Joshua wasn't the only one having a rotten time out in the marsh; Ephraim too was having a pretty horrid time. He kept dwelling on the fact that two of his men were out lost somewhere searching for someone who was already found! What more could go wrong?! Fortunately for him, he didn't have to look hard…
L'Arachael was fuming at the troops, claiming that they had eaten her ration of bread. This not only agitated them, but it enraged them. They were all dwindling on the brink of insanity it seemed. Even Seth was at his breaking point.
"Would you shut up already?!"
L'Arachael whipped around, ready to chew out whatever insubordinate soul had dared make that rude comment.
A little ways off, Innes sat in a tree, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. He kept his hand over his mouth so that she would not his lips moving.
"Honestly woman! Do you ever shut up?!"
It went on like this, Innes hurling hidden insult after hidden insult while L'Arachael tried desperately to find the one who deserved her righteous punishments. The battle of words continued on and on and on…
Joshua had found a clearing in the thickly wooded marsh and declared it as their makeshift campsite. His long red hair was matted and tangled beyond all hope of saving. His face now had many new red cuts and his clothing was torn in places. His boots were caked with thick, thick mud.
While Joshua was decorated with numerous cuts and scratches, Gerik barely had any. It was only his naked arms that had received minimum punishment. Joshua glared angrily at him, unhappy that the bigger man didn't seem to get stuck in anything. Gerik took it upon himself to begin gathering wood for a small fire.
"How do you plan to start a fire without flint?"
Wordlessly Gerik reached around to a small pouch attached at the hip. He tapped it knowingly.
"Bah."
Gerik dumped an armload of wood and began to arrange it in a stack that would burn the best. Joshua shivered in the night air and kneeled down beside the pile of wood.
The thick fog that had tricked them and tortured them began to ebb away, revealing part of the night sky. He stared into the big white circle that shined directly above them. As he stared at it, a sudden random word popped into his head.
Time…
Gerik struck the flint with his sword, trying hard to get the various sparks to stick to the wood. He muttered something to himself and began to strike the flint harder and faster. At long last a spark caught and hung onto the wood, giving birth to fire.
"Whew! It's a lot harder than it looks, I'll tell you that!" Gerik sat down beside Joshua and stared at the flames tongues as the licked the night sky. Joshua had his head rested on his arms which were wrapped around his knees. He was lost in thought and didn't notice Gerik had sat down beside him until he began waving his hand in front of him. Joshua blinked and looked at Gerik, a question burning in his eyes.
"Gerik…do you believe in time?"
"What? Where'd that come from?" Joshua shrugged and stared back into the flames.
The fires glow bounced off of Gerik's face as he tried to think of an answer.
"Well…I guess I don't really understand what it is you're trying to ask…"
Joshua closed his eyes and heaved a tremendous sigh.
"Never mind…"
Despite the warmth of the fire, Joshua felt very cold.
Back at the real makeshift camp, Eirika was busy explaining to L'Arachael why throwing rocks was wrong. Innes lay on the ground, resting on the side of the tree trunk. The only thing wrong with that picture was the blood trickling down his forehead and the fact that he was unconscious, oblivious to the world. A particularly large stone lay several feet away.
Artur knelt beside him, tending to the head wound and reminding himself to never make rude gestures to L'Arachael. Lute was making a large bonfire, one they could all sit around. Forde was busy painting on a blank canvas, recreating the moonlit clearing. To him, it had just screamed 'Paint me! Paint me!'
Saleh and Knoll sat not to far away, staring at the stars. Saleh was pointing out various constellations, and explaining to Knoll that different star placements helped people perform various rituals. Knoll scoffed and explained to Saleh that all things happen scientifically, with facts, not fiction. Knoll looked at Saleh and brushed some of his gray hair away uncharacteristically. Their hands accidentally touched and both blushed a bit.
Joshua had long since fallen asleep, the exhaustion of the day finally caught up to him. Gerik watched his small frame move slowly up and down, in tune with his breathing.
He smiled to himself and threw a stick into the fire. His smile slowly faded as his mind wrapped around Joshua's mysterious question.
"Gerik…do you believe in time?"
'Let's see…' he thought to himself 'What is time exactly? Hmm…I guess it's what…hell I don't know! Bah…all this talk about time is waaaay to deep…way over my head…I wonder what brought it into his?'
Again Gerik turned to look at the mysterious young swordsman who had now rolled onto his back. He coughed in his sleep. Audhulma rested not to far from where he lay, and maybe, just maybe it was a trick of the light, but Gerik could've sworn it was glowing slightly.
Seth had now divided all the rest of their rations. L'Arachael scoffed down hers immediately, glaring evilly at Innes. The whole group of people was circled beside the fire, except a few. Innes tenderly rubbed the bandage that covered the wound that L'Arachael had produced. He stared back at her just as evilly, slowly eating his bread, wary of another stoning. Ephraim sat staring into the fire, his mind producing grotesque images of Joshua and Gerik. What would happen if they died of starvation? Would they resort to cannibalism? Would Gerik really try to eat Joshua? If he did, Joshua didn't stand a chance…He sighed miserably and Eirika rubbed his back in an attempt to comfort him.
Forde was one of the people not sitting with the group. He was still painting the scenery and hoping to himself that Franz was ok. Kyle made his way over to where Forde sat and handed him a piece of bread. He complemented Forde's painting and returned to the group. Forde sighed and restrained the feelings of helplessness deep inside of him.
Saleh and Knoll were both speechless, unable to produce words. They merely sat side by side, watching the stars, but, chemistry was also brewing, for underneath the various folds of Knoll's robes, he was holding Saleh's hand very tightly, unable to let go.
GW: Yea, I suppose the Saleh x Knoll was a pretty random twist...but don't worry, I'll still be doing the Joshua x Gerik. Am I really supposed to do a disclaimer for every chapter? Alas...Again I shall state that I do not own Fire Emblem...
Please, if you would, R&R? My inbox is so lonely without reviews and I don't know if this story is any good or not...I'd appreciate it! Until next time!