Pegasi were twitchy creatures. The first snap of a twig under Forde's feet had made Titania's attention snap up, and since then, she had barely taken those intense silver eyes off him. The hair on the back of his neck stood up under the scrutiny, sending a cold shiver down his back. Normally, she didn't seem to mind his presence. Either that was Vanessa's influence – an idea that he didn't mind at all – or Titania knew something was afoot.
'Can you help me with a present for Vanessa?' Forde asked, holding up his easel and paintbrushes for her to inspect. He knew she'd seen his art gear before as he sketched battle maps and other soldiers in the army.
Titania prowled forward, each movement packed with grace and power. No wonder Vanessa loved their partnership so much – loved soaring through the skies, the ground and sea and grass merging together like swirling paint. Maybe, one day, Titania would trust him enough to allow him up there with them.
He held his equipment steady as Titania prodded it with her nose, nostrils flaring to investigate the scent, before pulling away and meeting his gaze with the slightest nod.
Muscles relaxing, Forde set up at the top of a little hill for the best view. Sloping fields rolled out in each direction for miles, the grass lush and bright green. In the far distance, a clear blue pond shimmered under the early morning sun. He mixed the white paint with the faintest hint of grey for definition, smiling as he found the perfect shade. A sense of quiet, razor-sharp focus swept over him as he curved the paint across the canvas.
The next several hours passed in a blur as he painted several half-portraits of Titania, each one capturing a different feature of her appearance or personality. When day turned to afternoon, he reluctantly packed up his gear. Vanessa's melee training would be over soon, and the first place she'd go was wherever Titania was.
The Pegasus glanced up inquisitively at his movement. She'd long since started ignoring him, instead foraging for food, trotting around the field, and soaring from one knoll to another. The only sign she even remembered him was the fact she always stayed within his line of sight, except for a few brief forays over to the pond for a drink.
'I'll be back the next time I have free time,' Forde said. 'Please don't let Vanessa know I was here – it needs to be a surprise.'
Titania nodded, then turned and flew away.
-x-
Over the next month, he visited the mountainside whenever he could. Now he was confident he knew how to draw Titania, he captured her in motion – grazing with her head bent, galloping down a hill, and flying high above the ground at sunrise. From memory, he also painted her rearing back from a sword at their last battle, Vanessa holding her spear aloft, ready to strike back the moment Titania's hooves hit the ground.
Normally, he wouldn't put this much effort into a single portrait, but this was different. He'd never liked anyone as much as Vanessa. Her smile brightened his mornings, her dedication at training made him want to be better, and her laughter followed him to sleep at night. Even though they would have some big questions to answer after the war about where they'd live and how they'd merge their very distinct lives, he knew without doubt that they'd make it work.
He would do anything to make this portrait perfect for her.
And in the end, he couldn't choose a single portrait, so he bundled up the best few.
-x-
Forde found his moment after dinner one night. 'Let's go for a walk,' he suggested, and after a quick glance at Eirika and Ephraim to make sure their commanders didn't want anything, Vanessa followed him away from the campfire and down the path towards the tents. As the warmth for the fire receded, he reached out for her hand, drawing her closer to his side.
'You know what they'll think we're doing,' Vanessa said, cheeks pink, but she made no move to return to the others.
'We'd better take our time, then,' he teased her, enjoying the way her blush deepened. Her sense of duty and propriety was strong, and most of the time admirable. Still, he liked knocking her off balance every now and again. 'Wait out here.'
Vanessa sat on a nearby log as he ducked inside to collect the portraits, covered by a white sheet the army washerwomen had agreed to lend him. When he emerged, she was drawing constellations between the stars in the sky. 'Those five stars form Ezeralle, and the ones over there are part of Wyress,' she murmured, her eyes worlds away as she traced them both for him then pointed between them. 'That means Frelia's that way.'
'You miss home, don't you?'
'Constantly.' She smiled wistfully.
While Forde had always been curious about other kingdoms, he'd never truly experienced wanderlust before. For the first time, he desperately wanted to see a faraway land — explore its plains and valleys, immerse himself in its culture, and learn all the ways Frelia shaped Vanessa into the woman she was today. 'As soon as the war's over, we could go there together.'
She sighed. 'Sometimes, it feels like the war will never be over.'
'I know.' All the blood and death and heartache of the past few months blurred together, making it hard to remember the time of peace beforehand or imagine a future afterwards. 'But it will. We'll make sure of it.'
He moved to stand beside her, and she shuffled over so he could sit too. She peeked curiously at the bundle in his lap. 'Is that why we're here?'
Forde nodded. 'We haven't seen each other as much over the past few weeks, and I know you've been wondering what I've been up to.'
'You have been oddly secretive,' she said with no hint of judgement or bitterness. 'I assumed you were assigned a task by your prince or princess.'
That was not an unfounded guess. Between their roles as soldiers for different kingdoms and soldiers in the same army, they both had their share of confidential information and secret orders. For them, honesty and full disclosure would never be synonymous. 'Not this time.'
He slid off the white sheet and passed her the bundle. Flipping the first canvas over, she gasped, her hand flying up to her mouth as she studied it with wide, disbelieving eyes. He watched her, soaking in every flicker of emotion across her face as she took in the sight of her pegasus splashing through the pond, shining sapphire droplets sloshing up around her hooves. He'd painted it after the one time he trekked across the field with her to watch her drink. 'You painted Titania?'
He didn't reply. There was no need.
Hours passed in a matter of seconds as Vanessa surveyed every inch of the painting, then she turned over the one of Titania flying at sunrise – the rising sun casting a warm glow over her back – and then finally the one of them in battle together. It was his favourite. Their expressions were fierce, brave – heroic. Like they would take down their enemies on their own if that was what it took to protect Innes and Tana.
She reached out as if to touch the fabric, stopping mere millimetres away from contact. 'They're beautiful. This… Thank you. I don't know what to say.'
Forde shrugged and nudged her playfully. 'Good subjects make painting easy.'
Red flared across her cheeks again, but she shook her head. 'You're sweet, but that's not it. I pass by royal portraits all the time in the Frelian palace. They're stately and accurate and utterly boring because none of them capture the heart of a person like you do. You have a gift.'
His face heated, and he itched the back of his neck self-consciously even as his heart swelled with certainty and love. Forde wasn't quite ready to confess the last part, nor was he sure if Vanessa was ready to hear it. For now, those words belonged to him and the night sky.
But one day soon, he knew they would tumble out like jewels, glittering and precious and true.
And he wouldn't want to stop them.
