33 It is the first ....?

I am fifteen by now and in my ninth school year. Thanks do the strategic strike by my research lab, our parents could subdue the north without real problems.

The Meltheim's forces dissolved without a competent leadership. The army just had to walk to the north and take control again.

We still lost Nicol to that surprise attack though. Something I am still blaming myself for. It was my proposal to wait and defeat them with patience.

That probably gave them the time to prepare that attack. But you can't change the past. I have to go on and do better next time. Yes, always doing better until you won't lose the ones dear to you.

Nicol's burial wasn't anything special. Mourning the dead doesn't seem to be a big deal in this world. You do it by yourself and the most even a king gets, is a minute of silence.

The culture just developed that way during the war and didn't change since then.

The north is under our control again and the City of Seria lies under heavy siege. Their shield protects them and nothing could break it until now.

Those bastards put so much mana into it, it's a big problem to bring it down. Although I am working on a solution, the needed hammer for this egg is on another scale.

Even now, the army is bombarding the City of Seria day and night while trying everything to crack the shield open.

But I don't have much hope. Not unless we would go to the same length as them and start to sacrifice people.

Luckily the support for the royal family is as big as never before. Everyone who supported the Meltheim's was lynched, when the truth got out.

The People went to the streets and dragged nobles out of their houses. Everyone who had even the smallest connection to Meltheim or Tulhelm, had to fear for his life.

Our parents had a hard time to stop the people from taking the law into their own hands.

Some even tried to storm the house of Cygnus and get their hands on Iris. A little bit sick if you ask me, after all Iris is just a child.

But they never got over the doorstep. The security took care of them as soon as they set foot onto Cygnus property.

Right now I am designing a little surprise to crack the shield of the City of Seria. It will take lots of work, but we still have time and I hope to be ready soon enough.

We couldn't even talk to those idiots. The shield is blocking everything. Although we got some information from civilians in the north.

From their story, it appears that the Meltheim rule got very close to a police state shortly after they took control.

Most people weren't allowed to travel. That's how they managed to hide their actions from the rest of the population.

No wonder they went to the streets, the same moment it looked like their military wouldn't be able to stop them.

This whole story seems like it came out of the mind of a really sick person. But that's reality. Before you even know it, your nice and happy world turned into hell itself.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

"Angrod! Get out!" I hear Celes voice from the other side of the door.

But I won't open. Mwahaha! I put some really strong guarding enchantments onto my door. No one will be able to enter unless he is a high level magician.

"Angrod! It's important!" -Celes

Important? "What's important?"

"Something came up! We have to go!" Celes starts to hit the door again.

*BAM!* *BAM!* *BAM!*

Did she just use her foot? The door holds perfectly. But when I look at the wall around it, I see some cracks.

"I am coming! Don't hit again! You will take my whole room down!" I jump up and run to open the door.

"What do you want? I have work."

Celes storms into my room and starts to search through my wardrobe. "Hey! What do you need my clothes for!"

"To find something decent! You can't go out in that dull stuff on you." Celes answers.

"Go out? Where to? Is there some festival we have to take part in? I heard of nothing?" I am a little dumbfounded. Normally our parents inform us beforehand, if we have to show ourselves to the public.

"No time. Something came up! Here, put that on. That looks nice on you." Celes holds a suit to my chest.

"Isn't that suit a little bit too normal for a festival?" I ask. The suit is nice, but could go through as normal street clothes. For a festival I always have to wear some really nice and high style clothes.

"It's okay! You look cool in that! I will wait outside." Celes runs out of the room.

What the hell got into her? I get dressed and walk outside.

"Good! Looks nice now come, we don't have much time." Celes leads me outside, where Rose is waiting with the car.

We enter and Rose starts the car.

"Can you explain what's going on?" I ask Celes.

"Can't you remember? We promised to make peace and work on understanding each other! You are locking yourself in your room for about a week now! Unless for school you don't come out." Celes answers me.

"I don't get it. What does that have to do with the current situation?" -Me

"We will start to work harder on our relationship from now on. So we will go on dates every week!"  Celes smiles at me.

"Hahaha, oh the benefits of youth!" Rose enters the conversation.

"Date? I have no time for dates!" I answer.

"You are the one who proposed them. Can't you remember our promise? You were the one, who insisted on a normal relationship and dates. So we will go on dates every week from now on! Today we will visit a musical!" Celes nods and smiles even brighter.

"Uhm... . Now that you mention it. I really said something like that?" I have a dark memory of this somewhere in my head. She tricked me that time!

"I think it will be nice. The musical has a nice plot. I think even Angrod could find it interesting." Rose drives around another corner and stops the car in front of a big building.

"Have fun!"

"Wh.. What about security?" -Me

"This place is for the higher society. It's guarded and the danger has lessened since the opinion of the public is in our favour." Celes explains to me, while pulling me outside.

The door gets closed and Rose drives off.

Celes links arms with me and leads me to the entrance where she shows the guard two cards and we enter.

Just now I realize that she is wearing a dress, which is similar to mine. A waitress leads us to a row of seats with a very good view.

It is a big hall with a stage a few levels below us. There are amplifiers all over the place to guarantee a good sound for everyone.

"It is like you're hijacking me. How did you get the idea so suddenly." I ask Celes

"Mmmm. It is because I planned it of course! I had this on my list for quite some time now." She pulls out a highly used looking list and checks an item. I haven't seen that thing for a long time now.

"First date at fifteen, done." She smiles and looks happy.

"You realize that you are carrying that thing around for years already?" I ask her.

"No problem, even if it is a little bit tattered. It still does the job." She hides it again inside her dress.

At that moment the musical starts and Celes grabs my arm to lean onto me. Oh! Don't use your chest like that! This isn't fair play!

Celes has done quite some development in the past years. She will become a real beauty like her mother in another three or four years.

Though she has a nice look already. If it wasn't for that personality!

We sit in silence and watch the musical. It is about the creation of this world. How the Goddess Seria created the world and it's people. And about a hero, who went on an epic quest to make the dangerous continent a safe place for everyone.

It has a nice story and the songs are good. Though the tightness of Celes's grip on me is a little uncomfortable. We are about halfway into the performance, when Celes tugs at my sleeve and I look down at her.

Celes's face is a little bit cramped with a forced smile. "Can you bring me to the toilets?"

"Ahem. Aren't you old enough to go by yourself. I don't think a guy should... You are a little bit pale, are you okay?" I ask.

"It just hurts a bit, so give me a little walking aid." -Celes

"It hurts? Are you wounded or sick? I can heal you." -Me

"I am just bleeding a little, it is nothing serious." -Celes

"You are bleeding!? Where, I will heal you!" -Me

"SShut up! That'S nothing you can heal IDIOT! SSo bring me there now!" Celes hisses at me with tears in her eyes.

Ah!? No she can't mean? For real!?

I pick her up in a princess carry and run to the toilets.