[fill] Until I Draw My Last Breath
Title: Until I Draw My Last Breath
Game: Fire Emblem 8: The Sacred Stones
Rating: G
Prompt: Seth>Eirika, Eirika/anyone – he remains faithful to his duty as her knight, even as it kills him inside, bit by bit.
Word Count: 898
Summary: A greet cheer went up from the crowd as Eirika and Forde smiled and waved. For a moment, Eirika turned, and smiled at Seth, and his heart plunged into his stomach.
What mattered most was Eirika's happiness.
Seth remembers her wedding day vividly. He had been the one to give her away, in the absence of her father. Exquisite in white, she clung to his arm, eyes shining with happiness.
Her husband-to-be waited for them, shifting uncomfortably in full formal wear. In a way, it would be easier if Seth could have hated him, could have believed he took her for granted and didn't know how lucky he was.
But he had fought side by side with Forde, and though he appeared lax in his duties, Seth knew how deep his feelings for their King and Queen ran, and how seriously he took Eirika's well being.
It could have been the other way around, Seth used to think. If he hadn't been seriously injured in Jehanna and had to abstain from the rest of the campaign, he might been the knight at Eirika's side through it all, and it might have been him who she had fallen in love with.
But in the end, it didn't matter, because it hadn't happened that way.
Seth smiled, along with everyone else, as Forde took her into his arms and kissed her, though his wounds ached anew, and he kept his eyes on Forde's hands, making sure they stayed above the waist.
He rode behind the newlyweds as they came out of the castle to greet the people of Renais for the first time as man and wife. Franz rode beside him, near bursting with brotherly pride.
A greet cheer went up from the crowd as Eirika and Forde smiled and waved. For a moment, Eirika turned, and smiled at Seth, and his heart plunged into his stomach.
Afterwards, Ephraim and Tana congratulated them, Tana kissing both Forde and Eirika enthusiastically on the cheek, Ephraim embracing his sister and slapping Forde on the back.
L'Arachel and Innes are next, L'Arachel already tipsy with champagne and overly affectionate, Innes stiff but sincere. And then there was Joshua and Natasha, the one grinning madly, the other smiling sweetly. Happiness abounded.
Seth shares a tiny room with Kyle in the barracks. There aren't many secrets between them, and Seth suspects Kyle knows of his passion. He doesn't mind, because they aren't so different, Kyle and he. Kyle also chose to serve rather than to settle down, though there were certainly women who looked his way.
Seth hasn't figured out yet who it is that Kyle holds deep in his heart, but he knows that the royal weddings left him less than pleased.
Now Eirika is starting to be great with child, and Forde's remarkable portrait of her hangs prominently in the castle. Seth walks by that portrait every day, trying not to meet the portrait's warm and lively eyes.
He sees her stumble one day, and seizes hold of her before she can fall. And for a moment, it is like it was on that terrible, beautiful night, when she held fast to him as they raced away from Renais in the moonlight. Eirika's breath catches, and her hands move to her stomach, and he remembers that she is carrying another man's child.
"Thank you, Seth," she says softly, as he releases her.
"I am pleased to serve you, my Queen," he replies, and means, I love you.
Eirika's child is born in the fall, when the leaves are just beginning to change color. It is a girl. After some consideration, she is named for Forde's mother.
For all that her father named her, the child bears the unmistakable stamp of Renais royalty on her face. Always, Seth knows, he will think of her as Eirika's child.
He watches them together, month after month, as the little girl grows bigger and more demanding, and begins to teethe. And of course, he watches Forde, as he dangles little charms over her face and laughs as she bats at them. Watches as Forde steals kisses from the Queen and wraps his arms around her as their child yawns.
Seth thought once he couldn't hate Forde, he knew him too well. He doesn't hate him, but he finds himself increasingly unpleasant in his company. Forde has everything beyond his wildest dreams. Seth has nothing but his duty, and even that is becoming more difficult with age.
Eirika's daughter has a little cousin now, a baby boy born of Ephraim and Tana. The future king of Renais, named for his grandfather. Seth knows he will one day serve this boy, but he keeps a closer watch on the young princess. She may not be his daughter, but he would protect her with his life.
Time does not tarnish Eirika's beauty. Lines begin to appear on her face, and she wears her hair up, but maturity lends her a grace that suits a Queen.
"Seth," she says often, "we have so many wonderful knights serving us now, most of which you've trained. You've done enough for Renais. Please, make a life for yourself-- find a loving wife, and settle down in the countryside somewhere.."
"But my Queen," he replies, "this is my life."
Game: Fire Emblem 8: The Sacred Stones
Rating: G
Prompt: Seth>Eirika, Eirika/anyone – he remains faithful to his duty as her knight, even as it kills him inside, bit by bit.
Word Count: 898
Summary: A greet cheer went up from the crowd as Eirika and Forde smiled and waved. For a moment, Eirika turned, and smiled at Seth, and his heart plunged into his stomach.
What mattered most was Eirika's happiness.
Seth remembers her wedding day vividly. He had been the one to give her away, in the absence of her father. Exquisite in white, she clung to his arm, eyes shining with happiness.
Her husband-to-be waited for them, shifting uncomfortably in full formal wear. In a way, it would be easier if Seth could have hated him, could have believed he took her for granted and didn't know how lucky he was.
But he had fought side by side with Forde, and though he appeared lax in his duties, Seth knew how deep his feelings for their King and Queen ran, and how seriously he took Eirika's well being.
It could have been the other way around, Seth used to think. If he hadn't been seriously injured in Jehanna and had to abstain from the rest of the campaign, he might been the knight at Eirika's side through it all, and it might have been him who she had fallen in love with.
But in the end, it didn't matter, because it hadn't happened that way.
Seth smiled, along with everyone else, as Forde took her into his arms and kissed her, though his wounds ached anew, and he kept his eyes on Forde's hands, making sure they stayed above the waist.
He rode behind the newlyweds as they came out of the castle to greet the people of Renais for the first time as man and wife. Franz rode beside him, near bursting with brotherly pride.
A greet cheer went up from the crowd as Eirika and Forde smiled and waved. For a moment, Eirika turned, and smiled at Seth, and his heart plunged into his stomach.
Afterwards, Ephraim and Tana congratulated them, Tana kissing both Forde and Eirika enthusiastically on the cheek, Ephraim embracing his sister and slapping Forde on the back.
L'Arachel and Innes are next, L'Arachel already tipsy with champagne and overly affectionate, Innes stiff but sincere. And then there was Joshua and Natasha, the one grinning madly, the other smiling sweetly. Happiness abounded.
Seth shares a tiny room with Kyle in the barracks. There aren't many secrets between them, and Seth suspects Kyle knows of his passion. He doesn't mind, because they aren't so different, Kyle and he. Kyle also chose to serve rather than to settle down, though there were certainly women who looked his way.
Seth hasn't figured out yet who it is that Kyle holds deep in his heart, but he knows that the royal weddings left him less than pleased.
Now Eirika is starting to be great with child, and Forde's remarkable portrait of her hangs prominently in the castle. Seth walks by that portrait every day, trying not to meet the portrait's warm and lively eyes.
He sees her stumble one day, and seizes hold of her before she can fall. And for a moment, it is like it was on that terrible, beautiful night, when she held fast to him as they raced away from Renais in the moonlight. Eirika's breath catches, and her hands move to her stomach, and he remembers that she is carrying another man's child.
"Thank you, Seth," she says softly, as he releases her.
"I am pleased to serve you, my Queen," he replies, and means, I love you.
Eirika's child is born in the fall, when the leaves are just beginning to change color. It is a girl. After some consideration, she is named for Forde's mother.
For all that her father named her, the child bears the unmistakable stamp of Renais royalty on her face. Always, Seth knows, he will think of her as Eirika's child.
He watches them together, month after month, as the little girl grows bigger and more demanding, and begins to teethe. And of course, he watches Forde, as he dangles little charms over her face and laughs as she bats at them. Watches as Forde steals kisses from the Queen and wraps his arms around her as their child yawns.
Seth thought once he couldn't hate Forde, he knew him too well. He doesn't hate him, but he finds himself increasingly unpleasant in his company. Forde has everything beyond his wildest dreams. Seth has nothing but his duty, and even that is becoming more difficult with age.
Eirika's daughter has a little cousin now, a baby boy born of Ephraim and Tana. The future king of Renais, named for his grandfather. Seth knows he will one day serve this boy, but he keeps a closer watch on the young princess. She may not be his daughter, but he would protect her with his life.
Time does not tarnish Eirika's beauty. Lines begin to appear on her face, and she wears her hair up, but maturity lends her a grace that suits a Queen.
"Seth," she says often, "we have so many wonderful knights serving us now, most of which you've trained. You've done enough for Renais. Please, make a life for yourself-- find a loving wife, and settle down in the countryside somewhere.."
"But my Queen," he replies, "this is my life."