A/N: Fairly mindless fluff. Not completely mindless - I think the situation lends itself well to a little introspection - but I also just really like to write romance. xP

Words: 951
Characters: Eirika, Seth
Time: Mid-game, right after they retake Renais Castle
Genre: Angst/Romance

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize belongs to Nintendo, not me.

Her mind went blank as she stepped once more into Renais Castle.

Rubble littered the marble floors; dust coated every surface like a blanket. But beneath the mess was her home, a life so distant now that it felt like a dream. She walked through the halls in a daze. Gardens and courtyards were overgrown and weedy; doors hung off their hinges. Plinths stood empty of treasures. Eirika didn't stop walking until she reached the throne room where she had last seen her father.

Fighting in here had been different. Standing here, a conquerer, a queen, Eirika trembled. The weight of what she had to do crashed onto her shoulders and into her heart as if the roof had caved in on top of her.

"Princess?"

Seth was at her side. As always. As he had been lifetimes ago when the castle was first attacked. When he grasped her hand so tight she thought her fingers might break, rushing her through that door there, which was now splintered and useless. She remembered stumbling so many times, his pace was so fast, but because he was holding her, she never fell. And when he lifted her onto his horse, settled himself behind her… that was when Eirika's heart had cracked. Love and grief shot straight through with fear.

War had hardened it. It wouldn't break, she knew, but something about being here with him made it tremble dangerously.

"Princess Eirika?" Seth said again.

I am not a princess anymore. But she appreciated him still saying so, even if it was out of habit. She never wanted to hear him call her queen.

"It doesn't feel like home anymore."

"It is your birthright. Your inheritance. Renais is in your capable hands."

Eirika looked from the throne – no longer shiny, but torn and dirty – to her own palms. Dirty, too, and rough, not like the hands of a princess, soft and pale. She had the hands of a soldier, just like Seth's. Only his were larger, cradling hers suddenly, exceeding gentle. Eirika knew what she must say, now or never.

"It's not home," she whispered, carefully looking anywhere but at his face. She was frightened of what she might see there when she spoke. "But you are."

For a long time, he was silent. The places where their hands touched seemed to grow hot; she was powerfully aware of how close they stood, how very alone they were, and still she could not look at him. She had not fought for so long for nothing – she was terrified of the nothingness around her, her destroyed home, the black quiet of death. He was her something. Her everything.

"Princess…"

"Don't, Seth," she said. That one word from him sparked courage in her, and she looked him straight in eyes. Guarded and dark, they didn't leave hers, but didn't reveal anything either. Eirika clenched her fingers tight. "Don't do that to me. You have to know that I need you now, not only by me but with me. I wouldn't be here if not for you. I love you."

"I know."

The words came through lips that barely moved. It was not an answer. He bowed his head.

"Please understand, Eirika… I cannot be that man for you. I am your vassal."

"You called me Eirika," she cut in. "Not 'princess.' Eirika. That's who I am. And you are Seth. We need be nothing more. Not now. Not when everything else is falling apart. If we don't have each other, what do we have?"

His head remained lowered; he was silent. Eirika stood on her toes so their faces were almost touching. His eyes flashed open, and she was so close to him that she felt his breath catch.

"Please…"

Was it she or he that had spoken? She didn't know, it was so breathless. Her heart a war drum in her ears, Eirika let her open mouth brush against his, praying he wouldn't pull away. His lips were soft and his breath hot, and then his hands dropped hers and fell to her waist instead. He clung to her as if he were drowning, and it struck Eirika suddenly that this was his home too, his life, broken and crumbling, but she was still here.

Tongues touched, then tangled; every breath of air was a frantic gasp, a frenzied pause in which they searched each other's eyes and found nothing but love and desire. The one time Seth tried to speak, Eirika murmured "No," and cut him off with another kiss. He didn't protest again.

Soon, though, Eirika stopped. She buried her face in his chest instead, breathing in musk and linen and the dusty scent of the road, of Seth. His arms cradled and warmed her. Lips pressed against the top of her head.

"This should have happened long ago."

"I still worry that it's wrong."

"Does it feel wrong?"

His thumbs rubbed small circles on her stomach. Curious, Eirika let her hands explore his chest, feeling hard muscles and smooth scars underneath his shirt. She heard a sharp intake of breath above her as she kissed the dip right between his collarbones.

"No," he said, holding her tighter. "And that is exactly why I worry."

"Well. Don't," she replied quietly, but firmly. When they broke apart again, and his hand moved to cup her cheek, Eirika closed her eyes and placed her hand over his, keeping him there.

"Will you stay with me, Seth?" What she meant, she didn't quite know. Tonight, a fortnight, forever. All she knew what here, now, he could not leave her alone in this shattered life, where only together were they whole.

"Always, Eirika… Always."