After Grima
Part 1
New Kid in Town
Chapter one: Almost home/The unexpected guest
After what seemed like forever it was time to head home. Lucina and Inigo will be back with their parents once again, as well as the other sons and daughters of the shepherds who stayed behind. Everything was going as planned. They fought through a few hordes of risen with little to no trouble (minor injuries) and were just outside of Southdown.
"Just a small setup tonight," Lucina said to everyone "we leave at dawn and we will be at the capitol around eight o'clock." A small murmur of excited talk arose from this because everyone was really excited to be home for the last month of the year. Mostly because Exalt day was fast approaching. This was the day that the first Exalt defeated the Fell dragon long ago with the famous Falchion Blade. On this day they have feasts and gifts are occasionally given. This year will be very special for Lucina because of their success many months ago ridding the Fell Dragon forever. "Gods this month will be one I need." Lucina thought to herself. "Father I'm almost home."
"Hey sis?" came a voice from outside the tent
"Inigo." Lucina answered. "What is it?"
"I'm going to have to bunk with you tonight." Inigo said coming into the tent. He is a tall man with hair about the same color as his sisters, and one earing in the shape of a fang one of his ears. "There are no more beds in the boy's tent since Brady isn't in the hospital tent." Inigo said with a slight yawn in his voice. It had been a rough day for them since they had to bypass a small village because they fell behind schedule at Southdown. It was incredibly rough for Inigo since Morgan tripped and twisted her ankle, he offered to give her a piggy back ride for the last half mile of the trip,
"Ok just step out for a bit I need to get ready." Lucina said going slightly red in the face. Being older it is a little bit more embarrassing then when they were kids.
"No problem," Inigo replied "I'm gonna take a stroll around camp see if anyone needs my help."
"Don't you mean to see if Morgan needs help?" another voice chimed in. It was Severa
"I.. Why... I'll... I'm leaving..." Inigo said, leaving; his face was very similar to the color of a cherry.
"What did you need Severa?" Lucina asked with just a slight giggle.
"Something one of my informants from the nearby village told me when we you sent me with a scouting group." She said sounding concerned. Lucina's face turned from slightly bashful to worry.
"What did he say?" She asked very concerned.
"Well," She began, "He didn't have the exact details but a leader of a Ruffian group, Capa, is in this area and he was spotted conversing with man who was doing an street show with his family, The family checks out but the main man is apparently a very skilled assassin." She finished sounding far more concerned for her personality normally would be.
"capa..." Lucina thought. "This is very troubling news. My father has spoken of Capa before, he is ruthless." Lucina sighed "Who else have you told?"
"Robin, Morgan, and a couple of the lead guards," she replied, "They are asking others to help out with guard duty right now but I'm going to set up right next to your tent tonight just in case."
"You have my gratitude Severa." Lucina replied with a slight sigh of relief.
"Don't mention it. Severa said with a sight tint of red in her face. "Seriously though, Don't." She heads into the next tent kicking out some of the main guards to setup in there. Having Severa close by will make her feel safer knowing someone who is very skilled with a blade, someone she would like to say is her friend (maybe best friend) by her side.
"Seriously though, Don't." As Severa kicks the guards out and have them patrol she sits on the makeshift bed. She normally doesn't do nice things to people. Why is she all of a sudden, willingly on guard duty? For the Exalts son and daughter even? The man who ruined her life because of her mother, why is she protecting his children. She paces a bit not knowing what she thinks of the situation. Then it hit her. Morgan. Inigo wants to be with Morgan so badly, and she thinks that Morgan likes him as well, she just doesn't know it yet. She is doing this for her sister, not the Exalt or his kids. Without Inigo, Morgan will be an emotional wreck. That is why she is doing this.
"I can't believe those two." Inigo says kicking a fallen branch out of the way. "Why can't I just get the damn courage to talk to her about how I feel?" He slides down the side of a tree and starts grabbing little rocks and takes aim at a stick that is stuck into the ground. One hit, two hit, three hit, four...
"Is that you Inigo?" Said a voice off to his right
"Who? Morgan?!" Inigo replied dropping his rocks and standing up quickly. Too quickly as his head hit a low hanging branch.
"Are you ok?" Morgan asks with a giggle in her voice
"I'm fine thanks." He replies. It's a good thing its dark he thought, she might not see the embarrassment growing redder and redder in his face. "Why are you out here? You should be resting your ankle"
"I's fine, I actually came to ask what are you doing out here?" She replied sounding worried. "Severa just told me."
"What did she tell you?" He asked haste fully, hopping she had not told her his feelings.
"You don't know?" She asked getting more concerned "Her informant in the nearest village said there was a man in this area seen talking with an assassin. I wanted to make sure you were ok." She said blushing, although Inigo can't see it.
"Why would you check on me? Why not Lucina?" Inigo asked "She is the one you should worry about." His voice a little shaken for the very thought that Morgan came to see if he was alright over the true heir to the throne.
"Be..because I worry about you more." Morgan stampers out. "You go above and beyond for me and I didn't know why, but when you carried me today I realized why you do those things for me." A cloud drifts from behind a cloud and they are bathed in moonlight, with them a single red flower sprouting from the ground. Inigo grabs it from the earth and walks toward Morgan
"For the one I love" He says both aware of how much their faces resemble the color of the flower.
"I would accept it... But that flower is poisonous" She says with a giggle.
"Ahhhh!" He drops it seeing how inflamed his hands have gotten.
"Don't worry," Morgan reassures him as she grabs a nearby leaf from a very small tree. "This should south the rash and it will be fine by morning." She is holding his hands in hers rubbing them with the leaf. "Nothing could ruin this night" Thought Morgan.
"Come on now gather around!" Says a man about early twenties. Wearing a distinct black came that has a hood and on his side a balaclava type mask hangs off of one of his straps on his gear that he is wearing with slight armor on his shoulders and knees "You are about to have an amazing show, you don't want to miss It." people start gathering around as an older women in a very elegant performing dress (The man's mother no doubt) plays an upbeat tune on a harp, accompanied by a man in a very formal suit, suited for this performance (her husband) playing a trumpet, but with such precision he is not drowning out his son or his wife. Then from the second floor balcony of the village monastery jumps a young man also with a cape and slight armor, around his late teens doing flips and twist in the air and lands with such grace (the man's brother) unknown until he lands there is a bundle on his back, in it a baby girl no more than a year old (obviously the youngest of the family). The crowd oo's and ah's at the entrance. "Alright folks how are we doing?" The crowd responds with excited chatter and applause. "Let's start this show right, with a little song and dance." The man picks up a drum and his brother grabs a mandolin and the husband and wife start to dance with such grace and form to go along with the music. The show goes on and they do a quintet with their instruments and the youngest son does an amazing acrobatics routine.
"We are nearing the end of our performance." Says the husband "We never got to introduce ourselves to the audience, I am Reginald Milstein."
"I am Geneva Milstein!" Says the wife.
"I am Holmes Milstein!" The youngest brother says "And this is baby Lesya Milstein!"
"And I am Ress Milstein" The man tells the crowd. "And now for our finale, the arts are in many ways are very straight forward, you see a painting you know it was painted, and you hear music you know it was made by an instrument." Ress explains to the audience "But there is one art form that people don't know how it is done." He walks towards a man "You sir might I ask you for your assistance?"
"Why, of course lad." The man says walking towards the center with Ress.
"What is your name good sir?" He asks loud enough for everyone to hear.
"My name Capa" He says, Shaking Ress' hand. The audience became discomforted almost instantly when his name was announced. They shifted back and forth uneasily and a lot of the faces lost their excited smile and contorted to a very deep look of concern
"Alright Capa, now I take it that you might have some sort of blade on you other than your sword? I mean you seem like you would since you have the look of a warrior, Am I right folks?" an agreeing applause is scattered from the crowd, "How weird" Ress thought, and no matter the show must go on.
"As a matter a fact I do" Capa tells him "It is right in my left part of my over co... Wait where is it?" his eyes drew cold as he stared at Ress
"Like I said there is an art form that is not straight forward" Ress says. "Now if I were to reach into my pockets I won't be able to find anything but if I were to all of a sudden reach into this basket over here on this bench," He motions toward the basket "I would be able to pull it out." Which he does with tremendous applause.
The show ends and the Milsteins are packing up inside the monastery where they are staying the night since there is no hotel or room at the inn.
"What a show." Says Geneva "But Holmes I thought we agreed only three flips from a balcony that height while you have Lesya on your back."
"I only did the last one because I had more of a running start from inside than i thought i would."
"Just be more careful son" Reginald chimed in. "You will get more freedom to do what you want when we get to Yistol. You won't have Lesya on your back there."
"Good because I was thinking.." Holmes started but there was a disturbance in the entry room on the other side of the door.
"Tell me who you are and what you want then we will talk." came Ress' voice from the hall.
"I'm the man who will kill your family if you don't do what I tell you" said Capa. His eyes are cold just like they were during the performance. At this phrase as though scripted by his men they busted into the monastery and started to surround the Milsteins binding and gagging them. "Ress, rumor has it you have another skillset then just pickpocketing and magic tricks. Am I correct?"
"Why... who do you need me to kill that you can't kill yourself?" Ress responds not trying to keep it from his family, they knew he only took contracts that had good intentions behind them.
"That's the thing Ress, I want a certain figure head killed and I know I can't really be seen where he is without raising suspicion or even risk being struck down if I get close to the building he is in." Capa explains "I know you only take hits for 'the good of the people' so I am giving you an incentive to take a contract from me." His eyes flickered as almost as if they changed from the flush blue to a blood red.
"Spit it out then!" Ress yelled
"Uh-Uh Ress," He said in sort of an evil sing song tone "Don't get so anxious on my account, but as you wish." He gives him a stare that Ress will never forget, "I will kill your family unless you can kill the Exalt of Ylisse, Chrom."