Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.
A/N: Bienvenidos a capitulo once! Espero que leas la historia porque yo sé que te gustará! (I dunno why, I was in a Spanish mood…Now I want some enchiladas…Okay, I'm just happy because I'm Argentinean…I am in my head, now shut it, weird voice… Hey, Spanish 3 as a high school freshman is nothing bad…Well, I've digressed long enough, so read and enjoy it!) (I was having an internal argument)
"Hm..."=Regular talk
'Hm…'= thinking
"Hmmm…"=AncientLanguage/exaggeration/timeskip/meanwhile/etc./action/onamottapeia/I'm done
On the boat, the mercenaries departed a while ago, and everyone was in the mess hall, eating after Oscar crafted an amazing meal, like always. Everybody was talking with each other, and things seemed to be going peachy, until Khimari noticed that Ike wasn't acting like usual. Considering he was finished eating, he went over to his surrogate brother to ask what was wrong.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Khimari asked the mercenary commander.
"What makes you think something is wrong?" Ike returned, truly curious how Khimari could see it.
"I'm done eating my 12th and last plate, Boyd just finished his 10th and last plate, but your only on your 6th plate, so something's not right," the Laguz explained.
"I'm…just not hungry," Ike answered, trying to shoo away the wolf.
"…What's wrong?" he repeated to Ike's annoyance.
"Nothing, just…fine, it's this Black Knight stuff," Ike finally gave in, knowing that the Laguz was one of the most stubborn people on Tellius.
"Hey, I told you earlier, didn't I? Don't worry about it, you're bound to get strong enough to beat him one day," Khimari comforted. "If you want, I'll even…train with you, starting tomorrow, when the sun comes up on the deck," he offered much to Ike's surprise, considering Khimari hated training.
"Not sparring? Like, actual training?" he checked just to make sure.
"Yep! But be warned, you will hurt, you will bleed, and you will want to give up," Khimari confirmed. "So, I bet it'll be a lot of fun!" he smiled, already scaring Ike a little bit.
"I'll do it. And…thank you," Ike said, before going back to get his 7th plate from Oscar, with extra veggies on the side! The wolf was so proud of Ike for getting his veggies, but that was hardly the time. Next order of business the wolf did was to go to Nasir, the captain of the chip and ask him about the training.
"Nasir?" he called, seeing the man was walking down the hallway.
"Yes?"
"Would this ship happen to have a training room or a dojo? Anything like that?" he asked.
"Why yes, there is. It's not suited for the whole company, but it will more than suffice for a small group of people, six or seven at the most to give everyone a decent amount of space to train," the man answered.
"Thank you," Khimari told him, giving a little smile.
"You are most welcome," Nasir returned, before continuing his trek down the hallways.
"Everyone, can I have your attention, please?" Titania was saying in the mess hall, prompting Khimari to go back and join everyone else in order to hear the announcement. "The room chart is right here if anyone needs to know where they'll be sleeping, but it's advised everyone checks it to make sure that there aren't any changes to be made," she announced. Interested, Khimari was the first one over to the chart.
Room 1: Nasir
Room 2: Ike, Mist, Soren, Titania
Room 3: Rhys, Zihark, Kieran, Volke
Room 4: Jorge, Daniel, Aimee, Ilyana, Muston
Room 5: Princess Elincia
Room 6: Lethe, Mordecai
Room 7: Boyd, Oscar, Rolf
Room 8: Brom, Khimari, Nephenee, Mia
"I made originally tried to make the charts based on a girl, boy ratio, but after seeing it wouldn't work out, I just tried to do it in a way that would make everyone comfortable," Titania told the Laguz, who was staring at the chart a while longer before turning to the paladin.
"That makes sense, and the rooms are varying sizes, I'd guess?"
"Ever the clever one, eh? You're right, the rooms with two or less people are the smallest, and I used that to plan as well, and the room with the merchants is the biggest, hence all five of them together," Titania further elaborated.
"That's really smart…So where are the rooms again?" Khimari sheepishly asked, scratching his head as Titania rolled her eyes.
"You know, for someone who is nearly as smart as Soren, you still have moments that make you sound like Boyd," Titania joked.
"Okay…I'm never going to be nearly as smart as Soren, I hate to admit, though it's true, and I'm DEFINITELY never going to be as dumb as Boyd," Khimari said in response to the red-head.
"Well, I can be sure of the second one, but you shouldn't underestimate yourself. I remember when you were a little wee Laguz nearly nine years ago, trying to sneak a book out of the library," she said, slightly embarrassing Khimari. "It was a book about Gallia, if I recall. You were very interested in that for one reason or another, and I must say it was very intriguing seeing a Laguz with such an interest in reading!"
"Well, I mean, it is where my race lived, and my mother used to talk about it with me before, about all the trees and things," Khimari mentioned, trying to change the subject, though to be honest, he still did read a lot, usually when no one else is around, or when Ike was sleeping.
"Do you have any clue where your mother and tribe lived before you two were separated?"
"Hmm…" Khimari thought, closing his eyes for many moments. He couldn't remember exactly what happened, he only remembers that it was very hot…and dry… "It was a desert…" he mused aloud.
"You two lived in a desert?" Titania asked, only knowing of two deserts on Tellius; the Grann Desert in Begnion and Daein's "Desert of Death."
"Yeah…we did! Thanks, Titania, I forgot I remembered that!" Khimari exclaimed, before stifling a quick yawn. Man, he was beat after a day like this… "Where are the rooms again?" he asked.
"You're so silly…They're right down the hall, after you take a left. Don't worry about getting the wrong room, the numbers are on the doors," Titania informed. Giving a nod of gratitude to the paladin, Khimari followed Titania's directions, and kept going down the hall until he saw the sign on the door that said (8), with everyone's names on the door that was supposed to be in the room. Opening the door, he was somewhat surprised to see that Brom was already in the room.
"Well, hey there young 'un!" Brom greeted, already in his bed. "How ya doin'?"
"I'm doing just fine, and you, Brom?" Khimari returned, as he went over to his own bed, next to Brom's.
"Oh, nothin' much, I was just talkin' to mah family," he replied, confusing the wolf for a second until he saw that there were some rocks lying next to the night on his bed.
"The rocks…are your family?" he asked, a little disbelieving of the situation. Maybe they were some kind of symbolic thing from his family.
"Well, not really, but when I left for the war, everyone in mah family lined up and gave me a rock, and now I just talk to 'em now n' then, ya know. Just things like, "Hey, how ya doin'," or "How's the crops goin'?" It sounds silly, but…"
"It doesn't sound that silly," Khimari denied. "In fact, that's a great way to keep family close…" he trailed.
"Really?" Brom responded. "Thank ya for not judgin'. It's just my way of keepin' mah family close to me."
"I can relate…" he muttered so Brom couldn't hear, as he put one of his hands on his Laguz Gem given to him by his mother when he was younger. Just then, the door opened, and Nephenee walked into the room, in a blue nightgown that went all the way down to her feet.
"Hey…so, this is where we'll be sleepin'?" she asked rhetorically.
"Yup! Welcome to room eight!" Khimari greeted, before giving another toothy yawn. "Well, it's late, so sorry for the crappy introduction…" he finished, making the two country folk share a nice little chuckle at the silly Laguz. "Is Mia coming soon?"
"I'm right here," said myrmidon responded, coming into the room with orange pajamas on, as well as her sword in her arm. "Just had to make sure I had my trusty sword with me!" she explained, and no one asked her why she did keep it as she and Nephenee went over to their respective beds and laid down. "So…" the orange-dressed swordswoman continued. "What now?"
"Well…maybe we could talk 'bout stuff, n' share some part of our lives, and all that good stuff," Brom recommended, while he finished putting his family rocks away.
"That's a good idea," Khimari agreed. "Who wants to go first?" Silence followed his question, meaning that everyone wanted him to go first, considering he agreed to it, and asked the question in the first place. "Okay, I guess I will," he sighed, before transforming into his wolf form, and laying himself down on his bed. "My name's Khimari, if I forgot to tell you, I'm seventeen, and a Laguz, as you could probably tell…I like pranks, a good fight, and rabbits, and I like stargazing and pranking people," he formally introduced with a quick yawn at the end, and the other three were starting to get a real feel of what they should say.
"Ooh, I wanna go next!" Mia exclaimed excitedly. "My name's Mia, and I'm sixteen. I like swords, swordfighting, and sweets. In my free time, I like to fence and try out different desserts from all over the place!" she followed.
"Yah want me to go next?" Brom asked, before a nod from Nephenee pretty much sealed that deal. "Aw well, mah name's Brom, and I'm a good forty-two years ol'. I like spendin' some time wit' mah family, and tending to the crop fields back in my good ol' town, Ohma," he summed up next, leaving Nephenee as the last one left.
"Um..." she nervously started. "I-I'm Nephenee, a-and, I'm a seventeen years old…" she started before closing her eyes for a second.
"Don't be nervous, no one here's gonna judge ya," Khimari encouraged lightly, Brom and Mia nodding their heads along with the wolf's statement. Gaining some more confidence, the mint-haired soldier continued her self-description.
"I like…workin' in the fields with mah ma and mah siblings back at the farm back home, and I like...lookin' at the stars at night and harvest season back at the farm," she finished, before giving a small yawn herself.
"Maybe we should call it lights out tonight, and start some fun stuff tomorrow!" Mia suggested with less exuberance than normal, showing that even she was starting to get sleepy. The other three agreed, and with a quick chorus of good nights, Brom turned off the lantern and the four went to sleep.
XXXXX
Upon waking, Ike stretched his arms up for a second before he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Getting up, he saw that Soren and Titania were already awake, the two reading two separate books. Realizing what he was doing today, he got out of bed with a little haste in his steps. "Where are you going, getting up this early?" Titania questioned, as Ike was getting his sword out, as well as his band that he took off the night before.
"I'm going to train with Khimari," the mercenary commander answered.
"Training?" she echoed, knowing that the Laguz really didn't like training as opposed to sparring.
"Yes; I was a little surprised too, but he seemed serious when he offered it. He's a good teacher, too, so it couldn't hurt," Ike responded, before he decided that he was ready. "I'll see you later, and tell Mist where I went," he said, before exiting the room, and making his way up to the ship's top deck.
It didn't take him long to get there, and he found Khimari quietly sitting in wait for him, staring at the horizon as he laid in his wolf form. "You're late," he said, getting up and lightly stretching before making his way over to the Beorc. "The sun has been up for at least five minutes."
"But…I'm sorry, it won't happen again," Ike amended, seeing as the wolf was deciding to take this seriously after all.
"Good. Now," the Laguz started, pointing his head over to the ship's end. "I want you to start here," he motioned to the place where a wall came across the ship entrance and the railing, "and run all away around the railing of the ship ten times."
"That's it?" Ike asked, knowing that it wasn't much to really do, until a glare from the wolf quickly made him think otherwise.
"I wasn't finished. You get a three and a half lap head-start, then I start to come after you. Every time I manage to touch you, you repeat everything all over again until you go the whole ten laps, head-start included," he continued. Ike's eyes went wide at the training exercise, but his eyes quickly hardened seeing what is was for. Speed and flexibility was an important thing, especially in battle, and this tested both of those skills.
Following his surrogate brother over to where he wanted Ike to start, he stood over at the exact place, and Ike got ready to run. "…Start!" the wolf growled, and Ike took off. He didn't find it hard, considering that Greil did make them do something similar to this as trainees. Three laps came and went by pretty fast, then, Khimari started his chase.
Ike quickly found out that the wolf was chasing him when he heard something on the deck, and nearly immediately started running as fast as he could as he was pursued. It was all for nothing, however, as Khimari easily caught up to the ranger and placed his paw on his back, signaling that Ike didn't complete the task. "You got caught. Again," the Laguz ordered, and Ike repeated the cycle.
This what they did for the next hour or so, Ike getting his head-start before he was chased down by Khimari. The Beorc did not manage to get very much accomplished, only achieving to finish five laps by the end of the exercise, and that was when Khimari was in his two-legged form to give Ike somewhat of a chance. Now, Ike was dripping in sweat from head to toe and breathing hard, although he could tell he was far from done. "Follow me," the untransformed Laguz told Ike, and the two went passed the rooms to arrive at a dojo like place.
"Now, we focus on combat and reflexes, so, we're going to fight," Khimari explained, and Ike reached for a wooden sword over there before Khimari slapped his shoulder. "No swords, just hand-to-hand." Ike's eyes widened once again at the stipulation; this training was clearly taking him out of his comfort zone. Not replying, the two went to opposite sides of the room. "You start," the wolf offered, and Ike took it.
Going for the offensive, he tried to go for a quick swipe, before Khimari dodged it while sweeping Ike's feet from under him, effectively making him fall on his back. "Too stiff and predictable. Stay light on your feet and loosen up." Ike tried again, with the advice in mind, and rushed his surrogate brother again. This time, he tried to aim a little lower, so the wolf couldn't duck down. Instead, Khimari simply grabbed Ike's arm before tripping Ike once again.
This continued for a while, Ike trying to land a hit on the wolf while improving his own stance. Another gambit, Ike went straight for a sweep, which Khimari jumped over. Ike blocked his brother's kick with his arm, and then grabbed it for a swing. What he didn't expect was for Khimari's other foot to come crashing into the back of his head, knocking him down again as the Laguz landed on his feet.
Looking over at the Beorc, he was slightly worried that he went too far a good bit when Ike didn't get up, until he found out that he was knocked out, not for long, though. Deciding that it was enough for one day, considering both he and Ike were covered in sweat, though he had way less than the other blue-head. Khimari took Ike on his shoulder and carried him back to his room, to find his three roommates still in there. "Oh goodness, Ike!" Mist said worriedly, being the first to see her unconscious brother, followed by Titania and Soren. "What happened?"
"Training," Khimari answered as he put Ike down on his bead.
"Wow, I honestly didn't know you worked him that hard," Titania remarked, seeing Ike covered with little bruises along his arms and even some on his face. "It was just you and him?" she asked, curious about what the two did to get him in such a state.
"Yeah. We were sparring down in the whatchamacallit room, and while we were practicing, I accidently knocked his lights out," Khimari explained, scratching his head at the end with a small smile.
"Really?" Mist said exasperatedly. "Now you're knocking him out too? No wonder his vocabulary is so limited!" she scolded, before wrinkling her nose at the Laguz. "And you stink! Go take a shower, yeesh!" she demanded, heading away from the Laguz.
"Okay, bossy," Khimari joked before heading over to where Mist basically shooed him off to. He wasted no time in taking a shower, and returned to his room to put on his clothes again before going back to check on Ike. Opening the door this time, he could see that Ike was starting to stir. His eyes then wandered to see that Soren was the only one still in the room, reading a book.
Walking over, he looked at the title of the book, which said, "The Cycles of Life," before Soren took his book away from the Laguz's eyesight and turned over. "Come on, what's it about?" Khimari asked.
"The title, which I'm sure you had enough time to read, is self-explanatory to the book's contents," the mage responded.
"True, but what are the sub-content areas? Are they of a specific animal family, or is it simply a guide of all ecosystem's food webs and chains?" Khimari specified, leading Soren to raise an eyebrow.
"…It is of Beorc and Laguz as they grow, along with the similarities and contrasts of the two races. Though that is the main topic, it also gives information about evolution as well as some insect knowledge of the same type," he informed the wolf.
"Hmmm…"Khimari hummed, thinking about what the mage told him. "What does it say of evolution?"
"The book explains of Beorc and Laguz as originally being one race, called the-"
"Zunanma," Khimari interjected. "They were there when the goddess herself walked the land, and they gave comfort to the lonely girl. During the change of time, they eventually became Beorc and Laguz, the children of wisdom and strength, respectively. They couldn't respect each other's differences, however, and it eventually led to conflict," the wolf continued, until he realized he interrupted Soren in the middle of his answer. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," he apologized, scratching his head as the mage simply stared at him.
"…The book does not tell of the Zunanma giving comfort to the goddess, or even being there when the goddess walked the land," he revealed. "Where did you find that information?"
"I…was pretty interested in evolution and biology myself, once upon a time. I came across a book one time when I was looking for something about Gallia or the wolf tribe," he admitted, once again making the mage raise an eyebrow.
"Well, that certainly explains very much," he remarked, making it Khimari's turn to raise an eyebrow in curiosity.
"How so?"
"You always were smarter than you let on, weren't you? That would be a great explanation towards how you could pull off pranks on many magnitudes all with ease," he explained. "It also tells how refined your critical thinking skills are, as pranks would be very delicate things, and one must prepare for any possibility in case it does not go to plan." Khimari simply gave a smile at the tactician's analysis; it was spot-on and very much accurate.
"Okay, you caught me. Something told me that you would be one to find out the earliest," Khimari confirmed. Just then, Ike started to rise out of his bed, only to grab his head in pain. "Are you all right, Ike?"
"Am I all right?" he asked sarcastically, a little ticked off at the wolf. "You're a slave driver, you know that?"
"Hey, you agreed to it, and I told you it was going to push you to your limits," the Laguz defended. "It was only the first day, so don't let it get to you, especially when I haven't started using my claws yet," he happily said, much to Ike's horror.
"…I'm going to take a shower," the blue-head said, before walking out of the room at a brisk pace.
"What did you do to him?" Soren questioned, to which Khimari gave a smile.
"I gave him hell," he answered, a somewhat devilish look in his eyes.
"On second thought, I'll just ask Ike later…" the mage said before returning to his book. Letting out a quick victory laugh, Khimari exited the room, and went straight to the mess hall as per his growling stomach. He came in to see that many were still eating, and Oscar was working hard in the kitchen with Mist giving him help wherever she could.
"Oh, Khimari! I heard about your training with Ike," Oscar greeted. "I made sure to save some extra for you and Ike; don't eat it all yourself," he quickly added, a very smart move.
"Okaaay…" Khimari pouted, going to the back to see that the chef had indeed left a bountiful amount of breakfast for him and Ike. Splitting the food contents in half…maybe taking a bit more than half, Khimari went over to the table and started eating his food, which was pretty fast compared to pretty much everyone else, but still slow enough to not be considered "sloppy." Within five minutes, he was finished eating his share, and got up to see Ike coming in to have his share of food. Smirking to himself, he put his dish(es) back to see Mist taking a plate into the hall.
"Mist, where are you going with that?" he curiously asked, feeling a little nosy.
"I'm looking for Volke- he hasn't come for dinner yesterday and he didn't come get breakfast this morning. I'm looking for him to give him some food," the cleric explained.
"Well, I'm sure he'll come get some food when he's hungry," Khimari off-handedly said.
"But he's starving right now! That just won't do," Mist stubbornly exclaimed, before walking back down the halls. Khimari simply sighed, before he decided to try something.
"How much gold to eat?"
"Hundred gold," a voice responded, and Khimari turned around to see surprise, surprise, Volke in all his glory.
"But picking a lock is only fifty," Khimari noted, not seeing how food is more than a lock.
"I don't like groups of people," he shrugged, before disappearing.
"…Mist!" he called, and his little sister quickly came back into the same hallway.
"Did you see him?" she asked.
"Yeah…Oscar just gave him some food to take back to his room," Khimari lied, but Mist didn't have to know that.
"Oh…Well, I guess I'll give this to Ike, then," Mist muttered to herself, before going back into the mess hall with the plate.
Feeling satisfied with that lie of his, Khimari walked down the hallway feeling somewhat accomplished that that was finished, though he'll have to keep that up for two months…or however long they were going to be on this ship. 'Well, that was a depressing way to put it…' Khimari thought to himself. 'Maybe…I'll prank someone…not Boyd, he's too easy…I got it!' he decided, and went back to the mess hall, where Oscar was still cleaning up, though it looked like he was almost done. "Oscar, do you need some help cleaning up?" he asked the oldest of the three brothers.
"Oh, no thank you, I'm nearly finished," he replied, wiping off the last of the dishes.
"Where do you keep the-"
"Hyaah!" a voice came, startling Khimari while Oscar gave a sigh. That person just so happened to be Oscar's "rival," Kieran, who was just as boisterous as ever. "I see you, trying to win favor with your amazing cooking skills and impeccable job of cleaning! I challenge you to a clean-off! Whoever cleans the most by sundown tomorrow wins!" he basically commanded Oscar to do.
"Kieran, not-"
"No, you will not forfeit! That is not a true victory!" he proclaimed to the ceiling as he exited with just as much energy as he began with. Khimari could only shake his head, while getting a bigger grin by the second, which was noticed by Oscar.
"…Are you going to prank him?" Oscar asked, actually looking forward to this prank.
"Why yes, Oscar, and you're going to help me…" Khimari ominously confirmed, and Oscar once again sighed wondering what in the world he got himself into with this somewhat crazy-no, crazy Laguz. "So, first off, I'll need some oregano and some vinegar…"
XXXXX
At the end of the day, Oscar had gained a lot of knowledge from Khimari, and was immensely impressed with the amount of information that had to go into one simple prank. "So you tell him it's especially for him, as a 'worthy meal for a worthy opponent,' and he should take the plate, then tomorrow…fireworks will roll, and he'll definitely win the cleaning contest," Khimari finished thoroughly explaining his king of all pranks, the "prison sword." Oscar simply nodded at the Laguz, as people were starting to come in for supper.
"But…what if he doesn't take the plate?" the knight asked.
"Oh, no problem. See, a good prankster always has a backup or seven," Khimari said, making Oscar's eyes, err…squints go wide.
"You made how many vials again?" Oscar asked, considering the wolf actually trusted the knight enough to give the bare minimum amount of information about his ingredients, which wasn't much in the first place.
"I made thirteen, the one we're using notwithstanding, and I made six different serums for my "jelly legs" prank," he explained, confusing Oscar as he had never seen the wolf pull out anything else, and he was in the kitchen with him for the entire time. Before the knight could even ask how or when he made that many serums in such a little time, Kieran came through the door, putting the plan at a go.
"Kieran! How are you?" Oscar greeted the red-clad knight.
"I am most energized today, rival! Now, I shall indulge in some great food made by my eternal rival after a hard day of training!" he proclaimed, before taking a plate and leaving, much to Oscar's apparent worry.
"He didn't take the right plate…what to do we do know?" he asked.
"Oh, Oscar," Khimari sighed. "He got the right plate, don't ya know?" he informed, making said cook raise his eyebrows. "Like I said earlier, a good prankster has a backup. You had two plates out front, and both of them had the serum in there," he told.
"Wait…" he said, looking to see that the second plate was also gone. "Who took the other plate?"
"Boyd did, about eight seconds after Kieran. Wow, two birds with one stone this time," Khimari mused, before getting a plate himself, one he knew was free of any diarrhea causing substance he made as the knight simply shook his head, and made a mental note to get the bathroom ready…and the cleaning materials. Sitting down next to Mia and Ilyana, the latter of whom was eating like a full-fledged beast Laguz, Khimari started to eat his food in great stride, feeling great about everything he did today.
After finishing his usual amount of plates, which completely paled to the amount Ilyana ate to his curiosity, he decided to go back to his room for a second. Opening the door, he peered in to see Nephenee taking off her helmet for a second and putting it on the bed, before letting all of her hair show itself. The country girl let out a sigh as she went over to her bed to lie down before she saw the wolf standing in the doorway. Snapping up, she quickly put her helmet on in a heartbeat.
"H-hey, Khimari! How y-ya doin'?" she nervously asked, now sitting up in her bed.
"I'm fine, but why'd you put your helmet back on?" he cautiously asked, the girl eliciting a sigh at the question.
"Because…I-I just ain't use d to bein' with all these folk," Nephenee admitted. "Ya know, all the city folk," she explained.
"You think they'll judge you?" Khimari summarized, which was confirmed by the mint-haired girl with a nod. "Hey, they won't. Those are some nice people out there," he tried to reason.
"But…I can't speak well like y'all. It didn't matter in the fields n' all, but here…"
"Hey…" Khimari told, coming closer to Nephenee. "Don't feel bad because you're different. In fact, that's what you want to be. Besides, your accent's pretty cool!" the wolf comforted, giving one of his smiles. Looking at the Laguz, Nephenee couldn't help but adopt a little smirk on her face as well.
"I…I guess you're right. I just can't help but feel that everybody's gonna look at me n' laugh…"
"Hey, people keep to their own, and even when they do talk to you, it's not like they want to do harm to you," Khimari reassured, before an idea came to mind. "Hey, why don't ya tell me how things went back at the farm?" he asked the girl, who gave him a perplexed look at the question.
"Um…m'kay…" Nephenee agreed. "Well, everyday we'd get up n' tend to the fields, hoein' and waterin' and all those good things, and make sure the chickens were all fed and layin' eggs. Right 'bout now, it'd be harvest season, actually," she mentioned.
"Wow…Things must be a rush right now," Khimari imagined, seeing that it was definitely hard work, though the soldier enjoyed the work she did.
"Oh yeah! I can only 'magine Ma screamin' at the boys to do some work right now, but they're only kids, so it's a hassle," she continued, giggling a little bit.
"You have brothers?"
"Yeah, three triplet brothers that'll be six in 'bout two months, and two other younger sisters. I'm the oldest, and I helped Ma out a lot, too."
"Wow, that's amazing," Khimari commented, honestly respecting his roommates more and more.
"Well…what 'bout you? Who's your family?" Nephenee asked.
"Well, they're mostly here, and my dad's the one who led us here. Remember, the one with the blue tail?" he responded, to which she nodded.
"That'd must be Ike and the others, then…"
"Yeah, you're right. Even before this crazy mess, we were in a mercenary company, though Ike and I were just newbies."
"And your Ma too? She was a part of the mercenaries, too?"
"I haven't seen my mom in years, after we got separated," Khimari revealed, making Nephenee's eyes go wide; she wouldn't know how it would feel to go through life without a mother.
"W-what happened?"
"We were…separated by a sandstorm. I got…thrown through the desert, and I never saw her since," he explained, surprised by the sudden influx of memories he'd been getting lately.
"Well…I'm sorry for askin'. I can't think of not havin' Ma…" Nephenee admitted.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. All you were doing was asking a question," Khimari soothed. "Say…You should take your helmet off again," he mentioned, much to Nephenee's horror.
"Wait, what? No, This helmet's stayin' on mah-Ah!" she yelled as Khimari grabbed her helmet and pulled it off before she could take his hands off of it. All at once, her hair freely flowed down her face, and Khimari went from a playful attitude to a stare, before putting her helmet on the bed. "Whacha do that for?!" she yelped, putting her helmet back on, though she couldn't help but smile at the antics he displayed.
"I…wanted to see your cute smile, and your hair. Blue's my favorite color, ya know," Khimari responded, with a smile of his own, sending Nephenee's head into a frenzy.
"Well…thank ya," she thanked, not expecting that answer. Just then, a knock was heard, making Nephenee jump, while Khimari went to the door. Opening the door, it was revealed to be Rolf.
"Hey, Khimari, can I come in?" he asked brightly.
"Well, sure," he agreed, and fully opened the door for the archer to come through. Closing the door behind him, he went over to his bed to sit down.
"Hey, you're Nephenee, right?" Rolf greeted, to which she nodded.
"Hey there," she returned, before the youngest of the brothers turned back to the wolf.
"Can I…ask you a question?"
"Well, you already asked one, but you can ask another," Khimari responded, and Nephenee had to suppress a small snicker when Rolf's eye lightly twitched.
"Okay…So, what should I do?" he asked, making Khimari's head tip over to one side in confusion.
"About…" he pressed, before Rolf sighed.
"It's like…girls are looking different to me, I don't know what I'm feeling and…Khimari?" Rolf stopped, seeing that the Laguz's face was getting a tint of red.
"…Am I the first one you came to about this?" the wolf asked, already knowing what Rolf was talking about before he got into the topic. 'Oh boy, this is gonna be…tough,' he thought.
"No, Ike told me to come to you, and Oscar said the same thing, too," Rolf said, leading Khimari to make a mental note to ask and/or prank Ike and Oscar in the distant future. "Do you know what I'm talking about?" he further questioned, leading the wolf to elicit a sigh.
"Yes, I do…Nephenee, can you leave the room, please?" the Laguz asked the farm girl, who quickly nodded and left the room in a bit of a fast-walk. "Rolf…come sit down," he told the boy, while motioning to his bed. After the archer sat down, Khimari took a deep breath before starting what was definitely the hardest thing he's ever explained.
"Now Rolf…you're at this point in your life where the world starts to change a little bit, and some things are different, like girls for example," he started. "Also, you'll start to grow hair and some…body parts you have will start to get…bigger, and you'll get…urges to do things sometimes…"
"Did it happen to you and Ike, or Oscar too?" Rolf asked, only making this harder for the wolf.
"…It happens to every single boy in the world," the Laguz wisely said, answering the question while avoiding it at the same time. "Rolf…do you know how babies are born?" he then asked, just wanting to have a topic to break the news to Rolf.
"Um…you always told me that it came from a magical bird angel called a stork," Rolf answered, once again making Khimari silently curse.
"Well, that's the toddler version. You see, when a boy and a girl like each other, they…do something called making love." 'Oh Ashera, please save me now,' Khimari inwardly wished.
"What is that?" he innocently asked.
"When two people want to have a baby, they go somewhere alone…and they do what's called making love. After nine months, which is the usual time it takes for a woman to have a baby, said baby is born. Did you…understand?" He know he didn't do any details, but that was for the
"Umm…yes, I did," Rolf nodded, feeling uncomfortable himself now, especially after the information he received. "How…do you get over it?"
"Over time, you learn to get used to it, and you can control yourself whenever you get a feeling like that," Khimari replied, feeling easier know that the hard part was out of the way.
"Okay…Thanks, Khimari!" Rolf said, happy that all of his questions were answered. Getting up, Rolf went over to the door and opened it, before Khimari quickly stopped the archer.
"Hey, Rolf!"
"Yes?"
"When you see Ike, can you kick him in that place I told you about?" the wolf deviously asked.
"Sure!" the oblivious boy agreed, before closing the door. The second the click was heard, Khimari fell onto his bed, completely motionless for what seemed like an eternity. 'Oh my gosh…that was crazy…' After a while, he decided that he needed some fresh air, and left his room on a quick journey to the deck, as well as a search for a certain green-haired knight. He did not have to search long as he found Oscar in his room along with Boyd.
"Hey, Oscar? Can you join me and Ike tomorrow in training?" he asked the oldest brother, already knowing of their punishment and how to execute it.
"It's no problem, but may I ask what I would be needed for?"
"Well, we're going to work on how to fight against the weapon triangle, so you wouldn't have that disadvantage to such a degree that you have to strain yourself more than necessary," he explained, and technically, it was true.
"Oh, that will work. Ike did ask me to help with him anyway," the knight mentioned. With that done, his next objective was to make sure that someone would be there to heal the two after the beating they were promised to receive; Oscar not as much so as Ike, because the knight was much too nice to do like that. Maybe a few scratches would convince him, but the mercenary commander was much more stubborn than him. Knowing that Rhys had a case of seasickness from yesterday where Mist had to help him, he would most likely be confined to his room, so that's where he went.
Knocking on the door, he patiently waited until he heard a voice say "come in." Opening the door, he looked to see Rhys and Zihark in the room, the former laying in bed while the latter was polishing his sword. "Hey, Rhys, are you all right? I heard you got seasick…"
"I was a little shaken at first, but overall I'm fine," he responded.
"I just wanted to ask you if you'd be well enough to come to training tomorrow. We'll need your healing, along with Mist, if you don't mind," Khimari gently asked.
"Well, I don't see why not…I can make it," Rhys confirmed.
"Okay, but if you don't feel well, make sure you stay in bed," Khimari lightly advised, before leaving the room, before going to the deck, knowing Mist would probably be there. He wasn't daunted when he saw that the cleric wasn't there, but in fact just looked at the wide open sea around the ship. The rolling blue waves crashing against each other in a smooth current certainly gave him a sense of peace he couldn't explain. The drowning sun only added to the amazing scenery, giving an almost otherworldly sight that just couldn't be explained.
"Do you like the view?" a voice asked, walking up to Khimari until she was standing right next to him.
"Yeah, don't you like it too, Mist? I mean, just the ocean itself seems amazing…and it makes me wonder if we're the only ones still here."
"What do you mean? Do you think…there are other places with people in the world?" she asked.
"I honestly do…but where in the world would we even start? The world is huge, we can already tell, and even if the rest of the world is nothing but water, at least we would know…" he said, his eyes closed as he shared his thoughts about the world.
"I guess…it's interesting to think about what's on the other side of all that water…" Mist murmured, before turning to the wolf. "Oh, I heard you've been recruiting some people for Ike's training tomorrow," she mentioned, changed the subject.
"Yeah…you wouldn't mind coming, would you? I know it's early and all, and you need to get your sl-"
"Khimari, I'm not a little girl anymore. I can take care of myself, and I'm going to be there," she lightly reprimanded.
"…I guess it's just an instinct," he responded, scratching his head in embarrassment. "Besides, big girls don't need fluffy pillows anymore, so…"
"What? I didn't say that!" Mist quickly denied, knowing that she loved his soft belly the most.
"Well, you did say you're not a little girl, and big girls don't need their brothers to transform into a wolf and sleep with them under their head like a teddy bear, do they?" Khimari asked in fake wonder.
"H-hey, that's so-"
"Perfectly fair tradeoff if you ask me. Adulthood for pillow, makes a lot of sense to me," he shrugged, before Mist playfully tried to shove the wolf, to no avail as he didn't move at all. Huffing loudly, Mist just turned around and crossed her arms while she pouted.
"Stupid big brothers, won't even budge an inch…" she muttered quietly, making Khimari smile even wider at the girl. Just then, the sun started to fall even deeper into the endless waters, and the darkness of night started to swallow the orange sky.
"Well, come on in, before you end up with a cold," Khimari said, making Mist roll her eyes again.
"I'm not a k-"
"Yeah, yeah, you've only said it a hundred times," the wolf interrupted, waving her off as he went down into the ship's halls.
"Wha-Hey, don't blow me off! Ooh, you're gonna get it!" Mist yelled, running after her big brother only to find that he already disappeared. Quietly raging, the cleric huffed once again before deciding to go back to her room for the night. Little did she know, the wolf simply hid in one of the other hallways until she gave up and left. Whistling to himself, he followed the brown-haired girl's example, going back to his room to get ready for tomorrow.
Pain was coming, and he would enjoy every second of it.
XXXXX
Once again, Ike was wet head to toe as he finished doing the routine he did yesterday, and this time he found that the wolf's training methods were yielding some results. He was able to keep the Laguz at bay for seven laps this time when he was in his Beorc form, and he found that he was getting faster as well. "Ike, go get a sword from your room, a real one, and meet me where we were yesterday," said Laguz directed Ike, who nodded before going down to his room. Quickly getting his sword, he went straight to the training room Nasir said they could use.
When he arrived, he was a little surprised to Oscar there with his lance, as well as Mist and Rhys sitting on the bench as well. "Today," the Laguz started, "You're going to learn how to fight against those you have a disadvantage with, hence Oscar." Ike nodded, understanding the reason the knight was here. "So tell me, what are the disadvantages of a lance?"
"Well…they have to be controlled from a long distance, so it's easy to stretch too far?" Ike noted, somewhat not believing in his answer until he saw the faintest smile on Khimari's face.
"Good…What else?" he pried.
"…Hmm…." Ike pondered, until another idea came to his head. "The only point is on the end, and the rest is just wood, right? So…they're vulnerable against side attacks," he elaborated.
"Well, maybe you are smarter than we give you credit for," Khimari jibed, much to Ike's annoyance. "Jokes aside, see if you can put what you know to the test," he continued, stepping back as he gave a nod to Oscar. Readying himself, both he and the knight got in position for a little brawl. "Ready…set…go!"
Fighting against someone when you have a weapon disadvantage was very hard, Ike quickly learned, as Oscar was not giving him any leeway in this spar. Every time he tried to get close, the oldest brother managed to keep him at bay despite his efforts to utilize the weaknesses of the weapon he described earlier. Dodging another poke of Oscar's spear, Ike decided to try something out that he saw Khimari do one time in a spar against Titania.
After dodging the first poke, Ike prepared himself for the second one, which came very quickly. Grabbing the spear as it came closer to him, he put a solid foot on the weapon in order to ground the lance, and keeping its pointy tip from doing any harm. Before the knight could do anything else, Ike quickly jumped off the lance, closing the distance and giving a quick swipe of his sword, slightly cutting Oscar's arm.
"That's enough," Khimari interjected, seeing that blood is kept to a minimum…for now. "Take a little break before we do our last part for today," he told his brother and the knight, which caused some suspicious looks from the swordsman as Mist and Rhys patched the two up.
"So, this is what you two do?" Oscar asked. "I must say, I've nearly never seen Khimari so…serious. With training, I mean…"
"Me neither, but usually this is where we end. I can't help but feel a pit in my stomach, like something bad is going to happen," the swordsman returned. Oscar raised an eyebrow at that comment, but did not respond to it. About a minute later, Khimari deemed it time to return to training. Within some seconds, the two were armed once again with their respective weapon in hand.
"So…what are we doing now?" Ike questioned.
"I'll tell you in a second, but first: I have a question," the wolf said. "Did you both send Rolf to me to explain…I think you know…" The looks on their faces gave everything away, and the verdict was obvious; guilty as charged. "Well, then, I'm not going to feel bad about this next part, then," he mused, to the confusion and skepticism of the two.
"The next exercise? What is it?" Ike asked, and his dark feeling he felt earlier was intensified at seeing the creepy and somewhat sinister look that appeared on the Laguz's face.
"The next phase of training is survival…I think that explains itself," he revealed, transforming into his wolf form as Ike started to raise his sword.
"Oscar?" Ike called, getting the knight's attention.
"Yes?" he answered, raising his lance as well.
"It was an honor to get to fight beside you," he responded, as the wolf readied himself and jumped.
XXXXX
"Ow! Would you stop that!?" Ike yelled, after Mist pushed his stomach yet again.
"Stop being a baby! I have to check for anything broken," she chastised, before prodding at her brother's stomach yet again. This was the scene Titania and Soren walked into when she entered the room, after finishing a talk about battle plans.
"…Let me guess: You did something to Khimari and received harsh retribution," Soren stated matter-of-factly, before going over to his bed. The pained grunt that came from Ike only served to be a yes to that statement.
"Wow…Khimari sure has things happening today…" Titania noted, bringing the curiosity of the two siblings in the room.
"Oh, goodness, what did he do now?" Ike asked, before wincing again as Mist started to poke his arm, before putting her staff next to it.
"Apparently, in addition to you, Kieran and Boyd became victims of a certain prank I'm sure you remember…After all, you were in the bathroom the whole day," Titania explained, making Ike's face go red as everyone started laughing. Even Soren did a little snicker, before going back to his current book and stoic expression.
"May Ashera have mercy on their souls," Mist prayed, while laughing in between words as she healed what was the last of Ike's wounds. "Now, you're all patched up, but next time, try not to get beat up so bad," she reprimanded.
"Against the one who could beat everyone here up?" Ike dryly asked, though Mist was not deterred.
"Yes," she replied. All the mercenary commander did was give his little sister a dirty look as he put his shirt back on. "Anyways, did you all get to see Sothe yet? He was a stowaway that Nasir found a little while ago, while you guys were busy training with Khimari."
"Speaking of Khimari, what happened to him? I haven't seen him since the morning, and I couldn't find him after your…training session," Titania said.
"Oh, he's with Lethe and Mordecai. When I asked, Lethe said that it was "Laguz business," Mist answered, making everyone wonder what it could be.
"Oh well, I wonder what they could be talking about," Titania voiced.
"Probably something that we shouldn't be prying or noses in. If Khimari wants to tell us afterward, he'll tell us," Ike said. The others agreed with their leader's conclusion of the situation, and they all went to doing whatever they would do for the day.
XXXXX
Two weeks later…
Nephenee was walking the ship, looking for the bathroom, as she lost where it was a good minute ago. It was nearly impossible to keep track of where to go on this giant ship, much less getting to the right place. Going around another corner, she looked to see the blue tiger Laguz…Mordecai, or something like that, talking with Khimari. It would be rude to intrude on their conversation, and she wasn't sure if the Laguz was nice or not, but she figured that she'd have nothing to lose.
"Umm…" she quietly started, not sure how to start it off. "Hey, do ya know-nah, that wouldn't work. Can ya help me find the-no…" Nephenee mumbled, so into wondering how she was going to approach the two Laguz that she didn't realize that they were already staring at her.
"Uhh…Nephenee?" Khimari asked, snapping the country girl out of her stupor. "Do you need help with something?"
"Uh…yeah! Do ya know where the bathroom is? I've been lookin' on this big 'ol ship for ages, and I couldn't find the daggone thing!" she said, before realizing that there was someone other than Khimari there, and instantly calmed down, changing her expression to a more quiet one.
"Well, from where we are now, just go down that hallway and it'll be on your left!" Khimari directed, pointing at said hallway while giving Nephenee a smile. Feeling a little warm in the forehead, Nephenee nodded. "T-thank ya," she said before going down to the girl's bathroom.
When the wolf was out of sight, she let out a big breath of relief. She didn't know why, but ever since that incident two weeks ago when he pulled her helmet off, she's had a different feeling around the Laguz. It was like, she'd be so open, laughing and smiling all the way, going around like a little kid who just got a piece of candy from their mama, without a care in the world.
She simply sighed as she thought about Khimari, and the more she tried not to think about him, it just comes right back in her head a little later the second she got bored about something, or finished thinking about something, or even just out of the blue. It was a crazy thing, but she was stuck in a mud pit, that's for sure.
'Hm…Do I…have a crush on him?' she asked herself, before she was banished out of her thoughts by a voice.
"Hey, Nephenee! Suit up, I hear we got some pirates on the way!" Brom told her, before going in the direction of the deck. Quickly following suit, she went to the armory room, and took out a lance before following Brom to the deck. As the ceiling gave way to the sky, she looked around in the ocean to see that there were no ships or anything in sight. Then where were the pirates?
That question was quickly answered as a shriek echoed through the air, prompting Nephenee to look up and see some giant birds! Before she could do anymore, a huge rocking happened on the boat, nearly knocking the girl off her feet.
"Did we…hit something?" the woman with the red hair, Titania she thinks, asked everyone.
"Our ship's run aground! We may have hit a reef or something!" the captain called out.
"Ike, the crows are coming closer!" the mage called, before the shriek got louder, and the crows were nearly on top of them. Readying her lance, she prepared herself for the airborne pirates while everyone else started to take their own positions.
"Some of you, go down below deck and protect Queen Elincia and the rest of the crew!" Ike ordered, and she saw a few go down as he said, while the majority stayed on the deck. The big birds started to descend, and the fight then began. Everyone started to try and take some cover as the ravens dive-bombed the ship, using their beaks and talons to attack. Soon enough, Nephenee found herself going toe to toe with one, and it was definitely not in her favor.
The raven was free to attack her from the sky, while she was grounded, and couldn't do anything until the raven attacked her. All she could do was defend, and it wasn't working out to well judging by the scratches on her arm and the small dent in her helmet.
The raven once again prepared to swoop down and prepared to attack Nephenee, when out of nowhere a strong wind came and attacked the bird. It was taken by surprise and got a direct hit, making him come out of the sky and giving her the chance to deal the final blow. Not missing a beat, Nephenee ran up to the raven rammed her lance through it like a turkey on Feast Day. Taking out her lance, she couldn't believe it when the raven started to transform, taking on a Beorc shape until it was just a person with wings.
So these giant birds…were actually Laguz! This was no time to be amazed though, because it was the middle of the battle. Looking around to see where she could help out, she saw Brom and Ike having trouble against a particularly bigger raven, who also looked blue compared to the other black ones. Quickly acting, she rushed in to help them out, managing to land a hit on the bird's wing.
Staggering back into the sky, the raven seemed like he was having trouble flying, as he was wavering in air. Glaring at Nephenee, it made a shriek at her. "Die, you human!" he hissed, diving at Nephenee with the intent to kill. Preparing herself, she was ready to take this overgrown chicken down, and the second he was within reach, she struck.
It was avoided by the bird Laguz who quickly used his wings to get some more space between them, making her attack hit nothing but the air. Taking his chance before she could defend, the lead raven attacked with his talons at Nephenee, and deeply scratched her stomach before ascending back into the sky. She groaned in pain as she grabbed her wound, and decided to take a step back and let the others finish this.
The bird was quickly dealt with after she left the battle, being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people against it, it was grounded by one of Rolf's arrows before the orange cat Laguz took him down permanently.
"Everyone, get away, we're finished!" a crow shrieked, and the few remaining crows followed the one who said that away from the ship, until they were just black specks in the sky before they completely disappeared.
"Is anyone hurt?" she heard the healer, Rhys, ask. Looking in the priest's direction, she was the first one that he saw, and he went over to her with his blue staff. Closing his eyes, he put the orb of his staff towards her stomach, and the wound closed itself, the only hint that it ever happened being her torn shirt.
"How's the princess?" she heard Ike question somebody. Looking over, she saw it to be Khimari and Kieran. The knight in the red armor moved to say something, but was quickly hushed by the wolf giving him a look of extreme annoyance.
"She's fine. Nothing happened to her. How's everything up here?" he asked, before the captain came into the conversation.
"We're stuck in a reef, and we're completely immobilized. We simply can't shake free," he relayed. "We're trying, but it's definitely going to take a while," he said.
"Well, I feel really useless just standing around here. There has to be something I can do to help," he declared, before he went off the ship, much to Khimari's apparent worry.
"Ike, why are you leaving the ship?" the Laguz asked, much to Ike's confusion.
"Nothing's getting done just staying on the ship. I'm going on land to see what I can see," the mercenary explained.
"Ike, you must've hit your head too many times!" Khimari insulted. "Don't you know we're in-" the wolf was interrupted by the arrival of three people, all of them coming over to the ship.
"You there!" the one in front asked. "What are you doing?" he demanded to know as he came up directly in front of Ike.
"Well, we're screwed," Khimari muttered under his breath.
"This is Goldoan territory. Outsiders are not permitted," he stated, looking at Ike and Khimari specifically, considering they were the ones actually on land.
"Hold on, there's a misunderstanding here," Khimari told him, trying to pacify the situation. "Our ship hit a reef, and now we can't do anything because we're stuck," he explained.
"Then go back to your ship. What happens to Beorc or other Laguz is not our problem," the lead soldier commanded in a monotone voice.
"That's just being ridiculous!" Ike shouted at the soldier, before being hit by Khimari. Hard.
"Do you know that we're talking to DRAGONS, idiot!? Are you TRYING to get us killed!?" he yelled at Ike, who simply looked at his brother, dumbfounded.
"You have been warned once. You will not be warned again," the Goldoan reiterated, before the three transformed into dragons, all of them at least going nine feet tall or even higher. Seeing no way out of this, Khimari started to begin his transformation, before another voice convinced him to stay in his Beorc form.
"What do you think you're doing? Cease this at once!" a boy shouted, and the Goldoan soldiers heeded his words, reverting back to their Beorc forms, and bowing as the boy came over to them.
"My lord prince…" the lead soldier murmured, turning some more gears in Khimari's head. This kid was the prince? He found it better not to do anything he might regret, so he stayed silent as the prince signaled for the three to rise, before turning to him and Khimari.
"Man of the Beorc, and warrior of the beast Laguz, my countrymen have been…discourteous. Please forgive them," he said.
"Who…are you?" Khimari asked, careful not to have anything hostile in his tone.
"I am Kurthnaga, prince of Goldoa," he formally introduced.
'The prince? Now we're getting somewhere,' Ike thought. "Because of Kilvas pirates, our ship has run aground. Can you help us?" he asked the prince. To the worry of the two, the prince gave a blank look at the question.
"Are you alright, prince?" Khimari asked, tilting his head curiously. Kurthnaga then snapped out of his stupor, and looked at the wolf.
"I was not used to being addressed in such a…direct manner. I was taken off guard. Please, forgive me," he replied.
"No, I should be the one apologizing," Ike reflected. "My father did have a great deal to say about my lack of manners. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you," he apologized, though Kurthnaga simply waved it off.
"Please, pay it no mind. I am more concerned with the misfortune your journey has met. The Kilvas ravens have been getting even more barbaric as of late, and this will not stand. I assure you that my father will construct a formal protest with Kilvas. At the moment, we shall help you free your ship," the prince informed, before turning to the dragon next to him. "Gareth, please direct the others to pull their ship free."
"At once!" Gareth obeyed, before nodding to the three others. They transformed, and the three red dragons transformed once again and went down to the ship's bottom, before pulling it out of the reef. Everyone could only stare in amazement at the dragons as they did as what the prince wanted.
"Amazing…" Khimari murmured, and the others could not help but agree with the wolf.
"Goldoa's the land of the dragons, and are specifically known for their longevity," Titania said. "In fact, there are tales of Goldoans still living from when the goddess herself walked the lands," she explained, to which the wolf nodded.
"Aye, the king is just about nine hundred years old, if I remember right," he added.
"How do you know all of this?" Ike questioned.
"Books," Titania answered. "Goldoa no longer has contact with the outside world. Seeing them now is like a fantasy, a dream come true…"
"So this is good fortune?"
"Yes we're lucky! Your stupidity and impatience got us OUT of trouble for once!" Khimari explained, much to the Beorc's ire.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he scoffed.
"Um…" the prince started, getting the attention of the two bickering brothers. "Your ship has safely been moved without damage to the vessel. My subjects did tell me your ship was lodged against a reef, though no structural damage was sustained. You need not to interrupt your journey," he informed.
"That's good news. Thank you," Ike said graciously.
"Is there any more necessities that you may need? We can replenish your supplies if you are low on food, or fresh water," the prince offered.
"That would be most appreciated. We are in need of water, and as for food…fruit, meat, anything fresh would be wonderful."
"It shall be done. Gareth, can you see to it?" Kurthnaga asked his aide.
"Yes, at once," he responded, before leaving along with the soldiers.
"I know Goldoa doesn't trade with other nations, but will you take gold as payment?" Ike asked the prince, who shook his head.
"Do not worry about any payment."
"You've done a lot to help us when you could have just left us to die. We have to repay you somehow…"
"Sweet courtesy is ever the herald of hospitality. Will that suffice as an explanation for my actions?"
"But…hospitality is for guests, and we are just those who got attacked by overgrown featherheads," Khimari mentioned. Kurthnaga couldn't help but give a small smirk, before continuing.
"Goldoa prefers isolation, as you know. We rarely see any foreigners, Beorc especially, and even rarer is the occasion we communicate with them. Chance has brought us together, and I am grateful for this opportunity. To be honest, I do wish that we could feast and converse for a while, but my father would never allow it," the prince sighed. Just then, Gareth and the other dragons arrived with the supplies and started loading them onto the ship.
"But a gift so generous can't be expected to just be given without-"
"But I do," he interjected. "Take it as a personal gift from Goldoa's prince. Though…if I have made you uncomfortable, as it seemed, if you wish to decline…" the prince purposely didn't finish to enhance the effect of his implication.
"No, of course not," Ike said. "We will be happy to accept your gift. We appreciate your kindness."
"I'm so pleased you understand," Kurthnaga said, giving a tricky smile, much like Khimari would when forcing someone to stay in bed when they get sick.
"Ike!" Titania called. "Captain Nasir wants to depart as soon as possible!" she relayed, before going back to the ship.
"I see you must be on your way," the dragon prince noted. "May I ask for your names?"
"I am Ike," the mercenary answered.
"And my name's Khimari," the Laguz answered, and Kurthnaga then gave a small look at him.
"The wolves may have moved to a place unknown, but their prince still lives," he remarked, much to the surprise of the two.
"How did you…"
"The shape of your tail gives you away as a wolf, and it is tradition to hand down Laguz Gems to the heirs of the king or queen, as one is on your neck," the prince explained, pulling out his very own for a second.
"Well then, I think it is a time for us to go," Ike reminded. "I beg your leave, Prince Kurthnaga, and I won't forget this kindness."
"It was my pleasure. Take care," Kurthnaga returned. With that, Ike and Khimari boarded the ship, and they set sail back on their course towards Begnion once again.
"Farewell! May your journey be safe!" the prince said to them as he waved his goodbye. The two waved back as the ship crossed the waters away from the land of the dragons.
XXXXX
A/N: Okay, it wasn't 15K words, but it's still big, so I got no complaints (See Volke, it's not always about money.) Well, I know I updated this on the day after the 6 month anniversary of Blue Wolf, and I feel like just being happy a story of mine lasted this long with such positivity. It's not even a chore to do, it's a hobby that I want to do, so it's fun writing all this ridiculously long stuff…
Oh, and another thing, updates will probably be slow after this one, because I will be going to TRAVEL! I'm going to visit my aunt, and I'm going to be there for at least two weeks, last time I checked. So, unless I decide to bring my computer there, please don't be worried by no updates! And with that, this chapter is completely wrapped up! See y'all later!
Blizzard, the Wolf that is awesome!