Happily Ever After (Final Fantasy IV (Kain/Cecil/Rosa, PG)
Title: Happily Ever After
Author/Artist: queenoftheskies
Rating: PG
Warnings: implied threesome
Word count: 1,967
Prompt: Final Fantasy IV, Kain/Cecil/Rosa: Alternate!ending, three-way wedding--No one, not even their closest friends, expected Cecil to take a wife and a husband.
A/N: I don't suppose anyone is surprised I'm late with this. I always seem to be late. Sorry.
Summary: what the prompt says
Cecil looked at himself in the floor length mirror, but hardly saw the wedding finery, the gilded crown, he wore. He’d hoped he’d be able to meet his own eyes after saving their world from Zeromus, but the truth was, he was still every bit the imposter, denying his own heart, his own soul, as he had when he’d worn the armor of Dark Knight and served the former king.
What am I doing here? He was no king. He was no husband. As long as he denied his own heart, he would never be the man he truly was inside.
Turning away from the glass, his eyes sought the window. Varying shades of red and orange streaked the western sky. It was almost dusk. He and Rosa were to be wed at first starlight.
I can’t marry her. It was a lie, this love of theirs. Not that there was any doubt they loved each other, but that they loved each other only. He knew she felt the same way he did, that there was another she loved and always would. If they married, they would both remain empty. There was more to them and less to them, a missing element neither of them dared admit to, but that both knew existed.
They would come soon, to dress him in his armor, to strap the crystal sword to his side. No! He wouldn’t pretend any longer. If he was to rule Baron, it would be in truth, in the honor and honesty of his own heart.
If they couldn’t accept that, then he didn’t deserve to be king and they could find someone, like his predecessor, willing to lead his people in a lie.
Releasing the clasps that held his wedding cloak attached to his doublet, he let it fall to the bed as he fled his tower chamber, the same chamber he’d called his own when he served the former king. They’d insisted on installing him in the royal bedchamber, but until he reigned officially, with Rosa beside him as queen, he’d preferred to keep his old room and his own counsel. There’d been so much he’d had to consider, so much to decide upon before he became king.
And, he was finally making the right decision. What fate it would bring him as a result was yet to be seen.
Cecil made his way through silent back halls, keeping to the shadows like a common thief. Every high-ranking official in Baron, anyone with any importance-and even those who without-were busy with preparations for the wedding. Escaping detection wasn’t as difficult as he'd imagined.
#
Kain’s quarters were empty. Not that he was surprised. They hadn't spoken much on the return journey about the Whale, Kain keeping to himself while the others celebrated, and he proposed to Rosa. He hadn’t seen his best friend since they’d returned, though he’d seen signs the Dragoon had ultimately come home: a whiff of the herbs with which he washed his hair in the back kitchen, a lingering of the scent of the armor polish he used in the hallways.
Kain had been avoiding him, though, perhaps from shame or maybe out of jealousy. He wasn't sure why he'd let him get away with it. Maybe he'd been overwhelmed with preparations for the wedding and coronation. Maybe he'd been a little hurt and angry, too. Hurt that Kain had tried to kill him. Angry that he'd let Rosa come between them.
A book lay open on the nightstand. Kain's Dragoon helmet sat abandoned on the bed, caught up in a twist of sheets. Not so with the rest of his armor and, from the light scent of sweat that pervaded the room, it was easy to guess where Kain had gone.
Cecil's fingers stroked the helm that Kain had so recently worn when they'd fought side by side on the Moon, studied the bed that looked like it hadn't been slept in, drank in the smell of dragon's blood incense that stained the air. There was only one place Kain would go with troubled spirits, a place they'd spend much of their youth. It was difficult to get to from Baron, but with the right chocobo...
#
The mountain overlooked the castle. The peak had always been a favorite place of theirs when they’d been growing up. They’d wage mock wars against unseen enemies, then sit on the highest rocks, watch the people come and go in the city below, and pretend they were knight protectors of the castle. That’s what they’d be when they grew up.
Kain had always known he wanted to be a Dragoon and had pursued that path with an intensity that had startled Cecil. He’d fallen into the ways of the Dark Knight, himself, though he’d never been pleased with the path he’d chosen and had admired Kain for achieving everything he’d worked so hard for.
Ultimately, he’d become captain of the Red Wings, the most sought after honor in the land. Kain had been happy for him, as he’d been happy for his friend when he’d been made Captain of the Dragoons. Nothing had come between them.
Until Rosa.
She’d fallen madly in love with Cecil and though he’d secretly returned that love, he’d been married to Baron, unable to return her feelings until he’d been driven out of the castle. Kain had loved Rosa, too, from the very beginning, and had never tried to hide how he’d felt about the White Mage. Did that make his love a better love? Cecil had always felt himself unworthy and wondered if Kain might love Rosa more.
He found Kain where he'd expected, standing on the edge of the cliff, peering down into the valley. The wind, sharp and cold, stirred his unbound blond hair, whipping it around him so fiercely that Cecil couldn’t see his expression. He could imagine it, though, devoid of emotion. It had been so each time he’d looked at Kain since he’d first been taken by Golbez.
He couldn’t help but wonder what his brother had done to recruit Kain, to have broken the Dragoon so completely. And, yet, in spite of the damage done to him, in spite of the hate and jealousy that had come between them, Kain had overcome the brainwashing and stood with them when they’d needed him most.
“You should not have come,” Kain said, his deep voice strained.
“How could I not?” Cecil asked, climbing the last few steps to the summit.
“You have a wedding to prepare for, a bride waiting to love you, a people waiting to celebrate your victories.”
“A bride that would have died and victories that would have never happened had it not been for you.”
“A Dragoon never lets his personal feelings interfere with his duty.” His shoulders slumped so slightly that Cecil wouldn’t have noticed had he not known Kain for many years.
“Kain…”
“I owe you and Rosa and the others more apologies than I can count.”
“It wasn’t you.”
Kain turned slightly, never quite looking at Cecil. “It was.”
Cecil flinched at the open pain in Kain’s voice. “Why didn’t you tell me how you felt?”
“You’ve always known I loved Rosa and I’ve always known that she loved you.”
“The rest,” Cecil insisted, twisting his fists into the silky fabric of his wedding tunic. “Why didn’t you tell me how much you hated me? Why did you pretend to be my friend?”
“I have never hated, Cecil.” The pain in his voice turned wistful. “Not until you were freed from your duty to love her. Until then, we were..." He turned back to the wind, his voice ragged. "I thought you were mine.”
"I was." Cecil broke off. They'd never spoken of their feelings for one another. He'd never imagined Kain could feel the way he did. "But, I never thought we could be together, not like I'd hoped we could be.
"As long as you were a Dark Knight, we were together without question." Kain's eyes dropped. "I'd hoped that...some day...there'd be more." Wagging his head, he whispered, "When you became a Paladin, when you came to rescue her, I knew I'd lost you. That's how he grabbed me and twisted me. He wanted to hurt you and convinced me that you wanted to hurt me, too."
"Never," Cecil swore. Capturing Kain's hand, he wondered why he'd never realized that Kain's strength was a barrier he hid behind to avoid admitting feelings that troubled him, that made him human like the rest of them. "I would never intentionally hurt you, Kain."
The Dragoon swallowed. His eyes settled on their intertwined fingers and, for a moment, Cecil thought he'd pull away. "When you're with her, will you remember me?"
Cecil dropped to one knee, brought Kain's hand to his lips. "I pledge to you my life, my crown, my undying love."
#
Rosa waited at the altar. The priest had turned to speak with the palace guards. She only caught bits and pieces of their conversation, enough to know that Cecil was missing and that no one in Baron had any idea where to find him.
It wasn’t so much that she was surprised as she was disappointed. For years, she’d longed for this day, the day when she’d be his and he hers and she wouldn’t have to worry about him coming back from battles in foreign countries any more. She should have known something else would arise to take him from her. It wasn’t that she doubted his love for her or his desire to marry her. It was more that she doubted fate’s ability to leave them to their happiness for long.
Whispers ran through the crowds, the few she caught were speculations of where the new king of Baron had gotten to and pity for her as the forgotten bride. She resisted the tears that swam in her eyes. He would have a good reason and she would forgive him and they’d become man and wife another day. She loved him that much, enough to take public humiliation for them both.
A stir began at the back of the hall. Rosa resisted the urge to turn until the stir dissolved into a clatter of armor and the whispers grew into exclamations of surprise. They were there, the two men she loved, side by side in the doorway, while voices rose throughout the hall and guards moved aside to allow them admittance.
Dressed in his crystal armor with white royal robes atop, Cecil escorted Kain, in Dragoon finery down the aisle, his hand clasped in his best friend’s, his smile as radiant as the sun. Rosa felt a burst of longing as they approached her, side by side.
They bowed when they reached her and then separated. Cecil took his stance on her right side; Kain moved to her left.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Cecil whispered, reaching up to steady his crown with one hand.
Rosa slipped her fingers in his and squeezed. “I never thought you’d agree to such a union, Cecil, or I’d have suggested it myself, long ago.” Her other hand found Kain’s. “My dear, Kain,” she whispered, turning his way. “Had I known we had this option, I’d have never chosen, I’d have never hurt you the way I did.”
His reply was nothing more than a smile, but a happier smile she’d never seen.
They turned as one to face the wide-eyed bishop. He stuttered and spluttered over words that Rosa didn’t hear.
“There’s just one thing,” she whispered from the corner of her mouth to Cecil. “If you’re king and I’m queen, what’s Kain?”
The Dragoon laughed softly. “Just wait until we get to the royal bed chamber, and you’ll find out.”
Author/Artist: queenoftheskies
Rating: PG
Warnings: implied threesome
Word count: 1,967
Prompt: Final Fantasy IV, Kain/Cecil/Rosa: Alternate!ending, three-way wedding--No one, not even their closest friends, expected Cecil to take a wife and a husband.
A/N: I don't suppose anyone is surprised I'm late with this. I always seem to be late. Sorry.
Summary: what the prompt says
Cecil looked at himself in the floor length mirror, but hardly saw the wedding finery, the gilded crown, he wore. He’d hoped he’d be able to meet his own eyes after saving their world from Zeromus, but the truth was, he was still every bit the imposter, denying his own heart, his own soul, as he had when he’d worn the armor of Dark Knight and served the former king.
What am I doing here? He was no king. He was no husband. As long as he denied his own heart, he would never be the man he truly was inside.
Turning away from the glass, his eyes sought the window. Varying shades of red and orange streaked the western sky. It was almost dusk. He and Rosa were to be wed at first starlight.
I can’t marry her. It was a lie, this love of theirs. Not that there was any doubt they loved each other, but that they loved each other only. He knew she felt the same way he did, that there was another she loved and always would. If they married, they would both remain empty. There was more to them and less to them, a missing element neither of them dared admit to, but that both knew existed.
They would come soon, to dress him in his armor, to strap the crystal sword to his side. No! He wouldn’t pretend any longer. If he was to rule Baron, it would be in truth, in the honor and honesty of his own heart.
If they couldn’t accept that, then he didn’t deserve to be king and they could find someone, like his predecessor, willing to lead his people in a lie.
Releasing the clasps that held his wedding cloak attached to his doublet, he let it fall to the bed as he fled his tower chamber, the same chamber he’d called his own when he served the former king. They’d insisted on installing him in the royal bedchamber, but until he reigned officially, with Rosa beside him as queen, he’d preferred to keep his old room and his own counsel. There’d been so much he’d had to consider, so much to decide upon before he became king.
And, he was finally making the right decision. What fate it would bring him as a result was yet to be seen.
Cecil made his way through silent back halls, keeping to the shadows like a common thief. Every high-ranking official in Baron, anyone with any importance-and even those who without-were busy with preparations for the wedding. Escaping detection wasn’t as difficult as he'd imagined.
#
Kain’s quarters were empty. Not that he was surprised. They hadn't spoken much on the return journey about the Whale, Kain keeping to himself while the others celebrated, and he proposed to Rosa. He hadn’t seen his best friend since they’d returned, though he’d seen signs the Dragoon had ultimately come home: a whiff of the herbs with which he washed his hair in the back kitchen, a lingering of the scent of the armor polish he used in the hallways.
Kain had been avoiding him, though, perhaps from shame or maybe out of jealousy. He wasn't sure why he'd let him get away with it. Maybe he'd been overwhelmed with preparations for the wedding and coronation. Maybe he'd been a little hurt and angry, too. Hurt that Kain had tried to kill him. Angry that he'd let Rosa come between them.
A book lay open on the nightstand. Kain's Dragoon helmet sat abandoned on the bed, caught up in a twist of sheets. Not so with the rest of his armor and, from the light scent of sweat that pervaded the room, it was easy to guess where Kain had gone.
Cecil's fingers stroked the helm that Kain had so recently worn when they'd fought side by side on the Moon, studied the bed that looked like it hadn't been slept in, drank in the smell of dragon's blood incense that stained the air. There was only one place Kain would go with troubled spirits, a place they'd spend much of their youth. It was difficult to get to from Baron, but with the right chocobo...
#
The mountain overlooked the castle. The peak had always been a favorite place of theirs when they’d been growing up. They’d wage mock wars against unseen enemies, then sit on the highest rocks, watch the people come and go in the city below, and pretend they were knight protectors of the castle. That’s what they’d be when they grew up.
Kain had always known he wanted to be a Dragoon and had pursued that path with an intensity that had startled Cecil. He’d fallen into the ways of the Dark Knight, himself, though he’d never been pleased with the path he’d chosen and had admired Kain for achieving everything he’d worked so hard for.
Ultimately, he’d become captain of the Red Wings, the most sought after honor in the land. Kain had been happy for him, as he’d been happy for his friend when he’d been made Captain of the Dragoons. Nothing had come between them.
Until Rosa.
She’d fallen madly in love with Cecil and though he’d secretly returned that love, he’d been married to Baron, unable to return her feelings until he’d been driven out of the castle. Kain had loved Rosa, too, from the very beginning, and had never tried to hide how he’d felt about the White Mage. Did that make his love a better love? Cecil had always felt himself unworthy and wondered if Kain might love Rosa more.
He found Kain where he'd expected, standing on the edge of the cliff, peering down into the valley. The wind, sharp and cold, stirred his unbound blond hair, whipping it around him so fiercely that Cecil couldn’t see his expression. He could imagine it, though, devoid of emotion. It had been so each time he’d looked at Kain since he’d first been taken by Golbez.
He couldn’t help but wonder what his brother had done to recruit Kain, to have broken the Dragoon so completely. And, yet, in spite of the damage done to him, in spite of the hate and jealousy that had come between them, Kain had overcome the brainwashing and stood with them when they’d needed him most.
“You should not have come,” Kain said, his deep voice strained.
“How could I not?” Cecil asked, climbing the last few steps to the summit.
“You have a wedding to prepare for, a bride waiting to love you, a people waiting to celebrate your victories.”
“A bride that would have died and victories that would have never happened had it not been for you.”
“A Dragoon never lets his personal feelings interfere with his duty.” His shoulders slumped so slightly that Cecil wouldn’t have noticed had he not known Kain for many years.
“Kain…”
“I owe you and Rosa and the others more apologies than I can count.”
“It wasn’t you.”
Kain turned slightly, never quite looking at Cecil. “It was.”
Cecil flinched at the open pain in Kain’s voice. “Why didn’t you tell me how you felt?”
“You’ve always known I loved Rosa and I’ve always known that she loved you.”
“The rest,” Cecil insisted, twisting his fists into the silky fabric of his wedding tunic. “Why didn’t you tell me how much you hated me? Why did you pretend to be my friend?”
“I have never hated, Cecil.” The pain in his voice turned wistful. “Not until you were freed from your duty to love her. Until then, we were..." He turned back to the wind, his voice ragged. "I thought you were mine.”
"I was." Cecil broke off. They'd never spoken of their feelings for one another. He'd never imagined Kain could feel the way he did. "But, I never thought we could be together, not like I'd hoped we could be.
"As long as you were a Dark Knight, we were together without question." Kain's eyes dropped. "I'd hoped that...some day...there'd be more." Wagging his head, he whispered, "When you became a Paladin, when you came to rescue her, I knew I'd lost you. That's how he grabbed me and twisted me. He wanted to hurt you and convinced me that you wanted to hurt me, too."
"Never," Cecil swore. Capturing Kain's hand, he wondered why he'd never realized that Kain's strength was a barrier he hid behind to avoid admitting feelings that troubled him, that made him human like the rest of them. "I would never intentionally hurt you, Kain."
The Dragoon swallowed. His eyes settled on their intertwined fingers and, for a moment, Cecil thought he'd pull away. "When you're with her, will you remember me?"
Cecil dropped to one knee, brought Kain's hand to his lips. "I pledge to you my life, my crown, my undying love."
#
Rosa waited at the altar. The priest had turned to speak with the palace guards. She only caught bits and pieces of their conversation, enough to know that Cecil was missing and that no one in Baron had any idea where to find him.
It wasn’t so much that she was surprised as she was disappointed. For years, she’d longed for this day, the day when she’d be his and he hers and she wouldn’t have to worry about him coming back from battles in foreign countries any more. She should have known something else would arise to take him from her. It wasn’t that she doubted his love for her or his desire to marry her. It was more that she doubted fate’s ability to leave them to their happiness for long.
Whispers ran through the crowds, the few she caught were speculations of where the new king of Baron had gotten to and pity for her as the forgotten bride. She resisted the tears that swam in her eyes. He would have a good reason and she would forgive him and they’d become man and wife another day. She loved him that much, enough to take public humiliation for them both.
A stir began at the back of the hall. Rosa resisted the urge to turn until the stir dissolved into a clatter of armor and the whispers grew into exclamations of surprise. They were there, the two men she loved, side by side in the doorway, while voices rose throughout the hall and guards moved aside to allow them admittance.
Dressed in his crystal armor with white royal robes atop, Cecil escorted Kain, in Dragoon finery down the aisle, his hand clasped in his best friend’s, his smile as radiant as the sun. Rosa felt a burst of longing as they approached her, side by side.
They bowed when they reached her and then separated. Cecil took his stance on her right side; Kain moved to her left.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Cecil whispered, reaching up to steady his crown with one hand.
Rosa slipped her fingers in his and squeezed. “I never thought you’d agree to such a union, Cecil, or I’d have suggested it myself, long ago.” Her other hand found Kain’s. “My dear, Kain,” she whispered, turning his way. “Had I known we had this option, I’d have never chosen, I’d have never hurt you the way I did.”
His reply was nothing more than a smile, but a happier smile she’d never seen.
They turned as one to face the wide-eyed bishop. He stuttered and spluttered over words that Rosa didn’t hear.
“There’s just one thing,” she whispered from the corner of her mouth to Cecil. “If you’re king and I’m queen, what’s Kain?”
The Dragoon laughed softly. “Just wait until we get to the royal bed chamber, and you’ll find out.”