I couldn't decide if they had finished for the day early or not on account of me, but I was too embarrassed to ask. Something about an entire war being put on hold for me was too much to handle, so I did my best to not think about it."Tell me what you're doing for your warm-ups," Ronan said, gesturing to the arena space that was now fully covered in moss."We just do a lap at a walk, then a trot, then a canter, in both directions." I stood in my stirrups, stretching my legs down and letting my heels drop low."Alright, that sounds like a good start. What are you doing during your practice time? Any particular skills you're trying to nail?" Ronan continued."Well, when I fell off yesterday, I was trying to teach myself to get over some jumps," I explained. The blush that burned my cheeks was inevitable. I didn't want to admit that I was struggling with any of this to Ronan, but I knew he was probably the best horseman in the group."Alright, put us up some jumps then, let's g
*Fynn*Fighting with Sage caused a strange series of emotions to wash through me, and I wanted to get back to the tent to sort them out. The adrenaline and close contact made me feel far less combative, and instead, much more motivated to do something else with our time.We ate a quick dinner, but we were a few days away from the next ration delivery wagon, so food was a little scant. It was a fine meal of more meat stew and some bread that was starting to go stale, but if you dipped the bread in the stew, it wasn't so bad.Sage seemed in a hurry to get back to the tent too, though it seemed more like she was tired.We excused ourselves from the campfire early and made our way into the safety of the green canvas tent. I lit a few of the candles and lanterns to provide us with some light. I wanted to talk with her, to tell her the truth about what I was feeling. After Ronan mentioned the word 'mate' yesterday, I spent nearly the entire day today considering what that could truly
*Sage*My eyes went wide. I felt like I should say something, anything, but the words didn't come. I wanted to tell him the truth of what I was feeling too, to open my heart and let words flow like water until I didn't feel so pent up anymore, but now they weren't coming."I'm sure it's a lot to process right now. And you don't have to say anything right away. I just, I wanted to explain why things have been strange lately," Fynn stated.I nodded, still searching for words that weren't forming. I watched the way he searched my face for some reaction. I wanted to reassure him, to tell him anything, but I was so surprised. I had been convinced just yesterday that he was growing tired of me. Everything had been such a whirlwind of emotions that I was having trouble processing."I see," I finally said.Fynn's face fell. I sat up on the bed, needing to clear my head enough to think straight."Fynn, I just … I don't know how this is supposed to work," I confessed."What do you
*Fynn*Something was off. I could feel it as soon as I woke up. There was a heavy mist in the air that crept under the sides of the tent. It was sticky and unseasonably warm. It smelled like citrus and gardenias, a sickly sort of smell that I would have recognized anywhere.Sage was snoring softly, quiet breaths slipping past her full lips. I smiled and rolled over to kiss her on the cheek. I would surprise her with a new wardrobe today, and it should be delivered any time after the morning post-call.I was going to be late for it if I didn't get going. Post-call meant we all had to be in our places and ready to go, and it would look bad for the commander of this whole damn outfit if I didn't make it in a timely fashion.Someone else knew that too, which was why I suspected the smoke show was appearing at this moment in time.I dragged myself out of bed and started to get dressed, doing my best to ignore the heavily perfumed smell of the mist and fog that was continuing to fi
*Sage*It was a week after the incident with Evangeline that Fynn woke me up early."Come on, get up," he urged, a hint of genuine excitement in his voice.I scrubbed the sleep out of my eyes and attempted to look him in the face. It was early, dark enough in the tent that I was having trouble seeing him at all. I sat up, dragging myself into the cold morning air. He at least had a new set of clothes delivered so that I had some more weather-appropriate outfits and even my own suit of armor. What he intended for me to do with it, I wasn't sure, but I was proud to have it."What's going on?" I asked."Today's the day," he said proudly.My heart must have stopped beating in my chest. I felt like the whole world froze at that moment, and I wasn't sure how to get the world to start spinning again."The day for what?" I hissed, but I already knew the answer."You want to see battle, let's do it. You're coming with us today," Fynn announced.I practically leapt out of bed.
*Fynn*It was the dead of the night. I could tell by the sinister red glow exactly who had summoned me from my sleep, and I was instantly short-tempered. It had been almost a full week of accompanying Sage into battle, and my nerves were nearly shot.She was surprisingly handy in battle, and so I was thankful for that matter. She had developed a skill for healing, and Magnus and Ronan had really started helping her latch onto that. She was starting to be able to heal more and more impressive wounds, and sometimes even from short distances.Still, that didn't stop me from worrying about her every day as we rode out. I should be returning to the frontlines soon, but I was struggling to leave her behind, and there was no way I'd be taking her with me.The men were developing a respect and reverence for her that bordered on religious fervor. It was a strange thing to witness, and I wondered if they would ever see me that way. I was no saint, and I certainly was less capable when it
I barely got any sleep after I returned to the tent. My mind spun with all sorts of possibilities and questions I didn't plan to ask. I knew though, that as far as sunrise was concerned, I needed to call a meeting first thing in the morning with my captains.I summoned a messenger from one of the nearby tents and had him work through the network of messengers to make sure that anyone who would need to know anything would be at the meeting in the morning. I laid awake and pondered how I would explain what was happening to my men, and I had to accept that they may just have to trust me.There were plenty of men who believed I was still young and untested. That felt ridiculous after a century at the helm, but compared to some of these ancient warriors, I was a young buck. I hoped that at hundreds of years old, I would still be that fighting fit, but their experience meant that they liked to push me at every turn and force me to explain every choice and call I made.Sometimes, I just
*Sage*I had about a thousand questions for Fynn. He had clearly known that something would be happening on the battlefield, but what had played out before our eyes had been the last thing I expected. When Evangeline's body crashed to the ground, sword still protruding from her chest, there was a flash of light that seared around us, and the world seemed brighter.Someone asked if we should give chase to the Water Court troops, but we were commanded to hold the line. When Fynn finally signaled for us to go back to camp, there was a sort of war whooping and victory cry like I had never heard before.A few battalions were held back to help Fynn take over the Water Court and claim it for himself, subduing the fleeing forces and helping them understand that there would be new leadership. Magnus was among the captains of the chosen battalions, and I wondered what that would be like for him. Would it be bittersweet, or trigger some tragic memory? I wanted to make sure we checked on him