Work Text:
Xenk Yendar didn’t find death any scarier than falling asleep.
In his case, that’s all death was; falling asleep so his body could heal itself over the next few hours after taking a fatal blow in a fight. So, Xenk wasn’t freaked out by it.
No, the thing that made him nervous about dying during or after a fight was the almost dream-like interim between actually dying and reuniting with his physical body. That was always the off-putting part. It was the most unpredictable part of the process, and Xenk didn’t enjoy unpredictability.
Sometimes, the interim was a massive void of nothing.
Other times, he’d meet someone important to an individual he saved, or someone he couldn’t save.
And yet others, he would just be stuck wandering aimlessly in some sort of divine forest, occasionally conversing with the Triad.
Xenk would never fear death, but the aftermath always made him uneasy, and while he would never allow it to make his focus falter in battle, it was a constant in the back of his mind when he was in a fight.
This one wasn’t any different.
He was helping Edgin Darvis with a mission, one the bard had asked him for assistance with. Xenk had been too hyperfocused on the details of the mission to remember the details of why Edgin had asked him for help instead of one of his teammates, but that was neither here nor there. Xenk had gotten the gist of what Edgin needed, and the gist was that Edgin needed help infiltrating some evil wizard’s lair – which his team would’ve been just as helpful for – so now Xenk and Edgin were fighting a wizard that they were barely able to handle.
“Edgin, remind me again why you asked me to help you with this mission?” Xenk asked as he dodged a projectile spell, staring at Edgin. “Surely even Doric would be much more helpful than I for an infiltration mission?”
“Because you’re stronger than any of us put together!” Edgin said as he hit a second projectile spell with his lute. “I mean, yeah, it might’ve been more productive to bring the rest of the team instead of just you, but –”
Edgin grunted as he dodged a sword.
“Ah, shit,” he said quietly. “Guess I didn’t take into account an evil wizard having backup.”
“Fight now, talk later,” Xenk said, using the sword part of his daggersword as a projectile and launching it at the wizard.
“That was the most exhausting fight I’ve ever been in,” Edgin said with an exhausted smirk.
“Perhaps you’re just feeling your age,” Xenk said with a smile, panting.
“Was that teasing?” Edgin said with an excited expression. “You just teased me.”
His excitement quickly turned to panic when Xenk collapsed on the ground.
“Xenk –”
“I-I’m alright,” Xenk said quietly. “Just … just tired.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Edgin said sternly.
“Edgin, you know that even if I die, my death is temporary,” Xenk said with a raised eyebrow, although he was now holding his side. “I will be fine.”
“Not unless we’re safe,” Edgin said anxiously. “Let me at least see how bad it is.”
Xenk shot Edgin a glare but complied, removing his hand with a wince. Edgin kneeled down next to him and inspected it; his eyes started watering.
“Edgin, there is no need for tears,” Xenk said with a weak smile, wiping the bard’s cheeks as the tears started to fall. “Give it a few hours and I’ll be fine.”
“That doesn’t make it any easier,” Edgin whispered. “We’ll get you somewhere safe and ….”
Xenk nodded, coughing a little. Blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. He let Edgin help him to his feet, then leaned on him while he was led to the wizard’s study.
“Since we took care of the wizard and her minions, we should be safe here,” Edgin said with a sigh. Xenk sat down on the floor and relaxed against the wall, yawning. Edgin sat next to him and grabbed his hand. “I’ll be here when you’ve healed. I promise.”
“Edgin, you don’t have t –”
“Xenk, unless I absolutely have to move, I will not move from this spot,” Edgin mumbled. Xenk let his head rest on Edgin’s shoulder, closing his eyes. “Go, I’ll be here when you’re back,” was the last thing Xenk heard Edgin whisper before he lost consciousness.
“Xenk Yendar.”
Xenk looked around.
Guess I’m meeting someone this time.
A woman with dark hair was walking towards him.
“I don’t believe we’ve met?” Xenk said with a confused look.
“We haven’t but I’d heard about you in life,” the woman said gently, looking at Xenk with something like fondness in her eyes. “My name is Zia, I was Edgin’s wife.”
Something in Xenk’s mind clicked.
“You died from a Red Wizard’s blade,” Xenk stated. “Edgin has talked about you before. He meant to use the Tablet of Reawakening to bring you back but Holga was attacked by a Red Wizard and he used it for her instead.”
Xenk looked back at Zia to find her staring at him with an expression somewhere between surprised and amused.
“Apologies,” Xenk said quickly. “I didn’t mean to –”
“It’s okay,” Zia interrupted with a laugh. She sighed. “He acts similarly around you to how he did around me before he started courting me, you know.”
Xenk felt his breath catch in his throat. Zia led him to what appeared to be a small, grassy clearing surrounded by trees, with a blanket in the middle, almost like a picnic, although no basket or food was present. Xenk followed Zia to the blanket and sat down next to her on it.
“I’ve kept an eye on him over the years,” Zia said quietly.
Xenk watched as a sapphire dragonfly landed on Zia’s arm.
“You were granted godhood?” he asked curiously.
“Yeah,” Zia replied. “Not long after my death, Ilmater came to me. He told me how much Edgin was suffering, how he was struggling to take care of Kira. It broke my heart. I was offered godhood so he’d know I was still watching him. I send sapphire dragonflies his way so he knows I’m keeping an eye on his impulsive recklessness.”
Xenk chuckled.
“You’re a lot like him in that way,” Zia told him, smiling.
“Just comes with being a paladin, I guess,” Xenk said quietly, not looking at Zia.
“Hey, why do you think he likes you so much?” Zia asked, grabbing Xenk’s face to move him to face her. “Before I had Kira I was also impulsive and reckless and would’ve done anything to protect him. Then I got pregnant with Kira and he took on the responsibility of protecting me. ‘You don’t have to give us everything, you just have to give us you.’ That’s what I told him when he would complain about how much money we had. As long as we had food on the table and a roof over our heads, and Ed came back to us. That’s all I wanted. I was able to die happy because of it.”
Xenk hesitated before he spoke again.
“He blames himself for what happened to you,” he said quietly, looking away from Zia again. He was surprised to see Zia roll her eyes with a chuckle.
“He blames himself for everything,” she told him. “If we had a leaky roof that was caused by wind? He’d blame himself. If we had a shattered window from the kids in Targos playing with snow? He’d blame himself. I always tried to assure him none of it was his fault, but it usually fell on deaf ears.”
Zia whispered something to the dragonfly on her arm. The dragonfly flew away, and a few seconds later a projection of the wizard’s study was in front of them.
“This is how you keep an eye on Edgin?” Xenk said, the slightest hint of awe making its way into his voice. Zia simply nodded.
Xenk watched Edgin pluck at the strings of his lute. He’d let go of Xenk’s hand, was now singing while he was playing a tune on his lute, and he looked exhausted.
“Just close your eyes, the sun is going down”
Xenk sighed, listening to Edgin’s singing.
“You’ll be alright, no one can hurt you now”
Xenk laid down on the blanket, closing his eyes.
“Come morning light, you and I’ll be safe and sound”
Xenk felt Zia adjust her position next to him but paid her no mind.
“Xenk, before you go back, I have a request.”
“Anything.”
“Promise you’ll keep Edgin safe. He doesn’t know when to quit sometimes, or when he’s hit his own boundaries. I love him, but he … he doesn’t always love himself like other people love him.”
Xenk opened his eyes again, looking at Zia. She was crying, watching as Edgin, who was now half-asleep, continued to sing.
“Of course. I – I love him too; I don’t think I could handle losing him.”
“Thank you, Xenk,” Zia said quietly. “If – if you ever want to start a relationship with him, you’ll always have my blessing. I just want him to be happy.”
Xenk felt his face heat up a bit.
“Thank you.”
Xenk fell asleep on the blanket next to Zia at the same time Edgin finished the final chorus.
Come morning light
You and I’ll be safe and sound
“You’re back!” Edgin said excitedly the next morning. He jumped on Xenk, hugging him tightly.
“I told you I would be,” Xenk said with a confused look. He paused before continuing. “I met Zia while I was dead.”
Edgin immediately released Xenk, staring at him with wide eyes.
“You did?”
“Yeah. She ascended to godhood not long after her death. She told me she sends sapphire dragonflies to let you know she’s keeping an eye on your ‘impulsive recklessness.’”
Xenk laughed a little at the memory, watching as a dragonfly landed on his finger.
“You’re lucky to have had her, Edgin,” he said affectionately. “She still cares deeply about you, and wanted me to promise to keep you safe.”
Edgin curled up next to Xenk, resting his head on the paladin’s chest.
“She also told me that if I ever want to start a relationship with you, I have her blessing. She just wants you to be happy.”
“Probably why she sent that dragonfly when I was considering using the Tablet of Reawakening on Holga,” Edgin mumbled, smiling. “There was no way I was ever gonna be genuinely happy if I was still stuck in the past looking for a way to bring her back.”
“You’re probably right,” Xenk stated. The dragonfly on his finger flew to Edgin’s cheek.
“Wait, you made a promise to her to keep me safe?” Edgin said as if he’d just registered the concept. The dragonfly’s wings buzzed almost as if confirming it. “Dammit, Zia.”
“That’s a goddess you’re talking to,” Xenk said with a teasing smile. Edgin playfully glared at him.
“Well, you’re healed now, think we should get out of this creepy wizard’s study?” he said, standing up.
“Please.”
The sapphire dragonfly on Edgin’s cheek moved to his shoulder, and he smiled.
Safe and sound.