//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: My Knight, My Bookworm // by silverpelt2 //------------------------------// Chapter 2 Flashback: last night Twilight Sparkle was the last to walk out of Gunther’s hospital room, giving him one last glace before closing the door behind her. He looked rather depressed at her departure, facing downward to hide his expression as she left. Twilight joined her friends and left the hospital, then was greeted by a cool breeze of the night. “Well goodnight y’all” said Applejack to the group, then faced twilight who seemed awfully distracted. “Don’t you worry sugarcube, we’ll make sure he gets well”. After a few more goodnights, the group departed their separate ways. Applejack left with rarity, who was helping her carry a chest with all of Gunther’s equipment, as it was awfully heavy for even a strong woman to carry on her own. Pinkie Pie skipped away humming a tune that was very upbeat and cheerful. Fluttershy left towards her cottage in on the river. Rainbow Dash took out her wings from her back and began her assent to her home in Cloudsdale; upon seeing her wings, Twilight thought of an idea. “Hey Rainbow!” she called to her rainbow haired friend. “Can you help me for a second?” Rainbow Dash flew down and landed next to Twilight. “What’s up?” asked Rainbow Dash, changing her stance to a hand on a slightly cocked hip. “Please don’t tell the others about what I am about to do” she asked, Rainbow nodded, but added a curious expression to her face. “Can you fly me up to Gunthers room? I told him I would stay with him tonight.” She said, scratching her head in embarrassment. “Ooohhh I get it” replied Rainbow rather sassily, and then nudged Twilight in the side with her elbow. “You have a crush on Gunther!” Twilight blushed rather brightly, and then put her hands up to keep Rainbow quiet. “Shhhh! Don’t tell the whole world” she pouted. “Are you going to help me or not?” “I’m only teasing Twilight and don’t worry, if you want this to be a secret, my lips are sealed,” replied Rainbow. “Come on” she encouraged. Twilight and Rainbow then snuck around the back of the hospital, hidden by the cover of night. When the two arrived at the wing Gunther was in, they paused to go over the plan. “Okay, I know Gunther is on the Third floor,” stated Twilight looking up the hospital wall. The rooms could be seen rather clearly as the moon was bright and shining. “If you fly me up, I could find Gunther’s room and you could drop me off.” “Alright then” Rainbow agreed. She then pulled out her wings from their closed position behind her back. Shooting up into the sky, she came down quickly to pick Twilight up by her arms. The two flew slowly up the side of the Hospital, peering through the windows to find Twilights young Knight. finding the room rather easily, as Gunther was still sitting upright, not asleep, Twilight opened the window slowly and stepped in. she turned around to Rainbow Dash to silently thank her again, and Rainbow flew off into the clouds for the night. Twilight slowly approached the wounded knight, and soon fell asleep in his strong arms. The next morning Dawn approached Ponyville as the sun washed over the colorful land of Equestria. Birds chirped softly their sweet tunes which slowly woke up the residents of the town. Gunther and Twilight, who just recently became very good friends, were in eachothers arms in the rather small hospital bed. Twilight had her head placed in between Gunther’s right arm and shoulder, and Gunther had his cheek resting on top of Twilight’s rich purple hair. Twilight had on her hand placed on top of Gunther’s stomach, which was wrapped heavily with bandages, and in turn Gunther had his arm wrapped gently around Twilight’s back, keeping her close to his body. The sun finally made its way into the room of the sleeping couple, causing them to slowly wake up to the new day. Twilight tried to pick her body up, but a strong arm was keeping her down. Giggling softly, she tried to pick his arm off of her so she could get up. As she did, Gunther slowly woke up; opening his eyes only to see a young woman smiling at him sitting on the edge of the bed. “Good morning sir Gunther” she said happily, joking as she addressed him as a knight, as they had already dropped all formalities of their names. “Good morning to you Lady Twilight” Gunther said returning the smile while imitating Twilights joke. Twilight then scanned over Gunther’s wounds, noticing they had already half healed themselves overnight. Twilight looked back up at Gunther with a look of surprise and relief on her face. “Your wounds are almost completely healed up!”She said rather joyfully, “at this rate you’ll be out of here in no time at all!” “Only thanks to you” he said, reaching for her hand with his uninjured one. He gave it a light squeeze which caused Twilight to become a little red in the cheeks. Although it was not intended, they continued to hold each other’s hand and they each locked eyes with each other. All of a sudden, a quick knock on the door was heard in the room, breaking the two’s stare into each other’s eyes. “oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no” panicked Twilight looked around the room franticly, wondering what she should do, and cursing herself for not thinking about what would happen if the doctors found out she slipped into the hospital last night. “Quick, under the bed!” suggested Gunther. Twilight quickly got on the ground and rolled underneath the bed Gunther was lying on. The door opened to reveal the doctor that treated Gunther last night. She walked into his room, and glanced around. “Good morning Gunther, how are you feeling?” she asked. She made her way over to Gunther and opened up his bandages, scanning his wounds. “Much better, thank you” replied Gunther politely. “Yes, it does look that way, your wounds are nearly healed, remarkable if you ask me” she replied. “You know, we could probably release you later today if you are in fact feeling better” she added. “Really?” Gunther asked. Twilight also wondered the same thing, and also wondered on what he was planning to do once he got released. “Yes, you are looking much better than yesterday, although you will have to leave that arm alone for a week or two at your healing rate.” The Doctor replied. “That’s alright” said Gunther. “Thank you again for helping me” “Oh don’t worry about that, it’s just what we do” she said beginning to leave, she stopped herself in the doorway, turning around she asked “by the way, who were you talking to in here, I heard mumbling”. “Oh I ummm.” He fumbled with his words before finding an excuse. “I was praying”. “Right then….”she paused, obviously finding flaw in his story. “Well, I’ll have a nurse check you out in a couple of hours”. Then the doctor left the room, closing the door behind her. Twilight rolled out from under the bed, and picked herself up. “That’s great news! You are going to be released later today!” she said joyously. Gunther did not share the same emotion towards the news however, and it was quite obvious to Twilight. “Why aren’t you happy? Is something wrong?” she asked tuning down her happy attitude into a more sympathetic tone, then sitting down at the edge of the bed again. Gunther sighed, and looked away from twilight, “in the short time that I’ve been here I’ve met some really great people that even go far enough to call me their friend. If I leave now, I will never get to see them again;” he looked back up at Twilight, locking eyes with her, “I’ll never get to see you again.” “What are you talking about?” she asked, “Why do you have to leave all of a sudden?” a look of shock crossed her face. “Well I can’t stay here can I?” he asked. “Why not?” “Where would I live for starters, I don’t have a home anywhere, and I don’t have any money either. I just wouldn’t be able to stay here” he said sadly. It hurt Gunther to say this, as much as he wanted to stay, he just couldn’t bear to think about all the trouble he would cause. “If you really want to stay, I could work something out with the mayor. You could work with the Town Guard or something.” Twilight said. Turning her mood from serious to compassionate she continued. “I don’t want you to leave either”she said cupping his hand in both of hers, causing him to become flushed, but still remaining locked on her sincere eyes. “But where would I live?” he asked, becoming happier knowing that she wants him to live in Ponyville. “We can work out details later” she said. What she truly wanted was for him to somehow end up staying with her in the library, but her suggestion was quite different, mostly to not be so forward in their budding relationship. “But in the mean time, I suppose you could stay with me? I have an empty guest bed and plenty of space…” she said, in more of a question then a statement. “Twilight are you sure?” Gunther asked. “I don’t want to burden you” “I’m sure Gunther” she replied. “Besides, it will give us a chance to get to know each other better, right?.” Squee! This couldn’t go better! “Alright then, although I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, I’m still in the hospital for a little while” Gunther said. He was just as happy to know that he would be staying with Twilight at her house, at least for a little while. A couple minutes later, after Twilight settled herself into a chair and began braiding her hair, a knock was heard on the door. “Rise and shine sugar cube!” said a familiar country girl while opening the door. Twilight and Gunther looked towards the door to see a young blond woman with fair skin open the door holding a covered bowl. “oh, mornin’ Twilight, didn’t know you’d be here so early” “hehe, what can I say?” she awkwardly replied, avoiding the fact that she was with Gunther all night. “Well I brought you breakfast if you’re hungry” she said, handing Gunther the covered bowl. Gunther accepted the dish. “Thank you very much…Applejack if I remember correctly?” replied Gunther. Applejack smiled and nodded, then raising her thumb to point towards herself. “Yes sir, I live over on sweetapple acres with the rest of my family” she said proudly. “You won’t find a more juicy apple anywhere in Equestria.” “I’ll have to try one later then” Gunther said. He then took of the cover off of the bowl in his hands. Steam immediately escaped and warming Gunther’s face. The Bowl contained a mixture of scrambled eggs, diced Potatoes, and Two pieces of buttered toast. “This looks delicious Applejack, thank you again.” Gunther then looked over at Twilight who was sitting rather quietly, and a little distracted. “Have you eaten yet Twilight?” he asked, already knowing the answer, “would you like to share? There seems to be plenty” he encouraged. “Oh me? You don’t have to worry” she said, ignoring the rumbling in her stomach. “Besides, you’re the one on the mend, you need to keep up your strength!” she said in a rather uplifting tone. “Come now, you expect me to just sit back and watch you starve over there?” he said, “at least have a piece of toast”. Twilight looked over at Gunther holding the bowl of steaming food. Its aroma filling the room with an intoxicating scent, at least to someone who was quite hungry like Twilight was. “Okay fine!” she said giving into her stomach’s calls. She got up and hoped onto the edge of Gunther’s bed. Gunther held out the piece of toast and she took it gratefully. Gunther simply watched, smiling, as Twilight nearly devoured the toast. As she was finishing, Gunther picked up the other piece, handing it to her as she was still chewing the last slice. She accepted the second piece, but ate it slower, becoming satisfied with her quick meal. Gunther then began eating the still steaming meal in front of him, savoring the flavors of all the different ingredients. “It’s so good to have some real home cooking,” noted Gunther in between bites. “I’ve had nothing but crappy tavern food for the past year” “So you’ve been travelling a lot I reckon?” asked Applejack. Twilight looked up from eating to hear Gunther’s response; she reminded herself that she never asked why Gunther was here, or what had happened. “Something like that. There was a…war,” said Gunther. He let out a long sigh before continuing. The pain of the losses was still fresh in his mind. “A terrible one, from an enemy our land has not scene for hundreds of years.” Twilight felt a cold wash of sadness wash over her, remembering her own little war with Discord. Remembering the feeling when she had thought she lost her friends to him. Her experience was vastly different though, her friends weren’t lost; in a real war, everyone loses. Twilight saw Gunther’s face change completely to a more serious and sorrowful expression as his eyes wandered away from the two women. Twilight moved closer to Gunther, then softly taking his hand in her own. Gunther looked up into Twilights face, seeing her give a sympathetic smile towards him as she gave his hand a light squeeze. Gunther couldn’t help but return the smile. “I’m sorry; it seems it is still a little fresh in my mind” “Don’t apologize sugar cube” said Applejack, obviously attempting to raise Gunther’s dampened spirits. “Some things are just out of our control.” “Yes, I shouldn’t dwell on the past” replied Gunther happier than before. “Did you hear Applejack?” asked twilight changing the subject, “the doctors said Gunther will be released later today!” the door then opened, with Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie walking through. “Did I hear correctly? Did you say our little knight over here is being released later today?” asked Rarity, taking a position close to the bed. “Yes, isn’t it wonderful?” said Twilight. “Oh no!” shouted a surprised Pinkie Pie, “I haven’t started on your welcome party yet! I’ll see you later bye!” she said in one short breath, quickly leaving the room. “Welcome party?” asked Gunther quizzically, looking at Twilight for confirmation. “She does it for everybody who comes here” replied Twilight. “Don’t worry about it” “Well if you’re being let our early, then I should probably get your armor fixed up.” Said Rarity. “Let’s go fluttershy, I could use your help” Fluttershy nodded. “It was a delight seeing you again Gunther, please come by my boutique later, I’m sure your armor will be done soon.” She said before leaving, giving Gunther a little wink as she exited the room. “Well I should get going as well, gotta start preparing the farm for the summer harvest” said Applejack, before leaving. A moment later, Twilight looked down at her hand, which was still holding on to Gunther’s from before. Becoming rather embarrassed, she quickly released his hand. “Sorry” they said in unison. Realizing what just happened, they both quietly laughed it off. “I’ve sort of been wondering this after what you said earlier.” Said Twilight, breaking the silence, “this war, was it against the Darkspawn?” “Yes, how did you know?” asked Gunther. “I don’t know, you just seemed really good at, well, you know, killing darkspawn.” She said. “Just a guess.” “Were I come from, we call a war with the Darkspawn a Blight, perhaps you have heard of that?” replied Gunther. “Well, the name does sound familiar” said Twilight deep in thought, “guess I’ll just have to do some research tonight.” “A record would probably have more information,” said Gunther, “I really do not know that much about the Blights. Although if there were never any blights here in Equestria, it might be a little hard to find anything on them.” “Then maybe I could ask the princess? She might have some in the library in Canterlot.” Replied Twilight. “Do you know the princess personally?” “Yes, she took me in as her own personal protégé.” Said Twilight with pride in her title. “That must be quite an honor” “Yeah, heh heh ” she said averting her eyes and scratching the back of her head. The next hours flew by with the two talking about nonsense, mostly Twilight though, talking about stories from her childhood, about her brother and such. Gunther just listened intently, speaking very little. He didn’t mind, he was rather quiet around people, even friends. She even shared a few stories from her adventures in Ponyville while she was learning about friendship. Around noon, a nurse came in with some simple clothes for Gunther, along with a few discharge forms for him to sign. The two then left the hospital, and headed for Twilight’s home in the library. The two walked into the library, Gunther stood in awe as he saw the tall bookshelves filled with texts and works. “Hey, you’ll have plenty of time to read these if you want.” Said Twilight, “but how about a shower? You’ve probably haven’t’ had a chance to bathe in a while right?” “Oh yeah you’re right” said Gunther, now noticing the layers of salt from his trip, along with dried blood and dirt that coated his skin. Twilight showed him to the bathroom were the shower was, but Gunther seemed rather confused at the sight. “Umm, Twilight, I don’t think we had any of these back at Ferelden. How do I…what do i…?” he said rather embarrassed. “Oh right, here I’ll show you how to turn it on.” She said. She turned on the shower and explained how to change the temperature. “And feel free to use the shampoo for your hair, and the regular soap for everything else. And here is a razor if you want to shave,” she said, handing him a straight razor. “Thank you very much Twilight, you have been nothing but kind towards me, thank you.” he said smiling. Twilight blushed a little at his words. “Come on, get cleaned up, you probably want to get your armor back don’t you?” She encouraged, leaving the bathroom and closing the door behind her. Twilight then set out to get her house ready for her guest. She prepared the guest bed, the one that sat across the room from her own. She also found a clothes stand, figuring it would work well to hold his armor when he wasn’t wearing it. She laid his weapons at the base of it, and left the stand near his bed. Moments later, Gunther stepped out of the steaming bathroom. He looked almost like a different person. His skin was lighter, pale, but clear. His hair wasn’t dirty and greasy like before, it was now clean and a little fluffy, with a center part so it was out of his eyes. She also noticed his face was shaved, now showing more clear skin the same color. Twilight came down to greet him. “So, how was your first shower?” she asked happily. “Heavenly, I have never experience anything like it” he said smiling, he then ran his hand through his hair, “I think your shampoo was meant for girls, mine’s all fluffy now; it’s strange.” Twilight giggled, “Don’t worry about that, I think you look handsome.” She said, causing a massive blush to cover Gunther’s face. Twilight then guided Gunther up to the bedroom. “This will be you bed for now, and you can put your armor on this rack, and speaking of which, I think Rarity is expecting you.” “Okay then, shall we go to her then?” he asked. “Sorry, but I should probably go out and stock up on some food, now that I have a guest.” she said, “ Rarity’s boutique is due north of here, I’m sure you can find it easily” “Oh, alright.” He said. He picked up his Sword and buckled it across his back, then left for the door. Before exiting, he paused, “I’ll see you later then?” “Of course,” replied Twilight smiling, “I should be home when you get back, and please be patient with Rarity, she gets a little exited when it comes to clothes and such.” “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said before closing the door behind him. Gunther headed north just like Twilight said, and sure enough there was a large shop in the shape of a small castle with a large sign that read Rarity’s Boutique. He opened the door, hearing a bell ring as the door swung open. Gunther saw a magnificent display of racks of dresses, hats, and shoes, each one standing out on its own design. Gunther heard a voice calling from behind a curtain. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, I’ll be right with you.” Called an elegant voice. Gunther slowly walked deeper into the shop, following the voice he just heard. He looked behind the standing curtain to see a young, blue haried woman kneeling over a manikin which was holding Gunther’s silver armor. Farther back, he saw a younger pink haired woman sewing, too busy to look up. “there we go,” said Rarity standing up, and turning to face her guest. “Now what can I help you with..wahahah!” she shouted startled, tripping over her heels that she was wearing; Gunther could only watch as she fell flat on her backside. Fluttershy looked up from her sewing startled as well, feeling a wash of red come across her face. Gunther rushed to the fallen woman, offering his hand. “Are you all right lady Rarity?” he said, gently lifting her. “Are you hurt, or…?” “I’m quite alright; you just startled me that is all.” She said rather embarrassed, finally looking up into the face of the knight. She was obviously impressed by the sudden change in Gunther; at first only seeing a ragged solider, now seeing before her eyes was a young prince. Although his current clothes did not seem to reflect what potential Rarity saw in him; he was wearing a simple cream colored long sleeve shirt with baggy cuffs, and brown pants that were tucked into a set of brown boots that rose up to his mid calf. His sword had a belt running across his chest, and under his arm, keeping it tight against his back. His short hair wasn’t in his eyes anymore; rather it was parted in the middle, allowing it to flow past his eyes and behind his ears, although letting a few strands fall onto his ears. Still shocked, she wanted to continue her work, leading Gunther to his armor set. “I am just about done with your armor, it really wasn’t that hard to fix, just a few broken rings. Why don’t you put it on so I can get the fitting correct?” “Okay, and thanks again for fixing this for me” Gunther said as he began putting on his armor. “It was my pleasure really; this armor is absolutely beautiful, were in Equestria did you acquire such a piece?” replied rarity, helping Gunther with his shoulder pauldron. “It was in Ferelden actually” replied Gunther, reminding Rarity that he was not native to Equestria. “It’s sort of a long story; you wouldn’t want to hear it.” He said averting his eyes from Rarity. His armor was all equipped now, standing on a pedestal for an easier access for Rarity to work. She started taking measurements around his waist and his chest height. “My lady, is something wrong? My armor seems fine, everything is fixed. “As much as I enjoy being called ‘lady’, please just call me Rarity” she said, “as for your armor, I can’t just let up such an opportunity to slip by! You need accessories to match such, such radiant armor! ” she said before running off to her desk to begin mapping out something on her drafting table. Gunther sighed, but remembered he should be patient with her; it is only what she loves to do best. The pink haired woman in the back stood up, picking up the white cloth she was working on and brought it over to Gunther, keeping her head down. She took out her yellow colored wings, which matched the sweater she was wearing, and lifted herself up; flying herself behind Gunther, draping the white cloth, which now seemed to be a cape, over his shoulders. She pinned it in place, and began making adjustments, holding them with pins. “Umm, could I say something?” she asked quietly, while she continued to work. Gunther nodded, trying to see her face. “umm, thank you for saving Twilight, it was really brave of you; she is a good friend of mine and just wanted to thank you personally.” She said, slightly embarrassed. Gunther could tell she was nervous, as well as a fair deal shy. He knew all too well how hard it was to be around people when you couldn’t speak out of fear. “That is very kind of you, my lady” he replied softly, “I’m sorry if I scare you, I do not mean to be frightening.” He said sadly after noticing how she seemed distant with her eyes towards him. Shocked at his statement, she flew around to look at him in the eyes. “That’s not true!” she said strongly, but then lowering her voice, “you are not frightening, I’m just a little shy around new people, that’s all. I’m sorry…” “There is nothing wrong with being a little shy, my lady” Gunther replied. “I was the same way, or I still am, I don’t know. But it’s nothing to be ashamed of.” Fluttershy smiled brightly at Gunther who returned the smile, until being broken off by Rarity. “Okay, let’s see how this turned out” said rarity, returning with a clasp of some sort. It was in the shape of two vines that made a “v” shape. Rarity attached it to the cape Gunther was wearing. “Perfect! Now all we have to do is make the adjustments and it will be done!” “Is there any way I can help?” Gunther asked. Rarity looked up from her work, and towards Gunther who was standing, feeling helpless for once in his life. “This is a gift Gunther; you are very sweet to ask though, don’t worry about it all right?” she said, returning to her work. It was dusk by the time Rarity finished with Gunther’s armor and new cape. Gunther felt terrible for accepting it without paying her, but she insisted upon it saying Twilight was her best friend, and she would do anything for her savior. Gunther then thanked the two women graciously for their generosity and left for Twilights home. Gunther arrived at the library, which was now lit up on the inside with lanterns and candles. Gunther slowly opened the door, seeing a young female at a table reading a large book. She looked up, smiling at her visitor. “Hey you, don’t you look fancy” she said giggling, standing up, moving towards her guest. Gunther adorned his silver armor of Diligence, and a new cape. It was white with gold embroidery around the edges, with a pair of silver vines in the center, clasped off center on his left breast. It was thrown over his shoulders, and came down to his knees in length. Gunther blushed at her comment, believing himself to be overdressed for a common solider. “Let me guess, it was Rarity’s idea?” “Yeah…I look silly don’t I?” asked Gunther, averting his eyes from Twilight who was now standing before him, in hopes to hide his blush. “Silly? Come on, you look like a prince!” she said enthusiastically, straightening his cape for him, he blushed even brighter. “Prince? Well I was a…” stopping himself, feeling his heart drop. “Nothing, never mind” he quickly said. “a what?” she asked confused. “Twilight, there is a lot about me that you don’t know,” he said, taking a long sigh. “Besides, it might be a long story” “Well, you can tell me over dinner?” she suggested, then returning to a compassionate tone. She reached up to his cheek to turn it to face her, then looking deep into his eyes. They were clouded by too many emotions for her to count; maybe he tried to leave all of that behind she thought. “We have all night to talk Gunther, besides, you mean a lot to me; I want to understand.” “You mean a lot to me too” he said, smiling lightly. They moved to the kitchen where they began their meal that Twilight had prepared before. They sat at a small wooden table, across from each other. “This might be a little bit sad, I don’t have to tell you if you don’t want to” Gunther said. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine” she said. “Why don’t you start at the beginning?” “Okay then.” He took a deep breath before starting. “My name is Gunther Cousland; my father was Bryce Cousland, lord of Highever. I lived with my family for 17 years before the blight came; when it did, the king called for aid from all the lords of Ferelden, so naturally my father sent our support. Since I am not yet a knight, he sent my brother with a small army, almost all of our troops. At the same time, a family friend, Howe, was also at my home with is force as well, preparing to leave with ours. My brother left that day, by Howe stayed behind for the night, and that’s when…” he paused, Twilight stayed silent, fearing what may come next. “Howe was jealous of my father, so he attacked the castle at night, killing everyone. There were so few left to guard the castle, it was taken on a whim. My mother and I fought our way to an escape where my father was on the ground, bleeding. A man was guarding him, his name was Duncan, and he came earlier looking for recruits. He then told my father he would help me escape if I was inducted into his order. My father agreed, but my mother… she decided her fate was to be with her husband, so she stayed with my father. I later heard that everyone was slain inside the castle, there were no survivors.” Gunther’s eyes became watery at this point; he was holding back many tears from the memory. Twilight reached her hand out to cover Gunther’s, but remained silent. “Duncan took me to the front lines of the Blight, where I became a Grey Warden.” “A grey warden?” she asked, “i was just reading about the Darkspawn earlier and it did mention a group by that name” “A grey warden lives to fight the darkspawn so others don’t have to. It would make sense to include them in anything about the darkspawn.” “But in the reading, it said something about an initiation ritual” she said, darkening her tone, “something about connecting the grey wardens to the darkspawn.” “Twilight, if I tell you, please promise me nothing will change between us.” He replied. She nodded, “but I don’t understand; is it something bad?” “At least I think so,” he closed his eyes, “we connect our minds to the darkspawn by drinking a drop of their blood.” He then winced, preparing for Twilight’s reaction. Initially shocked, but began to understand. She rubbed her thumb softly on Gunther’s hand, having him open his eyes to Twilight’s smiling face. “Gunther, this changes nothing.” She said, “If anything, I understand you better.” “There is one more thing, something I only found out until recently.” He said, “At the head of the Blight, there is the Archdemon. An old god in physical form; if you defeat it, the blight ends and the darkspawn head back underground. Though, if just a normal person slays it, the Archdemon’s soul will just move on and transfer into the closest darkspawn and become reborn.” Twilight’s eyes widened, already knowing what Gunther was going to tell her. “You already know don’t you? Since we have darkspawn blood in us, grey wardens are the ones to finish the Archdemon. And when we do slay it, the soul transfers into us; but instead of becoming reborn through us, it is destroyed, along with the grey warden.” “I still don’t understand,” said Twilight, “the Archdemon is defeated right? Someone else then made the final blow because you are still alive, right?” “Twilight, this is why I left Ferelden,” he said, “There were only two grey wardens at the battle, me and my friend, Alistair. I wounded the Archdemon and I wasn’t thinking; that’s when I made the final blow.” “But how are you…?” “Twilight, I was scared before the battle.” He said, “Foolish, I know. One of my close friends, Morrigan, offered me a way out of the burden of being destroyed with the Archdemon. We did a ritual, one that involved blood, and now the Archdemon is destroyed and I am still alive.” “Anyone would be scared to give up their life so quickly, it’s normal to want to live, especially someone as young as you” Twilight said, then shook her head, “don’t beat yourself up about it” “But doesn’t me being what I am bother you?” Gunther asked, “I mean, I have darkspawn blood inside me, I don’t even know if I’m human anymore…” he trailed off. She shook her head, “not at all” she said, “it doesn’t matter what you are, what does matter is who you are. It doesn’t matter what blood flows in you, or what title you have. You are still you. You are still the man who willingly gave his life to save mine, without hesitation. Please don’t forget that.” Gunther’s eyes widened in awe at Twilight’s words, it was such a simple idea, yet so strong in meaning. Gunther cursed himself at being so foolish to believe he changed as a person when he became a Grey Warden. “Twilight, I’m so sorry, I’m being quite selfish aren’t I?” he said. “Jeez, quit apologizing all the time.” She noted, “and don’t worry about it; come on, let’s go to bed, I'm sure you’re tired after today.” Gunther nodded. The two picked up their empty plates and put them into the sink; Twilight told him that Spike would take care of the dishes in the morning. The two made their way up to the bedroom, and Gunther took off his armor (with Twilight’s help) and hung it up on the stand, with his sword and shield at the base. By now it was pretty dark out, most people were going to bed around now; Twilight suggested they did so as well. Out of his armor now, Gunther went to replace his bandages with fresh ones for the night. “Hey Twilight, I’d hate to be a bother but could you help me with my bandages?” he asked, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. “Of course!” she almost blurted out. She then helped bandage up his wounds, wrapping bandages around his chest and stomach. She blushed furiously whenever her hand grazed Gunther’s battle hardened body, remembering how he hit a Hurlock off its feet with just a swing of his shield. At the same time, Gunther couldn’t help but notice how gentle Twilight was being with his injuries; her touch was like silk on his skin. After finishing, Gunther put on a pair of cotton pants and a shirt, leaving the shirt open to let his wounds breath; his body was covered mostly by bandages so it wasn’t too revealing, not that Twilight minded. Gunther sat on his bed, preparing to sleep, before Twilight got up: “I'm going to take a shower, but go to sleep, you need all the rest you can get” she said, moving her way to the staircase; she turned her head around to face Gunther who was also looking back. “Sweet dreams, my knight” she said softly, the last part being too soft for Gunther to hear. She then moved down to the bathroom to take a nice relaxing shower. After about half an hour, Twilight emerged from the steaming bathroom completely refreshed and ready for the night. She entered the dark library, only lit by the moonlight that crept in through the windows; she walked softly up the stair barefoot, wearing a set of cotton pajama pants and a light tank top. She walked up the stairs to the bedroom only to find a silhouette of a figure in the darkness. Gunther was sitting on the edge of his bed, with his head resting in his hands. Twilight crept up to Gunther, seating herself next to Gunther. “What’s wrong?” she asked softly. Gunther lifted his head up from his hands to face Twilight, after looking in her concerned eyes for a moment; he knew he could not lie to her, so he had to tell her the truth. “Grey Wardens sometimes have nightmares because of their tainted blood.” He said. “I thought they would be over once the Archdemon was destroyed, but I guess I was wrong.” Twilight wrapped her arms around Gunther, holding him softly, and rubbing his arms affectionately. “Did you have one last night?” “Well, no. perhaps the closer the darkspawn are, the more the Taint affects my dreams.” He suggested. “Would it help if I stayed with you for a little?” asked Twilight. Gunther blushed violently, trying to erase any foul thoughts from his mind, although the darkness shrouded Gunther’s bright red face. “I can’t ask you to do that Twilight.” He said, although he actually wished to hold her like he did the other night; his nightmares ceased to exist in the presence of her. “Close your eyes Gunther; I will protect you, just like you protected me.” She said softly and gently. Gunther obeyed. He felt her gentle hand push his head down to the bed. She rested her head up on her hand, using her other hand to gently stroke Gunther’s hair, easing him to sleep. “Thank you Twilight,” mumbled Gunther, “thank you for listening.” Gunther fell asleep shortly after. Twilight remained next to him, watching his chest move up and down with his breath. She found herself closing her own eyes, feeling the weight of the fatigue push down on her body. Half asleep, she laid her head on Gunther’s pillow, and shortly fell asleep next to him.