Thirteen Years in One Hundred Steps: Theme 71 – Obsession

Another day, something new. Other times, it is the exact opposite: another day, an old review. Today just so happened to be an old review.

It seemed to be just another day. Aliana was serving detention for refusing to take her tactics exam. Marth had reluctantly left class early, deciding to wait for his classmate to survive the punishments coming her way. Mark had not made any contact or conversation for the past week or two. It was hard to know what was going on with him.

So Marth was by his lonesome for a while by the usual spot – the black oak tree at the heart of the eastern woods. His thoughts wandered here and there, but mostly focused on his friends, Aliana especially.

She was thirteen now…and rapidly developing. A growing young lady. Fit, lean, and ready for anything. Marth could even see a growing leader in her. If she ever did rise to a commanding official rank, he knew she would be a successful one.

And his closest military official if he ever did become King of Altea.

Maybe even closer than friends? Maybe along the lines of marriage?

He blushed at the mere thought. Queen Aliana…It did have a nice ring to it. She would be loved by her followers, and alongside Marth, they would lead Altea to an era of peace and prosperity. Once things settled down, the people would inquire about an heir to the throne. Yes. He would secure Altea’s future through Aliana. Aliana would be his wife, Altea’s next queen, and his heir’s mother. It all seemed set in stone already.

Marth smiled to himself. Sweet fantasies. Unhealthy obsessions. He had been keeping them to himself for a while now, and with no one around to stop him, he went on dreaming. Fantasizing. Obsessing.

If war came, she would be at his side, and he at hers, fighting together, praying together that it would all end soon.

When the heir came, she would look after her child herself, and he would be there with his family to watch over them. Love them. Care for them. He would love his heir with all his heart, and he would love his wife unconditionally.

A childhood friend. A teenage affection. An adult love.

He fell asleep every night thinking about her. He wandered the stars with her in his dreams. He woke up every morning hoping she was waiting for him. He spent his time with her every day wishing for another of her kisses.

And it was not just because of her prettiness. There was also her interesting personality, one that easily switched between positive and negative, white and black. She did not have much of a neutral zone within her personality. Then there was the part of her that was clearly a potential leader. She knew what she had to know, and she knew how to apply it. She refused to rely on anyone, seeking to fill her own needs herself, wishing to be independent. She was a rebel when she so wished it, but loyal to her friends and dreams.

A breeze blew by.

Marth could easily imagine Aliana’s black hair flowing with said breeze. He could imagine touching it, kissing it, loving its owner with all of his heart. Such vivid images flowed like water through his mind.

His heart raced at the thought of Aliana being his truly, at the thought of her holding him, at the thought of her lips touching his.

Maybe, Marth thought, I can ask her to meet me somewhere. Tell Mark nothing, and meet somewhere, just him and Aliana. He would tell her everything he had ever felt about her and hope she felt the same way.

He bolted up from his relaxing spot within the oak tree roots with a determined look in his features. “I’m not waiting,” he stated firmly. “I’ll tell her now, or whenever she gets out of detention. I’ll tell her that I like her more than friend, and ask her if she feels the same way.” A healthy blush spread across his cheeks as he began walking toward the castle.

That is, until Mark dashed out from the bushes, angrily tackling the young prince to the ground, rolling away from the path. Both boys fought for the upper hand, trying to push the other down far enough to take off for the path.

Mark was a stubborn one, though, refusing to let Marth head back to the castle. His glasses had fallen off, and lay forgotten a distance away from where the two fought.

Marth, the more athletic of the two, managed to throw the young sage off of him, and turned angrily on Mark. “What is your problem?!” Marth spluttered, spitting dirt when he got the chance. “She isn’t only yours, you know!”

Mark stood up, brushing himself off. “True,” he replied, “but I’m not going to let you tell her how you feel, lest she establishes a relationship with you, my prince.” He shook his head sadly. “I love her too.”

“She’s not necessarily going to promise anyone she’s getting into a relationship, Mark,” Marth reassured. “I just want to tell her how I feel about her.”

Mark shook his head. “I won’t let you,” he simply stated. “She means a lot to me, and if you took her away…”

“I wouldn’t, though. We’d all still be friends.”

“You just wish we would. But you know it’s not going to be that way.”

“Why do you say that?”

Mark paused, gathering his words. “Your sister,” he started. “Princess Ellis is my teacher. She understands light magic – she’s a priestess of sorts – so she understands many of the other fields of magic. She has taught me telepathy, Marth. I…I used it to look into Aliana’s mind…”

“And?”

“She likes you, Marth.” He sighed. “More than a friend,” he added. “You saved her life. You worked out a way to have her stay under the castle’s care. You’re basically her savior.”

Marth’s voice had let him. Not a word could come out of his mouth.

“I’m heartbroken,” Mark simply explained. “I love her like no one else, and she’s the only one in my mind, but now I know. I obsessed over her, I know. I guess that obsession took me to a sour conclusion…”

The young prince shook his head. “No,” he murmured in denial, his heart racing. “She doesn’t…She wouldn’t…”

“But she does.”

“She makes fun of me, Mark. Teases me all the time. We get in fights almost every day. There’s no way she could…”

“There’s an angel,” Mark cut in, “that she supposedly met right before she met you. Isn’t it a coincidence that this angel looked exactly like you? Except older?”

“You’re just guessing.”

“She told me!”

Marth was incredulous. “That’s just impossible,” he muttered. “An older me visiting her before I ever met her? It’s impossible.”

Mark nodded. “It sounds impossible, but I heard that from her own lips. I heard about that, Marth, and I guess you can say I’m jealous – extremely jealous – of you. I’ve known her longer than you have, and you’re the one she likes. Not me. She based her affections on a dream she had right before she met you!”

“Wait. But –“

“No!” Mark exclaimed, pacing back and forth. “I loved her! I loved her, Marth, and you took her away from me! If you tell her you like her, she’ll go straight for you!”

“How do you know that for sure?”

“Because she even told me that!” Tears welled up in Mark’s green eyes. “She told me she likes you. I don’t know if it was on purpose or if it was just that she was oblivious to everything I’ve told her, but I do know for sure that my heart just completely burst with sadness…She told me she likes you…”

“But…you’re the one who cared so much for her…Why…?”

Mark shrugged, letting a teardrop fall. “I don’t know…” he cried. “I don’t know…”

Marth was aghast. Mark was not usually the one who cried. He was usually the steadfast one, helping his friends get along better, or was a source of comic relief. And now that his heart had completely shattered, he was a wreck. An absolute mess. His love for her, his affection, his complete obsession with Aliana had ruined him.

Yet Marth could somewhat identify. He had yet to have such an occurrence as Mark’s, but he had a feeling he knew how his friend felt. He sighed. “I…I don’t know what to say, Mark…I mean…I know –“

“Don’t need to say anything,” Mark lividly grumbled. “Must be nice to know that she likes you and not your rival. Go on, rub it in my face, why don’t you? I know you’re actually gloating on it, so go ahead! Rub it in! I’ll…I’ll make sure you see Hell a thousand times before I’m finished!”

Marth was amazingly not provoked. He knew lashing out at this point would only show he was admitting to Mark’s assumption. It was true, though, that Marth felt a swelling triumph in his heart. Controlling it was an effort and a half. But he remained silent, never replying to Mark’s tears and curses.

The silence only made Mark angrier. He could care less about what happened to him at this point. He only wanted to antagonize the young prince at least once. Make him look like the bad one. Turn her eyes away from Marth. Make him not exist. Just one triumphant statement. Just a snotty, stuck up, gloating word. Just something to start a fight.

Marth said nothing, as if he understood the scar cutting deep into the sage’s heart. It infuriated Mark that Marth was calm enough to not say a word, to not be provoked, to not waver at all, but just stand there with a guilty look creeping over his features.

He finally broke down, slumping to his knees, crying with all his heart. He felt lost. He had been wandering happily in this void of love, affection, this obsession for her. And now that had been instantaneously taken away from him.

His sobs were silent, but from the way he so violently quaked, Marth could tell this subject painfully wracked his friend’s nerves.

A complete wreck. A lost love.

Marth felt he could only understand. He finally spoke. “I won’t tell her,” he murmured. Seeing Mark’s quaking subside, he went on. “I won’t tell her, not until I think I have to. Is that okay?”

“What’s that going to do…?” Mark fitfully sniffled. “It won’t do anything! She doesn’t like me like I love her!”

“Maybe not as much as you love her,” Marth haltingly agreed. “But of course she loves you to some degree, or else you two wouldn’t be friends, right? She wouldn’t come and hug you every time you showed up after being gone a week or two, right?”

Mark fell silent at the truth sank in.

“She wouldn’t do anything with you if she didn’t love even just a little. She’s even been asking about you, Mark, wondering when you would come back.”

The young sage had started shaking with bottled-up sobs, but they were not as violent as before.

Bushes rustled to the side, and out emerged Aliana, looking as livid as ever .Upon seeing Mark, though, she rushed for him, immediately tackling him, hugging him tightly. “Where’ve you been?!” she cried, setting her head against his shoulder. “You lied, Mark! You said a week, but you were gone for two and a half! You’re a complete liar!”

“I-I didn’t mean to,” a surprised Mark protested. “I mean, it wasn’t on purpose…”

She shook her head, still holding him tightly. “It wasn’t the same without you around, you know. I really missed you.”

“S-Sorry…” He could feel himself turning a deep embarrassing red as he held her, fully understanding the fact that she was rapidly growing. She was changing from a girl to a young lady – Mark could easily see and feel that change the longer he held her in his embrace. He cherished it though.

Marth felt a metallic taste on this tongue – the taste of blood, probably from biting his lip too hard when he fought with Mark. He pondered it a moment, touching the bleeding sore with a tentative finger. Catching Mark’s fearful gaze, he only shook his head, smiled, and left without a word.

At the right time too: Aliana had lightly kissed Mark on his cheek, of course making the young sage blush even more.

Marth kind of guessed, kind of half-hoped that she actually meant Mark.

An unhealthy obsession, but a healthy love. A blossoming heart, a calm demeanor. A loving friend, a link between all.

Soon to be broken.