Chapter Text
When Alrest ended, it was reborn on Elysium. With a new beginning, came a seemingly endless surplus of unknowns: new flora, new fauna, new land to explore. Despite that, some familiar routines remained.
“Give it up, shellhead.” Nia’s voice echoed through the trees, full of mirth and self-satisfaction as she talked back to the agitated man stomping after her.
“Oh, shut up!” he yelled back. “I’m telling you, Nia, not a word of this to the others."
“Ha!” She turned around to face him, walking backwards as she did. “And rob them of a laugh? Not a chance.” she grinned.
She turned back to the front and picked up her pace, Dromarch following to her right, solemnly shaking his head but secretly holding in a chuckle. He had a large basket on top of his back, secured around his stomach. Nia held another basket on one of her arms. Aunt Corrine needed some ingredients for her cooking and they volunteered to pick them up, doing their best to behave as cordial guests.
Meanwhile, Pandoria strolled behind Zeke, hugging her stomach as she leaned towards the front in pure laughter, fighting to get it together.
"Oh my prince!" she laughed. "I wish you could've seen yourself! I don't think I've ever seen a grown man so terrified of a fluffball."
Zeke dragged his hands over his face, cheeks reddening further. He was never going to live this down. “Not you too, Pandy! Cut your driver some slack!” He dramatically put a hand over his heart in betrayal. “That ball of fluff might’ve been cute but it was strong! We could’ve been badly injured!”
“Sorry my prince, I’m with Nia on this one.” she replied casually, dismissing him with a wave.
Zeke sighed. “At least Mòrag and Brighid won’t be there.” he offered to himself in consolation. The special inquisitor and her blade were probably the busiest people in Elysium ever since the people started their transition from titans to land. They hadn’t been able to visit as often, but they still kept in touch.
Right now they were probably accompanying the Emperor as he and Queen Raqura settled their negotiations regarding the borders. There had been some tension among people as the two most powerful nations talked it out, but they seemed to be getting along well enough, mainly thanks to Niall and his infinite cordiality. There was still some animosity between Urayans and Ardainians, but it was slowly diminishing.
If not attending political meetings, they were going all around the place participating in army matters or helping out Mor Ardain citizens with all kinds of matters, from pest control to land reconnaissance. That woman never took a break.
“What makes you think we can’t tell them tomorrow?” Nia taunted.
“Wait, tomorrow?” Zeke asked incredulously. “That’s news to me! I thought they were arriving next week.”
“Rex didn’t tell you?” Nia asked. “They sent a letter. Discussions with Uraya went well so their schedule freed up a bit.”
“Huh, well that’s good news for everyone I suppose.” Zeke mused.
“Things with Tantal went well, too, didn’t they?” Nia kept going. “Or are you still slacking off on your princely duties, your highness?”
“Oh, hush.” Zeke said. “Talks went well, and I needed to get out for a bit. I’m still not used to dealing with all of that stiffness.” he shuddered.
“Don’t worry, shellhead, nobody expects princely behavior from you at this point.” Nia said.
“True that.” Pandoria agreed.
“That’s rude! I can be princely.” he protested, half-heartedly. “Although you’re probably right. My old man definitely does though.” he sighed. “I don’t know how Mòrag keeps up with all of that, all the time. It’s as exhausting as I remembered.”
“Well, she was born and raised in that environment, I think it’s no wonder she can handle it so well.” Nia reflected.
“Haven’t seen her much, though. Barely got a word in on our breaks.” Zeke asked. “Wonder how she’s doing.”
“You miss her?” Nia asked, one brow raised.
Zeke blushed lightly. “Just curious, that’s all.”
“Oh?” Nia looked at him over her shoulder with an inquisitive but suggestive look, apparently pleased with his reaction. Zeke broke eye contact.
After a pause of awkward silence, Dromarch cleared his throat. “I, for one, am glad everyone has found the time for a much needed reunion. It certainly has been a while since we saw both of you along with Mòrag and Brighid.” he added.
“Yeah, it really has, hasn’t it?” Nia agreed, smiling. “It’s probably been the busiest couple of years of our lives.”
“Well, rebuilding Alrest from the ground up sure takes work.” Zeke said, stretching out his arms.
Shortly after a few minutes of strolling through the forest, the new Fonsett came into sight. It was still very small and in development, though Titan Fonsett wasn’t exactly a metropolis either. Although a lot of new people from the other countries felt both attracted by its charm and repelled from their home cities due to recent events, and so they had gotten some new habitants lately. They had actually not moved very far from their Titan. They settled on coastal land nearby. A patch of green next to the sea. They were surrounded by a forest, and further in and uphill you’d see a tall mountain as backdrop.
Corrine chose to keep her house much like her old one. Most people did, really. They kept their traditional architecture and overall layout. The most notable differences were that her crop fields were now on the same ground level, and with a blue sea in the background instead of a cloud sea.
As they got closer, the buzz of the village got stronger, as people went about their days. With the increased population the market was livelier than ever, and people kept working hard on the rebuilding efforts. They had been told a small festival would be starting today, as celebration of the anniversary of their arrival to Elysium. Rex was likely among them, working endlessly as always. Him and Mòrag had that in common.
Arriving at Corrine’s house, they saw Mythra outside on the porch, looking like she was about to take some firewood inside before she spotted them approaching.
“Oh, hey! Look who’s finally here.” she grinned, turning to them with her hands on her hips.
“We’re back!” Nia waved at her.
“What took so long?” Mythra asked.
“Oh, you will want to hear this.” Nia replied, voice full of amusement, almost hopping towards the house.
“Waitwaitwait I want to be there too!” Pandoria ran after her.
“Wha- Hey! Are you seriously doing this?!” Zeke asked, frozen and blushing before he ran right after them.
“Are Pyra and Rex back yet?” Nia asked as she stepped onto the porch.
“Pyra’s inside helping out Corrine, Rex went to the market to fetch some stuff but he’ll probably be back soon.” she explained.
“Alright, we’ll wait for them too, then.” Nia said. “Good news, shellhead, you get to keep your dignity for another 15 minutes.”
Zeke stopped in front of the house, glaring at Nia. “For Architect’s sake Nia, just drop it, it’s not even that funny!” he said as he regained his breath. Dromarch calmly walked up to his side. Pandoria was right behind Nia.
“C’mon, my prince. It’s not that big of a deal! It’s not like anybody will think less of you. I don’t think it’s possible to go lower!” She smiled good naturedly.
Zeke sighed. “Doesn’t help, Pandy.”
“Care to fill us in on what’s going on out here?” a serene, familiar voice asked from inside the house. They all directed their gaze at the door as two figures stepped out. Zeke’s face went from scowling to surprise.
“Mòrag! Brighid!” Nia was the first to speak, smiling at them. “I thought you were supposed to get here tomorrow.” she pointed out.
“Well, that was the plan, but Niall was quite insistent on us taking time off as soon as possible.” Mòrag explained, smiling to herself, looking down and closing her eyes as she recalled her brother practically pushing her out of the palace.
“Indeed.” Brighid added casually. “His majesty is very persuasive.”
“That, and her big sis has a soft spot for him, doesn’t she?” Nia teased amicably, hands on her waist.
Mòrag smiled with amusement. “Perhaps.” she admitted.
Zeke stared at them from behind the group. They both looked as regal as always. He himself was wearing his usual garments, with the armor plates removed. With Elysium going through a hopefully ever-lasting era of peace, Mòrag had adjusted, although begrudgingly, to not always having to wear her uniform and armor when not on duty. For her casual clothing this time she chose to wear a white, long-sleeve blouse, combined with a black, long and light coat with red accents, black pants and black, knee-high, military-looking boots. She kept her gloves, but she switched them for a pair of simpler black ones. The thing that surprised Zeke the most was, however, the fact that she had let her hair down.
‘She looks as graceful as ever, that one.’ he thought.
“You’re uncharacteristically quiet, prince Ozychlyrus.” Mòrag pointed out, teasingly, a barely visible smirk on her face.
Zeke snapped out of his trance as he heard his given name, and his eyes turned from awe to playful annoyance.
“Oh stop that, I’ve had enough of that name after all of those tedious discussions.” he grumbled.
Mòrag chuckled softly. “That’s understandable.” They both shared a look as a fond smirk adorned their faces, but the moment was cut short as they heard a shout in the distance.
“Would you look at that!” the young man shouted as he approached the house. “Everyone’s here!” he beamed.
“Rex!” Nia replied just as loudly, waving in his direction. “You’re right on time!”
Rex ran towards them, holding his gatherings from the market in both arms. He stopped right in front of the house to take everyone in, a wide smile on his face. In the past two years, he had grown quite a bit, so he was now just as tall as Mòrag. He kept a muscular but lean build, making sure to continue his training as a driver. In no time he would probably be as tall as Zeke.
“Chump!” Zeke greeted him. “Working hard, aren’t ya?”
“Of course! Have to do my part.” Rex answered, his smile never leaving his face.
“Oh, hey! Everyone’s here now.” Pyra spoke as she stepped out the door, smiling gently.
Shortly behind her peeked out a very familiar furball, along with their favorite artificial blade.
“All friends here!” Tora shouted out, wings flapping with joy.
“Friends all together again!” Poppi shouted out as well, doing a happy dance.
“Aunt Corrine and I are just about to get started with preparing dinner, so feel free to go sight seeing the town! The market has grown a lot, and there’s even a small fair going on for a few days. Maybe try out some games!” she clasped her hands at the center as she finished her sentence. “Oh, Rex, Nia, Dromarch can you bring in the stuff you collected? Tora, Poppi, you wanted to help, too, right? Mythra, the firewood please!” she gave out instructions as she walked back in, and they moved to follow her inside.
“Yeah, yeah.” Mythra replied as she picked up the firewood and followed the group.
“We’ll catch up later guys!” Rex said before he disappeared through the door.
Zeke, Pandoria, Mòrag and Brighid watched them walk by as they scrambled inside and left them outside on their own.
Zeke looked at Mòrag again. “Lively as ever, right?” Zeke said.
“I have no doubt.” Mòrag answered, smiling fondly as she looked after their retreating backs.
The four of them decided to leave them to prepare and made their way to the market in the meantime. It really had prospered, with the new inhabitants and the new resources available, it felt livelier than ever.
Pandoria and Brighid walked in front, catching up and frequently stopping to look and discuss the wares in the multiple stalls.
Mòrag and Zeke walked close behind them. Mòrag smiled at how at ease Brighid looked, and how easily she talked to Pandoria. She doesn’t think it would’ve been possible to witness such a scene if they hadn’t accomplished their goal. Brighid always focused one hundred percent on her duties, but as Mor Ardain was now out of the constant threats of war and their dying titan, she was able to give herself some time to relax more often.
Zeke interrupted her thoughts. “So… How’s Niall doing?” He started the conversation.
“He’s all right.” Mòrag replied. “He’s been terribly busy, but he’s handling it very well. If anything, he’s happy to be dealing with peace talks and diplomatic dinners instead of constant crisis control.”
Zeke hummed in understanding. “I guess Mor Ardain really was hanging by a thread, huh?”
“But we did not fall apart.” Mòrag said solemnly. “All thanks to his wise ruling.”
Zeke looked at her. “And you.” Zeke added. Mòrag turned to look at him, almost looking surprised, causing his cheeks to take on a very light red. He broke eye contact, turning his gaze back to the front. He scratched his cheek as he elaborated. “I-I mean, you went above and beyond to help Niall and your people. Give yourself more credit. They couldn’t have done it without you.”
Mòrag smiled softly at him, thankful, though Zeke noticed a hint of doubt, before she redirected her gaze back to the front as well. “Thank you.” she said. “Though I merely fulfill my duty, that’s all.” she added, barely audible among the bustle of the market. “If I were gone, someone else would fill my position.”
Zeke frowned at the deprecating sentence. “That’s-”
“Heeeeey! You two!” Pandoria called out to them, waving in their direction. Both turned to look in her direction. She had linked her arm to Brighid’s, who was standing beside her with a gentle smile on her face. They had been left further behind than they had realized. “We’re gonna stop by Cafe Lutino! Are you coming?”
“Go ahead, we’ll catch up soon.” Mòrag answered for them, raising her voice just enough for their blades to hear. Pandoria and Brighid both nodded and continued on their way.
Both Zeke and Mòrag stood in silence for a few moments. Zeke looked at her hoping to keep their conversation going, but Mòrag kept her eyes on Brighid and Pandoria until they disappeared from her sight.
“Mòrag.” Zeke called her.
“Would you… like to go look around the festival?” Mòrag suggested, eyes still set to the front.
‘Ok. She doesn't want to talk about it. Fair enough.’ Zeke thought.
“Uh, sure.” Zeke agreed. “Lead the way.”
Mòrag walked in the direction of the more colorful stalls, where lively music started to fill bystanders' ears. It looked like they were still in the process of setting up, but some people were already up and running their attractions.
They eventually stood in the middle of the makeshift entrance to the fair, where they observed as people worked hard to set up everything. People passed by them every now and then, some even would greet them when they recognized the heroes who saved Alrest.
The music was joyous and the decoration unbelievably colorful. The time for sunset was near, and the beautiful orange, blue, pink and purple hues in the sky attested to it.
“I never thought Fonsett would be so festive and boisterous. People even traveled here from other cities just to participate.” Mòrag thought out loud. “It still amazes me how much things have changed.”
“I hear you.” Zeke agreed. “I’m honestly still surprised when I see Tantalese mingling with everyone else. Never thought I’d see the day.” He stood with his arms crossed, a contemplative but proud look on his face.
They both smiled softly while observing the scene before them, taking in their world’s current situation.
“We really made it.” Mòrag said, almost just to herself.
Zeke chuckled to himself. “Only took you two years to realize, huh?”
Mòrag rolled her eyes. “Oh, you know what I mean.” Despite her annoyed tone, she did not stop smiling.
Zeke turned his head to see her. In her eyes were reflected the light and colors as she regarded it all. There was a rare, joyous wonder in her gaze, which Zeke didn’t think he had ever noticed before. He found himself thinking once more of how lovely she-
‘Shit.’. He gulped. A blush crept onto his face once again.
“Hey! You two over there!” A voice broke them out of their unintentional reverie.
They both shot their gazes in the direction of the voice. An older man in one of the nearby stalls was waving in their direction, calling for their attention. A tall, strange device stood behind him, painted with flashy colors. At the base of it was a square, small platform with some kind of pressure plate. The vertical part of it looked like a thermometer, and at the top something that looked like a bell.
They shared a confused look, confirming neither of them knew the man, and then proceeded to approach him.
“Uh, hello.” Zeke greeted him. “Need help with something?”
“Oh, no, not at all.” The man clarified. “Aren’t you two part of the Aegis crew?” he asked with a smile.
“Ah.” Mòrag said first. “Well, yes, that is correct.”
“Fantastic!” the man exclaimed. “Then that means you’re fighters, aren’t you?”
Zeke felt confused as to where this was going. “Yeah?”
“So you must be plenty strong!” the man continued.
A smug grin plastered itself over Zeke’s face. “You got that right, old man. People call me Thunderbolt Zeke for a reason”. He placed his hands on his hips, grin widening impossibly further as he recalled his nickname. Mòrag sighed beside him. “And this is the Flamebringer over here.” he added, nodding his head towards Mòrag, less enthusiastically.
The man let out a belly laugh. “Thunder and flame! What an explosive combination!” he exclaimed, seemingly delighted by the fact. “Then please, would you help me and try out this fun little game I built?”
“How do you play?” Zeke asked. Mòrag admitted to herself she was somewhat curious as well.
“Well, you just need to take this hammer I’ve got here…” He grunted with effort as he lifted a large metal hammer, which he handed to Zeke. The Tantal prince was caught off guard with how heavy it was. He almost let it fall to the ground, but he steeled himself on time. “... aaand you use it to hit this small plate here.” The man walked closer to the device to point at the base of the device they had noticed earlier.
“And what will that achieve?” Mòrag asked next.
“It’ll show you how strong you are!” The man exclaimed with open arms. “Well, to be specific, it’ll launch this little ball down here…” he pointed at a ball that was settled at the bottom of the vertical plank. “And the higher it goes, the higher your score.” He concluded.
“Oh? That does sound fun.” Zeke grinned. “What do you say, Mòrag? Wanna give it a whack? Think you can beat the Zekenator?”
Mòrag grinned back at him. “Sure.” she said coolly. “It should not be a problem.”
Zeke looked at her defiantly as his grin widened. “Alright! Let’s do it. Tough luck having us play first, old man, this will probably be the best hit you get all night. Prepare to be awed, Flamebringer!” he boasted. Zeke walked in front of the device, widening his stance to ground himself properly when he lifted the hammer. He lifted the hammer about as high as his head, then he put as much strength as he could on the drop to hit the plate.
The ball went a little over half of the meter. It made a flat thud sound as it settled back at the bottom.
Both Zeke’s and Mòrag’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment. Then, Mòrag made her best to hold in a laugh, looking impossibly amused. She put one of her hands over her mouth to hide the grin on her face. “Is that what’s supposed to impress me?” she said, her tone uncharacteristically playful, laughter slipping through her words.
Zeke’s face reddened as his mouth gaped in disbelief. “What?! Hey, old man, I thought it was supposed to go to the top?!”
“It sure is! But you have to be strong enough, of course.” the man guffawed.
“For Architect’s sake.” Zeke complained. “I’ll go again! That was just a test.” He quickly positioned himself and tried again, but the ball only went about half an inch higher. “Oh, come on!”
“I think that’s enough, Zeke.” Mòrag put a hand over his shoulder as she walked up to his side. “It’s my turn.” she said. She had a serious expression plastered over her face, but Zeke could hear the sass disguised in her voice.
“Fine! Here.” He handed over the hammer, resigned, and Mòrag took his place in front of the machine. She repeated a similar process, except she lifted the hammer as high as possible without falling back, to then bring it down with force. The ball went up through three quarters of the bar.
“Oh! Nice job, young lady.” The man congratulated her.
“Aw, shucks.” Zeke said, kicking the dirt at his feet, disappointment clear in his voice. “I guess it’s your win.”
“Hold on.” Mòrag said. “Is that it?”
“What do you mean, ‘Is that it?’? You beat me!”
“Yes, but barely!” She raised her voice slightly. “That wasn’t satisfying at all! I thought it would reach the top.”
Zeke looked at her incredulously. "Overachiever much, maybe?"
"What, don't you want to see it, too?" she asked him.
Zeke considered it. "I mean…"
"You're both free to keep trying if you'd like. The fair hasn't started yet, so you have some time to keep going." the man suggested.
Mòrag and Zeke exchanged a determined look. No hesitation in either of their faces.
"First to ring that bell is the victor?" Mòrag asked him first.
Zeke gave her a cocky smirk. "You're on."
It had been at least an hour. The sun had set, and the festival was underway in full fervor. It soon became more crowded. A smaller crowd gathered around Mòrag and Zeke as they kept going at the game. They looked at them with a mixture of awe and disbelief, some going as far as to cheer them on.
Though the night was somewhat chilly, they had worked up a sweat by this point. Zeke’s hair was disheveled and sweaty. Mòrag was in similar condition, but she put her hair up in a ponytail and rolled up the sleeves of her coat and blouse. The amount of effort was noticeable in both of them by the way the veins on their arms popped out slightly.
At some point they had stopped competing, and now they were just desperate to make that bell sound. They were only a couple inches away from achieving it, too focused to mind the crowd. The owner observed with delight at the whole scene, happy for the attention.
“Focus, Zeke!” Mòrag coached him, hands on her waist. “Widen your stance a bit more.”
“I know, I know!” Zeke answered, laser focused on the task. He rubbed his hands together as he prepared to lift the hammer again. Finally, he hit the plate one more time. The ball was an inch away from the bell.
The crowd aw’d in disappointment.
"All right." Mòrag sighed. "We’re close." She moved to take her place once again, Zeke moving to stand a couple of steps behind her.
Her arms ached from all the attempts so far. The soreness caused her grip on the hammer to falter for a second, and so she gave it more momentum than she intended, causing it to break her balance, pulling her back and down towards the ground.
Her wrist twisted forcefully in an odd direction when she tried to readjust her grip on the hammer, forcing her to let go of it. It fell to her side while she fell to the ground. She cursed herself for her clumsiness. “Shit-”
“Oh, shit! Caref-” she heard Zeke call out, and in the next instant she felt a body behind her.
Zeke tried to halt her momentum, and she felt momentary relief, thinking she was out of danger, but in the rush of the moment he did not ground his feet properly, and the hammer’s force added to Mòrag’s caused the push against him to be strong enough to push them both back.
“Uh-oh.” he said.
They hit the ground in an instant. Zeke fell on his butt, and Mòrag followed right after. Her back hit against his chest, and her head hit his chin. They both immediately grabbed their aching body parts, grunting in pain.
Some of the people in the crowd quietly asked if they were okay.
"Architect's sake, Mòrag. What happened?" Zeke said.
"I apologize." she said. "I lost my grip."
Zeke sighed. "Are you okay?"
"Yes." she answered. "Are you?"
Zeke took a moment to contemplate their position. Both of them, sitting on the ground. Mòrag is still leaning back against his chest, and she's sitting between his legs. When he faced down, his nose briefly caught the scent of her hair.
His blush came more prominent this time.
"Uh, I-I'm fine. Not a scratch. Disastrous falls are what I'm known for, remember?" he replied eventually.
"Good." she said. Then, she decided to try standing up, but she didn't go far as her wrist resented the sudden pressure. "Shit." She winced in pain, holding it with her other hand.
"What is it?" Zeke asked, ditching his embarrassment to replace it with concern. "You hurt your wrist?"
"So it seems." Mòrag replied casually.
"Let me see." He set out his open hand in a silent request for her to place her wrist in it. She pondered it for a moment before removing her glove halfway and showing him her hand. He gently took it in his palm, thumb making light pressure on it. Mòrag frowned at the piercing pain that followed.
Zeke leaned forward as he analyzed the injury, his face settling next to her own, looking over her shoulder. He put his other hand over her other shoulder.
Mòrag felt his warm breath beside her. She resisted the instinct to turn her head and look at him, realizing only in that moment how near they were and their position, her cheeks reddening as it dawned on her. It made her feel… odd.
Zeke frowned. "It does look pretty nasty." he pointed out.
"Right…" Mòrag did her best to keep her voice steady. "It isn't too bad. Nia can probably take care of it later…"
"What are you two doing?!" a girl's voice came from the crowd. Speak of the devil…
A blur of purple and blue filled their vision as Brighid immediately kneeled at their side to check on her driver. “Lady Mòrag! Are the two of you all right?”
“My prince! What are you two doing?!” Pandoria spoke next.
Zeke and Mòrag looked behind them to find a perplexed Nia standing in front of the crowd and looking down at them, hands on her waist. Pandoria stood beside her as well, staring slightly confused, but steadily shifting to amused.
“Oh.” Zeke said first “Pandy, Nia, Brighid, what brings you here?”
“Hello?! Dinner, remember?!” Nia answered back. “I came looking for you all to let you know dinner’s ready, but then all I found was a concerned Brighid and Pandoria looking for you ‘cause you never showed up at the cafe!” she explained. “What’s going on?! Why does it look like you’re putting on a show here?!”
“Honestly, this is the last place we thought to look in. Who knew.” Pandoria added.
Mòrag sighed. “Thank you, Brighid. I’m all right, I just seem to have sprained my wrist.” she spoke solemnly. “And apologies for causing you concern, we seem to have gotten a bit carried away.”
“A bit?!” Nia asked incredulously. “You two look like you’ve just battled Aion all over again! And why are you cuddling down on the dirt, in front of all of these people, of all places?!”
Mòrag and Zeke looked at themselves, only realizing until then how worked up they had gotten, and how their position could be interpreted. They turned red in an instant. Brighid was still kneeled beside them, analyzing her driver's injury.
“H-hold on, it’s not what it- We’re not-” Zeke stammered.
Nia sighed in defeat. There was no point in prolonging the matter. These two weren’t going to figure it out anytime soon. "Anyway, are you two done with your little date? Pyra and the others are waiting for us."
Their eyes widened. "D-date?!" Mòrag stuttered.
"Woah, hang on a sec, we just-" Zeke interjected as well.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever" Nia dismissed them with her hand. "Just get a move on, lovebirds."
"We- I-" Mòrag tried.
"We didn't-" Zeke tried as well. They were both too flustered to get out a sentence, looking like a pair of children busted in the act, swearing on their innocence. Both Brighid and Pandoria looked at them with a mix of sympathy and amusement.
Still, they had yet to break their position. They were both too concerned with trying to convince the others. Zeke had only let go of Mòrag’s hand when Brighid took possession of it. Nia turned around, sighing as she walked away.
“Lady Mòrag. Zeke.” Brighid spoke calmly, hiding her amusement. “Let us go back as well.” she asked, standing up. Pandoria laughed into her hand.
Both looked back at her, faces still flushed red. Mòrag managed to calm herself at hearing’s Brighid’s composed tone, taking a deep breath. “Right…”
Zeke collected himself a moment after, clearing his throat. He leaned back on his hands, looking up. He took a second to contemplate the night sky, before proceeding to stand up. Mòrag followed him with her eyes, and then she looked at his hand as he extended it out to her.
“Shall we?” he said, his face keeping a light reddish tone.
Mòrag contemplated it for a beat before she lifted her uninjured hand and took it. Zeke pulled her up, and soon they were standing in front of each other. They promptly let go of their hands, sharing a look, though they didn’t really know what kind of answer they were looking for as they kept each other’s gaze, it was only apparent how embarrassed they were. At least it made them feel a little better that the embarrassment was mutual.
Brighid looked at them, and then back at Pandoria. With a knowing smile, she started walking back as well, Pandoria in toe, leaving their drivers to their devices once again. Just with one look, they had agreed to let them figure it out.
Mòrag didn’t know why she felt so bashful. They hadn’t been doing anything more than playing a game together. She’d say it was fun, even, despite how far they had let themselves get carried away… Out of everything though, she felt the most confused about the way her stomach fluttered when she felt his breath on her neck. She looked away as she recalled the sentiment. They’re friends. She had no reason to feel that way.
Zeke kept staring at her. He suppressed a part of him that wanted to reach out and remove the strand of hair that fell over one of her eyes, and he frowned. Why? There was nothing to it, was there? Yet, it felt like he shouldn’t, tempting as it might be.
It felt like a strange tension had suddenly been built between them, unsurpassable, uncomfortable. Like everyone was looking at them in a way they didn’t see each other. The crowd around them steadily dispersed as they awkwardly just stood there.
The owner of the game came up to them. “Well!” he clapped them on their backs, momentarily snapping them out of their uncomfortable thoughts. Zeke and Mòrag turned to him, surprised and embarrassed. “Looks like you two need to leave, but feel free to come back anytime, yeah? I’ll be here throughout the next few days while the festival lasts. You two kids sure were a joy to watch!” he laughed as he left their side. He went on to look for more clients.
Whatever weird unease had suddenly grown between them, it felt wrong. The two of them weren’t always friends, but they never had trouble talking to each other before, or simply being in quiet company.
Mòrag decided to stop thinking about it, for now. She took one last glance at Zeke, signaling with her head to start walking back to the house. She led the way, Zeke following reluctantly, eyes focused on her retreating form.
In silence, they made their way back to Aunt Corrine’s.
As they got closer to the house, the noise from the festival quieted down. They walked past the market, proceeding then to the residential area through the village’s paths, accompanied only by the background noise of the night and people turning in for the day. They found themselves on a part framed only by rocks, trees and bushes, enlightened mostly by moonlight.
Neither of them spoke up. Mòrag walked in front, contemplating the sea on the horizon, while Zeke continued to stare at the back of her head, hoping she’d break the silence. He wanted to, but nothing came to mind. It felt like something had shifted between them, now that another idea had been injected into their thoughts.
As friends, talking to each other came naturally. Crossing paths in so many of the political meetings they attended, they had been seeing each other a lot, even if they could only speak briefly. Mòrag had scolded him at first for not taking things as seriously as she though he should, so Zeke put more effort into playing his part. He wanted to show her he had every intention now to eventually take over his father and lead his kingdom.
Eventually she came to acknowledge his efforts, going as far as to offer him praise, even if he did afterwards make her regret it with his antics of wanting even more. She warmed up to him further the more time they spent together, and let herself relax with idle chat every now and then in their brief periods of freedom. Consequently, they became closer.
Mòrag had started to miss his presence when Tantal did not participate. Zeke felt disappointed whenever they couldn’t find the time to talk. For both of them, their banter made long days more bearable.
Even Pandoria and Brighid got closer, as they sometimes had to stand by elsewhere while discussions took place, so they took to spending time together, every now and then they dragged Aegeon in as well.
Deep inside they were both happy, to have someone within their same positions that they could confide in, someone that could relate to their experiences, even if they had grown up very differently. At some point, though both were too proud to ever admit it even to themselves, they started to yearn for each other’s company.
Which made it all the more… irritating, that now, all that had been disrupted. Zeke asked himself why, if nothing really had happened. Nia made a stupid comment, and that was it. It wasn’t supposed to have as much of an effect as it did.
Except it did, and all of the things they thought they knew about how they felt about each other were thrown out the window, all because the one possibility they had thought of and ignored, buried underneath denial and fear, was suddenly thrown in their faces, and they couldn’t easily push it aside anymore. But it really couldn't be that, could it?
Without knowing what to say still, he tried calling out to her. “Mó-”
“It’s a lovely evening, isn’t it?” she interrupted, voice her usual low and steady tone. Whether it had been intentionally or not, Zeke did not know, but he went along with it, grateful to break the deafening silence.
“Uh, yeah…” He scratched the back of his head, unsure of where to take the conversation. “A bit chilly now that we’ve cooled off, huh?”
“Yes…” She seemed somewhat absent-minded, eyes locked on the horizon. It was very unlike her, he thought.
For Mòrag, her thoughts drifted to the warmth she felt when he had leaned over her shoulder earlier, and he placed his hand on her shoulder, and felt his chest against her back, breath on her neck, heartbeat accelerating… The cool wind made her miss it. That was it, it wasn’t Zeke, it was the cold that made her miss… him.
“Zeke.” she said.
He waited for her to continue, but she did not. “Yeah?”
Mòrag stopped, and it made Zeke stop as well. She half-turned her body to look at him.
“Is there something we’re not…” she frowned as she trailed off her words, thinking over them. Zeke waited patiently, hopeful that she had figured it out for the both of them, or that she’d say what deep down he thought but was terrified to admit.
“No.” she continued. “Nevermind.”
Disappointment pooled at the pit of his stomach, but when she started walking again, he followed wordlessly.