The next few days felt like bliss, aside from the occasional pangs of guilt whenever Tristan thought about how he was basically abandoning his soldiers. 

When was the last time he felt so at peace? Back on the battlefield, he had no time to rest. Whenever he wasn’t leading soldiers and fighting, he was taking into account the numbers of injured soldiers and the remaining supplies they have, as well as working out when more supplies will arrive. He read reports from the reconnaissance team and worked out strategies for future battles. There was so much to do, at all times.

But now, in this place, there was no rush, no urgency. From what Ella had told him, all three armies had withdrawn since the battle and there had been no fighting sense. This meant that he could allow himself to enjoy this temporary reprieve from war instead of rushing back to the battlefield.

He was so grateful to the gods for sending Ella to him the way they did. She took him in and cared for him without a single expectation of anything in return. She was hospitable and never made him feel like an unwanted burden. She was fast and eloquent in her movements when she changed his bandages, and he finds himself craving her touch more and more.

He could tell she was feeling a bit worried about their food supplies from the way she pressed her lips together every time she checked the pantry and cellar, so as soon as his arm could move without pain again, he went out to hunt. He didn’t have any weapons with him, having lost them in the last battle, so he decided to borrow the kitchen knife. 

The cottage was surrounded by a large meadow close to the very river that swept him here. The games in this area will be smaller than those found in a forest. He managed to kill a rabbit despite his not fully recovered state, and he proudly took it back to the cottage. On his way back, he came across a patch of what looked like pink lilies. Remembering how Ella often kept a vase of wildflowers in the cottage to brighten up the room, he decided to surprise her with them for no reason.

He was surprised to see Ella’s face uncovered when he came in, and for a moment, he realized why he mistook her for a goddess when he opened his eyes to see her standing over him back in the river.

Ella had the type of beauty that would inspire countless arts and paintings. She had delicate features, including a heart-shaped face, rosy cheeks, and lush pink lips. She could easily be the most beautiful woman in the entire realm. 

He finally understood why she kept her face covered all this time, and why she instinctively covered it with her hands now. A beautiful woman living alone was an easy target for bad men.

Another thing he noticed was that she had a despondent look on her face when he first walked in, before she registered his presence.

Almost reflexively, he asked her, “Are you alright?”

Flustered, she stammered out, “I— You’re back?”

Tristan quickly came to a conclusion: she must have thought he left her as soon as he’d recovered enough to leave. The thought of her thinking so little of him after all the time they spent together almost bothered him.

Before he could change his mind, he nervously offered her the bouquet of flowers that he thought were lilies, but she stared at him with such wide eyes that he wondered if he did something that was considered highly offensive in Etherian culture. Did those flowers represent something insulting in flower languages?

But then, Ella smiled, and in that moment, her smile seemed more beautiful than the amaryllises themselves. Suddenly, he couldn’t remember what they were talking about. When she turned to fix up a vaase for the amaryllises, he found himself fixated on the curve of her neck peeking through her hair as she leaned over the tabletop.

Then he swallowed and hurriedly looked away before Ella could pick up on his new emotions.

In the end, they had a great meal that was over too quickly, and Tristan couldn’t help but notice that she never wore her face covering again. It felt like another victory, seeing that she was comfortable enough to put down her last piece of armor.

He wasn’t sure how long this peace would last. He had already recovered enough to leave at this point, but he pretended to be still a little weak so he could stay a little longer. When did his mind change? At first, he was eager to recover and go back to his kingdom, but now he finds himself more and more reluctant to leave. He cherished this short moment of peace after years of turbulent warfare.

Of course the peace didn’t last long. One week later, Ella came back with a serious expression holding a letter in her hands. Her eyebrows were furrowed, and she had a downcast look on her face.

“What’s wrong?” He blurted out as soon as he noticed her face. 

Ella took a deep breath. “I received a letter from my friend by bird just now. I have good news, bad news, and worse news.”

Were those news about the war? Reality had crashed into them sooner than he expected.

Tristan leaned forward, attentive and solemn. “Tell me.”

“First of all, the good news: the Eastern Alliance has surrendered.”

Tristan blinked. Never in his entire life had he expected to hear that. The Eastern Alliance surrendered? After so many years of fighting? What happened?

As if sensing his question, Ella explained, “I told you about the heavy casualty in the mudslide battle for all three sides, right? Well, it finally convinced Ardustan to call it quits, and Pyralis decided to do the same since it cannot fight alone.”

“Who did they surrender to? The Northern Alliance or Southwest Alliance?”

“Both?” Ella seemed uncertain. “Well, there has never been such a big war before, nor a war with three fronts, so I’m not completely sure. All I know is that the Eastern Alliance is no longer fighting.”

This was good news. This means one less enemy in battle.

“What’s the bad news?” Tristan asked. Please don’t say the Northern army and the Southwest army had decided to fight each other again. 

If there’s one thing Ella and Tristan can both agree on the most, it was that the war was stupid and ridiculous.

“My parents have noticed my absence. My friend did give them a false lead that I went to the Temple of Elysara to see the oracle, but they are heading there right now to find me, so I’m afraid I have to leave soon.”

“Are you a noble?” Tristan asked. “Since your parents seem to be the strict type. Only nobles would be so strict with their daughters…” Not to mention, only high-ranking nobles can visit the oracle as they please.

“Yes,” Ella confirmed as she folded the letter back up.

So that was why she had an air of elegance to her that only an aristocrat could possess after years of etiquette. He had suspected that she was no ordinary war nurse, but didn’t want to call her out on it.

“Wait, if you don’t live here, then…?”

“This cottage belonged to my friend.”

“The same one who just wrote to you?”

“Yes. She told me to spend some time alone to calm my mind, so I went here.”

That explains a few things, such as why this cottage didn’t seem to have been lived in that long. And Evan already noticed the lack of livestocks, despite having a pen near the cottage. There’s no way anyone could live here long-term with just that small garden. Especially not alone.

“Is it fate that we met here like this?” Tristan asked, only half-joking.

Ella smiled with amusement. “Perhaps? No one can tell what the goddess of destiny’s plans are.”

“Well, what’s the worst news?” Tristan asked. Might as well get that over with.

Ella took a deep breath. “The Sword of Terravale is dead.”

Wait. The Sword of Terravale was his sobriquet. That’s him! He was… dead?

But he’s clearly alive and sitting right before her!

Unless, this was the afterlife and he’s been dead all this time? He should have known everything was too nice and peaceful in this place!

“What do you mean?” Tristan managed to get out. 

Ella gave him a sympathetic look, clearly confusing his confusion and distress as a mourning comrade and not someone going through an identity crisis.

“They found his body in the river. It was bloated to the point of unrecognizable, but they identified it by his golden armor.”

Ah, the golden armor. The one that was stolen from him before the start of battle. So the fool died, then.

Now, Tristan was worried about how to clear this ridiculous misunderstanding.

“Why would someone wear gold armor?” Ella scoffed. “Gold is soft. Did the prince lack brains?” 

“It was a gold alloy, not pure gold. It was a pretty strong alloy.” Tristan couldn’t help but blurt out. It wasn’t the first time someone brought this up, so he immediately informed the other person out of reflex.

Ella gave him a weird look. “How do you know that?”

“Have you forgotten I was one of his soldiers?” Tristan pointed out.

Ella seemed convinced by his excuse. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Well, it wasn’t his loss considering that he was still alive, but something bothered him.

“Why is that the worst news? Is it worse for me because I’m from Terravale? Shouldn’t this be good news for you since he’s been a major issue for you for years?”

“It’s the worst news for me too.” Ella admitted. “Even though he was from the enemy side, I couldn’t help but respect him because he was someone with conscience, someone who treated all lives as precious. Did you know that the casualties were much lower when he was involved in the battle? On both sides, not just his. Losing battles is a matter of pride for any kingdom, but I don’t care that much for pride. I care about lives, and so did he. And now that he's dead, that means more soldiers will start dying in battles again.”

Tristan did know about the casualty thing. He didn’t enjoy the thought of taking lives needlessly, so even though he made sure to prioritize the lives of his men above everything, he also made sure not to take too many lives on the opposing army’s side. He never knew that anyone from the opposing side would notice.

But Ella had, and probably the other nurses too. It surprised him, but it also warmed his heart, knowing that others acknowledged and even praised his efforts.

“I…” Tristan’s voice trailed off, unsure of what to say. “I’m sorry for your loss?”

Ella cracked a small grin that didn’t completely reach her eyes. “Thank you, Evan.”

She still doesn’t know his identity.

Tristan nodded. “So when are you leaving?”

“Today. As soon as possible.”

Today. It was too soon, too fast. He didn’t have enough time with her, and now she was already leaving.

“Wait,” he said. He took out his dagger and handed it to her handle first. “Take my dagger.”

“Why? I already have a weapon on me.”

“This emblem on my dagger is proof of my identity. I still owe you for saving my life, so if you are ever in danger and need help from Terravale soldiers, just show it to them and ask them for help and they should help you.”

Ella glanced at the dagger with a raised eyebrow. “I already suspected that you were a noble as well, but now I’m wondering if your status is higher than I thought.”

Tristan merely smiled in return. “Please be careful, Ella.”

She nodded. “And I believe you’ve recovered enough to return to Terravale by now. So you should also return home to your family and friends, Evan. But promise me one thing. Don’t sacrifice your life fighting this pointless war. You’re better than that.”

You’re better than that too, Tristan wanted to reply. But he held his tongue as he helped her gather her stuff and watched as she mounted her horse.

“Will you be fine?” Ella asked. “I would see you off first, but I’m worried about being short on time…”

“Don’t worry about me.” Tristan reassured her. “I won’t burn this cottage down. I’ll clean it up a bit after you leave, then I’ll get going tomorrow.”

“You don’t have a horse.” Ella pointed out with a look of concern. “Terravale is a bit far.”

“I’ll find a way.”

“Here,” Ella took a bag of something heavy out of her traveling pack and shoved it into his hands. “I have some Etherian currency. That might be enough for some supplies, or at least a horse.”

Tristan opened the coin bag to find gleaming gold coins. He immediately tried to return it. “Isn’t this your emergency fund? You don’t have to…”

“Take it.” Ella insisted as she waved off his attempts to return it to her. “If it makes you feel better, you can simply pay the kindness forward to another person once you’ve arrived back in your kingdom.”

Tristan nodded in response. Suddenly, he felt that he had to tell her how he feels, how much she truly meant to him. He wanted to tell her that she had stolen his heart during their short time together, but before she could, she placed a finger on his lips, immediately silencing him.

“Shhh,” she whispered. “Don’t say it, Evan. I can’t give you the answer you want.”

So she knew what he was about to say. She could probably feel it from his heart from the very beginning, thanks to the ability granted to her through a god’s blessing. But does her words mean she doesn’t share the same feelings as him? Or does it mean she is unable or unwilling to accept those feelings?

Without another word, Ella then spurred her horse into action.

“Goodbye, Evan,” she said, turning her head to give him one last farewell. “I have to say, I don’t regret meeting you or saving you at all.”

She is definitely aware of his growing affection for her, he realized. But she was making a point not to acknowledge them, to make it easier for the two to separate.

In that moment, he prayed that their path could somehow cross again, in the future or in another life, and he prayed that it would be under better circumstances.