Alistair's eyes slowly fluttered open a little over an hour and half later. "Ugh. My head. That's what I get...for using four heaven's boosts at the same time." Alistair rolled on to his back with some difficulty and closed his eyes. "Hm? Something smells...sweet..." Alistair opened his eyes and tried to look around, to no avail. "Tch. No good." He heard faint breathing and soft snoring coming from just above him. 'I recognize that scent. It's Tamanari. I'm glad she's okay. And thankful that she didn't just leave me here.'
"Hnn." Tamanari yawned softly and rubbed her eyes. "Alistair?" Her head hung low and was inches from his face. "You--" She wrapped her arms around his neck gently. "You're okay! I was worried you wouldn't wake up!" She sobbed softly and held onto him tightly, her tears falling on the ragged scraps of clothing he wore.
"Why are you crying for me, Tamanari? I'm a nobody. Just a worthless mutt." Alistair didn't believe what he said. He just thought it best if Tamanari kept her distance from him. After all, who knows what the Master would do to her for befriending him. Plus, even though it felt nice to have someone who cried for you again, he planned on leaving soon. He didn't want to break her heart when he made his escape.
"Don't say that." She sobbed.
'What...?' Alistair was confused. 'Don't say that? It's what I've been called since my birth. Even the Master, my bastard of a father, called me that everyday. Is she really related to him?' Alistair looked down at the ground. "It's what I've always been called. You would do best to keep your distance from me, Priestess. I might corrupt you..." Alistair looked back up and met her gaze. 'Damn it. Her eyes are so kind. What should I do?'
"I won't call you that. You have a name, Alistair, and I'll use it whenever I see you." She sniffled and flicked his forehead gently. "At least if you corrupt me, I would probably turn into a decent person. I'm bound to the sins of my ancestors." She broke away from his gaze. 'If what he said was true, which I am starting to believe, then my step-father did horrible things. I shouldn't get close to him. It might rehash old wounds.'
'She has been so kind to me. The least I can do is repay her kindness. Just like mother always told me. Repay kindness with kindness. Repay evil with justice.' Alistair reached his hand up once more and placed his hand on her cheek. "You are not bound by the shackles of your blood, Tamanari." He caressed her cheek gently with his thumb.
"I am bound to my fate just as you are, Alistair. We cannot change our fate anymore than we can change the stars in the sky." She grabbed his hand and held it against her cheek tightly. 'That's right. I will inherit my step father's land someday...and his slaves.'
Alistair sat up slowly and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. "A-Alistair..." She whispered his name and slid her free hand down to his lap. She slipped that hand into the one resting on his lap.
"Then I will change our fate. I will not be a slave forever, Tamanari. I will prove that fate isn't preordained. When that time comes, will you believe that you, too, can change the alignment of your star?" Alistair laid his head back down in her lap. 'Damn it. If only I could be allowed to level up, my body wouldn't be suffering the aftereffects so severely. I could prove it to her.'
'He sincerely believes that fate can be changed. I want to believe him. I want to believe in him.' She moved his hand that was caressing her cheek to her lips. She gently kissed the palm of his hand. "If you can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that our fate isn't written in stone, I will go with you. Where ever the winds may take us, I'll be by your side. For now, accept this token as my faith." She leaned down and kissed his cheek. 'Show me your resolve, Alistair. Show me that I can live a life that I chose.'
"Tamanari..." Alistair nodded when she finally pulled away. "And I will keep you safe." Alistair felt at peace for the first time since his mother's death. However, he knew their time together had to end. At least for today. "Let me rest..awhile longer. Then I will you see you home safely."
"Okay. Rest. I still need to pick my flowers. I'll be back shortly." She withdrew from the little world they had created together. It was time to finish up and return home, even if she didn't want that yet.
"Okay. Just be careful." He gently grabbed her hand as she withdrew from his arms. He mimicked her actions from a moment ago and kissed the palm of her hand. "Hurry back."
"Alistair." She flinched when he grabbed her arm, but when she saw her hand moving towards his lips, her heart skipped a beat. 'Wow. He's so handsome. And gentle.' She nodded and stood up slowly. "I'll be quick."
Alistair watched her leave until his eyes couldn't track her any more. 'Be safe, Tamanari. There could be more, and I doubt I could survive a second encounter right now.' Alistair closed his eyes, but sleep didn't come. His heart was heavy with worry. 'It's been almost twenty minutes. I have to check.' Alistair slowly, and with much effort, stumbled to his feet. "Tamanari?" He called out for her but was greeted with silence.
He started to move his body towards the lake. Each step was agonizing, but he persevered and kept moving forward. "Tamanari!" When no response came again he started to grow anxious.
"Alastair? What are you doing? Why are you moving around?" Tamanari scolded and Alistair collapsed to the ground, his energy spent and his adrenaline gone. "You shouldn't try moving yet." She crossed her arms and shook her head slowly, concern and disbelief evident in her voice.
"I called for you. When you didn't answer, I panicked. Sorry..." Alistair laid his head by the lake and tried to drink some water, but he barely got any for the effort he spent.
"No, I'm sorry. I wandered a little to far. I didn't mean to worry you." She shook her head and sighed helplessly. "It wouldn't kill you to ask me for help, Alistair." She walked over and lifted his head carefully. She laid him upon her lap and unlatched the flask by her side.
"Asking for help gets you nowhere in the pen, Tamanari." Alistair exhaled as he heard the flask hit the water.
"Well you aren't in the pen right now. I hate that name by the way, but I have no qualms with helping you." She lifted the flask from the water and put it to his lips. "Drink up. You'll need your strength to get us home safe. Without the horses to draw the carriage, it'll be a long walk."
"I can do that by myself." Alistair looked at the flask in her hands and then back to her. "Fine. Just this once." He parted his lips and allowed the water to enter his mouth. He chugged down the whole flask in a matter of seconds. "Um. I guess I should thank you, so..." He scratched the back of his head and gazed into her eyes. "Thank you, Tamanari. Really." Something about her eyes kept drawing him into her gaze. "This might be a little forward of me, but, you have really beautiful eyes. They are like two golden beryl gemstones shimmering in the night."
Tamanari chuckled softly at his attempts to shrug off her flirtatious approach. "I don't mind helping my savior. I wouldn't be alive right now if you hadn't shown up to save me. Save your thanks, Alistair. Just get better." She smiled sweetly, but after he commented on her eyes, her heart went aflutter. "You..really like my eyes?" She blushed as her long purple hair covered her face. "What's a golden beryl gemstone?" She needed to know.
"It's a gemstone native to my mother's homeland. It's known by another name, Heliodor, which means gift of the sun. Mother had a pendant like that before she was brought here. Her husband at the time couldn't afford a ring, so he mined that gem with his bare hands and fashioned the pendant for her as a sign of his love. I only ever saw it once. My best guess is that Master stole the pendant from her. That's just speculation, but it's the only lead I have. Anyway, that's what a Heliodor is, and that's what you are to me. You are my gift, a shining beacon of hope in a life of utter darkness." Alistair sat up and started moving his arms and stretching his body. 'My motor functions are beginning to return. Still sore as hell, though.'
"That's so sweet. He did that with his own hands to show his love and devotion. Heliodor Gems sound beautiful. I would love to see one." She sighed happily at the thought, then it dawned on her. 'My step dad stole his mother's pendant? Why? If that's true, I need to find it for him.' She frowned at that thought. She didn't want to think her step dad would do something like that, but she also believed Alistair wouldn't lie about something like that. Her thoughts were drastically changed when he spoke of her being his Heliodor. "Oh, come on. You are just being sweet..." She tried to play off his compliment, but his look was sincere. He meant what he told her. "You...really mean that, Alistair?"
"Of course, Tamanari. You are the one person in this world to whom I wouldn't want to lie." This was a whole new experience for Alistair. He had never had a friend before, ever since his mother was killed. He had shut away his heart in hopes he wouldn't be hurt again but, no matter how much he tried, Tamanari made all his defenses crumble.
Tamanari's heart was beating quickly out of her control. 'No man has ever been this sweet to me without expecting something in return. Alistair is different. He hasn't asked for anything or tried anything.' Tamanari wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her forehead against his back. "I don't know what to say, Alistair."
He tensed up when she wrapped her arms around him from behind. Instinctively, he went to pull away, but when her forehead touched his back, he felt her heartbeat. 'Her heart is beating so fast.' Alistair relaxed and his defenses melted away. He reached his hands up and gently grabbed Tamanari's wrists. "You don't have to say anything." Alistair leaned backwards and pressed himself against her. "We must return soon, but..." His voice trailed off.
"But you don't want to leave, right?" Tamanari finished his sentence and he nodded. She understood. She didn't want to leave him yet, either. Her gaze shifted down to Alistair's wrist and she frowned. "I don't want to leave you yet, either, but..." She moved her hand down to the bomb around his wrist. "I don't want to lose you to this, not when we've just started to get to know each other." She moved her hand down from the bracelet and slipped it into his, lacing their fingers together. "I want to see you tonight. Is that okay?"
Alistair looked back when she finished his sentence and smiled genuinely for the first time. When she spoke about the bomb, Alistair's heart started beating faster. 'She doesn't...want to lose me?' His face turned bright red and his cheeks grew hot when she laced their fingers together. "You want to see me again? I would like that, because I want to see you again, too." Alistair turned around in her arms and they gazed into each other's eyes.
"A-Alistair..." She whispered his name as her face inched closer to his.
"T-Tamanari..." Alistair's body moved with a mind of its own. As their faces drew near each other, they both closed their eyes. Alistair felt as if his heart was about to beat right out of his chest.
Their lips were inches apart.
"Lady Tamanari!"
Both of them opened their eyes, faces red from their failed kiss.
"Where are you? Lady Tamanari!" The voices were growing closer.
"We have to put some distance between us. They might get the wrong idea if you're clinging to me like this when they arrive." Alistair stood up, every muscle in his body ached.
"What are you going to do? You can barely move in that condition." Her voice was scared and anxious.
"Don't worry. I've got a plan." He stumbled over to his rusted, broken blade and struggled to pick it up.
"Lady Tamanari! Are you here?" The voices were starting to crest the hill behind them.
Alistair made it to the dead bodies of the merfish, just as the search party spotted them by the lake.
"It's Lady Tamanari! She's safe!"
"But what's that mongrel doing here?" The guard nearly spat out his heart in anger.
"What's going on?" Another guard looked around at the dead bodies of their comrades, then to the dead monsters. They saw the mutt swing one last time into the merfish before falling to his knees.
"No way. He was protecting Lady Tamanari?" The guards rushed to her side while two others checked on their comrades.
"No good, sir. They are all dead. Damn it. I told them to take more men." The guard slammed his fist into the ground.
"Lady Tamanari. The mistress, your mother, was worried when you didn't return. She sent us to search for you. What happened? Did that mongrel kill my subordinates? Did he try to touch you?" The Captain bombarded her with questions until she put her hand up to silence him.
"I'll answer, Captain. Just breathe. I'm okay. He didn't kill your men. Those creatures.." She pointed to the dead merfish. "Ambushed us. They came from the lake. The men died trying to protect me. They turned their sights on me and...and..." Tamanari started to sob softly.
"It's okay, my lady. What of the mutt, though? How does he fit into all of this?" The Captain tried to sooth the crying maiden.
"He...he saved me..." She sniffled quietly. "They were about to dig their blades into me. That's when he appeared. He blocked their blades but was cut trying to save me."
"What happened next? How did a weakling like him kill three high level monsters?" The more the captain heard, the more furious he grew.
"I wish I could tell you, Captain. After nearly dying, I'm afraid I passed out in fear." She shook her head softly. "When I awoke, I heard you calling for me and I watched him slay the last monster just before you arrived."
"That can't be. He saved Lady Tamanari and slew three level 20 monsters?" One of the guards was in disbelief.
"Check his stats! Now!" The captain barked and three soldiers walked over to inspect Alistair's stats.
"He's still level 1, Captain. The Zero XP bracelet is still intact. However, we are still unable to see his numbers. They just appear as question marks." The guard reported.
'How in the bloody hell did he pull this off?' The Captain gritted his teeth.
"Captain." Tamanari slowly rose to her feet. "I wish to reward him for his services to me." Tamanari looked towards Alistair, his body bloody and immobile. 'It took all your strength to pull this off, the least I can do is cover for you.'
"But...but my lady!" The Captain protested.
"No buts. He has served the Kawagami family well this day by saving Master Kawagami's only heiress. Me. Now I insist that he be rewarded for his actions upon our return." She commanded of her Captain.
"What do you wish to give him, my lady?" The Captain bit his tongue. 'Once Lord Kawagami hears of this, I'm sure he will nip this problem in the bud.'
Tamanari walked over to the guards who were watching over Alistair, her long two toned hair followed behind her. "You have done a great service, Alistair. Thank you."
Alistair's long black hair hid his face from the guards, but when he heard her voice, he looked up and smiled sweetly at her. 'I can't wait until I see you again.' He mouthed these words to her.
'I can't either.' She mouthed back and stood up straight. "Take him back with us and see to his wounds!" She commanded as everyone loaded up in the carriages. The guards had gathered what remained of their comrades and their weapons/armor.
"My lady, what do you see in that worthless mutt?" The Captain opened the carriage door as Lady Tamanari made her approach.
"A warrior. Someone with the strength to protect the next heiress of the Kawagami Estate. He succeeded where five heavily armed men failed. I'm sorry for your loss, don't get me wrong but, your soldiers need better training and discipline." She climbed into the carriage and looked back at the Captain. "Bring him to me. I wish to stay by the side of my savior until he is recovered. It's the least I can do for him." Tamanari took a seat and waited for her command to be carried out.
"As you wish, Lady Tamanari." He bowed his head but behind his hair he was grinding his teeth. "Bring him! Put him in Lady Tamanari's carriage!" The captain watched as his aides hoisted the demi-human into her carriage. Once they were secured, the door was shut and the others loaded up into their own carriages.
"You can stop pretending, we are alone now, Alistair."