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Edelgard wrung her gloved hands together as she eyed the pegasus warily. “Are you sure he will be able to carry the two of us?” she asked for what must’ve been for the fifth time that night.
The monastery stables had long since been devoid of any stablehands and the pegasi were fast asleep in their stalls. That was, until a certain pegasus knight snuck inside while leading the Adrestian Emperor by the hand.
Ingrid’s head popped up over the other side of Boreas where she had been buckling the saddle and adjusting the stirrups. After months of delay, Ingrid was about to finally fulfill her promise she made and take Edelgard out on a quick flight on Boreas.
With a crooked smile she said, “I would say yes again, but at this point I think that having you on the pegasus is the only thing that can convince you.”
“I just don’t want to strain him,” Edelgard defended, pulling her hands apart to fiddle with the hem of her cloak.
To see the fearless Emperor so worried over such a trivial thing, it made Ingrid want to kiss the crease between her brows away. “He’ll be just fine, Edelgard,” Ingrid said with a small laugh. “We’re both dressed lightly and he’s not in his armor, he could practically carry us in his sleep.”
Boreas snorted in protest.
“Not that we’re going to do that,” Ingrid amended exasperatedly. “The point is that he can handle flying with no problems. We have a promise to uphold, right, Boreas?”
At that, Boreas puffed up his chest.
Edelgard giggled behind a hand, feeling her worry alleviate in witnessing their banter.
Finally, Ingrid finished the preparations and made her way towards the awaiting emperor. With a smooth flourish, the pegasus knight bowed low with her hand held out. “My Emperor.”
Edelgard gave a short curtsy and slipped her hand into Ingrid’s. “Why thank you, my knight.”
The two mounted the pegasus with Edelgard’s back flushed against Ingrid who held the reins. Just as Ingrid had assured, Boreas didn’t waver beneath their collective weight.
Ingrid clicked her tongue and Boreas trotted out of the stable. As per protocol, Ingrid led him towards the open strip of dirt created for pegasi to get their running start for take off. Boreas stomped his hoof in anticipation while Ingrid leaned in to whisper in Edelgard’s ear. “Make sure you lean forward when you feel Boreas leap off the ground. And hold your breath when we take off. You’ll choke on air if you inhale.”
Edelgard shivered, but nodded all the same with a subtle gulp.
The knight wrapped her arms closer around her. “Don’t worry, I’m here to keep you steady, I promise. Just say when you’re ready.”
After a beat, the Emperor drew a long, steady breath. Then she laid a hand over one of Ingrid’s that clutched at the reins, rubbing her thumb over her knuckles. “I’m ready.”
Though she couldn’t see it, Ingrid grinned and spurred Boreas into action. The pegasus took off into a gallop, flapping his mighty wings as he gained momentum. His passengers braced themselves as he kicked off of the ground.
Edelgard yelped as she felt the pegasus’s muscles coil beneath her just before he took the leap. She remembered Ingrid’s advice at the last minute and leaned forward while keeping her breath still, just in time to feel a rush of wind bombard against her face.
Ingrid pulled at the reins to steer Boreas so that they circled back around the monastery. Though they weren’t that high, Edelgard felt light-headed seeing the gigantic buildings become dwarfed from their altitude. However, Ingrid kept their pace steady, allowing her time to adjust and take in the sight as they toured over Garreg Mach. Soon enough, Edelgard felt the tension melt from her shoulders and the beginnings of giddiness bubble up from her chest.
Ingrid glanced up at the sky where the full moon was just barely peeking out from the density of clouds rolling in from the east.
“I want to show you something, Edelgard,” she said softly.
Edelgard turned her head, an obvious question in her eyes as she nodded her consent.
With a nudge of her heel, Ingrid called out to her pegasus. “Up, Boreas.” The pegasus neighed and angled upward, flapping his wings faster.
Edelgard felt Ingrid’s hold around her tighten as the pegasus climbed in altitude. The next thing she knew, they had entered into the dark clouds and Boreas picked up speed, sending a panicked spike through her heart.
“We’re almost there, Edelgard,” Ingrid encouraged over the roaring winds in their ears. In response, Edelgard held on tighter to the saddle’s horn.
With one final flap, Boreas broke through the clouds. A gentle quiet settled around them, the angled flight leveled out, and the pegasus coasted through the air. The sight that unfolded before them took Edelgard’s breath away. The full moon casted its glow over the ocean of clouds that stretched on as far as her eyes could see. She looked down to the monastery and it was no bigger than her thumbnail. The distance away from it felt as though her troubles of being Emperor and worries about the war effort were simply left behind, leaving her with a lightness of being that she couldn’t remember feeling in recent memory.
“Oh my...” Edelgard said, her voice hushed with awe. “So this is the world that you see.”
Ingrid chuckled, the sound reverberating through Edelgard and made her heart flutter from its warmth. “One of them at least. I’m just glad tonight’s weather was favorable.”
Edelgard inhaled deeply, soaking in the cool night air into her lungs. It was the middle of the night, but she couldn’t feel any more rejuvenated. She leaned back against Ingrid, resting her head on the knight’s left shoulder with her eyes falling shut in peaceful bliss. “As am I. Thank you, Ingrid.”
Ingrid pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead and her right hand fell away from the reins to card through Edelgard’s silken hair. “Of course. Anything for you, My Emperor.”
She melted into the touch, humming in content before becoming emboldened enough to gently stroke a finger up the length of Ingrid’s neck, feeling the hitched breath there, then traced along her jaw and at her bottom lip. “My knight,” she murmured, looking up at her with half-lidded eyes.
The knight visibly gulped. Any and all thoughts halted in their tracks when Edelgard shifted and leaned up to kiss her, igniting heat to blossom across her face. She returned the affection, hardly registering that her hand had drifted to Edelgard’s cheek until her thumb caressed the smooth skin flaring with a blush that mirrored her own.
Edelgard reached up to thread her fingers into Ingrid’s short hair and pull her into a deeper kiss. The action made something in the knight snap as the reins completely fell out of her already lose grip to fully wrap an arm around Edelgard’s waist and passionately reciprocated. Her heart thundered against her ribcage, something that could surely be felt by the Emperor herself and undoubtedly embarrassing in any other context. Yet bashfulness was the furthest thing from her mind. All that mattered was the growing warmth when she pulled Edelgard’s body closer against her front, wanting to be closer and closer still, feeling like her heart would burst from her chest if she didn’t.
All too soon, the couple parted breathlessly. Ingrid slowly blinked open her eyes to find Edelgard’s violet irises open and gleaming with moonlight and love. It was dizzying, radiant, and she couldn’t get enough of it. A wide, adoring grin tugged at her lips and she pressed their foreheads together as they shared flustered giggles despite the need to catch their breaths. She had grown up in the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, had been taught the scriptures of Seiros, the hymns of the Four Saints, and the divinity of the Church and the Archbishop long before she got her hands on her first book of legendary knights. But in that moment, Ingrid swore she held true divinity in her arms, and that heaven was there in the moonlit sea of clouds on the back of a pegasus beholding the beauty of her lover.
But they eventually had to land and return to reality. The return to the stables was spent in silence, working in tandem to cooling and untacking Boreas for the night with the promise of treats in the morning. They walked hand in hand back to the Emperor’s chambers, exchanging blushing glances and soft giggles that were growing harder to stifle. Once they had finally arrived at Edelgard's door, they lingered there facing one another, unwilling to let the night end.
“I love you,” Ingrid blurted before her mind could catch up.
Surprise flickered across Edelgard’s expression, but only for a split second and she stepped forward on her tiptoes to kiss Ingrid’s brow. “I love you.” Then kissed the tip of her nose. “My beloved.” Then one final kiss on her lips. “My knight.”
When she stepped back, she cooed at Ingrid’s blush as it reached the tips of her ears. No matter how many times she’s seen her flush, it will always be an adorable sight. “Sleep well, Ingrid.”
The knight nodded mutely at first before clearing her throat. “You too, Edelgard.”
With a parting smile, Edelgard slipped into her room and closed the door with an inaudible click.
Ingrid stared at the wooden door, sighing dreamily to herself until she forced herself to move. The trip to her own room was a blur as her thoughts drifted back to Edelgard and the night they had shared, feeling a lightness in her step that made it feel as though she was flying.