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31_days2008-03-01 07:05 pm
candy--chan.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2008-03-01 07:05 pm
[March 1] [Magic Knight Rayearth] Song of the Wind: In the Gardens
Title: Song of the Wind: In the Gardens
Day/Theme: March 1: ”Looking forward while moving backwards.”
Series: Magic Knight Rayearth
Character/Pairing: Umi, Hikaru
Rating: PG
As the doors parted, Hikaru gasped in delight. “How pretty!”
Caliana and Ferio had gone off to commence the necessary diplomatic activities; in a surprise move, the Princess had asked Fuu to accompany them to represent the Magic Knights—provided there were no complaints from the others? As there were none, the three headed for the Council Chambers. Lantis was inspecting the troops, and poor Ascot had been accosted by the stable-keepers, who were desperately curious about his unusual friends.
Kannon had approached then and offered to show the two remaining Knights the palace gardens while they waited. And so it was that they walked outside and found themselves in Paradise—or something close to it. There were flowers everywhere of every color imaginable, blossoms unlike anything they had ever seen on Earth.
“If the ladies will follow me,” Kannon said with a small bow, “I will show you the gardens.”
Umi chuckled. “Wow. You’re quite the gentleman, aren’t you?”
He had the grace to blush slightly. “I try.”
“Well, you can relax,” Umi said with a grin. “It’s okay. We won’t tell.”
He didn’t reply verbally, but some of the tension left his shoulders, and his posture visibly relaxed. They continued walking, him pointing out various flowers and small statues scattered throughout the gardens. It was exquisite.
Hikaru piped up then. “You and Caliana seem very close. How did you two meet?”
Kannon looked a bit surprised at the question, but recovered quickly. “We were actually very young when we met. My mother used to be the head housekeeper in the Palace. She has grown old and retired, but as I understand it, she ran a very tight ship. As a result, I grew up in the Palace because my mother kept her residence there. One day I was walking through these very gardens, and I met a girl my own age. I had not seen her before.”
“What happened?” Umi asked, prodding him along when he paused.
“She told me to be quiet and pulled me along,” he recounted. “I later learned that the girl was, in fact, Caliana, and she was hiding from her tutors.” Both Magic Knights laughed at that. “After that, it seemed our paths crossed frequently. It did not make sense to me that the Princess would seek out my company, but in hindsight there weren’t too many other children our age running around the place. After a time, we had become friends.”
“And now you’re the captain of her personal guard,” Umi observed; one blue eyebrow arched knowingly. “That worked out very nicely, didn’t it?”
“My mother secured training for me by some of the great sword masters of the kingdom,” he explained. “I learned the way of the sword, assuming that when I came of age I would go into the army. In fact, I trained alongside the Princess on more than one occasion.”
“Wait—with Caliana?” Hikaru interjected.
He smiled. “Oh, you did not know? Caliana is quite handy with a blade—and various other weapons, as well as hand-to-hand. An heir who can defend herself is less likely to fall prey to an assassin, wouldn’t you agree? Anyone trying to take on the Princess would be in for a very rude surprise. I speak from experience—she used to practice on me.” He absently rubbed at one of his shoulders, as though remembering the ache of a past sparring match.
“So why have a personal guard?” Hikaru persisted.
“You have seen her in formal dress, yes?” he asked. “The fact is that she cannot fight effectively while dressed for official functions. And while she may be skilled enough to bring down two or three attackers, she cannot defend against a full ambush.”
They had reached a small clearing in the gardens, marked by an enormous fountain. Umi sat down on the edge of the fountain’s basin and leaned back a little to look up at the sky. “Sorry to ask so many questions, but we didn’t get to talk much when we met before.”
He waved a hand and smiled. “I know much of you from the stories and legends of your exploits—yes, they have reached us even here. But you know nothing of me. Question, you must.”
Hikaru sat beside Umi and dragged her fingers through the water. “I think we’ll be friends.”
“I’d be honored,” he executed another bow.
Umi fought down the urge to giggle—he really did demonstrate the manners of one accustomed to dealing with those of a higher rank. He personally might not have been of noble blood, but he carried himself with a noble air. Instead, she asked, “So if you were going to be in the army, how did you end up in charge of Caliana’s safety?”
“If I might brag, I was an exemplary student, and my teachers said that I was on my way to becoming a master in my own right. When Caliana came of an age to need her own guard, there were many soldiers older and more experienced than I who were considered.”
“And so you got the job because…”
“Caliana approached me one day and told me that I was now her captain. Then she took me to her father and told him that I was now her captain,” he winched slightly, remembering the argument that had resulted. “In the end, I had to demonstrate my skills. I suppose I impressed the King sufficiently, and now…here I am.”
“So in other words, Caliana grabbed you and told you that you were in charge of her guard, and that was that?” Hikaru laughed. “Sounds like Caliana—man, she was nothing like that when she first came to Cephiro. She was quiet and didn’t really talk to anyone. Wasn’t until after she broke it off with Ferio that she started acting like…you know…a person.”
Umi winced; somehow, she didn’t think it was supposed to come out like that. But Kannon chuckled. “I would imagine. She is one of the strongest people I know, but she also takes her duty to the people very seriously. I know she was displeased about the union, but she resolved to go through with it for the good of Aldarba. So if she seemed a bit sullen…”
“I really can’t blame her,” Hikaru nodded, sobering a bit. “I can’t imagine what it’d be like to be shipped off and told I was going to marry a complete stranger. How scary would that be?”
“Kannon…why didn’t you come to Cephiro with her when she came to marry Ferio?” Umi asked. It was a question she had been waiting to ask for a while now, and she was interested to hear the answer. It might give her the clue she had been waiting for to either prove or disprove a suspicion.
The young man stared at her for a moment. But he shook himself quickly and replied, “I was taken ill just before we were to leave, and so I stayed behind. It was all right—she was in safe hands.” The answer was innocuous enough, but there was a tone in his voice that spoke volumes.
And it confirmed Umi’s quiet suspicion. She rose and began to walk towards him. Startled, Kannon began walking backwards as she advanced on him, only stopping when his back hit a tree. Umi stopped an arm’s length away and smiled. “I knew it!” she said.
“Knew what?” he asked.
“You have a thing for Caliana!” she said triumphantly.
“A…thing?” he blinked, confused.
Hikaru had already bounced over to stand beside her fellow Knight. “She means you like her.”
“Of course I like her,” Kannon said indignantly. “She’s my friend, and she is the Princess.”
“No, no, we’re not being clear,” Umi waved a hand. “You have feelings for her. You know…love?”
In the blink of an eye, the young man had gone ashen. “N-no! Not at all!” he said quickly, glancing around. Then he took a deep breath. “Lady Umi…I understand how one could draw that conclusion, given how long the Princess and I have known each other. But I assure you that—”
“You keep calling her the Princess,” Hikaru said. “Why not Caliana? Or don’t people sometimes refer to the ruler as theirs? Ya know, like people called Emeraude our Pillar?”
Umi shook her head and waved a hand to silence Hikaru. “I’m sorry. We overstepped our boundaries a little bit. I apologize.” She bobbed up and down in a quick bow.
To say Kannon looked relieved was an understatement. “Accepted. As I said, I understand how one could come to that conclusion, incorrect though it may be.” He smiled and bowed in return. When he straightened, he gestured towards a path they had not yet taken. “Shall we continue?”
PS. This is part of a longer chapter in a rather massive work, entitled Song of the Wind. Kannon is an OC. I’m going to be writing individual scenes for the chapter(s) as part of this challenge. Makes it easier to get the thing done ^^;;
Day/Theme: March 1: ”Looking forward while moving backwards.”
Series: Magic Knight Rayearth
Character/Pairing: Umi, Hikaru
Rating: PG
As the doors parted, Hikaru gasped in delight. “How pretty!”
Caliana and Ferio had gone off to commence the necessary diplomatic activities; in a surprise move, the Princess had asked Fuu to accompany them to represent the Magic Knights—provided there were no complaints from the others? As there were none, the three headed for the Council Chambers. Lantis was inspecting the troops, and poor Ascot had been accosted by the stable-keepers, who were desperately curious about his unusual friends.
Kannon had approached then and offered to show the two remaining Knights the palace gardens while they waited. And so it was that they walked outside and found themselves in Paradise—or something close to it. There were flowers everywhere of every color imaginable, blossoms unlike anything they had ever seen on Earth.
“If the ladies will follow me,” Kannon said with a small bow, “I will show you the gardens.”
Umi chuckled. “Wow. You’re quite the gentleman, aren’t you?”
He had the grace to blush slightly. “I try.”
“Well, you can relax,” Umi said with a grin. “It’s okay. We won’t tell.”
He didn’t reply verbally, but some of the tension left his shoulders, and his posture visibly relaxed. They continued walking, him pointing out various flowers and small statues scattered throughout the gardens. It was exquisite.
Hikaru piped up then. “You and Caliana seem very close. How did you two meet?”
Kannon looked a bit surprised at the question, but recovered quickly. “We were actually very young when we met. My mother used to be the head housekeeper in the Palace. She has grown old and retired, but as I understand it, she ran a very tight ship. As a result, I grew up in the Palace because my mother kept her residence there. One day I was walking through these very gardens, and I met a girl my own age. I had not seen her before.”
“What happened?” Umi asked, prodding him along when he paused.
“She told me to be quiet and pulled me along,” he recounted. “I later learned that the girl was, in fact, Caliana, and she was hiding from her tutors.” Both Magic Knights laughed at that. “After that, it seemed our paths crossed frequently. It did not make sense to me that the Princess would seek out my company, but in hindsight there weren’t too many other children our age running around the place. After a time, we had become friends.”
“And now you’re the captain of her personal guard,” Umi observed; one blue eyebrow arched knowingly. “That worked out very nicely, didn’t it?”
“My mother secured training for me by some of the great sword masters of the kingdom,” he explained. “I learned the way of the sword, assuming that when I came of age I would go into the army. In fact, I trained alongside the Princess on more than one occasion.”
“Wait—with Caliana?” Hikaru interjected.
He smiled. “Oh, you did not know? Caliana is quite handy with a blade—and various other weapons, as well as hand-to-hand. An heir who can defend herself is less likely to fall prey to an assassin, wouldn’t you agree? Anyone trying to take on the Princess would be in for a very rude surprise. I speak from experience—she used to practice on me.” He absently rubbed at one of his shoulders, as though remembering the ache of a past sparring match.
“So why have a personal guard?” Hikaru persisted.
“You have seen her in formal dress, yes?” he asked. “The fact is that she cannot fight effectively while dressed for official functions. And while she may be skilled enough to bring down two or three attackers, she cannot defend against a full ambush.”
They had reached a small clearing in the gardens, marked by an enormous fountain. Umi sat down on the edge of the fountain’s basin and leaned back a little to look up at the sky. “Sorry to ask so many questions, but we didn’t get to talk much when we met before.”
He waved a hand and smiled. “I know much of you from the stories and legends of your exploits—yes, they have reached us even here. But you know nothing of me. Question, you must.”
Hikaru sat beside Umi and dragged her fingers through the water. “I think we’ll be friends.”
“I’d be honored,” he executed another bow.
Umi fought down the urge to giggle—he really did demonstrate the manners of one accustomed to dealing with those of a higher rank. He personally might not have been of noble blood, but he carried himself with a noble air. Instead, she asked, “So if you were going to be in the army, how did you end up in charge of Caliana’s safety?”
“If I might brag, I was an exemplary student, and my teachers said that I was on my way to becoming a master in my own right. When Caliana came of an age to need her own guard, there were many soldiers older and more experienced than I who were considered.”
“And so you got the job because…”
“Caliana approached me one day and told me that I was now her captain. Then she took me to her father and told him that I was now her captain,” he winched slightly, remembering the argument that had resulted. “In the end, I had to demonstrate my skills. I suppose I impressed the King sufficiently, and now…here I am.”
“So in other words, Caliana grabbed you and told you that you were in charge of her guard, and that was that?” Hikaru laughed. “Sounds like Caliana—man, she was nothing like that when she first came to Cephiro. She was quiet and didn’t really talk to anyone. Wasn’t until after she broke it off with Ferio that she started acting like…you know…a person.”
Umi winced; somehow, she didn’t think it was supposed to come out like that. But Kannon chuckled. “I would imagine. She is one of the strongest people I know, but she also takes her duty to the people very seriously. I know she was displeased about the union, but she resolved to go through with it for the good of Aldarba. So if she seemed a bit sullen…”
“I really can’t blame her,” Hikaru nodded, sobering a bit. “I can’t imagine what it’d be like to be shipped off and told I was going to marry a complete stranger. How scary would that be?”
“Kannon…why didn’t you come to Cephiro with her when she came to marry Ferio?” Umi asked. It was a question she had been waiting to ask for a while now, and she was interested to hear the answer. It might give her the clue she had been waiting for to either prove or disprove a suspicion.
The young man stared at her for a moment. But he shook himself quickly and replied, “I was taken ill just before we were to leave, and so I stayed behind. It was all right—she was in safe hands.” The answer was innocuous enough, but there was a tone in his voice that spoke volumes.
And it confirmed Umi’s quiet suspicion. She rose and began to walk towards him. Startled, Kannon began walking backwards as she advanced on him, only stopping when his back hit a tree. Umi stopped an arm’s length away and smiled. “I knew it!” she said.
“Knew what?” he asked.
“You have a thing for Caliana!” she said triumphantly.
“A…thing?” he blinked, confused.
Hikaru had already bounced over to stand beside her fellow Knight. “She means you like her.”
“Of course I like her,” Kannon said indignantly. “She’s my friend, and she is the Princess.”
“No, no, we’re not being clear,” Umi waved a hand. “You have feelings for her. You know…love?”
In the blink of an eye, the young man had gone ashen. “N-no! Not at all!” he said quickly, glancing around. Then he took a deep breath. “Lady Umi…I understand how one could draw that conclusion, given how long the Princess and I have known each other. But I assure you that—”
“You keep calling her the Princess,” Hikaru said. “Why not Caliana? Or don’t people sometimes refer to the ruler as theirs? Ya know, like people called Emeraude our Pillar?”
Umi shook her head and waved a hand to silence Hikaru. “I’m sorry. We overstepped our boundaries a little bit. I apologize.” She bobbed up and down in a quick bow.
To say Kannon looked relieved was an understatement. “Accepted. As I said, I understand how one could come to that conclusion, incorrect though it may be.” He smiled and bowed in return. When he straightened, he gestured towards a path they had not yet taken. “Shall we continue?”
PS. This is part of a longer chapter in a rather massive work, entitled Song of the Wind. Kannon is an OC. I’m going to be writing individual scenes for the chapter(s) as part of this challenge. Makes it easier to get the thing done ^^;;