Lions
Ethlyn POV - Gran 757
When the scouts told me there were visitors, I wasn't sure who exactly I was expecting. I suppose messengers from Belhalla, again, and sent the scouts to fetch Sigurd and Quan while I went to the main hall to play hostess. But, to my joy, I was wrong. The visitors weren't anyone so… stuffy. They were Lachesis and Eldigan, who I hadn't seen since my wedding and who I had missed terribly.
"Ethlyn!" Eldigan was the first to reach me, thanks to his longer stride, and he picked me up and spun me in a hug, making me laugh. He had first done it when we were children, to demonstrate Hezul's strength when I'd asked, and now, it was a running joke. "What a wonderful surprise to see you," he continued, setting me down. He studied me with a soft smile, nodding. "You look well."
"So do you!" I laughed, giving him another hug. And he did. Fatherhood seemed to suit him as much as it suited Quan, and taking over Nordion hadn't hurt his health too much. I was glad, since Agustria's political climate was turbulent even in the best of times. "I forgot Nordion was so close to the Verdanite border."
"Indeed it is…" Eldigan's expression became conflicted, but it soon softened for fondness instead. "Ah, but I'd better get out of the way before Lachesis shoves me."
"I love hugging people I love, and anyone who gets in my way gets removed!" Lachesis laughed, popping out from behind Eldigan. I had to blink a few times to keep from being dazzled; Lachesis had always been easily one of the most beautiful women I had ever known and this past year had just made her more so. "Even you, Eldigan!" Lachesis kept on giggling and hugged me tightly. A bit too tightly, truthfully, but Lachesis was always a bit overly enthusiastic with her hugs. Always had been. "Oh, Ethlyn, I've missed you soooo much!"
"I've missed you too!" I replied, hugging her back. I noted, with delight, that she was wearing the dress I'd sent her for her birthday. "A year is much too long."
"It really is." Lachesis pulled away, beaming. I glanced to the side, wondering where Sigurd and Quan were. "I didn't expect to see you here. We're a long way from Leonster."
"We are." However, my brother needed my help. So, here I was. Because Sigurd always raced to help me. Always.
Not that, of course, I believed that when I was really young. When Sigurd and I were itty-bitty little, Sigurd never showed any affection. Trying to be like Father, who was so-often stoic, but forgetting the soft moments that let tiny-me understand that he really did care. We also argued often, and… one day, when I was five and Sigurd was eleven, it was bad. I couldn't even remember what it was about, but I had screamed at him, said I'd hated him, and ran off in tears. And, because I had been so young, I hadn't paid attention to where I was going, and ended up far outside of the castle. Worse, I ended up falling down some gap or something, too far below to climb up and trapped by the fast-moving river with jagged rocks.
I had tried to get myself out, of course. But I had only succeeded in getting soaked, bruised, scraped, and covered in mud. So, I had hidden, sniffling, wondering how I was going to get home. Wondering if I'd be trapped there forever, especially as the hours crawled by and the sun slowly began setting. But then I'd heard someone shouting my name. I had shouted back, and was surprised to see Sigurd lean over the edge above, blood trickling down his face from a scrape. He told me to stay right where I was, that he'd be right there, and disappeared briefly. Only to reappear in the actual river with far too sharp rocks, wading his way over to me despite how battered his legs were getting. Of course, looking back, it could just have been that he didn't notice. His hands and arms had been covered in scratches and scrapes, his legs had already been bruised, and he was scuffed up with dirt. I knew, even back then, that he'd been searching desperately for me.
I had cried and he had hugged me before getting me up on his back and carrying me back to the castle, where our parents were beside themselves with worry. That was the first time I realized how much Sigurd cared about me, but it wasn't the last. After that incident, Sigurd was much more open in how much he loved me, and our relationship improved significantly. But that incident wasn't the last time he'd saved me, helped me. From reassuring me that a snake that bit me wasn't poisonous to rushing into a burning building because he knew I was stuck inside… he had always been there for me. So, how could I do anything less now? I loved him just as much as he loved me, after all. Though, I did miss Altena terribly. Once things calmed down a bit, I'd have to send for her so that Sigurd could meet her.
"Eldigan!" During my reminiscing, Sigurd and Quan finally arrived, and immediately rushed over to greet Eldigan with warm hugs. Lachesis and I stepped off to the side, partly because Lachesis wanted to ambush them later with hugs, and partly so that we could gossip without anyone noticing.
However, I quickly noticed they weren't the only ones who had arrived. Finn was here and, surprisingly, so was Alicia. I half-wondered who got her out and how, since Alicia really only left the infirmary when you dragged her out. Literally.
"Oh, who's the cute one over there?" Lachesis asked, poking my shoulder. She was looking right at Finn and Alicia. "Well, both are cute. But the one who is more adorable-cute, not 'I am made of ice' cute."
"Sad that I know exactly who is who with just that," I muttered, smiling. They were accurate descriptions. "Why?"
"Because he is cute, and I like admiring, even though I'm certain he won't meet my standards."
"You set your standards near impossibly high." Of course, I couldn't talk, since my own standards were high. It was just that Quan exceeded every single one~! "Still, I'm not so sure you should write him off."
"Oh?" Lachesis raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Nearby, I noticed Eldigan, Sigurd, and Quan had become serious about something. "Well, well… now I really want to know who he is. But I suppose that can wait." She grinned. "Tell me about Altena! Life in Leonster! Life as a newlywed~!"
"Lachesis!" I laughed, though, and began answering her questions. After all, I had missed the two 'lions' of our very extended family forged from bonds and blood. There was so much to catch up on.
Author's notes: I warned you all that these chars' stories weren't done. Anyway, have an Ethlyn. I wanted to focus on the friendships here, especially since Eldigan's friendship with Sigurd and Quan plays a bit of a role in the main plot. Timeline wise, this is Ethlyn's pov of the opening scene in Chapter 3 of Memoirs of the Holy War.
Oh, and I mentioned this before, but seriously, if you've got a suggestion, go ahead and say something. ^^ While I've an idea of what I want to write for these one shots (to the point that I have a list all the way through Game-Chapter 2 written down), there's likely a lot to cover.