Cry For War

Chapter Twelve

Though the prospect of leaving two of her allies behind to handle the rest of the dirty work didn't quite sit right with her, it wasn't as though she had much of a choice to do anything else. They'd already gone some distance, and it would have been terribly rude to ask to turn back now! However, as Veronica turned to attempt to ask her question, she was met with a... unique sight. The young king had begun to fiddle with the straps that held his armor in place, attempting to free himself from their restrictive binds as a means to prevent himself from having a heatstroke. Veronica swallowed hard as she was caught off guard by such a sight. "Ephraim-"

At this acknowledgement, he raised his head from its downward angle, "What? Is something on your mind, princess?" he questioned, cocking his brow. Deep down, the king was praying desperately that she wouldn't respond to his undershirt in a manner akin to L'Arachel, berating him as though he were some kind of degenerate. Fortunately, this didn't seem to be the case, especially as her face seemed to display apprehension as opposed to disgust. For now, he merely wished to shed his armor for the remainder of their march, attaching it to the dismounted horse for convenience sake. After all, hauling it around for so long felt pointless. Their line of sight was near unlimited as they approached the Niflheim border, meaning that it would be getting much colder soon. However, the man's worry about his aching muscles far outweighed his fear of the chill. This in mind, he continued to work without further disruption until he was able to remove the pauldrons on his shoulders and the chestplate he wore, then the large guards at his hips. He had no other intentions than to free up his body, to allow him to continue home without issue.

"I- nothing. Proceed as you were," Veronica tried to dismiss, turning away as he placed his armor atop her steed and strapped it into place. If she had no intention of riding her way back, then he had to take advantage of that somehow. "How can you just... be so free?"

"Free?" Ephraim questioned in return, pausing briefly to assess her words. "What on earth are you talking about? Freedom to you is-" He stared back at her momentarily, too awestruck to have even finished his sentence. He had no idea from what circumstances she had come from, but they clearly were not good. Was Embla a repressive society, one that cooped up its own royalty like animals until they were driven mad, like the Veronica of this world? If that was so, then why did this one in particular not exude the energy of her younger self? What had changed her, made her so docile and submissive? "I see..."

Once again, his meager understanding of emotions had come to haunt him, leaving him speechless in the face as someone, as Hector had put it, as meek as a field mouse. All Ephraim could do was stand there like an idiot, for lack of a better phrase. By now, the sun had nearly set, and snow had begun to present itself. He had no doubts in his mind that he would have to begin setting up camp, as the chances of them reaching Askr again by sunrise was incredibly poor. In the dying light of the Nifl side of the border, the princess's breaths had begun to create small puffs of steam, as did the mare that trotted idly at her side. All the same, a disarmed Ephraim followed closely behind, still struggling to find the right words to say.

Despite his best interest, he dared once more to speak, though this time, it was in no regard to her people, merely herself and nothing more. Perhaps, he had been wrong in judging her so quickly, especially after she'd saved his hide. "Princess... In your world, does the sky still hold true?"

"Excuse me..?" Veronica froze in her place, turning on her heel to look back upon the man. The truth in the sky? What was he talking about? Such things, to her, came off as no less than the incoherent ramblings of a madman.

"The stars, Veronica. They're nothing like the ones back in Magvel. In my world, my sister, and my best friend, Lyon... Many nights were spent looking to the sky, sharing grand ideas for the future. They were a sign of hope for the army during days of war, a bright tomorrow to fight for. So long as they glowed, there was a reason to continue forth," he explained to the best of his ability, hoping not to impose himself upon her, but rather to coerce something, anything out of her. "In your world, do they not hold such immense power?"

At the thought, Veronica had no choice but to contemplate his words. In her youth, the stars had not meant the world to her, but she did have one item she could share with him, if he could be trusted with the knowledge of it at all. "I never had such solace. However, what I do have, is this..." With that, the princess turned to her saddlebag, reaching inside and withdrawing the tome, Ífingr. "When I was a child, my brother gave me this. It belonged to his mother before she passed. He left it to me long before I came to this world, one day... he left me. It was his final gift, and I never even knew why he had gone. But now- ... Why would he have not told me of this curse that afflicted him?"

Ephraim was taken aback by her sudden display of emotion. He couldn't deny that it still amazed him that she, of all people, didn't know a thing about the illness that had overtaken the mind of the prince whilst he and the rest of the Order knew tenfold. He couldn't imagine not sharing such a detrimental secret with Eirika, surely Bruno felt no different. "He didn't tell you... A brother ought to be there for his sister, and if he refuses to be at your side, then I suppose it would be wrong of me to turn you away as well." He hadn't meant for her words to come out this way, but alas, it was too late to rephrase now. "I will not leave you."

"Why are you being so kind to me? Do you not whisper my name behind my back as does everyone else?" Veronica dared to challenge such a claim, staring back at him as he traced his finger across the worn cover of her tome. "Are you not afraid of me?"

"You've given me no reason to be. Should I fear you?" he returned, reciprocating any challenge of hers. After all, Ephraim would never pick a fight that he couldn't win, and with her, it seemed as though his greatest asset would be his persistence. "I understand that you have no reason to take me for my word, but as your ally, it would be in our best interest to... Engage with one another. Let me make sense of you, Veronica, let me see you for who you truly are."

She was taken aback by such an eloquent speech in response to her question, and even more so by the way his hand slid off of her tome and met with the top of her hand. "Ephraim... You sound insane," she reacted, looking down at her hand and then back up at the king. "I don't believe that sudden strokes will..."

"They'll make sense someday, but right now, I think it's in our best interest to set up camp," diffused the greenette, staring back at her without an ounce of regret in his mind. "We can discuss things further at daybreak."

Veronica gave a nod, knowing better than to argue and reveal her anxieties and insecurities to him in a time like this, nor was it appropriate to share these twisted emotions welling up within her chest. For now, she would partake and play along, just as she needed to do.