Private Tales Those Fallen

[Anastasia]

Ana shook her head, sniffling back snot and helping him get the other side of her face. She almost felt silly for them. Almost.

"No- ...no," she managed, taking his hand. Both of them were shaking, both of them were frightened. Ana less so now though. She shook her head again, gathering herself. "No, I'm just so glad to be back- I'm so happy to see you--- can I stay here tonight?" She asked, rather forward for her.

 

[Saul Talith]

"Of course." Saul said quickly before repeating. "Of course, take the bed."

Gently he began to nudge her towards the best.

The Lord Captain only had one good arm, but he could still put it to good use corralling her into the proper place. His heart was beating a mile a minute, but in truth he wasn't even sure that he noticed. He simply wanted her to be okay, to be alright. "We'll get you a doctor, there's some here."

Thank whatever deity watched over him for that.

"Some midwifes too." They were nowhere near close to that, but Saul was in half a panic.

 

[Anastasia]

She was easily corralled, anything to extend this moment further. His presence, his voice, she had been playing them through her mind for months, the distance making her painstakingly aware of how deeply she craved them around them. Even if it was just this-- talking.

Gods, she had missed him.

His last words had her freeze, not quite at the bed as she turned and actively gaped up at him in vulnerable shock.

"You're not going to send me away?"

 

[Saul Talith]

He blinked, stopping for a second. "Why would I send you away?"

That simply didn't make any sense to him.

"This is the safest place for you." That might be a bit silly given that they had just fought a battle, but it was a battle that they had won. The Compound back in Alliria might have been what they were used to, but in truth Herath was safer.

It was a fortress, one occupied by well over a thousand Templar with more on their way.

Alliria, home, well at a stretch their numbers barely passed by a fifth of that.

In Herath Ana would be safe. No one could harm her, any attack would be batted off, and most importantly Saul would be nearby. He knew that he would not be leaving any time soon, knew that this would be the central focus of rebuilding the Order. It was why he'd chosen it.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana swallowed hard, giving a slow but intentional look around them. He was seeing what she was, right?

This wasn't home, their traditions didn't apply here. This was Herath, and out there was hundreds of Templars whose loyalties still laid inside their own morals, not in this new found comradery.

"There... could be... problems over it." LIke the Templar elf she had convinced to give the conclave just a chance. One try.

Ana could still hear her snarling that Ana had not sacrificed enough. To this day, the words still bothered her.

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul suddenly frowned, lips thinning.

It was clear that he had not thought of that particular angle, and in fact it almost seemed to go entirely over his head. Thoughts ran through his mind.

In the Broken Sword it had not been entirely out of the question for Templar to Marry among one another, even have children. Their Chapter had always encouraged it in fact. Children helped the Templar stay alive, and created an almost dynastic system within the Chapter.

The practice was not common, though welcomed when it occurred.

A frown touched his lips. "I am introducing changes."

He said quietly.

"We aren't going to be the old Order." He said quietly. "Every Chapter brings it's own traditions, laws, all of it. They must be accepted, or we'll break."

Saul was not sending her away.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana wavered in place for a moment, and then she really did need to sit down. She near collapsed onto the edge of the bed, dazed as took in the implications of this.

"Of all the outcomes i thought this would have- this- I hadn't dare dream," she confessed, reaching out just to hold his hand. She was now seeing a whole new path laid out before her. The simple unpredictability of it frightened her. She squeezed his hand tightly and pressed her face against him, seek solace in his frame.

"I love you." Before she had said the words because they had sounded right, now she said it because she knew it to be true. It burned through her body, bringing up waves of overwhelming relief. She had him back. It was staying that way.

 

[Saul Talith]

"I love you too." The words came without thought or hesitation.

There were still a thousand things to figure out. He could create an entire lis tin his head without even a second of thought, but for the moment he didn't care. Things in his head were set right, put into the correct place and attributed to the way it was supposed to go.

At least for him.

There would be difficulty in this, he knew that, but it was all part of it. Some of the Chapters might balk and frown, others might congratulate. It didn't matter. What he'd said was true. Different traditions, different practices had to come together if they were going to go anywhere at all.

Their path was one that would see them forward, not back.

Saul was not attempting to replicate, no, he wanted to reforge. The metal of the old Order would be a part of them, but they were a new blade, a better one. That was what he wanted from the Templar, for the better of them all.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana said nothing more. There were really no words to be found inside a moment so full of unadulterated relief. His acceptance and positive reaction towards this allowed her to also start seeing her predicament in more of a positive light. The longer he held her the less of a predicament it even felt like. It simply ... was. And she trusted him wholeheartedly to be there with her through it. That wasn't so bad, was it?

No, it wasn't. Things weren't so bad, came her thought process as she relaxed into him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight.

 

[Saul Talith]

They would need to make a plan. How to tell everyone, how to get her comfortable.

Oddly enough without even realizing it Saul had already helped himself. There were already Families in Herath. Those that had come with the laborers, doctors, and tradesmen. It was a small community that trusted the Templar, that were in a weird way a part of them. They had been brought here to rebuild the great fortress and then live within it, a few even sought to join the Order.

The environment was already there. "Luckily we have the biggest room."°

He said with a slight chuckle.

In the back of his mind though he knew that this would not due for long. The rest of Herath would have to be explored, though they could give that a few days at the very least.

People need to rest, him included.

 

[Anastasia]

She slowly released him, wiping off her face and giving him a chance to sit more comfortably besides her as she regathered herself. "I think it'll be a long time until that's needed." Though in truth she didn't know how long, she didn't know much at all about what her body was going through.

"It wasn't until recently that you could see it, and then it just--" She made an explosion motion, almost frowning down at her stomach. "We could hide it for a little longer? Under the armor, no one could know."

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul frowned for a moment. "Deception... Would not be appreciated."

That he knew from his own experience with these people. Part of bringing the Chapters together had been about a policy of openness and honesty. They needed to believe that he was not becoming a King or making a power grab. It had been important to share the truth and show it whenever he could.

This included.

"It would create more questions down the road." He pointed out. "Though...perhaps we simply begin with just the heads of the various Chapters?"

No need for a grand announcement after all. Those reactions would be telling enough.

Some might see it as a good thing. Various chapter heads had been rather displeased by Saul's nature of still going out on missions even when he was trying to build their new Alliance. Some would think that this would have the effect of tying him further.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana bit back her anxiety at the thought. The concept of multiple people actively being displeased with her under any circumstances was enough to rattle her thin. This had her more than uncomfortable. Her hand snaked around her stomach, less to protect it and more to try and hide it or squash it out.

There was not much affection to be found for it yet. It had brought a lot of stress and fear into her life.

"I'm sorry this happened Saul. It wasn't part of the plan."

 

[Saul Talith]

"He smiled, no, it wasn't." He had never even thought about being a father. Other things had always been there first. His friends, his Chapter, his Order. All of it had come first in his mind. All of it was something that needed go be seen for.

Hell he'd never thought he'd be in love.

"But I'm glad it happened." He told her, his voice firm. "A surprise isn't always bad."

He reached over and gently touched her. "This one certainly isn't."

Complicated maybe, but not bad.

 

[Anastasia]

She softened, scanning his face carefully. He really meant it. She laid her hand over his, giving it an appreciative squeeze. "I haven't been able to think of it that way," she confessed, looking away.

She was silent for a moment before speaking further, her voice cracking. "I'm scared. I never trained for this."

 

[Saul Talith]

Neither did he.

Neither did any of them.

Parenting was not something covered in any Templar class or lesson. It was accepted in the Broken Sword but that didn't mean it was common. The last time something like this had happened was well before Saul's lifetime, though there were records of an age when nearly every Templar had a family.

Apparently they were good days. "We'll figure it out."

He told her softly.

"It won't be easy." Saul added. "But it can't be harder than killing an Abomination."

Creatures that were an amalgamation of dozens of corpses merged together by dark magic, the Nine had faced one before and barely won out.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana grimaced. "Well if it's anything like it's father..." She smiled a little, the tease shining through.

 

[Saul Talith]

"Worse than the Abomination." He said with a smile.

That's wasn't rue of course.

Compared to some of the others in their little Group Saul was practically mild mannered. Oh he got up to a plot or two, but comparatively it was next to nothing. He'd always carried a heavy sense of responsibility and duty, something that simply couldn't be kicked out of him no matter how much it was tried.

Stubborness most would have called it.

 

[Anastasia]

She gave him a subdued chuckle, slowly growing more comfortable as he proved himself good humored and stable around the topic.

She held his gaze for a moment, her expression warming up as she absent-mildly stroked his hand with her thumb. She straightened up, a sense of formality entering her.

"...If it's okay with you, Captain, I would like to request a different assignment than mission for a while."

 

[Saul Talith]

He smiled and nodded slowly. "I think that would be for the best."

Saul agreed.

"Perhaps a role with the civilians." He suggested. There were about a thousand of them along with the Templar. They had all come voluntarily of course, but they would need to be managed and their needs cared for.

Saul had intended of doing most of that himself, but Ana would excel at bridging the divide.

Especially as things began to excel at Herath. No doubt they would eventually expand to the second Fortress, and then the third. As they did so the work would increase, and it was very likely that with it would also come more laborers. These were all facts they would have to take into account.

 

[Anastasia]

She gave a contemplative nod, almost immediately finding she would like a role like that. She didn't often interact with outsiders, but when she did, she often strove for a good relationship with them. It meant something to her. In fact... it meant everything to her.

They weren't the bad guys here. She hated being misunderstood.

"I could do that. ... And ...You?" Came the almost timid follow up.

Would he be putting himself into missions? She would never ask him not to, but with the turn of events, the question hung heavily in her mind.

Perhaps this was why other orders avoided romantic connections. Already, she could see how it would influence their decisions. Likewise, she could hear Saul's passionate recount that strong bonds only made them stronger warriors. In truth, she wasn't entirely sure where she stood on that yet. Her fingers tightened around his unconsciously.

 

[Saul Talith]

He thought about the question for a second. They were Templar, danger was a part of who they were. Yet neither he nor Ana were children anymore. They were not young recruits and they certainly had nothing to prove. They were the leaders now, him more specifically. As the Old Man had told him, a general did not lead from the front.

If only because it would lead to him getting killed.

An army needed its general more than it needed a random soldier. That was what the old man had told him when he'd brought up cowardice. The Templar were an army, in a way, and Saul knew that if he were killed this entire project would very likely fall into pieces. That was the furthest thing from what he wanted. "We have fifteen chapters here now."

Well over what he had expected.

"They're all looking at me to lead them." At least for now. "I won't be going anywhere."

Not until Herath could run itself.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana nodded, her relief poorly masked. It wasn't that she didn't trust his ability to fight or come back, it was just that... she needed him now. Their-... their child would need him. This felt more substantial than all the needs of their order combined. If she lost him tomorrow to another Reverent, her whole world would fall out from under her. This was a risk she might be able to process in the future, but for now... she squeezed his his even tighter, anchoring her to him.

A small silence fell over them, a swath of new thoughts battering against her.

"I'm tired," she finally murmured, her voice cracking in protest of the late hour.

 

[Saul Talith]

He nodded in agreement.

The day had started out being difficult, and only turned to be more so as the hours went on. They had not expected the Revenant, and they most certainly had not expected an army.

Still, they had won, and that counted for something. "Let's get some sleep."

Saul told her.

"Tomorrow is a new day." He most certainly did not want to continue this one if it was going to bring more surprises.

Kissing her forehead Saul began to put her to bed, glad of the day.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana went with him, pushing off pieces of their grimy, blood covered clothes until it was just them inside the safe haven of the sheets. She settled into the crook of his arm, wrapping across his side in a comfortable embrace.

Finally off the road and with all her worries silenced inside of his arms ... she fell into the deepest she had had in months. She woke up wondering why she had ever chosen to leave him for a mission, the thick comfort that laid over her body blissful. She stretched out, taking his hand and curling closer into his body.