Knight Captains Friday on Sunday - Ch. 7
Jul. 24th, 2011 10:41 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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angemediaKnight Captains late due to pet surgery (went OK, thanks) and my A/C breaking down in 100-degree weather. This chapter, the plot train derails just as soon as it leaves the station for another member to join the group.
7
About a month passed of the most splendid weather.
One day, Gerhard offered to teach me a few of his pirate knife tricks, so he, Cain, and I - plus Giovanni, who wanted to watch - headed out for the front gardens
"OK, now watch me," he said, giving me an unusually sharp glance, and brandished a smallish knife before his eyes.
"Keep your eyes on your prey and swing your hand straight down. The knife'll fly by its own weight." Gerhard demonstrated, and the knife hit a makeshift target on a nearby log with a thunk. "You try!"
I took the knife and did as instructed.
"......Ah--" The knife stuck in the ground, not having made it even halfway to its target.
Gerhard gave a laugh that showed his white teeth, as if to tell me not to worry about it. "You need more strength in that arm of yours! You just practice, and it'll fly farther..."
Just then, the castle's front gate was drawn open, and a carriage entered. Eugene had returned after several days from a rare visit to the city at the foot of the mountain.
And then I heard a voice: "Oh..."
At the graceful man's side stood a little boy - one who looked more a puppy than a person. Straight, short hair, moist, round eyes, pouting lips. He clung tightly to Eugene's sleeve as if in fear - or anticipation.
"What's this!? When did we start running a daycare!?" exclaimed Giovanni, his eyes darting between the boy and me.
"Eugene...who is this child?" Cain asked in a low voice, fixing the boy with a sharp stare.
"Ha ha......" Those dreamlike pale blue eyes twinkled with unknown emotion. "I've done nothing that you yourself have not. This is Renaud...I believe he will be of great help to Lord Leviath."
"The hell!?!?" Gerhard yiped. "Another boy genius?! I keep tellin' you - it's muscles you need on the battlefield, not brains!!"
"Gerhard, you always go too far, even when you're talking... So, Eugene, you really think this child will be of use to us?" Giovanni smirked, edging ever closer. Renaud watched him, blinking like a fish. Then, suddenly, he cried out:
"O...of course!! This is Heaven!!"
We all were dumbfounded by the boy's innocent exclamation.
Eugene looked downward to face the boy. "Heaven?"
"W...well, yes! Y, you see...when I met you in the church, Eugene, I, I thought you were an angel! And then you brought me to this castle so high up above the earth, to meet so many b-beautiful people?? Oh - I see! They must be your angel friends!!"
"Angels - pretty people?? You mean him?!?!" Gerhard gestured with his jaw at Giovanni in utter disgust.
"Shut it, Gerhard!! We don't want to hurt the little darling's feelings, now." Giovanni beamed with self-satisfied pride.
"Oh...are you Heaven's general - the one who protects the gods?"
"Wha--wha--me??" Gerhard looked around in shock to make sure no one else was around him.
"Yes!! I, I mean - you look so strong and all!" Renaud said bashfully, his face beaming. He was very cute when he smiled. He's the one who was sent from Heaven, I thought.
Next, the boy ran up to me. "*Oh*......you're one too, aren't you? There's a picture of you in church......up in the clouds with a sword, vanquishing evil spirits! You look so pretty shining with light...with your golden hair and violet eyes...!"
"I am not an angel. I have nothing to do with that picture you saw." I couldn't stand him looking at me with those questioning eyes, so pure and innocent. What answers could I possibly have for him? I simply stated the truth as plainly and succinctly as I could.
"O-oh......really? I......I see." Their owner puzzled, the boy's eyes returned to wandering about the fort. I had to wonder if he was mentally disturbed.
"Eugene, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
The cry came from Kiefar, who seemed to have just come from the fort. "HOW many times do I have to tell you - WE CANNOT HAVE THAT BRAT IN HERE!!" Kiefar despised children; he thought they only got in his way.
"What's wrong with you, Kiefar?" Eugene shot back with a smirk. "You've seen the boy's power with your own eyes; you should know Renaud's worth. Isn't that right, Lord Leviath?"
Everyone held their breath. Just behind Kiefar, in Eugene's sights, stood Lord Leviath, who had just descended the front steps to the castle. He glanced at Renaud and gave a silent nod of acknowledgment. "This child indeed possesses preternatural innate talent for magecraft... Well done, Eugene."
"Thank you!" Eugene seemed overcome with joy at Lord Leviath's words. At the same time, however, Renaud started acting strangely.
"...!......ah!......" His eyes were wide as saucers. "B...brother......! Of course!...I knew you'd be here......in Heaven...!"
Fat tears ran down his cheeks. Renaud flung his arms open and made to run for Leviath, but Eugene held him tightly back. "Big brother! I just knew I'd see you again!......Brother! Brother!!"
"Renaud, this is not your brother. This is our master, Lord Leviath," Eugene murmured softly and slowly in the sobbing boy's ear.
"L...Leviath...?"
"Your brother is dead. If you see him again, it won't be in this world. But Lord Leviath is here. He is alive. Would you like to serve him, be of use to him?"
"'Serve' him?...B, b, be together with him forever?"
"Of course."
Renaud stopped crying; his expression turned serious. "Y......yes. ......Yes, I would! Please, please let me stay here! I-I'll do anything......please!!"
"Anything". What a horrible promise. I averted my eyes, unable to watch anymore.
Eugene was shamelessly exploiting this boy's grief. He'd stuff his guiltless mind full of magecraft and set him loose on the battlefield.
"How about it, Lord Leviath?"
"Yes......I'll leave him in your care." Lord Leviath turned away and headed with Kiefar toward the stables.
"Thank you!" Eugene gave a reverent word of thanks and embraced Renaud, gently petting his hair. "I'm so glad. This way, we'll always be together."
"Really?"
"Yes. No matter what happens, I'll never let you go."
Renaud's smile lit up the room like the sun. If one's happiness or unhappiness was not a product of one's environment but instead of personal determination...then perhaps he could at least find happiness here.
Is it that way for everyone? Was his joining this corps inevitable - fated?
...Was mine?
7
The Holy Boy
About a month passed of the most splendid weather.
One day, Gerhard offered to teach me a few of his pirate knife tricks, so he, Cain, and I - plus Giovanni, who wanted to watch - headed out for the front gardens
"OK, now watch me," he said, giving me an unusually sharp glance, and brandished a smallish knife before his eyes.
"Keep your eyes on your prey and swing your hand straight down. The knife'll fly by its own weight." Gerhard demonstrated, and the knife hit a makeshift target on a nearby log with a thunk. "You try!"
I took the knife and did as instructed.
"......Ah--" The knife stuck in the ground, not having made it even halfway to its target.
Gerhard gave a laugh that showed his white teeth, as if to tell me not to worry about it. "You need more strength in that arm of yours! You just practice, and it'll fly farther..."
Just then, the castle's front gate was drawn open, and a carriage entered. Eugene had returned after several days from a rare visit to the city at the foot of the mountain.
And then I heard a voice: "Oh..."
At the graceful man's side stood a little boy - one who looked more a puppy than a person. Straight, short hair, moist, round eyes, pouting lips. He clung tightly to Eugene's sleeve as if in fear - or anticipation.
"What's this!? When did we start running a daycare!?" exclaimed Giovanni, his eyes darting between the boy and me.
"Eugene...who is this child?" Cain asked in a low voice, fixing the boy with a sharp stare.
"Ha ha......" Those dreamlike pale blue eyes twinkled with unknown emotion. "I've done nothing that you yourself have not. This is Renaud...I believe he will be of great help to Lord Leviath."
"The hell!?!?" Gerhard yiped. "Another boy genius?! I keep tellin' you - it's muscles you need on the battlefield, not brains!!"
"Gerhard, you always go too far, even when you're talking... So, Eugene, you really think this child will be of use to us?" Giovanni smirked, edging ever closer. Renaud watched him, blinking like a fish. Then, suddenly, he cried out:
"O...of course!! This is Heaven!!"
We all were dumbfounded by the boy's innocent exclamation.
Eugene looked downward to face the boy. "Heaven?"
"W...well, yes! Y, you see...when I met you in the church, Eugene, I, I thought you were an angel! And then you brought me to this castle so high up above the earth, to meet so many b-beautiful people?? Oh - I see! They must be your angel friends!!"
"Angels - pretty people?? You mean him?!?!" Gerhard gestured with his jaw at Giovanni in utter disgust.
"Shut it, Gerhard!! We don't want to hurt the little darling's feelings, now." Giovanni beamed with self-satisfied pride.
"Oh...are you Heaven's general - the one who protects the gods?"
"Wha--wha--me??" Gerhard looked around in shock to make sure no one else was around him.
"Yes!! I, I mean - you look so strong and all!" Renaud said bashfully, his face beaming. He was very cute when he smiled. He's the one who was sent from Heaven, I thought.
Next, the boy ran up to me. "*Oh*......you're one too, aren't you? There's a picture of you in church......up in the clouds with a sword, vanquishing evil spirits! You look so pretty shining with light...with your golden hair and violet eyes...!"
"I am not an angel. I have nothing to do with that picture you saw." I couldn't stand him looking at me with those questioning eyes, so pure and innocent. What answers could I possibly have for him? I simply stated the truth as plainly and succinctly as I could.
"O-oh......really? I......I see." Their owner puzzled, the boy's eyes returned to wandering about the fort. I had to wonder if he was mentally disturbed.
"Eugene, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
The cry came from Kiefar, who seemed to have just come from the fort. "HOW many times do I have to tell you - WE CANNOT HAVE THAT BRAT IN HERE!!" Kiefar despised children; he thought they only got in his way.
"What's wrong with you, Kiefar?" Eugene shot back with a smirk. "You've seen the boy's power with your own eyes; you should know Renaud's worth. Isn't that right, Lord Leviath?"
Everyone held their breath. Just behind Kiefar, in Eugene's sights, stood Lord Leviath, who had just descended the front steps to the castle. He glanced at Renaud and gave a silent nod of acknowledgment. "This child indeed possesses preternatural innate talent for magecraft... Well done, Eugene."
"Thank you!" Eugene seemed overcome with joy at Lord Leviath's words. At the same time, however, Renaud started acting strangely.
"...!......ah!......" His eyes were wide as saucers. "B...brother......! Of course!...I knew you'd be here......in Heaven...!"
Fat tears ran down his cheeks. Renaud flung his arms open and made to run for Leviath, but Eugene held him tightly back. "Big brother! I just knew I'd see you again!......Brother! Brother!!"
"Renaud, this is not your brother. This is our master, Lord Leviath," Eugene murmured softly and slowly in the sobbing boy's ear.
"L...Leviath...?"
"Your brother is dead. If you see him again, it won't be in this world. But Lord Leviath is here. He is alive. Would you like to serve him, be of use to him?"
"'Serve' him?...B, b, be together with him forever?"
"Of course."
Renaud stopped crying; his expression turned serious. "Y......yes. ......Yes, I would! Please, please let me stay here! I-I'll do anything......please!!"
"Anything". What a horrible promise. I averted my eyes, unable to watch anymore.
Eugene was shamelessly exploiting this boy's grief. He'd stuff his guiltless mind full of magecraft and set him loose on the battlefield.
"How about it, Lord Leviath?"
"Yes......I'll leave him in your care." Lord Leviath turned away and headed with Kiefar toward the stables.
"Thank you!" Eugene gave a reverent word of thanks and embraced Renaud, gently petting his hair. "I'm so glad. This way, we'll always be together."
"Really?"
"Yes. No matter what happens, I'll never let you go."
Renaud's smile lit up the room like the sun. If one's happiness or unhappiness was not a product of one's environment but instead of personal determination...then perhaps he could at least find happiness here.
Is it that way for everyone? Was his joining this corps inevitable - fated?
...Was mine?
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no subject
Date: 2011-07-24 02:52 pm (UTC)...
Oh my god, I freakin' love Renaud!! He is just so cute and dear and...oh, I wanna squeeze him!!
Curious about this...
"Thank you!" Eugene gave a reverent word of thanks and embraced Renaud, gently petting his hair. "I'm so glad. This way, we'll always be together."
"Really?"
"Yes. No matter what happens, I'll never let you go."
Judging by Kiefar's reaction to seeing Renaud, something tells me there is definitely a history between Renaud and Eugene.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-24 07:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-25 04:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-25 10:00 pm (UTC)At least Cain, Giovanni and Gerhard act reasonably normal...
no subject
Date: 2011-07-27 02:30 am (UTC)