Ok, here's the first chapter of the Sacaen Swords up and running.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem, or anything associated with it. I do own Rey, and all of the other new characters that you will see in this story or the sequel based on Path of Radiance.
The Sacaen Swords
Chapter 1: The name, the spring, and the beating
The chief of the Lorca Tribe, his daughter, and the young boy sat around a fire close to the chief's tent. They had been talking about a lot of things, and now came the hard part. Since he had not told anyone his name before Lyn hit him with the rock, they had to make one up for him until the time in which he would remember everything about himself.
"So what do you think your name should be, son?" The chief said. He had taken it upon himself to raise the boy for however long he should stay.
"I have no clue. I see things in my mind from all of the things you two have told me about the world, and they are so clear, but what is not clear are the names…" The boy said as he drew in the soft ground with a twig. He had truly been dreaming about the words that the girl and her father had told him, and he was able to associate images from his mind with them.
"If you can't figure out a name, I might just have to let Lyn choose one for you."
The boy stiffened at that. He still didn't know much about Lyn, but he could tell from the sparkle in her eyes that she was very mischievous, just as he remembered about himself, but his personality was all he remembered. He wasn't sure what kind of name he would end up with if he left the choice up to her…
"If that's the case, I think I have a few picked out already, but I don't know what he will think of them…" Lyn said has she put her chin on her fist, a motion that the boy knew meant she was thinking (What else could it possibly mean?). "For one, we have Lloyd, which does seem to fit in one way or another. We have Nick, but I'm not so sure that would work well. And then, there's Reyson, and I don't know what made me think of that name, but it would mostly fit…"
The last name sparked something in the boy's mind. "How about I take the last one, but Rey (pronounced like ray) for short? It would sound good, and no one in the tribe around here has a name like that, right?" Lyn and her father nodded. The boy continued, "I don't know why, but that name makes me think of something else. It makes me think of something on the tip of my tongue, but I just can't get it out for some reason…"
The chief cleared his throat before saying, "Ok, since we three are in agreement, this boy will be called Reyson, or Rey, until the time that he remembers his true name… and we will also teach you how to fight. If you are to stay here, you have to live by our rules, so you must help to defend your new home. Do you have any objections?"
Rey thought about it for a minute, long and hard. He wasn't a violent person, but he had found a good reason to fight, and since that's all he needed. "No sir. I'm just wondering when I start."
"You can start as soon as your neck is better. Lyn gave you a good bruise, and it will hurt for a while… until then, take it easy."
Ryo took the command for what it was and saluted the chief before saying, "Yes sir, Chief Lorca!"
The chief seemed to be surprised by this reaction, and he let a smile show. It was short-lived, because brigands were invading the temporary settlement. Chief went out of the tent and told Rey and Lyn to stay put. Lyn obeyed, but Rey went ahead and followed him out to face the brigands. The chief saw him and said, "What are you doing? Get back to my daughter! She cannot fight, so she needs someone with her." At that moment, he was proven wrong. Lyn came out of the tent wielding an Iron Sword and started battle with one brigand that actually spotted her. The battle was over in mere moments, Lyn being victorious. The chief decided to chide her later and fight now. To his side, Chief saw Rey battling 2 brigands at once. It seemed like he was having trouble, but it was a ploy to get one of them to swing overhand. When one of them fell for it, Rey moved like lightning, cutting one of them through their chest, and the other one through the stomach.
Both of the Lorca tribe members saw how effortlessly he could kill with a sword, and they knew fear until they saw the look of pure sadness on his face. "I don't like to kill, but if I have to, I will kill to protect those who mean the most to me," Rey said. "Now what do you say we get some grub? I'm starving…" The chief and Lyn laughed at Rey while he said, "Hey! I'm a growing boy! I need my daily meals and exercise…"
15 minutes later:
Rey had decided to cook up a feast for the Lorca Tribe for a job well done. He didn't know how he could've pulled off the meal he did, but it just seemed like something inside him took over. After it was done, Rey said a prayer, and began serving out the food. When everyone tried it, they all complemented him on it, but he believed that something was missing… what could it be? After the meal, a few tribesmen stayed to help wash dishes as a way of saying thanks for the good meal. Once that was done, Rey went off to find the chief to ask where something was.
Rey finally found him while he was teaching a small band of nomads and swordsmen how to fight. He saw Rey and asked, "Is there something you wanted?" Rey took in his breath and said, "Don't ask how I know, but there is a hot spring somewhere around here, and I was hoping that I could maybe put up a divider for the men and women and get in myself, but I can't do that if I don't know where the thing is." The chief smirked and revealed, "It actually a few yards behind my tent, and I would make that divider out of thick wood, just in case we have a few peeping Toms somewhere in our tribe.." "What's a peeping Tom?" Rey asked. 'This kid seems a little too innocent for some reason. If he lost his memory, maybe that means that he or someone close to him was a peeping Tom, and that's why he can't remember what it means. I'm not looking forward to telling him what a peeping Tom does…' The chief thought. "Well Rey, a peeping Tom is a guy that goes around watching women when they undress or bathe. That's basically it, but if the women catch the guys, the guys will get punished severely. How, well, I'll leave that up to your imagination…" Rey said thanks and went to gather wood, a hammer, and some nails.
When women heard the sound of metal striking wood so close to the hot spring, they didn't know what to think until they saw the young boy making some kind of wall. It was about 7 or 8' tall, 4" thick and 9' wide. The women didn't know what the wall was for, but it looked like it was built to last. Without looking up, Rey asked, "Do you mind if I put this thing up somewhere in the hot spring so that the guys can get in without disturbing you. I'm not sure how I'll stop the guys from peeking at you, but I will find a way…" The women couldn't believe their ears! This boy was very thorough in his work on the barrier, and they believed his words and gave him the Ok. They moved out wrapped in towels behind the trees enshrouding the spring, while Rey pushed the barrier into the spring with a loud 'SPLASH!'
The men of the tribe came and saw what Rey had done. All eyes turned to Rey with punishment as the clearest thought in their eyes. This young boy couldn't possibly beat all of the men, so they rushed him all at once. Rey had also made a long, curved wooden sword that had no guard while he made the barrier. He was confident about it sturdiness, so he took it up in his right hand and started to incapacitate each man with a couple of quick blunt slashes to the sides and arms. In 2 minutes, he had expertly dealt with 15 men, all double Rey's age or older. Then it seemed that things would go downhill from there when the chief came to see what the commotion was about.
He saw fifteen of his best swordsmen lying on the ground with deep welts on their sides and arms, most of them unconscious from the beating. He turned to Rey and asked with a hint of laughter in his eyes, "What did you do this time?" "Well, they saw the barrier I had made, and then they all rushed me at once, trying to get revenge for me making it. I had also made a good wooden sword at the same time, so I got it out instead of my Iron Sword that you gave me. I didn't expect it to hurt them so bad…" The chief's face turned to one of slight hate and said, "And how can I know that you are telling the truth?" "Because I saw it happen, and I wouldn't lie to you."
Rey turned around and saw a woman who must have been Lyn's mother. She had the same dark green hair and blue eyes, and it seemed that she had been among the women hiding in the trees when he had put the barrier in place, since she also had a big towel on.
The chief sighed and said, "Madelyn, no offense, but is there any way that one boy could cause so much damage? It's unthinkable…" The woman, who Rey now knew as Madelyn said, "I assure you, I saw it with my own eyes. I have no clue how he accomplished it, but he did indeed get all of them without injury to himself. He parried their punches as if they were sword strikes, and his form is without flaw as far as I can see… He could probably one of your best students if you decide to train him." This woman was trying to save him from a punishment he didn't deserve, and Rey was thankful for every word she said. But, that didn't mean that he was out of the woods yet…
"I was thinking about it, and now I'm sure that I should…" The chief got in close and asked his wife, "Rey didn't look at any of the women, did he?" Madelyn shook her head and said, "No, as a matter of fact, his eyes never came up from his work, except when the men rushed him, and that was only for a few seconds before he began his little 'sword dance'…" This confirmed the chief's suspicions. "Ok, I'll let him stay here for now. I trust you will keep him out of trouble?" "Of course I will. Who else could right now? You are the only man that boy will ever trust here, I can tell. And the only reason why he trusts me is because I remind him of Lyndis." "Then I will leave you to enjoy your bath." The chief gave her a swift peck on the lips, and departed for the training grounds. When Madelyn looked behind her, Rey was still a couple of yards away, sighting that wooden sword of his, but he looked ready for a soak in the hot spring and boy he deserved it. "Come on, Rey; get on your side of the hot spring…" After a few minutes, Rey was in rapture, the weariness melting from his bones. He felt like nothing could go wrong. And yet, something always does…
"Whoa… what's this big piece of wood doing here?" Rey couldn't register what the danger was, and the women couldn't hear the voice because of the sound of the rushing water. Rey opened his eyes after he heard a splash on his side of the spring, which was only 3 yards wide, and he saw a head of long green hair coming up from the water, and then he knew he was in deep trouble.
He and Lyn were staring at each other. Neither really knew what to do now, and Rey was afraid that he would get in trouble. Yes, they were a yard away from each other; Yes, they still had their towels on, and yes, they weren't looking anywhere but each other's eyes. Then Madelyn came and saw what had happened. She started laughing that the turn of events and led Lyn away while explaining what the wall was for, who made it, and what had happened afterwards. After the two left, Rey finally released his held breath. 'What the heck was that all about? Do I have to put a sign up or something? You'd think that everyone would have a better sense about what a divider is doing in a hot spring…' Rey thought as he sank back into the water. He had dodged arrow after arrow ever since he got here, but he had no clue how much longer his luck would last.
After a few more minutes, Rey got out, dried himself off, and put his yukata and haori back on. He had a lot on his mind, and maybe practicing with his blade would help.
This is Ryo Hantano here. Another chapter has come and gone, and a lot of laughs have been heard. This young boy is quite the strange person, but is his luck enough to change what will happen in the next 7 years?
Next chapter: Rey goes to train with the Lorca chief and his men, and things get heated when someone else wants to train in the way of the sword. How the heck can Rey resolve this without bloodshed? Find out in Chapter 2: The training, the match, and the passing time.
Remember: I am open to new ideas, and if you have one for me, please R&R and tell me your idea.
