"Anything for you"
bySara Jaye

Written for the 50 Love Quotes challenge on LJ. Takes place in chapter 1, based on Azel and Edin's talk event.

Verdane forest was thick and uninviting; tree branches tugged and scraped at Azel's clothing as he made his way through. He almost wished he'd taken his horse, but after seeing the horse's reaction to the forest, he couldn't bring himself to drag the poor animal through all that.

Besides, he didn't care if his face got scratched or his clothes got torn. All that mattered was that she was safe, and that he could get to her before any of the barbarians did.

It seemed like forever before he could see beyond the thick clumps of branches. When he finally could, a flash of gold caught his eye.

'It's her! Oh, Fala, she's safe!'

He tore his way through the last clump of branches, ignoring the pain as they cut into his hands, and ran to her.

"Lady Edin!" he gasped, somehow managing not to collapse at her feet. "Y-you're all right!"

Edin gasped.

"Lord Azel of Velthomer! What are you doing here?" she asked. Azel caught his breath and straightened himself out before answering.

"I came with Lord Sigurd to fight for Jungvy," he said. "W-when I heard you'd been taken away, I couldn't stop worrying!"

"Did you have your brother Alvis's permission?" Edin asked. Azel blushed, rubbing the back of his head.

"W-well...actually, no, I kind of left even after he forbade me to go," he stammered. "H-he must be pretty angry."

Edin frowned.

"Well, that wasn't smart!" she said. "You don't even like fighting. Why would you disobey your brother and put yourself in such a dangerous situation when Lord Sigurd could have easily rescued me on his own?"

Azel blushed harder, this time looking down at his feet.

"B-because I..." He groaned inwardly. He couldn't just come out and say 'I'm madly in love with you and I want to be your knight in shining armor', especially when she was so upset with him.

"Because what?" Edin prompted.

"...Nevermind," Azel mumbled. "S-sorry I made you angry.

Edin sighed and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Azel, I'm not angry!" she said. "I was just worried because you could have been-"

It was then that she realized his hands were bleeding.

"...hurt," she finished. "Azel, what happened to your hands!"

"Huh?" Azel blinked.

"Your hands, they're all cut and bleeding!"

The mage looked down at his hands and realized the branches had done more damage than he thought.

"...I can't do anything right, can I?" he groaned. Edin drew a staff and a handkerchief from the folds of her robe.

"Give me your hands," she instructed. Azel held his hands out, and Edin gently began to wipe up the spilled blood.

"T-thank you," Azel said quietly.

"Hold still," Edin said as she put down the bloody handkerchief and held the staff to his hands. "Relive."

When the glow faded, Azel's hands looked almost as good as new.

"There," Edin said. "Don't you ever do that again. I don't like the idea of you putting yourself in danger like that, Azel! You're lucky there weren't any wild animals or barbarians hiding in the forests, or you could have done even more damage to yourself than just scratching up your hands."

"I'm sorry," Azel said.

"Don't be."

The priestess smiled and gently took his hand in her own.

"I'm glad to see you, and it's very sweet that you would go through so much just to see that I was all right," she said.

Azel's heart fluttered.

"...I'd go through anything for your sake, Lady Edin," he whispered. "I would take on the entire Verdane army, or Prince Gandolf himself, or-"

"Azel!" Now Edin was blushing. "It's sweet that you're so willing to fight for me, but I want you to be safe, too. All I ask of you is not to do something like this again," she said.

"Then I promise never to go running through a dangerous forest again," Azel said.

"Are you two lovebirds finished?" a voice piped up.

"Deu!" Edin blushed more brightly. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough. Lucky for you, the Verdane soldiers went in the other direction," Deu said. "Now let's get out of here before they change their minds!"

He ran through the forests, his agility and keen eyesight saving him from the same fate as Azel's hands.

"Let's go," Azel said. "Lord Sigurd will be so relieved to see you're all right."

"All right." Edin smiled and took his hand. "Thank you again for coming to my rescue," she said.

As they made their way to where Sigurd and the others were, Azel felt as if he were walking on air.