Way of the Knights

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"Haah, finally got rid of them."

A young man sighed in relief as he exited a narrow lane. His hair was painted with a tinge of brown color and were gathered together by a rubber band, he was tall and ordinary looking, he wore a casual black robe a wooden sandals. 

The young man felt something tugging his sleeves. He looked back and smiled, he saw a girl who wore a slightly annoyed face. She had a long auburn hair that reached her buttocks. Her honey colored eyes, delicate brows and slender figure was for sure a head turner, but just like the young man, her looks aren't too different from the others.

"So freaking famous." The young girl bit her lips, slightly hesitant to say more. 

The young man faced her and placed his hands on her cheeks, cupping them on his palms. He looked at her gently and said in a hushed tone:

"Hungry?" 

The young girl nodded which made the young man chuckle. He gave her cheeks a slight pinch and held her hand. "Let's go grab something to eat."

Feeling the security of the boy's grip on her hands, a slight blush crept out of her face but she didn't break free from his hold. On the contrary, she liked this feeling. He makes her feel safe and secure. 

The young boy and girl were obviously Raven and Luna who's out on a little tour to grab lunch. 

Raven obviously underestimated just how famous he got overnight. His fame spread too far and wide that it had became a bad idea for him to go out on his own. 

As soon as he stepped out of his father's office, he was immediately recognized and mobbed by the crowd. Raven wasn't used to being mobbed like this but he knew that he couldn't use force due to some reasons.

First is that majority of the people who were mobbing him were females, he couldn't find it to himself to hurt them. Two, he knew that they were just expressing their thanks and admiration to him. Three, he didn't want them to get the wrong idea. And finally, using force to deal with the situation is just wrong.

He lost count on how many times he had excused himself since he had somewhere else to be but who would've thought that instead pacifying the situation, it became more chaotic instead. He wanted to fetch Luna so that he could have lunch with her but there was a crowd of people following him. To make it worse, he and Luna actually met on the way. Without hesitating, he shot forward, grabbed her and ran away to some narrow alley. He quickly performed an art of disguise to the both of them in order to get rid of the people following him.

Raven just couldn't stop smiling. At first he was scared but that fear vanished when he woke up. 

If this was before he woke up from the coma, he would've been hesitant to be this bold. But when he saw how she reacted when he woke up and felt her warm embrace, all of the hesitations and uncertainties in his heart vanished with the wind. In the end, he just couldn't prevent himself from looking fondly at this girl. 

However, he knew that's she's new to all of this. Luna had been suffering all along before they met, he had no time to think or to be bothered about these things. He didn't want to overwhelm her or scare her off, he wanted take things slowly and let nature take its course. For now, this little skinships that they share is enough for him.

Under a very ordinary disguise, they went through places and visited many food stalls. Both of them needed this kind of break. During the past few months, they have been training assiduously and had greatly exhausted themselves physically and mentally, adding the fact that they participated in a large event a month and half ago, a little break is truly needed.

They talked about random things under the sun, thoroughly enjoying each other's company.

For Luna, this might be the best day that ever happened to her life. 

Though she's born with a golden spoon and with a Royal Title as well, her childhood had been somewhat lacking. Ever since she was able to perceive things on her own, the only one accompanying her was Old Lee and sometimes her brother, as for her father, she could only remember a few things since she was too young when he left. Each day she was forced to keep up an act, to assume a mask of elegance and purity befitting a Princess. She yearned to go out and explore but before she even had the chance to do so, she was struck with a mysterious illness that brought so much pain to her and the people around her.

She managed to get out of that place but not in the way she imagined it to be. She was ill, and it pains her to know that she couldn't live a normal life. However, it was like the gods had heard her prayers and someone came to her rescue. Ever since she met Raven, her life experienced a complete turn around. She have more friends now, she had met a lot of people and she was able to enjoy a normal and satisfying life. She was also exposed to the real situation of their home and she was tempered by all of the challenges they faced. 

She couldn't even begin to imagine just how miserable she would be if she hadn't met Raven. 

Unknowingly, the man named 'Vendrick Valorheart' became a very important person to her life. She was even debating with herself if she thinks that Raven is more important to her or her own Brother. 

May the gods forbid it, but if there ever come a time where Raven was removed from her life, he will take away a huge part of her with him.

***

The continued to merrily wander the streets and eventually decided to settle down to sit under a tree and watch as the sun sets, it was evident that their plans went a little more than 'having lunch together'.

Luna's heart was thumping with happiness and contentment, so as Raven. Her head rested on his shoulders as both of them shared a comfortable silence while staring at the setting sun.

After a period of silence, Luna's voice fluttered towards Raven's ears, asking: "Avi? Do you think Father's doing fine right now?"

Raven was somewhat taken by surprised with her sudden question. He took a deep breath and in an almost helpless tone. "I have no idea."

Luna unconsciously bit her bottom lip as anxiety rose from her heart. Eventually she calmed herself down and sighed dejectedly. "It's been almost a year since he wrote a letter. Usually he will send one at least once every three months, it will then be delivered by his Familiar. I'm worried, brother's worried, and Grandpa Lee might not show it but I know that he's worried as well."

Raven lifted his arm and caressed her hair, this caused Luna to wrap around her arms on his waist and bury her face on his shoulders.

Raven froze for a bit but recovered instantly, he pulled Luna closer and wrapped her with both of his arms, making sure that she felt safe and comfortable. He leaned in to her ears and said in a gentle voice:

"The King, he's formidable. He's the strongest man in this kingdom and even if I never had the chance to meet him, I know that he is wise as well. This isn't the first time that he went out to venture the wilds, he came back once and I trust that he could do that twice. Aside from the well being of the Kingdom, you two are the main reason why he has to go out anyway, his efforts would be in vain if he can't come home to you."

After saying these words, Raven felt Luna's body shiver. He felt his shoulders getting wet, most likely due to Luna's tears. He sighed and pulled Luna even closer to him, he didn't say anything and just allowed her to cry her worries out. No matter how many times he experienced it, Raven never liked seeing Luna hurt or crying.

"If there's anything that we could do right now. That would be 'training'. So long as we train hard enough, we will be stronger. If we are strong enough, then the King won't have to go out once again after he returned. He could rest and he would feel confident to share his burdens with us, that's the most logical solution that I could think right now." Raven added as he comforted her. 

He felt Luna nod in his embrace, a smile crept up to Raven's face as he continued staring at the horizon until the sun could no longer be seen. 

After a while, Luna raised her head and dried her tears. She gave Raven a sweet smile afterwards which made him swallow the words he wanted to say. She then said: "Thank you, for everything."

Raven was about to reply when something unexpected happened. 

Luna leaned in and kissed him. 

After that, she hurriedly pulled away from the hug and ran away, leaving the stunned Raven. 

He recovered after a while, a wry smile appeared on his face as he scratched his head in a frustrated manner while his ears reddened. He rested his head against the tree and whispered:

"Whipped."