A/N: This is a bit of a change of pace for me. I write a lot of Naruto fic, but Elden Ring has been my brainrot lately. I adore Roderika, and I love the idea of her and the Tarnished getting together.

I don't own Elden Ring.

Spirits and the Heart

"I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't that." Hewg let his hammer still for a moment, letting it rest upon the well-used anvil as he met the Tarnished's eyes. "You're sure about this, are you?"

The knight nodded, his helmet hiding the fact that he was practically sweating bullets. He cleared his throat, regaining some composure. "Yes, I'm sure. I wouldn't ask you, if I wasn't, after all."

Hewg let out a snort. "You're a bold one, you are." He picked his hammer back up, readying another piece of steel to be beaten into shape. "It's not really my place to deny such a request, and I'm not exactly deserving of such courtesies." The clang of the hammer striking the steel rang through the Roundtable Hold. The chained smith didn't take his eyes off his work, but kept speaking. "I appreciate the thought, nonetheless. I won't stand in your way."

"Thank you, Hewg." The Tarnished knight gave a small bow that was answered by a grunt. He retreated to Fia's former bedchamber for a moment to clean himself up. His chestnut hair was disheveled, thanks to his helmet, and he looked like he hadn't slept for a few days. Of course, he hadn't, but he didn't expect to look one step away from being mistaken as one of Those Who Live in Death. Ignoring how tired he looked, he ran a gauntleted hand through his hair, smoothing it out as best he could.

Just as he finished making himself look a smidge more presentable, he heard soft footsteps. He spared a glance out the door, spotting the Roundtable Hold's spirit tuner, Roderika, taking her usual place on the floor across from Hewg. Despite himself, the knight's heart pounded in his chest. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself. He'd faced far more difficult challenges than this, and even been in life or death situations, but he still felt about ready to jump out of his skin.

Roderika and Hewg exchanged a quick greeting. The smith went back to hammering steel, while she cracked open a book that was left dog-eared at the top of one of the piles. With another deep breath and some silent self-reassurance, the Tarnished stepped out of the bedchambers, making his way towards Roderika's corner of the Roundtable Hold.

She glanced up from her book. "Greetings, Rhys. Are you here for spirit tuning?"

"Actually, I'm here to speak with you," the knight responded, his voice sounding far off in his own ears. He sat cross-legged in front of her, trying to keep his breathing and heartbeat under control.

Roderika cocked her head, her emerald green gaze brimming with curiosity. "Speak with me? Has something happened?"

"No, nothing has happened," Rhys reassured with a wave of his hand. "I merely wanted to see how you're faring. It's been a little while since we've met, and you seem to be doing well."

"I see. Well, I have you to thank, don't I? If you hadn't found me up on Stormhill, I doubt I'd be here. I wouldn't have found my gift for spirit tuning, either, and Master Hewg wouldn't have taught me everything he knew." She looked down at her gloved hands. "I suppose I've gotten quite good at this, don't you think?"

The Tarnished hummed. "I would say so. You've certainly got a way with the spirits. Were it not for your help, I don't believe they would last nearly as long as they do now whenever I summon them for battle."

A small smile graced Roderika's features. "I'm glad to hear it. I know I've already told you this, but the spirits truly do look fondly upon you."

"They're indeed all steadfast. The first one you gave me—the jellyfish—has been a good companion. The little one is rather timid, so it prefers to only come out whenever I take a rest." Rhys cleared his throat, remembering why he'd even decided to sit and speak with the spirit tuner in the first place. "B-But, I, er, well…"

"Is something the matter?" Roderika gently questioned.

Rhys met her bright green eyes with his own cool grey ones, nearly melting under the sheer amount of genuine concern she held in them. Under her gaze, he felt his cheeks heat up, much to his chagrin. He cleared his throat, reminding himself to not falter. He could do this. He'd faced Shardbearers; this should be trivial.

"I'm…grateful that you help me with matters of spirit tuning, Roderika. I must confess, when I first encountered you, I wasn't sure what to make of you. But, now that you've come into your own, you have…" Rhys fought to keep his cheeks from steaming. Telling her how he felt shouldn't be this difficult.

By now, Roderika's face had shifted to an expression of pure worry. She must have thought he'd fallen ill, or was perhaps succumbing to madness. Despite her concerns, she let Rhys work through his own thoughts, knowing that he wasn't one so feeble as her. Though, the way he seemed unable to get a complete thought out did leave her wondering. Just behind the Tarnished knight, Roderika swore she saw Hewg shake with a silent chuckle.

In his frustration, Rhys let out a vexed sigh. "My apologies, I don't mean to cause you any trouble."

"Oh! No, no, not at all," Roderika reassured. "You seem quite flustered, though."

The Tarnished cursed himself for not having a better handle on his nerves. For a moment, he considered up and abandoning this charade. Regardless of how he felt, he wasn't even sure if Roderika felt the same way. After all, she'd not given any indications that she saw him as anything more than an acquaintance or a good friend.

He'd first started visiting her for spirit tuning, but over time, Rhys began simply visiting her for the sake of visiting her. He took comfort in knowing that she would be there whenever he returned to the Roundtable hold to rest. He'd tell Roderika of his travels, of his encounters with the various creatures that resided in the Lands Between, and of his battles against the many foes he encountered.

With not much else to occupy her time besides her books and tuning the occasional spirit, Roderika listened rather intently whenever Rhys would tell his stories. Having not spent much time outside of the Hold, she was rather captivated by his tales of places like Caelid, the Altus Plateau, Mount Gelmir, and Leyndell. Places such as the Altus Plateau and Leyndell were not places that Roderika had ever thought of being reachable, yet Rhys had been there and had fought there. His tales of the Royal Capital and the realm of the Erdtree were some of her favorites.

For his part, Rhys often found himself stealing glances at the spirit tuner, admiring how her hair perfectly framed her face, or the way her bright emerald green eyes would light up with excitement. Her laugh was intoxicating, and he made a conscientious effort to make her laugh with some sort of witty remark. Though, more often than not, she would laugh more at his attempt than the actual remark itself. Either way, her laugh would ring like a small bell, and Rhys swore he never heard a more wonderful sound.

Unbeknownst to the Tarnished knight, Roderika had come to enjoy his company. It struck her as a bit curious that he would visit her outside of procuring her spirit tuning services, but she brushed it off as a desire for basic companionship. The path to seek the Elden Throne was, after all, a largely solitary one, or so Hewg told her. Over time, however, she began to look forward to his visits any time he was in the Roundtable Hold, and each time he visited Hewg, she would silently pray that he would stop and chat with her. Fortunately for her, those prayers were always answered. She also found that he wasn't particularly bad looking, and would even go so far as to say he was rather handsome without that ever-present helmet of his.

Rhys shook his head, trying to regain his composure. "N-No, I—" He caught himself, realizing how the conversation had gone up to this point. "Well, perhaps a bit."

Roderika giggled into her hand, sending Rhys's heart fluttering. "I figured so. What's gotten you so rosy, then?" she asked.

The knight opened his mouth to speak, but rather than trip over his own words again, he took a breath to steady himself. "As I said before, I didn't quite know what to think when I first met you, Roderika. It was clear you were crestfallen, but you've changed much since then. You're not the same 'craven-hearted coward' that you proclaimed yourself to be. You've been more than generous in your assistance with my spirit summons, and your company is more than refreshing whenever I come to the Roundtable Hold. You truly have become a master spirit tuner, and are a dear friend."

In that instant, Rhys swore he saw Roderika's face drop ever so slightly. She tried to hide it, flashing him a small but genuine smile. "Thank you, Rhys. I'm glad that I can help you as much as I have. I feel much more sure of myself now that I've really come into my own as a spirit tuner. It's a bit unbelievable to think that I went from such a coward to where I am now. I still can't quite hold my own with a sword, but I'd like to think that my skills as a spirit tuner make up for that."

"I would agree. I'm sure Hewg is proud of you, too. You're a very capable spirit tuner, and I think you might be one of the kindest people I've ever met."

She could scarcely hold back a blush from appearing on her cheeks. "Oh dear. Thank you, Rhys. That's…very flattering of you to say. I could say the same of you."

Rhys waved a dismissive hand. "No, it's nothing, really. I only showed you the kindness you deserve."

"You know, now that I think about it, I believe you might be the first person to have really shown me such genuine good will after my men sacrificed themselves for my sake." Her voice quieted, but her cheeks retained their dusting of pink. "It's more than I deserve, really."

"That's not true, Roderika," Rhys interjected. "You're not a craven-hearted coward anymore. You are fair—beautiful, in truth—and you have shown me nothing but kindness, compassion, and companionship whenever we've spoken. You are…" His mouth went dry, but he sallied forth. "You are precious to me. I care about you, Roderika."

A tiny gasp escaped the blonde spirit tuner, who brought a hand up to cover her mouth. By now, her eyes were wide enough to rival even the broadest greatshields, and her face radiated enough heat that Hewg could use it as a forge. Her heart threatened to pound its way out of her chest as she stared at Rhys in complete astonishment.

"You…you truly mean that?" She hadn't meant for her voice to sound so small, nor did she mean to let tears well up in her eyes, but this Tarnished was the only one besides Hewg to express that they well and truly cared about her. It didn't help that his eyes were so enchanting. They reminded her of a calm summer rain, or a cool autumn sky. Realizing she was almost ogling him, she inwardly reprimanded herself for letting her gaze linger for as long as it had.

"O-Of course," the knight assured. "You are someone whom I hold dear. And, I, er, well…" He rubbed the back of his neck, a light dusting of pink appearing on his own cheeks. "You truly are quite beautiful and kind and…" Rhys took a breath to steady himself. He swallowed hard, despite his mouth being as dry as the air that surrounded Mount Gelmir. "What I feel for you, I think, is something more than simple friendship or companionship. What I feel for you goes deeper than that."

Roderika wiped any stray tears from her eyes, well aware that Rhys was baring his heart in front of her. She dared not speak a word, but she held her hands against her bosom. She felt a warmth well up within her as she watched on, hanging onto every word that the Tarnished spoke.

Rhys took another breath, trying not to mince his words any more than he already had. "You, Roderika, are someone I've come to cherish, even love. I don't know if your feelings are the same as mine, but I thought it best to tell you that I care about you a great deal."

Roderika's gloved hands covered her mouth. Her eyes were as wide as before, but a few stray tears rolled down her cheeks. With a sniffle, she quickly wiped them away, meeting Rhys' rather concerned grey gaze. "Rhys, I…I don't know what to say."

The knight offered a small smile, though he felt his heart sink from her response. "You don't have to say anything, Roderika."

Feeling her own heart skip a beat, Roderika knew she had to tell him somehow that his feelings weren't unrequited. Before he could get up, the spirit tuner shuffled forward onto her knees, throwing her arms around him and letting her forehead rest on the cold steel of his armored shoulder. Rhys froze, not daring to lay a hand on her.

"I may not have to say anything, but I want to," she whispered. She pulled back, her bright green eyes meeting his. She quickly removed her gloves, bringing a hand up to caress his cheek. Thanks to his now uncontrollable blush, it was warmer than usual. "I care about you, as well, Rhys," she quietly confessed. "I didn't think anyone would want to visit with me as much as you did, but you've been so kind and wonderful ever since I met you. You're precious to me, too. Precious enough that…" She took a breath to calm her pounding heart. "Precious enough that I feel the same way about you."

Rhys blinked, trying to process what had just happened. After realizing that this was, in fact, reality, and not a dream, he snapped himself out of his stupor with a shake of his head. He reached up to his face, taking Roderika's hand in his. "You've no idea how happy I am to know you feel the same way. I know this is a bit sudden, but, I would gladly be yours, if you'll have me."

His proposition sent Roderika's heart aflutter. She gently squeezed his hand and gazed into his stormy grey eyes. Gathering her courage, she leaned forward and kissed his left cheek. His face was the same shade of red as Hewg's forge, as was Roderika's, but she wore a small, warm smile as she spoke. "I would gladly have you, if you'll have me."

Rhys' breath hitched ever so slightly. He bowed his head before lifting her right hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. Though they were both still a bit flustered and wearing a rather deep blush, their eyes met. "Then I am yours, and you are mine," Rhys declared. They exchanged a small, genuine smile.

All the while, Hewg stole glances at them now and again. He'd never admit it out loud, but the whole exchange was slightly bittersweet. Though, he felt no resentment toward Rhys. Nor did he feel that the girl he'd come to think of as a daughter was being stolen away.

After talking for a little while longer, Rhys reluctantly bade goodbye to Roderika, but not after a chaste kiss to her cheek that left her blushing. He warily approached Hewg, fully expecting to receive an earful. Despite their earlier conversation, he was sure Hewg would still have something to say about that whole exchange.

"Well, looks as though that went better than you might've expected," Hewg observed.

Rhys opened his mouth, but no words left it. He stood there like a fish out of water for a moment before he finally found his voice. "It, er, well, yes, actually. I'm…surprised, to say the least."

Hewg hummed, not taking his eyes off his work. "Take care of her. I've no doubt that you have nothing but the best intentions in mind, but she's like a daughter to me."

"I understand," said the knight. He gave a cordial bow. "I'll protect her with my life."

A chuckle escaped the smith, forcing him to stay his hammer. "You are an interesting one, Ta—" He paused. "Rhys. You truly are an interesting one. I know you'll do everything you can for her."

Hewg and Rhys exchanged one last nod before Rhys went back to the bedchamber to reclaim his helmet. With renewed vigor, he set out upon the Lands Between once more. He wasn't certain, but he thought he felt the spirit ashes he carried lending him their strength more so than before. Perhaps it was because he had one more very important reason to fight and claim the Elden Throne.

A/N: Elden Ring, Dark Souls 3, and Sekiro are some of my favorite games. Dark Souls 3 was my first foray into From Software's games, and I've been hooked on the gameplay and lore ever since. I decided to take the sentiment of Hewg seeing Roderika as his daughter and run with it. I think it would be sweet for the Tarnished to ask for Hewg's permission to court her, as a result. Also, Roderika deserves all of the hugs. Thank you so much for reading!