Title: I Love You
Author: 90
Pairing: Hector & Lyndis
Summary: From the Beginning. Over the years. Till the end. Hector, Lyndis and that thing they call "love".
Disclaimer: Fire Emblem and its characters belong to their rightful owners. I own NOTHING, except the idea.
I love you.
It's not a weight you must carry around.
Over a usual dinner he says those three little words for the first time. The routine sounds of the group they are traveling with swirl to silence in her ears.
He shrugs and grins with his cheek pouched as her jaw sloughs down a little in surprise. He pokes a piece of Lowen's spicy pickle into her open mouth and laughs at her. He doesn't get to surprise her very often.
She doesn't run; or lecture him.
There's no need. He spoke a truth. She accepts that.
The spicy pickle and her coy smile makes her cheeks pinch from the inside out. His eyes show his fondness, she needs nothing else.
I love you.
It's not a box that holds you in.
As usual, they are at each other's throats again. This time the topic being Hector's needless concern for her safety.
"You're just wearing a cotton garb."
"I don't need to cover myself with metal. I am not clumsy enough to get injured like you."
Eyes blazing, they stare each other down for a moment till Hector scoffs and walks away.
Barely a week later, she's getting her wounds treated by Serra, who is unusually quiet not that Lyn isn't grateful for it. Hector walks into the tent and Lyn braces herself for an angry reprimand and an "I was right!" comment.
What she wasn't ready for was the gentle hand on her question and the worry in his eyes.
"Are you all right?"
Suddenly Lyn feels her chest begin to tighten, and her eyes begin to water. He wasn't angry, he was worried and that makes a world of difference. That someone cares for her enough to overlook her faults. She just buries her face in his neck and he ends up holding her all night.
I love you.
It's not a standard you have to bear.
When she meets his court, it's a disaster. One count is convinced she thinks she's better than them. Another just thinks she's not fit for such a big country and position.
They bring up her family, even after Hector warned. Lyn excuses herself for air and misses his tirade.
He finds her in the private garden where he used to spend all his time after his parents' death.
You want to cut 'em up? I'll let you use my axe. Her genuine smile cracks for the first time that day.
I love you.
It's not a sacrifice I make.
She finds herself holding on for that extra second before their groups walk into the battlefield.
Lyn. Be Careful.
She found out that if she rushed into battle without his telling her that, he'd find some way, usually make Matthew rush to her side to deliver the message.
Though, she rolls her eyes and says when is she not, inside she is secretly thankful.
I love you.
It's not a pedestal you are frozen upon.
In front of everyone, she's articulate. Cleverly cutting in her similes, metaphors and war strategy.
But in his arms, she speaks incoherent pleas. He smiles, kissing her breasts. She couldn't tell a sword from a lance right now. His award is the bow of her lips as they form an O.
In front of everyone, she's Lady Lyndis, granddaughter of the marquess of Caelin. The woman whose blade and tight smiles never falter.
But alone with him, she's simply Lyn. She can fly or she can falter. He'll be there to catch her either way.
I love you.
It's not an expectation of perfection.
She tells him to go to hell. He calls her a wench.
She eats alone, the silence suddenly jarring. He comes by and sits next to her.
Her frosty eyes thaw like Spring rivers as he grins sheepishly, a new scabbard in hand.
I love you whether we're fighting side by side, fucking or arguing. It doesn't go away. I love you whether you're right beside me or halfway to the moon.
But you still were being a wench, Lyndis.
The Mani Katti ends up in the new scabbard; they end up in her bed.
I love you.
It's not my life's whole purpose - or yours either.
He holds up her long hair as she empties the contents of the night's dinner into the basin. Its been a year since they've married but Lyn has fallen sick for the first time.
He sends for the best physician in Ostia. Pacing up and down while the doctor examines her, he's imagining the worst of scenarios. Oswin and Matthew watch him silently. Their eyes moving with his movements.
When the doctor finally comes out and announces that Lyn is expecting a child, Hector almost feels his knees buckle. He rushes into the room and kisses Lyn, long and slow.
He sees her eyes are watery, maybe his are too. Tears of joy… and he always found the concept to be overrated.
I love you.
It's not to make you change.
In the stillness of midnight, he asks her if she would have changed anything. She's thoughtful; pausing and weighing out her answer before shaking her head against his chest. No. Would you?
He kisses the top of her head. Not a thing, Lyn. Not a thing.
Everything may happen eventually, but everything also happens for a reason.
He concurs she is better off not knowing about the "curse" of Armads. His insomnia should not be her worry; he can deal with it himself.
Oh, Hector. You need to shave. The beard makes you look old.
He chuckles silently. Strangely enough, he does not dream that night, but slumbers peacefully for the first time in weeks.
I love you.
It's not even to make you love me.
Holding her hand, he cries. For himself, for her, for his brother, his parents, for his friends. He had once told her that he had never cried, but that seems so long ago now.
She gives birth to their daughter, one as beautiful as her. But, she has complications and the doctor said she can't be saved. His initial rage swiftly melts to grief and helplessness when he sees her lying on the bed.
She looks so weak, so pale. She holds his hand weakly.
Be strong. For her. For my Lilina.
He nods silently. Hector has never been one to believe in higher powers, but he prays with all of him at this moment. Don't take her away. Not her.
I love you.
I love you too.
She dies with a smile on her face taking a big part of him with her.
All of him, every fiber he's got wants to die but he won't do it because he made a promise to Lyn.
So, he does his best to become a good father to his daughter, his heart breaking all over again as he sees Lilina growing up to be a split image of her mother.
Years later, when he's lying in a dungeon surely bleeding to death, he hopes he has completed his promise to her.
I love you.
It's as pure and simple as that.
Four days after the final battle, she says those three little words for the first time.
She laughs at his wide eyes and pulls the spoon dangling from his mouth out, scooping another bite of whatever he was eating onto it and offering it to him; lips pulled into a smirk.
Why?
She shrugs and cleans his spoon off herself, tongue flicking through it. She could name a million and one reasons. A million and one memories. A million and one pieces he has stolen from her heart. But she doesn't have to.
It all boils down to... I just do.
THE END