#sommers

"Can you breathe, dear?" He asks, his long red hair falling to the sides of his handsome face as he reaches out to cup your chin so he can place his palm on your forehead. "You’re hot, I will call for a doctor, don’t move."

"Shamrock- it's-," you stammer out between coughs but the knight doesn’t hear you, he climbs out of bed and hurries to grab his telesnail.

"It's just a cold," you manage to whisper while your husband angrily tells the doctor to hurry or he’ll be punished by death.

• "It seems to be a case of the common cold, Lord Shamrock," the nervous man explains as your husband stands behind him, towering above him with an expression reserved only for his worst enemies.

"And what do I do to make it stop?" Shamrock questions him impatiently.

"Well, all you can do is wait, unfortunately, Sir," he replies and quickly steps away from you.

"My beloved is hurting and all I am to do is sit here and wait?" You can tell that he's slowly losing his temper, from where you’re peeking out from under the blanket you can see him snarling at the doctor. "Get out of my sight!"

Shamrock watches the doctor practically run for his life. Once the door falls shut he sits at the bedside and gently pats your head, brushing your hair out of your face so he can see you better.

"I have to leave on a mission, but I'll hurry and return to you. The servants will fulfill your every wish, darling, and the nurses will help you feel better … or else," he tells you softly, but he can not hide his anger from you.

Shamrock is a knight after all, born and raised to slay his enemies, but who can he punish for your illness? It infuriates him to have no opponent he can duel to save you. So he leans down for a kiss instead, upon your forehead, where he lingers just a moment longer and sighs.

"I wish you’d never feel pain again," he murmurs.

You chuckle. "I will be alright, I'm sure. You’re so sweet to me."

With that, Shamrock tears himself away from your side, looking over his shoulder more than once before he leaves.

You can faintly hear his voice echoing through the Figarland mansion as he instructs the maids and nurses to focus all their attention on you alone, all else can be ignored, your comfort has the highest priority.

The servants will pamper you with food, tea, warm blankets, wet towels, music and all the medicine they have at their disposal. Your husband calls you every hour to hear your voice, even if it's just a small chuckle, it helps him not to run from his duty to care for you.

• When Shamrock returns, he spends the rest of the evening working on his reports in bed next to you, allowing you to cuddle his chest. He occasionally offers you a cup of tea to sip on and checks your temperature.

"Perhaps it was a mistake to let you leave to the holy city, all these disgusting germs flying around … all that filth from the slaves, it must have infected you," he hisses, unable to focus on his work. "Forgive me, dearest. I will be more careful now, you won’t step outside the house without me by your side."

"What do you plan to do? Fight the germs before they get to me?" You joke, but Shamrock stares at you in earnest confusion. "Oh, you’re being serious."

"I am, I only want what's best for you, it's my duty as your husband," he reminds you and kisses you, his devotion is not up for discussion.

( Young ) Figarland Garling 🌙

• You were just getting ready to attend a ball in Marie Geoise with your husband when you started to feel a bit off. It began with a light headache while the maids were dressing you in the lavish gowns Garling had ordered to be tailored for you. Then your throat burned and you could no longer breathe properly, which wasn’t thanks to your corset this time.

However, you were determined to go dance with Garling after all, you hadn’t seen him in two weeks since he had left on an important mission. You missed being held in his strong arms, hearing his cold voice warm up only for you as he told you about everything he had seen on far away islands. You took a handkerchief from a maid and blew your nose.

"Shouldn’t you stay home and rest, your highness?" A servant asked with a deep bow.

"No, no, it will be alright. I can not miss out on tonight's events," you replied but thanked the servant for her concern anyways.

• Hearing the sound of the front entrance opening, you rushed to the main hall and hurried down the stairs to greet your husband when he stepped through the door. On your way down you were suddenly overcome with such a heavy dizziness that you lost control of your legs, you stumbled and fell forward-

Garling caught you just in time, you fell into his arms and he held you gently, his brows were furrowed in deep concern und his grip on your shoulders began to tighten.

"What is the meaning of this, darling?" He asked sternly, fixating you with his gaze.

"I'm fine, I promise, I don’t know what overcame me," you tried to assure him, but he seemed more than skeptical. "Let's go to the ball, we could miss the first dance-"

"I love you," Garling cut you off sharply as if that simple confession was spoken like a threat, " … but do not lie to me. You are sick, the maids have already informed me before I arrived. You won’t be going anywhere tonight, and neither will I."

Garling lifted you over his shoulder, one hand resting on your butt, and carried you through the hallways to take you back to bed.

"But the daaaance-," you whined.

"Hush, you'd only embarrass us both."

• The blond knight helped to free you from your clothes, once you were naked he wrapped you up in your blanket and arranged each pillow with almost perfect precision before letting you lie down.

"Thank you," you mumbled out sleepily, Garling always found your voice the most endearing when you were drifting away from consciousness.

"Rest, if you need anything, tell me," he told you and you could only nod in response.

The sound of his pen scratching over the paper as he worked at his desk helped to distract you from your headache, soon you felt so relaxed that you finally passed out. Unbeknownst to you, Garling kept looking up from his papers so he could watch you sleep.

• During a doctor's visit on the next morning, your husband kept a close eye on the man as he checked your temperature and blood pressure. You could swear the doctor was only one tiny mistake away from being torn apart by Garling ( like father, like son ). He couldn’t stand any other man touching you, this was his one exception, all so you'd be healthy again soon.

"I'm sorry we missed the ball," you said after the doctor was gone.

"Nonsense, I will have another ball arranged, at our manor this time, it will be much more sophisticated and beautiful than that lousy party we missed. I will have a new outfit tailored for you too, the old one didn’t quite make your eyes shine like I wanted them to," Garling told you, massaging your scalp with his fingers, you could tell he was trying to cheer you up. "Nothing matters to me more than your health, please don’t concern yourself with anything but resting."

He knew you tended to apologize too much, that you easily felt like a burden when you couldn’t help around the house or tend to your husband. None of it was necessary in Garling’s eyes, he had told you time and time again that you didn’t need to do any chores, that's what slaves were for, and he was perfectly fine if being 'tended to' entailed no more than you sitting with him so he could listen to your heart beat. It was the only thing that grounded him after his duties were done.

When Garling looked down at you again, you had already fallen asleep in his arms. He decided not to move for the rest of the morning.

[Shepherd Sommers] 🥀

• Sommers is sitting at his favorite spot in the living room with a cup of coffee and today's newspaper in hand when he hears the door open and looks up to see you standing there.

Your face is pale, your entire body trembles and you can barely keep your eyes open as you try to make your way over to him with a blanket wrapped around your body.

"What's wrong, doll? You look like death itself," he chuckles, but his smile quickly fades when you only manage to let out a pained groan in return. "Come here, let your old man check up on you."

Sommers puts the newspaper down and pulls you up into his lap, you fall against his chest and let out a shaky breath. Your Celestial husband is only wearing a bathing robe, the texture of the fabric feels nice and soft against your skin, his calm breathing helps to put you at ease. It's what you've come to seek out, to distract yourself from the growing discomfort spreading throughout your body.

The fireplace is lit up, you feel both hot and cold at the same time, so you push away the blanket you brought, but Sommers is quick to put it back over your shoulders.

"Looks like you have a fever, little rose. You poor thing, but don’t worry, I have just the thing-," Sommers slowly got up and placed you on the armchair like a warm bundle of misery and coughs. "Wait here, don’t move."

"Wasn’t planning to," you mumble out croakily.

The pillow right behind you smells just like your husband, you bury your face in it, barely able to pick up on the scent through your clogged nose.

• The older knight returns with your favorite mug in hand.

"Here you go, it's the tea my mother always made for me when I was sick," he tells you and offers you the mug. "It's got a strong taste to it, but all good medicine does!" He laughs when he sees your face scrunch up in disgust.

The tea is an odd shade of green, a bit like a swamp, there's an herbal aroma in the air, only that it’s rather unpleasant and moist, as if someone had cooked it in the muddiest waters. You turned your head away and held the mug at a distance.

"I'm not drinking that! Are you trying to poison me?" You whine and let out another cough.

Sommers sighs and takes the mug from you, you let out a breath of relief before he presses the cup to your lips and holds the back of your head as if he was forcing a cat to take their medicine. You try to squirm away, but he's persistent.

"Stubborn brat," he mumbles and tips the cup, forcing you to either swallow the hot liquid pouring down your throat or to choke on it. A few drops spill from your lips, Sommers lowers the mug and wipes the excess from your bottom lip. "That's my good pet, feeling better yet?"

You cough and fight the urge to spit out everything, but luckily you can keep it in. The taste lingers in your mouth, yet you can not deny that you feel a pleasant warmth coming from within and the swelling in your nose subsides.

"And?" Sommers asks again, caressing your face before he pinches your cheek.

"I think it's helping," you whisper, " - but it still tasted gross! I'm not drinking that ever again."

Sommers grins and picks you back up as if you weigh nothing. He sits down with you and makes sure you’re rolled up in your blanket and in a comfortable position. He takes off his glasses and strokes through his beard, looking at you until you notice he’s staring at you and pout. He pokes your nose and you make the most adorable grumbling noise.

"Guess I can’t be on duty today," he sighs dramatically, "I'm sure Killingham can jump in for me. I have more important things to tend to than the world …"

"You’re just lazy," you tease him with a tired smirk.

"Watch your mouth, pet. I'm choosing my own priorities."

While listening to the flames cackling in the fireplace you find peace in Sommers' lap. He only moves to turn off his telesnail, then he decides now is as good as time as any to take a nap with you.

[Killingham] 🐉💭

• Killingham is perhaps the most concerned and panicked out of all the knights when he finds his beloved not waiting for him at the dinner table when he returns from his mission, immediately he calls for all the servants to search for you. He runs through the house, calls your name, accidentally knocks over a vase as he switches to his centaur form just to be quicker.

"Darling?" He calls out, his voice echoing through the hallway.

"I'm here," you manage to croak out from the sofa you were resting on.

"Darling!" Killingham exclaims when he peeks through the door and spots you curled up on the couch. "Are you alright? You weren’t at dinner, are you hurt? Did someone harm you? I will have them burned at the stake!"

"No, no, no, Killi-," you try to soothe his worries but your words are cut off by another coughing fit.

Killingham’s sharp eyes widen as if he's seen you on the verge of death, he approaches the couch, his hooves click over the marble floor, then he lies down on the carpet before the sofa and rests his head on your lap.

"What's wrong? Tell me," he asks, his voice wavering between concern and madness, it's always hard to tell with him. His lips are parted just enough for you to see his sharp fangs poking out.

"I must have caught a cold a few days ago, it won’t kill me I'm sure, but I still feel so exhausted …," you sigh and pat Killingham's messy black hair. His horse tail wags in response.

"Fear not, I will help you feel better in no time," he declares and grins.

• Killingham only briefly leaves your side before he returns in his human form, accompanied by a dozen maids who carry everything a mildly sick person could possibly ask for … and oh, so much more than that. A lot more than that. Perhaps you should tell your husband it’s not necessary, but the knight never entertains any discussions when it comes to spoiling you.

"Now shush, get out, my beloved needs some peace and quiet!" He snaps at the maids and they hurry out after placing everything on the coffee table next to you. The smell of tea and hot chocolate awakens your senses, you find yourself smiling and Killingham immediately sees that as a good sign.

"Hmm, what else would cheer you up-," he mumbles to himself and taps his chin.

"Maybe we could-," you begin but the snap of his fingers cuts you off again.

"Right! I will take you to the dungeons and let you watch while I torment those rebels we caught last week, that should raise your spirits! Come on," Killingham offers and takes your wrist, but you quickly pull it from his grip and shake your head.

"Can we just … stay here and cuddle, please?" You whisper.

Killingham blinks in confusion, but quickly mellows down and tosses his previous idea out of the window.

"If you’re sure that’s good enough for you, dear," he says as he settles down on the sofa and opens his arms so you can crawl onto his chest. "Hm, should I knock you out?"

You nod and nuzzle against the crook of his neck.

"Please do, let me dream of something nice, like being able to breathe-," you chuckle weakly.

"Your wish is my command," Killingham agrees and snaps his fingers against your forehead - and just like that, his abilities put you to rest. "There, there, I will watch over you."

[ Gunko ] 🏹

• Gunko always comes home past midnight or in the early morning hours before the sun rises, she will either join you in bed for a quick nap or stay up so you two can sit together for breakfast. Tonight she heads straight for the bedroom, only to be greeted by a snotty, coughing mess of a human pet sitting in bed instead of sleeping.

"It's way past your bed time," she sternly reminds you and takes off her black veil.

"I'm sorry, my head is killing me and I can’t find any position to sleep in that doesn’t hurt like hell," you confess and Gunko sighs.

The knight steps closer to stand near the bedside, she places her cold hand on your forehead and furrows her brows as she feels how hot you are.

"That's quite concerning, did you skip out on sleep while I was gone? Surely you must have wandered off late at night again, all it takes for you humans to get sick is one cold breeze, you must be more careful," Gunko scolds you, but in her serious tone you can detect some softness here and there. "Stay here, I will prepare something."

"I'm sure you’re tired, you really don’t have to," you try to argue, but that seldom works on your mistress.

Gunko storms out of the room before you can say anything else, mumbling something to herself about herbs, spices and candles - this would take a while.

• Half an hour later you are still sniffling and blowing your nose, but at least you aren’t alone anymore. Gunko seems to be either preparing to sacrifice you to the dark Lord or trying to knock you out with the strong smell of incense in the air, it's hard to tell. You can only hope it will help rather than worsen your condition.

"Is all of this really necessary?" You ask as you watch her light a few black candles on your nightstand, they all seem to be scented.

"Quiet, I must focus," she tells you before continuing as if you aren’t there at all.

You wait patiently until Gunko claps her hands together and sits down on the floor. Crawling to the edge of the bed you finally see what she's been working on: There is a large pentagram drawn in blank ink, in the middle stands a gas cooker with a kettle on top. Your mistress picks from the dozens of herbs she has brought in from her personal garden to add them to the boiling hot water, meanwhile she whispers an ancient chant containing words you have never heard before.

It's fascinating to watch her work, it's hard to believe that the same woman who's making a ritual out of brewing tea for you is the same one who fights her enemies without mercy and has come home drenched in blood more than once. She looks almost … soft now, like she can not hurt a fly. That is, until she opens her mouth again.

"You are thinking too loudly," she notes without judgment, "Don’t mistake my care for you as a sign of weakness, you are just a pet after all … but I have to look out for you, it's what I swore to do when I found you."

"I appreciate it," you tell her and the faintest blush appears on her cheeks, she quickly hides it by fanning the boiling kettle until the steam covers her face. You can’t help but chuckle at that, for a moment you even forget about your headache.

"Ah, it's all done." Gunko pours the fresh tea from the kettle into a cup, making sure not to leave any leaves inside. She moves her finger in a strange way and mumbles something into her mask, then finishes her work with a nod. A black cloud erupts from the tea, you flinch and begin to worry if it’s safe for consumption.

Gunko hands the hot cup to you, you tentatively take it from her hands.

" … and you are sure this won’t kill me?"

"If I had wished to kill you, you would have died a long time ago," Gunko answered flatly, you notice her red eye glowing but choose not to question her about it. "Now drink, we have no time to waste."

You take a sip and are immediately overwhelmed by the strong taste, it’s not bad at all, but you figure it will take some time to get used to it. It doesn’t take long before the heat and the effects of the herbs kick in and your nose is freed up.

"Hmm, your magic is working," you tell her happily before taking another big sip.

Nothing changes about Gunko's expression, but you’ve been at her side for long enough to know that her silence means approval, she watches you closely as you drink, almost as if she’s expecting something to go wrong.

• After a successful tea brewing ritual, you lie back down and Gunko climbs into bed with you. She usually stays on her side of the bed, but tonight she makes an exception.

She opens her arms and stares at you.

"Uh-," you stammer and point at yourself.

"Hurry before I change my mind," she grumbles.

You fall into her arms and Gunko embraces you, you cling to her like she might let go if you stop, it's rare that she's willing to cuddle you like this. A moment worth treasuring. You look up at her and she leans down for a kiss, though her mask covers her lips, you still feel her affection through the fabric.

"Foolish, pathetic humans," Gunko continues to mumble to herself as she rocks you to sleep. "So fragile and easily broken, you’d be lost without me."

All your half-asleep mind can do is nod along to everything she says.

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