Starting this chapter was easy, surprisingly. Finishing was the hard part. I dunno if it's great, but I'm having a lot of fun with this, regardless of quality. I kinda think this one feels less good but I- I just wanted it done.
The Apocryphal One: I couldn't figure out a way to explain Emmeryn's survival. You'd think the Plegians would notice her body vanishing or something like that. Maybe it was just divine intervention. Aversa and Gangrel are a bit easier to explain away, since they died on a battlefield. Thanks for reviewing!
I also wanna figure out a good way to take writing commissions but anyway that's not important yet...
Hope you all enjoy!
Chapter Twenty-Six
Aurora did not consider herself particularly easy to scare. She was fairly bold, and could often mask fear through vitriol, aggression, or just blowing particularly frightening things off and pretending that they weren't scary.
However, sitting at her desk, head low and focused on the ledger, with the absolutely titanic body that belonged to Walhart looming in front of her, she had to admit she was absolutely terrified. She knew plenty of big people. Kellam's armor was too big for him, but he was still huge, and quietly loomed over the others (at least when someone noticed him). But Walhart was tall, broad, and stood in a manner that suggested his body simply refused to slouch in any way.
Aurora had only actually ever seen the man at a distance. Up close, she had to wonder how anyone could stand up to him and not be the slightest bit afraid, the way Chrom seemed to have been when confronting the giant. Still, he seemed to be an ally, for now. She could respect that, at least. Even if the man was, technically, some kind of undead abomination.
Aurora could ignore him no longer. His patient stare was cold, but not hostile, which was something relieving. She sighed and slowly set her quill aside, pushing the still-wet pages of the ledger aside, and leveling her gaze up at him.
"...Yes?" She asked, keeping her voice steady.
Walhart spoke, slowly, and deliberately. "Quartermaster. I was merely intrigued."
"Eh? How so?" Aurora popped her shoulders, rolling her ink-stained sleeves back. She really needed to just get a short-sleeved shirt for when she needed to write. How Robin managed to scribble things down without spreading ink stains over his rather voluminous robe was something that utterly baffled her.
"I am merely observing how it is that you differ from the many quartermasters who served in my army. I wish to examine every possible advantage held that perhaps led to your forces besting mine."
"Mm." Aurora glanced at her ledger, mouth twisting further into a frown. "...Well, that's just the official ledger of supplies. The shopping list, as it were."
Walhart's brow raised. "...Just? Your tone implies something more. Speak, woman."
Aurora idly shrugged, hands half-raised. "...My own personal notes are a garbled mess of chicken-scratch and shorthand." Even when trying to be somewhat blunt, Aurora found it difficult to keep the hint of snark from her voice. "I am skilled at logistics and organization of materials. Not handwriting or cohesive notes."
"Hmph." Walhart crossed his arms, turning and slowly walking about the supply tent, examining weaponry grimly, running a gauntleted hand over an axe. Aurora decided to just remain silent for now. Walhart was not entirely unapproachable as he had once been, but he didn't exactly make it easy. She turned, picking up a nearby bucket that she had left filled with water, and dipped her hands in the shallow water, rinsing the ink off so that she would not smudge every single thing she touched. Walhart remained silent, face stony and flat as he examined the axe, hefting it slightly, before setting it back in place.
"Well-kept." He mused.
"More-or-less untouched." Aurora shrugged. "Other than cleaning and maintaining it, anyway. Gotta keep it ready to be used. All of them. Mostly me, Frederick and Cordelia… Everyone else pitches in. We take it in turns." She kept herself taciturn. And it was because she had work to do, and not because she was absolutely terrified, being around Walhart.
Walhart grunted, shifting and cracking his heavy shoulders a bit, as he continued to look over weapons before nodding in approval. "Yes. These will serve well."
"Frankly," Aurora mumbled, more to herself than the man wandering through the weapons. "I just long for the day the only reason I have to clean a sword is if I put my sabre over a fireplace."
Walhart glanced at Aurora directly, his small pale eyes flitting over her. "...A strange weapon you hold."
"Not particularly." Aurora picked her sheathed sabre up and drew it slowly. "Perhaps a bit for direct combat, but it suits my purposes. It's light and can cut things. Fencing might not seem particularly effective in war, but so far I'm alive… I believe similar weapons are popular as decoration and sport in Roseanne, but my blade is a touch more practical than those…" Aurora gave her sword a swift twirl, before sheathing it again, sighing.
Walhart approached Aurora's desk, examining her, bluntly. "...Hmph. Perhaps some could learn from you. Make use of what is best for your hand."
"Ehh…" Aurora shrugged. "Practical solutions are often the best. Robin's little plots, for example. Too many moving parts leads to disaster, unless you've got Robin masterminding all of that…" Aurora sighed, glancing at her now-dry ledger and sat down. "...If you'll excuse me. I've work to do." She dipped her quill and began to scribble again. She presumed by the silence that Walhart was no longer there, and uttered a slow sigh, shoulders dipping.
"Ye gods…"
The day was fairly quiet until Lady Emmeryn wandered into the armory tent, and Aurora, feeling some concern, gently guided her out.
"It's not very safe in here, Milady." Aurora spoke softly, easily walking Emmeryn the way one might lead a frightened child. She felt a rolling in her stomach when Emm looked at her, her eyes only barely comprehending, but still filled with the gentle kindness that the former Exalt radiated.
"Not… safe…?" Emmeryn tilted her head, and Aurora smiled softly.
"Yes." She guided her to the tent that had been set up for her, and cautiously released her hand. "Do you need anything?"
"..." Emmeryn seemed to fade for a moment, lost, before raising her head and croaking quietly. "Water…?"
Aurora's gut wrenched again. It physically hurt to see the once-graceful ruler now stumbling and muttering like a child. She had only just begun reaching out to others- Chrom and Lissa were the first people she had spoken to at all, but soon she began to utter words to others- sometimes she would just repeat words, the meaning lost, but now and again, her eyes would shine with clarity, and she would smile as people helped her to connect with reality. She was starting to even be able to remember some names.
Time. Aurora thought simply as she picked up a waterskin, and couldn't help but smile in relief as Emmeryn managed to work out how to drink from it herself. She just needs time and a lot of care. She'll never be the same, but she can definitely get better than this.
"I don't know if you can… hear me or understand me…" Aurora stammered cautiously, feeling a little lightheaded. "But I've always held nothing but respect for you. I- You might have been the single most amazing person I ever knew. And even if you… if you can't remember it or if you aren't like that, you're still Lady Emmeryn and you can always ask any of us for help. The Shepherds are family, and you're a part of it too."
"Family…" Emmeryn mumbled, letting the empty waterskin fall to the floor, her eyes dazed. She looked at Aurora for a moment, eyes totally clear, before nodding once. Just for a moment, a tiny moment, she understood exactly what she was told. Aurora smiled weakly, as Emmeryn closed her eyes, lost once more.
Aurora managed a bleak, crooked little half smile, and exited the tent, sighing softly. That was uncomfortable, but somehow Aurora felt better, like a weight had been lifted. Her mood was slightly soured at the sight of Aversa not far from the camp. She swallowed her bile and turned to return to the armory. She didn't even want to fight her anymore.
"Must be getting soft." Aurora grumbled.
Mio was really hard to fight against if you didn't have time to get used to her unusual style, wielding the twin blades skillfully. Locking swords with her was impossible, since she could just use one blade to trap against her foe and the other to strike, as Morgan had just found out. She was on her butt, laughing and smiling, despite having just been smacked hard in the stomach by the wooden blade.
"Whoa! You're so fast!" She leapt to her feet, picking up her practice sword and readying herself. "Come on! I gotta keep trying!"
Mio chuckled, spinning her swords to loosen her wrists. "You sure? That looked like I mighta hit you harder than I meant to."
"I'm fine! Besides, I need to get better with a sword anyway."
"Hehe, if you say so." Mio lunged, spinning her blades forward, swiftly changing position, whirling the twin swords in tandem, this time going on the offensive, forcing Morgan back. The young tactician-in-training grunted, stumbling back from the sudden, furious onslaught. Mio wasn't too strong- she wasn't weak by any means, but she was no Kjelle. However, she was fast as chain-lightning, and her unusual combat style meant that Morgan had to adjust how she sparred with her.
Mio didn't go easy on Morgan- she didn't go easy on anyone, which might have had something to do with Inigo resting nearby with a number of bruises. He gave as good as he got, however, and Mio had a few nice bruises developing as well.
"Ah, two lovely ladies, locked in combat." He chuckled. "...It's not a lovely scene as some might imagine."
Mio grunted, locking both her blades around Morgan, nimbly hooking her foot behind the girl's leg and sweeping her down to the ground. "Since when is training ever "lovely"?"
"Anything can be made lovely." Inigo winked roguishly, getting a snort out of Mio.
"No, I'll settle for being rough n' wild over bein' lovely any day." She shrugged, huffing and taking a seat. "Take five, Morgan, I'm outta breath."
"You should be!" Inigo snorted. "You wiped the floor with her half a dozen times."
"Nah." Mio chuckled. "Only three, and she gave me a good challenge."
"I still can't land a hit though." Morgan grumbled, still on her back in the grass, smiling weakly at the sky. "...Can someone toss me my waterskin?"
Inigo reached over and fetched it from Morgan's things, placing it in her hand, for a moment looking genuinely worried. "...Are you okay? You look like you're about to die."
"I feel great!" Morgan grinned, fumbling with the waterskin and opening it, drinking some before pouring the rest over her face. This turned out to be a mistake, as a fair amount of the water poured down her nose. "Phwah! Oh gods that was a bad idea…" She sat up, coughing and wheezing.
Mio had fallen over backwards, howling with laughter, gasping and struggling for breath. "Oh… Ohhhh, Morgan…"
"...You okay?" Inigo tilted his head the other way, mouth in a slash of amusement.
"Pretty sure that just brightened my day a lot more than it should have…" Mio giggled, clutching her sides.
Aurora was rather surprised when she met Priam.
He was clearly a competent warrior- he had proven that well enough, but Aurora had no idea if he truly was a descendent of the legendary Ike or not. The blade was a fine one, especially considering it was so ancient, but it did not hold much evidence to prove or disprove the man's claims.
"It's just my usual arbitrary skepticism." She had explained to him, when he noticed her doubts. "I'm not gonna bother trying to deny it, because it could be true, but really, I wouldn't know. All the legends say Ike just… left. They don't say if he came back or where he went or how he died… It's puzzling, but heros who live seem to just vanish in the end."
"Perhaps it is fate." Priam rumbled, clearly intrigued by this line of thought. "It is true, Ike's story becomes a mystery in the end, as did Marth's… Indeed, many great heroes of the past have vanished- but many more remained."
"Fair enough." Aurora laughed. "There've been too many and it's been too long to tell. Well, sir, descendent or no, from what I've seen you'll make a fine warrior now. I figure why try and prove you descended from heroes if you can be one yourself?"
"Words to live by." Priam nodded.
Aurora snorted, pushing her glasses up. "Well, maybe for some. I don't want to be a hero, I just want to keep us running until we can put that snake in the ground… And after that get a drink. I haven't had a drop of whiskey or wine in weeks. I'm going to need it… if we survive."
Grima.
Grima was above them.
It was time.
Chrom stood, alongside Sumia, Robin and Lucina. The entire army was all a-bristle, ready. It was time for Naga to send them to Grima, to attack. With the aid of the Divine Dragon, they had a fighting chance.
Aurora quietly gave her daughter's shoulder a squeeze. Mio smiled faintly at her, but it was hollow, and her face was pale.
Grima.
She had seen the terror Grima could bring. And the dragon was nearly at his full strength again.
"Now or never." Aurora murmured, her voice shaking.
"Naga save us." Libra mumbled nearby.
"She better, or the whole world will pay."
Afraid I have to end here before my head explodes. By the by, I finished the first chapter of the "Fates" quartermaster story. It's shaping up to be very different from this one. Do you folks think I should just post it now or leave it for later?
Anyway, I hope you didn't mind the wait. College, my Undertale fic (which is almost done) and life in general has been getting in the way.
But, all that aside, hope you enjoyed. Leave a review, comment or whatever. :3
Goodnight Everybody.