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The sun had begun to set on the quiet town of Mistria, draping it in a milky pink that would set the tone for a peaceful Saturday night. Celine, bright as ever, was on her way home from the market to drop off her things before joining her family at the inn for a bite to eat.
A crash rang through the air, causing her to start and nearly drop her leftover lemon pie all over the town square. From the sounds of it, it came from around her place. "Oh, that better not be Dell..." Celine sighs with a shake of her head. Those kids were always getting up to something in the name of the Dragonguard. As much as she adored the kids, they could be a real handful.
Celine continued down the path, a gasp making her chest tense up. There, amidst a bed of crushed flowers and broken fence posts, was the farmer. They were bloodied and bruised, sword fallen at their side.
"Oh my days!" she cried, rushing forward and kneeling down by the farmer's side. She gently shook them to no response. Celine looked around frantically, but no one was in sight, and the farmer's breathing was terribly shallow. She'd have to take matters into her own hands until she could get hold of Valen.
Celine heaved the farmer up by the arms, sweat beading on his forehead in her struggle. Slowly, surely, she dragged them from her beaten up garden into the cottage to set them down on the turquoise sofa.
When the farmer awoke later that evening, the muffled hum of conversation was caught just barely, then the click of a door. Celine came into view, she had a cloth in one hand and a bowl of warm water in the other. Her eyes lit up when she noticed their eyelashes flutter.
"You're awake," she smiled. "Valen just left. She said it's mostly just overexertion and some minor external wounds, but as long as you rest up you'll be just fine."
She dips the cloth into the water before bringing it to the farmer's face. They reel back from the sting, Celine murmuring quiet apologies as she cleans up the blood and grime. In minutes, the water turns a cloudy shade of reddish-brown.
Celine folded her hands in her lap, eyes turned somewhere less demanding. "You know, you really scared me there...even now, I find my hands shaking." she said.
The farmer reached out to place a hand atop hers, looking up at her with a gentle fondness that could almost appear apologetic if their eyes weren't filled with so many stars.
"I'm sorry, Celine."
"You'd better be!" She tried to sound annoyed, perhaps to really instill it in their mind, but only worry laced her words. "I'm not even upset that you fell in my flowerbed, I'm just happy you're okay."
"I what?!"
Celine shook her head, returning to dabbing at their wounds. "Don't worry about it, okay? I'm sure it cushioned your fall very nicely."
The pair exchange quiet smiles, the farmer occasionally hissing from the pain of their cuts and scrapes being wiped clean and bandaged with precise hands.
"I'll talk to Hayden and we can sort out things on the farm while you recover, okay?" she said. The farmer's eyebrows pinched together in tight knots.
"I can't do that to you, Celine, you two already have so much on your plate! I'll be fine in the morning, trust me." They tried to sit up on the couch, grunting as they're pushed right back down, albeit gently.
"Absolutely not, I won't allow it!" Celine huffed. "What good will it do if you get hurt again? I just want you safe and well again, and for that you must take care of yourself. Okay?"
The farmer sighed, relaxing their head back on the pillow hesitantly. "Yeah, alright. You win."
She leaned in with a smile bright enough to light up the whole cottage. "I'm glad. Now, how about some tea? Maybe some soup? Oh!" Celine giggled to herself as she stared down at them, their heart fluttering and confusion bubbling in their chest.
Celine reached up to brush through their hair, pulling back to reveal a stunning flower. "Hm. It suits you, I think." she said.
"Yeah?"
She tilted her head as she tucked it behind their ear, slender fingers moving the hair out of their eyes. The two of them seemed to get totally and completely lost in each other for a moment. Celine, careful not to lean on the farmer's bruises, folded her arms atop their chest. Her lips parted, lost for words.
If only their moment wasn't interrupted by the whistle of the tea kettle. They separated in seconds, heat rising to their faces. Celine couldn't be more red as she got up to check the boiling