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"Mark my words—There is no reason a commoner should ever put their life on the line for a noble. I couldn't bear the thought of someone of your status sacrificing their life for the sake of my own..."
A frustrated sigh escapes your lips as your shift your attention to the Mortal Savants and their battalions that were now flocking towards you. Earlier, you were arguing with Lorenz about who should be saving whose life, but of course, now that you needed that fool, he's been separated from you. Sparks flew as you continued to clash swords with the various opponents that surrounded you, and you couldn't help but wonder if this might just be the end of you. Finally, you felt the red hot pain of a sword slicing through your skin, and became certain that you were fighting a losing battle when funnily enough, it was you laughing about how HE had almost kicked the bucket last time. You let that sorry thought infiltrate your mind for a moment as you swayed on your feet, the sudden loss of blood going to your head, before suddenly the sound of a certain noble's voice had filled the air, along with Hubert's extremely sinister laugh in the background.
"Fear not, for I will save you! Or my name isn't Lorenz Hellman Gloucester!" Lorenz let out a laugh that was filled with confidence before his horse whinnied and started rushing towards you. Just like that, you were saved, by the last person you would have expected to come to your rescue. Pained yells of the Mortal Savant and his allies filled the air as Hubert used a particularly strong burst of magic, and you felt yourself being swept off of your feet, literally, into the arms of the extremely flamboyant noble. Lavender eyes met yours and you felt your heart stutter just a bit. The new Count Gloucester reached forward and gently brushed his gloved hand across your cheek, and as he did so, it felt as though everything stopped around you. It felt as thought everything had changed in that singular moment. Unfortunately for the both of you though, the beautiful yet cliche moment was ruined when Hubert's coarse voice rang through the air.
"Let us more forward as we continue to achieve victory after victory for Lady Edelgard!"
Just like that, the spell was broken, and the two of you found yourselves in an entirely different situation than the one you thought yourself to be in just a moment ago. Together, you all marched back to the base camp. Or, more accurately, Linhardt and Hubert marched, while Lorenz steered the horse with one hand and held you against his chest with his free arm. Around two hours of travelling had passed, before your part had finally found themselves passing back through the gate to the base camp where you all were to reside while the imperial army worked to claim the various territories around Blaiddyd. Despite the heavy casualties in regards to the kingdom, most of your allies were in rather chipper moods, excluding Lorenz, who was quiet as he led his horse towards the infirmary. Once you three reached your destination, Lorenz dismounted his horse and slowly lifted you off of it, carrying you into the infirmary tent, solemnly requesting Manuela check you over and treat any wounds. For the most part, you couldn't quite understand his silence and solemn mood. He got what he wanted, didn't he? He fulfilled his duty of protecting those of lower status. Despite that though, he felt as though he had been shot through the heart with an arrow. In the moments of silent contemplation that he took as you received medical care, he came to a very humbling conclusion. The fact you were a commoner didn't have that much to do with the fact he wished to protect you and come to your aide in battle, at least not as much as the feelings he harbored towards you did. It was a sobering thought, especially considering the heat and pressure of the battle. You'd be lucky if every one of your allies made it to the other side alive, much less whole. With this fact in mind, Lorenz raised his chin high and proceeded to join you after your wounds were tended to.
"I imagine that you're feeling quite tired after such a battle, but would you care to join me for a short excursion? I find that we have much we need to talk about."
After weighing the pros and cons of going through with this, and finding that there really wasn't much of a reason to turn him down (after all, he was basically asking you on a date), you decide to agree to it. It was a short travel on horseback, the two of you decided that it would be best to only travel to the plains since your body was rather sore after the battle you had faced. Like last time, Lorenz had to help you off of the horse, but this time, it felt different. When he gently pulled you into his arms to help you to the ground, the two of you locked eyes and you felt the same thing you had earlier that afternoon. It felt as though everything around you had come to a stop, and the only ones in the world were the two of you. His dashing purple eyes locked with yours once more as he slowly set you feet first onto the ground. You weren't too sure what you felt beforehand, but now you understood it: the urgency, the intensity. You two weren't guaranteed to live to the next day, not in a war as bloody and catastrophic as this. The only thing you really had was each other, and that only lasted for as long as the two of you could hold on. After a moment of just gazing into each other's eyes, the silence was finally broken by Lorenz.
"I want to apologize. I hope I didn't offend you, but I do hope you understand my mindset when it comes to the different classes and fighting a war. Not only that, I did not mean to undersell your skills. If I may be truthful, I just simply could not bear to stand by why the person I adore is struggling to fight for their life. I know that my role may be to take care of the Leicester alliance in the case that Claude cannot handle his duties, but I also want to be your knight in shining armor."
Your heart did a little flip in your chest at this confession, but you laughed all the same. It was very much like Lorenz to want to play the role of a savior. Why wouldn't he? Even since his days at the academy, all he's been concerned with is carrying on his family's bloodline and taking care of the people of the Alliance. Now he wants to take care of you too. Somehow, this only further solidifies the thought that both of you have in your mind at this very moment.
"I know that this isn't the right way of doing things, but I would prefer to make my intentions known in the event that this war doesn't go as planned..."
His words have you looking up at him, intrigued, but also very concerned. Nonetheless, you gesture for him to continue.
"I wish to court you, once this is behind us I mean. I know, I've been rather insufferable in the past, but I promise you, I will be better for you. My darling, I love you. And seeing those dastards harm you... That has put the dark truth of this situation into light. I couldn't live with myself if anything were to happen to either of us before I had the chance to try. "
Those words, the feeling of the soft breeze flowing through your hair, and that look in Lorenz's lovely purple eyes... All of that, combined with your rough nature led you to throw caution to the wind and kiss him. You smiled before gently cupping his cheeks and pressing your lips lovingly against yours. He was rather shocked, based off of how much his body stiffened, but soon enough his lips seemed to meld against yours. In that moment, not a single other thing mattered. The two of you shared kiss after kiss and sweet nothings galore. Just like that, he had fulfilled his dream role, and you basked in it. In that moment, if any stranger were to walk past, they would see an intimate moment shared between a hardened mercenary, and their knight in shining armor.