"Ugh…" Leona mumbled as she slowly blinked her eyes awake. "What time is it…?"
She glanced at the fireplace which was put out without any hint of warmth left. Her eyes then traced towards the nearby air vents which lead outside, however, there was no hint of light coming from it which only meant it was either really early or in the middle of the night.
"Hmmm…" She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few more times as her blurry vision slowly focused. "I should wash my face…"
She used her right arm to sit up on the couch and remained still for a few minutes before finally standing up. Despite not exerting herself physically her body felt heavy as she lugged herself to the bathroom.
On the way there she noticed both Yuna and Setsuna were already awake and going about their day before they noticed Leona walking in the bathroom. The metal faucet dripped water every so often as they both brushed their teeth with what seemed to be a piece of stalk from a plant. It was purposefully splintered at the end to form a makeshift brush.
"Good morning Leona."
Setsuna greeted before spitting in the sink.
"Good morning."
"Good morning Miss Leona."
Yuna on the other hand was still in the middle of cleaning her teeth and simply bowed with the stalk on the side of her mouth.
"Good morning Yuna."
Leona stepped into the side of the faucet and opened it. Crispy cold water coursed out of it as she put her right hand beneath it. By splashing cool water against her face, it felt like a shock went through her body and what previous fatigue she felt was gone.
"Isn't it too cold?"
Setsuna asked.
"All the more reason to do it."
Leona lifted her face and brushed her bangs backwards with her wet fingers which made her blonde hair slick back. She then picked one of the multiple splintered stalks that were sitting inside a ceramic cup beside the faucet and started to brush her teeth.
The mint flavor was still a bit off-putting for her but nevertheless she continued on brushing. The days she had to endure without being able to bathe or take care of her appearance were truly miserable, but looking back now felt like it was just all a bad dream.
At that point Yuna finished brushing her teeth and headed out. Meanwhile Setsuna leaned against the other side of the sink and crossed her arms before asking.
"Have you been getting used to Father yet?"
"Hm? Where did that come from?"
"It's just you asked me what I thought of him. I was under the impression you disliked him."
"Dislike is a strong word. It's more like… annoyance, perhaps? I can't really tell what he's thinking most of the time."
"Isn't that like everyone else? We can't really know what the others are thinking just by looking at them."
"Fair, but even so. Your father is… peculiar and I don't mean it in a bad way, it's just… it's hard for me to get a read on what he is actually trying to accomplish."
"I gave up trying to understand." She chuckled and nodded to the cup with a few stalks remaining. "These 'toothbrushes' or so he calls it, he prepares them everyday and makes us use it. For someone that wants to die so badly, he seems to be enjoying himself taking care of us."
There was a hint of bitterness in her voice as she spoke.
"Cherish it." Leona said abruptly as she stopped for a moment and stared blankly at the sink. "Cherish the moments that you have with him. You never know the day you'll wake up and he won't be there."
There was a moment of silence before Setsuna stepped forward which prompted Leona to look at her from the corner of her eyes.
"I'll keep that in mind."
She then left after walking past her. Leona placed her hand on the side of the sink and shook her head that was hanging low.
"Why did I say that?"
Outside, even though it was cold, Krieg was standing with his sword and shield in the middle of the training grounds. Dew drops hang from the blades of grass below his feet. Nor cold or the wet sensation from the moist grass seemed to bother him, in fact, him not wearing a shirt and exposing his well-built body to the elements seemed like it was on purpose.
"Ha…"
He exhaled a dense puff of steam before he started to swing his training blade all the while keeping the shield held high. A forward thrust, a quick follow up overhead into a shield bash. He was starting to picture his opponent's movements in his mind and it was as if the morning fog took the shape of a humanoid foe.
Thrust, slash, bash, his attacks were like an endless flurry of blades with the occasional shield attack thrown in the mix. In the short amount of days he spent practicing, he already had become quite proficient in wielding both the sword and shield.
But deep down he knew that was barely enough. For all it was worth, he wanted to become someone that could stand beside Leona with his head held high. Not only as a personal knight, but her valiant protector, an impenetrable shield capable of warding off any and all danger.
"Ever so diligent in your training, I see." A female voice came from the side of the training grounds which prompted the knight to look at whoever was addressing him. "Good morning, Krieg."
A high elf of jet black hair and dark blue eyes was standing with the help of a crooked branch that served as a walking stick. She wore a simple cotton shirt with loosely tied baggy trousers of the same fabric and leather sandals to protect her feet. She had a faint smile on her face as she slowly made her way to him.
"Phoebe, shouldn't you be resting?"
His sympathetic tone caught her somewhat off-guard as she closed her eyes while still smiling.
"I'm fine, thank you for worrying though." She looked at him and asked. "Can we talk?"
He softened his stance as he straightened his back.
"Sure."
Her legs hobbled a few times in order to turn the rest of her body around. She pointed with her left hand towards the clearing in between the trees.
"If I may, can you help me walk to the cliff on the other side?
"Mm."
He nodded. With his help, she was able to cross the narrow trail without too much trouble, saving for a few times she almost fell face first if it wasn't for him holding her hand.
The morning fog left the seaside of the cliff covered in white with the only hint of water being the sound of crashing waves against the rock formation below.
Phoebe stood overlooking the fog covered ocean with her legs somewhat trembling.
"You know…" Her voice was mellowed with a hint of bittersweet sadness. "...for the longest of times, I thought the only course was revenge. The pure feeling of hatred was what kept me going through all the people I've murdered. I thought that I would only know peace by sharpening my blades and becoming the deadliest assassin the world had ever known." She glanced at the fog covered sky. "But once that hatred and anger was taken away… I know not what I have become."
Krieg looked at her before following her gaze skyward.
"A seasoned warrior. That is all you are." He chuckled sourly. "Thinking back, I didn't have the best impression of you." He then turned to her. "There was always something telling me in the back of my mind that you didn't tell us everything."
"I don't blame you. I really didn't." She clenched her fingers around the staff. "But that is why I came here to talk to you today. To say, I'm sorry for everything. Maybe you and Leona could've chosen a better, easier path, but regardless of your choice in the matter, I always put my revenge first and foremost and for that, I apologize."
She turned slightly towards him and bowed.
"We all have our reasons." He tapped her on the shoulder. "You needn't apologize."
"Even so." She lifted her head with a somber look on her face. "Thinking back just how much I sought revenge just showed me how wicked the heart can be. I don't want to burden those around me any more."
Krieg looked the other way as he spoke.
"If it wasn't for your selfish reasons, I wouldn't have met my father nor trained under him as I have." He raised the training sword in front of himself. "The reason why I have a chance to become stronger, was because of your single-minded pursuit and for that, I only have you to thank for it."
Those words made Phoebe's eyes widen in surprise. Though she knew in the end the only reason he didn't resent her was that Leona was safe and sound, she still appreciated his words nonetheless. A faint smile curled on her face as she turned and looked on the horizon of the now parting fog, revealing a bright sun rising for another day.
"I'm glad I met both of you."
With the sparkling blue ocean and clear sky, another day had begun in the eastern nation.