The Classic Tale of You and Me

Prologue

" 'True love,' he said." Inigo cried. "You heard him true love is what he wants to come back for. That's certainly worthwhile."

- William Goldman; The Princess Bride

~

In a small town somewhere in the countryside, a fine pair of good friends lived. A flaxen and a raven haired, despite their obvious differences, blend smoothly. Both have the same pale skin that blushes like tomatoes when exposed to the sun midst of the harvest -- nothing but the same face of most all of the villagers in the farm and fields.

It's a warm and sunny morning when the two went to green fields to help Len's mother milking the cow. Len, the boy with flaxen hair, ran ahead of the other boy - Rei, as each of them carried a pail containing bottles for the milk. Bare footed, they ran merrily, ignoring few pebbles that pained their feet against the meadow. When the two reached the pallid stout cattle, the two fell on the grasses, the raven haired - Rei commented that Len won the race for that morning.

"The run is so unfair, though," Rei commented as he laid his back against their green bed offered by nature, amber eyes fixed on the clouds rolling by. "You literally barged in our house, wake me up, and started a race to that cow of yours. No fair,"

"It's called a surprise, Rei. You always win. This is just one of the few moments when I beat you, feel proud of me because I don't even know I'm capable of that. To think, even we're living this farm life for what extends to forever, I'll never had the strength and endurance just like yours! Just give me this moment," the boy called Len laughed as he finished a bottle of cow's milk and moved to the next bottle to fill.

"Excuse me, we're eleven, and I think eleven years is enough for this kind of living. I don't want my life to be like this, Len, not for forever. The world is huge and a lot of opportunities wait, why shall we tie down ourselves in this...petty lifestyle!" Rei rose and tossed an empty bottle to Len - that the blond instinctively caught. The blond shrugged with Rei's litany, maybe tired of hearing it for the past eight years - since his friend learned to talk.

"This isn't a petty living, Rei. It's simplicity." Len countered, securing the bottle with a cap to keep the milk away from dirt. He lied beneath the cow's udder and began milking to shoot the fresh milk to his breakfast-deprived mouth.

"What makes you think that farm life isn't petty, Len? We're third class. People from the city -- near the kingdom think we're stinking low class life forms made to be with...with animal's level! What is this not petty that you're seeing and I'm not seeing?" Rei's demand, however, was unheard as Len audibly proclaimed that the milk was delicious. Though disappointed because his friend seemed not to care with his complaints, Rei just shrugged and reminded himself that he never would he be able to change Len's view of living.

"That's what you're thinking, Rei." Len grabbed the third bottle and resumed his work, his voice was serious as if to prove that he had a just thinking about Rei's opinion. "Without us, those people in the kingdom will die. No food, you see. We're important and what is it that not-petty that I'm seeing, is the fact that those people are none other than dependent parasitic suckers who rely on the raw products of the farm people to aid their aching stomach."

"Still not a life I wanted," Rei dismissed as fast as the wind and helped Len finishing the remaining four bottles. "I'm planning to come with Madame Prima once she delivers the milk in the kingdom. My father asked me to join the knights."

"Are you serious or what? There's a rumored war with the neighboring kingdom. You're risking your life to train and battle in the future - only to lose your life in a picayune misunderstanding between kingdoms?" Len raised a brow with what he thought 'unwise' as Rei's decision. Howbeit he knew there's nothing that could change Rei's mind, he would try. Len wasn't so open with the thought of his only friend dying in his own pool of blood in the battlefield.

"At least I serve my skills, didn't you say I'm strong and have a good endurance?"

"Yes, but I never meant you'd be a knight." Len rolled his eyes.

"Now, that's mean. I'll train, I'll improve. I'll be a good knight." Rei dreamily chortled and pulled another empty bottle. "You'll see me, Len. I'll be raising my bloody sword as I take part in the success of our kingdom!"

" - or let the enemy's sword slash you beneath your armor." Len broke Rei's daydreaming and stood, scanning the field with such amusement. Len's cerulean eyes never looked gloomy for all the years - it's just full of wonder and innovation. Such boy loved to device new things that will entertain him. "Be a knight if you wish to, just come home alive, I'll be glad. While I stay here and study in the clock tower with Sir Leon, and you'll see how I'll spread industrial revolution - the same way it did in the central Europe!"

"You and that old man's book -"

" - are wise," Len continued Rei's supposed to be insult, "hasten thy work! I shall aid the old man with his niece coming from the neighboring kingdom. I thought you'll be a knight?"

"You want me to cut the poor cow's udder?"

"Too rude of you. Learn the chivalry, Rei."

When Rei finished, the two of them dashed against one another, claiming that the last one will collect the horse's stool. But in the end, they both reached Len's house at the same time and decided to help finishing the work. Best friends are they called, but the little thing is - for how long? They enjoy each other's company despite contrasting ideas and viewpoint. Nevertheless, exceptional in their own ways.

Author's undying note:

I'm sleepless so I tried to go with my itching drive to write something. I'm a fan of classics although I have read only few, I still love it. So, I don't know if you imagine the setting here and the way I give character to Len and Rei. Lol, I just love that. I don't expect busying myself to update this but... When I am free, why not? It's a lenku, yes. I don't know yet if I'll focus on the romantic pairing. I don't have much in mind. What do you think of this?
P. S. It's less saddening to write, :)
- Shirai.