Work Text:
Yusuf:" I'm bored."
Nicolò with a smirk:" If you're bored, I can chase you around with my sword as I did in Jerusalem."
Andromache: "Nicolò, what have I said about chasing a fellow comrade around with a sword and wanting to kill him?"
Nicolò: "That you would confiscate my sword for a week."
Reluctantly, Nicolò hands over his sword to Andromache, which makes Yusuf laugh at the look on Nicolo's face. To Yusuf, it reminded him of a child whose parents had caught him in a deed he shouldn't do.
Nicolò: "Could it only be for the night instead of a week since I wasn't planning on killing him?"
Andromache: “No, and you too Yusuf. Give me your scimitar.”
Yusuf's face freezes : "What? Why am I being punished for his brilliant idea?"
Andromache: "Because you're bored."
Yusuf angry: "Thank you, Nicolò."
Nicolò: "You're welcome."
Also reluctant, Yusuf hands over his scimitar to Andromache.
Andromache: "And during the week as another punishment, you two are on night duty together. If one of you falls asleep, I'll keep your swords for a longer time."
Both Nicolò and Yusuf start to protest over being stuck with the other at night and without a sword to protect them against enemies.
Andromache: "If I hear one more word from you two today, you can both look forward to even more night duty together."
Andromache walks over to Quynh, who has been taking care of the horses.
Quynh: "Do you think it will work? That they finally will have a conversation together."
Andromache: "I hope so because I don't know what else to do with them."
Quynh: "Don't give up on them yet, Andromache. They are making progress without even noticing it."
Andromache: "What do you mean?"
Quynh: "Because for the first time since we have known them, Nicolo didn't want to kill Yusuf and look at them now."
Both women look over at the two men, where Yusuf hands Nicolò a new book as a peace offering, while Nicolò hands Yusuf a dagger. Both men then sit down on the ground next to the fire, where Nicolò starts to read out loud. While Nicolò reads, Yusuf plays absentminded with the dagger between his fingers. When the story ends, Nicolò leans his head against Yusuf's shoulder. It makes both men smile.
When Andromache and Quynh saw it happened, they decided to go to bed, because they both knew that the men had forgotten everything about their missing swords and that the peace amongst them had been restored for now.