TRYST // Philza X Reader

16

Phil didn't bring it back up for the rest of the night, but he seemed quieter than normal, and he kept glancing back to the Totem on his shelf. It even bled into your sleep - you were awake long after Phil's breathing had evened out, just thinking about what you had said. You hadn't really meant anything by it, but your words had sunk into Phil's bones and made him think.

You weren't quite sure what exactly he was thinking, either. 

Eventually though, you fell into a fitful sleep. When you rose again, the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds - only barely though, painting the world in muted grey tones. As expected, Phil was already up, though instead of preparing for whatever work needed to be done for the day, he picked at a sliced apple, staring absently out the window. 

You stretched, working out the muscles you had slept on. "Morning."

"Morning." Phil returned. "Sleep alright?"

You swung your legs out of bed, getting up and stretching your arms up over your head. "Anything on the docket for today?"

Phil's eyes flicked away from the window to meet yours instead, and he shrugged. "Nothing much."

You blinked at that - there was always something that needed to be done, between the farms and taking care of the forest and the house. Phil just went back to his apple slices, his gaze returning to the Totem on the bookshelf, as it had been since last night. Your stomach sunk slightly as you headed over to the stove to make yourself some breakfast - your words really had gotten to Phil last night if he was taking a day off. 

Your hand found one of the knives and you sliced off a sliver of bread for yourself to eat, pairing it with some berries you had picked the day before. You wanted to say something, to tell him that you hadn't meant to send him into whatever spiral he was having, but the words seemed out of reach. 

It didn't really matter though, because Phil broke the silence with a sigh, and began to speak. 

"I've been reconsidering my decision to stay out of the war." 

You paused in your breakfast making sharply, turning you head to look back at Phil. He was still staring at the Totem on the shelf, but there was a resolution about his face now - in the set of his jaw and the glint in his eye. "What about it?" You asked, a little nervous about his response. 

"I know you probably didn't mean too much when you asked me if I would give up the Totem to end the war, but I just can't stop thinking about it." He said. "Obviously, I don't agree with why Etienne is fighting this war at all - of course not - but people are dying again." He stopped, trailing off slightly. 

You could fill in the rest of what he had wanted to say yourself. The whole reason people even knew of Phil in the first place was because he couldn't stand to watch innocent people die - he was a hero in the legends. 

If you had known that all you'd had to do was put the loss of life into perspective for him to join the war effort, you would have done it when you first arrived. 

"You're not going to give him the Totem, are you?" You asked, slightly afraid. You would rather not have King Etienne suddenly become basically immortal - not after he had marginalized entire tribes of people simply because they had been nomadic pillagers when he was a boy.

"No, I don't think so." Phil said. "But I think I should at least deign myself to go and see what exactly he wants." His eyes turned back to you as he finished the sentence, obviously waiting for your input on the matter. 

If only you knew how you were feeling. Part of you was happy, of course. This meant that technically, you had completed the task the king had given you. But on the other hand... over the course of your stay, you had come to know Phil past the Angel of Death, and respect him. He didn't agree with the reasoning behind this war (and neither did you), but if lives were on the line (and they were) you knew he would do his best to alleviate what he could.

"If you think that's best." You said simply.  

Phil nodded to himself, getting up from his seat and heading towards the door out to the deck, wings filling the doorframe as he stepped outside. You set down your half finished breakfast and followed after him - not quite sure what he was doing, since he'd said there wouldn't be any work today - only to find him standing at the edge of the floor, hand extended. 

A shrill whistle left his lips and echoed through the forest. Not a moment later, a crow cawed in response and came fluttering out of a nearby tree, taking a perch on Phil's outstretched hand. You watched as Phil whispered something to the bird, and then it fluttered off, heading in the direction you had come from when you had set out in search of Phil in the first place. 

"I didn't know you could speak to birds." You said conversationally. 

"Only crows." Phil said, watching as the bird flew away towards the horizon. "He'll carry the message that we're coming."

"So we are going back." You said. 

"Yeah." Phil said, turning back to you, smiling wryly. "I'm not going to give him the Totem - but I'm bringing it with us. We might need it... at some point."

Of course. Because going back meant going to war - and there was no telling what sort of fate was awaiting you there. The cottage in the trees had been so peaceful that you had almost forgotten what reality was back home - but now you would be heading into the fray.

Phil smiled wryly. "At least I'll get to see all my friends again."