Greener Pastures

Simon's first thought when he awoke in the white void was that he had died again. That he had fallen into the portal and been caught in the blast. The thought didn't sting as much as he thought it would. Dying for a purpose didn't feel so bad. He'd perished defending the people he cared about from near certain death, and it would be his actions that saved them. Not a bad way to go at all. He could be satisfied with that.

"My word, that's just too funny. How noble you are, how much they'll grieve your demise, they'll remember you as a hero for the rest of their lives! You're just the funniest thing I've ever met Simon." Hethoria mocked from behind him.

He spun, absolutely indignant, to face her. "Do you realise how messed up it is to be looking into a dead man's mind? Seriously, I died defending your own people, have some respect at least."

"Oh yes. Simon the Martyr Knight! You'll be sung of in the stories! Ahahahah! Oh, I can't control myself!" She was floating in the air, holding her stomach kicking her legs in laughter. At least from what Simon could see through her body's haze.

"Hey, it's really not funny! I'm dead! I know we didn't get along well but you could show me a little respect this final time."

"A little respect. A little respect. Hahahahah. Simon, please. Oh my, you crack me up you know. You're not dead dumbass." She keeled over in laughter again, completely unable to control herself.

"Wai-, but how? Seriously? I fell into my portal! Right into the explosion!" Simon found himself in the strange position of protesting that he was, in fact, dead.

"Oh, it's a boring story. Sonia saved you, blah blah. You'll wake up in the morning blah blah. You did miss an exciting fight though. Stone cold Sonia killing the enemy general all by herself, never even breaking a sweat. She really is very good. Too bad she tried to show off to you before. 'I'll defeat this Archbishop with just one trick - then Simon will definitely admire me'. Honestly, would it kill that girl to be more honest?"

"What? You just said like fifty things, can't you ever talk one at a time!?" Simon tried his best to keep up, but the sheer volume of information was absurd.

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter." Hethoria swatted at the air. "Basically, you're fine, Sonia won, good riddance to the Varokians! That about sums it up."

"So it's over? We're not under threat of attack anymore? We can relax a bit?"

"Well that's not quite true but it's close enough for now. So claps go to you." Hethoria performed a few performative miniature claps against her hand. 

"Alright, that's good. I am so so tired. I've never worked this hard before, did you know? Never once! For like a month!"

"Honestly, it was very impressive, very admirable. I'm saying that honestly too. Some actual claps for that one." She offered him a brief set of claps, this time not of the fingers on palm variety.

"Honestly though, aren't I so good at choosing Knights? Archbishops too apparently. I think I deserve a few claps for that myself." She waited eagerly.

"Not happening, you told me why you went with me already. Too late to make it look intelligent."

"Haha, is that so? Well I suppose you're right, maybe I didn't earn it this time." There was a maliciousness behind her words that Simon couldn't place. "Anyway, with the Varokians dealt with for now I've got some thinking to do about what's next. Trust me, whatever I come up with, it'll be fun. For me at the very least."

"Don't we just try to return to the way things would have been? Not much we can do but rebuild really."

"Oh Simon, don't be so naïve." She floated toward him, staring into his face from only inches apart. "I'm one of the Gods too, you know. And I think I'm quite tired of getting beaten around." Her breath was icy cold. "And you my precious little Knight are going to be so very important for that."

"No, wait, what are you talking about? That's not right. I thought you only fought defensive wars!?"

"Ah well, maybe I will, maybe I won't." She began to float away from him again. "We'll see how I feel later. Anyway, time's up. Congratulations for now, Simon! War's over! Well done!"

Simon didn't wake with his usual haste. Instead, he found his body heavy and his breath strained. He had been placed back in his room yet again. He had spent so much time here now that it felt just like home.

He coughed as he lay there, the air painful in his lungs as he breathed. He'd seemingly pushed himself more than a little too far this time. Hethoria's words still weighed on his mind, but with what he'd seen of her till now, he couldn't be sure she wasn't toying with him. One hundred and fifty years of neutrality pointed to that idea after all. 

Deciding it'd be better to discuss it with her next time instead of brood, he tried to slowly push himself up but was stopped by a weight around his thighs.

Sonia was sitting in a chair with her head resting on her arms upon his bed. She was clearly deep asleep and Simon didn't dare move to wake her. While he'd seen her asleep during her two week coma, he'd never seen her so peacefully resting. Her face was serene, free of all the stress and the burdens she'd been carrying till now. She'd struggled every day to get the Order through the Varokian assault, but now she could finally just relax.

Simon marvelled at the way the sun shone against her hair. It was glowing like gold. Notably, she wasn't wearing her armour either, she was comfortably dressed in casual clothes unakin to anything he'd seen her wear before. They were still white and red though. He supposed that she was taking the rare opportunity to enjoy her appearance a bit now that she didn't need to look so completely unassailable for the men.

He thought back to their first meeting, how she had scared him, her head and body soaked in blood. It was hard to think of the Sonia now and the Sonia then as the same person. Yet it was undeniably her. When it was time to do her duty, she stood like an unbreaking pillar against the storm, a beacon you could flock to and never know fear - but when she slept like this, she was just as human as anyone else.

Simon had hoped to stay in the moment a bit longer, but a knock at the door started Sonia's stirring from slumber. "It's Gideon! Hope you're dressed because I'm coming in anyway!"

Gideon kicked open the door, both his hand evidently occupied. One held a tray very similar to the one he had brought Simon before, stacked with sandwiches and tea, the other held what looked like playing cards.

"I really am glad you don't use your lock. Makes doing something like this so much easier." He began to swoop in before seeing Sonia and stopping in his tracks.

"Oh my, I wasn't aware you had company. Terribly sorry for interrupting you, I'll leave you two to it shall I?"

"Just get over here already, and close the door would you?" Simon ignored Gideon's insinuations, understanding by now that it was best to just ignore them.

"Well, my Lord, my Lady" He bowed. "I've brought quite a delicious, if somewhat limited, assortment of food for you to peruse." He lay the tray over Simon's feet. "I had wanted to ask for something a bit more delicious like pastries, but the cooks are pretty busy cooking up the worlds largest feast for the celebration tonight." He happily plopped himself down on Simon's desk chair, relaxing back as he grabbed a sandwich from the tray. "Didn't much feel like heading to the city either, at least without some company. And I believe I may have found some."

Sonia finally finished stirring, sitting up groggily in her chair. "What are you doing here, Gideon?" she just about mumbled out.

"Making good company is what. I'd brought cards but I don't think that's necessary with three of us." He grabbed the box of cards he'd placed on the desk and threw it far behind his shoulder.

"He brought some food and some tea Sonia, it might help you wake up a little if you have some."

She nodded silently, picking up a cup before shakily pouring from the kettle. Gideon was beaming with glee.

"I believe I said it last time, but it really is so rare to see you so helpless, makes me just want to hug you tight. Don't you think so, Simon?"

"Well, I couldn't say..." Simon looked warily at her. Where just a moment ago sat a helpless maiden now sat a very awake Sonia. Gideon's words had seemingly proved so frightening to her subconscious that it had forced her awake.

"Helpless am I? Why don't you come stand right over here and see if you'd like to test that theory?"

Gideon jumped backwards, seemingly not having noticed the change until just now. "Aha, well I meant, with your clothes, you just look so charming, like a beautiful maiden." Gideon laughed nervously. "Not that you're not always a beautiful maiden, but not that you are either. Haha."

"I think what he's saying is that it's nice to see you so relaxed. You're always having to put on a brave face for everyone so it's good to see you let your guard down for once."

"Yes! What Simon said! Precisely what I meant!"

Sonia's expression softened. "Well, if it's you saying it Simon then I suppose I have to believe it." She turned back to Gideon, face hardening instantly. "Not like the words that come out of a certain someone's mouth."

"But anyway Simon, are you alright? You fainted yesterday during the spell but I managed to get you out in time. Are you feeling dizzy at all?"

"I think I'm fine, I was dizzy at first but that's gone now. Still feeling a bit stiff and it hurts to breathe a little but I think that'll go before too long."

She gently rested her hand on his shoulder. "That's good to hear. I was worried that the scale of it all might have made the effects worse."

"Nothing like that. I'm fine really."

"Alright. Then let me say thank you for what you did yesterday, you saved us all."

"And let me apologise." Gideon cut in. "I should've found a way to help you more during the battle, I could've stopped anything from happening. I should've been able to teleport away if I fell through the portal anyway, I was just being a coward."

"Woah, hold on, you don't need to thank me and you don't need to apologise either! We worked on all of this together. We're all the reason it worked out at, everyone here and everyone in the cloister. None of this gratitude or apologising, ok? Just because I'm the Knight doesn't make me a hero."

"Well ok, if you want it that way, fine."
"I accept too. But I will still commend you on a job well done."

Simon stretched a little, grabbing the half finished tray and putting it off to the side.

"Now, I've been so busy that I haven't had much chance to explore the city so those pastries from earlier sound good."

"Pastries it is then, my friend." Gideon almost jumped out of his seat.
"We'll wait for you outside, alright?" Sonia followed next, closing the door gently behind her.

The air was warm today, Simon thought, opening up his wardrobe and finding the same assortment of clothes as ever.

"I really should learn to wear some more of this stuff." Simon sighed.

Well, there would be plenty of time for that, he thought. After all, he had an entire new life to live.