She did say it in question form, but it was more of a statement. At that moment she could feel everyone's eyes on her. She immediately looked to her Queen. She was looking at her with a look she had not often seen. She was obviously upset with her. Nel diverted her gaze and looked at the rest of her group. Rodger had a hand clamped over his mouth, as if the words had come out of his mouth and he was trying to stop them. Cliff looked slightly incredulous. Apparently he had not expected her to speak in such a manner in front of her Queen. Quite frankly, she had not expected it either. Next to Cliff was Maria, who didn't respond in any way in particular. She was quite a weird card, one that Nel wasn't sure if she liked. Her gaze then drifted to Fayt. He was looking at her strangely, with both a look of understanding and pity. There was no way she would ever understand the mind of that boy. He was definitely an oddity. Then finally she looked over to the King.
"I...apologize your Highness, I was out of line." She said closing her eyes and bowing.
"It is fine. I understand your concern. However, the dragon's den that you would be seeking out would be in Airygliph territory. That and the dragon lair itself is not something to be taken lightly. I will have a Lord of mine who is well practiced in dragons accompany you." Arzei said, again, reverting to a conversation exclusively between himself and Romeria.
"I see. I will agree to such terms. It is the only option we have at this time, and the expertise of someone who is used to dragons will be needed." Romeria replied. King Airygliph nodded at this, a smile of acceptance on his face.
"Where and when shall they meet with this Lord?" Queen Romeria asked.
"As soon as you are escorted back to your castle, they would come to Airygliph to meet up with Lord Nox." He replied. Nel's eyes shot open at this. She was about to say something when she felt the presence of Cliff and Fayt beside her. She could feel what they were saying without words. And she complied, it was of no use to argue for the Queen had already made up her mind.
"Very well. We should put this plan into action immediately. I'd like to thank you, King Arzei for your cooperation in this matter." Her Majesty said.
"I must thank you as well. These times require our alliance, and I thank you for your trust. Now, we should commence this plan." The King said.
Queen Romeria nodded, and turned toward the rest of the group. Nel looked up to her, showing as much as she could the discomfort she had with the plan that was being presented. However, the Queen seemed to take no notice and addressed Fayt.
"I must apologize, but we will again be in need of your assistance." She said to him.
He nodded, his face becoming serious. "I understand your Majesty. As soon as we escort you back to the castle we will be going to Airygliph."
"Besides, much of this is our fault to begin with." Maria added in, she always seemed to need to have a say.
And so, the madness began.
Luckily, they didn't have to travel all the way to Aquios before heading to Airygliph. They had been able to leave the Queen with Tynave and Farleen and have them escort her back to Aquios. Maybe this wasn't as good of luck as one might think, especially for one, Nel Zelpher. She was still rather angered at the news of their new companion for this mission.
'Why on Elicoor would we need his help?' She thought. She knew she was being slightly petty and she did easily see his use, but still. Why him? Was Apris trying to make her loose her mind? If she was, the goddess was definitely doing an excellent job. Many times she debated on arguing with the team to just go on without Albel the Wicked, but she knew there was no chance. It wasn't that she didn't want to fight for what she thought, it was just that she understood there was no use in even attempting such a thing right now. Too much was on the line for everyone. It was becoming quite apparent that she would have to get over it and push on, despite her clear dislike of the man.
She continued to look down at the ground, staring daggers at it. If looks could kill, that dirt would have died a thousand times over. Her thoughts were as gloomy as the looks she was giving to anything that came into her range of view. Luckily, most living organisms avoided her scrutiny.
Nel was so caught up in her anger that she hadn't realized the group had stopped in front of her. Thus, she did what any other intelligent human being would do. She walked right into the back of Cliff Fittir.
"Hey, watch where you're going. I know I'm distracting, but we've all got to deal with that." Cliff said to the now slightly flustered Nel. Maria just shook her head at this while Rodger looked at him uncomprehendingly. Fayt chuckled lightly, causing Nel's glare to move to him. Immediately his laughter was lost. His face contorted into a slight look of fright at the red head's silent promise of death if he continued laughing. Within seconds the atmosphere became thick with tension.
"Ooookay..." Cliff said, hoping to dissolve a little of the uneasiness that had settled in. Luckily for them, it worked and Nel tore her gaze from Fayt, schooled her features into somewhat less of a scowl and faced the group.
"Well, we're here, this is the gate to Airygliph." Fayt said.
"Yeah, it's weird to be back here, considering the last time we were here we were escaping torture." Cliff said in a joking tone.
"Shall we?" Maria said, and led the way into the city, despite that fact that she had no clue where she was going. Nel shook her head at the girl's arrogance. It was never smart to walk into a place that you did not know blindly, and that's exactly what that girl was doing. 'Another brainiac.' She thought bitterly. It was clear to her that she was misdirecting her anger, and she did kind of regret it, but at the same time, what else was she supposed to do?
Again she found her feet moving across the ground. They were headed directly for the castle. 'I feel like I'm marching to my doom.' She thought dryly. But as they came to the castle doors, she shed her attitude, knowing that she did not want to embarrass herself or her country in the presence of the King.
Before she knew it they were on their way to retrieve the one and only Albel Nox with Woltar leading the way. Oh joy, two of her most favorite people in the world.
She was so preoccupied with her anger that she didn't realize that they were en route to the dungeon. She only realized where they were when they stopped in front of a cell. Looking around she remembered having to pull a rescue mission to get both Cliff and Fayt out of here. That time now seemed so long ago. A resounding click caught her attention, as the door of the cell that they were in front of was opened. Everyone entered while she stayed by the door. She couldn't even believe what she saw.
I linger in the doorway
'What...what in the world is he doing down here?' She thought to herself, her eyes slightly larger than usual. 'Did he go as low as to betray his own country?' The thought had come to her before her mind had a chance to think. However, she almost immediately dismissed that option. She very much doubted that this man, despite all his evils, had betrayed his country. But then again, one could never be too sure.
Numbly, she listened to part of what Woltar was saying. So, Vox was the cause of this too. How fitting. She looked at the cause of fear in many Aquarian hearts. He looked ridiculously malnourished as he hung there from his bindings. This was an extremely shameful experience for him, that much was obvious. His enemies seeing him like this could not have been very high on his list of things to do. And to think, the reason he was in here was because of the very people who had come to retrieve him. He was locked up in this god forsaken place because of how he had let them escape from the Kirlsa training facility and how he had been defeated, with difficulty, by them when they had come to get the copper from the mines. But somehow, she couldn't take her eyes off the man. It was so strange to think that his country could so easily lock him up and treat him as an enemy. If he had been anyone else, she might have felt pity for them. Albel the Wicked was not worthy of anyone's pity.
After a few more moments of talking between Woltar, Albel and Fayt, the group found themselves freeing this threat to human life so he could travel with them. As soon as he was free, Nel drew her eyes away from him. No matter the circumstances, she would always hate that man. The way he looked down upon everything infuriated her. He was a pompous jerk.
Before a conversation had a chance to ensue, Fayt led everyone back to the King's throne room.
It was rather strange, the King requesting them to run a letter all the way to Aquios at such a desperate time. Albel clearly thought the same, his response to the request had been to storm out of the throne room as soon as he was allowed. He had not even bowed to the ruler of his country. 'Arrogant filth.' She thought disdainfully. She could never even imagine not bowing to her Queen, or any of her comrades for that matter, to disrespect her like that Then again she guessed that she should have expected such behavior from the man. He wasn't exactly a prince when it came to manners.
Soon, the group found themselves on their way to Aquios, letter in hand. The whole trip was rather quiet. It seemed that everyone had their minds on something, and it wasn't the trip they were currently on. Nel found herself thinking of the journey that would commence after they finished their errand to the Royal City. Dragons were far from her favorite animal, and they were never things to take lightly. Of that she was certain. For a while she dwelt on how exactly it would be best to defeat the beasts. However, she let her thoughts end as she realized that they were already in the city of Peterny. She let a satisfied look come to her face. It was only about midday and they were already more than half of the way there.
"I think we should just keep going, there's no need to stop, is there?" Cliff asked as they all entered the city.
"Well, I don't need anything, and I've got little things to munch on for the rest of the trip." Fayt said. He then looked over to Maria. "Is there anything that you want to stop for?"
She looked at him levelly. "No, I prepared myself in Airygliph."
Fayt nodded at this and motioned to Rodger. "And you?"
"A real man is always ready for a quest." Rodger spouted off, clearly insulted to even be thought of as unprepared. A smile came across Fayt's face at the menodix's response. How defensive he could be at times.
Fayt then glanced over to Albel, who had been deathly silent. He didn't even have a chance to open his mouth before Albel spoke.
"I need nothing from these Aquarian scum." He said idly. Nel felt her anger shoot up within her.
"Be careful what you say Nox, you are surrounded by Aquarians." Nel said fiercely. The last thing she would allow was this man to insult her people. He didn't even deserve to walk on the same ground as they did. Albel shot her a glare, threatening her to open her mouth again. She did not back down however and glared back at the atrociousness of a human being. The group came to a halt in the Town Square as the two had a battle of wills. Luckily, before weapons were drawn Cliff stepped in front of Nel and began idly chatting with her. She didn't actually hear a word he said, but he did serve to break the icy contact between the two Elicoorians. Without another word between the two, they all made their way to the exit, ready to complete the last stretch before Aquios.
'Finally, home' Nel thought to herself as she entered the gates to the place of her birth. The feeling of being home was one she always cherished. A feeling of peace engulfed her being. She was even trying to forget that she was in the presence of one of her most hated enemies. And for the most part, it was working.
They all continued on toward the castle, wanting to get their errand done and over with as quickly as possible. As they passed the last street before the castle Nel's gaze wandered down the street. Ah, there were memories down there, it had been quite some time since she had last visited. But these thoughts were not what she needed right now, and she turned away briskly. She did not notice that certain group members saw her look, and wondered slightly at the small change in her demeanor. However, there was nothing that could be done at the moment, they had to visit Elena.
'Well that was a waste of time.' Nel thought to herself. Elena had not even read the enclosed letter. A head ache was working its way over her brain. 'I just love wasting my time.'Nel thought to herself. Elena had not even read the enclosed letter. A head ache was working its way over her brain.
She was leading the way down the steps from the castle, the rest of the group, besides Albel who hung a good distance from the group at all costs, were all right behind her. That is, until they came upon the entrance to a certain street. Fayt, stopped to look down the street, his pause caused Cliff and Maria to stop and Rodger to run into the backs of their legs.
"Hey kid, why are we stoppin?" Cliff asked. Albel merely settled himself against the wall to watch the maggots converse on whatever matter they would. He was surprised that the blue headed one had even noticed the Crimson Blade's pause at this street on the way in.
The question caught Nel's attention, causing her to stop and turn back towards the group, a look of annoyance came upon her pretty face.
"Nel...you looked like you wanted to see something down here earlier. We could do that now, what do you say?"
'Huh? He noticed that? I didn't think I was being that obvious.' She thought to herself. She figured the easiest way out of this situation was just to deny it. Besides, she doubted they would push her to do anything.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm prepared to leave." Nel said, acting as if she had no clue what Fayt was talking about. Maria looked up to Fayt, and just shook her head, having not seen the red head pause on the way in. Cliff did something of a similar fashion. Just as Fayt was about to accept this and continue on another voice came into the conversation.
"You looked down this street when we first came in fool. There is something that you wanted to do, then do it, I do not want make another trip to this disgusting place again." Albel said, not moving from his position against the wall on which he was leaning. Fayt just looked at him, happy that someone else had also seen Nel's reaction and slightly thankful for the proof that he wasn't going crazy.
Of alarm clocks screaming
Nel couldn't believe he of all people had noticed. She was so dumbstruck that she just stood there and stared at him. Why in the world would he have noticed anything that she was doing? They weren't on any kind of friendly terms, this made no sense.
"So, I take it Albel is right then? Well, let's go do whatever it was you wanted to do." Cliff said, beginning down the street that she knew was unfamiliar to him.
Reluctantly she began to follow, and everyone else followed her. Before she could even prepare herself, she was in front of it. The Zelpher family mansion. She looked back at everyone. There was a certain apprehension she had about being here.
"We really don't have to stop here, I'm fine." She said to everyone. Her eyes came to the Glyphian among them. He seemed rather calm for being in the middle of what was once an enemy city. He also was looking right back at her, as if he was challenging her. Without another thought she began her way into the mansion, hoping that she was ready for this reunion.
Albel merely smirked to himself. He knew he could get her to go in, and he hadn't even had to verbally confront her, damn, he was good. The Zelpher estate. He was fairly sure he knew what was going to be said inside. Zelpher would soon be smacked in the face with her past. He knew that the past could be an especially painful thing. And this was no different.
Monsters calling my name
What a meeting that had been. Her mind was still swimming with the words that had been said. Her brain was straining to take it all in at once. 'My father...Woltar...I should have known...' She had known that her father's death had been something of what she had heard, but at the same time, knowing the actual details seemed to upset her. Though she did not let it show. To show that emotion would have been a weakness. A weakness she did not want to show anyone, especially a certain swordsman who had been present.
She sighed to herself. That had been a meeting she knew would come some day, granted she never really planned on exactly what would happen and she didn't expect to find out what she had. Overall, she would call herself drained at the moment. It did feel good to have something to remember her father by, namely his daggers. But at the same time she almost wished she hadn't gone inside. There seemed to be a large boulder weighing down on her now, and she didn't have the want, nor need to deal with it right now.
Let me stay
They were now heading back to Airygliph and were currently just an hour or so away from Peterny. The evening sky was beginning to darken. They would probably be staying in Peterny for the night. It didn't really matter to her at the moment, she just needed some down time. Her mind was wandering and though there hadn't been many monsters to fight, her mental energy was nearly gone. Probably from the stress she was putting on herself.
The gates of Peterny welcomed them, and they all went to the Inn to check in. It would be best to at least reserve rooms for everyone before they all went their separate ways for the night. Nel immediately went to her room. She was not up for dealing with other people right now. She wasn't much of a people person to begin with.
She reached her room shortly, and she began preparing herself for bed. Her armor was discarded, her weapons placed neatly beside it. She stayed in her black formfitting body suit. She rarely liked having to change in the morning, especially because she was used to rushing. She opened the small window in her room and let the gentle breeze play with her crimson locks.
Where the wind will whisper to me
There was a certain comfort in the wind, it was helping to sooth her fraying nerves. A content smile was slowly etching its way on to her face. 'Everything...it's going to be okay...I don't know why, but for some reason I know it.' The thought made her relax some. Confidence was something she knew she would need along with some good rest. This journey was far from over.
'Finally.' She thought to herself as they were leaving Airygliph after delivering Elena's message to King Airygliph. Now they could finally address this dragon problem, not that she was looking forward to it. Quite the contrary actually, but that was too bad. She had a duty and a mission. The time had come to fulfill it. Right now, she had settled herself in the center of the group as they came to the exit to the Royal City. She was in a fairly good mood and was quite happy that they were done with running errands.
Her eyes fell on three dragons and their masters, only two masters, just past the bridge from the city. 'No.' She thought immediately. Fighting dragons was one thing, even capturing them was fine. But there was no way she would be caught dead riding on one. No way no how uh uh not happening. She looked over towards Fayt to gauge his reaction. He didn't seemed phased by their presence yet, but he may not have noticed. 'Good, that means he might not even notice and we might not have to...'
"Hey what are they doing over there?" Cliff asked. 'Damn you, blonde moron. You know just how to ruin everything.' Nel thought evilly. He just had to say something.
"They couldn't expect us to ride on them?" Maria asked. Apparently dragons weren't her expertise either. Rodger gulped at the mention of that, another one who must not have been on the greatest terms with these beasts.
"Well, it would be a lot faster, and warmer, we wouldn't have to travel through the Traum Mountains." Fayt said hoping to gain some support. He didn't seem to have much of a fear of them and neither did Cliff. Of course Albel didn't, he was a Glyphian. 'Damn men'. Nel thought to herself. Her fate was becoming more and more apparent as each moment passed. Now that she thought of it, where was Albel?
She looked around for a moment before she spotted the purple clad man. Briefly she wondered how he dealt with the cold in such attire, but she dismissed it as she noticed that he was talking to the Airygliph soldiers up ahead. She couldn't even remember when he had gotten ahead of them.
Nel dreaded every step they took towards the dragons, but she would be damned if she would show it. If she wasn't one thing, it was weak. A little obstacle would not stop her. She forced herself to stride confidently forward, catching up with Cliff and Fayt.
"Well Lord Albel, we can take you to the entrance to the Urlsa Lava Caves if you want. I'm sure it would be much quicker this way." One of the soldiers was saying. Nel controlled her scowl. She just then realized that she would have to ride with a Glyphian controlling one of these monstrosities.
"I know that maggot." He said, his voice his usual gruff and arrogant tone. But he seemed to wait for Fayt to say something.
"Yes, it would be easier to be taken to the Urlsa Lava Caves, that is, if its not too much trouble." Fayt finally said. Ever the polite young noble. Too bad he was so naive.
"Nothing is too much trouble for our country. Just mount a dragon and we'll be off." The second soldier replied.
Fayt nodded. "Thank you."
Cliff then walked up to one of the dragons. "We're not driving these things, are we?"
"Of course not fool, that's why they are here." Albel retorted. At this, the two soldiers each mounted their respective dragons. They signaled for the others to get on behind them. Cliff was the first one to take the invitation, and walked up and hopped on behind one of the soldiers. Fayt didn't take long to do the same, pulling Maria along with him. She hastily got on first, with Fayt sitting behind her and the soldier seated in the front.
Nel looked around and watched Albel head over to the third unoccupied dragon. It looked like there were three dragons for a reason, and he was considered capable of taking care of himself with the beast. Dead set on not riding with the gruesome man she walked over to the dragon occupied by Cliff and now a very green looking Rodger. She moved to board, but was stopped by the voice of the soldier.
"Sorry Miss, but you'll have to ride with Lord Albel. As you can see this guy isn't exactly a small load." The soldier said.
"Hey! Who you calling fat!" Cliff retorted, but Nel stopped listening. Her fury was swiftly beginning to take control of her mind. She had to ride with him. Oh yes, Apris was definitely out to kill her. And she was doing a damn good job of setting her up for her downfall.
She turned around, looking over to the dragon that the crimson eyed warrior was currently mounting. He seemed to be adjusting a few things with a look of absolute hate on his face. 'He's just as unhappy as I am about this, if not more so. I'll be lucky to keep myself alive.'
"We're off!" The first soldier yelled and took off into the air. Cliff gave her a look before his dragon too was airborne. Now, they were completely alone, together. Oh what a fun time this would be.
"Are you coming worm, or are you going to stand there and wait for your goddess to transport you there?" He asked, sarcasm clearly in his voice. He was already trying to start a fight with her. Yes, this would be interesting.
"Shut it Nox, I'm just as unhappy about this as you are." Nel retorted shortly.
"I highly doubt that maggot, now get on before we fall too far behind." End of conversation. They did have to leave soon of they would hold the others up. Dutifully she walked over to the two beasts. Albel was already mounted, looking directly ahead of him. 'He really hates me that much.' She had no clue that his thoughts were right along the same line.
As gracefully as she could, she climbed up behind him, doing her best not to touch him, though she was almost certain that at one point or another, there would be no other way. She heard a rumble and immediately looked down at the beast, her eyes widening.
"It's a storm moving in fool." He stated as if were the most obvious thing in the world.
Where the raindrops as they're forming
Nel closed her eyes in frustration. If he wanted a fight she wasn't one to back down, but right now she decided it best to stay on at least civil terms with him, being that he was the director of the monster under her. She settled her rear as comfortably as she could on the back of the dragon, and braced herself as much as she could so she would not have to hold onto the man in front of her.
Without warning the dragon's large wings spread out and gave a flap, lifting them off the ground. Nel felt herself loosing her balance. Her arms flailed, reaching for anything to grab onto, yet avoiding the one thing that was readily accessible in front of her. She found herself tumbling backwards, her eyes shut tightly, waiting for the fall that she was so sure that would come. There wasn't anything to stop her.
Surprised would be an understatement. The hand that had a firm hold on her upper arm that had restored her balance was something she never expected. Nel opened her eyes to find Albel, half turned around and gripping her arm with his good hand, steadying her and keeping her from falling. Faced with falling from the ever rising dragon or avoiding the plunge she chose the latter, wrapping her arms around Albel's middle and pulling herself completely upright. He released his grip from her and returned his hand to reins of the dragon, pointing them in a direction and continuing onward through the air.
Silence fell over the two during the flight. It was only broken by the occasional clash of thunder in the dark clouds that had taken over the skies. Then, almost without warning, the rain began. And it wasn't just a light rain, it was nearly a downpour.
Nel heard Albel give a growl when the weather began to turn worse. She understood his frustration, it wasn't exactly a good idea to just land in the middle of nowhere. It was basically understood that they were going to fly on through the storm. It was beginning to get darker, despite it being only slightly after midday. Flashes of lighting were jumping from cloud to cloud menacingly.
Another crash of thunder sounded, louder than the last, causing Nel to jump, and to loose her slippery grip on the bare torso of her companion. She let out a small sound, something like a whimper as she slid down the back of the beast. She saw Albel look back at her as if he was about to help her when a fierce gust of wind caused the dragon to move awkwardly. He turned back around, pulling on the reins, trying to reestablish the course of the dragon and make the flight slightly more steady.
Meanwhile, Nel found herself slipping even further, despite her best efforts. Before long she found herself holding onto the tail of the dragon, dangling helplessly. What was worse, her grip was loosening, there was nothing she could firmly grab onto save the slippery tail. She gave a grunt of frustration as she did everything in her power to try and pull herself up, but the unpredictable flapping of the dragon's tail was not helping in the slightest. With one more mighty flap she found her grip almost completely lost. If the tail moved again, she would surely fall to her doom.
Sure enough, the dragon shifted its tail once more, causing her hands to slip from the scaly surface. Her eyes widened as she felt the surface escape her nimble fingers.
"Vile beast!" She was sure she heard the words, but her mind wasn't exactly on listening.
Then, a sight she never thought she would be happy to see came to her. Just as her grip was completely gone Albel was over her, reaching down to her, and his wet hand caught her damp wrist. She felt her added weight cause him to slip forward slightly
"We're both going to fall like this!" Nel screamed to him.
Tell a story
He gave her a look that clearly meant for her to shut her mouth. She watched as he tried to steady himself in the awkward position he was in. She could feel it, she was going to cause them both to fall if something didn't change soon. The dragon gave another weird twitch and she felt Albel's body lurch forward further. Things were not looking very good at the moment.
"Stupid maggot!" Nel had no clue whether he was addressing her or the dragon, but she honestly had little care at the moment.
"Albel, you have to let go of me, or you are going to fall too!" She told him, trying to pull her hand from his grip, however, she was unsuccessful.
"Shut up!" He yelled at her, a clash of thunder sounded, so she wasn't sure if he had added any of his favorite suffixes. "When I tell you to, be ready to grab onto anything you can."
She couldn't believe it, he was going to drop her. Yes, she had told him to, but still, he was going to drop her! Her resolve on survival strengthened.
"Zelpher! Did you hear me!" He screamed down to her. She nodded her head curtly, a frown deeply ingrained on her features.
He gave a sudden jerk of his arm and yelled "Now!" She found herself flying towards him in the air. Her body impacted his slightly, but luckily she was able to grab the reins of the dragon to quickly steady herself. She then looked back at the man who was still oddly dangling on the back of the dragon. She studied his position for a moment, noting how his feet were securely tucked into the joints of the dragon's wings, which allowed him to hang there like that. 'At least he's somewhat intelligent' She thought to herself. Then she remembered this man had literally just saved her life and she was letting him sit there, practically helpless.
She turned around, one hand gripping the reins fiercely, she would be damned if she fell off again. The dragon bucked at the tight grip, but she ignored it for the time being. She leaned down over Albel legs and down to the point where she could reach his waist. She saw him glance back at her with an unreadable look, but she paid no mind to it. Her hands came upon the cord that strung about his waist and kept his sarong fastened to him. She grasped it tightly. She then began to pull him toward her little by little while pulling herself upright once again at the same time. Once he was fairly upright and seemed able to situate himself she let go of him and turned back around. The dragon was beginning to get a bit unruly, and she didn't want another falling incident to occur, so she began tugging on the reins, completely clueless on what she was doing.
Behind her she could feel Albel turning himself around. Meanwhile the dragon was becoming more and more ill tempered with its controller. It began to protest the tightness of the reins by jerking its head this way and that. A state of panic was beginning to overtake her. Lucky for her two arms came around her and gripped the reins.
"Let go Zelpher."
She did as she was told, having no clue what to do in the first place. She didn't even notice the close proximity they were sharing as they battled for their lives from the grip of nature. The rain was still pounding down upon them, the storm unrelenting. She found herself holding on tightly to the dragon's neck while Albel directed the dragon from behind her. But the fierce winds helped them little, and the dragon was beginning to become fatigued.
"Nox, we have to land and wait out the storm." She wasn't sure if he would listen to her, but she was definitely hoping he would. Falling wasn't exactly her way of dieing.
"What do you think I'm doing Zelpher?" He shot back. After a glance back she noticed that he was scanning the grounds below, probably looking for a decent place to land. Before long he was maneuvering the dragon as best as could be expected toward the ground, near what looked like a small alcove in the mountain.
The feeling of ground beneath her feet was unforgettable once they had touched down. Rain was still coming down in sheets, but at the moment she was very thankful to be alive.
In my field of paper flowers
However, the euphoria faded quickly enough. His voice crashed down upon her thoughts.
"Into the cavern unless you're waiting for loose rocks to bludgeon you to your death."
'What caring words.' She thought to herself sarcastically. As she looked up she did realize that he was indeed right. It wasn't the smartest idea to just stand where she was. So, with some reluctance she followed him and the dragon which he was guiding using the reins in his hands. It was a rather small outcropping, but it did provide at least some protection from the elements. She watched as he used the reins to tie the dragon to a heavy boulder, ensuring them a route of transportation once the storm passed. At first the dragon protested, but Albel gave it a cold hard and commanding glare and it ceased its struggles. It was on the ground in a matter of seconds, slumbering to regain its energy.
And candy clouds of lullaby
Nel was surprised at how easy it was for him to control the beast, but she chalked that up to him being the captain of the Black Brigade. He may not have been the captain of the Dragon Brigade, but in order to be a captain she was sure that it took many different areas of skill. She would never say such a thing to him though. He was not worthy of her praise.
Albel turned from the dragon and peered out into their surroundings, mainly looking at the sky.
"The storm will be over in a few hours, just in time for day break. We'll have to meet with those other maggots in the morning." She was slightly surprised to hear him explain their situation to her, though she had already assumed most of what he said. It just didn't seem fitting for him to explain to her of all people what was going on.
He began to walk towards the corner of the alcove, picking up things that she could not see with the poor lighting. Being as defensive as she was she automatically assumed the worse and thought that he was plotting against her in some manner. But no, she would not be caught off guard. Her hands moved to her daggers, becoming ready to draw them at any moment.
"Do you really think that I am about to attack you Zelpher?" He asked, his back still turned while he continued whatever it was he was doing. Taken aback by his answer, she merely stared at him.
"I see, all of you fools see me the same then. But let me tell you this. If I wanted you dead you would have been gone long ago." He stood up and Nel immediately pulled her daggers half way out of their sheaths from surprise. He was walking towards her, whatever was in his arms still hidden. She couldn't see what the hell he was carrying and it was beginning to alarm her. When he was within an arm's length of her, he dropped the load from his arms, letting it tumble to the rocky surface between them.
"Sticks?" Nel looked down at the pile incredulously. That wasn't exactly what she was expecting.
"What exactly to you use to start a fire Zelpher?" It was a rhetorical question, and she almost guessed she deserved it for her reaction. But that didn't stop her from responding.
"Well if you weren't always out to kill something then maybe people wouldn't just assume things of you!" She had to force herself not to bring a hand up to her mouth or to apologize. All she did was look at him, waiting for him to react. He looked directly at her, the gaze he gave her was what she could only describe as an evil grin. He then turned around, and continued to look around at their surroundings, more than likely trying to figure out where exactly they were.
"Light the fire, you should be good for at least that much."
She didn't respond to his question and did as he asked. A small fire bolt sprung from her hand and onto the pile of sticks, igniting it almost instantly. She held her tongue, feeling a little guilty for letting her anger control her actions just a few moments ago. Her eyes moved to Albel, scanning his frame. His clothes were sopping wet and clinging to him. His black and blonde hair was nearly plastered to his head, and the cloth surrounding the two long pieces was beginning to come undone.
Looking at him made her remember exactly what kind of state she was in. Her clothes were soaked and her vibrant hair was plastered to her head in a wet mop. On top of that, she was freezing. She just seemed to realize how cold she was, and goose bumps sprawled their way across her skin in protest to the cold. That and she was tired. Exhausted was more like it. The life threatening situations could definitely take it out of her.
"Rest, you'll be of no use to me if you are tired." Albel said. She briefly wondered when he had turned around or how he knew that she was tired, but let it go.
"I'm not tired." She replied, having to resist the strong urge to yawn.
"Do not try to fool yourself. You're not fooling me." Came his stern reply.
She had to admit that he was right, but there was no reason for him to know that. Instead she seemingly unwillingly sat herself down next to the fire and against the stone wall. Without her consent she found herself drifting off. Try as she might, she could not fight what her body was calling for, and she, like the dragon, took to sleep and dreams of her mind's own choosing.
I lie inside myself for hours
Albel was not as lucky however. Sleep was not one of his preferred activities. Besides, he figured that someone had to keep watch for dangers, and so he settled himself down next to the fire, hoping that some amount of the water that was drenching his clothes would evaporate.
His slim fingers undid the knots that surrounded the long strands of hair on his back. He laid the pieces of cloth next to the fire in hopes that they would dry quickly and he could have his hair wrapped up before the Crimson Blade even awoke. He also began to wring out his clothes, removing as much water as he could. During this time he still remained completely alert to his surroundings, ready to strike anything that dared to threaten what was currently his territory. Luckily for the residents of the mountain, nothing came out to greet the captain.
The storm began to settle, the rain ceasing and a few of the clouds receding. A small portion of the sky was illuminated by the sun behind it. It was clearly getting late if the dark hues of the sun were any clue.
And watch my purple skies fly over me
He looked out into the horizon, not having anything better to do. The sun was nearly gone now, hidden by the distance and darkness would be upon them soon. The colors of the sky were beginning to fade into the deep hues of night. 'The temperature will be dropping soon.' He thought to himself, and looked over to the poor excuse of a fire that they had been able to put together. Another hour at most and it would be spent. That could be a bit of a problem, considering it was already cold and he was far from dry yet. He looked over to the dragon, noting that it was still sleeping. It would be fine, it was used to being in the elements. 'If such a beast can survive like this, than so can I.' The truth was he knew he would probably end up sick because of the current predicament, but he would never show that to the others. And he hadn't brought anything to heal a cold, though he did have tidbits of this and that for serious wounds and what not.
'I just won't let it come to that.'
A feeling of fatigue began to creep upon him, but he knew he could force it off without too much of a fight. He had become a master at controlling his body, that's why he was so agile. He also had a way of convincing himself that he wasn't tired. Somehow, his body believed him, and when it didn't, he forced it to.
For some time he just sat there, waiting for something, though he wasn't really sure what it was he was waiting for. Periodically he checked the strips of cloth he had lain out by the fire. The last time he had checked they were nearly dry. Good, he wasn't very fond of the idea of the red head seeing him with his hair out. No one saw him with his hair askew, save for a few maids or Woltar and he wasn't about to change that tradition. He looked around and saw that the fire only had a few minutes of warmth left to give. For a moment he closed his eyes in thought, then rose to his feet. His clothes were dryer, though they were still far from being dry and didn't provide much help when it came to conserving body heat. He pulled the long strands of hair over his shoulder and began to wring them out, getting as much moisture out of his hair as possible. He then moved to grab one of the strips next to the dwindling flames. His hands probed the material, determining whether or not it was dry enough to use. After a few moments he walked out of the alcove and onto the edge of the platform of where they had landed, clothe in hand.
A few stars were beginning to show themselves between the remaining clouds of the storm. The rocks on which he stood were still slick with rain and the sound of dripping surrounded him. All of the extra water had to go somewhere, and eventually it would run off to some river. Albel sat himself down, his feet dangling over the edge. It would be some drop down, and he was mildly surprised he had managed to direct the dragon to this place
His surprise did not last however as his ego took over.
'Of course I was able to, I'm not some weak maggot.' He thought to himself. Bringing a hand behind his back, he grabbed about half of his hair that was hanging in its full length on his back. He brought it forward and began to wrap it with tiny movements. The motions did not seem to require his full attention, and his gaze remained on the ever darkening landscape. By the time he had finished with the wrap it was nearly pitch black out and the temperature had dropped even further. If there were to be any precipitation, it would probably come down in the form of ice or snow.
"Bah..." He muttered, standing up. Things just had to be difficult. He turned around and began to his return to the alcove. The last flickers of flame from the fire caught his eye right before it died out, hot embers all that was remaining. Zelpher was still asleep next to it, her body curled as closely as it could get to its only source of warmth. He was almost tempted to do similar, but quickly threw the idea off as ludicrous and unnecessary. The other strip for his hair was still there and he snatched it up off the ground. He stepped closer to the wall of rock, then sat down next to it, going to work on his hair once again.
As he sat there he played close attention to his unwilling traveling companion. Her face was scrunched up, and her body had begun to curl more tightly into itself, shivers taking over her body. 'Any Glyphian can handle this weather. Aquarians are so weak'. He thought to himself as an unbidden shiver took his body. So he was a little cold, any being would be, but it wasn't like he needed anything, he would survive just as he was.
He continued to watch her, and noticed that it wasn't so much the cold that seemed to be bothering her anymore. If anything she seemed to be having a nightmare. 'How I despise babysitting.' These weren't the kind of things that he dealt with. Monsters, battles, death, they were all familiar, but he did not enjoy looking out for anyone else. No one did it for him, there was no reason for him to do it for someone else.
All of a sudden, the red head bolted to alertness, hand over her heaving chest and her breaths coming rapidly and quite sharply. He studied her, surprised at her weakness and that she was still letting the dream effect her.
"Bad dream maggot?" He said mockingly. Apparently he had overestimated her abilities. How disappointing this was all becoming. And for a little while he had almost thought she was different, that she was stronger than most. She turned toward him, barely able to see him, being that she had just woken up and it was completely dark within the alcove.
"Shut it Nox. A monster like you would never understand."
Don't say I'm out of touch
There it was, he had been expecting a response like that, though somewhere he had hoped that maybe she wouldn't retaliate the way she had. Too bad this was the real world and things didn't happen like that. He merely shook his head.
"You're right, I will never understand the fears of weaklings like you." The words slipped from his mouth just as the millions of insults had before. Everything was back to normal. Nothing mattered once again. He could almost feel her anger in the air, though he knew that was impossible. But he was certain that she was probably fuming at this point, he could see her hands on her father's precious daggers. 'And they call me confrontational.'
"How exactly do you live with yourself? You're hated by everyone and all you live for is battle! Your life is worth nothing!" She yelled at him. Her eyes were fierce at this point, they were shining with her determination. It was high time someone set this man into his place and she had no objections to being just the one to fulfill that duty. She waited for some response. Her senses were met with silence. This served to anger her further. So she continued, wanting at least some form of recognition from him.
"No response to that Nox? Have I finally found something that renders you speechless? The truth hurts doesn't it?" All of a sudden he appeared directly in front of her, his eyes boring down into hers. She felt her breath catch in her throat. She now realized just how sensitive of a spot she must have hit, and began to regret her words. There was no reason for her to go after him like that, and she knew it. She must still have been in a foul mood because of that dream.
With this rampant chaos your reality
"You know nothing fool. I suggest you shut your mouth." His voice was so dead. No edge, no nothing. But he was dead serious and she shut her mouth tightly, almost afraid of him for a moment. He backed away quickly and moved back into the corner of the alcove. Nel just sat there, stunned for a few moments. Then she settled herself in the most comfortable sitting position she could, and tried to keep herself warm as she thought. It was crazy, but she felt a strong force within her begging her to apologize to Albel. But even if she did stoop to that level, what exactly should she say? That was another question she could not answer. But as she stared into the darkness that she knew he was concealed in, she made up her mind. Without further ado she began to crawl into the corner, controlling her shivers as much as she could.
"What exactly do you think you're doing worm?" His voice was now normal again, if not a little on the angry side.
"I..." This was it, it's now or never. "I just came over to apologize..." She forced out through clenched teeth, shutting her eyes tightly as well as she said the words.
"Leave maggot." He replied. She couldn't believe it! She was going against all of her better judgment in apologizing to him and here he was not even acknowledging it! This man truly had no manners at all. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to protest.
"I come over here to.." Her words were cut off when he came closer to her and she saw his bright crimson eyes.
"Fool, do not apologize for what you think, only the weak do such a thing." The words struck her oddly, and caused a great sadness to rise up within her. For a moment his eyes stayed upon her, but then he swiftly turned away. She suddenly felt so horrible because of the things she had said, and she knew that even if she did apologize again, the result would be the same, the words had already been spoken. But there was something in her that made her have to try once more. It was strange, but she couldn't just let things stand as they were.
She sought out his profile with her eyes, just barely being able to see the outline of his body. He even looked to be shivering slightly, just as she was. 'So he is human.' As soon as the thought came to her she scolded herself. 'Of course he's human you moron. It's just...' Her train of thought enlightened her to something she hadn't realized before. No one really treated Albel as if he was human, except for Fayt, but he would treat a rock as a companion if given a chance, and that was what made him special. But as for the rest of them, they all looked down upon him, or feared him, or just all around despised him for some reason or another. It was no wonder he was like this. A better attitude on his part might help things, but the same could be said for both sides.
"Albel..." Her lips had moved without her consent, she had not meant to say his name, it just sort of seeped out. The small sound caused him to look in her direction again. His eyes were different from the last time though. They looked as if they were searching for something. Their eyes were locked and she almost felt slightly violated. It felt as if he was peering into her soul and was looking into the deepest parts of her heart. A warmth began to spread itself onto her cheeks, and she thanked Apris for the darkness. She was quite uncomfortable at the moment, but could not find the strength to pull away.
"Could you...stop?" She asked after a few moments, breaking the stare and looking anywhere but at him. She felt more than saw him lift his intense gaze from her. He was still looking in her direction however, which made her thing that he wanted to say something. She gathered the little dignity that she still had with the blush still on her face and came to look at him once again.
"What is it you wanted to say Zelpher?" He asked. There was no beating around the bush about it. He could be so direct at times, it was unnerving. Despite all this she took a deep breath and figured she'd wing it.
"I wanted to apologize..."Again she was cut off
"We were already over this fool..."But this time she was going to finish what she was saying, so she put her hand up, not even sure if he could see it and just continued on.
"I wanted to apologize for the way that we all treat you. It isn't fair on your part." She said as quickly as the words would come to her mouth. What she did not expect was his reaction to this. Without any warning he burst out in maniacal laughter.
She could see his shaking form as the bursts of mirth overwhelmed him. 'What's so funny?' She asked herself. Anger and embarrassment began to show their ugly heads. Just what exactly was he laughing at! 'I went out of my way to be nice to him and this is what I get! I take back what I thought earlier, he's just a simple murderous lunatic!'
"What the hell do you find so funny Nox!"
He quieted his huge fits of laughter to chuckles as he began to speak.
"You really have no clue, do you Zelpher? Still living in a dream? You may be a soldier but you don't even understand what it's like in the real world." His laughing had now come to almost a complete halt and his voice as he spoke was slightly reflective. It was as if he was talking about a subject he knew quite well and he was certain she knew nothing about. This was infuriating.
I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge
"How dare you! How can you say such things! I think I've been through enough to understand perfectly well what the real world is like!" She began. He was not going to get away with this one, oh no. This was a battle he started, and he better be ready to fight to the death.
"My father died when I was young because of a war that I still don't see the purpose of! I trained all my life to get to where I am today only to be stuck in a mountain with someone like you insulting me like this! I may not be as pessimistic as you Nox, but that's only because I don't want to live my life in misery!" There, let's see him come back at that. She didn't know she had it in her to yell at Albel the Wicked in such a way, but she had done it. And he was still just sitting there. 'Serves him right.' She thought to herself, very content in her words.
The nightmare
"Very well Zelpher, live the way you wish." He replied coldly. "But do not expect me to buy into any of your foolish rubbish."
"I never said you had to, but it would do you some good. I don't know how you can stand always being so cold and on guard." The soft tone of her voice surprised even her. Where had her anger gone? Where had the conquest and take over of Albel the Wicked gone? Apparently far away from here.
"Bah...dreams are made to be broken. Remember that Zelpher." He said before completely turning his body from her. 'So that's it.' She thought triumphantly. She was now sure that something had happened in Albel's past that caused him to act the way he does today. Oh how she wanted to know, but that could take a very long time to figure out, being that he probably wouldn't exactly embrace the idea of indulging her into his past. But at least there was something now, something that made her understand his cold heartedness. She continued to stare at him, a look of pity on her face.
I built my own world to escape
Albel was very aware of her eyes still on his back. He was also aware of the expression on her face and was almost positive he knew where her thoughts were at that moment. 'Fool.' He thought to himself. Others had given him the same gaze at times, and it never ceased to aggravate him.
"Wipe that look off you face or I'll do it for you Zelpher." He said dangerously. She was stunned by his words and immediately stopped herself from looking at him for the moment. There was an intake of breath and he knew exactly what was coming.
"What exactly happened to you in the past?" Nel asked, her voice held concern. 'I can see through your games Crimson Blade. You care not, you are just curious and are looking to satisfy your own needs.' Many others had done much the same. Needless to say no one besides Woltar knew much of the story, and no one knew everything. That was the way he intended to keep it. There was no need for others to enter into his perfectly stable solitary world.
In my field of paper flowers
"None of your business fool." 'Ah...so he's getting defensive. That just confirms everything.' Nel thought to herself. But she wasn't sure if she should push the subject. There was always a chance that she would just make things worse. And she did not want that to happen. They were barely allies to begin with. If things did get worse one of them was likely to come out dead. And though she was confident in her skills, she feared it would be her body that he would lay waste to.
She sighed. It wasn't like she expected him to suddenly become sociable and release his inner most emotions and well kept secrets.
"You're right. I'm sorry I asked." She replied to him. He stiffened at her response, not quite sure what to make of it. Was she really going to drop it? Surely she could do better than that. That was a sad excuse of an attempt to delve into his personal life if he ever saw one. Unless...she actually meant what she said. 'Stop dreaming fool, you know that she's just trying to trick you,' he thought to himself, but another part of him begged to differ.
And candy clouds of lullaby
He remained silent, not quite sure if he wanted to respond to her at all. Sometimes it was better to say nothing, it left things less complicated at times. So he relaxed his tense muscles a bit, but the cold night air quickly caused him to tense again. That conversation must have distracted him from the frigid temperatures. Before he could stop himself he thought of Nel. She was far from used to cold weather while he was accustomed to it and was cold. He gazed upon her, taking in her position. She had settled against the rock wall which he was resting on as well, her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms hugging them, obviously trying to conserve body heat. Her head hung forward, red locks spewing across her face. He knew she wasn't asleep, but she was attempting. The cold was keeping her from her desired destination.
There were a lot of confusing things going on in his head right now. All of which were the cause of the red headed warrior's questions and her mere presence. There was a good chance that if they didn't somehow find a way to stay warmer, one if not both of them would end up with hypothermia, and that was never a good thing. His thoughts were interrupted by a clattering noise that didn't stop after a moment, but continued on. He knew exactly where that noise was coming from and looked over to the source.
Nel was shaking uncontrollably and her teeth had began clashing due to her shivers. When she realized the noise she was making, she attempted to stop it, but failed miserably. She then noticed that she was being watched, and those eyes looked like they were ready to start mocking her already.
"Okay, so I'm cold, it's not like you're not." She pointed out his own shivers to him. He was taken aback by her accusation, though he knew it was true. It just didn't have to be said. He never liked being called weak or anything akin to it.
"Are all Aquarians this weak, or are you of an elite bunch?" He shot back. The remark didn't have as much sarcasm in it as he had hoped to portray. He blamed it on the shiver that had overtaken his body as he spoke.
"I don't see the Glyphian among us handling this too well either." Oh, touche. "We need to do something in order to stay warm." She stated. That was what he had thought and what had basically started this whole conversation. He would never be the one to suggest such a thing though.
"As soon as you figure out a way to do so, be my guest Zelpher." His reply was cool and even. There wasn't a way to stay any warmer and he knew it. He was pretty sure she knew it too, but that wouldn't stop her from trying to think up something.
"...Well, we have to do something, whether we like it or not." Her usual voice took over. One of purely business. Oh, he saw where this was going. He never thought she would suggest such a thing. But he was going to avoid it for now.
"Now Zelpher, I would never think of burning you at the stake for a heat source." He said sarcastically. She seemed to not even hear what he had said. Apparently she was focused on something, and he wasn't going to break her concentration right away. Before long she spoke.
"We'll...have to...We'll have to use each other's bodies as heat sources. It's the only way, unless we go with your idea and burn each other to death." She said, the entire time she was looking straight at the ground in front of her, her face set in a stone facade of calm when she was anything but. He had to admit, she did have guts. Not many, actually, none had ever been so blatant as to ask him of such a thing. At least not since a few incidents occurred in his life. He forced those thoughts to the back of his mind and looked over the Aquarian woman who was still shivering like mad.
"Forget it." She said after a few moments. This surprised him. "I doubt you would ever agree to such a thing."
His anger flared up slightly. Already she had just assumed his answer, granted that would have been his verbal answer. Who in their right mind would agree to such a thing! But in truth he understood the need for survival and would have complied silently to the request. 'What a tangled web we weave.'
He stood up and made his way over to her, catching her off guard with his presence above her. She looked up slightly, squinting to see him. He knelt down next to her, and watched as her eyes never left his. And then he did it.
One hand under her knees, the other behind her back, he scooped her up, earning him a surprised gasp from a flustered Nel. She wasn't fond of being picked up.
"What exactly do you thing you're doing?" That was the only protest that she could force to come to her blue lips.
"We need to keep warm do we not? I'm just following your instructions." Briefly the thought of him burning her for warmth came to her mind, but she knew that was not what he was implying, though what he was implying seemed almost as bad a fate. He moved them back to where he had sat earlier, he considered his spot the most comfortable one available to them in the alcove. He then sat himself down, the speechless Aquarian still in his arms. He then set her down right beside him. 'The rest is up to her. I will not be the only one to make a fool out of myself.'
She sat tensely next to him, unsure of what she should do. So he had initiated, showing that he accepted the terms. But this still felt weird, if not wrong in itself. But as another shiver wracked her lithe form she made her decision. She scooted as close as she could to the warrior, relishing the heat that his body gave off. Slowly she motioned to put and arm around him and was extremely surprised when he allowed it. Albel's back was against somewhat of a corner of the cave, allowing for her to get extremely close to him without causing him too much discomfort. However she wasn't sure just how close he would allow her to get.
Without warning he grabbed her waist and pulled her halfway into his lap, their bodies pressing together. She was dumbfounded at this point and just sat there.
"Will you sit differently or something, this is rather uncomfortable..."He mumbled lowly. She turned slightly so that her weight wasn't concentrated on just one area but was spread out. She found herself resting her head on his chest, very happy that she was becoming warmer.
I lie inside myself for hours
They were both silent, unable to sleep as of yet. Both were a little weirded out by the others compliance to such a position, but neither said anything about it. Their own thoughts were the only things to occupy their minds for a while.
And watch my purple skies fly over me
Nel suddenly felt the urge to talk. She wanted to know more about the man that was underneath her, offering her warmth despite the fact that they were enemies so short a time ago.
"Nox, why do you hate Aquaria?" Okay, so maybe that wasn't the most friendly way to strike up a conversation. She was ready to slap herself in the head when he answered.
"I do not hate your sad excuse for a country." He replied. Odd, she wasn't expecting any response, let alone that one.
"But...how could you not? We were at war. I'm sure many of your men died." Wow, she definitely needed to improve on her conversation skills. No wonder he was antisocial, this was probably the kind of conversation he had to deal with.
"Let's just leave it at I don't hate your country Zelpher." Again she was surprised by his response. He may not have given any more information, but he hadn't insulted her or Aquaria either. Maybe she was getting somewhere. Then she decided that it was unfair to question him alone and offered her own answers to her questions, just from his point of view.
"I guess I don't hate Airygliph either. There's no point in it anymore. I should have realized it long ago." Nel said to him, talking into his chest, her warm breath grazing over his flesh. Much to his own surprise Albel felt a small heat on his cheeks, but quickly denied it to himself.
"War is war, you're not told to think, you are ordered to do." Albel cut in. For some odd reason he didn't want Nel to feel guilty. She turned her head to look up at him, a trace of a smile on her face. He could barely even see it, and she was right in front of him.
"You're right, we've all been through things that we'd rather not recall."
Those few words brought up a certain memory that he was not prepared to face at the moment. Burnt flesh, gut wrenching screams, aching limbs, a dead body...
Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming
He forced the thoughts down, knowing that there was nothing he could do to change the past. When he looked back down at Nel again, she was looking at him strangely.
"What are you looking at fool?" He inquired
"You, you looked troubled just a second ago." She responded
"I am not troubled maggot, I am perfectly capable of handling my own affairs." His reply was quick.
"Whatever you say Albel the Wicked, but your eyes don't lie nearly as much as you do." Nel replied.
"Don't pry into matters that don't concern you. That's how people get killed." The threat was empty and he knew it, but he did hope that she would take the hint and drop the subject. It was not something he wished to discuss at this time. If it were up to him, it would never be discussed again, but the world didn't seem to like him.
"Whatever it was you were thinking about...I'm sorry. It obviously wasn't something good." Nel was beginning to surprise herself with all the apologizing she was doing. She herself was never fond of doing such a thing, and tonight she had apologized to him several times. Apris truly did have it in for her.
"It doesn't concern you." She hit the nail on the head, it wasn't a good thing. But she had no clue the extensiveness of his past. The reasons he kept himself on guard. Why he seemed to move on his own.
Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights
"Well, I suppose it doesn't. We should get some sleep, it will be morning soon and I'm sure you'll want to leave as soon as possible." Wow, was she letting him off easy. That was her good deed for the day.
"Go to sleep then Zelpher, I'm unable to sleep at the moment." Albel replied. He was tired, but was not very comfortable with the idea of sleeping at the moment, considering where his thoughts had just been.
"I can't exactly sleep with you still being awake. I'd feel awkward to say the least." She did have a point. He would feel the same if he were in her position. And truth be told, he was quite fatigued and sleep would be a great asset to him. But he was still reluctant.
Oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming
"If it will get you to shut up..." He replied, relaxing his muscles and taking on the best position he could attain in order to sleep. Happy with the outcome, Nel closed her eyes and replaced her head on his chest. 'I never thought I would be here like this and not wishing death upon myself.' Nel thought silently. A few life threatening events could change everything. Or maybe it didn't change everything, just showed them for what they really were. Either way she was grateful. Maybe now the hateful scowls and degrading comments would decrease some. But she didn't get her hopes up too much, change is good, but she wasn't hoping for a miracle.
She felt herself becoming more and more drowsy. Her body moving closer to the heat source below her. Her arms wrapped around him right before she fell asleep. Funny, the things that warmth can cause you to do.
Albel peeked open one eye, knowing that she was asleep. This woman was and oddity he had never come across before. She was strong, yet still a female. But at the same time she didn't cower in fear of anything. Sure, she seemed to have her moments of weakness, but she also recovered from them too. That was something he wished he could do just as easily as she did. He reminded himself that what happened in his life was his fault and his fault alone. Dwelling only made things worse.
He found himself wrapping his arms around her waist, as she had done to him earlier. He blamed it on fatigue and his mind failing to think, but he did not remove his arms either. At the very least the Crimson Blade did provide warmth.
The goddess of imaginary light
She even seemed to spark a small light of hope within him. And when I say small, I mean small. He wasn't one to get his hopes up, and the last thing he was going to do was be disappointed again. But a little hope didn't hurt anyone. 'Scratch that,' he thought. Hope was the cause of many deaths if you go right down to it. But he still couldn't help himself.
Tomorrow they would leave, and none of this would be brought up again . Everything would be back to normal. No more strange thoughts of hope or her red hair, or her breathing on his chest or her arms wrapped about him and his around her. No more of that. In a few hours the sun would rise and they would be on their way to fight dragons.
Fatigue finally overwhelmed his body and he found his mind shutting down. No more thoughts came to him and for that he was grateful. He was starting to scare himself with his own train of thought. How foolish he could be at times. His eyes slid shut and his breathing evened out.
The two soldiers lay resting in the quiet of the night, allowing more than just their physical exhaustion to be healed. Each lay in a world of their own dreams, the worlds of their minds choosing.
In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple skies fly over me.