Disclaimer: ...really? Haven't we been over this, like, two times already?! I think it's obvious that I don't own Epic...
Summary: Given another chance to fix his wrongs, Ronin has only one chance to make it all better. His beloved is returned, but at what cost? Is it still worth it? Losing something that you desperately work so hard to regain, only for it to not be the same? RoninxTara and mentions of MkxNod.
Warning: Okay, nothing to bad, there will be blood later on, fighting, sadness, a bit of angst, same with fluffiness, but...yeah...I guess you've been warned?
Epic: Still Worth It?
Chapter One
It Had To Happen
It had been a week since the attack on Moonhaven, and so far, the reconstruction was doing pretty good.
Homes were being rebuilt, families were once again whole, fathers and mothers where home, children could play outside in the meadows, slowly and slowly, things were getting put back together. The wounds were taking their time to heal, but all that would be left were scars.
However, Nod knew that some wounds took longer to heal, while others never did.
He knew this just by looking into Ronin's sapphire eyes. Underneath that tough, moody, and silent wall was a softie on the inside.
Sighing, Nod mounted his bird and took off, knowing exactly where Ronin would be.
He'd still be mourning in silence, looking at the setting sun's rays brightening the sky pink, purple, orange with a small tinged of blue.
(A/N: Has anyone else ever notice how the sky always turned into different colors at sunset?)
Nod himself was still in mourning, slightly to Queen Tara, he knew her a little, but he was still trying to get over Mary Katherine.
Mk (as she wanted everyone to call her) wasn't dead, she just went back to being a Stomper. He pained him whenever they video chatted or called one another, it wasn't the same.
Now, she would squash him if they tried to hug. She'd even squash the bird if she wanted another ride, and he knew that she wouldn't be able to ride another deer unless she wanted to get trampled by it.
Sighing as he hopped off of his bird, Nod walked slowly to the recovering general lying on the grass on the side of the hill, staring into the sky, as if he was looking for answers or a sign of some sort.
"Hey Nod."
"'Sup Ronin?" That was Ronin; he didn't even need to turn around to see if it was someone that he had known. The man had mentioned once that it had something to do with footsteps or the weight of a step. Nod didn't know, it was part of one of his long training lectures that he should become better at.
"Nothing really. The sky if you mean it literally, but figuratively, nothing." Sitting besides the man, Nod laid down on his back besides his father figure.
"No, I mean…what's going on, 'in here.'" Nod tapped his temple, looking at the man in his eyes before Ronin turned away to look at the sky.
"Like I said, nothing really. It's all blank." A shrug and the subject changed, "Man, this day is just dragging on by huh?"
"Yeah it is, but don't change the subject Ronin, I know your still upset. Just," Nod tore some grass out of the ground and played with it in his fingers. This was getting awkward…
"Wait a second," Nod shot Ronin a sharp glare; "You're not even supposed to be out of the hospital yet! The doctors didn't give you an okay, right?"
Ronin smiled smugly and shrugged, "Hey, if you were me, you wouldn't want to be cooped up in there all day long with nothing to do!"
Nod couldn't help but agree, yes people, believe it or not, Nod would've done the same thing. He hated being stuck in one place for too long, which was also another reason why he hated being in class, learning about an enemies strengths and weaknesses.
"I know, but come on man, how many broken ribs do you have?"
"Three."
"Okay, that doesn't help you, plus that concussion, the cuts and wounds, and the burns from the Rot that sunk through." Nod heard Ronin growl slightly. It was just after the new Queen was chosen, like twenty minutes after, that Ronin had collapsed to the floor, screaming and yelling in agony about something, clutching his chest and stomach tightly.
Nod remembered rushing towards the fallen general, asking him in panic what was wrong, only for the screams to get louder and ear-splitting. It was the Rot; it seemed that their armor wasn't that strong if the Rot was to stay on for a long period of time.
Ronin learned that the hard way.
"Yeah…forgot to say thanks about that…" Nod looked at the general shocked. What was happening? Ronin, the brave, fearless, strong general, saying Thank you? To HIM? NOD?
"Uhh…n-no problem…" Man, why did Ronin have to make things so awkward?! "Back at you, for saving both Mk and I…" A sharp nod was all he got, so the teen took it was a 'You're Welcome.'
Nod would admit, if it wasn't for his father figure standing up for him and Mk back there, if he didn't buy any time, then neither he nor the Stomper would even be alive; actually, Moonhaven would be in ruins.
"You miss her, don't you Nod?" Ronin questioned, still looking into the sky with his sapphire orbs while he missed Nod's look of wonder and shock.
"W-what? Who are you talking about?!" When Ronin turned to look at the teen, Nod's earthly orbs met a blue sea with the flames of light reflecting off of it.
"Mk. Mary Katherine. You miss her?" Nod looked away before looking at the sky.
"Well, yeah, though we talk every now and then, it's still not the same." By the confused look he was given, he knew he had to speak fast. "Oh, her dad set up some cell phones with those giant screens, and we can like, talk into it but it'll show out faces and all…do you understand this?"
By the slow shaking of his head, Nod knew that he had to go further in details. Like, so further, he even had to explain what it was made up of, which took even longer.
"But anyways, forgetting all that I told you, yeah, I do miss her, I…I just can't forget about her at all…not after all of that…" Though it felt weird telling his thoughts to Ronin (of all people…), it at the same time felt comforting to the teenager. Just something about that gave him the sensation of a father, even so slightly, to have someone listening to him rather than yelling at him for slacking off during training.
"Do you like her?" Nod looked at Ronin, frowning at him slightly.
"Do you like Tara?" Wrong. Thing. To. Say. Nod mentally slapped and cursed at himself at the same time when he heard Ronin's breath hitch and he stood up rather quickly for a guy who was injured. "Ronin, I'm sor-"
"Don't…" Though Nod couldn't see the facial expression on the man's face, he knew that he was fighting back tears due to the way his voice was strained to keep any kind of emotion out of it, "Don't make the same mistake that I did…"
Putting his two fingers to his mouth, Nod realized that he was calling his bird and rushed to stop him, only to get a face full of feathers as the humming bird took off.
"Ronin!" Nod coughed, looking at his father figure as he flew away, a heavy feeling left in the pit of his stomach. "Nice one Nod…As if he wasn't in enough self blame…" He grumbled, staring at the sky and sighed, "Talk about trying to help out…you only made things much worse…"
Oh Nod, if only you had known then…
Ronin glared at the slowly blurring area around him.
Though he could tell that Nod didn't mean it like that, it still hurt him on the inside.
'Tara...' He shouted on the inside, refusing to scream out loud, 'My Queen…your Queen who you were too weak to protect…'
If he had just been stronger, if he had only seen that arrow…his beloved Queen would still be here. It should've been him. He should've gotten the arrow instead of her to the stomach. At least it wouldn't have punctured him! She had no protection!
Opening his eyes that he didn't realize that he had closed, he saw that he was at his destination and jumped off his bird after it rested itself on a branch.
Landing on his feet, Ronin dashed off, looking around before entering the door. Inside the tree, it was dark.
'Asleep I bet…Practically moon high already…' Ronin cursed to himself, took his helmet off and held it before he walked silently onto the elevator that took him several floors down.
Nothing but scrolls in nicely circles, more and more rolls everywhere. It was like every second was recorded, every event, maybe even this was too, him being here, but at the same time; he couldn't risk anyone knowing that he was here.
Landing on the seemingly right floor, Ronin walked off the circular elevator and got to work trying to find the right scroll. It was frustrating, they were all the same! Besides for some being slightly older by the yellowing of the paper, he couldn't tell anything from another.
Running a hand though his hair, Ronin let out a small, heavy sigh as he turned around to reach for another scroll.
"You know, you could just ask me for help." Unsheathing his sword, Ronin held it pinpoint at the thing behind him, but put it back once he noticed who it was.
"Sorry about that, Nim Galuu…" Ronin apologized, rubbing the back of his neck and smiled weakly at the glowworm in front of him.
"No, it's okay," The worm smiled and fixed his robe, "It probably wasn't a good idea to try to sneak behind the General of the Leafmen. Now, what are you here for?"
Ronin sighed, looking down at the floor guiltily before looking the glowworm back in the eyes.
"Nim Galuu, please…there has to be a way…there had to be a way…"
"I'm sorry Ronin," the worm whispered, unable to look the man in the eyes, "There was no other way it could have been avoided. The scrolls don't lie…it had to happen…"
"Please!" The general burst out, shaking with pent out frustrations and loss, "There HAD to be that way! Can't we reverse the clock o-"
"Ronin, we've been over this numerous times," Nim Galuu sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. He hated having to tell the mourning man this, but he had to. Here was just no other way. It had to happen, it did happen; there was no changing the past.
"Bu-"
"There's no changing the past, General. No one can go back in time or reverse the clock. No one can. Not even a Queen herself." The man looked heartbroken, it killed the worm to tell him this, but he HAD to. He just wouldn't get it, not the first three times it happened; the general was horrible with loss.
"What if we-"
"Ronin," The glowworm looked the man in his sapphire Jews with his rocky brown. "She's gone. She won't come back." He said it.
Ronin nodded his head, keeping his gaze averted to the floor, a shadow casting over his face, making his facial features look even more deadly than they already were.
"Al'right. Thank you." Turning away, the man put his helmet back on, as if to shield himself from the world, and walked to the circular elevator where the glowworm followed him.
"If you want, you can spend the night in the spare room. It's pouring outside." Nim Galuu offered. It was true, it was raining heavily outside, Ronin would be washed away, his bird wouldn't be able to fly, plus the glowworm was worried the man would try to do something to self inflict tonight.
"Thank you for your…kind offer, but I'd rather not. Thank you anyways." The general's voice was tight with strain of keeping himself in check, but anyone could tell that he was on the verge of tears.
"I'm sorry…" The glowworm looked down, ashamed for what he said, though it had been the truth, he hadn't been nice about saying it kindly.
"Don't be. It had to happen…" Wrapping his jacket around himself, the general patted his hummingbird and walked out, leaving the bird there.
It wouldn't be able to fly, he didn't want it to get harmed by the powerful force of the droplets of water, and the glowworm knew that but didn't say anything against it.
Nim Galuu watched the man leave, a heavy feeling of dread washing over him as he patted the bird too.
"I know, I know," He cooed, trying to calm the small bird, but he couldn't help but admit, "I fear for the worst to."
Ronin walked out of the tree, his gaze burning into the floor, as he kept his face a solid look.
'No matter what Ronin, you can't let your feelings out. That's for the weak…'
The man sighed; using his gloved hand to put over his eyes to try and block the rain from getting into his eyes and looked off to the distance.
Nim Galuu's place was pretty far away from Moonhaven, it'll take him a while to get back, but he did need a walk to clear his mind.
It was weird, he'd admit, stormy and gloomy on the outside, stormy and gloomy on the inside too.
At times, the weather represented his moods, or most of the time they reflected off of his beloved Queen's attitude, which was to why it was usually bright and sunny.
Yawning, he rubbed his neck and stretched, the thought of sleep whipped away from his mind quickly as rain droplets hit him in his eyes, waking him up.
'The moon's already half past moon high, barely have any sleep…'
Ronin grumbled to himself before unsheathing his sword and swirled around only to be met with the darkness of night around him, taunting him.
Something was there, someone was there.
Pulling out his sword, he narrowed his eyes, watching his surroundings suspiciously as he walked towards a tree to use a protection.
Any sign of movement, besides for the heavy rain drops marking the land, they'd be dead meat.
Ronin looked around, looking for any sign of an enemy while noticing the rain drop patterns, how long it took them to fall, where they'd fall after a certain number, and the weight they were when they landed.
Being a Leafman, you learned how to remember a lot of things in a short period of time.
Looking at the moon for any shine of light, he noticed something falling. It didn't look like a leaf or a giant raindrop; no…it looked like a body…
Sheathing his sword, he took a step forwards, squinted through the rain at the figure. Something about it looked awfully familiar.
Then, his eyes widened in realization as he felt himself turn cold, not just because of the rain, no, it was because of the truth he just discovered.
"My Queen…"
Chapter one! :D Don't worry, chapter two will be coming up soon!
Man, I'm horrible with cliff hangers, but I don't care! X3
What did you all think? I know, not the best way to kick off a story, but the next chapters will be more longer or specific I guess...
Shout Outs to my fan fiction family (haha you know who you are!), and to everyone who favorite, followed, and reviewed to my other stories! Thank you!
~SupeyZ (Please review and tell me what you thought! Criticism will be taken in and worked on to work towards the other chapters!)