They all were still by the fire. Both (F/n) and May were on the chairs still while Keiran stood next to (F/n). His sword and holster with daggers were set aside along with both of their cloaks. May had prepared dinner for them: fish and pine nut stew. It was hearty, and the warmth from it felt nice. (F/n) still didn't sit too close to the flames. With time, she'd grow used to them again. At least, she hoped that she would.
Despite their conversation earlier, though, (F/n) had convinced May to call her by only her first name when it was just them. Once they gathered allies and were making public orders, she could use the title. Given that they were eating together and talking like she did with her parents, it felt odd being addressed as queen or highness. Not even her parents called her princess all of the time.
(F/n) now blew on a spoonful of stew before she took the bite from Keiran and warmed herself more from the food. "Hopefully, you don't get sick of the food here. It's limited, but it's filling," May mentioned before she took a spoonful of her own food.
"No, it's fine. Just having food is nice." She hadn't exactly been fed in prison. At one point, she had some bites of a loaf of stale bread. So, it was nice to have a full stomach.
"But, I don't think that we'll be here as long as you anticipate." (F/n) paused before her next bite, and Keiran froze as well.
Both of them in unison asked, "What do you mean?" They looked at each other. Keiran was amused, and (F/n) was happy that he was curious about the information as well. For a moment, there was a smile shared between them, and Keiran felt his heart melt. He loved her smile. It suited her so nicely. His thoughts began to wander, but he forced himself back to the present as he was genuinely interested in what May meant.
"As I was out gathering supplies, I heard rumors from travelers. There is a magic user on the run from the royal family."
"Yes, we met someone who was trying to bring him in." May assumed that Keiran had killed the man since they were with her. Not to mention that (F/n)'s life must've been in danger. She knew that he wouldn't let (F/n) get hurt. "He wouldn't offer any more information, though. Do you know who he is?"
"No, but I've heard rumors about some of their magic users. One has an ability associated with animals. Another, though, also wields metal magic."
Keiran furrowed his brows. "Why haven't you mentioned this before that you know their abilities?"
"Because it spread with the rumor of the escaped magic user. It's not every day one of our kind escapes them, so it has people on the hunt for him and has others talking." She rolled her eyes. "Keiran, I would've told you otherwise if I had heard sooner. I know that you're in protector mode right now but don't lose your faith in me."
At that, he didn't respond. When (F/n) glanced at him, she noticed that he looked embarrassed? It caused a small smile to touch her lips. "Protector mode?" she teased.
"It's nothing." He glared at May who simply took another bite of her stew, but she smiled as she did so. It was fun to push his buttons every now and then, especially now that the woman who had won his attention was present.
"Very well." Clearly, (F/n) wasn't convinced, and she chuckled a little.
"May, can you continue please?" Keiran asked, irritated.
"Yes, I can." Her caramel eyes still glimmered with amusement. "I've heard, though, that his ability differs from yours. Apparently, he can mold metal into whatever shape he wishes."
Both Keiran and (F/n) caught onto what she was saying quickly. He could take metal and shape it into arms and legs for her. May didn't say how long it'd take him to do so, but (F/n) hoped that it would be much less than almost a year. Her heartbeat quickened. And once her limbs were shaped, Keiran could use his metal magic on them. This could save them so much time potentially.
Keiran was just as excited at the prospect as (F/n). It made his smithing talent essentially useless, but he'd be willing to set his pride in his work aside if it meant (F/n) could regain her mobility earlier. Not to mention that would help their cause immensely. However, they'd have to be even more careful. If the Stowwen royal family found out that they had him, they would no doubt hunt them down. And once they took back Credel, that could start a war. Convincing a magic user from another kingdom to help yours was no light offense.
There were evident risks, but as long as they made it out of Stowwen without the royal family finding out, they stood a chance. As for down the road, they could hide him since magic users often didn't come to meetings between the kingdoms. There also was the question of how they would build their army. His mind started to trail off on the massive task ahead of them, but he broke out of his thoughts when May continued, "I've heard that he's in these woods somewhere. But, that means that there's more trouble here than usual. I can't risk letting go of this illusion until we're ready to leave, but you also can't go out, Keiran. In case we can't find him, you need to work on crafting (F/n)'s new limbs."
"Will you be alright out there given the increased activity in the forest?"
"Yes, I also want to see if I can acquire a flower before we leave here. It won't be back in season before we leave regardless of what path we end up needing to take. Some of the people who live up here, though, might have it dried unless they've already sold all of their stock given its rarity."
This also drew both Keiran and (F/n)'s curiosity. May noticed and explained further. "When Keiran told me about all that happened to you, (F/n), your trial brought something to mind. And if your mentor knew about rare plants in Stowwen, he might've known how to acquire this particular flower."
"Wait, you know what he used on me?!" she asked shocked. Almost she leaned forward too much, but Keiran caught her with his free hand. She thanked him as she waited for May to explain. (F/n) took another bite of soup from Keiran since it was beginning to get cold.
"Yes, you described this flower's properties exactly. No doubt, your mentor was always planning to do something nefarious if he needed to since he never told you about it." (F/n) didn't doubt that either. "It's called loss blossom. For about an hour, it causes severe memory loss and speech issues. Afterwards, its effects wear off. It only grows the first week of autumn and on the cliffs here in northernmost Stowwen."
"... How did he acquire it? Felin hadn't been tasked with anything outside of the city."
"The black market. You just need to know who to ask. Some sellers travel the whole island to sell what they can get of it." May frowned. "As you've experienced, it can prove quite useful."
"And, do you think you want to use it?" Keiran asked, setting down the soup for now and resting a reassuring hand on (F/n)'s shoulder.
"I don't know, but if we have a sample of two of it, it can convince those in Credel that they made a mistake if we can get inside the castle and get to those of your royal court." She ate some of her dinner and finished it before she continued, "It might be better that way rather than waging a war if we can avoid it. There's no need to harm your people, (F/n). We just need to prove your innocence."
Biting her lip a little, (F/n) hoped for that too. If May was able to get a hold of the flower, they'd have proof. But, it'd be difficult to get into the castle without drawing attention. They'd have illusion magic, but May couldn't cast it on them, only inanimate objects. "Perhaps, having a small party would be easier than building an army, but if we get caught, it'll be over. I've lost the trust of my people, and Kendra and Felin will make sure that I don't get the chance to win them over once they learn of me being alive."
Slightly, she trembled. "I can't go through what I did before. Not that they can put me through that pain again, but they can still throw me into the volcano. And, they'll do the same to you both." (F/n) made sure to keep her eyes off of the flames. "I can't bear to witness that. I wouldn't be surprised if they made me watch as they killed you both first."
"We'll figure something out, (F/n)," Keiran spoke gently. "And this news, it only helps us. We might be able to shorten your wait time, and we'll have evidence that your trial was tampered with."
"Right." (F/n) looked to May. "Are you going to start the search tomorrow?" Keiran picked back up her soup and fed her the last bite. He moved onto his own after that. Admittedly, it was nice of him to serve her first. His soup probably was almost cold by now. It caused a faint smile to touch her lips when she glanced to him before she focused back on May.
"Yes. No point in keeping you waiting." She stood up. "I'll be careful. I want a home to return to too." May stretched and grabbed the empty dishes before she walked off. "I'll clean these and head to bed. I'll need my rest so that I'm fully alert tomorrow. Goodnight, Keiran and (F/n)."
Both of them nodded and thanked her. Once she was out of (F/n)'s field of vision, she glanced at Keiran. "Even if May finds him, do you think that he'll help us?"
After he swallowed another bite of food, he answered, "It's hard to say. He might since May and I use magic too. But with your royal blood, even though you're not from Stowwen, he might be cautious." He finished his meal and set it aside. "But if he refuses, we'll stick to our backup plan."
"Yeah, that's true." It would be nice to walk again, though, and take care of her basic needs herself. She glanced to his standing figure. "I'm sorry that you have to stand by me all the time in case I lose balance."
He sent her a soft smile. "It's no burden, (F/n). I'll stand beside you all day if it means that it keeps you safe." An appreciative smile touched her lips. "Now, why don't we get you to bed? Do you need to relieve yourself beforehand?"
"Yes, thank you. Where do ..." she trailed off, still not knowing the full layout of the home. She figured outside, but it could be like the castle where there was a room with a hole carved in wood that led into the ground or a box.
"Just outside. Are you ready?" he asked, and she nodded. He picked her up, and she leaned against him. This had been procedure for them now for the entire time they've journeyed together. (F/n) didn't find it awkward merely because Keiran didn't look as much as he could and didn't comment on anything. It made it more bearable for her.
After she was done outside, he began to take her upstairs and opened the door farthest from the stairs. There were two other doors upstairs; both were closed, but she heard movement in the middle one, meaning that one was May's. When Keiran opened the door, the bedroom was simple. A window was across from the door, and a full size bed was off to the right. On the left was a dresser. It'd be nice to lay on a bed rather than the ground.
Placing her on the bed, he went to move the blanket over her, but she shook her head. "The dress is enough, but do you think that there is a clean dress or clothing available?" He moved the pillow behind her head and made sure she was comfortable.
"Yes, maybe, we can make you a short one while we're here. Perhaps, two." He crossed his arms in thought. "(F/n) if I got you cleaning clothing tonight, would you want the blanket on you? It's cold out here. Are you worried about dirtying the blanket?"
"Well yes, I suppose so." She chuckled a little. "You can read me too easily."
It was his job to do so. He wanted to make her happy. "Well, I want to make sure that you're comfortable." She smiled softly, which made him smile in turn. "In that case," he trailed off and went to the dresser. Keiran opened the middle drawer. He pulled out a grey shirt and held it up for her. "You could wear this tonight?"
"This is your room, then?" she asked, quirking a brow.
"Yes," he answered. "Does that bother you? I figured that I'd continue to keep watch over you until you're able to get up yourself. Or, would you rather me sleep in the other room?"
"No, that's fine, but ..." Outside, they had slept close to Finn for warmth, and they luckily hadn't gotten caught in a storm or dealt with snow yet. Thankfully, no snowfall had happened yet, but she imagined that it would soon. However, they never slept right beside each other. Now, they'd be sharing a bed; she'd feel bad if he slept on the floor.
"I'll sleep on the floor. I can grab the blankets from the other room." His arms lowered and held onto the shirt in the meantime.
"No," she spoke quietly, but Keiran still heard her. If she had hands, she would've gripped the sheets lightly. He had been around her in her most vulnerable moments; he had changed her and helped her relieve herself. So, how was this any more vulnerable than that? Perhaps, it was her mind drifting to other thoughts and what entailed a bed, not that it needed to happen on a bed. However, that shouldn't even embarrass her since she had no plans of such a thing until she was married, and she knew that Keiran would respect that. But if she was having such thoughts of Keiran, did that mean that ... No, her mind was veering off too much in that direction. She needed to focus, or Keiran would begin to notice that something was off. Her (e/c) eyes locked with his caramel ones. "Share the bed with me."