Written for fic_promptly on DW, "a violent storm".

It was a good thing they reached Delbray castle when they did, Astrid thought as another flash of lightning lit the night sky. What had started out as "a little rain" was now threatening to drown all of Crimea; having to fight in that would be a disaster. The thunder echoed through the halls of the castle, and suddenly she heard a yelp.

"Aaie! Oh, crackers, does it have to be so loud?!"

"Marcia?" She glanced across the dimly-lit room to her partner; so far, she only knew Marcia as "Sir Makalov's sensible sister", and they'd only recently taken to sharing sleeping quarters as their army grew. They'd never actually spoken much.

Across the room, Marcia yelped again, pulling the covers up to her chest.

"Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes," Astrid said. "I didn't realize you were afraid of storms." Marcia's face turned red.

"I-I'm not! It's just...interrupting my sleep! I can't fight if I'm tired, you know." She sounded cross. "Um, why are you still awake? Maybe you're the one who's-"

Again the thunder roared, and this time Marcia gave a loud cry before hiding her head under the pillow. Astrid felt a pang of sympathy for the young woman and slowly approached her.

"It's okay."

"I'm not afraid!" Marcia yelled, her voice muffled by the pillow. "I'm not...I can't be, I'm brave and strong, a Sacred Pegasus Knight of Begnion can't be afraid of anything." But she was shivering; Astrid remembered her older sister back home and her own fear of storms and how hard she tried to deny it as well.

"Should I get your brother?" she asked. "I'm sure he would-"

"No," Marcia mumbled. "He thinks I outgrew it years ago, he'd just laugh." Astrid found that impossible to believe; the way Sir Makalov spoke of his sister, she couldn't imagine him belittling her at her most vulnerable. Then again, she didn't know him the way Marcia did, so maybe it wasn't her place to insist.

"Then what can I do?" Marcia finally pulled her head out from under the pillow, looking angry and lost. She was someone who hated being afraid, it seemed.

"I'll get over it," she insisted. "You...you just go back to sleep, okay? Sorry I woke you."

"Oh, Marcia..." At first she'd just felt sorry for her but now she honestly wanted to help this girl. She'd never had any female friends of her own; women back home were conditioned for marriage and only marriage. And she guessed Marcia had friends, but no one she felt she could show her vulnerability to.

At that moment she made up her mind. Not even giving her own bed a second glance, Astrid climbed under Marcia's covers and wrapped her arms around the girl.

"H-hey...what are you-"

"I want to...I want to be your friend, and I want to keep you safe," Astrid said. "I'll leave if you want to, but...I hope you'll let me stay." Marcia went silent for a moment, then Astrid felt her relaxing into the embrace.

"No wonder my brother's always chasing after you," she muttered. "Well...if you don't mind. And don't tell anyone! You can tell them we shared a bed but let them draw their own conclusions." Astrid couldn't help but smile at that.

"If you say so." She held the girl closer. The storm raged on outside and it was a long time before either of them slept, but inside Astrid felt warm and comfortable, and for the first time in her life that she truly was growing stronger.