This takes place is a somewhat alternate universe from Gunlord's Wayward Son. This fic is a tribute the greatest writer among us FE fanfiction writers. The italicized pieces belong to Gunlord, and are not my work.
The Road Long Traveled
The mountain wind touched Renault's skin with surprising gentleness. He had not felt it in decades, over a century in fact.
It felt good, he finally decided. Just like the day he'd buried Braddock.
That good feeling Renault had had turned dark for a moment, the loss of the man he'd called a brother was still a fresh wound, even after such a long time. Part of Renault doubted that it would ever fully heal.
The trees blocked most of the sunlight, only allowing the smallest of rays to break through and stream upon the ground. A green glow embraced Renault as he walked through memories.
For once, his memory served him well, and the good times with his Ostian companion flooded back to him.
Renault blinked, looking down at the ground. A stone that he'd set over a century ago stood stalwart, having not moved an inch.
"Heh, how did I manage to even pick that up? Was I that strong?" Renault mused with a small chuckle. Now clad in the garb of a Bishop, Renault hadn't exercised his muscles nearly as religiously as he used to. Picking up such a stone would have been easy back then, or at least rolling it.
Nothing was written on the stone besides the name BRADDOCK. Renault hadn't been in the right mind to write anything else when he'd buried his friend.
Renault leaned his staff against the cliffside that Braddock's grave was protected by. He sat down against the cliff, brushing the wrinkles out of his cassock.
"Hello, Braddock. It's been a long time," Renault said quietly. The wind whisked past him, almost as if in a reply to Renault's comment.
"Glad you joined us," the blond man said. "How about some introductions? What's your name, friend?"
"Renault. What's yours?"
"Tassar. Good to meet you." He motioned towards the orange-haired man. "That is Roberto." He then pointed at Roberto's smaller friend, who smiled self-consciously. "That's Apolli." Finally, his gaze turned towards the blue-haired man, who was busily digging into a slice of mutton. "That, my friend, is Braddock." He then turned to Renault and held out his hand. "I trust we are well-met?"
"Seems like only yesterday when we were gallivanting across Etruria. You remember all those days we spent sleeping and fighting? Because I remember every one of them."
"You got that right! To hell with him!" He then winced out of habit, expecting a rebuke for the profanity.
Braddock looked at him curiously. "Eh? What's with the expression?"
"Sorry, man," Renault said sheepishly, "My mom and most people back at Thagaste had a thing about bad language."
"Hah! How stupid!" Braddock laughed, very loudly this time. "Words are just words, and anyone who actually cares about a bunch of harmless words is just an idiot. Mercenaries like us don't give half a rat's ass about silly stuff like that." He grinned mischievously at Renault. "And you can be damn sure you heard me right."
"I was an idiot back then," Renault laughed for the first time in many months, or was it years? He continued, "But you loved me like a brother. You were my best friend, and more of a family than anything I ever had." He felt his lips curl into a wry smile, "Not that I deserved it."
"Pfeh, illiterate?" Renault sneered. "Ignorant country bumpkins. How surprising."
At Renault's sarcastic jab, the three townsfolk did appear to grow offended, with Roberto seeming to grow quite angry, but Braddock managed to defuse the situation. "So, uh, what's that got to do with how you ended up in Aquleia?" he blurted.
Renault looked at him curiously, his sneer disappearing. "Aquleia?"
"Leave it to you to talk some sense into me, eh? You and Kelitha," he mused. His mind dared not go and try and remember the woman. Time may have mended the wound, but scratching at the scar could only be painful.
"A…Alright, Braddock. For you. But only for you!"
Renault abruptly stood, fearing where his memories led him. He would not dwell on them any more than necessary. The man he'd once been lived through the horrible memories, and it would do no good to revisit them.
"I…have a confession to make, Braddock," Renault fell to his knees in front of the stone. "I've lived a long life, and the majority of it was filled with so many things I did in an effort to bring you back.
"I killed the innocent, stole, and helped the wicked." He chuckled, "I'm not sure you'd even recognize me now, Braddock."
The wind whistled past, carrying Renault's words along with it. His confession, his last confession. This one seemed like the one that mattered most.
"I won't lie. Maybe if you really are watching over me, you'll know what I've done. Forgive me…but I have little wish to recall it," Renault said, his voice thick with emotion for the first time in recent years.
The wind blew some leaves against Renault, sending a chill down his back.
"I fear that I must tell you everything," Renault said. "From Par Massino to Brammimond, and on."
And he confessed. Renault spoke of every single deed he'd done, all in the name of saving his best friend from the grip of death. He told it all, and he told it true, startled by his memory's capabilities.
No detail was left untouched. He'd traveled the road of revenge for a very long time, more than half of his long life. Renault knew the path he had walked, for it was a road long traveled.
Openly weeping, Renault continued, "I do not deserve your forgiveness. But I will say how I've changed. I do not walk the road of hate and anger any longer."
The forest, which had felt constricting and dark with the recounting of events, visibly brightened. Renault's stories turned from Brammimond's words to Varek, the hermit that Renault had found a friend in. They told of the longest journey he'd ever been on, far longer than the Civil War Braddock had been alive during.
But most of all, it spoke of change. A new road, one Renault became more familiar with every day.
"You must be disgusted of me," Renault laughed in his misery. "I did so much in your name, so much that you should hate me for."
"Find…another way…to live."
"I know," murmured Renault. "I've been trying, and I think I finally have."
Standing, Renault continued to whisper, "I know I haven't atoned. I haven't paid for the crimes I committed, but I'm trying."
"Renault…"
"I feel a bit better," Renault spoke. "My journey hasn't ended yet, but the end is in sight. I can see it, and it's getting close."
Renault grabbed the staff that leaned against the Cliffside, "I'll be back against before my end. Home is still wherever you are, brother. Isn't there that saying, 'A wayward son always returns home?'"
Chuckling, Renault turned his back, "Just a few more things to take care of…"
The teal haired man walked away from the grave of the man he'd called a brother. It hurt much less than it had centuries ago. His road hadn't finished just yet, but the end was in sight.
He'd walked the road of life for the longest of nearly every person on Elibe. And now it was ending.
Renault smiled.
Now he had something to look forward to in the future.
Author Notes: This is a oneshot for the best writer out there: Gunlord500. I originally wanted to write something that was 20k words long since that's standard Gunlord length there XD But in no way do I have the immense ability to write monsters like that.
Wayward Son has made a huge impact on me, and I needed to do something for Gunlord to thank him. The biggest reason for writing this is a sad one: Gunlord500 is leaving the FE fandom. This community will not be the same without him. No longer will we all get that one review on a new fanfic from Gunlord telling us that he enjoyed the first chapter, or the oneshot.
If you think about it, our brother Gunlord ensures that there's no fanfic out there with zero reviews.
I just wanted you to know how much your work has meant to us, Gunlord, even if we don't all make it apparent. I for one, will miss getting that review from you on the first chapter of my fanfics.
And now for any of you who haven't read Wayward Son, get off your ass and get to it! You won't find another story that embodies Fire Emblem nearly as much as it does!