Ten Years Later

 

 

The wind sweeps over the grasses, forcing them flat. The trees, bending their heads and losing their leaves all red and gold. It blows the clouds across the gusty blue sky and swoops low over my head, blowing a few strands of my white hair that had fallen from my clip during my rustle with Triston.

I held still, watching the blue haired man grin pleasingly to himself as he starred back at me. He shifted ever so slightly raising his hand swiftly, a magic circle forms and I prepare myself for the next ambush.

Ice burts out of thin air, shaped as daggers, cutting through the wind as it shoots toward me. Quickly I summersaulted to the right smiling as the shards blow past my face. Then I feel a rush, behind me, I was open wide and Lisa hadn't let that chance slip her by.

I was prepared for this. Triston was doing his best to force an opening since the start of the fight. Water slashed through the air with impeciable speed, as it came inches from colliding with my face, I bent my arm and pushed off the ground, rising in the air and flipping over landing on my feet.

I focused on my surroundings carefully, nothing was invisible to me now. After all the years of training and lessons with Thanh, and the ten years following, I had grown much stronger.

Lisa came out from the bent tress, walking casually over to Triston with an exhausted face. She flipped her long red hair over her shoulder sighing, "I don't get how she has so much staminia."

Triston smiled, "Aurora is full of surprises." I held still, not letting my guard down for their casual talk. Triston looked my way and gave me a half-hearted smile, "Why don't we take a break?"

I stood straight as my muscles loosend up. I rubbed my neck and made my way over to Triston and Lisa who headed to the usual rock we laid our lunch on.

I hoisted myself onto the rock next to Triston, letting my legs hang off the side. Lisa laid out on the smaller rock next to us. Her red hair flared out, hanging here and there. She held a lot of confidence in her hair, which made me feel pathetic how I felt about mine.

"Lisa," I asked, "How come you're not embarrassed of your hair?"

Lisa rolled onto her side and rested her head on her arm, "In honesty, I used to hate my hair," She smiled sheepishly, "People used to call me a tomato."

"That's terrible," Triston said as he passed her her boxed lunch. Lisa nodded, sitting up as she took the box from Triston, "Did you beat them up for them to stop?"

Lisa giggled with her hand to as I glared at Triston for his rude conclusion, "I did." She barked proudly. I gawked at her, "At least I tried too," She continued, "I wasn't as strong as I am now. I wasn't a wimp either - and I didn't start fights with people way out of my league. I just yelled at them - fights broke out; Not all of them went my way."

"I always thought you'd be one of those macho children," Triston inturrupted, "A natural born stronghold."

"Flattering, but no. I was as weak as you are now Triston," She laughed as Triston sulked, "It was Edgor who changed the way I felt about my hair. Even when we were young, Edgor was one of the top strongest guild members."

I rose my hand to inturrupt, "Edgor is one of the top strongest?" I questioned in disbelief, "Are you guys?" Triston shook his head, "But - Edgor is so weird."

Lisa laughed, "He is in public; Back then he was louder. Though, everytime I saw him outside of the guild he was always so quiet, just starring out into the sky, as if something was about to fall from it." Lisa opened up her lunch box and took a bit out of her sandwich.

"What happened with you and Edgor?" Lisa shrugged, "Lisaaaaa!" Triston whined.

Lisa placed her sandwich down and lightly smiled, "Edgor was such a smooth fellow. A lot of female guild members adored him. I on the other hand despised everyone - since they always made fun of my hair." She said, wrapping her hair around her finger, "One day, these guys from another guild picked on me for my hair. I yelled at them; Some unmentionable things. They beat me down pretty badly; And I provoked them still."

"You don't know when to give up do you?" Triston smirked.

I shot him a look, "I doubt you'd be the one to back down so easily. You stand up every time you get pushed down." Triston frowned and I turned back to Lisa, "Then?"

"They lifted me up by the ends of my hair, and that big lub of guy snarled 'How about we help her out but cutting all her hair off guys!'" I gripped onto my hair as Lisa continued, "I vaguely remember what happened next being knocked out of my witts. I do remember seeing Edgor, standing their with his hands in his pockets, the wind blowing through his dark black hair; He saved me.

When I came to, I was in the hospital. Edgor was in the chair by the bed, starring up at the sky. He smiled at me when I woke up; I asked him why and he replied, 'I didn't want to lose the girl with the beautiful red hair.'"

A smile spread across my face as I was filled with joy, "That's so sweet! I'd love for a guy to sweep in and save me."

"Just wait till I get stronger Aurora." Triston grinned.

I pressed my lips together, "No."

 

I sat at the top of the stairs in front of the palace doors; my home. I starred blankly out toward the town. The drop was at least twenty feet, however, and a bed of crocuses in full bloom lay beneath by the silent town. Neither the flowers nor the earth showed any sign of having been disturbed, nor were there any marks upon the narrow strip of grass which separated the house from the town. It was uncommon for anyone to travel up to the palace. Even my parents and I only take the long way through the back roads instead of disturbing the beautiful landscape that stretched into town.

A sullen roar echoed throughout the sky, threatening a storm to the humans and mages below. Finding myself frightened, I quickly creeped into my sleeping house. A low, stealthy sound came to my ears, from the back of the house. A door opened and shut. An instant later steps crept down the passage -- steps which were meant to be silent, but which reverberated harshly through the empty house.

A face appeared from the darkness, a familiar face that lighten my shoulders when I saw it. He smiled his sweet smile as he always does. Then wrapped his arm around me, sweeping me along to the kitchen where he was destined to go.

I raised myself onto the counter pulling two wine cups from the hooks as my father stepped into the wine cellar. He came up with an -898 Bollinger. I watched as he easily twisted the cork out, barely straining his muscles in the process.

My father was a handsome man; Mid-thirties. His hair was a navy blue, easily mistaken for black. It laid flat on his head, sharpening at the ends as it fell to his neck. Around his neck was a navy blue string that hung his gold pendant on it. His woredrobe contained multiple white v-necks and white dress pants with a red scarf wrapped around his torso. It was a sloppy way for a king to dress, but somehow he managed to win the hearts of Fiore.

He tipped the wine bottle slightly over each cup, letting the red liquid fill up half way. Placing the bottle to the side, he rose his cup to his mouth and chugged the drink down. I only smiled taking my wine to my mouth and sipping it casually.

He poured another glass and leaned against the counter next to me, rolling his wrist, watching the red liquid spin around the cup. I leaned my head down and watched my white hair fall onto my shoulder, "Dad," I asked, "Who did I get my white hair from?"

He stood there for awhile, still as a winter night. Then quickly placed his cup on the counter and moved swiftly out of the room. I listened carefully to the echo of his footsteps that reverbrated throughout the house. A door opened, followed by mumbles and rustling, and shut. More steps, apparent he was walking back to the kitchen, he appeared through the kitchen doors with a large red album in one hand. He laid it on the brown table and I slid off the counter to sit with him.

Pulling out the chair next to him, he opened the album as I took a seat. He pointed to a photo of a pair of children. A young boy with ruffled blue hair and raggid clothes and a small girl with white hair and elegant clothes. Her eyes were wide with adventure and her smile as bright as the sun.

"That was your mother and I before we got married." My father said, keeping his eyes on the photo, "I don't think I ever told you, but your mother was the princess of Fiore - just as you are now. I, on the other hand, was just a poor boy part of a guild."

"I thought Royal's could only marry someone who is also part of a higher family?"

He flipped the page, "Your mother was a real rebel back then. She ran off from home and joined a guild; My  guild."

"Nier's? I didn't know mom was in a guild. I didn't know mom had white hair either!"

My father nodded, slowly drifitng into the past as he reminised on every passing photo. I watched him carefully, how each photo changed his smile, making it thinner and wider. As he turned to a large photo of himself and my mother, she wearing a large white gown and him in a white tux, his smile stretched across his face.

"Can you tell me about it?"

He looked up to me, his smile drooping, "Your mother and I didn't get along that well. She was tough, and I was weak and small. But I was hard headed, and kept pushing even when all hope was lost." He let his eyes drop down to the album once again.

"But that's what makes you a great leader dad." I nodded in reassurement.

"On a job, one where your mothers team and mine joined together, we were beat. Even your mother, the only classified S-Class in our guild was on the ground. Our enemy was sure to kill her, and I felt afraid. Not afraid that I was going to be next. Afraid that I was going to lose that annoying girl who made my life as a guild leader hell.

"I'm not sure what had came over me, but I fought for her. A pathetic fight it was, cause I was down again in less than a minute." He laughed, "But then Jaci grabbed that man's fist just before he swung at me. She held it firm, blood trickling down - just there." He said, poking at the edge of my lip.

"'I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection.'" He quoted, raising his head and chest out. "I knew immediately she was talking about me, because she had described a hard headed man."

"Mom saved you? She sounds incredible." Dad nodded, "How come she doesn't fight anymore?"

I watched his shoulders heave up and down, "After we got married and had you, her life seemed to change from free spirit to trapped bird. She realized she couldn't go risking her life when she had bigger responsibilities."

"But I wasn't even around for seven years. You guys hauled me off into the mountains to live with dragons." I muttered.

Father half heartedly smiled, "Aurora, you know your mother and I love you very much. We support your life choices - whether it's joining a guild or marrying Triston," I shot him a look and he only chuckled before continuing, "What I'm trying to say is, if your mother and I had the choice, we'd have spent every waking moment with you for those seven years."

"Then why?"

He held still, thinking carefully on what to say . He lifted his blue hair from his forehead and let out a long sigh, "There was a prophecy," He started, "That you - our daughter - would cause great pain and destruction. Release the powerful dark mage allowing him to rein on Fiore."