We Choose to Fight

Ch. 2

Frost POV

"Right now," said Chrom as he marched into the tent. Crap, it's Chrom. He crossed the room in just a few strides and stared right at me, brandishing Falchion. "Tell me one good reason why I shouldn't just kill you now," he demanded. Damn, what should I do? (Tell him the truth, idiot.) Shut up, conscience. I'm trying to think. Meh, screw it. I'll tell him. (If you were going to tell him after all, why did you tell me to shut up?) What the hell did I just say, me?! Whatever, we all die anyways, so I'll just tell him.

Heh. WADA. I'll try to pass that on, if I don't die today.

"I'm gonna be honest, Chrom," I said, "I only tried to kill her because that's what I was hired to do. Nothing more than a job."

"A job..." he whispered. He looked almost calm. Maybe I'm not in so much trouble.

All of a sudden he grabbed me by the throat and hoisted me up into the air -oh mercy I am in deep trouble- and shouted, "Killing my sister is just a job to you?!" "I've done it before, why is Emmeryn the different?" I wheezed, trying to gulp down some air, any air. Chrom really has a strong grip. "Don't speak her name!" he yelled.

"C-Chrom, calm down," the girl with the eyepatch stuttered. "If you kill him, he won't be useful. Remember? And... and Emmeryn wouldn't want you to kill him, even if he tried to murder her," she continued in a quiet voice. Slowly but surely, Chrom let go of my neck and let me drop back into the bed, where I tried to remember how to breathe. Ah, yes, now I remember. Inhale, exhale...

"Gaius tells me that you can use magic," Chrom said while trying to calm down. "Yes, I can, but I try not to use it too much," I said. "Why?" He asked. Erm… how to go about this? If I show him, he might try to duplicate it… Meh, WADA.

"Well..." I rolled up my sleeves to reveal multiple tattoos of the runes that would be seen in a tome. "It's a complicated process. See, what I did was: I tattooed the runes for a special type of magic to myself. This way, I can go into battle with my magic, but not have my tomes weigh me down."

"Okay… I see," Chrom mused. "I have things to attend to. Walk around camp as much as you like, but if you leave, I'll hunt you down." And with that threat hanging in the air, Chrom left the tent.

"Thanks," I said to the eyepatch girl after a moment of awkward silence. "Don't. Don't thank me," she said. "You still tried to kill Emmeryn, and for that, I won't forgive you," she said while gathering her paper and pens to go. "Oh- what was your name again?" I said before she left. "…Forté," she said while leaving. Huh… I'll remember that. Anyway, time to get some food.

First things first, find the food. I'm starving. I think the last time I had a proper meal was… last Tuesday. Damn. Let's fix that.

And in the process, accidentally walk into someone. Oops. "How dare you!" she said. "Sorry 'bout that. The name's Frost," I said. "…I am Maribelle. And I know who you are," she said, eyes narrowed to slits. "You tried to kill Lady Emmeryn. And how dare you talk to me as equals! You are a lowborn commoner!" Oh great, she's one of THOSE rich girls. She couldn't be like Emmeryn and be nice to everyone she meets, NO. She just has to be a snob. "Look, I said I'm sorry," I said while trying not to hit her. "Can you tell me where to find some food?" I asked politely. "I don't converse with commoners," She said flatly. ...screw you too, Maribelle. Screw you too. Anyway, I think it's time to walk away from this before I hit her. Time to find some food, posthaste. Also, not to self: Never use the word posthaste. It's stupid. Oh hey, I found the mess tent.

That was good food. That Stahl fellow is a good cook. Anyway, let's keep exploring. As I walk around, I'm feeling pretty sure that this place is near the mountains by the castle. Oh hey, it's the training grounds. Are there any training dolls around? Yes there are. Okay, let's set one up aaannnd, there we go. Let's do this. Step one: draw sword. Step two: Start looking like a badass swordsman, black cloak fluttering dramatically in the wind. Overhead swing, block with the flat of my blade, duck under hypothetical counter from the doll, leg sweep, horizontal slash.

Step three: Cut Chrom in half.

...That's not supposed to be on the list.

I nearly screamed as I pulled the swing. "What the hell?!" I yelled. "I could have killed you!" "But you didn't," he said harshly. What's that cold thing pressing against my leg? Is that Falchion- yes, yes it is. Back away from the pointy stick of death. Death bad. Life good. "You have good control to be able to stop a full force swing like that," he commented casually. "Er…thanks?" I asked. Why is he complimenting me? "Show me what else you can do," he said while getting into a fighting stance. This is gonna SUCK.

Almost immediately, he lunged at me. Damn, he's fast. Block with flat of the blade, deflect and go for an overhead swing. Crap, he's blocked it. Back away, and CRAP HOW DID HE CLOSE IN ON ME SO FAST?! Roll away, jump and slash at his back. Did it hit? Yes, it did! Wait, why is Falchion's hilt getting closer to my face?

Crap, block! Damn, my blade is at an angle, I can't get any leverage. Just… damn, I can't do anything. Now all of a sudden I'm on the ground - Chrom swept my legs out from under me, and Falchion is at my throat.

"Give up?" he asked smugly. "…yeah, I yield," I muttered. "Why didn't you use your magic?" he asked while helping me up. "Why should I have? It was a swordfight, not a magic fight." I dusted off my cloak. "Why are you giving me a strange look?"

"I thought you were an assassin? Someone who doesn't play by the rules," Chrom said. "I'm not an assassin, I'm just…" What's the right word to use? A wanderer? Adventurer? Heartless bastard? "Honor bound?" Chrom provided. "…I used to be," I muttered as I walked away. I used to be a person to be liked, but… not anymore. And I won't be until I atone for my actions.