With the fury of a thousand beasts laid to rest, Caius fought against Nero, his mentor. The two had clashed before, but never so fervently, nor with such killing intent. The thrill of the hunt was nothing compared to this fight. Never before was Caius so intimately involved within the fight as this; the feeling was incomparable. He did not hear the roar of the crowd surrounding them, nor did he see the seeress gazing upon them. All of his focus was on the man before him.
Caius cared not for who the crowd cheered for, or who the seeress favored. He would win this battle against Nero. With all his might, he brought down his blade, only to have it crash against the ground with a resounding crack. Nero had dodged the attack expertly, as was his wont. Caius knew his style of fighting very well, and could now anticipate his moves. Especially now that he had slowed down in his age, this battle was already decided within Caius’ mind. He need only to choose the correct time to end it.
Finally, he saw an opening within the other’s guard. A small chance at victory. Nero stopped and rose his weapon to counter his blade, but he was too late. Caius swung his sword forth, rending through the man’s armor as easily as a claw through flesh. The force of his swing cause Caius to stagger backwards, and he lost his grip with his right hand on his sword. Had he not struck Nero down then, he would have been wide open for a fatal attack.
The noise of the crowd that he had tuned out before suddenly ceased, and the silence that Caius now experienced was deafening. His mentor slumped to his knees, clutching his stomach in agony. He glanced up at Caius, his eyes full of an emotion he could not quite place, only to fall face first, dead. The thrill Caius felt from the battle had not yet worn off; he doubted he would sense such excitement from a fight for a long time.
He bowed down his head slightly towards Nero’s body. He proved to be a worthy opponent, and Caius would never forget the bravery with which he fought, nor the skill of his blade or his teachings. He would be sure to fulfill his role as guardian of Paddra Nsu-Yeul till his dying day. He felt an odd and ominous premonition after that thought, but shook it off before his worry could show on his face.
Caius scanned the crowd. All eyes lay upon him, the new guardian. He smirked, and turned to face Yeul, his new charge. He would be serving as this girl’s vassal from this day forth. He looked up at her, and in her stare he could see both sadness and anger. Perhaps it was due to Nero’s death, but it did not matter. The displeasure she felt was of no consequence; the feelings between the seeress and her protector mattered little to Caius.
"From this day forth…I shall be your warden and soldier, Yeul." He plunged his blade into the ground, and knelt down before her. Caius had never cared to use titles or royalties while around the seeress, and though it might be considered impudence, it was actually that he respected her power enough to consider her equal to him.
For all of the creatures he had hunted, all of the battles he fought, this was the sole moment of pride for him. Despite having not lived in Paddra all of his life, he still felt the position of guardian was best suited towards the strongest fighter, and had yearned for that role ever since coming here from the wilds of Gran Pulse. Now that he could finally claim it as his own, his excitement could not be matched. He was the one with power, the one able to protect those who needed it most, the one able to fell any and all foes who stood in his path.
His hair and the feathers tied within it fell upon his face has he bowed his head in deference. Caius stayed like that for a moment, before standing up. He sheathed his blade and stared at Yeul, awaiting her response towards his triumph. Soon he would receive his marking as a l’Cie, and truly be fit for the role. He need only hear the words from Yeul, and his victory would be solidified..
Yeul was not a fan of the loudness of the crowds, but she knew there would be rituals to follow soonafter their proper meeting. In a previous life, she'd seen him before as a young, young man in the out lands but thought nothing of him until she knew he was the successor to Nero. She remained still as a river with no mouth, staring down from where he was inside the square as Caius began to approach her from the side steps to where the throne area was. The people of Paddra watched the new guardian ascend the steps leading to the high-rise throne area and in the presence of the fairy-like empress herself, their eyes were wide with wonder to see a historical event unfold in their city.
Yeul, however, was not so happy and her inside were struck with a deep mourning that she refused to display. After a time, she heard the cheers turn to hisses and boos, this frustrated her to some degree because she thought they they crowd was ready to accept the new guardian. The idea that Nero's former body had dissipated into pyreflies had some how taken a moment to settle with the people who felt scorn that "their" hero was gone, but it seemed to be that way for most of the older people, the adults and elderly in the audience. She knew that it was not the lack of acceptance, but refusal to accept that a barbarian from the outlands could do a better job. Yeul grew more upset as Caius neared, but her expression steeled over as more time went on.
The silver-haired maiden stayed stationary as Caius moved closer until he bent down, submissively to her with his blade forced into the stone. The Priests from the Order of Paddra approached Yeul, a taller one had a sneer fixated on his mouth, speaking such ill words of the new guardian to Yeul. "Must we accept this, my Queen? He is a barbarian from the outlands, he is not one of us."
The law of the Farseer's that Yeul must have a guardian was absolute, she turned only her head in his direction and nodded. Suddenly, she rose her arm above her head to gain the attention of the crowd and waited until it was dead silence.
"Caius of the Outlands, you may not be of nobility or bred from Paddra, but you have proven yourself worthy. We may celebrate my new guardian." Yeul stated with despondence licking the softness of her tone, easily heard by all. She seemed mesmerized by Caius as he slowly rose from his spot beneath her, her eyes remained on him until he was at his full height that towered her own. Peridot eyes fell on his face as she motioned only with her head for him to follow her, she needed some space from the public eyes anyway, Yeul walked strangely, her left leg seemed to be a bit lame because her girlish sway seemed a bit off.
Yeul walked towards the large home for the Seeress and many who worked there. The moment they reached a long hallway towards a staircase, she allowed herself to express true sadness. "There will be a few rituals concerning your guardianship, I will explain them privately."
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