A/N
Okay, writing this A/N before I start the chapter. If this is posted a month or more after the last update, smack me really, really hard and tell me to get my ass in gear. This is just a fluff chapter, so it really shouldn't take me long to write.
EDIT: Just noticed that anonymous reviews were disabled on my account. Sorry about that, they're enabled again.
Disclaimer: See, like, every other chapter before this one. It's all there, go ahead and check. Don't worry, I'll wait... Done? Jeez, took you long enough. Now read the chapter already!
Chapter 21
Crash and Burn
An icy wind heralded the end of fall as it swept through the training grounds of the Mainal Cathedral, dislodging the last few dried leaves from the courtyard's lone tree. I felt the chill keenly through the thin fabric of my tunic, but rather than retreating to the warm confines of the mess hall I just grinned and stepped up my pace. The army was scheduled to march in two days, and I wanted to be back in fighting shape. The steady drumming of wooden weapons echoed in the empty courtyard as the training dummy's swiveling arms matched my tempo, each block sending the other rocketing back at me.
Finally one arm slipped past my sword, striking me just under my ribs. I growled in frustration and brought my sword down hard on the offending arm; the wood, cracked and worn from too much use, splintered and broke off. The remaining arm spiraled slowly around the now-useless dummy, leaving me with nothing at all to train with. A soft laugh came from behind me, and I turned around to see Nephenee standing in the entrance to the mess hall.
"If Daein sends wooden soldiers ta fight us, I'll know who ta call," she chuckled as she strode out to meet me.
"Zihark won't let me train with anyone until my leg is fully healed, so I'm stuck with stationary opponents for the time being," I explained sheepishly. Despite the jab, I was glad to see her. The mercenaries only just got back last night, and amidst all the excitement of Ike's promotion to a lord - Lord-ification? Noble-ization? Gah, I don't know - and the Apostle's formal pledge of military support, I'd hardly had a moment to speak with any of my friends. "Ah well, it's gettin' kinda chilly out here anyway. What's up?"
Nephenee shivered. "Princess Elincia's been lookin' fer ye," she said. "Can't say what she wanted talk to ye about, though."
"Oh, okay. Lead on," I replied. Probably something to do with Ike's vassalage-ceremony-thing. She'd been very excited about it, in her reserved yet earnest way. "You seem unusually chipper today."
"I just, uh, had a good mornin', y'know," she said, unusually relaxed. "How's yer leg?"
"Better; I can walk without a cane now, and it's only been a week," I replied cheerfully. My leg wasn't fully healed yet and I still had a noticeable limp, but it was nice to walk unassisted. "Amazing what healing magic can do. Speaking of which, Boyd tells me you had a close call yourself."
"Yeah, but I weren't hurt, though. A soldier snuck up on me in the forest while I was protectin' one o' the herons, but Boyd killed him first," Neph explained.
"And you're okay? Not hurt or anything?" I asked. To hear Boyd tell it, she'd been inches away from dying.
Neph nodded. "Honestly, it wasn't too bad. I didn't even get hit."
"Huh, Boyd made it sound so much worse..." I said, relieved. Pulling my attention off Neph, I saw that we had reached the doors of Elincia's chambers. I went to go in, but Nephenee stopped me.
"Um, look Adam... Just promise me before we go in there ye won't let what's about ta happen change ye. I still wanna be friends, even if, well..." she trailed off.
"No worries bro- Wait a second! Elincia DID tell you what's going on!" I exclaimed. Lowering my voice, I asked "Is it good or bad? Am I in deep shit?"
"I- I can't, she telled me not ta tell ye!" Nephenee protested.
"C'mon dude, now you're just making it worse!"
Neph just shook her head and pushed through the doors while I followed with a frustrated sigh. Inside, I found the princess standing in the middle of the room, with Ilyana and Boyd off to the side. Curious, to say the least. Nephenee went to stand with the others, leaving me facing the princess alone.
"...What's going on?" I asked suspiciously, seeing the grins my three friends wore.
Elincia smiled. "Actions have consequences, and do not think for a moment that I have forgotten yours," she replied cryptically. I frowned and raised one eyebrow. "My uncle once told me to keep someone who risks his life for you close; like as not, he'll do it again."
"So I'm a permanent bodyguard, then?" I guessed, keeping my face impassive. Once we went to war I wanted to be out in the thick of the fighting with everyone else, but who was I to say no to a princess?
"Not quite. You see, my uncle was the greatest knight in Crimea until Daein invaded, but with him and the Royal Guard gone I am left with, well, Sir Keiran." My stomach began to tie itself in a knot as I realized what she was getting at. "A queen must have knights of she is to go to war."
I was speechless. For ages I couldn't speak, couldn't think, as my chest tightened and my stomach threatened to expel my breakfast. I finally managed to get my breathing under control and choked out the first thing I could think of. "I-I can't ride a horse."
Boyd guffawed. "And you call me dumb! That's the lamest excuse ever!" Lame, yes, but this is too much. I can't be a knight... can I?
"This does not mean that you must ride a horse into battle. I offer you a title and a chance to serve as a sworn sword of House Ridell, not to mention more generous wages," Elincia explained.
"My- my lady, I'm honoured, but I'm not- I'm not even Crimean. If you do this-" I protested.
"I am well aware of your origins. Knighthood will grant you citizenship, and should you ever be able to return home I will happily release you from your oath," Elincia countered. "And do not worry yourself over any outcry from the nobility; I made Ike a noble today, knighting you pales in comparison. So, what do you say?"
I took a deep breath. "It would be my honour, Your Grace," I answered before easing myself into a kneeling position. Boyd handed Elincia a sword, and she stepped towards me.
"Do you swear to serve the Kingdom of Crimea, to safeguard the realm and protect its people? Do you swear to be brave and upright in the face of your enemies?""
"I swear," I said, hardly believing what was happening.
"And do you swear to serve my house with honour and integrity?"
"Always," I answered, this time with a bit more conviction. I felt cold steel first on one shoulder, then the other, and just like that it was over.
"Rise Sir Adam, knight of Crimea," Elincia said, stepping back.
I felt... different, but in a good way. Boyd charged over and clapped me on the back. "Congrats, man! This calls for celebration!"
"And food. Lots of food," Ilyana was quick to add.
"Fair enough," I allowed. "But just a small one," I added, looking directly at Boyd.
"Sure, no problem," he replied innocently.
"ME WEE LANDLUBBER FRIEND'S A BLOODY KNIGHT!" Cap'n Nedata hollered as he hoisted his flagon into the air, splashing Boyd and I with ale. The drunken crew of the Chimaera roared their approval and threw back their drinks (although I think they just liked the excuse for another drink).
"Small, quiet party, eh Boyd?" I asked sarcastically over the racket of Nedata's bar.
"From a certain point of view..." Boyd replied, grinning ear to ear as he pushed a drink over to me. "And besides, this isn't just a party for you."
He had a point; Astrid and Marcia had been knighted as well, and they and their friends joined us at Nedata's tavern to celebrate. Add in the pirate - sorry privateer - crew already getting drunk here because... reasons, and the place ended up pretty damn crowded. Ike and the princess even showed up, and of course Boyd and I made a point of bowing ridiculously and calling Ike 'milord' at every opportunity.
Just a meter or two away from where we sat at the bar, a few of Nedata's men had persuaded Ilyana to join them in a drinking contest; she currently had a stack of empty mugs in front of her and was eating her seventh pie while she waited for the dumbfounded pirates to catch up (well, the ones who hadn't passed out, at least). "Ten gold says the first mate's the next one to pass out," Boyd said, pointing to a huge privateer downing a massive flagon of ale.
"Nah, that guy's gonna go next," I countered, indicating a man staring at his drink, eyelids drooping as he slumped forward ever so slowly. Suddenly, just when he was halfway through his drink, the first mate tipped over backwards and fell off his stool to land snoring in a puddle of ale. Boyd and I both snorted with laughter, and I passed Boyd his winnings.
"Am I the smartest, or am I the smartest?" he gloated as he collected the coins, and then promptly slammed them down on the bar. "Another round of drinks for me and my friend here!" he called to the bartender.
"Aw c'mon man, you know I don't do good with this stuff," I complained. "I don't even remember what happened the last time I got drunk!"
"Seriously? Man, it was so epic! How can you not!?" Boyd cried incredulously.
"I just don't. I have no clue what happened," I stated.
"Not even that thing with the goat? It was hilarious!"
"Okay, I really don't wanna know now!" I pushed my drink away. I definitely plan on staying mostly sober-ish tonight. Over at Ilyana's table, the last two privateers were gone - one was snoozing next to the first mate, and the other had run outside to puke - but she just carried on eating and drinking, perfectly oblivious to the fact that she'd won the competition. In fact, she'd probably already forgotten about it.
"Heyyyy, who's that?" Boyd slurred, waving one arm towards the two newly arrived earthlings who were at a table across the tavern talking with Al.
"Oh, that's Matt and Beth. You haven't met them yet?" Boyd's eyes were fixed on Beth. Oh dear...
"Nope, but I wish I had. Okay, you remember how you told me about that thing last time you got drunk?" he asked.
"No, I don't remember, remember?" I replied. "Stupid m-" And Boyd puched me in the shoulder. Didn't deserve it.
"It was like, some kind of man with wings that helps you talk to girls."
"Cupid?" Why the fuck would I talk about Cupid?
"Uh, no... Wait, wingman! That was it!"
"You want me to be your wingman?" What possessed me to tell Boyd about that... Goddess, what have I done!?
"C'mon, I don't want a repeat of Port Toha! I'll be your wingman too," he offered.
"Yeah, but I like watching you crash and burn!" I countered. Boyd gave me sad puppy eyes. Damn, he's been spending too much time around Ilyana, she must have taught him how to guilt. I sighed. "Why don't you just try introducing yourself? Politely."
"But that's... Wait, you're right! I'm amazing enough, I don't need fancy lines!" Oh dear god, I just keep making this worse. Oh well, might as well tag along and watch the train wreck. "That's brilliant! You're the best Cupid ever!"
"Wingman, and no, I'm really not." This is gonna end badly.
With a little reluctance I followed Boyd over to where the two newcomers were busy conversing with Al.
"Hey guys. Matt, Beth, this is Boyd," I said getting the introductions over with before Boyd could-
"Most people call me Boyd the Great, but it's alright if you just wanna call me Boyd," he added, sitting down next to Beth. Poor Beth...
"Sweet," she replied, smiling back at him. "Dude, everybody here is so friendly." Matt nodded his agreement, but didn't say much. And people thought I was quiet...
"Adam, why did you bring him here?" Al whispered as Boyd set about trying to flirt with Beth. As usual, it didn't work so well, but at least she didn't seem angry. In fact, it almost looked like she didn't know he was flirting... Heh, Boyd you really suck at this.
"He guilted me into it, and it's Sir Adam now, thank you very much," I corrected her.
"Yeeeaaah, I'm not calling you that. Ever," Al replied, shaking her head with an expression of disgust. "I can't believe she was desperate enough to knight you."
"Aw, you're just jealous," I shot back.
"Hardly; I'm still part of the Greil Mercenaries, the most elite fighting force in Tellius. You, on the other hand, are part of an order of knights that got flattened by Daein in - oh, what was it? - That's right, one day," Al taunted.
"I'm still gonna be deployed with you guys, only difference is that I get paid more," I bragged. Still, she had a point; I was no longer a Greil Mercenary... That hadn't occurred to me before.
On the other side of our table I finally noticed Boyd was trying to get my attention; it seemed that despite his best efforts to impress and compliment her, Beth was either immune to his charms or utterly oblivious. Ugh, I really am a terrible wingman.
"Whoa, hey who's she?" Boyd asked, suddenly turning away from Beth. Leave it to Boyd to get distracted by another girl mid flir- Whoa, who's she? There was a very attractive girl coming right towards our table.
"Hi guys..." the unknown girl said quietly as she sat down next to me. Her voice is familliar... Oh wait, I know who that is!
"Hey Neph! I hardly recognized you without your helmet," I greeted her. Not only was her helmet gone, but she was actually wearing a dress and a cloak; casual wear, not armor. It was super uncharacteristic of her to do that.
"Eep!" she cried, sinking lower in her seat and pulling her hood over her head. "I knew this was a bad idea, I probably look-
"Relax, you look beaut-" Aaaand I was getting some weird looks from my friends. I pretended to cough, covering my embarrassment. "Ahem, good, y-you look good," I finished sheepishly, sinking lower in my own seat as I felt my face go red. Ugh, that was stupid of me.
"Oh... um, okay," she finally replied, pulling back her hood once again. Both of us took long drinks of whatever alcohol happened to be nearby to get over our embarrassment.
I honestly remember very little after that, aside from the fact that I started to have a lot more fun after my... fourth drink? Yeah. After that point there were only a few lucid moments. I recall Boyd and I trying to arm wrestle Cap'n Nedata as a team because it was clearly a good idea, and judging by the bruises on my arm the next day it didn't end well for us. A few hours after that I for some reason was leading the pirate crew in very drunken renditions of a few songs from Earth (SWEEEEET CAROLIIINE, DUHN DUHN DUHN!). No clue why, but it was fun. There were also some shenanigans involving fire and knives, because it was clearly the greatest idea in the history of ever. Not dangerous at all...
Regardless, at some point I recall stumbling out of the party with... someone else. Someone at least as drunk as I was, because neither one of us could walk without the other to lean on. When the next reasonably clear moment came, I found myself back in the barracks at the cathedral. It was late and I was tired, but I was kinda busy with... Son of a bitch, am I actually kissing someone?!
I froze. Yup, I was definitely right in the middle of it. Great time for a lucid-ish moment. I had no clue who it was, beyond the fact that she was a girl (big relief), and like me, she seemed to have absolutely no clue what she was doing (another big relief). Had I been sober, I probably would have stopped what I was doing right then and there; after all, what we were doing was more akin to a pair of seals fighting over a grape than any kind of romantic kiss, but I didn't have any better ideas so I just kinda went with it, burying one hand in her long, blue-green hair and- Wait, blue-green hair! ...Motherfucker...
I froze with our faces still pressed together, panic replacing my drunken stupor. "Mephemee?" I asked. She froze too, and the seconds ticked by as our addled minds processed exactly what was happening.
"GAHHH!" we both screamed simultaneously, pushing the other away. I instantly began to hyperventilate, and Nephenee stumbled away and grabbed her helmet from a shelf.
"What. The. FUCK?!" I gasped, so far beyond mortified there weren't even words to describe it.
"Oh Goddess! Ashera, this is all wrong!" Nephenee cried, pulling her helmet down over her head. She looked ill. "I- ye- WHAT?!"
My breathing finally slowed to a manageable level, and I tried my hardest to think this through rationally. "Okay, okay, soooo we left the party t'gether, right?" I slurred. Ugh, my head's spinning.
"Uhm, y-yeah..."
"A-an' we're rreally drunk, right?" I asked. I knew I was, at least. Nephenee gave a small hiccup. I took that as a yes.
"Soo... Uhhhh... Wwwellll..." Thinking made my head hurt. "Shit, I don't 'ave an alter- alernive- aterna- FUCK! A difr'nt way to 'splain this," I concluded.
"This is bad, this is sooo bad," Neph kept saying.
"Well, I mean, it wasn't terr'ble, y'know," I said, alcohol throwing inhibition straight out the window. Stop talking, Adam. You're gonna make even more of a mess of this... But the alcohol just kept talking. "Act'ly, it wasss kinda grreat," the stupid part of me added. Neph's expression became completely unreadable. Congratulations, it's worse now. So much worse. Good job, me! Finally the semi-lucid part of me took over, and I said the smartest thing I'd said all night; "I'm gunna go."
I left, as fast as possible, and hoped to whatever deities might be sober at this late hour that Neph and I would completely forget about this by the next morning. I made it about three feet from Nephenee's room when I heard familiar voices.
"Thanks for walking me back to my room, Boyd," Beth was saying just a few rooms down the hall. "You're such a good friend for doing that."
"Uh, yeah but I wa-" Boyd started, but Beth had already closed the door to her room... in his face, no less. I might have laughed under different circumstances. Boyd sighed in frustration and turned to leave, but stopped when he saw me. "Hey man, you look like shit."
I just kinda grunted in response.
"Ha! Shoulda told me you can't handle that much ale- Wait, why are you coming out of Nephenee's... room..." he trailed off, and his face lit up. "Hell yeah man! NICE!"
Somehow I managed to grab his collar without falling over, and hissed "You tell anybody 'bout this, an' I'll kill you to death!"
"...So it didn't go well?" he asked after a second, still grinning like a fool. I glared at him, and he relented. "Alright, your secret's safe with me. Now go to bed before you pass out on the floor." I finally relaxed.
"Tanks man, yer rrreally smart," I mumbled, then stumbled off in the direction of my room. Sleep sounded nice...
I woke up the following morning in the hallway outside my room with a dry mouth and a headache that defied description. With some effort I got to my feet, wiped the drool off my shirt, and stumbled into my room to retch into the nearest receptacle. Once my nausea was more or less gone I made my way down to the mess hall to see if anyone knew how to get rid of a hangover. The first person I saw was Nephenee, but both of us avoided eye contact and gave the other a wide berth. Well, there goes any hope that neither of us remembered last night, I thought glumly. I spotted Ilyana, Boyd and Al sitting at a table far away from Nephenee, and went over to join them.
"Hey Adam!' Boyd greeted me cheerfully when I sat down, rubbing my eyes to keep drowsiness at bay.
"Mmmmmgh, not so loud," I mumbled, sitting down and holding my head. "Please tell me you guys have something to get rid of a hangover."
"I know how! Don't drink so much in the first place!" Al quipped loudly. I glared daggers at her.
"Here," Boyd said, passing me a cup of water. "That's about all you can do." I mumbled a quick 'thank you'.
"So," Ilyana asked as I drank. "How was last night?"
"You were at the party, you know last night went already! It's not like anything happened at all after that!" I cried defensively. "Why must you pry!?"
"What about you and Nephenee?" Al asked, grinning mischievously.
"Goddammit Boyd!" I snapped, turning to glare at my friend.
"I didn't say anything, I swear!" Boyd replied right away, holding his hands up defensively.
"He didn't need to," Ilyana added. "We all saw you two leave together."
"Wonderful," I said sarcastically, my face turning bright red. This day just keeps getting better and better. "Nothing happened, and it didn't go well, so let's just leave it at that."
"How did it not go well, man? I could'a sworn you two would be dating by now," Boyd exclaimed. "Oh come on! You don't spend every night in the crow's nest talking with a girl that's 'just a friend'," he added when I looked at him incredulously.
I sighed; he was right. It had taken me a while to figure out how I felt, but I'd always assumed she just thought of me as a friend. Now I'd even screwed up our friendship. "Look, it doesn't matter. She probably won't talk to me ever again after that. I mean, I kissed her and she's clearly not interested-" Boyd interrupted by punching me in the shoulder. "Ow!"
"Seriously, Adam, what did I just say about you guys?" he said, rolling his eyes. "You're so dumb. Did she reject you?"
"Well no I kinda ran out but she w- OW!" I definitely had a bruise on my shoulder now.
"Adam, go over there and talk to her already. You won't know what she thinks until you actually tell her you like her," he ordered, pointing to where Nephenee sat on the other side of the room. I had to admit, he was making sense... Heh, never thought I'd see that happen.
I took a deep breath, gathered my courage, suppressed my nausea, and stood. "Alright, I guess it's worth a try. Thanks, Boyd."
"I know, I'm pretty much the best wingman ever!" Boyd replied proudly, puffing out his chest. I just shook my head and started to go over to Nephenee. I made it a few steps before I the anxiety kicked in.
"Gah, no this is stupid! I can't-" I started, turning back towards my seat. Ilyana snapped her fingers, and bolts of lightning started to dance around her hand. I sighed, hung my head and mumbled sheepishly "'Kay, I'm gonna go talk to Neph."
By the time I reached her table my face was beet red and I still had no idea what to say. My anxiety only got worse when Nephenee saw me coming and suddenly became very interested in her plate of food.
"Um, N-Neph, c-can I, um, can I talk to you for a minute? I've, uh, got something I really need to say," I stammered once I was close enough that no one would overhear us.
"...sure," she replied, her voice so quiet I could hardly hear. I took a seat next to her. Here goes everything.
"Alright, um, I don't really know how this is supposed to be done, so I'm just gonna come right out and say it. Neph, I-"
"Nephenee!" a smooth, sophisticated voice called from behind me. I turned around to see none other than Kezhda, Lord Hetzel's chief assassin, coming our way.
"Oh, hi Kezhda! Nice seein' ye again," Nephenee greeted him with a smile.
"You as well. I was just wondering if you would like to accompany me to the market again today?" Kezhda asked politely.
"Sure, I'd like that," she replied. She turned back to me expectantly. "Just a second, though; What was it ye wanted ta tell me?"
I glanced back and forth between her and Kezhda, shocked. They're going on a date? I guess I should've seen that coming a mile away. "Umm, it's- it's not important," I said, forcing a smile. My chest felt like it was being crushed. Nephenee looked confused, so I got up to leave before things could get any more awkward... if that was even possible. "I'll, uh, see you when we leave tomorrow."
I trudged back to my friends, answering their surprised stares with the only thing I could think of; "I am never, EVER drinking again."
A/N
I got an update done in one week? Jeez, if I'm not careful I might actually start being a productive writer. Heaven forbid. The people shipping AdamxNephenee are probably calling for my head right now too. My doors are locked, just in case.
Anyway, please leave a review to let me know what you think. As always, concrit is welcomed!