The Winds of the Past [Rune Factory 4]

Chapter 56

Upon our return from our fight with the storm-daemon, we stopped for dry clothing and hurried to the inn to warm up in the scalding waters of the baths. Afterwards, we quickly returned to the castle, borrowing a few of Lin’s oversized umbrellas to ensure we stayed dry as we ran through the snowstorm. Avani promptly headed into the kitchen to fix us all something hot to eat and drink, while Dylas sat in one of the easy chairs and I lit the fire the butlers had laid earlier in the day. Soon the three of us were sitting before a roaring fire as we ate and drank, ravenous after the day’s efforts.

After sating the fiercest of her hunger pangs, Avani sat back and looked first at me as I sat next to her on the sofa, and then over at Dylas in his chair. “So tell me, what were the two of you doing out there in the wilds of Sercerezo Hill without your weapons?”

Dylas and I looked at each other sheepishly. “Ahh, well, My Lady, we….” I started.

“We… we were sparring. You know, just a little friendly combat practice. Nothing at all serious,” Dylas hastily interrupted.

“Sparring? On Sercerezo Hill? Without even practice weapons? In a thunderstorm??” she replied incredulously. “Why there? Why not the courtyard, or even just the plains near town? And why in the names of the Native Dragons would you spar in the middle of a raging storm?”

Dylas frowned, annoyed that she’d seen through his ruse so quickly. “Well, what about you? What the hell were you thinking, fishing in a storm like that?” he huffed in aggravation.

Avani looked at him reproachfully. “And you call yourself a fisherman? Everyone knows the fish bite better in the rain!”

“You were sand fishing,” he pointed out drily.

“Oh, and how much experience do you have sand fishing? Right, about as much as I do. I thought, if it worked with normal fish in the water, maybe it would work for sand fish, too. I figured it was worth a shot—I knew I could get back to town quickly if the weather got too bad. In fact, I was just packing up when I heard loud noises coming from the bridge, even over the noise of the storm. Imagine my surprise when I looked through the trees and found my husband and my best friend getting their asses handed to them by a gigantic monster! Seriously, you two? No weapons? Nothing? Come on, I know you’re smarter than that!” She folded her arms over her chest and glared at her former lover, who glared right back at her.

I sighed. “Okay, this is beginning to get childish. And none of us are being altogether honest, are we?” I reached over to Avani and turned her face towards mine, looking into her eyes. “I apologize, My Lady, for the things I said earlier. I swear I didn’t mean them, nor to hurt you. I was just taken by surprise, though I know that’s no excuse for my poor reaction. I don’t blame you at all for running off as you did, though the timing perhaps left something to be desired. Will you forgive me, my love?”

She snuggled up to me, giving me a kiss and smiling, her good humor once again restored. “Of course I do, Leo. I know you didn’t mean what you said. I just needed some time to cool off—I didn’t want to get into a fight with you, certainly not over something so… so trivial. I’d long since gotten over it by the time I decided I was done fishing. Though I do wish I’d been able to catch a rockfish!”

Dylas cleared his throat, and we looked over at him. His face was pink with embarrassment, and he looked away as he spoke. “I, uh… I’m sorry, too, Leon, for losing my temper. It’s just….”

“It’s okay, Dylas. I lost mine, too, you know.” I turned to look at Avani, and explained. “You see, after you took off, I went to talk to Dylas. When I found out about you never using birth control, I… well, I panicked. It occurred to me that maybe we former Guardians just can’t have children—that maybe being fused into our Guardian forms altered us in more ways than we had realized. And… and that was, well, upsetting, to put it mildly. So I wanted to see if he knew anything—if maybe there’d been something that came up in your time together that maybe you’d just forgotten about—but he didn’t have any more information than you did.