Chapter 11: Limping Towards Peace

Day thirteen and I was still unhappy with Emmeryn. She let herself get kidnapped, full well knowing that it could lead her too her death. Gangrel had personally brought her in on day eight. Grima hasn't shown up though, so that's a plus. I haven't given her an answer yet. If she doesn't show up I won't call out to her. I'll bet anyone 100 gold that Emmeryn has something to do with that. I look at the Exalt, daintily sitting on the rock-hard bed, staring at the wall, deep in thought. I sigh remembering the conversation we had a week ago.

"What the hell." I say staring at the Exalt of Ylisse. She was standing on the other side of the cell arms folded in front of her.

"I have been taken prisoner. Where else would they put prisoners?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. I run a hand over my face and sigh.

"You're going to die." I say bluntly. She winces but nods.

"I know, Marth told me." She says. Now it's my turn to raise an eyebrow.

"You do kn-" Emmeryn puts her hand over my mouth with wide eyes. She shakes her head violently. I am now officially confused. I gently pull her hand off give her a confused look. She stands in front of me with her back to the cell. She motions me to look away.

"Why?" I ask. She sighs.

"Just do it." She pleads. I shrug and look towards the wall. out of the corner of my eye, I see her reach into her shirt and pull something out. I can't hold a snicker. I get a smack to the head.

"I deserve that." I say and turn back to see her blushing face. She holds out the letter and won't look me in the eye. I snicker and grab the letter. I take it and look at it. It's in girly handwriting and it wasn't Robin's. I look up at Emmeryn to see her walking over to the bed. "On a scale of one to ten…" I draw it out and she sighs as she sits down.

"It was the only place they wouldn't check." She says. "And ten if you must know." I snicker and open it up.

Dear Uncle,

Mother wanted you to know part of the plan before she, and I quote, beat him till he doesn't know what the truth is anymore. She hasn't forgiven you just yet, but she still cares for you enough to come and save you, with a push from Olivia. If I were you, I would thank her with something extravagant. Anyway, the Shepherds know about you and where you come from and that you have been kidnapped also. We figured it out last week. We are all coming to save you but Aunt Emmeryn wanted to head back to Ylisse. She had said that she had been away from the people for too long. So, mother worked her into the plan. Mother has a plan for everything, including Risen Snipers. Aunt Emmeryn is helping Uncle Gaius make a map of the place where you are held captive. Apparently, she has a photographic memory. Uncle Gaius is doing recon of the Plegian prison, castle and courtyard. Mother thought you would want to know. I will be saying good bye now and let someone else write to you as well. Good bye Uncle, please be safe and well.

I smile at that last sentence. Lucina cared and that made me feel happy. Robin kept me in the loop, which I am happy for. I'm glad she didn't give up on me quite yet. I would have given up on me. The next paragraph had different girly hand writing.

It's Olivia…

I never knew two words could make me freeze, but here they are. Granted you have to remember context. I wince and continue reading with dread.

writing now. I hope you are okay and not seriously injured. Your, no our niece told most of us everything. We couldn't find Kellam at all. She told us about you being from a different planet and how this is just a game. I wish you told me, but I can't change that. All I can try to change is to find a way, so you can tell me why you kept it from me. I want a reason why. That and you safe with us are the two things that I want most right now. You owe all of us an explanation. Chrom, Robin, Stahl, Donnel, and the rest of us. I have a feeling you know that anyway. I have questions for you, but I will save those for later. Ridley misses you and so do I. She has been moody lately and barely plays now. I think she will get better once you get back. I'm running out of room, so I'll ask one more thing and say bye. Do you care for us? That's all I want to know. Please be safe and I Miss you.

She wrote the last two words very bold like she was covering something up. I read the last question. Do you care for us? I fold it up and stuff it under the pillow by Emmeryn. Once I finish that she looks at me.

"Photographic memory?" I ask.

"It's very helpful in council meetings." She said with a smile and we broke into conversation about mundane topics to avoid guards overhearing things.

I hear a clanging on the bars. It's Aversa and Gangrel in all their gross, slimy, glory. Gangrel had a sadistic smile and a large bag full of things in his hands. Aversa held some rope, and a blank expression. "Well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well what do we have here? The Exalt and the traitor all for me. It must be my birthday." He sneered and had a guard open the door for him. I stood up and walked over to stand in front of Emmeryn. He would have to go through me to get to her. He cackled and motioned towards me.

Two guards rushed in and grabbed me. I ripped my hands out of their grasp only to be punched in the stomach. Emmeryn gasped and Gangrel laughed. I was forced to kneel on the ground and was grabbed by the two guards. "It would be much easier if you didn't make a fuss. We aren't going to hurt the Exalt." He says. I was pulled up and pushed over to the bars. "The best way to hurt a good ruler and leader…" He dropped the bag and rummaged inside it. Metal clanging came from the bag and I was starting to feel afraid. My right hand was being tied to the cage as was my left. Aversa walked in the cell and stood to my right. Emmeryn was standing still with a spear in her face from one of the guards. Gangrel pulled out a small hammer and tossed at my feet. I gulped. "…Is to hurt his or her people. And now that you call yourself Ylissian, I might as well hurt you Bwahahaha!" He said pulling out a larger hammer and swung it around before smacking it in his palm with a crazed expression.

"Gangrel please don't do this!" Emmeryn begged but that only helped harden his resolve.

"I think I'm hitting the right spot if she is begging." He said. I tried ripping my hands free but to no avail. Aversa pulled of my bandages and now I was shirtless. Even though I haven't been feed properly for two straight weeks I looked fairly healthy. Sure, I was thinning a little bit but overall not too bad. Aversa crawled her hand down my chest and down to trace the scare on my stomach.

"My, my. You still look yummy." She said and licked her lips. I hate to admit it, but her tracing my scar felt good. Her finger going in slow circles softly along the scar tissue. "Shame you left. We might have had fun." She said sensually and gave it a light tap before taking her hand off. She looked to Gangrel, as did I. He was fuming.

"Ohh…" I say, and she turned back to me. "You conniving bitch." I spit out. She smirked.

"I know." She said. She leaned forward and whispered in my ear. "Grima says the deal was off once you opened the letter. She now knows where your heart truly lies." I lean my head back on a bar that was there and closed my eyes. '…well fuck.' I heard the door to the cage close and I turn to look out. Aversa is starting to walk off. I feel like there is something I should say… what was it? Wait, why do I care? She wasn't playable… ohhh.

"Wellspring of Truth! Go there!" I yell after her. She looks back and smiles.

"Good try future boy." She says and walks away. I look back to Gangrel who is Still angry but for some reason let that whole thing happen.

"You done yet?" He asks angrily. I just nod. "Good, because you will wish you weren't." He said swinging the hammer in his hand. "Spread his fingers." He orders and the two guards behind me open my hands. He walks up close and bangs the hammer on the bars in between my hands and face. He stares at me and I stare back. His blood red eyes hunger for sadistic pleasure. I am the source of the only way he can please it. "I know she did that to get me mad at you." He said quietly. My eyes widen as he sneers. "She can do that all she wants. I still torture two people for the price of one. You're the one that is going to hurt really, really bad." He said. I wince at the Suicide Squad quote. He smiled and pulled the hammer back and started swinging.

"My king! The Ylissian army has taken out the Grimleal in the desert." A guard said rushing up to the cell. The hammer hit the same spot as he bore a hole into the guard with his eyes.

"Do I look like I care?" He shouted at him.

"They took the girl and are on their way here." The guard said.

"So?" Gangrel said.

"Uhh… That camp was three days out and the messenger just got back so they must be close." That caught his attention. He straightened up.

"Why didn't you start with that." He said. He then threw the hammer at the guard and I heard footsteps rushing out of there. He followed the footsteps with his eyes and sighed. "I can't have any fun anymore. You two untie him." I feel the rope loosen. I pull my left hand out quickly and-

CRACK!

I went limp. Only being held up by the rope around my right wrist. I went numb. I heard a shriek and some laughter, but it was all faded. I look down at my left leg. It wasn't bending like it was supposed to. Halfway down my shin was bent in an almost ninety-degree angle inward. I had broken my first bone or bones. The rope on my wrist fell off and I fell, like a sack of rocks on the floor. I was now feeling the pain. It was throbbing and not at the same time. Inside my leg felt like I had fire in my blood. Someone had poured hot embers in my leg and stitched it up. I tried moving it. as soon as I lifted my leg, my calf lit up with pain. I hissed and stopped automatically. Now would be a good time to scream and writhe in pain.

I let out a scream in pain that I could only dream of doing again. Even though I hurt I could tell that the scream was a powerful one. I roll so I'm putting my weight on the right side of my body. I heard laughing as the door closed. I roll so I'm facing straight up. I see the blurry ceiling and wince again. My breathing was short and labored. I fell the tears stream down my face as I stare blankly. My head was gently lifted and placed on to something soft. Emmeryn's face appeared in my vision and she was crying too.

"I'm sorry." She said through tears. "I'm so sorry." I shake my head softly on her lap.

"It's not… your… fault." I say very shaky.

"But it is." She asserted. I don't feel like arguing so I just close my eyes.

"Whatever." I say quietly. "We need… to get this… stable… Do we… have boards from… the box still here." I am slowly regaining my voice. She looks up and nods.

"We do."

"Rope?" I ask. She looks to the bars.

"Gaius?" She asked in a shocked tone. I turn my head to see the solider that warned Gangrel, with his hat off. It was Gaius. He looked so remorseful and worried. In his hands he held a stave and a torch. He held the stave out to us.

"I…" He started before stopping and lowering his head. "I tried to stop him. I'm sorry. I hope this can help. It's a mend stave I believe. It wasn't that hard to steal." Emmeryn gently moved my head and rushed to grab it.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." She said earnestly. "I have a little bit of training with staves, so this could help with the pain." I started sitting up. I winced at the pain, but I did it anyway. Emmeryn rushed back over to my side. "This should numb the pain and decrease the swelling but won't be enough. This will have to heal naturally." She held it in front of my limp leg and started healing it. Instant relief flooded my body and most importantly my leg. I sigh and lean back on my hands.

Gaius stood awkwardly at the bars with a sucker in his mouth. Now that I got a good look at him his hair was unnaturally orange. He looked shorter and thinner than me but was most likely faster. He looked really worried and concerned.

"Thank you." I say. He recoiled and looked at me.

"Why? Your leg is broken because I couldn't drag that slimy son of a bitch away in time." He crunched down on the lollypop and threw the stick at the wall. he pulled out another one.

"Can I have one?" I ask. He narrowed his eyes and threw me the one in his hands. I caught it and popped it in my mouth. Strawberry.

"Only because you're injured. Don't think you get more freebies after we get you two out. Got it?" He said and pulled another one out and stuck that one in his mouth. I gave him a lazy salute. He chuckled. "I need to come up with a nickname for you. Your sister is Bubbles, Chrom is Blue, and Cordelia is Mother. Why the hell did she want me to wash my hair?" he muttered that last part before shaking his head. "I'll call you… Blazer." I raise an eyebrow.

"I like it, but why?"

"When you screamed I thought 'what in the blazes of hell was that' also, a trailblazer is someone who travels through wild countries. You are from another world, so this is all wild country to you." He said and shrugged. I nod and sigh when he said I was from another world.

"Your stretching for that but whatever." I say quietly. "Now get out of here before you get caught." He nods and rushes away.

"Later Blazer, your majesty." He said while leaving. I sigh and look back to Emmeryn who had put the mend staff down and went to collect some boards from the box.

"Thank you." I say.

"It's the least I could do." She said.

"No, it isn't." I say, and she smiles. She props boards on the side of my legs and rushes to the rope. "Please tie it really tight to keep my leg straight." She nods and starts. I lay down and close my eyes.
'How the hell am I supposed to help when my Naga damned leg is broken! I can't! He knew that, smart bastard.' I sigh. 'I think… no this is real. This pain is real. But with pain comes love and all other emotions. I fell things for these characters, no… people. I feel things for these people. With Chrom, I feel calm and ready to face whatever comes my way. With Stahl and Donnel I feel accepted and a part of the group. We trained and laughed together. They were my friends. With the Shepherds, I feel like a piece of something great. Like I am a member of something important. Like I matter. With Robin… with Robin.' I smile at the thought of my big sister. 'I now know what it is like to be the younger sibling. With Robin, we fought side by side and I knew I could always depend on her. Olivia… I think I am falling in love. Actually, I know it.' I chuckle and open my eyes. 'I care about them. I care about all of them.'

OWD

I was helped up to a rib of Grima to be executed. Holy shit, that's a story to tell back home. Hey mom, dad, guess what I did when I was in a coma? I was almost executed on top of a giant dragon skeleton. I say almost because I'm going to live. I have changed so much already. It's practically impossible for me to die. Emmeryn on the other hand, most likely won't die. If Robin is as good as all of the Shepherds say, then we are saved. If not, then I don't know.

I stand on the one farther from the castle and courtyard. It was honestly a beautiful view. You can see the Plegian capital and… that's about it really but it was a beautiful desert shot. Perfect for movies with desert scenes. The Plegian Capital was under the pelvic bone of Grima, shaded off and about 1,000 yards away. That would be a cool shot too.

I wince as I shuffle around. I have no support and they won't let me sit down so I'm leaning heavily on my right leg as my makeshift splint is still on. I wonder if they have actual splints or something like that at in Ylisse. Gaius came by last night and threw me a plain, thin, long sleeve, white shirt. Emmeryn borrowed a knife from him and delicately cut my left pant leg off so I look even more tattered than before.

We are pretty high up there and my fear of heights is not helping right now. Leaning to one side makes me even more scared. If we fall, we will die because it happened in the game. I look to the left of me and Emmeryn was looking at me. She had a sad look and looked down. I am refusing to look down because my stomach will turn into a blender. I hate heights by the way. I look past her and see the masses gathering in the courtyard. They looked forced and unwilling. They didn't want to be there.

The executioner behind me began sharpening his axe on the bone, which is probably a terrible idea. I can see the ugly asshole Gangrel walk onto a podium. The army weakly cheered him on. He waves his arms to calm nothing down. "Good people! Warriors of Plegia! Welcome! Welcome, one and all! Your anticipation electrifies the air!"

"I feel fear in the air." I mutter.

"Shut up you deserting bastard!" The executioner said with a gravelly voice. I sigh and shut up. 'You can't desert from Plegia if you weren't ever from Plegia.' I tap my head and chuckle to myself.

"We all remember the crimes of Ylisse... would you have their witch-queen answer for them? Here? Today? NOW? YEEEEEEEEEES! How about the deserter? He who was too weak for the Plegian army and fled to Ylisse? Him too? Here? Now? Again YEEEEEEEEEEES!" Gangrel screams. He looks up to the executioner behind me and nodded. He looked behind the executioner on Emmeryn's rib bone. "EXECUTIONER! If you would be so kind…"

I feel the executioner walking up to me. He swung the axe back and forth. The noises scared me and now I fear I might have been too overconfident. He lets out a low rumbling laugh. I go as stiff as a board and start praying. A step… another one… a swing… the light breeze of some hot wind… another step… another swing… A shout… A shout? I look over to Emmeryn's bone to see Gaius and a sliced-up executioner. He looked over at me and smirked. A thump behind me caught my attention. Lon'qu stood behind me with a grumpy stoic expression. "Let's go." He said. He then looked at my leg and grunted. "That'll make things troublesome."

"What is going on?" Gangrel shouted angrily. Lon'Qu in response kicked off the body of the executioner. He walked over to me and wrapped an arm around my left shoulder. I wrapped my arm around his and we started hobbling off. "OH HO HO. What have we here? The Ylissians have come for their demon-queen and their favorite renegade. We've been expecting you. Men: Kill the Exalt. Kill the traitor. Kill the others. Kill the prince or tactician. Kill anyone you see! KILL THEM ALL! BWAHAHAHA!" He laughed and ran towards the castle.

"Coward." Lon'qu said. I nodded as we hobbled down the stairs made out of bone. We hear the Clanging of metal on metal. Emmeryn and Gaius rush down the stairs in front of us and now all I can think about is, what happens next? If we actually save Emmeryn, how do we end this war as quickly as it ended in the actual games story? Lon'qu helps me over a soldier's body and we continue.

"How did you get up here?" I ask.

"Gaius made a map, with the help of the Exalt." He said roughly and labored. I'm not making this easy for him. We reach the bottom and take a right. I hobble while he carries. We walked in silence, but I wasn't comfortable with it at all. He was though. It's like a game of who would break first except he had the advantage. He had an uneasy air around him. I finally snapped.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked. He grunted.

"If it were up to me, I would have stabbed you myself on the night of the assassination attempt. But it's not up to me. Robin asked me too, so I complied." He said. I wish I didn't ask. He obviously had some form of grudge against me, whether it was for lying to the Shepherds or to Olivia, I don't know. I'll ask.

"Is it because I lied?" He snorted.

"I could care less about where you came from. You made Olivia cry that night. That's what I care about." That is new news.

"I made her cry?" I ask.

"She and Robin were both messes that night. Both for different reasons. She almost left to Ferox."

"What stopped her?" I hesitantly ask. He stopped and turned to face me.

"You can ask her that yourself. But remember this…" I feel something sharp right next to my nuts. "If you do that again, I will cut this off, and that is if Basilio doesn't do it first. Understand?" I gulp and nod quickly. He turns back, and we keep walking. This time the silence wasn't awkward. I sigh and drop my head.

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

"You know?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"You showed guilt when I first answered your question. People who are sorry show it. you speak louder in your actions than words. Your actions were one of a man with regrets."

"At least these regrets can be fixed."

"Not many people get a chance like this…" He paused. A guard was standing there with quivering hands around a spear. He was shaking, and we could see sweat run down his face.

"St-stop in the name of Plegia, or… or I will be forced to-to take you down." He said with a shaky voice. Lon'qu grunted and unwound his arm around my shoulder and reached for his sword. The solider went into a battle stance. "Lo-looks like I have n-no choice then." His eyes switched between Lon'qu and myself. I leaned against a wall, trying to rest my leg. Lon'qu narrowed his eyes and rushed the solider. He jumped and held went for a stab. Lon'qu dodged the spear and knocked it out of his hands. He then held his Killing Edge up to the soldier's throat.

"Leave." The soldier ran. Lon'qu sheathed his sword and walked back to me. We then started up the same hobble routine again. We don't say much.

"Thank you for sparing him." I say. He grunted.

"He was weak. Wouldn't be a challenge so he needed to leave."

"I highly doubt that was the reason but whatever." I say gaining my teasing voice back. He scoffed and shook his head. "You know, you are just one big softy."

"I am not soft." He hissed.

"In some ways you are. You let that kid go because he was scared, and you threated me for making Olivia cry. That's something an older brother would do." I smirk as he actually blushes.

"Quiet or I will cut it off for the hell of it." I laugh, my first actual laugh in weeks, and we charge forward.

The metal clanging was still going strong as we take another right. Shouting and slicing was heard outside. We take a left this time and I see two big doors and a ray of sunlight piercing through the crack in between the two. It lit up the unnaturally dark hallway. I saw three other figures at the end of the hallway. Emmeryn and Gaius were talking to Flavia. She was tapping her foot impatiently while Emmeryn was looking worried at the door. Gaius was lounging on a pillar popping candy into his mouth. We hobbled some more until they noticed us.

"Well it's about ti- oh my naga what the hell happened to you?" Flavia asked. She changed her statement halfway through when she looked at my leg.

"Gangrel had fun." I say.

"Fun… that's a screwed-up version of fun." She said before shaking her head. "We'll escort you two out the back and I'll give the signal for the armies to pull back."

"Retreat?" Gaius asked.

"It ain't retreating if we got what we wanted. The Exalt and the Time traveling blonde boy."

"Dimensional traveling." I say, and all four heads turn to me. "It's actually dimensional travelling. Lucina and her friends time traveled." Flavia heaved out a large sigh.

"Who the hell cares? Let's just get out of here."

"I'm just saying…" The doors open, and two people walk in. I had to look away because it was too bright.

"Jordan…" There was a long pause. "Shut up." I look back towards the door as Robin stood there with her arms crossed. Chrom rushed to Emmeryn to check on her. I turned my attention back to Robin whose expression I couldn't read. She was angry, I could see that by her frown and crossed arms. But her eyes held something else, like worry and fear. Lon'qu let go of my shoulder and I leaned back to my right. Her eyes looked me over before settling on my leg. Her expression changed to shock.

"Oh my Naga. What happened?" She asked. I stayed quiet as I feel tears start to fall from my eyes. The first thing she asks is if I'm okay, or a version of that. Yet she still said something that she would if this never happened. She cares. Even after all I did. Even after the lies and the betrayal. I hobble over to her. "NO, don't walk. It could dama-" she stopped as I violently pulled her into a hug and cried onto her shoulder. She still cared. That was enough. I feel hands softly placed on my back and her face buried into my shoulder with some tears of her own.

"I'm sorry." I cry in between sobs. "I'm so sorry Robin. I am so sorry."

"I…" Robin started but couldn't finish as she started crying harder. The doors were opening and closing with loud, recognizable voices but I really didn't care at all.

"Please don't hate me. I can't lose family again. I just can't…" I sob out. She nodded on my shoulder. We hold each other for a long time before Flavia said something about leaving. She pulls apart and wipes her eyes. I do the same. I stare down at her as she stares up. "I'm so sorry. Please let me make it up to you. Any way at all." I plead. She looks at me with a sad face. Chrom walks over and stands by Robin. She looked up at him. He places a hand on her shoulder and gives a mini shrug. She sighs and looks back at me.

"You can start by promising me that you won't lie again."

"I promise on my two sisters on earth that I won't lie about something this big again." I say.

"That's not what she said." Chrom said with a little bit of fire.

"It's fine Chrom. He has his reasons for saying it that way." She says. "I just hope they are pure."

"I'd lie about a surprise party." I say. That got Robin to smile, granted it was a small sad smile, but a smile never the less. I look around. The shepherds were rushing down the corridor to my left. I saw Donnel carrying a passed out Lissa in his arms and Stahl rushing with Sully. I look over them to try and find-

"She's not here." Chrom says. "She and Lucina are getting the transports ready at the Midmire." That's where we first see her in the game. Huh, funny how things work out. The door opens, and a huge slab of wood is placed to lock up the doors. Basilio turned around to see us, mainly me. He narrowed his eyes and quickly walked to me. I tried stepping back but I stepped with my left leg. I cried out in pain and fell on my ass. The heavy footsteps became softer as they reached me. He bent down and looked at my leg.

"When we get back we will have a trained medic look at it." He said before pulling me up and throwing me over his shoulder. I yelped, and he grabbed onto my right leg. "But for now, you have two objectives. Objective one: Explain yourself." Easy enough. "Objective two: Explain why I don't kill you when we get back to Regna Ferox." Not easy enough. I sigh and look over to Robin who was holding in a giggle and Chrom who was keeping a stern look. He just nodded.

"I'll start once we get out of here." I say.

"Good that." Basilio said and started running out of there. Flavia, Robin and Chrom followed. It's going to be one long trip. I really do wish She was here. She makes things easier, better, brighter. She deserves to know as well. I also want her here so if I say the wrong thing Basilio doesn't kill me on the spot. But what can you do. My mind goes back to what Lon'qu said.

"Not many people get a chance like this…" He was cut off but based on the letters and what has happened here, I have a pretty good guess at what he was going to say. "…Use it.


AN: Another chapter down, many more to go. How many? You'll find out. Anyway not much to say this time, so I'll use this to respond to reviews and such. If you have any questions, please ask them in the review section. i am willing to answer any and all. I also have a poll going on. It will help me decide what my next story will be. Please pick one of the four. It will be up until OWD is done. Next chapter will be a lot of dialogue and explaining, maybe a little action but not from our favorite hunter here. Anyway next chapter will be up in two weeks or less, depends on motivation, finding a job, and school work. Okay see you later.-3008


TheSaiyan21(CH.11) : Not as ham as Gangrel and his breaking legs fun time. I agree with Olivia having no ulterior motives for him and would have made sense, but explanations will be coming shortly. Next chapter will be a very psychology chapter. Hopefully psych class will help out here. In my version of the story it's more dark gray and light gray than black and white like in the game. Naga is almost pure white, while Grima is almost pure black, and thats it. Chrom is closer to white than black and Jordan is edging his way back into the light gray spectrum. It's the same way with life. Barely anything is white or black. It feels more natural to have a motive instead of i hate everything and want to burn it all. Thx for your review and insight.

MadcapErikaSparkle(CH.11): Thumbs up to you.

Guest (Ch.11): How many times have you been kidnapped by the devil? Just kidding. Thank you for the review and I am very glad you are enjoying it so far. It means a lot when you or anyone says such nice things about this. I really appreciate it and i'm thankful for it. Please keep reading!