Chop! Clunk!
Chrom was normally a heavy sleeper but heard some noises coming from deep within the forest. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, feeling pretty irritable but alert. It was then that he noticed that Kiran's bedroll was empty. He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach when he realized that Breidablik was still next to the bedroll.
Chrom quickly took Falchion and prepared his horse. He cursed under his breath before nudging the Askran Prince who was somehow still asleep though all of the noise.
"Not now Kiran… five more minutes…" he grumbled in his sleep.
"Alfonse, I need you to wake up right now. Kiran is missing."
Alfonse immediately shot up from out of his bed roll in a frenzy. He scrambled to grab his own sword.
"Why is Breidablik still here? This is… oh gods. No! No! No! I can't..." Alfonse panicked. Sharena was still recovering from Líf's attack and he nearly lost her. The thought of losing Kiran was nearly unthinkable to him. Of course, he knew that Kiran was a mortal just as much as he was, but even he had a hard time processing that idea when he saw the other Kiran's grave.
Chrom quickly retrieved his horse and offered to let Alfonse ride with him. Alfonse briefly considered waking up the others but he feared that he was already on borrowed time. The longer it took for him to find Kiran, the likelihood of him finding her dead and lifeless on the ground skyrocketed. Logically, having more people on the search would cover more ground and therefore make it more likely for him to find her but he could barely keep his wits about him.
Al grabs Breidablik and rushes to mount the horse. Amidst all of the commotion, Anna woke up to see Alfonse having a near panic attack.
"What's going on? Can't a girl get her beauty sleep?" Anna grouched.
"Gone. She's vanished." Was all Alfonse could manage to say
"Wait… you mean…?"
Alfonse merely held Breidablik out for Anna to see. Anna immediately looked at Kiran's bedroll only to find it empty. Anna's entire body tensed up and her face turned five shades paler than normal.
"Understood. You go on ahead and I will wake up the others. By the gods… we can't afford to lose her. I don't want to lose another friend." Anna then scrambled to wake the others.
With Alfonse in tow, Chrom galloped into the expanse of trees. They eventually found a single trail of footprints and followed them further into the forest. The sounds grew louder and eventually they managed to see a flash of white and gold followed by a flash of black and electric blue.
In the distance, they could see Kiran dodging attacks from the former king of Askr. Chrom urged his horse to get in closer so he and Alfonse could intervene.
"You can't avoid me forever, Summoner." Líf taunted
"I don't have to." Kiran grunted as she barely dodged another barrage of Líf's attacks.
"Your friends can't help you now, Kiran." He said as he continued to hunt her.
"You're wrong! Alfonse will come to my aid like he always has!"
"How foolish and reckless." Líf growled.
"I've done things more reckless than this you know. My faith in him is not unwarranted. We rely on each other to keep ourselves from killing ourselves from sheer stupidity. I'm sure you know that already though."
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Líf's eyes glowed red before lunging at her.
Kiran attempted to dodge once more but tripped on an inconveniently placed tree root. She fell flat on the ground face first. She tried to crawl while attempting to get back on her feet but Líf finally caught up to her and put her in a choke hold.
At the same time, Chrom and Alfonse had finally managed to catch up to the both of them. Kiran struggled and fought with all that she could but there was not much she could do in the compromising position she was in. Being lifted up by the neck definitely limited her options for escape.
"Al-fonse… stop… I ca-can't breathe!" She barely managed to form the words.
"That would be the point, Summoner." Líf grumbled.
"That's enough, Líf. You will not harm her any further." Alfonse declared as he charged at Líf.
"L-Líf…I'm not into… being choked." Kiran gasped.
Líf loosened his grip on Kiran's throat slightly. It embarrassed him that he knew what she was implying. Before he knew it, he found himself blushing at her. Which did not help with the implications of him enjoying the prospect of him crushing her completely. Líf chastised himself for letting his past feelings for his late fiancée get the better of him.
Alfonse took advantage of Líf's momentary lapse to land the first strike on Líf. Kiran was then tossed aside like a worthless ragdoll and she landed with a loud thud. She gasped and coughed, struggling to breathe normally. Chrom quickly rushed to her aid. Kiran was definitely vulnerable in her current state. She never was the strongest person in the Order, either. She wasn't exactly a weak person persay, but she was much more prone to injury for one reason or another.
Some of it was due to a lack of defense training but she also had a slight tendency to put herself in harm's way. Mostly it was unintentional, but Chrom knew that Kiran would likely interject herself into a situation where she could hurt herself if it meant keeping Alfonse safe. He hadn't known her for very long, but he couldn't help but feel that he should keep her safe at all costs. She was already like a friend to him in a strange way. Chrom wasn't a strategist, but even he could see that Kiran was at the very center of the Order. It was also obvious that her biggest weakness was her affections towards the prince of Askr.
"Are you alright?"
"No. I feel like actual garbage right now, Chrom. I was a naïve fool who thought that she could make one of Hel's generals see the error of his ways. I wanted to believe that he still had some good left in him somewhere. I was nearly blind to the danger that I was putting myself in. Now… I'm not sure if I will ever get through to him. He seems determined to wipe us all from existence in exchange for the ones who have died in this Askr to come back to life. I feel like I…" Tears threatened to escape from Kiran's eyes.
Chrom and the other heroes rarely saw her true face as it was nearly always covered by a hood. However, Kiran was so disheveled that she didn't even realize that her hood was down and that her vulnerabilities were on full display for anyone in the area to see. It was quite unnerving to see her in this much distress when he was so used to Kiran being so kind, supportive and reliable. To see her shivering in fear, quaking like a leaf in the wind felt contrary to her normal self.
Chrom was not an idiot, however. Anyone who had been nearly strangled to death would likely be afraid too. The Shepherds have often mentioned that Chrom was a bleeding heart type of guy and would probably help everyone he could, whenever he could. He did pick up an amnesiac tactician and trusted him without hesitation, after all.
"You haven't failed yet, Kiran. I promise to help you until the end. Askr needs you and you need us. The others will arrive shortly and we'll get you healed up"
"I hope you are right, Chrom. For everyone's sake, I pray to Askr that you're right." Kiran coughed.
Anna, Eir and Mercedes were rushing to find Kiran before the worst could befall her. Anna had 'volunteered' Eir to be in the search party out of fear that Eir would try to assassinate Sharena at her weakest. Sharena tried to come along with the commander to search for the Summoner but after much coaxing from Anna and the heroes, she reluctantly agreed to stay behind while Ranulf volunteered to watch over Sharena.
Anna bit her lip in frustration upon the realization that they were severely lacking in manpower. Normally this would be remedied by a quick summoning session with Kiran, but with summoning currently having adverse effects on Kiran, they were trying to avoid it. She couldn't deny that they could use a second healer and that having a mage would offer the extra firepower they needed.
Eir flew ahead of the group to scout out the area and returned quickly in a flash. "I found her. She's barely holding on… I don't want her to die. It all feels so strange to me. I've never felt that way towards anyone before."
Anna blinked for a moment. She was happy to hear that Kiran was still alive. However, Eir's confusion towards her desire to see the Summoner live caught Anna off guard. Kiran has been Eir's captor since the start of the war, yet she befriended her and showed her kindness. Anna then reasoned that perhaps Kiran became sort of a companion to her. A friend. It boggled her mind how Kiran managed to befriend people the way she does.
"Neither do I. Lead the way, Eir."
Eir nodded grimly as she let Mercedes hop on Lyfja. If Kiran was to survive she was going to need all the healing she could get and she needed it asap. When they arrived, Alfonse and Líf were already locked in combat. Líf's attacks were cold and calculated. Not one move was wasted. Brutal, but effective. Alfonse was no slouch however, and one could see traces of Líf's sword techniques but used with a different effect. While Líf's attacks were economical, Alfonse had a more passionate approach. That is to say… Alfonse was using his feelings of rage and his desire to protect Kiran and turning it into a sharp focused assault against his opponent. Both used the same techniques and flourishes but the flair was different.
Mercedes made her way to Kiran and began to heal her. Kiran's entire body went limp during the entire procedure. It was as if her entire body was supercharged with healing magic to where nearly all of her muscles relaxed themselves. It was clear that her body was under a lot of stress from being nearly strangled to death and it finally gave out under the warmth of Mercedes' healing magic.
"Mercedes… I've really done and screwed up this time. I… thank you so much. I can never repay your kindness enough. Can you forgive a fool like me for overworking you like this?"
"Now, now… you must not talk like that. I do this because I believe helping you through all of your scraps is the right thing to do. Remember when you summoned me and you called out for my help? I heard your voice and I knew that I had to help."
"Funny… lots of heroes tell me that but I don't say anything when I summon heroes. Not aloud at least. I've always wondered… what did you hear me say?"
"Hmm… I remember that you were begging and pleading with all of your heart for help. 'We are on death's door. We won't last much longer here without your help' those were your words. I didn't expect you to literally be at death's door, though. Even though I've helped heal many people during battles, I've never seen a war as violent and brutal as this one."
"Neither have I and I've been through two other wars already. I'm holding on for my dear life Mercedes… but I don't know how long I can keep going. I promised His Highness that I would keep an eye on Al… but in the end he's the one protecting me. I am always the one that needs saving. Even so I… would do anything for Al. He's very dear to me. I just can't take watching him suffer like this!"
"Kiran, we will do everything we can to make sure Líf can finally rest easy. I understand that it hurts you to see him going down this way but we all are worried about you. You've got to take care of yourself. Alfonse would be devastated if he were to lose you. So please… as your friend I want you to take it easy for now."
"But I can't afford to just take it easy. So much of this war rides on the decisions and choices I make. I can't take it easy knowing that you and the others are breaking their backs and toiling away just to stay alive amongst all of the living dead here. I'd be near useless otherwise. I can't really fight without getting myself almost killed and I can't summon without hurting myself. All that's left of me is this" Kiran pointed at her skull.
"I don't think that's true. Kiran, you have the worst habit of belittling yourself and you know it. You need rest. Doctor's orders. If you do not follow them, I am sure I can get Prince Alfonse to keep you from doing anything too strenuous."
"You wouldn't dare!" Kiran gasped
"We can and we will. It will be for your own good." Chrom said firmly
"You would tag team against me, Chrom? You hurt my feelings" Kiran pouted
"It's good to see that Mercedes has mended you enough for you to start acting more like your usual self. We are bound to you by contract. Not just that, but you are a friend. It is our responsibility as your friend to protect you."
"I agree. It just wouldn't feel right to let you throw yourself at Líf's mercy."
"Mercedes… I think it's time that I summon another healer. I'm worried that I'm hogging you all to myself." Kiran said quietly.
"While another would be a large boon for us, the risk is not worth it right now. You need time to recover. Kiran you need to just let us do the work. We can handle it."
"I know, but what am I supposed to do? I can't just sit and watch."
"We'll discuss this with Alfonse once this battle is over"
Kiran sighed after realizing that her attempts at protesting were futile. She watched as Anna and Eir joined in the fight with Prince Alfonse against Líf. Just as they finally defeated him, he vanished. The first thing Alfonse did was run straight towards Kiran and held onto her tightly in an embrace.
"Gods… I almost lost you. Kiran, please don't run off like that again. I understand that you wanted to… make the other me see reason but I can't let you run off by yourself anymore. Can you stand on your own?"
"I don't have any broken bones. I think I'll be ok for now"
Kiran stood up on her own, her own stubborn nature rearing its head at him. However, her legs were shaking like jelly as if it were taking all of her strength just to stand. Her body betrayed her pride. Alfonse shook his head at her.
"I will carry you back."
"Huh? Al what do you mean? The campsite is quite a bit far from here. I can walk!" Kiran protested.
"I'm plenty strong enough to carry you the whole way through. I may not look it, but it's true"
"But aren't you tired from all the fighting you just did? You need to get looked at first"
Mercedes chuckled as the scene unfolded. It was a little silly of them to be arguing over each other's wellbeing. It was little moments like this that made her want to continue through all of the pain of the war she had found herself fighting in.
"Look… I'll let you carry me but you've got to get yourself healed up! You look like a chopped onion with how many wounds you have!" Kiran conceded.
"Right. Mercedes, would you please heal me? Your work is highly appreciated." Alfonse asked.
"Of course. After all, you'll need all of your strength for our journey back to camp" Mercedes said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. Kiran groaned knowing that Mercedes was basically enjoying blackmailing her into resting.
After Mercedes fully healed Alfonse, Alfonse scooped Kiran up, carrying her bridal style and began to head back to camp. Kiran blushed and covered her face to hide her embarrassment.
"I don't understand it…" Eir said quietly.
"Is something wrong?" Mercedes asked.
"Wouldn't it be more efficient to let Kiran fly with me on Lyfja?" Eir studied the lovebirds closely, as if she were trying to understand their behaviors.
"You are not wrong but… I think we should leave them alone for now. Kiran doesn't really listen to anyone but Prince Alfonse. That isn't to say she doesn't listen at all, it's just he's the only one that can get through to her and change her mind if she's set on doing something. I also like to just watch them be together. They are just so cute and adorable, wouldn't you agree Chrom?"
"Huh? Er… um well… they sort of remind me of when I first married my wife. It's a welcome change of scenery from all of the death and fighting, that's for sure."
"It's oddly warming. I'm not familiar with such displays of affection. I just find it strange."
"It's easier to understand once you feel it, Princess."
"Is that so? That's a shame… I… wish I knew what it is like. They seem so happy together even though… they will die soon. All mortals who try to oppose Mother are killed and then they get added into the ranks of her army."
"Do not be so sure about that, Eir. I've seen first hand that the future can be changed. Nothing is set in stone just yet. We will all die one day but… If anyone could challenge your mother and live to tell the tale, it would be those two." Chrom said comfortingly to Eir.
"I… I hope that it comes to pass then. Mother… Im sorry"
A/N: I almost forgot to mention this, but I am pleased to announce that as of last month, we've hit the one year anniversary of this story being published. We've also hit the three anniversary since i actually started typing this. I've come a long way since then and I hope it has shown in my writing.Honestly, I wished I had planned out the earlier chapters much better, but I am just happy knowing that there are people who actually enjoy this fic. I am likely going to put in a easter egg type thing later down the line making a reference from what i originally planning for this fic. Well it's more of like an interesting fact. I won't say what it is yet though.