"Who will tell me, the time of 'the day of utter peace' and how it occured" Saraya was wearing a light shirt and pants, talking with the kids close to the palace, she was discussing with them the importance of the history of the day the humans gained their peace from a thousand year ago. She was walking back and forth her raven short length hair swaying along the breeze. She was smiling and moving from one place to the other interacting with the kids and giving them advice. Saraya was ignorant to the eyes that watched her as a hawk.
"Isn't she just breathtaking?" He was inside the castle looking at her from above. Sighing as he had his head leaning on his hand.
"Look at her getting taken from you..." once Eliase heard Darkon'z voice, he buffed his cheeks and folded his arms together sitting Indian style. " what's with that pose?" Darkon sat next to him with no care glancing at Saraya who played and ran around with kids.
" I am cross with you." He was still buffing his cheeks.
"Don't worry, my love. I will get you Roses" Eliase felt a nerve poking at his head, but he played along.
"Really, my love. I want white tulips." He flattened his voice like a girl's.
"Should I hand it with a kiss on top?" He continued.
"Why not now, my love?" Eliase was irritated that he got hold of Darkon's collar and pulled him, buckling his lips for a kiss. Darkon resisted and pushed at his face.
"No! No! You monster." Darkon faltered his voice to a girl. And closed his eyes tight then opened them when he opened them, he saw Saraya looking at them with a raised eyebrow, Eliase was still buckling his lips acting as if he was kissing someone. Darkon cleared his throat. Making Eliase open his eyes to see Saraya staring at him. With a speed of a lightning he shot up to stand leaning on a wall.
"Hey. How are you, Saraya." He folded his arm and made a hard face. Darkon was sitting laughing himself off at how Eliase is making a fool of himself.
"Don't laugh Darkon, you looked as stupid as that idiot when you acted as a girl." When she finished she knocked both of them on their heads.
"What are you both doing for all that's good and mighty?" They were sitting on their knees looking like puppies. "Nothing." They said in unison. Any maids or butlers passed by them would chuckle at their daily tactics and moved away from them. They were used to their Pickering all the time.
"Darkon, I need you to come with me there is an important information I need to tell you and you have been disappearing lately, and..." she stopped talking when she noticed only one of the two idiots were still kneeling.
"Where is Darkon?" Saraya was clasping the documents she had in her hand an imaginary steam rising from her head. Eliase was freezed up in the position sweating at the intense gaze she was gracing him. He cleared his throat, "once you started talking about the important things he--"
"He bloody ran away!?" She was actually fuming when she was screaming at Eliase. he put his fingers in his ears to block her scream. "Look, Saraya..." before he could continue, he felt his collars being held and pulled up.
"You and me are going to see where this son of an arse go to..." he was like a deer caught and was fearing his life, "right now!" She spat at him.
"Yes, m'am" she walked away and Eliase walked behind her feeling dejected like an abandoned puppy.
She is scary...
After a moment Eliase remembered the conversation he had with Darkon two days before. That made his eyes turn from playful to a focused serious eyes.
"What are you doing, Darkon?" Eliase was sitting in front of Darkon who was sipping on tea after he came back from meeting that little girl, he was reading some papers seriously.
"You are hanging around with the little child...I didn't beg you for a child person to be honest." Eliase giggled as he wanted to tease him like usual, but Darkon just kept silent. Eliase was already used to his silence so he just looked at the moon nonchalantly and leaned on the window.
He continued as he remembered Saraya's angry face, "Saraya is going mad, she is trying to tell you about---"
"The recruitment system?" Darkon continued his sentence taking another sip from his cup not breaking his gaze fro.the papers.
"Y-you knew?" Eliase was astonished, the head servant didn't come back to announce the news to Darkon. The news was already handed to Saraya in advance directly from the king as she was the one responsible for the recruitment documentation.
"Do you think that I was playing all this time?"Darkon chuckled regarding Eliase as stupid.
"Don't tell me...but how did you know?" Eliase was stunned.
Darkon's eyes glistend with mirth before he began,"They are showing themselves. sooner or later we will need increase in immune force, and who is best in training other than us, hmm?" He stated the obvious.
"You should pay more attention to your surroundings Eliase,"Darkon put the papers down, when Eliase looked at the mapped out details he frowned.
"How? The girl? What about her?" Eliase couldn't believe him.
"She has ten days. Ten days to agree, if not then my judgment was wrong. And I will try to look for others, it will take time." He sighed pinching his nose bridge as if a large weight was pressuring his shoulders.
"But she..." he wanted to say 'trusted you' but he didn't know if it will affect him or not. He was not sure if he was talking to a human or a statue, a war statue.
"I don't do charity work, Eliase. She is either in or out." He chuckled at the naivety of his fellow comrade.
"She is a poor child, Darkon. You shouldn't have given her any hope." He was saddened. Eliase was saddened that after all the effort he had put into Darkon. He was still the same stoic, serious and opportunist person he first got to know.
"Why are you labeling me as cruel, Eliase. I am not going to trick the kid. I am going to give her choices. Where is the cruelty in that."
"It's a crulety and you know it Darkon. You know what you are doing, and you know she will agree. It's all a game of chess to you, isn't it?" Eliase smiled sadly.
"A game? You say it's a game when several lives are on the line?" Darkon countered back with the so ever calm voice of him. Eliase couldn't counter back.
"Don't tell Saraya anything, not until I am sure of the person I will choose." He told him with a glow of his eyes. In all his calm voice, Eliase knew when Darkon was serious, or when his eyes were holding a threat and he was doing both.
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In another place there was a mischievous person hiding behind a push, planning to surprise a little white haired girl who was sitting on the same bench right in front of the Tavern. She was looking left and right looking for any sight of him.
"Boo!" Darkon jumped behind Argentina to scare her. She just tilted her head at him and stoically said, " what are you doing?"
"What a bummer, you are not startled?" He came out from the nearby push gracing Argentina with his armor custom. She looked at it with precise gaze taking in the silver armor that was lined with the deep color of bloody red. With the symbol of a dragon flying around a sword right in the middle.
Darkon didn't pay any attention to what she was observing.
"So, what should we do today, eat? Dance? Play. Oooh I know. There is a very beautiful pond right outside the main castle, would you like to come with me and see it?" He offered with a wide smile that reached his eyes. She only gazed at him with knowing eyes.
"Mr.Darkon..."
"Darkon, only call me Darkon." His eyes were smiling like a kid, they were closed and he was smiling.
"Mr. Darkon...what do you want from me?" The girl asked calmly again.
"I want to be your friend." He was still smiling.
"You are lying." She stated like it was a normal occurrence.
He frowned slightly getting down to her level, "why are you saying that?" He was so excited, she is the one....she is definitely the one.
She sighed, "I am a child, yes, but I do know that adults need something in exchange of something. Why me? Why did you approach me? When I stole, the little boy was with me. In these five days, I have seen people beg, wanting help, they were so close to you. What did you do? You didn't even pat an eyelash at them. You only cared about getting me things or trying to make me trust you. I do trust you now. But you want something and I can't figure out what." She stated not feeling anything.
Darkon couldn't believe his ears, this is a great quality child. He needed her with them, he wanted this intellect. He gazed at her eyes with interest. They needed those smart eyes. He put his chin on his palm grinning. "Hmm...And what if I said I do want you for something?" He smiled rocking from left and right as he was squatting to her level.
"And why do you think I will do it?" She was slightly angry. She waited for a startling excuse. She hoped he was different. Turned out she was right, adults were all.the same.
"Why did you steal, Argentina?" He asked in ernest.
She didn't answer, but she kept glaring at him.
"Beacuse you saw an opportunity in a time of need, in a moment of desperation. You had the ability to take it, so you took this chance." His voice was like silk draped in sickly sweet honey as he gazed at her gently.
Argentina's eyes glistend like marbles, but he only continued." Just like you, I am in a time of need. I will give you an opportunity. Regardless of the method I use, you have the opportunity right in front of you. Will you take it?" He got even closer to her teary face. He gently brought his hand and cupped her right cheek wiping a droplet of a tear that was nearly falling on her delicate face. He was cooing gently at her with sincere sad eyes, "don't cry, silver. Even if I need you for something, I don't have any ill intention. It's something easy. you will like it. You will have food, shelter and brand new clothes everyday."
"You are a liar, an old disgusting liar." She squatted his hand away.
He tilted his head confused. " you call me a liar, when in reality I was waiting for you to trust me. So that I can tell you what I need you for. Did you even give me that opportunity to tell you?" She didn't answer but she looked at him as if she had nothing to disagree with.
"If you trusted me from the beginning , I would have told you." He continued.
He heard her mumble quietly, "I just wanted a---" but she stopped and She vigorously wiped her teary eyes returning to her stoic face. "You are just the same as any old man out there, what do you want?" She calmly stated with red stricken eyes.
He sighed standing up and looking at her. "I will not tell you now, until you tell me what you mumbled." He sighed again feigning sadness, his face was holding mischievous humor.
She narrowed her eyes at him feeling suspicious. "I didn't say anything." She spat at him.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Really? Really?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
Then in a swift movement he held her up and held her from her legs making her turn upside down and he swirled and swirled in a fit of a young girl screaming and in front of the gazes of a curious strangers. While he was turning and turning, she was screaming and shouting, " stop, you freakin old man! Stop!" He didn't stop. "This is not my answer."
"Okay, okay I will tell you. Please stop." He stopped abruptly making her sit on his hand upright, his eyes gleaming with satisfied mischief.
"I just wanted a friend...okay! A friend! I though that you were a friend of mine, but no! You are just like all.of them." She hit his shoulder feeling frantic. He looked at her bloody eyes and thrashed her from the spinning he had done to her. And smiled.
"I am still your friend, Silver. It's you who assumed I am not." He put her on the bench again and sat next to her.
"What's wrong with a friend asking another for a favour? I gave you food, friendship. And you will get even more when you come with me. I am a guardian, I am pledged to never harm any human." He patted her hair gently as if he was caressing a small angry kitten. She was only sitting there not talking to him. Not giving him any response. Darkon knew what Eliase's meant by cruelty. He is just benefiting himself and benefiting the girl in the process. What surprised Darkon and caught him off guard that the twelve-year old little girl caught to his plan way early on. Without even him telling her anything.
"When you taste a piece of heaven, you would want to keep it. Even if it's fake. The cruelty is giving that taste of heaven then snatch it back as quickly. The cruelty is giving empty hope to a hopeless person, even if he knew that it was as empty hope, for the said person it was still hope."