Dragon Warrior Fan Fiction ❯ The Meaning of Happiness ❯ A Celebration to Remember ( Chapter 1 )

He found a spot under the shade of a tree nearby, glad to escape some of the festivities of the castle. Although he was happy that Rapthorne was dead and the curse on Trodain was lifted, the young palace guard couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed about all the attention he was getting as well as the words of praise by King Trode. He just did what he had to do -- both as a servant to the Kingdom of Trodain and as a promise he made to her, his princess.

Now that things were back to normal, his mind drifted to other matters -- most importantly the arranged marriage between his princess and the useless Prince Charmles of Argonia. His teeth unconsciously clenched shut, fighting back the anger that boiled inside him as he remembered back to the days when he and the others had to escort and accompany him to the country's Royal Hunting Grounds.

"MOVE, you useless creature!"

The sound of the familiar annoying voice of Argonia's crowned Prince and the whinnying of a horse nearby shook him awake as he scrambled to his feet, prepared for battle. It was only when he, Angelo, and Jessica reached to the source of the sounds did the panic in him vanish and change to silent anger.

By the Goddess, the round Prince had somehow managed to get on his princess' back and...well, was trying to ride her. Of course, she wasn't going to let him on that easily. The more the Prince tried to reign her down, the more the princess rebelled. The young man knew that his princess, despite how innocent she looked, could take care of herself when need be but he still couldn't help but feel angry both at himself for not being able to protect her as he should and at the very man she was to marry. Like the others, he wasn't all too happy about the arrangement long before he actually met the man.

Now he definitely didn't want her to marry him, arrangement or not. However the small voice inside him reminded him that it was impossible for royalty to be together with common folk.

The horse finally managed to buck the pathetic Prince off her, backing away from him. The young man took the action as his cue, striding past Angelo, Jessica, and then King Trode, to the place where the obese and spoiled piece of royalty landed to the ground with a heavy thud.

He rarely got angry, yet when he did, logic and reason flew out the window.

"Ow! My poor back! Oh, your worthless horse needs to be ---"

The young man pulled the prince up by the front of his shirt, his eyes breathing fire down the prince's own.

The wider man seemed unfazed by the rough action, immediately frowning at the palace guard as if he had done something wrong. However, the young man didn't care.

"What in the world do you think you are doin---"

The grip on the shirt tightened, its strength very close to strangling the annoying man.

"Listen to me here and listen to me well," the young man cut him off, his eyes flickering between amber and brown -- a trait that he had for as long as he could remember, especially if he was concentrating or angered, "you are very lucky that my comrades and I willingly accepted your father's offer to aid you in these trials or else we would have thrown you to the dragons to eat long ago. However," he leaned a little bit closer, noting the fearful effect it had on the Prince, "it's not wise to make me angry. I can just simply leave you here to fend on your own and tell your father that you simply died in battle."

He paused a little to ensure that his words sunk in. "Do NOT touch her. Ever."

With that, he let go, regaining his former complacent composure when Yangus came running into the camp, exclaiming that a very large Argon lizard just appeared.

His anger calmed as he remembered and smiled faintly at the reactions of his comrades and his king. Angelo joked that he had never seen him so serious and threatening. Jessica expressed surprise. King Trode reprimanded him for his actions much later, but he was still appreciative that the palace guard could exercise who was in charge over the Prince's safety a the time as well as voice the opinion of the majority. His princess also showed her gratitude, but she also expressed her resignation about the marriage -- something he reluctantly expected long ago.

A jumble of mixed feelings circled inside him as he thought about the prospect of having to let her go. Deep down inside, he didn't want to. Since the day he entered the castle with little memory of who he was, they had grown up together. They experienced both the good and the bad times together. They knew each other's faults and they knew each other's talents. He knew she loved him, more than the "older brother" role he set out to be for her. He knew he loved her, but he never voiced them. It was because the one thing that made him keep his distance was the fact that she was the princess to a kingdom and he was merely a palace guard. An orphan brought into the palace out of sympathy.

His pet suddenly scurried out of his pocket, squeaking and gesturing to the young man that someone was approaching them before scuttling off. He looked over to follow where the mouse ran off to only to freeze in mid-action as his eyes locked onto the soft emerald ones of his princess.

She smiled at him, waving a hand to stay put as she came over. Princess Medea of Trodain was still the most beautiful woman he ever knew with her velvet brown hair falling just passed her waist and emerald eyes that always sparkled with a grace that very few women possessed. He noted that her cheeks were a bit flushed, though there was no drink in her hand.

"I thought that you would hide out here, Ryuuichi," she said as soon as she came within hearing distance.

She was the only person who called him by his name. Her father, King Trode, always called him "Ichi" or "my boy", never one to remember his full name clearly. Since the day they met, Yangus called him "Guv", and the others followed suit. It wasn't until they went to the Mystical Spring did his comrades know his real name. But Ryuuichi didn't care what they preferred to call him; names didn't matter much to him anyway.

He gave a slight smile back at her, making sure that none of his troubled thoughts showed.

"Princess, shouldn't you still be at the banquet?" he asked her. "I'm sure that the king will worry again if he can't see where you are."

She frowned at him. "How many times doe I have to tell you to call me 'Medea'? We've known each other for years; you shouldn't be bound by such formality around me."

Ryuuichi sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Prin--Medea."

She took a seat next to him, her smile back on her face. "It's all right, Ryuuichi." Her smile faded a little as she looked down at her hands. "I suppose that is because it's been a while since we've been alone like this."

He forced himself to not look at her and instead stared at the sky. "Hm..."

He wasn't much of a talker, but she already understood that long ago and broke the silence.

"Don't worry about my father," she said. "If he knows that I'm with you, then he won't worry." She paused before looking behind them. "I saw Munchie running back to the banquet by himself. Do you know why?"

A small smile curled on his lips. "Probably to get more cheese. I ran out after the battle."

He heard her laugh and he managed to look back at her, watching as he always did. He knew it wasn't right to think strange thoughts, but he knew that he would miss that laughter after she left.

When she opened her eyes, he resorted back to looking at the sky, not wanting to get caught in the act of staring. Luckily, she didn't catch it this time.

"He's such a brave mouse," she replied. "With an equally brave master."

He twitched a smile, letting her continue.

"I can't thank you enough for staying by our side, Ryuuichi. And everyone else, of course. But...you've stayed with my father and I since the beginning of the curse, always protecting us."

It was his turn to shake his head, looking back at her. "You and the king give me too much praise, Medea. I only did what I had to do."

She was about to protest, but one wave of his hand allowed him to continue.

"Your father allowed me to stay here, a mere war orphan with no family or past. Allowing me to accompany you on your walks in the gardens, observing the royal court without so much of a word, and entering the ranks of the palace guards...Trodain is my family -- I cannot simply stand by and watch it fall to ruin without trying to stop it."

He also wanted to say that he continued to stay with them, protect them, was because he wanted revenge. He was angry at the jester who allowed himself to become possessed by Rapthorne and he was angry at himself for allowing their transformation to happen, knocked out cold by the mere force of the sceptre's magic. Ryuuichi didn't know why he had been the only one not affected by the curse, but he had been determined to change them back and set Trodain free because he was the only person they had left.

There was so much else to say yet the words never came. Lost in his thoughts, he felt a light weight against his body. He automatically tensed, hesitantly looking over.

"...Medea?"

"Is it all right for me to rest like this?" he heard her murmur. "For old times sake?"

He forced his muscles to relax though he continued to look around nervously to make sure that no one saw them together.

Of course, the thought was a bit silly. It seemed like everyone in the castle except for King Trode knew of his princess' feelings for him. He kept his own well-guarded, though Ryuuichi had a feeling that the trio they met over their journeys knew what he knew deep in his heart. Yet he also knew that it wasn't going to last; she would be off to fulfill an old promise between two kingdoms and he would once again be left alone.

Yet a small voice inside him said that it was okay today. Just this once, he could allow himself to be selfish.

Ryuuichi breathed out a sigh and nodded. "...Yeah."

They sat together in silence, watching the sky as it faded from its brilliant blue to dusk, unaware of someone watching them. When dusk faded to night, Ryuuichi gently carried his sleeping princess in his arms into the castle and back to her room.