Birthday Fic for Manna! Wooo! Home girl's favorite pairing has always been Lyn/Kent, so I figured for her big day I'd give it a shot. Have to say though, Lyn and Kent are two tough characters to nail!

Anyway, happy birthday to my new pal, I hope you (and anyone else) enjoys this!

Atop the battlements of her castle's highest walls, Lyndis gazed at her canton of Caelin below. Were it any other day, her stare would be directed the opposite direction, towards her native homeland of Sacea where the plains called her name.

"Lady Lyndis!" shouted a boy in the small crowd that had gathered before the gates of the castle courtyard. His arms reached gleefully to the sky to reach her, frantically trying to escape his mother's grasp. There was a stinging sensation in Lyndis's eyes, but she smiled and waved back.

Kent snuck up on her, even though she had expected him she was still somehow surprised when she turned from the crowd and saw him standing there shimmering in his crimson armor. There was a bittersweet grin painted across his face, the kind that only showed itself when the soul ached with both fear and excitement.

"Milady," he began softly. There was a small company of guards behind him. "All the sentries have reported, Caelin's walls are secure."

Lyndis inhaled deeply, it was the last time she'd ever hear her castle's defensive check.

She reached up and cupped his cheek in her hand. "And what of my knight-commander? Does he report as well?"

Kent's own hand rose to cover hers, where he caressed the smooth backside of her palm with a gentleness she'd never believed a knight could possess.

"This knight will forever be at your side, milady."

She nodded, that was enough. She held some semblance of guilt, but in her heart Lyndis knew that Kent was his own man, making his own decisions. And she knew he loved her. That was enough.

She let her hand fall and marched on past him. His remained half a moment longer, remembering the ghost of her touch, then his fell too and he followed in behind her.

Among her people – the Sacean people – there was an often held belief that everything in life existed within a story. From the greatest heroes of history to its most despicable antagonists to even those of the most humble origin; it followed that everything a person did in life was directed to the telling and construction of some grand tale that was his or her life. It was often a happy thought for Lyn, the idea that everything done in life happened with purpose, but now it betrayed her, for today, as the sun set, it certainly felt like an ending.

And, turning to look at Kent again standing confidently as ever, and then turning to take a glance at the plains to the west, Lyndis felt that she wasn't ready for anything to end quite yet. But home, she ached to go home again. And though Lyndis loved Caelin, it was not home.

"Now Commander, who are these men?" it was the first time in all of the years Kent had delivered the state of the Caelin's defenses (a custom he had enacted after the castle fell to Laus) that he had brought with him a small company of guards.

"The men felt you should have an escort for tonight."

Lyndis smiled through a pout, "I had not realized the journey from the battlements to the courtyard had become so treacherous."

"Perhaps not, milady," he replied, looking affectionately at the men still under his command – each one with their backs etched in a proud stiffness instilled in them by their knight-commander. "But I had not the heart to refuse them."

She shot Kent a guilty look, but he only widened his smile and brushed the backs of his knuckles softly against her cheek.

So she turned back to her unexpected protectors and said, her smile returning, "Well, I shall be the luckiest lady in Elible tonight to have such stalwart protectors."

Her guards absolutely beamed. Good men she noticed, two of the six had fought with her when Laus had invaded, three others Kent had recruited himself when they returned from defeating Nergal, and the last she remembered rallied many a man against Lundred and was the first to welcome her to Caelin.

In unison, their spears came sharply to the ground in a fearsome salute.

"We will take you speedily to the courtyard upon your ready, milday." Said the senior guard. He had a scare beneath the left side of his lip and his voice was gruff and booming.

Lyndis glanced over the battlements to the west where the sun was setting over her homeland, then back behind her where Kent stood. He nodded, his gaze confident and fearless, but not without melancholy.

"I am ready sir, let us be off, our guest should be here soon," a memory came to Lyndis making her sigh happily, "Father sky knows he hates to be kept waiting."

She heard Kent snicker despite himself behind her, and then she walked to the ledge of her walls and waved one last time to her people. She heard the roar erupt as she turned away and descended down to the courtyard.

When she reached the bottom, the guards had separated into two parallel columns creating a pathway where another ghost of her time in Caelin stood casually.

"Oh," he said, bringing the backside of his hand to his forehead in a fit of feigned agony, "now here, my good knights, is a face that I shall forever be the sadder never to see again."

Lyndis laughed harmlessly, "There's something I'm going to miss about you Sain, I'm not sure yet what it is yet, but I'm going to miss it."

"If I had to guess milady, I would have to say it would be my dashing features." He winked at her, but also walked by her without another word.

"Here is the man Caelin shall truly miss though," he said as he approached Kent behind her, "Why, what will Caelin do without my good friend, Sir Kent the Tedious?"

Kent kind of scoffed at that, waving his hand across the empty air like he was brushing the comment aside. "I'm not sure, but one thing I know for sure it won't be missing is your apathetic and lethargic demeanor in all things knightly or otherwise."

His tone was strict and condemning, as it always was, yet, Lyndis couldn't help but notice an odd friendliness to the words. Perhaps the kind that only came from two people who held such a bond that they were comfortable addressing one another's greatest faults.

Sain must have felt it too, because he laughed joyously while giving his friend a good natured slap on the shoulder.

"Always so serious, you'll fit in with those plain folk nicely, I think."

"What about you?" Kent asked, ignoring the comment, "You never struck me for an independent knight, you sure this is the way you want to go?"

"You kidding me?" Sain said, throwing an arm around his friend's shoulders and dramatically swiping a hand across the sky. "Just think, right now there is some beautiful damsel in distress in need of a dashing young knight to rescue her. Why, I can hardly contain myself just thinking of it."

Kent removed the arm from around his shoulder and ducked under Sain's, "True. You never were good at following orders; maybe not having any is for the best."

"My sentiments exactly." He closed his eyes for what seemed to Lyndis like a long time before a strong breeze passed through them in silence. Then, seemingly at once, they embraced in one quick violent motion. More akin to the colliding of two bodies than any kind of gesture resembling sentimentality, but she thought it fit them perfectly.

When they separated, Kent was the first to speak, "You take care of yourself, Sain."

Sain only smiled back cockily before turning to Lyndis and kissing her hand. "And you take care of him, milady."

He said it softly, almost like it was a secret between the two of them. She smiled and tried to ignore the stinging sensation in her eyes. She decided that would be what she missed about Sain; his truly loving and genuine nature that poked out every now again beneath a layer of almost comical theatrics.

"I would say I'm not one for good byes," he was walking back to his horse as he spoke, "but let's face it, I completely am." Then, he threw a small bag over the sable of his horse before climbing up himself and gave one last mocking salute before saying, "Everyone I meet, I'm going to tell them I slew a dragon with the beautiful former lady of Caelin and her stingy crimson knight. The first woman I bed will be for you both."

And then he rode off to the courtyard's rear entrance. Unlike Kent, Sain had resigned his position days ago, once Lyndis's mind had been made up. Frankly, both she and Kent wondered as they laid together at night why he had stayed so long.

Now she knew, he needed the perfect farewell speech. She looked at Kent who was rubbing the bridge of his nose through a smile, she wasn't sure how she felt about Sain's promise of bedding a woman in honor of her memory, but she supposed it was probably the greatest compliment her former sub-commander had to offer.

Somehow, it was also the perfect good-bye, for she suspected that herself and Kent would soon instead spend some sleepless nights laying beneath the stars wondering what crazy adventure Sain was having in the world. And that would always be a fond thought, never a sad one.

She laughed happily to herself one last time and then gestured to her guard to continue onward.

Hector was waiting for them when they got there, his arms crossed and a smug look on his face. And, by Mother Earth, was that the beginnings of a beard he was growing?

Again, upon meeting their guest, her knights parted and made an entry way which the Marquess of Ostia promptly stomped through. It was only when her view was no longer obscured by the bodies that Lyndis noticed Farina with him. She supposed it was normal to bring a wife to such ceremonies and from all she'd heard the two were quite inseparable. She felt a lonely victory at the thought; she'd always known Hector was a romantic deep down.

She knelt when he approached her, as was expected of any noble lady to her liege lord, "A pleasure to see you again Marquess of Ostia."

"Are we really going to play this game, Lyn?" he looked a little disappointed, "Get up." The order was echoed by the gesture of his hand.

Laughing a little, she did as she was told. And when they stood nearly eye to eye – he was still a full head length taller – he opened his arms and nearly crushed her fragile body with his embrace.

He threw her away with nearly as much force as he brought her in and his hands remained fixed on her shoulders when he spoke again, "Elimine, it's good to see you, Lyn. How many years has it been now?"

She thought about it, seven perhaps? Maybe eight? So long a time that she had really stopped counting the years.

"Too long, Hector," she hugged Farina too, she wasn't sure they were quite friends, but it was good to see her just the same. In the midst of their embrace, Lyndis couldn't help but notice how frail the woman was; she was even thinner than she remember and the color on her cheeks was paler than any human woman's should be.

It was a wonder to her why anyone would have allowed the Marchioness to travel in such a condition. She thought about mentioning it to Hector, but decided quickly that he likely already knew, and it was hardly any of her business to begin with.

"So," said Hector, an all too familiar smirk poised across his lips. "I understand you have something to give me."

There were a great many number of people, Lyndis knew, who thought Hector was impatient – they were right. But there were also a large percentage of those people who believed that such a quality made Hector an incompetent ruler – they were wrong. The flaws in her friends' character were numerous; he was temperamental, overly aggressive, and as blunt as the wrong side of an axe, but Hector had a strange way about him, an ineffable demeanor that made people want to follow him. And even though everything about his character was rooted in strength, he was not without kindness, and was always willing to help those who were weak.

It was easy to see why his ascension had rattled the cages of many of Lycia's noble, he was not like the other Marquesses before him, but then again, great men rarely were, she thought.

"I do," she removed the circlet rested on her head and became "Lyn" once again, "the crown of Caelin. A symbol of the canton's submission to your authority."

Hector took it, looked at it curiously for a moment, and then handed it to an Ostian guard behind him.

"Thank you Lyn," oddly, it was Farina who spoke not the Marquess, "I think that will look just lovely on my lord husband."

That brought out a laugh from them both as the mental image of Hector wearing a tiara bubbled into their thoughts.

"Please," said Lyn, "if you ever get him to wear that thing you must fly him out to immediately."

"Oh you can be sure Murphy and I will be making many stops."

Hector cleared his throat, which only made them both laugh harder and even made Kent utter a momentary half snicker.

"Well, that's just what I needed," huffed Hector, ignoring their comments, "more people to rule."

"Oh please," Lyn countered, "they'll do better under your eye than mine."

"For what it's worth Lyn, you did a fine job." His tone was kind and believable, but Lyn had long since let it all go, she was not fit to be anyone's Marchioness "But I know that means nothing to you now, you were bound for other things."

It was strange. True, Lyn would always consider Hector her friend, but they hadn't seen each other in years before today. Yet, his tone suggested that he was saying farewell to a lifelong friend. Maybe it was just the prospect that she was always in the general vicinity, not another country, or maybe, she thought, it was just Hector's innate ability to somehow form bonds that lasted a lifetime in only a short time together.

She decided on the latter, sniffled hard, and hugged him. She missed him, she would miss him.

"For what it's worth Hector," she said, her voice breaking a little and squeezing him tighter, "you would have made a fine Sacaen."

"If you ever need anything, Ostia will never be too far."

"You know I can take care of myself." She said with a hooked grin.

"Yes," he agreed, "I know, but I still had to say it."

He gave her one last pat on the shoulder, then turned to Kent.

"A shame you're taking with you Caelin's finest knight." Kent kept his stern composure, but Lyn was sure he must be beaming on the inside. "Nothing I can do to keep you around, Sir Kent?"

"Oh no you don't, Hector," Lyn laughed, "don't even try it, heaven knows it was hard enough getting him to surrender his duty to begin with, don't go offering him more."

"What?" Hector replied innocently, "I'm only making sure he knows all his options."

"Thank you, my lord," Kent interrupted, flashing Lyn a tender loving smile, "but my place is with my lady."

Hector responded with a noticeably sad glance towards Farina, "That I can understand."

He made a summoning motion with his hand behind him and an armored man came forward with two fine bred horses.

"A little something to get you both home safely," he took the reins, "two of Ostia's finest stallions with enough food and gold to last any man three trips from here to Sacea."

Lyn instinctually went to refuse such a gift, but Hector raised his hand to stop her.

"I cannot take back such a gift once it has been offered," he said, quoting her people. So Lyn just nodded graciously and reached a trembling hand to take the reins.

From atop her horse, it was odd to look down at Hector, who always stood so tall and proud. For what seemed like forever, they just starred at each other. She thought about all the times he'd saved her life, about trying to get her sword to cut through that thick armor of his whenever they sparred, and for the first time in what seemed like a life time, she thought about Nergal and the time Hector slew a dragon. Hector of Ostia, unknown savoir of the world, she thought, how in father sky did that ever happen?

He gave her a curious look from below when she started laughing to herself – ever oblivious. She gave him her brightest smile.

"Thank you, Hector, for everything," she spurred her horse towards the direction of the exit, "Lycia is in good hands."

"Good-bye, Lyn," he did not smile, "I do not think we will see one another again."

No, she agreed as her horse galloped forward, tears streaming from the sides of her cheeks behind her, not even waiting for Kent to follow.

There was a roar from the crowd when they reached the city streets and Lyn had to tug hard on her reins to stop her horse from nearly trampling an elderly couple. She knew many of the townspeople had gathered to see her off – she'd seen them only moments ago when she stood atop the battlements, but the group now was larger. It was as if all of Caelin had emptied from their homes just to get a glimpse of her.

Kent flashed her a knowing look as he trotted casually to pass her. The crowd reluctantly parted to slowly make way for him. Still a little bewildered, Lyn followed in silent wonder.

They shouted things like, "don't leave us Lady Lyndis!" or "long live house Caelin!" Lyn just waved at them, occasionally reaching down a hand to meets theirs, like just touching her was like embracing a goddess.

Some held out gifts – small trinkets mostly or fresh picked flowers. Curiously, Kent took a beautiful set of tulips from one elderly woman. He gave them a quick sniff and then bowed graciously to the woman from atop his horse. It was all very reminiscent of something Sain would do, but then he turned his horse around and began trotting toward Lyn.

When they were again side by side he handed her the flowers and said, "Beautiful, are they not? I believe those flowers only grow in Lycia." She realized he was right, and suddenly the gesture made sense.

"Thank you Kent, I'll kept these forever." And she meant it, even long after they died she would hold the lifeless steams close to her heart. He only nodded then went back to waving at the citizens, they loved him too, their valiant knight-commander.

"They love me, Kent." It sounded almost like a question.

"You sound surprised." He laughed, looking genuinely a little confused.

"Should I feel guilty?" she asked as they neared the end of the city.

He pondered the question for a moment, "maybe a little," he finally said, "but not half as miserable as you would have felt staying here."

She grinned at the truth of that, As much as the people loved her, and as much as she loved them, Caelin was not where Lyn belonged, and she was not interested in writing a tragedy.

They were at the end of the city now, where the streets ended and the long winding road out of the canton began. She took one last look at the crowd of people behind her to give them a smile and a wave, then she looked at Kent and thought about saying something. Instead she just dug her heals into the sides of her mount and started galloping towards the setting sun in the west, deciding that she would let him chase her.

Valor was as dark and desolate a place as Kent had ever seen. Even being there for the second time did nothing to calm his uneasiness and sense of impending dread. He used his sword to cut through some low hanging branches and ducked into another clearing.

'Where could that girl have gone to,' he thought bitterly to himself.

Hey had told his lady lyndis that it was foolish to venture off in such a dangerous place alone, but she was so willful that one, she wouldn't hear any of it. And now here he was, slicing through small fields and forests searching for her after she'd been gone for hours and worried him half to death.

He kept turning from one trail to another deathly afraid that he'd see her pale body hanging from a tree like they had for that woman Leila.

"No!" he declared aloud to himself, 'I will not let that happen to her, not her, not on the eve before everything was about to end.' But his heart would not stop pounding and nothing, not Nergal's promise of the end of the world, nor the seemingly limitless power at his disposal scarred him half so much as losing Lyndis now.

No. He had to force that thought away. He had long since ceased attempting to quell his emotions completely – loving Lyndis had proved too strong for him – but he had learned to mask it. Sitting far away from her, calling her "milady" as much as possible to remind himself of his station, facing down anyone willing to spar with him – anything, so long as it was not catching a glimpse of her smile or hearing the subtle echo of her laugh.

And yet, even after all his attempts at being a great knight, he had failed his most important duty: protecting his lady. In in his unconscious loving of her, he realized that so too did he fail as a man.

Suddenly, in a fit of rage he released a violent cry and slashed his sword so frantically through a set of vines that he was sure every morph on the island would soon be on their way to find him.

But it was not a morph who found him.

"Kent?" Lyndis asked, her head popping out from behind a tree a few yards away.

"Lady Lyndis!" he cried, his relief and exasperation clearly evident in his voice, "at last, there you are. You've been gone so long I feared we'd lost you."

She looked at him oddly, "Really? It felt to me like I'd hardly been gone at all."

Kent felt his cheeks flush. It had been a long time, hadn't it? But she seemed so certain, and he had grown accustomed to always knowing where she was, perhaps he'd jumped to conclusions a little bit.

"Regardless, milday, we should be heading back." He said it like they were in the midst of an argument. "Please, follow me, I will lead us out."

"Just a moment Kent, I was listening to the forest here." She said, and he could tell it would be no easy task to get her to leave.

She promptly sat herself down on a fallen oak tree and patted the spot next to her. He was anxious to be out of the godforsaken forest, but he could not leave her there alone so he sat.

"It reminds me of the plains." Her voice was happy, "Well, perhaps back home it was a little less eerie and foreboding, but the sounds are so much the same. The wind against the branches, the ruffling of leaves, its beauty is remarkable."

He noticed something. "Caelin…is not your home then?"

"Hm?" she sounded a little alarmed "Oh, no," she laughed nervously, "Caelin is my home too, but the sounds of the city are a touch less majestic then those of the open world, would you not agree?"

He stared blankly straight ahead and did not answer, letting the silence fill them. But it wasn't awkward or uncomfortable, it felt almost sacred, like the first time they had ever shared something.

"You miss the plains, milady." It was not a question.

"I do Kent," her eyes glistened in the moonlight at the memory, "You never really got to see them. They are beautiful; you must come with me one day to take a ride there. I'll show you all the best spots, places you can see the land stretch for miles to the horizon."

Instinctually, he put a comforting hand on her knee. She looked at it for a time and then looked fondly at him. Then she put his hand on top of his and he was reminded of his duty.

He rose abruptly, "I must insist we head back, milady, we will want a long rest for tomorrow."

The silence that followed was nothing like what they shared before; it was discomforting, angry, dead. She nodded after what felt like a lifetime.

Making their way back proved a difficult task. For all the trails Kent had cut for himself to reach her, none seemed to show themselves as he slashed and hacked his way through other parts of the forest.

"You needn't be so violent, Kent," said Lyndis, there was some noticeable spite her voice, "I realize you are anxious to be rid of my, but there's no reason to take it out on the forest."

He turned to look at her, astounded by her assumptions. Was that really what she thought? Was he so cold? It wasn't fair to hear that, he wanted nothing more than to be with her. He wanted to be angry with her for the sting of her words, but knew they only came from his actions – or better, inaction. But he was a knight, before anything else, he was a knight.

"I wish only to see you to safety, milady." He hated the rigid sound of his voice.

She stopped suddenly.

"Is something the matter?" he asked.

"Yes," she said defiantly, "I want to know if that's really all you want. I don't understand you Kent. You always have these little moments, like touching my knee, or rushing to my side in battle, or staring at me from across the campsite – and yes, I've noticed."

He blushed.

"And blushing whenever I bring up something that isn't duty!" she threw her hands up in exasperation. "I must know Kent," her voice was soft and desperate, "tell me now, please. I must know what drives you. Tomorrow we may all die so please, just give me an answer."

He thought about his words carefully. He knew he should lie to her, but that was hardly knightly and he was not sure he could do it himself.

"I..it would be…improper for a knight to be driven by anything other than their duty, milady," he shamefully avoided her eyes.

"And what as a man?" she said, her voice firm and unflinching.

"As a man…." He wondered about Lyndis's comment on tomorrow's death, "as a man I wish only to serve my lady. And my heart."

A smile came to Lyndis's lips as she was about to speak, but suddenly Kent noticed something in the corner of his eye and shoved her behind him. He thought for a moment that maybe it was a morph, as his thoughts kept telling him one would eventually show up, but it wasn't and the yellow eyes were not that of one of Nergal's creations, but rather a wolf.

It looked calm enough, its mouth sealed while it sniffed around on the forest floors. When they came into its sight, its piercing hallow eyes stared coolly at Kent. He drew his sword.

"Stay behind me milady!"

"Kent, please," she said, scoffing at his overprotectiveness. Then she pulled something from her sack and threw it far in another direction. The wolf followed as Kent watched in shameful amazement. He couldn't help but laugh to himself, 'some knight' he thought, 'relaying on my lady to protect me.'

"That was masterfully done, milady" he said, his blade still drawn as he went to continue through the forest, assuming, sadly, that their moment of brief intimacy had past.

It had not. She did not follow him.

"Not all problems in life can be faced with a sword you know, Kent," he heard some rustling behind him and turned around to see what was happening, or if the wolf had returned.

When he had turned around he saw Lyn standing there, her Sacean wears removed, standing naked in the starlight.

"Milday!" he said, his eyes immediately falling to the floor.

She closed the distance between them, confident and brazen, as she always was. She cupped his cheek.

"Now I come to you, cut me down if you wish knight, for this is one thing you can never protect me from." She brought her lips half an inch from his and spoke again, "I will only go this far, let the man come closer if he wishes."

And the knight Kent spent his whole life becoming was defeated in an instant as the man in Kent took over too kiss her.

Then, they were on the ground, leaves and dirt covering their naked bodies, but too interested in one another's bodies to care.

But just as he removed his lips from her and went to pleasure her in other ways she stopped him.

"Wait," a whisper in between frantic breaths, "say it, I would hear you say it."

For half a second he wondered what she meant, then it came to him. "I love you." And she let him continue.

It felt like they had been riding for days before Lyn had finally told him they had arrived in Sacea. He let her take the lead, though he was a better rider. She knew the way, after all, and he was more than content in following – it was what he had spent his whole life doing.

He dragged his hand on the hilt of his sword now, the blade drawn ever so slightly from its sheath, staring at the vast open field before him. The grass near reached his shoulders, but Lyn did not seem to mind. She had long since dismounted and was walking feely through the high field towards the rising sun.

It was an instinct, one built into him from years of living elsewhere to cut down any obstacle in his path. But his hand would not draw his blade.

Not all problems in life can be faced with a sword you know.

He could hear her voice echoing across time as he watched her dancing through the grass, finally back where her heart belonged. At last, upon seeing her so joyful, he released his sword, letting it fall back into his sheath with a soft click.

She had her face turned towards him at this point, trying to make him follow with a gesture of her hand.

He felt himself smile and spread his arms out like wings as he took the dive into the great seas of grass. He felt the points of the grass blades dance wildly all across his fingertips sending a tingling sensation all up his arms. He realized this was now his home, and was happy with that.

Then, he looked at Lyn still gesturing for him to come to her. But he did not need the command. He would always follow her.

#Mannasfault #bebrutal

That's all, hopefully it didn't make you hate everything. Thanks for reading, would love to hear your thoughts.

And one last time, HBD Manna.

PS: Please no hatekitties