The journey through Carcino was far different than the pleasant cruise to Jehanna they had initially planned. Things had gone awry quickly; with the revolt of Pablo and the harbors closed due to a demonic vessel haunting the waters, Eirika and her party were effectively grounded. After linking up with Prince Innes and his hired warriors, their only plan at the moment was one of survival. They were still moving west, but their main concern was simply dealing with the demons running rampant and the mercenaries hired by Pablo to kill them at every turn.

Eirika found herself being pushed away from the frontline further and further with every battle. Most days Seth and Innes took command when dealing with assailants, leaving Eirika far behind to just wander around aimlessly. They were just concerned with her safety obviously, but Eirika was starting to feel a growing boredom with each passing day. Eirika was the LAST person to lust for violence... but the war had changed everyone. Her innocence had been long stained, and now she felt a sickening desire for battle that she hated... but still craved to fulfill. After fighting for her life for so many weeks, Eirika now felt an emptiness inside her when she didn't have an enemy to thrust her sword at.

It was another day much like the couple of days before: a mercenary troop hired by Pablo was waiting to ambush them in a nearby meadow, just off the main road a ways. Seth and most of the cavalry had rode on ahead to combat them, leaving Eirika to bring up the rear as usual. As far back as she was, there was no chance of an enemy attacking her. Even if they had somehow gotten past the main force, the backup units in the area would mop them up with relative ease. Once again, Eirika was left behind with naught but her bored thoughts.

Since there was nothing to do, Eirika just wandered through the meadow for a while. She admired the tall grass, the flowers, the trees scattered about... wait, there was something strange at that tree. It looked... red!

Since their enemies usually dressed in red, Eirika was immediately cautious. Drawing her sword, she carefully crept towards a single tree in the distance, which had what looked like a red unit propped up against it. There was a horse too, but it was behind the tree so Eirika couldn't see the color of its saddle. She just had to assume it was an enemy cavalier.

"Excellent... my rapier should make short work of him."

Eirika could feel her heart pumping, her blood rushing... the familiar craving of blood on her tongue that had been an unfortunate effect of this awful war. She hated who she had become... but she had to accept it; she was fighting for not only her life, but the life of an entire nation.

"This is it... he doesn't see me..." Eirika whispered to herself.

With a deep breath, Eirika raised her rapier and lunged forward, preparing to strike down the assailant swiftly.

"HAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The man immediately noticed her presence and was so startled he dropped his lance. He didn't even have enough time to get to his feet. This was it... he was doomed.

But then... a few surprising words escaped from his mouth.

"AHH! PRINCESS EIRIKA, STOP!"

Eirika barely had enough time to pump the brakes after hearing those words. Her momentum was so great, the rapier nearly pierced his chest before the command finally went to her feet to stop.

"W-WAAAAAH!" she squealed as she fell over, landing on her hands and knees right next to the red knight.

"H-hey! Are you okay?"

Eirika looked up at him, and it was only after he removed his helmet that she finally realized who it was. She saw his familiar emerald eyes, his golden hair in a ponytail, his unkempt stubble from the constant days of movement... it was one of her brother Ephraim's most trusted vassals.

"Oh my! S-sir Forde...!" Eirika gasped, dropping her rapier out of shock.

"Whew! Ya gave me quite a scare there, milady." Forde chuckled, a grin on his face. "Heh, I'm sorry. I promise I'll... ugh... YAAAAAAAAAAAAAWN... I promise I won't sleep on the job again, heh heh."

"S-s-sir Forde... ah..." Eirika stammered, tears welling up. "You were just... napping. I... I saw your red armor and though... ah... I nearly killed my own man..."

"Ah relax, Lady Eirika." Forde replied, reaching over and dusting her off a bit. "I mean, you DIDN'T kill me so... that's all that matters, heh. I'm just impressed by your perception. I thought I was far enough away from the others that nobody would find me!"

Eirika finally got off her hands and knees and sat upright, taking a few deep breaths as she felt her nerves calming. "Whew... well I was left behind as well, so forgive me for finding another face this far away from the frontline. I didn't mean to disturb your nap."

"Aw, don't apologize for that, milady!" Forde said with a chuckle. "If anything, I should apologize for shirking my responsibilities for a quick snooze. Heck, Kyle is probably wondering where I am right now. I hope he doesn't find me!"

Eirika finally felt a smile tugging at her lips until it couldn't be hidden. "Hee hee... well don't worry. I won't tell anyone I found you sleeping back here."

"You're the best, milady!" Forde exclaimed, letting out a loud yawn and stretching out a bit. "Ahhhhhh! But ya know, you should really hang back here for a while where it's safe. I don't think there's any chance of danger this far out. Plus, we can just tell the others I was protecting you!"

Eirika smiled a bit wider. "Oh Forde... I'm not sure if my brother keeps you around for your fighting skills, or for simply being amusing. Very well then, if you're really that worried about me then I will stay back here."

"That's good..." Forde mumbled, another yawn escaping his mouth. "Whew... well in that case... if you don't mind I'll just be closing my eyes for a little while longer..."

Eirika didn't know whether to be surprised or not; Forde seemed to not care the least bit about sleeping right in front of his own lord. It's like the man had no stress in his mind, no troubles in the world... the exact opposite of her.

This insight suddenly produced a spontaneous question from Eirika's lips.

"Forde... what does it feel like to take a nap in the middle of a battle?"

Forde's eyes opened and he turned, looking groggily into Eirika's curious eyes. He didn't really have a good answer at the moment, as he was half asleep and because the question admittedly caught him off guard.

"Uhn...hrmh... w-well... uhhhh... it feels good?"

"Does it? Tell me exactly how it feels. I want to know... how is it you can be so calm all the time."

Forde could tell just from Eirika's solemn face that he shouldn't make light of the situation. It was one of those rare occassions where he would have to be serious for once, or risk offending someone. After clearing his throat, he prepared the best answer he could think of.

"Um... well... when I take a nap, I uhh... I feel all the burdens of life sleeping with me. You know, they don't LEAVE, but they lay dormant for a while until you're ready to wake up and let life continue again. You see, milady, that's the key to dealing with the bad stuff in life. Sometimes, you just gotta sleep! You can't sleep forever, of course, that's a luxury only afforded to the dead. But just for a little while... just to escape the horrors of war for a while... it's the best kind of escape."

Eirika put her hand to her chin. "Hmmm... I see... very well then. Thank you, Forde."

"Oh, uh... no problem. I hope that was a satisfying answer for you. I'm not a very deep guy, heh heh..."

"Nonsense, that was very deep of you Forde. That was a very good answer." Eirika replied with a warm smile.

"Okay... good. Th-thanks. Well... I'm going to sleep now." Forde said nervously.

"Very good then."

A peaceful silence filled the air for a minute or two, the most prominent sound the wind blowing in the tree over them. Eirika shot a few glances over to the sleeping knight. He looked so...peaceful. She felt envy brewing inside her, wishing she could share that same feeling: a warm wave of serenity washing over her, cleansing her dark emotions and warming her increasingly cold heart. Could that really make it all better? Is it really that easy, to just... close your eyes and forget it all? Eirika had to know...

"...Forde?"

Forde snorted and stirred abruptly, flailing around a few times.

"Ah! Uh! Uhn..wh-wha..?"

"Forde, may I take a nap with you?"

Forde blinked a few times, making sure he heard the question right.

"H-huh? Could you repeat that, Lady Eirika?"

Eirika leaned in closer. "I want to know what it's like to just close my eyes and forget the world's problems. Please, may I take a nap with you?"

Forde could feel himself getting a little warm in the cheeks, once again thrown off by Eirika's question. He rubbed his eyes nervously, almost stuttering to get his words out.

"Um, um um s-sure. I mean, you're the princess, so I can't really tell you no-ooooo?"

Forde's next surprise came when he felt a weight collapse against him. Eirika was pressed against him, her head under his neck, her legs draped over his. She put her arms tenderly around his neck and sighed gently.

"Hmhhh... is this okay, Forde...?"

"Ah, uhh... I mean... if you're comfortable, then..."

"Mmm... put your arms around me so I don't get cold."

Eirika wouldn't have to worry about that, as Forde was currently boiling in his armor at this sudden display. He took several deep breaths, trying to maintain his composure as he wrapped his arms around Eirika's slender body and hugged her gently. He made sure not to be too tight around her as to not hurt the petite princess. He wasn't used to this kind of contact, especially with the Princess of Renais, but... it felt pretty good to snuggle with someone. Maybe he would sleep even better than usual with a beautiful girl in his arms.

The two laid against the tree, their bodies pressed tight and arms in a warm embrace. They closed their eyes simultaneously, allowing the stress and horrors of life to fall into a deep slumber.

"A-are you sure you're comfy, Lady..."

"Shhhhh... be quiet, please Forde. I wish to sleep now..."

"Ah... okay... sorry. S-sleep well, Lady Eirika."

"Mm... you too..."

They feel asleep together under the tree, in each other's arms. As Eirika breathed softly against Forde's chest, she could already feel her perspective changing for the better.

THE END