"You’re a lot stronger than you look, Ki… Gabriel! I’ve never seen someone handle a Steel-Head by smashing its skull like that. Thing damn near tipped over before you tore through it!"

A metal glass filled with murky golden liquid was pushed into Gabriel’s hands as he sat by the campfire, several of the Barong knights around him already clutching their own mugs. With the last glass handed out they could finally raise them high, the scattering sparks of the campfire bouncing off of their glasses.

"To Gabriel, the Little Knight of Vritara!"

"Hoi!!!"

The mugs clanked against each other, the liquid inside swishing about and spilling over the edges. The knights pulled their arms back and placed the glasses against their lips, Gabriel mimicking them as everyone took a deep sip.

Bitter, with hints of a foul bread-like aftertaste. It wasn’t beer, hell, the drink wasn’t even alcoholic. No, they were out on an expedition, they couldn’t afford to drink alcohol and risk their lives. So they prepared this drink instead to replace it. As for whether or not they liked it… They all grimaced for a moment as they forced it down, raising their glasses again.

"May he die before his Master!"

"Hoi!!!"

Another loud clank that swallowed this section of the camp, the dark of night pushed away by the flickering flames. The knights once again raised their glasses and took a deep drink of the bitter swill. Another day had passed, another set of attacks had been survived. And now they were celebrating the new knight that had joined their expedition.

"May he keep protecting his Master until his last breath!"

"Hoi!"

A clank followed by grimaces as they forced down the liquid. Gabriel couldn’t understand why they’d waste time on preparing something like this if they all agreed that it tasted terrible, just go for water or juice at that point. But some traditions you couldn’t be changed so he simply raised his glass in tune with theirs.

"May his Master live a long life so he has time to find a good wife and father some children!"

"Hoi!"

A final clank, a final swig, a final grimace and then every mug was empty, every knight turning it upside down as proof. Well, saying every knight was a bit excessive, there were still a fair few knights out there patrolling the defensive perimeter so that no demon got to sneak up on them. The rest however were free to take part in this ceremony before their shifts started.

"Not a lot of young knights get through their first encounter with demons in one piece, Gabriel! Just being able to remain standing in front of that first charge is enough for them to be proud of."

A knight wrapped his arm around Gabriel’s shoulder and handed him a new glass, one that thankfully only contained water this time. He clanked his own glass against the one he gave Gabriel, downing whatever was in it in one gulp.

"I thought we had a decent batch of trainees with us this time since none of them backed away from their first charge, but you just went ahead and put them all to shame, didn’t you? Your Lady’s damn lucky to have earned your loyalty, but if she ever betrays it then I’m sure that Young Master Arioch will welcome you with open arms."

The ceremony, the celebration, it was an initiation of sorts. Knights weren’t officially knights until they were knighted, and all knights took immense pride in being knighted. But amongst each other they would naturally have their own little rituals and initiations. For the knights of the Barong duchy, the expeditions were one such ritual. Any knight, be he sired or not, would not be considered a true knight until he took part in his first initiation and stood tall.

Gabriel had yet to be knighted, hence he was Little. But he stood tall and proved his mettle like any other Barong knight, so he was also Knight. Thus, while he belonged to the Vritara duchy, the men of Barong deemed him Little Knight.

"That’s unlikely to come to pass, I have no intention of leaving my Lady’s side."

Gabriel sipped the water to wash away the foul taste in his mouth. Alice, betray his loyalty? Yeah, he couldn’t see that happening. That would be about as unlikely as him betraying her. And quite frankly, she was what currently gave him a reason to live, a ‘desire’, so betraying her would mean that he gave up on this world, this life, this first taste he got of humanity.

"Yeah, I figured. But keep it in mind, will ya? Never know when the world twists someone beyond recognition. Absolute power corrupts absolutely and all that."

The knight wasn’t offended by the rejection, if Gabriel accepted it so easily then he would immediately lose the Little Knight title and get ostracized by the men of Barong. Loyalty was a knight’s finest quality, only when the lord themselves first broke it and stomped it into the ground would it be fine to go back on it.

Gabriel sat by the fire, sipping the water and various drinks he was given as the hours whiled away and the night deepened. The knights switched out whenever their shifts started so there was always someone new to come up and talk to him to waste more time.

It was very different from the previous night, where Caine had joined their ranks during the attacks. At the very least, Caine didn’t receive a reception like this, even though this was also his first expedition with them. Well, why that was the case was glaringly apparent.

Caine was a noble. In the future, he would most likely become the duke of the Woodime territory that stood against the Dead Lands. No matter how high their standing or reputation was, a knight was still just a knight, they couldn’t frolic around with someone who would be equal to a duke in the future. Thus, while appreciated, Caine was naturally ostracized from them and didn’t get to take part in their traditions.

Gabriel on the other hand, was just a knight-in-training from the Vritara duchy. He’d proven humility by lowering his head and apologising, tenacity through his training, skills through his sparring matches, and now he had proven his strength through his battles with the demons.

Well, in the end it may just be that they were looking for an excuse to ‘celebrate’ so that they could ease some of the tension that accompanied every one of these expeditions. After all, almost none of them expected that every single one of them would get to return home. Some of them would leave their souls out here in the north, another snowflake that scattered amongst the endless white.

Gabriel was the ‘center’ of this celebration, but he had a fair bit of peace as he sat there, ample time to observe the knights. His mind was moving as he did, faces and names flitting past his mind as his eyes occasionally wandered about.

"Your Lady is over there. The maid’s already gone to sleep but it seems like she’s waiting for you."

The old knight, Almanar stopped in front of Gabriel, the little finger of the hand holding his glass pointing behind Gabriel while he sipped on his drink. He hadn’t been here earlier so he probably just finished his patrol and changed places with someone else.

"When a knight can’t reach a conclusion by just thinking things over on their own then they should consult with those around them. It’s a privilege of those who’ve managed to gather others ‘round em."

He bent forward slightly so that he could lower his glass and clank it against Gabriel’s, raising it to his lips afterwards and taking a swig. A soundless snicker hung on his lips when he lowered his glass again, a gesture once again pointing towards the girl in the distance.

"Well, go on, I’m finally giving you an excuse to slip out, better take it while you can."

Almanar sauntered off with a casual wave after giving Gabriel a final reminder, joining up with the other knights as he raised his glass high. He was a strange man. In some regards, he reminded Gabriel of Lawrence. But well, he got his excuse to leave so he downed the last of the drink in his glass and stepped away, heading for Alice.

"Did you get to have some fun? You’re a solitary guy so you don’t often have the chance to be surrounded by people like that."

Alice sat alone by the fire. The night had already deepened considerably so the spot reserved for Gabriel’s celebration was the only one where there was still some noise. Not enough for it to be heard outside the camp, but still enough to be heard in some parts of the camp. There was a small smile on her face as she looked towards the scene.

"Fun? I’m not sure. It was certainly noisy."

There was another seat already prepared by the fire so Gabriel could simply sit down. Fun. It was like desire, it was something he had discarded long ago. It was only recently that he actually got to properly re-experience the thing known as desire, or emotions not related to a mission in general, so he honestly couldn’t tell.

"Alice, how do you feel about Arioch?"

He asked the question on his mind. Almanar was right, thinking about it on his own was useless. Even if he came to a conclusion in the end, it would be pointless if Alice wasn’t fine with it. In the end, the one who would actually decide on her future husband would be none other than her.

Still though, when he asked the question… Why was there that creeping sensation running along his ribs? Like an invisible hand squeezing down on his bones. Really, he’d just been uncomfortable all day, thoughts doing nothing but running in circles.

"Nothing much. He’s a good leader who thinks about whats best for his family but doesn’t forget to hold grudges, repaying them when he has a chance. He’s a good ally for now, we’ll just have to wait for time to tell whether or not his dislike for the Vritara family will eventually extend to us as well."

Alice wasn’t so deluded that she thought that Arioch would be their ally forever. He held a great grudge against the Vritara family, and she was fully prepared for the possibility that it would eventually be pointed towards her as well. Gabriel taught her that, so she was always ready.

The clutching sensation on Gabriel’s ribs receded somewhat when Alice answered. She was still smiling at him, looking straight at him. Alright, one person permanently off the list.

"What about the two inheritors of the Sorin family? Or Caine? There’s also the son of Marquess Artiom, the son of Marquess Haravat, and the son of Marquess Laoguai."

The Sorin family had two sons that stood a chance at inheriting the seat of duke and Caine would inherit the east, including Arioch, they were the ones ranked highest on the list of potential suitors. The Marquess’ were lower, but still decent enough to at least be considered.

Once more, a creeping sensation on his ribs, like a slender finger tracing them before snapping them. And once again, Alice eased it with a casual answer.

"Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, and nothing. Well, that’s not entirely true, Caine is useful when it comes to dealing with the Crown Princess so saying nothing is a bit excessive. Friendly and useful in the right circumstances, but not someone I’m willing to get too close with. Why?"

She changed her tune slightly on Caine in the end, if it weren’t for him then Abigail would be on her a lot more and that would just annoying. But she could always tell that he was different from Gabriel, he was hiding something, and probably lied to her on more than one occasion. Gabriel on the other hand, the man currently showing a small and relieved smile, would never lie to her.

Gabriel felt a breath escape him, not even noticing the curve of his own lips. For some reason, he felt quite happy for a moment. What a strange sensation. But oh well, his Lady had asked a question, so as always, he had to answer.

"I’m thinking about potential marriage partners for you in the empire. The Duke will definitely try to interfere after today, especially when we get to your coming of age ceremony, so having a list before then will give us more room to plan."

A chill. Yes, for a moment there, Gabriel felt a chill go down his spine. Alice was still sitting there, but the smile on her face seemed to have frozen as she looked at him. Angry. Yes, she was angry, he could feel it.

"Can you say that again?"

Her pronunciation was slow, each word hanging so heavy that even the crackling fire between them felt like it shrank down. Gabriel felt like he was back in his past life, back in his 26th mission. He could practically feel his fingernails getting peeled before his fingers were chopped off again. The sensation of death, how nostalgic.

"I’m thinking about potential marriage partners for you, I’ve been trying to make a list all day but I haven’t been able to come up with a proper answer so I decided to get your input."

Still, he answered her question. He felt that it would probably only make her angrier, but he wasn’t going to lie so he could only live with the consequences. If she didn’t like him thinking about her future husband for her then he’d just have to take the punishment for it.

For a moment, Alice didn’t say anything. She simply studied Gabriel’s face, a pair of crimson eyes staring deeply into his, as if she was trying to peer into the depths of his soul. Eventually, she opened her mouth again, an indecipherable curve adorning her lips.

"Hmmm… Let me ask you something, Gabriel. How did you feel when you asked me those questions, when you were trying to make your list? And why were you unable to come up with a proper answer, you’re usually so quick? And above all that, what put you on that train of thought?"

She rose from her seat as she questioned him. The night felt silent. Gabriel couldn’t even hear the sounds of the celebration that was probably still going on a bit away from them. Looking at Alice, feeling that chill on his spine, it felt as if all sounds simply faded. Death was always quiet, it was always cold, he knew that. And yet, he remained calm, clearheaded. Good, he didn’t like it when his thoughts grew disarrayed like during the sparring matches, a calm head produced clear and easy thoughts, it made it easy to put them into words.

"I felt… I guess annoyed is the best answer. An annoying sensation on my ribs, like a soft touch before they’re broken. It’s like that moment when someone hits you in the chest and you know somethings going to break but it hasn’t actually broken yet. And I couldn’t come up with an answer because I just kept crossing everyone out. Caine, Arioch, the Sorin family, the Marquesses, the Imperial Family, I can’t seem to find a single person worthy of you, they’re just not good enough, they’re just annoying. As for who, it was Knight Almanar, he told me that I should start thinking about the future where someone else has to stand by your side while I’m gone."

She asked, so he answered the questions one by one. He wasn’t good at describing things properly so he could only use some strange analogies to explain the sensation on his ribs. By the time he finished answering, Alice was already standing in front of him, looking down at him since he was still sitting.

From his position, when he raised his head to look at her, he could scarcely even see the fire that still flickered.

"You’re smart, Gabriel, at least somewhat. Those were good answers, very good ones. Point out knight Almanar later, I need to go and thank him."

A smile. But there was still a bit of that chill on his spine. It was like when he was locked down by the sniper in that ruined city. The days where he couldn’t move because he could feel that gaze. Back when he was still prey that was being hunted by the predator.

"Let me tell you this, Gabriel. My knight, MY Gabriel."

Alice’s hands grasped his cheeks and she lowered her head further. A cold sensation on his forehead. Even with the campfire, the chill of the northern region had settled in her forehead. And now she shared it with him, a pair of crimson eyes locking down his own.

"There is no one in this world who can decide on my marriage partner, okay? Only I get to make the choice of who will become my husband and stand by my side, okay? Not the duke, not the Vritara family, not you. Only I, okay?"

His chest felt a bit stuffy, it was as if his breath was getting caught in his chest before he could release it. Strange. He couldn’t move his eyes. He felt her hot breath on his nose, it was tickling. But he couldn’t move his eyes to look at his nose. That crimson colour… He couldn’t look away from it.

"And that extends to you as well, okay? The knights spoke of it earlier, didn’t they? That they want you to have the time to find a good wife and settle down with some kids? You’re my knight, MY Gabriel. In this world, I’m the only one who gets to decide who you marry, okay? Only I. Do you understand?"

A breath warmer than the campfire, a forehead colder than the northern ice, words like lightning as they snuck down his back. His chest was stuffy, he couldn’t even recall the sensation he felt on his ribs when he first asked Alice what she thought about the possible marriage prospects.

"Yes… My lady…"

The words came out on their own, the pronunciation somewhat awkward due to the breath that was caught in his chest and the hands that cupped his cheeks. His eyes wouldn’t move.

"Good. Make sure you get plenty of sleep tonight. We’ll start approaching the frozen mountains tomorrow, I’ll need you then."

A smile. He couldn’t see it, but he could feel it in the breath that hit him. His eyes still wouldn’t move. Here, in this black and white world that was oh-so dull, he could only see that bright crimson that seemed to dye everything he had.

Ah, this lady of his was really unfair, first she granted him emotions and then she blew them away before he could even understand them, replacing them with new ones he couldn’t understand. And all the while, she used her colours to completely drown out his dull world.