A Brief Respite

“I’m, uh... H-Hold on! Shouldn’t I be the one saying that to you!?”

Viviane grinned, shaking her head as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. She leaned against the headboard of the cot, resting her hands in Medrauta’s. “Nevermind. I’m sorry for passing out so suddenly like that.”

“N-No! Don’t apologize!” Medrauta said quickly. “Besides, I guess I know how you feel now when I suddenly collapse.”

“Not too great, huh?” Viviane giggled. “You look like you’ve got a lot on your mind though.”

“Hm? What do you mean?” Medrauta frowned, pondering the cause behind Viviane’s latest statement. It was true that she had a couple things to consider after her chat with Scarlet and the memories of those childhood stories she’d regained, but they were hardly on her mind at the moment.

“I mean you look like you’ve been thinking a bit too much about something simple, Medrauta.” Viviane grinned. “Besides, isn’t there something you forgot?”

“...Something I forgot?” Medrauta looked around, searching for something she might’ve missed but finding nothing.

“My good morning kiss, silly!” Viviane laughed. “I know it’s probably late into the afternoon by now, but don’t you always kiss me when I wake up?”

“Ah... Right.” Medrauta’s cheeks reddened, averting her gaze from Viviane’s. She had no idea why, but she suddenly found the idea extremely embarrassing despite having done so regularly. “I’m... Am I really allowed to?”

Viviane frowned, surprised at her knight’s reaction. Normally, Medrauta would’ve just leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the lips without too much thought, but her behavior now was highly unusual. She peered a little closer at Medrauta’s face, causing the knight’s flushing cheeks to deepen in shade.

Sure enough, there’s something bothering her, huh...? Viviane pursed her lips, thinking for a moment before coming to a decision. Abruptly, she gripped her knight’s hands tightly and pulled Medrauta toward herself, eliciting a yelp of surprise from the knight.

Before Medrauta could react, Viviane planted a kiss on her beloved knight’s lips, holding her there for several seconds before finally allowing Medrauta to break free.

“Of course you are,” Viviane replied. “Since when did you forget that you’re my girlfriend?”

“No, I mean... I know. It’s just that I was thinking about...” Medrauta hesitated, not sure how to put her thoughts into words. After all, there was no easy way for her to explain her feelings after learning of the conditions for awakening a Paladin’s Oath.

Conditions she somehow still hadn’t met despite all she’d done.

“Hey, Medrauta.” Viviane said abruptly, interrupting Medrauta’s thoughts. “We’re going to be on the attack tomorrow again. You’ll be fighting the behemoth, and I... I know you’ll win, but it’ll be a while until we get a moment to ourselves.”

Medrauta nodded wordlessly. Tomorrow would mark the beginning of their first real push to the second shield tower. The second shield tower where the Walpurgisknight lay in wait.

“I know you’ve got a lot to think about, but if it’s not too selfish for me to ask, could you think about nothing else but me today? Let’s spend this day together, just the two of us.”

The tips of Medrauta’s ears reddened immensely as Viviane leaned closer, unable to avert her eyes from her lady’s golden gaze. Again, Viviane planted a kiss on Medrauta’s lips, the knight’s willpower capitulating under the indescribably soft sensation. When Viviane finally pulled herself away, the only thing Medrauta could manage was a meek “Okay.”

Despite the field hospital being an informal medical facility, the medical staff still kept a rather detailed record of patients. After formally signing herself out, Viviane led Medrauta out of the camp and toward a large boulder in the distance. It was one of the few pieces of natural cover that still dotted the plain landscape, and though the witchspawn likely could’ve removed it from the grassy plains, the commander evidently didn’t deem the effort worthwhile.

The two sat atop the large rock, staring off into the still-blue horizon. The sun had already passed its zenith and was slowly lowering toward the western part of the sky, but its golden rays still illuminated the world for now.

Medrauta and Viviane both turned to one another simultaneously, exchanging a glance and a comfortable smile before returning their gaze to the slowly reddening sky. While the Spire in the distance still remained a constant reminder of their duties, they managed to find solace in each other’s company even for a brief while.

It’d been a long time since the two of them had a moment of silence like this, away from their responsibilities as the spearhead of the counterattack against the witchspawn. Viviane’s hand crept across the rough surface of the boulder they sat upon, meeting Medrauta’s. Their fingers intertwined together, her knight shuffling closer and leaning against her shoulder.

“Hey, Vivi...” Medrauta began, her voice slightly shaky.

“Hm?”

“What do you think of me? Not as a lover, but as your knight. Have I... Have I done my best to fulfill my oath to you?”

“Of course you have,” Viviane answered without hesitation. “You’ve protected me all this time. You’ve created a path for me to follow, and you’ve always supported me unconditionally, Medrauta. As a knight, I think you pass with flying colors!”

“Is that so...?” Medrauta’s voice trailed off as she digested Viviane’s statement.

While it was true that she had protected Viviane and helped further her goals for the most part, there were still a couple occasions where she had failed to properly do her duty. For one, she had allowed a vagrant to draw Viviane’s blood back at the run-down town of Orinth, and more recently she had nearly allowed Viviane to perish at the blade of the Walpurgisknight.

“It is.” Viviane said firmly, placing both hands on Medrauta’s shoulders. “Medrauta, I’m not sure why you’re doubting yourself, but if you’re concerned about my recent collapse, it has nothing to do with you. That was... my own fault.”

“It’s not that, Vivi. It’s just... Something that Lady Scarlet said. I haven’t told you yet, but I... I think I’m a Paladin, Vivi.”

A spark of trepidation flickered across Viviane’s eyes for a moment, fading just as quickly as it came. Her eyes slid to the side as if attempting to hide something from Medrauta. “Yes, I know...”

“Y-You do?” Medrauta’s voice was rife with surprise. So far, the only person she’d revealed such information to was Scarlet, and to make things even more confusing for the knight, it looked as though Viviane knew more. A lot more.

“When I collapsed, it was because I was too careless. I found myself back in the Lake after using too much power and I met Emrys again.”

“...Did she know something about me?”

Viviane nodded wordlessly. Although she wished for nothing more than to reveal the entire truth she’d learned to Medrauta and restore her knight’s missing memories, she knew she couldn’t. IT wasn’t the time nor place, and there were far more important things for Medrauta to focus on at the moment rather than dwell in the past.

That, and I don’t know how she’ll react to regaining all her memories so suddenly... Viviane didn’t even want to think of the consequences. At best, Medrauta would likely collapse for a period of several days while her mind processed the newly regained memories. At worst, she wouldn’t wake up for years.

Medrauta pressed her lips into a thin line upon seeing Viviane’s silence. It was more than obvious that her lady was aware of some vital information pertaining to her past and her status as a Paladin. Perhaps her lady might even know the reason why her Oath hadn’t awakened yet, but for some reason, Viviane was choosing not to tell her.

The silver-haired knight resisted the urge to sigh or make any visible gestures of displeasure.

Whatever the reason is, it’s probably a good one. Medrauta thought. If she didn’t trust Viviane, then there was no one else in the world she could trust.

“...You don’t have to tell me if you can’t, Vivi.”

“I’m sorry, Medrauta. It’s just... You’ll understand everything once we reach the second shield tower. I promise.”

The pain of hiding something from her beloved knight was evident in Viviane’s eyes. After all, she had resolved to be the one that pulled Medrauta from the darkness no matter what. She had promised to be her knight’s ray of shining light no matter how deep the abyss went. Yet just this time, she was forced to keep Medrauta in the dark.

The very thought made her heart tremble with regret, but she had made a promise with Emrys, and more than that, she knew she couldn’t irresponsibly flood Medrauta’s mind with memories of the past, particularly the more traumatic ones. Instead, all she could do was meet her knight’s clear blue eyes apologetically.

Medrauta offered Viviane a gentle smile, holding her lady’s gaze lovingly. No matter what, she had already resolved to place her heart in Viviane’s hands. Even if Viviane asked for her life, she would give it without hesitation. After all, that was what a knight was supposed to do.

Medrauta leaned closer toward Viviane, pressing her lips against her beloved lady’s forehead. “I trust you, Vivi.”