Nero and Yeul had a delightful breakfast together, which almost made her forget that today was going to happen. She did not know the time frame, only that the day was this one and she had to be ready to see the violet-haired upstart. She worried very much but it was in the back of her head as the two left the restaurant and entered the square again. The youth walked idly behind Nero until he stopped completely, which caused her to run right into him and back up.
"Nero, what---" She become silent when she saw the man dressed in clothing from the outlands, in typical huntsmen garb. She put her hand over her mouth for a second, but there was so many people around them that she had to fight her composure and remain calm as people tended to look to Yeul's expression for whether they should panic or not.
Nero, on the other hand, was already ready for the fight to come to him. The youth he'd seen in Paddra once was the one he knew about. Caius Ballad of the Outlands, parentless boy from Mah'ha'bara. Nero looked down to Yeul and shook his blonde hair, pulling out his own swords from his sides. "Yeul, would you please find a place to safely watch from. This is a battle that you do not need complete protection from, count on Paddra to keep you from harm or pray to Etro for guidance." Nero stared at Yeul, it was the look that he'd only offer to her when he was not sure if a battle could be won. A hand with a small sword in it had gently rested on top of her head and stoked before Nero motioned for her to find a place to stay.
"Let us duel then, I hope that this is not a disappointment Caius of the Outlands." It was clear that Nero's status was very high considering his position as guardian, the people around the square pulled away and it was as if the whole town had stopped. Nero pulled his two short-swords out and walked out to the middle of the square, lowering his legs and readying himself for this battle. Nero would wait patiently for Caius to come at him, the chosen styles of each combatant were different due to the weapons that they both had.
Caius had a desperation, a fighting style that reeked of a man who only fought animals and sometimes people. Nero was a seasoned veteran of fighting humans as he was born straight from Paddra and was not bred for fighting the skin off of large animals. The two clashed swords, frequently missing one another but it was easy to see that Nero was not as young as he had once been even though he was in top physical shape. It only took the two of them nearly an hour of clashing sword before a flip of Nero's caused him to be impaled through his side.
The Hero of Paddra made a heavy groaned of agony as part of the large sword had nearly cut him right through. Caius had already known that pulling the sword out of his body would be a cause for definite death without a miracle in medical attention, but that was against the rules. A fatal wound meant that he would certainly die in the very square that Nero had succeeded his own predecessor. Nero felt the blade yank from his body and he fell to one knee, using his swords to keep him on one knee until he fell from his wounds.
He was finished.
Yeul, who was hidden from view, pushed passed some of the onlookers and raced to Nero's side on the ground. She did not even acknowledge Caius as the winner, but there seemed to be messengers already running to leave the city to let the other areas know of what transpired. A change in guardian was cause for a celebration on Pulse, since Yeul was a queen of the Paddra region. However, there might have been tons of people in the square either in silence or softly whispering to themselves. It was only midday, but it felt like the darkest of nights without daybreak ever coming.
She used her small hands and muscles to force Nero onto his back, even though it was a tough task she did not ask help to do so. Yeul, at that moment, forgot that she was in the middle of the square and started to openly cry beside Nero. "Please, I still need you. I love you." Yeul said as openly as she could, but these words were only audible to Caius as no one else dared to come close to the three of them. The blood coming from Nero had trickled into the tiles, running down the grout and his body began to glow with small pyreflies floating away from him. Nero could only groan as he moved his blooded hand, dropping the sword and resting it on her cheek.
"Ah, Yeul. Do not cry for me, I had a very long life with you and that is all I could have asked for. I cannot stick around forever --" He felt himself losing his ability to even move or speak, but he moved the bloodied hand from her face and yanked off a white bracelet and put it in her hands. "A gift." Yeul's small hands trembled with worry on what to do to help him when he was clearly dying in front of her. "I would gladly give my life again and again to keep you as guardian." Yeul leaned forward, pressed her lips against his and she wrapped her small arms around his neck.
Yeul felt the lasting sensation of his wet, bloodied hand on her back as he laid still in what was his passing moments. "Do not be so sad." Nero, even in his dying moments did not cry or do anything but comfort his seeress. Yeul did most of the crying, until she felt his body go loose and Yeul fell through him onto the blood pool he'd left behind. When his body expired, the glow had dispersed into thousands of glowing orbs and spread apart into the sky as the disappeared.
Although there was nothing left of his person, Caius could hear a voice in his head.
Keep her safe.
Yeul on the other hand heard nothing, she simply stared at the mid-afternoon sky of Pulse and would welcome the rain that would come in the evening. Now that Nero was gone, the crowd seemed to feel as if they were betrayed by the upstart from the Outlands and grew disgusted by him. They started to go about their business, but they did not come close to the middle of the square where to two of them were positioned. Yeul stayed where she was, still from shock tears rolling down her face; it was terrible to see a Queen emote so openly. The small girl lowered her eyes to the white bracelet and put it on her left wrist, tightening the white leather strap so it fit perfectly.
The death of a guardian meant that there was no grave, no body left to mourn or to grieve to. It was like there was no way for her to properly grieve than to just know that there was a replacement, it wasn't fair to her.
Caius had a few minutes before the priests from the Order of Paddra would be down from the palace to retrieve Yeul.
no subject
"Nero, what---" She become silent when she saw the man dressed in clothing from the outlands, in typical huntsmen garb. She put her hand over her mouth for a second, but there was so many people around them that she had to fight her composure and remain calm as people tended to look to Yeul's expression for whether they should panic or not.
Nero, on the other hand, was already ready for the fight to come to him. The youth he'd seen in Paddra once was the one he knew about. Caius Ballad of the Outlands, parentless boy from Mah'ha'bara. Nero looked down to Yeul and shook his blonde hair, pulling out his own swords from his sides. "Yeul, would you please find a place to safely watch from. This is a battle that you do not need complete protection from, count on Paddra to keep you from harm or pray to Etro for guidance." Nero stared at Yeul, it was the look that he'd only offer to her when he was not sure if a battle could be won. A hand with a small sword in it had gently rested on top of her head and stoked before Nero motioned for her to find a place to stay.
"Let us duel then, I hope that this is not a disappointment Caius of the Outlands." It was clear that Nero's status was very high considering his position as guardian, the people around the square pulled away and it was as if the whole town had stopped. Nero pulled his two short-swords out and walked out to the middle of the square, lowering his legs and readying himself for this battle. Nero would wait patiently for Caius to come at him, the chosen styles of each combatant were different due to the weapons that they both had.
Caius had a desperation, a fighting style that reeked of a man who only fought animals and sometimes people. Nero was a seasoned veteran of fighting humans as he was born straight from Paddra and was not bred for fighting the skin off of large animals. The two clashed swords, frequently missing one another but it was easy to see that Nero was not as young as he had once been even though he was in top physical shape. It only took the two of them nearly an hour of clashing sword before a flip of Nero's caused him to be impaled through his side.
The Hero of Paddra made a heavy groaned of agony as part of the large sword had nearly cut him right through. Caius had already known that pulling the sword out of his body would be a cause for definite death without a miracle in medical attention, but that was against the rules. A fatal wound meant that he would certainly die in the very square that Nero had succeeded his own predecessor. Nero felt the blade yank from his body and he fell to one knee, using his swords to keep him on one knee until he fell from his wounds.
He was finished.
Yeul, who was hidden from view, pushed passed some of the onlookers and raced to Nero's side on the ground. She did not even acknowledge Caius as the winner, but there seemed to be messengers already running to leave the city to let the other areas know of what transpired. A change in guardian was cause for a celebration on Pulse, since Yeul was a queen of the Paddra region. However, there might have been tons of people in the square either in silence or softly whispering to themselves. It was only midday, but it felt like the darkest of nights without daybreak ever coming.
She used her small hands and muscles to force Nero onto his back, even though it was a tough task she did not ask help to do so. Yeul, at that moment, forgot that she was in the middle of the square and started to openly cry beside Nero. "Please, I still need you. I love you." Yeul said as openly as she could, but these words were only audible to Caius as no one else dared to come close to the three of them. The blood coming from Nero had trickled into the tiles, running down the grout and his body began to glow with small pyreflies floating away from him. Nero could only groan as he moved his blooded hand, dropping the sword and resting it on her cheek.
"Ah, Yeul. Do not cry for me, I had a very long life with you and that is all I could have asked for. I cannot stick around forever --" He felt himself losing his ability to even move or speak, but he moved the bloodied hand from her face and yanked off a white bracelet and put it in her hands. "A gift." Yeul's small hands trembled with worry on what to do to help him when he was clearly dying in front of her. "I would gladly give my life again and again to keep you as guardian." Yeul leaned forward, pressed her lips against his and she wrapped her small arms around his neck.
Yeul felt the lasting sensation of his wet, bloodied hand on her back as he laid still in what was his passing moments. "Do not be so sad." Nero, even in his dying moments did not cry or do anything but comfort his seeress. Yeul did most of the crying, until she felt his body go loose and Yeul fell through him onto the blood pool he'd left behind. When his body expired, the glow had dispersed into thousands of glowing orbs and spread apart into the sky as the disappeared.
Although there was nothing left of his person, Caius could hear a voice in his head.
Keep her safe.
Yeul on the other hand heard nothing, she simply stared at the mid-afternoon sky of Pulse and would welcome the rain that would come in the evening. Now that Nero was gone, the crowd seemed to feel as if they were betrayed by the upstart from the Outlands and grew disgusted by him. They started to go about their business, but they did not come close to the middle of the square where to two of them were positioned. Yeul stayed where she was, still from shock tears rolling down her face; it was terrible to see a Queen emote so openly. The small girl lowered her eyes to the white bracelet and put it on her left wrist, tightening the white leather strap so it fit perfectly.
The death of a guardian meant that there was no grave, no body left to mourn or to grieve to. It was like there was no way for her to properly grieve than to just know that there was a replacement, it wasn't fair to her.
Caius had a few minutes before the priests from the Order of Paddra would be down from the palace to retrieve Yeul.