[Legend of Sun Knight] fic: Bittersweet Sweetness Part 19
Title: Bittersweet Sweetness Part 19
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 1,421
Summary: Instead of receiving a brooch that dresses him in an assassin's clothes, Sun receives a trinket that switches his consciousness around with Judgment's. Now, Judgment must find out the mystery behind the Death Knight in Sun's stead. Problem is, imitating Sun's poor swordsmanship is no easy feat, and who knew what Sun was doing with Judgment's body in the meantime? Alternate telling of the end of volume 1 of the novels.
Notes: I love vice-captains~. Some spoilers in this one for Judgment's vice-captain (mostly his name). I stalled a bit, wondering if I should write him out of the story since we haven't actually met him in English translations yet, but I was aiming for many of Judgment and Sun's experiences and thoughts to parallel one another's, hence the necessity of Judgment's vice-captain.
Previous Part
Part 19 - Judgment
Recalling that Grisia's cloak had been damaged the day before, I wondered if I would have trouble retrieving a cloak for my current use. I soon realized that my worry was baseless, for Grisia had many cloaks. At least, he had more than necessary for the virtuous Sun Knight.
I randomly grabbed one. Cloak in hand, I left Grisia's room.
Even though it would give my identity as "Sun" away if a fight broke out, and I might end up causing Grisia heartache with how worried he was over the "relic", I decided to bring the Divine Sun Sword along with me. The sword could very well be the deciding factor of the outcome of any battles I might engage in.
With the sword by my side, I headed toward the entrance of the Holy Temple. The Divine Sun Sword was truly vastly superior to the sword I had used yesterday. It brimmed with holy light and felt almost warm to the touch. I almost thought I could hear the sword sing, and perhaps I did, for it was attuned to Sun's body much like how my Divine Judgment Sword was to me. Although other people could use our weapons, they would not be able to bring out the weapon's true strength. I had held Sun's sword before, but it had never sung like this.
Although I didn't enjoy bloodshed, I couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to use the Divine Sun Sword in battle.
I did not pass by very many people on my way out of the Holy Temple, but when I did pass by those few knights and clerics, I smiled as widely as I could. I doubted my smile was as brilliant as Grisia's usual, but I did a passable job, enough for those I passed by to greet me with smiles in return. It was a good feeling.
The next person I came across was my vice-captain, Vidar, who did not greet me with a smile, though that was expected of him considering he was a judgment knight. However, that wasn't what was strange about him. He appeared as if he hadn't noticed my presence, and his face was drawn.
I recalled that Vidar hadn't looked this haggled the last time I saw him. That was merely yesterday, a little before my untimely switch with Grisia. What had happened in a single day for him to look like this?
Concerned, I approached him, his name at the tip of my tongue.
Vidar, finally noticing my presence, straightened. "Knight-Captain Sun," he greeted me. He was neither cold nor overly friendly. If I had to put his current attitude into words, I could only say that it lacked the usual respect and admiration he held for me. He was courteous, yes, but no more than that.
I halted and swallowed my greeting. I wanted to ask after Vidar but realized that approaching Vidar right now was not exactly smart. I was just creating trouble for myself, for Vidar knew me too well for me to drop my guard around him. If I wanted to ask after Vidar, I would even need to speak in Sun's complicated speech while insulting Vidar at the same time with some silly nickname. Thankfully, Grisia had never bestowed on me a nickname. I could imagine just how he would have butchered my name if he had ever dared to. Lesus Judgment? More like Laser Judgment...
I think I'll just skip Vidar's name...
I really didn't want to call him Radar.
We fell into a stiff conversation. I asked after the patrols as the "head" of the Holy Temple. I also wanted updates on the interrogations, but I could only ask about ones Sun would have known about. It was bothering me, this farce, but I understood why Grisia wanted to keep our switch a secret. Just like how we normally maintained our masks to keep the public at ease, this was another matter of playing a role. That, and both Grisia and I wanted to believe that this would not be permanent.
The entire time, Vidar stood ramrod straight, his eyes darting left and right, as if he wanted to be anywhere but here. I knew he didn't have a very good opinion of Sun, but his behavior was quite obvious at the moment. I could see why Sun liked to tease Vidar, but that was also exactly why Vidar didn't like Sun. It was quite a vicious cycle, and now I was on the receiving end of Vidar's disdain.
The saying that the "good, warm-hearted" faction and the "cruel, cold-hearted" faction don't mix must surely refer to their case. Vidar had little love for Sun.
That won't do.
However, it was not my place to try to improve their relationship, and perhaps this was for the best. We of different factions had never meant to be on good terms with each other, though Grisia cared little for that and had always thought of the Twelve Holy Knights as his brothers. I was thankful for that, for I could not say with certainty that I would have sought Grisia out and offered my friendship if he had not done it first. I certainly could not have done it with his ease, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for us to be friends.
If he hadn't approached me, he would have remained a puzzle to me, an enigma, and I would have been alone without any respite. I did not like imagining it.
I glanced at Vidar. If Sun had wanted to be on better terms with Vidar, Sun would have initiated on his own. The fact that he hadn't meant that Sun felt no need, and that I should leave them alone. There were still certain boundaries to be kept between captains and subordinates, so I kept my distance from Vidar.
As we continued talking, however, Vidar's stiffness slowly diminished until the pinched look on his face finally vanished. Perhaps the fact that he was talking with "Sun" no longer weighed so heavily on his mind.
When we were about to part ways, he back to the Judge's Complex, and I to the entrance of the Holy Temple, curious voices drifted our way. Both of us faced the direction the voices came from to make sense of what was going on. One of the voices sounded like mine. It was hushed and low, but I could still identify it. It was definitely my voice.
That meant Grisia was talking with someone, which left the question of just who he was speaking with. My question was soon answered when someone else spoke.
"Ed, go on ahead of me."
Ed's confusion sounded immediately after that, but the one who had spoken merely urged him on again. "Go on, I'll catch up with you later."
Soon after these words, Ed from the Sun Knight Platoon appeared around the corner, confusion all over his face, but when he spotted me, his confusion was abruptly replaced by surprise.
"Captain!" he exclaimed. His eyes darted quickly to the side. "And Vidar?" Confusion once again appeared on his face.
"Ed," I paused, catching myself just in time, "Might Sun ask what is happening around the corner?"
Ed nodded and stood up straighter. "Yes sir. Knight-Captain Judgment and Adair have gotten into some sort of face-down!"
How ironic it was that I had run into my vice-captain while Grisia had run into his own, but what was this about a face-down?
"What?" Vidar exclaimed from my side, scowl threatening to take over his face. "Why are you giving Captain Judgment trouble?"
"Vidar," I chided reflexively. No matter how much I had instructed him on how to keep his composure, he always got particularly hotheaded when it came to matters that involved me, never hesitating before jumping to my defense, much like what Blaze always did for Sun.
"Sorry, Cap-" he paused before he realized who he was talking to. Abruptly, I also realized what I had done. Not only had I chided Vidar like I always did as his captain, I even used his name, which Sun almost never did.
Vidar jerked his head to stare at me.
Immediately, I spoke the first thing that came to mind.
"Radar, leave us," I commanded. "As this matter has to do with Adair from the Sun Knight Platoon, Sun will take care of it."
After I spoke, I felt like putting my face into my hands.
Dear God of Light, let me never have to butcher people's names like this ever again.
To make matters worse, Vidar did not at all look like he was going to do as I had instructed.
-----
to be continued
*sigh* Feels like these chapters are going nowhere! The pacing is so slow! It was fine when I was updating every other day, but with my current update speed, it feels like the story is dragging. ): All right, goal: update faster! And perhaps aim for longer chapters...
On a side note, Radar is indeed Sun's nickname for Vidar. "Laser" is from one of Yu Wo's plurks where she mentions that remembering "Laser" is a good way to remember Lesus's name. XD;; Sun doesn't actually give Lesus a nickname. Part 18 and 19 actually came out of nowhere for me, OTL. In my original plans, it so doesn't take them this long just to exit the Holy Temple. Adair and Vidar... what timing you have...
Next Part
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 1,421
Summary: Instead of receiving a brooch that dresses him in an assassin's clothes, Sun receives a trinket that switches his consciousness around with Judgment's. Now, Judgment must find out the mystery behind the Death Knight in Sun's stead. Problem is, imitating Sun's poor swordsmanship is no easy feat, and who knew what Sun was doing with Judgment's body in the meantime? Alternate telling of the end of volume 1 of the novels.
Notes: I love vice-captains~. Some spoilers in this one for Judgment's vice-captain (mostly his name). I stalled a bit, wondering if I should write him out of the story since we haven't actually met him in English translations yet, but I was aiming for many of Judgment and Sun's experiences and thoughts to parallel one another's, hence the necessity of Judgment's vice-captain.
Previous Part
Part 19 - Judgment
Recalling that Grisia's cloak had been damaged the day before, I wondered if I would have trouble retrieving a cloak for my current use. I soon realized that my worry was baseless, for Grisia had many cloaks. At least, he had more than necessary for the virtuous Sun Knight.
I randomly grabbed one. Cloak in hand, I left Grisia's room.
Even though it would give my identity as "Sun" away if a fight broke out, and I might end up causing Grisia heartache with how worried he was over the "relic", I decided to bring the Divine Sun Sword along with me. The sword could very well be the deciding factor of the outcome of any battles I might engage in.
With the sword by my side, I headed toward the entrance of the Holy Temple. The Divine Sun Sword was truly vastly superior to the sword I had used yesterday. It brimmed with holy light and felt almost warm to the touch. I almost thought I could hear the sword sing, and perhaps I did, for it was attuned to Sun's body much like how my Divine Judgment Sword was to me. Although other people could use our weapons, they would not be able to bring out the weapon's true strength. I had held Sun's sword before, but it had never sung like this.
Although I didn't enjoy bloodshed, I couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like to use the Divine Sun Sword in battle.
I did not pass by very many people on my way out of the Holy Temple, but when I did pass by those few knights and clerics, I smiled as widely as I could. I doubted my smile was as brilliant as Grisia's usual, but I did a passable job, enough for those I passed by to greet me with smiles in return. It was a good feeling.
The next person I came across was my vice-captain, Vidar, who did not greet me with a smile, though that was expected of him considering he was a judgment knight. However, that wasn't what was strange about him. He appeared as if he hadn't noticed my presence, and his face was drawn.
I recalled that Vidar hadn't looked this haggled the last time I saw him. That was merely yesterday, a little before my untimely switch with Grisia. What had happened in a single day for him to look like this?
Concerned, I approached him, his name at the tip of my tongue.
Vidar, finally noticing my presence, straightened. "Knight-Captain Sun," he greeted me. He was neither cold nor overly friendly. If I had to put his current attitude into words, I could only say that it lacked the usual respect and admiration he held for me. He was courteous, yes, but no more than that.
I halted and swallowed my greeting. I wanted to ask after Vidar but realized that approaching Vidar right now was not exactly smart. I was just creating trouble for myself, for Vidar knew me too well for me to drop my guard around him. If I wanted to ask after Vidar, I would even need to speak in Sun's complicated speech while insulting Vidar at the same time with some silly nickname. Thankfully, Grisia had never bestowed on me a nickname. I could imagine just how he would have butchered my name if he had ever dared to. Lesus Judgment? More like Laser Judgment...
I think I'll just skip Vidar's name...
I really didn't want to call him Radar.
We fell into a stiff conversation. I asked after the patrols as the "head" of the Holy Temple. I also wanted updates on the interrogations, but I could only ask about ones Sun would have known about. It was bothering me, this farce, but I understood why Grisia wanted to keep our switch a secret. Just like how we normally maintained our masks to keep the public at ease, this was another matter of playing a role. That, and both Grisia and I wanted to believe that this would not be permanent.
The entire time, Vidar stood ramrod straight, his eyes darting left and right, as if he wanted to be anywhere but here. I knew he didn't have a very good opinion of Sun, but his behavior was quite obvious at the moment. I could see why Sun liked to tease Vidar, but that was also exactly why Vidar didn't like Sun. It was quite a vicious cycle, and now I was on the receiving end of Vidar's disdain.
The saying that the "good, warm-hearted" faction and the "cruel, cold-hearted" faction don't mix must surely refer to their case. Vidar had little love for Sun.
That won't do.
However, it was not my place to try to improve their relationship, and perhaps this was for the best. We of different factions had never meant to be on good terms with each other, though Grisia cared little for that and had always thought of the Twelve Holy Knights as his brothers. I was thankful for that, for I could not say with certainty that I would have sought Grisia out and offered my friendship if he had not done it first. I certainly could not have done it with his ease, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for us to be friends.
If he hadn't approached me, he would have remained a puzzle to me, an enigma, and I would have been alone without any respite. I did not like imagining it.
I glanced at Vidar. If Sun had wanted to be on better terms with Vidar, Sun would have initiated on his own. The fact that he hadn't meant that Sun felt no need, and that I should leave them alone. There were still certain boundaries to be kept between captains and subordinates, so I kept my distance from Vidar.
As we continued talking, however, Vidar's stiffness slowly diminished until the pinched look on his face finally vanished. Perhaps the fact that he was talking with "Sun" no longer weighed so heavily on his mind.
When we were about to part ways, he back to the Judge's Complex, and I to the entrance of the Holy Temple, curious voices drifted our way. Both of us faced the direction the voices came from to make sense of what was going on. One of the voices sounded like mine. It was hushed and low, but I could still identify it. It was definitely my voice.
That meant Grisia was talking with someone, which left the question of just who he was speaking with. My question was soon answered when someone else spoke.
"Ed, go on ahead of me."
Ed's confusion sounded immediately after that, but the one who had spoken merely urged him on again. "Go on, I'll catch up with you later."
Soon after these words, Ed from the Sun Knight Platoon appeared around the corner, confusion all over his face, but when he spotted me, his confusion was abruptly replaced by surprise.
"Captain!" he exclaimed. His eyes darted quickly to the side. "And Vidar?" Confusion once again appeared on his face.
"Ed," I paused, catching myself just in time, "Might Sun ask what is happening around the corner?"
Ed nodded and stood up straighter. "Yes sir. Knight-Captain Judgment and Adair have gotten into some sort of face-down!"
How ironic it was that I had run into my vice-captain while Grisia had run into his own, but what was this about a face-down?
"What?" Vidar exclaimed from my side, scowl threatening to take over his face. "Why are you giving Captain Judgment trouble?"
"Vidar," I chided reflexively. No matter how much I had instructed him on how to keep his composure, he always got particularly hotheaded when it came to matters that involved me, never hesitating before jumping to my defense, much like what Blaze always did for Sun.
"Sorry, Cap-" he paused before he realized who he was talking to. Abruptly, I also realized what I had done. Not only had I chided Vidar like I always did as his captain, I even used his name, which Sun almost never did.
Vidar jerked his head to stare at me.
Immediately, I spoke the first thing that came to mind.
"Radar, leave us," I commanded. "As this matter has to do with Adair from the Sun Knight Platoon, Sun will take care of it."
After I spoke, I felt like putting my face into my hands.
Dear God of Light, let me never have to butcher people's names like this ever again.
To make matters worse, Vidar did not at all look like he was going to do as I had instructed.
-----
to be continued
*sigh* Feels like these chapters are going nowhere! The pacing is so slow! It was fine when I was updating every other day, but with my current update speed, it feels like the story is dragging. ): All right, goal: update faster! And perhaps aim for longer chapters...
On a side note, Radar is indeed Sun's nickname for Vidar. "Laser" is from one of Yu Wo's plurks where she mentions that remembering "Laser" is a good way to remember Lesus's name. XD;; Sun doesn't actually give Lesus a nickname. Part 18 and 19 actually came out of nowhere for me, OTL. In my original plans, it so doesn't take them this long just to exit the Holy Temple. Adair and Vidar... what timing you have...
Next Part