When Elli woke up, Arum was by her side, sleeping soundly next to her. She didn't hear him come in at all, so she was somewhat surprised that she managed to sleep well enough for him to be able to sneak in. Arum was not exactly subtle when he entered the tent. He looked to be in a deep sleep, the deepest she ever saw of him. He was always a light sleeper because they slept in the wilderness sometimes and he felt obligated to be up and ready to face any danger that came their way. She would say it was nice that he was sleeping deeply, but on the other hand, it could be that he exhausted himself the night before.
She didn't really know what to make of his actions that night. In some ways, she was disappointed that he lost control the way he did because she knew he was probably disappointed. He usually tried to keep his emotions under control but she could tell by his expressions and his voice that he lost that control when he talked about his mother, which was one of the rare times that he did so, and when he talked about her past. Rylar seemed to have hurt him in someway no one really thought he could. Elli knew Rylar tended to get under his skin but she didn't think he would lash out at him.
And then he ran off and didn't return until long after she fell asleep? Misha was right when she said he would return and she didn't doubt her. She just wondered how long it took.
Elli stared at him for a moment. She noticed that cradled under his head, one of his hands was wrapped in bandages. She also noticed that he hadn't cut his hair in a while and his hair was in the awkward growing out phase where it didn't quite flatter him. It used to be short and somewhat spiky but she only truly noticed that it grown to touch his ears and it was long enough that he was moving his hair off his forehead and he had more or less lost the spikes that she was used to. It was actually a little wavy and she wouldn't have guess that from him. Maybe he did plan on growing it out, but at the same time she had a feeling he would eventually take a dagger to it.
She wanted to let him sleep since she didn't know how long he was asleep for, but she knew he work himself in a panic if he woke up and had no idea where she was. "Arum," she said. He didn't respond, so she repeated herself louder. Eventually, his eyes opened and he looked at her with a slight frown.
"Something wrong?" he asked with a yawn.
"No no no," she answered. "I was just going to go talk with Meagan and Gus."
"Hmmmm..." He squinted. He was pretty tried. "You like them?"
"Well, yeah. They're nice people and if they can be orphans and grow up alright, then I want to be something like that too."
"Hmmm, alright. I'm going to stay here and avoid Peter," he said with a shrug. He buried himself in his bedroll. "You know, I never really wanted it to turn out this way. I never wanted to control your life." Before she could respond, Arum was suddenly asleep. Again, she wondered how late he ended up staying out for but nonetheless, she decided to head over to Meagan and Gus' tent. They were sitting in front of their tent eating. She didn't know exactly why she was drawn out of her tent with Arum over to theirs but she was there and determined to make something of it.
Gus noticed her first and raised his hand, motioning for her to come over. "Feeling better?" he asked.
"Yes, a bit," she answered truthfully.
"Come sit with us," Meagan said, patting the spot next to her. Elli agreed. Despite being shy and usually the one who couldn't start a conversation or even really hold one, she did like company. She didn't necessarily speak a lot when she was around people but istening to everyone's stories and their insight was far better than being on her own. She liked people but she also felt anxious about speaking a lot because she never really had the chance growing up. The only time where she was not shy at all was when she was alone with Arum.
"How is Arum feeling?"
"He's... tired. I think he wants to be alone though."
"He had a rough couple of days. It sounds like he was feeling for everyone and that's why he exploded last night. He wasn't offended for himself but he was offended for you and for us too," Meagan muttered.
"He doesn't look it but he's a really nice guy," Elli muttered. Arum had a hard time trusting people but when someone was allowed in his inner circle, he would be damned if he let anything bad to happen to them. She also had the feeling that his reactions to Rylar came from that nice place too since he wouldn't have said anything or reacted to him if he didn't care about him. As he told her before as he preparing to sleep, he actually just wanted to teach the kid about life so he would be better prepared for it. Arum was worried about him, even though he broke his nose.
"He has an odd way of showing it... Elli, how do you feel about what he said yesterday?" It was Gus this time who asked.
"What about yesterday?"
"About your mother and his mother."
Elli had to think about it. She never forgot about her mother's last moments, the way her blood splattered everywhere – the walls, Elli's face and dress, the bandits... In some ways, because she was older, she was proud of her mother. It didn't make it hurt less but the fact that they only took her head because she fought back tooth and nail to save her was one of the biggest signs of love. She did everything she could for her that day and if she did died that day, it wasn't because her mother did nothing. Elli could vaguely remember her mother trying to hide her but the intruders found them both. She almost cried again recalling it, the way the closet door had been cut down, that fact that they called her a whore and a bitch and she scratched at their eyes, bit their hands until she drew blood, spat in someone's eye, and she screamed at them while beating her fists against their bodies to leave her daughter alone.
And now that she was older, she realized they could done much worse to her. They could have defiled her, yet her mother annoyed and pestered them so much that they decided to silence her without doing anything else. As soon as she started fighting, she was no longer worth the trouble. Elli didn't want to think about what could have happened to her and where she could be at this moment if her mother didn't bid for time and if Arum never heard her father's screams that day.
It hurt but she was so proud and so honoured that she was so loved.
"It's sad but I knew she loved me... but at the same time, I got to meet Arum."
Meagan smiled sadly, gently running a finger through her hair. "I know how that feels. We're kind of alike. I would have never met my husband if my parents survived... or if his parents were still around. It's really hard sometimes to keep moving forward because it's a lonely place being an orphan. My mother would have loved to have seen me be married. I guess sometimes a little bit of good comes out of it."
"You two always seem so happy," Elli muttered.
"We still have each other and that's why we're happy," Gus muttered. "But realistically, we only started talking because we were both in pain. We met out of the worst circumstances like you in Arum. It's hard to appreciate the fact that the life we have now came from the deaths of four people. However, we have to keep looking forward because life moves forward. Besides, Meagan doesn't have forever and we want to have our own family. We've been trying," Gus said with a sigh. By the sigh, Elli guess that they weren't successful yet.
"I have to say though, I hope we don't raise any kind to behave like Rylar did. I never knew we could be so patient until I met him. I'm surprised you didn't try to punch him," Meagan mumbled as played with the ring on her finger.
"I wasn't going to punch a kid when his father was around and now that he's gone, I don't want him to go through the same thing we did so I overlooked his whiny behaviour and tried to be there for him." Gus shrugged.
Elli was a little shocked. She would have never guessed that anyone got on their nerves... though Rylar seemed to have made getting on one's nerves a goal of some sort. Elli supposed that not everyone was so outward when they couldn't stand someone though. She knew she wasn't and that the only person she felt fine talking to was Arum. He was always there when someone or something annoyed her and she needed to talk. The only time he wasn't there was last night but she didn't blame him.
"Elli," Stefan said suddenly. She jumped. She didn't notice him coming up. "Can you wake up Arum? We're leaving soon."
She merely nodded and then got up, heading back into her tent. Arum woke up when she came back in, apparently not able to get back to the deep sleep he was in earlier. "We're leaving soon," she mumbled, sitting beside as him as he heaved his body out of his bed roll. "What did you do to your hand?"
"Oh, this?" he asked, holding up his bandaged hand. It was somewhat swollen and when Elli took off the bandages, his knuckles were red with small cuts and also swollen. "I punched a tree. I was mad but I couldn't punch Aletta for a question when she never spoke to me before that. I think she's terrified of me."
"And that's why you're avoiding Peter? What if you make it worse? You have a bad habit of doing that," Elli muttered. He probably broke his knuckles if he punched the tree hard enough and that wouldn't be unlike him.
"I don't want him to crowd me. You know how he is when someone's hurt."
"I see... but what if there's a battle?"
"I'll be alright," Arum said, meeting her in the eyes. Then he got himself ready for the day and both of them were outside packing their tent just as everyone else was doing. Arum hissed in pain, though he was careful to disguise his pain whenever Peter walked by.
"Where are we going?" Misha asked. They were now off to their next location. Arum was carrying everything he and Elli had in their tent on his back.
"We're making a formal base of operations," Syrin muttered quickly. Kaetar looked at him almost sadly, like he knew something the rest of them didn't. Elli was used to that feeling. Kaetar wasn't scared about asking like Elli was. No one dared to ask where their base of operations would be, so Kaetar did know where they were going. She wasn't surprised anymore. He was a more personable Nasir and Stefan, not as outwardly mysterious but he definitely knew more than everyone else did so she put him in with that group.
"Arum, what happened to your hand?" Peter asked suddenly. He was close to Loiya, who didn't seem well, but he somehow noticed Arum's hand when Arum was actually trying to hide it.
"Nothing I can't handle for now," he said. "You can look at it later."
Peter looked concerned but Arum gave him a looked, so he must have decided not to press.
"Syrin," Zara said as she landed on the ground in front of him. "I saw those things that Chibuike was talking about. They're coming."
Syrin frowned. "Damn it, I thought we had more time."
"What are we going to do?" Kaetar asked.
"I came up with a possible way of getting rid of them but it's merely a theory," Syrin muttered. "We will need everyone to protect the mages while they take out the enemy, all the while luring them into one area. I will use Rexcalibur to destroy any that remain should my theory prove unfounded. Nasir, I will need you to protect the supplies and be on standby in case we are overwhelmed. I will also be taking the physic staff with me."
"So you want me to fight?" Stefan asked.
"I want you to make yourself useful, yes."
She looked at Arum nervously. All battles made her nervous, truth be told. Arum made it all look so easy. He wasn't fast but he was strong, he had a wide swing that proved quite lethal, and he had that Astra trick or whatever it was. Even though she learned how to use her swords three years ago, she hardly ever used them until they joined the rebellion since Arum usually took care of any sort of trouble. Arum... had a hard time letting her try things that would put her in danger sometimes. She also looked towards Gus and Meagan. Meagan had her tome clutched tightly in her hands while Gus drew his blade. Gus was protective of her too but she was his wife and a mage.
"Arum, let Peter look at your hand now."
"It should be fine."
She didn't get it. Why did he always do that? He just didn't stop. If he was injured and fighting, he just kept on fighting when the other rebels withdrew to get themselves taken care of. Why was he so stubborn?
In the moments it took for preparation to take, the sandmen she heard so much about it were suddenly there but these ones were nothing she could imagine. They were all about the same height and had the white Crimean armour. The armour looked damaged, so maybe they were taken from the dead. They also had lances that didn't look to be in too good of shape. They moved forward quicker than she imagined but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She knew she moved faster than that. She was worried about Arum though. They could get up after he hit them and she was scared he might get himself overwhelmed.
She quickly dashed after Gus. "Gus," she shouted in a whisper. "Can I ask a favour?"
The look Gus gave her was odd. He seemed surprised and concerned at the same time. "What is it?"
"I need you to try to look out for Arum if you can. I'm worried about him and I think he might get overwhelmed. These are nothing like what we've fought before."
Gus's face eased up and he nodded, swinging his sword into one of those armoured things. His sword made a dent into the armour but it did nothing to really stop the thing from using its lance. It shoved the lance into Gus' direction which he narrowly dodged. His visible eye was wide but the armour suddenly collapsed. All around them, armour collapsed in on itself with sand spilling out.
"What did you do?" Kaetar asked Syrin. He had his bow ready and he fired at one of the ones that didn't fall and stunned it. Nicholas took it down from there. She also saw Aletta's fire and to her surprise, Rylar was backing her up. The laguz were better at stunning them since they could actually knock them to the ground and Zara could knock them down if she jumped and used her falling momentum to make her kick stronger. Her feet could only dent the armour. Mike was in the air and did that swooping thing he always did.
"I merely asked the spirits to leave," Syrin answered.
About a quarter of them were gone and Elli was impressed. She managed to cut down one soldier with a twirl or her blades but it immediately got up again until green blades suddenly cut into it, keeping it down on the ground.
"Elli!" Arum shouted suddenly, driving his sword into one that got too close. Elli frowned. She never felt so... useless before. Even though Syrin had somehow taken out a good chunk of them, she couldn't do much to help the other mages other than to try to keep the sand things down. Casting magic takes time. Arum already had shallow cuts to his arms and Elli had no idea how that happened either. She felt that whenever she looked back, there was new blood somewhere on his person that wasn't there before. He was good at getting hurt, anything to protect her.
She wanted to protect him too. He was just as important to her as she was to him. She learned to fight to help protect him as well. She dodged another lance with a dash to the side. As soon as she had the chance, she cut the pointed part off with her sword. She was surprised the metal was so weak. Was it just that lance? How were the lances not breaking as soon as tried to stab someone? She held her breath as the sandman dropped its lance and went to wrap its hands around her neck. She attacked, driving both her swords into the exposed sand but that did nothing to stop it. She ducked and just as she did, lightning struck it.
That was close.
"Stay by me, Elli," Arum muttered. He looked terrified and she felt bad that he was so worried about her. She needed to be more careful. These weren't normal enemies though. If she was fighting against something that could die, she would not feel so helpless and trapped. She wouldn't be so panicked. Arum stood by her side for a brief moment before he sped forward, swinging his sword rapidly before jumping into the air and landing, fitting in one more strike before Elli managed to catch up. He stunned three of them at once and he took a second to smile at his work. It was the first time he attempted that move since Stefan showed it to him and he pulled it off.
"Are you alright?" she asked as more lightning came down, striking down a sandman when it got too close to her. He stabbed his sword into the armour of one that came too close to him and it went through its armour and out the other side. It was stunned and Arum brief turned around to answer her.
"I'm alright. It hurts but I'll be alright. What about you though?"
"They haven't touched me."
"That's-" he was interrupted when a lance suddenly burst through the front of his body. Arum grunted and the sword fell out of his hands. He seemed surprised, even when the lance was turned completely and yanked out. He was silent. He didn't scream and he didn't groan but just slumped to the ground, his hand covering his wound. He might have been silent but she screamed, especially when the lance coated in his blood was aimed at her. She deflected the blow and pushed, but she didn't have a lot of strength. It attacked again and she stepped away, hitting the lance with her swords when she had the chance. She had a job and she had to keep Arum safe.
Gus was on the ground beside him, holding the wound. She noticed that Arum was on his back now.
"Arum, come on, stay with us," he muttered.
"SYRIN!" she called out, twirling with her blades to keep them at bay. At first, there was the ice magic she saw Syrin do before, that rexcalibur spell he said he would do. Ice and a tornado. Maybe he needed to do it earlier than he said he would. It happened quickly and just as before, there was suddenly a lot of less of them. She could probably count on her hands the amount of sandmen that left behind. Aletta smiled and chanted, adding what looked like a little dance to her chant as the spell hit the sandmen. Nicholas waved his hand in front of him and the magic seemed to materialize, similar to when Syrin used that spell against the powerful dark mage. Meagan was more direct and hit them straight on.
She sighed deeply and immediately sunk to her knees. Arum was too pale, his breathing very heavy. Gus' hands were red and he looked very focused on trying to stop the blood flow. She couldn't see how bad it was but just judging how still Arum was, she knew he wasn't well off. There was a small amount of light under Gus' hand and when he lifted them, Elli could see his wound healing. The small cuts on his arms were gone and the large wound that was made larger when that thing twisted the lance was suddenly a lot smaller. It was still bleeding, but it was a manageable wound.
Rylar ran over with a vulnerary in his hands. He poured it on Arum's wound and this time, he reacted, grabbing Rylar's arm and moving his legs. He groaned. "C'mon you asshole! You are NOT allowed to break my nose and then go die! What the hell were you thinking?" Rylar shouted, shaking Arum. Arum looked like he could hear something, as his eyes kept darting around, but he couldn't focus. He couldn't settle on one voice.
She wanted to yell at Rylar for shaking him but she couldn't think of what to say.
Gus backed off, giving Peter space to inspect him. He frowned.
"Is he going to be okay, right?" she dared to asked.
"I... don't know. We've closed the wound but I've seen people die some time after their wound has closed. By the looks of it, he lost a lot of blood," Peter said with a frown. He had two fingers on Arum's wrist and called his name but Arum made no response to him, even though his eyes were open. He looked like he was trying to focus on something again but he seemed too dazed and confused to even do that. She was worried.
"You're not allowed to say that you don't know! Arum won't leave me," she said very defiantly. She didn't want to yell at Peter but she was suddenly frustrated. Arum was still conscious, he was still trying! Surely it was strength like that would carry him through! And he survived his first wound with just stitches and he had a giant scar to show for that one! He could survive a lot, he did survive a lot, and he said he wouldn't leave her alone. She didn't know what to do if Arum died. How could she handle her second family dying on her?
"Elli-"
"NO! He said he wouldn't leave me! I'm not going to lose him when I already lost everyone else! He promised he would stay!" she screamed.
"Elli, I'm just trying to be realistic. I don't want to give you false hopes about his survival because I think that would hurt you even more. I just... you should at least be prepared to say goodbye. I'm not saying that I give up on him though. I'll fight as long as he is willing to fight too, but you should know he might not make it."
She was livid but Arum suddenly sat up and vomited. It was mostly blood. Gus had both of his hands on his shoulders.
"Is he still bleeding?" Rylar asked.
"No, if it cut his stomach, then blood might have started collecting in his stomach until Syrin healed him. The stomach doesn't deal with blood very well," Peter explained. Arum slumped forward with his eyes rolled back. Elli caught him and hugged him tightly. Peter stood up and removed his outer robes. He fitted it on to Arum and he looked very strange in it but he did feel cold to the touch. She could feel small tremors that she hoped was due to a drop in his temperature.
"That should keep him warm. We need to get himself to somewhere safe."
"There's no where for him to go," Syrin said simply. "We can't stay here either. We have no choice but to continue to move forward."
"He needs rest!" Peter insisted.
"He won't get it here or anywhere nearby! We can wait here like sitting ducks for another wave of the sand creatures, wait for Crimeans to pick us off, or we can go to the nearest fort where we have the best chance of protecting him," Syrin muttered, glaring at both Elli and Peter. "Your choice." Elli frowned.
"I will carry him," Rykuu said. He instantly transformed. Gus nodded, and he along with Peter lifted Arum off the ground. Rykuu lowered himself to the ground, and Elli watched with her breath held as the two of them flipped him over so that Arum's stomach was along the tiger's back. Nasir, Elli didn't know when he arrived, used some cloth to tie Arum to Rykuu, tying his hands together and then tying them to Rykuu.
Peter and Elli were the ones who walked slowly beside Rykuu as he slowly followed Syrin's lead. Elli watched him carefully, looking for any sign of positive change. No colour returned to his face, his breathing was still deep and he was very limp. It hurt to watch him in such a condition but part of her kept telling her that if she looked away, something would happen to him. If she didn't watch, she wouldn't know if something happened and she couldn't have that.
She gingerly reached out and touched the side of his cheek, then frowned when there was no reaction. She discovered, through observation, thankfully, that when Arum was startled awake with noise or touch then his fists tended to react first. She found that out when she was young, around seven or maybe eight, when a traveller tried to see if they were alright because they were sleeping near the side of the road. That man ended up being much like Rylar did. He was at least rather forgiving.
For Arum to stay still meant that he was really not there. Peter looked at her, his face concerned. She thought she still looked odd without his robes on – he was muscular and she never realized it. Underneath his robes, he just wore white pants and a sleeveless shirt that somehow made him seem more muscular. It just betrayed her thoughts of priests looked like. His robes were magical or something. With it on Arum, his muscles were well hidden and he lacked the muscles she knew he had. "Are you alright?" he asked. Elli shrugged. She wouldn't truly feel alright until she knew that Arum would be fine. It was being in the unknown that was bugging her so much.
"The first night will be the hardest for him," Peter said. "If he makes it to the morning, his chances will be a lot better. His chances will continue to improve as the week goes on."
He had to just make it through the night, less than half a day away. Just one night and she would have an answer. She couldn't wait though.
A lot could happen in one night. She learned that the day her family died.
As much as she hated to admit it, her memories of her family were slipping from her grasp. She could recount some of her time with Arum when she was young. However, her older brother, who was the same age Arum had been at the time, was a blur. She could remember some arguments, her brother taking her toy from her, she could remember jumping over his dead body to find Arum some help and to save herself, but his name escaped her. She couldn't really remember his face.
Her father was the one she remembered the least. Her father was gone for most of the day and she figured that he was out earning gold for their family. Her father happened to be home the day the bandits invaded their home. She learned from Arum that the only reason why Arum knew something was even wrong was because her father dragged himself outside and screamed until someone came. Arum said he asked him to save his family because he was out of time. He died in front of Arum, his last words being about family.
Her clearest memory of her mother was her sacrifice but she also remembered her being kind and beautiful. She remembered that her mother would tell her stories at bed with passion, that she cooked and Elli liked to help her. Elli took after her in terms of appearance, according to Nicholas' father.
Suddenly, Syrin motioned for everyone to stop. In the distance, she could see some sort of building. That must have been the fort Syrin mentioned. She saw him talking to Zeke, who ran off intermediately. She waited quietly as he returned.
"It's an empty fort, guys. There's a fine layer of dust in there too, so I guess it's been a couple of weeks or so since anyone's been there," Zeke mumbled.
"So we just have to clean up and then Arum's good to stay," Peter said. "C'mon guys!"
It looked like something bothered Syrin though and that worried Elli. However, if it was just a clean up that Arum needed then she would clean. That's what she did when when they did work for a couple of inns for room and board. It was also what she did when Arum was recovering from the wound he got saving her. It was her way of helping out that family.
"Yes, let's go in. Stay armed," Syrin answered. Slowly, everyone filed in. Arum was untied and placed on the ground so that Rykuu could transform, but he then held Arum in his arms. The bedrooms were up two floors. She could only assume that the first two floors were used for defence of some kind or storage. She picked a room and decided that it wasn't too dusty. Peter produced a handkerchief and together, they did a basic dusting of the room. She took the sheets off the bed outside and beat the dust out of them before taking them back in so Arum could use the bed. It was a long night and a long trip, but Arum was still with them by the time he had been tucked into the bed.
It was a relief.
However, she wasn't tired. She wanted to stay with Arum but at the same time, Peter was with him and she needed a distraction, so she decided to help clean the other rooms as well. She might as well be useful and pass some time. Arum wouldn't want her worry about him all the time. Besides, everyone else needed sleep too and she didn't expect them all to sleep in a cloud of dust. She went from room to room, removing the sheets and taking them outside while everyone else dusted their rooms. Aletta had gone outside with her and together, the two of them beat the sheets.
"Has Arum gotten any better?"
"There's no change," she answered simply.
"I still feel bad about bringing up his mother's name though. I was just so curious because he reacted before but he said nothing. I was... I am kind of scared of him so I didn't want to get in his way," she said quietly.
"He's a nice person though... he just doesn't look like it all the time," Elli answered. She said it all the time but it was true. Arum was a nice guy once you got past the cold shoulder part of him. Eventually, he may become friends with the other women in the rebellion and maybe talking about his mother would help. It would make her life easier if he didn't feel the need to avoid women all the time.
"I see that when he's around you but around everyone else, he hardly ever smiles," she said with a frown. "I guess I know why."
"You know, he doesn't hate you. I mean, he was kind of mad about what happened but he didn't want to hurt you. Who knows? Maybe when he wakes up, he might be more willing to be more open around other women." At least, she hoped that he would start to open up more considering the fact that everyone knew now. Aletta said nothing else and only nodded in understanding, so they both took the sheets back into the forts and set them up on the beds.
She checked in on Arum one more time, holding his hand in hers briefly before disappearing to find a place to sleep. She was dead tired and she hoped she was exhausted enough to fall asleep and stay asleep. She also hoped it was enough to keep her from dreaming. Elli knew she couldn't handle it. She just needed to sleep, wake up, and find that everything would be fine.
I got Elli done! She is kind of like me where I don't talk a lot in front of others but that's still so much better than me being on my own.
As for the healing staff, I see no reason why they would actually replace any blood and there's no real science in Fire Emblem because you have magic! But I don't want a story where magic is the be all save all. If you can just heal with magic, then theoretically you wouldn't even really need to understand how everything works and that's a damn shame. I'm trying to sit in the middle of magic and science.
But I hope the chapter wasn't too bad.