Kellam watched silently as the rest of the Shepherds that were present in the hallway talked among themselves. The news that awaited them when they arrived here at Castle Ferox was grave; yet another war was on the horizon for Ylisse. The two years that had passed since their campaign against Plegia had barley given them time to recover, and from what little they had heard so far from Virion, Valm was going to prove to be an even greater opponent.
"Hello. I don't think we've met yet."
Kellam jumped slightly as the voice startled him from his thoughts. He looked over to find the newest member of the army smiling at him, her dark eyes gazing at him curiously. Her long red hair cascaded down her back, and stood out against the dark, menacing look of her armor. Kellam blinked at her before looking side to side, making sure that she was indeed speaking to him. He was certainly not used to people noticing him at all, much less initiating a conversation with him.
"Ah, I don't think we have." Kellam finally said, blushing slightly when Cherche's smile broadened. "My name's Kellam."
"It's very nice to meet you, Kellam. You can call me Cherche." she said, extending her hand towards him. A smile crossed his face as he took her hand in his and shook it. He let go after a moment, and Cherche tilted her head before continuing. "How long have you been serving under Chrom?"
"Oh, let's see...I think it's been around five years now. It doesn't really seem like that long though. Time has flown by pretty fast." Kellam said with a shrug. "You're a knight, right? How'd you end up with Virion?"
"I was serving House Virion before Rosanne was lost to Valm. Now I'm just a knight who remains loyal to her lord. I would like to help him regain his duchy someday." Cherche said, a fiery determination glowing in her eyes that took Kellam's breath away.
"I wish you luck, Cherche. I can't imagine how hard it was to lose your home like that." Kellam said, a small frown crossing his face.
Cherche just smiled in response and shook her head. "No need to feel sad for me. I am confident that we will succeed. That's why I've decided to join you all." she said. She took a quick look around the room before looking back at Kellam. "Um, sorry for changing the subject, but from how lonely you looked standing over here, I thought you were also new to this army." she said, placing a finger under her chin thoughtfully. "I thought that we could bond over that."
Kellam chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, well, I've kinda always been the forgotten one of the group. I get overlooked by most people, but it's okay. I've grown used to it." he said. Cherche laughed, and Kellam thought that it was an incredibly beautiful sound.
"Oh my! I can't believe that anyone would be able to miss you, especially in that absolutely adorable armor of yours." she gushed, a beaming smile crossing her face.
"Huh?" Kellam said, blinking in confusion. His armor was...adorable? That was a first for sure. Cherche giggled at his reaction and he felt his cheeks grow hot.
"Don't tell me no one else has noticed the cuteness of your armor before? The people of Ylisse must have terrible taste." Cherche said, her eyes glowing with admiration as she looked over his armor, causing Kellam's cheeks to flush with embarrassment. "You must have cute girls fawning all over you."
"Uh, not exactly..." Kellam said with a nervous chuckle. Girls rarely noticed him enough to speak to him at all, let alone fawn over him. That is, until now apparently.
"They are certainly missing out then." Cherche said, causing Kellam's heart to skip a beat. "Well, I must be off to feed my dear Minerva. It was nice meeting you, Kellam. I do hope we can become great friends. I feel like Minerva would love to meet you as well." Flashing Kellam a final smile, Cherche turned and walked off down the hall.
"Um, yeah. Goodbye, Cherche." Kellam said as she walked away, curious about who this Minerva was. He then blinked a few times, wondering if he had just dreamed up that entire exchange. A beautiful woman had just talked to him, and he didn't even have to initiate the conversation. Maybe he wasn't totally doomed to being forgotten by everyone forever. He took a deep breath to calm his rapidly beating heart and set off to find Donnel and Stahl; he could use some advice about what had just transpired.