Title: Shaky
Pairing: Eirika/Seth
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing in the FE franchise, including the characters or plot of Sacred Stones. This story is written purely for fun.
Author's Notes: This was my first FE game, and Eirika/Seth was my first paired ending. I absolutely adore this game, and as much as I love Shadows of Valentia, I would give good money for a Sacred Stones remake.
Anyway, for the few people out there still reading fanfics for these two, I sincerely hope you enjoy!
-START-
With a flick of the wrist and the brief scraping of a matchhead, Eirika lit a candle in her bedroom. Dressed in a gown of rich red, marigold and white, she carried the flickering light to a bedside table. The small spark provided just enough light to illuminate the chamber. Despite the many tall windows, the ornate bedroom had already grown dark from the shadow of nightfall.
The woman hadn't anticipated staying up so late, but the festivities following her wedding had carried a large majority of the kingdom past twilight hours.
A smile caressed her gentle features.
That's right, she thought fondly. She was newly married following her return to Renais after the war. It wasn't just her bedroom. It was the same room she shared with her new husband.
Mere hours ago, the queen of Renais's restoration had married the kingdom's infamous Silver Knight. She married the man who had saved her life…her beloved Seth.
The woman supposed she'd loved him since their first meeting, although it had taken her a long time to realize it. The events of the war had absolutely played a part in setting her realization into action as she also came into herself as a princess and as an adult.
Her mind flashed back to when Seth had swept her atop his horse and carried her away from the castle belonging to her father upon Grado's first invasion of Renais. At the time, she'd been incredibly naïve and must have begged the young knight a hundred times to turn around and take her back to Fado's castle. She'd had no idea what was yet to come in the future and all the other forms of death and destruction she would come to witness.
Upon their first confrontation with Valter, Seth given her a Rapier to fight with, and the two conquered the battlefield together. Even during her brief training with her brother Ephraim years before, she'd only utilized lances and had never used her sword skills on an actual battlefield.
Despite the odds stacked against them, they had succeeded in slashing and piercing all the enemies on the battlefield. The two made quite a team.
Later, while on their way to Frelia atop her knight's mighty steed, Eirika had sworn she'd felt something as she leaned against Seth's heavily armored chest. A little spark lit her somber heart when Seth touched her. The heat she'd felt hadn't been there before and had captivated her interest for a moment, giving her cause for a moment of brief introspection.
At first, she'd brushed it aside and nerves and fear. She'd just lost her father from an attack from a neighboring kingdom. It made sense that she would be tense and feel strange emotions, to say the absolute least.
As their battle continued, she'd chalked the feeling up to reverence and respect for the calm and collected knight. It was hard to not admire someone so strong and cool under pressure. He was like a boulder everyone on their team could lean on for support. Everyone on the team felt fondness for him.
Towards the end of their plight, she realized the spark she'd felt had been the first sign of the love she harbored for her dear knight. She'd fallen in love with his sense of honor and humility. Despite his quiet nature, he knew how tender and caring he was, and couldn't think of anyone she'd rather spend the rest of her life with.
So then, why were her hands shaking?
She looked down at her hands and trembling fingers, one of which was adorned with a gold wedding band. Eirika inhaled and exhaled with deliberate slowness. Her cerulean eyes closed as she clasped her hands together as if grasping the hilt of an imaginary sword.
"Oh, Seth…"
She spoke her husband's name into the darkness.
All of a sudden, her hands were encased in new warmth that didn't come from the candle's flickering flame. Her eyes instantly shot open to see calloused hands covering hers, thumbs tracing the wedding band. Seconds later, she felt the familiar width of Seth's strong chest press against her back and shoulders. His heartbeat was sturdy and strong, and she could feel its steady reverberations even through the multi-layered royal suit he was still wearing from the ceremony.
"You called, my lady?"
Eirika turned her head to look over her shoulder, smiling when she gazed upon Seth's face and his beautiful sanguine eyes.
"Seth!" the princess said with great relief in her voice. "There you are."
"What's wrong, my love?" he asked, noting that her hands were still trembling in his palms. He closed his fingers around her grip and lifted her hands to his lips, where he dropped a deft kiss.
"Oh, I'm just nervous…" she said. The woman dipped her head and continued softly, "I know the fighting is over, but it's still so surreal. We've been busy rebuilding since we got back, and while I'm happy to be married, I suppose I still feel guilty."
Seth was silent. Before he jumped to answer her, he wanted his love to say everything she needed to and get everything off her chest.
"As we stand here, there are still dozens of people that need help," she clarified as she dipped her angelic face in shame. "Even on the happiest day of my life, I still can't forget about my beloved citizens of Renais and all their hardships."
"I see," he replied with a nod, a few strands of crimson hair falling in front of his eyes.
"I was just thinking about our first time on the battlefield together and how broken apart I was about my father," she told him, feeling comfortable in his arms. She trusted him enough to confide her happiest thoughts or deepest sorrows with him, but the warmth of his body always provided further consolation that was always appreciated.
She reclined her head against his chest and glanced upwards. "I remember the pain of losing my father…and fear of losing Renais. I can only imagine how scared our citizens were."
Seth only smiled as he wound a lock of her oceanic hair around his fingers. He lifted the coiled strands to his lips and placed a soft kiss.
"My love, that is exactly why I adore you," he said with a soft shake of the head. Eirika gave him a perplexed stare as he gently spun her around in his arms so he could stare into her eyes. His calloused fingertips skimmed her cheek. It was a struggle for Eirika to resist swooning at his touch, even though they were married and had shared touches far more intimate than a simple caress.
As he raised his arm to pull her close, Eirika noticed a flash of pain across her husband's face that was so subtle even she almost missed it.
"Oh, your injury isn't completely healed," she said with a frown. "Has it hurt this whole time? Seeeth…"
The young woman knew that Seth was still recovering from an injury from the beginning of the war. She hadn't known that the injury was still causing him pain.
The princess raised her hand to the sore area located just between his shoulder and chest. Beneath the fabric of his suit, she knew there was still an angry and inflamed scar that had yet to completely heal from one of their first battles. Eirika had asked him about it numerous times during their journey, but he always brushed it off.
"It's fine," he fibbed, gently placing his hand over hers and moving their joined palms over his thudding heart. When she felt how fast and loud it was beating, she couldn't fight the tiny smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth and crinkled the corners of her eyes.
"The injury might continue to cause me pain, but it does nothing to quell the happiness I feel on this day," he told her, face softening as he looked down at her face. "Can you hear how fast my heart is beating?"
Her reply was an exhale. "Yes…"
Seth's voice was soft as velvet as he drew his beloved wife closer.
"My lady, although you needn't feel a shred of guilt for taking a day off, I understand your reservations," he continued. He gently enfolded his fingers around her palm and led her to one of the tall windows of their chamber. He said in a whisper, "Follow me."
Eirika shadowed him swiftly until they were standing side by side one of the chamber's towering window. The two gazed out across the kingdom, awash with the light of torches and celebrative lights even as nightfall crept consumed the houses in darkness.
What houses remained after the invasion, of course. Her already shaky optimism started to falter at the depressing, self-indulgent sight before her.
All of a sudden, Eirika noticed something in the horizon that was unfamiliar. The young woman knew all of Renais like the back of her hand, and regardless of the destruction, she was immediately able to pinpoint a distinct looking wagon slowly making its way towards the castle gate. The wagon was stocked with raw materials like wood and ores, and smaller carts carried packaged food items, seeds and grains.
Eirika's eyes widened at the sight. She didn't remember commissioning any merchants earlier in the day to bring supplies, let alone such massive quantities.
The woman pivoted towards Seth with an expression of incredulous wonder. "Seth? You didn't…"
The red-haired knight chuckled, but didn't avert his gaze from the cart as the castle guards approached the merchants and steadily allowed them inside. Even his own wedding couldn't eliminate his protective instincts that he'd spent years refining.
Among the crowd was Ephraim, whose body language indicated he was just as shocked as his sister.
"My lady, forgive me for acting with your consent," he began, turning slowly to his confused bride and placing his hands on her shaking shoulders.
"Seth, you ordered all these supplies for the restoration?" she asked, barely able to keep her words straight. "I don't understand."
The knight's usually calm expression shone with joy at the sight of his beloved's elation. He'd been sitting on the surprise all day and waiting for the carts to arrive to finally reveal the surprise.
"I used some of my savings to buy supplies for the kingdom's restoration," he explained, his expression turning solemn for a moment. As a knight of a kingdom in peril, he could think of no better gift to his best friend and wife than to help with the effort and rebuild they kingdom they both adored with all their hearts.
Although he knew his gesture would raise the eyebrows of some other nobles, but he also knew he'd made a choice Eirika would agree with and one that would hopefully bring her joy. Seth explained, "With the kingdom in such disarray, I decided to use some of my money to purchase the necessary supplies to speed up restoration efforts. I knew you didn't want to leave. I don't either. So I thought that, for now, we can stay and rebuild Renais together, my love."
Eirika looked choked up with tears of joy. Even if she desired to speak, the words would have only come out as warbling syllables.
He continued quietly, "I've also arranged for us to travel about the city tomorrow to meet with the citizens. The exact schedule will be subject to your approval, of course, but I thought we might distribute the supplies and meet with residents to raise morale.
"With all the food being brought in, there should be enough for farmers to start growing food and feed the kingdom's families," he said, looking down into her misty eyes with the utmost adoration. "My love, I know it's not a romantic honeymoon, but…"
His words were severed by Eirika leaping into his arms and pulling him into a passionate kiss. The knight nearly buckled over from her strength when he pulled his shoulders down, but quickly recovered. The man snaked his arms around the woman and swept her off her feet and high against his chest. Every slope and plane of her body seemed to perfect fit against his.
He had a tiny window of reprieve while she was in his arms, and took the moment to glance down at her and make an inquiry by simply speaking her name. No other words were needed between them.
"Eirika?"
"It's perfect," she said breathlessly. The woman sniffled and looked up at him with glassy blue eyes that were wet with tears of absolute joy. "It's so perfect. You're perfect."
The man's heart thudded so loudly at the sight of her glee that he thought perhaps it might bruise his ribcage. "Really? You like it?"
"Oh, Seth, I can't think of a better way to spend our days," she said, laughing from the sheer amount of joy she felt. "I want to go to every house. I want to help every farmer plant their seeds. Oh, and we must repair the fence by the river to make it safe for the children to play in the meantime!"
"Of course," he said with a nod. "We'll do it all! It'll be exhausting, but I know everyone will want to help. Lady Tana has already volunteered to help rebuild some of the demolished stables, and Lady L'Arachel is working in an infirmary to help some of the injured citizens recover from their injuries. I'm sure we could get your brother, Forde, Kyle…and everyone else to help."
"Seth," she whispered, trying to suppress her cried of joy. Of course he would know better than anyone else how much she adored Renais and its people. There was no better gift than rebuilding her home. "Seth, come here."
Their lips met over and over. The couple's kisses were fast and clumsy as first, with Eirika kissing her beloved knight's chin, eyelids, forehead and cheeks. At the same time, Seth placed fleeting kisses on the corners of her beautiful mouth, moaning and gasping her name like a mantra. When their lips finally connected, Seth paused and lingered there as he slowly placed her on the nearby bed, arms still wound about her.
Eirika raised her hands to cup Seth's face, her fingers stroking his diamond-cut jawline and the small amount of shadowy stubble that adorned it. When he bent his head to kiss the velvety area of her throat, the sensation of his lips and stubble made her giggle in delight. Even though he'd shaved earlier in the day before the ceremony, his face was still prickly enough to make her ticklish.
Seth chuckled at the sound of her musical laugh and playfully bit her neck in turn, which made her laugh dissolve into a blissful moan.
"Seth…" the blue-haired woman sighed, clutching his shoulders as she placed another kiss on the tip of his nose.
The Silver Knight reluctantly pushed himself away from Eirika as he heard her call his name. For a moment, he merely stared at her before he moved to sit beside her on their ornate crafted bed. The man gently took her hand and lifted the flesh to his mouth to place a gentle kiss. The woman's grip was completely still and sturdy in his.
"Shall we…go over tomorrow's schedule?" he asked with a half-lidded stare that, despite is calmness, bore into her with enough blazing intensity that seemed to set her body aflame.
With every sinew of her being roaring for her husband's touch, she shook her head and said, "Not now. We'll go over it early tomorrow morning. For now, I think…we should spend some time together."
"Eirika…" he whispered. Then he smiled and placed a hand atop her shoulder to gently push her onto the bed until her back was flat against the mattress. "I'd like that. We've got a long day tomorrow, right?"
Chills went down her spine at the sound of him saying her name without any titles or formalities. They'd worked so hard to get to their current level of intimacy, and no matter how many times her embraced her or held her hand or even kissed her, she was left breathless each and every time.
It didn't take long for Seth's lips to cover hers again, and as his body slowly moved to cover hers, Eirika became more and more certain that it would be an arduous battle to get out of bed in the morning.
Still, anytime with Seth was worth it. Her Silver Knight had always been there for her, and even when war threatened to break them apart, they'd merely come back stronger.
"Be with me, Eirika," he pleaded with his lips against the soft flesh of her collar.
Her hands ran up his wide back and gripped him tightly. As she held him, her grip was solid and unfaltering as her palms flattened against his back and drew his full length against her.
"I'll always be here, Seth" she swore breathlessly. "Always."
-END-
The Bride trailer for FE Heroes just came out. I'm pleasantly surprised by the choices, especially a certain Fates character. I'll be spending all my hoarded orbs, for sure.
Also, when is Seth coming to Heroes? I mean, he's one of the most broken units in the franchise (in an OP way, of course), but they could tone him down! Also, I'd love characters like Innes or L'Arachel...of course.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed!