The Sage's Hero

by the Legendary Armor

"You keep that up and I'll be blushing like a schoolgirl!"

Those words had not left Saleh's mind since Gerik had spoken them such a time ago. No longer were they side by side to face a deadly conflict, but still the mercenary hero stayed in Caer Pelyn more than anyone could have guessed he would. Saleh remembered him saying he'd visit. But he practically lived here now…

Sitting in the old, giant oak known as the Watcher, he gazed out at the summer's sky, a beautiful, rich blue strewn with brilliant, pristine clouds. This was one of the vibrant summer days that Saleh loved, but here he was, immersed in even more self-examination than usual. It had happened more and more often, with Gerik hanging around…

Saleh admired the hero, true. But it was a little more than that. Something that unsettled the stoic sage.

Gerik's personality drew him like a moth to flame. That bravery, that bluntness, that loyalty that was unheard of in mercenaries. And he wasn't exactly terrible-looking, either. And so strong… If Saleh arm-wrestled him, he could snap the sage's wrist on pure accident (which was one reason why Saleh had never taken him up on the offer).

And Gerik was so forgiving…

Despite the death of Zabba so long ago, he'd quickly considered Saleh as his closest friend. The sage knew that were he in Gerik's shoes, he probably could not have done the same. And the fact that Gerik considered him as his closest friend made Saleh feel strange. Not unpleasant, but… tentative, and happy. Perhaps because Saleh wondered if he considered Gerik as even more than that. Grandmother had said to follow his heart. Why had she told him that after Gerik arrived?

Perhaps she knew his feelings better than he did.

"Hey! There you are, Saleh."

The loud voice, so suddenly intruding on his contemplative silence, greatly startled the sage, so precariously perched on a branch so high up in that enormous tree… He felt a surge of panic as he felt his balance slipping away.

"Damn!" He heard Gerik curse. "You going to be all right?"

"No," Saleh replied simply as he fumbled to catch another branch for support and failed. He felt himself falling backward, fear racing through his body as vertigo surged through his nerves. His heavy robes wrapped around his body as he fell, and he did not fancy to think about how much this might end up hurting.

Except that it didn't end up hurting at all, because when he landed, he found himself not on the ground, but in Gerik's sturdy arms. "Sorry," the hero smiled. "At least I caught you. Are you all right? That had to be a little nerve-wracking."

"I suppose," the lavender-haired man replied, fighting down the warmth on his cheeks. "Gerik… thank you."

The man grinned in return, his tanned skin glowing in the sun. "Hey, it's no problem. I told you that before. You always watch my back, so of course I'll always watch yours."

"I…" Saleh averted his gaze towards the tree. "I said it before. You're… a good man."

"Ha! Stop that. I told you before, if you don't stop, I'll just end up blushing like some girl!"

"Perhaps," the sage replied.

"Why won't you look at me all of a sudden?"

Saleh turned back to meet his eyes once more. "I was just wondering…"

"About what?"

"Why you haven't put me down yet."

"You didn't ask me to."

A rare smile began to form on the sage's face, and perhaps it was a little mischievous. "Perhaps you don't want to."

"And perhaps you don't want me to, either." Gerik smiled as well. "In fact, I won't. You're staying here."

The sage looked a little nervous and confused, as he often did when speaking with the man… who thought he looked rather cute that way. "What do you mean? Your arms will get tired…"

"Nah." Gerik turned and sat at the base of the tree, Saleh resting in his lap. His arms rested under Saleh's knees and back, in a comfortable position that put no strain on his muscles at all. "See?"

Saleh quickly looked away, staring at the sky. Gerik brought him closer to his body, and the sage rested his head on the hero's chest.

They spoke no words, then. They didn't need to.

(end)