#7 ingrid/annette

Prompt: #7 Enchanted
Ingrid/Annette


It was at the death of the night when the special troops deployed to Fodlan's Throat came back to the Kingdom's Capital after a week of duty.

Thankfully, the report of damage wasn't as bad as they expected. The villagers said there's a bandit group that keep raiding the village from Almyra territory. The King has asked the current Almyra's leader of this, and the Almyra has tried to solve this recurring bandit group appearance by sending their troops as well. The deployed troops from the Kingdom stayed alert there at every time during their patrol as the two factions rebuilt the ransacked village. The condition should be far more peaceful now after a full week of surveillance and after the eradication of the said bandit leader.

Ingrid, who's happened to be the leader of the troops, was about to report her findings to His Highness directly. King Dimitri happened to welcome the troops at the hall. Ingrid then dismissed the troops, seeing them to their barracks resting before she set herself straight. It might be close to midnight, but at least a little bit of intrigue won't bother.

"You are dismissed for the night, Ingrid."

"Eh? But, Your Highness, the report-"

"Someone should've been waiting for you at home."

Her face heated right away at the mention of ‘someone’ and ‘home’. "H-How ... Why?" she was flabbergasted. The one-eyed King laughed. Soft smile played on his lips.

"Gilbert said to me that 'her daughter' expected 'her knight' to return as soon as she arrived."

As much as she wanted to hiss, in a mix of exasperation and embarrassment, Ingrid held her ground. Gilbert as always is informative about her daughter’s well-being, even though he is always available in the Palace’s ground more rather than in the roads of Fhirdiad. Well, maybe too informative, Ingrid felt that the very word ‘her knight’ echoed in the back of her mind.

Ingrid might need to talk about that nickname later at home, especially for not letting it slip for curious ears beyond their house’s walls.

--

Fhirdiad is a lovely capital of Faerghus, recovering slowly from the scars of war with people from many other regions coming and going for a mere trading or recreation. The city might only be a glorified fortress town, second to Arianrhod, but then to people from Alliance and Empire territory, such fortress might be a new insight for them.

Sometimes, she missed Daphnel area so much, despite how hard it is to cultivate their own food. She missed the vast plains, where she would thread her horse out for a walk. She missed her mother’s homemade food. She missed the banter with her father. Then again, she had felt so fulfilled for the spot as one of the King’s knights, along with her other childhood friends, and they are all ushering Fodlan to a new era. The home can wait. She can always be back when the time comes.

‘Hometown will always be someplace hard to forget’, someone ever told her this, who is exactly the infamous magic teacher of the Fhirdiad’s School of Sorcery – also someone who shared a home with her at the capital of Fhirdiad.

The time might be midnight, Ingrid looked up to the looming clock by the hall that she happened to pass, but she knew that ‘the person who’s waiting for her’ should still be awake. Her housemate is even more of a hard worker than her, Ingrid should admit. Mercedes reminded Ingrid to keep watch the orange-haired teacher of her reckless behavior—as sometimes she would work tirelessly and forget everything else. The lady knight decided to let it slide for the night, because if not, she won’t happen to see her right at that strange hour.

At first, Ingrid will repeatedly ask for her to be back with her parents—or simply live in her uncle’s home, but she digressed. She doesn’t want to get in the way of her parents’ reunion too much; she was talking with her father already, but her mother has not, it would be better to let them be. After a long discussion, they decided to rent a house that is located nearby the Palace and the Fhirdiad’s School of Sorcery – the cheapest one that they can afford with their combined salary. Of course, their decision is set after Ingrid refused Dimitri’s (even Felix and Sylvain’s) constant nagging of getting her a bigger home with courtesy of the Kingdom's policy, and also from Gilbert’s intervention.

They really wanted to be together and independent.

Three doors away from the southwest crowded area of the hall, Ingrid knocked the door softly. She could see that the light inside the house has yet to be dimmed, just like her prediction sounds. Ingrid waited for a bit, knowing the woman should be busy at the moment with whatever grading she’d be doing, perhaps scrambling to get a lantern and then the door.

“Yes?”

Ingrid’s heart swell just by hearing the familiar tone behind the small creak by the door.

“It’s me, Annette.”

Annette pulled the door, revealing her widened eyes and gaped mouth. She was in her blue sweater, with a warm stole draped over her shoulder to shield from the chilly night air. Ingrid was sure she saw tears welled on the corner of those aquamarine-colored gleam, before she leaped, greeting Ingrid with a tightest hug she could muster.

“W-Welcome back, Ingrid!” she managed. Though she pulled her head up to see Ingrid’s beaming face once again, her hands weren’t straying. “Sorry, I—I was lost of words.”

“Actually, me too,” Ingrid exhaled. “Especially after knowing from Gilbert that someone waited her knight to return—“

“H-Huh!?” Annette was red to her ears, which is too adorable of a sight that Ingrid can take. “Oh my God, father. I thought I already told him to keep it as a secret!”

“… By the way, can I come in?”

“Oh. Oh right. Sorry about it, Ingrid.”

Annette bolted straight to the kitchen as Ingrid released herself from the confines of her boots and her armor pieces, leaving it close to the entrance for cleaning at the morning. She left her spear and her treasured lance Luin back in the Palace’s Knight Hall, thinking it would only take too much space if it is there in their home.

On the center room where the only table resided by the small house, books and parchments are scattered about. Annette was working on something while accompanied with hot cocoa (which is, already cold as Ingrid touched the cup). At the kitchen area not far from the table, she poured a hot cocoa for Ingrid.

“You should pour a new one too for yourself. This is already too cold to drink.” Ingrid pointed.

“You’re right. I think I forgot about it as I’m deep in searching for test markers.”

Handing the warm cup to Ingrid, the taller woman waited as Annette replaced the cocoa in her own cup. It always nice to drink something warm as Fhirdiad’s climate is nowhere friendly. The cold sometimes would be unbearable, and Ingrid hated to think if she’s away from home when it is happening. She knew Annette could handle everything as she is used to live close to the capital, but Ingrid couldn’t help to be worried.

“You should take a rest.”

“I will, soon.” Annette took a sip to her own mug of new, warmer cocoa.

“Eh? Why not now?” Ingrid blinked.

Her eyes shy away for a bit, “I … want to talk with you.”

The blonde-haired knight placed her cup on the counter. She fixed her look with a soft glance. “Are you sure only a talk will suffice?”

Annette chuckled at that. Her pale complexion once again blossomed. “And what if I say no?” Ingrid inched closer. Annette’s way of teasing might sound weak, but it never is. She always comes out vocal, commandeering. “Seems I will fall behind in searching the test material.”

“You won’t,” the blonde scooped Annette to her side, hands cradling to cup the smaller woman’s cheeks. “It won’t take too long, I promise.”

“Are you sure?” Annette was the one to bump their noses together.

“A knight won’t ever break their promises, Annette.”

[Then their lips met; as the night grows and so is their little bonding over the fleeting time.]