Thirteen Years in One Hundred Steps: Theme 72 – Mischief Managed

“It’s her fourteenth, my prince,” Mark was reluctantly saying, “and her first field day. I don’t think she wants any mishaps today…”

“Didn’t we tell her the same things before?” Marth countered. “And yet she caused some degree of mischief that made our birthdays not as good as they could have been. Right?”

“It’s not much of a viable reason, though, on our parts. She wouldn’t take it.”

Marth considered. “Well then…we still at least need to surprise her. We’ve never tried before.”

“Is it even possible?” Mark questioned. “Not very many things can cause her to waver. She’s developed this shell over the years…”

A mischievous smile crept over Marth’s features, a rare occurrence considering his usually composed nature. “Just because there isn’t much of anything that will surprise her now doesn’t mean that I don’t know what she will really react to.”

~~+++===+++===+++~~

Aliana, now officially fourteen years old, looked over her pack for the day. She could not quite remember how many times she had done this, but it was so integrated into her nature that she could not help it. As an aspiring general, she had to always be ready and prepared. It was part of the Leaders’ Code: Be technically and tactfully proficient.

She prided herself for remembering that.

Traveling light was her preference, she found. The only bags she wanted to carry were the little pouches along her sword belt. The belt itself was custom-made to carry her dual swords – two loops on her left hip instead of one on each side. She had not been outfitted with an offensive sword yet, but at least she had her defensive blade – a shortsword that she held like a knife, bringing it up to receive her enemy’s blows.

She checked her pockets, making sure that her vulneraries, elixirs, and antitoxins were still there. Drawing her blade from its sheath, she took note of its polished and conditioned surface, as well as the hilt and handle. Ever since she had received the sword, Aliana had been mystified by the designs.

A wolf chained down by its paws, the chains making up the border of the hilt. The chains’ design wound around the handle and gathered at the pommel, forming into one single chain link. A pair of tassels hung from the chain.

Why the chains? Why the wolf? Aliana remembered Jeigan saying that the sword had an interesting quirk to it. Just what it was, even Jeigan had no idea.

She figured she would find out in the future and sheathed her sword.

There was her cloak on the bed…The clasp sitting on her nightstand…A hairtie for the worst-case scenario, if her hair got in her way.

She was ready and prepared. All she had to do was wait for Master Jeigan to pick her up and take her to this training camp. Today was when she would prove herself to those that underestimated her.

No screw-ups could happen today.

But the wait for Jeigan would be a long one. So she ventured from home, heading to where she usually went off to.

Being alone had its quirks. Aliana could ponder on about her two friends without causing too much offense to either of them. She knew she had to do something about her blunt, straightforward nature, as she now regretted telling Mark about her developing passions for Marth. The sage had seemed torn, Aliana remembered, and he had been ready to burst. She hoped his frustrations did not compel him to tell Marth…Those passions were only developing; they were not final.

She stopped in her tracks, thinking how dishonest she was with herself. Throwing down her last name, even though she wanted to be part of a family. Denying her feelings for Marth even though she loved him dearly. Acting uncaring and cold with the world, even though she would put her life at risk to save her country.

Becoming fourteen was hard. It seemed like all the truths she could not understand or face before were rearing their ugly heads at her. They hit and ambushed her relentlessly.

She sighed and continued along the dirt path toward the woods. Her travel was stopped again, however, when she heard her name being called from behind.

Aliana felt her heart race. If she was not mistaken…

She took a breath, turned around, and waited for Marth to catch up to her. He eventually slowed from a run to a walk, casually sauntering up to her with a small smile.

“Something wrong?” Aliana asked.

Marth shook his head in denial. “Nothing is necessarily wrong,” he answered before pulling her into his embrace. “I heard you were heading to a training camp for the rest of the day.” He touched his forehead to hers with his lips a mere hairsbreadth from hers. “I just decided to wish you a happy fourteenth birthday before you left.”

Aliana felt herself secretly flush as his dark blue eyes focused on her red. That loving look he got when he gazed at her like this, and even without it…She could almost say he was cute. No. He was almost…beautiful…

Just a little closer…Come closer, Marth…It would be the best birthday present I could ever receive from you…It would be the first real one I would ever get from you…Come on, Marth…Come closer…

Mark watched from a distance away. So this was what Marth knew Aliana would react to. The sage laughed a little. He could see Aliana was mesmerized by how close Marth had brought himself to her.

And he saw the mutual passion in the pair’s eyes. Mark almost willed Marth to go ahead and satisfy her.

Marth did not need any bidding, though. He hesitated at first, but soon pressed his lips to hers, drowning in semi-unconscious passion for her. He was not fully enchanted by it, however, and actually was conscious enough to slide his hands around her waist, looking for the clasp of her swordbelt. Upon finding the clasp, he pulled away a little, pausing while Aliana’s hand touched his cheek, and then touched her lips with his once again, now almost unconscious from delirium. He slowly undid the clasp of her swordbelt, cautiously sliding it off from around her waist. She hardly noticed.

Mission accomplished.

He broke away from Aliana, wondering if that would ever happen again. Fearing it would not, he leaned in to her ear, quickly whispering, “I love you…” before flushing to a soft pink and tearing away from her and racing off down the dirt path.

Dazed Aliana stared after Marth a moment, not at all too quickly catching on. She watched Marth’s retreating figure, then Mark joining up with him. That brown swordbelt in Marth’s hand with the black sword and scabbard…

“I hate them,” Aliana lividly growled to herself, taking off after them.

~~+++===+++===+++~~

“That went over quite well,” Mark laughed as he and Marth ran along. “At least, to me it seemed to have.”

“It did, actually,” Marth clarified. “I almost thought I couldn’t take her belt off. That was…amazing…”

“It looked like it. How I wished that was me in your place, Marth! I’m pretty sure it was rather…electrifying?”

An embarrassed flush settled over Marth’s features. “You just shut your trap, Mark!”

~~+++===+++===+++~~

Jeigan only watched as the two boys hurtled by down the path with Aliana’s sword, but stopped the owner of the belt when she tried to rush by to murder them. He gave her a calculating look that obviously asked what she was doing.

She hastily backed away six paces and made a salute. “Battalion Commander Shikarume reporting, sir!” she confidently began. “Master General Jeigan, I apologize for keeping you waiting!”

Jeigan dismissed this with a half-hearted responding salute. “At ease. I thought I told you to be ready, Aliana, not goofing around with those two.”

“I wasn’t,” Aliana protested. “I came out to see them before I left, and Marth stole my sword and belt from me.”

“How could he steal those from you? You had the sword on the belt with the belt around your waist, correct?”

Aliana personally hated it when Jeigan got stern with her. Though she wanted to tell the truth, saying that she had gotten them stolen because Marth had kissed her was asking for trouble. She could not say a word, and thusly hung her head low to hide her blush.

Jeigan knew better, though. He could not help but sigh and chuckle. “You’re aspiring to be Regiment General, Aliana. You can’t waver on anything if you’re given a mission. Especially if a loved one happens to show up. Enemies will exploit your love for Marth if they find out. You must remain secretive about such a thing.”

Aliana gave up. “He kissed me, Jeigan,” she mumbled miserably. “And I went with it.”

“Passions can only be let out every once in a while. Choose those moments wisely.”

“Yes, sir…”

“…I’m afraid I can’t take you to the training camp today, then,” Jeigan sighed. “You can’t go without a weapon.”

“But --!”

“I’m sure the boys deserve some form of a punishment, would you not say?” He snuck a wink. “They did spoil your birthday present, anyway.”

Aliana caught on this time, and smiled a little before nodding.

~~+++===+++===+++~~

Mark and Marth were back at the oak tree, sitting among its roots as they talked of the day’s festivities. Marth held on to Aliana sword while Mark kept a hold on her belt. The plan was to split if she came with murderous intentions.

For now, though, they had a certain matter to discuss. Marth had been rather uneasy since his daring feat. The uneasiness was not an uncomfortable uneasiness, but just a nagging one…One that made his heart race at a fever pitch.

“Well, I can’t blame you,” Mark was reassuring Marth. “You gave her a decent kiss, Marth, a real one. You’re just excited.”

“Just?” Marth spluttered. “I’m beyond excited, Mark! I’m panicking!” He took a few deep breaths. “I kissed her twice and I told her how I feel…What am I going to do?”

“I don’t think she’ll really remember that in the end…”

“I don’t know, though. That’s the problem.”

Mark thought on this, then looked up to the sky for the sun’s position. “I’m not sure now, but I have to get back. Something has been troubling Ellis, so I have my work all ready…She’s pounding in the information at a faster pace than normal.” He handed Marth the sword belt. “Sorry I can’t stick around.”

“It’s no –“

“Aw, come on, Mark.” Aliana cooed as she approached the boys. “You can spare a few more minutes, right?”

Both boys tensed up, ready to run.

“I won’t do anything. Master Jeigan says I should have been more alert.” She beckoned the two to follow. “I found something rather interesting at the river. I’ll show you. Follow me.”

~~+++===+++===+++~~

The boys looked over the riverbank to the depths as indicated by Aliana. She had her belt and sword back, but now it was time for revenge. This river, as far as she knew, was the deepest part of the local river system that flowed to the Altean coast.

“I don’t see anything, Aliana,” Mark stated, “and I’m naturally farsighted.”

Marth nodded in agreement. “There’s nothing really special.”

“Right there!” Aliana bluffed, pointing to the middle of the river. “See, there’s something shining right there! I wonder what it is…It looks like a silver blade from here.”

They both leaned over the bank as far as they dared. “Okay, Aliana, stop lying,” Marth stated. “There’s nothing there.”

“Lean out a little farther. There’s really something shining down there.”

Marth only rolled his eyes in earnest annoyance.

“Well, she could possibly be right,” Mark suggested, leaning out a little more. “Maybe she can see it and we can’t.”

“You don’t seriously think there’s a silver blade in the middle of a river, do you?”

“It’s possible. Altea’s silver never rusts.”

Aliana silently tittered to herself before lightly pushing both boys, causing them to teeter perilously on the edge before crazily pinwheeling their arms and toppling over into the icy cold water below. They went under, and came back up after a moment, coughing water and splashing about. Neither teen barely saw Aliana laughing uproariously before running off.

Their next statement was in agreement: “I hate her…”