Work Text:
Night watch is the worst
The halls of Castle Renais were silent- as they were every night for the past month, and as they had been every night prior to the war against Grado. The most 'exciting' thing that would ever happen on night watch before was catching Eirika in the castle kitchen sneaking some sweets for a midnight snack. As Forde wandered through his patrol route, he found himself cursing King Ephraim for being so attentive- he had caught Forde napping during the day a week ago, so his punishment was to serve night watch for 2 weeks- 'if you want to nap during the day, then you can be alert during the night'. Forde had always been caught napping, but apparently now that the war is over it's more important to be awake than when the Demon King was around.
"Go figure" Forde thought to himself. Forde understood it, of course- when fighting skeletons and mogalls, the solution to the problem is easy- kill them. When the problem is socio-economic reform for a war torn kingdom, the solution is a lot more complex- so Ephraim needs all his men on more alert than normal, and needs his aides and confidants to be prepared for any issue. Yes, yes, Ephraim is completely rational in demanding Forde be alert- but that wasn't going to stop him from complaining about it the whole time, even if no one was listening to his complaints but himself. And so, he begrudgingly held his lantern out, looking to see if any thieves had managed to worm their way into the castle- not that there was much left to steal after the pillaging Grado had done to it.
As Forde walked along the same route he had been walking for 7 days, he came across a figure in the dimly lit candle light of Renais's halls- it was completely stationary, staring at a portrait on the wall, holding only a small candle. Forde put his hand on the hilt of his blade, but the thought of danger quickly passed him by- even in the low light that he had, he could recognize that woman in a heartbeat- he might not be the picture perfect knight like Seth or Franz, but he at least knows what the crown princess looks like. Forde did think it was strange to see her though- given how hard she's been working Forde thought she'd pass out the second her head hits a pillow. Every day she's been talking to some aristocrat, trying to figure out the lay of the land for Ephraim- and she's been traveling back and forth between Frelia as well, helping Ephraim to keep in touch with Innes- poor girl's been run ragged. But naturally, she does so with out complaint- always with a smile on her face and the same charm and wit she's always spoke with- though Forde could tell it was a false smile.
"Princess?" His voice was quiet, and Eirika either ignored him or didn't hear him. He came up to her side, speaking again in the same quiet tone, but getting no answer. He turned his lantern over to the painting on the wall- it was a portrait of the late king Fado, standing tall, holding his silver blade with both hands on the hilt, with the blade pointed down on the ground. His expression was stern- even as a painting, his gaze looked into your eyes and demand respect. Forde didn't get along with the king as well as Seth or Kyle did- he didn't hate him by any means, but Fado oft didn't appreciate Forde's... habits. Still, Forde was never fired, so he couldn't of hated him TOO much- but Fado's stoic nature and no nonsense attitude didn't stop Forde from respecting him. The portrait perfectly captured who he was- a man who would strike fear in many, but respect in even more. Eirika looked at the portrait blankly, with no positive or negative emotion on her face.
Realizing she wasn't going to hear him, Forde gently put his hand on her shoulder- causing her to jump in surprise and nearly drop her candle. She let out a small yelp, as it seems she truly didn't notice that he was there at all, "Forde?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Forde decided it was best to start a conversation and not linger on her lack of attentiveness. He turned to face the painting again, "I must say, the artist really captured your father's death glare. If looks could kill, I'd be dead 10 times over from him,"
"He looked at you like that because you were always slacking off, sir knight." She said this with a smile that didn't reach her eyes- like all her smiles recently. Under the light of the lantern, Forde took a good look at his princess- she was wearing a white, flowing nightgown that, while not exactly designed to be sensual, did leave her shoulders and some of her chest showing. It was nothing provacative, but more than Eirika would normally show in her upper body- and while some men would take the chance to let their eyes wonder to her curves, Forde's eyes were preoccupied on something more important- the scars that were scattered around her exposed skin. A few scrapes from enemy blades, faint claw marks from hell hounds, some small burns from enemy magic- it was all tiny, not as banged up as a frontline fighter like Seth, but they were still there. They were a month removed from conflict and yet the traces of war were no where close to leaving.
Forde shook his head lightly, focusing himself on Eirika in the present instead of the past. "I wasn't slacking off, I was taking practical rests! A fighter needs to always be in tip top shape, you know?" Eirika laughed lightly to Forde's joke, but to him its sound rang hollow. "Princess, it's a little late to be looking at paintings, isn't it? Would you like me to walk you back to your room?"
"Oh... I suppose it is." Her eyes fixated back to Fado's, staring at her father silently. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath, and turned to Forde, "If you could walk me back, that would be nice."
The two walked through the castle halls in silence, and that allowed Forde's thoughts to collect themselves. It's been clear that Eirika has been forcing herself recently- to work so hard and without rest would take it's toll on everyone. Hell, even Kyle and Seth have found themselves taking time to rest every now and again- though granted that was due to an order from Ephraim himself. Apparently he's fine when THEY get rest, and not Forde- must be the 'effort' they put into their work. But Eirika soldiers on without complaint, and any time Ephraim tries to get her to rest, he's met with the same lie- "I'm fine". Ephraim can't order his sister like he can his knights, so he's forced to accept her words- besides, his own workload is overflowing, so to tell Eirika to relax would be hypocritical. But even still, Forde cannot help but feel as though he should do something- watching her push herself to the limit is agonizing, especially knowing that eventually, her body will force her to rest one way or the other.
They arrived at her bedroom door, and it was Eirika who at last broke the silence, "Thank you Forde. I hope the rest of your watch goes well." She turned to go into her room, and Forde decided that he had to say something. Even if it was him wildly over stepping his bounds, he would do something- anything- to carry some of her burden. He blocked Eirika's door from closing, causing her lightly gasp and look at him with a confused look, "Forde?"
His tone was serious- his normal sarcastic nature absent, "Princess, if you could, let me into your room. I want to talk with you in private."
"P-Private??" her cheeks lightly flushed red for a moment, the implications of a man wanting to be in a woman's room in the dead of night not lost on her, but one look at his expression told her it was something serious. "Sure... Come in."
Forde walked in, setting his lantern down on a nightstand, and stood there for a few seconds collecting his thoughts. Eirika sat down on the edge of her bed, looking at him with curious eyes, like a fawn looking at a man in the woods. Forde's eyes met hers, and he spoke with the same serious tone he had before, "Princess Eirika... Do you remember the promise I made to you during the war?"
Eirika nodded, easily recalling it, "You said you would paint my portrait when my," she stumbles a bit in her speech, her cheeks flushing red again, "radiant smile returns, you would paint my portrait."
Forde nods, "Yes, and I truly meant that... But Eirika. Your smile... It has been fake for months. Your lips move, your teeth show- but there is no joy in it. Ephraim always drives me crazy with how much he keeps bottled up... And I don't want you to be like that to."
Eirika looked at him blankly for a second, before her eyes wandered to the ceiling, to the floor, to anywhere but his eyes, "I.. I don't know what you mean."
Forde shook his head, "Princess... You can't hide from me. You've always been a terrible liar. There's something that's bothering you, and you won't let anyone help."
Eirika let out a small sigh, "Forde, I'm afraid you're just over imagining things. There's nothing wrong with me at all, I'm just a little tried from all the work I've been doing. Nothing more, nothing less."
"So it's normal for young women to be staring at pictures of their dead fathers in the dark of the night?" Forde's blunt accusation cut the air in the room like a knife- he knew that he would get nowhere trying to get Eirika to speak her mind, so he had to bring things up to the forefront. "You've lost your father, you've lost prince Lyon... The people you love have died, and you're trying to get away from that pain by losing yourself in your work. If you don't have time to think about it, then their deaths can't hurt you."
Eirika continued to refuse to meet his gaze, her voice now coming out as whimper, "What... What do you know-"
Forde cut her off, determined to speak his piece, "I'm an orphan princess. My father was killed and my mother died of illness." Eirika's eyes grew wide for a moment, as if she had forgotten such a major detail. She let him continue to speak, "But when they died... I couldn't cry. I couldn't feel pain. Franz was just a child, and he needed me. So I spent all my time with him, taking care of him, finding money where I could- even now, over 10 years later, I haven't shed a tear for them. Frankly, I don't think I can anymore."
Forde walked over to Eirika, sitting on the bed next to her, and putting his hands on her shoulders. Her eyes at last met his- his full of warmth and sympathy, and hers starting to water- he was getting to her, and all he had to do was land the final blow. "Back then, I would of done anything for a shoulder to cry on... But it was just me, and I don't think I've been the same since. So please..." he drops her title for the first time tonight, addressing her not as a knight, but as a man, "Eirika. Let me carry some of that weight. Let me be for you what no one was for me."
A few seconds of silence passed, and Eirika finally started to speak- her voice quiet, "My father... When the knights of Grado came, he didn't falter. He made sure Seth, Franz, and I were alright, and made sure we escaped. He made no effort to save himself- he stood by the throne, ready to fall with the castle as a proud warrior king. History will remember him as the Brave King Fado, a man who stood by his people to the bitter end..." Her voice lowered to a whisper somehow even softer than before, "But I would much rather he of left. Even as a coward, even in disgrace... I wish he was alive."
"I'll never get to eat dinner with him and Ephraim again, talking to him about all the peaceful nothing I did that day, watching him listen as if I was saying something important. I'll never get to watch him as he trained, marveling how strong and cool he was as he outmatched every knight who spared with him..." her voice started to pick up in volume with every word she spoke, "I'll never get to hear his voice ever again... I'll never... I'll..."
At last the tears finally started to flow, and her voice trailed off into incoherent sobs. Forde pulled her to him, and she hugged him tightly- burying her face into his chest as he gently stroke her hair. Forde spoke with a voice he hadn't had to use since Franz was a child, "It's okay, Eirika. Let it out. I'm still here." She let out all her pent up sorrow at once to him- all her pain, left as marks of tears and snot on Forde's shirt. "Crying isn't as cute as the romance books make you think" Forde thought to himself as he held his princess tight.
Eirika cried into his chest for a few minutes, and for a few minutes more the two sat there embraced in silence. Eventually, Eirika let go of him and collected herself, she looked to Forde, trying to find the words that wouldn't come. She eventually forced herself to speak- to start a conversation to break the silence, "Forde... What made you do this? This sort of thing... I didn't expect it of you."
Forde shrugged, "Hey, I can be smart when I want to be... But it was when I saw you look at the late king's portrait that I realized. I have a portrait of my mother, you see. It's hanging in Franz's and I's home even now. I left it there so Franz could see our mother- he was too young when she passed to remember her himself. But every now and again, I would lock eyes with her and find myself captivated. I could never explain it, and it would only last a moment, but when I saw you like that... I figured that must of been what I looked like. And remembering the headspace I was in... I felt like I had to do something. I apologize if I went too far."
Eirika shook her head, "Forde... You did nothing wrong. I need to thank you, actually..."
"There's no need for that princess... I didnt do anything special. I didn't even do the hard part- accepting the loss is easy. Living with it's the hard part. But, if I may..." Forde grabbed Eirika's hand, locking her fingers in his, "I would like to help with that part, too."
Eirika met his eyes and nodded, "I would love that... If I ever need to cry again, I will be sure to ask you for your help."
Forde scoffed, "Yeah, I'll just have to make sure to bring a spare shirt- you've made quite a mess of this one. I don't know if I can get all the stains out..." Eirika's face flushed red with embarrassment, and Forde couldn't stifle his laughter- and Eirika, after the embarrassment faded, found herself laughing along with him. And for the first time in a long time, the smile on her lips was genuine.