Nilo laughed as she procured her soup, still occupied with his current fruity obsession. “One cannot come into the castle kitchens without eating, it’s kind of like a rule,” He pointed out, turning her way, “There’s too much of everything, not even the most devoted of men can resist!” The man declared, as if it were some castle legend that the kitchen forced you to eat and instead of it really just meaning that Nilo had very low self-control around food, especially sweets.

At the mention of the mattresses, Nilo gasped, feigning intense shock. “You?! Soft things?!” He exclaimed, narrowing his eyes, “Did Damien bring me back someone else? Have I lost my vision and, am indeed, looking at a different blonde who takes up residence in my castle? Who are you and what have you done with my beloved?!” Never did Nilo expect her to admit to liking the luxurious bedding the castle had to offer. “Dammit, maybe I shouldn’t have purchased a new mattress.” He laughed, propping a hand up on his hip.

“If you want me to come with you while you work on the sword some days, I always can, even if it’s only a little while. What good is this muscle for if I can’t use it?” Nilo flexed his arms with a wink as if to prove his point. Although the smithery was definitely not his kind of environment, you could bet the prince would sit there like a proud mother to support her as she created her “stabby thing”, whether soot and smoke were his thing, or not.

Nilo groaned at the mention of her beating him with a sword, not too keen on being reminded of what was sure to be the most humiliating of experiences. “You do not need to rub it in, I am aware that you will, in fact, spend these next few weeks busting my ass with a training sword.” He sighed, although he smiled at her afterward, “I’m glad you’ve decided to return to your men.” He commented after a moment, looping his arm around her as she hugged his waist.

“I dunno, perhaps I will continue and eat these pastries…” Nilo trailed, eyes glittering mischievously, “You did just say you were liking softer things… Perhaps I should adhere to your new tastes and get a little softer myself, hmm?” He questioned, cocking a brow, “Maybe I shouldn’t go jogging, don’t want to keep this flat stomach now do we? I need to go shopping for a new body type.” He chuckled, popping another one of the small pastries into his mouth for effect, chewing thoughtfully as if he were actually entertaining such an idea. Truth be told, he would die inside if he ever let himself go, seeing as the man was rather attentive to his outer appearance, from the fiery hair to the iconic boots.

The man pretended to ponder for a few more moments before speaking again.”Then again, it would be a prize to have a man such as Damien chasing after me. He’s a rather scruffy one, but who knows, perhaps I could be into an alley cat craving my affections.” Nilo speculated, “Yes! I am a much bigger fan of that idea, why gain weight when I can just seduce Damien?” He asked rhetorically as if he had just discovered all the answers in the world, even though he was hopelessly in love with the resident colonel and not his advisor.

Light eyes were amused as he shook his head-good humoredly, well aware that Damien would not find such a conversation funny whatsoever. “He would have me castrated if he heard me say any of those things.” A truer statement had never been spoken and he was sure the advisor would have been the one to castrate him personally. “Fortunately for him, I am in love with another, so I’m afraid my days of trying to swoon him are over. His loss.” Nilo concluded with a shrug.

Nilo allowed her to gently guide him from the kitchen, not wanting to overstay their welcome anyway, given as the couple had probably been in the way of the staff, even if the kind people hadn’t mentioned anything about it. “The kingdom will not crumble, I promise you.” He told her, although it was true that there was always more work to be done and on the days he had dared take off, he was left with a pile afterward. It was another reason he was glad for his father to be back. Not only would the work be divided again, but hopefully his father would teach him how to better manage it all.

The man didn’t mind her keeping him for a while, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to focus had he known she was home but was unable to see her. So he welcomed the time they were spending together now, no matter how short it would be. He blinked down at her in surprise at the mention of Damien’s old room but nodded quickly after. “Of course it still stands, nobody sleeps in there anyway,” though he rolled his eyes at the mention of daggers,” Must you really destroy centuries-old architecture? How shameful.”

Even if the man was sure to be awoken some morning to the sounds of dagger thunking into his walls, it would be nice to be able to sleep in his own bed again instead of haunting the infirmary, despite the fact he was completely uninjured and most likely in the peak health, despite the fact he was failing to eat regularly due him being consumed with his work. By the end of the day, he was just too exhausted to even think about anything but sleep. Nilo had a feeling it also helped with his nightmares, the man being too spent for even the darkest parts of his mind to emerge.

That, and the door between rooms would make things easier, so the two didn’t need to be caught entering or exiting their respective bedrooms together. The rumors were just becoming more blasphemous, which was rather funny, to be honest, but also very annoying. “It’ll be just like old times!” Nilo declared, the arms around her shoulders gave the woman a playful squeeze, “Let’s just hope this time I don’t find you covered in blood on the floor. Wouldn’t want a repeat of that entire affair now would we?” The prince had never held any contempt for her the night he had run her to the infirmary, but it had given him a pretty bad scare.

“I look forward to meeting this Isabella. Damien spoke of all of his sisters briefly, but I think he has a big soft spot for this one. That man claims to hate everyone and especially whiny children, but I have a feeling he’s more of a father figure than he cares to admit.” Nilo laughed, well aware that his advisor had a rather big heart buried beneath all the knives he guarded it with. “As for me behaving, we’ll have to see about that. You know I absolutely cannot resist a good bout of mischief.” Nilo teased, aware he would do his best to make a good first impression. He was still the heir to the throne, after all.

But the talk of the bedrooms had brought up another question, which was something he had worried about when she had left the castle. “How were your nightmares while you were away if you don’t mind me asking? I know you said that they had gotten better, but I was still concerned. I know sometimes you’d rather have someone with you when it gets too bad…” Nilo trailed, freehand scratching the back of his neck.

Gennadius chuckled and shook her head, “I’ll tell you what. As long as I don’t walk into you holding a blade to your chest, I will not crumple in a bloody heap on your floor.” Her own arm tightened around his waist, resting her head against the man’s side, practically nuzzling him. It felt like an eternity ago that it all happened. How she had grabbed the blade from him and cut her hand. How only a night later she got the crap beat out of her and the man had carried her to the infirmary.

Normally one would consider such things bad memories, but she held them rather close to her heart. Because it was in those nightmarish moments that she and Nilo had started to learn about the other person. It was when that blade dug into her hand that the woman knew Nilo was a hurting man, and it was in the infirmary that he had learned just exactly who and what she was. And after her first return from the borders, it had all finally boiled down to that they loved each other, as new as the feeling was. But it may have never been realized had not those moments happened.

At the mention of Damien himself, she did not comment. No, she knew as well that the advisor had an oversized heart that he kept hidden. Knew very well, but she had decided to keep her knowledge of the specific times to herself, only nodding at his conclusion. And of course, there was his need to leave how he would react to the imagination. Oh, she was sure he would be... normalish. Well, she hoped because she didn’t need the girl running home with horror stories about the king-to-be.

At the mention of the nightmares, her eyes softened as she looked up at him. “Of course, I don’t mind!” she assured, gently pushing against him playfully to make her point. “And yes, in general they have been better. A night or two Damien let me go and talk with him but I didn’t want to really bother anyone. The worst one I went through alone I ended up sitting on their porch all night.” She released a soft sigh, running her fingers through her ponytail. “I missed having you around.”

“It’s always the same thing, the same images of steel and blood. The same screams... “ Gennadius had no problems telling him what they were about, Nilo already knowing what they looked like for her. How many times had she frantically mumbled to him the horrible images, seeking his solace and promise that it was no more than her head playing tricks? “I suppose I am just learning to try and ignore it as best as possible, though it is the blood that is always the hardest. Once or twice I had to resist the urge to find their well and try to clean my hands,” she admitted. What had really stopped her was not wanting any of Damien’s family, or the man himself, to see her doing it and ask questions.

“But! I am managing. Besides, now I have you and vice versa.” Gennadius released another breath, though this one came out more relieved. Which she was. She was safely home. Because the castle really was her home, and true to Margo’s words, these people were her family.

She stopped in front of his study door before opening it. “I know you have work and all but perhaps you would allow a bored colonel to lounge in your corner chair and stare at you while you sort through all those papers? It’s really either that or I go and see if I can actually annoy Theophilus. That and interrogate him about how everything is going and see who has come back and who some of the new recruits are.” Thinking about it, she knew that would actually be a wise idea, but she didn’t really want to leave Nilo either.

Nilo couldn’t help the soft sigh that escaped him as she mentioned the images that plagued her in her nightmares. It saddened him because the man couldn’t do anything about it but offer his best support. The prince was well aware that many things were beyond him, but he never liked thinking about the woman suffering in the same way he had for years. It was horrible, to fear sleep. You could never fully run from it because when it came down to it, you needed the rest to survive. Mental pain often seemed to be more brutal than physical because no amount of drugs or numbing salves could save you from the things that plagued your dreams.

The mention of Damien did earn her an odd look, not because he had a sudden streak of jealousy, but because it was an unexpected act of kindness. He wasn’t the type to accept invasions of his space or privacy, nor was he the type that seemed full of advice. Nilo was grateful the man had helped her when he could not and it was yet another unexpectedly nice gesture in the book of Damien.

Though the man did nod to show his understanding. “I get it,” Nilo told her, “more than I care to admit. There have been times where I bathed in the middle of the night because I thought I was covered in blood.” It was something Nilo hadn’t admitted to her, but then again, a midnight bath was the least of their worries. Although, the man had not touched liquor nor had he tried to bring a blade to himself again. In the beginning, it had been really hard to deal with the nightmares without alcohol and it still was and he felt like there would always be an urge to reach for the bottle, but he wouldn’t. Nilo had promised.

“And yes, you will always have me, you have my word,” Nilo told her as they headed back towards the study, the man’s work calling him, “The word of a crown prince is a precious thing y’know, so you better believe it.” It may have been an unnecessary declaration, but the man never wanted her to doubt that he would be there for her, whenever she needed him. She had saved his life multiple times and now the man would spend the rest of his life returning the favor.

He laughed softly as she asked to come in the study to “stare”. “Ah, so you want to stare at me? How romantic.” Nilo joked, taking her hand and leading her inside. “Yes you may and we can always chat, worst case you get too bored and bug Theophilus instead.” He shrugged, sitting in his chair and begrudgingly grabbing the quill he had dropped earlier with her dramatic entrance. “That and Theodore will most likely come back with Flower soon, though I’m sure he won’t stick around, he’s always on the run. The insane man insists upon not having a mare because he prefers the exercise.” He informed her incredulously, dipping the pen in the inkwell before beginning to write one of the many reports. They never seemed to end.

Nilo fell silent for several moments as he concentrated, brow furrowing and he chewed on his lip. “So you can play with the dog or use my desk as your bed, take your pick.” A quiet chuckle escaped him and a hand threaded through his hair, “The recruitment proceedings are also coming alone rather nicely, given we suffered a major loss. It’s becoming a kingdom-wide effort and the turnout has been nice so far.” He told her, feeling like it was information she would want to know. Another round of silence ensued and with it the report was finished and put at the top of the pile.

“Anyways,” He interjected again, “I’m really glad you’re finally back”

“Are you sure about this colonel?” It was said lightly, not noting cowardice but an honest question from Theophilus who stood across from the woman in the training arena. He held his sword casually to the side with one hand, meeting her gaze and knowing that she was not backing down. Which she wasn’t, evident by her smirk and her stance. Yes, Gennadius had challenged Theophilus to a spar, curious to see just how well the captain handled himself.

“Of course, I am Captain,” she reassured, still grinning as her hand rested on the hilt of her new sword which rested in a beautiful black leather sheath. It had been two months since she arrived back from visiting Damien’s home with him, and in that time, she had finished the new blade. It was made extraordinarily well, perhaps arguable better than her original, with a stronger steel blade and a crafted hilt. And it did have the wolf head in the middle of the guard, though she had one of the other smiths do that part, inlaying it with copper and adding the light blue stone. The grip was wound tightly with black leather matching the sheath and the pommel had a G hammered in it as the final touch to claim the piece as her own.

In the time, she had also stepped back up to her position. Well, mostly. Theophilus still bore a decent amount of authority with her battalion, helping with the slow stream of new recruits that was still coming in to make up for the lost numbers. That and Gennadius was taking some time off now and again to continue with her own mental recovery, usually meaning she worked for half the day before calling it quits. But that being said, she had also moved back into the barracks which was another huge step. And, unlike she had feared, she was welcomed back with open arms, the survivors who had returned to duty greeting her with cheers and claps on the back.

The air was sharp and crisp as the two stood opposite of each other, a very light snowfall having started earlier but not lasting into noon. Their breath could be seen as quite a few soldiers had come to see the Captain and Colonel fight it out. And boy were the bets placed! Most from the original battalion put their money on the woman, those who came in before she returned to her duties bet on Theophilus, and those who had been filing in since were basically split right down the middle. The tensions and excitement were high and Gennadius was drinking it in, getting back in the groove of her old life, though she spent quite a bit of her free time bothering Nilo and sharing what all had happened during her day.

Once the two seemed certain that they were ready, Gennadius made the first moving, pulling her sword out and swinging her sword pretty simply, Theophilus easily parrying the blow as it was a tester. But that was the slowest moment as the man unexpectedly went from defensive to a fast-paced offense. Gennadius was at first managing to keep up with his skilled strokes, but he was physically forcing her to back up as they went. There was a brief time where she had actually gained the upper hand, nearly clipping him with the blade. Both were confident in their skills to go for the real deal, though that may have been the reason Nilo had not been informed of this little plan of hers to test out the Captain’s skills.

They managed to draw out the sword fight for nearly five minutes, which was an impressive amount of time for one-on-one. However, Gennadius was losing stamina and she missed an opening and made a slight fumble. It was by this that Theophilus's foot shot out and hit her in the side, knocking her back to the ground before holding the point of his blade to her throat. There was a mix of shouts and groans coming from the soldiers, who in the end, had simply enjoyed the show, and none thought one of the fighters better than the other.

That being said, for a moment, dark blue eyes just stared upward in slight confusion at the loss. The last time she had lost a sword fight was when she had asked to join the campaign and crossed swords with the General. After that, she had improved most of her techniques and not been defeated... until now. In fact, she left Theophilus with his out for a few seconds before clearing her mind and grasping it, the man pulling her back onto her. Bending down, she swept the dirt from her clothes and started to chuckle. How could she be mad? Really?

“I fear I underestimated you Captain,” she gave a breathy laugh, giving his hand a firm shake, the man releasing his own low chuckle. Shaking their heads, they left as good friends as they had been stepping onto the training grounds. Yes, her pride was a little hurt, but not too much. So, he went to tend to the battalion and work on some things while Gennadius decided to make her way to the castle and de-tense some before finding Nilo to tell her story to... minus the part about using their real swords.

As she strode through the courtyard, she couldn’t help but to pause and suck in the freezing air, enjoying the way it seemed to burn her lungs that had just gotten quite the workout. She did not stay there long before moving to jog into the castle, making her way down the familiar halls, her sheath quietly thumping against her hip as she made a couple turns. Oh yes, the woman was very active, perhaps more so than she had been before her injury. If she wasn’t striding somewhere, she was jogging. And if she wasn’t jogging, she was running. She had even taken to going into the city on foot as well, perhaps by influence of Theodore.

Seeing the library, her lips tipped into a grin, her chest heaving from her workout, but it was clear she was quite pleased, despite her loss. It was understandable, and she simply blamed it on her recent injury. There would be many more times that she would challenge the man now. But for the moment, she just wanted to relax some and catch her breath before hunting Nilo down. Stretch out her limbs and calm her mind.

Walking up to the familiar shelves, she made the choice to find the ones that held the fantasy novels. Her fingers slid across the bindings before she randomly stopped and pulled one from between the rest. It was a decent size and she did a customary flip through before deciding it would do and moving over to the furniture that was in the middle of the entire place. For a moment, she looked around the area before changing her mind and finding a quiet corner of the room and flopping onto her rump there.

Stretching her legs out in front of her, she flexed them before placing the book in her lap and stretching her arms up, earning a pop from her shoulder and slight wince. Relaxing her back into the corner, she pulled her knees up and propped the book on them, flipping to the first page, eyes starting to scan over the words, and immediately finding herself sucked into the world before, easily taking her mind off of work and the earlier spar. In fact, she even lost track of time and her original plan to find the prince, totally absorbed in the book.

It had been a while since she found one that actually fascinated her, and this was one of them. The more she read, the more she enjoyed it, though she did glance up on occasion out of habit before quickly returning to reading. Her knees stayed up, though she crossed her ankles and multiple strands of blonde hair had fallen free of her hair, which at the moment was in a bun specifically for the spar. Without thinking, she reached up and pulled the tie out to release the yanking on the back of her head, the golden curls spilling over her shoulders as dark eyes sparkled with every word written.

“Your highness, I believe it is safe to say your father will pull through.”

My father… is really going to make it?

The king and his son had been sitting in his father’s hospital room, his father leisurely stroking Flower while the two chatted, the two men bearing identical smiles, all the way down to the way they seemed sideways. Yes, Nilo frequented Leonel’s room rather often to relay what he had done and to just visit. His father had taken to the prince’s pet, often babysitting because the prince was busy and Flower deserved more attention. Leonel often took her out on short, supervised walks outside the castle, and was a rather doting “grandparent” to the canine.

The doctor had entered mid-conversation to give the king his afternoon check-in. It was then Nilo had asked the question. The doctor eyed him, like he was some troublesome child, given the fact he asked the same question every time he came in, which was just about daily, no doubt driving him to drink. It was always asked with a charming grin and an impatient tone, but the man always answered with a “Be patient, your highness, we must make sure before giving you an official answer” and every time he gave a dramatic groan which received a look from his father.

Except this time, the doctor had rewarded his stubborn inquiry with an actual answer. Nilo’s mouth parted and for several moments he didn’t speak, as if he was afraid it was too good to be true. The fates never smiled upon him or had mercy, but the doctor wouldn’t lie to him. Nilo eyed the doctor, looking rather vulnerable as he waited for what was sure to be a catch or something of the sort, but it never came. It never came.

It was then the man finally smiled, throwing his arms around his parent in a celebratory hug. It seemed the Van Aslan family had finally run into a stroke of luck. Nilo had lost his mother and brother within two years, but now he discovered he was finally able to keep his father and the sickness would fade. It would not take the king like it had his mother and his father would have a chance to share his wisdom with his son and grow old.

“Goodness child,” Leonel laughed, hand coming up to pat his sons back, “if I could have even a sliver of your energy.” The pair detached as Flower decided to join the fun, creamy paws shoved in between the pair. Nilo snorted, stroking her before booping her on the nose, to which she promptly sneezed on his hand. The man recoiled and snatched a handkerchief from his father's bedside table, wiping his hand clean on the cloth.

His son beamed like a child who had just received the world's greatest gift. “How can I not be excited? You’re officially getting better, don’t you get how amazing that is? It’s deadly Da, and there’s no real cure, you just have to hope your treatments work and you pull through. Don’t you understand how important this is?” Nilo questioned, leaning forward and resting his chin in his hands.

The king shook his head. “Always one to overthink things. I told you I was going to get better. Can’t have an inexperienced prince taking my throne now can we?” Leonel gave his son a playful shove and Nilo snorted, “Not that you didn’t do a fine job, because you did, but I’m afraid your days of dominating my study are over.” He told him firmly, though his eyes were warm.

Nilo huffed in offense, though he didn’t even care. His father was back and that was all he could ever ask for. He was glad he would have a chance to work side-by-side with the man and learn from him. Not to mention he was more than happy not to be king so young. The good news may have come later than anticipated because his father had gone through an episode of rather poor health, but now everything seemed like it was working out.

Speaking of his father's recovery… that brought up another thing. A very big thing. The man might have promised himself that he would propose to Gennadius once he found out his father would be returning to his position, lest she be thrust into queendom too early. That had been the idea two months ago when he was originally supposed to receive the news, but his father had a health scare and all thoughts of that left his headspace. Honestly, Nilo was going to abandon the idea right then and there except… the ring was within his bedside table, tucked away at the very back. He had dragged Theodore along with him to figure out a ring because the only piece of jewelry Damien owned was that crappy silver band and Nilo did not need that kind of influence.

Nilo had fallen silent and his father tilted his head, confused. “Son?” He questioned, cocking a brow. The prince blinked at his father with a blank look before catching himself and shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

“Yes?”

“Are you alright?”

Nilo had intended to play it off, but the man sighed, burying his face in his hands. He made a strangled noise, which made his father cast him an odd look. “I intended too…” He trailed. Talking about it would make it true, but this was his father. Who else would be better to talk about it with? “I intended to propose to Gennadius once you recovered fully… I thought... it would be good then since the possibility of me taking the throne soon would be gone. I didn’t want to put her under the stress of a rushed engagement and being crowned queen immediately.” He admitted, running a hand over his face.

His father looked shocked, which received a tentative look from his son. “Are you sure about this?” Leonel questions.

Nilo cocked a brow, “I’m not even sure I’m doing it…” He threaded his fingers through his hair, “Gods, why, do you not like her or something?” He questioned, eyes widening and a full-blown panic was clearly imminent. His father laughed aloud and shook his head.

Leonel snorted. “Nilo, calm down,” He instructed, “Breath child. Goodness, it was just a question, I wasn’t expecting you to nearly have a conniption over it.” He rested a hand on his son's shoulder, giving it an encouraging squeeze before letting it fall back down to stroke the dog. “But to reassure you, yes, I do quite like Gennadius. She’s kind of like the daughter I never had but… undomesticated.” He chuckled, “Now answer my question without causing a vessel to burst, please.” His father asked, crossing his arms over his chest expectantly.

The prince relaxed, but only a little. “Sure about her? Yeah… definitely,” It was then the faintest of smiles came to his face, but it faded soon enough as his stress came crashing back down, “But about a proposal? No… I’m afraid…” He paused, “I’ve never been very brave.” Nilo admitted with a nervous chuckle, gaze falling to the side.

Leonel clicked his tongue, shaking his head disapprovingly, which most certainly did not soothe Nilo’s anxiety. “I think you’ve been plenty brave. You chose the woman you wanted and have fought for her on multiple occasions, even when she was but a guard. You stepped into my shoes with no kickback and were brave enough to create your own court, not to mention you had the courage to put a commoner as your advisor, no matter what others said. People have been talking horribly about you for years, yet you’re still brave enough to walk into a room full of them. You were an alcoholic and you got over that too. You may be more on the timid side, but I think you’ve had plenty of moments when you’ve displayed courage.” He pointed out encouragingly, and the look he gave his son dared him to protest.

“I want you to tell me when you first met.” Leonel cut his son off as he opened his mouth to speak, “The real story.”

Nilo stiffened. How had his father known? Nilo swallowed, scratching the back of his neck. “It was the day she came back from the borders… we kissed… she was with me the night mom passed away. She left for the campaign the next day.” His voice was soft and his cheeks tinted pink, embarrassed to be sharing the story with his father.

Leonel sighed. He had known there was something else to it all. Call it a father’s intuition, but it was now evident he had been right. “So you’re telling me that for two years, you abandoned your casanova title because you were hung over Gennadius and now you are debating a proposal?!” He inquired incredulously before pinching the bridge of his nose. “Okay, fine. Listen to me,” Leonel implored, looking at his child sternly, “Do you have a ring?”

“Yes, I bought it a couple of months ago.”

Leonel swore he and the dog shared a look. He’d had it for how long?! The king sighed. “Nilo Van Aslan, if you love this woman go get her.”

“But-”

“No! Do not defy me child because this is the one time you need to listen to me. You love her, dearly, anyone with eyes can tell. I never got the chance to propose to my wife. Royalty usually does not get such a luxury and I am handing it to you! Now go get your damn ring and be a man. You think you’re a coward? Rewrite your own narrative and don’t let this one slip through your fingers just because you’re afraid.” Leonel huffed, sapphire eyes narrowing.

“I-”

“Out! Now!”

Nilo stumbled from his father's room and the door was quite literally slammed behind him, leaving the prince to decide. He swallowed, walking numbly from the infirmary, hands shoved in his pockets. He couldn’t even talk to Damien…the man had a visitor or something… he wouldn’t be at work. Theodore would obviously agree with his father and Theophilus… The two were friends, but that seemed odd. It wasn’t like he could talk to Gennadius about his dilemma because she was the dilemma.

He inhaled shakily, clearly frazzled. Nilo wandered about for several minutes before he came up with what was probably the world's worst plan. He would take the ring with him, but then decide once he tracked her down. Which, in all honesty, the prince wasn’t even sure he would be able to wait any longer. What if the infirmary staff had heard the exchange? The rumors of an intended proposal would spread like wildfire, so he sure hoped not. The man-made a loud, frustrated sound, fingers fisting in his hair.

Why was this so hard?! He was Prince Charming dammit! The “Royal Heartthrob”, the goddamn “Kingdom Casanova”. How was it the man could have any woman he wanted in his bed, but couldn’t figure out how to be with the only one he wanted? He growled as he approached his room, stepping into his quarters and delicately removing the tiny pouch from his bedside table before placing it in his pocket.

Nilo checked her quarters and searched around for a little bit before a servant pointed him in the direction of the library, but not before commenting on the fact he looked rather pale and asking if he was okay. Great, so he looked like hell too? He ran his fingers through his hair in efforts to pull off a better appearance, but he only succeeded in ruffling it more. When he approached the library he took a deep breath. Nilo poked his head in, but she wasn’t in his line of sight. He sighed and stepped in, knowing the woman sometimes liked to hide herself away in the massive room.

After peering around several bookshelves, he caught sight of her and felt what little confidence he had left drain. Although… she did look rather adorable, tucked into her book with her blonde hair spilling over her shoulders. It was then he reminded himself that he loved her and very much so. Nilo didn’t want to be with anyone else because he adored who he had, the one who had helped him weather every storm. She was the one.

So why was he hesitating? Nilo finally approached and sat beside her, but was at a loss for what to say for a few moments, before he remembered that he did have something to share and it was rather wonderful, actually. The man slumped down beside her, hands in his lap. “The doctor said my father is making a steady recovery. He’ll make it.” Nilo’s grin was genuine as he told her the news, though his inner turmoil hadn’t left, “I’m sure he’ll be taking back his study in a couple of weeks and I’ll be left homeless!” Nilo joked. Although his heart wasn’t really in it he still managed to pull it off well.

“I’m just glad he’s going to be okay, I could care less if I had to work like this forever. I’m grateful I didn’t lose another parent to this disease.” Nilo’s smile softened and he leaned sideways to rest his head on her shoulder, taking a steadying breath. His nerves were still acting up and his hands were somewhat shaky, hence why he had them in his lap. He reminded himself that he didn’t have to do it today, but deep down the man knew he wanted to do it today.

After a moment, he decided to speak again. Silence made him uneasy. “So what have you been up to today, Gennadius? Last question and I promise I’ll be quiet and let you read. It's clear this is quite the story.” Now that was more of a true attempt at humor, given as the man didn’t need her to notice something was off or that put him in grave danger. It wasn’t like he could exactly explain himself and he wasn’t so sure he had enough confidence to spare to come up with a convincing lie.

Gennadius had cast a look up at the familiar clicking and offered the prince a smile when he found her. Though her attention fell back to her book seeing as he was coming over. All she needed to do was finish her page… just a few more paragraphs and the woman felt as though she could put the book down and save it for later. What barbarian wouldn’t finish the page first? So her eyes continued to scan over the words even as Nilo settled himself beside her.

“Oh that’s nice…” she commented, a split second before she actually registered what he was telling her.. Dark gaze snapped away from the book for a moment to see his grin, her own lips lifting into one of her own. “That is fantastic news!” But she couldn’t help glancing back towards the book. One more paragraph… one more and she could him her full attention. “Damien and Theodore won’t know what to do with themselves unless your father uses them,” the woman noted offhand, looking at her book again to try and absorb the last few sentences of spot she was at.

Gennadius enjoyed it when he shifted so he could lean his head against her shoulder. And, whether intentional or not, he gave her those last few precious moments to finish to the place she felt content with knowing that she may very well end up spending an all-nighter just to finish it and see what would happen in the book. “It is quite the story for sure. But it can wait until later,” she reassured, closing the book and putting it beside her. “It’s from the fantasy section. You’d probably really like it to, assuming you haven’t already read it.”

Tilting her head to the side some, she worked to get a better view of his face before going into her day. Was he a little paler? No doubt from overexcitement about his father… She leaned her head back in a more comfortable position, reaching her hand up to run her thumb over his cheek before letting it fall in her lap. “I really am glad about your father,” she spoke, “I think it will be great for him to have his throne back. Though part of it is selfish because it means I’ll get more time with you.”

She gave a warm chuckle before her eyes closed, ready to finally tell him about what had happened. “As for my day, it’s been rather… different.” Dark eyes opened as she grinned, shaking her head as she mentally ran through the day. “It started out as usual, with me getting up and all, before meeting the battalion on the training grounds. There was light flurry this morning, did you see it?” Her head leaned to the side to be against his for a moment before she continued.

“I never actually got to see just how skilled Theophilus is with the sword so I challenged him to a spar. Now, I understand I wasn’t on my own two feet for almost three months, and that I’ve been conditioning since, but I can still more than hold my own with the sword.” Gennadius paused, staring up at the ceiling as her smile went a little lopsided. “Nilo... he beat me. Theophilus won the damn spar!” There was no malice in her voice, mainly just humor because she had been so sure she would walk out the victor. “My pride may never be the same,” she sighed dramatically.

“Oh, but gods Nilo, it felt good to use my sword.” The woman wasn’t even really thinking about what she was telling him, caught up in just, well, telling him. “It was amazing to be able to use it without really worrying about it, letting my reflexives control it and having full confidence in my abilities to wield it. Even the clashing of the steel sounded amazing to me for the first time since the borders.” And then it hit her. Damn it... Gennadius had unintentionally admitted to using real swords instead of the wooden ones meant for practice. How did one even back track out of this?

“No one was hurt,” she quickly added, running a hand through her hair, now regretting having put her book down. But what else could she say? I wasn’t going to tell you? Or better yet, Ya I know there are hundreds of things that could go wrong but we did it anyway? “It was my idea...” she trailed, not wanting Theophilus to take the heat if Nilo was mad. It was her turn to be the one to be nervous, unaware of all that the prince had been struggling with that morning.

“But... what about your day? Anything other than you father?” The last sentence was thrown in, hoping that maybe he would just move on with the conversation, though the woman expected it to be totally be disregarded.

Nilo glanced briefly at the book she mentioned to see if he had read it at some point, which he hadn’t. “I’m afraid I have not read that particular one.” He admitted, “Perhaps I will one day.” The man didn’t read all too often, given as he was rather busy with his work and his free time was usually occupied by Gennadius, Flower, or someone else to spend time with. Nilo hadn’t even been able to spend as much time in the garden that Spring as he liked, scarcely able to enjoy the thing he loved so much because he had been swamped with work. To think it had been about a year since his father's diagnosis. Nilo felt like he had worked enough for a lifetime, even if time really had flown by.

A small sigh escaped him as her finger brushed over his cheek, though it was a fleeting gesture that didn’t last very long. A faint smile graced his features as the woman mentioned wanting more time with him. “Be careful what you wish for darling…” Nilo trailed jokingly, but her comment had warmed him and made the man feel wanted. It would be nice to see her more often and hopefully get out of the castle more, given as he was too confined in the study. His father returning meant he could actually take a day off and it meant he could focus more on his life outside being a prince, namely the woman he loved.

Her laugh made the man's grin widen, the man quite sure it was his favorite sound. Nilo wasn’t sure he could live without it. The man relaxed, nestling himself closer to her as he listened to her talk. “I was in the study all morning, so I’m afraid I missed it. How unfortunate, I love the snow.” That saddened him somewhat, only because it made him wonder what other things he had missed while he was confined in the castle walls.

Nilo’s eyes widened at the mention of a spar with Theophilus, interest piqued. Although, what was more shocking was the Gennadius had lost, something that was a rarity. She never lost, which was definitely a testament to Theo’s skill. He knew the man was one of the elites, but Nilo was unaware of how he ranked on that scale. Part of him was a little sad he had missed the friendly duel even though he disliked sword-fighting. It would have given him a chance to see Gennadius in action and see Theophilus’s skill for himself.

“Seems you need to up your game Gennadius, can’t have him beating you a second time,” Nilo told her, giving her a playful nudge. His nerves were calming in her presence and his early turmoil had been pushed to the back of his mind for the moment, the man just enjoying her company. Though at the mention of real swords, Nilo straightened, a little taken aback. They… had used real blades?! He had known it was just friendly but that still didn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous.

Eyes flickered up and down her form quickly, searching for any hidden wounds that she could have incurred. Nilo was reassured when she said no one had been hurt, but the man was still concerned. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Gennadius, you shouldn’t be so reckless. I understand you two are both skilled, but accidents still happen.” He pointed out, rubbing his temples. His tone wasn’t condescending or intending to scold, just a man worried about someone he cared for, “Especially when one is wielding a sword, so much can go wrong so fast, you won’t even be able to comprehend it until it’s too late.” His gaze flashed briefly and for a moment the man had spoken from experience.

But she had seemed so happy… Nilo sighed and slumped against the wall. “Just… be careful.” He spoke again, his voice much softer, “I’m not going to try to control you and I know you used to do this all the time, just be careful. Please?” The prince asked, knowing this would most likely not be the last time when she went toe to toe with someone in a battle of blades. “I just don’t want you getting hurt again, even though I know this is a totally different situation.” His hand reached out to cup her cheek for a moment, thumb moving over the familiar skin before it fell away and back into his lap.

“I am happy you enjoyed yourself though,” Nilo added after a moment, even if he wasn’t fond of the idea of her sparring with actual blades. No, he would never like it, but it was a part of who she was and he wasn’t going to whine about it and make the both of them miserable. “It’s nice to hear you continue to move forward.” He shifted where he sat, stretching his legs out in front of him.

His mind drifted back to her other question, which had been thrown in as a hasty afterthought and had been a crappy attempt to distract him. There had been something other than his father, but he couldn’t exactly tell her about that, now could he? The man felt nauseous again at the thought and drew in a shaky breath to regain himself. Damn nerves anyways. “No, my father was the only eventful occurrence. Just worked in the study, per usual. Nothing out of the ordinary. ” Nilo forced his shoulders to relax, despite them being uncomfortably tense.

But there was something out of the ordinary and it had to do with the ring that currently sat in his pocket in a tiny touch for safe-keeping. His hand absentmindedly rested over the pocket in question, feeling the small object through the fabric. Which was a bad idea, considering the fact the very thought of it made him astronomically nervous and part of him wished he had focused more on the swordfight than he had. “So how was your own work, assuming you went in today?” He asked, though his voice was somewhat breathy and the man cleared his throat.

For that moment that his hand rested on her cheek, she leaned into it, releasing a soft sigh. Gennadius had known that he wouldn’t just not address what she had done, though she had hoped he would gloss over it for some reason. But he had handled it much better than she had expected, which was a relief. And she knew he had good reason to be upset that she had used her sword for the spar... a very good reason.

“I promise I will be careful,” she reassured with a gentle smile, “I’m just used to doing it that way and I guess I was just excited that I could do it again.” Gennadius truly did understand that all it took was one of them tripping for things to go bad. Or even a flick of the blade that didn’t have enough control... if it hit the wrong spot, she knew a person could bleed out in less than a minute with no hope of survival. So yes, Nilo’s concern was more than warranted. But then add in his own experience?

It was when he returned to her question that she finally noticed that he seemed a little off. He seemed... nervous? But he was telling her all he had done was see his father and some average work. So why would he seem so nervous and out of his element. It was an odd state to see the man in, and one she wasn’t really used to. Perhaps he was just concerned his father would take a turn for the worst after all was said and done? Or was it something concerning his paperwork? Oh gods forbid he had a nightmare again... and then she just told him she was basically playing with swords?

Gennadius decided to focus on his question and see if perhaps some of her own talking could calm him? And then address the problem? Or shouldn’t she? The only reason she was hesitating was because Nilo had always just shared if something was wrong or he was concerned. She was accustomed to his rambling which would include whatever was bothering him. But there wasn’t even a ramble... just him seeming to try and find any words at all.

“I did some today. Not as much I was hoping, honestly,” she admitted, glancing at him before focusing on giving him a good answer in the hope that it would help. “But I started going over some of the papers Theophilus left for me to go through last night. A lot of them were on files of incoming recruits, their experience, and such. So, I did some sorting into which troops they should go to in the overall battalion. My leg was aching just a tiny bit so I decided to go out once the flurry was done.”

Smiling, she shook her head, “It was never my intention to end up sparring with the Captain. But he happened to be out with quite a few of the soldiers working on some techniques. So it kind of just happened. But by the time we were done, I must admit it wore me out. I thought I’d come into the library since it is warm and read a book to relax before finding you.” She chuckled and gave a shrug, “I guess I just got lost in my book and then you found me so I didn’t get anything else done today. Which I know I should be trying to do more.”

There really wasn’t much else to say about her day, and considering she didn’t want to pry quite yet on what was bothering him, she decided perhaps actually doing something could cheer him up. “But you know what? Who the hell cares about my day and work? Your dad is going to be alright! We should do something in honor of that. What do you say?” She rocked onto her feet and straightened up, stretching her arms up and twisting slightly, her sheath whacking against her thigh as she released a yawn.

Blinking, she looked down at him and tilted her head some, having to reach to push her hair over her shoulder and out of her eyes. “We could go raid the kitchen. See if we can coerce the chefs into making sandwiches and grab some pastries. With any luck, maybe there will be another flurry and we can relocate to your room and look out the balcony to watch it. Better yet! Why not raid the kitchen and grab something for your father and go bother him? Hmmm?” Dark eyes looked over the man, waiting expectantly for him to tell her which plan he liked better or come up with something else.