The night-owl sort of living took a toll on the two, seeing that they slept in the next morning until it was almost midday, missing both breakfast and lunch. At least it was a good morning to sleep in; neither had any duties around the castle on their schedule, nor any appointments to tend to. The most risk they were taking was being called lazy by their fellow allies- or, on the rougher side, something worse by the lecherous Niles.
"Ooh, sleeping 'till noon together?" he would gasp suddenly, then a wicked grin would spread across his lips. "What were the two of you doing all night long to cause such exhaustion? I bet I can figure it out if you gave me a couple of hints..."
While Silas was away, training along side the rest of the knights, Nyx spent her time sitting around the courtyard, meditating and studying her tomes. Midori passed by every so often, practicing laps around the castle atop the puppet she was struggling to master; sometimes, when she needed a break from her work, Nyx would observe from afar, watching as the puppet's mouth opened. It tried to spit out an arrow, only to rather vomit it onto the ground. Each time, she heard a disappointed sigh as the strings wrapped around Midori's fingers flopped down.
There was one tome that Nyx often did not bother to touch as she studied, that being the tome which rested at the very bottom of her book bag; it was old, pages threatening to fall from its binding, a language written inside few could understand. She began to wonder before long if she was the only who could understand such texts; granted, she may have been just as old as them.
This frighting and ominous tome was distributed to her by Corrin several weeks ago during the monthly weapons check-up out of the blue. The old, less powerful swords were discarded, sent to the smith to be recycled. Steel lances were replaced with shiny silver. Daggers became long knives. In the midst of the chatter, orders being filled and things being exchanged, Nyx was the last their leader approached with Benny pushing a crate full of weapons behind him. Upon arriving before her, she saw his blood red eyes brighten as he gazed down at her.
"Ah, and you Nyx..." he proceeded to turn around, where he began to dig inside the box carefully. His hands reached to the very bottom. There, he pulled out the thing; the menacing tome. He held it so obliviously, unaware of the terrible power bound inside. "Someone found this the other day. It certainly looks like something you can put to good use; far better than me, I'm sure. I've barely learned how to use a thunder tome. You're the most proficient of us all when it comes to these, so it's fitting that it goes to you."
She remembered gazing at the book with shock upon having it handed to her, her pupils shrinking. Though it was slight, she felt a burn in the corner of her heart; at first, she was almost afraid to take it, fearing that she, being a capable wielder, would have something sinister happen to her- more sinister than being cursed into a body that did not grow.
"It's fortunate that this did not fall into the wrong hands." she muttered grimly while taking the book. As she proceeded to brush off the cover, she narrowed her eyes. "If you find any more that look similar to this, young one, I request that you heavily consider bringing it to me for the sake of our wellbeing."
Corrin and Benny looked at her certainly, clearly not catching on to her message. Instead, the prince smiled, nodding.
"Certainly. I'll try my best." he replied before walking away to his other affairs, Benny following closely after.
To Silas' surprise, Gunter did not chew on him as much as he had thought him to for being tardy to training that day. He grabbed the reigns of his lovely white steed before rushing to the elder, his face red and his hair messy. Gunter stood there, his arms crossed as he observed those in the field before him, sparring as though the fight was real. Upon noticing Silas draw near, he heaved a sigh before close closing his eyes.
"Gunter, pardon me..."
"Only affirming my predictions." grumbled the old man before patting him on the head. "Young men and their wives always wind up tardy the first few months into their marriage. I expected a thing such as this from you; I will be easy on you for once, but only this once. Go now and catch up."
It was with that, and a quick word of gratitude from the younger, Silas hopped atop his horse and rode off to the field of trainees with his blade in hand. As his eyes searched for an available partner, his guard down, there came a blur out of the blue; a blade came crashing down on his shoulder piece, creating a ear wrenching shriek. Off guard, the force shoved him off the back of his steed. With a grunt, he hit the ground, lying in both embarrassment and defeat.
Another horse rode next to him; it was large and powerful, masked in a cloak of armor. Upon it, there sat the elderly Gunter, a steel blade in his hand. He looked down at the younger with a disapproving scowl.
"Not as attentive either today, are we? Have you awoken yet?" he worked to keep the steed still. "You didn't ride off like you usually do; in fact you rode so slow even this old horse here could catch up." he switched the blade to his other palm before leaning over to make room to help him up. With his face red, Silas accreted the offer and pulled himself to his feet. "Something must not be too well with you, Silas. I can see it in both your performance thus far and your expression. That great work ethic of yours has disappeared. Where to?"
Silas heaved a groan, watching as his steed slowly trotted up to him. Gentle, he set a hand on the creature's muzzle and rubbed its beautiful white fur.
"Gunter..." he murmured over the distant shouts of the those sparring. "I feel I can trust you with personal matters..."
"Lord Corrin entrusted my hand as one of the few that maintains our army; I do not take such a responsibility lightly, thus I endeavor to make sure all our troops have clear minds and capable skill before each battle. Besides, I am much too old to go about starting drama anyhow. Do tell, I am listening."
Silas became quiet, hesitant almost, as he formulated his words; the green in his eyes began to dull.
"It's about last night, you see..."
"Ah." Gunter mumbled, closing his eyes softly. "Spousal mishaps already..."
"No, no, it wasn't exactly a mishap... Or an argument either... I just..." he paused, looking the soft green grass beneath his feet. "Maybe it was a mishap after all. My wife, Nyx, tried to cast a lifeline spell on herself to where her heart would beat so long as mine did..."
Intrigued, Gunter raised a brow.
"I see. I hope she did not try to do the same vise versa."
"No. Just her... Just herself. Not to me." he sighed. "By sheer luck I awoke and was able to stop her from completing the spell. I can't... I couldn't let her finish... I didn't want her to."
"Be there a reason?"
"Of course! If she did finish the would mean she would die if I died. I can't live with that."
The old man chuckled suddenly, throwing him off guard.
"How do you know? So long as you're around, she'd be around; when you're dead, you won't be alive to be sorrowful, isn't that right? She's maintained herself all the years she's roamed the land with the help of nobody, so it would only make sense that she has the right to do whatever she wishes with the life she has worked for." he smiled. "Consider it a blessing to have a woman so dedicated to you, so willing to follow you even into the ominous hands of death."
"That's the thing, though." grumbled Silas. "She shouldn't have to feel that dedicated to me- I'm the one dedicated to her. I want her to live happily, Gunter, whether I'm here or not."
Gunter's smile fell, his old, tired eyes droopy. After a brief while of gazing at him, he motioned to the horse without its passenger.
"Silas," he sounded calmly. "Take up your steed and walk with me please; I believe it is best I spoke some words of understanding of you."
It was then, as they wandered around the training field atop the backs of creatures, Gunter gave he young Silas sound words if wisdom.
"Your wife is no ordinary woman, Silas, I'm sure your much aware. She was born seemingly ages ago, back when times were different, when kingdoms were ruled by kings whose names are forgotten. She displayed an exemplary prowess for fell magic then, amusing all who payed audience to her; not only was she impressive due to her the skills she could hone, but also by the age at which she could hone. Of course, though, one fateful day she dabbled to deeply into the indelible world of darkness out of the foolish, attention-hungry attitude of youth. She was carried away with her inexperience, attempting a spell so vile. Rather than executing properly, the spell failed, having many innocents killed, excluding herself due to a high resistance. There was a toll on her part, through; her body was cursed, bound to never mature besides her mind as it gathered experience. Her own family, disgusted, disowned her, leaving her to the mercy of the merciless world. Many, especially those who resided near the site of incident, would not dare draw near to her, much less offer asylum. Out of curiosity, Silas, do you know what she commonly refers herself as?"
"...Yes. A monster."
"Such a form of self-hatred could never bubble into existence overnight; like a garden, it takes years of tending. I have sat many times to pay ear to her tales of years past. They're all so very dark, so full of fear and inkiness; so dark, in fact, I feel paralyzed at the end of each, chills rushing down my tired spine. For a while, after I returned here in this castle, I was the only that would listen to her. Surely now, you can see why one such as herself, one who deems herself a monster, would see no hope in building more relationships than the ones she has already?"
"I've considered that plenty of times today, including the moment my eyes opened from sleep. I took her hand in marriage because I wanted to break that curse that held her captive, but if I failed, I would always be by her side, that way she would never be alone when others would not accept her for the mishaps placed upon her... But that shouldn't be her entire life. No, there is still so much to live for. There are so many kind people out there like you or Corrin that do not see her as others do... You are not prejudice. There are more than just us, she just needs to discover them."
"...Silas, boy... Neither one of us knows how many years your wife has counted as her own, but I know the number to be great; far more than mine. Why, I can only imagine the exhaustion. I am preparing to stagger into mid-seventies and I have never felt so tired in my life... Mentally and physically. She may not have the energy to continue should you fall. Building and maintaining relationships with people depletes energy quickly, Silas; of course, you would not know that being so young and full of strength. Take a tired soul, weary of the beatings of a long life... Should it lose the last thing precious to it, it would surely decide soon after it is time to rest, having nothing more to live for."
The conversation between he and Gunter led Silas to make a decision, a decision he put into action later on when night fell. By this time, many had returned to their tents to retire, lending the darkness its right of silence; of course, here was still those that preferred to stay out late such as the graceful Laslow, practicing his dancing in a secluded place, or Odin, who would go on and on about how cool he thought he looked in the pale moonlight in the form of a lengthy monologue. Effie, who adopted the new motto of 'train hard, eat hard, sleep hard', lived up to her word, being one of the first to crash into a state of slumber. Beruka, with a small candle light at her side in the shelter of her tent, spent the majority of her alone time to skim her eyes over an anatomy book she'd bought in town. Of course, she wouldn't be alone for too long, seeing that Camilla, the woman she retained, soon came to visit her.
Silas, lying in the tent which stood secluded a little ways from the camp, awaited the arrival of Nyx. His arms stretched out over his head, muscles tired from half a day's worth of intense training from Gunter. That old bard was not considerate in sparring, for he relieved his blade only to spare his opponent from death; Silas was in for very much to take up on that old man's offer to partner up after their conversation.
The steady glow of the lantern at his side would grant his visibility, which he used to observe his calloused hands out of boredom during his waiting. The more time that passed, the more worried he became, eventually rising from his pallet, tempted to throw on a shirt and investigate the case of his missing bride. Luckily, before he could take such actions, the entrance to the tent fluttered open, making way for the small form of a girl. Her eyes were tired, but took the time to brighten as she greeted him. Relieved, he smiled, his gaze glowing as well.
"Funny. I'm usually the one that's late."
"That you are." she agreed, making her way to the center of the tent; upon arriving, she worked to undress herself, reliving her head of a sorcerer's circlet, her mouth of a clear veil. "I'm sorry, Silas; I was too deep in meditation to realize what time it was."
He was too engrossed in watching her to formulate a response, his cheeks rosy and his pupils growing large. Through the confusion, as she slipped into a nightgown, he sighed, propping his head on his fist.
"I guess you'll have to make up for it with something..." he smiled slightly. "I hope you're not too tired for what I had in mind."
She scoffed.
"Lecherous child." her hand gently went to take the lantern; the hatch opened, and with a simple wick of breath, the tent succumbed to darkness, hiding the two from each other's eyes. She approached him, running a hand over his forehead afterwards; she planted a note of affection. "It's been a while since we decided to have a night like this. I'm surprised at how much time has passed. Would you answer me a question?"
Though beginning to lose himself to a state of euphoria, he nodded slightly.
"Mhmm." he moaned.
"Do you feel completely comfortable doing that sort of thing to this sort of body?"
The euphoric state dissipated, his eyes widening with surprise. Slowly, he turned his head up, gazing at her strangely before pulling himself up. He leaned in, pressing his lips against hers and pulled her into a tight embrace.
"If it's your body, I don't mind... Just yours." he answered simply as he pulled his face away, his voice untainted. "You know... I had a chat with Gunter today."'
"Instead of training? That explains all the energy you have tonight."
He nodded slightly, laughing for a moment.
"It really had me thinking about... Last night..."
"Mmm. I see. What have you been thinking?"
"I... I'm sorry, Nyx... I know you're much wiser than I am, but..." he sighed. "I don't feel comfortable letting you complete that spell."
There was a pause between them, the mercy of silence settling between them. Silas became worried, believing that anger was gradually rising in her quietness. In fact, he was almost too worried to yank his head back to observe her face. Luckily, with what little courage was left inside him, Silas pulled away, gazing into her eyes; they were soft, calm almost. The peace before a storm perhaps? Perhaps... "Y-You're not angry about that... Are you?"
"Not at all. Disappointed, yes, but angry, no." she replied. "I know that anybody would hate to be forced to do something they don't agree with; I wouldn't make you of any exception. Just keep in mind that this puts more stress on you; if you aren't careful when on the battlefield and have yourself killed, I will be very angry with you."
Silas laughed slightly.
"That sounds like something Keaton would say. Alright. If you're going to be that way, you can certainly expect the same from me." he brushed his lips on hers again.
"I'm not the one on the front line." she replied. "No armor covers this body; one careless hit and I probably won't recover. Neither Effie nor Benny would probably let me past the front line anyhow... What's your excuse?"
"You got me. Looks like I have to be extra careful from here on out; I'd hate to see you angry with me..."
She adjusted herself, comfortably leaning against him.
"As well you should." she added, smiling slightly as she burrowed her face into his chest. "Come on now, let's get to the good part of the night."
And thus, the two halted their conversation and moved on to other activities, activities that would surely have Niles in a fit of howls had he been near. Nobody, to their favor, was near, though; those in their tents stayed there, whether they be asleep or awake still. The chips of crickets and night owls masked their sounds as though they were friends lending a hand. It was, of course, another pleasant bonding experience which left them smiling upon finishing, laying snugly against one another as they recovered. Steadying his breath, Silas gazed down at his partner, observing her calm, perhaps sleeping, form. His eyes warmed, leading him to quietly ease down to plant a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Thank you." he whispered. "I promise... I promise I'll try my hardest to keep you at peace. I'll try my hardest to protect both of us with the most my strength can handle... I... I love you very much, Nyx. Please don't ever forget that."
Steady, she reached up, stroking his cheek as if to say she agreed.