Work Text:
Loyalty
Rodrigue stopped Gilbert at the door of castle Fraldarius.
“Are you certain that you’ll be able to find him?”
“No.” Gilbert adjusted the strap over his shoulder. “Nevertheless I have to try. It has been too long, and we need him to help hold the line.”
“He could be dead.”
“I refuse to believe that. Prince Dimitri is my liege. I’ve known that young man longer than you have, and I will not give up on him.”
“It’s not about giving up, it’s about being practical.” Rodrigue sighed. “If you find him, send word.”
“When, not if. And I will.”
Fatherhood
When Gilbert watched Annette in Garreg Mach, there was a certain part of him that felt unbearably proud. She was a lovely young woman, well-liked by her friends, with the respect of her professors and the other staff of the monastery.
Yet...
And yet, that pride was hollow, sitting in his chest like a stone plucked from the fires of Ailell. He had so little to do with Annette being the lovely person that she was. He had not been present, had not been there to raise her.
Annette looked at him and started walking towards him. Gilbert turned away.
Guilt
Gilbert held the tea cup close to his lips, breathing in the aroma. A bright smell hit his nose and curled not unpleasantly to the back of his palate. Mint tea.
He forced a smile to his face. The professor wouldn’t know. How could he? Gilbert kept everything of his past as much under wraps as possible.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes, everything is fine.”
Gilbert drank the tea, thankfully he did not flinch.
This was his wife’s favorite blend. Every sip tugged at memories unfinished and words unsaid. He would keep drinking. It was the absolute least he could do.
Faith
“My Goddess, I offer myself entirely to thee.”
The chapel was barren, but not even the caved in ceiling diminished the holiness from the chamber. If anything, the pale moonlight added to it.
“To show my devotion to thee, I offer thee my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being without reserve.”
The stone floor was cold under his feet. Firm, as he would hope that his own convictions were and could be.
“Wherefore, good Goddess, as I am thine own, keep me, guard me as thy possession.”
Gilbert took up his axe and readied for battle.
Redemption
There was a space on his desk where his letters once were. Gilbert had left the lot in Annette’s care, to be sent or burned as she wished. Nevertheless, he felt the urge to write another.
Dear Jeanne-Marie, I do not know which will reach you first, this letter, or a package of them, should Annette decide that they are worthy of your viewing…
This one he sent on his own, filled with his personal apology and explanation.
He never expected he would receive a return letter, sealed with the Montmorency coat of arms, and filled with castigation and forgiveness.
Relationships
“You like him.” Jeanne-Marie’s smile was wicked as she signed.
“Pardon?” Gilbert’s attempt at ignorance failed under the blush that dominated his face.
“Hang on to him, you only have so many chances and you have let so many pass by in your life.”
“I do not-“
Jeanne-Maire wrapped her hands around Gilbert’s, forcing him to silence.
“I will never forgive you if you do not risk it for him. As one of your missed chances, do not turn that man into another regret. Do you understand me?”
Gilbert shook his head and smiled. “Annette wouldn’t forgive me, either.”