Author's Notes: I am so terribly sorry for the late update and for leaving you on a cliffhanger for so long. (but that is why they call them cliffhangers isn't it?) I know it's no excuse but I just haven't felt much like writing, and I couldn't figure out how to end this chapter. In fact the only reason I updated at all is because Maple Story is currently offline, also I wanted to get this up before we leave for Kentucky in a couple of days, so hopefully that will be fun. Anyway about the chapter, I wanted to get this up quickly so I did bother checking it over, I know there aren't any spelling errors but any grammatical errors are my fault (they actually were to begin with, but still). Just to let you guys know my favorite blue-haired laguz appears in this chapter. As always there will be OC's (the one featured in this chapter may play a recurring villian throughout this fic) but I will try not to have them as the main focus. That's Soren's (and in this fic someone else's) job. I won't tell you who he is yet, but if you have been paying attention it should rather easy to figure out.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem or any characters (major or minor) featured in said games.
Chapter 2: Learning to Trust
"Hello there."
Soren gasped and took a step back, tripping over a bucket sitting on the dirt floor of the old barn, still staring fearfully into those cruel eyes.
The man standing in front of him had a large hand axe strapped to his side, and he wore thin reddish-orange leather armor. Brown gauntlets covered most of his arms stopping just below the elbow, and his wild brown hair was kept at bay by his orange headband. His forest green eyes were cruel and merciless and they seemed to mock the child lying on the floor in front of him.
His overall appearance was threatening.
He leaned forward, giving the boy a malicious smile. "I can think of many ways ta kill ya." He began in such a way that made the boy whimper and scramble backwards in an attempt to get farther away from the bandit, but the child hit a support beam, and could not go any further back.
"I would love ta tell ya have my, meth'ds, but tha' would spoil the fun of it. So I just hafta say that none of them are, pleasant." He finished with a cruel laugh as he saw the look of fear etched on the child's face. The boy could tell from just one look at the bandit that pleading would do no good.
Soren looked around for something, anything, that he could use to defend himself. He saw many tools, spades, hatchets, and the like, but nothing near enough for him to reach to be considered useful.
"By th' way," He began, grabbing the axe strapped to his side. "The name's Haityn, remember it well." The man said, as he raised the weapon, ready to strike.
At this point Soren knew he was going to die, so he screwed up his courage. If he was going to die he might as well face it with his head held high. He shut his eyes as he waited for the killing blow, but it didn't come.
Soren opened his eyes to see that Haityn had lowered his axe. Relief washed over him for a moment. But, it was short lived for he now saw that that same terrifying smile once again plagued the bandit's features.
Haityn grabbed Soren by his hair, pulling him from the ground and towards the entrance of the barn, the child struggling fiercely all the while.
The man laughed. "You might as well stop tha' fruitless struggle." Soren glared at him, more to hide his fear than anything else, he didn't want to be thought of as weak.
"Did you think I would come quietly just so you could kill me later anyway?" Soren asked bitterly with confidence not actually felt. Once again, this was only to hide his insurmountable fear.
Haityn just laughed mockingly as he threw Soren out of the confined space by his hair, right at the feet of another bandit. As Soren looked up the man gave him a malicious, toothy grin. Absently, he noted the bandit's breath was absolutely repulsive.
"Look wha' I found boys," Haityn began. "A little brat who thinks he can stand up ta us!" The other bandits all jeered at this. "Let's finish him." Haityn finished darkly.
With that, the six bandits (also including Haityn) encircled Soren, leaving no possible escape. Yet the child refused to show them what they wanted; fear. In truth he was terrified, but he kept his gaze straight ahead, his expression unreadable.
As the men readied their weapons Soren was certain that this was the end, he was going to die here and there was nothing he could do about it. But then, something strange and unexpected happened. A blue cat suddenly burst from the trees.
Leaping forth, the cat pounced on the one of the bandits, claws and fangs bared. The bandit fell instantly under the powerful paws and the sharp claws.
Caught off guard by this sudden attack the men had only a second to ready themselves, which, in any case, did little good. The cat was just too fast and too agile, it was near impossible for them to even land a hit much less take down this truly formidable foe. The blue cat swiftly felled a second bandit with little to no effort it seemed.
While the cat was dealing with the previous one, the three others (not including Haityn) attempted to gang up on the creature. But their plans were thwarted when the cat downed a third and then forth, and soon the only one left was Haityn himself.
The tables had turned, but this time the cat waited as Haityn readied his axe. Soren wondered why the creature hesitated now after he had finished with the others. But the next thing the cat did nearly made the child jump out of his skin.
Soren had never seen a laguz transform before, heck Soren had never heard of a laguz before, much less seen one, but it truly was a sight to behold.
A blue light seamed to surround the creature as it shifted form. His back paws becoming feet and his front paws becoming hands, and his previously feline head became strangely human-like, as well as the rest of his body. Also, now he was no longer on all fours but stood on two legs. The only things about him that even suggested that he had previously been in a cat-like form were his ears and his tail, which remained even after the transformation.
Soren was astounded. Never before had he seen or even heard of anything like this, so, he had a difficult time finding words to describe it. It was fascinating and frightening at the same time.
Soren was taken from his thought as the cat-man? He wasn't exactly sure how to describe him, spoke. "You there," He said obviously referring to Haityn, "I will allow you to keep your life so long as you do not step foot in Gallian territory ever again." The cat-man said. He had a hardened and stern expression on his face, his cat-like ears pressed against his head. "Because the day that you do is the day you die." He finished grimly.
"You may 'ave won this time sub-human beastie," the cat-man hissed slightly at this, "but you will regret tha' day you dared come between me and tha' boy." He replied venomously, nodding his head towards Soren when he said 'boy'.
Soren wondered why the man called the creature 'sub-human', and why did that upset the cat-man so?
When the bandit didn't leave immediately the cat-man bared his teeth menacingly, and hissed slightly at Haityn. The bandit, wisely deciding not to press his luck any further fled into the woods opposite the direction the cat-man came from.
When the man was out of his sight, the cat-man turned his attention over to Soren (who was lying on the ground) and his face, though remaining neutral, had softened significantly at the sight of the boy.
The cat-man gave a smile small of reassurance as he pulled Soren to his feet by the arm; though it was much gentler then the bandit had done earlier.
When Soren was on his feet again he immediately backed away from the cat-man. The man frowned at this, but took a step back, seemingly sensing the child's unease.
"Are you alright?" He asked Soren, the sharpness his voice carried before was now absent, replaced instead with a much softer and concerned? tone. No one had ever been concerned about Soren before.
"Who and what are you?" Soren asked bluntly, his voice carrying a slight edge as he warily gazed at the cat-man.
Taken off guard by the question, the cat-man blinked. "I'm… Ranulf," He said after a moment's hesitation. "Warrior of Gallia's beast tribe laguz." He said, but then Ranulf smiled and replied in a most teasing voice, "But, I thought it was customary for one to introduce oneself before you ask someone there name."
"Soren." The boy replied slowly, still wary of the cat 'laguz'.
"Well then, it is a pleasure to meet you Soren." Ranulf said, extending his hand out to shake. Soren just stared at it. "Umm…" Ranulf was at a loss for words. "You… are supposed to shake." He informed Soren.
The child looked up at the laguz and then back down at the proffered limb. Sensing no danger Soren hesitantly grasped Ranulf's hand and the two shook hands. This time Ranulf grinned.
Soren didn't exactly know why, but this put him more at ease then before. Maybe be it was because Ranulf was the first person to show him any sort of kindness? Maybe, or maybe not, he wasn't sure.
Soren, finally having the chance, looked the creature over, and truly it was a sight to behold. Ranulf was much taller than Soren, so he had to look up to see his eyes, which were, to Soren's surprise, two completely different colors. One of them was bluish-purple and the other was spring-green, which, oddly enough, did not at all seem to match his light blue hair, ears, and tail.
The 'laguz' wore a brown sleeveless vest and bluish pants overlaid by an orange cloth, or covering of some sort, that connected at his waist by a reddish-orange piece of fabric. His boots were a deep green, the same as his fingerless gloves, and, at his side, he carried a small light brown travellers pouch.
Soren, turning his gaze away from the stranger's appearance, decided instead to stare into the laguz's eyes warily. The mismatched pair of eyes meeting Soren's cautious crimson easily with a rather light-hearted, if slightly teasing, gaze.
"I, have to finish with my chores soon." Soren said slowly, his caution keeping in careful check his instantaneous like of the unusual man.
"Oh? What, you don't like me?" Ranulf asked, his tone and grin both teasing.
Ever the serious one, Soren took it to be as a serious question. "What? No! It's nothing…" Soren was cut off by a yell coming from the direction of the small house.
"What are you doing standing there and wasting time, boy?" Ileva asked, not expecting nor wanting an answer. It didn't matter anyway; she always found a reason to take her anger and frustration out on him. "Stop talking to that laguz, and get back to work!" She shouted at him before stomping back inside.
Ranulf, being a laguz, could feel the tension in the air, and sensed Soren's unease. Taking into consideration also, the slight flinch the boy made when the woman simply yelled at him, he was almost certain that she was abusing him.
Ranulf snapped to attention when the boy spoke again. "You should probably be going. I have to get back to work now."
That night Soren collapsed onto the small pallet in the corner of his tiny room. His entire being ached from the beating he had just received. She was surprisingly strong for appearing so frail.
Soren thought back to Ranulf's earlier words. "If you are ever in need of help, don't hesitate to call." Ranulf had said, strangely serious for his previous light-hearted teasing.
The boy was still trying to figure out some ulterior motive or hidden meaning in his words. He just couldn't believe someone would actually care about him. At least, not after how Ileva treated him.
Not wanting to think about it, he attempted to turn over but stopped at the pain that the movement provoked. Wincing, he wondered how such a small movement be the cause of so much pain. He didn't even want to think of how she expected him to wake so early after a beating like that.
Soren carefully lay down and took a deep, calming breath. He closed his eyes and unconsciously began to hum. A small smile touched his lips for a brief moment before disappearing as quickly as it came.
It was truly ironic. His dreams were always warm, comforting. They brought him a fleeting sense of peace that he could not find otherwise. His life on the other hand was a living nightmare.
A few tears slipped past his carefully built defenses, but, wincing from the pain the movement enticed, he quickly wiped them away. He never liked pity, but, to him anyway, self-pity was just downright detestable. He wasn't ready to give up; Soren was to stubborn to admit defeat easily. But even if he did escape were would he go? He didn't know anyone, didn't know any other life. Ranulf's offer was tempting, but, could he trust the cat laguz? After all, until today, he didn't even know there was such a thing as a laguz. Still, there was something about the cat laguz that he seemed drawn to. Soren felt that maybe, just maybe, that he could trust him.
End Note: Well? What do you think? I hope my characterization of Ranulf was any good. I find it hard to properly characterize those who are not my own OC's, because well, you make up there personality. Not to mention in the Fire Emblem games they don't really give you an in depth look at their personalities (especially the minor characters) just a general layout which people can build upon. So I hope those two are at least mostly in-character.
Also, The reason Soren may seem OOC in 'The Sad Tale' is because, for one, he was just a child so I believe he would be a little bit more trusting, also the events of that fanfiction are basically leading up to how he got like he is in Path of Radiance. Last thing I promise, I will be making a continuation of The Sad Tale, it'll be called 'Sorrows Path', don't worry about the name, I'll try not to make it to angst-filled and there will be some more lighthearted moments as well, so yeah that's about it. 'Til next time!
