Work Text:
"We'll be safe in here!" It's not just snowing anymore, it's hailing and the pieces of hail that hit her face really hurt. She drags Azel into the cave, all the way to the back until outside is just a speck in the distance. She thanks Tordo and all the other Crusaders it's this deep.
"Won't the others get worried about us, though?" Typical Azel, always fretting over something or other. Still, he presses closer to her in the dark of the cave, wrapping his cloak around them both. He uses his tome to light a small campfire with the remains of some wood.
Silesia is beautiful, but Tiltyu has never liked the cold. Playing in the snow was fun when she, Azel and Lex were all children but she's a woman now, and snow isn't fun or pretty when she's a fugitive with a murderer for a father.
Oops. I promised myself I wouldn't think about that anymore.
She leans against Azel, trying to draw warmth from him. Being of Fala's descent he's always held up in the cold better than any of them, so he's got plenty of body heat to spare. And he lets her, wrapping his arm more tightly around her.
"We'll be okay," she says after a long silence. "The others will find us, or we'll find them once the hail stops."
"I wish we could send a messenger bird to tell them we're safe, though," Azel sighs. Tiltyu snorts, ruffling the back of his hair.
"You worry too much, Bratzel." He makes a face and she smirks; it's been her personal nickname for him since they were children and she knows she can always get a rise out of him with it when he's in one of his worrywart moods. "We all got separated, I didn't see Fury or Father Claude or Sylvia for the last few miles, so I'm sure everyone's hiding from the hail somewhere."
"I hope they're okay." Azel pulls her closer, there's snow melting in his hair and on his clothes but he doesn't seem to feel it. Sometimes she envies him, or wishes he'd been born a Freege and her a Velthomer. "Are you, though? You seemed pretty down earlier."
"Hm? Oh, that...yeah, I'm mostly over it now." A lie, but she doesn't want him to worry more than he already is. He probably doesn't believe her, but to her relief he doesn't push the issue.
"If you say so. But remember what I said before, if you ever need to talk about it, come find me." He draws her closer and she can't help the small, content murmur that escapes her.
The hail continues to fall outside, and she's getting sleepy. The fire is slowly dying.
They can rejoin the others tomorrow morning, she thinks as she dozes off.