A/N: I wrote something short: this is a huge accomplishment for me. ;) It's also the result of my having been laid up with a cold. After all, what better cure is there for the common cold than fluff?
Takes place before the events of the game.
Innocence
It was the first time he had seen the inside of her bedroom. "I was told you were asking for me, my lady."
Seth's heart seemed to melt at the sight of her, sitting up as she was in her curtained bed, blankets heaped over her though it was midsummer. Her eyes were puffy, her nose red, and a collection of soiled handkerchiefs was piled on the floor, yet all he wanted was to sweep her into his arms. A knight should not think so of his princess, he reminded himself– for all the good it did him.
Eirika motioned for him to come closer, smiling sheepishly. "Forgive me the indulgence, but I just wanted to see you with my own eyes– to see that you're all right."
He had just returned from the eastern border where he and his soldiers had rooted out a group of bandits based in the hills who had been attacking local villages. King Fado took his role as steward of the land and its people seriously and had sent Seth as soon as he'd received the reports. Seth had been away for over a month. "I am very well, my lady. I'm sorry to find that you're not."
"It's just a cold," she said, offering a wan smile. "I'm sure I'll be fine in a day or two." No sooner had she gotten the words out than she was wracked by a fit of coughing, and though it lasted only a few moments, his distress must have shown on his features. "Don't look at me like that, Seth. Really, I'm fine."
"If there's anything I can do, please don't hesitate to ask it of me."
"I–" She bit her lip and reached for the cup on her bedside table. It must have been a medicinal tea for she grimaced as she drank down a mouthful.
"Yes?" he prodded when she remained silent.
She looked down at her hands as she spoke. "I only wondered if you might keep me company for a while. Being bedridden is so tiresome and I would be pleased to hear about your exploits on the border. I know I'm not the best of company at present but–"
He raised a hand to stop her. "Princess Eirika, nothing would please me more."
And so he sat in the cushioned chair near her bedside and began to recount how he'd spent this past month. He told her of the long marches, of nights spent around campfires, and sleeping in tents– things foreign to her experience. And that was as it should be. She was a princess, and, more than that, a gentle soul who should be spared from the horrors of battle. Eirika listened with rapt attention, interrupting him only now and then to ask a question. Her concern for the inhabitants on the border was genuine and his heart swelled with pride; he could not have asked for a finer princess to serve.
"I'm glad you were able to put a stop to the attacks," she said when he'd concluded his tale. "And," she said after a pause, dropping her eyes, a pink tinge in her cheeks, "I'm glad that you've returned safely."
"Thank you, my lady," he said and he could not keep a smile from his lips. He found himself thinking that it had been a long while since they had spoken together like this. In truth it was not entirely proper that he should be alone with her, here, of all places, in her bedroom. But he was trusted by her and by her family. King Fado treated him almost as a second son, and had since Seth had been a squire all those years ago. Back then he had often been assigned to watch over the young prince and princess. No one would have suspected that the princess, so gracious and poised even at eight or nine, was as rambunctious as her brother when they were left alone to play in the royal gardens. Seth had taken joy in their frolicking, had mussed their hair, duelled with Ephraim with wooden swords, and held Eirika's small hand in his. And sometimes, when she had been sad, he had placed a kiss on the top of her head to make her smile again. It had been so much simpler then.
"What are you thinking?" Eirika asked and he realized he had lost himself in his recollections.
"Hmm?"
"You were smiling just now."
He cleared his throat and straightened. "Nothing, my lady."
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Seth."
"I was thinking of you and Ephraim... when you were small terrors."
Eirika laughed. "We were not," she said, tossing a spare pillow at him.
He caught it effortlessly and placed it back on the bed. "I see very little has changed."
But her smile and the tingle it sent down his spine gave lie to his words. She was seventeen and he could not pretend to be unaffected by her charms. For all her innocence, she was a woman and things could never be as they once had. He had realized this some time ago and changed his behaviour accordingly, but even though his duties as a general of Renais kept him away from her much of the time, he found himself in her company often enough, and his thoughts betrayed him at every turn.
"I should go now," he said, rising.
"Will you come back tomorrow? I know you have duties," she added when he hesitated, "but–"
"Of course," he said, for he could not stand the crestfallen air on her face– puffy eyes, reddened nose, and all. After all, her request was innocent, even if his desire to fulfill it was not.
She smiled and once again he felt a thrill of excitement swirl through him. The joy on her face washed away his shame at his overreaching heart. "I'm glad," she said. "It'll give me something to look forward to."
He bowed. "My lady." And then, on impulse, instead of turning and walking out the door as he should have, he found himself stepping closer to her and leaning down to place a kiss on the top of her head. "Get well," he whispered and then marched out the door before he betrayed himself entirely. Surely she would see it as only an innocent gesture just as when she'd been a child. But he could no longer think of her as a child and knew it wrong take advantage of her innocence so. Foolish, unworthy knight, he chided.
So quickly did Seth leave the room, that he did not notice Eirika blushing right up to her ears.
The End
A/N: So what did you think? Let me know.