Streaks of warm light snuck through the grand windows and into the hallways of which a groggy young girl had recently emerged. She stretched lazily, ironing out the final remembrance of her sleep from her muscles and infusing them with energy and motivation. Early mornings were always a slog, yet observing the youthful sunshine strangely filled her with a feeling of pride and excitement over the vast amount of opportunities which awaited her.

As she had done on each and every one of her days off over the past two years, she was heading over to awaken her male companion who resided in the room opposite her own. As the only person she knew that shared the same race as her - as well as someone who had been simply wonderful to her - Natsuki Subaru. He had become someone Emilia was rather fond of. Because of this, her day of rest was going to be spent exploring and laughing with him, basking in his company. He truly was a wonderful boy, and she adored the time she spent alongside him.

It was somewhat of a habit now, spending their off-days together. They were a team of sorts, they could trust each other unconditionally and neither of them harboured any complaints about simply spending their days alone together. They shared such a similar pain that it was incredibly easy to understand what the other felt, and exactly how to make that pain better - but that was all they needed, they were genuinely happy with the way they spent their days. Nothing too complicated, nothing too bothersome or difficult. It was just right.

Subaru had enjoyed taking her around the vast gardens of the Mathers Estate, yet over time the sights became more and more redundant to the point of boredom. The same hedgerows and flower beds and fruit trees only stay intriguing for so long. Because of this, with permission from Roswaal himself, the pair of half-elves had taken the leap and decided to explore the lands outside of the Margrave's mansion. Vast woodland forests separated his mansion from any other civilization, and so it provided a spectacular amount of entertainment for the young duo.

They had never ventured too far, their excursions always remained short in distance but never in time. The pair spent hours sharing each other's company, talking about the future and what it could hold. They were learning and maturing together, and the wonders of youth and childhood unravelled before them as time went on. There was so much potential, so much yet to discover. They loved every minute of their time together; every second spent in one another's company was a second well spent.

Today would be another day spent together, yet it was going to be special in a rather significant way. For the first time, the pair were to travel to a nearby human village, one full of history and character. They would only pass through because their destination was on the other side of the village, yet simply passing through was a monumental achievement for the pair of demihumans. To face so many new, unknown people at once…it was scary for them, yet after many days of contemplation it was decided to be the best course of action. For Subaru especially, it would be his first time facing a human besides Roswaal since his village was brutalised and he was forced to flee. Yet he very bravely agreed to the idea given to them by Rem, and even encouraged it to the still-apprehensive Emilia.

They wouldn't be able to avoid civilization forever, which they had both actually discussed before. It was literally impossible. Subaru was training to become a kingdom Knight and with Emilia's future heading political as well, interactions with strangers was inevitable. They'd both be forced into capital life eventually and not even in one of the more demi human populated areas. It would be right in the thick of it. Even if everyone held them with disdain, they would have to suck it up and face them head on.

And so, Emilia approached Subaru's bedroom door as she did regularly, and pushed the freshly polished door handle down firmly.

''The maids have been up and working early this morning, huh?'' Emilia thought, noticing the metalwork within the mansion was already gleaming, the walls and floors spotless. She confidently entered the dark room, eyeing the soundly sleeping boy on the simply monstrous bed. He had long thrown the heavy duvet off himself in his sleep, and was sprawled sloppily in the middle of the mattress.

As always, his sleeping face was rather adorable. Any traces of pain and suffering left his body when he slept, the highly defensive disposition he held simply fading into calm and tranquil peace. His long eyelashes and slight nose stood out more when he was asleep, and his general beauty was much more noticeable. Emilia liked how pretty he was; It meant his soul was kind both inside and out.

Emilia smiled to herself, before deciding to let him sleep just a little longer. The girl of silver shuffled towards the huge window and gently tugged the lustrous curtains open. Streams of bright light flooded into the dim room, rejuvenating and filling it once again with the life of a new day. She had secretly hoped the sudden rush of sunlight would awaken him, yet she knew it wouldn't. Although, unlike herself, it was only on his off-days where he was this slothful…when it came to his working days, he was sharp as a whip. On some mornings, he was up long before herself or the maids came to awaken him, studying hard or exercising in the gardens. The days he did sleep in were some of Emilia's favourite days though, because she knew then he was working extra hard and was getting the rest he deserved.

She then made sure she had a hair brush, as well as the clips and ties she needed to fix his hair. Whilst Puck did her own, Subaru had no such luxury and therefore struggled to keep his fantastically long hair in check by himself. Emilia told herself that she was simply helping him out by doing his hair each morning, yet she knew deep down that she adored the task. It was calming, and allowed her to be closer to him in a much more personal way. Puck also never let her choose her hairstyle, so the freedom on that front when it came to his hair was rather liberating - not that she was complaining, she quickly learnt how tricky the job was. Even her little fingers sometimes struggled with the extra fiddly bits.

Placing the few tools onto his bedside table, Emilia then set out to wake the young boy up, which was never an easy task when he was being stubborn. Subaru slept deeply and even shaking him failed to awaken him on the days he slept in, so Emilia had developed her own unique way to rouse him from his slumber when she needed to.

Kneeling beside him on the bed, she lent over - staring at his blissful face which looked ever so carefree and innocent. She swept her hand over his face, brushing the hair which covered it away carefully before pinching his cheeks. His cheeks were soft and slightly chubby (albeit not as much as they used to be), which made her rather happy.

However, the way to awaken the sleeping boy was not in his hair nor in his cheeks, but in his ears. See, as a half-elf, Subaru had extraordinarily sensitive pointy ears. Emilia abused this and figured that a little bit of ticking would have Subaru wide awake within moments. It was like a magical switch, no amount of shaking would wake him up yet some gentle stimulation to his ears would easily have him up and kicking. She was scared someone else would figure that out and use it against her, but some risks were too important not to take.

*tickle tickle*

''Good morning sleepyhead, it's time to wake up,'' she hummed, her angelic voice soft and encouraging.

*tickle tickle*

"Subaruuuu, come on lazy bones," Emilia pressed, continuing to play with the very tip of his ear. She was now close enough to speak right into his ear, still trying to rouse the sleep from his bones.

*tickle tickle tickle*

"Suba-" Emilia started, before she was interrupted by a rather large groan. As she had planned, Subaru had woken up in good time, his hazel eyes groggily fluttering open and a slight smile forming on his face. Her head shot back, but a soft smile was painted on her lips.

"The best sight in the morning is always Lia," Subaru mumbled, his voice croaky and tired. It was true, the mornings she woke him up always tended to be sweeter, but the added bonus of teasing his female companion was even better. He loved her blushing face whenever he said something embarrassing.

He wiped the sleep from his eyes before roughly stretching in his bed, noticing Emilia's hand still softly fiddling with his helix. It was a calming feeling, and so he would never think of stopping her, yet it was slightly peculiar in some ways. Her touch was so gentle, so purposeful…it made him feel genuinely cared for.

"Honestly Subaru, you can be such a tease sometimes," Emilia giggled, finally standing up and grabbing the hefty feeling hairbrush and excessively expensive comb. "Come on now, you didn't brush it last night so it'll take longer. Puck also tells me it's not good to stay in bed for too long in the morning, so make haste!"

"Ram kept me longer than usual, I just wanted to go to bed," he said, sitting up and shuffling slowly to the bedside. It was true, Ram was a very tough tutor, but she had helped him tremendously over the past two years. His general intelligence was much higher than it had been. Gustekan schools were heavily focused on religion, whereas his studies under the watch of Ram and Frederica were considerably more scientific and had more realistic applications. It's not like he didn't enjoy learning about religion, it's just that he was beginning to understand the world around him much more now that he knew more on how it worked.

Subaru had also become much much more accustomed to the Lugnican culture and lifestyle, that he would need to understand, over the time he had spent in the Mathers' household. There were some stark differences in general life that he has yet to fully warm up to - mainly things like not having to save resources for the winter - but he was slowly getting there. To say he didn't struggle to cope at times would be untrue…yet he truly did love it. It felt natural, he felt so much safer and whilst he missed his family dearly, the sense of security was so so so valuable.

"Yeah yeah, come sit, it's like a bird's nest," Emilia sighed, pointing to his desk chair.

"Mhm, okie. Say Lia, are you still wanting to go there today?" Subaru said whilst standing from his bed, stretching his body once again and plonking his bottom onto the cushioned seat.

"Of course, I'm not gonna back out of something so quickly, and it'll be nice going somewhere new with you I think," she replied, her hands busy swiftly separating his hair into more manageable portions. She had become quite proficient at dealing with his mane of hair now, and it was certainly one of the things she looked forward to each day.

Subaru's hair, like the rest of his body, had grown somewhat noticeably. It was almost as long as hers now, and just as thick. However it retained its luxurious silkiness, and its silver colour had only gotten stronger and more majestic. As Emilia ran her brush through it more and more, it slowly regained its unthinkable softness, to the point where she simply had to run her fingers through it.

It was the process they went through each and every morning. Start with the brush, end with her simply running her fingers through his hair. He adored it, the feeling of her nails on his scalp especially. However, all good things must come to an end, and before he knew it Emilia was finished and his hair was restored to its usual glory. Emilia placed the brush on top of Subaru's studies from the night before, the seeming complexity and difficulty of the topic bringing a gentle smile to her lips. He really was working hard, wasn't he?

"All done Subaru. I'll leave you alone to get changed, meet me in the hallway," said Emilia, her face still glowing with a beaming smile. She would have loved to stay and chat for longer like they usually did, but they had to be out earlier today so she needed to make haste. Subaru nodded understandingly, hopping up from his seat and running to the door before Emilia could reach it.

''For you, my lady,'' Subaru grinned as he opened the door, bowing with exaggerated grace and splendour, gesturing for her to pass through.

''S-Seriously Subaru,'' Emilia blushed as she trotted past, ''you're such a strange one sometimes…hurry up and get changed…m-my Knight in arms.''

Emilia's words were timid, but neither of them could help but blush furiously at her unexpected words. Emilia, who wasn't particularly rushing to leave before, practically sprinted out of the door in embarrassment.

Subaru, on the other hand, had to take a moment to collect himself once he shut the door; his heart rate was so fast that he could hardly feel it. He genuinely did not know what had spurred him on to do that, but hey, it didn't go half bad now did it? She seemed to like it and responded well, so it was a success in his books.

But now, he would actually have to get changed, and so he quickly began the process of rooting through his wardrobe.

Usually, his dress code was pretty strict. However, on his days off, he did enjoy dressing slightly more casually, often ditching the shirts and slacks in favour of something much more comfortable. But today was a slight exception. He wanted to look nice for his outing with Emilia, and so his crisp black slacks and white shirt stuck.

He finished buttoning up his shirt, the petite black buttons digging into his fingers as they always did. Why did fancy clothing have to be such a pain, he would never know. He then carefully fastened his necklace around his neck before tucking it neatly underneath his collar; the metal was cold for a moment on his warm skin. Ever since that incident, he had kept the previous piece of jewellery safe inside a small wooden box Emilia had helped him make one evening, which definitely helped prevent any more embarrassing mishaps.

Slipping his shoes on before heading to the door, Subaru quickly ticked his mental checklist off to make sure he had everything he needed. He wanted to head out to the village as early as possible in hopes that it would be quieter, so he didn't want to waste much time messing about in his bedroom forgetting things.

He opened his door, still trying to fiddle with the cuffs of his sleeve. He had been given a pair of stunning golden cufflinks by Roswaal, conscientiously engraved with the Lugnican crest, yet he couldn't get them on right.

''What is this clown's obsession with gold, it's so heavy,'' he sighed to himself as he shut the door behind him with a gentle click.

He couldn't immediately spot Emilia, but with a quick (albeit nervous) glance around, he spotted her slightly further down the hallway. As expected, she was waiting for him patiently, engaged in passive conversation with her spirit partner Puck.

It was only now that he noticed just what she was wearing. The hems of her exquisite dress were delicately embroidered with intricate floral ornamentations, each stitch painting her with more and more grace and beauty. The pleasing turquoise accents allowed her angelic white skin to glow even brighter than usual, but also allowed the muted ivory tones of the dress to pave the way for her gorgeous flowing silver hair.

But above all, the one feature of her he noticed instantaneously was her striking amethyst orbs, their captivating beauty freezing the air around him and forcing him into a state of internal harmony and peace. They were hypnotic, sweeping him from his feet and stealing his sense of reason and judgment, ensuring the only thing he could focus on was the deep purples and perky blues which made up her eyes.

He saw her, and simply stood there, truly trapped by his feelings. Feelings he wasn't sure about, and certainly had never felt before…feelings Emilia evoked in him that he was sure were positive, yet we're almost scary to the youth. And so, It was Puck who noticed Subaru first, and took the liberty of snapping him out of his trance.

"Good morning, Subaru. Nice to see you looking so tidy," Puck chirped, shocking the zoned-out half-elf boy and making him jump.

''-?!''

''Oh Subaru, are you ready to go?'' Emilia smiled, walking up to him with pink cheeks, fiddling with her hands behind her back.

''A-Ah, yeah. Let's go. We best speak to Roswaal before we head out, though,'' he said, realising his still very much undone cuffs.

''A-Also…I know it's awkward, but could you lend me a hand with these,'' he mumbled, gesturing to the gold cufflinks in his palm.

There was a momentary silence, then a light giggle as Emilia fully processed his timid request.

She wordlessly took the gold pieces from his palm, and with the grace and gentleness of a queen, secured the cuff of his left sleeve. Her long, slender fingers masterfully manipulated the metal in such a way that it appeared strikingly natural for her.

Subaru genuinely couldn't remove his eyes from her hands, his hazel orbs transfixed at the sheer grace and skill of his female companion - each and every one of her actions filing away in his mind. Yet he would now much prefer if she could do this for him every day, just so he could witness her majesty for even a passing moment.

The concentrated look in her angelic eyes and lips fluttered the butterflies in his tummy once again, her nose which occasionally scrunched up in focus burning his young heart. The gentle tapping of her neat, feminine nails was rhythmic and calming, and in a very negligible amount of time, she was finished.

''See, easy as that" Emilia beamed, keeping a hold of his right hand in her own.

''How did you know how to do it that quickly?" Subaru asked, locking her fingers with his own.

"It's shown in all the boring etiquette books, I kinda had to learn it," she explained as they strolled down the hallway, Puck perched on her shoulder contently.

"Well thank you, you really are a lifesaver," he sighed, still mildly embarrassed. ''Why don't all shirts just have the little buttons, it's so much easier than these…things,"

"I'm not sure why you're complaining, I think they look snazzy," Puck chirped, to which Emilia giggled.

The trio made haste down the hallway they had traversed so many times, Emilia and Subaru eagerly discussing their potential plans for the day. Subaru wanted to take her somewhere very specific, and so she mostly just listened to his adventurous rambling, her lips contoured into a soft smile plainly projecting her peace and happiness.

As they pottered down the stairs, they quickly noticed the presence of a man who, at first glance, would be more suited to a circus or fairground than a mansion of utmost nobility. His clothing was akin to a court jester rather than a courtier, yet the disturbing aura he emitted made it quite obvious that he wasn't in fact a jester.

The man, clad in a sea of crimsons and navies, was Margrave Roswaal L. Mathers. As his name suggested, he had complete and total ownership and control over the entire Mathers' territory, and was the man who housed both Emilia and Subaru for seemingly no personal gain. His presence was enough to make entire rooms silent, and his cold, calculating gaze could shatter a mirror if he tried hard enough.

At present, he was patiently awaiting the presence of the half-elven duo. The hands folded behind his back did not fiddle, his feet decorated in black leather did not tap. He was a robotic, scheming bastard usually, but his nefarious plotting only grew worse when he was alone.

The mage failed to notice the children's presence until they had reached the foot of the stairs, only then did his mouth twist into a wicked smile:

"Suuuuubaru-kun, Emilia-sama, how loooovely to see you both on this fine morning," he chimed, falling mostly on deaf ears.

"Surprising to see you here at this time Ros, but we should be heading out about now so I guess it's good timing," Subaru said as he approached the owner of the manor.

"Indeeeeed, but I thought it'd be best to see you both off saaaafely, and I aaaaalso need a favour from you both,"

Roswaal's words were fairly alarming to Emilia, and even more so to Subaru. He'd much rather Roswaal not spoil their day, but alas he'd have to hear his request out. It was only fair, after all.

Begrudgingly, Subaru replied, "Sure Ros, what is it?"

"I belieeeeeeve you're walking into the village down the road from here, the one my staff uses for suppliiiiiies, correct?"

"Mhm, Arlam. We're excited to see it even if we are only passing through," Emilia said with a smile, her hand still firmly within Subaru's.

"Peeeeeerfect. If it's no issue, I'd appreciate it if you ruuuuun a small errand for me whilst you are there. The maids have no reason to go doooooown today, but as you're already heading there it'd be eeeeeasier for us all, no?" Roswaal said before continuing without giving either of them a chance to retort, "a maaaaaan named Arnold Barber, he owns a shop in the village. Please aaaaask for the Margrave's order,"

Handing Emilia a bag of holy gold coins and a slip of paper, Roswaal listed off his Instructions carefully. The paper slip had an address and name jotted on it, but the money bag is what surprised all of Subaru, Emilia, and Puck.

The thing was huge. It was comfortably bigger than Emilia's entire hand. If that didn't raise serious alarm bells, nothing would.

"Ros…just what are we picking up?" Subaru doubtfully questioned as he lifted his head to meet Roswaal's eyes, unwilling to be knitted into any shady business.

"Wha-"

"I'd rather Lia not be roped into anything dodgy Roswaal, just what are you planning?" Puck spoke up, interrupting Emilia's words, much to Subaru's unshown annoyance.

"Doooooon't be so suspicious of me, it breaks my heart. Aaaaaall I'm buying is a simple metia, nothing moooore. You'll have chaaaaange in that bag, it's your allowance for today," Roswaal explained, much to their relief.

"Huh, well thank you then. But we best be off now. We should be back in time for dinner, if all goes to plan," Subaru smiled, slowly becoming frustrated that he couldn't just leave.

"Pleeeeease see to the errand being done, for it is of reeeeelative importance. I shall leeeeave you be for now, good bye."

"Mhm, come on Subaru,"

"Catch you later Ros," Subaru said in relief, the half-elf eager to get out and about with his companion. He wanted today to go as smoothly as possible, and did not want interruptions and delays to spoil the singular free day he had for the week - especially when it was one spent exclusively with Emilia

"Saaaaafe travels, children.''

The Margrave smiled as they exited through the grand entrance. They were brimming with innocence, yet their joint hands showed a trust formed over a matter of years. It truly was interesting, he thought. Just what could they achieve given the right circumstances. Just what could they overcome if they were truly at their lowest. That was something he had to think about.

Yes, something to think about.

—

A gentle breeze blew on the warm summer morning, fluttering the hair of the pair of half-elves who were contently pottering down the loose gravel pathway. Puck had retreated back into the depths of his crystal, and so the pair were left alone again for the first time since Subaru woke up. Their hands remained firmly linked, and the only sounds were of nature and their gentle conversations.

"Say Subaru, do you have a favourite flower?" Emilia said as they walked past a particularly beautiful flowerbed, endowed with gracious daffodils.

Subaru pondered his answer for a moment, before firmly stating his answer.

"Well, I really love the fourwing evening primrose, or at least that's what I think it's called. They start a pretty white, and fade into pink, almost like Ram's hair!" Subaru said in reply, smiling warmly. "Say, Lia…what about you?"

Unlike Subaru, Emilia needn't think for even a moment. She knew her answer immediately.

"That'd be the daffodil!" she said, her tone full of joy, "they're su~per common here, and it just makes me soooo happy!"

"Hey, that was my mum's favourite," Subaru said, the yellow flower digging up memories of gardening with his mother, memories he loved dearly.

"That's nice…your mum seemed like a really kind person. She certainly raised a kind boy,"

The pair walked in gentle silence for a while longer, simply enjoying the beautiful day around them, and the company they provided each other. It was just the two half-elves, and they wouldn't have had it any other way.

After around 10 minutes, the pair were nearing their destination, and so Subaru thought it would be best if they came up with some form of plan. It was a new, nerve wracking experience for the both of them, and if he could help it Subaru would rather draw as little attention as possible.

"When we get there, if anyone says anything, we should ignore them," Subaru said, his pent up nerves starting to come through. He truly did dislike villages, and unfamiliar humans still unsettled him for good reason…so you couldn't really blame him.

"What if everyone is re~ally nice though?" Emilia replied, completely oblivious to his obvious concerns. Social cues weren't her strongest suit, so it was hard to blame her. She was much more used to it than Subaru was too, having lingered in and around human settlements for a period of her life. Necessity does strange things to people.

"It's just…I don't want to accidentally upset someone. I want today to be really great, and accidentally starting a fight with someone is not on my list of things to do,"

"But if someone says hello, or good morning, it's customary to be polite right?" the poor girl asked innocently, completely misunderstanding what her male companion was trying to tell her. "I don't want to be accidentally rude or anything,"

"Emilia, we…we aren't like them…" he said with complete bitter honesty in his voice.

"I'm not sure what you mean?"

"Emilia, if they see our ea- nevermind. Ignore me." Subaru stressed, before quickly interrupting himself. He didn't want to scare her, or accidentally give her a negative opinion of people who had genuinely done nothing wrong. Sowing the seeds of hatred would only lead to a devastating harvest, and he wanted to avoid that grim fate at all cost.

Subaru took a deep breath, the pair having stopped walking.

"I'm sorry, I got myself needlessly worked up. Of course we should be polite, it is a new village to us after all," the male half elf sighed, rubbing his eyes gently. As long as they were together, they'd be fine, right?

He certainly hoped so.

"Let's go, Lia. We should probably aim to get there before noon, so we'd best hurry up," Subaru said, pulling Emilia along with him. She was confused to say the least. Subaru hadn't even let her get a word in, he'd just gone off on his strange tangent, stopped himself, and then returned to normal just like that.

Deciding it would be best to simply shrug his peculiar actions off, Emilia rematched his brisk pace, reaffirming her grip on his hand as they walked.

"Remember the favour Roswaal asked, Subaru?" Emilia said, suddenly remembering the one request they had been sent off with. Visit the man in the village for the Margrave.

"I was thinking we do that first thing, get it out of the way before we do anything else," Subaru said, "I doubt you'd forget about it, but I definitely will if we don't get it over and done with.

Emilia felt a little guilty that his trust was slightly misplaced, seeing as she had literally just forgotten, but alas he didn't know. She'd just have to try extra hard to remember from now on.

"Mhm, okie. Did I give you the address?" Emilia asked, slightly nervous. She had the coin pouch fastened to her waist, yet couldn't remember where she put the slip of paper.

"It's in the bag with the coins, don't worry," Subaru grinned, much to Emilia's relief. Either way, as long as they had the money they could just ask someone for directions. Probably.

Although, right as the youthful pair of half-elven children wondered just how much longer they'd have to walk, the town checkpoint came into view down the road. It was just a shack, yet they'd have to state their business and whatnot to pass. No avoiding confrontation for Subaru, after all.

"Subaru look! We're here!" Emilia squeaked, pulling the apprehensive Subaru along. She was really excited, wasn't she? Why? What reason does she have to be excited?

This was a human village, full of traditional, simple minded humans. It was named after a human, built by humans, inhabited by humans…but it was humans who had hurt him. Every part of the idea gave him the creeps and if Emilia wasn't here with him the mere sight of it would have him running back to the mansion without a second thought.

He hadn't gotten over it, he'd just forgotten about it. The memories of that hellish night bore deep into his mind, resurfacing at the worst possible time.

Emilia could feel his reluctance. He was obviously uncomfortable, and despite her tugging and enthusiasm his walking pace remained slow, hesitant. What in Lugnica was wrong with him? Emilia was genuinely growing concerned, had she done something?

"Subaru? Are you okie?" she asked nervously, pence again stopping in her tracks and meeting his eyes. They were scared, they were hurting…Subaru genuinely looked horrified…but also really quite angry. The hazel eyes she enjoyed so much were brimming with bitter resentment.

Subaru said nothing for a moment, before truly meeting her eyes himself. They were concerned, nervous, and frightened - but not in the same way his were. Whilst his fear was directed towards what he perceived as a lingering threat, hers was directed towards him. She was so dearly worried about his peculiar actions and body language that her concern was inevitable. Whilst Subaru worried about what could happen if shit hit the fan, Emilia was simply worried about him.

With a deep breath, Subaru decided to let the dam burst.

"Emilia…I didn't want to tell you this out of fear that I'd ruin everything…but I'm really, genuinely scared. Scared of the village. It terrifies me, I thought I might have gotten over what happened all those nights ago but the memories have been eating away at my soul,"

Emilia could tell he wasn't finished, and so waited nervously for him to continue.

"The thought of meeting similar people to those who hurt me so badly…what if the people here have something to do with them? I know it's a stupid idea that'd never happen but my mind won't let me ignore the possibility, no matter how small."

His shoulders quivered gently, his hands noticeably shaking despite his attempts to hide them. His knees threatened to give way beneath him at any second. Even if he wanted to hide it, his body demonstrated his fear in the clearest way possible.

But that all went away, surprisingly quickly actually. However it was only when Emilia embraced him tightly that his horror subsided. Without thinking, or rather having to think, Emilia wrapped her arms around him, securing him in a hug as to show she was there and he was safe with her. It was clear this message was conveyed, as he did in fact feel not just safe, but protected. She was there for him, and he knew it.

"If you would like, and it wouldn't be a problem, we can go back and eat a nice picnic in the garden instead?" Emilia said into his chest, knowing that it probably wasn't the right time for him to face his demons. It wasn't worth it, they were children, they had years to do stuff like this. It would be easier and much safer to just go home and have a genuinely great time there instead.

"No, no I don't want to," Subaru said, "it's…you're with me…I'm fine. Let's just hurry through and have a wonderful day like we planned,"

"Are you absolutely sure Subaru? I promise it's not an issue,"

"Yes, positive. Let's just do the rotten clown's chores and get out of here, I can't wait to show you where we're going!" Subaru said, his tone warming up slowly. "I've not seen the place myself yet, but apparently it's wonderful, well by Roswaal's standards at least,"

Emilia pulled away, once again locking eyes with him, peering deep into his complex soul. He was still nervous, still angry…yet a fire of fierce determination, one powered by sheer love and care, had lit within him - one so strong that it could keep his engines running through the challenges he would inevitably face.

A pleasant smile grew on her face.

"Mhm, let's go then."

The pair linked hands once more, strolling with confidence up to the checkpoint shack which Subaru had feared so deeply.