Adventures of the Lightborn Squad

While The Lightborn Squad's Having Breakfast...

Cover Art: http://instagram.com/giacbk/

Also available on Archive of our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25148716/ 

Harith skips along to the dining hall. His stomach rumbles, and he can't wait for breakfast. He hopes there'll be Fairy Fruit this morning. That's his favourite.

Entering the dining hall, he sees three people already seated, chatting amongst themselves.

"Good morning!" he says cheerily.

"Harith?" Alucard is confused. "I thought you were with Granger this morning? Where'd he go?"

"Yeah, we were at the training grounds. We met the Princess Silvanna there, she told me to go have breakfast first, she had something very important to discuss with Granger." Harith drops into the seat next to Alucard. Yes! Fresh Fairy Fruit!

Fanny laughs. "I've seen the Princess and Granger discussing very important things plenty of times when they're hiding on the balconies."

Tigreal seems to choke on his food, while Alucard and Fanny snicker, but before he can say anything Harith pipes up, "Does it have something to do with them kissing after I left?"

Tigreal does choke on his food this time, and the others start chuckling. Alucard thumps the large man's back twice.

"Breathe, man, breathe!" Alucard coaxed.

"WHAT!" Tigreal roars. "They're doing what! I'll, I'm going to- "

"You're going to... what?" Fanny gets right in her big brother's face, unafraid of him. Tigreal seems to deflate at seeing her fierce face.

"I'm going to do nothing because the Princess is entitled to make her own choices." he huffs.

"Uh huh." Fanny sits back down. "Harith, can you pass me the scrambled eggs?"

Tigreal says no more, letting the others start chatting again.

As the oldest, he's always felt a sense of duty to protect the younger ones, especially after what happened to Alucard's parents, and to the King and Queen.

He's pledged himself to keep them safe: his biological sister, his friend and esteemed demon hunter whose parents protected him, his friends who had bravely stood up to protect the Moniyan Empire. They were a bunch of misfits but they were his misfits. His little family.

But he also knows that Princess Silvanna is free to make her own choices, and if Granger truly makes her happy, then no one should stand in her way. Plus, the last few months of working with him on missions have shown that Granger is a decent man, a decent ally and a decent friend.

But... that doesn't mean he has to go easy on Granger during the next training, Tigreal thinks.

Satisfied with that thought, he pulls the basket of apples towards him.

"Hey!" Harith cries.

"You didn't make your choice earlier," Tigreal teases as he bites into the juiciest apple.

***