Fire and Ice
The Guardian
Matsa
I stared at Cyprian from the corner of my eye. He is pretty sturdy but still seemed too scrawny to be carrying a sword. Vallissa is so tough and strong willed; I don’t understand what she sees in him. She needs someone that’s a little less conceited.
“Is something the matter?” he asked in a tone that said to me I’m so much more fancier than you.
“No,” I replied, frustrated. He frowned and continued to walk, the fallen leaves in the forest crunching underneath his feet.
Both of us have been the forest for hours, searching for Jockrie and his father after they ran away. We decided not to split up in case we ran into them since Jockrie was such a daddy’s boy and his dad was old, but stronger than the both of us.
We walked in silence for a while. Cyprian looked at me like he was about to say something but looked away. “What?” I asked bitterly.
“About Vallissa…”
“Yea, what about her.”
“I apologize,”
“For what?” I asked, confused.
“Well it’s obvious that you have some kind of feelings toward her,” He said and slowed his pace.
“Of course I do, I’m her guardian.” I was becoming annoyed. How would he know anything about my relationship with Vallissa?
“That’s not what I meant.” He said and then jumped over a tree that had fallen. He brushed off his pants afterward as if dirty burned him. I shook my head and then also jumped, not even bothering to look and see if I had gotten dirty.
He looked at me expecting me to answer the question. I exhaled and continued walking, him following. “Look, I’ve been by her side since I was seven and became her guardian when I was thirteen. My world literally revolves around her. The only purpose of my life is to protect her.” Cyprian didn’t say anything but he looked at me with sad eyes, I took it was pity.
“So you’ve been with her since she was born?” he asked, like he really wanted to know.
“Yes. I was seven when she was born. I began my training then and trained till thirteen, when I was assigned to guard her.”
“Why did they choose you to guard her?” he asked and then added, “No offence.”
I held up my hand to assure him that there was no offence taken. “My parents were guardians as well, protecting the noble and the elite. I guess you could say they were famous. They raised me to know what they knew and trained me when they had free time. The king found out about me when he hired my father and mother to protect the Kingdom.”
“So your parents guard the King and Queen?” he asked. He sounded like a little kid being told a bedtime story.
“No. They died in the beginning of the war.” That statement was so embedded in my head that it didn’t even hurt anymore.
“I’m sorry,” he said somberly, “My mother died too.”
He said it so quietly, I could hardly hear him. “Really?”
“Yea, but I don’t exactly like to talk about it.”
“Alright,” I said, dropping the conversation. I didn’t like talking about my parents deaths either; I know what its like.
“So you and Vallissa are close?” he asked bashfully, embarrassed to say it.
“Ha. Well I thought we were.” I looked at him, probably a bit to angrily and he in turn made a face and looked away.
“You don’t approve.” It wasn’t a question, more like stating what he already knew. And I’m glad he got the point.
“Honesty, no.”
He stopped walking and turned to face me. “Why.” He said it as if he was challenging me. My anger rose with his.
“I’m not going to let her be involved with the enemy-”
“Or with anyone but yourself,” he said cutting me off.
“Who are you to tell me what I feel?”
“Its true and you know it.”
“AND? Even if it is, it’s not going to change the fact that it’s dangerous for her to be with you and the fact that I don’t like you. At all.”
He stared at me, his face scrunched up into an angry expression. “You know, you say you’ve been with Vallissa all her life so shouldn’t you know her by now? She does things her own way. So no matter how much you may dislike me, hate me, it will never change her feeling for me, and my feelings for her,” he said and then added, “And I would NEVER do anything to hurt her.”
The anger built up inside me and I clenched my fists that were aching to hit him his know it all face. “I don’t need this! Why don’t you run back to your Kingdom and leave her in peace! You know she can never have a happy life with you.”
It was quiet for a bit and he got closer to me staring with challenging eyes. “I know I can protect her just as well as you do.” I had the urge to hurt him right there but he stood down, took a deep breath, and continued walking. “It’s getting late. We should make sure they did not follow after Vallissa. I’m worried for her…”
‘You shouldn’t worry, you should know,” I said proving my point that he couldn’t protect her.
“You’re not exactly there for her right now either.”
He got me.
I shut my mouth, holding back all of the bad things I wanted to say and do.
I stared at Cyprian from the corner of my eye. He is pretty sturdy but still seemed too scrawny to be carrying a sword. Vallissa is so tough and strong willed; I don’t understand what she sees in him. She needs someone that’s a little less conceited.
“Is something the matter?” he asked in a tone that said to me I’m so much more fancier than you.
“No,” I replied, frustrated. He frowned and continued to walk, the fallen leaves in the forest crunching underneath his feet.
Both of us have been the forest for hours, searching for Jockrie and his father after they ran away. We decided not to split up in case we ran into them since Jockrie was such a daddy’s boy and his dad was old, but stronger than the both of us.
We walked in silence for a while. Cyprian looked at me like he was about to say something but looked away. “What?” I asked bitterly.
“About Vallissa…”
“Yea, what about her.”
“I apologize,”
“For what?” I asked, confused.
“Well it’s obvious that you have some kind of feelings toward her,” He said and slowed his pace.
“Of course I do, I’m her guardian.” I was becoming annoyed. How would he know anything about my relationship with Vallissa?
“That’s not what I meant.” He said and then jumped over a tree that had fallen. He brushed off his pants afterward as if dirty burned him. I shook my head and then also jumped, not even bothering to look and see if I had gotten dirty.
He looked at me expecting me to answer the question. I exhaled and continued walking, him following. “Look, I’ve been by her side since I was seven and became her guardian when I was thirteen. My world literally revolves around her. The only purpose of my life is to protect her.” Cyprian didn’t say anything but he looked at me with sad eyes, I took it was pity.
“So you’ve been with her since she was born?” he asked, like he really wanted to know.
“Yes. I was seven when she was born. I began my training then and trained till thirteen, when I was assigned to guard her.”
“Why did they choose you to guard her?” he asked and then added, “No offence.”
I held up my hand to assure him that there was no offence taken. “My parents were guardians as well, protecting the noble and the elite. I guess you could say they were famous. They raised me to know what they knew and trained me when they had free time. The king found out about me when he hired my father and mother to protect the Kingdom.”
“So your parents guard the King and Queen?” he asked. He sounded like a little kid being told a bedtime story.
“No. They died in the beginning of the war.” That statement was so embedded in my head that it didn’t even hurt anymore.
“I’m sorry,” he said somberly, “My mother died too.”
He said it so quietly, I could hardly hear him. “Really?”
“Yea, but I don’t exactly like to talk about it.”
“Alright,” I said, dropping the conversation. I didn’t like talking about my parents deaths either; I know what its like.
“So you and Vallissa are close?” he asked bashfully, embarrassed to say it.
“Ha. Well I thought we were.” I looked at him, probably a bit to angrily and he in turn made a face and looked away.
“You don’t approve.” It wasn’t a question, more like stating what he already knew. And I’m glad he got the point.
“Honesty, no.”
He stopped walking and turned to face me. “Why.” He said it as if he was challenging me. My anger rose with his.
“I’m not going to let her be involved with the enemy-”
“Or with anyone but yourself,” he said cutting me off.
“Who are you to tell me what I feel?”
“Its true and you know it.”
“AND? Even if it is, it’s not going to change the fact that it’s dangerous for her to be with you and the fact that I don’t like you. At all.”
He stared at me, his face scrunched up into an angry expression. “You know, you say you’ve been with Vallissa all her life so shouldn’t you know her by now? She does things her own way. So no matter how much you may dislike me, hate me, it will never change her feeling for me, and my feelings for her,” he said and then added, “And I would NEVER do anything to hurt her.”
The anger built up inside me and I clenched my fists that were aching to hit him his know it all face. “I don’t need this! Why don’t you run back to your Kingdom and leave her in peace! You know she can never have a happy life with you.”
It was quiet for a bit and he got closer to me staring with challenging eyes. “I know I can protect her just as well as you do.” I had the urge to hurt him right there but he stood down, took a deep breath, and continued walking. “It’s getting late. We should make sure they did not follow after Vallissa. I’m worried for her…”
‘You shouldn’t worry, you should know,” I said proving my point that he couldn’t protect her.
“You’re not exactly there for her right now either.”
He got me.
I shut my mouth, holding back all of the bad things I wanted to say and do.