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It was a sunny day in Coerthas and the smell of fresh pine wafted on the gentle breeze that made its way through Camp Dragonhead. Aymeric stretched in his cot and turned over to look at the flat-on-his-back-and-dead-to-the-world Estinien. His friend had a way of sleeping that could be unsettling to see if you were unfamiliar with it, almost corpse like in a way. Aymeric, however, had been sharing barracks with this man since they'd been nigh unto children.
"Do you need something?" Estinien's low voice pierced the still morning air. The only evidence that Estinien had moved at all was the dust motes that danced in the air around his face like leaves in an autumnal wind.
"Nay," Aymeric chuckled. "Twas only admiring how your back does not suffer from sleeping in such a manner. Lest you forget, we're only here for training. Rarely are any of the horde spotted this far south, you may let your self relax."
"A poor use of our time," Estinien's turquoise eyes blinked open and Aymeric frantically swallowed the swarm of butterflies in his throat. The way his eyes shined like gems in the morning light was unparalleled in all creation. "I'd prefer to be on the front lines, and you know it."
"Think of it as a momentary retreat," Aymeric shifted to leverage himself onto his arm. "Lord Haurchefant does always see to it that we and our men are treated to fine food and drink while we are here."
"He also never hesitates to ask for help chasing down the sheep," Estinien smirked and started to stretch. "Which I don't mind, but I have to imagine he orders the pen left open so he can create 'unexpected training opportunities' every time we make our way here."
Aymeric let out a heartier laugh at that. The herds at Dragonhead were known for being tricky and often making haste for the hills outside the fortress walls. Even occasionally flouncing their way up the mountainside for the freshest grass. Watching Estinien leap after the crafty beasts was amusing, he had to admit. As though he'd traded his usual quarry of dragons for clouds.
"If it happens again let us challenge each other, who ever brings home less sheep has to pay for ale at the Forgotten Knight for the next month." Aymeric smirked at Estinien. He knew his friend could hardly resist the chance to be competitive.
"Alright," the ghost of a smile played on Estinien's lips. "I hope they increased your stipend."
At that moment the sound of the breakfast bell was heard ringing off the stone walls of the camp. The two men met eyes and immediately leapt up to put on their armor for the day. The jingling sound of Aymeric's chain mail filled the room and Estinien snorted.
"Leathers are so much faster to don than all of that," Estinien grunted as he jumped in place to get his flexible (Aymeric mostly remembered them as tight) armored pants on.
"Surely you don't mean to make this a contest too?"
Estinien continued to leap about the room, each jump helped to pull his armor on piece by piece. Aymeric wouldn't deny that Estinien was often dressed significantly faster, but luckily, most of his plate armor had been left down in Lord Haurchefant's office. He laced up his leather boots with all haste.
"Last one down is a rotten morbol." Estinien teased as he pulled his hair out of his face with a strip of leather and bolted out of the room
.
"I'm fairly certain all morbols are rotten!" Aymeric jumped up and chased down the hall after him. His laughter echoing down the hall of the barracks as he went.
Estinien noticed it the moment one of Lord Haurchefant's men whispered in his ear and that blasted smirk spread across his face. It was the same smirk every single time they came to Dragonhead. It was a smirk of a mischievous man who had let the sheep out of the pen just so he could watch his friends chase after sheep for an afternoon.
He glanced over at Aymeric, who was chatting with his men over lunch and wished to be sat beside him. He'd point out that the next words out of their blue-haired friend's mouth were undoubtedly going to be that they needed helping rounding up their flock.
"Attention," Lord Haurchefant tapped a butter knife on the side of his mostly empty tankard to make a clanging sound. The bubbling sound of conversation eased into silence. "I have just been informed that one of our rams happened to find an unstable fence post and took it upon himself to lead the flock halfway to the summit of The Nail."
Estinien cut his eyes over to Aymeric then rolled them. A grin lit up Aymeric's face and for an all to brief moment Estinien could hear his heart pounding in his ears. When Aymeric smiled the whole world came to a sudden halt.
"Lord Haurchefant, please," Aymeric stood up and crossed the room to their friend, the sheep traitor. "Let the Azure Dragoon and I handle the Karakul. Our men can join yours in training. I'd be remiss to let them miss even a moment of your excellent guidance."
Estinien wanted to protest that it would take longer with just the two of them, then thought better of it. Rarely had he gotten to spend true one on one time with Aymeric since the two had become squadron leaders in the temple knights and the knights dragoon.
"We'll have your flock home, and fence repaired before you even finish warming back up," Estinien stood up and hooked his lance to his back. He noticed the way Haurchefant's eyes crinkled with mirth as he looked at his two friends. Estinien mumbled under his breath upon reaching Haurchefant, "Don't relish your show too much now."
"Such good examples of leadership the two of you make," Haurchefant praised and led the two from the dining hall.
"I am beginning to believe you do this just so you can watch us make fools out of ourselves," Estinien grumbled once out in the cool alpine air.
"This is just part of life outside of the city. Surely you know that, my friend." Haurchefant still looked all too mischievous for his liking. "And truly from the bottom of my heart I owe you all my gratitude for offering your help."
After a short walk the three stood at the foot of The Nail, the tall, snow-capped mountain that stood sentinel over all of the Coerthas Central Highlands. Sure enough there was a smattering of sheep on its side, frolicking without care in the world through the flower-dotted, green summer grass.
"My men have already begun reconstructing the fence," Haurchefant still wore his smirk. "Hopefully it holds better this time than last."
Estinien glanced over to the fence. Whatever had taken it down, now he was sure it hadn't been a sheep, had gone from the outside in.
"Next time you get your men to ruin a fence so you can laugh at your friends, tell them to attack from inside the pen," Estinien raised an eyebrow. Aymeric let out a very ungentlemanly snort and the feeling of victory started to warm Estinien's chest. "Unless your ram got out and then came back for the rest of his flock."
Haurchefant's pale face turned a red rivaling that of the Coerthas poppies that decorated the mountain side. "It's a tradition to, well- oh goodness me was that the sound of a wolf? Better get up there!"
Estinien and Aymeric watched as Haurchefant full on sprinted back into the walls of Camp Dragonhead. The two men turned to each other, simply looked for a moment then burst into laughter. Their old friend had ever been a man to try to lighten the mood, and for once, Estinien could not begrudge him an attempt to get some laughter out of his friends.
Somewhere around 4 sheep each, Aymeric decided he needed new boots with better traction. It wasn't until after 8 sheep each, with just one left on the highest reach of the mountain that Aymeric decided Haurchefant should be tossed into the muddy pond that was in the sheep pen. Just for his own personal amusement.
"Giving up, Ser Aymeric?" Estinien had shed his helm but kept his lance strapped to his back. He would surely never admit it but Aymeric was familiar enough with the man that he could tell that the trips up and down the mountain had begun to take its toll.
"Never, merely catching my breath." Aymeric lifted his water skin to his lips and frantically swallowed before holding it out to Estinien. "I am aware your dragoon armor is no tin can, but surely black leather cannot be pleasant in the warmth of the sun."
Estinien took the offering greedily but instead of drinking he simply poured it over his head. Aymeric watched as his white hair became gray and heavy with water weight.
"If I get thirsty I'll simply sip from your hair from now on," Aymeric mused and watched a drop trickle down the hollow of Estinien's throat.
"Wouldn't that be a sight for Lord Haurchefant to witness from his tower where he is surely sat with binoculars laughing his perky ass right off." Estinien grumbled as he pressed the cork back into place and handed the water skin back to Aymeric.
"The Fury take him if he is simply watching us. I have an idea for how we could get him back, if you are up for it." Aymeric arched an eyebrow up at Estinien who nodded in encouragement. "Let's take this last one up to his chambers."
Estinien looked for a moment like he was weighing the idea in his mind before nodding and holding a hand out to help Aymeric up.
"As good an idea as any. Let's get to it." Aymeric took Estinien's hand and let himself briefly marvel at the strength that hid behind his wiry frame. He ended up following Estinien up the slope, doing his Fury-given best not to marvel at his friend's thighs in his leather pants.
"Well, now what?" Aymeric put his hands on his hips and looked at the fluffy, black karakul that bounded around Haurchefant's quarters sniffing anything within sniffing distance.
"We sit our happy asses in here by the fire and make sure the lass doesn't knock over anything valuable until our friend returns." Estinien removed his gauntlets and sat by the fire that had clearly been started recently to warm the space for the commander's return.
Aymeric attempted to guide the animal away from the chest at the end of Haurchefant's bed, Fury knew that whatever was in that box would make him, Estinien and the beast blush redder than a rolanberry. He carefully sat next to Estinien and smiled at his friend.
"What do you suppose we'll do about our bet since we got an even number each?" Aymeric placed his gauntlets atop Estinien's. He felt the urge to reach out and hold his hand as they occasionally did in these quiet moments but tried to fight it back, especially as his own were sweaty from exertion.
"I suppose we'll just have to take turns," Estinien tried to look put-up-upon but Aymeric saw the glimmer in his eye. "Many nights at the tavern together, what a bore."
"You are incorrigible." Aymeric teased and pushed his friend's arm. Estinien cracked a smile and for a moment it was just the two of them in this room and the gentle clicks of the karakul that was most assuredly nibbling on the curtain around Haurchefant's bed.
"You like me that way, don't pretend you don't."
They may not have had a name to their closeness in familiarity, but Aymeric found that he didn't mind. He enjoyed stealing these quiet moments for themselves. Moments where they didn't belong to the army, or to the Vault. Moments where they simply belonged to each other.
Aymeric let himself lean his head to rest over on Estinien's shoulder, basking in the warmth of the fire in the chilled room.
"Oh- Haurchefant is going to have our heads, look," Estinien pointed over to the animal.
While they'd been lost in the brief moment together, the karakul had leapt onto the bed and promptly fallen asleep. Aymeric chuckled into Estinien's hair.
"I can think of nothing more perfect for that rapscallion to see upon entering his chambers, don't you agree? He may even say something about counting sheep!"