Work Text:
“Settle down!” Erinys said. “Fee, I’ll read you a bedtime story.”
The younger girl immediately calmed down. She always hated being put to bed…but bedtime stories were the only thing that she looked forward to in the evening.
(Ced on the other hand was easy to put to sleep. He didn’t care much for the bedtime stories, but he would always listen since his sister was so enthralled by them.)
“Is it about Lord Sigurd?” Fee asked, her eyes widened.
“It’s about how Sigurd’s adventures started,” her mother replied.
“Ooh!”
“Once upon a time,” Erinys began, “in the land of Grannvale, there was a young man named Sigurd. He was a bachelor who didn’t know what to do with his life.”
“Mama, what does bat-chi-lore mean?” Fee asked.
“A man who isn’t married-ow!” Ced exclaimed as his sister yanked his arm.
“Didn’t ask you,” Fee said.
“Fee, play nice or I won’t finish the story.”
She turned away from her brother. “Sorry, Mama,” she said.
“As I was saying, Sigurd was a bachelor who didn’t know what to do with his life. But then, one day, a messenger arrived from the west. His close friend Edain was kidnapped by Verdanites.” Fee audibly gasped.
“Grannvale was fighting a war against Isaach, so Sigurd and Edain were both alone because most of the soldiers were fighting over there. Sigurd ruled over Chalphy in his father’s absence, and Edain ruled over Yngvi in her father’s absence. But Sigurd wasn’t a coward. He took his handful of knights and immediately set out to Edain’s defense.”
“He fought an entire country with only a handful of knights? How did that happen?” Ced asked.
Erinys resisted the urge to note that Sigurd wasn’t the brightest person. Instead, she clarified: “Sigurd was descended from the crusader Baldr, so he could defeat nearly every foe that he fought. But you’re right, it is hard to do alone which is why he got help.”
“First, two young noblemen from other parts of Grannvale arrived. They were Azelle from Velthomer and Lex from Dozel. Neither one had major holy blood, but they both helped Sigurd’s cause tremendously.”
“After that, Sigurd’s close friend Quan arrived. Quan came because he was nagged by his wife Ethlyn who happened to be Sigurd’s little brother. She wouldn’t let Sigurd fight against Verdane all by himself.”
Her voice got quieter when she said the next part: “Quan also brought a handsome young man who was a rookie knight. He was very dashing and brave.”
“What was his name?” Fee asked.
Erinys was at a loss for words. She felt herself tense up as all of those feelings were unlocked once again. She took a deep breath and said: “His name was Finn, but that’s not important right now.”
“Sigurd and the others valiantly fought to retake Yngvi. They didn’t find Edain there because she had already been taken away to Verdane, but Sigurd resolved to do whatever he could to take her back. They also rescued a few Yngvian knights who were left for dead by the Verdanites.”
“Meanwhile, Sigurd continued to the Verdanite border. On the way, a friend even gave him a silver sword. And in Evans, he was proclaimed a Holy Knight of Grannvale. But Sigurd’s mission wasn’t finished because Lady Edain wasn’t there.”
“What happened next? Did he find Edain?”
“That will be for tomorrow night.” Erinys patted Fee on the head as she slid under the blanket. “I can’t tell you the whole story tonight, can I? That means there’s no stories for other nights.”
Fee pouted a little bit. “No fair.”
“Remember, little girls need ten hours of sleep a night to grow up into a strong pegasus knight.” After tucking Fee into the bed, she said “Good night, Fee.”
“Good night, Mama,” she replied.
After Erinys closed the door, she sternly told Ced: “And you have to go to bed too, my dear Cedsy! Or else how will you have the energy to study?”
“You’re right, Mama,” he replied.
At eight years of age, Ced was old enough to act as though he didn’t want to be tucked in, but Erinys could tell that he would appreciate it. She walked Ced to his room, right next to Fee’s, and tucked him in. She even left a brief kiss on the back of his head while saying “Good night, sweet dreams” to him.
After closing the door, Erinys took in another deep breath to set her mind at ease. She didn’t need to dwell on him; he was irrelevant. What was relevant was that Ced and Fee were, at least for now, safe and sound here in Tofa. In that respect, she had accomplished her goal, and she would continue to do so to the best of her ability.
Even as she had the weight of a nation upon her shoulders.
Even though he had disappeared from her life to places unknown.