Suikoden III: A Few Moments in the Life of Koroku
Title: A Few Moments in the Life of Koroku
Fandom: Suikoden series
Characters: Koroku, Cecile, Thomas, mentions of the other Budehuc residents
Word Count: 2,900
Rating/Warnings: No restrictions or warnings
Author's Notes: Post Suikoden III. Thomas/Cecile. From Koroku's perspective. ...You heard me. :| Started in 2004 and finally finished after doing some massive editing to the original idea.
He was a little dog with a lot of bite.
He was proud of that fact. It had made him a useful assistant to the castle and a perfect companion for the young garrison commander. There were few things he enjoyed more than running after her as she patrolled around the castle, especially considering the rewards he was given afterwards. He enjoyed being able to take a hard-earned bone back to his basket and stretching out while waiting for the enthusiastic girl, Cecile, to call for him again.
Early on, when he himself was a fairly-new resident to the castle, there were many people in the castle that helped Cecile with patrolling. There were a lot less bones for him back then. He would tag along once his curiosity was piqued, but the occasional bone was all the attention he received. Once people stopped showing up for guard duty, he became her number one pooch again. A lot more bones, a lot more scratching behind the ears, a lot more running and chasing things…
“Korokuuuuu! It’s time for patrol!”
He wagged his tail at the shrill call, leaping out of his basket. He wouldn’t miss patrol for the world.
* * * * *
As time passed, so did his fondness for chasing every other thing that moved. He spent more time happily trotting after the young woman that offered him a daily treat and a friendly pat on the head on a job well done, once in awhile helping with guard duties. As the town around them grew bigger and busier, so did Cecile’s duties. She began taking in volunteers and hiring helpers for the garrison, having them patrol the perimeter in turn.
However, this time, she did not forget her faithful little helper. Although Koroku never warmed up to the other guards as much as he did with Cecile, he was more than happy to continue helping her with the daily patrols. He would stand guard at night during the changing of the guard … just as long as he got a treat for his troubles.
Oh, how he enjoyed getting his treats.
The young castle master, Thomas, was around more often now. Though he did not do patrol runs anymore, he had been busy inside the castle for a long time. Koroku figured that he had found people to help him, just like Cecile had done. It was nice to see Thomas; he always came ready to pet him and give him some really tasty treats when he came to visit him and Cecile. Not to mention meaty bones that Thomas somehow got away from Muto, his dogkind-cousin.
One day Thomas came with more than his usual presents.
He had been sitting next to Cecile by the fountain at the time. Cecile had some time off and was relaxing, her helmet gone and her face as cheery as ever. She was petting him despite the fact that he was a little wet from the fountain’s spray, humming quietly. When he caught Thomas’ scent, Koroku stood up and wagged his tail, already expecting a treat or a bone for simply existing.
“Oh, Koroku, are you happy that Thomas is coming to see us?” laughed Cecile upon seeing his reaction. She stood up as well and waved at Thomas, and Koroku ran up to the young man in his giddiness to get his treat.
“Hi, Koroku,” greeted Thomas with a grin, accepting the licks that Koroku gave his empty hand. The small dog yipped and stood on his hind legs as Thomas reached into his pocket, wagging his tail as he grabbed the treat and ran back to Cecile.
With treat in mouth, Koroku was more than content enough to block out the noises around him. He laid down next to Cecile as she talked with Thomas, so intent on eating his crunchy treat that he did not react until he heard the girl gasp. Ears perking up, he tilted his head up to look at the two young humans.
“I-- I know that wh-- what I’m saying might be silly--” Uh-oh. Thomas was stuttering again. That was never good. He only stuttered when things were going badly nowadays.
“Oh… Um, Thomas, I-- I don’t know what to say…” That was strange. Even Cecile was stuttering. Was it suddenly contagious now?
“I-- uh, was it bad to ask?” asked Thomas, looking embarrassed for both himself and Cecile.
Cecile shook her head quickly. “No, no! I was just … um, surprised!” She looked like a cornered deer, but Koroku would not have told her that even if he could. “C-- can I get back to you on that, Thomas?” She shied away from the older boy, no longer the energetic and stout-hearted garrison commander but a nervous teenage girl.
Thomas clearly did not want Cecile to leave, but he nodded slowly after a moment of hesitance. “Y-- yeah. Take your time,” he finished lamely.
That was all it took; Cecile was already hurrying away, not even noticing Koroku as he bounded after her.
* * * * *
She had decided that it would be best to try and take her mind off of things. “Koroku, I think it’s time to go on patrol.”
Koroku followed loyally with his treat in his mouth, wagging his tail without really understanding why Cecile was suddenly going on patrol when all the guards were in position. Maybe it was one of the perks of being the garrison commander? She did enjoy patrolling whenever she was on the schedule.
Cecile was babbling as she walked along, her armor clanking noisily and her motions automatic as she fell into the steady routine of patrolling the castle. “He asked me to be his girlfriend, Koroku. I know I’ve had a crush on him, and I know that I really should be very happy, but… I don’t know.”
The little dog hopped over a half-uprooted cobblestone on the street, running a bit to catch up with the girl. He carried his treat and found himself unable to eat while he walked, but patrol duty was more important than eating right now. Especially when he was doing patrol duty with Cecile.
Patrol duty with her was more important than all the treats that he got from other people.
“Maybe I’m just surprised he actually asked? Maybe I actually gave up that he had feelings for me at all?” the girl wondered aloud. “Oh, what should I do?”
Koroku snorted and paused briefly to watch a butterfly flutter by before bounding after the armored teenager.
“He looked so sad when I left… It must’ve really been tough for him to actually tell me.” Cecile bit her lower lip and sighed. “What do you think, Koroku? Should I go back and talk to him?”
The little dog had trailed off again, distracted by a duck that had perched on a low wall. With a muffled yip, he noted that he had fallen behind and chased after Cecile.
“But what if he isn’t sure of himself? What if I go back and say yes and he says that he changed his mind?” Cecile walked down the steps towards Mamie’s restaurant, her face thoughtful. “I don’t think I could bear it.”
Koroku growled at a chipmunk scurrying up a patch of ivy on the stone wall, barking at it once before following after the armor-clad girl. He yipped when he almost ran into Cecile’s legs, looking up at her still form curiously.
“But he’s finally offering something that I’ve wanted for so long.” Cecile looked unsure for a moment, tilting her head to the sky. “If I don’t try now, I’m going to regret it for the rest of my life, right?”
The orange-furred basket dog wagged his tail uncertainly.
“You’re right, Koroku. I will regret it. I need to go tell him!” Cecile smiled in relief, turning around and racing up the stairs. “Thanks, Koroku, you’re the best!”
Koroku could only yip in confusion as Cecile disappeared, tilting his head. What just happened right there?
He did not have a chance to think too hard about it, as a chipmunk raced down the stairs. With a muffled bark, he pursued the furry rodent.
* * * * *
Things gradually changed after that. For better or for worse, he could not really tell.
On one hand, Cecile did not spend as much time with him as she used to. She was constantly on the move and traveling with Thomas, entrusting her subordinates with the safety of the castle much more than she had before. In addition, it was becoming more and more common for her to go around the town not wearing her armor; if it were not for her scent, he would not have recognized her.
On the other hand, she seemed even happier than she had been before. She was still all smiles and happy laughter, but she was more often seen with Thomas than without him now. The two glowed in each other’s company, wearing complementing smiles and sharing moments of embarrassment and glee equally. Cecile was still the more active of the two, pulling Thomas along and voicing her exuberance more readily than the quiet young man.
Of course, Koroku could not grasp these things as well as his human companions could. All he really noticed was that his favorite playmate was gone more often than before and he was growing a bit lean on the lack of treats.
He was presently spending his time gnawing on a bone his dogkind-cousin had been nice enough to give him. The air was growing cooler, and he was taking a break from jumping into piles that Sebastian raked up; he had grown up a bit and spent less time running around aimlessly, more than content loping around the castle grounds with some of his favorite human companions. His current leaf pile companion was Juan, who slept contentedly beside him with no intention of getting up for awhile. Juan was a steady source of warmth and protection, though he was not exactly fond of waking up smelling like dog. Oh well; if he didn’t want to put up with a dog, he could have always woken up and shooed him away.
“Korokuuuuu! Koroku, where are you?”
There was a voice he hadn’t heard for awhile! Bone forgotten, he leapt to his feet and raced towards the familiar voice of his playmate. He nearly barreled over Mamie as she carried food to a couple of customers, barking happily as he headed up the stairs to the front of the castle.
Cecile grinned excitedly as she saw the little dog running up the stone steps, leaving her place at Thomas’ side to greet him with open arms. Koroku woofed and sniffed her hands, wagging his tail excitedly as Cecile held his paws and danced with him. Thomas smiled from a fair distance away, his hands clasped behind his back as he walked up to stand beside Cecile.
“I had to tell you first!” Cecile cheered, giggling as she swung Koroku around, her hair unbound and free. “Oh, Koroku, this is so exciting!”
Koroku lapped eagerly at Cecile’s wrists, trying to keep up with the bouncing girl. When she noticed Koroku having trouble following her dancing, Cecile picked up the dog and spun. All the while, Thomas stood there with a small, happy smile gracing his face.
“Koroku, Thomas asked me to marry him! Can you believe that?! And I said yes!”
Completely oblivious to everything except the girl’s glee, Koroku barked and used his new position in Cecile’s arms to lick her face. This made Cecile dissolve into more happy laughter, which in turn made Koroku that much more elated for his friend.
Cecile finally released the small dog, pumping her fists into the air. “Let’s go tell Sebastian! And Juan! And Piccolo and Martha and Eike and everyone!” At a loss as to where to go first, Cecile spun around until she saw Muto heading out of the tavern with a crate. “Muto! Muto!! I’m engaged!!”
Though he had no idea what ‘engaged’ was, Koroku had no problem howling along in declaration. If ‘engaged’ made Cecile happy, that was all that mattered.
* * * * *
There were a lot of people around-even more people than usual. He wagged his tail uncertainly at most of them, recognizing the scents of certain ones but not greeting them as he would have the most familiar residents of the castle. Since he had been firmly told not to disturb Cecile and Thomas right now, he stuck by Sebastian’s side and watched him greet and shake hands with the visitors to Budehuc.
The whole castle had been kicked into a frenzy by the news of Cecile and Thomas getting ‘engaged.’ Old and cynical Martha had been surprisingly enthusiastic (for her, anyway), and whenever he went off to spend time with his favorite girl, Martha was with her talking about something or another. This went on for well over a month, with more people appearing every few days and the castle town becoming steadily livelier.
It was on one particularly frantic day that he found himself being kept on (horror of horrors) a leash, and he fidgeted anxiously the entire morning. Eike finally came to him and gave him a surprisingly inedible treat -- but he said it was important, so he didn’t complain. He walked by Eike’s side into the castle’s main hall, which was packed with seated guests, and sat at the solemn man’s feet uncertainly.
Though he was hardly a puppy anymore, he squirmed impatiently as the minutes passed by in relative silence. When he heard appreciative murmurs throughout the crowd, he could barely keep from dropping the inedible treat in his maw as he looked towards the carpet that lined the middle aisle.
He wagged his tail as Thomas, looking as nervous and pale as ever, stepped into sight. Wuffing excitedly around the important treat, he tried to follow after the young man; it was only Eike’s grip on his leash that stopped him, and he whined once before settling down. Thomas, who he expected to at least try and comfort him, stared off ahead with a terrified expression gracing his boyish face.
It seemed like ages before Cecile finally appeared, the biggest smile ever on her face. She walked -- marched -- down the aisle as the minstrels’ music began to play, wearing the longest and shiniest skirt Koroku had ever seen her wear. He wagged his tail frantically, pulling at his leash in order to run to her, but found himself still held tightly by Eike. Koroku was put off by his favorite girl’s lack of attention, but only slightly; maybe she was in a similar state as Thomas, seeing as both of them were walking up to stand next to each other.
Then the music stopped, and Eike forced him to sit down again as Sebastian began talking. He shook his head before resting, trying to work his tired jaw around the important treat. What was the point of it now? Could he put it down yet? He wanted to yawn. Or whine. Or maybe both at the same time.
Just as he was about to fall asleep in the midst of all these people, he felt Eike reach down and unhook his leash. He perked his ears up and opened his eyes, looking curious and wagging his tail uncertainly. Could he go? What was he supposed to do?
And then he heard Cecile call for him.
“Koroku!”
He was off in a dash, dropping his treat from his aching jaw in his excitement. But he was quick to recover, bounding back to snatch up the treat and make his way down the aisle and to Cecile’s side. He panted happily as she took the important treat, opening it before turning to face Sebastian and Thomas again.
“Do we have the rings?”
“We do.”
Eike should have told him the treat was important to Cecile. He wouldn’t have dropped it if he had known! But he continued wagging his tail, turning to look at the people sitting down and wuffing quietly; he needed to exercise his poor jaw.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please stand.” Sebastian’s voice was even louder than before, and Koroku turned to look at him curiously. “Allow me the honor to present the new lady and master of Budehuc Castle! You may kiss the bride, Master Thomas!”
While the words meant nothing to him, Koroku understood clapping when he heard it -- and he heard the clapping in droves as all the now-standing people began applauding, whistling, and even shouting. He didn’t know what was going on, but it was a happy occasion -- even if it looked like Cecile and Thomas’ faces had been smushed together. …Oh, wait! There they were, smiling and looking embarrassed again. Smushed faces were never fun.
So he joined in the celebration, howling his little heart out and putting his paws up on his favorite girl’s shiny skirt. She grinned at him, crouching down and picking him up. Even in this awkward hold, Koroku was too excited to be upset, and he wagged his tail as he covered first Cecile’s and then Thomas’ faces with licks. They walked down the aisle together, Thomas holding Cecile’s hand and Cecile cradling Koroku with one arm.
It was a very exciting day for Koroku. He would distinctly remember the sheer amount of treats he received that evening, as well as the funny peck on the nose Cecile would give him.
She had been very happy that day. Happier than he had ever seen her before. And to him, that was even more memorable than all the treats he had ever received in his lifetime.
Fandom: Suikoden series
Characters: Koroku, Cecile, Thomas, mentions of the other Budehuc residents
Word Count: 2,900
Rating/Warnings: No restrictions or warnings
Author's Notes: Post Suikoden III. Thomas/Cecile. From Koroku's perspective. ...You heard me. :| Started in 2004 and finally finished after doing some massive editing to the original idea.
He was a little dog with a lot of bite.
He was proud of that fact. It had made him a useful assistant to the castle and a perfect companion for the young garrison commander. There were few things he enjoyed more than running after her as she patrolled around the castle, especially considering the rewards he was given afterwards. He enjoyed being able to take a hard-earned bone back to his basket and stretching out while waiting for the enthusiastic girl, Cecile, to call for him again.
Early on, when he himself was a fairly-new resident to the castle, there were many people in the castle that helped Cecile with patrolling. There were a lot less bones for him back then. He would tag along once his curiosity was piqued, but the occasional bone was all the attention he received. Once people stopped showing up for guard duty, he became her number one pooch again. A lot more bones, a lot more scratching behind the ears, a lot more running and chasing things…
“Korokuuuuu! It’s time for patrol!”
He wagged his tail at the shrill call, leaping out of his basket. He wouldn’t miss patrol for the world.
* * * * *
As time passed, so did his fondness for chasing every other thing that moved. He spent more time happily trotting after the young woman that offered him a daily treat and a friendly pat on the head on a job well done, once in awhile helping with guard duties. As the town around them grew bigger and busier, so did Cecile’s duties. She began taking in volunteers and hiring helpers for the garrison, having them patrol the perimeter in turn.
However, this time, she did not forget her faithful little helper. Although Koroku never warmed up to the other guards as much as he did with Cecile, he was more than happy to continue helping her with the daily patrols. He would stand guard at night during the changing of the guard … just as long as he got a treat for his troubles.
Oh, how he enjoyed getting his treats.
The young castle master, Thomas, was around more often now. Though he did not do patrol runs anymore, he had been busy inside the castle for a long time. Koroku figured that he had found people to help him, just like Cecile had done. It was nice to see Thomas; he always came ready to pet him and give him some really tasty treats when he came to visit him and Cecile. Not to mention meaty bones that Thomas somehow got away from Muto, his dogkind-cousin.
One day Thomas came with more than his usual presents.
He had been sitting next to Cecile by the fountain at the time. Cecile had some time off and was relaxing, her helmet gone and her face as cheery as ever. She was petting him despite the fact that he was a little wet from the fountain’s spray, humming quietly. When he caught Thomas’ scent, Koroku stood up and wagged his tail, already expecting a treat or a bone for simply existing.
“Oh, Koroku, are you happy that Thomas is coming to see us?” laughed Cecile upon seeing his reaction. She stood up as well and waved at Thomas, and Koroku ran up to the young man in his giddiness to get his treat.
“Hi, Koroku,” greeted Thomas with a grin, accepting the licks that Koroku gave his empty hand. The small dog yipped and stood on his hind legs as Thomas reached into his pocket, wagging his tail as he grabbed the treat and ran back to Cecile.
With treat in mouth, Koroku was more than content enough to block out the noises around him. He laid down next to Cecile as she talked with Thomas, so intent on eating his crunchy treat that he did not react until he heard the girl gasp. Ears perking up, he tilted his head up to look at the two young humans.
“I-- I know that wh-- what I’m saying might be silly--” Uh-oh. Thomas was stuttering again. That was never good. He only stuttered when things were going badly nowadays.
“Oh… Um, Thomas, I-- I don’t know what to say…” That was strange. Even Cecile was stuttering. Was it suddenly contagious now?
“I-- uh, was it bad to ask?” asked Thomas, looking embarrassed for both himself and Cecile.
Cecile shook her head quickly. “No, no! I was just … um, surprised!” She looked like a cornered deer, but Koroku would not have told her that even if he could. “C-- can I get back to you on that, Thomas?” She shied away from the older boy, no longer the energetic and stout-hearted garrison commander but a nervous teenage girl.
Thomas clearly did not want Cecile to leave, but he nodded slowly after a moment of hesitance. “Y-- yeah. Take your time,” he finished lamely.
That was all it took; Cecile was already hurrying away, not even noticing Koroku as he bounded after her.
* * * * *
She had decided that it would be best to try and take her mind off of things. “Koroku, I think it’s time to go on patrol.”
Koroku followed loyally with his treat in his mouth, wagging his tail without really understanding why Cecile was suddenly going on patrol when all the guards were in position. Maybe it was one of the perks of being the garrison commander? She did enjoy patrolling whenever she was on the schedule.
Cecile was babbling as she walked along, her armor clanking noisily and her motions automatic as she fell into the steady routine of patrolling the castle. “He asked me to be his girlfriend, Koroku. I know I’ve had a crush on him, and I know that I really should be very happy, but… I don’t know.”
The little dog hopped over a half-uprooted cobblestone on the street, running a bit to catch up with the girl. He carried his treat and found himself unable to eat while he walked, but patrol duty was more important than eating right now. Especially when he was doing patrol duty with Cecile.
Patrol duty with her was more important than all the treats that he got from other people.
“Maybe I’m just surprised he actually asked? Maybe I actually gave up that he had feelings for me at all?” the girl wondered aloud. “Oh, what should I do?”
Koroku snorted and paused briefly to watch a butterfly flutter by before bounding after the armored teenager.
“He looked so sad when I left… It must’ve really been tough for him to actually tell me.” Cecile bit her lower lip and sighed. “What do you think, Koroku? Should I go back and talk to him?”
The little dog had trailed off again, distracted by a duck that had perched on a low wall. With a muffled yip, he noted that he had fallen behind and chased after Cecile.
“But what if he isn’t sure of himself? What if I go back and say yes and he says that he changed his mind?” Cecile walked down the steps towards Mamie’s restaurant, her face thoughtful. “I don’t think I could bear it.”
Koroku growled at a chipmunk scurrying up a patch of ivy on the stone wall, barking at it once before following after the armor-clad girl. He yipped when he almost ran into Cecile’s legs, looking up at her still form curiously.
“But he’s finally offering something that I’ve wanted for so long.” Cecile looked unsure for a moment, tilting her head to the sky. “If I don’t try now, I’m going to regret it for the rest of my life, right?”
The orange-furred basket dog wagged his tail uncertainly.
“You’re right, Koroku. I will regret it. I need to go tell him!” Cecile smiled in relief, turning around and racing up the stairs. “Thanks, Koroku, you’re the best!”
Koroku could only yip in confusion as Cecile disappeared, tilting his head. What just happened right there?
He did not have a chance to think too hard about it, as a chipmunk raced down the stairs. With a muffled bark, he pursued the furry rodent.
* * * * *
Things gradually changed after that. For better or for worse, he could not really tell.
On one hand, Cecile did not spend as much time with him as she used to. She was constantly on the move and traveling with Thomas, entrusting her subordinates with the safety of the castle much more than she had before. In addition, it was becoming more and more common for her to go around the town not wearing her armor; if it were not for her scent, he would not have recognized her.
On the other hand, she seemed even happier than she had been before. She was still all smiles and happy laughter, but she was more often seen with Thomas than without him now. The two glowed in each other’s company, wearing complementing smiles and sharing moments of embarrassment and glee equally. Cecile was still the more active of the two, pulling Thomas along and voicing her exuberance more readily than the quiet young man.
Of course, Koroku could not grasp these things as well as his human companions could. All he really noticed was that his favorite playmate was gone more often than before and he was growing a bit lean on the lack of treats.
He was presently spending his time gnawing on a bone his dogkind-cousin had been nice enough to give him. The air was growing cooler, and he was taking a break from jumping into piles that Sebastian raked up; he had grown up a bit and spent less time running around aimlessly, more than content loping around the castle grounds with some of his favorite human companions. His current leaf pile companion was Juan, who slept contentedly beside him with no intention of getting up for awhile. Juan was a steady source of warmth and protection, though he was not exactly fond of waking up smelling like dog. Oh well; if he didn’t want to put up with a dog, he could have always woken up and shooed him away.
“Korokuuuuu! Koroku, where are you?”
There was a voice he hadn’t heard for awhile! Bone forgotten, he leapt to his feet and raced towards the familiar voice of his playmate. He nearly barreled over Mamie as she carried food to a couple of customers, barking happily as he headed up the stairs to the front of the castle.
Cecile grinned excitedly as she saw the little dog running up the stone steps, leaving her place at Thomas’ side to greet him with open arms. Koroku woofed and sniffed her hands, wagging his tail excitedly as Cecile held his paws and danced with him. Thomas smiled from a fair distance away, his hands clasped behind his back as he walked up to stand beside Cecile.
“I had to tell you first!” Cecile cheered, giggling as she swung Koroku around, her hair unbound and free. “Oh, Koroku, this is so exciting!”
Koroku lapped eagerly at Cecile’s wrists, trying to keep up with the bouncing girl. When she noticed Koroku having trouble following her dancing, Cecile picked up the dog and spun. All the while, Thomas stood there with a small, happy smile gracing his face.
“Koroku, Thomas asked me to marry him! Can you believe that?! And I said yes!”
Completely oblivious to everything except the girl’s glee, Koroku barked and used his new position in Cecile’s arms to lick her face. This made Cecile dissolve into more happy laughter, which in turn made Koroku that much more elated for his friend.
Cecile finally released the small dog, pumping her fists into the air. “Let’s go tell Sebastian! And Juan! And Piccolo and Martha and Eike and everyone!” At a loss as to where to go first, Cecile spun around until she saw Muto heading out of the tavern with a crate. “Muto! Muto!! I’m engaged!!”
Though he had no idea what ‘engaged’ was, Koroku had no problem howling along in declaration. If ‘engaged’ made Cecile happy, that was all that mattered.
* * * * *
There were a lot of people around-even more people than usual. He wagged his tail uncertainly at most of them, recognizing the scents of certain ones but not greeting them as he would have the most familiar residents of the castle. Since he had been firmly told not to disturb Cecile and Thomas right now, he stuck by Sebastian’s side and watched him greet and shake hands with the visitors to Budehuc.
The whole castle had been kicked into a frenzy by the news of Cecile and Thomas getting ‘engaged.’ Old and cynical Martha had been surprisingly enthusiastic (for her, anyway), and whenever he went off to spend time with his favorite girl, Martha was with her talking about something or another. This went on for well over a month, with more people appearing every few days and the castle town becoming steadily livelier.
It was on one particularly frantic day that he found himself being kept on (horror of horrors) a leash, and he fidgeted anxiously the entire morning. Eike finally came to him and gave him a surprisingly inedible treat -- but he said it was important, so he didn’t complain. He walked by Eike’s side into the castle’s main hall, which was packed with seated guests, and sat at the solemn man’s feet uncertainly.
Though he was hardly a puppy anymore, he squirmed impatiently as the minutes passed by in relative silence. When he heard appreciative murmurs throughout the crowd, he could barely keep from dropping the inedible treat in his maw as he looked towards the carpet that lined the middle aisle.
He wagged his tail as Thomas, looking as nervous and pale as ever, stepped into sight. Wuffing excitedly around the important treat, he tried to follow after the young man; it was only Eike’s grip on his leash that stopped him, and he whined once before settling down. Thomas, who he expected to at least try and comfort him, stared off ahead with a terrified expression gracing his boyish face.
It seemed like ages before Cecile finally appeared, the biggest smile ever on her face. She walked -- marched -- down the aisle as the minstrels’ music began to play, wearing the longest and shiniest skirt Koroku had ever seen her wear. He wagged his tail frantically, pulling at his leash in order to run to her, but found himself still held tightly by Eike. Koroku was put off by his favorite girl’s lack of attention, but only slightly; maybe she was in a similar state as Thomas, seeing as both of them were walking up to stand next to each other.
Then the music stopped, and Eike forced him to sit down again as Sebastian began talking. He shook his head before resting, trying to work his tired jaw around the important treat. What was the point of it now? Could he put it down yet? He wanted to yawn. Or whine. Or maybe both at the same time.
Just as he was about to fall asleep in the midst of all these people, he felt Eike reach down and unhook his leash. He perked his ears up and opened his eyes, looking curious and wagging his tail uncertainly. Could he go? What was he supposed to do?
And then he heard Cecile call for him.
“Koroku!”
He was off in a dash, dropping his treat from his aching jaw in his excitement. But he was quick to recover, bounding back to snatch up the treat and make his way down the aisle and to Cecile’s side. He panted happily as she took the important treat, opening it before turning to face Sebastian and Thomas again.
“Do we have the rings?”
“We do.”
Eike should have told him the treat was important to Cecile. He wouldn’t have dropped it if he had known! But he continued wagging his tail, turning to look at the people sitting down and wuffing quietly; he needed to exercise his poor jaw.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please stand.” Sebastian’s voice was even louder than before, and Koroku turned to look at him curiously. “Allow me the honor to present the new lady and master of Budehuc Castle! You may kiss the bride, Master Thomas!”
While the words meant nothing to him, Koroku understood clapping when he heard it -- and he heard the clapping in droves as all the now-standing people began applauding, whistling, and even shouting. He didn’t know what was going on, but it was a happy occasion -- even if it looked like Cecile and Thomas’ faces had been smushed together. …Oh, wait! There they were, smiling and looking embarrassed again. Smushed faces were never fun.
So he joined in the celebration, howling his little heart out and putting his paws up on his favorite girl’s shiny skirt. She grinned at him, crouching down and picking him up. Even in this awkward hold, Koroku was too excited to be upset, and he wagged his tail as he covered first Cecile’s and then Thomas’ faces with licks. They walked down the aisle together, Thomas holding Cecile’s hand and Cecile cradling Koroku with one arm.
It was a very exciting day for Koroku. He would distinctly remember the sheer amount of treats he received that evening, as well as the funny peck on the nose Cecile would give him.
She had been very happy that day. Happier than he had ever seen her before. And to him, that was even more memorable than all the treats he had ever received in his lifetime.