Month of Wyvern Moon - Chats with the Advisor
Chapter 30
Cereza ended up showing to class the next day looking drastically paler than normal, and a few shades greener than anyone would consider healthy. Professor Manuela's lecture that day consisted of teaching the classes how to discern edible food from non-edible and proceeded to go over the most common signs of poisoning as well as how to treat it. As an added bonus, the Infirmary director went over how to spot tempering in food and drinks and how to not use strange materials in foods.
I grudgingly paid attention to the off topic lecture as I was forced to sit in the front of the class while Claude and Hilda whispered and giggled behind me. I kept my head ducked and refrained from looking back, opting instead to focus on taking notes as every time I dared to turn around the ominous rose hued glaze of Lysithea bored holes into me. The sweets expert seemed to be holding me to some kind of sacrilegious offense. However, outside of the embarrassing lecture and teasing, over all things turned out better then I had hoped.
For starters Claude managed to work out a negotiation between the Black Eagles and the Golden Deer stating that Lorenz had also been a victim in the same unfortunate incident that had affected Cereza, thus equalizing the battlefield. All charges against Claude were dropped with no mention of my unintentional poisoning, but I was fairly certain Hubert either suspected me or traced the events back to me by the way the shadow mage started attempting to follow me around the monastery grounds.
Annoyed that I was being tailed all the time I made a point of avoiding the ominous shadow following me by making detoured excuses to visit Seteth's office a couple of times a day. Most of the time it was just a simple chat with the stern advisor as I asked him questions about trade or problems the church was encountering. This tedious maneuver worked extraordinarily well at both keeping me informed on the comings and goings of the monastery activities as well as removing Hubert from my shadow for extended periods of time.
In between visits, Seteth reluctantly informed me that the Western Church was still rebelling and that despite deploying the Knights of Seiros to sort out the problem, there were still traces of continued noncompliance. In terms of trade however, the advisor was more than delighted with my current reform of the merchant trade contracts that he gave me several more complex ones to review. In particular the trade coming from the Leicester Alliance was particularly promising given that the contract from House Riegan set the precedence.
House Goneril and Ordelia readily complied with almost the same trade agreements as House Riegan, and that success was largely contributed to Claude's assistance when writing them. However, whether it was the noble's sensing a Riegan's hand in the trade agreement or just because they were greedy, Gloucester and von Edmund continued to hold out on me. Each one had a list of red line adjustments and claims for better tax and trade options.
I had been previously unaware of that development until several meters worth of revisions loomed over my head from atop the advisor's desk. I glared up at it irately as Cyril was called into Seteth's office and ordered to carry them down to my dorm room for further review and adjustments. Seteth finished scratching his name on the bottom of some papers and set his quill into the inkwell before turning his gaze to Cyril who was grudgingly carrying the stack of papers out of the office.
"Perhaps you might speak to the Lady Daphnel when she comes to visit in the next few days." Seteth suggested as I grabbed the top few folders from Cyril on his way on.
My eyebrows arched as the younger male grunted with effort. "Shouldn't I give him a hand?"
I looked back at Seteth questioningly as the overworked advisor rubbed his forehead wearily. "I need you to focus. I have precious little time to explain with all the knight dispatches, church financing, and supply management going on. Cyril is more than capable of completing the task himself."
Irate red eyes glared back at me as the servant in question struggled to open the office door and I shrugged letting the matter drop for the moment. Instead, I started thumbing through the contracts in my hand with little interest.
As I looked over redline after redline, I lifted my head up confused. "Why would I want to speak with..the Lady Daphnel? They are located under the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, I thought I was looking over Leicester territory agreements?"
Seteth sighed heavily as he gestured to the broad map that occupied the wall next to me. Blue, red, and yellow pins scattered around the entire continent while green pins stayed mostly focused on key church locations. I leaned overlooking for Daphnel territory as the advisor poured himself a cup of tea. "It is a recent split, half of the Daphnel bloodline lives in either territory. The lady hero Judith is stopping in to collect Claude for a round table alliance meeting this weekend."
I leaned away from the map and turned to Seteth with a pit of worry growing in my stomach as I couldn't quite believe my ears. "Why...does she want Claude this weekend?"
Seteth frowned as he sipped his tea, his brows furrowing as he set the teacup off to the side tray for removal. "Might you forget that Master Riegan has only recently been named heir to his House. It seems it was just in time, as his grandfather has taken ill. The Lady Daphnel is currently the commander in arms for the Leicester Alliance so she has been dispatched to collect him so that he may attend a round table conference in his grandfather's stead."
I tossed the papers back onto Seteth's desk, no longer willing to look at them. I closed my eyes as I tried to think through all the plans this weekend that had just gone out the door. All the last-minute combat exercises, strategy meetings, everything we had planned in a last ditch effort to out maneuver the other houses was gone. I took a deep breath and released it slowly before opening my eyes. "So, he's leaving us right before the battle of the Eagle and Lion?"
Seteth's mouth was a thin line as he nodded to confirm my statement.
I took another deep breath and bitterly gritted my teeth. "So, they are to deprive us of our house leader right before battle? It's a pretty low blow, but I applaud their underhandedness and their capability to ruin our plans so thoroughly."
"The Lady Daphnel has already assured me that she would have him back before the battle, have no fear." Seteth attempted to reassure me as I crossed my arms and growled.
"If he's not, I'm going to go fetch him. More than half of our current strategies and tactics are of his design, we need him to pull them off. We were supposed to go over the last-minute plans this weekend."
"That is unfortunate, but that is sometimes what happens in battle. Things never quite go as planned. I would suggest that you utilize the remainder of your time wisely. By the way, I have been meaning to ask, how are your individual preparations coming? Flyan does not speak to me about hers and I am concerned that Professor Byleth will take advantage of her unique skill set during battle."
I shifted my weight from one foot to the other as I reached up to rub my temple, sighing. "Professor Byleth is pulling Flayn from the main line up at your request, but she hasn't informed Flayn of her plans yet. It's been decided that she will help support the wounded as they come in off the battlefield instead. As for my own plans, well let's just say there's some rather high expectations of my performance."
I smiled warily still rubbing my temple as Seteth's face relaxed. The advisor sat back in his seat, some of the concerned lines on his face easing as he smiled. "I see, that is good to know."
The bell rang again signaling an end to my avoid-Hubert initiatives and I picked up my folders again with a reluctant sigh. I waved my leave as Seteth picked up his quill once more. The scratching of the quill followed me out of the advisor's office and down the hall to up Professor Hanneman's lab.
Professor Hanneman held up yet another vial of my blood to the sunlight as I stared deadpan into the array of instruments in front of me. The thundering in my head continued as I continued to cast a simple light spell, holding the magic in concentration as the lamp flickered and jumped with unstable flashes of light. The lamp test was the last step in a long line of tests that, to this point, served little purpose outside benchmarking that my magical abilities were unstable. I bit my bottom lip in frustration and pain as I held the spell in place, feeling like someone was trying to stab my eye out with an ice pick.
"You are doing remarkably well today, say how is the medication working? Are you feeling any side effects?" The crest professor pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose as he sat the vial of my blood down on his desk for further examination.
"No, it's not helping." I gritted out as the professor shook his head sadly and made another note in his journal.
"Then perhaps it is simply training and perseverance that is helping you stay conscious. We have been working on this for several months and I must say you have shown remarkable resilience, even if we have not yet found a cure for your condition."
I huffed and the light flickered, pulsing wildly as I was distracted by the professor's observation. "What if there isn't a fix for my crest?"
"My dear girl, we may have been studying your crest workings for the past few months, but I am no miracle worker. One needs to first understand the basics before we have any hope of finding a solution to the issue." Professor Hanneman reassured me as brushed his mustache in thought before making another note in his journal.
I growled and finally let the spell drop. My hand went immediately up to cup my eye as it hammered relentlessly. "Then why are you asking me about the medication?"
The Crest Scholar started to flip through his notebook reminiscing as he wandered over to his book shelf. "It was a suggestion from Professor Manuela. She theorized that if we can control the pain and keep you from passing out, then we might be able to see what your crest is really doing. I have a theory that you possess a magic activated crest, but it is hard to determine what causes it to activate given most crests are combat related. So that makes me think it may be more of a healing crest, but alas it doesn't seem to discriminate when it activates."
I hunched over in the chair holding my head in the palm of my hands. My fingers threaded into my hair as my stomach clenched in response to the pain in my head. I had long since began to detest these weekly lessons, where I felt like I was more of a lab rat then a person, and the inconclusive news didn't help with encouraging me.
I closed my eyes trying not to see myself repeating all of my tests as I hissed through my teeth. "No, I can't tell you what type of crest I have. Prior to the accident I didn't have this problem casting spells. I used more faith magic than reason, but neither of them reacted like this."
"Then perhaps we need to start back at the source. Reviewing what spell you were attempting to cast when you first got here. Perhaps it is some sort of curse and not your crest at all." The old professor stroked his mustache in thought as he located the books he was looking for. "At any rate, I suggest you do not push yourself any further today. Take some time to think about it. In the meantime why don't you return to your room and get some rest. I will converse with Professor Manuela and Seteth to see if they have any other suggestions."
"Seteth is also involved?" I cracked my eyes up only to watch the world swim in a fuzzy white haze.
"Indeed, he has asked to be kept informed on your progress. Professor Byleth also has taken an interest, though it's hard to say if it's out of concern or curiosity."
The hazy out of focus world started to fade to green as I struggled to stay in place. "I think...I am going to head back to my room. Professor, can you please make sure that I am excused from my evening chores? I don't think it's a good idea for me to muck out stables right now."
"I will see to it that you are excused."
"Thank you, Professor."
I stood up slowly and grabbed my bag as the professor didn't even bother to see me out of his office. Instead, he picked up his quill and started scratching away, jointing down notes in the notebook as he flipped open another heavily bound volume.
I wasn't that far out of the professor's office when my world changed from stonework to a brilliant soft emerald glow. I blinked my eyes open to see Sothis hovering over me with another annoyed look on her face.
"Must you keep interfering with my slumbers?" The goddess snapped as I sat up from my position on the floor.
My head continued to throb as I folded my legs up under me and sighed. "Can you please get Professor Byleth to stop flicking time back and forth? This morning I think I went through three different scenarios while she was in the training yard, and just now I ran through all those forsaken tests again."
"I see, so you can see the fabric in between. That is interesting news, however for your information, the Professor has been preventing a spy from slipping into the monastery. The time skips have been a necessary evil." The goddess her arms folded under her as she lay floating in space, hovering just above me.
"You don't say." I held my head as I squinted up at her. "Why didn't the professor just slice them in two?"
Sothis's vibrant green trestles swayed as her large expanse of the blue, green, and pink robes fluttered as if in a breeze. "She did, alias the spy's target was assassinated several times before she was successful."
"I wonder who they were after...figures." I sighed as another huge wave of pain washed over me. "Well, the student lived right? Who was it?"
"That is none of your concern." Another voice spoke up and I jumped to my feet, instincts kicking in as I backed up towards Sothis, cueing in on the sound of the sudden voice.
Out of the silvery mists Professor Byleth emerged, her sleeves fluttering around her as she walked into the green throne room. The professors' flat blue eyes ran up and down the length of the room until they focused in on the one thing that did not belong.
Me.
Byleth's stoic gaze did not change as she proceeded up the steps toward both me and Sothis, but something in her gaze told me she was puzzled to see me here.
"Lilianna, what are you doing here?" The combat Professor inquired as I rubbed my left eye.
The professor's form shifted, her deep blue's flickering from green and back again with each step that Byleth took. My other eye watered under the strain as my sarcasm made an unwelcome appearance. "Great question, I come here often enough unfortunately. What are you doing here?"
I relaxed on the floor as Byleth eyed me with concern. I hurried to wipe the moisture forming in the corners of my eyes and looked away from her.
"She and I are as one." Sothis rolled her eyes, apparently already exasperated with my attitude. "Which leaves you as the mystery here. Why is it every time I look at you, I sense I am not seeing you."
I shrugged, not sure what to say to the accusation. Byleth stood there looking me up and down in a way that made me think she was uncertain about how to proceed which was unusual, but I had nothing else to say at the moment, so I waited to see what my professor wanted.
After a few moments of contemplation Byleth reached a hand down to me. "Sothis has suggested that we make a trip to the Red Canyon together."
"And where would that be?" I raised a questioning eyebrow at her open hand and shook my head to indicate that I wished to remain on the floor. "I don't remember a place called the Red Canyon on any of the maps of Fodlan."
Sothis shook her head with a superior tut of disapproval. "We have been there before, but perhaps you have not."
Byleth flicked a glance at the goddess and then turned to focus back on me. "Are you free this weekend?"
I sighed heavily, running my fingers through my hair as my head beat relentlessly. I tried to think of anything I had planned this weekend now that all the last-minute planning had gone out the door. "Um, depends on where you're taking me. I wanted to take Zu out flying this weekend but that's about it."
"That is fine, he can come too." Byleth confirmed that my temperamental wyvern could come along without even pausing.
The idea of leaving the monastery with the Blue Lion's professor was tempting, and even more so when I considered the thought of leaving all the last minute preparations behind me.
I jumped at the opportunity. "Well, I am all yours then professor."
Byleth's mouth attempted a smirk as she looked down at me with brilliant green eyes. I tried to figure out why they were so green that I almost missed her warning as the soft glow of the emerald room began to dim.
"Then I suggest you focus on getting off the floor."
My vision came back with a swirl of silvery mists. The green stonework faded to grey gradually and soon a vibrant red began to cloud my vision.
The red moved in response to my pained groan, and I blinked several times as my good eye struggled to figure out where I was. The orientation was strange, and I soon realized I was on the floor and the expanse of red was hair. The crimson locks swayed back and forth, hovering nervously above me as I felt a shake on my shoulder.
"Lilianna! Oh, thank the goddess you're awake." The cavalier's chestnut brown eyes lingered intensely on my face as I felt Sylvain shifting restlessly on the stonework next to me. "What are you doing on the floor here?"
In my confusion and disorientation a few things stood out. The philanders' distinct lack of pickup lines informed me the redhead was being serious for once,and judging by the pressure on my shoulder as well as the twisted expression he was wearing, his concern was more genuine than I normally witnessed.
I groaned again as the grip on my shoulder eased and I closed my eyes before attempting to sit up. Sylvain was quick to offer his assistance as soon as he realized what I was trying to do.
"Here, let me help you."
"No, uh, I got it...where am I?" I looked around the hallway, still trying to place where I was.
Sylvain's brow furrowed in concern as I looked around him down the unfamiliar hallway. There was rubble everywhere, scattered about the hall in a haphazard chaos. Splinters of doors hung on a single hinge in broken doorways as elaborate cobwebs adoring the dark corners and ceiling. Dust and dirt littered the floor along with bits of trash as muted sunlight struggled to crept in through holes in the windows. The broken sunlight illuminated an expanse of charred stonework along with old scratches and splatters of dark stains. A state of decay and loss permeated the air as I blinked a few times trying to focus as Sylvian reached out and pushed a lock of hair out of my face.
The sudden movement and touch caused me to flinch away hissing. I slapped the cavalier's hand away from my still pounding head. "Sssstop, don't touch me."
A flicker of emotion flickered deep within the redheads chestnut brown eyes as he grabbed my hand softly in his. "Hang on, you're injured. You must have passed out and hit your head when you fell. Lilianna, you're bleeding."
The cavalier continued to kneel alongside me as I ran another critical eye over the unfamiliar landscape confused by the state of decay and erosion.
"Lilianna, hey can you even hear me?"
The question felt like nails on a chalkboard inside my head and I flinched away from Sylvain a second time. I jerked my hand out of the cavalier's hand and used it to defend my face as I painstakingly dragged my dazed and confused gaze back to the Blue Lion at my side. "Yes, I can hear you just fine, now stop fussing over me."
Sylvain's mouth set in a grim line as he continued to kneel by my side, his eyes watching my reactions with an unusual softness. "Not a chance. Not after what Felix told me about what you did turning the Goddess's Right of Rebirth."
The cavalier's wide brown eyes gazed worriedly down at me as I tried to push him away and get up. Sylvain let me shove him, but he did not budge from his vigilant position next to me as I struggled to get to my feet.
I scowled darkly thinking that maybe I hadn't pushed Sylvain hard enough for him to get the message, but the redhead steadfastly refused to move from his position next to me as I climbed unsteadily to my feet, utilizing the wall for leverage and support.
"Then... you're aware that I don't want your help." I hissed defensively as I experimentally moved to touch my head. I was not surprised to feel the slickness of blood seeping through my gloves as I tenderly explored the length of the damaged area. Sylvain flinched as I continued to scowl darkly at him.
Nervously, the redhead rubbed the back of his neck, still watching me with anxious eyes. "I swear I haven't done anything. I came out of the infirmary and was heading towards the stairs when I found you on the floor."
I snorted in disbelief and chanced a look down at my gloves. The sticky red liquid clung to my fingertips and I rubbed my fingers together before turning to wipe them on the hem of my skirt. "Well, I don't care."
The cavalier stayed on his knees, almost pleading as his eyes didn't stray from my injury. "Look, I know I was out of line the other day, but I swear I didn't mean it. I would never take advantage of an unwilling woman, let alone one that was unconscious."
I leaned back against the wall, still not buying Sylvain's sweet talk. The world shifted from the wreckage to a familiar, clean and orderly hallway. The church tapestries adorned the walls while pristine gold candelabra glittered in the cheerful sunlight. The sight caused my stomach to roll as I continued to be defensive. "So, is that why didn't you pick me up and take me to the infirmary then?"
I didn't miss Sylvain's subtle touch of his side as he leaned over and grabbed my bag off the ground, handing it up to me hesitantly. "Ah, errm I didn't want you waking up and thinking...I was pretty sure you would have smacked me."
I reached out forcefully yanked my bag away from him, continuing to grill the redhead heatedly. "You could have called for help then."
Caught between my logic and whatever ever he was going to say, Sylvain let his words die. "I…"
The cavalier took a deep breath and shifted his gaze from the trickle of blood running sluggishly down the side of my face to look me in the eyes. "Look, I am sorry alright? I can't seem to do anything right this past week. I'd appreciate the chance to make it up to you."
"I told you I don't want your help. I don't even want you anywhere near me right now, apology not accepted." I snapped as my head whirled mercilessly. The pain radiated out, messing with my vision, and causing my stomach to clench and knot with no remorse. Feeling like absolute hell and just wanting to be left alone to deal with everything I struggled to stay upright while trying to deal with the person in front of me.
My resentment finally broke the anxious cavalier and Sylvain reached up into the inner pocket of his jacket. "Could you please stop looking at me like that? I'm not leaving you alone, but I promise I won't touch you unless you ask. I'll just be here for you to lean on if you need me."
I sniffed in a mixture of pain and disbelief as the redhead pulled out his handkerchief and offered it to me. "Here, use this."
Sylvain's eyes drifted back to the throbbing spot located just above my left eye, and, against my better judgement I reached up reflectively to touch it. The spot proved to be just as painful as before, and despite the grounding pain, my head continued to spin in relentless circles.
With each fresh wave of nausea and pain came a flicker of realities crossing over. The hallway we were in fluctuated between clean and orderly to complete disrepair as I continued to stubbornly refuse any assistance.
I turned my nose away from the kneeling lion and took a definitive step towards the stairs as reality phased in and out. "No. Absolutely not. Leave me alone."
"Would you stop being so stubborn for a moment and see I am just trying to help you?!" Growling, the redhead got up off his knees looking downright exasperated. "Hey, I said I was sorry; it won't happen again. I promise, now would you just take the damn handkerchief?"
The raw passion in Sylvain's voice grated against me. It was abnormal for him to get this heated and something deep inside me caused the corners of my mouth to turn up into a sarcastic smirk despite feeling like I was splitting my head open as I did so. My voice dripped with malice and sarcasm as I looked down at the handkerchief in question. "Why? Does seeing me struggling bother you or something?"
It took the cavalier a second to formulate a response as his hung open gasping silently for words. When Sylvain finally found his voice, he stepped forward resolutely and his normally easy going voice filled with even more raw emotion. "Yes! As a matter of fact, it does! I don't like seeing people I care about hurt and I don't particularly appreciate people treating me like I am some kind of dangerous animal either."
I rolled my eyes at the redhead's confession and immediately regretted the decision as my world swam. "Oh right, so now you're some type of valiant knight then. Riding in to save a helpless maiden in the nick of time just like in all the stories. No, sorry Sylvain, you'll have to find a different damsel in distress to rescue. I can handle this myself."
I clung to the wall as Sylvain let out a deep sigh behind me. I heard a rustling as I crept my way along the hallway towards the staircase.
"Fine, I get it. You don't want anything to do with me. If that's the case, I'll just go get someone else. Just promise me you'll stay here until I come back with help?" The redhead behind me pleaded desperately as my world spun in place.
I hurried to close my eyes, eager to stop the spinning as I leaned heavily against the wall. My throat was tight as I inhaled a deep breath before turning back around to face the man behind me. My eyes flicked open to glare as I hissed another warning. "I said I don't need help. Your's or anyone else's."
The knight in full armor ran his hand through his hair as he exhaled softly. My head swam as I tried to figure out why Sylvain was several inches taller and in full armor and was clear as soon as the noble opened his mouth that he was changing his tactic. The raw emotional edge to his voice was gone and in its place was a soft, reassuring tone as Sylvain held out another hand. "Lilianna, be reasonable here. You can barely walk, and you keep staring at me like I have two heads. At least let me help you down the stairs."
I thought of the stairway leading down to the ground floor and how I was going to manage them without plummeting down them and came up blank. The uncomfortable concept that Sylvain had a fair point earned him another malicious glare.
The redhead picked up on my apprehension and followed up on his offer with no semblance of shame. "Look, you can glare at me all you want but that's not going to help you get down the stairs or back to your room any quicker."
The Blue Lion pressed his case as I took another stubborn step towards the stairway out of pure spite.
"You're not convincing me."
Sylvain continued to follow me, watching my struggle with mournful eyes. However the redhead was true to his word, he refused to touch me and he continued his case. "Well the other option was to watch you limp into the infirmary. Your kind of running out of options here."
Deep down part of me knew Sylvain was right, while the other part of me vehemently wanted to refuse all help. I didn't want to owe anyone, and I loathed the fact that anyone had even seen me like this. In fact, if it wasn't for Sylvain I probably would have crawled into the library and hid away in a deep dark corner until this pain disappeared.
"I know that." I snapped putting my back up against the wall in support, one hand going up to my head while the other slung the backpack off my shoulder and dropped it onto the ground with a muffled thud.
"Why are you so steadfastly against help? It's not just a me thing is it? You've pulled this before." Sylvain shook his head lightly as he reached out and grabbed the strap on my bag.
I thought about resisting but relented as the redhead tugged lightly on the strap. Realizing I was losing my will to resist Sylvain casually threw my bag over his shoulder and persisted in his pursuit. "Come on, Lilianna give me something, anything, to work with here."
"I don't want help; I just want to be left alone." I mumbled darkly as I tilted my head back up against the cool stonework. The heavy grey stones were mostly devoid of heat and worked marginally well as a cold pack, which helped ease the pain on my head just a tiny bit.
"I can respect that, really I do, but the hallway isn't the place for this." Sylvain's voice was still low and soft, as he finally realized his logic was working on me.
As Sylvain opened his mouth again, I realized I would need to play a different game to get him to leave me in peace. As the redhead began talking, I held a quiet finger up to his mouth and spoke softly. "Shhh, my head's killing me. I don't feel that great and you're pestering is not helping me in the slightest."
Sylvain ducked his head out of the way, still true to his word not to touch me. His voice was even softer as he pleaded, warm fawn-colored eyes begged for me to open up. "Please? I promise I'll shut up, just tell me what's going on. Tell me what I can do to help."
I sighed heavily, my breath spilling out as my brain tried to think past its current abuse. I closed my eyes. Hazy white mists swirled behind my eyelids as Sylvain's soft pleas slowly drove their way home. "I am probably going to regret this."
"That bad huh?" Sylvain's jacket made soft silken shushing sounds as he shifted restlessly.
I kept my eyes closed as I let the cool stonework chill the back of my head and neck. One of my hands came up to rub small circles at the base of my neck as I whispered. "Your concern is touching, and you haven't even tried to hit on me yet. That's abnormal for you."
"Maybe, but now doesn't seem like the time for jokes. I'm seriously concerned about you and you're reminding me entirely too much of Felix and Ingrid for me to leave you alone. I know better." Sylvain followed up with more logic and sincerity then I typically gave him credit for, and I took another deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts together while it continued to feel like my head was being bashed in.
"Mmm, so this is you being serious then. Funny, I think I prefer you being less intense. Alright then, Sir. Gautier, how do you feel about a little game of secrets? You share something of equal value, and I'll consider accepting your assistance."
My double-edged offer earned me a gutted sound of disgust from the redhead. "Ugh, politics. Not really my style."
There was a heavy sigh as I cracked open my good eye to see what Sylvain's reaction was. To my surprise the noble seemed to be considering my offer as he looked both ways down the hall to check that we were really alone. "Alright, um let's see, anything in particular you're after?"
Intrigued despite everything I raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Your pick, what deep dark secret do you want to share with me in order to convince me that you're worth trusting?"
There was a huff as I waited patiently for an answer. The redhead raked his hand through the side of his hair uneasily and looked me back over. Sylvain's gaze lingered just above my left eye as he grudgingly considered my proposition. "Alright, if I tell you one of my secrets then you're going to let me carry you back to your room, with no complaints and no arguments - and." He stared straight at me. "You'll tell me why you're passing out in the middle of the hallway."
"Oh? Such high stakes, better hope your secrets are worth it then." I teased with an air of exhausted playfulness that did not remotely match my mood at the moment.
"Well?" Sylvain stared earnestly down at me as I sighed heavily again.
"This is surprisingly unfun with you. I daresay I would have just as much fun with Hubert or Lorenz. I'll comply, you can carry me off like a sack of potatoes - After you tell me something worth my while."
"You're far to…" He cut off as I managed a sly smirk.
"I am far to, what Sylvain?" I followed up, my eyebrow arching a little higher as I waited for a response.
Sylvain looked away, refusing to meet my gaze as he looked down and away from me. "I was going to say far too pretty to be carried off like a sack of potatoes."
I tilted my head slightly, part of me wondering why he bothered lying to me, the other half could have cared a lot more but as I felt another fresh bead of blood run down the side of my face, I realized Sylvain probably wasn't that far off the mark for being concerned. I sighed as I attempted to wipe the blood trail off on my uniform as the cavalier held out his handkerchief yet again.
I scowled darkly at the proffered handkerchief as I rubbed my head on my sleeve out of spite.
My sudden movement caused another streak of pain to run through my head and I almost missed Sylvain's next demand. The demand came with a firm tone, but the redhead continued to respectfully keep his voice down. "You also have to let me look at that."
"That's not part of the deal." I glared at him, not keen on the idea that Sylvain was trying, rather successfully, to gain the upper hand on me.
The redhead's voice dropped; a soft air of pressure mixed with concern as he leaned in towards my uninjured side. "Deals can come with perks, since I am sharing first, I deserve a little extra."
I mulled the idea over as he began whispering into my ear. "The night of your birthday? I don't even remember half of it. I remember kissing your cheek and flirting with you before you arrived officially, but everything after a certain point is completely blank. I woke up with a hell of a headache and several unexplained bruises the next morning, but I still to this day have no idea what happened."
I shifted uneasily as the scent of vanilla, amber, sandalwood and something distinctly Sylvian in nature drifted off the Blue Lion's cavalier.
"I'm being genuine when I say I am sorry about anything that happened because I legitimately don't remember getting back to my dorm room. Based on tid-bits of gossip I've collected this past week I guess I was being pretty relentless and a bit insufferable. I haven't quite figured out how to tell you all that." There was a soft sigh as Sylvain's breath ghosted over my ear as he continued. "And every time I've come to talk with you about it you disappear. So it's not like I have had a chance to explain myself. I just want to say I'm sorry if I was out of line the other night."
"That's not really a secret now is it?" I clicked my tongue tartly as I turned my head to face him, the warm breath on my neck sending shivers down my spine as I nearly ended up hitting his nose. "More of a confession."
"I haven't told anyone that story. Alright, that's not enough for you, huh? Ok - how about this. That day in the Black Tower, right after we killed Miklan I wasn't in a great place mentally. I really was hoping I would die back there." He pulled away with a charming smile that hurt to look at. "I never did tell you how much I appreciate you being there for me. I don't know what I might have done, and I was terrified I was going to turn into some monster. The fact you talked with me...treated me normally...it means a lot to me. I honestly haven't quite been able to forget it. I owe you one."
I flinched, not wanting to bring that up the Black Tower incident. My uneasiness gave way to a heavy sigh. The cavalier's words held a certain ring of truth to them that was exceedingly rare, and I felt myself relenting. Realizing I was beat I poked Sylvain's cheek lightly. "Alright, fine, you win. Carry me away Sir Knight."
As after a short examination of my injury Sylvain concluded my headache and the subsequent head injury were not worth taking me to the infirmary over. At the same time, I flashed him my note from the professor excusing me from all of my afternoon obligations as well and we decided that it was best to just return me to my room to rest. However, Sylvain insisted on cleaning and tending to my injury before escorting me anywhere.
Exasperatedly I let the cavalier fuss over me as he dug around in my bag for my emergency medical kit. I was surprised by how gentle and experienced he was as he taped the wound together with a couple of butterfly bandages. I closed my eyes as he worked, softly explaining his experience came from a combination of looking after both Felix and Ingrid a lot when they were younger.
Once my injury was tended to, to my surprise Sylvain did not attempt to carry me away bridal style. Nor did he attempt to sling me over his shoulder and carry me around like a sack of potatoes. My eyebrow raised questionably high as the cavalier grinned and knelt down in front of me politely asking me to climb on his back.
I rolled my eyes but remembered my promise and did as requested.
It felt really strange laying against Sylvain's back as he easily carried me piggyback through the monastery. The warmth of his body and the sound of his slightly labored breathing were about all I could hear outside the spinning dizziness as the world shifted and whirled.
The cavalier must have picked up on my distress because we were about halfway to my room when he looked over his shoulder, coaching me to relax. "Hey, it's alright. Just put your head down and take it easy."
Rather than following directions, I craned my neck to look around uneasily. "Err…"
"It's fine." The redhead's voice rumbled deep in his chest as he worked on reassuring me, "I don't mind. Just take it easy and let me do all the work."
I watched a whirlwind of images assault me as mountains of rubble and debris littered the walkways. Stained glass and scorch marks decorated the ground in a morbid display as I blinked through the ruins. I struggled as my stomach clenched at each shift, trying to keep track as my crest tried to overlap with what my eyes actually saw. "I'm...not concerned about you." I tried to swallow a lump in my throat at the images bouncing between the present and what I could only assume was the past.
I took a deep breath as we turned the corner towards the classrooms. "I'm...more concerned about what's going to be said if someone finds out you're carrying me around and I was unconscious."
Sylvain's laughter was muted, and I felt it more than I heard the chuckle. "Ha, just tell them professor Byleth forced me to do it. She was the one who sent me to the infirmary in the first place."
"...Oh?" I tried to turn my whirling attention back to the semi-tangible form giving me a lift, choosing to rest my head on his shoulder with a small pain filled moan.
"Hey, come on don't make that kind of sound in my ear." Sylvain ducked his head and brushed his ear on his shirt as I watched the small hair on the back of his neck stand on end.
I sighed and turned away from him, closing my eyes to stop the flood on hazy images from assaulting my brain further and hummed. "Hmmm...sorry."
The cavalier sighed heavily, and I felt him adjusting his hold on my legs. "Na, it's fine. I'm just trying to...behave, ya know?"
I hummed again in understanding and tried to ignore the pain lancing through my head. "Mmm..so professor Byleth sent you to the infirmary today?"
Sylvain kept his voice low as he continued to carry me towards my dorm room without breaking a sweat. "Ya... training might have gotten a little out of hand today, and I, huh, so don't get mad and don't start wiggling, ok?"
A strong sense of forbidding caused me to open my eyes and try to look at the cavalier. "Sylvain...what happened?"
Sylvain turned down the garden path leading to the Golden Deer commoner's dorms. The familiar hedging withered to a faded brown and turned green the redhead trotted along the pathway as he smiled sheepishly at me. "The Professor...may have demonstrated why I need to focus on my training a bit more."
I lifted my head an inch and then dropped it back onto Sylvain's shoulder with a sharp intake of air. "Your side...you were favoring it earlier."
Sylvain climbed the short flight of stairs leading up to the landing of my dorm room and knelt back down to allow me to dismount without too much effort. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."
I felt my boots touch the ground and immediately let go of Sylvain's neck. I moved away from him, my one hand heading towards my pocket while the other went up to support my head. As I searched around for my key I scowled darkly up at the much taller cavalier.
My disapproving stare caused the redhead to backtrack with a sign of reluctance. "Look I swear it's nothing to be concerned about. I'm just a little tender, that's all."
I was pretty certain my scowl wasn't nearly as effective as I struggled to focus, still I called the cavaliers buff as I located my dorm key. "You're lying. You're more than just a 'little tender'."
Sylvain's voice was even softer as he threw me a sparkling smile to reassure me. "You're not a burden, I'm telling you you're fine Lilianna. And - I still think you should eat more."
I turned to try to locate the lock on my door and was relieved to see it wasn't flickering in between the past and present like everything else was.
Sylvain causally leaned up against the wall next to me rubbing his side as I forced the key into the lock. "In fact, let me treat you to dinner this weekend? How does Saturday at 6 sound?"
I twisted the key and was relieved as I felt the tumbler click open.
"Like I won't be here." I muttered as I pocketed my key and turned back to the cavalier who had carried me halfway across the monastery.
The knight was back in full armor, still rubbing his side as he raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh, where are you running off to?
I twisted the doorknob and pushed my door open. "No place interesting, are you coming in?"
I raised an eyebrow to the redhead who whistled and shook his head wistfully. "Na, not today. I'm actually going to head back to my room. I just wanted to make sure you got back here alright and..." I raised my eyebrow even further in question as he shrugged. "I can't be tempted if I'm not here, besides you're still looking at me like there's two of me."
The slightly taller knight in full armor shrugged at his comment and I blinked. "Ya...ok I understand."
Both redheads leaned forward with interest a second later, their gaze focusing in on the bandages with a frown. "Stop fussing with it. You'll make it worse. By the way you didn't tell me where you'll be this weekend. It's not like you to turn a proper meal down, so it must be something important huh?"
I pursed my lips as I pulled my hand away from my head, upset that Sylvain could and would turn the tables on me so easily.
"I think I am going on a trip." I admitted reluctantly, still struggling to focus on the real person standing in front of me. "I still need to speak to the professors, but there's someplace I need to visit this weekend."
"I see, and where might this little visit be to?"
The redhead continued to pressure me for answers as I leaned against the stonework next to him. The cool stone worked the same as it had in the office hallway, working discreetly to soothe my raging headache.
I closed my eyes and muttered. "Does it matter?"
"Well, I was thinking…" Sylvain started to offer as I held up my hand to cut his train of thought short.
"No Sylvain, this isn't something I can have an escort for." I let my bag slip off my shoulder and went to go place it on the ground as I heard Sylvain shifting next to me.
"Aw man, ok let me guess again. Does this have anything to do with the trading contracts you have been working on?" The blue lion caught my bag and took the weight from me. I heard the door creak open next to me and I assumed he set my pack inside.
I rolled the back of my head against the cool stonework, trying to shake the aftereffects of my crest and head injury. "No, it has to deal with some school business. It's nothing to be concerned about."
"Nothing too dangerous?" Sylvain pressed me hard for more answers and I sighed as I felt some of the tension freeze as the corner of my doorframe caught a pressure point in my neck.
A wash of relief came over me as I cracked open my eyes to see what Sylvain was doing next to me. Neither knight seemed to be doing anything in particular, two sets of concerned eyes followed my every move and I found myself letting my guard down.
"Well maybe a little dangerous." I cut off thinking about how to phase it. "I, uh, am scheduled for a patrol flight with some of the knights. I just learned about it a few hours ago from Seteth."
I managed to find a small lie that fit into my pretext and Sylvain backed off immediately. "Oh, I see. Well, um, let me know if you get back early. I'd be more than happy to treat you to dinner when you return."
"Don't worry I'll have Zu for company, so you're free to chase whatever skirt catches your fancy and invite them to dinner in my stead." I grinned wearily and slid into my room. My hand hovered on the door as Sylvain stepped forward and slid his hand into the doorway.
"Wait!" The cavalier's eyes flicked to the butterfly bandages on my head "Will you be ok by yourself today? You never did tell me why you were laying in the middle of the hallway."
"You never elaborated as to why professor Byleth sent you to the infirmary either." I shot back back as he swallowed.
"Alright, the Professor and Felix took me and Dimitri on. I, uh, might have dropped my guard and the professor managed to break through my defense. She landed a solid blow to my side. By the bruising you would swear she broke a few ribs, but Mercedes and Professor Manuela said it's just bruises."
I raised an eyebrow, my hand still on the door as he sighed. The cavalier's hand drifted experimentally to the hem of his shirt and he began to tug the crisp white linen up. "What? Do you want to look?"
I went to shake my head, but thought better of it. Instead, I settled for a small smile and a polite decline of Sylvain's offer. " Uh, no thank you. I think I'll defer to their better judgement."
Sylvain shrugged and let his shirt drop, half of the ear hanging out from his waistline as he smirked to me. "I don't mind really; you can even touch it if you want."
I let the door go and pinched the bridge of my nose as he chuckled darkly. "Alright that might have been a little too soon, so...your turn. How did you hit your head?"
"Probably in the fall, I think I fainted. I've been working with Professor Hanneman, helping him research a project and I probably pushed myself a little too hard. That's how I got the note excusing me from the professor." I fabricated another white lie on the spot.
The cavalier's chocolate brown eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why not go to the infirmary then? You were right there."
I shrugged, digging myself a deeper hole. "Professor Hanneman said it was just spell exhaustion and I should be fine with a little rest. There wasn't any reason to take up space in the medical wing if all I need to do is take it easy for the rest of the day. I should be fine in the morning."
Sylvain's grin slipped and the concern flickered in his eyes, telling me he might not have fully believed me. "Sounds like I'll need to keep a better eye on you then. I'm going to stop in the morning and see how you're doing."
I moved my hand from pinching the bridge of my nose to rubbing my temple, forgetting about my most recent injury in the process. I hissed in pain as my hand connected the butterfly bandages.
"I told you not to mess with it." Sylvain went to grab my hand and then caught himself. His expression fell as he let his hand fall back down to his side.
I watched his hand drop down and felt a little remorse as I crossed my arms exasperatedly. "Sounds like you're off practicing your spear work then worrying about me."
I raised an eyebrow as the blue lion raked his hand through his hair pleading. "Lili…please?"
I chuckled and inched the door shut with the toe of my boot. "Good night Sylvian, I'll see you in the morning then."
"Until morning then beautiful, rest well."
Author's Corner:
Well meet! Welcome back to my second release this week - bringing you an extra dose of Lilium Auratum for your weekend's pleasure. Or maybe its a week day for you - I'm not sure - anyway I hope you enjoyed this last chapter as we work on repairing Lilianna's and Sylvain's relationship/friendship (Whatever they have going on, however you want to define it. Neither Lili or Sylvain really care to define it, they just know they enjoy being around each other as each other. No strings attached.)
That being said they certainly spend a lot of time together today and I hope you enjoy that rather heart felt conversation from Sylvain. He seems genuinely worried about Lilianna, who honestly is in too much pain to really care. It seems her weekly appointment with the professor went rather poorly today and she's exhausted - and in enough pain to pass out on the floor.
A quick note though on the term Spell exhaustion - typically in game you have a set about of uses from a spell, thus when your out of spells to use to means that the mage is suffering from spell exhaustion. Hanneman seems to be thinking that Lili's able to perform spells for long periods of time based on her discipline, which is of course a by product of her field experience. (In fact you see it in the first chapter when you meet her - she's just tired from casting and combat because it takes place before she fractures her crest.) It seems that neither Hanneman or Manuela are having any luck devising anything that's helping her at the moment - which is leaving Lili more then a bit distressed.
We also see that Hubert now suspects Lilianna of planning things and to shake off Hubert's stalking/information collection she hangs out with Seteth. (She wouldn't risk exposing her secret passage ways to someone who she doesn't trust.) Hanging out with the overworked advisor leads to more work on Lili's side as she's trying to tackle her house's trade contracts, though its important to know she deals with revising them for almost all of the Foldan fiefdoms. It helps the very over worked advisor, though he still signs off on them.
Then we see the biggest foreshadowing - that Byleth is actually asking Lili to take a trip this weekend. Which is a long time coming, and since Lili hasn't made it a priority it looks like something is eating away at Sothis and the professor enough for her to take the initiative.
In reality this chapter took me a while to write and the next chapter also took a while - because of that foreshadowing. Originally we just skipped to the Battle of the Eagle and Lion but the opportunity seemed to good to pass up so your writer decided to give you her version of the story. And when I started to write out what happens at the Red Canyon trip and I was sold - the information and battle lines up perfectly and I am super excited to share these up coming chapters with you. I know its a long long story, but I really hope your all enjoying it as I fill out character interactions and do some world building of my own!
See you next week for the trip with Byleth to the Red Canyon!
