Interlude – Confessions

With Remy conquered, we make our way into Ilia. The cold is almost unimaginable, and the knowledge that it would just get worse makes me wonder if this is a fool's errand. But the Bernese forces here are part of Murdock's elite troops. Killing them, and bringing Ilia to our side, would help us greatly.

So, we press on through the snow and ice. All the while, though, the Ilians give us a sobering reminder: 'Winter is coming.' We needed to have Ilia secured and be moving to the Sacae before it truly hit. Otherwise, we were going to be stuck until the thaw came, and who knows how much Bern could destroy in that time.

"Why is it so cold?" I grumbled. I was bundled under bunches and bunches of blankets, and I was still freezing.

"It's because it's snowing," Sue pointed out logically. She smiled when I glowered. "Scoot over. I need more of the blanket."

"Oh, sorry." I shifted, and tried to go back to work. We were stopped for the day due to poor traveling conditions (aka, our feet were freezing to the ice-covered ground), and while work never stopped, I was determined to do all that I could while in my tent, out of the snow. "Better?"

"Much." She curled into me, laughing a little. "You're very warm."

"Well, I'm glad you think so." I was freezing. But hey, if Sue wasn't, I could deal. "Are the horses all right?"

"Yes, though I left ours in care of Zealot and Noah." She made a face. "I thought I was used to cold, but Ilia is far colder than the plains. I've never seen so much snow."

"Yeah, I underestimated how bad it would be." This would only get worse too… "So, you left the horses to them and then came to leech heat from me?"

"Of course." She curled into my side a little more, laughing. "That's what big sisters are for, right?"

"You are…" I sighed, shaking my head and laughing. "Fine, fine. Yes, that's what big sisters are for." I went back to my reports, though, frowning over the words.

"What are you looking at?" She lifted her head slightly to peek at the papers before flopping back down. "Tactics?"

"No, I'm looking at the reports from the infirmary." I tightened my grip on the report, as if I could crush the bad news out of it.

"Is it bad?"

"We have a lot of ill and injured, Sue." Perhaps it was because the cold forced us to bunch up, but illnesses were spreading like a wild fire in the plains. We had many soldiers slip and fall in the ice and snow, giving themselves concussions or breaking their bones. We even had a few that managed to catch frostbite, though thankfully there were no amputations yet. "The Ilians are doing what they can to advise us on keeping warm, but this weather wasn't made for tents." No one had suffered hypothermia, yet, but there had been some close misses a few times. We were going to have some people freeze to death before we reached Edessa. I just knew it. "At least, our tents aren't made for them."

"These tents aren't made very well." Sue sighed. "I miss our gers." She snuck a hand out of the blankets and took mine tightly. "I miss home."

"We'll see the plains soon." When Ilia was liberated, we would head to the Sacae. "We'll liberate Bulgar too." We would ensure the dead could rest.

"When the war is over, where will you go?" She sounded so small, like she was five again. "Do you know yet?"

"…No, I don't." I looked to her, and saw how sad she looked. "There will be a lot of work to be done, reconstructing the continent. As tactician, I am partly responsible for the mess. I don't want to leave it all to other people."

"I do."

"You want to leave it to other people?"

"No, I know where you'll go." She looked sadder. "You'll go to Etruria."

"If this is another bit of teasing on my crush on Klein-"

"No, it's not just that." She held my hand a little tighter. "I know you'll go there, because you'd want to make sure it's better. You want to make sure no one forgets and ignores. You want to make sure it changes." She curled into me even more. I was reminded of when she was little, and scared of the monsters hiding in the shadows. "You've never been one to just walk away."

"I…" I wasn't sure how to respond. I couldn't call her wrong. Those were things I considered. I had also considered Lycia, and helping it rebuild. I had considered the Western Isles, acting as a doctor as it recovered. Sometimes, rarely, I thought of the Sacae, of Bulgar. "Sue…"

"It's okay." She finally smiled. "I told you. This was why I want the strength and courage to leave your shadow." It took me a minute to remember what she was talking about. We had this conversation when we were on vacation in Hanover, back when everything was a little less worn. "This is why I want to find my own path. I don't want to drag you down because I'm scared."

"Sue…"

"So, it's okay." She clung to me tighter. "Leave… leave the plains to me. Leave our home to me, and Sin, and whoever else comes with us when the war ends. Rutger, I think. Maybe even Clarine."

"…I have the most darling little sister." I set the report down at last and shifted to hug her. "But are you certain? Mom and Dad are…"

"Everyone grows up, including me." That was true. I just thought she was growing up too fast because of everything. "I won't be alone. You and I won't be separated. You are always my sister, even if we live in different places. Mother Earth will reassure me you are well, just as Father Sky will tell you I am well. And we can visit, just as we visited our friends and family growing up."

"That is all true, but…"

"I'm okay. You are not only my protective big sister, especially now. You are so many things, to so many people." She looked up at me. "But, more importantly, you're yourself. Sometimes, I wonder if your insistence on not confessing to Klein all this time was because you didn't want to leave me 'alone'. But I won't be alone. I'm okay."

"…" I sighed, shaking my head. "I feel as if this is an argument I cannot win."

"Of course not. I've spent a long time coming up with this argument." She smiled slightly. "Though, until we part, I would like to cling. Is that okay?"

"Always." I stroked her hair and smiled back. "Well, if you're going to work on the Sacae, you better have some plans. Have you some ideas?"

"It depends on the damage, but based on what we know, I do have a few." Her smile turned shy. "Will you listen?"

"Always."

"It's still so strange seeing you with short hair," Lilina commented. She hummed as she brushed my hair. "What do you think, Clarine?"

"I think it suits her," Clarine replied. She frowned slightly as she carefully pinned a flower to my hair. "Though, this flower suits her more." I had no idea what sort of flower it was, but Clarine was very insistent on putting it in my hair. She'd already done the same with Lilina: one with crimson petals and a gold center. I didn't know it either. I didn't know any plants, really, that grew in snow. "You should keep flowers in your hair, Irene."

"I somehow doubt they'll survive a battle," I pointed out dryly, attempting to continue reading my reports. The two of them had just appeared at my tent, and refused to leave. I didn't have the heart to tell them to go away when all I was doing was reading. "There's really no need to kill flowers for it."

"Oh, please, it's not like there's not a bunch of them." Clarine sat back on her heels, beaming. "We'll just put more in, or you don't wear one in battle." Clarine's eyes lit up. "Oh, that would be nice, wouldn't it? It could be reassuring to the soldiers that everything is all right."

"You're trying to find a logical reason for me to give in to your whim." I sighed as she pouted. "Oh, fine, but I'm not hunting for the flowers."

"I'll get Klein to do it~" She grinned. "Far more fun anyway."

"Father Sky, Clarine." I looked back to the reports, though my thoughts drifted over to Klein. We hadn't talked much outside of a professional setting, due to everything going on. That dance had been fun, and I knew there was… ah, I couldn't avoid it forever. I also couldn't shake the feeling that Sue was right about why…

"Done!" Lilina cheered, startling me from my thoughts. She giggled and moved behind Clarine, taking down her ponytail. "Your turn~"

"Thanks!" Clarine laughed, clapping her hands. "I'll brush yours when you're done!"

"Oh, that'll be great!"

"Remind me as to why you two decided to invade my tent instead of sticking to your own?" I asked, a touch exasperated. I was trying to work, after all. That was why Sue had eventually decided to go check on Roy and left. "I love you two dearly."

"And that is why!" Lilina declared, smiling warmly. "We decided that you needed a bit more cheer, and we know you love us, so even if we annoy you, you'll let us stay!"

"Clearly, you know me well." Still, it was hard to concentrate with them laughing every two seconds. "However, if you're here, I'll make you be serious."

"How so?"

"A simple question. What will you do after the war?" I bit back a smile as both of their expressions blanked, and as they remained silent, I went back to work. The only sounds in my tent were my pen and Lilina brushing Clarine's hair.

Finally, though, Lilina whispered, "well, I will rule Ostia." She sounded small, and she looked small when I glanced over at her. "Father is dead, and Mother can only be regent until I am sixteen. When this war ends, I will become the Marquess of Ostia, and rebuild Lycia." She sighed, still brushing Clarine's hair. "Though, that will be complicated."

"Why?" Clarine asked, tilting her head back to look at Lilina. "You used 'complicated' instead of 'difficult', so I'm assuming it's political."

"It is." Lilina stopped brushing Clarine's hair and shifted to sit next to her. "Many lords died when Araphan fell. There are lords and a council, but honestly, they don't have much claim. They hold onto power because of the war, but legally, most of them will have to cede their power to Ostia."

"I can see the complication."

"That is only part of it." Lilina shook her head. "Lycia is an alliance. We are a country made of many lords who swear oaths. But so many died that Ostia will control more than half of Lycia. In fact, it will control most of it."

"I'm guessing that when you marry Roy, that would bring the rest of it under your control." Clarine smirked as Lilina squeaked and blushed. "Come on~ You had to have thought about it."

"I… um…" Lilina only went redder. By this point, I returned to my work and just listened. "I'm being serious!"

"So am I. Mostly." Clarine shrugged. "Well, why not just make it a kingdom if its going to be-?"

"No." Lilina's voice was firm, and her eyes were serious. "Lycia was founded by Roland as a nation of alliances, because the land within Lycia is so varied. It is a nation that respects individuality and freedom, and honors the bonds of friendship. I will not have that ideal die with my father. It's a nice one."

"Okay, no need to bite my head off." Clarine hummed in thought. "Well, in that case, why not just 'give' the land to others? Isn't that what Roland did anyway?" She snapped her fingers. "Oh, you could give the land to some of the leaders here, as thanks for their help. You'll still get grumbles, but everyone will be war heroes. We all know how much people listen to them."

"That's… true." Lilina frowned a bit, biting her lip. "Though, many of the Lycians are knights. I'm not sure if they…"

"Knights might be sworn to their lords, but their job is to protect the people and to guide their lords." Clarine smiled. "You don't have to force, of course. Talk to Roy and you two figure it out together. Like a married couple~"

"Clarine!" Lilina scowled as Clarine laughed. "Well, I said my piece. What about you?"

"I…" Clarine's laughter abruptly cut off, and she grew strangely hesitant. "Well, I know that I don't… really want to return to Etruria. At least, not as a 'proper lady'."

"Really?" Lilina sounded surprised. "Why?"

"I've seen a lot." Clarine's voice was soft. "I've done a lot. I can't be content with going back to the court and being a pretty little doll to be married off. Not after all of this." She sighed. "So, part of me thought of enlisting, and aiming to become Cecilia's successor to Mage General."

"What's the problem?"

"Well, I'm not that strong magically. That's why I went with swords in the first place." Clarine drooped. "And, honestly, most of me wants to be with Rutger. I think I love him."

"I think you are. Most of the camp does." Lilina snickered as Clarine squeaked. "And most of the camp thinks he loves you too. But he is hurting."

"I know. And that's another reason why I want to be with him. I'm a healer. I want to help him heal. If nothing else, I'm good at making him smile." Clarine sounded very proud of herself there. "So, I think I want to just… stay with him. I think he'll want to go to Bulgar and help it rebuild, at least at first. Do you think the people there will accept a healer, even if she's Etrurian?"

"Aunt Katri was Etrurian, and the Kutolah loved her." Lilina smiled warmly and took Clarine's hands. "I think you'll be fine. But you should talk it over with him too."

"Right, I can't be a complete brat and force my company on him. That leads to yelling." There was a long awkward pause. "Irene hasn't said a single word."

"…No, she's been working the whole time." Lilina sounded grouchy as both of them looked towards me at last. I absently waved at them, still working. "Ugh, Irene!"

"Revenge! We must take revenge!"

I had two second to brace myself before the two fell on me and attempted to tickle me. I turned the tables on them quick, but it soon escalated into a bizarre pillow and blanket fight that quickly brought Merlinus's wrath on us. None of us care, of course. It was just Merlinus, after all.

Some time in the afternoon, I left Lilina and Clarine to gossip in my tent and headed to Cecilia's tent to continue working. Since Klein was also there, we quickly switched into discussing tactics, army deployment, and what Eturia would need to do in order to recover.

"With the people's favor behind us, we can make some drastic changes quickly," Cecilia murmured. She smiled, looking as pleased as the cat that caught the pigeon. "That'll be wonderful."

"The people might be behind us, but the nobles, not so much," Klein pointed out, deflating Cecilia's smugness somewhat. He shifted in his chair and pointed to the stack of papers sitting on the table in front of us. "Those are the current laws, and not even a king is immune."

"But some of these laws are ridiculous."

"Yes, but we can't just discard them. The nobles will want to hold onto their power, and they'll call Mildain a tyrant if he just goes about as he pleases."

"What about suggesting 'drastic-drastic' changes?" I murmured, mostly to keep the two from arguing. Both of them were right in this situation, so it would just go in circles. "From there, you can suggest the 'drastic' as a compromise, right?" I squirmed as both of them just stared at me. "No?"

"It… couldn't be used for all of the things, as they'd catch on," Klein whispered. He frowned, and I knew he was thinking rapidly. "But there are quite a few that can. If they're spaced out slightly…"

"And if we combine them with a few very drastic ones, and a few that seem drastic, but that we back down on, we keep up the appearances of compromising as a whole," Cecilia murmured. She was back to smiling, and she even giggled. "Yes, a combination of things."

"The question then becomes what. We know that the occupation of the Western Isles will end, and all Etrurian forces will be called back."

"There are bandits, and years under Etruria's tyranny have left them with little defenses. Are there plans to account for that?"

"That's what Mildain and Perceval are working on now, actually. They've been holed up with Ekhidna since breakfast."

"Ah, I should have expected that." Cecilia frowned a little. "Then what about our relationship with Ilia? This would be a good time to…"

"Of course. We can push protections. Mildain has been wanting to, and we all know Perceval would put all the weight of both Knight General and Caliburn behind that. Father would too."

"That is definitely one of the very drastic then." Cecilia hummed a little before turning to me. "Do you have ideas for Etruria's relationship with the Sacae?"

"Sadly, that sort of talk will have to wait until we have an idea of what the damages really are," I sighed. I leaned forward, resting my arms on the table. "There's too little information to make plans like that. There's barely enough to even plan for reconstruction."

"Very true, but it might be nice to… suggest talks of increased trade," Klein pointed out. He smiled slightly. "I imagine that trade will be more important than ever for Sacaeans as they try to rebuild. I mean… Bulgar…"

"Yes, Bulgar. It'll need help. Sue and Sin have some ideas, but materials…"

"It should be a joint effort between all the countries. That way no one country can try to pressure Bulgar." His smile grew as I immediately choked on a laugh. "Yes, I know. But not all of the bigots are dead, and there was talk of submission prior to all of this."

"We'd lose too much of our culture if that happened. Sacaeans fight with everything they have. Bern knows this."

"Bern feels it." Klein looked thoughtful and turned to Cecilia. "How long do you think it'll be before Brunja will be able to fight with her injuries?"

"It highly depends on the damage, and you'll notice that everyone is quite certain to not tell us," Cecilia answered. She sighed, resting her hand on her cheek. "Based on what Miredy knows, though, I would assume… a few more months. We might make it to Bern before she can."

"It'll be that long?" I asked, startled. Yes, I knew she was injured badly. After all, I felt a little bit of pride that Dad had crippled her so, considering what all she did. But she had been injured during the massacre at Bulgar. That was one of the first battles of the war, and it had been months. "Are you sure?"

"No, I'm not sure, but I do know that she 'reopened' the wounds with her magic. That slows healing, and deepens the injuries." Cecilia shrugged. "I'd suffer the same if I tried to fight at my full strength as I am. At the rate we're going, the war will be over before I am completely recovered." She made a face. "What a showing for Etruria's supposedly strongest mage."

"If anyone is passive-aggressive about it, send them to one of us. We'll gladly correct their wrong opinions." I narrowed my eyes as I studied her. "But speaking of your injuries, you're in pain."

"Why can I never hide anything from you?" She playfully sulked and made Klein and I laugh. "But yes, I am. It seems the cold makes my scars ache."

"If that's the case, Klein and I will leave you to rest." I stood up, Klein not even a second behind me. "We'll get this to Mildain, and have him go from there. I'm sure he'll want to talk to Uncle Douglas about some of it anyway."

"I wish I could protest, but I think I'll be snappy before long if I don't rest now." She smiled sweetly. "Thank you both."

"Rest well." I followed Klein out of her tent, and made sure the tent flap closed behind us. I hoped she was actually going to rest and not just read reports while she happened to sit in bed. But I couldn't be her babysitter either.

"Should we make a 'do not disturb' sign?" Klein half-joked. He snickered as I gave him a look. "I'm sure we have spare paper somewhere in the camp."

"I'm not hunting for it," I deadpanned. It made him laugh. "Come on. Let's get to Elphin and jump into whatever talks they're in. If they're not in the middle of an argument, I'll be surprised."

"Now, now, it'll be good practice for him." Still, he led the way through the camp. "I think they're at Perceval's tent. Elphin was complaining about how he has memorized the thread count of his."

"He had the time to count?" I grimaced as I realized my footing wasn't sure. "Oh, great. I think the snow froze."

"It's been frozen. Do you want my scarf?"

"I'm already wearing one, Klein. Two would look ridiculous." I barely checked the urge to growl. I hated the cold. "I wouldn't want you to freeze your neck off."

"I think it would be freeze my head off." He snickered as I rolled my eyes. "Come on. That was funny."

"Sure, it was, if you have a poor sense of humor." I made my voice purposely haughty. "It'll take more than poor jokes to move a tactician's heart of stone."

"You should be careful that the soldiers don't take you for granite." He grinned triumphantly as I burst into giggles. "Got you."

"That barely even made sense!" I was lucky there wasn't anyone around. They'd be wondering if I snapped. "Damn it, Klein!"

"I do what I can." He shrugged. "Besides, everyone in the camp knows you're kind at heart, even if they wonder how insane you are."

"Oh, well, that's lovely." I made a face and he laughed again. "Well, so long as they keep following Roy, I think we'll make it through."

"Yes, we will…. Whoa!" He slipped on some ice, but I caught him before he fell. "Thanks, Irene." He sighed, and turned to smile at me. "I'll be glad when we're… out of the…" He trailed off, and I wasn't sure why. I wasn't sure I cared. My thoughts focused on how we were suddenly quite close. It shouldn't bother me. We'd been close in the past. We've napped together, after all. Being close wasn't unusual. But I focused on it, hyper-focused even. I focused on how his breath ghosted my face, fogging up in the cold. I focused on how red his cheeks were, chapped slightly from the wind. I focused on how he looked right at me, gaze never wavering. I focused on how he made no move to pull away, no move to make me let go of him.

He shifted suddenly, or maybe I was the one who shifted suddenly. I wasn't quite sure. All I knew was that one of us moved, and then… then we were kissing. It was soft, gentle. 'Feather soft' was the only term I could think of, but that didn't capture how warm the kiss was, and really, it gave a bizarre mental image of pressing a wad of feathers to your mouth.

Then, one of us jerked back. I wasn't sure who again. I wasn't really sure of anything except that my face was bright red, and I was staring, and oh, Father Sky, Klein and I just kissed.

We both had the same reaction: turning and running and not looking back. I wondered, though, if he pressed his fingers to his mouth, as I did, not quite certain if that was real or not. I wondered if his thoughts focused on the lingering warmth, like mine.

I wondered if he regretted it. I wasn't sure I did.

I hid. There was no other word from it, and I wasn't so delusional as to pretend I was dong anything else. I hid in my tent, bundled under blankets, and tried to work. But it just made me frustrated, because I kept making mistakes. I kept making simple mistakes at that, things that I should catch, but I just couldn't focus.

Father Sky above, I was a tactician, not a… a romance novel protagonist! I had a job! I shouldn't be shaken by… accidentally… kissing my crush. But I was. I was shaken by kissing him, and I was shaken by how both of us had run. Did he hate me for it? Did he… like me? That seemed to be what everyone… yet…

I growled under my breath, and threw the papers I was working on to the side. They were basically illegible thanks to all the crossing out and other errors. I had to start over. I had to focus. I couldn't just…

"There you are." The voice made me yelp, and I could only stare, wide-eyed, as Tate entered my tent, making sure the tent flap was shut behind her. I hadn't heard her at all. "You missed dinner," she told me, glancing around my tent curiously. I couldn't think of a reply, so I just hid under the blankets, biting back a groan. "What's this?" She bent down and picked up the papers I'd thrown. "…These are…?" She looked to me. "What happened?"

"You can tell that quickly?" I muttered, mostly to avoid answering. This was embarrassing. "How?"

"You don't make errors like these. You make logical ones, or stupid ones that make sense in the moment." She sat next to me and peered at my face through my blanket cocoon. "So?"

"…Klein and I accidentally kissed." I barely heard the words, and I was the one saying them. "So, now I'm panicking like a-"

"Like a person who is afraid of a relationship with a dear friend changing, even if it is a change you're pretty sure you want." She poked some of the blankets back to better look at me. "Like a person who worries that people will think you're giving him special treatment. Like a person who worries about whether the army will think you're compromised. Like a person who is keenly aware that we're in the middle of a war, and that war is like a monster that devours everything in sight."

"…Damn, you're good." I sighed, drooping. What else was there to say? "So, yes, I'm hiding in here, trying to work, but my thoughts are scattered."

"Thus the mistakes." She nodded and closed her eyes to think for a long moment. "Still, you should confront him on it."

"What."

"Klein. You should confront Klein on it." She opened her eyes again and made sure to look very serious. "If something is distracting you, you need to remove the distraction."

"But…"

"That is your responsibility as a leader."

"But…."

"Besides, look at it logically. You can't avoid him forever. You're both on the War Council." She gave me a no-nonsense look. "And as soon as both of you are near each other, everyone is going to know something weird happened, and they'll jump in."

"So, it is better for us to just work it out on our own before it becomes a problem the whole army becomes invested in." I groaned, curling more into my blankets. "Why do you have to be right?"

"Because I'm me." She smiled wanly at my scowl. "Go on. I'll check over your work for you, and fix what I can."

"Well…" My vague annoyance faded as I noticed something… "Tate, are you okay?"

"Hmm?"

"You look like…" I almost said 'about to cry', but then I remembered something. I remembered thinking, long ago… "Tate, don't you like Klein too?"

"I do." She still smiled for me. "I love him. But, he doesn't love me. He loves you." She sounded so sure of it, like she was saying 'the sky was blue' or 'it snows a lot in Ilia'. The tone made my heart ache. "It hurts. I won't pretend it doesn't. But I like you. I want you to be happy, just as I want him to be happy." She reached over and tugged me up. "Which is why, of course, I will be very vexed if you let this chance pass you."

"…Okay." I gave her a hug. I had to. "I'll go look for him. You hide here for however long you need." That was what she really wanted to do. She wanted to hide and mope for a bit, because the man she loved didn't love her back. I didn't doubt that she would check over my work for me, of course, but that was to help her hide. "Okay?"

"Thanks." She hugged me back and then pulled away to nudge me out of the tent. "Go on." She was still smiling, but I could see she was about to crack and break down. "When I'm calmer, I'll tell you some silly things he did back at the Isles."

"That sounds good. I'll share some childhood antics, some really ridiculous ones." I lingered a bit, still hesitating, but she waved me on, so I left the tent, gathering my courage and determination. I would do this. I wouldn't run from this. I had so many people supporting me. There might be all the reasons in the world to be afraid, but there was no reason for me to let that fear stop me.

Well, that was the theory. I was still very tempted to run back to my tent, Tate's annoyance be damned.

"Ah, Irene!" Perceval walked up then, smiling warmly. It was too warm of a smile for business, so I had a feeling there would be no convenient distraction. "I've been looking for you," he explained, snagging my arm and dragging me after him. "I've tried to send Klein to you, but no one seemed to know where you ended up." He sounded far too pleased. I wondered if he got the story from Klein. "He's by the river." We reached the path and he pushed me down it. "Go on."

"Everyone seems rather invested in this," I complained. I looked up at him, serious. "Why?"

"It's the same reason why we smile at General Roy and Lady Lilina, and the other couples that are slowly forming." He patted my shoulder, and his smile softened. "Things like this are good for the army, in my opinion. They remind the soldiers that their leaders are humans, and it gives everyone something to smile and tease about."

"Is that so?" My face was red, but I'd still make sure to get the last word here! "Then go confess to Cecilia, okay?"

I ran down the path before he could say anything, and I bit back a laugh as I heard him yelp. Then, however, I focused on the path, making sure to not slip and fall on my face in the mud. It didn't take me long to reach the river, fast moving and glittering among the snow. It took even less time for me to find Klein there, and he stared at me with wide eyes, like he wasn't sure he was really seeing me.

"Irene?" he called hesitantly. I nodded and stepped a little closer. "I…"

"I love you," I blurted, before my courage faded. My face went even redder as he stared. "I… love you, Klein. I have… for a bit." My courage started fleeing and I ducked my head. "So… um…"

"Irene." He tugged me into a tight, warm hug. "I love you too." His voice was shaky, like he was certain this was a dream. "I've loved you forever, really. Ever since we were children."

"I'm surprised they lasted that long." I leaned into him, smiling. "I mean… considering some of the things we got caught up in…"

"Honestly, a lot of the antics just made me love you more." He tightened his hug slightly. "But I was always so sure you wouldn't look at me like that. That you would stay in the Plains."

"Well, the future is ever changing." I peeked up at him, and my smile grew when I saw he was blushing just as much as I was. "But, I love you. So, we can plan… our future… together, if you'd like."

"Among all the other plans." The words were dry, but his smile was sweet. "That sounds like a dream come true, my lady."

"Dork." I leaned back into him. "But it makes me smile. You have always made me smile."

He didn't reply, just continued to hold me. But that was fine, because all the things he wanted to say, I knew. I knew from his hug and from his smile.

Maybe it was a little stupid to start a relationship during a war. But, honestly, I thought it might be more encouraging. It was just one more reason to reach my goal, one more motivator and one more comfort. Considering everything, I thought I would need that comfort. Then there was Perceval's reassurances…

Besides, Klein was warm. I hated the cold.

Author's notes: And Klein-Irene is official. Yay! Also some serious talks. Clarine mentioning her fears of 'being a doll' comes from her A support with Klein. Otherwise, it's just dealing with the cold and starting to focus on life after the war.

Next Chapter – The Frozen River