AN: Hey folks. I'm back again. Been a busy few weeks, with my car being shitted out for the last time and all the car/job hunting. Finally got a new one. Unfortunately, it's a 2009 HHR. I'm back to writing again, and I'll try to make it so you guys don't have to wait as long between chapters. Anyways I know you guys've been looking forward to the encounter with Lucina, and I hope I do it justice for you all.
It had only taken us a minute or two until we were upon the forest. We stood there at the edge, black smoke billowing barely visible against the dark night sky. Faintly, I catch the scent of wood burning deeper on in the forest. I look down, tilting my hat up. I gulp down the knot in my throat. Robin notices, and places a hand on my shoulder. It's a small gesture, but a greatly comforting one. "Hey, everything's okay, right? We'll be fine." She grins, just barely. "You weren't lying to me, were you?"
I shake my head, brushing my hair out of my eyes. I can't help but let my lips curl upwards. God, woman's got sand. "To you? Never." It's like watching a horror movie that you've already seen. You know everything turns out okay, but you still got that heavy weight in your gut.
The Thing, I'm looking at you.
Frederick shoots us a look over his shoulder, loudly clearing his throat. "Enough standing around. We need to keep moving." I step forward, past Frederick. I rap a fist against his armored leg.
"Well, you said it tin man. Let's get moving." He just rolls his eyes, before moving his horse forward at a uh, gallop? Cantor? Whatever you call a horse jogging, I ain't a horse doctor. I motion ahead of me, tilting my head to Robin. "Let's get it done, mm?"
We follow behind Frederick for another minute or two, finally coming upon the inferno which had slowly begun swallowing the forest around us. It was a bit more difficult to breathe, and even more so keeping our bearings in the midst of the blaze. Through the smog we catch sight of Chrom and Lissa. Frederick bolts ahead, reaching them in a matter of seconds. We arrive seconds after. "Milord! Milady! Are you hurt?"
Lissa's eyes open wide, glassy in terror. "Frederick, Robin! Thom!" Robin looks carefully past them, at the Risen shambling about in the dark but a few meters away.
"Are such horrific creatures commonplace in this land?" She grimaces, clenches her teeth. Chrom's steely gaze lands on us, capturing our attention.
"They are not from Ylisse, I promise you that." Frederick looks over Chrom and Lissa, and lets out a deep sigh.
"No one is injured, then? Thank the gods..." Lissa shoots up all energetic-like. She looks a bit better now that she's got her nerve.
"Thank the masked man who saved me! If it wasn't for him, I'd be..." She trails off, looking around. Her eyes dart around, and she tilts her head down, visibly sweatdropping. "...Hey, where did he go?"
"We can worry about him later, AFTER we put these..." He scrunches his nose. "Things... to the blade." He closes his eyes, taking a breath. As if steeling himself for the impending battle. "Eyes open, now. We know nothing about this enemy."
"Right." Chrom nods. Man, I've seen this dialogue many a time, but hearing it play out in front of you? It's entirely different. I pull my poncho up over my nose, trying to block the ashen air from entering my nose. We form up, with Frederick taking the front. Beside him stands Chrom, with Lissa behind them. Me and Robin bring up the rear, covering Lissa from behind.
Before we get moving, Robin notices something off in the distance. "Hmm? Are those..." She points over to the forts, silhouetted against the flames.
"Abandoned forts, yes." Fred confirms.
"We should use them for shelter when we move. How 'bout it?" I cut in. Robin looks surprised.
"Exactly what I was thinking," She nods. "No doubt they'll provide some advantages in combat."
I nudge Robin with the grip of my revolver. "Kay then, smart lady. Do your thing." I urge her. She looks to the Risen dead ahead.
"Think you can get that one from here?" She asks me. I squint, holstering my left revolver and using my left arm to stabilize my right. I breathe in through the fabric of my poncho, sights settling on the vague shape of the Risen. I exhale, squeezing the trigger slowly.
"Watch this." I mutter, easing on the trigger. It gives way and noise erupts as hammer meets primer. My shot sails straight into the skull of the Risen. It seems as all sound disappears from the burning wood around us with the deafening bang of my gun. Slowly, the Risen drops to its knees, toppling over.
"Phew, thought I missed for a second." I sigh. Then, a sound rings out in the air over the deafening silence. A roar. Then two, then four. Shit. Shit. The Risen must've been alerted by the gunshot. I look to Robin. "We should get movin'. They know where we are now."
She huffs, lifting her hands off her ears. "Huh?!" She shakes her head, massaging the sides of her head. "I can't hear a godsdamned thing!" I grab her shoulder, pulling her close.
"We NEED to move! The rest know where we are!" I shout, trying to be careful not to deafen her any more than I already have. Her eyes open wide as dinner plates.
"You're right!" She motions the rest to follow. "Come, this way!" We move for the fort, the others close behind. Me and Frederick slam the gates shut behind them, just barely getting to it before the Risen do.
"That was close!" Lissa sighs out, looking plenty shaken. She raises her head, on high alert. "Wait! What now? We're trapped! We can't keep them out forever!"
Chrom rushes to the gate, helping me hold the door. "Go! Get to the walls! You and Robin are the only ones who can hit the, from here! You should be able to take care of them from the ramparts!" He grunts, holding strong against the door as it bangs with the force of multiple Risen's weight. "Be quick, I'm not sure how long we can hold it!"
"Aye, you got it!" I rush over to the stairs, scaling them as fast as I can. I get to the wall above the door, meeting Robin. "How many more you see?"
She peers over the edge briefly, before jumping back from the edge, a throwing axe flying past her head. "Say, 5 or 6 of them. You should be able to take care of them." She lifts a hand up to check her hair, making sure it's unscathed. "I think I'm getting tired of these things already."
"Yeah, you and me both." I scoff. I eject the casing I spent and load a new one in. Carefully, I edge over the side before noticing Sully and Virion riding up behind the Risen, poised to strike. Virion fires off a few arrows, but they have little effect. "Hey! Hey, you there! Stand back!"
Sully looks to Virion, then to me and Robin. Puzzled, she asks "Huh!? Why?"" I tilt my hat up at her, gritting my teeth before drawing my other gun.
"You'll see!" Cue American Venom. Or some spaghetti western music.
I vault up onto the wall of the battlements, guns poised in front of my face. Both hammers cocked back, I let two shots fly. Then one after another into the crowd of walking corpses. 'BANG! BANG BANG!' Two bodies drop, then a third. Closely followed by the fourth. Sully and Virion's horse panics, rearing back from the cacophony of sharp blasts. Over the lingering tinnitus that comes with mag dumping (or in this case, cylinder dumping.) I see Sully shout something, grabbing the reins of her horse.
Meanwhile Virion is knocked off, landing on his ass.
I'd be laughing if there weren't still Risen left. I look back down at the gate, the last two Risen left. The banging stopped though. One meets my gaze, rearing it's arm back, axe in hand. I snap my aim to it, pointing it at its head.
'Click!' D'oh!
The axe sails through the air. As if in slow motion, I watch the tree-cutting implement careen towards me. In time I manage to dodge to the left just enough to keep my head clear from the axe. However, the axe meets my shoulder with a dull 'Thwack!' My arm erupts in searing, white-hot pain, and my right arm sags from the shoulder keeping it in place being cleaved apart. I fall backwards off the wall, rusty axe falling out of my shoulder as I make impact with the ground.
Robin lurches to me, holding my head up off the ground. "Lissa!" She calls. "Thom's injured, we need you!" Lissa is upon us in a short moment, and begin's healing me. I try to murmur out a 'Thank you', but all that comes out is a growl, through gritted teeth.
My eyes squinted near-shut, I see Robin crouched atop the wall I was on, angrily firing off Thunder down at the Risen. I can smell Ozone, and burnt copper. Presumably from Robin's furious barbequing. She hops down from the wall just as Lissa finished closing my shoulder up, and I sit up. Groaning half from embarrassment, half from the pain, I roll my shoulder and turn towards the two.
"Sorry guys. Though I was a better shot than that." I lift my arm up high, resulting in the tendons and muscles popping loudly. I wince, and breathe in through my teeth. "At least I wasn't the one hurting me this time." I jest. Robin shakes her head, smirk on her face.
"It was no problem! Just be more careful next time." Lissa laughs. Hell, I'll take lighthearted banter over a scolding any day. I'm just lucky that it wasn't my head that got chopped.
I swear, my luck's just been getting' worse lately. Or maybe better?
I motion to them to follow and we move for the stairs. Meeting Chrom back by the gates, I yell over to him. "Hey, Chrom! That's all of 'em. For now, at least." I look down at my revolvers, and begin ejecting the empty casings. "An' there's some red-haired lady on a horse. And some fancy-looking dude too. I think we can open the gate."
He looks at Frederick, "That sounds like Sully, doesn't it?" He ponders.
"Yes, milord. I think so." Fred confirms. He begins hoisting the thick wooden gate open, revealing a pissed off Sully and a scuffed-up Virion.
She storms in, and I know immediately I'm in for a bad time unless one of the Shepards gets in between us. Sadly, that doesn't happen.
What does happen however, is exactly what I expected.
She grabs me by the poncho, fist reared back. Not for long however, as it launches forward colliding with my nose and making my vision explode in a pretty show of colors and stars. I feel my face splatter with warmth, the taste of copper staining my mouth. I'm on the ground, splayed out.
"That's fer not warning me!" She shouts. Robin steps forward, poised to slash at Sully with her sword, but I motion her to hold off.
"Guch, Robin hol' on! Nuh!" I barely get out. Holding my nose, blood seeping through my fingers. I stumble to my feet. "Muther-fugger, nod again!" I whine. Or I try to at least, but it comes out as little more than some nasally groan. I hobble over to Lissa, and she starts healing me without a word. I can hear Chrom verbally tearing Sully a new one, meanwhile I stand near Virion and Lissa. She finishes healing my nose, making sure it's set in the right spot.
I blow a large wad of blood and snot from each nostril, and kick dirt over it. Then I turn to Virion, nudging him. "'Ey, sorry for scarin' you guys." I mutter just below speaking volume. He waves his hand, a good-natured look on his face.
"Nonsense, my friend! You saved us the trouble of having to take care of those beasts ourselves." He gestures at my guns. "Although I must admit, I've never seen anything quite like that. Perhaps next time you could warn me?"
I smile at him. I always liked Virion. Such a cheesy fop, but a genuinely good guy. "Sure, pal. I keep forgetting that these aren't really... common around here. Want a look?" I take one from the holster and hand it to him. (Unloaded, of course.) He takes it, turning it over in his hand. He scrutinizes every detail, from the Mahogany grips, to the engraved cylinder. He purses his lips, before fiddling with the trigger and the hammer. Then he hands it back.
"Pretty fancy, ri-" I start, but I'm cut off by Chrom. He clears his throat, getting our attention.
"Sorry about Sully. She can be a bit... hotheaded. But she means well." I wave it off. Seriously? He had to cut off my showing off for that? Not that I don't appreciate it, and all.
"Eh, no problem Chief. Not like Lissa ain't already healed me up. Speakin' of, I'm gonna go try an' make nice." I holster my revolver, and stride to Sully. "'Ey, Red."
She turns to me, looking none too pleased to see me. "Whaddya want? Come for seconds?" I put my hands up, backing off a bit.
"Look, as much as I'd like to headbutt you, you scare the shit outta me. Sides, ya' hit too hard for me to get into another fight with you, I'm not that stupid. Let's just call it good an' move on, yeah?" I hold my hand out for a shake.
She crosses her arms and stares at me for a second. After sizing me up, she nods. We shake on it.
"Name's Thom. You?" I introduce.
"Sully. And I'm sorry for earlier." She mutters that last part just a bit.
I wave it off. "Nah, it was a good hit. I can't be too ma-"
"Ah-em." Someone clears their throat to my side. It's Robin, arms crossed. She stands there, impatient.
"As much as it's glad you and Sully here have made up, we need to get a move on." I groan at that. I just wanna sleep, man.
"And this can't wait till morning, oh magnificent Tactician of mine?"
"Sure, you want to start up a fire and sing some scary stories? Maybe cuddle together?" She mocks. Oh, she got jokes, huh?
"Yeah, yeah. Hardee-fuckin'-har. Smartass." I mumble the last part, just above a whisper.
"What was that?" She questions in a deceptively sweet tone. God, she scares me more than Sully. I just scuttle away, in the direction of Chrom. I intend on asking him what the plan is, but out of the shadows slinks a figure bearing the Falchion. Shit, this is Lucina, isn't it?
'Well yeah, no shit it's Lucina.' I scold myself.
"It seems all the creatures are vanquished. This young man took care of the others." Frederick declares. Marth just stands there stiff as a board. Completely silent. Then Lissa takes a step forward.
"I never got a chance to thank you... for before. So... thank you. You were very brave." She thanks him, bashful as can be.
Chrom steps in, cutting into the discussion.
I tune myself out, or more aptly I zone out. After all, I've heard this plenty of times. The spiel got old after the third time. Then again, I've never heard it with me being in the picture either. I'm snapped out of my trance when "Marth" goes off script, and addresses me.
"And you, Imperious One. There will come a time when everything will fall apart around you. And it is in that moment you will have to make a choice." "Marth" intones. Her tone is neutral, but there's the slightest hint of venom. Through the slits in her mask I can almost feel the scorn radiating off of her eyes. It's like getting hit with a 1-million-roentgen blast.
Fuck, I hope there isn't some Berzerk-level character development in store for me. My car needed $2500 in repairs one time and I started crying, I don't wanna deal with actual problems.
Before I can stop reeling from Marth's speech, Chrom pipes up. "So," He starts. "Any idea what that was about?"
I look left and right, scanning my compatriots. Each eyes my with varying degrees of curiosity, mistrust, caution, and everything between.
"Yyyyeah, not a fuckin' clue."
We arrive in Ylisstol at about late morning. We started marching a bit early since Chrom and Robin saw no point in going back to sleep after what happened in the woods.
I know I shouldn't bitch about not getting rest considering I slept earlier than all of them, but I'm a lazy bastard, okay?
We come upon the entrance to the city, the gate flanked by two guards with lances. They don't make any move to stop any of us as we move through the gate. Robin looks around excitedly. "So this is Ylisstol, huh? I've never seen so many people at once!" She shouts, practically bouncing with glee.
I snort, "To be fair, would you remember it if you had?" I wonder aloud. She just punches me before going back to looking all over the place. I snicker.
Frederick looks down at Chrom from his horse. "It appears the capital was spared the chaos we encountered, thank the gods."
Oh. OH. So THAT'S what was so urgent it couldn't wait. Still doesn't excuse my lack of er, beauty sleep.
"I see no evidence of the great quake. It must've been limited to the forest." He continues.
"Well, that's a relief!" Lissa chirps. She looks cheery. Can't say as I blame her, either. This place is already leagues better than the woods. This place, after all, has ale.
I notice the crowd begin to grow a bit louder, and nearby us an old man point to a blonde woman, flanked by an entourage of knights and guards. "Look! The Exalt has come to see us!"
Sure enough, we see the Exalt strolling about the streets, waving to all the pedestrians. They're all but swarming her, getting as long as her guards will allow. Sheesh, I can't imagine being that poor woman. Especially knowing what's supposed to come...
"The Exalt is your ruler, yes?" I hear Robin ask the others. I don't turn to look at them however, my eyes stuck firmly on Emmeryn. She looks so peaceful. Calm. She doesn't know how little time she has...
I shake my head, trying to knock those dark thoughts loose. No matter how much I want to help, I can't risk derailing this plot. The stakes are just... too fucking high. I'm not the kind of man who can salvage it if things go tits-up.
Not to mention I'd be devastated if someone died.
I'm snapped out of hundredth inner monologue by- Ah! Yeah, Robin finding out Chrom and Lissa are royalty. Heheh, ain't that a bitch.
"You said you were 'Shepherds!'" Robin yells, teeth gritted at Frederick. He wears a rare look of mirth on his face.
"And so we are... in a manner of speaking. We just have a lot of Sheep." Chrom speaks, brows furrowed. Robin throws herself down, prostrating.
"C-Chrom... I mean, Prince Chrom! Sire! Forgive my dreadful manners!" She begs. She has a grimace on her face, one bead of sweat dripping down her face. This is far funnier than I anticipated, and I can barely keep my laughter in. Fuck, she's really going at it.
He smiles down at her, mildly amused. "Just Chrom is fine, I've never been one for formalities."
Robin, bows her head, then scrambles back to her feet. She notices me doubling over silently, red-faced. "Oh, and I bet you think this is funny, don't you?"
Finally, the dam breaks. "Pfft- AHAHAHAH. Ohh, fuck me, you should have seen yourself! HAHAH- OOF!" I'm cut off by her driving her heel into my gut. Still worth it. 100%.
She sighs, looking completely exasperated. "So, the Prince and Princess, huh? Guess that explains why Frederick deals with all the teasing."
Frederick dons a frown, but I can see smatterings of pride in his eyes. "Indeed. Oh, the sacrifices I make for the good of this realm..."
Chrom clears his throat, wrangling us all in. I climb back to my feet, helped by Lissa. Man, not sure how well I'd fare without her at this point. "It looks like Emm is finally returning to the palace. Would you all like to meet her?" He offers. We mutter something affirmatory. And so he begins to lead us to the palace.
It's a rather short walk through the streets, with a few pedestrians greeting Chrom, Lissa and Frederick with fervor. Man, the people really look up to them, huh? Wonder if I'll end up becoming well-known...
Would be cool. Or maybe it'd totally suck.
…...
We follow the Shepherds into the throne room, two guards hoisting the grand doors open for us, bowing. Emmeryn takes notice of us immediately, eyes lingering on Robin and I for a short moment. As we approach, she greets the Shepherds.
"Chrom, Lissa! Welcome home. -Oh, and good day Frederick! How fared you all?" She welcomes with possibly the brightest, warmest smile on her face. Chrom sighs.
"Well-we certainly shouldn't be having any bandit problems for a while." Chrom reports.
"Wonderful," Emmeryn says. "and our people?"
Chrom's gaze hardens, just a bit. "As safe as they can be, Emm. But we still need to watch the borders." He pauses. "The brigands crossed over from Plegia." He speaks that last part with a bit of an edge.
Phila, ever at the side of Emmeryn, interrupts. "Forgive me, Milord. My Pegasus Knights should have intercepted them." Heh, sus.
"No, Phila. Your duty was here, with the Exalt." Chrom rebukes.
"Yeah! And besides, we had plenty of help!" Lissa pipes up, turning to me and Robin. Lissa's smile is infectious, and I can't help but feel my lips curl upward a little. On the other hand, Robin grimaces nervously.
"Ah, you speak of your new companions here?" Emmeryn asks. Guess it's time for introductions, eh.
Chrom smiles, turning to Robin and I. "This is Robin. She fought bravely with us against the Brigands. And the strange one is Thom. He helped us as well, though he says he's from the Outrealms. I've decided to make them Shepherds." He declares.
Ah, yes. I'm finally one of the cool kids.
"It sounds as though Ylisse owes you two a debt of gratitude." Emm thanks with her weird closed-eyes smile.
"N-not at all, milady!" Robin, stutters. Man, she needs to loosen up.
Then again, we ARE meeting royalty after all.
I tip my hat, one hand on my belt like a true cowboy. "Not a problem, ma'am." Ok, I probably should have called her milady, but what kind of cringelord tips a hat and says 'milady'? It ain't me.
Frederick shoots me some kinda look. A disapproving one. Then looks to Emm. "Forgive me, Your Grace, but I must speak. Robin claims to have lost her memory, but it is only that: a claim. And there's no way of proving Thom is from the Outrealms either. We cannot rule out the possibility that they are brigands themselves, or even Plegian spies."
"Frederick!" Chrom snaps at him. Man does not look pleased.
"Yet you allowed this man in the castle, Chrom. Do these two have your trust?" Emm asks.
Chrom breathes in deep. "Yes. They risked their lives for our people." He speaks, loud and with authority. "That's good enough for me."
"Well then, Robin, Thom..." Emm pauses. One. Two. "It's seems you've earned Chrom's faith. As such, you've earned mine as well." She smiles at us once again."
Oughta' just fuckin' refer to her as smiley from now on.
"Milady." Robin says. Good, looks like she's got ahold of herself.
"Thank ya' kindly, milady." I thank. Fuck, I'm either really smooth or a bumbling dork. But hell if I can tell the difference.
Emm then looks to Frederick, bowing her head. "But thank you Frederick, for your prudence, as always. Chrom and Lissa are blessed to have so tireless a guardian. I do hope they remember to mention that from time to time..."
He bows, arms behind his back. "They occasionally express something akin to gratitude, Your Grace..." Man, he really doesn't have an easy job, I'll give him that.
I clear my throat, trying to give my two cents real quick. I clap Frederick on the shoulder. Or I try to at least, the big bastard. "I get you're just doin' yer job, big man. But in my defense, when the last time you seen a Brigand with something like this?" I move my poncho aside, revealing my pistols.
He nods, not seeing fit to give me a look that tells me how hard he wants to club me. "I have not, I will concede that." He looks to the Pegasus Knight Commander. "Phila, I assume you've heard about the deathly creatures we encountered, yes?"
"Yes, milord. They've been sighted all across Ylisse." She confirms.
"Chrom, we were just about to hold council. I was hoping you'd join us." Emmeryn says.
Phew, this was beginning to drag on. Seriously. "Of course." He agrees. Lissa turns to us, walking between Frederick and Chrom.
"I think that's our cue, you two! C'mon, there's a place I want to show you guys." Lissa beams. I think it's time for us to meet the other Shepherds, huh? Lissa grabs our hands, hurriedly tugging us out of the Throne Room.
I hope I make a good impression. Last thing I need is drama.
AN: Well, there's Chapter 5! Next time, Thom will meet the other Shepherds! I've already decided on what pairing I'm gonna go with for Thom, if I do decide to ship him with anybody. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it, don't forget to leave a review, and DM me if you spot a spelling or grammatical error. I proofread it a few times but I'm sadly only human. See you all next time!