The Kingdom, The Witch, & The Warrior

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Kreiss Fangheart, The Knight of the Red

Kreiss flinched at the yelling. "I-I'm sorry. I just meant-." He started and then stopped. She was right about it being his fault but he felt it was a bit unfair of her to just yell at him for it. She had participated to. At the same time he knew it was just an excuse for something else taking up her emotions in a sweeping wave of confusion. Or maybe that was how he was feeling and just projecting it onto the small caretaker.

When she looked up at him with watery eyes he took a step forward to cover the distance wanting to assure her it was okay and not to cry but then hesitation kicked in and he drew himself back to the appropriate distance. That sort of behavior was what had burnt the food in the first place. When she took off for the loft he watched her scurry away sadly, a hand moving to grip the end of the shirt he was wearing. "Of course Zena. Good night." It was almost bitter in the way he said it, but he managed to keep it fairly neutral.

He just looked at the food and sighed, moving to sit down and eat what food there was. Best to eat it than to let it go to waste. He wasn't all that hungry after that, and it felt like he was made of lead more than anything else at the moment. Kreiss soon ate the last bite and looked at the pot and bowl with another sigh. He stood up and quickly moved to clean them. When all was said and done, the thorough scrubbing had left the items rather shiny compared to what they might have been more recently. He wiped his brow and moved to set them aside for tomorrow morning.

Kreiss's feet carried him to the bed, glancing up only once at the loft. "Sorry." He muttered, mostly for himself before crawling into bed. He found himself curled up on his side, touching at where his heart was. He knew what was happening, but he didn't accept the idea. With a shake of his head he just tried to bury the idea and feelings for the night so he could go to sleep.  

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Zena White, The Witch of the Woods

For the three week Zena acted like nothing happened that night, she never brought it up or asked Kreiss about it. Even though she never brought it up and tried to act like what happened didn't bother her things started to slightly to change. She couldn't be as close to him like they were before. If he was to close she would turn away, back away and make up things to get away because it pained her and she had no idea why. She tried to forget what had happen and get rid of these feelings that where driving her mad but everything that she tried didn't work. That night just replayed over and over in her head when she tried to sleep as she tried to figure out what was happening. One night when she was reading her books she realized what her and Kreiss almost did was kiss which only confused the small woman even more. Why did they almost kiss? Why would they do that, it wasn't like they were courting each other or where in love... Right?

What was love? Zena had never experienced any kind of love at all besides the love from her mother so why? This only frustrated the witch more but she never showed it to Kreiss. She would go up to her loft or to the spring to look at the lotus to let her frustration go by crying a little. Love was something that a witch such as herself could never experience and if she was to it would only be taken away from her. It was all just a fairy tail to her, just something in a book.

One cold afternoon Zena was working in the garden, trying to gather what was left from last nights frost which was not much but through the last past three weeks she managed to harvest enough to last them just through the winter but she was hoping for a bit more. " Tsk... The ground is frozen..." She muttered to herself as she tried to dig some of the last of the potatoes out of the cold frozen ground. She stopped for a moment and lifted her hands to her mouth and tried to warm them up. " Its going to take forever to get them out like this."

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Kreiss Fangheart, The Knight of the Red

Kreiss was just standing next to the house, putting up a roughly hewed plank of wood up against the small cottage to patch up a thinner part of the wall. It wasn't much, but with what tools he had available, it was all he could do to help with insuring they wouldn't freeze during the winter months that were coming. He would have to be leaving soon as well, his injuries having all but become small scratches on his person now. His armor glittered in the sunlight as well as he worked, his body having gotten used to the weight of it on his person once more.

It had been an awkward last few weeks. Whenever he had tried to get close to Zena all that happened was her avoidance, and distance had grown between the two of them quite quickly. Rather than talk about what had happened, silence followed. What else could he have expected though? That didn't mean his stomach didn't fall into twisting knots the more he tried to figure out what to say or do. He sighed even now as he had done so, so many other times when trying to talk to her before going back to tapping the piece of wood into the side of the building. When it was finished he wiped his brow and gave a nod. That was the last of the work he promised he would do.

"Hey Zena?" He called out turning to look at her as he did so. However rather than tell her what was on his mind, his mouth faltered and he just watched her work at digging up the last potatoes. Instead of speaking he hopped over the fence and moved in her direction. "Do you maybe need some help?" He asked gently, a bit of a sorrowful tone in his voice. He really didn't want to think about leaving the small woman. For the month and week he had been here. It had been nice. Relaxing even. He felt like in a strange way if he had to call somewhere than where he had been raised home, this would be it. His duties were always lingering in the back of his mind but here with Zena they had faded at times, like a dream.  

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Zena White, The Witch of the Woods

The smaller woman looked up at Kreiss who was now able to wear and work in his armour again. He was back to normal and ready to leave if he wanted to but he said we would stay a bit longer with her. Zena was grateful that he wanted to stay longer but it just meant it would be that much harder to let him go when the day came. She looked back at the frozen ground below her and let out a sigh. " I don't think we will be able to get any more out Kreiss... The ground is frozen." Zena said as she got up and dusted her beloved red cloak off.

Seconds after she had gotten up it slowly and lightly started to snow. "Huh?" Zena reached her hand out and watched a small snowflake land on her hand. She then looked up to see more little snow flakes start to fall from the sky. " Guess the snow is coming in earlier this year." She said mostly to herself before looking back at the ground. " Now we really wont be able to get anything out of the ground. Guess what he have is what we have." The small woman then grabbed the basket of what crops she managed to save.

Zena looked at Kreiss once more and let out a little laugh. " I guess the turnip knight is ready for action. You know it was not easy getting all that armour off you when I found you. If I didn't have Philip with me that day I wouldn't of been able to bring you back here." Even with her magic to help her put Kreiss on Philips back took a toll on her. She wouldn't of been able to save him that night. She walked over to him to hand him the basket of crops. " Thank you for helping out with the cabin. Other wise we would of freezed tonight." She laughed as she handed him the basket but her small cold hands touched his making her freeze for a moment. It had been a while since she had touch him other then maybe pushing him away when to close. A rush of heat went through her person and her cheeks started to change to a shade of pink. She just starred up at the knight before her as snow lightly fell on them. " S-Sorry."She said before pulling away and turning away from him. She started to make her way over to Philips little shed to put a blanket over the old donkey.

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Kreiss Fangheart, The Knight of the Red

Kreiss took the basket, and held it for the woman as he waited for her to get done with Philip. The small amount of contact stung, as if a viper had bitten him. A deadly reminder about what was coming down the pike for the both of them. He looked at what she had gotten out of the ground and let out a small sigh. He stepped over to the ax and held it in one arm, swinging it around to get a feel for it in one hand before giving a nod. He then swung it down to the ground, chipping at the hard ground to scavenge just a few more potatoes and vegetables out of the ground with it while he waited, kneeling down to pluck them out once more of them were exposed.

When he was done he hefted the ax to one shoulder, only to be reminded he was missing something. His sword. His brow furrowed as he thought about it. Where was it anyways? She had gotten his armor and him out of the forest. Maybe that had been all that Philip could carry? A greatsword like that wasn't to heavy though... No more than a few pounds. He walked over to the log where the ax had been previously buried and slammed it into place just to make sure it wouldn't fall out, the various marks in it showing where he had chopped, a crossing of split marks in the wood showing how much it had been used.

He looked over to Zena and gave a small wave for her. "If you don't want to freeze, best we start heading inside D-." That was cut right off at the bud. He had almost let the idea slip a few times at increasing frequency, but he never let it go past the first letter. "-Zena." Was the quick correction. His hand then reached up and scratched at the beard that had grown on his face, a bush of bright red against the lightly tanned skin.  

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Zena White, The Witch of the Woods

Zena hurried over to Philip and put a blanket over him to keep him warm. She played with the old donkeys hair as she let her thoughts wonder and she let out a sigh. With the snow coming early this year would that mean Kreiss would leave sooner then planned? Maybe it was best as it had been over a month since he has seen his family and brothren and he must miss them just as much as they missed him. " He probably will forget me after a while..." She muttered to herself before Philip nudged his head into her as if wanting to hug the small woman. Zena let out a little giggle before holding her old friend. " At least I will always have you right Philip?" She asked and the old donkey made a honk as if he was agreeing.

After some time spending with Philip she stepped out of his shed to see that Kreiss was in the garden using the ax to get some more potatoes out from the garden. She looked at him a little impressed and smiled as she watched him. Once a fresh clean cut knight now working in the garden with that beard of his. He then waved over to her and called out to her. She nodded her head a little, noticing that he almost didn't call her by her name. Was it some kind of title he was going to say that was like Lady? He has been doing it a few times now but she didn't pay much mind to it. " Right. I will make some tea." Zena said as she rubbed her hands together and made her way into the cabin.

As she stepped into the cabin she let out a sigh as she felt the heat from the fire seep into her skin. " Its going to be a cold winter." She pointed out as she rubbed her hands together. She started to boil some water for their tea and got her tea herbs ready for when the water was ready. She poured two cups of tea and she kept her cup close to her to keep herself a little warm.

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Kreiss Fangheart, The Knight of the Red

Kreiss followed her inside quickly as they escaped the cold weather, and when she let out a sigh of relief his own followed shortly after as he stepped inside and quickly shut the door. The basket was set off to the side and he moved to sit in a chair as Zena got the tea ready for them. It was second nature at this point. "Thank you Zena." He stated as she poured the cups of tea. He then glanced to the hole he had just patched and gave a nod. "Yes... Very cold, hopefully we have enough food stored up to make it through the winter."

It took Kreiss a moment to consider what he had just said and once he realized he cleared his throat and looked down. "Sorry, was a terrible joke on my part." He then moved to sip at the tea he had been given as if doing so would make what he just said disappear. Once he had a bit of warmth in his belly he set it down. "So um... Think there is enough wood for the winter? Will Philip be okay outside or should I try and build something in here for him?" There wasn't a lot of room, but without a second human taking up space, Kreiss could rig up something temporary for her to use in the winter months to make sure the old animal didn't freeze outside. It would also give him an excuse to stay a little longer with Zena. Make sure she was alright.  

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Zena White, The Witch of the Woods

Zena drank her tea slowly, wanting to savour the warmth from the tea as long as she could. The young woman sat down across from Kreiss and looked over to the basket of food that they had harvested when the knight commented about hoping that they had enough food for a winter. This years harvest was was about the same amount as others but it seemed like it was going to be a longer winter and she was feeding a extra mouth for a little while. " It should be fine. Just have to use less vegetables and more broth when making stew is all." She said, giving the man a smile. Zena had always been careful when it came to food and with Kreiss being here for the past month and so she had been making sure he was being well fed as he healed so she had been cutting back eating for herself and it showed.

Zena had lost a little bit of wait since Kreiss had been here as she has been worried for his well being she had lacked to take care of herself. She was always worried for him even still when the man was pretty much fully healed. " I think there should be enough. If I run out in the middle of the winter I know a couple spots where it will be easier for Philip and I to get some wood with little cutting needed." In reality Zena would just use her magic to cut the wood but she wasn't going to tell him that. When Kreiss offered to make something for Philip to keep him warmer she did not hesitate to agree as it meant Kreiss would stay longer. " Yes! I-I mean... If you want to..." She turned her head away blushing a little before taking a sip of her tea in slight embarrassment. After a moment she turned back to face the bearded man. " Does the armour keep you warm at all?"

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Kreiss Fangheart, The Knight of the Red

Kreiss blinked at the outburst of positivity towards him building something for Philip before he left. He couldn't help but smile under the beard he had grown. She really did love that animal. He then looked down to his armor. "The metal doesn't keep me warm at all, but the doublet underneath and the quilted pants do. Also prevents the armor from chaffing and pinching the skin." He stated. A hand then reached up to gently scratch at the beard before he took another sip and a sigh.

His gaze looked over the small woman, she had grown thinner. At this rate she was going to be worse for wear by the time winter was out. He wish he had been able to keep a horse with some of the supplies his group had brought. The meat from the horse and the food would have given Zena more crops to use and a better diet overall.His gaze turned into worry for a moment and then he let out another small sigh. "Wish there was a way to bring you a lot of food with relative ease..." He murmured. "You've gotten thinner over my stay here."

Kreiss stood up and began to remove his armor piece by piece, setting it aside next to the door for now. If he was going to sit with Zena, he could at least be polite to her and just wear clothing rather than sheets of protective metal. "Sorry, should've taken it off as soon as I came in shouldn't I've? If you want, before we start with dinner... I can brush your hair?"  

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Zena White, The Witch of the Woods

" I can't believe you knights have to wear all of that and be able to move so swiftly in it in battle. If I was to put something like that on I would most likely fall over and not be able to get up." Zena said as she thought about being a knight and in battle. " Yep... I would be dead before a battle even started." She laughed a little before she finished her tea and let out a sigh. She felt warmer now then before but it would not hurt at all to be warmer.

Zena then noticed the worried face on Kreiss as he looked at her and she was a little worried herself just by looking at him. "What? Did I spill tea on myself?" She asked confused as she looked down to see if she did spill any tea on herself but then she heard a sigh come from Kreiss and he explained that she had gotten thinner since he came here. " Huh?" She looked down again more so at her small waist before looking back up at him and gave him a shrug. " Can't be helped. I always lose some weight during the winter. The food might not give me what I need to stay a normal weight but it keeps me alive and thats all the matters. Can't be picky out her and in these times." She said with a soft smile before letting out a little laugh. " Mother and Philip would go out once a month or so to gather supplies, most food. I think the last meal I had from beyond these woods was bread, cheese and wild boar meat." The small woman's smile got a little bigger at the thought. " She use to bring all kinds of goodies, mostly backed goods as she knew they were my favourite. I remember she would always bring home a pie, the last one being a apple pie. She said she would make a proper kitchen area and get the supplies we needed so we could make our own pie. That way I could for once have a pie and other baked good warm." Zena smile though slowly started to fade away the more she thought about it.

" Never did happen though..." She muttered to herself mostly before clearing her throat and watched the knight get up and start taking off his armour. In truth Zena liked him without his armour because she got to really see him. Sure the armour made him look bigger and tougher but Zena felt like his armour was blocking her way to hold him. Though Zena has not touched or been close to Kreiss since that knight but she still though about his warmth. " H-Huh? Oh no its fine don't worry about it." Feeling embarrassed for watching him she was about to turn her head away but stopped when he asked if he could brush her hair. She slowly nodded her head and got up and went to the old chest where the brush was. Pulling it out she then walked over to the bed and sat on the cold floor by the bed.

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Kreiss Fangheart, The Knight of the Red

Kreiss finished stripping out of his armor and then did a stretch, blinking as she silently moved to go over to her. Rather than slide into the bed though he leaned and picked her up by under her armpits and hefted her into the straw bed. "Not going to let you sit on the cold ground, I can brush your hair when you're in the bed Zena." He stated with a small chuckle before moving to crawl onto the bed.

Next he put the blanket around her shoulders and then finally took the brush in hand. He just hoped she wouldn't freak out or think he was being to forward or misunderstand what he was doing. He had made it clear right? He was just making sure she was warm... Warm. The idea lingered in his head, the loft must've been cold, so far away from the fire. He couldn't keep taking her bed either. This bed.

He hesitated in brushing, now looking at the small woman in front of him, a small gulp actually coming from him as he thought of how he was going about this. Not a lot of touching else she would run away, and without trying to be to close. Kreiss shifted back a bit and then awkwardly reached out to gently hold her hair out for him to then stretch his arm out to brush. Overall it was a very messy start to the idea of hair brushing.  

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Zena White, The Witch of the Woods

Zena watched Kreiss walk towards he and she thought he would simple sit on the bed like he has done before when brushing her hair but she was wrong. He leaned down and started to put his hands under her armpits. " W-What are you doing?" the small woman asked as she was then slowly lifted and sat on the bed. She looked up at the man a little surprised and looked down as she felt her cheeks burn a little as he crawled into the bed. Zena had not stepped close to this bed at all since that night. It had been the first time she sat on it since and it didn't help that Kreiss was on the bed as well.

She felt a blanket cover her shoulders and she turned her head back to look at the bearded man." Geez... Brushing my hair, putting a blanket on me and even the way you picked me up. You really are treating me like a doll." She said jokingly before turning her head back so he could brush her hair. It had been a while since he had brushed her hair and in truth she did miss the feeling of it but she was also scared of the feeling when she was so close to him.

She heard him shifting behind her, most likely moving away as she couldn't feel his heat at all. " Kreiss..." She couldn't believe what she was about to say next. " You don't have to sit so far back it will be harder for you. Y-You can sit closer to me... I-I promise I won't get mad, push you or run off."She wouldn't run this time as it wasn't fair to Kreiss the way she has been acting all this time.

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Kreiss Fangheart, The Knight of the Red

Kreiss paused, blinking at her as she told him it was okay if he came closer to her. He let out a small huff and came closer. "Says the one who pushes me and runs off." He grumbled before shaking his head. "And I'm not treating you like a doll, just... Want to make sure you're taken care of is all." He might as well say the truth while he could since she was allowing it.

Kreiss began to brush her hair in a much more comfortable way for himself now, sitting in a more relaxed state of being able to just do what was natural. His heart was thrumming in his chest again, like it had a few weeks before. This was the closest they had gotten in some time, and he couldn't say it was a bad thing. This closeness was enjoyable even if awkward and strange to cope with.

However even with the feelings tugging in his chest he took slow breaths to concentrate on not falling into whatever fuzzy ideas were wandering up in the back of his mind trying to take over. He was here to brush her hair, not to hug her, not to tickle her or play. None of that. Kreiss had a mission and it was a mission he would do properly.  

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Zena White, The Witch of the Woods

" I-I said I wont do it I promise!" Zena said before she felt Kreiss shifting behind her. Her chest started to beat fast from just knowing he was getting close to her but she didn't run. She promised she wouldn't run this time and no matter how much her heart hurt from it. Zena was going to have to get through this feeling she had been having for so long now. " You are the one who keeps saying a look like a porcelain doll though I am no where as pretty as they are..." She mumbled. When the man said he wanted to make sure she was well taken care of she felt her heart skip a beat a little and she smiled a little. " You always do..." She said quietly.

As Kreiss brushed her hair she let out a light sigh before closing her eyes and tried to relax as Kreiss brushed her hair which was hard to do. Her heart still raced and she had this urge to both run away and wrap her arms around him. She wanted to touch him in some way, to feel that warmth that she craved for but she didn't move. Zena forced herself to stay in her spot and not move a muscle. She started to think about one of her fairy tail books and how the princess and prince loved each other, was that what she was feeling? She knew she wanted to be close to Kreiss but how close? Close enough to kiss him?

She thought about that night again and how close their faces got. She was going to kiss him... Zena wanted to kiss Kreiss that night. It all slowly started to all come together, Zena was in love with Kreiss. Zena didn't know if she was happy to figure it out or disappointed by this. Kreiss was leaving and soon, there was no way he was going to stay to be with her and if he knew what she was there was no way he would share the same feelings as her. She was a witch, the very thing he hunted."Kreiss... Have you ever kissed someone before?"

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Kreiss Fangheart, The Knight of the Red

Kreiss had to think a moment longer than he probably should have. The obvious answer was yes he did, but he was more curious about whether or not she meant something else by what she asked. Figuring it was a more innocent question he gave a nod. "I have, most formal occasions when approaching a lady of higher society for the first time you are expected to kiss them on their hand. Beyond that? No... Not that I can think of."

The lady of the house kissed him where she would often leave marks but, he was never on the giving end of that, nor would he want to be. The brief thought made a shiver crawl up his spine and he shook his head. He knew that was not what she was asking for at all. The brush kept gently stroking her hair though his hands had slowed the process down.

He began to look over her shoulder. "Might I ask why you are asking?" He questioned, curious as to what brought the topic up. They were grown adults, one physically more so than the other but why the idea would come to her mind was what he was after.