In the beginning the "leading-in" to this scene was longer, but I didn't want to write it since I'm pretty sure it would've been horrible. And I still like it how it is now. This scene is the most important thing; the "introduction" would just be an addition.

"You have been so absentminded those last days."

Vigarde blinks confused, ripping his gaze away from the low windows, and looks at the frowning Fadia next to him. "Pardon me?"

"You've always been silent but not like this." She shakes her head and pushes her loose, long hair back over her shoulder. Her once brilliant turquoise hair has dulled a bit and grey strands are wove into it like the golden threat in her sleeves. "What is bothering you?"

Vigarde suppresses a sigh, shaking his head, and leans forward to pick up his cup of tea. "It is nothing, Fadia. I feel fine." She doesn't argue and that seems suspicious to Vigarde. But he doesn't turn and rather concentrates on his tea and its sweet aroma.

When she still keeps silent after two minutes, a shudder runs through his veins. Of course his uneasiness is obvious. He was never good at hiding his feelings from her. Or maybe she is just too good at reading people. His gaze flickers over to her. Fadia is just sitting there, looking at him with concern written all over her face.

He drops his gaze, opening his mouth to explain everything to her. But he hesitates. He doesn't know how to put his thoughts, his troubles and doubts into words. The silence presses heavily against his ears. Vigarde stares at his cup of tea, the dark liquid reflecting the dull sunlight from the glass doors leading to the gardens. He hears Fadia moving – she leans forward, picks up her cup and takes a little sip.

"I feel lonely." He says it so lowly he barely hears it himself. But she stops and it takes a while until she places her cup on the table again.

"Why?" He knows that she is looking at him again, probably even more worried. With her brows furrowed and wrinkles in the corners of her eyes. He contemplates if he should turn to look at her, but then he would surely spill all of his feelings at once.

"For... for years now I could... never talk about my problems." Vigarde sighs deeply and pulls up his shoulders, tensing. "I am... always alone with them and have to deal with them on my own. And it... is so tiring." He shuts his eyes; just thinking about it makes his temples throb with pain. "And yet... I cannot sleep. I often just lie in my bed and cannot fall asleep even though I'm tired."

"Can you not talk to one of your generals? Didn't you tell me you're close to Duessel? Or maybe even Lyon? He is your son. He would surely understand..."

Vigarde shakes his head. "No, I... I can't. They... there is too much I would have explain to them. And Lyon... no, not Lyon. I can't... I cannot speak with him about everyday matters. How could I talk with him about..." He almost throws his cup on the table in frustration, flinching at the loud sound it makes. He shakes his head again and rakes his hands through his hair, almost knocking his circlet from his forehead.

Suddenly he feels her hand at his neck, stroking him, caressing his skin and running her fingers through his hair. He exhales deeply, a good portion of his baggage slipping from his shoulders, and slumps. Vigarde squeezes his eyes shut, and lets his head fall forward and his hands down into his lap, exposing more of his neck to her experienced fingers.

"Vigarde..."

"I need a partner," he whispers. "Not just a friend or a son. I need... I need someone like Minna. Someone like... you." Her fingers hesitate for only a second, but they did and Vigarde´s throat tightens. "I could share everything with her. And she understood me and supported me when I needed her. Even when I didn't need it." His tired laugh sounds like a bark; somehow a choked sob manages to sneak in. "I... didn't need to explain myself to her."

Fadia´s fingers curled around his nape, fingernails so gently scraping over his skin that the hair on his arms stands up. His sigh of pleasure is shaky and sounds like a moan of pain.

"But she is gone. Forever. She cannot come and rescue me." He raises one hand and tiredly rests his head on it. A wave of loneliness rears up and presses against his eyes and temples and air pipe.

Fadia lowers her hand and rubs his shoulder in little circles. He groans lowly when the heel of her hand presses against a stiff muscle. She stops then and resumes gently scraping her fingernails over his back; he sighs involuntarily at that.

"Then I remembered you..." Her fingers halt again for a second; they are gentler when they return and barely ghost over his skin. "And what we had. Before I destroyed everything." He hears her shift. "I often find myself wondering... what would be if everything had turned out differently. If you had become my wife. How mine– our life would've looked like. If I would've been happier. If you had... died giving birth." She interrupts him with a short laugh.

"I've survived twins, Vigarde. Nothing can kill me easily." His lips twitch upwards.

"That's true." He sobers quickly. "If I... felt lighter if you were with me. That you... would just... cheer me up–" His voice breaks and he hides his mouth behind his hand, squeezing shut his eyes until it hurts. Suddenly he feels her other hand gliding over his chest; she pulls him up and close until his forehead rests on her shoulder. Fadia leans her head against his and massages his neck and shoulders.

"I understand you," she whispers in his ear and a shuddering sigh escapes his lips. "Very well." He carefully, hesitantly raises his hand to place it on her side; he wants to pull her closer, return her hug, but something makes him stop and his hand falls to his side before he can even touch her. "I miss my husband as well. I miss talking with him. And laughing with him."

She shifts, leaning against the backrest, and he is pulled with her; their knees are touching. Vigarde´s heart speeds up and even though it is just her knee, it feels incredibly intimate and he yearns to slide closer. "I can talk with Eirika and my friends about many things, but some..." She sighs lightly and her breath tickles his ear; he shudders. "Some things I just can't tell them. I don't know why. Having a partner is just... different."

"Yes," he breathes against her shoulder and notices that the scent of the tea clings to her dress. He presses his nose into the cloth and smells her – his insides clench with yearning.

"Sometimes you can't help feeling lonely..."

His fingers claw into the rough material of the couch – her grip on him tightens, maybe she has noticed. Vigarde swallows hard. This is was he had wished for; understanding. He hoped that that would help him, set him straight so that he could continue normally after that. That he would return refreshed to Grado.

But now his whole body is aching for more; more caresses, more touching, more closeness.

"I missed you," slips past his lips before he can stop it. It says too much. Fadia hugs him closer in return. He wishes – he waits – for an answer but nothing comes. Insecurity and fear tears at his heart; he has said too much. Her fingers are still stroking his neck, drawing little circles on his skin, and the pleasure pains him. "I miss you," he repeats. She nuzzles him closer, pressing her cheek against his temple. Her skin is so wonderfully warm and soft.

"I miss you too." Vigarde almost breaks down. The hand that searched for her earlier raises again and this time he touches her. Grasps her dress and keeps her close. He can't hug her, but he can keep her from going away. He wants her to stay with him forever. Relief and pain press against his throat and he buries his face in her shoulder so the tears cannot escape.

Fadia just holds him.

Vigarde tries to calm down, tries to deny the desire to pull her so close that their bodies touch everywhere they can. He needs to deny himself the closeness because he knows he will lose it again. And yet, her smell, the warmth, her fingers gliding over his neck make his head and heart light. He gets lost in her.

He doesn't know how long they stay like this. It feels like hours have passed when he finally raises his head. Slowly, as if he has woken from a deep slumber. He stays close so that his cheek glides over hers, his beard stroking her lightly. She doesn't let him stray anyway. He stops when they are on eye-level; he feels her breath on his cheek. Her fingers still haven't left his nape even though they're still now.

He hesitates and wonders if he should risk it. He is so close, it would not be more than a tilt of his head. And he remembers her kisses; he remembers how they made him curl his toes in bliss.

He turns his head ever so slightly, his nose gliding over her cheekbone. Her body seems to stiffen. Vigarde freezes; is he unwelcome? Has he read the sign incorrectly? Has she even sent signals or is he so caught up in his pain that he imagined things? He is scared but he has to make sure.

He nudges her gently with his nose. He can't remember any other time his heart has beaten this hard. This might destroy his last deep friendship. Vigarde closes his eyes and awaits her decision.

It takes unbelievably long seconds until Fadia moves. The air suddenly disappears from his lungs when he feels her soft lips on his. He barely notices how one of her hands slips up to his face and caresses his cheek and beard. He barely notices that she scoots closer to him. He can only feel the warmth running through him and filling his veins and head and heart.

Suddenly his restraint breaks; he slings his arms around her waist and clings to her. He knows that he betrays his desperation, but he doesn't care. For the first time in years he feels he is allowed to show it.

Things process quickly and soon they lie pressed against each other in bed, never letting any space come between them. They never break their kiss and swallow each others moans and gasps. Vigarde could not stand losing this connection, even though it is not their only one anymore.

After a last long, throaty moan, they come to a stop and only now Vigarde can bear to release Fadia´s lips. Gasping, chest heaving, he looks down at her; she is smiling, her hands still tangled in his hair, and only now Vigarde truly notices the wrinkles around her eyes and mouth and he loves them. He still loves her eyes and their spark, and how her hair looks when it is sweaty and in a mess, with or without the grey streaks.

Her fingers clench around his hair once more before she lowers them, letting them glide over his shoulders and arms. Her legs, which she had clasped around his hips, fall as well. Unwilling, Vigarde pushes himself up and rolls on his side. He feels cold for a moment – the heat of her body has warmed him more than he thought. Maybe she noticed it or she just feels the same, but Fadia almost immediately scoots over, lays one arm over his chest and rests her head on his shoulder.

He feels so happy he could laugh. He snuggles up to her and sighs, feeling sleep tug at his eyelids. "Fadia–"

"Shh." He feels her mouth curling upwards on his chest and so he complies and falls asleep.

When he awakes later, the giddiness has washed away and his grasp of reality is back. Fadia is still sleeping in his arms, her chest pressing against his with every breath she draws. Vigarde´s eyes flicker to the windows; the sun has barely moved as far as he can see from his position. He settles back relieved and turns to Fadia.

He watches her; watches how her hair slowly slides over her shoulder to rest on her breast. Watches how her breath moves his chest hair. Watches how her hand on his stomach twitches every now and then. When he is finally tired of doing that, he sighs lowly, raises his free hand and pushes her turquoise hair over her shoulder. He likes the feel of it on his skin so he reaches up and rakes his fingers through it. It is tangled and unruly. But he loves it – he shouldn't, but he does.

"I wish I could take you with me," he whispers.

"We both have our duties," she answers. The corners of his mouth twitch upwards; of course she is awake.

"I know." Fadia sighs, hums contented, hugs Vigarde tight for one last time and sits up. Vigarde stays for a second, his gaze tracing her form – her straight back, the curve of her breast and her belly – before he sits up as well. They dress in a comfortable silence and when they leave the room it is as if nothing happened apart from a cheering conversation.

A few days later the delegation of Grado is leaving. After making sure that everything is ready, Vigarde joins Fadia and her twins under the archway of the entrance of the castle.

"Queen Fadia." He extends his hand.

"Emperor Vigarde." She takes it and they shake hands, leaning forward to press a light kiss on each other´s right cheeks. Vigarde turns to the twins then and says goodbye to them as well. "It was an honour to receive you and I hope you will come back in the future." He looks at her hesitatingly; she is smiling. A warm smile that makes his heart clench again.

He chuckles inwardly; he has got more than he deserves. It is good as it is. "I will." And he sweeps up her hand, presses a kiss to her knuckles, looking up at her with amusement in his eyes – there is laughter in hers – and then turns to leave. To leave his sorrows and what-ifs with her and to never take them back.