pen'

The first time you heard Rielle laugh, you were standing ankle-deep in a fountain at Royal Sword Academy, trying hard to not look like you had been startled by a surprising flock of birds.

He, to your dismay, noticed anyway.

“Were you trying to catch one?” he’d ask, eyes shining brightly with curiosity as his head tilted toward the sky. The silver fork in his hair reflecting against the sun as well, “Because I think they escaped!”

You blinked at him. Rielle stood there with that honey-sunlit kind of smile that he always wore. And you’ve seen it, but, Oh-my. How lovely it was to see it up close. Like he had never once worried about anything in his life. That smile was so impactful it almost felt like you stood close to a warm window.

I wasn’t trying to catch a bird,” you said. “I was trying to avoid them…”

“Oh!” He looked shocked for half a second, red hair whipping around his shoulders, as if this was a problem. Then his face lit up again. “That’s fair- but you do seem like someone who would try very hard at catching stuff!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He ignored your comment. “Like a fish, maybe~ Oh! Or a falling star.. or someone’s heart!”

By his last comment, you nearly dropped the ribbon box- that you were saving from the water.

Rielle’s face only looked happily-unfazed, like he always makes comments like these to everyone. “Did I say something strange?”

“Yes,” you said, your voice coming out much weaker than you intended. “Very strange.”

“Hm.. good!” He clasped his hands behind his back and leaned in just a little. “I came all this way to find more interesting things this surface has. ‘Strange’ seems interesting!”

And that’s how it all started.

No confession or any gesture, those were never needed. Instead, it was just Rielle showing up wherever you happened to be, his mouth always full of questions or ideas. That he’d then say with enough enthusiasm to make you think along with him.

He wanted to know how garden’s stayed so colorful, why library’s had to be silent, and whether tea tasted better if you shared it with someone.

He answered the last one himself with an excited, “yes!”

You found him sitting on the steps outside the courtyard one evening, carefully balancing a cup in both hands. Inspecting it like it was treasure. The sun was setting, painting the end of his hair an orangy-color. Walking around the beach near the school, and he looked very pleased with his discovery of this cup.

His eyes shifted focus. “I found you!” he announced, sparking joy at seeing your presence.

You chuckled. “You make it sound like I was hiding from you.”

“Were you not?”

“I was just taking a walk.”

“Then I found you while you were walking,” he said, like that settled everything. “That still counts!”

Rielle then sat on the end of one of the docks. You sat beside him, and for a while you both didn’t say anything. From afar, you could see how the campus was noisy and bussling. But Rielle seemed to not notice, or care.

Finally, he took out a second cup from his pocket, toward you. “Look what I found!”

It was pristine porcelain with flower and pearl designs, you remember seeing it before, but you don’t know where.

“Looks familiar…”

He looked surprised at your statement. His blue eyes widening greatly, “You don’t remember?”

“Remember?”

There was one thing about him, Rielle was always full of brightness, always chasing after the next thing to wonder, it would cause him to loose track of past events. But instead, it took a turn. His eyes were focused on you, to him you felt like the most interesting thing in his line of sight.

He cleared his throat, stopping his eyes from trailing yours, “Maybe you don’t remember… but I saw you and Azul talk at VDC. You were talking about your favorite tea, weather… Gosh. I even remember how your sleeves were tucked when-”

What he remembered seemed almost unreal, very.

“Rielle,” you said, turning the tea cup in your hands, “why do you seem so determined to find me?”

He looked back at you for a moment, then he smiled, softer this time, not like any you’ve seen. Eyebrows trailing in a “U” shape in progress.

“Because I like being where you are,” he said simply. “And because every time I think I’ve caught up to you, you do something clever and make me want to follow again…”

Your face quickly grew hot, certainly obvious.

And of course, Rielle noticed anyway. “Oh,” he said, sounding delighted. “There it is!”

“There is what?”

“That expression!” He leaned closer, stars sparkling in his eyes. “The same one you had that time! I think I’m close!”

“Close to what?”

“Catching your heart!”

You chocked on air, legs uncrossing.

Rielle laughed. Bright and very unbothered, while you just stared at him in disbelief. He looked so proud of himself. He has the kind of confidence that makes his teasing feel like he’s “challenging” you.

“You are impossible,” you said.

“Then you’ll have to keep up!” He stood up before you could even reply, offering you a hand as he stands dynamically. “Come on! Let’s play sea-tag!”

You narrowed your eyes, “Tag?”

“Mm-hm. Whatever you land-folk say!” His smile turned playful again. “You run, I’ll come after you. Winner get’s to ask whatever question, I played this a lot in middle school, you know?”

You laughed, “Oh really? Never heard about this sort of tag.”

He then thought seriously. “Land-folk seem to not love chasing this much…”

“Well, chasing to ask something is not much of a prize.”

“It is if the prize gets me close to you!” Rielle almost shouted, his red long hair waving against the beach-wind.

The word landed too hard, they made you feel special. Like something small and shiny. Rielle didn’t seem embarrassed by what he said. He only waited with his hand still outstretched.

So, you took his hand.

His long fingers closed around yours with gentleness- and then he ran off. Pulling you with him off the deck, across the beach, and on to the RSA walkway. He laughed when you struggled to keep up, you laughing too, because somehow chasing after him felt easier than just standing.

He looked back at you with the same smile. “You’re fast!”

“You started first!”

“Yeah, but I’m still winning!”

“Rielle!”

He only laughed harder.

By the time you finally caught him, both of you were crouching breathless and grinning under one of the campus trees. He turned to you, and for one quiet moment, the world seemed to pause for him.

“I heard you’re very athletic… Have you been wanting me to catch you?” You realized, he hadn’t been trying at all, he was waiting for you to win.

“And?” he asked softly, “What if that’s true?”

You looked at him, the sparkle in his eyes, the way it looked like his hand wanted to reach out again.

Then you smiled, laughing, “You’re very difficult, Prince Rielle..”

Rielle’s expression went delighted that you laughed. “Then I’ll keep playing this way!” he promised, squeezing your hand once before letting go just enough to bow dramatically. “After all, a heart like yours must be difficult to catch, no matter how athletic someone is.”

You tilted your head. “What if I catch yours first?”

He blinked, his face then beaming just like the sunset over the sea.

“Then you’re much better at this than I am!”