Not long after Shafir and Eliqinor entered the manor, there was a crowd of people hounding them. Many were other knights in service to the house, while others were servants who fussed over the two. For some of them they saw the young master and Shafir as their own adopted children, and worried about their health. The crowd soon grew quiet from the sound of footsteps and the drum of wheels on the wooden floors. 

“Eliqinor,” Eliqinor’s mother, Lady Gweyin, said. Behind her stood his father, Miarie, and further behind him was Shafir’s mother. His heart ached when he saw how red and swollen her eyes were. Even if they were fighting, getting hurt like this must have scared her. “I heard about what happened.”

The Empress must have had someone give a full debriefing before they got here. That explained why she had commanded them to go home, one to face their wrath but also to explain it to their parents as well. The men were more than likely to face punishment from their parents on top of whatever the Empress had planned for them. 

“Mother-” As Eliqinor spoke, Miarie helped Gweyin to her feet. It wasn’t often the Lady of the house forced herself out of her wheelchair. Shafir couldn’t ever remember seeing her out of it. Though he assumed she did so, this way she could bathe and sleep. Gweyin wobbled with her husband’s help and stood before her son. While not much shorter than Eliqinor, her demeanor and vibe gave off that she was the one towering over him. 

“You listen to me. I am very understanding normally, but you can’t let this happen again,” Gweyin began. She shook as she stood, her weak legs barely keeping her up. Shafir wanted to rush to her side and help Miarie hold her up but decided against it. 

“It was never my intention for myself to be injured. I was suffering from my backlash-” 

Crack

“WHAT DID I TELL YOU?” Gweyin yelled. Shafir’s eyes widened as he saw the scene that unfolded before him. Shafir watched Gweyin strike Eliqinor on the cheek, barely containing the tears in her eyes as Eliqinor’s cheek reddened. This was the first and only time he had seen Eliqinor’s mother act like this. She was not a physical person and always showered the blonde with kisses and praise. So it surprised him a great deal. Miarie helped settle her back in her wheelchair as she struggled to catch her breath. 

“I apologize, mother,” Eliqinor said and did not move, stoic as always. Shafir sympathized with Eliqinor. He would accept a slap from his mother for being incompetent on the field without protesting. They both know they were stupid and made poor judgments. 

“After what happened in the academy, I thought you would have known better. You can not use mana willy-nilly,” Gweyin said. The crowd quickly dispersed silently as the scene unfolded. It wasn’t probably something they wanted to be a witness to and wanted Eliqinor to save face. If Shafir had been in his place, he would want to crawl into a hole and die from embarrassment. 

“I understand, Mother.” Eliqinor nodded, and he cupped his reddening cheek. It wasn’t so bad that it left a welt, but Shafir was sure it stung. Even though Gweyin was a sickly thing, she still had the strength to leave a mark. 

“You two were lucky enough to survive! What if Shafir had died from your incompetence? How would I explain it to his mother?” Gweyin was desperately driving her point home. What if Shafir had died? Something about the image of the dark elf’s mother mourning her son’s death hurt Shafir. Not only had she lost her husband in the line of duty, but her only son as well. That would truly kill her. 

“I would take full responsibility-“

“And what if you died? It would devastate me. Your siblings-“ Gweyin clung to Eliqinor, tears flowing down her cheeks. Shafir knew one thing for sure, that Gweyin loved Eliqinor. Even in moments when he made stupid decisions, Gweyin still loved her son. Miarie helped hold Gweyin up and Eliqinor moved to help his father. 

“I won’t let it happen again, mother. I promise.” Eliqinor smiled at his mom and, though she still cried, a smile popped through her sadness. 

Shafir looked from the tender moment toward his mother, who seemed like her emotions would spill out any moment. He didn’t want to ruin the tearful reunion, but he also wanted to comfort his mother. Though it was hard for him to do so. What would he even say? Surprise! I’m not dead. That would be in poor taste. Shafir decided he would address it later behind closed doors. 

~ ☽ ✧ ☾ ~

Shafir pulled out the chair for his mother. Already seated were the head of the house, Eliqinor, his parents, and the few siblings of Eliqinor’s who hadn’t already flown the coop. Shafir and his mother didn't have dinner together for a while. It was unusual that they were not sitting in the mess hall with the knights and the rest of the staff.

“It’s been so long since we got to sit and eat like this,” Lady Gweyin said. Her smile was one Shafir knew too well. It appeared to be permanently plastered to her face. He didn’t know whether her constant happiness was genuine or if it was staged to put him at ease. He didn’t give Gweyin’s smile any thought because no one ever commented on it. “If you came around more frequently, it would be a tremendous joy for all of us.” 

“I will have to make the effort when my busy schedule allows.” Shafir pushed the chair in before seating himself. Eliqinor’s mother hummed in response as she filled her plate with food, and Shafir’s mother did the same. Dinners always made Shafir feel awkward. He wasn’t one for small talk, and especially small talk with the heads of the house. 

Despite her illness, Gweyin was still treated as the head of the house. The others at the table began eating after the mothers filled their plates and served themselves. Shafir watched as they filled the fine dishes with food, but he felt sick. 

With all he had seen recently, the images of the dead orc and elf haunted him. Not including his nasty wound, which lay only under some bandage and stitching. Shafir could only eat things that weren’t meat. Bread and vegetables seemed to be the easiest to hold down. 

“Are you alright, dear?” Laela asked. Her hand came to Shafir’s, and he patted it. He couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth. To explain that the images of the dead and Ghaisu haunted his mind. It was better to keep it a secret so that Laela wouldn't worry and Eliqinor wouldn't get another smack. 

“I’m fine. My stitching hurts so it can make my appetite sour. Please eat. I’ll try when my appetite returns,” Shafir reassured his mother. She nodded and removed her hand, beginning to eat. Eliqinor next to him kicked his foot under the table and Shafir glanced in his direction. The high elf pretended he had done nothing and started eating. If Eliqinor was trying to comfort him, he wasn’t doing a good job. 

The dinner passed by without fanfare. Shafir ate his food, the vegetables, and bread that was not even so much as touching the meat. The smell still nauseated him, so it was better not to force it. The one thing that made the tension in the room bearable was the every-so-often jostling of his leg by Eliqinor accidentally knocking into his foot. Eliqinor’s distraction helped him focus more on his food and less on the conversation at hand. 

“And then…” Voices chatted away in the background. From the excitement and tone, it had to be one of Eliqinor’s siblings. They were always so full of energy and Shafir envied it. If only he could sleep as well as they probably did… 

“What about you Shafir?” Miarie asked. Shafir’s head snapped up from where he was looking at his food, pushing the peas around with a fork. 

“Could you repeat the question? I apologize. I didn’t hear you clearly,” Shafir asked. The room fell silent and his cheeks heated in embarrassment. Dark elves were known for their superior hearing, so how didn’t he hear Miarie? It was clear to the room that his mind must have been elsewhere. 

“Father was asking if you should need a family house to let him know. For you know…” Eliqinor responded. A family house? Why would Shafir need a family house? He was only one person and a house of that size would be too big for…

“Not as of right now. I don’t need one,” Shafir replied and looked back down at his food. There was no way he was giving off the vibes of someone with a significant other. Besides! He assumed Eliqinor would be more likely to get one before he did. If the stories about Eliqinor held any truth, that was. 

“That’s unfortunate. There is no rush. Even if you decide you never need one, we will always welcome you here.” Miarie smiled and Shafir waved off the pleasantry. Now he wanted to crawl into a hole and die. It wasn’t as if he was intentionally sabotaging his romantic life. Shafir just wasn’t looking at or attracting anyone. Not that he didn’t mind that others avoided him like flies avoided vinegar. Romance was a topic Shafir liked to avoid for many reasons…

~ ☽ ✧ ☾ ~

“You always come out here when something is on your mind.” The voice said from behind. Shafir had gone to the stables since Shifar and Nabu had been sent back to the House of Honors along with their riders. It felt like forever since he saw her since Eliqinor and he had to ride in a wagon. Aila said this was to ensure Shafir didn’t try running off to go to work. 

Shafir had let Nabu and Shifar out into the pasture while he sat on the fence. Even though Shifar was skittish, he seemed to get along with Nabu. Though she picked on him often. 

“So? Trying to instigate something?” Shafir asked as the two horses trotted along. If only he could get along with others as well as she did. 

“No. I just noticed you didn’t eat well, and you were out of it. Even when we were younger, you never failed to hear anyone talking to you,” Eliqinor said and settled down on the fence next to Shafir. There was that soapy smell once more, and Shafir stole a glance at the high elf. 

Long gone were the whites and gold of his usual clothing. Only the signature black turtleneck covered him and a pair of plain trousers. Eliqinor’s circlet was also gone and his hair was a chaotic mess. It was wet, lying here and there. Almost as if the older elf had rushed from the baths to come here. 

“Well, I think you should be more concerned with yourself. I’m not the one who disappointed my mother,” Shafir said and looked forward to the horses. Eliqinor was right. There was a lot on Shafir’s mind, but he couldn’t bring himself to admit that. Shafir knew it was just a matter of time before someone found out his secret. That was if Ghaisu was the one who caused the orc attack. Who was to say he wouldn’t lie and try to throw Shafir to the wolves? He had a curse mark, after all. Then the fact that he could have died because of his stupid actions added extra weight. 

“Mother was indeed upset, but she was in the right. I made a terrible judgment and it almost cost me everything,” Eliqinor said. Shafir didn’t know what that everything was, but he assumed it couldn’t be anything other than his own life and reputation. “There are things in this world I want to protect more than myself and putting us in danger… Well, that puts the thing I wanted to protect at risk.” 

“I don’t think there is much I want to protect. That’s why I acted so rashly,” Shafir admitted. The only thing going through his mind at the moment was to be a distraction long enough for Eliqinor to land the finishing blow. Shafir could say the thing he wanted to protect at that moment was his captain. “I mostly acted on instinct, but we saw where that got me.” 

Shafir and Eliqinor both chuckled lightly at that jab. It wasn’t often they could just sit like this and talk without fighting. Perhaps they had put aside their differences for a short period. 

They sat in silence for a while, watching as Nabu nuzzled against Shifar. The two got along a little too well, in Shafir’s opinion. If it kept going like this, who knew what would happen between the two healthy horses? 

“I’m sorry about the other day,” Eliqinor said. Shafir didn’t look away from the beasts playing in the pasture. He was still a bit upset over the unnecessary tongue-lashing. “I got upset over something stupid and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. It was my fault.” 

Shafir hummed in response. Even if he could respond, there were too many questions he wanted to ask. So he decided not to say anything at all.