Nela's Work

Nela was nervous. After all, Leo had shown so much of him to her—which only made her fall in love with him more. Even the whole disaster with her mother he had taken in stride, and now he worked so, so hard to make a good impression at the engagement party.

And Nela? Nela had to work.

Day in, day out, when she wasn't sleeping or stole some time away from work to be with Leo, she was fulfilling her duty as a princess of Schmodden. But today, Leo had finally asked her about it.

"So, what do you do?"

"Hm?" She blinked at him.

"Your work," he said.

His speaking skills grew by the day. While he still had an accent that made the words sound rougher, she actually liked that. It was so different from the elegant, flowing speech she was used to.

"Yes, I work," She replied.

"What?"

"D-do you...?"

As soon as the words left her lips, Nela blushed.

I can't believe I almost said that, she thought.

After all, before this, she had been evasive. What if Leo was scared after he saw her? What if he didn't want to be with her anymore?

She took a deep breath. No. If they were going to work, he had to know what she did all day long. Then, they could talk about it. She smiled.

"Do you want to watch me work?"

Leo nodded. He looked tired, but that was expected. Nela couldn't even imagine the amount of knowledge he took in every day. Just thinking about it made her tired.

She stretched. "I am having a meeting today," she said.

"A meeting is where you meet many people and talk about important issues. It's not really interesting, or the main part of my work."

She smiled at him. "So, I will take you out this evening, when my real work starts."

Maybe I can even take a light evening snack with us, she thought. If we're lucky, we won't have an eventful evening.

*~*

Nela watched Leo yawn behind his hands. He was tired, surely. There was nothing more Nela wanted to either play a bit of Light Journey with him, or head to bed herself. But tonight, she was going on patrol.

The armor she wore was light and flexible, while the sword at her side hung heavily. That was how it had always been in the three years since she had taken up her duty. But tonight, things felt different.

Leo stared at her, even though he very much tried not to show it. And Nela couldn't help but blush at that.

He seems to like the outfit, she thought. That's good.

"I'm sorry," were the words that came out of her mouth. "I never told you."

Leo stayed silent, but there was a slight smile on his face.

"I am interested," he said instead.

He took her hand, and gave it a squeeze. Nela thought she didn't need the reassurance—but in reality, she did. He wasn't going to leave her. She was right to show him this.

She took a deep breath, and together, they went into the small boat at the edge of the water.

The waves were small. Usually, that meant it would make for a boring night, but tonight, Nela was highly awake. She had brought a small food package from the kitchen, double the usual amount. It was lying there between them, as she pushed the boat away from the dock, and they went out onto the ocean.

Leo was fascinated. He was watching the waves with wide, open eyes, and a big smile on his face. Wonderful. If nothing else happened tonight, she would be happy.

But Nela also knew she couldn’t focus on him. There were dangers lurking in the deep. She leaned back, and let one hand touch the water's surface. It was enough for her to make a connection with the ocean, to get a feel for the water and what lived beneath it.

Just because the waves were calm today didn't mean the ocean itself was. But for the moment, it seemed like everything was alright. The fish were plentiful, and she couldn't make out any possible threats. Nela exhaled, and looked to the other boats.

There, her trusty guards were stationed, looking out over the water just like she herself did. There were a few newer people as well, whose expression was similar to Leo's. The older ones, though, regarded the nightly ocean with either indifference or tiredness.

We have to stay alert, Nela thought. But... it can't hurt to get something to eat.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

Leo nodded. "I have no food since lunch. Meike was very angry today."

"She was, huh?" Nela chuckled. "I think she just wants the best for you."

Meike was a special one. Even though she didn't follow her onto the waves any more, Nela knew just how protective and loyal she was. And she was glad that this circle had widened to include Leo.

"I still don't understand the difference between the two forks," he muttered under his breath.

Nela smiled at him. "Here. Eat first."

She leaned forward, and opened the bundle. Soft, thick slices of bread tumbled out, together with meats and cheeses, pickled vegetables and of course, a few Rollmops.

"Guten Appetit!" she beamed, and dug in.

Leo did the same. "Guten Appetit."

Above them, the full moons shone, just like they did when they first met. Nela smiled. It all had worked out perfectly—that she had found him, and that he was this... perfect for her. She couldn't imagine spending her time with anyone else.

"Haaa..." she was ready to take another big bite, when one of the other boats sounded the alarm.

"Oh no."

She put her bread down, and got up, the hand on the hilt of her sword. On the surface, the water seemed calm. That was not a good sign.

"Stay safe," she said, "And hold on tight."

Then, she stepped out onto the water. It felt soft under her feet, but she knew one moment of broken concentration meant she could be dragged under. She unsheathed her sword.

A pack of water wolves formed from the water, growling and rumbling at her. She smiled at them. Usually, these spirits didn't dare to come close to the castle. But it would be a good way to show off for Leo.

"I'll take them," she let the others know.

Then, she got into position. With one leg forward, she curved her sword through the air, moving with fluid motions. It wasn't that different from dancing, really. Step to the right, step forward, twist the wrists, bring down the sword. The wolf in front of her turned into seafoam in front of her eyes, and the other hesitated. Nela dashed forward, hunting them down one by one, until none of them remained.

"All clear," a guard called, and she relaxed.

When she turned around, Leo was staring at her. But there was no fear in his eyes.

"You are awesome," he said, and gave her the thumbs-up, as he called it.

"Thank you!" She mirrored the gesture.

It had been a good idea to show him this side of herself. Really, what had she been afraid of?