Hazed and Dazed

After the classes were over, Gawain was on his way back to the house chambers as usual. But unlike his previous self, his current state of mind was slowly becoming hazy.

"Perseus."

The name itself had become something that was haunting him for days now. The scene of a warrior being bestowed by the Aegis, and a woman that he swears to protect keeps repeating in his nightmares. Now, he could attach a face to the blurred image of the woman that stands in front of the warrior with pride.

"Who is she?"

Even at the slightest of blinks, he would envision her in front of him. The added load of deciphering another cryptic message that was troubling his mind made him want to bash his head in.

He blinked once more and found himself in front of the house chamber.

"I should take sick leave."

His preparations for the Poseidon's Trials were a few paces ahead of what Joan had initially expected. He could surely ask for another day of rest and get his act together.

Two gentle knocks on the door.

"May I enter?"

The door opened. Celia was standing in front of him.

"You are late."

The rate at which he was breathing was slowly increasing.

"I don't feel so good today. Can I apply for sick leave?"

Celia placed the back of her hand on his forehead.

"Mild fever. Come on in and lie down."

She held his hand and guided him towards the sofa. After clearing a few books on it, she helped him lie down.

"Could this be the food?"

One serving of that horrific poison Joan called food was delivered to him every day. He wanted to forcefully comment on the situation, but his throat was parched.

"Can you get me some water?"

She stood up and left. After a few minutes, she reappeared with a glass in her hand.

"Here."

After helping him sit up, she brought the glass closer to his mouth. He took a few sips but was unable to drink too much. After helping him lie down again, she placed the glass on a nearby table.

"Told you. Rest is important."

She sat by his side and let out a remark.

"I can't sleep these days. Too many nightmares to deal with."

He wasn't overworking himself because he wanted to.

"Nightmares? What are they about?"

"I can't tell you."

He didn't want to think about it.

"Something personal?"

"Something like that."

She could understand.

"You have to sleep if you want to recover."

"I slept for 14 hours yesterday. Sleep isn't the problem."

Gawain could kill for a moment of silence.

"Do you want me to call her?"

A rumbling sound came from his stomach.

"Anything but that."

"Pfft."

After a comedic display of terror in his eyes, Celia found it difficult to control her chuckle. The feverish Gawain couldn't help but think,

'You look so charming like this. Why don't you smile more often.'

She turned towards him. Her cheeks had reddened for some reason.

"What happened? Are you feeling under the weather too?"

He was afraid that he had caught something communicable.

She didn't respond. Her index finger on her right hand went straight towards her hair. Soon after, she was twirling a rogue bunch of tangled hair that was slightly above her eyes.

"Are you alright?"

He was about to get closer to her, but she stood up in a hurry to get away from him.

"I am fine!"

She waved both of her hands in defense.

"Good. I was afraid that I passed something to you."

He relaxed his body once again. It felt good.

"Talk to me. Tell me something about yourself."

With a tired mind, he started blabbering random stuff.

"Pardon?"

Celia gave him a puzzled look.

"I don't want to sleep. Just tell me whatever you want to, and keep me awake. If I focus on something different, I might feel better."

"But-"

"No time for second-guessing. Speak whatever first comes to mind."

She looked around. The replica shield is on the wall.

"Aegis."

'She didn't get anything else to talk about?'

He was preparing himself for more headaches.

"Sister Joan got that replica as a present for her 11th birthday."

She took a seat at a nearby chair. Gawain was silent but listening.

"I remember being so jealous of her. I wanted to steal her gift and run away."

A smirk that mocked her weak, yet innocent heart.

"Mom and Dad were warriors of the Perseus house. My mom was a third-tiered red knight, while my dad was a black knight."

She pulled her sleeve up from the wrist. A thin golden bracelet came into view, marked with a circular insignia that was marked with the words,

"A shield to protect the warrior, a sword to protect his oath."

A gift from her parents.

"We were young girls. Not a care of what the future could look like."

Her eyes were glistening under the radiant rays of the orange sun.

"When they left, the Aegis and this bracelet were the only two things that we were allowed to keep."

Nobility and the curse that comes with it. In a moment's passing, they went from the extremes of what life could throw at people.

"If not for Sister Joan, we would have been sold to a noble's house and forced into marriage with a useless idiot."

She pulled her sleeve back up.

"Our seniors from the Perseus house are all working hard to carry its name forward. We have the same duty."

Unable to hold it back, a tear dropped to the ground. Before the others could follow, she wiped her eyes with her hands.

"After those days, being vulnerable feels like failing them."

She was openly sobbing.

"But what can I do? I am their daughter. How can I learn to live without them?"

She covered her eyes. The overflow of tears was becoming difficult to contain.

'Pat.'

She felt something on her head. Slightly raising her head, she looked at the boy that was seated in front of her.

"Regardless of what happened in the past, and ignoring what will happen in the future, I am sure that wherever they are, they must be proud of you both."

Softly patting her head a few more times, he continued,

"Don't hold it back, or else it will eat your heart from the inside, rendering you incapable of moving forward."

His vision got blurry, and he collapsed headfirst onto the sofa.

"That is all..."

Before he fell unconscious, he was able to let out those words. They were loud enough for her to be grateful for them.