I realized I haven't really had a dedicated Sully/Kjelle chapter yet. Oh, silly me.

Kjelle casually made her way through the camp, doing her best to keep from clutching at the wound in her side. Her lance serves to support her well enough but she had to leave her shield behind a while ago. It took some doing to avoid the other Shepherds and not draw attention to herself. Eventually, she made it to the medical tent and snuck inside.

"Gods, finally," she said. She winced as she sat down in a chair. Carefully, she removed the shoulder shell and breastplate of her armor to get a better look at her wound. "Guess that axe went a little deeper than I thought. I hope this doesn't get infected."

"Hope what doesn't get infected?" Kjelle froze at the sound of her mother's voice. Slowly, she looked up and saw Sully standing at the entrance of the tent holding a large crate. It didn't take long for Sully to notice Kjelle's injury. "Gods, Kjelle!" She put the crate down and knelt in front of her daughter to get a better look. "Did this happen while you were on patrol?"

Kjelle felt her cheeks start to get warm. "Yeah. I ran into some Risen while I was out on my own."

Sully looked up at her. "Wasn't that Gerome kid supposed to be helping you? He didn't ditch you did he? I'm going to have to give him a piece of-"

"No, Mother, he didn't ditch me. I ditched him."

Now Sully looked even more confused. "What'd you do something stupid like that for?"

"We started arguing and I wanted to get away. I figured I didn't need his help anyway. I ran into a couple of Risen and thought I could take them. I was doing just fine, until one with an axe got the jump on me." Kjelle smiled a little. "I managed to kill them all though."

Sully sighed. "What am I to do with you, kid?" She went back to the crate she brought in and opened it.

"I thought you'd be proud I won."

"I am." Sully pulled some healing salve and bandages. "However, I'm not so thrilled about you running off by yourself."

"I don't need anyone's protection, Mother. I'm not some weak damsel that needs to be rescued."

"No, you're a brash girl that's too headstrong for your own good." Sully knelt by Kjelle's side. "Lift your shirt up a bit." Kjelle did as she was told. "You're just like I was at your age."

"I'm not that much younger than you," Kjelle said.

Sully began dabbing some of the blood off with a rag. "My point being that I've been in that boat. I know what it's like to want to fight every battle on your own. Thinking that others trying to protect you makes you weak."

"They just get in my way."

Sully chuckled. "I used to think that too." She opened the bottle of salve and began applying it. Kjelle winced a little but didn't complain. "Then I joined the Shepherds."

"And that changed your mind?"

"Not at first. I started off trying to prove that I was better than the others. That they needed my but I didn't need them. At first, I got irritated whenever one of them tried to protect me."

"So what changed?"

Sully finished applying the salve and grabbed the bandages. "I came to realize that I needed them as much as they needed me. Your father helped a lot with that."

"He did?"

Sully nodded. "I used to think he was just some bookworm who didn't really contribute much. I never needed a tactician to tell me what to do before. Then there was the time those assassins tried to kill Emmeryn."

"You stopped it though, right?"

"Not on my own and not without Robin. We were surrounded and outnumbered. If Robin hadn't been there keeping us coordinated and if we didn't back each other up, things would have ended up a lot worse that day."

"So, how does this apply to me."

Sully grumbled a bit. "How the hell do you think? You're a tough girl, Kjelle. Anyone with a working pair of eyes and common sense can see that. I'm proud of you beyond words." Kjelle smiled brightly. "However, everyone's strength has limitations. No one can win every battle alone. Just because someone tries to protect you, doesn't mean you're weak. It just means you're a little bit stronger."

Kjelle thoughtfully pondered Sully's words. "You've been hanging out with Father too much."

Sully chuckled. "Don't make that sound like a bad thing." She finished bandaging the wound and stood up. "Well, it's not the prettiest patch job but it ought to hold. Go get some rest and I'll send a healer by later."

Kjelle nodded. "Yes, Ma'am." She stood up, grabbed her lance and left the tent. As she left, a figure in black approached her carrying a large shield.

"Kjelle."

"Gerome?" Kjelle noticed the shield he was carrying was his. "You have my shield."

"I found it near the Risen you killed. I was worried you may have been harmed but when I couldn't find you, I thought perhaps you made it back to camp. I'm pleased to find I was right."

Kjelle smiled. "I'm not quite that easy to kill."

"No." Gerome looked at the bandaging. "But it seems you didn't get out completely unscathed. Forgive me for not being there to watch your back."

"It's fine. Perhaps I shouldn't have run off on my own. Even if you were being a jerk."

Something resembling a smile quickly flashed on Gerome's face. "Are you heading back to your tent?" Kjelle nodded. "Would you mind if I walked you back?"

Kjelle hesitated for a moment. Every fiber of her being wanted to say no. She looked at her injury. It may have been bandaged but it still hurt to walk. She sighed and looked at Gerome. "Yeah, okay." Gerome offered an arm, which she took with her free hand. "We never speak of this again."

Gerome nodded. "Not a word."

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed!