A/N: I haven't written fanfiction in such a long time, but The Dragon Prince has sparked my creative side. The real problem is why are there hardly any Gremaya fanfiction in the Dragon Prince archives? Someone's gotta deliver.
The sun beat down hot on Gren's shoulders, and he immediately feared sunburn. The Katolis sun in the summer got particularly brutal on the soldier's pale, freckled skin, something he had to look out for. That happened to be the last of his worries as he hiked the final step up a scenic hill on the outskirts of the kingdom he served, picnic basket weighted with foods he had the cooks specially prepare. He was used to carrying items of more significant weight, but the knowledge of having his general hot on his trail seemed to make the load heavier, as if she were watching his every move.
Amaya hardly broke a sweat as she followed silently, and when Gren turned backwards to check on her state, he felt satisfied looking at the content smile on her face as she viewed the vast kingdom stretched out on the horizon. They'd hiked a ways to get to this place, somewhere Gren was determined to keep hidden until he managed to convince his general to take a well-needed break. With tensions between the elves and the human kingdoms rising, Gren could pick up on Amaya's increasing stress levels even if she chose not to show them.
Here, he signed, motioning to the perfect patch of grass, lush, green, and comfortable, but would end up being covered by a tarp anyways. He took the tarp from Amaya's arms (she insisted on carrying something), laying it down just-so for their meal. They sat.
Gren enjoyed the relaxed silence they shared as he unpacked the basket, pulling out pork sandwiches, various fruits he gathered straight from the market, and a collection of jelly tarts that differed in flavors. The silence could've been painful for others, but he often found himself comforted in the way she only signed when she needed to, simply valuing the way things were in the present. Eat, he gestured to the food spread out on the tarp, and Amaya took a sandwich and bit into it, gaze resting on the palace in the distance.
I've never seen it from here, she admitted, soft smile growing wider as the afternoon sun disappeared behind a cloud. The kingdom we serve is so beautiful.
Typical of her, to focus on her duty as a general, but he had to agree. Katolis was a vast and beautiful dominion, the people happy and lively. Whatever nervousness he felt before disappeared as they ate, silently contemplating the future of the domain. The feelings of the kingdom were bittersweet, especially since both he and Amaya knew that the elves were likely to plan an attack on the throne soon.
Let's enjoy it now, Amaya seemed to read his thoughts, dark eyes sparkling with amusement. It was so rare of her to smile away from her nephews, since she was mostly on the battlefield or training, but Gren loved the easy look on her face.
Dare he think it was reserved for his company? He speared a piece of fruit with his utensil after finishing his sandwich. Amaya was tricky to read, but after years of training with, and against her, he'd grown to notice fluctuations in her mood, no matter how subtle. However, he could never seem to read what she thought about him. Maybe he wasn't supposed to. Maybe she didn't think anything of him. They were just friends, after all. Besides, he was below her in ranks and he acted as her main translator, not as anything else. Maybe one day she'd put him in charge of a group of her soldiers.
Birds flitted above his head to rest on the branches of a nearby tree, pulling his attention away from his inward fretting. Both of their gazes were drawn to them. I wish you could hear the birds, he said, right as one chirped gaily.
There's a lot of things I wish I could hear, Amaya signed, and Gren immediately felt foolish for mentioning her disability. She sometimes complained to him about how tired she was of people only knowing her for her deafness and assuming she was less because of it. She was so, so much more.
What's something you would want to hear the most? Her shoulders dropped slightly at his question, but her chin was still held high.
I wish I could hear you speak. I want to know what your voice sounds like and I want to hear your laugh. She seemed to show no emotion, but her statement shocked Gren. He felt a wave of heat rush to his freckled cheeks that certainly wasn't from the sun.
If he could stutter in sign language, he would've. Really? Was he sweating? He felt like he was sweating.
She nodded, and one of her rare smiles reappeared yet again. In his presence. You look like you have so much fun when you laugh. Your smile is so wide and it makes me want to laugh too.
A gust of wind ruffled his hair, and he was grateful for the breeze that cooled his face down. A leaf got caught in his general's dark hair and he was enthralled by it. Should he brush it out? He decided against it. I also want to hear you laugh, Gren couldn't look at her as he said it, but he hoped she wouldn't think he was ruining their friendship by making a claim so bold. I don't see your smile often, but it's nice.
She visibly relaxed, the grin on her face growing somewhat when she turned back to Katolis. That's good to hear.
Gren almost started panicking, trying to analyze what she meant, but forced himself to calm down, instead focusing on the moment they shared. The small confessions they made were enough for one day, and he knew she wasn't the type to beat around the bush. She said what she meant. He said what he meant. The jelly tarts were left uneaten, but Gren hardly cared.
What else mattered when he and his general were sitting on top of a hill, looking at the nation that they held so close to their hearts? Bigger confessions could wait.