Chapter 7 Restart

It was scorching hot and Laurent felt it when his eyes started to open. He sat up and groaned. "Where am I?" He rubbed his head.

"At an oasis. Are ya alright there?"

Laurent massaged his temples. "I will be fine." He answered and then looked up.

He found that a small crowd had gathered around him. They all looked intently down at him. Laurent was shocked that he had drawn such a crowd around him. But he managed to gather himself to form a small greeting. "Hello." He said slowly. "Apologies." He waved away the helping hands and then patted the sand from his black cloak.

"Where did ya come from, son?"

Laurent's head shot up, his eyes scanning the elderly man's features before he frowned.

"Apologies, sir, but I am not your son and I would appreciate it if you did not call me as such." Laurent smiled grimly. "My name is Laurent. I am-" He stopped himself.

The probability of having them believe that he was from the future was slim and the last thing he wanted for them to think was that he was… well, crazy.

"Laurent? Are ya alright?" The man looked at him again as he scanned the crowds.

"As I stated before, you need not concern yourself with my welfare." He stated. "Now, I don't mean to intrude but, if possible, a glass of water would be nice. I'm parched."

"Of course, this way." The man ushered him past the crowd of curious eyes and then into a house. "Where are ya from? Walkin' into the desert alone is dangerous, you know; you're lucky you collapsed at an oasis, son – er, boy."

The man handed Laurent a glass to which he nodded his thanks. He brought the cup to his lips and found that he was much thirstier than he had initially thought. He downed the cup in what seemed to be one gulp and then placed it on the table.

"Well?" The man looked at him for answers.

"You are absolutely correct in assuming that I am not from here. I am from Ylisse and I have journeyed far to find my mother and father." He said.

The man scratched his head. "Your ma and pa? Well, I can tell you now that none of you mage-types have passed here for a while."

Laurent took off his hat and set it on his lap. Strange, he would have thought they would have. "Curious." He mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"I don't believe you've given me your name." Laurent smiled. He needed time to think.

"Oh look at my manners, sorry. The name is Derick."

"Derick is of Valmese origins. It means gifted ruler." Laurent stated. The man stared back at him, a blank expression on his face. "I was hoping you could assist me, Derick."

"Sure, need a place to stay for a couple days? What do ya need?"

Laruent gave him a thoughtful look and slowly brought out a small leather bound book. "That is dependent on your answers. Now…" He opened the book to a new page. "The Exalt Emmeryn. Is she still alive?"

Derick furrowed his brow. "Sure thing, as alive as any of us." He paused. "So how hard did you hit your head, exactly?" He sat down as Laurent nodded, jotting down some notes. "Why're you askin' so much questions? Somethin' wrong?"

"So many questions, Derick." Laurent glanced up before he put his pen down. "And on the contrary, everything is alright." He said very slowly. He needed to think. "Apologies for my queries, however I must find the answers in order to ground myself."

Derick leaned back into his chair and frowned "I dun think I could help any but I wanna know, are ya alright there, boy? Not everyday somebody comes in askin' about whether the good lady is alive."

Laurent cleared his throat. "Again, apologies. I am perfectly competent. However, I do need my answers. If you don't mind?"

"Well alright then." Derick nodded. "Queretize away!"

Laurent cringed.

"For how many years has Exalt Emmeryn ruled?"

Derick thought for a moment. "Why, it's been… a while. I believe it's the twelfth year of the good lady's reign."

Laurent flipped through his book, squinting at his notes. His mind raced as he took in all the information that was given to him. He tensed and slowly closed his book. He clutched it tightly.

"Early." He mumbled. Three years early to be exact.

Dread filled his gut. He had arrived three years before the appearance of the Risen. There were more questions than answers swirling through his head and he knew that Derick would not be able to help him anymore. "I've come early."

"You'll have to speak up, can't hear a darn thing you're saying. Can't answer no questions if you be mumbling." Derick leaned more forward, trying to perk his ears.

"Apologies, Derick but if it is alright, could I borrow a room? I need a moment to myself to think."

"S-sure thing. Here." Derick showed him into a room and Laurent sat down. As soon as the door closed his face fell into his hands.

He was early and if he had landed in an inaccurate time then who knew where the others were? Where were Lucina and the others? What if they had landed further back? He needed to find the others. But in this desert, he couldn't simply walk away.

And what of his parents, where were they? Would they come for him? The more he sat there the more questions whirled in his mind.

Laurent looked around the room. His hands were gripped into tight fists. He wanted to see Lucina and the others but even more so he wanted to see his parents. They all would know what to do. They would have come up with a plan to get out.

Doubt and fear settled in his gut and it made him feel queasy. What if he was to never find the group? What if he would never see his parents again? He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

He had to admit never seeing his mother and father were the least of his worries. His biggest fear was the thought of his coming back being all for nothing. He gritted his teeth. Tears burned his eyes but he willed them back.

Lucina and the others had taught him to hope and he would need to somehow cling onto hope until he was found or until he found them.

Author's notes:

When I thought of restart I wanted to write about going back in time... My housemate and I thought it would be interesting to write in Laurent's POV. Poor guy! He flew back a little too far, I feel so sad and I just want to give him a hug :(

Anyways, thanks again for my floormate for reading, editing and revising. Though this time I did change some things after :S

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