A/N: It's such a crime that you can't romance Nathaniel in game - so of course, I have to write a fic about it. I hope you enjoy!
The sun had barely began to set in Highever when the Howes arrived to visit the Couslands. Just enough clouds dotted the sky to make for what would soon be a gorgeous dusk horizon, though little Emilia Cousland would likely not take notice. It was the eve of her tenth birthday, which was part of the reason for her family having guests.
The banners and horsemen approached, but their numbers were fewer than Emilia had been told to expect. Typically Arl Rendon Howe would be accompanied by his wife, two sons, and daughter, though three members were absent. Only Rendon and his oldest son of sixteen years, Nathaniel, had been able to make it.
Bryce Cousland greeted Rendon with a brotherly embrace, and smiled as he patted Nathaniel on the shoulder. "The last time I saw you, you were still just a boy. Looks like you're almost a man now."
The young Howe's lips turned upward as he quietly thanked the teryn, his smooth voice having a slight toughness to it, like a fine leather.
Emilia lacked patience and would not be ignored. Certainly not on the eve of her birthday. She tugged at Rendon's sleeves and in a demanding, confident, and slightly ornery tone, asked, "Where's Delilah? And Tommy? And Lady Eliane?" She crossed her arms and bored her narrowed emerald orbs straight into the elder Howe's eyes.
The arl chuckled lightly, "still the little spit fire, isn't she, Bryce?" He nudged his friend jokingly before answering the young Cousland's question. "Unfortunately, my wife, Thomas, and Delilah all came down with some dreadful illness that we did not wish upon you. They send their regrets for missing your party, and wish you a happy birthday."
"Hrmph," Emilia released her arms intentionally with a force creating a slight wind and rolled her eyes. "I'll have to teach this illness a thing or two about ruining my birthday." Both her father and Arl Howe got a good laugh out of her comment, and Nathaniel simply turned one side of his lip up and shook his head ever so slightly. Emilia Cousland was - and would forever be - a force to be reckoned with and everyone knew it.
Early the next morning, Emilia made her way up to the battlements to watch the archers practice. She shut one eye, drew back her hand, and fired an invisible arrow from her imaginary bow, hitting the bullseye on the last light of the early morning moon.
"Another early riser, I see," the smooth, leathery voice greeted her.
Emilia turned and smiled, the morning sun giving a golden outline to her tiny, but formidable form and long chocolate hair. She had never really spent much time with Nathaniel. Typically when the Howes had visited, Emilia would play with Thomas, who was younger but closer in age. However, whenever her mother insisted upon it, Emilia would then spend time "learning to be a lady" with Delilah, who was about her age. In the past, Nathaniel had typically been glued to his father's side - obviously the lad admired his father and strived to learn more about the responsibilities he would likely eventually be inheriting.
But this time, Nathaniel had torn himself away from Rendon. Or perhaps his father just wasn't awake yet. Either way, Emilia didn't mind his company. "Guess so," she simply replied as she quickly reloaded her imaginary bow and fired another shot at the quickly fading moon.
"Bullseye," Nathaniel stated proudly, playing along with her game.
Emilia lowered her arms and flopped them at her side, evidently discarding the imaginary bow. She rolled those precious, giant green eyes again. "Are you kidding? That was a horrible miss! Perhaps I should just stick to my daggers," she sighed.
Nathaniel grinned widely and pulled a bow out from behind his back. "Or perhaps you would like to learn how to actually shoot?"
The bow was ornate and had a odd blue hue to it. Emilia immediately made note of its beauty and wondered what it could have been made of. She quickly moved past the distraction of its appearance, realizing what Nathaniel had offered, and jumped and clapped excitedly. "Would I ever!"
The young man handed Emilia the bow, who held it with a surprising amount of familiarity. As soon as Nathaniel offered her an arrow, however, her brow furled in confusion. "How do I...?" she muttered as she tried to get the arrow notched in the bow and in held firmly and in the right place all at once. Nathaniel wrapped his arms around hers and placed his hands over hers, guiding her and steadying her aim. With the arrow perfectly trained on the practice target, Nathaniel instructed her to pull back on the bow and when to let go. The arrow may not have hit the bullseye, but it did hit the target, which was impressive enough for a ten year old girl.
"Wow! That was amazing! Thank you so much!" Emilia cheered as she lowered the bow.
"You're quite welcome, my lady," Nathaniel smiled warmly.
Emilia pointed adamantly at Nathaniel. "You're my new favorite Howe," she proclaimed.
The young man let out a chuckle. "Is that so?"
"Yup, definitely. Also, this bow is really pretty. Where did you get it?" the girl asked, examining it further, making note of the Howe crest as she gently ran her fingers across the wood.
"It was my grandfather's bow, and generations of Howes before him," Nathaniel stated proudly.
Emilia grinned and presented it back to him. "It must be special to you, then," she mused as her new friend took the bow back into his hands.
"It absolutely is." Nathaniel's grin switched from ardent to wily as he placed the bow behind his back. "But this one isn't," he procured another bow, a smaller and simple one appropriately sized for Emilia. "Happy birthday, little lady Cousland."
Emilia's wide emerald eyes twinkled as her jaw dropped slightly. She quickly took the bow, setting it momentarily to the side as she practically tackled her new favorite Howe with a hug full of gratitude.
A/N: Teehehe, Emilia's so cute and ferocious. And certainly admiring Nathaniel at this point. :)
Also, I'm definitely needing some cover art. But alas, I'm kinda broke. So if anyone knows anyone who is up for art trades (for fics or crocheted stuffs), please let me know!