His Flower, Her Demon

Two

Wednesday the 23rd of the Great Tree Moon

Two days had passed in relative silence, and Hilda had not seen a single sign of this mysterious Ashen Demon.

Though she did catch a glimpse of his father, Jeralt Eisner (who she and the other Deer recently found out from Leonie - with Claude confirming it - was also the legendary former captain of the Knights of Seiros), when passing through the reception hall on her way to the Golden Deer classroom. He was a monster of a man, not unlike the Alliance's famous General Holst, her brother: tall, broad shoulders and an overall bulky physique. He wore a stoic expression on his wrinkled face, with a single scar going across his left cheek, and brown eyes that gave the impression of being much older than his appearance would suggest. He sported a long top of blonde hair with an undercut and a single back braid, and a thick beard with no mustache. For clothing, he wore an orange tunic with a fur collar, light armor that covered his arms and legs, and a single shield strapped to his back.

Just looking at him, he was every bit as imposing as her brother, though definitely not as handsome. (Not that she was judging his wife, though. Everyone has their preferences, and to her, he must've been the most dashing man in all of Fodlan.) If this is what the famous "Blade Breaker" was like up close, she trembled at the thought of what his son would look like, with a moniker such as the "Ashen Demon."

It was three hours past noon, as she left the dining hall after having a quick snack. She was making her way to her homeroom to meet up with the rest of her class, when she noticed three students - two females and a red-headed male, whom she recognized from the Blue Lion House - leaving a small gate beside the hedge blocking off the gazebo. She unintenionally overheard their hushed conversation.

"Did you see that boy? He's so cute!" one of the girls said.

Sylvain scoffed. "Seriously, that's your type? He looks like he has the personality of a plank of wood!"

The other girl shook her head in disappointment. "You really need to upgrade your taste in men."

"Oh, that's rich coming from you!"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" they said out loud in unison.

Her curiosity piqued, Hilda waited for them to pass before entering through the gate. It was a wide spacious area with another hedge and small gate blocking it off from the other side. The gazebo was right in the center, surrounded by four sets of peony bushes, and six benches divided evenly on each side. Seated at the furthest one across from her, was a young man enshrouded in dark clothing. His head was lowered, so she couldn't get a good look at his face, only that he was light-skinned with dark turquoise hair. As she made her way around the gazebo, she noticed he was holding a book in his hands. I should probably leave him alone. I don't want to disturb his reading. Not that it mattered anymore. She was about to turn back, when he lifted his head to look at her, and—

"Oh, wow!" she couldn't help but say with a gasp, as she was met with the most dazzling pair of ocean blue eyes she had ever witnessed. Though he was seated, she could tell he was tall from his long limbs, and with the look of a soldier, if his muscular build and uniform were anything to go by. He wore a black coat over a charcoal grey tunic with pink trimming, and light armor that guarded his neck and collarbones, along with his arms, waist and his left knee. A single dagger was concealed in a purple sheath on his right side, with an iron sword strapped to his left. Hilda felt a small breeze blow in from behind her that passed over his serene face, brushing aside his bangs. That girl was understating it. This guy's a total hunk!

"Is there something I can help you with?" a smooth voice said.

It was then that she realized that he was talking to her. She quickly blinked her eyes, and shook her head. "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to bother you," she said as he placed his book on the bench, and stood to his full height — her head being level with his chest.