EldenSouls Oneshots

Moonlight

Ciaran takes Artorias to her favourite place in Anor Londo

                                                       ————————————————————-

"Y-You do realise that it's a little unnerving when an assassin leads you somewhere, in the middle of the night, without telling where we're going right?"

What a drama queen.

Ciaran led Artorias through the dark halls of the palace, their only source of light being the moonlight that poured in through the windows. She could feel his hand shivering lightly.

"If you're cold you should've dressed in something warmer." Her tone remained neutral, showing no affection nor irritation. She turned briefly to eye the tall man. He was dressed in a dark blue tunic with silver and black patterns embroidered into the ends of the sleeves and the hem of the fabric; paired with black pants. Sticking to his particular colour pallet, she thought.

Ciaran herself wasn't wearing anything special, dressed in nothing but the simple black attire that all of the Lord's Blades wore under their armour- save for her porcelain mask. But it was comfortable and, most importantly, allowed for plenty of mobility, something that would be required for where they were headed tonight.

Artorias scoffed lightly behind her. "I was dressed with being comfortably under my blanket with Sif in mind." A scowl made it's way to her face under the mask. That damned puppy was way too spoilt and had overstayed it's welcome. Of course, the one pathetic creature that would end up staying in Anor Londo after Artorias had taken pity on it during his travels, had to be the one that Ciaran had disliked the most. The skunk he'd rescued had better manners than that mutt.

She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. Sif made Artorias incredibly happy, like any other animal, but those two had a special bond that no other creature could replace. She'd learn to deal with the divided attention for his sake.

Getting to the end of the hallway, Ciaran opened one of the windows and climbed out with ease, stepping out onto the narrow ledge of the wall and flicking her head to the side to signal for Artorias to follow.

"What are you doing!?" The knight whispered frantically, bright blue eyes widening with shock and horror. "Why does this mystery place of yours involve scaling the outside of the cathedral!?"

Ciaran rolled her eyes, walking casually along the narrow makeshift-pathway. "Come on, I've done this a thousand times by now," her tone softened slightly, "It'll be worth it, trust me."

Artorias' much larger size wouldn't be a problem here. Ciaran had checked a path more suitable for him days prior, finding that it didn't stray too far from her usual way. She climbed up the building with practiced ease, given that learning to climb and traverse environments off of the ground was one of the most important lessons for a Lord's Blade.

Pushing herself over the spiked gutter of the roof, she stepped up onto the top of the cathedral and walked up to the high ridge, sitting down on top of it. Artorias followed close behind and sat next to her, quietly panting from exhaustion. "I'm glad I'm not a Lord's Blade if you guys have to do this... stuff..." He trailed off as he looked out over the city.

Whilst Anor Londo's image was most iconic when the sun shone down over the golden city, Ciaran had always found that the city appeared best at night. There was a certain tranquillity to the darkness that washed over it, whilst the moonlight still reflected off of the buildings that almost reminded her of the way water would do the same. She also noticed now, the way that it did the same to Artorias' eyes.

The knight remained staring in awe at the view for a moment before slowly bringing his gaze down to Ciaran. "I see why you like it here, it's beautiful..." He murmured gently, scooting a little closer. Tentatively, he reached out and removed her mask. She didn't stop him.

Ciaran shivered lightly as the cold air washed over her face, eyes widening when Artorias' fingers glided over her cheek with a featherlight touch. "But-" He gave her a warm, gentle smile, "Not as much as you."

Her cheeks burned at his words, her normally pale skin turning a bright red. She stumbled over her words for a moment before somewhat regaining her composure, deciding to respond with actions instead of words.

Ciaran rose to her feet and fully turned to Artorias, suppressing a snicker at his now slightly nervous expression (as well as suppressing an annoyed frown with how he was still only at eye level despite her standing and him remaining seated), before pressing a brief kiss to his lips. She didn't give him the chance to respond before she began to descend the rooftop with practiced swiftness. 

There were several moments of silence before Artorias' nervous voice called after her. "..C-Ciaran?" Turning around and looking up, she saw him peering down anxiously at her. Ciaran said nothing, simply raising a questioning eyebrow. 

"I.. I still need help getting down..."

Idiot.

**************************

The walk back to their chambers was silent, yet Ciaran could tell that Artorias was practically busting to say something, presumably about the rare display of blatant physical affection. Whatever it was, he didn't say a thing, though he did not-so-subtly attempt to reach for her hand, which she gave without a word.

As they neared his quarters, she spied out of the corner of her eye how Artorias' mouth opened and closed silently, before he finally addressed her. "..Ciaran?"

"Yes?" She murmured back, turning her head to face him. 

"I..." He paused for an awkwardly long time. "I-I have your mask..!" 

It wasn't what he was going to say originally, Ciaran knew, but she gently took the porcelain mask from his other hand and placed it back over her head when it was held out to her. 

His door came into view a little quicker than expected. Whilst the other Knights of Gwyn had their personal rooms up in the finer parts of Anor Londo's castle, the Wolf Knight had asked (or insisted, rather) to keep his old chambers from when he was a Silver Knights, saying that they were closer to his old friends from all those years ago. Artorias rested a hand on the doorknob, before hesitating, exhaling nervously, and turning his entire body to face her, kneeling down to get down to her height.

Ciaran was sure she'd never been gladder in that moment that she was wearing her mask, as she was unable to stop the blush and childish grin that came over her as he placed a gentle kiss onto the back of her hand and gave her the softest, most heart-warming smile. "Goodnight, Ciaran." 

Her only response was a stutter and a quick nod, which was enough for him. Artorias stood, smiled that stupid smile at her, and went inside his room. Ciaran lingered a moment longer before briskly walking off towards her wing of the palace, hands clenching in a moment of uncontained emotion.