Chapter 2: A Stranger's Insight
AN: Thank you for all the reviews. Make sure to also send your love to Archer, who is writing the react fic for Modern Warfare, and Priscilla If. Since it has been brought to my attention that some people may not know who Talion is, I'll include some links to his abilities and his story, enjoy. watch?v=Lquk9lQ9X5g&t=495s for the Story and
/o5yiQSyHrJA explains all of the skills in the skill tree. Now I hope you all enjoy Chapter 2 of Re:Gravewalker!
Subaru awoke to an unfamiliar ceiling. Sitting up, he glanced around and looked down at his body. It hurt, but not as much as it should have. He was plenty bandaged up though, with them covering various parts of his body.
"So, I didn't die then . . ."
Before Subaru could continue, he looked up to find Emilia waiting for him to wake.
"Subaru-"
"That talk with the royal candidates . . ."
"Subaru."
"I see."
"Let's head straight back, then. We need to work out a plan for the selec-"
"Subaru."
". . ."
"Let's talk, okay? I have some things I want to ask you. A lot of things."
"Yeah, I guess you do."
"Why did you end up, well. . . trying to fight with Julius? You could have been killed, so you must have a good reason, right? Knowing you, it must have been an important-"
"I wanted to get back at him."
"Huh?"
"I was being stubborn. He said I was pathetic, powerless, and not worthy of you. He was trying to distance me from you, and I hated it. That's why I fought him."
"You risked your life, just for that? Subaru, if Talio-"
"Milia… Emilia, you wouldn't understand."
"I-I see. Roswaal and I will be heading back to the mansion tomorrow. You will stay in the capital with Rem to recover."
"Wait a minute. . ."
"Huh? That was our agreement, wasn't it?" Emilia said, her voice dry, and emotionless.
"But wait a-"
"You came to the capital so Felix could heal your exhausted gate."
"Wait a minute. . . how can you suddenly. . . I . . ."
"Because. . . You could have died fighting Julius if Talion hadn't shown up and saved you. You keep pushing yourself to do the impossible when I'm around."
"Emilia, who is Talion?" Subaru said, jealousy starting to creep into his voice.
"That's not important right now Subaru. What's important is that you aren't pushing yourself past your limits!"
"But… but I'm doing it for you!" Subaru said, his voice cracking a bit.
"For me?" Emilia said, her voice becoming a whisper.
"Are you sure it wasn't for you?" She asked, angrily, in a tone that brokered no argument.
Subaru's eyes began to widen, "No. . . I just wanted to do something for you. . ."
Suddenly Emilia's cloak was in his face as she threw it at him.
"Stop lying and saying everything is for my sake Subaru! Coming to the castle, fighting Julius. . . are you saying that's all for me? When I never once asked you to do any of that!"
Subaru flinched as Emilia shouted at him.
"Do you remember what I did ask you to do?"
"I. . ."
"I asked you to wait at the lodging with Rem. That was all I asked, but you couldn't even do that."
"I'm sorry I didn't do as you asked. B-but you got it wrong. You're Wrong! I didn't do it for myself. . ." Subaru closed his mouth, before continuing again, "You won't believe me, Emilia?"
"I want to. I want to believe you, Subaru. I want to. . . but you're the one who won't give me a reason to! You couldn't even stay at the Lodging like I asked!" She yelled, as Subaru kept his hand near his mouth.
Emilia continued, "You promised me… but you threw it away, just like that, and came all the way here, claiming you did it for me. You won't keep your promise to me, and you ask me to believe you? I can't do that! I can't!"
Subaru closed his eyes.
"Hey Subaru. . ." Emilia asked softly. "Why do you keep trying to help me like this?"
"Because you helped me."
"I. . . helped you?"
"Yes."
In Subaru's mind, memories of her saving him in his very first loop began to come to the forefront.
"You don't even realize how the things you've done for me have saved me."
"No, I don't, Subaru."
"I don't expect you to! But it's true! You saved me! So everything I've done has been to repay you!"
"I told you, I don't understand!" Emilia screamed back at him.
"Maybe you don't, but please listen to me! It's the truth! You were the. . . When I first came to this world, you were the-"
Before Subaru could utter anymore, black hands began to work their way up his body, and grip his heart, squeezing it. As time resumed, Subaru struggled to breath and he gripped his chest, where his heart would be.
"Once again, you won't tell me anything."
"Why won't you understand? I thought if anyone could understand, it'd be you. . ." Subaru began to shake, as despair filled him, and his poor crushed heart.
"The version of me that lives within you must be amazing. She can understand everything, even if you don't explain it to her. She can feel all your pain, sadness, and anger as her own." Emilia said, full of tears, "But I can never be her, and I will never be her unless you tell me. So please Subaru, just tell me."
Subaru's mind began to replay all the times his heart was crushed every time he tried to tell her. His mind caught in a loop, the pain piling in. The fear of her leaving. It all weighed down upon him, like a mountain. So he tried to tell her, as best as he could.
"I have been. . . All this time."
Emilia looked at Subaru with pity, causing Subaru to begin to plunge deeper into the darkness that was despair. He gave into the madness, and began to ramble anything that would make her understand him.
"I've made everything work out all right, haven't I?! When your insignia was stolen, I saved you from an insane killer at the loot house!"
When that didn't work, he fell deeper.
"I risked my life!"
And deeper.
"All because you were important to me!"
The downwards spiral continued
"At the mansion, too!"
He smiled, hiding the pain he was feeling
"Things worked out because of me!"
The pain continued to mount, and he continued to break.
"Without me, it would've been a lot worse!"
He would make her understand, anyway he could, just to ease his pain.
"All of it, all of it, all of it! All of it was because I was there!"
Finally, the last bit of him broke, and he said the words he could never take back.
"You should have greater debt to me than you could ever repay!"
"You're right. I owe you so many debts, Subaru." Emilia said, her voice filled with sadness.
"Yeah, that's right! That's why I. . ."
"So I'll repay all of them no, and we'll end this."
Subaru's faced filled with fear and shock as he realized what he caused. Instead of bringer her closer, he pushed her away. Emilia began to walk away from him, towards the door.
"You've done enough, Subaru Natsuki. You know, I had hope for you. I though maybe you, only you, wouldn't give me special treatment. That you'd look at me in the exact same way you look at everyone else."
"I. . . I can't do that." He chocked out, "I can't look at you the way I look at others. It's impossible."
Emilia glanced at him, and left the room. Subaru's sobs soon began to fill the air, until the door began to creak back open. Subaru's face began to fill with hope, as he rubbed the tears away, he didn't want Emilia to see him like this, after she was coming back to him.
"Emilia, I'm-" He cut himself off as he saw who was actually in the doorway.
In the doorway stood the man who saved him at the ring. He seemed unsure, as if he was walking on eggshells.
"May I come in." He said, more telling than asking.
"No."
He came in anyway, and sat at the end of the bed, a bit away from Subaru. He seemed awkward, like he was coming into something he shouldn't be. Subaru didn't care, he wanted him to leave. This man may have saved him, but he also humiliated him, showing everyone that he needed protecting from others, and he was possibly a rival for Emilia's love. After all, why else would he save him, other than to try and worm his way into Emilia's camp? Subaru thought darkly, his mind still clouded from the fight. This man was everything he wasn't, he should he was strong, while also showing that Subaru was weak.
"Subaru, correct? I'm sorry what happened, between you and Lady Emilia. I saw her storm out of here, with tears in her eyes. I assume things didn't go well." Talion said, interrupting Subaru's thoughts.
"Why do you care? What do you even want from me anyways," Subaru began to wrack his brain, "Who are you even anyways?"
Talion sighed, it seemed Subaru had payed little attention to the conversation with Emilia. Sure, Talion had been eavesdropping, but he couldn't help it with his enhanced hearing. If the boy didn't take her words to heart, then he would never learn.
"Talion, Ranger of Gondor. I care, because I know love when I see it. I also know that it isn't like the stories. You mustn't expect it to be all flowery and happy all the time. There will be fights, there will be arguments. It is how you handle those fights that determine how the relationship grows, and weather it will wither and die, or bloom into a flower. You must be able to work through these fights, and continue on."
"And what do you know of love?" Subaru spit out, still hurt from his fight.
"I was married," Talion said, showing him the New Ring, leaving out it's true purpose. "My wife and I loved each other very dearly. But that didn't mean we didn't have our disagreements and fights. No relationship is perfect. Just because you fight, doesn't mean you don't love each other, or care for each other."
Subaru just looked down. He wanted this man, Talion, to just go away. He wanted to wallow in his pain. But he could hear the sense coming from Talion. Just because he was in a Fantasy world, didn't mean the relationships he would have would be perfect, like those from a fairy tale. He began to regain some of his resolve, and looked up at Talion again, his heart beginning to lift from the pit of despair.
"How, how did you fix things between you and her?"
"Well, we knew we cared for each other, and we listened, but we also know that words mean nothing without actions. So, if you want to show Lady Emilia that you care, and that you wish to set things right, you need to let your actions speak louder than your words."
"Let my actions speak louder than my words, huh?" Subaru said, looking down at his hands. A smile spread onto his face.
Suddenly Subaru jumped up, wincing in pain, but made a pose, his hand pointed towards the ceiling, the other at his side, and smiled wider.
"I, Subaru Natsuki, promise I'll let my actions speak louder than my words. I'll show my Milia how much I care with my actions, and show her she can trust me!"
Talion smiled, the boy had spirit. Even if he carried a weight that reminded him all too much of the same that he carried. He knew he made the right choice in helping the boy in the training ring, and the right choice in his reward that Lady Emilia had demanded he get.
"Good, you'll need that spirit for you're training."
"My. . . training?" Subaru asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"You announced to the entire kingdom that you would help Lady Emilia win the throne, and that you were her knight. Then you were defeated by another candidate's knight in single combat. That is a bad look for her and Roswaal. Luckily for you, Lady Emilia demanded I be rewarded for my efforts in saving you, and her supporter agreed. Which is why it seems like my choice of a reward was a right one after experiencing your resolve. I shall train you to your fight, not as a knight, but as a ranger."
"Wait a second! Do I not get a say in this?"
"Not when you decided to pull your stunt in the Castle. When we arrive at Lady Crusch's Mansion, your training shall begin."
"Will I be able to move as fast as you did if I succeed in my training?" Subaru questioned, excited at the prospect of doing to Julius what Talion did to him.
"No. You will learn to move fast, but moving that fast will be beyond even your skills." Talion responded, hearing a groan come from Subaru.
"Now, get some more sleep. We shall be leaving for the Mansion in the morning. I shall wake you up in the morning. You won't have any training, but you must get used to waking up early for a Ranger's schedule."
Talion got up to leave, only for Subaru to stop him.
"Answer me one more question. Why did you help me in the training ring?"
Talion paused, and began to think upon it, "Perhaps it is because you remind me of my son."
"Where is your wife and son? Shouldn't you be with them?" Subaru asked curiously, but wished he could take it back when he saw Talion's face harden.
"They. . . they are no longer with the living."
"I'm sorry. I. . . I didn't know."
Talion smiled at him softly, "No, of course you didn't. Do not blame yourself for asking such an innocent question."
Talion slipped out of the room, and closed the door softly behind him, the opposite of what happened with Emilia. Subaru laid back down in his bed, and began to think on what had transpired. Talion wasn't as bad as he thought. And while he said he wouldn't move as fast, he didn't say anything about learning some of the moves. Maybe all of the pain he had gone through was finally going to amount to something. He was going to become a badass warrior able to take on a knight with ease. When his thoughts wandered to Emilia, he steeled himself, as he took Talion's advice to heart. He'd show her through his actions, not his words that he cared and listened. He'd do everything in his power to make things right with her. He closed his eyes, and drifted back to sleep, ready to thinking he would be ready to take on the challenges that lay ahead.
Subaru was tired, Talion had been working him hard. But he hadn't even gotten to the sword training yet! Where was the badass fighting skills that he was supposed to learn? The first thing he had him do was work on identifying plants, which Talion needed a book to help with him. But Subaru swore that Talion was also looking in the book to make sure that he was also getting it correct. After spending a good majority of the morning looking at the local flora, Talion asked him to tell him their properties, he had failed to list anything that apparently would be of help according to Talion. They had moved onto the next lesson, where Talion put a piece of cloth over his eyes, and asked him to come to him. That was supposed to be easy, right? Well it wasn't as easy as Subaru thought. Talion's voice seemed to come from everywhere, and he ended up stumbling and falling way too much. He could still remember Talion's words.
"You rely too much on your eyes for guidance. You have neglected training your other senses besides your vision. We will have to work on that."
After that talking to. Talion wanted him to simply go to the kitchen's and bring him back a bread roll. It sounded like they were finally taking a break. But nooooo, Talion wanted him to do it without being spotted. Why would he not need to be spotted heading to the kitchen to grab something to eat? He is a guest after all. That's how he ended up in the hallways, trying to carefully sneak down it. That was until he heard a polite cough behind him.
"What are you doing Subaru-kun?" An innocent voice asked from behind him.
Subaru turned around, to see Rem, her head tilted in confusion.
"Uh, I was going to go get some food from the kitchens. I was getting a bit hungry." Subaru lied, but as if God was on his side, his stomach rumbled.
Rem's face immediately went from confusion to concern, "If you are hungry, why didn't he just say so? Wait here, I'll be back with some food for you." She said, turning to leave.
Subaru quickly called out, "Could you make sure there is bread roll with it?"
Rem turned her head back and smiled at him, "Of course, anything for Subaru-kun!"
As she left, Subaru waited. To him, it seemed like hours had begun to pass. After some time, Rem returned, pushing a cart with multiple plates of food on it, including a basket of food. Subaru blinked his eyes in surprise.
"Rem. . . I. . . I didn't need this much food." He said, looking at the vast array of food.
"I have to make sure you are well feed to ensure his healing is on track, and I wanted to ensure you were getting a wide range of foods!" She said, beaming. "Now, follow me to the dining hall, we can't have you eating out here in one of the halls."
Subaru gulped. This was going very wrong, very fast. He was hoping that Rem would maybe bring him something quick and a bread roll, and he could eat it while he headed back to Talion. Now Talion is going to be wondering where he was!
"Um, Rem-"
"Yes Subaru? Was this not enough for you? I'm so sorry that I have failed to bring you an adequate array of food, Subaru-kun." She said, lowering her head in shame.
"No, No! It's not that. . . It's that I need to get back to training with Talion!" Subaru said quickly, trying not to hurt her feelings.
"Training with. . . Talion?" She said, her face contorting.
Subaru was confused, why was her faced contorting like that? Did he say something wrong? Before he could say anything, she was already moving past him.
"Rem wait! Where are you going?" Subaru asked, grabbing her arm.
"I'm going to have a talk with this Talion. He may have saved you, Subaru-kun, but he should know you are still healing. Having you train too early will only wound you further." She responded, a hint of anger and worry in her voice. "After all Miss Emilia did for him, getting him out of trouble with the Imperial Knights, this is how he repays her? By attempting to get you even more hurt?"
"Wait, what do you mean got him out of trouble with the Imperial Knights? And it's not like that! We haven't been doing anything hard yet, so far we've looked at some weeds, and he's blindfolded me a few times, that's it!"
"Blindfolded you. . . he's blindfolded you. . ." Rem said, her voice starting to go cold. She looked at him, her face serious, "Subaru, what if you tripped and got really hurt? Let me go talk to him!"
"Well. . . I did kinda trip-"Subaru was cut off by the sound of chains rustling.
"Where is he?" Rem asked sweetly, her Morningstar at the ready.
"Rem, I don't think you'll need that if you just plan to talk to him." Subaru said nervously. Sweat began to pool, and visions of his own torture by her hands began to replay in his mind.
"Don't worry Subaru. I'm just going to let him know how I feel about how he's treating you."
"Rem, ple-please put that away." Subaru sutured. He felt a pit in his stomach looking at it, worried about what she might do.
She began to turn to him, "Subaru-" She paused when she saw him, "Subaru are you alright?"
"Ye-Yeah, just a little light headed is all." Subaru said, feeling weak. Before he could say anymore, he began to fall.
As Subaru fell, he saw Rem's worried expression, as she dropped her Morningstar in slow motion. She seemed to try to reach for him, but it was too late, and he felt his head slam into the side of the pillar holding up a vase in the hall. He felt a sticky substance begin to collect in his hair, and he turned his head weakly to look back. His blood soaked the corner of the pillar, and was running down the side, staining the white marble red. He felt himself feel the cold fingers of death begin to take him, and all he could think was, not again. I don't want to die again. Rem was at his side, trying to heal him, but it was too late, and Subaru Natsuki passed away on his first day within Crusch Karsten's Mansion. He reawakened to Talion staring at him.
"Are you alright?" He asked, his voiced filled with concern.
"Why-Why do you ask?" Subaru said, forcing a smile onto his face.
"No reason." Talion said, straightening himself up from leaning the wall. "Now that it is your first day in the Mansion, we shall begin your training."
"Great! What shall we do first, some sword techniques? Oh, I know, how you managed to dodge that strike! Are you going to teach me that?" Subaru said, trying to repeat what he said the first time this conversation happened.
"Before we begin anything today, let me ask you something. How familiar are you with death, Subaru?" Talion asked, staring into his eyes.
Subaru gulped, "Not familiar with it at all, why if I could never die, I would happily live forever!"
Talion seemed to look at him harder, "Do not make light of such words. Such a curse would take it's toll on you."
"I'm sorry. I just meant that-"
"It's fine. I have gotten what I needed. We shall begin your training soon. Get ready, you have ten minutes to prepare."
Talion turned and left the room, leaving a heavy silence. When he was gone, Subaru began to cry. Even now, that he supposedly was going to become a great warrior with a badass mentor, he still died. And he died from the smallest of things. Was this nightmare ever going to end for him? Or was he going to be trapped, forever living through these harsh days, unable to tell anyone? And why did Talion ask about death like that? Did he remember? Subaru just continued to sob.
Outside the room, Talion could only feel guilty. Did he bring this upon the boy? He thought it was a simple question. He had the same pain in his eyes that Talion knew he himself had, and that many Orcs who came back from the dead had too. But the boy had never died, had he? And now he seemed to be having an emotional breakdown. While Talion wished he could go help him, he also needed more information, and he also couldn't let the boy know that he was listening in on his alone time. Perhaps he hadn't recovered from his fight with Lady Emilia as well as he had thought?
In the end, Talion decided that he would go easy on the boy. His original training plan for today was to teach him some fundamental Ranger skills, like being able to identify plants to help with healing tonics and other brews, testing his other senses, and finally to test how well his stealth capabilities were. But perhaps, to give the boy something else, to let his emotions go, he would see about a sword lesson instead.
This loop was going different, Talion had decided to do sword training, not like Subaru was going to complain. When he went to go strap the sheath and sword to his side, Talion stopped him.
"No, it will go on your back."
"Won't that get uncomfortable? And most people here seem to have it at their side."
"You'll get used to it. Besides, it'll be better for the type of fighting I'm going to teach you. And don't worry what others think, you won't be them. You'll be a Ranger."
"What even is a Ranger anyways? You keep saying that word like I know what it means."
"Rangers are a warrior order. We exist to defend the people, from monsters that seek to destroy all that is good in the world."
"So, kind of like the Imperial Knights then?"
"No, we are nothing like Knights. Knights are too busy playing court politics to care for the people, arriving to late to the battle to save anyone. Rangers are often removed from the political structure, and often are the first line of defense and an early warning from an enemy attack." Talion replied, his voice hardening. "Now, back to your training. We will work on your footwork first. If you can't keep your balance, then you are going to fall, and when you fall in a fight, you are done for, understand?"
"Yes, I think so."
"Good, now show me your best stance."
Subaru felt confident in himself. After all, he did manage to get a good hit off on Elsa in a loop with no training. He could do this. He set his legs apart, and pulled his sword out, holding it in front of him with both hands.
"How do I-"
Subaru was cut off went hit the back of his knees, causing him to drop down. His body still hurt from the other day, and that hadn't helped.
"Hey! What was that for?!"
"Your stance was all wrong. It's too tight. You need to loosen up. A ranger must be swift and agile, ready to move and react to anything. Now, try again, but this time, keep your muscles relaxed, and be prepared to react."
Subaru got into the same stance again. He would show him, he could do this. This was just the basics after all. He got this. He let himself relax a bit, and as he prepared for Talion to hit the back of his knees, he suddenly felt himself get his feet swept out from under him. He began to flail a bit, only for Talion to catch him, causing him to wince a bit, as he carefully lifted him back to his feet.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Subaru half yelled, half asked.
"That was me testing your awareness. You expected the same thing, and didn't expand your senses to see if anything new would happen. A ranger must be ready for anything. Now, again, this time, be prepared to anything."
This went on for a bit, as Subaru slowly got the hang of keeping his footing as Talion kept working with him. Sometimes he would repeat the same move twice, to see if Subaru was paying attention. Other times he would do something completely unexpected, like send a kick towards his chest, in which Subaru was expected to dodge without falling. It was unrelenting at times, but Subaru was learning, and Talion seemed to be approving.
"That is enough of that for now. We shall take a small break, before continuing."
Subaru nodded, panting a little. He didn't realize just how thirsty and hungry he was. Before he could do anything though, he heard a soft cry from behind.
"Subaru! Are you ok?" A voice asked him.
Turning around, Subaru saw Rem staring at him, concern written on her face.
"Me? Yeah, I'm fine, just a little hungry is all."
"No. Some of your wounds have reopened!" She said, carefully touching his face.
It stung, and when her hand came back, there was a little bit of blood.
"Now stay still, I'm going to heal you." Rem's hands began to glow softly. "Now tell me, where is Talion?"
"Rem, I'm fine, you don't need to talk to him."
"But Subaru, don't you think he's working you too hard, we just arrived here yesterday, and your wounds have already reopened." She said, holding onto his hands, worry filling her face.
"I'll be fine. Besides, I think this will be good for me." Subaru said, slowly patting her hands, before stretching, "Now I'm hungry, what about you?"
Rem's concern didn't go away, instead it amplified. "Of course, you must have worked up an appetite working so hard. You should have taken a break sooner. Now come with me, we are going to get you something to eat." She grabbed his hand again and began to pull him along.
After being dragged through the halls, they eventually arrived at the kitchens. Talion was already there, talking to some of the staff. A small plate of fruit and dried meats was prepared, along with what appeared to be a wineskin. Subaru could have sworn Talion was looking at it longingly, but as soon as they entered, Talion looked at them, his face neutral.
"Good, you have arrived, I had the chefs prepare a meal for you." Talion said, picking up the plate and handing it towards Subaru.
Subaru went to grab it, only for Rem to snatch it first. She inspected it, and her face contorted in confusion. "Is this all that you had them prepare for Subaru-kun? He will need more than this if he is to heal properly."
"A ranger is expected to survive off the lands for long periods of time, they won't have the luxury of large meals provided by hosts like Lady Emilia and Lady Crusch. He will need to get used to something as bland as this." Talion countered, while also picking up the wineskin, "And this is will be his most prized possession, as it will be what he drinks from. A dehydrated ranger is a dead ranger."
Rem continued to pout, "This still will not do for Subaru-kun. You can't expect him to get better on just this alone." She said while looking at the plate. "And I will make personally sure he stays hydrated, any way he needs."
"You may want to help him, but you won't always be there for him. Neither will I. That is why we must work together to teach him how to handle himself on his on." Talion said, staring at her.
Rem finally relented, "Very well, but I want to be there while Subaru trains- "she began to blush "- to make sure he doesn't get hurt. And he also needs to eat something more than that, just for today."
"Fine. But I don't want you interfering during our practicing, he doesn't need any distractions." Talion said, before contemplating some more, "And I will let him indulge, just for today though. From what I heard, Julius wasn't going easy on him before I arrived."
Rem bowed her head, "Thank you, and for you- "she turned to Subaru, who had stayed out of it this entire time, "-let me prepare your meal. I shall meet you in the dining hall when it is ready."
Subaru looked a bit stunned, "You sure you don't want me to help? I know my way around the kitchen too."
"It will be no problem, Subaru-kun. I want to do this for you, and besides, you've already been working very hard today." Rem said, a smile on her face.
"I guess that's fine then. I can't wait to see what you'll prepare!" Subaru said, smiling back at her, causing her blush to deepen.
Subaru left to the dining hall, leaving just Talion with Rem. Talion turned back to her as Subaru was gone, an expression of disappointment on his face.
"I know you care for him, but try not to coddle him too much. He needs room to grow, he doesn't need to be smothered." He looked at her before turning away, "He will be challenged in the future, he needs to be ready for those challenges."
Rem gazed hard at Talion, "I will do anything to help Subaru-kun. If he is in peril, then I will be there to help him, no matter what." She said as she began to prepare the meal.
Talion stopped walking, "If that is what you think- "He turned to her "then you will learn harshly that the world usually has other plans. No matter how hard you try, you can't be everywhere at once. You still have your duties to Lord Roswaal, so you might not be there with him all the time. He'll need to learn to stand on his own."
Rem didn't back down, "I'm sure Roswaal-sama would understand. And Subaru-kun and I can always stand together."
"I'm not trying to pull you two apart, I'm trying to make it so the boy can be strong on his own, that way he will be able to stand by himself in case something does happen to you, or anyone else he cares about." Talion said, holding a neutral expression compared to Rem's glare.
Talion knew better than anyone that no matter how hard you struggle, you can't save everyone. He couldn't save his family, he couldn't save his fellow Rangers, he couldn't save the people of Minas Ithil, and so many more that he failed. But he also knew that he couldn't let those failures hold him down. That was the lesson he planned to engrave into the boy, that you can't let your failures hold you down and stop you from moving forwards. Otherwise Talion would have given up a long time ago, and wouldn't have been able to contain Mordor for so long.
"Keep to the promise, that you will watch him train and that today will be enough for you in giving him extra food. Let me deal with training him and preparing for him for the real world. He needs to be prepared, otherwise what happened in that training ring might be seen as a slight incident." Talion attempted to negotiate with the Oni.
"What do you mean, that it might only be seen as a slight incident?" Rem asked cautiously.
"The training ring left him battered and bruised, but from what I have gathered after I interrupted it, is that it wasn't a duel an actual duel to the death. In a real battle, that won't be true, and there will be others that will be apart of the battle that he'll need to watch out for. It will seem like the training ring wasn't that bad. So, he needs to be ready for that." Talion explained, watching Rem's reaction.
Rem seemed to think on it, before conceding, "I suppose you are right, Subaru-kun does need to train to get better for a fight. But I still don't see why I can't be there for him."
"Because, in a fight, you will likely be focusing on different opponents, and if you attempt to help him while you have your own, you may get wounded. Knowing Subaru, what do you think would his reaction be if you got hurt helping him?" Talion said, looking at Rem.
Rem looked away, realizing what Talion had been trying to explain, "Subaru wouldn't take it well, and then he would try something stupid, like take them on by himself when he is clearly outmatched. I think I understand your point now. He needs to be able to fight on his own so he doesn't have to worry about others needing to rescue him."
"Exactly, he needs to be able to stand and fight without needing someone else to get hurt for him, when they have their own fights in a battle to take care of." Talion nodded, "I am glad you now realize this."
With that, Talion left Rem to her cooking, and went to prepare to continue Subaru's training. The boy may be getting ready to eat and relax, but Talion did not get such luxuries. When Subaru is ready, he will see how well the boy can swing his sword, and get a sense of where to begin his teachings.
For Rem, she would make sure Subaru would be well feed, and ensure that he was prepared for whatever Talion had in store for him. She wanted to be by his side, by she was contemplating what he had said, that there will be a time when Subaru will need to stand on his own. Rem wanted Subaru to be strong, but she still didn't want him to be hurt, even in while it was training. She remembered what the Mabeasts did to him, and she didn't want him to experience it again. She didn't realize she was clenching her fist until she went to grab a knife, only to see her hand was trembling from how hard she was squeezing.
Rem unclenched her hand, and resolved herself. She would still stand at Subaru's side, and help him. But she would be there fighting alongside him, not holding him up. That was a promise she would keep. He was her Subaru-kun, and she would make sure he would become the best he could be. With that, she took the knife, and began to chop vegetables, ready for to talk about the future with Subaru, and laugh all the while. She smiled at that thought, her and Subaru together, she would make sure of it. But for now, she would cook him this meal, and then make sure he was ready for anything the world would throw at them. She let out a small laugh, as here she was, already thinking about the future, and as Subaru said, demons should laugh when talking about the future.
AN: An abrupt end, I know. But I realized if I wanted to ended this chapter where I originally planned, then this would be way too long. So I decided to do it here. The next update won't come for a bit, as I have a few other fics in the works. Also thank you everyone for your Reviews. I'll try to meet your expectations.