The exuberance in her eyes was worth it all, and Ferdinand returned her excitement with a brilliant smile of his own. There was something worthwhile to it, to see the light sparkle across her face as it should. They deserved nice things. After everything, They deserved laughter and elation, and Ferdinand would be damned before he let a game in a place meant for delight prey upon his fellow students instead.Â
âNonsense!â Ferdinand grinned, crumpling the definitely-a-ward-despite-what-the-attendant-said in his hand and nimbly vaulting himself over the boothâs counter to watch as Flayn selected her tools of choice. âWhat is right and just would had prevailed with or without my intervention!â
If his hypothesis had been correct, then it should help, even if the materials at hand were still shoddy at best. The arrow she had selected was the straightest, and the bow one with a string least frayed, and Ferdinand hoped for both of them that her shot was trueâŚ
He held his breath on her behalf as she drew back, raising the bow and arrow to eye level, and in a moment of concerted attentionâŚ
The arrow sailed through the air, striking the target with enough force for it to sway gently, back and forth and back and forth⌠It was hard not to cheer from the sidelines; the arrow had not struck dead-centre by any means, but Ferdinand would have to say it was a valiant effort! At least, certainly not one that the attendant could just brush off againâŚ
âThat was most impressive, Flayn!â In his delight, Ferdinand didnât even catch the dry look of irritation that the booth attendant shot at him. (Ah well. It wasnât his loss at all.) His attention had been wholly occupied by the round, stuffed greenâsince when were bears green?âbear that Flayn had extended to him, fuzzy paw first.
One couldâno, shouldâindulge her for a moment, and Ferdinand solemnly shook that green paw. âI think our noble friend would do best under your careâŚâ
(Not a particularly altruistic decision; Ferdinand couldnât imagine even a stuffed animal being very happy sitting on his desk beside⌠miscellaneous pieces of armour and an every growing assortment of maintenance tools.)
âBut I suppose I can propose a nameâŚâ Ferdinand hummed. The bear deserved a title. âDuchess Beryl⌠Of Garreg Mach.â
The attendant may not be particularly pleased, but it neednât matter to Flayn. She was happy to walk away with a prize, let alone one so friendly and huggable. If she were the one to keep it, that meant she would have to take extra good care of the bear! Maybe it could sit atop her bed each morning, guarding it until she returned. Or, Duchess Beryl might be more intrigued by watching her study! Regardless, she never intended on letting it go. To disservice the bear would mean tossing aside these memories.
Memories that triumphed the sorrowful, painful ones before.
Her eyes lit up at the name suggestion, bringing the bear back to her chest and wrapping it with a warm embrace. âDuchess Beryl! Why, that is a perfect name. It is much better than anything I could come up with!â She looked down at the bear, words seeping softly as she said, âThat is your name from here on out. I think it suits you nicely.â
When she looked at this bear, she would remember the fond memories of winning her newfound friend with Ferdinand. Perhaps it wasnât an easy (or completely fair) endeavor, but the Flayn in the present moment did not care. Centuries from now, she wouldnât think about such things. No, she would recall the smile on her face, the handshake from Ferdinand, and the happy feeling from simply playing a game with her classmate.
Flayn bowed politely, her expression sustaining itself on her face all the same:Â âThank you, Ferdinand. Truly! If you ever wish to visit Duchess Beryl, you need not hesitate to ask!â She turned to face the rest of the festivities, hoping to catch a glimpse of it all before its inevitable conclusion. As she departed and waved goodbye to Ferdinand, she knew this happiness couldnât last forever.
If only every day could be like this.