The royal garden of Seranth was alive with color,.tall roses leaning against carved stone arches, soft carpets of daisies brushing along the pathways, and fountains that sang with silver water. The late afternoon light bathed everything in gold, and the air carried the perfume of blossoms.
Sir Aelric walked slowly among the flowers, his armor set aside for once, his long blue hair catching faint sunlight. His cold eyes studied the world around him, yet his steps were quiet, almost careful, as though he respected this place too much to disturb it.
Masha appeared from the other path, her soft smile brightening the space even more than the sun. She was holding a small sprig of wild lavender she had picked along the way, twirling it between her fingers as she looked around in wonder.
When her gaze met Aelric's, she paused, a little uncertain. He looked so distant, almost unreachable. But then she noticed, he wasn't avoiding her. He was waiting.
"Sir Aelric," she greeted gently, dipping her head.
"Masha," he said simply, his voice calm but carrying a weight that felt steadier than before. "Do you come here often?"
"First time," she admitted, stepping closer. "It feels like… every flower is telling a story. Some bright, some quiet, some forgotten. But together they make the garden whole."
Aelric studied her, his usual stoic mask softening just a little. "You speak as though flowers are people."
She laughed lightly, the sound blending with the fountain's trickle. "Maybe they are. They grow differently, yet all are needed."
For a moment, silence hung between them, but it wasn't uncomfortable. A breeze passed, carrying petals into the air.
Aelric finally spoke, his tone lower. "You have a way of seeing things… I do not."
Masha's smile grew softer. "And maybe you see things I cannot. That's why people are meant to meet, so their gardens can grow together."
His eyes lingered on her then, faintly warmer, as though some hidden frost had melted in the sunlight of her words.
Just as the silence between Sir Aelric and Masha began to soften into something delicate, a shriek cut across the garden.
"MASHA!" Mira's voice rang out, high and panicked. She and Lori came running, stumbling over the flowerbeds, their little hands flailing.
Masha turned in surprise, stepping away from Aelric. "What happened?"
"There's a spider!" Lori cried, pointing wildly at Mira. "It's on her, but we don't know where!"
Mira's face was scrunched in terror as she hopped in place, shaking her arms, her braids bouncing. "Get it off! Get it off! It's going to crawl in my hair forever!"
Masha quickly crouched down in front of her, holding her gently by the shoulders. "Okay, okay, don't move, Mira. If you move too much, it might get stuck for real."
Mira froze like a statue, eyes wide as if the world were ending. Lori leaned close, just as panicked, whispering loudly, "What if it bites her?! Or crawls in her ear?!"
That's when Sir Aelric stepped forward. His tall figure loomed above them, and his calm voice cut through the chaos. "Stay still."
With practiced precision, he bent down and gently brushed aside Mira's hair. His sharp eyes caught the tiny intruder crawling along her shoulder. With one swift flick of his gloved hand, he caught the spider and dropped it onto the ground, crushing it beneath his boot.
"There," he said simply, standing again.
Mira blinked, stunned, then gasped in relief and dove into Masha's arms. "It's gone! Masha, he saved me!"
Lori nodded vigorously, pointing at Aelric. "You were like a hero knight just now!"
Aelric, usually so cold, gave only a faint nod. But if one looked closely, his lips almost curved upward, just for a heartbeat.
Masha looked up at him, her smile brighter than the sun filtering through the roses. "Thank you, Sir Aelric. You didn't just save her, you saved the whole garden from her screaming."
Aelric let out the faintest huff that might have been a laugh, though he quickly looked away, pretending it wasn't.
From where he sat beneath a tree, Kael had been sketching the garden's layout into his map. At first, he didn't even bother to intervene when Mira screamed, he knew Masha could handle it. But when he saw Sir Aelric step in, calm and steady, and Mira's panic melt into safety, something stirred in Kael.
The knight's coldness wasn't cruelty, he realized, it was control. Strength.
Kael shut his journal for a moment, leaning back against the bark, eyes following Aelric as Mira and Lori clung to him like he was some sort of hero. The Kael of years past would have scoffed, blamed, distrusted. But now?
He smirked faintly. Maybe this guy isn't so bad after all.
When Masha led Mira and Lori away to calm them, Kael stood and walked a little closer to Aelric. He didn't say much, just, "You're good with the kids… didn't expect that from someone like you."
Aelric glanced at him, unreadable as ever, before replying simply, "I don't like to see fear on a child's face. That's all."
Kael studied him for a long second, then nodded once. "Fair enough."
It was small. Barely anything. But in Kael's chest, a thread of trust had been tied.