Ronodin's Backstory

Part 5

A knock sounded at Ronodin's door. He groaned and rolled out of bed.

"Just tell Syndra I'm sick!" He said.

"You're not sick," came Elora's exasperated response.

"I'm sick of socializing," Ronodin grumbled, opening the door.

"Ha ha," Elora said sarcastically. "Come on, she'll be waiting for you."

"Ugh, I barely got any sort of rest after my training this morning."

"Not my problem!"

Ronodin reluctantly let his cousin drag him down the stairs and out into the gardens where Sydnra was waiting for him.

"Hey, Syndra." Elora grinned as her friend's eyes lit up.

Ronodin extended his hand. "Uh, hey there, Syndra. It's-" he stopped short as the girl threw her arms around him.

Elora laughed at Ronodin's expression, because she couldn't tell whether he was about to murder Sydnra or drop dead from embarrassment.

"I'm so glad you came!" Syndra squealed.

"I- uh, it's nice to see you," Ronodin mumbled, gently pushing Syndra off him.

Syndra beamed.

"I'll leave you to it," Elora said, leaving Ronodin looking helpless.

"So...?"

Syndra grabbed his hand. "Follow me."

Ronodin looked down in shock at his hand in hers as she dragged him into town excitedly. As much as he tried to avoid it, he couldn't help but wish it was Cairnon he was with and not Syndra.

"Where are you taking me?" He asked skeptically.

Syndra just laughed.

"No, really, wh-"

"Oh, come on. Do you really have such an all encompassing need to know exactly what's going on that you can't even relax and enjoy a walk through town?"

"Yes," he answered, not amused.

Syndra laughed again. "See, I don't know why people don't like you, Ronodin. You've got potential."

"Potential?"

"Hear me out. You spend most of your time studying or training right?"

Ronodin nodded.

"So I'm guessing you don't get out much," Syndra continued.

"I guess not, but-"

"And when you do get out it's probably to help out a certain good friend of yours who you're currently forbidden from seeing," she said, starting to grin.

"I-"

"And say if you happened to go out with a girl who happened to know your dilemma and she happened to have the perfect solution, you'd listen to her right?"

"Where are you going with this?" Ronodin questioned.

Syndra rolled her eyes. "I can help you meet up with Cairnon," she whispered.

"Wait- what?"

She laughed softly. "Just follow me, would you?" Ronodin hesitantly complied. "In case you didn't get it by now, I'm really not interested in dating you."

"I- what? You're not? Then why-"

"So many questions, but do you ever listen? I'm helping you meet up with Cairnon. People see us walking downtown together- boom, alibi. Also there's me, your now girlfriend that you might be going out with quite often now, right?"

"Wait, I thought you said-"

"Ronodin! Keep up! We pretend to date so you can get out of the castle, you meet up with Cairnon and help train him, I walk you back, and no one knows any better. But you're gonna have to start listening a bit more to pull this off," she said as if the whole thing were written clearly in the sky.

"So... we're not actually dating?"

"Welcome to the present! Do you need a treat? No, we're not dating! I'm helping you get with Cairnon, is that not clear?"

Ronodin stared at her blankly. "Get with him..."

"Yes, Ronodin. Because you may deny the fact to everyone else, but it's quite obvious for me to see that the only person in this kingdom to ever have any hope of getting your affection is Cairnon. Which is why I'm trying to help you!"

"Wait- what? I- how?" He stammered.

"I know you're used to associating with... well, no one but Bracken and the Fairy Queen, but some of us other Fairy Realmers have certain abilities. I'll leave it at that. Now if you would hurry up and process everything tumbling around in your brain right now, that would probably be useful!" Syndra said.

"Ok ok ok I'm sorry- I just- you're not into me?"

Syndra burst out laughing. "No! Wow, Ronodin, I didn't think you'd be so self centered as to assume-"

"That the girl who asked me out was into me? How dare I assume that," Ronodin said, rolling his eyes.

"Ah. I suppose that might have given you the wrong idea. No offense or anything, but uh, you're not exactly my type."

"Right. Of course not."

"I'm a bit more interested in Elora," Sydnra whispered.

"Oh! Oh.... oh. I- uh, I'm sorry. That was-"

"No harm done. I'm just trying to help you out because I've known Cairnon for years now and never seen him so intently focused on someone before."

"Someone? You mean something... his training. To be in the Royal Guard?"

Syndra rolled her eyes. "Uh, yeah, definitely. Now come on, lover boy, your 'just a friend' is waiting for you."

Ronodin followed Syndra to the edge of town, struggling to connect all the dots because of his excitement that had overtook him at the first mention of Cairnon's name.

"Just so you know," Syndra said, interrupting Ronodin's scrambled thoughts. "He'll never know how you feel unless you tell him."

Ronodin frowned. "I don't-" he sighed. "It wouldn't work. I'm helping him out because we've been friends since we were kids. Anything else I feel- it doesn't matter. It can't matter."

Syndra gave him a look of sympathy. "I hope you don't actually believe that."

They walked in silence the rest of the way. When they reached the end of the road that led into the wild forest, Syndra turned back to Ronodin.

"Be back in an hour, okay? We've got to make it seem believable, and no one would believe the fact that you could stand being around me for more than an hour," she said.

Ronodin nodded. "Thank you, Syndra. This is- uh, it's very nice. And it- it means a lot."

"I know," she said with a wink. "Now hurry up, lover boy!"

Ronodin held back a retort and ran into the woods, heading for the cabin (?) where he knew Cairnon would be waiting. Cairnon. Just thinking about him made Ronodin distinctly aware of his racing heart. He only had an hour. An hour wasn't even close to enough. But he would make it enough.