Chapter of Flames and Passion - Act 8.5

Act 8.5 - "Declaration"

"Unh..."

Ignia Castle.

Royal Quarters.

It is early in the morning, another day for Fuubuki's now busy life. He sits himself up on the bed he was sleeping on, rubbing the sleep away from his eyes. He stretches his limbs, and straightens his back to wake up his body for the day.

"Hmm?"

Yet, something felt off to him. A certain warm feeling radiating to his body. It was neither the warmth of the morning air nor the trapped heat from under the covers.

"Huh?!"

Fuubuki removes the blanket draping over his body in a frenzy. Underneath the warm blanket is, sure enough, the confirmation to his worries.

He finds himself lying on the bed, his clothes all gone. The same can be said to Akagi who is sleeping peacefully beside him, fully in the nude. The mattress they are on is drenched with fluids. An outline of sweat runs around, covering most of the middle of the mattress. At a certain spot, there is a red stain. Upon closer inspection, it is clear that the stain is a trickle of blood.

"Aah! Ow!" Fuubuki screams in a panic as he leans backwards. However his movement was quite excessive that he fell down from the edge of the bed, landing on the floor with a loud thud.

"Zz... wha-?! What?! What's going on?!" Akagi bolted awake in a panic as the loud noise reached her ears. She looked around in the panic, wondering what caused that noise.

"Oh... it's you. Hmm? Fuubuki? Are you okay?" she asks as her face relaxes upon seeing Fuubuki on the floor. She rubs her eyes with the back of her palm as she let out a lengthy yawn.

"Good morning..."

Fuubuki looks at her in bewilderment. How is she so calm about this? There is blood on her bed. Did she somehow missed it? No, the bigger question would be why they are naked in the first place. However, it didn't take long for him to realize it. He remembered reading about something like this during his literacy studies. A boy and a girl, sharing a bed, naked. The scenarios lined up perfectly. Upon realizing that...

BANG

Fuubuki prostrated himself on the ground with such force that the banging of his skull on the hard floor was audible. The impact stung him a bit. Blood trickled from his forehead but he ignored it.

"I AM SO SORRY!" he yelled with such passion that even he couldn't believe it came from his mouth.

"Huh?!" Akagi was taken aback as she looked at him confusedly.

"I HAVE DONE SOMETHING TERRIBLE! I BEG YOUR FORGIVENESS, YOUR HIGHNESS!"

"Wait, what's gotten into you?"

Akagi was so surprised that she ignores the change in how Fuubuki addressed her. She crawled over near to where Fuubuki had fallen from the bed.

"W-well, I did something to you right?!" Fuubuki raised his head as he asked, trying to seek confirmation.

"Why are you surprised? Eait, is your head okay?!" Akagi asked showing him a concerned face as she saw the trickling blood from his forehead.

Fuubuki recollected the events from last night. How did things turned out like this? First there was the duel, then the short feast, and then after that they went back to their room, and then she straddled him, followed by the kiss. But after that...

"Huh?"

"What's wrong?"

"I feel like a part of my memory is missing..."

"I heard that before..."

No matter how hard he tries, Fuubuki cannot recall anything that happened shortly after the kiss. That part of his memory is a hazy blur that cannot form a clear image in his head.

Slightly dismayed, Akagi leaned her back against the bed frame and brought her knees up. She hugged her legs as she began to sulk.

"You're mean... did you really... not remember anything?" Akagi asked as she twirled her hair nervously.

"N-no... I swear, but I have a feeling I did something really bad to you. After all... the bed is stained with blood..."

Akagi's briefly turned her head to the spot on the bed with the blood stain. Upon seeing it, the memories of last night came back to her, vividly reminding her of the euphoric sensations she felt during that night of passion. A pleasant tingle ran down her spine, making her let out a soft giggle.

"How come you did not remember that? You were moving like crazy as if you were possessed by a wild beast. Actually wait... now that I remember it well, you were strangely quiet, and you had this blank look on your eyes as well..." Akagi recalled.

"Anyways, don't apologize. You don't have to... no, don't do it at all," she added.

"But-"

"No buts! Why are you apologizing anyway?" Akagi cut off, raising her voice.

"Because... well..." Fuubuki scratched his head while at a lost for an answer. Why exactly was he apologizing? Indeed, this sort of thing is something only done by lovers, but aren't they exactly at that stage already?

Or perhaps, it was the blood at the bed sheet that made him instinctively apologize as he assumed he had hurt Akagi. After all, he only has a shallow understanding of how the human body work. If there's blood, that means someone was hurt. Simple as that.

"I... I don't know... it's just-"

Before he could finish, the door suddenly swung open.

"Lady Akagi! Are you alright?!" Kuroe came storming in as she called for Akagi.

"Huh?" however what greeted her eyes were the two inhabitants of that room, fully in the nude as they both stare back at her with a flustered face.

"Ahhhhh!!!"

A few minutes later...

After getting caught red-handed, Akagi and Fuubuki's situation was quickly reported to King Helios by Kuroe. The two were then briefly summoned to join a private discussion with the king. They immediately head to the throne room after clothing themselves, fully prepared for what's to come. It was only a matter of time after all before their secret relationship got discovered.

Upon entering the throne room, both of them noticed that there were only a handful of people present. Aside from them, there were only King Helios, Kuroe, and Marcellus present. Fuubuki, especially, was expecting a bigger crowd, ready to sentence him for the grave sin of defiling the princess as a lowly commoner.

The two of them stand before the presence of the king with their heads tilting downwards.

"Uh... good morning, father," Akagi greets nervously.

"Let's skip the formalities. Is it true? Everything Kuroe said?" Helios asks, his tone showing no hint of emotion.

A feeling of dread crept over Fuubuki's back as he heard the lack of enthusiasm in the king's voice. It was the first time he ever felt guilt. After all the kindness the king had given to him, this is what he gave in return. At that point he was ready for any punishment, even if...

"Yes father. It is true. I won't deny it," Akagi spoke up.

"Since when has this been a thing?" King Helios asked, probing for more information.

"T-the act was... that was the first time but... the truth is, we've been in a relationship for quite a while now, though I never let it show out in the open."

"I can vouch for them. I've know about their relationship for quite a while now," Marcellus suddenly cut in, trying to offer assistance to the troubled young ones.

"And you didn't think it was important to let me know?" King Helios said, frustration could be clearly heard from his voice.

"As I thought, it was a mistake letting a former criminal in our castle. I've warned you, your highness," Kuroe sighed.

"Now look, he has taken the purity of the princess. The aristocrats will be furious should they know about this. I suggest it's about time you sentence him to death. He has yet to pay for his former crimes anyway," she added with a cold tone.

"Wait! That's too-"

"Snap out of it princess! You've clearly been taken advantage of by this man!" Kuroe shouts, cutting off Akagi's protest.

"No! That's not it! Our feelings are genuine! No one is getting taoen advantage of here!"

"You say that, but are you certain?!"

The shouting continued back and forth between Akagi, and Kuroe until King Helios finally raises his hand, demanding silence.

"Both of you, calm down," he said, taking a deep sigh.

The two women calmed themselves down as ordered, though Akagi still kept glaring daggers at Kuroe for even suggesting something as extreme as a death sentence.

"But... your highness, this is clearly-"

"You're wrong."

Finally deciding to speak up, Fuubuki straightens his body, standing tall as he faces Kuroe with a serious expression, interrupting her words. He clenches his fist as he takes a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"I am willing to accept any punishment for committing such an act to the princess. I know I have pushed my welcome too far. However, I won't let you say such words about her."

Fuubuki glares at Kuroe as he continues to put all of his emotions that he grew in his words.

"Akagi's love is genuine. Her feelings came from her heart and not from some form of manipulation on my part, in fact, I lack the skills to do such things."

He then turns his attentions towards Helios who is intently listening to each and every word that comes out of his mouth.

"Your highness, I am quite grateful for everything you have done for me. Accepting a lowly thief like me, and entrusting your one remaining family's safety in my hands, I feel honored."

The atmosphere in the room grew more serious, and not a single noise was uttered during the brief silence as Fuubuki caught his breath.

"I did not imagine things would turn out like this either, yet here I am in this position. Your highness, I love your daughter with all my heart. That, I will proudly, and audaciously declare here in front of you. We may have taken things too far, and I know I am going to get punished for it, but I have no regrets!"

Fuubuki stomps his foot forward, as if challenging the king's authority. He looks at the person that gave him the second chance in life he is currently having with a determined look. It was as if his eyes were saying 'Do your worst, I'll take it head-on.'

"I will repeat it again! I, Fuubuki, the Child of the Wind, the Thief that Terrorized Ignia for years, declare my love to Akagi Vulpes Ignia! Even if it means death, I will not take back what I said!"

The silence in the room became defeaning after Fuubuki's bold declaration. The fact that he was able to say all that to the highest authority in the country stunned all the parties involved.

Kuroe still had the stoic expression although a hint of annoyance could be seen on her face. Marcellus was sweating up a storm inside his magus robe. His knowledge about the relationship will surely be questioned later if things turned out for the worse. Meanwhile Akagi, who was standing beside Fuubuki throughout his entire speech, was almost brought to tears by his passionate declaration. At last, he was finally able to say those words all by himself. The words she has been longing to hear ever since she said those first.

Finally, King Helios stood up from his throne. He then brought his hands together for a slow applause.

Contrary to everyone's shocked expression, King Helios ended up being the calmest one in the room. His claps were slow, and loud. He repeatedly clapped his hands before standing up. And then...

"Hahaha! Well said! Well said young man! I'm impressed!" the king laughed.

Shock turned into confusion as the people in the room set their gazes on him. Somehow he is laughing? A far cry from what their expected reactions would be.

"Y-you're not mad? Father?" Akagi asked.

"Mad? Hell no! I am furious!" Helios' replied, causing even more confusion.

"Huh?!"

"Oh I'm furious all right! But not because of your relationship, but because you kept me in the dark for such a long time. Do you have ANY idea how long I've been waiting for this?!"

The king's facial expression couldn't be distinguished. Somehow his face looked like a combination of elation, anger, relief, and many other emotions. On the other hand, his aide Kuroe looked at him as if he has gone mad.

"Your highness. Please cease this foolishness at once," Kuroe says calmly although the way her face twitches suggests that she's suppressing her actual emotion.

"What exactly is foolish about this, my dear vassal?" King Helios replied with an inquisitive look.

"The whole thing is foolish! How do you think the nobles will react to this? There will be a huge commotion. A monarch marrying a petty thief... save such fantasies for the books. Do not forget that whoever she picks as her partner for life also holds the future of Ignia on their hands," Kuroe explained in a cold manner, solidifying her stance on the current issue at hand.

"That's not for you to decide! Why are you butting in anyway?!" Akagi flared up.

"Because the future of this country is in the line. Someone has to be the voice of reason in this room," Kuroe quickly snapped back.

"In the first place, I always find it strange how this young boy always seemed to have your favor, your highness," she added.

King Helios sighed deeply. A look of dissatisfaction on his face as he looked back at Kuroe.

"You still haven't answered my question properly. How is this foolish?" he asked.

"Fine then, if you really want me to state some reasons, I'll do so. First, he is not fitting to be a ruler of this country. Second, he is merely a commoner that was hired for his services in this castle. Third, do you think the people will approve of him to be their king?"

King Helios listened intently as Kuroe kept going on and on about Fuubuki's traits. His face showed understanding, yet it was not showing agreement.

"...and that's about it. Need I say more, your highness?" Kuroe concluded.

"Those things you said... those perfectly described me as well back in the day you know?" King Helios replied with a nostalgic tone.

"You just described me perfectly on my younger days. But now, look at me. Are you saying I do not deserve where I am now?"

"I..." Kuroe was at a lost for words. Her arguements just lost their power upon the king's words.

"People change, my dear vassal. And haven't we seen ourselves how young Fuubuki changes over the course of his stay here? In fact, his presence has even made my daughter grow into a better person."

Kuroe averted her gaze as she couldn't face the king out of shame. After all, even though it was unintentional, she just indirectly insulted him. Kuroe lowered her head and decided not to speak anymore about the situation.

"Anything else, my dear vassal?"

"N-no, I don't have any more..."

Seeing Kuroe defeated made Akagi breath out a sigh of relief. She expected her father to be the most difficuly part of this conversation, but it ended up being too easy. Kuroe's opinion were of no significance to her but she presented some valid reason.

"S-so... are we in the clear? Father?" Akagi asked with a hopeful expression.

"Of course you are, my dear daughter! Although, try to calm down a bit with the... activities. I'm not in a rush to have a grandson," King Helios chuckled.

His insensitive remark made Akagi blush a lot. Her face looked like a swollen fruit with how red and bloated it is from her trying to hold herself back from lashing.

"Young Fuubuki."

"Yes?!" the young knight stood up straight and looked up at the king who once again aided him in his time of need.

"I entrust her to you... as a father. I already know that I can trust you, and I've been holding onto that."

"Of course!"

"Also... although I've already given you my blessing, can I ask you to remain keeping this relationship of yours to yourself for now. Kuroe's right on that part. The people still need to accept Young Fuubuki to become their future sovereign. When the time comes, you can proudly announce your love to the whole world. On that note... can you do it? Young Fuubuki?"

King Helios looked Fuubuki directly in the eye, gauging his resolve.

"Can you silence all the doubts and make yourself a worthy sovereign of these lands?"

It was as Fuubuki had expected. Being the lover of someone as great as Akagi presents itself a massive burden. However, it is a burden that he is willing to take.

With his head held up high, he then returned the king's piercing gaze as he announces his response.

"I will do it!"