Her eyes caught a tattoo on his lower back which was usually hidden by his shirt and pants and now shadows cast over it that it was impossible to make out a clearer picture. Lia did not understand the charm of a tattoo but he wore it like it was an extension of him. She absentmindedly traced her fingers along the waves and lines which made Eldric flinched with the contact.

“Sorry.” Lia retrieved her finger.

“What, you think guys with tattoos are charming?” Eldric liked to joke around. But this one, it was with self-derision and scorn and Lia felt like he was judging her unfairly.

“It’s a different kind of design to place on yourself. Not my business.” She stated flatly, still stung from being judged.

They continued in silence. When she was done, she gathered her supplies and turned to leave the room but a voice held her back.

“I’m sorry,” Eldric looked at her and his whole face was saying that. For once, the taciturn general expressed his feelings openly. But Lia took no joy in that. Because beneath that face and deep within his eyes was an unfathomable pain she could not begin to comprehend.

“It’s alright.”

She turned to leave again but felt a pressure on her wrist. ‘Wait.”

She stopped and waited.

“You won’t… ask? Where I got it?”

“Will you tell?”

Eldric set his jaw and Lia knew he was deliberating that to himself. She shook her head. “It’s fine. I won’t pry. I really was just wondering if they hurt. If you don’t want to tell, it’s alright.”

============

After an hour, Eldric was dressed in his official clothes that Tamara managed to mend, minus the armor. Lia offered to walk him to the edge of the forest but Eldric refused and she did not insist. She thought they were done with pushing and pulling for today. Or ever.

She was tired.

Lia settled on walking him out the door and opened it for him.

“So I guess this is it,” Eldric said.

She did not know how to respond to that so she asked the next burning question inside her. “Why did you wait in the edge of the forest? What if it took me more than a few hours, would you still be there?”

He walked a few steps before he turned around and answered. “I would. I wanted to make sure that you are safe. And no, I never thought for a second that you would sell me to my enemies. Speaking of enemies,”

Eldric reached into the inside pocket of his coat and pressed a cold metal on her hand. When she opened it, she found a dagger bearing the seal of the Imperial Palace. She turned to him a questioning gaze.

“Keep it. This is sturdier than the one you have. It’s such a shame that we did not have time. I could have taught you some defensive moves.”

Lia gripped the dagger in her hand and spoke while still staring at it. “Thank you and,” she stared at him, “farewell.”

Eldric cocked his eyebrow at her before turning serious. “You said it as if we won’t be meeting again in the future.”

‘Because we won’t.’ Lia thought. ‘And we should not.’

But she did not say that out loud. Lia smiled weakly. “I bid you farewell.”

Eldric turned on his heels and started walking.

“And may we never crossed paths again,” she murmured.

She could not tell if Eldric heard it, but he paused in his steps a little. But he did not reply or looked back and just continued walking.

It did not take long before he disappears into the night.