Edge's Quest

Chapter 4: Enter Melantha – The Dark Flower

~* Three days later, Mid-September *~

"And this is your room."

"Well, thank you for the tour. It's not common that a small town girl gets shown around a castle by its King."

Edge smiled. "Well, Ry-chan, we've renovated since you guys visited the ruins so long ago. I figured that if you live here, you might as well want to know how to find the stairs."

Rydia giggled and looked around the room. The room itself had to be one of the largest bedrooms of Castle Eblan, with its large windows and vaulted ceilings. Rydia skipped over to the window, admiring the view of the Eblan countryside. As Edge watched her from the doorway, she pulled open her closet to put away the clothes she had brought… that Edge had "liberated" from Castle Mist the night Rydia said she would leave. Rydia gasped as she found the closet mostly full.

"Edge, what is all this?" she asked, pulling a random outfit out of the closet.

Edge looked sheepish. "Clothes?" he offered.

Rydia gave him a 'get real' type of look. "Try again."

"Gifts?" Edge smiled innocently.

"Try 'charity'."

He wasn't expecting this. The origin of the clothing was supposed to a surprise. "But that's not—"

"Edge, I just came to live here because you offered and I didn't want to live at Castle Mist anymore. I don't want any charity other than this room."

"It's not like that—"

"A closet full of clothes is supposed to make me feel what? More at home? More indebted? More loved? More stable?"

"Rydia, calm—"

Rydia didn't even listen to Edge, didn't even look at the clothes. She slammed the closet door shut, wondering why he had done all this. "Please, leave me," she said quietly, not looking at him, knowing there was a shocked and hurt look on his face.

Edge opened his mouth to try and explain again, but he thought the better of it. Rydia wanted him gone.

This was where all rational thought ended.

He spun on his heel and slammed the heavy door to her room shut. His dark orange cape swirled around him as he stalked angrily down the hall. Storming into his private chambers, he started to voice his anger.

"What did I do? Most of that stuff was an early birthday present from Rosa, since she's gonna be at Damcyan! What the hell made her so damn irrational?! Only because I offered, hmm?"

The door to his room creaked open, causing Edge to turn around hopefully, hoping it would be Rydia, ready to apologize. Instead, it was a ninja – one that he had never seen. "What is it?" he asked tiredly, his temper almost lost.

"Sire, I come from—"

"May I ask who you are? Masks are not needed in the castle… at least not in times of peace." Edge could feel himself calming down, which was something he wasn't ready to do.

"Sire, my birth name is Melantha." The girl pulled off her mask and hood, revealing an astonishingly beautiful woman. She couldn't have been more than twenty. Her gray eyes were slightly almond-shaped, her oval face framed by straight purple-black hair that trailed a little past her shoulders. Her skin was well tanned, her nose and mouth perfectly proportioned to the rest of her face. Her lips were a dark crimson-purple. Her ninja uniform, only a little looser than skin-tight, showed off her lithe, well-toned figure.

Anger forgotten, Edge smiled, his flirtatious behavior shining through. "'Dark flower'," he commented, recalling the meaning of her name.

Melantha blushed. "Sire—"

"Edge," the King corrected.

She blushed again. "Sire Edge, I come from the caves. There is an hoard of… of… monsters surrounding the settlements, sire."

"What?" Edge asked, incredulous that any monsters would even dare to attack his underground kingdom. "When? How? How did you escape?"

Melantha looked at the floor, a bit intimidated from Edge's interrogation. "Sire, they were spotted from all fronts last evening. We don't know how they surrounded us, Sire. I was lucky to escape…"

"Take me there."

"Shouldn't we get reinforcements, Sire?"

Edge nodded, ran to a room, and came back with his two swords – the Masamune and the Murasame. "This is all the reinforcement we'll need. Lead on, Melantha."

Melantha smiled nervously and ran back the way she had come, Edge following behind her.

~*�*~

What is wrong with you?

Honestly, I can't say.

Why are you crying?

I don't know.

Why did you hurt him?

I didn't mean to—

Liar.

I don't want to hurt him!

Then justify yourself.

I can't… Rydia shook her head. Why did I get angry? He's treating me like I'm unstable!

You did just try to commit suicide.

Oh… yeah.

Did you even listen to his explanation?

Why should I have? It was a little "make yourself at home" thing, wasn't it?

You don't know that. Now he's gone. You hurt him, angered him. Why?

He… I didn't… I don't…

Other than make flirty comments to you, what did he do?

Nothing… he's always been my friend…

Right. So what do you have to do?

I know. I have to apologize. But the words are so hard to say…

Rydia wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror. "Edge… I'm… sorry." The statement was weak, and lacked any noticeable sincerity.

Try again.

"Edge… I'm really sorry I yelled at you. You just have to understand—"

Don't give excuses. Just say what you feel, Rydia.

"Edge… I'm in l—"

A knock came at the door, cutting Rydia off. Hope fluttered into Rydia's heart that it would be Edge. She opened the door to reveal a ninja. Sighing dejectedly, she asked what he wanted.

The ninja bowed slightly, handed her a letter, and left. Rydia closed the door, and returned to her bed, wondering whom it could be from. Who knows I'm here? she thought, opening the envelope. Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized the Baronian coat of arms on the stationery.

Rydia ~

Edge told me you were staying at Eblan. Glad you're okay, since I haven't seen you for so long. Damcyan is being rebuilt quickly and without hitch. And now I hear Cecil saying that I jinxed us. Anyway, since we'll be in Damcyan for your birthday, I sent your gifts over with the Eblanian air force. Cecil is laughing at me, calling the Falcon an air force. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the clothes – I commissioned the royal seamstresses myself. Cecil and I miss you, but we're happy you're over with Edge, so we're sure you're safe… from monsters, that is. Don't worry – I believe you can hold your own against that lecherous young king (who shall remain nameless).

Love always,

Rosa

PS: Blaine is a scullery servant now, and he is punished every day, if you're wondering. We're sorry for what he did to you.

Tears ran unheeded down Rydia's face. Not only were the clothes that had gotten her so angry from Rosa… but Edge had managed to get rid of Blaine as well. Rydia felt sick to her stomach. She had not only hurt Edge, but had hurt him for no reason.

Oh, what have I done…

~*�*~

"Seal all the passages! I don't want any of monsters to escape! They'll pay for trifling with Eblan!"

Edge drew his swords, the Murasame and the Masamune glittering magically in the dark caves.

Control your anger, Edge…

"Get the children out of here, first!" he added.

The messenger nodded and ran to fulfil the duty. Melantha pulled on Edge's arm. "They came from over here, Sire."

Edge nodded, and ran behind Melantha, who he could barely see, followed by several ninja. Passing into another section the caverns, he realized he couldn't see her anymore.

"Melantha?" He received no answer. He called out again, louder this time. "Melantha?"

His answer this time was the sound of a pebble falling from the roof of the cavern. He whirled to look where the noise had come from. The echoing sounds of larger pebbles and rocks hitting the cavern floor sang out in the darkness. Before anyone, not even Edge, could react, the cavern passage was filled with boulders from an extensive cave in.

"Sire!" A muffled voice shouted through the rocks. The ninja that had followed were trying to get through. "Are you all right, King Edge?"

Edge, his anger boiling with this new set-back, shouted that he was fine, and for them to hurry up and clear the debris. He would've vented his frustration more, except he was knocked down from behind. The Masamune flew from his grip, skittering into the cavern wall. The Murasame fell down beside him. Letting instincts take over, he rolled to the sword, and flipped upward into a defensive posture. "Who's there?"

A shadowy figure stepped forward, chuckling evilly. Edge considered making a plan of how to efficiently kill the monster and keep himself from being vulnerable, but then decided that it was too Cecil-like and attacked. As he charged, he chanted softly, then shouted, "FLAME!"

The fire brightened the cavern considerably, igniting some of the moss growing on the cave walls for lasting light. The creature, still shadowy throughout the brightness hissed at the fire. Quicker than Edge could comprehend, the shadow flitted over to the Masamune. It picked up the blade and launched it at the ninja.

Edge saw his sword rocketing towards him, the dying flames of his spell reflecting off the silvery blade. He heard his heart pounding in his ears, felt every fiber of his body scream at him to dodge, to move out of the deadly blade's line of fire.

The magical fire died out, leaving Edge in darkness again.

He couldn't move. His brain wouldn't respond to his body's desperate cry for evasive action.

The Masamune struck home.

Edge's world exploded into a myriad of color and light.