Cry For War

Chapter Eleven

As her hand found her way to his arm, the king managed a smile, his own grasp adjusting around hers. He was hurt, as was she, but he would be her rock in this moment, returning the favor from a few moments prior. Ephraim had no doubts in his mind that Hector and Celica would be alright without them. He was no good with the whole caretaker thing, but she needed him to be that in this moment, even if he was by no means cut out for such a task. She had no combat experience as she'd said, so of course, she would be drained by the end of this mission. He could only now reflect upon his early days with the lance, training at the side of the Obsidian General, Duessel of Grado. He could also recall that Lyon had fallen ill in his early days of magic use while studying under Father MacGregor. Perhaps, the same could be said for the Princess of Embla, who had found herself nestled into his arm.

  Veronica didn't think too much about the implications that were made here, that she was nestled peacefully into his side and rested her forehead against the armor, a metal which retained its chill to prevent heat stroke during battle. Was it blessed by some higher being, or was that simply how it was? She couldn't recall the chestplate of her late father being this way, nor could she remember if Xander's had been the same... The mere thought of either man sent a wave of distress through her body. The savagery of war, the blood and gore many had undergone in the name of selfish goals. Was that what she was doing here? Those faint whispers ate away at her once more, reminders of the sins that lingered in her own being, the blood that coursed through her own veins having been tarnished by crimes that she had not yet committed, and all the same, she felt guilt for. If she had said a word about this, would he have shunned her? Would he have pushed her away like everyone else had? As this thought crossed her mind, she dared look up and meet the eyes of Ephraim, who stared back at her intently, as though gauging her expression to predict her next move. And that smile...

That damned smile.

  Veronica, in truth, didn't know what to do with that look of his, nor could she process what it could have possibly been that had caused such an expression. What had she ever done to be looked at this way? It was something she had very little experience with, and yet all the same, she felt an internalized eagerness. What could it all have meant? "I... Is something on my face?" she inquired, hoping to break the silence as best she could, shifting uncomfortably as she realized just how close that she was to him, forcing herself to take a step back in an attempted rejection. "Or do I need to... I-"

In response to this sudden shyness, all Ephraim could do was let out a tiny sigh and a light chuckle, hardly offended by it. He'd had his share of experience with women and their tempestuous ways, how Tana had fawned over him like he was a commodity and how L'Arachel had pushed him away just because of his anatomy. It was an all too familiar feeling that he had, but he couldn't blame her for it. He didn't have the means to talk to women at all, though this wasn't out of some... submissive mentality. He simply didn't know what a woman would like, what she was interested in. In his eyes, Eirika had always been his other half, the only woman he had even an inkling of understanding of, and even then, her emotions could sometimes leave him overwhelmed. In their youth, he could recall how she swooned so easily, as did Tana, though he'd been too blindsided to realize these feelings until she'd explicitly told him so. Such reminiscing was better left for another time, as this woman- no, this person, needed him now.

"What? No... Do I?" he attempted despite his resolve he'd made for himself moments prior. He couldn't explain why, but Veronica made him incredibly nervous. Hector hadn't been wrong about the Veronica of this world, how she'd been a sight to behold in terms of her fear factor, though he had never once had his doubts about whether or not she could be handled by his lance. However, this Veronica perplexed him. He hadn't expected her to be this docile when Kiran had told him that she was who he had begun 'pulling for'. But now that she was here, what had the summoner expected him to do?  "Alright, come here, you. Let's go home- hyup!"

Ephraim wasted no time in sweeping her up off of her feet. His armor weighed heavy on his arms and shoulders, but he could still manage to carry her if it meant that she would relax. Veronica yelped immediately, struggling for only a moment before surrendering to his powerful embrace. It brought out something within her that she wasn't certain she had the words to describe... Fear? Concern?

Why was he being so kind to her? Surely, one healing wasn't worth as much as he seemed to take it as.

Veronica didn't have a clue of the invigorating effects of her staff, how alive that it could make one feel with all of its boosts and buffs. Regardless of the side effects, he would readily repay his debt and then some, even if such sudden scooping motions were enough to spook her steed into a snort. Ephraim, on the other hand, was entirely preoccupied by the idea of paying back what he owed to her. Despite her horse being within arm's reach, he readily slung the princess over his shoulder, eliciting a sharp yelp of fright from her lips. "Home..? Already? But we-"

"No buts, they'll be fine. You on the other hand, I think you might be a little too frail to be out here, making bold moves like that," he hummed out, shouldering her without trouble, steed following behind him with a light trot.

  The exit wouldn't take long, but with her on his shoulders, it was definitely taking a bit longer than he had anticipated. Of course, she was hardly any heavier than Myrrh was, even with her armor equipped, however, his own managed to weigh him down, being the only encouragement to put her down after walking about a mile. "Alright, Princess, you're off the hook, but don't think I'll be letting up back at the castle."

"Of course, Ephraim."