A/N: Just played the opening chapters of Sacred Stones again... I noticed Fado's death is really brushed over in the script. Eirika barely does anything, barely shows any emotion, and then it's just all right, plot moving on. But I think there would have to be a little bit more than that. Both Eirika and Seth really loved Fado, so this is just my little tribute.
Words: 1037
Characters: Seth, Eirika
Time: Chapter 3ish of Sacred Stones
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to Nintendo, not me.
When King Hayden broke the news, Seth was standing at attention by the door. He recalled vividly how the weight of his armor seemed to settle down on his shoulders, heavy for the first time; how even despite a crackling fire in the hearth, he felt as cold as the night.
My king. My king is dead.
He would have swayed on his feet if he hadn't caught sight of Eirika.
Her profile was straight-backed, her head held high. It was only because he knew her so well that he noticed her distress - her fingers clenched into a white fist, and there was a slight, near imperceptible, softening to her voice as she responded to King Hayden's condolences with the utmost propriety. Her friend, Princess Tana, put an arm around Eirika's still shoulders.
Eirika didn't speak to him when she left the hall. Her glance was brief and bright.
Throughout the afternoon she was all business, all determination. Seth, too, had to lock away his grief for his beloved king into a tiny corner of his heart, suppressed and bearable. But he hadn't expected Eirika to be able to do the same. She never fails to surprise me.
It wasn't until late that evening when they finally spoke. Their small party had set up camp, a single dry fire surrounded by tents and bedrolls. As the soldiers from Frelia traded tales, Seth noticed Eirika slip away into the night. Excusing himself politely, he followed her. Worry started to rise in his chest.
She was kneeling under the stars, her head tilted toward the sky. Seth couldn't tell if she wanted company or not – perhaps he should let her be and leave before she noticed him. But the clink of his swordbelt or the leaves crunching under his boots must have given him away. Eirika turned around, and in her moonlit eyes was an invitation.
"Some say…" Seth began, but his voice emerged a little rough. He cleared his throat. "Some say the stars are the spirits of the departed, shining down upon us from above. Watching over us. Ever present…"
"And ever cold," Eirika murmured.
Seth knelt beside her. Their eyes met and lingered. Seth didn't look away till he felt something brush his hand; her fingers were trembling near his. He looked up again.
"I have no time to grieve," Eirika whispered. "I have no time to remember his laugh, his stories, his strength. What if I wake up at the end of this war, and I have forgotten them?"
Her voice began to shake, and though he could only just see her tears, sparkling like jewels in the starlight, he felt them as if they were his own. Slowly Seth took her hand in both of his, clutching it tight, desperate to impress upon her the truth of his words, his heart.
"You will not forget. I knew your father well, Princess, and you are very much his daughter. You have so much of him in you. His honor, his sympathy, his determination. He will never be lost to you… Eirika."
Her name alone, free of any honorific, caught in his throat. He didn't know what made him say it. Her lower lip was quivering, and he watched her catch it between her teeth, squeeze her eyes shut tight, trying to drive away whatever was building inside her. Before he could speak again, she fell forward into his chest, and Seth heard muffled sobs, quiet and raw.
At once he wrapped his arms around her, as warmly as he could. Something stung at his eyes, and he realized with somewhat of a shock that they were tears. He took a shuddering breath, burying his face in Eirika's hair. Her hands tightened around his shirt, and at that moment, Seth knew that each of them was clinging to the other with equal desperation.
"I can't lose anyone else," Eirika murmured. "If this is what it feels like… like my heart is being torn in two, ripped out of my chest and broken, I… I can't lose Ephraim. I can't lose you. I can't."
Seth did not know what to say. They were headed into a war, he could feel it in his gut, and war had consequences. You survive when your comrades are killed, innocents die before your eyes and you are helpless to do anything about it, your king… your kings orders you to leave him, and you know it is the last order he will ever give. War spares no innocent heart its proper share of pain. Perhaps… she is not ready yet.
"So I won't," she continued, her voice a little stronger. When she looked up at him, her eyes were wet but resolute. "I won't let anyone else be taken from me. I'll fight for my father's sake. I'll fight to protect anyone and everyone that I care about. I will."
She is ready. She had that look in her eyes, that thunder, that was so familiar to him; it was the spark that had caught the tinder of his heart and set it alight. It was the look Eirika wore when she had something she wanted, and she would never rest until it came to be.
If they had been standing, Seth would have knelt before her. As it was, their eyes were level, and even if he had wanted to, he could not look away.
"I will be by your side, every moment," Seth swore. "As I was your father's, now I am yours, Princess. To you I pledge my sword, my life…"
Her hand touched his chest, on the damp spot where her tears had fallen. Her bright blue eyes seemed to shine right through him.
My heart.
He couldn't say the words, but he placed his hand over hers and prayed she understood. With a tremulous smile, she nodded.
"Thank you, Seth," she said. "Without you, I… I…"
She, too, couldn't seem to finish, but there was no need. Seth kissed her hand, a chaste, proper kiss, and together they rose to their feet, fingers intertwined.
Far above them, the stars twinkled distant and cold. But as they walked, their bodies close, Seth and Eirika were warm.