Another one shot, again just to get me back in the habit of writing. A different turn of events causes Lloyd to be present when Luin is under attack. Oh, and I made the third released seal being the Light Seal at the Tower of Mana, so it actually made sense them heading for Luin. Enjoy.
Lloyd and the rest of the Chosen's group had just released the third seal. It was a strenuous battle that used up all of their supplies, and they still had the long trek back to Luin. However, before they were even able to leave the library on the bottom floor, Colette collapsed.
"Colette!" both Lloyd and Genis cried, as they rushed to her aid.
"I'm…okay" she stuttered, before grunting in pain and fainting.
"It's her toxicosis," started Raine, "but it's much worse than has been before."
"We should rest here," stated Kratos, seemingly unfazed by her sudden lack of consciousness, "it would be unwise to head to Luin whilst the Chosen is in this state."
They did not immediately set up camp; the previous cases of Colette's toxicosis merely affected her for matter of minutes, before she was, or at least pretending to be ready to move on. After the first hour, however, the tension within the group began to rise.
"Damn it!" yelled Lloyd, "How come she hasn't woken up yet?" He was stood up, looking over Colette as she laid on her back, if it wasn't for the regular rise and fall of her chest, you would most likely assume her dead.
"She's never been out like this before Raine." Said Genis, worry etched all over his face. He too was eyeing Colette, almost willing her to wake up.
"It is merely the process of the angelic transformation." Stated Kratos, his voice still painstakingly calm.
"Geez, can at least show a little bit of concern?" Lloyd snarled at him. "I know that she's just a job to you but she's still a human being! Show her some compassion will you."
Kratos just stared into him, it was uncertain what expression his face was revealing, but it did not alter once at Lloyd's statement. "In case you haven't noticed, getting angry at me won't help the Chosen right now."
Before he could retort, Raine interrupted, "He's right, Lloyd. Calm down, Colette will awaken when she is ready, the Chosen before her all went through this process." This didn't really have the intended effect, Lloyd had silenced, but his face still showed his anger. Kratos, however, glanced back towards Colette; something wasn't right. The transformation process never caused the Chosen to be unconscious for this long. Perhaps he should inquire with Lord Yggdrasil, in case if anything was wrong.
"We need to re-stock are supplies." Said Kratos, coming to a decision, "We are running low after releasing the seal, and as it does not appear that the Chosen will awaken anytime soon, we should send someone to Luin. If we were to run into an enemy encounter, we will need these provisions to ensure our safety." He then stood up, as if automatically volunteering himself.
"I'll go." He turned to see Lloyd, walking towards him.
"I think it will be better if I go." He was planning to use this time to check about the toxicososis; he would be able to teleport to Luin and back in no time.
"Listen, I can get there much faster using Noishe. Besides," he lowered his voice, as if not wanting to admit what he was about to say, "you…are the better fighter. If anything came to attack us, you're the best bet of getting them through it." He was expecting Kratos to make some jeering comment at him admitting the difference in their ability, but he merely replied.
"You are starting to think a lot smarter, Lloyd. You may make a great swordsman yet." But before Lloyd could thank him, or even smile at this, "Go there, get what we need, come back. Don't get distracted. No detours."
Lloyd scowled slightly, "Please, what could possibly distract me?" and he ran away from the clearing they had been resting in, and gave a quick, loud whistle. Suddenly, the dog like creature appeared almost instantly at his side. He climbed atop the creature, and said, "Let's go, Noishe." And they ran in the direction of Luin.
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"Lord Kvar, are you certain?" asked a Desian general.
"Yes I'm sure." Replied the snaring voice of the Grand Cardinal, Kvar. "That inferior being that escaped must be apprehended and exterminated, otherwise, he could reveal important information about our operations. Luin is the most likely place he could have escaped to." He was glaring at the Desian, infuriated about the fact that a prisoner escaped, and that this mere Desian was second-guessing him.
"But my Lord, considering the state of the prisoner, he surely wouldn't be able to reveal anything."
At this statement, Kvar's glare seemed to double in hatred, he raised his hand, palm facing the Desian. Sparks began emerging from his hand, and lightning struck the Desian general. He yelled in agony as electricity pumped through his veins. "The mere fact that an inferior being escaped is enough to make him pay." He said menacingly, still sending lightning through his arm, "I will not let another filthy human escape from this facility. The last time caused me to lose the project that would have lead me to a rank far above the Desians." The level of electricity seemed to double as he said this. "I will not allow another human to threaten my destiny of greatness! Besides, that city has become far too large for being so near my ranch, and we could always use more experiments." He laughed cruelly. The Desian had stopped screaming; he was dead. "You!" he said pointing to the nearest Desian, "You are now in charge, I assume you now know the penalty for not following my demands instantly?"
"Yes, sir!" he said quickly.
"Good. Now, proceed our forces to Luin. Either kill, or capture anyone you meet."
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Lloyd had just arrived outside of Luin as he dismounted Noishe, "Stay here, Noishe." He said, "I'll be back in a minute." And he rushed into the large city. It was when he was heading straight to his first stop where he noticed something peculiar. There were many small children, who seemed to be looking round the sides of the nearby houses, or in the tall grass, he even noticed one sticking their head out of a barrel that should have been containing fruit.
It was then he heard a familiar voice, "Ha! Found you!"
"Your gonna have to catch me!" then came the voice of a small child.
Suddenly, a small boy came rushing round the corner that Lloyd was about to reach, and ran directly at him. Before he could do anything about it however, the boy seemed to dive under his legs, and then charged off again. It was then a much larger body came running round the corner, and ran straight into him.
Lloyd fell backwards, with the person landing on top of him. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I really…" but the person stopped as they saw who they bumped into.
Lloyd eyes widened as he to realised who it was; the purple clad assassin who was trying to kill Colette. They both stayed still, as if waiting for the other to make the first move.
"Um, Sheena?" it was the small boy whom she was chasing. "Are you alright?" It was then that both warriors realised their current position.
"Sorry." She said, blushing slightly, as she stood up. She held out her hand to help him up.
"Don't worry about it, Sheena." He replied, taking her hand.
"Oh," started the boy, noticing the guy in red knew her name, "are you Sheena's friend?"
Lloyd looked at the boy, then up to Sheena. Her face seemed to contain a bit of fear at how he would respond. "Yeah," he answered, "Yeah, we're friends." Sheena stared at him in surprise, but then smiled in appreciation. She didn't want these kids to know she was a killer.
"Do you wanna play with us too?" the boy then asked, a huge smile etched on his face, "Sheena's really good at this game, maybe you can beat her."
"I'd like to, I really would," and Sheena stared at him harder, he sounded serious about this, "but I'm afraid another one of my friends is ill. I've come to get supplies to help her and I need to do it as fast as I can." He saw the look of sadness that fell on the boy, "Don't worry, I'll come and play with you guys next time."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I promise." He then looked back at Sheena, "I guess I'll see you around."
"Yeah," she replied, "See you."
"Come on, Sheena." The boy tugged at her arm, "Let's go find the others." But before they could go anywhere, a loud wine came from behind them.
"Noishe?" asked Lloyd, confused.
"Wow!" exclaimed the boy, "How cool!"
"Noishe, I thought I told you to wait outside. You know you're not allowed in the city."
But the creature whined loudly, trying to tell his master something important. Suddenly, a high pitched voice called out, "Sheena!" a small fox like creature appeared out of nowhere.
The boy was ecstatic, "Wow! What cool pets!" even some of the other children emerged from there hiding places for a better view of the two creatures.
"What is it, Corrine?" asked Sheena.
"Sheena, Desians, hundreds of them! They're getting closer, they're coming to attack!"
"What!" yelled Lloyd and Sheena together. They looked at each other, and nodded.
Sheena turned to the children who had gathered around to see the two creatures, "Go to your families. Tell them that the bad men are coming." None of them answered as they ran in what seemed like random directions. She then turned to Lloyd, "We need to evacuate this city."
Lloyd jumped onto Noishe, "Hop on!" she hesitated for a minute, "Listen, right now we are not enemies. We need to warn the mayor." She nodded and jumped on behind him. "Hold on." And Noishe ran as fast as he could in the direction of the mayor's house.
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"Are you certain of this?" asked the mayor, utterly shocked at what the two warriors just told him.
"Yes," Sheena replied simply, "they should reach Luin's eastern bridge within minutes."
"Daddy, we need to go!" exclaimed the little girl stood next to the mayor, clutching his hand like a lifeline.
"Very well, I will inform our army to advance to that entrance." He let go of his daughter's hand, and unlocked a nearby cupboard. Inside was an impressive piece of armour, including a sword and shield. "Please, take my daughter and alert the rest of the city to escape using the western bridge."
"Daddy, no!" but he cut across her.
"Listen, Luin is my responsibility. It is my job to protect it, to protect you. Now please, leave the city; stay safe." She nodded, tears flowing from her eyes. "Good girl." He turned to Lloyd and Sheena, "By the look in your eyes I'm assuming you're fighting too?" they nodded. "Then I will meet you on the battlefield." And without another word, without a glance back, he left the house, and headed towards the eastern bridge.
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Screams could be heard everywhere, the evacuation process was not going as calmly and smoothly as they expected. Firstly, many people believed that the two were making a very bad practical joke; the Desians had no reason to attack the village. It was only when they saw the small army assembling at the bridge, and the owner of the local inn, who was on the upper floor saw a red ocean heading towards them, that they started to flee.
"Quickly!" shouted Lloyd, "Head towards the western bridge! Run as far as you can, but stay as a group!" and he headed towards the eastern bridge, towards the frontline. He stood next to Sheena, and drew his swords. "Damn those Desians!" he said aloud. "Why are they attacking this city?"
Sheena did not answer, she had an idea, but wasn't willing to say it. She looked around at the small army Luin possessed. They all had their weapons drawn, but many, if not all were shaking in fear, the only steady hands were those of Lloyd, Sheena, and the mayor. She then looked towards the slowly advancing army of Desians. Even at this distance she could tell they outnumbered them by a large magnitude. She whispered to Lloyd, "We won't be able to win with this army, they're too scared." Lloyd growled in his throat, she was right.
"Listen up!" said the mayor loudly, "It is obvious that we won't stand a chance against this assault." He sighed, "It is clear that Luin, is regrettably doomed. If any of you want to leave now, do so, help evacuate the rest of the city, and leave. We don't need any unnecessary blood spilled."
Before long, over half of the small army had retreated to the other end of the city, some dropping their weapons as they fled, but a few, brave soldiers remained to fight by their side. Here were the true defenders of Luin; the few brave men staying to fight against un-measurable odds.
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The General raised his hand to stop the army, he was looking through a telescope, and saw a small number of people, all fitting some armour. He laughed, "It appears they noticed us coming much sooner than intended. It doesn't matter." He then raised a small device to his mouth, "Ambush unit! Prepare to attack on site, remember, Lord Kvar wants some filthy humans alive to use in the ranch." He then raised the telescope again, to look once more, at the great city of Luin's pitiful resistance. He stared closely at the two in the middle, one was wearing red, and had brown spiky hair, with two swords, the other was purple, with long black hair, and appeared to be holding cards. He raised the device again, "Lord Kvar, we have run into a very small resistance…"
"Then annihilate them, you fool!" came the voice of Kvar, before he could continue, "Show them what it means to stand up against those superior to them!"
"But sir! I have a confirmed sighting that one of them is Lloyd Irving…"
"WHAT! Bring him to me, alive!"
"Yes, sir! And I have reason to believe another is the assassin from Tethe'Alla whom the Renegades assigned to kill the Chosen."
"I have no interest in her, just make sure you capture Lloyd!"
"Yes, sir!" He then raised his voice to address his army, "We have orders to destroy that pathetic resistance, and their precious city! However, DO NOT kill the warriors dressed in red and purple clothing! Lord Kvar wishes to address them in person." He grinned, if Kvar didn't want the girl, he could always have some fun. "Spell casters ready! Fire!" Immediately, a dozen Desian wizards moved to the front and began to chant. Fireballs started to appear and fly towards the city.
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The remaining number of soldiers stood their ground, all curious to why the Desians stopped their approach, not advancing or retreating, just stood there, as if trying to throw them off their nerve. Suddenly, there were fireballs, many, many fireballs charging towards them, if they were not careful these alone would finish them off.
Both Lloyd and Sheena ran forward slightly to the very front. They raised their defences, and two green barriers appeared around them. None of the fireballs could pass through the barriers, keeping all the soldiers behind them out of harms way. However, some of the fireballs were headed towards the houses of the outskirts, and all the pair could do, was watch, horror stricken, as the houses caught on fire. Then they heard yells. They turned back, to see all the Desians charging, swords, maces, axes, and who knows what else. The shear number of them made it seem like a red tsunami was about to strike. It was this fact that showed just how doomed they were, and the slowly rising temperature behind them just made the feeling worse; the city was falling before their enemies were upon them.
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"I wonder what's keeping Lloyd so long?" asked the small boy, "With Noishe, he should've been back by now."
Kratos growled in his throat. He knew something would have distracted Lloyd, he was too much like a child. Suddenly, a slow groan came from behind him.
"Colette!" exclaimed Genis, "You're awake!"
"How are you feeling?" asked Raine.
"I'm…okay." She replied, but as she tried to stand up, she fell back again, breathing heavily.
"Easy, Colette. You're still weak from what happened."
"We will wait another hour so the Chosen can fully recover," said Kratos, "if Lloyd has not returned by then we will head to Luin on our own."
It was then that Colette realised the missing member of their group, "Where is Lloyd?"
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The battle had begun, and already the resistance was fairing badly. They had been forced back into the burning city, as the Desians onslaught continued. They had already kill two of the members, and although Lloyd, Sheena, and even the mayor had killed at least a dozen each, it was an insignificant number when compared to the total number of the enemy.
"Damn! You! Bastards!" Lloyd was shouting, as he slashed Desian after Desian, watching helplessly as the houses burned to the ground. He looked over at Sheena, who was too fighting ferociously against them, striking down enemies with apparent ease. He then looked towards the mayor, who was struggling more than the two, but still holding his own, he could not help but smile on seeing how much he cares for this city.
"Lloyd!" shouted Sheena, "Attack the side of the inn!"
"What? We're supposed to protect Luin, not help destroy it!"
"Lloyd, just trust me!"
"Do it, Lloyd!" came the voice of the mayor. "If she has a plan them follow it!"
Out of pure anger her slashed the closest Desian to him, before sending a wave of energy directly at the inn. The blast took a sizeable chunk out of its side, and the burning building began to crumble under its strain. It collapsed, crushing all the Desians nearby, and blocking the path for those still entering the city.
The collapsing of the building had caught the remaining Desians off guard, which all the warriors took advantage of, as they finished off those in their side of the fallen inn. "That should hold them for a while." Explained Sheena, but before Lloyd could congratulate her on a great plan, she crouched in pain.
"Sheena!" yelled Lloyd. "What's wrong?" he noticed blood staining her clothing. He reached into his pocket to find the only remaining healing gel he had leftover from releasing the seal. "Let me see your wound." He said, half-asking, half-demanding. She looked up at him in shock, why was he helping her? Why did he care about her? "Sheena, please." She gave in, as she untied her pink bow around her waist, and pulled off her kimono. She was thinking that Lloyd may take the time to ogle her body whilst he had the chance, but he did not. As soon as he saw the wound he applied the gel as thoroughly as he could. He then tore some fabric from his shirt, and tied it around her waist; covering the wound up. "There." He said simply.
"Thank you." She said, as she hastened to put her clothes back on. "But, why are you worried about helping me?"
Lloyd looked at her, "Because I refuse to believe that we are really enemies. You don't want to kill Colette. You had many chances to whilst we were fighting."
"But…"
"And look, because of you we were able to save the lives of this city. Because of your pet fox thing."
"Hey! Who are you calling a pet?" the little fox-like creature had appeared in a puff of smoke. "Are you okay, Sheena?"
"I'm fine, Corrine." She replied "Thanks to Lloyd."
"Sheena, they're breaking through that building quite quickly. They'll be here anytime soon."
"Then it is here we make our last stand." Stated the mayor, "We pray, Martel that we gave the citizens enough time to escape." And then a loud scream came from behind them. They all turned to see the small boy whom Sheena was playing with earlier, tears in his eyes as a single Desian chased after him.
The boy tripped, and the Desian towered over him, raising his sword to strike, "NO!" yelled Sheena, as she charged the Desian with all her might. She kicked the sword out of his hand, then placed a card in the centre of his chest, sending him flying backwards. It then exploded. "Are you okay?" she asked the poor boy.
He simply cried louder, "How did a Desian get passed us?" asked Lloyd.
"They've…got…mommy…and…daddy!" the child sobbed.
"What!" How?" the mayor demanded, fear flowing through his body.
"We...were…running…and then…they…appeared." He sobbed louder, unable to speak anymore. Sheena hugged him in an attempt to calm him down.
"They must've assumed we'd try to evacuate and set an ambush on ahead." Said Sheena. "Damn them."
Anger started to pulse through Lloyd like never before. All of their work to save the people of Luin, to save as much of the city itself as they could, and the Desians ruined it all. He thought of Noishe, whom he had sent with the people so he would be safe, what would they do to him? They could now hear the voices of the Desians as they forced their way through the remains of the inn.
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Genis was starting to get worried; it wasn't like Lloyd to do something like this, not when one of his friends was in need of help. He decided to go out of the area in which they had made camp, to see if he could see a glimpse of Noishe in the distance, with a red clad swordsman on his back. But what he saw made his heart drop; what the trees had been covering, he could now see. Smoke. Thick smoke. Coming from the direction of… "Raine! Kratos!"
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"Stay behind me, okay?" said Sheena, as she let go of the small boy. The Desians had just broken through, slowly flowing through the small gap they had made. She then saw a feint glow coming from Lloyd's hand…his exsphere.
Lloyd roared in anger, and smashed both his swords down on the ground in front of him, and a large wave of energy launched itself at the Desians. The smiles on their faces were instantly replaced by fear, as they tried to get out of the wave's path. It ploughed through the army of Desians, killing all in its path. The remaining members of the resistance stared at Lloyd, in awe of the power that he wielded. He staggered slightly, realising just how much mana he had used for that attack. It had succeed in taking out over half of the remaining Desians, but he might now be too weak to fight off those who had started to advance after the wave had stopped.
"Very impressive." Came a voice from the mass. What seemed like their leader for this assault had moved to the front, and began to address them, "Maybe that's why Lord Kvar wants you so badly."
"What do you mean?" demanded Lloyd.
"The ruler of this area, Lord Kvar, has a much greater interest in you than the other Grand Cardinals. He wants to see you very badly."
"You mean, I'm the reason you attacked Luin?" Lloyd was horror-struck, had the Desians seen him headed towards Luin, and decided to try and capture him.
"Actually we were looking for someone else, you were merely an added bonus if you will. No, we are actually looking for a man named Pietro, he escaped our facility and we would like to take him back." Sheena gasped, which couldn't help but be noticed by him, "However, he was not in the group our ambush party captured, and he appears to not be with the dead. I assume you know where he is." He looked over at Sheena.
"Like I'd ever tell you where he is!" she screeched, trying to hide the terror she felt about being the cause of their attack.
"Well, that is a shame. I'd hate to see the results of your beautiful body after we torture the information out of you." Lloyd roared in anger again, as he smashed his sword against the ground again. A much smaller wave of energy emerged this time, which the general easily dodged, and let it kill the two behind him. "Running low on power are we? Then let us end it." He raised his voice, "Cease them!" he then eyed the other members of the resistance, "Kill the rest!" and once again the Desians charged at them.
Lloyd was slashing wildly, he was not going to last much longer, he screamed as one of them slashed his arm, making him drop one of his swords. He struck that Desian down, only to have another slash at his back. He was in agony as he fell to one knee, still trying to strike down anyone who neared him. He looked over to Sheena, amazingly, she had not moved from her spot. She was determined to protect the child as if it were her own. She used her cards to slash any Desian who got near. She screamed, one of them managed to get through her assault and strike through her leg. She too fell to one knee, as she turned to face him and he saw the look of sadness of her eyes, of being unable to help the city.
"Get! Out! Of! My! City!" shouted the mayor, as he killed Desian after Desian after Desian. He made his way through to Sheena, to help protect the child. The sight of this brought new life to both Lloyd and Sheena; he had not given up hope and neither should they. They both stood up, forcing their way through the pain, and resumed fighting.
The Desians were scared, how were these three warriors defeating their army. The general walked towards the mayor, drawing his sword, wearing a smile mixed with hate and evil. The mayor was still striking down all those who were near him, and did not noticed his doom approaching. The general attacked, and the mayor looked down, to see a blooden sword sticking out of his chest. He dropped his sword, which made a loud clung on the floor, which, even over the roar of the battle, both Sheena and Lloyd heard.
"NO!" cried Lloyd and he sent another wave of energy towards the general. He dodged it again, and disappeared from site. Lloyd slashed everyone who was near him as he forced himself to the mayor. He caught him, and slowly eased him down.
"Please." He stuttered, "Please, save my people…save them from the ranch." And the life left his eyes.
Lloyd growled in his throat, "I promise you, I will save them all."
"That may prove hard to do," came the general's voice, "When you're stuck there yourself."
"Why you bastard!" he turned to face him, ready to charge and get revenge for his fallen comrade, but the sight that caught his eyes made him freeze in fear. "Sheena!"
Somehow, he had managed to sneak up on her, and grab her around the waist, pinning her arms down, and had his still bloody sword to her throat. "Yes I have your precious friend here," he sneered, "and if you want her to live I suggest that you surrender."
Although she would never admit it, Sheena was scared. She knew she was about to die. Lloyd wouldn't save her, he would take this opportunity to stop her assassination attempts.
"O-okay." He replied, dropping his only sword.
He laughed, "Good." But before he could make any commands to what remained of his army, he screamed in pain. The small boy had run over and kicked him in the shin. He released Sheena out of shock, "You little brat!" Quick as a flash, Lloyd had picked up hi sword and charged the general, thrusting his sword through his chest.
"That!" he said bitterly, "Was for Luin." And he pulled back his sword, "And all its citizens." And the general collapsed in a heap…dead.
The remaining Desians stared in shock. There were now only a couple dozen of them left, and their leader had been defeated. They looked towards the two remaining warriors, and saw that both were incredibly worn out, each now fallen down to one knee. They slowly edged towards them, their swords at the ready.
"No!" came a voice. The little boy had picked up one of the discarded swords from the ground, and stood between them and the two warriors. "I won't let you hurt them!"
They all laughed, the boy could barely hold the sword properly, let alone use it. "Run." Grunted Lloyd, trying, and failing to get back up. "Get away from them. Save yourself." But the boy stood his ground.
The Desians moved closer to the boy, and then one lunged at him. "No!" Sheena yelled, and suddenly a large, lizard-like creature appeared from nowhere, and struck down the Desian. It hovered slightly in front of the boy, protecting him. It roared and slashed its claws, sending a powerful gust of wind at the remaining soldiers. The wind was so powerful, gashes started to appear all over their bodies, and their swords snapped cleanly in two. The creature then charged, and killed all of them with a fatal swipe of its claws. It was over.
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It was a horrible sight, as the Chosen's group walked through the once beautiful city of Luin. Buildings had been knocked to the ground, and those that weren't were on fire. Bodies were lined everywhere, mostly Desians, but they made out some who were clearly from Luin. They were praying that none of these belonged to Lloyd.
"Genis," started Raine, trying not to show fear in her voice, "try and, put out the rest of these fires."
Without even answering, he raised his kendama, and water flowed from it, putting out any fire that they passed. There was still no sign of Lloyd. It was then, they passed a small house, with the front and the roof completely gone, where they saw a surprising, but relieving sight.
"Lloyd!" squealed Colette, she rushed forwards, but Kratos held up his arm to stop her.
"It's her." He stated, for it wasn't just Lloyd, he was huddled in the corner, with the woman who had tried to assassinate the Chosen.
"But, why would they be together?" puzzled Genis, "I mean, if she's trying to kill Colette, wouldn't she be fighting with the Desians?"
"By the looks of it they just survived this battle." Said Raine, looking at all the wounds the two had, "And I think they somehow helped each other to get here." She pointed to the small droplets of blood that trailed every now and then across the floor.
Kratos unsheathed his blade, and slowly walked towards them. "Wait, Kratos!" said Colette, "Shouldn't we wait and asked what happened?"
"Chosen One, she is trying to kill you and us. We should finish her whilst we have the chance." He argued.
"But…" but before she could fight back, the sound of small running footsteps was heard, and a small child pushed his way through the group, and put himself between them, and the two unconscious heroes.
"No!" he screeched, "I won't let you harm them! They saved me, tried to save all of us!"
They were all shocked at this boy's sudden appearance, even more so that he was protecting the two injured warriors. "Calm down, young one." Started Raine, "No-one here is gonna hurt anyone." She looked over to Kratos, "Are we, Kratos?" Everyone stared at him.
"Very well." He sighed, as he sheathed his sword.
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Lloyd woke up to find himself under the stars, and felt warm over him. He looked down and saw that a blanket covered him. It was then he realised that he was not in as much pain as when he fell asleep, someone had healed him. He turned his head to the side, and saw Sheena lying next to him still asleep, also covered by a blanket. Someone must've found them in Luin and saved them, but who?
He sat up quickly, and then his head started to spin and his eyes went out of focus. "Lloyd!" shrieked a familiar voice, and someone hugged him. Once his eyes were able to re-focus, he looked at who was hugging him.
"Colette?" he asked curiously.
"Glad to see you up, Lloyd." Came another familiar voice.
"Genis!" he exclaimed looking up, "Man, am I glad to see you guys."
"I hope you realise," came the stern voice of Raine, "how worried you had us when we saw the smoke coming from Luin." But she wore a relieved, and happy smile.
Lloyd chuckled, and then looked over to the other member of the group. Kratos, however, had not looked over at him, or made any signs of relief that he had awoken. He was staring at Sheena, a hand on his sword's handle, as if she were about to jump up and attack an second.
Lloyd then looked back to Sheena, "Is she gonna be okay?" he asked, concerned.
"She should be." Stated Raine, simply, "But I will need to ask why we found you two together."
"I'm surprised you guys didn't finish her off." He replied, though he was only regarding the mercenary.
"That was my intention, Lloyd." This was the first thing Kratos had said since they had been talking. "However, my decision seemed to be rejected, thanks to your little friend there." He pointed to the other side of Sheena, where Lloyd saw the little boy who managed to get away from the Desians, blissfully asleep.
"So what did happen, Lloyd?" asked Colette curiously.
"Yeah," added Genis, "we thought you might be hurt when we saw he smoke, and feared the worst when we saw what happened to the city."
Lloyd growled in his throat, "Those damn Desians attacked!" he said, almost shouting in anger. "Thanks to Sheena we saw them coming, and tried to evacuate the city before their forces arrived. But whilst we were holding them back, they had an ambush party waiting; they knew we would try to evacuate. Most of them have been captured and taken to the Desian Ranch." He looked over at Sheena, who was still sleeping peacefully, "We were the only ones that fought who survived their attack. But if she didn't use one of her guardians, we would have perished too."
"I'm sorry, one of her what?" asked Genis.
"That's what she calls those things she summoned when she fought us; they're apparently the guardians of her village. She told me when we were finding shelter." He explained.
It was then a small moan, which indicated that Sheena had woken up at last, "What happened?" she asked, holing her head as she sat up.
Immediately, Kratos drew his sword, and pointed it towards her, inches away from her face. She gasped. "Kratos, no!" somehow, Lloyd was able to force himself up. He could not see his swords anywhere, but Colette was still next to his. He drew one of her chakrams from her back and used it to push away Kratos sword. He glared at him, he may not know how to properly use Colette's weapon, but he would use it anyway he could to defend Sheena.
Everyone was speechless, just staring at the two swordsmen, who were glaring daggers at each other. "I just told you she tried to help save Luin, and you still don't trust her."
"Saving one city does not prove she does not want to kill the Chosen." He answered.
"Umm, actually." Came the voice of Sheena, she had just recovered from the shock at Kratos' threat, "I owe Lloyd my life, and I won't do anything to hurt him or his friends anymore."
"How can we trust you on this?"
"Because that's not the only reason. Lloyd and I made a promise to the mayor, just before he died. We promised him we'd save all those poor people the Desians captured. But we can't do it alone. We need your help."
Kratos growled in his own throat, "That is out of the question; that is too foolish an action that would put the Chosen in harms way."
"How did I know that would be your response?" shouted Lloyd, "We made a promise to him, we owe it to the people of Luin to save them! We were the ones who caused the Desians to attack!"
There was silence after this statement, "It's true," said Sheena, "I helped save one of the ranch's captives to escape, and I hid him, and they were after Lloyd because of his exsphere. They attacked and killed so many just to capture us." Tears started to fall from her eyes.
"Well then it is your responsibility, not the Chosen's." but before he could argue anymore.
"Of course we'll help you." Smiled Colette, "We'll help save them."
"Really?" she asked, half-surprised, half-happy.
"Chosen One, I beg you to reconsider." Urged Kratos. "It is much too dangerous."
"The Chosen's path is full of dangers," Colette, answered, with a determined look on her face, "besides, how can I save the would if I can't save one city." She looked towards Lloyd and Sheena, "We need to help our new friend."
Sheena smiled, 'Friends.' She thought, happily. "Thank you, Chosen."
"Please, just call me Colette."
"Thank you, Colette." She then looked up to Lloyd, who was still standing between her and Kratos, "Thank you, Lloyd." She whispered. She heard the sound of a sword being sheathed, and Lloyd sat down, dropping Colette's chakram.
He shuffled himself backwards, so he was sat next to Sheena, "We should take the kid to Hima, you know with that Pietro guy."
She looked over at the sleeping boy, "That's a good idea, he'll be safe there." She then yawned, although she must have been unconscious for hours, she felt exhausted.
"You should get some rest." Said Raine, "Both of you!" she added, pointing at Lloyd as well.
Lloyd shuffled him self sidewards again, so he was back next to his blanket, and pulled it over him. He wasn't overly sure whether he trusted Kratos to not harm Sheena, but he did trust Colette and Genis to stop him if he tried. He edged slightly closer to Sheena again; just in case.
He looked over towards Sheena, who still bore a worried expression, "Hey," he said reaching an arm out towards her, "we'll save them, all of them."
She smiled warmly, "Thanks, Lloyd." And she found her own hand meeting his, and she felt even more calmed when he squeezed her hand. She closed her eyes, and soon fell asleep.
Kratos stared at the two. 'So they've fallen for each other, even if they don't know it yet. I guess I have no choice, I'm gonna have to let her live. I can't make Lloyd go through what I did.' He looked to his right, in the direction of the Desian Ranch. 'Get ready, Kvar. It's finally time for you to pay for what you did to Anna.'
And there you go. Hope you enjoyed. I may make a sequel to show the battle in the ranch but I'm not sure yet.