a/n: this was written for the arslan senki holdiay exhange hosted by arslansenkifandomweek tumblr! prompt was: alfreed/farangis sisterly bonding
Stepping Stones
Five months after Alfreed joins Arslan's band of merry soldiers, she realizes three things. One, that Narsus is really playing hard to get. Two, that Arslan might as well be leading her into a full-scale war and certain death. And three – Lady Farangis is a goddess.
Thankfully, the first two are easy problems to solve. She's always been more of a go-with-the-flow gal anyways, and Alfreed is pretty confident in both her charm and her fighting skills – she's sure everything will turn out just fine. Plus, Arslan's won her loyalty a thousand times over already. Alfreed thinks she wouldn't mind dying for him. Just a little bit.
The third problem, however, leaves Alfreed a little bit stumped. The Zot Clan didn't exactly have exemplary female role models for Alfreed to look up to, and it's not like Alfreed particularly cares about being "lady-like." What she does care about, however, is the fact that Farangis is a kick-ass warrior – pretty much everything Alfreed inspires to be.
Elam, the brat, immediately notices Alfreed's hesitation around the priestess. He smirks and says, "I knew it. You're scared of her."
"Am not!" Alfreed snaps back, but simmers down when Narsus throws both of them a disproving look. They've been riding all day, headed toward some ally or safe house – honestly, Alfreed wasn't really listening – but hours and hours of the sun on her neck and Elam jabbering in her ear eats at her patience.
She's been casting wary glances toward Farangis the entire time, fighting the urge to nudge her horse forward. The priestess is wearing a tight-lipped smile as she pretends to listen to Gieve's prattling, but Alfreed is thinking more about the sharp, no-nonsense aura Farangis exudes and how it seemed she could kill with simply her stare.
"At least it's not Narsus," Elam snickers, laughing as Alfreed growls and jerks her horse toward his, threatening to draw her sword. (Elam just laughs even harder as Narsus turns around and glares.)
But she doesn't think her feelings toward Farangis are reminiscent of love in any kind of way. It's nothing close to the affection she's got for Narsus.
She's mulling her thoughts over when Daryun gives the signal to stop. The sun has already begun to slip under the horizon, and the troop moves to set up camp for the night. Alfreed lets herself get lost in the hustle and bustle, forgetting entirely about her dilemma until dinner time.
"I'm starving," she declares, sitting beside Narsus and across from Farangis. Elam is on Narsus' other side, and leans behind him to give her an evil look. She sticks her tongue out in response.
In the corner of her eye, Alfreed sees Lady Farangis lift a wine cup to her lips, a small smile reflected on the polished surface.
Ok, Alfreed reasons, maybe she is a little scared of Lady Farangis.
She finds herself inadvertently avoiding Farangis, flattening her presence and sneaking around after dinner. This plan, however, goes awry when Elam takes one look at her and loudly announces. "Alfreed, what are you doing?"
Alfreed yelps, pivoting to glare at her eternal rival. "What's it to you?"
Elam narrows his eyes, voice dropping to a whisper. "I know you've been avoiding Lady Farangis. Why, I have no idea, but you should fix whatever problem you've got before it causes any trouble."
Luckily, it seems the adults aren't paying any attention to their spat, already a common sight. Still, Alfreed instinctively sneaks a look toward Farangis, who is sitting all the way at the other end of the ensemble.
"You can't laugh at me," Alfreed hisses.
"What?" Elam says, surprised he was answered. "Laugh about what?"
"What I'm about to tell you," she snaps, "You're not allowed to tell anyone else and you're not allowed to laugh at me."
Already, Elam's lips are quirking upward, but his eyes gleam with intrigue. "I promise," he says, "As long as it's not going to hurt any of us."
Well. Alfreed can't vouch for that, but calms down enough to settle into a sitting position, facing Elam with a disgruntled glare.
"I," she begins, "am, first of all, not scared of Lady Farangis."
Elam, true to his word, does not laugh. He does, however, ugly snort. "Continue," he says.
But her mind has gone blank, and her throat dry. Irate, she snatches a cup of water and downs it.
"I, however, am maybe a little scared of Lady Farangis."
Elam chokes, face flushing red, but still doesn't laugh. "And – and why is that?" he asks between wheezes. Alfreed can do nothing but glare.
"Because I think she's so goddamn cool," Alfreed blurts out. "She's so pretty and so strong and she could probably kill a man with her glare and she can definitely kill one with an arrow and – "
She stops when she sees the look on Elam's face. It's a mixture between amusement and confusion and pure elation. By this point, Alfreed is pretty sure Elam is laughing at her.
Elam draws in a breath, holds up a finger to silence Alfreed's next words. "I think," he says, failing to fight the wide grin spreading across his face, "you should just talk to her."
This time, Alfreed chokes.
"Watch out!" A soldier shouts, but the din of battle drowns his words. Alfreed twists her body anyways, narrowly dodging a red-flecked arrow. She winces as a sharp pain sparks through her ankle – she must've sprained it on a bad landing earlier.
"I hate everything," Alfreed growls, tripping over her own feet and launches straight into a bush. Sputtering, she pulls herself out, pausing to catch her breath. She doesn't realize the large, heavy shadow leaning over her until she catches the sharp gleam of a blade in her peripherals.
But, before Alfreed can even react, an arrow whistles through the air, and she can only watch as the enemy soldier stumbles and falls, an arrow lodged neatly into the side of his neck.
"What – who – "
Alfreed jerks her head up, sharp eyes scanning the trees. She sees a flutter of dark cloth, positioned against the greens and browns of the forest, and immediately recognizes the silhouette perched upon the branches.
"Lady Farangis," she whispers to herself, and looks back at the dead soldier lying at her feet.
"Ok," Alfreed huffs, slapping her cheeks. "Back to work."
After the skirmish, Alfreed slips into the medical tent to snatch some bandages to wrap up her ankle. She is about to sneak out again, unwilling to let anyone know of her injury, when she turns around and walks straight into another person.
"Hey!" Alfreed automatically shouts, sliding into a fighting pose.
A soft cough immediately douses her adrenaline rush, and Alfreed blinks, only to find her looking up at Farangis' amused face.
"Alfreed," the priestess says, tactfully ignoring the way the girl ashamedly straightens her shoulders and hides the bandages behind her back. "Are you alright?"
"Y-yes!" Alfreed yells. She winces – she didn't mean to be so loud! "I'm good! I'm just, just, uh,"
Farangis raises a perfect eyebrow. "Alfreed," she says, patiently, "Will you join me for a walk?"
Immediately, Alfreed forgets about her throbbing ankle and responds, "Of course!"
Seemingly satisfied, Farangis turns, cloak swishing around her legs as she strides out of the tent. Alfreed bites her lip and follows the priestess. As they walk in awkward silence, Alfreed haphazardly stuffs the bandages in a pouch she'd brought with her, and wipes her sweaty palms on her pants. They past clusters of soldiers milling around, horses scuffing the dirt with the hooves. Alfreed wants to ask where Farangis is leading her, but one look at Farangis' straight posture and no-nonsense aura makes her bite her tongue.
"Come in," Farangis says, suddenly stopping and snapping Alfreed out of her thoughts. They're standing in front of Farangis' tent, and the priestess has lifted up the cloth door, gesturing for Alfreed to enter first.
"Ok," Alfreed replies, for the lack of nothing better to say.
Farangis' tent is surprisingly plain. There's a simple sleeping cot rolled out in the center of the tent, a box or two of provisions next to it. Alfreed sees Farangis' bow propped up against her quiver, some miscellaneous maintenance supplies piled neatly beside them.
"Alfreed," Farangis begins, "Please sit." She gestures to a bench in the corner of the tent, a shiny wood finish and decorated with elegant carvings. Left with little choice, Alfreed awkwardly sits, wincing as she unintentionally leans onto her sprained ankle. Damn.
Farangis takes one look at her and sighs, shaking her head. "Please do not be so nervous," she says.
"Lady Farangis," Alfreed blurts out, unable to hold her tongue for any longer. "Why am I here?"
It seems that neither of them are good with words, for Farangis silently steps to the side to rummage through a supply kit, pulling out a roll of bandages. She says, quietly, "I could see you limping on the way home. Please do not be afraid to ask for help."
Alfreed isn't the best at reading people, but she hears the gentle worry behind Farangis' words. "Oh," the girl says, eyes downcast.
Farangis hums, and steps closer. "If you will not see a medic, will you allow me to help you?"
"Oh," Alfreed says, again, but she smiles this time, big and bright. "Yes, please."