Change
Dawn came through the windows and sunlight came into Eira’s room. The air was cool, the kind of stillness that came before the day began.
Eira shifted beneath the light sheets, her lashes fluttering as the sun reached her face. When she opened her eyes, the room seemed to pause for a moment. Her hair, black as polished obsidian, spilled loosely over her shoulders, catching faint streaks of gold where the light touched. It framed her features with a quiet severity that only heightened her beauty, it was regal yet untamed, serene yet full of unspoken strength.
She rose with the grace of someone born to motion, each movement deliberate and unhurried. The silk of her white sleepwear clung softly to her form as she stood, the delicate fabric tracing the lines of a body honed by rigorous training.
At sixteen, she stood at the threshold of womanhood with strength veiled in gentleness, elegance born of restraint. The crimson and gray of her eyes reflected twin worlds: passion and reason, warmth and distance, the light of dawn caught between night and day. “The Northern Flower” was on full display. She lack nothing in terms of beauty, strength, manners. People stated that she was a flower that grew in the northern cold where they thought nothing could grow. She was the exception.
She sat up, running a hand through her hair, and turned toward her vanity. The mirror reflected a calm face, but by thought. She simply stared at herself, remembering the words from yesterday.
‘The way you moved was beautiful...I meant it. Every word.’
Her breath caught slightly as she recalled the way he said it. It was almost sincere. His eyes was not filled with disdain or jealousy she had come to expect, not the condescending attitude he had for years. A blush appeared on her cheeks before she could stop it.
“Idiot”
She press her fingertips to her lips before smiling. She shook her head as the thought refused to fade.
‘What changed him? He did not even show up for dinner. The maid stated that Kain was asleep so we let it be considering he was not doing anything irrational.’
She remembered his eyes which no longer held bitterness or rage, but clear, almost gentle. It unsettled her more than anger ever could.
‘Is this just another ploy to trick me? Is he hiding something to try and sabotage me once again or has he really changed?’
Eira’s gaze sharpened in the mirror.
“No… I’ll see for myself.”
She rose from the vanity, drawing her training clothes from the wardrobe. As she put on the belt that held her practice weapon and step outsider her room. The halls were quiet except for a few footsteps of maids and guards working or changing shifts. She proceeded to head towards the training grounds. The walk steadied her heartbeat, returning her routine. By habit, she was always first to arrive at the training grounds. The courtyard was still pale with frost when she stepped into it, her breath misting in the chill air. But this morning, she was not alone.
Her steps slowed as she look across the field with weapons laying all over the ground, someone lay sprawled on the ground, shirtless, motionless, framed by the rising sun.
“Kain?”
She froze, heat rising to her cheeks as her eyes traced the dry sweat across his chest. His skin was fair, unmarked by scars, almost too pale in the dawn light. It was distracting. Eira turned sharply away before shaking her head.
“Compose yourself”
When she finally approached, her eyes caught the scene around him, overturned racks, and a patch of snow stained with blood. His hands were swollen and raw, the skin split and darkened with dried blood.
‘He had been here all night.’
“This does not make any sense, its unlike him.”
She whispered before kneeling beside him. But even as she said it, the words held no anger, but only a quiet amazement. Eira frowned as she looked down at him.
‘If he stayed there much longer, he might catch a cold or maybe he already had. He was never this foolish nor has he ever trained like this.’
She hesitated for a moment, then sighed.
‘Someone had to wake him.’
Her hand hovered above his chest before she pulled back slightly, unsure. The thought lingered for a moment, but then she pushed it aside and pressed her palm against his bare skin. His body was warm, his heartbeat steady beneath her touch.
“...Kain”
Eira shook him slightly.
“It’s morning.”
She proceeded to shake him a few more times before she heard a groan. Kain slowly open his eyes where lavender eyes met red and gray.
For a second, Eira forgot to breathe. His gaze was calm, warm, relieved, as if seeing her there genuinely made him happy. The simple sincerity of it caught her off guard. Her hand was still on his chest. She could feel the steady rhythm of his heart, the heat of his skin. She told herself to move but did not. A brief thought crossed her mind, a desire to feel more, curiosity, something unspoken. However, she forced it away and got up.
“What were you doing, Kain? and why are you shirtless in the middle of the training ground?”
He smiled faintly, the kind of tired grin that made him look more alive.
“Ah, I was training last night...Didn’t realize how much time had passed. Guess I overdid it and passed out. Still a bit tired, honestly.”
Kain slowly pushed himself upright, stretching his sore shoulders.
“Thanks for waking me, Eira...I should probably clean up before I freeze out here.”
He started toward the edge of the training grounds, rolling his stiff neck.
“A shower and something to eat sound good right about now.”
Eira followed his movement with her eyes, still uneasy at the calm, almost casual way he spoke.
“Before that, Father asked to see you. He’s been waiting since yesterday, but since you were asleep, he decided to postpone it to today.”
Kain paused mid-step, glancing back over his shoulder.
“Of course he has...tell him I’ll come by after I wrap these up and get some food in me.”
Her gaze drifted to his hands with the dried blood, the swollen knuckles.
“You should have a healer look at them” she said quietly.
“Thanks Eira, but lets not keep him waiting any longer. I’ll bandage these, clean up, eat something, and join you at the grand hall.” Kain replied.
He flexed his fingers and forced a small grin. Eira said nothing, only watching as he turned toward the barracks. The morning light caught the faint smile still tugging at his lips and for reasons she could not name, it left her more unsettled than angry. The entire interaction felt odd as she took in the view of the training ground.
