Fairyland Chronicles - Character Side Stories

[Aaronock]

OOC: Guys, this is really stupid long, so I'm splitting it into two parts. This is part one of this story, and I will post part 2 a few days from now. Enjoy!

Edit: Read Part 2 Here
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It was a day before the mission in which The Wingless would make their way on their into the Bio Labs to steal a magical purple stone known as the ‘Dreamstone.’The master rogue, Ezekiel Stalker, had quite a week leading up to this day. First, a few days earlier the previous War Chief, Cynbel, saw fit to treat the man with more than a friendly spar. The fae man turned vicious as he flung magic across the fields outside their fort in Rachel. He followed up with various summons of plants and explosions. He called up strange portals that teleported those who stepped upon them into another spot, a very disorienting experience for Ezekiel when he accidently made his way upon them a few times. Cynbel gave a taunt each time this occurred, as if the fae truly believed the rogue should be able to handle such a barrage alone from all angles.

Those who spectated were not even spared Cynbel’s ire. They found their pants chomped on by plants, and the explosions just as painful when they hit their faces. Eventually, the audience of Seika, Cat, and Reilinn calmed the fae’s rage down, and the whole team returned to the fort with their own injuries. The two sparrers at least came to the conclusion they were on the same team and wanted only to protect Lucretia. Upon return, the War Chief healed them all but Ezekiel himself, for he decided to run off and take care of his wounds alone.

The second event was heralded by Summerstream’s return. A late afternoon where they discussed Vinda’s condition, and managed to catch up on one another’s lives. They sparred for a short while, with Summerstream fighting with a floating blade, and he fighting back with a flurry of slashes, parries, and strikes. At the end, they each commented on the new inner peace each had found this month as ‘outlaws.’ The lady of armor, dagger, and air (Ezekiel adding this descriptor after the end of their fight) at the end asked him if he found his words with Lucretia, and he replied, “Yes, I think so.”

Which finally led up to Ezekiel asking Lucretia for a chance to talk. She seemed excited about this, and she led him outside the the fort’s interior, away from the exterior territories, and they went further still to Rachel’s arid and light grassy fields. Eventually they’d reach far up the hills and into a hidden space with clean, dark wooden benches and a tree for shade. An enclosure formed around the area with some of Rachel’s famous cream-colored stone architecture followed by a blue tipped roof. Behind them the enclosure closed off with the beginnings of a rock plateau.

The man would speak first when they each took a place upon one of the benches. “You would think, after traveling back and forth from here all this month, I’d know about this little corner of the world.”

“It’s my secret place. I come here to think, or whenever I need some peace and quiet~” The fae princess would say as a follow-up.

Ezekiel would mention then he felt honored to have Lucretia share this place with him as he dug around in a small bag for some boxes. “Are you really allergic to peaches?”

Her eyes would roll and a short sigh come out, “No, I’m not allergic to peaches. I ate the big pie Cynbel prepared because I love them so much.”

Ezekiel made a small smile as she said that, and handed her a small box, “Well, I did have time to pick up a few sweets for everyone. You may have the peach cake then.” His statement actually was not completely true. He only bought enough for the two of them. He only said otherwise to not have her think he showed her too much favoritism.

Next the rogue placed a box in front of himself, opened it, and took the small fork inside “As for me, I don’t eat sweets too often, but will enjoy myself some chocolate mousse today.”

They ate, and the fae found her peach cake swiftly and daintily eaten. She cleaned herself and then asked while Ezekiel was in between bites, “So, what happened with you and Cynbel the other day?”

He almost choked on the fork, “...Ahem...Ugh...It would probably be better for both of our reputations if I didn’t explain that one…”

She blinked, and tried to hide her worry, “Well… I’ll ask someone else later. Are you alright though?”

The look didn’t escape the man. How could he hide this from her when he currently vied for her trust? “...I’d rather you not ask the others. Cynbel saw fit to talk down about my skills with weaponry.” His hand would wave as he continued, “However, I don’t think that was really it. He seemed to think I gave you inappropriate looks, and you...returned them.”

“Ah…” She simply said as she most undoubtedly noticed Ezekiel shift uncomfortably in the bench. “He can be quite the mean one when training others, and even meaner when he thinks someone is out to ‘conquer my heart.’”

The rogue then noted that they hadn’t really even spoken, much less have the chance to stare at one another from afar. Lucretia would chuckle lightly and murmur, “He’s a jealous fool sometimes.” A devilish smile would then creep upon her lips. “...I do hope you gave him a good beating or two?”

“You tell me, I haven’t seen him since then.” Ezekiel would follow up with his own gesture as if to say ‘I hope he got what he deserved too.’

“Wellllll,” She teased out, “He did need a lot of rest and some healing~”

Considering her attitude towards it all, Ezekiel relaxed as well and told her that Summer patched him up and that, “I’ve suffered worse and still stood up to work the next day.”

They spoke of other subjects, mostly in regards to the raid for the Dreamstone. As they talked, Ezekiel’s sword laid at his side as a constant, physical reminder that he should not dodge or avoid what he meant to talk with her about today. Various glances were made at it as the fae and he talked.

“So, how’s the sword training coming along?”

Ezekiel laughed, it couldn’t be helped. It seemed nothing slipped by her when it came to him, “...Ah, Lucretia, did you watch me then as I learned and swung this blade over the month?” The training has gone well…” His voice trailed, because to continue speaking now would mean the beginning of what he really wished to discuss with her today.

Instead, to buy time, he unhinged the sheathed weapon from his belt and placed it on his lap. His face turned downward as he gazed at the weapon and began to tap it lightly with his pointer finger to calm his nerves, “...After all, I learned this blade for you. I cannot protect you from the forces of this world that want your death with the dagger alone. For that weapon is for self-defence, but this sword is for others.”

Lucretia would only blink, the time that passed between them felt longer than a few seconds to Ezekiel, but when she spoke, the answer from the fae was that of surprise, “Your efforts to protect me are astounding… And I have to thank you again for it. I do not really deserve it after what I’ve done to the humans.”

“Really?” He said this as he drew in a long breath, “You think all of our kind as gracious as I? No Lucretia, that is not true at all. The forces at the top of our world dominate and try to decide our fates like they are gods themselves.”

"I certainly don't think of all humans in a good way,” she chirped. When she continued, her tone became more serious, “I meant to say that, after all, it seems Jin was not the one who broke my wings. So the Payon attack that crippled the huntress' uncle, as well as the trick in my old castle, was an act of unfounded revenge. In the end, I was just as bad as the humans I criticized."

Ezekiel nodded, and appreciated her own newfound insight over the month they had spent at the fort in Rachel. “Mm, it is good to come to this conclusion on your own. It means you can rectify these mistakes once you know the truth in regards to your past.” His finger continued to tap the blade gently as he spoke, a way for him to quickly gather his thoughts, “Truly, none of this would have happened had you not been manipulated…”

Nothing else again was said for many minutes. They each stared outward from the bench they sat on, but finally Ezekiel found courage to ask, “Would you like to hear a story from me?”

He noted her pleasure as she told him yes.