My Obligation
Chapter 12: Endearing Eyes

"Hm…" Eirika murmured gently as she held a sleeping Laeron against her form. Zeto's pace has slowed considerably as they were approached the comfortable environment, full of green grass, and a bright blue sky above them. Seth's horse was cantering next to hers and he peered over to her, not missing the tender look within her gaze.

"Are you tired, milady?" he asked as he reached over and pat her left forearm gently. It was a gesture he never would have dreamed of doing if they had not held such actions from before. Yet, it seemed well within reach and far beyond simply being physical. Emotionally it appeared present as well.

She smiled kindly and nodded vaguely, "As tired as the little one is here. I'm glad we were able to help him, though… It seems we weren't quick enough." Then she paused and straightened her posture, "He's asleep, Seth. You can call me Eirika. In fact… just call me that until we get into Carcino and Grado. I don't mind, really. It's sort of nice to hear you just say my name. Otherwise, I'll start sounding like a very stuffy… whatever I am to you."

"Beloved," Seth answered softly, plainly. She was his beloved. She was his heart. She was his soul. She was his other half. All of those things he wanted to say, and yet he could not. His words were not eloquent enough, he believed. Either that, or she would say them first and beat him to the punch, which she seemed to do often. "Sweet…" he whispered softly, "…beloved Eirika."

The tone he used caused a shudder nearly scale her spine and she smiled brightly, as though she was filled with a kind of the pride. To love and be loved… truly the greatest joy Divine Providence had lent her. Her heart longed to burst from her chest and simply flutter away into the very sky. Of course, if Innes had seen it and if he had known, he would have very easily pinpointed it with his bow and released an arrow. There was no doubt in her mind that his accuracy was dead on to prevent any such thing from happening.

Her attention turned onto Laeron as he stirred from his sleep. He yawned, reached up his arms, nearly smacking the teal-haired princess in the face and then he looked around, murmuring something about where he was. Clearly disoriented, Eirika could not resist giggling as she lifted her left hand to ruffle his hair affectionately. After all, this darling creature didn't have a family to return home to. For his sake, as well as her own, she hoped she could find a place for him in Renais.

He nestled into her and she finally brought her horse to a stop. Then when Seth dismounted beside her, he reached his gauntlets up and she offered to him the young boy, before helping herself down. For their hasty retreat, she still looked surprisingly clean and kept. Seth reached for her next and escorted her down, not missing the blush upon her cheeks, which he resisted placing a kiss upon. Laeron, meanwhile stared between the two. It was certainly the couple he'd seen the other night in the midst of his imaginative playing. That meant he knew at least who the girl was, although he had scarcely heard her called by name. A tiny hand lifted and he tugged upon the skirts of her dress.

"My name is Laeron," he said quietly with a surprising tender pitch.

And Eirika offered him a very light curtsy, "It is very nice to meet you. My name is Eirika."

Laeron nodded once, "I know who you are. You're the princess of that palace. Everyone has been talking about you. Everyone's right too."

"Everyone's right?" she echoed with a lofted eyebrow.

The young boy nodded and he edged towards her skirts, burying his face into her. His response was muttered and while the princess of Renais could not understand him, it seemed Seth had been able to. She looked over to her retainer and judging from the smile that was harboured upon his face, she assumed it was a good thing.

"He said that you are like a goddess to these lands," he chuckled, mostly to himself.

And she flushed to the very roots of her hair. Imagine that…! The princess of Renais, seen as a celestial being; but for what reason? She had not the power to grant miracles, or so she thought. Seth was a biased person, however, with regards to how he felt for her, so that she should be seen as someone so very special was of no large surprise.

"A goddess…" she murmured softly as she took Laeron into her arms. "What absolute nonsense. Magvel sees only what it wishes to see. And I wish it was not me it wanted to see."

Glancing over to the Silver Knight, she held the young boy to her and not even he could ignore that maternal gleam to her eyes, "We have made a rather large splash back in Port Kiris. The very last thing I need is more attention. It will bring Prince Innes to us, and I am not ready to face him just yet. I would like to be free for a little while longer. And… of course, I would like to go see my brother."

Seth nodded once and he looked around, taking her horse by the reins gently as he guided it with his own. "We are safe here for now, and most likely for the night. We threw off the bandits from Kiris not too terribly long ago. It is improbable that they would come all of this way for simply a princess." At least, that was what he hoped. He wanted to believe that no one would chase her with such fervor aside from himself. That had, however, already been proven as false when he found out that Prince Innes was quite quick upon her tail.

"Then we settle down for the evening," Eirika responded rather simply. She smiled down to Laeron and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Seth and I brought lots of food and blankets too. He's really good at making a fire as well, so we'll be nice and warm tonight."

Laeron pulled away and as he looked between the two, he examined them carefully. There was no mistaking what he had seen, the grown man invoking soft sounds from the princess. He didn't seem to understand what that was at all, and decided that he would ask when they all sat down to eat. For now, however, all he could think was that in spite of the aching in his heart, he was happy to be alive, and he was relieved that his life had been spared. His father had made the ultimate sacrifice, and he vowed that one day he would grow to be strong enough to take revenge against Leonardo or Leonard, whatever the name was of that one-eyed pirate.

One way or another, he would do his old man proud, and perhaps, Princess Eirika as well.

xxx

"Is it all right?" Eirika asked as she leaned over to cut some more strips of meat for the young boy. From the very start of dinner, he had scarfed down nearly everything he had been given, which led her to believe that he was on the border of malnourished.

While the princess and the boy conversed about their dinner, Seth analysed their surroundings. They were staying on the outskirts of Carcino for safety reasons. It was not exactly a place he considered secure for the princess and he was concerned about a repeat of their bout in Port Kiris. For all he knew, the evils of Carcino were in liege with Leonardo. If that was the case, then as they slept that night around the fire, they were before the dragon's cave.

"Seth, would you stop that? You're going to make him nervous," Eirika chided him softly with a smile.

He inched back over to the fire and sat down on the other side. He'd wandered long enough in plate armour that it was no longer something that created a great amount of sound. He was capable of being subtle, of being discrete, and that was not something every paladin could claim as an accomplishment.

"Milady—" Seth began.

His beloved interjected, "Eirika."

And he heaved a sigh as he looked over to Laeron who seemed to be giving him a rather goofy-looking grin, "…Eirika, it may not be safe for us to stay here for too long. You may think I am concerned over nothing, however, you are my charge. It is my responsibility that nothing should happen to you. I know you understand this, though, and therefore I expect you to keep any sort of mocking to a minimum."

The princess exchanged glances with Laeron and she smiled a little, offering a nod in reply. "He's such a silly boy, isn't he? Why, even you're more grown up, Little Lae," she giggled.

Her reaction caused her younger companion to smile brightly. He was looking better with each passing moment, and feeling better as well. Then he felt that there was no time like the present. They were all sitting down now and it seemed like a family setting. His curiosity would be getting the better of him.

"Princess…" he began shyly as his head inclined to the strips of meat adorning his plate, offered by the teal-haired female. "…You and the general… I saw you both when you had only just arrived. I… have read only a little in books, but… are you married? The way you wander the countryside, and the way you look at one another, and the way you acted in the night, makes you both seem…" Laeron shrugged, unsure of how to phrase his thoughts.

This boy was surprisingly well-spoken. Mektar must have taken surprisingly good care of him that he should have been so educated. The idea that he was, though, meant that he was far more intelligent than the average child. It wouldn't be easy to hide anything from him—not that anything should have been, of course.

Eirika's face flushed and as she peered over to Seth, her eyes sought his, wondering how she should respond. Of course, she also knew that he was trying to keep their relationship as quiet as possible. It seemed, however, that they'd already been discovered. And that meant, she could probably come out in the open. His facial expression did not help her.

…Oh, by the gods, Seth. I wish you would be a little more… Oh, I don't know. Receptive? You should not leave these things to simply me, even if I am the leading authority.

She turned to Laeron and smiled brightly, "Not yet. I care for General Seth to a very great extent. He is a good man: strong, and brave. He is the perfect candidate for a future husband, especially one for me. What… you saw, was simply Seth's way of bestowing his affection upon me. When you are older, I will go into greater detail and explain, but for now, that's really all you need to know."

Seth sighed with relief, thankful that she was the one responding to the question and not him. If it had been Forde, he was certain the inquiry would have been far less innocent and a bit more… provocative. He already disliked hearing those sorts of things from his fellow knights. He enjoyed thinking about his ward, but he did not find too much likeness in discussing her with colloquial speech. Most of the time it was because people were asking him how he felt about her. His feelings were meant to stay between them. The only outside person who deserved to know what was going on was Ephraim, and that was for the obvious reason.

Laeron seemed to accept her answer and Eirika was a little more than pleased by this. When she noticed that he was beginning to nod off in the middle of her explanation, she withdrew from him the plate and set it aside. Given a nod by Seth, she carefully began to edge over to the blanket where she would be staying under for the night.

"…Princess Eirika…" the young boy started once more in a tender tone. "…Can I sleep with you?"

She paused for a moment and then she nodded, although there was uncertainty lying within her gaze. She was not accustomed to having someone so close to her. Curling up in her refined gown, she lifted her blanket to welcome him with her. And no sooner had he made himself comfortable against her, had he fallen into the land of dreams. Her arms extended and slipped around him, holding him to her securely.

In that moment as her eyes looked over the back of the man she loved, she knew Seth would be receiving no sleep that night. He would be protecting the woman he adored. She wanted to protest, but she knew her attempts would be fruitless. He would do whatever he believed would be the appropriate action. Her eyelashes fell and the last thing she thought was the idea that the three of them: her, Seth, and Laeron, were like a family.

A real family.

xxx

"She was here?" Innes repeated himself as he held the point of his arrow to Leonardo's throat. "Where did she go? And why did you let her get away? And what were you planning to do with her in the first place?"

Tana stood at his side with her lance withdrawn. Although she tried not to show it, she could not hide her distaste in this situation. Against her wishes, her brother had quickly left Frelia with only the thought of finding Eirika and most likely returning her home. The war was over and the prince of Frelia found it unbecoming that she should still be wandering the lands, and with Seth of all people. That had to end.

He'd taken with him his three valued Pegasus knights, and at his side, they all stood, weapons wielded and prepared to strike down the opposition. Already they'd broken through the barrier Leonardo's cronies had created upon their arrival, which was not too long after Seth, Eirika, and Laeron had fled from the port. Now, they were simply interrogating and waiting for the appropriate information.

Leonardo glanced to his allies and seeing them in their states, he commanded his remaining to lower their weapons and conditionally surrender. To think that Frelia would be pursuing the young princess of Renais with such ferocity… What had she done that warranted this behaviour? Her actions taken with the auburn-haired knight? Briefly, he considered using his secret to his advantage, and he chose not to. His revenge would not be on the beautiful teal-haired girl. It would be on the one who protected her. Without a retainer, she was defenseless, and that opened all sorts of possibilities. However, Leonardo also knew of the up and coming alliance between Frelia's princess and Renais' prince. He could use this knowledge.

"She helped a young boy escape. The boy was a traitor to Port Kiris and was to face his fate. He ran to her and she escorted him away. My men could not keep up with her and her steed," he explained in a hoarse voice as he finally edged away from the arrow pointed at him.

Tana looked over to her brother. "You know Eirika wouldn't have wanted him to be hurt. That must be the reason she saved him… Children shouldn't be killed, Innes…"

That was a valid point and even Innes agreed. He scowled and straightened his posture. "Of course. Leonardo, let's talk privately." Then he gestured between Vanessa and Syrene, "If any of them move, kill them."

"Brother!" his younger sister exclaimed.

"—Kidding," the prince replied quickly. Then he shook his head slowly, "Just don't let them out of your sight. They are opposition, after all, and they did threaten our ally."

Not given a protest, with an arm around the shoulder of the pirate, they headed off to a clearing in the town, heads close together and in quiet conversation. Innes had to make sure that no one else would hear what his own plans were. He cared little for whatever Leonardo was attempting to accomplish. As long as Eirika wasn't involved, that was good enough for him.

"What direction did you see her going in?" the fine archer asked with a loft of the eyebrow.

Leonardo began to point and upon realizing that he wasn't entirely sure, he spoke up once more. "South of here. In the direction of Jehanna."

"Carcino," his companion responded simply. "She's gone to Carcino. I still have time to catch her, if she hasn't gotten too far by now." He began to withdraw and then with furrowed eyebrows, he turned his attention back onto the one-eyed man. "And the Silver Knight was with her, correct?"

Leonardo laughed and in the midst of it, wheezed. "Sounds like you've got a vendetta against him. Jealous?"

A growl. "I wouldn't say that. More of the other way around. I don't get jealous of people; they get jealous of me. The princess is to be wed to me. I find it concerning that her brother would send the man Magvel knows is pining for her with her… alone. I do not trust him, and if I had come here sooner, then you could have distracted him for me, so I could escort the princess to Frelia."

This was absolutely perfect. The crowned prince of Frelia was to be wed to the princess of Renais, who had lain with her retainer, the renowned Silver Knight, that was widely-known throughout the continent. Truly, things couldn't get any better, could they? The situation would grow complicated, but Leonardo had been there since the beginning. That meant with a single tug, he could destroy everything. The only better than destroying peoples' faces, was destroying their lives. He liked seeing others get tortured; even his own men. (In fact, sometimes that was the most entertaining kind of torment.)

"Then let us make an accord, Prince," Leonardo broke into laughter as he offered a grin. It was a grotesque one, open-lipped, and a showing of cracked and splintered teeth, at least for the ones that were there. "You want to take your wife-to-be where she belongs. I want to play a bit with the Silver Knight. If you bring him to me, I'll take care of him for you, and you can have your precious princess."

Innes curled his lip in distaste.

…This… man's teeth are repulsive! I would rather see his eternal scowl than any sort of smile. Forget the muscles it takes to frown. This man will be nothing but grotesque for the remainder of his days.

And he genuinely considered Leonardo's offer. To have Seth out of the way… This was a great opportunity for him, and one he didn't want to pass up. What was the worst thing that could happen?

Hypothetically speaking, Eirika would find out that Seth had been called away. Initially, she would want to go with him. Innes was not so blind to her typical antics She constantly asked about Seth's whereabouts—if she didn't know of his general vicinity. He also knew, however, that her dedication to her brother was absolute. If Ephraim told her she was not allowed to go after the auburn-haired knight, then she would reluctantly stay put. If he and Ephraim could strike a bargain, then he could whisk Eirika off to the palace in Frelia, and at the very least distract her from the thoughts of Seth.

There was a very slim possibility that she would rebel. If she did, though, then there was also that potentially she could find herself in danger. It seemed no great secret that she would throw herself in front of Seth to protect him. Innes couldn't decide if that was insanity, or just excessive commitment. What concerned him, was the idea that she could fall to Leonardo's axe.

"Well, whaddya say?" the pirate laughed heartily.

Innes looked over him once and then quirked his head, "The princess can be quite reckless at times. What guarantee do I have that if she runs into this situation headfirst with the knight that she won't wind up with an axe lodged through her throat?" Of course, he also knew that if Leonardo laid a hand upon her, he'd be filled with a copious amount of arrows.

So it seemed there was a matter of love in this situation. The prince of Frelia wanted to protect his precious princess, even in the case that she failed to heed her authority and acted upon her own. Normally he would have cut down any obstacle. He had later plans for her, however, and he knew he wouldn't let anything happen to her. In the meantime, though, he could pretend to let Innes think he had control over the situation. In actuality, he was nothing short of a pawn for Leonardo's little scheme. It was safe to lead him on and to use him as a scapegoat when Princess Eirika found out that Seth had been sent to war.

He grinned again with those disgusting teeth and extended his right hand, "You got yourself a deal, Prince Type. I won't touch a hair on her head, as long as you make sure the Silver Knight steps foot into my web. Once he does, she's yours to do with as you please."

Innes straightened his posture when he heard the approach of dainty footsteps. He peered over his left shoulder to see Tana and nodded curtly at her. Then he withdrew from Leonardo, who was still casting that wicked smile, one that caused his sibling to retract and shudder. He stopped at her side and patted her once reassuringly.

"Captain Leonardo, I expect you to live up to my expectations for you," he claimed calmly.

The pirate nodded once and watched his stiff opposition turn to excuse himself. Most likely the pretty blue-haired knight was coercing him to return to the palace. The prince and princess of Frelia… They were a becoming couple, Leonardo thought. And then he thought of what was to come and his lips upturned into a rather broad smile.

And all thanks to you, brat prince. This is about to become the epic legend of its time. I'll go down into history, and so will you—

As a traitor.