Fire Emblem Fan Fiction / Fire Emblem Fan Fiction ❯ Guy's Aftermath ❯ Revised Edition ( Chapter 1 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: macross_green 
Guy's feelings about Priscilla
Anime/Manga: Fire Emblem Fan Fiction / Fire Emblem Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 06.21.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 7.0K | Visits: 941 | Status: Completed
Guy's feelings about Priscilla
Anime/Manga: Fire Emblem Fan Fiction / Fire Emblem Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 06.21.2005 | Pages: 3 | Words: 7.0K | Visits: 941 | Status: Completed
Author's Note: This is the same fic, just revised. I thought I could do better, especially after a certain review that I received before for the original. I hope that this receives more applause than the original did, because I did put more thought into this revision. I also reworked the ending a bit, added a few things here and there, and basically intertwined a few things to make this scenario perhaps a little more believable? Personally, I like Guy more than Heath, but Heath is a great character too- Heath gets a lot more writing time than Guy does, however, so I think it's only fair that I give the man his only real pairing. It's either with Priscilla or Lyn, and I prefer Lyn with the tactician more often than not.
---
Less than a year had passed since he had left the troop led by the Pheraen nobleman. The green haired youth was traveling still, in search of tougher opponents and life to be lived. His blade was like new- he had, since his time with the troop, learned to care for the blade that he had made his own life. Guy was a swordmaster. He could repair his blade, keep it sharp and conditioned to be used in any battle he might be a part of. He remembered the earlier days of his training very well.
"Damn you Matthew!" he muttered under his breath, hating the man that had taught him that if he wished to be the best swordfighter in all of Sacae, he would need to be on guard all day, all night, all the time. Not a single second could pass by that he was not aware of. If such occured, that would leave him open to his own demise. Now, Guy could stay awake for about 4 days straight without requiring sleep- a necessary improvement. However, he had learned even more during his earliest training than simply that. He had defeated Matthew a few months ago. No, Guy had not killed him, but presented the thief no time to protect himself before leaving his Killing Edge's blade against the older man's throat.
With the debt paid in full now, and the oathpaper long since burned to ash, he had returned to Sacae to continue his training. He had wiped out the Ganelon bandits on his own, a rather simple effort really that did nothing more than build up his effort to become better. In a few more months, he would have to meet his old master, the man named Karel. That swordmaster had taught him many techniques, the strict and almost inhuman man finally forcing himself to stop teaching the young Sacaen before his body took over control, and would force him to kill Guy. A promise he had made then, one to return to face the swordmaster in a year's time. That year was very nearly up, and Guy was afraid.
Indeed, though he practiced every day and had become stronger, he feared the fate that so many others had tasted. Death was something that the young swordmaster had not ever wanted to face, especially alone. He wanted to become a great knight, a swordfighter of the Kutolah. But no, he could not return to his tribe. Not before proving himself to himself. Inside, the green haired one was far too trusting, too reliant on others. He could not provide for himself, could not hunt. But, that was not the worst of it all.
---
It had been a rainy day when Guy met the young woman for a first time. He knew not when she had seen him, but she had nearly snuck up upon him before he had noticed her astride that steed of hers. "Umm..." was all that she said as she neared the then-myrmidon. Guy looked up to the red-haired maiden's face, surprised as he turned around, and stepped back. The shock of her closeness had surprised him overly much, and he wound up cutting his cheek upon the blade he had been cleaning off with a bit of cloth as he swept it backwards.
"Gah!" was all that the myrmidon said, wincing as he felt his cheek carefully, where he had cut himself. Not a deep cut at all, but the red of blood did seep from it within a few seconds. He felt foolish, his face turning red a little. He had been so jumpy then! The small amount of blood pooled, and then trickled along his cheek. He sheathed the blade quickly enough, even as he wiped the small amount of blood from himself with the cloth.
"Oh, wait!" and the girl on the horse held out her staff, a Heal staff no less, towards him and an aura of energy of some sort came from it and her before encompassing him. The wave of energy passed over him, causing Guy to shiver a little before letting out a "Hm?"
"Your right cheek is cut... There, that should do it." she said to him, and she gave the myrmidon a pleasant smile. Guy was simply silent at the attention she had given him. How was he to explain this to himself? She used her knees to guide her horse from the saddle as she gave a quick glance about the field, and then looked back to the man she had just helped. "Please, don't be afraid to tell me when you are hurt. Farewell." and with that, the red haired woman was off.
"But... it was barely a scratch. Strange girl." he said to himself, as he watched the girl head elsewhere within the battle. Then he was engaged against a mercenary, and thought of that woman was gone.
---
That had been the beginning of everything. Since that time, he grew to have friends within the troop. Sain had been an interesting man... a scoundrel, really. He kind of missed his antics, going to different women within the troop and watching him get turned away each and every time. Kent, however... he had been the kind of person that Guy strived to become. Serious, always looking to the next mission, becoming stronger and protecting someone. Guy only wanted to protect his tribe, his family.
Lyn had been a wonderful sparring partner. The Lady Lyndis of Caelin was also from Sacae, and was ever stronger than anyone he had ever faced before. She could even hunt! She had all the qualities of a swordfighter from the plains- she could fend for herself. That was all that was normally required, after all. He also became a sparring partner of Raven's, and he found himself matched quite well against the mercenary. He was pretty quick and even stronger than Guy was. He was not, however, as precise, and Guy usually tore him apart, especially once Raven began using an axe.
But it was Priscilla, the red haired troubador, that he found himself thinking of more and more often. She had taken the time to come over to him during battle to see if he needed healing- at the time, he hadn't, but it was just as well that she had arrived. After all, he had cut himself with his own blade from the shock of the woman coming close to him as she had. The girl remained in his mind, a stray thought here and there pestering him about her. Why would such a... beautiful, almost angelic girl be out here, among the grunts of a group of fighters? They were such a ragtag band of people, and she seemed to have no need to be with them in the slightest.
Of course, he started to stray closer to the camp from now on, hearing things. Oh, he might not be able to care for himself, really, but his curiosity often brought him closer to the others. He and Raven chatted every so often- the red haired man seemed similar to the girl whose presence seemed to haunt him so often these days. When he could spare it, he watched Priscilla as often as he could. When he found her eyes upon him once in a while, Guy would quickly turn away before anyone could detect the flush that arose on his cheeks.
When he felt her come closer, once or twice, he would slip away through the small crowd, often claiming the need to speak with Matthew or Sain. The first time he did such, however, he wound up tripping over a set of pots and was then chased away by Lowen, who brandished a large skewer- also known as a Steel Lance, of course. It was after that time, and the subsequent visit to Serra that he had been burdened with (such a loud, noisy woman. It was a wonder that Erk could ever put up with the girl!), that he vowed to himself that he would be much more careful with his watchings of the beautiful troubador. But nothing could have prepared him for their next encounter.
---
"Woah! Watch out!" Guy exclaimed. This time, he had been training harder and longer, and was much more aware when a horse clad in blue cloth found its way coming straight at him. What was the rider thinking? There was no knight in the saddle, it was that troubador again! And, she seemed to be having some trouble for some reason, though she did snap out of whatever it had been distracting her as she pulled on the reins quickly as she heard his words.
"What? Eeeek!" she cried, and the horse bucked upwards, pitching the red-haired one from her saddle. With a speed associated mostly to Sacaens, Guy had moved to catch her, and managed to get her to land on her feet. What a strange girl, he thought... though, he was also strange, in so far that he was pleased that he had managed to keep her from falling completely.
"What!?" he said to her, checking the girl over- she was a little younger than he was, it seemed, and did not seem to be suffering any ill effects from the spill she had just managed to avoid. She seemed to be in a daze, only an "Ahh..." escaping her as she shook her head, her free hand moving to her forehead as the other continued to clutch the Mend staff that she now used.
"Are you OK?" he asked her now, concern now showing. Of course he was concerned, for their tactician had Serra sit this battle out, and the troubador was the only healer on the field for their side. She seemed to regain her senses at this, and looked up to the myrmidon, a smile gracing her face as she nodded slowly.
"Y-yes, I'm fine. My concentration broke, and I lost my balance." she replied, to which Guy could only nod to. In his mind though, he was practically saying that that was an understatement! He helped her to steady herself before speaking again, acutely aware of how close they were at the moment. That alone caused him to blush a little, much as how the troubador was doing as well.
"Come on, stand up now. If I hadn't been there, you might have been hurt." was the myrmidon's words, which he rather regretted as soon as he said them. Indeed, Guy was not exactly the lady's man of the group. But at least he had not Sain's knack at getting turned away every time! Priscilla smiled again, regaining her balance, and then she moved to her horse and got back astride her steed before she turned to face the young man who had helped her.
"Yes... I must thank you, Guy." she told him, and he blinked, taking a step back involuntarily in surprise. She... she knew his name? How? Better yet, why? Why would she care to know the name of a mercenary such as himself?
"Huh!? How do you know my name?" was his question in reply, to which Priscilla simply smiled that same smile she had given him the first time that they had met.
"Well, I saw you around, so I asked Merlinus." was her answer, and Guy could feel the heat rush to his cheeks. No... Dammit, no! Not now! Mother Earth and Father Sky, why do you torment me? She had seen him around. Just how often? On purpose, perhaps, or was it simply coincidence that she had seen him around the camp?
"You saw me... around. So you know... Waaauughhh!" and the myrmidon, thoroughly embarassed, turned and ran straight towards the battle, where the troubador knew better than to enter into unless absolutely necessary. From where she remained, she watched the retreating myrmidon
"Wait! Don't go!" she called after him. Anything else she might have said was drowned out by the sound of battle as the myrmidon came alongside Kent and they both began to battle the enemies to be found there.
---
His questing to watch the red haired woman soon became a passion that not even the teasing of Sain could deny. Oh, he watched as the cavalier flirted with the red-haired girl, soon becoming jealous of the man's ability to speak to her so easily. His own words, each time he had spoken with her, had been ill-timed and very difficult to provide. Why should it be so difficult to speak to the troubador? Surely he was not afraid of her... Her presence demanded attention from those about her, the way she carried herself in and out of battle surely caught the attention of all in the camp.
It was then that Guy had realized something- like it or not, he was starting to fall in love. With Priscilla! How could he, a Kutolah tribesman from Sacae, fall for such a woman from Lycia? Oh, she must be from Lycia, for no women from Bern had yet joined the troop. The only woman to join from Bern had been Vaida... and the woman had kept Merlinus completely terrified of her from the first day she had joined the troop.
But, during one battle after he had begun debating the origins of this beautiful girl, he couldn't help but to notice the one he was beginning to fall for come closer to Raven. Under the guise of heading into the forest nearby to keep cover against the incoming enemies that were steadily creeping closer, he watched and listened to the two red-haired ones. Then he came close enough to actually hear what they were saying to one another, and he relaxed, knowing that no enemies were within striking distance and that the two were too busy talking to pay attention to him. For once, Priscilla had dismounted from her steed, and was now shorter than the man she stood before.
"What?" she asked, her lovely voice climbing higher than usual as she beseeched the red haired man who she had confronted. "B-But why?" she cried again, watching the older man closely, as if trying to make eye-contact with him that would not soon be broken. Raven gazed away, silent still as he seemed not to care to answer her query. Guy shifted uneasily as he listened to this... why was she so upset because of the man before her? "Please, don't make me leave! Not after I came all this way to see you again..."
It was at this point that Guy's heart strained. To see Raven again? Was that the reason? Perhaps they were... engaged to be wed? He shuddered a little- as he had suspected before, it seemed as if his becoming enamoured with this beautiful princess of a girl was ill-timed. Then he was surprised as the man grasped her shoulders, giving Priscilla a gentle shake before he actually did speak to her again. "But, there are things I must do." he told the girl he held in his hands sternly. "And I don't want you getting involved!" he exclaimed, releasing her after a moment. Rough, but gentle at the same time, yet Guy's blood seemed to boil as he watched this play out.
"Lord Brother! Are you planning something dangerous?" she asked, in a voice that Guy found difficult to hear. He nodded slightly, the newly made swordmaster shivering softly. Indeed, if the man had planned something dangerous, then perhaps he need look no further. If Raven was to set his hands upon this girl again in such a manner... and then Guy blinked in surprise, what Priscilla had said finally registering.
"Brother?" he asked himself, looking between the two. He had been right before. There was slightly more than a passing resemblance, obviously enough. Why had he not simply put two and two together? Then again, math was not quite something he was best at. Still though, he felt ashamed that his poor sense had kept the fact that the two were family from his mind.
"... It's nothing you need know of." was the curt reply, and Guy watched as the man's sister nearly fell to her knees before him. He couldn't see her face from here, blocked as she was by the bulk of Raven's body and armor, but he could tell even from here that she must be near to tears.
"It is something dangerous!" she cried, the sound of her own heart breaking, it seemed, evident in the very air that she spoke into with her brother. "Then, now more than ever, I cannot be made to leave! If you are to face danger, then let me face it at your side!" she exclaimed, and Guy nodded as he watched and listened, quietly. He could see her right arm extend upwards, towards her brother's tunic, and the man just glared down at her. Guy wished he could see just what was in Raven's eyes at that moment, to see if he felt remorse for what he had just done to his sister.
But that wasn't the worst of it yet! "You're not listening, Priscilla." Raven said to her, his voice crisp, clear... and scornful. "You were sent to Etruria for adoption-- You are no longer of House Cornwell." and Guy couldn't help but to gasp, unknowingly at the same time that Priscilla had done so as well. Such a powerful and rude thing to say to his own kin, one as young as she was? It was grievously wrong. And a lie, of course. Guy was from Sacae, where lies were frowned upon completely. Perhaps... perhaps lies could be done for the good of another, if used correctly? Nay! Never! And yet... Raven, this man he had held with honor before. But behold, for her brother had not finished speaking as yet! "And... I am not your brother."
Then the red haired man sprinted away towards the frontlines as Mark's voice carried on the wind, providing orders for the troop. This left the young girl only to kneel upon the grass beneath her, and he could only watch as she began to weep. "Lord Brother!" she cried aloud, into the wind and to the only one that could hear her, though she could not know that. "How could... Lord Brother!" she cried even louder, her crying bringing only pain to her as her brother left her there, by herself, as if to try and force the fact of what he had said to her but a moment before.
Guy simply left the forest as he heard Mark call for him, moving slowly as he walked past the girl whose heart was quite obviously breaking. He wanted to be with her, to comfort her... but could not, not yet. Mark had a trio of brigands that were closing in on the heartbroken troubador, and he saw them. The Killing Edge made it's appearance- these three would be no match, and he would not allow a single one to pass to attack the girl that was now out of the battle. Anger seemed to flash in his eyes as he darted towards the brigands. The aftermath of that, however, was one too gruesome for many to see.
---
It was after that battle that Guy met with Priscilla again. Her eyes were rather red and she seemed very tired- indeed, Guy could understand why, quite easily. It certainly wasn't easy for the swordmaster, taking time away from training himself as he had been doing for quite some time to face the emotionally-harmed girl, but someone had to do it. None in the camp had managed to get her to speak to them. Lyn, Sain, even Serra (who had never liked Priscilla too well) had all attempted to get her to speak. Raven remained ever away from his sister, to not draw attention to himself. The only one who seemed to know what had happened, outside of Priscilla and Raven, as well as Guy, was Mark. But he was not one to tell a soul as to the personal lives of others, of course.
Guy came to Priscilla as she sat away from the camp, which had been set up not far from where she had been weeping earlier in the day during the battle. It broke his own heart to watch the girl cry, and he sat down beside her, his sheathed blade edging away from her as he looked to the girl. It seemed to take a strength that he never had known himself to possess before as he slid his left hand to the girl's right hand... and almost an eternity passed as his hand rested above her hand, untouching before she just clasped his hand and leaned in to his shoulder.
His shoulder and sleeve were soaked through by the time she was finished with her weeping. Guy just sat there beside her, and had his eyes closed. Karel could wait, his training could easily wait- this girl needed someone to lean on, a shoulder to cry into. The swordmaster rested there with her, unmoving, though it was obvious. So completely obvious. But, he could not find words to say, either about her brother or about his feelings for the young girl. The light grew dim, and then it was gone, darkness lit up only by stars that came from behind the dark clouds overhead. The girl was asleep, and Guy picked her up and took her to the tent she shared with Rebecca, so she may actually gain the rest she truly needed this night.
---
It was during the next battle that his feelings finally caught up with him- he had been unable to keep them in check, this final time. He had been thinking about everything for several days now, his training having forced him into doing so as he began preparing himself for the duel that would take place in just under a year from this very day, between himself and his master. He worried for Priscilla, though the last few days since that battle where Raven had confronted her had seen her become more cheerful... most notably, while around the swordmaster.
"Hahh. I can't beleive it... I'm so pitiful." Guy said to himself, under his breath, wistfully. He was standing alone near the eastern bridge, where the tactician had said that nomads and nomad troopers were nearing. He didn't even hear any signs of battle- the nomads must have gone a different way.
"Why do you say that?" came a woman's voice from behind him. Guy didn't notice the voice for some reason, but did hear the words easily enough. The voice did, however, register in his mind- which made him think that the voice was simply the person's that he was thinking about in his head, and not that she could be standing right behind him.
"Well, it's just that when I found out you'd noticed me all this time... ...I'm so pitiful." was the swordmaster's response to the valkyrie. Both had been promoted in earlier battles, earning their new titles by using items that had been found by the tactician.
"All this time?" was the question asked next. Yet another question that the voice of the girl he liked asked him, inside his head? Ah... well, may as well answer the question. It was not as if she was right here with him, after all.
"Well, from the moment I first saw her, I kept asking myself, what's a girl like that doing on a battlefield? I thought about her all the time..." he replied to the voice. An honest answer, really. He had been thinking about her, practically every day. Save for the times when he had been training with Master Karel, that is.
"Her?" the voice asked. The voice was intrigued, even a little mischievous. Then Guy blinked and turned around to look over his shoulder. And there she was! The girl he had been thinking of for so long now, had been answering in his mind aloud... But no, she had actually been behind him, listening to him ramble on all this time!
"What!? Eeep!!!" was all that Guy could muster to say in reply. His face was almost as red as the girl's hair, though one could not truly see the splendid color of the valkyrie's hair underneath the hat that she wore. He glanced to the ground, mind racing as his heart did the same.
"Oh, excuse me. I didn't mean to disturb you." was what Priscilla said to the young swordmaster, but she remained looking at him. It seemed as if she had meant to disturb him, actually... To get answers to questions without his realizing it! But no, Guy could not be angry with this girl.
"Oh... my heart..." was all that he said, barely audible to the valkyrie who sat seated upon her steed. She blinked, perhaps a little surprised herself, and then that smile that she had smiled before was on the girl's face again, and melted what little sense that Guy had remaining within his head to the point of not knowing just how to continue speaking with the woman.
"So what about... a girl like me?" Priscilla asked, and Guy blinked. It took a moment for him to be able to realize that he would need to reply to a question like that, though the redness of his cheeks should really have been enough to answer for him without the need to voice it aloud.
"Err... I, uhhh..." stammered the rather beleagured swordmaster. How could he possibly answer her without hurting her feelings or lying? For indeed, lying was something that the man from Sacae could not do. It was against the honor of the tribes of the plains to lie for any reason. His mind was racing still, reason slowly coming back to the green-haired man, but not before Priscilla spoke again.
"You, uhhh... what?" she asked, teasing the swordmaster. Mother Earth, Father Sky... please, do not begrudge a fool his heart, he thought to himself, and he glanced to the sky before looking back to the valkyrie before him. Finally, with barely enough wits to his name to outsmart Bartre, he replied to her in an almost intelligent manner.
"I... you know... I think you're, umm, cu--" he began, but...
"Yes?" she cut him off. She seemed eager to get an answer from the swordmaster, for some reason. Surely, she could not like Guy as he liked her? Was it at all possible?
"Um, I mean that you're uhh... curious!" he managed. Curious? By Elimine, no! Cute! Beautiful! By far the most graceful and beautiful and cute and amazing woman that he had ever met, yes! Curious? She was certainly curious to him as well. It was no lie. But then, it also was not the entire truth, and it hurt his heart to say such. When his answer was met by a questioning gaze and silence, his eyes fell to the ground before he could speak to Priscilla again.
"Yeah, well, you looked like you needed a pal, so I showed up, just like that!" he said, looking up to the valkyrie again. She was just watching him with that same look, and inwardly he set a thousand curses upon his mind for defying what his heart wanted him to say. Silence, once more, was his only reward for the half-truth he had given. A pal? A lifelong partner, perhaps, is what he meant! But no... they were from two separate worlds.
"Don't look so distressed. I won't pry into your personal affairs." he said quietly, looking her in the eyes now as he smiled weakly. This time, she watched him carefully as she seemed to understand what he was saying.
"Really?" she asked, quiet as well. She did not seem to thrilled about this, not in the slightest. Guy could tell that she felt strongly for him, and he hoped that she could see that he felt just as strongly for her as well. Their eyes remained locked for a moment longer, and then the swordmaster spoke once more.
"When I see a woman in need, I just want to help. That's the way we are, back in Sacae!" he told the young woman. She seemed to smile softly at that, the first smile she had given him having faded with the silence that had existed between the two. It was likely the closest that they would get, at this point, toward anything that either could say upon the battlefield to one another.
"Thank you, Guy." she said hesitantly, the smile still on her face, though her eyes looked a bit sad. Guy's own heart was breaking- there was so much more he wanted to tell her! But just then, they both heard the thundering of hooves, and in the distance, across the bridge, he saw a trio of enemies- a nomadic trooper and two nomads. With a small smile, he looked up to the girl he liked so much, and winked to her.
"Oh, yeah... Uhh. Leave it to me!" he told her, and when she smiled brightly and nodded, the swordmaster went off after the enemies that had appeared, drawing his Killing Edge to defeat his opponents up close... and personal.
---
Guy had fallen in love with Priscilla. But with things unfinished between himself and master Karel, as well as the fact that Priscilla was royalty... Guy had to leave her before she could try and say good bye to him. It was her smile that he saw more than anything, that loving and knowing smile that she had given him the last time that they had seen one another. Indeed, though he would have enjoyed staying with her, it certainly would not have worked. Their lives were too different.
She was a noblewoman, of house Caerleon. He was a mercenary warrior, a swordmaster of Sacae. His love for her would never work out, for there were far too many who would rather see her marry someone of noble birth and upbringing. It was this loss of love that drove him now, the thought of seeing Priscilla one last time before he would battle Master Karel driving him to Etruria. He had left Sacae a few months ago and was hired on as a guard for a merchant on his way to the country of Etruria.
He left the merchant's employ a few days ago, having arrived in the country of magic, and the swordmaster journeyed to the territory that Caerleon ruled over. Here he was now, known as a traveling swordmaster, as he stepped up towards the gates of the castle. But as he did so, a neigh behind him caught the swordfighter's attention, and swiftly the young man turned.
Of course... it was her. The Valkyrie who had claimed his heart as her own. The long red hair tugged at his memory, her smile at his heart. One could never fully understand that which would drive her to be gone from the castle at the same time he would arrive. It was something only love could bring to the two, the two who had fallen in love on the battlefield. He smiled- it was the first time that the swordmaster had done so, ever since leaving the troop before they could say goodbye. She smiled in return- unknown to him, it was also the first time she had given a whole-hearted smile to anyone since their unsaid farewell.
Guy took out his blade and saluted his love with it, the flat of the blade pressed against his forehead gently. Priscilla raised her staff, saluting him in return in the same way, and they both continued to smile as Guy sheathed his blade and walked away. She knew already what was to happen- and she turned in beside him, keeping her steed going at a slow pace, so as not to leave her love behind. The two walked together, and Guy couldn't help the feelings that being so close to her had brought to the fore. He loved her so much... but now, when it was so close to the time he must meet with Karel, it was not the time to say such a thing.
Once more, he turned away from her as they reached the gate of the walled city. It was her weeping that he could not stand, would kill him more surely than any strike from Karel's Wo Dao possibly could. The wounds of leaving her the first time opened within his heart once more, a resolve in his mind and heart to return forcing him to will himself forward. In a month's time or so, he would meet with his one-time master, and then, in what may very well be his last battle, Guy would face the sword demon in a duel to the last.
---
It was a stormy day when at last it was time. The man called the Sword Demon waited unmoving upon the slickened battlefield that would be the last place that one of two combatants would stand alive. The wind was wild and thunder crashed overhead, lightning flashing to illuminate the expanse of the plains. It was between two such flashes of lightning that Guy found himself standing before the sword demon himself. Before Guy, he held the Killing Edge in the same fashion he always had. Before Karel, the long blade called a Wo Dao was held. Both blades dripped with moisture, a light rain having begun to fall. They seemed to weep for the blood that was about to be shed.
There was not a word said between the two swordmasters. The time for speaking was long over. Karel had barely managed to restrain his killing appetite to this day, when he might face an opponent who could possibly be stronger than he was. He who had carried the faerie blade for years had yearned for a time, an opponent, who might provide the challenge to end his challenges. Yet the man before him... possessed no killing need, no reason to fight save to become the best. It would be so easily done, to end the life of the young swordmaster he had met but a little over a year ago today.
Another flash of lightning, and both were moving. Sword clashed against sword in displays of mastery- slashing, thrusting, and parrying, all thoughts of predictable attacks were set aside. The battle continued on instinct alone. They dodged, blades weaved and the heavens crashed as the battle raged onwards, with neither managing to land a powerful strike to end the life of the other. In Guy's mind, only one thing remained. One person, the reason for his remaining in this world. In Karel's mind, his body, heart, and mind thrilled to the feel of battle against one who was so skilled and quick. Indeed, this would be the day that one or the other were killed, and Karel knew only that he would defeat the man he had trained for but a short while before.
The master weaved in closer and then swiped with his blade. A cry of pain escaped Guy, and then Karel himself grunted as he felt the cold heat of a blade strike into his side. Both were wounded now, and the battle continued as blood seeped from both swordmasters. The rain intensified, both men soaked to the bone now and bleeding badly as their movements did not slow. If one slowed, the other would win. Endurance tested their might, strength sapped by cold and exhaustion, yet both persevered. Then, the unthinkable happened. Guy jumped backwards, and then seemed to disappear into many afterimages as he darted forward, toward the sword demon.
Several flashes escaped and then a cry from far away caught both warriors' attention. As Karel stumbled back while Guy came back into view, Guy felt the faerie sword once more cleave deeply into his side. Both men fell, and both had their eyes closed. Guy could feel the pounding on the ground- thunder from above, perhaps? No... too steady. "I... lose..." he whispered into the air, and he fell back limp to the muddy plain beneath him, feeling much of his life leave him.
"No.... Guy!" came that same voice that he had thought he had heard cry out a moment ago. It was a beautiful voice, one that gave him hope and brought back to his heart some warmth... warmth that he had thought he had lost but weeks ago. The pounding he had felt suddenly stop, and his eyes opened wearily as the swordmaster attempted to make out the dark figure standing over him. He had a feeling he knew who it was, and he just nodded slightly before collapsing once more to the ground that he lay upon. So Karel wished to finish him off now... So be it. He had but one regret.
But it was not a blade that he felt in his heart, to end that which had been about to voice the regret he carried within him. Instead, it was but a heat that he had not felt in a long while, not since before the rain of this day had begun, and still continued to do. Warmth... and another feeling. Was his strength returning? How could it be returning? He shuddered, soaked still but he could feel his weakness fading away. Perhaps... he was not to die by Karel's hand this day? Guy's eyes opened slowly, rain falling into them as he blinked slowly, his hands finding purchase upon the mud that lay about him, the grass trampled away by his and the sword demon's own movements.
"Guy! Oh Elimine, thank you! Guy, you're alive!" was the same voice, and then there was a body pressed against his as he felt a new warmth about him. A body's warmth. A woman's warmth. And the voice brought back so much warmth that it now mattered not that he was all wet and had been about to die. Priscilla, he knew, from her voice and her presence, was here now. His arms moved about her and he rejoiced, mind and soul, that the woman he loved was here with him, on the day that he had thought he would die.
---
Not far away, Karel stood, the blunt side of his faerie blade resting upon his shoulder as he watched the two without emotion in his eyes. And then, he smiled, not the cruel smile that he was known for, but something that was altogether much more tender. Now his heart knew that which had not seen before in his lifetime. The boy he had trained had grown up and fought for more than just to become the best swordsman ever... he fought for honor and love, and that was something that had given him the ability to live. Perhaps, he thought. Perhaps, that was the true meaning of being a swordsman.
---
Author's note: Well now, not too shabby of a rewrite, is it? I personally like this ending a bit better than the previous one, since it does tie up two loose ends at once. hehe. What do you guys think? Please leave a review!
---
Less than a year had passed since he had left the troop led by the Pheraen nobleman. The green haired youth was traveling still, in search of tougher opponents and life to be lived. His blade was like new- he had, since his time with the troop, learned to care for the blade that he had made his own life. Guy was a swordmaster. He could repair his blade, keep it sharp and conditioned to be used in any battle he might be a part of. He remembered the earlier days of his training very well.
"Damn you Matthew!" he muttered under his breath, hating the man that had taught him that if he wished to be the best swordfighter in all of Sacae, he would need to be on guard all day, all night, all the time. Not a single second could pass by that he was not aware of. If such occured, that would leave him open to his own demise. Now, Guy could stay awake for about 4 days straight without requiring sleep- a necessary improvement. However, he had learned even more during his earliest training than simply that. He had defeated Matthew a few months ago. No, Guy had not killed him, but presented the thief no time to protect himself before leaving his Killing Edge's blade against the older man's throat.
With the debt paid in full now, and the oathpaper long since burned to ash, he had returned to Sacae to continue his training. He had wiped out the Ganelon bandits on his own, a rather simple effort really that did nothing more than build up his effort to become better. In a few more months, he would have to meet his old master, the man named Karel. That swordmaster had taught him many techniques, the strict and almost inhuman man finally forcing himself to stop teaching the young Sacaen before his body took over control, and would force him to kill Guy. A promise he had made then, one to return to face the swordmaster in a year's time. That year was very nearly up, and Guy was afraid.
Indeed, though he practiced every day and had become stronger, he feared the fate that so many others had tasted. Death was something that the young swordmaster had not ever wanted to face, especially alone. He wanted to become a great knight, a swordfighter of the Kutolah. But no, he could not return to his tribe. Not before proving himself to himself. Inside, the green haired one was far too trusting, too reliant on others. He could not provide for himself, could not hunt. But, that was not the worst of it all.
---
It had been a rainy day when Guy met the young woman for a first time. He knew not when she had seen him, but she had nearly snuck up upon him before he had noticed her astride that steed of hers. "Umm..." was all that she said as she neared the then-myrmidon. Guy looked up to the red-haired maiden's face, surprised as he turned around, and stepped back. The shock of her closeness had surprised him overly much, and he wound up cutting his cheek upon the blade he had been cleaning off with a bit of cloth as he swept it backwards.
"Gah!" was all that the myrmidon said, wincing as he felt his cheek carefully, where he had cut himself. Not a deep cut at all, but the red of blood did seep from it within a few seconds. He felt foolish, his face turning red a little. He had been so jumpy then! The small amount of blood pooled, and then trickled along his cheek. He sheathed the blade quickly enough, even as he wiped the small amount of blood from himself with the cloth.
"Oh, wait!" and the girl on the horse held out her staff, a Heal staff no less, towards him and an aura of energy of some sort came from it and her before encompassing him. The wave of energy passed over him, causing Guy to shiver a little before letting out a "Hm?"
"Your right cheek is cut... There, that should do it." she said to him, and she gave the myrmidon a pleasant smile. Guy was simply silent at the attention she had given him. How was he to explain this to himself? She used her knees to guide her horse from the saddle as she gave a quick glance about the field, and then looked back to the man she had just helped. "Please, don't be afraid to tell me when you are hurt. Farewell." and with that, the red haired woman was off.
"But... it was barely a scratch. Strange girl." he said to himself, as he watched the girl head elsewhere within the battle. Then he was engaged against a mercenary, and thought of that woman was gone.
---
That had been the beginning of everything. Since that time, he grew to have friends within the troop. Sain had been an interesting man... a scoundrel, really. He kind of missed his antics, going to different women within the troop and watching him get turned away each and every time. Kent, however... he had been the kind of person that Guy strived to become. Serious, always looking to the next mission, becoming stronger and protecting someone. Guy only wanted to protect his tribe, his family.
Lyn had been a wonderful sparring partner. The Lady Lyndis of Caelin was also from Sacae, and was ever stronger than anyone he had ever faced before. She could even hunt! She had all the qualities of a swordfighter from the plains- she could fend for herself. That was all that was normally required, after all. He also became a sparring partner of Raven's, and he found himself matched quite well against the mercenary. He was pretty quick and even stronger than Guy was. He was not, however, as precise, and Guy usually tore him apart, especially once Raven began using an axe.
But it was Priscilla, the red haired troubador, that he found himself thinking of more and more often. She had taken the time to come over to him during battle to see if he needed healing- at the time, he hadn't, but it was just as well that she had arrived. After all, he had cut himself with his own blade from the shock of the woman coming close to him as she had. The girl remained in his mind, a stray thought here and there pestering him about her. Why would such a... beautiful, almost angelic girl be out here, among the grunts of a group of fighters? They were such a ragtag band of people, and she seemed to have no need to be with them in the slightest.
Of course, he started to stray closer to the camp from now on, hearing things. Oh, he might not be able to care for himself, really, but his curiosity often brought him closer to the others. He and Raven chatted every so often- the red haired man seemed similar to the girl whose presence seemed to haunt him so often these days. When he could spare it, he watched Priscilla as often as he could. When he found her eyes upon him once in a while, Guy would quickly turn away before anyone could detect the flush that arose on his cheeks.
When he felt her come closer, once or twice, he would slip away through the small crowd, often claiming the need to speak with Matthew or Sain. The first time he did such, however, he wound up tripping over a set of pots and was then chased away by Lowen, who brandished a large skewer- also known as a Steel Lance, of course. It was after that time, and the subsequent visit to Serra that he had been burdened with (such a loud, noisy woman. It was a wonder that Erk could ever put up with the girl!), that he vowed to himself that he would be much more careful with his watchings of the beautiful troubador. But nothing could have prepared him for their next encounter.
---
"Woah! Watch out!" Guy exclaimed. This time, he had been training harder and longer, and was much more aware when a horse clad in blue cloth found its way coming straight at him. What was the rider thinking? There was no knight in the saddle, it was that troubador again! And, she seemed to be having some trouble for some reason, though she did snap out of whatever it had been distracting her as she pulled on the reins quickly as she heard his words.
"What? Eeeek!" she cried, and the horse bucked upwards, pitching the red-haired one from her saddle. With a speed associated mostly to Sacaens, Guy had moved to catch her, and managed to get her to land on her feet. What a strange girl, he thought... though, he was also strange, in so far that he was pleased that he had managed to keep her from falling completely.
"What!?" he said to her, checking the girl over- she was a little younger than he was, it seemed, and did not seem to be suffering any ill effects from the spill she had just managed to avoid. She seemed to be in a daze, only an "Ahh..." escaping her as she shook her head, her free hand moving to her forehead as the other continued to clutch the Mend staff that she now used.
"Are you OK?" he asked her now, concern now showing. Of course he was concerned, for their tactician had Serra sit this battle out, and the troubador was the only healer on the field for their side. She seemed to regain her senses at this, and looked up to the myrmidon, a smile gracing her face as she nodded slowly.
"Y-yes, I'm fine. My concentration broke, and I lost my balance." she replied, to which Guy could only nod to. In his mind though, he was practically saying that that was an understatement! He helped her to steady herself before speaking again, acutely aware of how close they were at the moment. That alone caused him to blush a little, much as how the troubador was doing as well.
"Come on, stand up now. If I hadn't been there, you might have been hurt." was the myrmidon's words, which he rather regretted as soon as he said them. Indeed, Guy was not exactly the lady's man of the group. But at least he had not Sain's knack at getting turned away every time! Priscilla smiled again, regaining her balance, and then she moved to her horse and got back astride her steed before she turned to face the young man who had helped her.
"Yes... I must thank you, Guy." she told him, and he blinked, taking a step back involuntarily in surprise. She... she knew his name? How? Better yet, why? Why would she care to know the name of a mercenary such as himself?
"Huh!? How do you know my name?" was his question in reply, to which Priscilla simply smiled that same smile she had given him the first time that they had met.
"Well, I saw you around, so I asked Merlinus." was her answer, and Guy could feel the heat rush to his cheeks. No... Dammit, no! Not now! Mother Earth and Father Sky, why do you torment me? She had seen him around. Just how often? On purpose, perhaps, or was it simply coincidence that she had seen him around the camp?
"You saw me... around. So you know... Waaauughhh!" and the myrmidon, thoroughly embarassed, turned and ran straight towards the battle, where the troubador knew better than to enter into unless absolutely necessary. From where she remained, she watched the retreating myrmidon
"Wait! Don't go!" she called after him. Anything else she might have said was drowned out by the sound of battle as the myrmidon came alongside Kent and they both began to battle the enemies to be found there.
---
His questing to watch the red haired woman soon became a passion that not even the teasing of Sain could deny. Oh, he watched as the cavalier flirted with the red-haired girl, soon becoming jealous of the man's ability to speak to her so easily. His own words, each time he had spoken with her, had been ill-timed and very difficult to provide. Why should it be so difficult to speak to the troubador? Surely he was not afraid of her... Her presence demanded attention from those about her, the way she carried herself in and out of battle surely caught the attention of all in the camp.
It was then that Guy had realized something- like it or not, he was starting to fall in love. With Priscilla! How could he, a Kutolah tribesman from Sacae, fall for such a woman from Lycia? Oh, she must be from Lycia, for no women from Bern had yet joined the troop. The only woman to join from Bern had been Vaida... and the woman had kept Merlinus completely terrified of her from the first day she had joined the troop.
But, during one battle after he had begun debating the origins of this beautiful girl, he couldn't help but to notice the one he was beginning to fall for come closer to Raven. Under the guise of heading into the forest nearby to keep cover against the incoming enemies that were steadily creeping closer, he watched and listened to the two red-haired ones. Then he came close enough to actually hear what they were saying to one another, and he relaxed, knowing that no enemies were within striking distance and that the two were too busy talking to pay attention to him. For once, Priscilla had dismounted from her steed, and was now shorter than the man she stood before.
"What?" she asked, her lovely voice climbing higher than usual as she beseeched the red haired man who she had confronted. "B-But why?" she cried again, watching the older man closely, as if trying to make eye-contact with him that would not soon be broken. Raven gazed away, silent still as he seemed not to care to answer her query. Guy shifted uneasily as he listened to this... why was she so upset because of the man before her? "Please, don't make me leave! Not after I came all this way to see you again..."
It was at this point that Guy's heart strained. To see Raven again? Was that the reason? Perhaps they were... engaged to be wed? He shuddered a little- as he had suspected before, it seemed as if his becoming enamoured with this beautiful princess of a girl was ill-timed. Then he was surprised as the man grasped her shoulders, giving Priscilla a gentle shake before he actually did speak to her again. "But, there are things I must do." he told the girl he held in his hands sternly. "And I don't want you getting involved!" he exclaimed, releasing her after a moment. Rough, but gentle at the same time, yet Guy's blood seemed to boil as he watched this play out.
"Lord Brother! Are you planning something dangerous?" she asked, in a voice that Guy found difficult to hear. He nodded slightly, the newly made swordmaster shivering softly. Indeed, if the man had planned something dangerous, then perhaps he need look no further. If Raven was to set his hands upon this girl again in such a manner... and then Guy blinked in surprise, what Priscilla had said finally registering.
"Brother?" he asked himself, looking between the two. He had been right before. There was slightly more than a passing resemblance, obviously enough. Why had he not simply put two and two together? Then again, math was not quite something he was best at. Still though, he felt ashamed that his poor sense had kept the fact that the two were family from his mind.
"... It's nothing you need know of." was the curt reply, and Guy watched as the man's sister nearly fell to her knees before him. He couldn't see her face from here, blocked as she was by the bulk of Raven's body and armor, but he could tell even from here that she must be near to tears.
"It is something dangerous!" she cried, the sound of her own heart breaking, it seemed, evident in the very air that she spoke into with her brother. "Then, now more than ever, I cannot be made to leave! If you are to face danger, then let me face it at your side!" she exclaimed, and Guy nodded as he watched and listened, quietly. He could see her right arm extend upwards, towards her brother's tunic, and the man just glared down at her. Guy wished he could see just what was in Raven's eyes at that moment, to see if he felt remorse for what he had just done to his sister.
But that wasn't the worst of it yet! "You're not listening, Priscilla." Raven said to her, his voice crisp, clear... and scornful. "You were sent to Etruria for adoption-- You are no longer of House Cornwell." and Guy couldn't help but to gasp, unknowingly at the same time that Priscilla had done so as well. Such a powerful and rude thing to say to his own kin, one as young as she was? It was grievously wrong. And a lie, of course. Guy was from Sacae, where lies were frowned upon completely. Perhaps... perhaps lies could be done for the good of another, if used correctly? Nay! Never! And yet... Raven, this man he had held with honor before. But behold, for her brother had not finished speaking as yet! "And... I am not your brother."
Then the red haired man sprinted away towards the frontlines as Mark's voice carried on the wind, providing orders for the troop. This left the young girl only to kneel upon the grass beneath her, and he could only watch as she began to weep. "Lord Brother!" she cried aloud, into the wind and to the only one that could hear her, though she could not know that. "How could... Lord Brother!" she cried even louder, her crying bringing only pain to her as her brother left her there, by herself, as if to try and force the fact of what he had said to her but a moment before.
Guy simply left the forest as he heard Mark call for him, moving slowly as he walked past the girl whose heart was quite obviously breaking. He wanted to be with her, to comfort her... but could not, not yet. Mark had a trio of brigands that were closing in on the heartbroken troubador, and he saw them. The Killing Edge made it's appearance- these three would be no match, and he would not allow a single one to pass to attack the girl that was now out of the battle. Anger seemed to flash in his eyes as he darted towards the brigands. The aftermath of that, however, was one too gruesome for many to see.
---
It was after that battle that Guy met with Priscilla again. Her eyes were rather red and she seemed very tired- indeed, Guy could understand why, quite easily. It certainly wasn't easy for the swordmaster, taking time away from training himself as he had been doing for quite some time to face the emotionally-harmed girl, but someone had to do it. None in the camp had managed to get her to speak to them. Lyn, Sain, even Serra (who had never liked Priscilla too well) had all attempted to get her to speak. Raven remained ever away from his sister, to not draw attention to himself. The only one who seemed to know what had happened, outside of Priscilla and Raven, as well as Guy, was Mark. But he was not one to tell a soul as to the personal lives of others, of course.
Guy came to Priscilla as she sat away from the camp, which had been set up not far from where she had been weeping earlier in the day during the battle. It broke his own heart to watch the girl cry, and he sat down beside her, his sheathed blade edging away from her as he looked to the girl. It seemed to take a strength that he never had known himself to possess before as he slid his left hand to the girl's right hand... and almost an eternity passed as his hand rested above her hand, untouching before she just clasped his hand and leaned in to his shoulder.
His shoulder and sleeve were soaked through by the time she was finished with her weeping. Guy just sat there beside her, and had his eyes closed. Karel could wait, his training could easily wait- this girl needed someone to lean on, a shoulder to cry into. The swordmaster rested there with her, unmoving, though it was obvious. So completely obvious. But, he could not find words to say, either about her brother or about his feelings for the young girl. The light grew dim, and then it was gone, darkness lit up only by stars that came from behind the dark clouds overhead. The girl was asleep, and Guy picked her up and took her to the tent she shared with Rebecca, so she may actually gain the rest she truly needed this night.
---
It was during the next battle that his feelings finally caught up with him- he had been unable to keep them in check, this final time. He had been thinking about everything for several days now, his training having forced him into doing so as he began preparing himself for the duel that would take place in just under a year from this very day, between himself and his master. He worried for Priscilla, though the last few days since that battle where Raven had confronted her had seen her become more cheerful... most notably, while around the swordmaster.
"Hahh. I can't beleive it... I'm so pitiful." Guy said to himself, under his breath, wistfully. He was standing alone near the eastern bridge, where the tactician had said that nomads and nomad troopers were nearing. He didn't even hear any signs of battle- the nomads must have gone a different way.
"Why do you say that?" came a woman's voice from behind him. Guy didn't notice the voice for some reason, but did hear the words easily enough. The voice did, however, register in his mind- which made him think that the voice was simply the person's that he was thinking about in his head, and not that she could be standing right behind him.
"Well, it's just that when I found out you'd noticed me all this time... ...I'm so pitiful." was the swordmaster's response to the valkyrie. Both had been promoted in earlier battles, earning their new titles by using items that had been found by the tactician.
"All this time?" was the question asked next. Yet another question that the voice of the girl he liked asked him, inside his head? Ah... well, may as well answer the question. It was not as if she was right here with him, after all.
"Well, from the moment I first saw her, I kept asking myself, what's a girl like that doing on a battlefield? I thought about her all the time..." he replied to the voice. An honest answer, really. He had been thinking about her, practically every day. Save for the times when he had been training with Master Karel, that is.
"Her?" the voice asked. The voice was intrigued, even a little mischievous. Then Guy blinked and turned around to look over his shoulder. And there she was! The girl he had been thinking of for so long now, had been answering in his mind aloud... But no, she had actually been behind him, listening to him ramble on all this time!
"What!? Eeep!!!" was all that Guy could muster to say in reply. His face was almost as red as the girl's hair, though one could not truly see the splendid color of the valkyrie's hair underneath the hat that she wore. He glanced to the ground, mind racing as his heart did the same.
"Oh, excuse me. I didn't mean to disturb you." was what Priscilla said to the young swordmaster, but she remained looking at him. It seemed as if she had meant to disturb him, actually... To get answers to questions without his realizing it! But no, Guy could not be angry with this girl.
"Oh... my heart..." was all that he said, barely audible to the valkyrie who sat seated upon her steed. She blinked, perhaps a little surprised herself, and then that smile that she had smiled before was on the girl's face again, and melted what little sense that Guy had remaining within his head to the point of not knowing just how to continue speaking with the woman.
"So what about... a girl like me?" Priscilla asked, and Guy blinked. It took a moment for him to be able to realize that he would need to reply to a question like that, though the redness of his cheeks should really have been enough to answer for him without the need to voice it aloud.
"Err... I, uhhh..." stammered the rather beleagured swordmaster. How could he possibly answer her without hurting her feelings or lying? For indeed, lying was something that the man from Sacae could not do. It was against the honor of the tribes of the plains to lie for any reason. His mind was racing still, reason slowly coming back to the green-haired man, but not before Priscilla spoke again.
"You, uhhh... what?" she asked, teasing the swordmaster. Mother Earth, Father Sky... please, do not begrudge a fool his heart, he thought to himself, and he glanced to the sky before looking back to the valkyrie before him. Finally, with barely enough wits to his name to outsmart Bartre, he replied to her in an almost intelligent manner.
"I... you know... I think you're, umm, cu--" he began, but...
"Yes?" she cut him off. She seemed eager to get an answer from the swordmaster, for some reason. Surely, she could not like Guy as he liked her? Was it at all possible?
"Um, I mean that you're uhh... curious!" he managed. Curious? By Elimine, no! Cute! Beautiful! By far the most graceful and beautiful and cute and amazing woman that he had ever met, yes! Curious? She was certainly curious to him as well. It was no lie. But then, it also was not the entire truth, and it hurt his heart to say such. When his answer was met by a questioning gaze and silence, his eyes fell to the ground before he could speak to Priscilla again.
"Yeah, well, you looked like you needed a pal, so I showed up, just like that!" he said, looking up to the valkyrie again. She was just watching him with that same look, and inwardly he set a thousand curses upon his mind for defying what his heart wanted him to say. Silence, once more, was his only reward for the half-truth he had given. A pal? A lifelong partner, perhaps, is what he meant! But no... they were from two separate worlds.
"Don't look so distressed. I won't pry into your personal affairs." he said quietly, looking her in the eyes now as he smiled weakly. This time, she watched him carefully as she seemed to understand what he was saying.
"Really?" she asked, quiet as well. She did not seem to thrilled about this, not in the slightest. Guy could tell that she felt strongly for him, and he hoped that she could see that he felt just as strongly for her as well. Their eyes remained locked for a moment longer, and then the swordmaster spoke once more.
"When I see a woman in need, I just want to help. That's the way we are, back in Sacae!" he told the young woman. She seemed to smile softly at that, the first smile she had given him having faded with the silence that had existed between the two. It was likely the closest that they would get, at this point, toward anything that either could say upon the battlefield to one another.
"Thank you, Guy." she said hesitantly, the smile still on her face, though her eyes looked a bit sad. Guy's own heart was breaking- there was so much more he wanted to tell her! But just then, they both heard the thundering of hooves, and in the distance, across the bridge, he saw a trio of enemies- a nomadic trooper and two nomads. With a small smile, he looked up to the girl he liked so much, and winked to her.
"Oh, yeah... Uhh. Leave it to me!" he told her, and when she smiled brightly and nodded, the swordmaster went off after the enemies that had appeared, drawing his Killing Edge to defeat his opponents up close... and personal.
---
Guy had fallen in love with Priscilla. But with things unfinished between himself and master Karel, as well as the fact that Priscilla was royalty... Guy had to leave her before she could try and say good bye to him. It was her smile that he saw more than anything, that loving and knowing smile that she had given him the last time that they had seen one another. Indeed, though he would have enjoyed staying with her, it certainly would not have worked. Their lives were too different.
She was a noblewoman, of house Caerleon. He was a mercenary warrior, a swordmaster of Sacae. His love for her would never work out, for there were far too many who would rather see her marry someone of noble birth and upbringing. It was this loss of love that drove him now, the thought of seeing Priscilla one last time before he would battle Master Karel driving him to Etruria. He had left Sacae a few months ago and was hired on as a guard for a merchant on his way to the country of Etruria.
He left the merchant's employ a few days ago, having arrived in the country of magic, and the swordmaster journeyed to the territory that Caerleon ruled over. Here he was now, known as a traveling swordmaster, as he stepped up towards the gates of the castle. But as he did so, a neigh behind him caught the swordfighter's attention, and swiftly the young man turned.
Of course... it was her. The Valkyrie who had claimed his heart as her own. The long red hair tugged at his memory, her smile at his heart. One could never fully understand that which would drive her to be gone from the castle at the same time he would arrive. It was something only love could bring to the two, the two who had fallen in love on the battlefield. He smiled- it was the first time that the swordmaster had done so, ever since leaving the troop before they could say goodbye. She smiled in return- unknown to him, it was also the first time she had given a whole-hearted smile to anyone since their unsaid farewell.
Guy took out his blade and saluted his love with it, the flat of the blade pressed against his forehead gently. Priscilla raised her staff, saluting him in return in the same way, and they both continued to smile as Guy sheathed his blade and walked away. She knew already what was to happen- and she turned in beside him, keeping her steed going at a slow pace, so as not to leave her love behind. The two walked together, and Guy couldn't help the feelings that being so close to her had brought to the fore. He loved her so much... but now, when it was so close to the time he must meet with Karel, it was not the time to say such a thing.
Once more, he turned away from her as they reached the gate of the walled city. It was her weeping that he could not stand, would kill him more surely than any strike from Karel's Wo Dao possibly could. The wounds of leaving her the first time opened within his heart once more, a resolve in his mind and heart to return forcing him to will himself forward. In a month's time or so, he would meet with his one-time master, and then, in what may very well be his last battle, Guy would face the sword demon in a duel to the last.
---
It was a stormy day when at last it was time. The man called the Sword Demon waited unmoving upon the slickened battlefield that would be the last place that one of two combatants would stand alive. The wind was wild and thunder crashed overhead, lightning flashing to illuminate the expanse of the plains. It was between two such flashes of lightning that Guy found himself standing before the sword demon himself. Before Guy, he held the Killing Edge in the same fashion he always had. Before Karel, the long blade called a Wo Dao was held. Both blades dripped with moisture, a light rain having begun to fall. They seemed to weep for the blood that was about to be shed.
There was not a word said between the two swordmasters. The time for speaking was long over. Karel had barely managed to restrain his killing appetite to this day, when he might face an opponent who could possibly be stronger than he was. He who had carried the faerie blade for years had yearned for a time, an opponent, who might provide the challenge to end his challenges. Yet the man before him... possessed no killing need, no reason to fight save to become the best. It would be so easily done, to end the life of the young swordmaster he had met but a little over a year ago today.
Another flash of lightning, and both were moving. Sword clashed against sword in displays of mastery- slashing, thrusting, and parrying, all thoughts of predictable attacks were set aside. The battle continued on instinct alone. They dodged, blades weaved and the heavens crashed as the battle raged onwards, with neither managing to land a powerful strike to end the life of the other. In Guy's mind, only one thing remained. One person, the reason for his remaining in this world. In Karel's mind, his body, heart, and mind thrilled to the feel of battle against one who was so skilled and quick. Indeed, this would be the day that one or the other were killed, and Karel knew only that he would defeat the man he had trained for but a short while before.
The master weaved in closer and then swiped with his blade. A cry of pain escaped Guy, and then Karel himself grunted as he felt the cold heat of a blade strike into his side. Both were wounded now, and the battle continued as blood seeped from both swordmasters. The rain intensified, both men soaked to the bone now and bleeding badly as their movements did not slow. If one slowed, the other would win. Endurance tested their might, strength sapped by cold and exhaustion, yet both persevered. Then, the unthinkable happened. Guy jumped backwards, and then seemed to disappear into many afterimages as he darted forward, toward the sword demon.
Several flashes escaped and then a cry from far away caught both warriors' attention. As Karel stumbled back while Guy came back into view, Guy felt the faerie sword once more cleave deeply into his side. Both men fell, and both had their eyes closed. Guy could feel the pounding on the ground- thunder from above, perhaps? No... too steady. "I... lose..." he whispered into the air, and he fell back limp to the muddy plain beneath him, feeling much of his life leave him.
"No.... Guy!" came that same voice that he had thought he had heard cry out a moment ago. It was a beautiful voice, one that gave him hope and brought back to his heart some warmth... warmth that he had thought he had lost but weeks ago. The pounding he had felt suddenly stop, and his eyes opened wearily as the swordmaster attempted to make out the dark figure standing over him. He had a feeling he knew who it was, and he just nodded slightly before collapsing once more to the ground that he lay upon. So Karel wished to finish him off now... So be it. He had but one regret.
But it was not a blade that he felt in his heart, to end that which had been about to voice the regret he carried within him. Instead, it was but a heat that he had not felt in a long while, not since before the rain of this day had begun, and still continued to do. Warmth... and another feeling. Was his strength returning? How could it be returning? He shuddered, soaked still but he could feel his weakness fading away. Perhaps... he was not to die by Karel's hand this day? Guy's eyes opened slowly, rain falling into them as he blinked slowly, his hands finding purchase upon the mud that lay about him, the grass trampled away by his and the sword demon's own movements.
"Guy! Oh Elimine, thank you! Guy, you're alive!" was the same voice, and then there was a body pressed against his as he felt a new warmth about him. A body's warmth. A woman's warmth. And the voice brought back so much warmth that it now mattered not that he was all wet and had been about to die. Priscilla, he knew, from her voice and her presence, was here now. His arms moved about her and he rejoiced, mind and soul, that the woman he loved was here with him, on the day that he had thought he would die.
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Not far away, Karel stood, the blunt side of his faerie blade resting upon his shoulder as he watched the two without emotion in his eyes. And then, he smiled, not the cruel smile that he was known for, but something that was altogether much more tender. Now his heart knew that which had not seen before in his lifetime. The boy he had trained had grown up and fought for more than just to become the best swordsman ever... he fought for honor and love, and that was something that had given him the ability to live. Perhaps, he thought. Perhaps, that was the true meaning of being a swordsman.
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Author's note: Well now, not too shabby of a rewrite, is it? I personally like this ending a bit better than the previous one, since it does tie up two loose ends at once. hehe. What do you guys think? Please leave a review!