AN: Well folks, another one. A short one, yes. Been too busy or had little motivation to write lately but I really hope it doesn't show. Train was derailed, but now it's back on track.
Train being my life of course.
Anyways, I hope you guys are liking Pollux and that this story isn't a complete trainwreck. This is my first story but I still want it to be decent at the very least. I'm uploading this really late and I'm not the best at proofreading while I'm tired so eh, sorry if it's a little rough.
Anyways, I don't own Fire Emblem and I don't own the song Thom sings in this one. All I own is Thom and Pollux. And Castor.
One more thing, forgive me but my Helltaker fic reached 600 views on AO3 this morning and that makes my little reptile brain a dopamine rush, so go check it out if that sort of thing interests you.
With that said, enjoy.
…...
"I said I better change my sinkin' thoughts, before they pull me under..." Thom sings just below a mutter. They had been on the move for somewhere around 8 hours, with a few short breaks along the way. Though most of the time was spent in relative peace and quiet. They were due to run into Donny's village at some point today, and that point seemed to be fast approaching as the vague shape of small buildings begin to make themselves known as they crest a hill. Silently, Thom holds his hand up, signaling Virion to stop behind him.
"Hold up a sec..." He halts, looking to Virion. "We're coming up on a village, see?" He points to the hovel.
"Well, that's a relief. Our provisions were beginning to dwindle." He sighs a breath of relief, casting a glance to the nigh-empty saddle bags.
"Hm, I been here before." Pollux chimes in behind Thom.
"Well, let's move in then." Thom says, beginning a slow trot.
In but a few short minutes they come upon the entrance to the hovel, greeted by the sights and sounds of various livestock squealing and snorting. The stench of manure and offal thick in the air as the towns- er, village people go about their business. That is until the three-man group makes their way well into the town and begin drawing eyes to them.
"Uhh, why're they starin'?" Pollux whispers.
"We're probably the richest people this town's ever seen, we stick out like a sore thumb, kiddo." Thom returns. Pollux hums in response. "Probably should ask someone if there's somewhere to stack up on supplies. You probably know this place better'n me, you got any ideas?" He asks.
"Well, we could try'n find Sir Donnel." Pollux offers.
"Yeah, I suppose. Be careful though, remember, we don't know him yet. He's just a pig farmer so none of that 'sir' shit, mhm?" He insists.
Pollux groans in response. "Ugh, I know dad."
Thom winces a little. "Hmh. I'm gonna have to get used to that." He hops off the horse, hitching it at a post before turning to Pollux. He offers his hand. "Well, let's get a move on." He looks to Virion. "Mind staying here and keeping an eye on our supplies?" He requests.
"Not at all, my friend." Virion nods, sidling up alongside his horse and drawing a carrot from it's saddlebag.
"Cool cool. Try not to seduce half the village while we're gone." Thom jokes.
He gives a polite laugh, waving him off. "I would never dream of it, my friend!"
As they create distance between themselves and Virion, Pollux checks to see if they're far enough before muttering something to Thom. "Y'know, Sir Virion is a lot different than he was in our time."
"How do you mean?"
"He was always so gloomy. After everything, well... I mean, we all lost people that we loved. We lost you, ma', everyone had a loved one who fell. Whether it was to Grima, or sickness, or starvation." Pollux got quiet for a moment before continuing. "The apocalypse changes people." He huffs.
Thom isn't sure what to make of this, of course. Having your child from the future tell you that you died would trip anyone out. He lets it marinade, and a few minutes pass before he can even fathom a response. He sighs, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "I.. I'm sorry bud. I'm sorry you lived a life like that. You've seen a lot, I'm sure. Things that'll hopefully never come to pass in this timeline." He ruffles his hair. "Whoever your mother is, just know that we're here with you, now. Eventually we'll have to let the cat out of the bag about you and the others. Me and your ma will be here for you." He assures.
Pollux casts his gaze to the ground beside him, and mutters something nearly imperceptible to Thom's ears. He barely catches the sound however. "What was that?"
"...Promise?" Pollux manages to croak out in a quiet, strained voice. Thom gives him a smile, nodding to him.
"Course."
Pollux latches onto Thom, pulling him into a warm embrace. He quietly sobs into the side of his coat, wetting it with tears, both of bitter pain and unadulterated jubilation.
Thom pats him on the back, returning the hug. "C'mon kid, buck up. There'll be time for tears later but for now we have to find Donny."
Pollux sniffles, wiping his eyes dry before nodding. "'Kay pops, let's get a move on."
And so they do. It takes a total of around 12 minutes, searching for both supplies and for Donnel. The plan wasn't to recruit him, Thom had decided, but to establish contact and ensure he would be capable of surviving the impending attack on their village. If he was a betting man, and he sure as shit was, the rest of The Shepards would likely pick him up on the way back to Ylisstol. Besides that, he wanted to grab supplies and get a move on to ensure they'd reach Ylisstol by noon tomorrow.
"Hey, that's him I think." Thom points out as subtly as possible. They spot a young man carrying a hog under his arm as he slings a bucket of slop into a trough.
"Man, Sir Donny looks different without his beard."
"Donny grows a beard? Was it a sick beard?" Thom wonders.
"C'mon pops, focus."
"Right right, my bad. Let's go. An' lemme do the talkin', I'm the Shepherd here."
They approach in as casual of a stride as they can manage. "Hey, 'scuse me sir!" Thom shouts, reaching the edge of the pigpen attracting Donnel's attention.
"Oh, h-hello there sir! How can I help ya'?" Donnie stutters, taken by surprise.
"'M with the Shepherds, me and my companions are on our way back to Ylisstol, know if there's anywhere we can get some supplies in this place?" Thom asks.
"Well gosh sir, I ain't real sure. There ain't much around as is. I sure wish I could help, I ain't ever met no Shepherds before..." He says sheepishly. An idea pops into Thom's head.
"First off, don't worry about the whole 'sir' shit. Name's Thom. And second, your town got a butcher?" Thom questions.
"Oh, sure thing, Sir- Thom. And naw, we mostly butcher our own meat around here." He explains.
"Coolio, how bout this..." Thom starts, reaching into his coin purse. "I'll give you... 10 gold for a pig. 5 for the pig, 5 for you to butcher it. Sound good?"
"10 gold?! Why, that's awful generous of ya'- er, Thom! I'll get right on that for ya'!" Donnel launches into action excitedly.
"Thanks, by the way sir, I didn't get yer name!" Thom chuckles.
"Oh, I'm Donny! Er, well, my names Donnel Tinhead. Most folks just call me Donny though!"
"Good meetin' ya. And hey, we ain't got no need for the biggest hog, we're close to Ylisstol anyway. Just grab us a pig with enough meat to feed three men fer a day or two, okay?" He requests. The only response is a quiet 'yessir' as Donny gets to work prepping the hog for its slaughter.
"Well, that's business taken care of." Thom mutters to Pollux. "You know the way back to the horses, so I'm gonna go back to Virion." He hands the money over to Pollux, who promptly stuffs it into his own purse. "Use this to pay 'em. Come on back when he's done."
He takes his time regrouping with Virion, and finds him chatting up a young woman. Surprisingly, he hasn't driven her away with his coquettish attitude. Quite the opposite in fact, as she seems rather enraptured with him.
Not wanting to interrupt, he stands aside, letting Virion work his magic. In time, she bids adieu and leaves the two men to their business.
"Whatever happened to not seducing the locals?" Thom asks, bemused. Virion jumps, startled.
"O-oh, Thom! I did not hear you return, my friend. And for the record I was not seducing her, I was... inquiring about supplies?" He tries to explain, but Thom waves him off.
"Heh, yeah. That's what it was." He laughs. "I'm just givin' ya guff, man. Yankin' yer chain. And good news, don't worry about supplies. I paid someone to kill us a pig, get us some meat. Pollux is waitin' for em. He'll be back when they're done." He explains, pulling a small crate that was tied to his horse's haunch, and placing it down. Next he pulls his guitar, picking a few strings to check it's tuning.
"Oh, that is good news. Planning to serenade the farmer's daughters?" Virion jokes, earning a smirk from Thom.
"Oh, of course. Watch and learn, ruffles."
He starts slow, plucking a few notes before deciding on which tune to play. His mind settles on one in particular.
"When I'm drinkin' whiskey, I know nothing can go wrong.
When I'm drinkin' whiskey, only time my mind is strong.
And when I got my bottle is when I'm standing tall.
'Cause when I'm drinkin' whiskey, I don't feel nothing at all."
A small gathering musters, about 8 or 10 people stopping to see what the fuss is. Some tap their feet, some sway their heads from side-to-side, just enjoying the music.
"Oh, when I'm good and drunken, can't nobody bring me down.
I like to drink my whiskey when nobody is around.
I know my empty bottle is the only one that understands.
That when I'm drinkin' whiskey, I forget the man I am."
He picks up his voice for the last verse, raising his volume a bit. The crowd doubles, drawn in by both the sounds of the guitar, and by Thom's voice.
"When I'm drinkin' whiskey, my hands don't ever shake.
When I'm drinkin' whiskey, I don't lie in bed awake.
'Cause when I got my bottle, I don't care if I'm alive.
'Cause when I'm drinkin' whiskey, I ain't afraid to die.
'Cause when I'm drinkin' whiskey, I ain't afraid to die."
The small crowd gives a few small cheers and a round of quiet applause. A few young children swarm him, but are pulled away by their parents. Everyone disperses, returning to their duties.
The last remaining applauds come from Virion, and Pollux. Surprisingly, Pollux has Donnie in tow, who seems awed by Thom's song. "Bravo my friend, bravo! If The Shepherds don't work out for you, you could be a bard!" He jests, getting an amused, half-hearted "Ahh, fuck you." From Thom.
"Gosh sir, that sure was somethin'!" Donnie beams, handing over a bundle of wrapped, cleaned meat. "If it's no trouble, reckon you can play us another?" He asks. Beside him is Pollux, a nostalgia look upon his face mingled with something more... bitter.
'Later.' Thom thinks to himself, marking yet another thing to touch upon once they get a chance to talk in private. "Nah, sorry kid. We got a job to do." Donnel deflates a little at this. "Tell you what, if we run into each other again sometime, I'll give ya an encore. Sound good?" He offers.
"Aw shucks mister, that sounds great. I never left the village before, though. I reckon it'll be a while before I see ya' again." He mopes.
"Pshh." Thom waves. "I reckon we'll be seeing each other again soon enough. Gut feeling." He takes the meat, packing it in his saddlebag, along with tying the crate and guitar back onto the horse and climbing back on. He offers his hand to Pollux. "C'mon, still got a ways ahead of us but if we hustle we might be back by sundown. Saddle up."
And so Pollux does, taking Thom's hand and letting Thom heft him onto the steed. He gives a silent wave to Donnel, which is returned.
And from there they set out along the dirt path ahead, with a good few hours of sunlight left, and a mighty need to sleep on a real, solid bed and a good bath.
Song- When I'm Drinkin' Whiskey by Rusty Cage
