For the first time since arriving in Hoshido, everything seemed to be alright for Sylvia. Takumi and Ryoma had been found at last, and no encroaching armies or Faceless had been able to invade the Hall of Peace when the army had settled for the night.

Tonight, time permitted the commander to visit her private quarters. It had been agreed upon that only she and a single guest were allowed to rest there. The small girl trudged along the faded path to her destination after Lilith had been fed, weary from the combat of the past few days. She was grateful for who was waiting for her, having been told earlier that her presence was wanted tonight.

"Welcome back."

Sylvia smiled at the calmness of Azura's voice. Out of everyone, she enjoyed her company most, especially in quiet moments.

"Thank you."

A fire lit the place with a soft, flickering light, providing warmth from the night's cold. Feeling distracted, Sylvia stood in front of the room's dressing mirror and evaluated her appearance. Her short, yellow hair was tangled, and she noticed with dismay the butterfly-shaped clip she loved was chipped. It was the one thing- save her clothing- she had been able to keep from Nohr, a reminder of the happy times with… with Leo, Xander, Camilla and Elise. Not her family.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm fine." Sylvia said quickly, closing her eyes. She put down the comb and tried to compose herself, wondering why her legs were trembling.

"I know that's not true, dear. You're so very tense."

Dear? A soft shudder ran down Sylvia's spine, but she managed to shake her head.

"I… I just have a lot on my mind, Azura. An early night's sleep should be enough to feel better."

Her statement wasn't entirely a lie. Since the day she left Nohr, Sylvia had so much occupying her that sleeping at night was always a struggle. Sometimes she would remain awake and talk to Lilith, unsure if anyone else would be sympathetic to her confusion and fear. If the astral dragon was sleeping, Sylvia would leave in silence and gather pearls from a spring, just to do something but lie in bed awake. There was so much to think about- her "mother", Mikoto, dying in front of her eyes, how her blood family treated her with as much love as those in Nohr, the shadow that vanished, and now Azura.

Sylvia knew she was in love the moment she heard her singing, at the evening by the lake. Azura's voice was so lovely that it seemed to soothe all of Sylvia's worries, leaving her in a temporary space free from anything but serenity. Learning that Azura had a similar struggle to Sylvia's own only made her attraction that much deeper.

The two had become closer on and off the battlefield, and there had been several times when Sylvia had saved her life by blocking an incoming attack. Sylvia wouldn't ever forget the panic she felt when Azura had come close to defeat, her fear outstripping that of Takumi falling to his death for a horrible moment.

Dragged out of her thoughts, Sylvia tensed when something tugged at her hair, but realized it was only the tug of the comb. Closing her eyes, she smiled at the corner of each lip every time a knot was smoothed. Azura was humming, but it was not the song Sylvia had heard so many times before.

"Sylvia? Tell me, what's bothering you? You look so pale."

"I'm... I'm not ready to talk about it." Sylvia said, unable to look into Azura's eyes.

Indeed, there was so much to say she had no idea how she was to condense it all into ordinary speech.

Right now, she wanted to run her fingers through Azura's hair until it was neater than any comb could make it. No, she wanted more than that. So much more.

Standing there, half in the embrace of the one she had the most powerful emotions for in her life, Sylvia thought of the things she wanted to do. She wanted to pick flowers to weave into Azura's hair, to walk with her on clear twilights to beautiful places and sit for hours, to kiss her lips, to talk until there was nothing left to talk about their lives, their dreams, their mutual love.

But instead, Sylvia lightly took the comb and managed a smile.

"Now, how about I return the favor?"

"Of course, I'd be grateful."

Sylvia tried to be gentle, but there were several knots that were difficult to straighten without a prick of pain. Azura's hand didn't move away when Sylvia put her own over it, murmuring soothingly, "I'm almost done now. You look even lovelier than before."

She giggled, that lovely sound that Sylvia had come to hear in her sleep.

"Thank you."

With this, Sylvia was starting to feel a modicum of confidence, especially since Azura hadn't let go of her hand yet. She waited for her to turn around so their eyes met, and the feelings all came back. Sylvia fought the urge to blurt and shut her eyes, relaxed with a deep breath, and began.

"We're alone here, right?"

"Hmmm? Why do you-"

"I just needed to know." Sylvia said hastily, nervously checking over her shoulder as if she expected to see an invisible spy. Not off to the best start.

"S-sorry, Azura. I simply don't want anything I say now to be heard by anyone. Not yet."

"Oh? Very well, I'll see to your request if it eases your mind." Azura answered, not seeming to be bothered by Sylvia's hasty attitude. Her voice was as calm as ever.

"Good, thank you. Th-thank you so much."

Sylvia was trying to smile, but there was sadness in her eyes that she knew Azura could see. She shivered when her hand once again touched her shoulder, and not entirely from anxiety.

"You don't need to be afraid around me."

Azura was calm. She had spoken with no more urgency than she might in the most peaceful place that existed. Sylvia, once again, had a vision of them somewhere where silence and peace like this were not a brief sanctuary, but the norm.

"I'm not… afraid, not at all." Sylvia was shaking her head, trying to forget her daydream. "I-I've never once felt fear in your presence, not even before we knew our names. You've… you've always made me feel…"

"Yes, go on." Azura encouraged when Sylvia stopped, having felt how red her face was turning.

"I… Azura, I-I think I'm in love with you."

Sylvia didn't have the courage to maintain eye contact. She felt the urge to sob into her hands, knowing the disappointment that would arrive soon. Of course her love would be unrequited, if it wasn't merely a passing crush. But she knew there was no denying the validity of her wants, of her interest in Azura's life, of her desire to once more have their fingers laced together. A warm smile graced Azura's face, and she nodded slowly, almost wisely.

"I… I see. At least, that explains why you're not looking at my eyes."

Sylvia couldn't face her. It was too much, this admission of love to someone who wasn't a man. She had never heard before of a woman confessing romantic, idealized love to another woman. But were her feelings not as valid? Was it somehow wrong…

"Sylvia, please, face me, and tell me with your eyes on mine."

Finally opening her eyes, Sylvia's painfully pounding heart became mellow when she saw Azura's kind expression. There was no sense of wrong in the way those lovely eyes were looking back at her and the slight curve of her lips. Nothing but the very opposite of wrong.

"I love you, Azura. Not merely as a friend, or a sister, but… perhaps, if you would allow it, as your partner." Sylvia breathed, her panic melting away. Azura's smile grew more radiant, and she was never before more beautiful to Sylvia than in that moment of time.

"And I love you as well, Sylvia. With all of my heart, I accept."

That was all the commander could have ever dreamed of hearing. Feeling about to burst with joy, Sylvia tearfully wrapped her arms around Azura's body. As calmly as if she had been expecting this all along, she comforted the sobbing Sylvia. At least for once, her tears were of joy, not sorrow.

"I'm so glad you've had the courage to speak from your heart." Azura was saying once Sylvia's joyful sobs began to ebb. "You've been so quiet about how you feel. I was worried that you were keeping something from us... I never dreamed it would be this."

"H-how am I going to tell everyone? No one else knows…"

"Don't worry. I will be there when you do, my dear Sylvia."

Sylvia nodded, many more feelings than she thought possible stirring in her gut. She slowly met Azura's eyes, and held them for a moment, looking deeper into them than ever before. She could admire her face all day, and listen to her voice, always as beautiful as a song, as the loveliest melodies human minds could create.

And then she closed them, and leaned her face forwards. A moment later, Azura's hands caressed her middle, holding her gently. Even though her face felt as warm as fire, Sylvia's lips connected before fear took over. The kiss was supposed to be brief, but it lasted a few long, glorious seconds. Both women were at peace as it concluded.

Neither of them moved much for the rest of the night. They fell asleep perhaps an hour after Sylvia's crying had ceased, and Azura had soothed the tired princess into sleep with her song. She was taken aback at the suddenness of her confession, but it wasn't altogether a shock. In the time they had known each other, Sylvia had felt less like a friend and more like a sister. The small army was so tightly knit, one could easily forget they were all no more than a handful of scared youth and near-adults, relying only on each other for every basic facet of human survival.

"Sweet dreams, my princess." Azura whispered when she was fading into sleep, gazing for one more moment at Sylvia's sleeping face.

Notes on this Story

1. I know this was probably a little brief and underdeveloped, but I wanted it to feel like an in-game support conversation. Originally I planned to update this, but I don't think I'll be doing so now because I have about a dozen other writing projects to do, and it's been so long since I've done anything fanfic-related.