Author Notes:
-I do not own Fire Emblem and do not make any profit from this story.
Chapter 8: Budding Friendship
The trip to Carrion Isle was uneventful. The main army, led by the two Khans, had been left on the continent to fend off any possible invasion while the Exalt and his Shepherds were absent. A single ship, miraculously saved from Port Ferox's remnants of the harbor, was enough to carry the group the small Plegian island.
Cherche had taken care of letting her wyvern out of the hold, where the mounts had been placed, several times a day. Together, sometimes joined by Sumia or Cordelia, their scouting expeditions were the occasion for Minerva to escape the cramped insides of the ship. As for Cherche, the frequent trips allowed her to stray her thoughts from the war: soothed by the steady pace of her companion, she felt far more in her element in the airs than on the boat so often rocked by the waves.
Roughly two days after departing, they had reached the lone island. A single fort stood on it, in which Robin, Chrom and his bodyguard Frederick were currently meeting the Plegian representatives, alone. Meanwhile, the remaining Shepherds had set up camp in the nearby hills. The tall trees surrounding them shadowed the setting sun, plunging the encampment in darkness as the day made way for the night. Despite being one of the northernmost province of Plegia, the atmosphere was stifling, the uncharacteristic silence of the island aggravating the effects of the stagnating heat.
Cherche let out a relieved sigh as she set aside the pants she had been mending and wiped the sweat accumulated on her forehead with her hand. "That's one more done. Ugh, this heat will be the death of me."
"Cherche, are you still inside?" a feminine voice called out from outside the tent.
"I am. What is it?" she answered, raising her head to watch the entrance.
"I have another basket of clothes that needs mending. Should I leave it outside?" the voice asked, the person it belonged to still not entering the tent.
"It's fine, you can come in."
An auburn-haired woman clumsily pushed the tent's flaps aside, holding a basket filled with clothes with her right arm. Still panting from the effort, she managed to muster enough forces to genuinely smile at Cherche while fastening her hold on the basket.
"Good evening, Sumia." Cherche said as she stood up and walked to the girl. "Hand me the basket so that I take care of it before you collapse on the spot," she added with a hint of concern in her voice.
"Goodness! I don't fall that often, do I?" the pegasus rider asked, instantly lowering her head in embarrassment as Cherche grabbed the damaged clothing.
Cherche looked at the woman with bewildered eyes. She had quickly learnt the woman had a strong propensity to greet the ground with her face several times a day, among other gaffes. But to grow self-consciousness from it? That was a new one for Cherche. "Are you actually worrying about this? The skill you display on your pegasus more than make up for any blunders you'd do on the ground."
Sumia raised her head to meet the wyvern rider's gaze with hopeful eyes. "Is that what people think of me?"
Instinctively, Cherche wished to recomfort her, touched by the woman's distraught. "I wouldn't know, but that is what I believe anyway. You should focus on yourself, not concern yourself with what people think of you."
Sumia took a deep breath and nodded, then returning a sincere smile as she backed away to fully observe the knight. "You always look so strong."
Now Cherche was just confused. The sudden shift of attitude of that woman had been unexpected. "I'm sorry?" she started hesitantly.
Sumia slowly shook her head, a faint blush creeping on her cheeks. "It's nothing, don't mind me," she replied before directing her attention to their surroundings. "You don't have to stay in the storehouse alone, you know?"
The wyvern rider simply shrugged in answer and motioned with her head towards the sewing tools she had laid on the table. "It's convenient being close to the supplies I need. Besides, it will be all the faster to tidy up once I'm done with the mending."
Sumia tilted her head on the side while gazing at the knight. "Don't you get bored sewing by yourself?"
"I used to dislike it. Back when I was training, as a soldier that is, Virion grew a… special interest towards me. I became both his knight and his servant and was taught domestic activities. It's been years now, but I still vividly remember wishing to skip these useless chores to train with the other soldiers instead or just spend time with Minerva. It's funny isn't it? The older I grew, the more I've came to despise killing; and yet this is both what I have trained and what I'm paid for. Household duties, they now keep my mind and my hands busy, and that's more than enough to me," she confessed impassively, still staring at the sewing supplies as she reminisced about her past.
The pegasus rider suddenly leaped forward, grabbing one of Cherche's hands with both of hers. "You don't have to keep fighting if it's too painful. I'm sure Chrom would understand if you wanted to leave us."
Taken aback, Cherche didn't attempt to escape the hold. "That would be unfair. I trained that much, so I need to fight for those who can't. I will make sure there is retribution for Walhart's actions, regardless of the pain this war will bring me," she finished in a whisper, her eyes locked into Sumia's.
The pegasus rider expression shifted to one of concern. "Cherche?"
The knight moved her hand away and stepped back, then smiled warmly at the woman. "Ah, don't mind me. I'm fine, the heat getting to my head is all. I'm going to start mending the clothes now, else I will never be done before the night. I wouldn't to wake you and Cordelia both when I return to our tent."
While Sumia seemed hesitant, she finally nodded after a small pause. "Just don't stay there alone too late, all right? You should take some time for yourself too."
"I told you not to worry, didn't I? I will come back before long."
Sumia visibly forced herself to smile back, awkwardly trying to maintain eye contact with the wyvern rider. "Promise?"
"Promise. You should get going, I'm fine, really." Cherche felt a wave of uneasiness wash over her as she said these words, which didn't even ring true to her own ears. It was the first time a Shepherd got this close to her, admittedly because a lot of her time was spent with Minerva. While she appreciated the concern shown by the pegasus rider, Cherche couldn't resolve herself to reveal the toll the war was taking on her mind for fear that Sumia would needlessly concern herself with her struggles.
Sumia didn't seem to take notice of Cherche's inner conflict, her face beaming with relief instead. With a last greeting, she quickly scampered to the entrance and waved in the knight's direction before exiting the tent, leaving the confused woman to herself.
"Well. That was interesting," Cherche said before grabbing the shirt laying on the top of the basket and sitting on the stool, then carrying her attention to the sewing tools. With a sigh, she took the needle and deftly threaded it. She absentmindedly started the stitching process, trying her best to ignore the unnatural heat. The recent conversation soon filled her thoughts as she reminisced Sumia's words.
'You always look so strong.' Lon'qu had said the same words, back in the infirmary. They were wrong. She was just as vulnerable as anyone else. The sole idea of idea of killing gave her feelings of queasiness. The aftermaths of the battles were so bad she often had to hold herself from throwing up, unwilling to show vulnerability to her partners-in-arms. It was all a front: if she was truly strong, then she could have saved Delion and the others back in Rosanne. She was powerless, unable to keep even her own demons in check as she was thrown around from one battle to another. Frustrated, her gentle needle pokes at the fabric turned into reckless stabs as tears formed on the corners of her eyes, a familiar feeling of numbness returning in her formerly injured shoulder. If only she was stronger, all of this might have been prevented. If only-
"We are under attack!" The sudden shout outside brutally brought Cherche back to reality with a jolt, a sharp pain emanating from her index finger. She looked down to her hand to see the needle stuck in her index finger. Wincing, she firmly removed it and brought the injured finger to her mouth in an attempt to ease the pain.
"It's the Risen! To arms, everyone!" Something wasn't right, sentries had been posted outside the camp. For Risen to reach the camp without raising the alarms meant an unnatural force was at work, which could very well have been at the origin of the attack in the first place. There wasn't a second to waste: Cherche dashed to the tent's exit, grabbing the axe she had left near the flaps.
As she ran outside, the knight noticed the Risen hadn't reached this part of the camp yet. Hoping Minerva was safe, the stables being on the other side of the camp, Cherche brought two fingers to her mouth and whistled, calling for her trusty companion to join her.
"There you are! I was looking for you," a masculine voice called from behind her. Cherche turned around and noticed Lon'qu running her way, in the stead of her wyvern she was expecting.
"Lon'qu? What is happening out there?" Cherche asked, hopeful the man would provide her with answers.
"The Risen have us surrounded. Get ready to fight."
As if to echo these words, a Risen swordsman appeared from behind one of the nearby tents, raising his axe as he charged the pair with a guttural battle cry. Lon'qu stepped forward, covering Cherche as he nimbly unsheathed his sword. It proved to be rather unnecessary, however, as the Risen was slammed to the ground by a landing wyvern and swiftly ended between the creature's jaws. Despite Cherche's best attempts at blocking the scene from her sight, there was no avoiding the sickening sound of crushed bones as her beast friend dealt with the undead soldier, followed by a victorious scream.
There was a small pause, interrupted by Lon'qu. "Come on. We need to stop them from entering the camp."
Cherche nodded and dashed to the wyvern, who greeted her with a bloodcurdling scream. "Minerva! You're not hurt, are you, love?"
The wyvern screeched and excitedly turned around, showing its entire body to its mistress. Cherche let out a relieved sigh, her friend showing no apparent sign of injury.
"You had me worried. Thank goodness you are fine!" Cherche exclaimed as she deftly climbed Minerva's back, then leaning forward to pet the creature on the back of its head.
"I will go on ahead. Dive in whenever I need cover," Lon'qu said, interrupting the joyful reunion.
"Understood, we will remain close by," Cherche replied, tightening her hold on her axe.
The man seemed satisfied and turned on his heels, before marching forward with a brisk pace. A couple of seconds after he left, Minerva took off from the ground, following the swordsman about fifty feet above him. From her vantage point, Cherche could see the fighting had spread to all edges of the camp. While the Risen weren't formidable fighters, their lack of agility and poor equipment hampering their fighting ability, the sheer numbers of undead soldiers and their incredible resilience still made them a force to be reckoned with. Devoid of any moral qualms or other human emotion, these enemies would fight to the last until they annihilated their targets or dropped dead forever.
"They surrounded us without us noticing. Be careful Minerva, they seem more intelligent than the others. Either that or… they are led by someone," Cherche finished in a murmur, a tingling sensation overrunning her left shoulder. Something was obviously working behind the scene towards the Shepherds' destruction.
If Lon'qu shared the same considerations, he didn't seem affected in the least by it, instead fastening his pace as he spotted two Risen fighters exiting the nearby forest to enter the camp. Before they could even react, he jumped on the closest one, piercing its dead heart with his sword. The monster recoiled from the impact and fell as Lon'qu removed his weapon from its body, its red eyes fading out as it hit the ground. The second one raised its axe above the swordsman as it realized the fate that had befallen its undead ally, letting out an inhuman roar as it moved its arm down. Not quickly enough, however, as its arm was swiftly met by Lon'qu's blade, splitting it in two above the elbow. It wasn't enough to strike down the Risen, who used the swordsman's momentum to grab and tackle him to the ground, where they remained locked in a struggle to gain the upper hand. Behind the Risen fighter, Cherche spotted another of the monster running towards the two fallen warriors, his raised hand holding a menacing Killing Edge.
"Time to go, Minerva!" Cherche shouted, tightening her grip on the wyvern's spikes along its neck, the saddle having been left in the stables. The wyvern replied with a frightening scream and dived, tucking in its wings to gain as much speed as it could.
The incoming Risen was stopped in its track as Minerva unceremoniously crashed into him, sending it flying a dozen of yards away. Trying to ignore the impact of the fall, Cherche jumped down from the wyvern's back and clenched her axe as she unsteadily ran towards the struggling fighters.
"Lon'qu!" she called, lifting her axe in the air as she reached them. The swordsman managed to meet her gaze and instantly understood the woman's aim. Pushing the Risen the further away from him he could, he rolled to the side. The monster immediately tried to crawl back to him, attempting to bring him back in its lock, but it was promptly stopped as Cherche struck its exposed back. Raising a powerless arm in the air with a last lament, it collapsed to the ground, hopefully to never raise again.
Cherche left her axe embedded in the Risen's back and walked over to Lon'qu, trusting her friend to cover them while she checked up on the swordsman.
"Are you injured?" she inquired, falling on one knee to examine his body.
Lon'qu looked away in embarrassment. "No. It was disarmed," he finally declared as he placed an elbow on the ground to push himself up.
"Good. Let's get going then," Cherche replied while grabbing and pulling him up by the arm, his gynophobia be damned. This was a battlefield, the man would have to get over it this time. The man immediately tensed up at the contact and jumped back as soon as he was on his feet. His face turning bright red, he looked to the side while frantically rubbing his arm.
"Lon'qu. Can you still fight?" she asked, growing concerned from the man's behavior.
"I am uninjured," Lon'qu repeated, doing his best to meet and hold her gaze despite his apparent discomfort. "Ahem. Thank you, Cherche."
She sincerely smiled, satisfied. Finally the man showed some gratitude, no matter how reluctantly it was. "Let's save the formalities for later, it isn't over yet," the wyvern rider answered as she made her way to the fallen Risen and firmly pulled on the axe to extirpate it from its back.
About to answer, Lon'qu was interrupted by the loud battle cries of three new Risen emerging from the forest. With an understanding nod, Lon'qu dashed to his sword, leaning over to grab it from the ground. "Right. Let's deal with those monsters once and for all," he stated as he rose his sword, ready to face the Risen head-on.
Cherche lowered her weapon, panting just as much from the battle exertion than the unbearable heat of the island. She let the axe's blades fall to the ground and distractedly held it with her left hand as she examined her surroundings. The wyvern rider could feel painful blisters forming in her right hand, that she absentmindedly shook to relieve the pain. Minerva seemed to fare better, at least, unphased by the heat and cackling joyfully as she sent away the closest Risen body to her flying away with her paws. Further away, Lon'qu removed his sword from the last undead fighter's corpse. A sheen of sweat covered his exposed skin, occasionally dripping down his face and finely toned arms to the ground below. Sheathing his sword with a steady hand, he brought his arm to his forehead to wipe the salty liquid, only to move it away even more drenched than before with a frustrated frown.
Around the trio laid a dozen of lifeless Risen bodies. They were lucky the undead had come in small waves, as they remained fighting alone during the whole battle: were the Risen to have come all at the same time, they would have easily been overran. Minerva and her rider had worked finely with Lon'qu, overpowering the nimblest fighters with their sheer power while the swordsman's speed was no match for the bulkiest warriors. More importantly, it seemed Lon'qu managed to suppress his gynophobia during battle, allowing them to fight unimpeded.
Cherche's considerations were suddenly interrupted by a pegasus landing near her, from which jumped a familiar auburn-haired woman.
"Cherche!" Sumia exclaimed with a ragged breath as she dashed towards the wyvern rider, only to trip on the shaft of her spear and fall on the ground in front of the wyvern rider.
"Sumia? Are you all right?" Cherche asked, offering a helpful hand that the woman promptly grabbed.
"Ah, yes! I mean- no! We need to pack our belongings and get out of here as soon as we can!" the pegasus rider stammered, not even bothering to wipe away the dirt on her armor and face.
"Are more of the Risen on their way?" Lon'qu intervened, observing Sumia with crossed arms.
"We do not know. Chrom is concerned this is Plegia's doing, but… just get ready to depart, okay? I still need to warn the others," she hurriedly said as she grabbed her fallen spear, then moving back to her pegasus.
"Understood, leave it to us," Cherche replied. Satisfied, Sumia quickly flew off, leaving the trio once again alone. With a tired sigh, the wyvern rider lifted her axe and started to walk toward Minerva, followed by Lon'qu.
"Cherche. A word, please?" he asked as he caught up to her, keeping a few feet between the two of them.
"Yes? What is it?" she answered, surprised. Whatever he had to say, it must have been of importance to him: as far as she knew he never willingly spoke to a woman, let alone stroke a conversation with them.
Lon'qu pointed to her left arm. "Were you injured?"
"I was, a while ago. But it's healed now," Cherche replied, moving the fabric of her tunic away to show her shoulder, where only a burn scar from years ago remained, left by a younger Minerva while she was still training her. There remained no traces of the injury she suffered in Rosanne, the cleric's magic having artificially closed her wounds.
The man shook his head, impassive. "I don't think so. You're still relying on your right arm too much, which leaves you unbalanced and vulnerable to enemy strikes."
"I have this… tingling sensation whenever a battle start, which eventually leaves my shoulder numb. It's uncomfortable, but it won't prevent me from fighting," Cherche confessed before turning away, unwilling to pursue this conversation.
"I will train you until you fix this. Whenever we get the time to, that is," Lon'qu simply said, still observing the woman.
Cherche froze, processing the man's words. "That's appreciated but… what about your discomfort with women? I wouldn't want you to stay with me, if my presence is an issue."
"I will have to get over it. What are partner-in-arms supposed to do if not looking out for each other? Besides, leaving you vulnerable in battle would leave me in just as much danger," he stated, hiding any emotion behind a stoic facade.
"Hah! Not a disinterested offer, then!" she teased, glad the man was willing to trust her that much. "No, but in all seriousness, thank you. I'll gladly take you up on that offer, it is reassuring having such a reliable soldier by my side."
"Hmph. It was… nice fighting with you. Let's get going though, we are wasting time," Lon'qu declared, then turning his heels and walking away.
Cherche turned her head to Minerva, who eagerly trotted toward her. "Quite the eventful day, heh? Let's get you back to your quarters, girl. It seems we can't rest just yet," she said as she gently petted the wyvern's head, happily purring under her master's hand.
Hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Turns out I lied and Sumia is in fact Cherche's romantic interest. Or is she? More seriously, the next chapter will be released in two weeks as usual, I'm starting to work full-time on the 1st of August so I won't really get time to release it before.
Until next time!
