Fanfic: "Silver Restoration" (Part Two)
Title: "Silver Restoration"
Author: Joanne Blessing
Series: Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Disclaimer: It goes without saying, but I will state it nonetheless: I own nothing of this franchise, it belongs to Nintendo/Intelligent Systems. I took some license with the characters' backgrounds, building off details released in the Support conversations and such. For characters who have little to no past (such as Orson) revealed, and for those whose pasts are barely revealed, as well as other details such as age, I got a little inventive.
"Silver Restoration"
Part Two
"You sent for me, my prince?" Seth inquired at the doorway to the tent. Ephraim looked up and beckoned him to come inside.
The waxing moon was high over the camp; it was probably somewhere close to midnight, a good four or more hours since Eirika had finally told him what was bothering her. Ephraim knew that Eirika had turned in for the night, though whether or not she was able to sleep, he didn't know. But with her tent right next to his, he'd heard her bid everyone good night, had heard her change out of her armor and climb into her bed. In fact, most of the camp had already gone to bed, though a few of them were still sitting around the campfires, regaling each other with stories. Dozla and Garcia in particular could be heard bantering back and forth. The two of them had forged an unlikely but sturdy friendship. Despite being from separate countries, they had connected on a very deep and fundamental level, being about the same age and both being loyal axe-swinging warriors for their countries.
Ephraim was unable to sleep, his mind caught up in his sister's dilemma. He wanted to help her; seeing her so heartbroken just tore him apart.
"Please, Seth, have a seat," he gestured to one of the chairs. "I need to discuss something with you."
"I figured as much, your highness," the paladin said mildly. "What is it?"
The prince mulled over the topic, and sized up the General of the Renais Knights as he did so. Seth looked utterly exhausted, but still he maintained his good humor and gentle demeanor. He was a consummate professional in his role as the leader of the Renais Knights. King Fado had trusted this knight with everything when the future had seemed bleak. Like father, like son, it seemed; Ephraim knew he was going to need the Silver Knight's help if he was going to make himself into a good king in his father's stead.
"I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has noticed how aloof, distracted and altogether unlike herself my sister has been lately, correct?"
"If you're asking me if I noticed that Princess Eirika has been behaving a little oddly," the paladin said with just the tiniest of smiles, "then yes, your highness, I did. Have you found out what has been bothering her?"
"I did. I finally got her to tell me what's wrong. It's complicated, but thankfully not as complicated as I feared it would be. Still, it's upsetting her."
"I presume you would like my help in fixing whatever it is that has caused this?"
"Well, actually," Ephraim ran his hands through his hair, "that's just it. What's bothering her.... is you."
"Me, your highness?" The knight looked mildly alarmed. "What did I do?"
The prince raised his eyebrows deliberately. "Eirika told me that she has fallen in love, and that no matter how hard she tries, she can't seem to change her feelings." Seeing a spark of recognition in the paladin's eyes, he elaborated. "In case I'm not being clear enough, the man she's fallen in love with is you."
Seth's expression became very morose; "I feared this would happen. Prince Ephraim, I must beg your forgiveness. I take full responsibility for this. I should have been more insistent in discouraging her."
"Full responsibility? Discouraging her?" The prince was flabbergasted. "What are you talking about?"
"I am merely a knight in your service; a man of my standing has no business being the object of a queen's affections."
Ephraim tilted his head slightly; "But Eirika is not a queen, and she won't ever be the Queen of Renais, unless something happens to me before I have produced an heir. The heir of King Fado is me, Seth, not Eirika. My sister will be my most trusted advisor, but the title of Queen should be reserved for my future wife. But that's all unimportant. I don't really care about that. What I want to know, and you'll have to forgive me for being so nosy and prying into your personal matters, is whether or not you return her affections."
Seth shifted uncomfortably. "Prince Ephraim, what I think and feel has nothing to do with anything. I apologize now for saying this so bluntly, but your sister is confused. I have been her guardian since Castle Renais fell, and have been at her side, protecting and guiding her as best I could, as King Fado ordered and wished, through all the trials and tribulations she has faced. I could not save your honored father, so I have dedicated myself to making sure that the last order he gave me -- to protect Princess Eirika -- is fulfilled. I believe she has transferred some of her lingering affections for your late father, and for your mutual late friend Lyon, onto me because I have been there beside her through most of this. This is compounded with the obvious guilt she still carries around at the injury I received protecting her from that Grado general. I hardly think that this qualifies as being in love."
Ephraim leveled a stern look at the knight; "Seth, I do not believe that you are in any position to tell me how my sister thinks and feels. Besides, I did not ask you what she feels. I asked you what you feel."
The knight closed his eyes slowly, and kept them closed; "I cannot answer your question honestly at this time, your highness. You are asking me to admit something I have not considered. I would rather not be dishonest with you."
Ephraim heaved a sigh; "Well, perhaps you should think on this a while, Seth. At the very least, come up with a definitive answer to the question. It is extremely difficult for me to watch her suffer like this."
Seth flinched at the word "suffer" and opened his eyes slowly; "I can only beg your forgiveness, your highness, for my indiscretion. I should have known this might happen, and should have discouraged her from it long before it happened."
"This is Eirika we're talking about," the prince said. "She's very head-strong. Once she gets something into her head, you'd sooner convince the sun to rise in the west than change her mind." Seth was silent, careful not to meet his eyes. The silence stretched a bit, before the prince finally said; "Well, think on it, or don't think on it; whatever you need. Do keep in mind that if you do love her, she deserves to know this. And if you do love her, I promise you that you two have my blessing. You, Seth, have been the foundation for which Eirika and I have based our entire restoration campaign. Without you, I don't believe she and I would have even reunited after Castle Renais's fall."
"You give me too much credit, my prince," the paladin said softly. "I am merely a loyal knight in your employ, doing as told."
Ephraim sighed; "You are entirely too modest sometimes, Seth. I mean no disrespect to Kyle, Forde or Franz, but there is no other Knight of Renais who could have held us all together as long as you have. General Duessel taught me how to use a lance, and Father taught me how to plan military tactics, but I dare say I could still learn a thing or two about command from you."
Seth had no response to that, being far too humble to accept such high praise. "Is that all you wished to discuss, Prince Ephraim? I am rather fatigued and you look like you need some sleep, and it is rather late."
"That's all," Ephraim said, feeling a sudden sense of ennui start to seep into his limbs. "Well, one more thing, but I don't want you to tell anyone about this. I trust you can keep quiet about this, since you were so good at keeping the secret of the bracelets."
The paladin nodded mutely.
"I need to discuss this with King Hayden and Prince Innes before I do anything or make any kind of announcement, but I believe that the most prudent way to firmly ally Frelia and Renais is for me to wed Tana."
Seth's eyebrows raised but he said nothing.
"I can guess what you're thinking, Seth, and I'll answer as best I can: no, I cannot say for any certainty that I am 'in love' with Tana, but I do love her. She makes me smile, she is very sweet and happy, and she would be a very good Queen for the people of Renais. She and Eirika are the best of friends, and I have always had a soft spot for Tana, even if I had a lousy way of showing it to her. However, I am not sure that Prince Innes will take too kindly to me whisking away his sister. So I must proceed with caution." He stifled a sudden yawn. "In any case, I should go to bed. I am about to collapse here. This has been a very, very long, difficult campaign."
"The most difficult part is yet ahead of us, my prince," Seth said quietly as he stood up and saluted. "Rebuilding what was destroyed can take a lifetime, or more. Good night, Prince Ephraim. I will consider what you have said, but I can make no promises."
"Good night, Seth."
Despite saying he was weary, Seth couldn't even fathom attempting to sleep right now, not with his mind spinning faster than a spiraling arrow. He really didn't want to think about all this, and yet...
His feet took him over to where the chargers were penned. Hyperion was dozing near the gate, and woke up as he approached.
"It's awfully late for you to be tending to your horse, General Seth," a voice said from the shadows as Cormag, the wyvern lord from Grado whose older brother, General Glen Sunstone of the Grado Military, had been killed by Valter Moonstone in a frame-up, stepped out from behind a tree. "Is something the matter? And do not even begin to try and tell me you're taking watch. You're not. You're too highly ranked to take a watch now."
Seth chuckled; "Nothing much gets by you, does it? I am just plagued by thoughts right now."
Cormag gave him a thin smile; "That must be the Renais Knights' polite-speak for 'Shut up and mind your own business, Cormag.' Point taken. I was just seeing to Genarog, making sure he got something to eat before going to sleep, in case there's no time for him to feed in the morning. We wouldn't want him to start sizing up the horses or a pegasus as possible meal." He gave the paladin a lazy sort of mock-salute, and disappeared into the shadows again.
Seth just shrugged that off and reached out to pat Hyperion. The stallion seemed happy enough to see him and started nosing around, hunting for treats (even though Seth rarely gave the horse any; the horse was smart enough to know that when his master was out of routine, it might mean good things like treats) and generally being the annoying pest of a horse he could be. The paladin just took it in stride, leaning against the stallion's shoulder as he tried to drain away the frustrating helplessness that had begun to well up inside him by focusing on his horse. There were a few new scars on the stallion's shoulder, he noted. The arrow wound to Hyperion's flank had healed very nicely, though.
"Good evening, General Seth."
He looked over to see Amelia passing by, looking exhausted. She must have been standing watch, and was heading to bed after being relieved from it. "Good evening, Amelia. Sleep well."
"Mm..." she paused, and Seth tensed up, wondering if she too was going to ask what was bothering him. But instead she shifted awkwardly; "Can I ask you something, General?"
"What is it?"
"Er... I know I'm from Grado, and I do love my country. I really should be going back, but... Renais has been so good to me..." It was almost painfully obvious what she wanted to ask.
Seth gave her an encouraging smile; "If you desire to join the Knights of Renais, I'm sure Prince Ephraim will welcome you, and I know that I will be honored to command you. You are a rare, rare talent, Amelia. Princess Eirika vouched for you to be promoted to a full paladin, and you have proven yourself time and again to be worth every bit of it."
"That means a lot to me, General!" She grinned happily. "It's really all thanks to Franz, if you want to know. He helped me out so much! When we first met, he decided we should be rivals like his brother and Sir Kyle are, and... well... it's thanks to him that I've gotten so much better at holding a spear. I'm, well, not so good with a sword, but I can hold a spear pretty well... right?"
"Your skills with a lance are more than adequate, Amelia, but I dare say that you have no peer in Renais when it comes to a javelin. The javelin is the one spear type that Prince Ephraim does not excel at, and even I have trouble with it at times, but your accuracy is amazing."
She blushed; "Well, I kind of had to get good at it, since Franz and Sir Gilliam were always pushing me behind them in battle, taking the hits for me, forcing me to use my javelin in order to show that I belonged in the battle. Plus, the javelins are lighter than the big heavy lances like Sir Gilliam uses..."
"Mm, well, your skills with the javelin seem to rival those of the best Frelian pegasus knights. I imagine you could serve Renais very well with nothing more than a set of javelins in your holsters."
She turned a tiny bit redder; "Thank you, General Seth. It means a lot to me to hear such praise from you. I know Franz thinks the world of you, just as I idolized General Duessel when I joined Grado's army. I really do feel like I should return to Grado, but Renais has been just so good to me, I feel I owe the Prince and Princess far more than I could ever repay. I feel like I would be more welcome in Renais than Grado... it feels like I have family and friends in Renais, whereas in Grado, I'd go back to being alone..." She looked a bit downcast. "I don't like being alone anymore..."
"I am certain you will be welcome in Renais, and I imagine Franz would be heartbroken if you were to return to Grado. He certainly thinks quite highly of you." He managed to not flinch at the word "heartbroken" given what he was out here to think about. To his amusement, Amelia turned even redder at the compliment.
"Well... er... he d-did say he wanted... to walk b-beside me on my path, and t-to be my sword while I was his shield."
"Franz was a squire to me before he was sworn in to the ranks of the Knights of Renais, Amelia. I don't know if you realized that or not. He may have an older brother already, but in many ways, I have viewed him at times to be like the younger brother I never had. I trained him myself. I have watched him grow from a bumbling squire to a competent cavalier, but the moment you joined our side, I saw a change in him. A change for the better, I should add. He has become an indispensable paladin, and I would not be surprised if we have you to thank for that. His brother is a very, very talented knight, their father was almost a legend, but Franz outshines them both in almost every possible way." Then he shook his head, noticing that she was starting to list a bit in fatigue; "Forgive me, Amelia. You are clearly exhausted and here I am talking your ear off. Go get some sleep. We can continue this conversation tomorrow."
She saluted tiredly; "Yes sir, General. Thank you and good night... and I hope you find whatever answers you seem to be searching for, yourself."
Seth glanced sharply over at her, but she was already scurrying away toward her tent, and he just shook it off. It was a little disconcerting that now both people he'd encountered had noticed he was a little out of sorts.
By now, it was obvious that Hyperion wanted to be left alone, so he patted the stallion once more and left the enclosure. The camp was largely silent, save for the faint buzzing of nighttime insects and the dull din of many sleeping people. His mind strayed to the topic he was trying to avoid and yet couldn't get out of his thoughts entirely. It felt so weird, being all but out and out told by his sovereign liege that he was free to pursue the woman he desired, considering how high above his station she was. He shook his head; that couldn't be right. He was letting himself fantasize. Besides, surely Princess Eirika was mistaken in her belief that she was in love. She had lost her home, her father, had been frightened that she would lose her twin brother, and she had witnessed Seth himself take a grievous wound in defense of her. Surely that was why she had believed she "felt something more" on that fateful day. And worse, now that her and Ephraim's dear friend Lyon was dead, after a horrible struggle that had put all three of them -- both of the twins and the Prince of Grado -- through emotional and psychological hell, she was surely clinging to the guardian that she had relied on to help her through everything. As much as he cared about her and wanted to love her and be loved by her, he didn't want to end up a burden to her, shackling her...
"General Seth? Is that you?"
He stopped abruptly and peered into the shadows, to see Kyle leaning against a tree. The knight was apparently on the current watch.
"Good evening, Kyle," the paladin said, trying to sound serene and confident.
"What are you doing up so late? You're usually the one who organizes the breaking of camp."
"What, can't a man check on his horse without everyone questioning his motives?"
Kyle's expression sharpened. "You were checking on your horse? Did Hyperion get hurt or something?"
"No, I was just checking on him. He doesn't like Duessel's charger very well, you know. That's all."
Kyle was clearly unconvinced and was silent a moment, looking down at his feet. "General. I know that I'm in no position to tell you what to do. You're my commanding officer. I have no business prying into your personal affairs, and I have no intentions of doing so, either. But please, don't insult my intelligence by lying so bald-facedly to me."
Seth had no answer to that.
"It's very obvious, sir, that you're deeply troubled by something. You're pacing. You never pace. You've been the calm we've all relied upon, so to see you so obviously unnerved... well, let's just say that something that has the Silver Knight worried must be pretty severe. But it's none of my business what bothers you. I just don't like dishonesty, especially from someone so highly regarded by everyone as you are. So, with all due respect, sir, please just acknowledge that something is bothering you and don't hide it."
Seth heaved a sigh; "I'm apparently as opaque as a pane of glass. You're the third person I've run into tonight, and the third person to notice. Yes, I have something on my mind. It's personal, and should not affect any of you."
"Still, it's unnerving to see you of all people so keyed up. That's probably why everyone notices and why we say something. You're kind of our pillar of composure, General."
Seth chuckled sardonically. "You make me sound like some sort of paragon of chivalry. I assure you, Kyle, even I have some skeletons in my proverbial closet."
Kyle shuddered. "So long as they aren't bonewalkers or wights, I'm fine with that."
That elicited a surprised laugh from the paladin. "No, I am quite certain that none of my 'skeletons' are in fact animate monsters with weapons."
"Good. My side still aches from where that one wight nailed me with a horseslayer lance."
Seth shook his head; "I'll thank you to not assume I'd be so evil as to have something like that in storage."
"Hey! Don't put words in my mouth that I never intended to say! Good grief, General, you're almost as bad as Forde sometimes!"
The paladin just laughed; "I'm not sure if I should be offended by that. In any case, I won't distract you from your watch. I know you take these things seriously. I'll continue my rounds. Make sure you get enough sleep once your watch is over. I do rely on you and Forde to keep the prince in line, after all."
Kyle saluted. "You've nothing to fear, sir. I know my charge quite well by now. Babysitting Forde is just part of the package. Er, good luck with whatever's troubling you, General."
Seth just sort of waved that off as he moved away, hoping to find somewhere secluded where he could finally put his thoughts in order and debate on what, if anything, he was going to do. This promised to be a long, painful and altogether tiring process, but with any luck, he'd come to a conclusion before they broke camp in the morning.
Finding the courage to enact whatever his decision was, however, potentially was the hardest part.
to be continued in part three
Author: Joanne Blessing
Series: Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Disclaimer: It goes without saying, but I will state it nonetheless: I own nothing of this franchise, it belongs to Nintendo/Intelligent Systems. I took some license with the characters' backgrounds, building off details released in the Support conversations and such. For characters who have little to no past (such as Orson) revealed, and for those whose pasts are barely revealed, as well as other details such as age, I got a little inventive.
"Silver Restoration"
Part Two
"You sent for me, my prince?" Seth inquired at the doorway to the tent. Ephraim looked up and beckoned him to come inside.
The waxing moon was high over the camp; it was probably somewhere close to midnight, a good four or more hours since Eirika had finally told him what was bothering her. Ephraim knew that Eirika had turned in for the night, though whether or not she was able to sleep, he didn't know. But with her tent right next to his, he'd heard her bid everyone good night, had heard her change out of her armor and climb into her bed. In fact, most of the camp had already gone to bed, though a few of them were still sitting around the campfires, regaling each other with stories. Dozla and Garcia in particular could be heard bantering back and forth. The two of them had forged an unlikely but sturdy friendship. Despite being from separate countries, they had connected on a very deep and fundamental level, being about the same age and both being loyal axe-swinging warriors for their countries.
Ephraim was unable to sleep, his mind caught up in his sister's dilemma. He wanted to help her; seeing her so heartbroken just tore him apart.
"Please, Seth, have a seat," he gestured to one of the chairs. "I need to discuss something with you."
"I figured as much, your highness," the paladin said mildly. "What is it?"
The prince mulled over the topic, and sized up the General of the Renais Knights as he did so. Seth looked utterly exhausted, but still he maintained his good humor and gentle demeanor. He was a consummate professional in his role as the leader of the Renais Knights. King Fado had trusted this knight with everything when the future had seemed bleak. Like father, like son, it seemed; Ephraim knew he was going to need the Silver Knight's help if he was going to make himself into a good king in his father's stead.
"I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has noticed how aloof, distracted and altogether unlike herself my sister has been lately, correct?"
"If you're asking me if I noticed that Princess Eirika has been behaving a little oddly," the paladin said with just the tiniest of smiles, "then yes, your highness, I did. Have you found out what has been bothering her?"
"I did. I finally got her to tell me what's wrong. It's complicated, but thankfully not as complicated as I feared it would be. Still, it's upsetting her."
"I presume you would like my help in fixing whatever it is that has caused this?"
"Well, actually," Ephraim ran his hands through his hair, "that's just it. What's bothering her.... is you."
"Me, your highness?" The knight looked mildly alarmed. "What did I do?"
The prince raised his eyebrows deliberately. "Eirika told me that she has fallen in love, and that no matter how hard she tries, she can't seem to change her feelings." Seeing a spark of recognition in the paladin's eyes, he elaborated. "In case I'm not being clear enough, the man she's fallen in love with is you."
Seth's expression became very morose; "I feared this would happen. Prince Ephraim, I must beg your forgiveness. I take full responsibility for this. I should have been more insistent in discouraging her."
"Full responsibility? Discouraging her?" The prince was flabbergasted. "What are you talking about?"
"I am merely a knight in your service; a man of my standing has no business being the object of a queen's affections."
Ephraim tilted his head slightly; "But Eirika is not a queen, and she won't ever be the Queen of Renais, unless something happens to me before I have produced an heir. The heir of King Fado is me, Seth, not Eirika. My sister will be my most trusted advisor, but the title of Queen should be reserved for my future wife. But that's all unimportant. I don't really care about that. What I want to know, and you'll have to forgive me for being so nosy and prying into your personal matters, is whether or not you return her affections."
Seth shifted uncomfortably. "Prince Ephraim, what I think and feel has nothing to do with anything. I apologize now for saying this so bluntly, but your sister is confused. I have been her guardian since Castle Renais fell, and have been at her side, protecting and guiding her as best I could, as King Fado ordered and wished, through all the trials and tribulations she has faced. I could not save your honored father, so I have dedicated myself to making sure that the last order he gave me -- to protect Princess Eirika -- is fulfilled. I believe she has transferred some of her lingering affections for your late father, and for your mutual late friend Lyon, onto me because I have been there beside her through most of this. This is compounded with the obvious guilt she still carries around at the injury I received protecting her from that Grado general. I hardly think that this qualifies as being in love."
Ephraim leveled a stern look at the knight; "Seth, I do not believe that you are in any position to tell me how my sister thinks and feels. Besides, I did not ask you what she feels. I asked you what you feel."
The knight closed his eyes slowly, and kept them closed; "I cannot answer your question honestly at this time, your highness. You are asking me to admit something I have not considered. I would rather not be dishonest with you."
Ephraim heaved a sigh; "Well, perhaps you should think on this a while, Seth. At the very least, come up with a definitive answer to the question. It is extremely difficult for me to watch her suffer like this."
Seth flinched at the word "suffer" and opened his eyes slowly; "I can only beg your forgiveness, your highness, for my indiscretion. I should have known this might happen, and should have discouraged her from it long before it happened."
"This is Eirika we're talking about," the prince said. "She's very head-strong. Once she gets something into her head, you'd sooner convince the sun to rise in the west than change her mind." Seth was silent, careful not to meet his eyes. The silence stretched a bit, before the prince finally said; "Well, think on it, or don't think on it; whatever you need. Do keep in mind that if you do love her, she deserves to know this. And if you do love her, I promise you that you two have my blessing. You, Seth, have been the foundation for which Eirika and I have based our entire restoration campaign. Without you, I don't believe she and I would have even reunited after Castle Renais's fall."
"You give me too much credit, my prince," the paladin said softly. "I am merely a loyal knight in your employ, doing as told."
Ephraim sighed; "You are entirely too modest sometimes, Seth. I mean no disrespect to Kyle, Forde or Franz, but there is no other Knight of Renais who could have held us all together as long as you have. General Duessel taught me how to use a lance, and Father taught me how to plan military tactics, but I dare say I could still learn a thing or two about command from you."
Seth had no response to that, being far too humble to accept such high praise. "Is that all you wished to discuss, Prince Ephraim? I am rather fatigued and you look like you need some sleep, and it is rather late."
"That's all," Ephraim said, feeling a sudden sense of ennui start to seep into his limbs. "Well, one more thing, but I don't want you to tell anyone about this. I trust you can keep quiet about this, since you were so good at keeping the secret of the bracelets."
The paladin nodded mutely.
"I need to discuss this with King Hayden and Prince Innes before I do anything or make any kind of announcement, but I believe that the most prudent way to firmly ally Frelia and Renais is for me to wed Tana."
Seth's eyebrows raised but he said nothing.
"I can guess what you're thinking, Seth, and I'll answer as best I can: no, I cannot say for any certainty that I am 'in love' with Tana, but I do love her. She makes me smile, she is very sweet and happy, and she would be a very good Queen for the people of Renais. She and Eirika are the best of friends, and I have always had a soft spot for Tana, even if I had a lousy way of showing it to her. However, I am not sure that Prince Innes will take too kindly to me whisking away his sister. So I must proceed with caution." He stifled a sudden yawn. "In any case, I should go to bed. I am about to collapse here. This has been a very, very long, difficult campaign."
"The most difficult part is yet ahead of us, my prince," Seth said quietly as he stood up and saluted. "Rebuilding what was destroyed can take a lifetime, or more. Good night, Prince Ephraim. I will consider what you have said, but I can make no promises."
"Good night, Seth."
Despite saying he was weary, Seth couldn't even fathom attempting to sleep right now, not with his mind spinning faster than a spiraling arrow. He really didn't want to think about all this, and yet...
His feet took him over to where the chargers were penned. Hyperion was dozing near the gate, and woke up as he approached.
"It's awfully late for you to be tending to your horse, General Seth," a voice said from the shadows as Cormag, the wyvern lord from Grado whose older brother, General Glen Sunstone of the Grado Military, had been killed by Valter Moonstone in a frame-up, stepped out from behind a tree. "Is something the matter? And do not even begin to try and tell me you're taking watch. You're not. You're too highly ranked to take a watch now."
Seth chuckled; "Nothing much gets by you, does it? I am just plagued by thoughts right now."
Cormag gave him a thin smile; "That must be the Renais Knights' polite-speak for 'Shut up and mind your own business, Cormag.' Point taken. I was just seeing to Genarog, making sure he got something to eat before going to sleep, in case there's no time for him to feed in the morning. We wouldn't want him to start sizing up the horses or a pegasus as possible meal." He gave the paladin a lazy sort of mock-salute, and disappeared into the shadows again.
Seth just shrugged that off and reached out to pat Hyperion. The stallion seemed happy enough to see him and started nosing around, hunting for treats (even though Seth rarely gave the horse any; the horse was smart enough to know that when his master was out of routine, it might mean good things like treats) and generally being the annoying pest of a horse he could be. The paladin just took it in stride, leaning against the stallion's shoulder as he tried to drain away the frustrating helplessness that had begun to well up inside him by focusing on his horse. There were a few new scars on the stallion's shoulder, he noted. The arrow wound to Hyperion's flank had healed very nicely, though.
"Good evening, General Seth."
He looked over to see Amelia passing by, looking exhausted. She must have been standing watch, and was heading to bed after being relieved from it. "Good evening, Amelia. Sleep well."
"Mm..." she paused, and Seth tensed up, wondering if she too was going to ask what was bothering him. But instead she shifted awkwardly; "Can I ask you something, General?"
"What is it?"
"Er... I know I'm from Grado, and I do love my country. I really should be going back, but... Renais has been so good to me..." It was almost painfully obvious what she wanted to ask.
Seth gave her an encouraging smile; "If you desire to join the Knights of Renais, I'm sure Prince Ephraim will welcome you, and I know that I will be honored to command you. You are a rare, rare talent, Amelia. Princess Eirika vouched for you to be promoted to a full paladin, and you have proven yourself time and again to be worth every bit of it."
"That means a lot to me, General!" She grinned happily. "It's really all thanks to Franz, if you want to know. He helped me out so much! When we first met, he decided we should be rivals like his brother and Sir Kyle are, and... well... it's thanks to him that I've gotten so much better at holding a spear. I'm, well, not so good with a sword, but I can hold a spear pretty well... right?"
"Your skills with a lance are more than adequate, Amelia, but I dare say that you have no peer in Renais when it comes to a javelin. The javelin is the one spear type that Prince Ephraim does not excel at, and even I have trouble with it at times, but your accuracy is amazing."
She blushed; "Well, I kind of had to get good at it, since Franz and Sir Gilliam were always pushing me behind them in battle, taking the hits for me, forcing me to use my javelin in order to show that I belonged in the battle. Plus, the javelins are lighter than the big heavy lances like Sir Gilliam uses..."
"Mm, well, your skills with the javelin seem to rival those of the best Frelian pegasus knights. I imagine you could serve Renais very well with nothing more than a set of javelins in your holsters."
She turned a tiny bit redder; "Thank you, General Seth. It means a lot to me to hear such praise from you. I know Franz thinks the world of you, just as I idolized General Duessel when I joined Grado's army. I really do feel like I should return to Grado, but Renais has been just so good to me, I feel I owe the Prince and Princess far more than I could ever repay. I feel like I would be more welcome in Renais than Grado... it feels like I have family and friends in Renais, whereas in Grado, I'd go back to being alone..." She looked a bit downcast. "I don't like being alone anymore..."
"I am certain you will be welcome in Renais, and I imagine Franz would be heartbroken if you were to return to Grado. He certainly thinks quite highly of you." He managed to not flinch at the word "heartbroken" given what he was out here to think about. To his amusement, Amelia turned even redder at the compliment.
"Well... er... he d-did say he wanted... to walk b-beside me on my path, and t-to be my sword while I was his shield."
"Franz was a squire to me before he was sworn in to the ranks of the Knights of Renais, Amelia. I don't know if you realized that or not. He may have an older brother already, but in many ways, I have viewed him at times to be like the younger brother I never had. I trained him myself. I have watched him grow from a bumbling squire to a competent cavalier, but the moment you joined our side, I saw a change in him. A change for the better, I should add. He has become an indispensable paladin, and I would not be surprised if we have you to thank for that. His brother is a very, very talented knight, their father was almost a legend, but Franz outshines them both in almost every possible way." Then he shook his head, noticing that she was starting to list a bit in fatigue; "Forgive me, Amelia. You are clearly exhausted and here I am talking your ear off. Go get some sleep. We can continue this conversation tomorrow."
She saluted tiredly; "Yes sir, General. Thank you and good night... and I hope you find whatever answers you seem to be searching for, yourself."
Seth glanced sharply over at her, but she was already scurrying away toward her tent, and he just shook it off. It was a little disconcerting that now both people he'd encountered had noticed he was a little out of sorts.
By now, it was obvious that Hyperion wanted to be left alone, so he patted the stallion once more and left the enclosure. The camp was largely silent, save for the faint buzzing of nighttime insects and the dull din of many sleeping people. His mind strayed to the topic he was trying to avoid and yet couldn't get out of his thoughts entirely. It felt so weird, being all but out and out told by his sovereign liege that he was free to pursue the woman he desired, considering how high above his station she was. He shook his head; that couldn't be right. He was letting himself fantasize. Besides, surely Princess Eirika was mistaken in her belief that she was in love. She had lost her home, her father, had been frightened that she would lose her twin brother, and she had witnessed Seth himself take a grievous wound in defense of her. Surely that was why she had believed she "felt something more" on that fateful day. And worse, now that her and Ephraim's dear friend Lyon was dead, after a horrible struggle that had put all three of them -- both of the twins and the Prince of Grado -- through emotional and psychological hell, she was surely clinging to the guardian that she had relied on to help her through everything. As much as he cared about her and wanted to love her and be loved by her, he didn't want to end up a burden to her, shackling her...
"General Seth? Is that you?"
He stopped abruptly and peered into the shadows, to see Kyle leaning against a tree. The knight was apparently on the current watch.
"Good evening, Kyle," the paladin said, trying to sound serene and confident.
"What are you doing up so late? You're usually the one who organizes the breaking of camp."
"What, can't a man check on his horse without everyone questioning his motives?"
Kyle's expression sharpened. "You were checking on your horse? Did Hyperion get hurt or something?"
"No, I was just checking on him. He doesn't like Duessel's charger very well, you know. That's all."
Kyle was clearly unconvinced and was silent a moment, looking down at his feet. "General. I know that I'm in no position to tell you what to do. You're my commanding officer. I have no business prying into your personal affairs, and I have no intentions of doing so, either. But please, don't insult my intelligence by lying so bald-facedly to me."
Seth had no answer to that.
"It's very obvious, sir, that you're deeply troubled by something. You're pacing. You never pace. You've been the calm we've all relied upon, so to see you so obviously unnerved... well, let's just say that something that has the Silver Knight worried must be pretty severe. But it's none of my business what bothers you. I just don't like dishonesty, especially from someone so highly regarded by everyone as you are. So, with all due respect, sir, please just acknowledge that something is bothering you and don't hide it."
Seth heaved a sigh; "I'm apparently as opaque as a pane of glass. You're the third person I've run into tonight, and the third person to notice. Yes, I have something on my mind. It's personal, and should not affect any of you."
"Still, it's unnerving to see you of all people so keyed up. That's probably why everyone notices and why we say something. You're kind of our pillar of composure, General."
Seth chuckled sardonically. "You make me sound like some sort of paragon of chivalry. I assure you, Kyle, even I have some skeletons in my proverbial closet."
Kyle shuddered. "So long as they aren't bonewalkers or wights, I'm fine with that."
That elicited a surprised laugh from the paladin. "No, I am quite certain that none of my 'skeletons' are in fact animate monsters with weapons."
"Good. My side still aches from where that one wight nailed me with a horseslayer lance."
Seth shook his head; "I'll thank you to not assume I'd be so evil as to have something like that in storage."
"Hey! Don't put words in my mouth that I never intended to say! Good grief, General, you're almost as bad as Forde sometimes!"
The paladin just laughed; "I'm not sure if I should be offended by that. In any case, I won't distract you from your watch. I know you take these things seriously. I'll continue my rounds. Make sure you get enough sleep once your watch is over. I do rely on you and Forde to keep the prince in line, after all."
Kyle saluted. "You've nothing to fear, sir. I know my charge quite well by now. Babysitting Forde is just part of the package. Er, good luck with whatever's troubling you, General."
Seth just sort of waved that off as he moved away, hoping to find somewhere secluded where he could finally put his thoughts in order and debate on what, if anything, he was going to do. This promised to be a long, painful and altogether tiring process, but with any luck, he'd come to a conclusion before they broke camp in the morning.
Finding the courage to enact whatever his decision was, however, potentially was the hardest part.
to be continued in part three