Holy Corlas, Batman!

    She was nothing now.

    The yellow satchel had been thrown off towards the left, its contents scattered about carelessly. Her wallet, Poké Balls, and synthetic medicine were among the few things that had scatted out of the bag.

    Metallic irises eerily tore away from her belongings, and dared to peek ahead of him.

    Soft lips were hung open, as if emitting a scream that would never release. One arm was stretched out, while the other rested near her tilted head. Her cheeks were absent of that slight color that usually painted her face. Brown eyes lacked the spark in them, only filled with tears that had finally trickled down the side of her temples, hitting the floor. Strands of her chestnut bangs cascaded along her bare forehead, for her white hat had fallen a few feet behind.

    He managed a tilt of his head to his side. Lips barely parted in stupor. Irises dilated. Long, red locks of hair followed the movement of his head, some strands draping over his shoulder. His scrutiny was terribly lonesome, yet baffled. His blinks were slow.

    There was a growing pool of crimson.

    Along her chest, were two lone holes that had torn through the fabric of her overalls – right where her heart was. Thick crimson slowly had leaked out of said holes, staining the front of her overalls with a blotchy pattern. The arm that rested hear her head was painted with blood that was no longer warm.

    No longer could his ears catch her voice – her soft, lulling tone. All he heard last was broken, choked cries that weakly called out his name before the deed was done. Her brown eyes, once warm and filled with the spark of life, now held the emptiness of demise.

    Lifeless.

    A large hand clamped down with force along his shoulder, merely causing him to grunt, though remained as still as stone. He heard laughter – an amused chortle, filled with approval.

    The approval he so longingly craved.

    “Well done,” the deep voice merely declared. Giovanni’s eyes gazed down at the girl in uttermost disgust, and leaned a foot over to push her limp body back and away from his position. “I am pleased with your choice, my son.”

    Silver’s gloved fingers twitched along the trigger.

    “She was weak.” His father pulled his hand back with a nod. “You have done well.”

    Weak.

    The man whistled, and soon, he had ordered for the removal of her body. Silver only watched, stoic eyes following the way the grunts picked her up to carry her out, along with her belongings.

    His eyes closed. His body finally relaxed itself. Unknowingly, he felt the curve of a twisted smile spread along his mouth at the echoing of his father’s praise in his mind. The need to be admired and recognized by him…felt amazing.

    Silver finally broke out of his frozen state, turning towards Giovanni. His lips were curved up into that wicked smile. His cheeks spotted here and there with her blood. His eyes glinted with cynical mischief, as if enjoying what he had just done. Lyra was gone.

    From the moment he had met her, Vishnal fell for her. For her charms, her beautiful face, her kindness, and many other characteristics that he could not possibly count in such a short amount of time. Still thinking about her made him blush – from the day she had agreed to be with him, to the day she had said ‘yes’ to his proposal.

    Vishnal’s confidence always plummeted at the wrong moment. Usually, it was right as he was about to make a move. There were many times he had greeted her as she woke up, clutching a bouquet of different flowers behind his back, only to shy out and keep them hidden from her peripheral view. There were many times when he had seen her around town, sometimes walking towards his direction, and his voice suddenly left him as he tried to muster up courage to greet her. There were times when he had declined her request to go exploring for her, for fear that he would slow her down.

    The many flowers that rotted and were thrown away, the many hellos she could never receive from him, and the many adventures he would never get to experience were a few eye openers for Vishnal.

    He exhaled quietly. That was the past, and this was now.

    They were in their bed after a long day of work. Nothing but relaxation and bliss filled their moods as the two rested, basking in and enjoying each other’s  presence. Frey softly buried her face into the croon of his neck, and sighed softly as Vishnal’s hands traced gentle circles along her back. God, her body was so warm, it soothed him to hold her like this.

    “Mm…” Frey’s calming voice hummed as she pulled back from his neck, now gazing at him with wide green eyes. Neither had anything to say, but it was fine, as there was no need for words to be shared. Their silence was comforting to them both, especially after a long day of socializing with everyone in town.

    The simple gaze of Frey’s eyes showed him what words could never reach.

    And a simple touch of her fingertips to his cheeks made him virtually melt.

    Her touch was soft – like being touched by an angel – despite her daily tasks that required her to battle monsters and tend to crops at the garden. A trace up, her small fingertips pressed to his temple, and her palm brushed along his cheek, cupping it with ease. No doubt that there was a rush of red heating along that area, and she noted this, as the corners of her pink lips twitched upward in amusement. Her thumb dragged back and forth his cheek, just under his eye.

    Vishnal didn’t realize that he had dropped his hands from her back, now at her sides, quietly holding onto her hips. His pupils dilated the slightest bits, his lips pursed, and he focused his eyes on those lips of hers – calling him. Oh, how he wanted to kiss her at that very moment, yet, his body remained frozen in place, allowing Frey to continue pampering him with her touch.

    She noted his somewhat shocked expression, emitting a chime of giggles out of her. With her free hand, she rose, and poked at the tip of his nose, successfully shaking him from his distracted gaze. “Vishnal.”

    “Ah-!“ The butler relaxed – or tried to – yet, his deepening blush betrayed him. He would never not be flustered by his beautiful wife. “Honey…”

    Truth be told, his voice was adorable when he tried to mask his shyness.

    “You’re so cute!” Frey suddenly sang in a squeal.

    God. He was in for it now. He had to let go of her small waist to cover his eyes, shielding him from her gaze. These compliments were just too much…!

    After a simple inhale, his blush ceased. It was not gentlemanly of him to not return these compliments, especially towards a princess – his princess.

    Lowering those hands, Vishnal leaned forward. Foreheads gently collided, and his eyes were closed. Those lowered hands eventually moved down slightly, this time, cupping her much smaller ones, and smiled. “You’re cuter,” he proclaimed, voice toned down. A flutter of his eyes, he gazed right at her as their foreheads rubbed against one another.

    Now, it was her turn to blush. A light rosy shade to her cheeks caught his eyes, and the smile he formed was much bigger than the last.

    Their fingers laced together. They fit perfectly in each of their hands, like a key to its specific lock.  A sigh left her lips – one of comfort – as she scooted her body closer to Vishnal, unable to hold back a smile.

    When their mouths connected, it felt heavenly. Her lips molded into his own perfectly. They were soft, just like he had always thought they would be. Hands squeezed each other, and their smiles could be felt through their locking of lips. His heart fluttered in uttermost glee. This told him everything – that she was happy at this moment, with him, spending the rest of her life like this.

    Gazing down after a few more blinks, she noted the rather messy calligraphy on the dark paper, the quill with ink shoved aside. Some of her letters managed to smear due to the movement of her arm. Upon further inspection, it was noted that she had been working on some sort of battle approach. There was a messy field scribbled onto the edge of the long paragraph, along with letters. T and R were on one side, while L and X were on the opposite side, near a messily drawn tree. A few X’s were scattered about, and then, S and C were next to each other, right at the center…

    It took her a moment to realize that she had fallen asleep while formulating the next plan. Gasping, she sat up, about to push her seat back.

    What halted her was what she heard behind her.

    “Corrin.” A husky, yet soft tone rang behind her. His hand stopped rubbing at her back. “Why don’t you move to the bed?”

    “I’m not done,” she stubbornly replied with a croaked voice, turning back to the paper. Grabbing the quill, she rubbed at her eye, cocking her head. Her long ears twitched as she caught his exasperated sigh, and suddenly felt some weight on her hand.

    Slowly, Shura lowered down, clutching her hand and pulling the quill out. “I won’t allow it. You need to rest for the night,” he softly scolded.

    She disliked when he did this, but made no effort to argue – he was right. She was too exhausted to keep on going; her eyes were drooping and she welcomed the embrace of a bed. And of her husband. “Hmmm…”

    His soft chuckle – soothing music to her ears – jingled as he kissed at her temple. “Time for bed.”

    Corrin felt as Shura pulled her seat back, and effortlessly gripped at her waist to pick her up with ease. He cradled her carefully, and only smiled as Corrin snuggled her face into his broad chest. He could not help but lean down to kiss at her forehead, his heart churning with glee at the woman in his arms. She was all he could ever ask for in life; someone to spend the rest of his life with at peace.

    His heartbeat broke a smile into her soft lips. He was always so sincere and so visibly happy to be at her side. It warmed her heart. Corrin felt as they walked towards a certain direction, undoubtedly the bed, and finally felt him lower her down as he grunted out faint scolds to the Nohrian princess. She was so sleepy, and found it difficult to make of what exactly he was saying, but made no effort to try and retaliate.

    A sensation of a sheet being draped over her body, and the lights dimming was what she managed to decipher as Shura finally stepped over and slipped into the space next to her. She felt his warmth, his broad body inviting her in as he held his arm aloft to make space for her. She gladly took it, slipping against his chest and curling up as he embraced her. “Mm…”

    Soft lips pressed to the top of her head, and those same words that she would never be tired of hearing escaped his lips once more.

    “I love you, Corrin…”

    Volkner stared with grim blue eyes, unfazed by his work. Not like a trainer worthy of his badge would waltz in, especially at this hour. He sighed as the trainers exited the gym in pairs. Due to the lack of trainers willing to challenge him, the gym wasn’t open all days. Despite this, the many times Volkner had toyed with the platforms out of boredom prompted the city to turn towards more solar energy collecting.

    After the remaining trainers exited, followed by the gym guide, the young gym leader furrowed his brows at the emptiness of the first room of the gym. That was how he felt his passion for battling, and it caused him to sigh in disappointment. It felt like ages since he had used Electivire in battle, since the very few who reached him had barely taken out the weakest on his team. Where is that spark? He often asked himself this, whether he’d be renovating, or simply standing, nonchalant eyes staring at the door frame, awaiting the trainer to finally restore his faith, and to have him remember what is was to hold the title of Gym Leader.

    With a flick of a few handles towards the adjacent wall, he shut down all the energy, the whole gym dimming into darkness. Footsteps echoed as he followed the blur of light shining from the exit.

    He stepped out into nothing but fresh sea breeze, and the faint echoes of Wingull chirping along the coastline. Turning back momentarily, he locked the double doors of the gym, signaling any incoming trainers that it would be closed for a few days. There was a bit of hesitance as he left the keys glued onto the keyhole. What would he do tomorrow? How would he distract himself?

    The blond figured that he might as well tackle those questions when he got there. Pulling the keys out, he slipped them into his pocket, and began to walk down the smooth pavement. Nothing but the crisp air brushed at his cheeks, the waves ringing within the distance as he dully took each step towards the tall lighthouse within the other side of the city. The most relaxing part of the day was this walk that he took, where he spent a good amount of time in the lighthouse simply observing the scenery, watching water Pokémon play about in the waters, and taking in how beautiful his hometown was.

    Only two people had passed him as he walked the rather lonely roads, giving the darkness that had already overshadowed the sunset. Everyone had rushed into their homes for the night. This was normal, he noted, as the city was rather quiet during the evening in comparison to the busy daytime, booming with business.

    At least everyone else in the city was proud of their work.

    Volkner shook his head from the ominous thoughts, sighing. At least his spot up in the lighthouse would bring him piece of mind.

    The closer the building grew, the more his troubles faded. A good hour or two simply staring through the glass would probably make him forget about this whole ordeal – at least until he got home… 

    Walking past the edge of the building, he made a sharp turn, hands in his pockets and his head tilted down. He could feel hints of a small headache beginning to drill his head. Volkner’s hands pulled out, pressing his index fingers to his temples.

    He didn’t even notice the rushed footsteps. Being too drawn into easing himself of his oncoming headache, the gym leader failed to react. Taking him by complete surprise, Volkner felt a sudden crash of weight against his chest, causing a grunt to rip out of his mouth, and his feet to stumble. His ears caught a gasp, and his eyes filled with the view of the entrance to the lighthouse ahead, and ends of long, chestnut colored strands.

    Both would have fallen if it wasn’t for Volkner’s quick reflexes. He managed to step back, holding onto the stranger before they could fall flat onto the pavement. “Hey,” he started out, a bit of annoyance dripping, “watch where you’re headed, hm?”

    Blue eyes met wide browns – scared browns.

    Ripping herself off his hold, the stranger stepped back, evident horror etched upon her pretty face. Her long, brown hair – akin to her eyes – gracefully fluttered with the sea breeze. Her hands shyly clutched the auburn colored bow neatly resting against her chest, making no effort to mask the intimidation in her eyes and body language.

    He now felt a tiny speck of guilt.

    “I’m, uh…so s-sorry…! I didn’t see you!” She bent herself in front, those long streaks of hair now curtaining both sides of her face. “I hope I didn’t hurt you!” She stood up straight, nervously fidgeting with her bow.

    “You didn’t,” he reassured, blinking. This girl, out here so late? He raised an eyebrow as she did a double take between him and the lighthouse. “Are you hurt? You seemed to be in a rush.”

    She relaxed – visibly. He observed the slump of her shoulders, and the hold she had on her bow, hands now at her sides. “Um... I’m okay. I just wanted to get back to my place…”

    He nodded in agreement – it was much too late, and usually the lighthouse was a ­him-only thing. “I see… Well, take care of yourself on your way home.”

    She didn’t look like the type to battle intensively. In fact, it looked like she didn’t even own any Pokémon. If she did, he thought she would’ve own a Buneary or a Pichu – something that seemed to fit with her shy, reserved portrayal. It was a shame, really. A part of him, for a single moment, expected her to have good Pokémon to give him that spark. He shook his head at his thoughts.

    Meekly, the woman nodded. “I will… Er…thank you…”

    Volkner didn’t say anything, so she assumed that it was her cue to continue on walking. He heard her footsteps – fast and rushed, and he turned his head, watching her silhouette fade within the darkness of the street, only barely catching a glimpse of her through the street lamps that had flickered.

    He continued to walk slowly, pushing past the entrance of the lighthouse and entering through the double doors of the elevator.

    Ding! After reaching the top floor, the doors opened, and the gym leader cautiously walked out, hands in his pockets. As expected, there was nobody on board with him.

    The elevator doors closed behind him. He sighed again, and took his time to approach the long, glass window that gave him a pretty good view of Sunyshore. He was greeted with the waves of the coast, the locked gym, a few stands with lights turned on, and the large chunk of sand in front of the waves. It was a rather therapeutic sight. The moonlight shone against the current, Pokémon flew about and swam, and the occasional move of a few people walking down the visible pathways within the city. His home was beautiful. So beautiful; it was almost difficult to leave it and go and challenge the league.

    He had thought about joining the league, but there were hardly any trainers to challenge at that level. He had the Pokémon for it, but it didn’t seem right.

    Lazily, Volkner peered through the high-definition binoculars, taking in a breathless sight of Sunyshore. He was able to see the beach better down below due to the lampposts the city had put in place for evening markets and those that had business during the weekends, when the beaches were more lively. There were some water-types, some flying-types, and…a person…?

    The gym leader squinted his eyes as he adjusted the zoom within the binoculars to get a closer look. It was late, and there were no vendors out… Was this person looking for the vendors?

    Despite him zooming, all he managed to catch was a curtain of brown hair that was barely visible with the light that was provided. The darkness didn’t let him have a clear view, but from what he noticed, the person seemed to be facing the ocean, as still as a statue. “…”

    Upon turning their body and walking away from the water, the person was much more visible, and Volkner noticed the familiar red bow…

    It was the woman he had crashed into earlier.

    “Heading home…” he muttered to himself, watching her hug her arms as she maneuvered along the soft sand towards the city. “Maybe she’s a vendor.”

    She disappeared from his view. Leaning back, his back hit the wall of the center structure that held the elevator and blinked. She was odd. And a liar, he also noted. Volkner still recalled the way her brown eyes stared at him, the way she hid herself from him. This caused him to frown slightly – he should be one to be stared at with pride and confidence as facing a league member – and the strongest one. He wasn’t used to cowardice. It didn’t feel right. It didn’t bring the sparks back. The thought burned them.

    Suddenly, he didn’t want to be at the lighthouse anymore.

    Ding! He entered the elevator, leaving the one place he truly felt at home.

**

notes: aww yea im back and this ones gonna be more than a one shot hehe... i havent published any multi chap things in a long time (bc 1: i never finish them 2: im highkey insecure abt my writing so this is kinda going out of my comfort zone aha....) but! ive been so much into these two lately they hurt me. bear w me one this, i hope?? to keep it short pft. 

    He was hoping that Corrin didn’t manage to catch frostbitefrom all this harsh snowfall. Just a look at parts of her exposing skin beingvictim to the cold was enough to make him shudder. But with each step, it onlyseemed as if the odds were against them. Their movements were slower, up to thepoint where Corrin had to pause every few steps just to catch her breath. Theterrain had grown increasingly rugged, almost impossible to walk upon. Puffs ofair quickly evaporated as it escaped from their lips. Silas mentally prayed tothe gods to keep her safe.

    It didn’t matter what happened to him, as long as she wasokay. He was gladly willing to put up his own life for her safety.

    Amidst the icy wind, Silas caught up to her shivering bodyas she bent over to breathe out. In a stuttered tone, she finally spoke, voiceslightly hoarse. “It’s f-freezing…” Her ruby eyes closed, feeling sharp,uncomfortable pain along her spine. “Gods…the s-snow is so thick… I-I…” Herlegs trembled, as if ready to give out. “…It’s impossible to see up ahead…”

    Though his body was screaming at him for warmth, Silasignored that sensation, and dropped next to the Nohrian princess. “C’mon, Cor…I’msure it’s not far from here…” He slipped a trembling hand to her frostyshoulder, and managed to scoot as close as possible for warmth. “Besides…Jakobnoted that the closer we are, the colder it grows, so I’m sure we’re almostthere.”

    Corrin slowly pushed herself up. It felt agonizing, the wayher body felt like it was being stabbed by millions of needles as she stood upproperly. “Ah–!” She felt her body give in.

    But before she could fall into the pit of nothing but bitterfrost, a familiar pair of arms caught her. The princess hissed in discomfort asthe pain shot throughout her body. It almost felt like she could feel each degree dropping slowly withinher body. Her body slumped against the subzero armor on the cavalier’s chest,flinching agonizingly as her frozen cheek hit the surface. “D-damn…”

    “Corrin!” His voice was seeped with worry and slight panic. “Areyou alright?!” He shook her body a bit.

    All he was received with was a weak nod which he couldbarely see. Lowering his head, he caught the faintness in the tone of hervoice, causing his green eyes to widen in horror. He could pretty much feel himlosing her, and it was breaking him. No. He couldn’t lose her here. Not now, not ever.

    “…eep…oin…”

    “Cor…?”

    It took him a few seconds as she repeated what she had said,telling him to keep on going where they were headed. The weak push of her handson his chest and the shake of her head caused him to grunt. “No, Corrin, you’remore important! I can’t lose you…!”

    The Nohrian royal was weakly trying to push him away. Therewas no need for him to still be stuck here! She felt like she had no chance ofcontinuing. There was next to no sensation at her legs, her head was spinning,and her eyes were beginning to droop. Corrin could practically feel deathclaiming her body and soul.

    Silas had no reason to see her die. She didn’t want him tosee her being this weak and pathetic. She didn’t want to slow him down, allbecause she couldn’t take the harsh cold. She didn’t want him to die because ofher. He didn’t deserve that.

    With a rough push, Corrin cried out as she let her body dropto the bone-chilling snow below her. “G-gods…!” Her silver locks were alsofrosted, with bits of snow scattered along the surface. Her lips were losingits color, her cheeks were pale, and the bits of her pointed ears werebeginning to succumb to the hands of frostbite with a visible shade of blue.With no more strength in her, the young woman lay on her back, eyelids half-wayopen.

    Her vision was blurred. Her hearing was fading. Herconsciousness was dying. Her whole body was numb, and her breathing was shallowing.Gods…Silas…I’m so sorry… “G-go…Sil…as…”

    “CORRIN!”

    So, this is what deathfeels like…

    “Corrin? Corrin!” His was hovering over her, but all she wasseeing was a silhouette of black, white, and gray. “P-please stay with me!” Allshe heard was a voice that was slowly breaking. “Don’t fall asleep!” The voicewas oh so desperate. The silhouette moved, but she didn’t comprehend, nor couldfeel the way Silas was shaking at her shoulders to get her to wake up. “CORRIN!!!”

    I’m sorry…

    She took one breath, and suddenly went limp. His greenpupils dilated, in sheer horror of the realization that she could perhaps be dead. “No…” he mumbledsoftly. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no…” Silas pulled her freezing body close tohim, shock splitting his face. “No… N-no…” The view of her face, void of anyreaction, her body akin to that of a rag doll, seemingly lifeless…

    He could feel tears beginning to weld up in his eyes. “P-Please,” he whispered, feeling a lumpchoking his words. “Corrin…” He hung his head, feeling one tear escape his eye,trickling down to the snow below. His hands balled. His breathing had grownragged. He held the woman close, anger bubbling up. Anger at himself. How couldhe let this happen…?

    “Halt!” A foreign, much deeper voice broke the ominoussilence looming within the falling snow. “Who goes there?!”

    If looks could kill, Silas might’ve just murdered theforeigner. His head cocked up, a glint of hatred in his empty, teary eyes.Still holding Corrin in his arms, he growled as another shadow of a humanapproached them. The last thing he needed was trouble, yet, he would have tocommence a battle if he had to.

    “Don’t get closer,” he warned, voice dripping with malice.All the need to be a polite gentleman was gone. There was no need, not whenCorrin’s life was on the risk, or worse if he was too late…

    The shadow stepped closer, and Silas grunted as he reachedfor his sword, unsheathing it. “I will killyou if you come any closer!”

    The cavalier could make up what was the person. He had weirdblueish hair, slightly covered in some circular headpiece, and clothing thatwas too revealing with this weather.He pulled his sword up, but the man simply bowed.

    After a long moment of observing, he finally spoke. “Loweryour weapon, knight, and follow me. We must get the girl to a stable shelter.”

    Hesitantly, Silas turned to an unconscious Corrin, blinkingaway the tears. Was it possible to trust a stranger like this? Would he try tokill them both? Normally, Silas would not obey such an order, but one glance atthe Nohrian princess had him desperate. Any help would do.

    Pointing his sword at the much older man, Silas hissed. “Ifyou try anything funny, I will kill you without hesitance.”

    The man was unfazed. Of course, he would be wary andanxious. “I can reassure you, that I won’t. Now please, let us get out of thestorm.”

    He would not allow his guard to be lowered only because ofhis words. Sheathing his sword, the male made sure to keep it at a quick reach,then slipped his arms under Corrin’s head and knees, effortlessly picking herup into his arms. With a shaken sigh, he turned down to her. “I promise Cor…you’regoing to be alright…”

    He began to follow the footsteps.

**

    His name was Kilma. And he was true to his words.

    It did not take long until they had reached the Ice Tribe,and they were able to finally seek shelter. Silas had never been more thankfulto be inside a room up until now. It was very warm, and was helping Silas ridof the slight frostbite he had along his face. A few lanterns were lit up bycandles, and there was a large fireplace at the center of the adjacent wall,crackling with bouncing embers as burned up the excess amount of wood. It didwonders, as it was giving warmth to the whole surface area of the small room.

    They had tucked Corrin into a futon, propping her right nextto the fire. To his utter surprise, she was breathing, only shivering as thesnow melted off her and she was finally being delivered with the much neededheat her body was so desperately aching for.

    Silas was right at her side, hand tracing along her cheek,which was slowly warming up. He sighed continuously, wanting nothing more butfor her to wake from the clutches of sleep. He missed her smile, her laugh, herserene face, her presence…

    Kilma draped another soft blanket over Corrin’s body,causing Silas to tear his gaze from Corrin and blink at him. He had mentionedbriefly that he was the leader of the Ice Tribe, and that he was happy to helpthe two. But Silas had to lie and refrain from giving out that they were fromNohr, under Garon’s ruling, knowing that those words might stir up conflict,and that was the last thing he needed on his plate.

    “She will live,” confirmed the leader of the Ice Tribe in awise tone, nodding. “She is strong-willed. We must leave the gods with therest.” Kilma sighed. “I shall return in a bit.”

    “Thank you, sir.” Silas’ words were grateful. With anacknowledging nod, Kilma turned, walking out of the room.

    Just seconds after his departure, Silas was back to strokingher cheek, eyes fixated on her face. “Cor…please, come back to me…” he pleadedsoftly. “We need you… I need you…”Slipping down, he closed his eyes, head bumping with her own. “Please…I justgot you back…you can’t leave just yet…”

    Soft lips pressed to her forehead as he pulled away, sighingloudly. Anxiety was overpowering his sense of self. There was nothing moreagonizing that having to literally wait for time to take its course and to haveCorrin show him that she was able to survive.

    “Wha…” Hoarse and quiet echoed, breaking the thin silencebetween the two and interrupting the flames of the chimney. “Ow…”

    His eyes opened as he lifted his head from the mattress shewas resting on. His hand cupped her much smaller one as he felt nothing butrelief flood him as he saw Corrin finally waking up.

    She was alive. She was responding. She was back at his side.She was back with him.

    “Silas…?” She spoke a bit louder, unsure of hersurroundings.

    He stood up a bit.

    Then, he plopped himself over her, pulling her (carefully)into a warm, yet needy hug. “Oh gods, Corrin… I-I…I’m so happy you’re alive andresponding…” His face buried into the side of her neck, giving his best effortto try and keep the tears from rolling down his cheeks once again. He was sograteful that she was okay. There was nothing that he wanted more than hersafety, and it had seemed as if the gods heard his prayer and heeded toward it.“I thought I had lost you…”

    Corrin relaxed as he embraced herwarmly. “What happened…? I only remember—“ She pursed her lips at mid-sentence.She did remember what had happened.She was awaiting death. She was ready to move on.

    She couldn’t tell that to Silas.That would only make her look like an underappreciative fool. That wouldcertainly crush him…

    “Blacking out…” she finallywhispered. Softly, she embraced him as well. He was very warm, and it feltmarvelous.

    “I’m just so glad you’re okay, Cor…”He pulled back, sitting back on the seat. And what greeted her was enough tomake her pain disappear like the warm puffs of air into the blizzard.

    He smiled warmly at her, teethshowing and dimples forming. Despite his obvious exhaustion and struggle tokeep her alive and safe, and for his own health, here he was, smiling like hisusual self.

    When he had arrived to their apartment, the view of Cynthia relaxing on the couch, lips curving a gentle smile, was the only invitation he needed, and soon, his hands and pockets were free of any items, pokéballs, and other items he had been hanging onto. From there, he perched himself on the space next to her, head suddenly dipping down and plopping on her shoulder, merely sighing, which told Cynthia that today had taken a toll on him.

    “How was it today?”

    “Hm…” Was his only response, rather lazy and certainly not entertaining to hear.

    “C’mere.” She patted the space on her lap, and watched cautiously as Lance sat up, then slipped down to rest his head on her lap.

    The view of her beautiful smile was something Lance was never tired of. It was so entrancing, which was one of the many qualities that he loved about the girl. No matter the mood he was in, she never failed in making him feel relaxed and at ease. His vermilion eyes followed her hand as she brushed a few long strands of his hair away from his forehead. He felt the vaguest sensation of a shiver run down his spine at her touch.

    Cynthia observed as he visibly relaxed, then pulled his hand back as he closed his eyes. “Relax…”

    Slender fingers gently carded along soft, garnet hair that stood up at the ends. Her gold eyes flickered from the images on the screen, down to her boyfriend, who was threatening to doze off at the way her fingers worked their magic. A pause from their movements had him suddenly open his eyes, as if questioning as to why she had halted her hand.

    “What?” he blurted, voice rather hoarse. He raised an eyebrow as all she did was giggle.

    Shaking her head, she continued to massage at his head. Once again, he had closed his eyes, emitting out a pleased exhale as he shifted in his space, kicking off his boots and resting his feet on the armrest of the couch. This was what he needed; to be able to ease himself after nothing but hectic work with her.

    “Welcome home,” lulled Cynthia, softly stroking his cheek.

    Pouting, Soul tugged the soothing fabric of her cloak to close in more of her arms. “N-no, that’s why I asked.”

    When their eyes met, both tore away stubbornly. Silver pulled up his black long-sleeves up to his shoulders, while Soul pretended to brush off dirt from her plain, burgundy dress.

    It was odd just how different it was whenever their eyes met. Before, it was very professional on her part, and he didn’t care, but now, they avoided doing such a thing. The atmosphere always grew awkward or tense, and Soul just couldn’t figure out why they couldn’t even make direct eye contact anymore. She was a princess, for heaven’s sake! She needed to be high-mighty, hold power within any situation, and be able to take on even the toughest challenges for the sake of her kingdom and status.

    Yet, she knew that she could care less about her status.

    He had the most gorgeous pair of eyes she had ever seen. A grayish color with a hint of shine in them, and when light beamed into those pairs of jewels, they shone a bit like the diamonds on her tiara. She honestly could stay all day and simply gaze into them if she could.

    Turning her head to him once more, he saw those eyes, focused down on the bow in his possession. Apart from having beautiful eyes, he had a handsome face, very stern and ominous, yet when he wasn’t scowling, his face was actually serene. Soul had grown to admire him, so much that she even dreamt about the male.

    Snapping her from her admiration, Silver grunted as he tilted his head upward to the tall pine trees ahead. All he did was sigh. “There’s other villages. Fields. Forestry. Rivers.” He listed them off like a shopping list that was being checked out. “Not much different from here.”

    Soul pouted even more, hands balling at her sides. “That’s vague.”

    “Well you wanted to know. So there’s your answer.”

    Disappointed, the princess plopped herself back down completely, arms crossing at her chest. She hated how casual Silver was around her. Even though she had obviously, a higher status than him, that didn’t change the fact that he was openly tossing her insults and threats.

    They had met a while back, as she was secretly outside of the castle, hidden in her little cloak, and she had stumbled herself, lost, into the forest, running into a hunting Silver. She remembered how quiet and focused he was, bow and arrow ready to shoot, eyeing around for his prey. And one wrong step had him swiftly aim directly at her and shoot without thinking twice. Luckily for Soul, she had stumbled over some branches, so the arrow had only grazed her left cheek as it hit the tree behind her. She knew that he didn’t do it on purpose, but the blackmail she had threatened him involving an assassination attempt of the princess was well worth the counter of Silver threatening to tell the royal ambassadors of her little escape out of the castle for mere coin.

    Now, they had agreed to keep quiet, and every few days or so, Soul would sneak her way out, around the same time, and meet up with Silver. Not that he didn’t particularly enjoy this, but he didn’t object either, as he didn’t want to be blackmailed, and it was actually…nice to talk to someone every now and then. He certainly didn’t have any other friends, and his father was God knows where, so Silver was on his own, the experience of merely sitting down and talking to another almost feeling so alien to him. Though Soul did most of the babbling, he wouldn’t mind this, as she always had something new to bring up. Like what she had just asked.

    “It’s just that I’m not allowed to leave this place,” she muttered in a much lower tone. She didn’t catch the way Silver turned to stare at her. “Father says not until I’m ready…”

    The next few words that left her lips surprised him.

    “Do you ever think about traveling the world?”

    What a weird thing to ask. Brushing away red strands of hair from his eyes, he shrugged indifferently. “Once as a child, when times were simple.” Silver paused, unsure if he should be honest or lie, just for the sake of that interest that piqued inside of her at the topic of travel. Whatever the case, he knew she’d listen.

    “Simple?”

    He nodded, deciding to go with honestly – something he had built together with her. “I don’t think I’d find pleasure in traveling the world. I’m so focused on surviving, I don’t really take these ideas into thought anymore. I don’t find interest in these things.” It was like the words were flowing out so naturally, so he didn’t think twice as he continued to spew out his response. “When I was a child, there was so much potential, but all that’s gone now, so.”

    Ouch. A hand was at her chest, clutching the gentle, black fabric of her cloak. Nothing but resent and pity filled her honey eyes at his answer. This man was unable to enjoy even the simplest things in life, all due to his worries to survive, while she didn’t have to worry about a single thing back at the palace? Was she really unable to complain about the things she usually did without taking the perspective of others into consideration?

    Soul honestly hated being part of royalty. It was a curse, one that locked her into a world she didn’t wish to be a part of. Soft eyes turned down to the grass below her, unable to find the words to reply with. She felt horrible. How dare she complain, when Silver couldn’t even live life the way life was supposed to be lived?

    Her head swiftly tilted back up, suddenly a bit eager. “Would you come with me if I decided to travel the world?”

    Thin eyebrows shot up, baffled at such a request. “Whaa?”

    “You said you don’t have the time to find interest in these things, but what if you don’t have to worry about anything other than enjoying yourself?” Suddenly, she giggled, body now fully turned to face him, greeting him with a soft smile. “I think you should take advantage of the small things in life. There’s…a whole world out there to see… And I know there’s bound to be a place out there you’d love to visit.”

    Nothing. Silver stayed quiet for a few seconds, pondering on whether to take her seriously or not. The fact that she even held a single ounce of concern for him…was so weird, yet, he liked it. Silver liked the fact that she thought about him. That she held genuine worry for him. “…” Her words swirled in his mind.

    And before he could decipher, his lips parted, uttering a single word. “Yes.”

    It took Soul a few moments before she gasped to herself, honey eyes brightening with excitement. “I’m so happy to hear you say yes!” Without acknowledging her actions, Soul had scooted up, and grabbed his arm. “Just name a date, and we’ll both leave this place. Leave and never return…”

    There was something he didn’t know about her, and it was the way she had said the last sentence that had him actually considering this. There was no knowledge of what happened within the castle, but judging by the way she always found a way to escape and stay away, the situation was not as happy as it seemed to be. And he had nothing to lose. He would gladly be with her, actually. These feelings that he tried so hard to repress deep down had finally broken the wall he had built upon himself.