After Grima

Part 1

New Kid in Town

Chapter 3: Dark reunion

"So we need an expert marksman. Do you guys know anybody?" Ress asked the group of Shepherd's companying him.

"Well that's the thing," Stahl said. He had only shown up after the incident but seemed eager to join them on this trip. "The guy we have, one of the best archers no doubt the best arch..."

"The ARCHIEST of Archers if one were to put it my good old friend." Came a voice from the entry way to the barracks. A tall man in a very elegant blouse with long hair as blue fresh water spoke the words "The name is Lord Vi..."

"This is Lord Viron," Came a woman's voice from right behind him. She was about a half a foot shorter than Ress with cherry red hair and was very pretty Ress noticed, even in her armor "He hails from Rosanne just off of Valm. I am Cherche former Vassal to the house of Viron."

"Since being Former Vassal to my house do you find it necessary to keep doing that to me?"

Viron asked Cherche with a very significant annoyance in his voice.

"No but I do find it rather amusing." She replied with a little spring in her step. "Now someone told me that you could use a pigs head, preferably freshly removed?" She asked Ress and without letting him answer she threw a bleeding sack at his feet.

"How did you..." Ress tried to say but just then a huge roar came from outside and Cherche just smiled. Ress walked out with Stahl and to Ress' amazement saw a Wyvern for the first time in his life. "Wow an actual Wyvern, I've only seen pictures. This is really cool."

"Better watch what you do around her, she doesn't trust new people that much." Stahl told Ress. It took a little longer for Minerva to warm up to me, but she realized that we were together so she has learned to live with me. I think she might even like me." He finished with a chuckle.

"Wait so Cherche is your wife. Don't you worry about her getting hurt or her you?" Ress asked as the get ready to move out with the group

"That always is a concern for us but we are always watching each other's backs." He said with a very proud tone in his voice. "Besides she is the most skilled rider I have ever seen. Only one to rival her is our son Gerome."

"Son? Was he one of the few that came back from the future?" Ress had asked. He had heard the stories about what had happened and what the shepherds did to save the entire realm. He had always admired them. He was hoping he would be able to at least meet most of the shepherds one day but now that he was here, he didn't really like the way he got his wish.

"Yup," Stahl replied. "He wasn't really about the whole saving the world thing but he came around and realized it was his choice to control fate." He finished and was about to say something

else when he was cut off by a girl who cut in front of him and had her hand on her blade.

"I don't fully trust you, I'm sorry if I come off black hearted but you did try and murder my

father so I want you to make this very clear," She looked him dead in the eye, Ress noticed the Brand

in her left eye. "If you are lying, you will most likely be put to death. If you betray us, I will be the one to strike you down, if you run we will put a bounty on your head." She said, Ress didn't think this was going to be how the princess would be, based on all the stories at least. "No one tries to ruin my family." Her cold eyes started to water up, all Ress did was nod.

"Alright let's move out!" Robin yelled to the small convoy that they had rigged up for this mission. They had a group of 11 people. There was Robin, Cherche, Stahl, Viron, Lucina and Ress.

Chrom was with them as well but he was inside one of the two wagons and he was not to come out until Ress' family was safe. The other three Ress saw the night before, there was Frederick, the one who seemed to have want to throw Ress to the noose, a man who was about the same height as him and had the Exalt brand in his right eye, he must be Inigo. The other two we both girls, one with black hair and had some sort of grimace on her face that he seemed to have recognized, he can't remember where though. The last girl had bright red hair and she seemed to follow Robin around a lot. Related? Maybe he thought but it didn't matter. What matters is getting his family back.

"Capa, look at this." said a man who was gazing into a cauldron. "It seems as though he is going to do it." Capa walks toward the cauldron, a huge smile comes across his face, as he watches Ress go into the closet across the hall from the room Chrom is in. They turn to face their hostages. "What should we do about the family" He nods to the Milstiens currently gagged and tied up. The three of them knelt down at the back wall of the church with the baby in a little basket on the table next to them. Little to the knowledge Holmes has been sawing his rope with a loose piece of wood that has fallen off of one of the beams on the wall. He is almost through, if he could pass it along to his parents him and his dad could spring up and take out the two guards, while...

"Kill them." Capa says so everyone can hear.

"MUHHHHAHANNGGNG!" came from Geneva struggling to get to her daughter. At this they all look to her and all of the sudden Holmes breaks through and springs up on his guard and stabs him in the throat with the piece of wood, he grabs the bandit's sword and very luckily blocks an arrow with the now almost limp body of the guard. Reginald's gag comes out.

"Take Leysa and RUN!" he yells. Holmes didn't need telling twice. He grabbed the bundle and climbed the banister, dodging arrows. He made it up to the window he had jumped out before and looked back at Capa striking down his father and mother with the look of pure joy. He jumped out and ran into the forest. Tears filling his face. His sister didn't make a sound, not knowing what had just happened.

"Alright. I'll go in give him 'Chrom's Head' and then get my family, then Viron, you better be better than they say you are. I want to see an arrow in his head." Ress said. "After that then we need to fight to get out of there. That's when everyone burst into the room." He finished. They are just outside of town He walks a little ways from the group of shepherds and sits under a tree. It's about 2 hours from sun down. "I just hope we are not too late..." Ress whispers to himself. He looks at down at his hands and realizes that he is crying. The group of shepherds all look at him then turn back into the group.

"What do you make of this guy?" came an interested Stahl. "I mean we talked earlier and he seemed alright." Stahl's voice now sounding sympathetic "I think he is telling the truth."

"Well we will find out in a couple hours now won't we?" Robin said with curiosity and anxiety looking as though are taking a toll on him. "He knows how to make a smart plan but I think it was a little, well I don't know, too good of one for him to come up with so fast."

"So you think I'm a rouse?" Ress' voice came from behind them. They all jump a bit with surprise. "Look, I know you don't know me but let me tell you this. If I truly wanted to kill Chrom, he would be dead. I wouldn't be here, and you would be gathered around a six foot hole in the ground.

My family is currently tied up and gagged in the back of a church and as of right now all I can do is sit and wait until dark." He looked at all of them. "I don't know how much you think you know what is going on but this is something that is not going to fail. I'M NOT LOSING MY FAMILY!"

"But you were going to take away mine..." came a soft voice from behind them. It was Lucina.

"You know nothing of what it's like to lose a family, NOTHING!" her voice echoed though the small clearing they were in. I have lived in a time where my entire family was dead. The only one with me was my brother and now that I am here I have them back, so if you think for one second you might have been justified in your situation you are going to find yourself disappointed and wrong." Her voice was just as cold as it was earlier, and with that, the camp didn't talk much after that.

"Lucina, I'm not saying I am justified." Ress says "But you might be the one disappointed and wrong one day."

Ress now goes up to the church door, pig head in hand as Viron is set with his arrow drawn, on one knee in an alleyway across the street. But as soon as he takes aim his eyes grow big and then lowers his bow. He then turns to the wall beside him and throws up. Stahl and Robin who were next to him ask what was wrong.

"Stop... Ress... Don't let him see... His... Family" He manages to get out between gags.

Robin and Stahl get up and run towards Ress but too late. Ress has open the door to find his Mother and Father postilion and fixed hanging from the statue of Naga. Their stab and slash wounds a very vibrant red. Their blood like oceans on the floor.

"Ress..." Robin started, but didn't know what to say.

The rest come in to see what has happened Chrom hidden between them they look and see Ress on fall to both knees. Then he turns around and sees Chrom standing there now in the front of the group.

"I didn't kill you... and there dead now..." His voice shuttering with a mix of emotions. "If I would have killed you, I would have been able to see them again..." He stands and takes a step forward but before he was going to do another person walked in, He was holding a bundle of blankets.

"Ress Stop!" It was Holmes. The group parted, half of them didn't know what to do with the boy.

"Holmes you're... you... How" Ress face now filled with tears.

"I was able to escape," Holmes replied, he too was starting to cry, noticing how his parents have been shamed. "Dad told me to run with Leysa,... So I did." He started to quiver "...I saw it happen... His face...Pure evil..." he almost dropped Leysa because of how nauseating it was to see his parents.

"Here let me take her." Morgan said. Holmes obliges, which is very fortunate because he immediately passes out. A couple of the shepherds gasp while Inigo picks him up and lies him on one of the pews. Ress still on his knees looking at his foster parents hanging there. The only person who knows this though is currently unconscious.

"Sire," Frederick says to Chrom in a mildly hush voice. "We should get them back to our camp.

The longer we are here the worse it will become for these two." His voice of concern sounding very much like when he was concerned for Chrom's safety the other night.

"You're right. Let me." Chrom says "Ress?" His voice calm and relaxing. "Come on. Let me take you with us for a while. We will take care of this situation ok." Ress nods his head. He slowly gets up and turns. Barley able to walk straight Chrom helps him walk out of the monastery. As they pass Ress looks Lucina in the eye. Hers full of sympathy and more or less apologetic for what she had said earlier that day. Ress couldn't make it out though he too had passed out just before the door.