Oh no.

Oh no no no no.

She clutches her messenger bag close to her chest, trying to still her breathing. She hopes that the tree she ducked behind hides her well enough. She prays that they don't hear her and seek her out.

After all, the only reason a messenger would be on the outskirts of the kingdom, deep within the forest, would be if they were delivering important messages between allied countries.

She knows this well enough. It's a dangerous job. But she doesn't have any important letters, and never has. The scope of her work is delivering simple parcels and letters to families across town. She made a wrong turn somewhere on her delivery route and now she's—

A bloodcurdling scream erupts and she lets out an involuntary yelp. She closes her eyes and gulps, feeling the skin on the back of her neck crawl.

I can't die like this. I have—I still have these letters—

"Are you okay?" a voice suddenly asks.

She lets out another scream, "Please don't kill me! Take my bag, take it all! But I don't have anything important! Unless you like reading letters from someone's grandma, but—"

"It's dangerous here." And she doesn't hear any danger in the voice.

She slowly cracks one eye open.

An eye stares back at her, white hair covering the other.

She gazes at the man before her donned in strikingly silver armour, so bright it's almost white. He quietly sheathes his sword and she tries not to stare at the blood staining his gear. A familiar circular emblem decorates his chest plate.

And then it clicks.

"I'm so sorry!" she blurts out. She doesn't know exactly what she's apologizing for, but her mouth has always moved faster than her brain. She quickly amends, "Thank you for saving me!"

He blinks. "I was just doing my job."

"Still," she insists, "thank you. I—I was really afraid."

"It's dangerous here," he repeats. "A lot of enemy soldiers trying to sneak in around this area. They could have seen you."

She flushes red. "I know."

He glances at the bag slung over her shoulder. "Ah."

"It's not what you think!" she exclaims. "I… I got lost. I only have letters from grandmas and the like, you know? Nothing important like that."

"Important to someone, surely," he remarks, and her breath catches in her throat.

"… Did you need directions back to town?" He glances over his shoulder at something she can't see, but can very well imagine. She chooses to focus on his face instead. His gaze feels distant, but he feels so close. He understands her work.

"I need to report back on my patrol anyway, so I can take you there."

"I'm so sorry, you already helped me so much today," she starts again. "I didn't mean to walk this far into the woods, but I'm not really that great with directions. I'll be fine once we're out."

"Ah…" He points behind her. "There's an opening right there. We really aren't that deep into the forest."

A beat.

"Oh."

After a couple of minutes, he leads her out of the forest. Quietly, the man dismisses himself, reminding her to stay safe.

The words automatically tumble out of her mouth, "Will I see you again?"

He stops for a moment. "We live and work in the same town. It's certainly possible, yes."

She grins at that. "See you soon, then!"

And as she stares at his retreating figure, red on white steel, she thinks that Blood White Knights is an appropriate name for them after all.

She doesn't feel nearly as afraid as the stories say she should.

・

"You dropped your hat, miss—oh, it's you." The knight immediately recognizes the petite messenger girl with the fiery red hair.

"Oh! Thank you!" She runs her hands through her free hair before picking up her fallen cap. She lets out a small giggle as she places it back on her head. "We meet again! Are you on your patrol?"

He simply nods in response.

"I didn't know you guys worked in town too. I thought you were usually more around the border, like the other day."

"We go where we're needed. We do protect the citizens, after all," he explains. She looks up at him with wide eyes, sparkling in admiration. He feels slightly taken aback.

He hesitates, his own gaze darting to the side. "Is there… something on my face?"

She shakes her head. "You all work so hard to protect us. Thank you."

He's not entirely sure how to reply. Most people wouldn't even dare to approach him because of the reputation that follows his line of work, let alone casually converse with him. It's no secret that the Blood White Knights are ruthless in their techniques, brutal in their fights.

Can they really be called rumours when it's nothing but the truth?

"I'm just doing my job," he says eventually, "as are you."

She proudly clutches onto her messenger bag. "Right! And I'm going to do my best, just like you. I have letters to deliver."

The edges of his lips quirk upwards as he watches the determination that burns in her eyes. Somehow, there's warmth in her presence and he almost wants to get closer.

"Good luck," he says, and she beams like the sun.

He's not sure what to do with the warm feeling that lingers in his chest, even as she's long gone.

・

She brings the map close to her face, eyes squinting at the fine print. The twists and curves bear little resemblance to the actual road she walks, she thinks. Or was she holding the map upside down again? With a frown, she flips the paper around and continues scrutinizing the printing.

Unsurprisingly, she bumps into someone as she walks around with her face buried in the map.

She immediately jumps into a tirade of apologies until she realizes the someone she bumped into is a familiar face. Her eyes brighten in recognition and she greets him with a chipper hello.

He nods his head in acknowledgment, then points to the map in her hands. "Did you need help?"

"No, not at all!" she proclaims.

"You have it upside down."

"Oh." She quickly flips the map over again and repeats, "Not at all!"

He raises an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I don't mind taking you where you need to go. I'm familiar with the roads. It might be on my patrol route as well."

"I'm sure!" she insists, even as he closes the distance between them to get a better look at her map. "I wanted to do it all by myself today. I studied all the roads really hard!"

His lips form a thin line. "Well, if you're sure."

Taking a step back from the knight, she balls her right hand into a fist, pumping it in the air. "I'm completely sure! I can totally do this!"

He lets out a small chuckle at that, and she finds herself staring a little. Only a little, though. But probably more than she should, so she immediately snaps herself out of it and turns on her heel.

"It was nice seeing you again!" With that, she waves goodbye and dashes off in the opposite direction. She doesn't hear him as he tries to tell her that she's going the wrong way.

He has a nice smile, she thinks. Full of kindness.

She hopes to see it more.

・

"So then, I made a wrong turn at the fruit cart, this one right here actually, but it didn't take me that long to realize. Once I did, I was able to find the house really quickly. A lovely lady opened the door, and I handed her the letter."

"And then?"

"Oh, I have no idea what was in the letter but she started crying when she opened it!" she continues. "So—so, I panicked a bit because I thought I did something wrong, but apparently it was happy crying."

She lets out a relieved sigh as she relays her story to the knight.

"That sounds nice," he starts, but another voice suddenly interrupts, "Yaho! What do we have here?"

He eyes his companion warily, happily sidling up next to him.

"Oh, she's cute," someone else pipes in. This man's bangs cover his eyes, but he grins as he joins the small group.

"On break? And you didn't invite us?" the other continues.

"I think he's working hard to protect the fruit cart."

"Eh, aren't fruits already dead?"

"Can't really eat them if someone comes along and smashes them."

"But if they got a sword and sliced through them, couldn't we just eat them then? Wouldn't need our own knives, y'know?"

"Um," she speaks up then, interrupting the conversation between the two knights that have just joined, "maybe I should leave?"

"Aw, so soon? We haven't even met, have we?" The man deflates at those words, turning to face the knight she's befriended. "Hey, why not introduce us?"

For a moment, he looks resigned, then he eventually points to his companions. "These are fellow knights. We're on the same patrol squad. And, she is a town messenger. Sometimes, we talk."

"N-Nice to meet you!" she stammers out. At those words, the knights crowd around her.

"So I guess you're the reason why we haven't seen our friend on break often these days." Even with his vision obscured by his hair, the knight seems to eye her carefully.

"Heh?" she squeaks.

The other man speaks, his voice tinged with curiosity and enthusiasm, "Hey, do you maybe have a letter for me?"

"M-Maybe?" Instinctively, she rummages inside her bag.

A hand grabs her arm and she stops. "Don't worry about him," the familiar voice of her friend speaks up. "No one ever sends him letters."

"I resent that! Even if it's true!" he protests with a pout, and his companion with the long bangs lets out a bark of laughter.

"Hey! We're on call!" Another man in similar armour approaches, his hair framing his face neatly. "Sighting near the lake!"

At those words, the demeanor of the rest of the knights abruptly change. Their hands fly to the hilt of their swords and their eyes sharpen. Quick on their feet, the group immediately starts to move. As they leave, he glances briefly at the messenger girl and she looks startled at the sudden change of events.

He pauses then, as his companions rush off. "I'm sorry about them," he says eventually. "But they're good people, if not just a bit… rowdy."

"No need to apologize!" She frantically waves her hands around as she speaks, "I know they're good people, because you wouldn't be knights if you didn't want to save people, so… I trust them, just like I trust you. Ah! Please don't worry about me! I'll be fine, good luck with your work!"

He blinks once, twice.

And he holds her words close as he heads into battle.

・

When she steps into the tavern, she sees a familiar face. Her legs immediately take her to his table and she asks, "Mind if I join you?"

"No, of course not," he replies, and she sees the small quirk of his lips. With that, she happily sits down and flags a server over, asking for a simple glass of water. The tavern employee returns in short order and she thanks them with a smile.

"Taking a break, huh?" she observes the knight sitting next to her. Like her, he has a drink in hand. Tea, she figures. "I don't often see you not working."

"I could say the same to you," he muses.

She laughs. "I guess you're right. Oh, you know what, I've been getting better with the routes lately!"

"Oh yeah?" She watches him as he takes a swig of his drink, his one unobscured eye still intently on her.

"Mmhm, I've been really trying to study the maps and remember land markings," she hums. "Though it's not that much compared to the work you guys do. Our country's been unstable lately and, I mean, you guys put yourselves in danger for the safety of us all, as the frontline."

She giggles a bit to herself. "I'm just in danger of paper cuts."

He blinks. "We work to protect the peace."

She nods once.

"Your work is the peace," he finishes.

"… I've been trying my best because of that." Unconsciously, she tugs on the strap of her messenger bag. "I know there's some unrest, that there's some conflict around the borders… Some enemies have tried to hurt us, and blood has already been shed. With—with war possibly approaching, things are changing."

She gulps. He doesn't say anything, but he looks at her with thoughtful eyes. She realizes that she's comfortable with him, feels close to him—has felt that way since their first encounter—so she continues, "But even then, I—I want to preserve some sense of normalcy. Even if we're thrown into a struggle, or something more, I want to protect our everyday lives. And these letters, they're… they're that."

"I understand," he says simply and she feels like her chest is going to burst.

Of course he understands, she thinks. He's understood since the very beginning.

"Oh, I love delivering all these messages, you know?" she exclaims. "They're usually just mundane, everyday things really, but I think that's part of the charm. And, and, sometimes it's more, sometimes the letters really mean something to the recipient. I think it's… really special, to receive a letter written especially for you."

"Yes," he concurs, "it must be nice."

"Oh, of course! It's like receiving someone's care for you, the time they spent writing you—" She stops in realization as his words process in her head. "Ah, wait, have you not received any letters before?"

"Well." He's quiet for a moment. "No, not really. I guess you could say we're a bit isolated with our work. It's not a big deal."

"I had no idea." A frown plays on her lips and she turns her attention to the glass of water in front of her. Was she being inconsiderate with what she said? Never mind all of the other times she spoke about her work.

"It's fine," he reassures her. "I don't mind. I enjoy hearing about what you do."

She feels a light blush dust her cheeks and she smiles. "Thank you. For everything."

He awkwardly mumbles a puzzled no problem in response and she laughs then. For the rest of their conversation, she can't help the grin that forms on her lips. When they depart the tavern, well wishes filling their farewells, she finds herself still smiling. Quietly, she looks forward to their next meeting.

・

"A letter? For me?" He stares at her outstretched hand gripping the item in question.

She nods vigorously in response. Slowly, he reaches to take the paper from the messenger girl. His fingers brush against hers and they're close.

He glances at the fine print on the folded parchment. His name is written on it in small, clumsy print. He feels warm. "… Thank you."

"I'm just doing my job," she beams.

"Yes, of course," he mumbles. He finds himself playing with the edges of the paper as a peaceful silence envelops the two. He sees her fidget a bit with the strap of her bag before murmuring that she still has a few more deliveries to make.

"Will I see you again?" the words automatically tumble from his mouth, echoing familiar in his mind.

No, that's not right.

"I want to see you again," he says, his eyes meeting hers.

Her cheeks flush a soft pink and she pauses for a moment. Then, with a grin, "Of course! I have more messages to deliver to you, after all!"

He smiles in response.

Her bag may not be filled with tactical secrets or correspondences between kingdoms, but the letters she carry are just as important.

He idly notes the spring in her step as he watches her leave, departing with an enthusiastic goodbye.

The knight looks down at the paper in his hands.

He waits for her next letter.

a/n:

hello I already posted this to my ao3 and writing tumblr so I decided to post it here now too yay. I chose not to name the characters for stylistic purposes so I hope it didn't get confusing (esp with the WBCs). thanks for reading!