Maidenless No Longer (Elden Ring)

Chapter 8: Roundtable Respite #1

After a pregnant pause, her father speaks up again, sounding appropriately chastised.

"Yes. Thank you, Sir Tarnished, for everything you've done for me and my daughter. We would not be here without your help."

The Tarnished does not respond with words, but Irina barely flinches when she feels his hand suddenly on her shoulder. Judging by her father's slight stiffening and sharp intake of breath, the Tarnished's other hand is on Edgar's shoulder as well. He gives them both a comforting squeeze, before pulling back. Irina knows that he's gone, because that warm presence slowly recedes and her father lets out a shaky breath in his absence.

"Irina, that man..."

Irina does something she never would have done before the events of the last few weeks. She interrupts her father, cutting off whatever he might have said as her sightless eyes stare after the Tarnished, imagining his strong and stalwart back profile walking away in her mind's eye.

"I might just marry that man one day father, Grace Willing. So do be careful what you say about him in my presence."

Edgar jolts in surprise, and she can tell her father is staring at her, gobsmacked.

"W-What?! Irina!"

But Irina is just smiling, tuning him out as she imagines a life with her Tarnished and all that it might entail.

-x-X-x-

Roderika sits with her legs folded under her and smiles. Her new set of tools, as well as several tomes, are arrayed on a cloth blanket before her. Her red hood is gone, and her blonde locks are out... but it's alright. She feels good, sitting here, making some use of herself. Heh, who would have guessed? Her, a Spirit-Tuner. It was still a little mind-boggling.

And yet... here she was. When the Tarnished had come back to her with that memento from her men, Roderika had been completely astonished. To some, it might have just been a brooch wrapped in red velvet. To her... it was something much more. The spirits of her men, all those who had come with her to the Lands Between, were tied to the brooch. Only she could hear them. Only she could interact with them.

Although... she questioned if that were true. It was possible that the Tarnished could as well, seeing how he'd seemed so sure he knew it would be important to her. In the end, it mattered little in the grand scheme of things. Her men... they all believed in her. They all thought she could make something of herself. And so, she'd headed to Roundtable Hold after all, searching for a purpose.

Never in a million years had she thought the Tarnished who had helped her so much already would see fit to help her again! It turned out that Roundtable Hold's Smithing Master, a... man named Hewg, had seen the same thing in her that her men had. And better still, HE could put a name to it.

Glancing up from her work, Roderika sees Hewg sneaking a glance over at her, and flashes him a bright smile. The Smithing Master quickly averts his eyes in that gruff, easily embarrassed way of his, but Roderika doesn't mind. He might have a somewhat frightening appearance, but she's not so scared of him anymore. He has a kind soul to him, no matter what anyone says. And... it's thanks to him that she's started down the path of Spirit Tuning.

Him and...

Roderika starts, as a familiar face steps into the hall that she and Master Hewg have made their base of operations. The Tarnished walks over to her with a bright smile on his face, and Roderika can't help but smile brightly right along with him.

"Ah! It's good to see you again. Thank you very much for your assistance. I can happily announce that Master Hewg has taught me the noble toil of spirit tuning."