40 Chapter 11: Banquet (3)

I crossed my arms, looking at two boxes before me.

One is from Levi and the other from Kain.

I should have asked Mama for an advice.

I heaved a sigh and just randomly took one.

I carried the one that came from Levi.

I did received it first, I thought, convincing myself that this is the right choice.

I turned to walk off but my feet stayed.

There's that issue about me being his official fiancée.

Is this set up really destined to be this way until the priestess arrives or something?

I shook my head.

No. I need to think this thoroughly!

If I'll be greeting people, I better wear something much reasonable. A dress from Prince Kain would rather be befitting for such occasion since we're under the same family lineage.

Besides, I rather not greet people as a young Lady of Greenrun while wearing an Osteell dress. I bet it might even have the crest of the Osteell empire. It's an irony to be in one dress that shows a nation's emblem while representing another.

I nodded at my own reasoning.

I'll just have to wear the dress Levi gave me for the last part of the banquet. It's for the closing dances. That way, I'll be wearing it while we dance together.

My face suddenly flushes as my mind began to imagine the scene.

I swatted off the dream clouds above my head and just pump a fist.

Okay! I'll go with this decision!

I took the other box and marched off, leaving the waiting room and into the corridors.

Apparently one of this room is supposed to be my fitting room.

I turned to look around but the place is deserted. No one to ask which door is the right one.

Oh well, I thought, shrugging. I'll just have to choose one and quickly change into this dress then head out!

I walked a few more times and then randomly opened one door.

The room looks exactly the same as any of our spare rooms with all the carpets and chandeliers and all but this one has a divider panels in one side and a tall mirror near it.

I walked towards it, stood behind the divider panels and began to work on my dress. So exactly how did they take this off again?

I groped at my back, at my torso and to my sides. No zippers nor laces to pull. Nothing.

It would be a shame to rip this dress just to take it off though.

I uttered a sigh of defeat.

I sense someone coming. Finally a form of help! I thought. But then I figured I should just take the dress off normally. Maybe it could work despite it being fastened tight around my waist.

I grabbed the hem of the skirt and pulled it off high over my head. Tagging and pulling as if I'm trying to give birth to my own body out from this womb like dress. I heaved and blow, and poof it went off... with a rip.

I suppose the rip was inevitable...

I opened the box and saw a soft white cloth with few layers beneath it, folded carefully in place. I took it out and saw a beautiful white dress that drapes down in an A-skirt. It has a cuff like collar by the neck with one big blue tear-shaped stone exactly by the middle of its chest. It reveals a bit off shoulders but closes back into a two layer silk cloth that fans out by the wrist. A golden lining embossed a shape of fleur-de-lis by the waist then spreads out, curving around with few sparkling tiny gem stones by the bottom of the skirt.

Such a majestic looking gown!

Unexpectedly, a crest of Greenrun is embroidered by the back of it where the spine would end. At least it wasn't the Grantzæl's crest! I sighed in relief to see such and began to grope where the opening is.

Wait...

How does one wear this?

Where's the opening?

That's it! I need help of the chamber maids! Maybe the one that just arrived could help me.

I place the gown down and stepped out of the divider.

In my great surprise, I saw Eriol by one corner from across the room instead —and topless.

I never noticed how wide his shoulders are. His posture is a bit slanted because of his tall stature but it has its charm somehow. Wait. Why am I even looking! I should look away now!!!

And then he began to undo the buttons of his pants.

I screamed, covering my eyes. "Stoooooop!!!"

My nose will bleed.

I opened my eyes and saw him from the slits of my fingers, already standing tall before me. Since when did he—!

"Look, I know we had that talk awhile ago about treating you as a woman but you really shouldn't rush thing this way." He says.

And for some reason, which I believe is my instinct's fault, my eyes gravitated downwards.

From that well meaty chest down to his vivid muscles of his abdomen and then that enticing well chiselled curves down the navel, all laid bare with one button of his pants almost undone. ALMOST.

The heck am I looking at?!

I gasped, stepped back on reflex but stumbled on my footing and slid down towards the floor

But he reaches out to grab me on impulse but the ripped gown I threw awhile ago on the floor near us made him lost his footing as well as he stepped on it.

We both fell to the floor.

I opened my eyes and realized he had protected my head, his arms carefully wrapped around it. And then slowly he loosens.

"You okay, kiddo?"

"Y-yeah." I answered. He slowly pushed himself up by an elbow, straddling on top of me and covering my view of the lights. The shadow that had covered his face somehow left his eyes too vivid. The deep purple colors in them almost seem to have portrayed an entire night sky inside those two gentle orbs. I was left gazing back at them.

I do remember the first time I saw those eyes.

The first time I stared at them, his entire face was covered in bandages like strips of cloth.

They were cold and lethal to look at before but now they seem calmer; kind but daunting.

He suddenly blinks his eyes several times and quickly knelt up, turning his head away and reaches a hand to covered his face with his knuckles touching his nose. His face and even his ears are flushing red.

"Are you okay?" I ask him, sitting up.

He rolled over to the side and sat down, slightly stretching his feet across. "What are you even doing in here anyway, snow head?" he grumbles. He kept his face turned the opposite direction.

His ears are really red.

How odd.

I reached out to touch it, "Are you okay?" I repeated.

He abruptly moves away, glaring at me in a rather shocked expression as he hides his ears where I touched them. "Wha—!" He closes his lips and the frowns. "I'm fine. Stop touching me for a bit. It's too dangerous."

Dangerous?

I tilted my head to a side.

"I mean look at you!" he says this but he kept his eyes away. "It'll be trouble if I lost control."

What is he talking about?

I looked down.

Ah.

I'm just wearing my tunic.

It's not that malicious looking though.

I watch him stand up, rubbing at his nape. He scans the room and spotted the dress I have left in an opened box. "Hand that thing over!" He points at it.

Without questions asked, I grabbed it and stood up, handing it over.

He works on something and manages to unlock the back of the dress, opening it for me to wear. "Now get dressed!" he demanded. "NOW!"

Geez. Why is he being so pushy all of a sudden?

"Thanks" I replied, taking back the dress as he began to walk back towards the other far end of the room where several clothes are hanged in a clothes rack.

I walk back behind the divider and stepped inside the dress. Pulling it up in place but then I can't reach my back to close it.

I sighed.

Eri might be changing. I don't want to look now, I thought to myself.

"This is suppose to be my fitting room. I'm betting you didn't saw the sign outside the door" I can hear him talk from the side of the divider.

There's a sign?

Really?!

"Sorry. I didn't notice it" I answered.

"I thought so." he chuckles.

I can hear him shuffle around.

I suddenly feel embarrassed.

Just behind this divider, Eriol is out there changing, I repeated to myself.

"Aeron did great back there, huh?"

He changed the topic, I noted.

I smiled. "Yeah, he's amazing. I'm proud of him"

"People outside can't stop talking about it. Lightning magic is not a common element, y'see. It's a celestial element. Added to the fact that his capability as a Wielder is surprisingly rare. Who knew he would be able to summon multitude of swords at his will"

I sat down the floor, my back facing the divider. "A wielder huh?" I pulled my knees close to me.

But if he's suppose to be the priestess' Familiar, he should have been a Transmuter.

So if he's not going to be the chosen one then who is?

Hm.

But he can summon swords so... would that count?

"He really improved, far from the first time I met you guys. He can barely parry before! And a bull headed kid that keeps declaring he will protect his sister when he can't even defend himself." Eriol chuckles.

Yeah. Aeron has changed.

"You're both doing well." he says now.

I clasped at my skirt.

Both?

How can he say that?

I don't even have an element.

Compared to Aeron, its starting to show who's the weaker twin.

"I actually wasn't able to detect you're even back there all along. And so close to me too. It takes a lot of training to mask your presence! You're like an assassin."

But that's all I can do.

Mask my presence, sense people around me, and jump high.

What else?

I'm just basically able to flee.

I mean, compared to my brother I...

"Nora is right. You're both going to be so interesting to watch grow up. You may be twins but you have your own differences so... in my opinion, comparing is impossible although inevitable."

I loosen my fists.

Nora...

Oh. That's right, two weeks from now, it's going to be Nora's death anniversary.

I huddled my knees closer and laid my head down on my folded arms.

I can hear Eriol's footsteps going closer.

"If she's here, she'll scold you if she sees you sulking!"

And then the footsteps reaches me.

I felt a hand gently caressing my head.

I look up and saw Eriol on his one knee, smiling at me. "You promised me you won't cry anymore."

"Idiot. You're the one who opened the topic!" I murmured, he grins in response.

"And I'm not crying!" I frowned at him.

"I figured its better to open the topic now. One way or another you're bound to hear some nasty stuff later. And I don't want to see you gluttonously devouring all the feast just because you're upset."

I shook my head, "I'm not going to be affected even if people compares me to my brother!" I said but I was rather declaring it to myself as if hoping the effect would wear. "I can handle myself!"

"Right! But you can't handle closing your own gown. Stand up a sec."

I stood up and gathered my hair in a bundle, clearing it up from my back.

I can feel his fingers working to close my dress from behind. Blood began to rush to my cheeks.

I need to talk. Ask anything.

The silence is making me restless.

"How did you learn how to open and close these type of gowns, Eri?" I ask.

I felt him stopping for a moment before resuming, "Part of the job as a mercenary." he answered.

"And what job was that?"

Suddenly, he spoke directly to my ear, "Are you sure you want to know?"

I abruptly moved away and turned to find his eyes steadily focused at me.

And found him smiling teasingly, his dimples amplifying that ridiculous charming face.

I veered my eyes away. "I guess not."

Ah.

But he really did got my dress closed.

"Thanks, Eri"

He threw his hands to his waist, "Well, we're both done changing. Let's head back to the banquet halls."

I nodded.

I watch him turn about and began to walk towards the door. The view of his back facing me suddenly made me recall when he visited me earlier just to comfort me from my nightmare.

He can sense when I'm in distress and even more so if I'm in danger because I'm his Meister. He hates being referred to as a knight-in-shining armor yet he's the first one to rush to my side just to save me. But I'm destined to become the fallen one so...

"Eri, if I... do something unthinkable. Will you still stand by my side?"

He turns to face me again, stopping. "Unthinkable?" He raises a brow. "The answer is obvious. Of course, I will."

"Even if I become evil?" I studied his reaction, he didn't even flinch. He just matched my gaze as if trying to read my thoughts.

"Are we... going to cut the throats of your guests later?"

"What?! Cut throa... No!"

"Let me just get this straight, you said you can handle it when some guests compare you. And by handling, you mean we'll go in a frenzy later and cut them?"

"NO!!!" I said frantically

"Sounds fun" he sneers

"Stop it! No!!! We'll not cut anybody's throats!"

"I'm just kidding," he snickered, patting my head. "So tell me what's the matter?"

"Forget what I ask. Let's just go"

I tried to walk away but he blocks, "Is it about the nightmare? You can tell me anything. You trust me after all, don't you?"

"Yes, I do." His earnest gaze met my weary ones, "I do trust you."

No turning backs now, I told myself. Even if he laughs at me or thinks I'm over imaginative, I need to at least warn him.

"Eri... do you..." I hemmed and hawed. "Do you believe in Legends?"

"Yes."

And the reply ends there. I was expecting for an explanation of sort but I guess it's not really the question and he knows that too. He waited patiently for my response.

"When I..." I paused and glance at the door. I can sense people coming. "Let's talk about it some other time"

Someone knocks at the door.

Eriol just kept his eyes on me. "No, let's talk about it now."

"No, it's okay. I can wait"

"I don't." He grins profoundly and scoops me off my feet. "Let's get some fresh air for a bit, shall we?"

Even before I could have reacted, he dashes towards the windows. And when I saw them closed, I instinctively wrapped my arms around him, burrowing my head to his shoulder and braced myself for impact with my eyes shut.

I can hear crushing sounds of broken glass but I never felt anything, soon I can feel wind blowing around us. I slowly opened my eyes and saw the two moons.

We were flying high in midair.

———end of Chapter 11———