Never Knew I Needed: An Assassins Creed Odyssey Story

Chapter Eight: She Lights Up the Night

Alexios returned with an armful of wood, placing it down beside the fire for Nysa to reach for herself. He sat down beside her, relaxing as best he could. Nysa crossed her arms, shaking her head.

"Oh no," she insisted, "You're not just going to sit there while I do all the work."

"But I don't know how to cook," Alexios shrugged.

"Well then you're going to learn," she smiled with sarcasm, "Here, you can turn over the tagenites when they're ready."

"How will I know when they're ready?"

Nysa frowned, watching him blankly. He stared at her, awaiting an answer. Perhaps that wasn't just a line he was using to get out of work. She inhaled sharply, "Actually, why don't you start chopping up the nuts?"

"You want me to--?"

"Chop the nuts," she finished for him, "Now hop to it."

"Alright, Alright," he sighed. Nysa set out what he needed on a boulder that could serve as a table before she left him to work.

While Alexios started chopping, Nysa began mixing the batter together. When she looked back over at Alexios to check on him, he was struggling with keeping the walnut in place for him to cut it. She shrugged, sighing to herself.

"Step aside," Nysa chuckled, gently taking the knife from his hands, "Watch and learn." With practiced grace, Nysa had managed to chop five of the walnuts in record time. She scooped up the pieces and added them to the first batch of tagenites.

Nysa handed him the knife back, bringing out more nuts, "You've got this covered?"

"I, yes, I think so," he nodded, taking the knife and attempting to emulate her movements. Nysa watched patiently, as her own mother had done when teaching Nysa the ways of the kitchen.

A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Alexios' movements were slow and calculated. His face was twisted in immense concentration. Fighting, he made look effortless, like a beautiful dance. In cooking, his movements were slow and calculated. Finally, Nysa decided to step in.

"You've got it, only," she paused, moving beside him. Tentatively, she wrapped her arm around him and placed her hand on top of his. She moved his arms with her, in a cutting motion. She could feel the muscles in his arms moving underneath her. She blushed, noticing their proximity. "Try moving the knife like this, you'll get finer cuts," she instructed, her voice barely above a whisper.

Alexios turned to face her. Nysa inhaled sharply. She shivered as she felt his breath tickle her face. Up close like this she could really admire the color of his eyes and the intensity of his gaze.

Nysa cleared her throat, taking a step back. She chuckled in an attempt to clear the air. Desperately, she avoided Alexios' gaze as she attempted to compose herself.

"Like this?" Alexios asked. Almost perfectly he re-created the movements Nysa had just taught him.

"Perfect," she sighed. As though he could be anything but. "I suppose I'll leave you to it then."

"You think I'm already read for that?" Alexios chuckled.

"I'll think you can manage," she assured him teasingly.

They smiled warmly at each other, before returning to their respective jobs. Nysa focused on the cooking, humming softly as she went. The smell of the tagenites reminded her of cooking with her mother. They would sing loudly to jolly tunes as they cooked, each song ending in a fit of laughter. Her heart ached for home, suddenly.