[Legend of Sun Knight] fic: No Sweeter Words (oneshot)
Title: No Sweeter Words (oneshot)
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 1982
Summary: In the middle of the Sun Knight selection, Roland and Grisia sneak out of the Holy Temple together, hoping to buy something sweet... only to find out that they're both dirt poor. Written for National Blueberry Pie Day!
Notes: Happy Blueberry Pie Day! I was trying to post on April 28th, but I didn't quite make it in time. But hey, I made it in time for Yu Wo's birthday instead! Happy birthday to Yu Wo~~. I had no idea what to name this fic, so you get a weird title. I had this document labeled as "pie"...
No Sweeter Words
Roland had made a friend at the selections for the next Sun Knight. His new friend was pretty bad with a sword, but his healing spells were incredible. Roland flipped his hand back and forth. The bruises he had had were completely gone. He could have continued on even with the bruises, but Grisia had insisted on healing them.
"Thank you," Roland said.
"No problem! We're friends, after all!" Grisia grinned.
Friends. Roland hadn't really had friends before.
Suddenly, Grisia's stomach growled. His grin from before turned sheepish. "All that healing makes me hungry... Ahhh, I'm so hungry..."
His head drooped. Even his hair seemed to droop, the brilliant blond color just a bit less shiny too.
Roland rubbed the newly healed skin of his hand, absentmindedly saying, "I have some bread I saved from lunch." Although he didn't know much about healing spells, he thought that perhaps casting them was just like swinging a sword and would expend energy. That meant Grisia was in need of replenishing his strength.
Unexpectedly, Grisia did not take the offered bread, but he did perk up. He turned imploring eyes on Roland. They were the color of the sky on a clear day, carefree and bright. "Don't you have anything sweet? Like... cake? Or pie?"
Roland shook his head.
"Then, let's go buy some! It has to be something sweet!" Grisia exclaimed and pulled Roland right along.
Roland blinked. Then, he looked down at their connected hands. If he gave a tug, he could easily free himself, but he found himself letting Grisia drag him off.
"What are we doing?" Roland asked once they stopped. They were by a wall.
"Well," Grisia replied, "Buying cake or pie requires us to go into the city. So we have to leave the Holy Temple somehow."
After explaining himself, Grisia tilted his head back to gaze upward. He used his hands to shade his eyes. "This wall is awfully tall though."
Roland studied the wall too. "It's not difficult to climb, but we shouldn't be leaving the premises."
"We'll be back before anyone knows about it!" Grisia immediately said.
With a shake of his head, Roland replied, "That doesn't change the fact that we would be leaving in the middle of the selections."
"Don't worry, Roland! It's not like there's a rule forbidding us from leaving... for a bit. Besides, the next task isn't scheduled until two days later! We have plenty of time." Having said his piece, Grisia tried to lift himself onto the branch of a tree that was next to the wall. He struggled for a bit, feet slipping against the bark, resulting in a moment of frantic scrambling. He did eventually manage to heave himself up. Teetering, he hugged the branch he had just conquered and breathed out a sigh of relief. "Phew, that was hard."
Curious about how hard it was, Roland grabbed a hold of a different branch and swung himself up. The next branch was a bit farther. He could feel the stretch of his muscles as he pulled himself up. This could turn out to be very good training. With that thought in mind, Roland continued climbing until he reached the very top.
"Hey, wait for me!" Grisia scrambled up the tree after Roland, his pace much slower. When Grisia was finally close enough, Roland reached a hand out to pull Grisia the rest of the way. However, he used too much strength -- Grisia almost rammed right into him, but Roland hurriedly righted both of them, making sure neither would fall. Grisia gripped Roland's arm, legs shaking. Only after finding their footing did they look around. The drop down was truly very far, but they quickly put that out of their minds. After all, looking up revealed a horizon that hinted at the city beyond.
Grisia stretched his hands out, holding them under the faraway horizon. It was almost as if he held the city in his hands. "Look, look!"
When Roland glanced at his friend, there was a cheeky smile on his face. Grisia showed Roland how he was supporting several houses. Under Grisia's urging, Roland extended his hands out too. It was kind of fun. The houses were really tiny. How heavy would an actual house be?
However, Grisia's smile soon turned wistful, and he let his hands drop. He picked at his sleeves and said, "It's nice here. I wish I could stay."
Both of them knew it was unlikely that Grisia would get chosen. He was unlikely to even be considered for any of the holy knight platoons.
Roland frowned. He didn't know what to say to console his friend. Instead, he took action and began descending from the wall, making use of jutting bricks. Grisia had said he was hungry and wanted cake or pie. Roland would find him some.
The capital of the Kingdom of Forgotten Sound bustled with activity and paid little heed to the two young boys roving from stall to stall. Roland followed after an excited Grisia. His blond friend darted to a stall selling lollipops.
"That's not food," Roland said as he walked up to Grisia. "Aren't you hungry?"
With perfect timing, Grisia's stomach growled. He stared yearningly at the lollipops but forced himself to continue on. His eyes lit up upon seeing a bakery around the corner. "Maybe they'll have cakes or pies!"
They entered the shop and was immediately hit by the aroma of freshly baked bread. Grisia headed straight for the cakes. He squatted down for a better look and licked his lips. "These cakes look yummy!"
Like earlier, Roland was several steps behind Grisia. He approached the cakes. "Do you want one?"
Grisia nodded. "Let's go pay for it!" But before he could bounce over to the counter, he solemnly turned toward Roland and asked a very important question. "By the way, Roland, do you have any money?"
Patting his money pouch, Roland answered, "Two copper ducats."
"That's not enough to buy anything!"
"Cakes... pies..." Grisia groaned. His stomach growled in protest.
They'd left the bakery, heading back outside. Both boys were dirt poor and had no means of buying a cake. Grisia kicked at the dirt ground.
"Doesn't your family give you any money?" Grisia asked.
Roland didn't shake or nod his head. He merely said, "The orphanage gave me some money before I left, but not a lot."
Grisia blinked in surprise. "You're an orphan too?"
"Too?" Roland asked.
"Oh, um, well, I'm an orphan!" Grisia said. "So I don't have a lot of money either, not like those other boys in the selections who are always flaunting their clothes and weapons."
"Oh," was all Roland could say. Then, he belatedly added, "Yes, I'm an orphan."
Grisia's excitement returned. It was almost enough to rival his excitement from earlier when they had been hunting for cakes and pies. "We should totally stick together, you and me! I'll have your back! Like a big brother!"
Roland looked at Grisia. He wasn't all that tall or muscular, and his face was rounder than Roland's too. If anything, Grisia looked to be the younger one. "Are you sure you're older than me?"
"When's your birthday?" Grisia asked.
"I don't know."
Triumphant, Grisia said, "Well, I don't know when mine is either, so who's to say I'm not older?"
And who's to say you're not younger...? However, Roland didn't argue any further. In any case, he didn't mind either way.
As they headed back in the direction of the Holy Temple with Grisia's stomach still empty, they suddenly heard words that were as sweet as an angel's blessings.
"Free blueberry pie! Free blueberry pie! Have a slice~!"
When one is as poor as these two boys, there were truly no sweeter words than hearing "free food." At least, Grisia's stomach definitely thought so, even if Roland didn’t.
Grisia immediately disappeared from Roland's sight, lured by the promise of free blueberry pie. Only flashes of gold in the crowd guided Roland to where his friend had disappeared off to.
When Roland found Grisia again, he was in front of a stall, eying the blueberry pie on the table. "Is it really free?"
The vendor nodded. "Yup, there are several shops giving away free blueberry pie today in celebration! Have a slice!"
With no hesitation at all, Grisia snatched a slice of blueberry pie and practically inhaled it.
"Is that your friend?" The vendor turned to Roland and asked, "Would you like a slice too?"
"Thank you," Roland said and took a slice. He handed it to Grisia after they left the stall.
Grisia bounced up and down. "Did you hear that, Roland? She said that several shops are giving away free blueberry pie today!" His eyes shone. "Let's go to all of them! Since there are two of us, that means we'll be able to get two slices from each shop. What a deal!"
By the time they returned to the Holy Temple, it was already past dinner time. Grisia had insisted on going to every single bakery and sweets shop they could find to see if they were offering free blueberry pie. Some shops didn't, but many of them did. They returned with their arms full. Climbing back up the wall was quite an ordeal. The blueberry pies almost didn't make it.
"What should we do? We missed dinner," Roland said.
Grisia waved his hand. "Don't worry, we have pie!"
Pie wasn't dinner, but Roland supposed it was better than nothing. Still, he frowned. "What if people noticed we weren't there?"
"It's not like we're required to be at dinner!" Grisia said.
Something didn't seem quite right with what Grisia had said, but Roland couldn't find anything wrong with it either. He followed Grisia to a secluded corner of the courtyard. Under the setting sun, Grisia spread out the napkins they had taken and the slices of pie they had received.
They had gone to so many shops that even though they had only taken one slice each from each shop, they were able to form a complete blueberry pie. In fact, they could have probably formed two complete pies... if Grisia hadn't eaten a bunch of slices on the way back.
The slices were of varying sizes. The heights were different too, some tall, some short. Some had cream, some didn't. Grisia happily arranged them in a circle.
"How about we both try a slice from the same store?" Grisia asked.
"Okay."
At the same time, they each took a slice of pie and bit into it. This particular slice was from a bakery that seemed to be named after holy knights. The flavor burst in Roland's mouth, making him think of ripe blueberry fields caressed by the sun. He chewed, the crust giving away to the blue treasures hidden within, and as he swallowed, a touch of cinnamon bade him farewell with a lingering taste.
He smiled. It was really good and sweet.
Grisia sighed in content. "Blueberry pie is awesome."
They leaned back, each taking another slice and comparing the taste. Roland hadn't thought he could eat so much pie, but trying these pies from all these different stores was kind of fun. Each pie tasted just a bit different.
"This is the best day ever," Grisia said. He held a slice of pie up. "You know what, we should make today our birthday! Of course, I'm still older, okay? I ate the pie first!"
Roland blinked. "Our birthday?"
"Yes! Birthdays are happy occasions, right? Today is such an awesome day! And you heard what they said! They give out free blueberry pie every year on this day! So next year, we could get more free pie!" Grisia beamed.
Roland looked at the slice of pie in his hand and thought about the day he had spent with Grisia. It had indeed been a great day. It was the first time he'd gone out with a friend too.
He'd like that, celebrating this day again next year with Grisia. He didn’t know where he would be in a year, or where Grisia would be, but he’d like that. To a boy who had always been alone like Roland, hearing that his friend wanted to be with him was even sweeter than hearing there was free food.
So, he said, "That'd be nice."
the end
Happy Blueberry Pie Day~~~ Happy Birthday to Yu Wo~~~
Sequel
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 1982
Summary: In the middle of the Sun Knight selection, Roland and Grisia sneak out of the Holy Temple together, hoping to buy something sweet... only to find out that they're both dirt poor. Written for National Blueberry Pie Day!
Notes: Happy Blueberry Pie Day! I was trying to post on April 28th, but I didn't quite make it in time. But hey, I made it in time for Yu Wo's birthday instead! Happy birthday to Yu Wo~~. I had no idea what to name this fic, so you get a weird title. I had this document labeled as "pie"...
No Sweeter Words
Roland had made a friend at the selections for the next Sun Knight. His new friend was pretty bad with a sword, but his healing spells were incredible. Roland flipped his hand back and forth. The bruises he had had were completely gone. He could have continued on even with the bruises, but Grisia had insisted on healing them.
"Thank you," Roland said.
"No problem! We're friends, after all!" Grisia grinned.
Friends. Roland hadn't really had friends before.
Suddenly, Grisia's stomach growled. His grin from before turned sheepish. "All that healing makes me hungry... Ahhh, I'm so hungry..."
His head drooped. Even his hair seemed to droop, the brilliant blond color just a bit less shiny too.
Roland rubbed the newly healed skin of his hand, absentmindedly saying, "I have some bread I saved from lunch." Although he didn't know much about healing spells, he thought that perhaps casting them was just like swinging a sword and would expend energy. That meant Grisia was in need of replenishing his strength.
Unexpectedly, Grisia did not take the offered bread, but he did perk up. He turned imploring eyes on Roland. They were the color of the sky on a clear day, carefree and bright. "Don't you have anything sweet? Like... cake? Or pie?"
Roland shook his head.
"Then, let's go buy some! It has to be something sweet!" Grisia exclaimed and pulled Roland right along.
Roland blinked. Then, he looked down at their connected hands. If he gave a tug, he could easily free himself, but he found himself letting Grisia drag him off.
"What are we doing?" Roland asked once they stopped. They were by a wall.
"Well," Grisia replied, "Buying cake or pie requires us to go into the city. So we have to leave the Holy Temple somehow."
After explaining himself, Grisia tilted his head back to gaze upward. He used his hands to shade his eyes. "This wall is awfully tall though."
Roland studied the wall too. "It's not difficult to climb, but we shouldn't be leaving the premises."
"We'll be back before anyone knows about it!" Grisia immediately said.
With a shake of his head, Roland replied, "That doesn't change the fact that we would be leaving in the middle of the selections."
"Don't worry, Roland! It's not like there's a rule forbidding us from leaving... for a bit. Besides, the next task isn't scheduled until two days later! We have plenty of time." Having said his piece, Grisia tried to lift himself onto the branch of a tree that was next to the wall. He struggled for a bit, feet slipping against the bark, resulting in a moment of frantic scrambling. He did eventually manage to heave himself up. Teetering, he hugged the branch he had just conquered and breathed out a sigh of relief. "Phew, that was hard."
Curious about how hard it was, Roland grabbed a hold of a different branch and swung himself up. The next branch was a bit farther. He could feel the stretch of his muscles as he pulled himself up. This could turn out to be very good training. With that thought in mind, Roland continued climbing until he reached the very top.
"Hey, wait for me!" Grisia scrambled up the tree after Roland, his pace much slower. When Grisia was finally close enough, Roland reached a hand out to pull Grisia the rest of the way. However, he used too much strength -- Grisia almost rammed right into him, but Roland hurriedly righted both of them, making sure neither would fall. Grisia gripped Roland's arm, legs shaking. Only after finding their footing did they look around. The drop down was truly very far, but they quickly put that out of their minds. After all, looking up revealed a horizon that hinted at the city beyond.
Grisia stretched his hands out, holding them under the faraway horizon. It was almost as if he held the city in his hands. "Look, look!"
When Roland glanced at his friend, there was a cheeky smile on his face. Grisia showed Roland how he was supporting several houses. Under Grisia's urging, Roland extended his hands out too. It was kind of fun. The houses were really tiny. How heavy would an actual house be?
However, Grisia's smile soon turned wistful, and he let his hands drop. He picked at his sleeves and said, "It's nice here. I wish I could stay."
Both of them knew it was unlikely that Grisia would get chosen. He was unlikely to even be considered for any of the holy knight platoons.
Roland frowned. He didn't know what to say to console his friend. Instead, he took action and began descending from the wall, making use of jutting bricks. Grisia had said he was hungry and wanted cake or pie. Roland would find him some.
The capital of the Kingdom of Forgotten Sound bustled with activity and paid little heed to the two young boys roving from stall to stall. Roland followed after an excited Grisia. His blond friend darted to a stall selling lollipops.
"That's not food," Roland said as he walked up to Grisia. "Aren't you hungry?"
With perfect timing, Grisia's stomach growled. He stared yearningly at the lollipops but forced himself to continue on. His eyes lit up upon seeing a bakery around the corner. "Maybe they'll have cakes or pies!"
They entered the shop and was immediately hit by the aroma of freshly baked bread. Grisia headed straight for the cakes. He squatted down for a better look and licked his lips. "These cakes look yummy!"
Like earlier, Roland was several steps behind Grisia. He approached the cakes. "Do you want one?"
Grisia nodded. "Let's go pay for it!" But before he could bounce over to the counter, he solemnly turned toward Roland and asked a very important question. "By the way, Roland, do you have any money?"
Patting his money pouch, Roland answered, "Two copper ducats."
"That's not enough to buy anything!"
"Cakes... pies..." Grisia groaned. His stomach growled in protest.
They'd left the bakery, heading back outside. Both boys were dirt poor and had no means of buying a cake. Grisia kicked at the dirt ground.
"Doesn't your family give you any money?" Grisia asked.
Roland didn't shake or nod his head. He merely said, "The orphanage gave me some money before I left, but not a lot."
Grisia blinked in surprise. "You're an orphan too?"
"Too?" Roland asked.
"Oh, um, well, I'm an orphan!" Grisia said. "So I don't have a lot of money either, not like those other boys in the selections who are always flaunting their clothes and weapons."
"Oh," was all Roland could say. Then, he belatedly added, "Yes, I'm an orphan."
Grisia's excitement returned. It was almost enough to rival his excitement from earlier when they had been hunting for cakes and pies. "We should totally stick together, you and me! I'll have your back! Like a big brother!"
Roland looked at Grisia. He wasn't all that tall or muscular, and his face was rounder than Roland's too. If anything, Grisia looked to be the younger one. "Are you sure you're older than me?"
"When's your birthday?" Grisia asked.
"I don't know."
Triumphant, Grisia said, "Well, I don't know when mine is either, so who's to say I'm not older?"
And who's to say you're not younger...? However, Roland didn't argue any further. In any case, he didn't mind either way.
As they headed back in the direction of the Holy Temple with Grisia's stomach still empty, they suddenly heard words that were as sweet as an angel's blessings.
"Free blueberry pie! Free blueberry pie! Have a slice~!"
When one is as poor as these two boys, there were truly no sweeter words than hearing "free food." At least, Grisia's stomach definitely thought so, even if Roland didn’t.
Grisia immediately disappeared from Roland's sight, lured by the promise of free blueberry pie. Only flashes of gold in the crowd guided Roland to where his friend had disappeared off to.
When Roland found Grisia again, he was in front of a stall, eying the blueberry pie on the table. "Is it really free?"
The vendor nodded. "Yup, there are several shops giving away free blueberry pie today in celebration! Have a slice!"
With no hesitation at all, Grisia snatched a slice of blueberry pie and practically inhaled it.
"Is that your friend?" The vendor turned to Roland and asked, "Would you like a slice too?"
"Thank you," Roland said and took a slice. He handed it to Grisia after they left the stall.
Grisia bounced up and down. "Did you hear that, Roland? She said that several shops are giving away free blueberry pie today!" His eyes shone. "Let's go to all of them! Since there are two of us, that means we'll be able to get two slices from each shop. What a deal!"
By the time they returned to the Holy Temple, it was already past dinner time. Grisia had insisted on going to every single bakery and sweets shop they could find to see if they were offering free blueberry pie. Some shops didn't, but many of them did. They returned with their arms full. Climbing back up the wall was quite an ordeal. The blueberry pies almost didn't make it.
"What should we do? We missed dinner," Roland said.
Grisia waved his hand. "Don't worry, we have pie!"
Pie wasn't dinner, but Roland supposed it was better than nothing. Still, he frowned. "What if people noticed we weren't there?"
"It's not like we're required to be at dinner!" Grisia said.
Something didn't seem quite right with what Grisia had said, but Roland couldn't find anything wrong with it either. He followed Grisia to a secluded corner of the courtyard. Under the setting sun, Grisia spread out the napkins they had taken and the slices of pie they had received.
They had gone to so many shops that even though they had only taken one slice each from each shop, they were able to form a complete blueberry pie. In fact, they could have probably formed two complete pies... if Grisia hadn't eaten a bunch of slices on the way back.
The slices were of varying sizes. The heights were different too, some tall, some short. Some had cream, some didn't. Grisia happily arranged them in a circle.
"How about we both try a slice from the same store?" Grisia asked.
"Okay."
At the same time, they each took a slice of pie and bit into it. This particular slice was from a bakery that seemed to be named after holy knights. The flavor burst in Roland's mouth, making him think of ripe blueberry fields caressed by the sun. He chewed, the crust giving away to the blue treasures hidden within, and as he swallowed, a touch of cinnamon bade him farewell with a lingering taste.
He smiled. It was really good and sweet.
Grisia sighed in content. "Blueberry pie is awesome."
They leaned back, each taking another slice and comparing the taste. Roland hadn't thought he could eat so much pie, but trying these pies from all these different stores was kind of fun. Each pie tasted just a bit different.
"This is the best day ever," Grisia said. He held a slice of pie up. "You know what, we should make today our birthday! Of course, I'm still older, okay? I ate the pie first!"
Roland blinked. "Our birthday?"
"Yes! Birthdays are happy occasions, right? Today is such an awesome day! And you heard what they said! They give out free blueberry pie every year on this day! So next year, we could get more free pie!" Grisia beamed.
Roland looked at the slice of pie in his hand and thought about the day he had spent with Grisia. It had indeed been a great day. It was the first time he'd gone out with a friend too.
He'd like that, celebrating this day again next year with Grisia. He didn’t know where he would be in a year, or where Grisia would be, but he’d like that. To a boy who had always been alone like Roland, hearing that his friend wanted to be with him was even sweeter than hearing there was free food.
So, he said, "That'd be nice."
the end
Happy Blueberry Pie Day~~~ Happy Birthday to Yu Wo~~~
Sequel