A/N: Set relatively soon after the end of the game. I'm new to the FE fandom and I've only played through FE8 a few times, so I hope I haven't butchered things. Major brownie points for anyone who knows the quote that this was mainly inspired from. ;D
All Things Precious
"Colm, Grandfather's going to be really angry that you stole some apples again."
"Aw, it's not stealing if I'm giving them to his granddaughter, is it?"
"But…Grandfather's still going to be really, really mad…"
"What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, you know me. I never get caught."
"Colm…"
"Why, I bet if I wanted to, I could even steal the stars!"
x x x x x
Colm whirled around a corner just in the nick of time, just as a bandit lumbered by. Colm barely dared to breathe. That'd been close! Wrapping his ragged cloak tight around his body, he peeked around to make sure no one else was passing through, and then crept back out into the tunnel.
For the thousandth time Colm wondered why he was doing this. Alone.
He gritted his teeth and padded softly through the darkened cave tunnel, eyes alert for any sign of movement in the dim light. He couldn't use a torch. That would alert the bandits, and then the ruse would be up, and the girls might be discovered anyway and he would be in very big trouble.
Finally he returned to the prison. "I'm back," he whispered through the bars. Instantly Colm saw three sets of eyes pop open, far back in the cave. Good, they were still all here. The mage hadn't come for one of them yet. At least the mage didn't know how many girls had been stolen. The bandits hadn't had time yet to report.
Kneeling down, Colm picked the lock free again and swung the door open. The village girls didn't say anything, still frozen in terror. Colm was a bit exasperated – couldn't they escape by themselves – but still gently gathered one up and hid her underneath his cloak. "I'll come back for you two," he promised, and whisked his charge away.
x x x x x
Neimi almost dropped her bag. "B-bandits? Near Halsdale?"
The blacksmith nodded. "Heard it from my boy in the army, said they'd stolen some big white gem called The Star or somesuch. But don't you fret none, missy. We've got a strong militia here, and the army will rout them out soon enough."
"B-but," Neimi stammered, "C-Colm was, was—" Tears welled up, and before Neimi could finish, she ran out of the blacksmith's shop.
x x x x x
When they'd safely made it all the way to the forest, Colm unwrapped his cloak and pushed the girl he'd been covering with the other one he'd rescued thus far. "Stay there, and I'll get the others," he said firmly. The village girl nodded mutely and huddled with her fellow companion, still clearly terrified.
Colm quickly made his way back to the bandit's lair inside the caves, thankful for the cover of night. Exactly why he was doing this, he still wasn't sure. He'd been heading to Halsdale to pick up something important, but three-quarters of the way there he'd come across a big mess in the road. Wagons trashed, clothes ripped, and worst of all, a few guardsmen lying dead. Bandits, obviously. Colm had seen the trail they'd left behind.
And for some reason, Colm had turned to follow.
Colm knew the army would be better able to deal with it. He should've continued onto Halsdale, made the alert. But he'd learned a few things in the war, and there were tracks here that didn't match with the bandits. Footprints, of girls, being led by larger men.
By the time the army came, it might be too late.
x x x x x
Neimi didn't dare spur her pony faster. It was dark, even with the moon and stars out, and Neimi didn't want to risk her mare accidentally making a misstep and twisting a leg.
Ooooh, that Colm! All he'd said was that he was heading over to Halsdale, and he'd be back tomorrow. Of course he hadn't told her that there were bandits and he'd really just gone out to "liberate" some gold. And he'd promised!
Neimi tried to stay angry, but all she could think about was Colm getting hurt, getting trapped, or caught, or—
"Please," she whispered, as her pony raced towards Halsdale as fast as she could. "Please, please let him be all right…"
x x x x x
Okay, so maybe there was something about not having pulled any tricks for the last two months or so. Maybe he'd been storing up luck, because he'd been insanely lucky thus far. No bandits had seen him even through he'd been through this lair three times already. Lady Luck willing, he'd rescue the last one without a hitch either and they'd be home free!
…Well, there was still the problem of getting them all back to Halsdale, but at least they weren't stuck in a prison.
Colm had a cocky grin as he returned back to the prison. Those bandit fools hadn't noticed a thing! That's right, he still had the touch. In fact, this was almost fun!
"Come on," he beckoned to the last little girl. "I'll take you back to your sisters."
Hiding the girl underneath his cloak, he listened for any sounds, and then began to lead the girl.
Then he heard footsteps. Fast ones! Colm mouthed swears and tried to hurry his pace, but the girl couldn't go as fast. Colm readied his dagger and hoped Lady Luck was still on his side.
x x x x x
Neimi found the bandit's lair soon enough. The trail wasn't that hard. She hadn't seen any trace of Colm, but he was a thief; he wouldn't leave tracks.
The large commotion coming out from the caves told her that Colm was definitely in there though. Colm tended to leave a metaphorical trail of destruction himself at times.
Neimi strung her bow and mounted her pony again, clucking softly to urge her pony forward.
x x x x x
Dashing forward, Colm struck. The bandit reared back, dropping his axe, and Colm didn't waste any time bothering to see if the bandit had been carrying anything worthwhile, or bandaging the new cut he gotten taking this latest bandit out. Picking up his charge again Colm ran down another passageway hoping to lose their pursuers.
He didn't want to have to kill them all, but it sure looked like it. Every path he took seemed to be blocked, and he couldn't just escape now – the bandits might find where he'd been hiding the others, and everything would be lost. No, he had to find a place to hide, long enough to put this girl down. He didn't fight well while burdened.
Sprinting down a corridor, Colm skidded to a stop when he saw a rustle of red robes appear. Underneath his cloak, Colm heard a muffled squeak of fright.
The mage!
"Ah, the little gutter rat. You didn't think you could outsmart me, did you?"
Colm swallowed and tightened his grip around his dagger. "Really? What took you so long then, huh?"
The mage glared at him. "Brat!" He raised his right hand, and before sparks of magic covered it Colm saw the mage was holding a very valuable diamond. (He was still a thief, after all. He had an eye for these things.)
"With this, I'll reduce you to ashes, you and that girl. I can get more, or scry for the ones you rescued. You've accomplished nothing, boy." With that the mage began chanting his spell.
Colm dropped the girl and lunged forward, hoping he would be able to reach the mage in time. He was fast, he could do this!
An arrow thudded into the mage's chest. Once. Twice.
Shocked, the mage toppled over, and Colm whirled around to see Neimi lowering her longbow and looking as white as a pale sheet.
"Neimi! What are you doing here?"
Neimi's lips trembled and the tears she'd been holding back burst forth. Dismounting from her pony, she stalked towards Colm who was still flabbergasted.
"Y-y-you! Big! Dummy!" Neimi emphasized with whacks of her bow handle, along with teardrops at every word, which somehow scared Colm even more than Neimi hitting him. "You promised!"
"Ow!" Colm shielded his head, ducking beneath Neimi's blows, even though she wasn't really hitting him. "What promise? I just said I was going to Halsdale! You can't be crying over that—see, I'm fine—"
"You're not! You're hurt! And you p-promised you wouldn't do any more dangerous stuff!"
"The bandits weren't my fault! I didn't know about them, honest Neimi—"
Neimi stopped beating him and sniffled. "You didn't want to steal the white gem?"
"What? What gem?" At the mention of something very shiny and expensive, Colm's eyes lit up. "You mean these bandits really do have treasure? Great! Let's—" a fresh round of tears began, and Colm hurriedly backtracked, "—get everyone out first."
Neimi rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "What?"
Colm grabbed Neimi's shoulders and turned her around so she could see the other girl Colm had been trying to protect. The village girl was wide-eyed in mute shock, looking back and forth at the older woman and her rescuer. "I was rescuing a few of the Halsdale villagers from the bandits. We've got to get them back before the rest of the bandits come."
"O-oh," Neimi said. "I-I think they're all finished."
Colm blinked. "Huh?"
Tears rolled down Neimi's cheeks, something that contrasted oddly against the archer that had fought through the war all the way up to the Demon King. "I-I was scared y-you might be in trouble…and—"
"There you go again! I said I could take care of everything myself! C'mon Neimi, don't cry," Colm begged.
"Okay," Neimi sniffed one more time and scrubbed her nose. "I guess you weren't planning on stealing anything."
"The only thing I was stealing was people, and they don't count," Colm retorted, guiding Neimi and grabbing a hold of the little Halsdale village girl's hand to lead her back. As he did so, his toe treaded over something hard near the dead mage. Hmm. Finders keepers, right?
"Can I at least steal a wagon though, Neimi? I don't think your pony can carry five."
"Colm!"