As the infiltration of the Aquamarine mansion starts…

At the drawbridge of the city many civilians are being pushed into the city by the Beheaders, taking them out of the farmlands. An old man with silver hair and crimson eyes is giving orders, covering the principal street with many defenses and choke points.

A bell sound reaches the place, and the old man points towards a couple of Beheaders, and takes them with him, running in direction of the Aquamarine mansion. Before parting, Ray comes closer to Bran, and says “You’re in charge until I come back. Keep the work rolling.”

“Yes sir!” Bran answers.

As Ray leaves, Bran continues the work: More defenses, three big ditches between the drawbridge and the main plaza.

Hope the preparation for the invasion is going well at other parts in the city… who would have thought we would have to fight such a large army…

“Hey, you!” he says as he comes closer to a Beheader, black hair and skin, that just got there “we need people stationed in this building” he says, as he points towards one of the buildings on the side, having three stories.

“What should I do sir?”

“Get there, and if the invading army manages to get into the city, once they are in position, you cut the columns of the building, throwing the entire building on top of them.”

“I understand sir, but how should I cut the columns so it falls on top of the invading army?”

“Get there, I already sent another beheader there. He is going to explain to you how.”

“Yes sir!”

“Good, now go and get in position.”

As the Beheader goes, many wooden and metal planks and spikes are being put on the road.

“Who would have thought that we would use the spikes used to hunt the big magic beasts to fight a war” a female Beheader, ashen hair, lean body, comes by Bran’s side.

“If they come with horses, it may prove useful” Bran answers. Then he turns to the Beheader and asks “Is everything done by your side?”

“Almost sir, we are about to finish.”

“Then, why are you here if you haven’t finished?”

“Well, someone asked me a favor” she says, pointing towards the end of the street: A short red haired girl stood there, hands crossed, sunk between her shoulders.

“Oh” says Bran, at which the female Beheader giggles and says “So few words to say so much…”

The last Beheader enters the city with the last couple of civilians, at which one of the Beheaders besides the turning wheel yells “No more civilians outside!”

Bran turns again, seeing that it is true, and then says to the ashen haired Beheader “Well, if you are almost done with your side, then go help close the drawbridge!”

“Yes sir! And sir” she says, as she is leaving “good luck.”

As Bran sees the Beheader go to the turning wheel, he turns once again, walking towards the short red haired girl “No respect for authority eh?” he says, as he sighs.

Before realizing though, the girl had walked herself towards him, covering half the distance already.

“Hi there” Bran says, as he is jolted by the surprise, while the girl hugs him.

“Hi there” The girl answers.

Seeing how she is keeping silent, Bran proposes “Everything right? Celine” as he puts one of his hands on Celine’s head.

The girl raises her face to meet the boy “I’m just a bit embarrassed, that’s all” Celine says, as she reveals a red face to accompany her hair.

Bran’s face gets red too.

“Thinking of something interesting that happened lately?” Celine says, as a smug smile draws itself on her face “perhaps… last night?”

Bran’s shoulders jolt “you’re saying this on purpose aren’t you?” as he tries to look away.

Celine suddenly jumps, and her lips meet with Bran’s, in a sweet, fleeting kiss.

“What are-” starts saying Bran, having been taken again by surprise, but stops himself as he looks at Celine’s face: A tear rolls on her cheeks.

Bran pulls her again, against himself, and kisses her, not a fleeting kiss, but as if he would carry Celine’s lips for all his life.

“Get a room you two!” can be heard from afar, followed by “Ah, love blooming in times of crisis!”

Celine gets back on her feet, and giggles start to come out without control. She is still holding Bran’s hand tight.

“Come with me Celine, I still need to make sure that everything is done” he says, as he takes Celine by the hand she is holding tight, and comes closer to the drawbridge.

As they come close, Bran feels that Celine stopped and is pulling him instead, and turning to face her, he asks “What’s the matter?”

Celine has her eyes cast down. She looks to the side, and says, pointing towards a couple of chairs that were put there, at a corner connecting the main street with one of the other many streets it connects with “I want to sit.”

“Oh, sure then.”

Celine sits, and adds “You were just a savage last night.”

“Wait, wh-”

“But” interrupts Celine “it was still wonderful” she says, as another couple of tears roll on her cheeks.

“Glad you liked it” he says, unable to look at her face directly.

“Thanks for keeping your promise to me.”

“No need… I had fun too.”

“Good to hear that you had fun on your first time.”

Bran turns to face her, face now like a tomato, a million words trying to leave his mouth, unable to say none.

Celine starts laughing “I hope this isn’t why Lorelei called you a tomato boy!” tears keep falling on her face.

Bran turns back again, looking around to see how the proceedings are going, unable to face Celine. As he does this, he catches a strange sight: A couple of civilians are reuniting at the drawbridge.

Celine finally stops laughing “You were so… earnest.”

Bran turns to her at the same time she pulls his hand, losing equilibrium for a moment and falling to his knees, meeting Celine’s eyes once more.

“When I came here almost a month ago” Celine starts saying “I didn’t know what I would do. Fear was with me every step of the way” she gives him another kiss “I’m so glad that you stopped by and took the time to guide me into the city, and even got me the job at the Muscle Squid!”

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

“Celine?” Bran says, as many more tears start running of her eyes.

Celine takes a deep breath, and with her hands she takes all of the tears off her face “sorry, sorry, I just got a bit… emotional.”

“No, no need for apologies” says Bran “But, what has you like this?” he adds, as he puts one of his hands on Celine’s cheeks.

She takes his hand with both of hers, and rests on it a bit, closing her eyes “You surely have big hands, even if compared to other hands of other men yours are small.”

Bran snorts “Sorry for that.”

Celine giggles “Don’t take me wrong, I just observed them” after taking a moment of silence, she opens her eyes again “I guess, it is just that until now, I have only know how bad in an instant can your life go to ruins. I have been carrying that weight inside my heart… for a while now.”

“Celine…”

Putting one of her fingers on Bran’s lips, she adds “but now, now I know how happiness can enter your life and turn it, in an instant, from said ruins to… well, paradise… or at least, having a little piece of said paradise… that happiness.”

A smile comes forward on Bran’s face. Another sound comes into Bran’s ears, and he turns around again, only to see a multitude of civilians now on the drawbridge, Beheaders yelling them to go back.

As Bran stands up, another pull comes forward that stops him. He turns again to Celine, who’s eyes are again looking to the ground.

“Sorry Celine, I need to take care of this before people end injured.”

“Why don’t you sit here, and I go on your place then?”

“Uh?” He says, as Celine pushes Bran to the chair.

“You’re tired, you been awake for a while now, let me help you a bit” she says, as she raises her face, to reveal a smile and her crystal like eyes.

Something is pulled in Bran’s stomach, yet he can’t be sure what is causing this in him “Su-sure.”

“Good!” Celine says, and then, looking Bran at the eyes, she kisses him once more. She murmurs something, but the sound of the multitude drowns her words.

“Be right back!” says Celine, turning fast and walking away.

“Sure” says Bran, with a pressure on his chest, as he murmurs to himself “What is happening to her?”

Bran tumbles, and curls in place. Paying attention to his hands for the first time in the day, he notices them trembling. Taking deep breaths, Bran realizes how his heart is pounding his chest hard.

Come on… we haven’t even started, you can’t fall down before and become a burden, not like this, the fight hasn’t even started.

As he makes fists of his hands, his legs start to reflect the anxiety flooding his body. Pushing both his hands against his legs, he then raises his sight to the Stardust Forest. The trees of the forest are pretty thick, tall and with abundant leaves, which ends up creating a lot of shadows even in the middle of the day. Anyone who is looking from the outside could say that entering the forest is entering into another, darker world, and even when this isn’t correct, the feeling it gives certainly gives weight to those words. Now, counting with the clouds starting to cover the sky, it almost look pitch black.

Is the enemy army already there? Bran couldn’t stop wondering, squinting without realizing, trying to pierce the darkness. They enemy army will appear anytime soon, right? Bran could feel the weight of the enemy army pushing down his back, all the while he breathes pitch darkness.

The multitude of civilians, around the sixties in numbers, are getting closer to the drawbridge.

The female ashen haired Beheader from before comes running by, and tells Bran “What are you doing?! We need help there! Stand up now!”

Snapping at these words, Bran incorporates himself and asks “Help? How?”

“Haven’t you realized yet?! There might be fire tamers there! Wake up!” she yells.

As Bran hears this, his eyes wide open, and turns to see the mob, a couple of Beheaders taking civilians and throwing them to the sides, and Celine, already there, looking back. Realizing she has been seen, she waves back, as rivers of tears comes flowing from her eyes. Suddenly, someone in the mob yells, with the others, including Celine following suit “Glory to Lord Falco, true king of Aeris!”

What followed, Bran could understand little. A sudden flash of light, a strong wind pushing him many meters away, a sudden burst of sound and heat.

With the world in his eyes still shaking, unable to form a thought, he lies against the floor feeling its hardness. How long has he been there? The ashen haired Female Beheader that was with him is by his side, blood coming off her head, bruises all over her body, in a sitting position.

Without noticing, he is now being carried away by two Beheaders, one taking him from the shoulders, the other from the legs. He can see Ray on the scene, besides a woman of strange clothing and voluptuous body, who is she? He wonders. At her side, it is William, the head butler of the Aquamarine mansion.

“The issue at the mansion must be solved then” he murmurs, as he is taken away “good… good…” he keeps mumbling. The shadows that are carrying him are telling him things, but he can’t make anything out of it.

As Bran is carried over the main plaza, he catches a glimpse of the principal street: Many people are getting into position, running up and down, the defenses seem intact “good… good…” he mumbles. Looking up, he sees the entrance of the city, the drawbridge nowhere to be seen, and burnt marks on the pillars on the side “good…” he mumbles. To his minds comes a voice “be right back!”

“Uh… who?” he mumbles. Nothing comes to him. “Who?” he mumbles again, as a tear rolls from his eyes.

Before he is taken into one of the buildings, he catches another glimpse, one that makes him feel cold to the bone: As the clouds cover the city, one last ray of the sun, now at its highest point, comes through, shinning over the entrance of the Stardust forest: People stood there, without moving, people he didn’t recognize, and at the front of this group of people, a banner stands, with a ruby set on fire.