"Hey Forte!" Valerie stuck her head out from behind the bookcase they had just installed in their small home. "Dinner's almost ready." Forte slipped her helmet off and shook her head to free her hair. Valerie laughed behind her hand. "You know, you always look like you're trying to shake off some effect when you do that. Like shaking your head would get rid of poison or something."
"Ah, I wish. But not even the strongest knight could dispel an enemy's sting with a shake of their head." She set the rest of her armor aside and surveyed the room, a soft smile on her face. "What's for dinner?"
"Your favorite winter dish—stew!" Valerie said with a smile, uncovering the pot from the stove. Forte laughed quietly to herself.
"And to think there was a time I did not come home to you…"
"What was that?"
"Oh, nothing, just muttering to myself," the knight replied. But Valerie caught the tinge of a blush on the other girl's cheeks and could not help herself from mirroring it. She ladled the stew into two bowls and carried them to the table.
"Dinner is served." She looked at Forte. Her hair was a little ruffled, a few strands sticking up. Just like it had been when they first met…
"Are you OK?" Valerie had asked, instantly wondering where she got the courage to talk to the cutie. She shuffled, moving her feet closer together.
"Y-Yes!" The knight said, her helmet between her hands. "I just thought I felt something in here." She shook it vigorously until a tiny bug fell out. "Oh. I thought it was something much more deadly." They stood there for a moment and started laughing.
"I'm Forte, knight and guardian of Selphia." She presented an armored hand for the other girl to shake.
"I'm Valerie, the new knight-in-training. Would you be able to show me to the training center?"
"What are you thinking about?" The other girl murmured.
"Oh! Um, you," she said, running a hand through her tousled brown hair. "And life. Do you ever think about how firsts always seem more important in hindsight? It's like we can't fully value things until we've passed them."
"Oh Valerie, you know how you get when you talk about philosophy." But she smiled and gave her answer anyway. They were like that, the two of them, able to flutter between the light-hearted and the serious.
But their peace was not unnoticed.
The pair had just finished putting the dishes away when their candlelight flickered. Valerie ignored it, but Forte stood still, her hand instinctively going to her hip.
"Did you hear that?"
"I didn't hear anything," Valerie replied, but she looked at her girlfriend a second longer, concern etching lines into her face. "Forte, you don't need to worry. You're strong, and I'll—"
"You'll protect me. I know." The knight smiled, but Valerie could tell she was still worried. She put her hand in Forte's and squeezed once.
"That's right. And step one is making sure you get some rest." Valerie made sure Forte was settled and snuggled beside her. They were asleep soon, and all of Selphia turned off their lights and turned back their covers to join them.
A shadow crept inside the window of the house. It stayed by the bed for a while as if pondering who would make the most appropriate target, then shrunk and pushed itself into Forte's heart. The creature's tail disappeared into her chest with a squelch, and Forte gasped. She disappeared in an explosion of muted light, and Valerie woke up just in time to see a portal close.
"No!" She snatched at the portal, but it was too late. "Forte! Forte, where are you?"