I, Knight

“Yes, well….” Selena smiled back at her beautiful green-haired girlfriend, “…plans are often subject to change. Ever since the bandit activity has died down pretty much entirely since the start of this week, there have been fewer things to do. With how hard I’ve been working, General Duessel suggested I take a break. Actually, he ended up having to order me to take one, and suggested I come to Frelia quite specifically.”

This caused the Fluorspar to giggle softly. “No doubt he knows, and from Prince Lyon, I’m sure. Then again, it’s not like we’ve taken great pains to hide it, have we?” They had no real reason to do so, either, and Selena wasn’t about to complain. Even now there were some sets of eyes upon them. It was even less of a secret in Frelia that the blonde general adored her Vanessa. Her Vanessa…she still couldn’t believe that she could proudly say that, sometimes. That they belonged to each other felt like nothing short of a miracle.

And she was overfull of happiness at the moment.

Being held by the woman she loved, the pleasant burn of her workout still lingering in her muscles.

A good day, a good turn of events.

Face twisting into a frown, Vanessa nodded. “I think you’re right. There’s no flying in this weather.” Titania would be blown around like a loose windsock. Terrible.

And this one was just...empty.

“Should we wait longer?”

There was a wide grin on Selena’s face as she suddenly wrapped her arms around the pegasus knight’s waist from behind her, seemingly out of nowhere.

Face twisting into a frown, Vanessa nodded. “I think you’re right. There’s no flying in this weather.” Titania would be blown around like a loose windsock. Terrible.

The blond then turned his head, looking around the rather empty inn with a frown- Brows furrowing in concern as he looked back to the window, where the trees almost looked like they would be uprooted if the winds continued raging like this.

Vanessa was probably just being paranoid, after all. The weather was bad, not that it had been great before, and the road the inn was on didn’t lead to any large cities. The creaking of the trees outside the window set her teeth on edge and she shook her head to clear it.

Aw, hell.

He had to think, he needed to breathe. He couldn’t just go in, staff glowing, will shoring up the healing magic. He didn’t have the raw magical strength needed to do that.

     Adriana hesitated, unsure of what to do - should she go after Ysolt or remain in her place? She didn’t intend to be so harsh & straightforward, but she had never been the most subtle. With an audible groan, the pinkette decided to stay back - for now. That was, until she received an awful headache & KNEW what would follow.

    ❛ Damn… why now? I’m not finished yet… stay hidden, you brat..❜ The archer muttered, repeatedly hitting herself on the head - even though that was completely useless & wouldn’t help a bit. She knew that in a few hours, she’d WAKE UP AGAIN & SUFFER FROM AMNESIA. Covering her face with her hands, Adriana stumbled back until she hit the wall & collapsed - she was quite the clumsy one. 

     But when her hands were removed & her face was revealed, something - no, SOMEONE else could be seen.

     ❛ Ysolt? Heeey, where are youu~?❜  The pinkette questioned, peeking around the corner with slightly narrowed eyes. She appeared to have forgotten about their argument - thus appeared playful and a bit curios. ❛ I have a question!❜

Ysolt had almost passed beyond earshot when Adi - no, Di, called out to her. She’d been around long enough to know about the memory thing, so the shift in demeanor meant she had to shove her pricked pride and the remnants of her own anger aside.

Di didn’t deserve to have Ysolt take out her anger with Adi on her.

“Hey kid,” she said, fondly and tiredly. “What was your question?” She hoped it wasn’t about the weapons and the treasury. She’d had enough of that with Adi, and she really needed to start packing for her trip.

Ephraim sucked in a deep breath suddenly and his eyes fluttered open. Where was he?! how was he even thinking?! Hadn’t he died? Ephraim…swore for a moment he caught a glimpse of something…else. Something otherworldly. Something bright. But here he was, letting out deep, heavy breaths, fully alive again. He didn’t know what that had been, but he might not find out again, or at least not for a while…

Ephraim shook his head slowly. “I…understand not wanting to talk about it but…please, Vanessa…” The prince looked her straight in the eyes, shaking his head. “General Selena has been through so much. If you were to die before the two of you even had a chance, it just might kill her…or if it didn’t, it might destroy the already broken pieces of her heart, and you know as well as I do that if that happened, it would be even worse.”

Ephraim wanted Vanessa to budge on this…she had to. Selena at least deserved that month with Vanessa…as much as Vanessa deserved it with her. The prince knew they shared the same feelings, they just hadn’t said it. “…Vanessa, please. If not for your sake than hers. Go tell her the truth…about everything. About the month, and about your feelings.” If Vanessa would not do it, Ephraim would. Well, he couldn’t leave his bedrest right now, but…well…maybe he could manage it with just a little bit more energy? 

Eyes flashing, she snapped at him, “Don’t you dare!“ The breach of emotion let through several tears, and she angrily scrubbed at them. “You don’t understand, I can’t do that to her, because I don’t-”

Don’t know what will happen...after.

And she couldn’t lie to Selena, not to the general herself. But, she could lie to Ephraim. “I don’t care for her that strongly, that I’d want to share those feelings with her.” She sniffed, trying to keep from crying.

She loved Selena, and she loved Prince Ephraim, who despite being a hard-headed ass, was possibly one of her closest friends. “I shouldn’t have said anything at all.

Selena gave her a small laugh, smiling happily at Vanessa. Selena kissed Vanessa’s forehead as the pegasus knight snuggled against her and a happy sigh emitted from the blonde general. The Fluorspar was quite sure she hadn’t been this happy since she’d first become a general. “…I think I’m more proud to call you my own than I am to call myself Fluorspar, Vanessa.” “…ahh, love…” Selena smiled and lifted a finger to her lips. “…remember, I want you to call me by name…Vanessa.”

The blonde kissed Vanessa’s lips for a few blissful moments before putting her arms around her green-haired girlfriend. “…I love you, Vanessa. Rest well.” Selena herself couldn’t sleep. She wasn’t tired and she was too…happy…Too peaceful and content and yet so alive and…happy. But she would be entirely comfortable with Vanessa in her arms, all the same.

Face twisting into a frown, Vanessa nodded. “I think you’re right. There’s no flying in this weather.” Titania would be blown around like a loose windsock. Terrible.

Ah, he’d chosen quite the unfortunate time to pass through, then.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Leonardo rubbed his eyes with a single hand, before peering out the window, watching the raindrops fall against the glass in a steady drum. A beat of silence, before he spoke.

“I’m more accustomed to frigid weather rather than this.” he spoke, turning back to face Vanessa. “Snow, sometimes harsh winds that chill to the bone, slippery streets. If it rained, the water would often freeze to ice overnight- At least, it would in the winter, but I suppose that’s obvious.”

“Sounds...icy.” She said lamely. “Further inland, especially towards the mountains, we have similar weather. My hometown didn’t really have a problem with ice, the current comes from warmer climes, and we’re always a little warmer than the rest of the country.”

A pause, when lightning flashed, and a few moments later the thunder cracked.