Author's Note: I am completely surprised I am drawing attention with my story. I cannot say enough thanks to you guys. But enough with the mushy stuff; the story now continues…
Chapter 5:
"Karl, can you stay awake for just two seconds? We need to do something here!"
My bespectacled friend was, yet again, nodding off.
My friends and I are all settled near each other around the Shepherds' temporary base of operations. We had set up camp in Ferox, near the Eastern castle where the Khan resides. We were told to wait here while our fearless leader Chrom and the expert strategist Robin meet said Khan. To be fair, I kinda wanted to see the awkward scenario where they both make fools out of themselves concerning her gender. But instead I am freezing my ass off in this unbearable wind, my friends huddling around a fire while I got the job of regulating a giant lizard's body temperature! Sure Karl agreed to help out, but in all seriousness, I'd get more help from a dead body: at least Clank would stop moving while he ate it so I can put the frigging blanket on him. Seriously, its like he's got the energy Karl is supposed to have, so every time I attempt to cover him completely, he just freaking shakes it right off. So at long last, I manage to keep him still enough to cover him as Karl finally wakes up.
"Alright, I'm ready," he murmurs, further inciting my ire.
"You know, I should smack you right now," I grumble, hand raised, ready to bring the hurt.
"Yeah, but you won't," he said slyly. "Your threats have no effect on me."
Dammit, he's right, I think as I lower my hand to my side. How many times have I said that?
As the reptilian nightmare lay asleep, the smug bastard and I rejoin our friends, who had been telling stories and jokes that only we would get, due to us being from another time/plane of existence. Like the time Karl drew a unibrow on me while I was sleeping, or the time I accidentally incapacitated a teacher. Don't Ask. Really, don't.
It must have been the longest time we've sat down and had conversations like this. It's actually quite nice: my friends are together and having a good time and there's a warm fire. It feels like good old times, minus the pointed questions the guys usually do.
" So Niko, where did ya get that scarf?" goes Tristan.
Whoops, spoke too soon.
"Yeah man, how'd you get it?" Walt then added.
"Did you buy it?" asks Zaine.
"Or didja steal it?" Cole not far behind.
I knew that I had to explain quickly and as smoothly as possible, less the get the wrong idea.
"I, uh, got it from someone."
Oh, real smooth.
"Oh really now? From who?" Even Karl was now up, curious as to know from who I obtained the article of cloth upon my neck.
"Someone in the Shepherds," I give reluctantly. "But I'm not sayin' who!"
Everyone just groans. Tristan sighs yet smiles.
"Fine, we'll let you have your way for a bit," he says. "But just so you know, that's not the end of the discussion."
My discomfort only grows from that statement. Luckily, that discomfort is short-lived as our great commander, his sister, and his amnesiac friend made their way back to camp. As Robin settled next to us, the rest of our ragtag army gathered around Chrom to hear if he was fruitful in obtaining help.
"So what's the word?" Vaike inquires to him.
"Everyone," Chrom replies, "we do not have help from Ferox exactly..."
The crowd starts to become audibly disappointed, some even cursing.
"But, we may have a chance at getting it," he finished. "Fortunately time favors us, as we have been selected to take part in a fight to determine who rules Regna Ferox. If we win, Khan Flavia has agreed to send the soldiers we need to keep our borders safe from Plegia."
Everyone cheered at this point. He's either a real good motivator, or they're like the most easily influenced crowd I've ever seen.
Well, at least we'll finally have some action.
"Unfortunately however, since we are only able to take six people including myself, I have left the rest to Robin as my tactician to decide strategically who to take into the fray."
Robin then stepped up next to Chrom. He said, " The fight is not for another few days, so I have decided that the best way to choose from the wide variety of Shepherds is have those days as training sessions. That way I can evaluate the skills and versatility of each and every one of you."
Frederick suddenly booms, "Starting tomorrow, anyone willing to participate must take part in the regiment or you will not be eligible!"
I truly did not expect something like this. If there was one thing I hated above all things, it was usually fitness week at school. Mostly it was the question of having one week where you're exceptionally active, but it was because my scores were never that good. Regardless, this was for an army's sake with many lives at risk. So for the first time, I'm looking forward to this.
Chrom then took back the reigns of the announcement. "I would appreciate any volunteers greatly. You are all dismissed."
As everyone was dispersing, my friends and I faced each other and discussed the turn of events.
"So who do you think is gonna make it?" Tristan asks.
"I'd say you, Zaine, and Walt would probably be the safe picks fighting-wise" I reply, pointing to each person respectively.
" I dunno man, you and Cole can do magic," argued Zaine. "If you ask me-"
"Gentlemen."
Zaine's sentence was cut off by Robin, who looked as if he had something on his mind.
"Can I talk to Niko in private?" he asks us.
"Sure," most of them responded with a curt nod.
"We'll see you later then," Karl says as I follow Robin to his tent.
His tent was cluttered in ways you wouldn't even imagine: books stacked in impossibly high columns and rations of food half eaten. He sat down at his desk he had set up near his bed and motioned for me to take a seat as well.
"So, what exactly is this in regards to?" I ask, getting right to it.
Robin sighs and responds with,
" I would like to know more about you and your friends, if you don't mind."
Okay, this is a bit strange. Don't arouse any more suspicion. Act natural.
"W-why exactly would you ask?"
Dammit, mouth!
"It's just the fact that you all find each other days between each other, amidst all this conflict, and somehow all join the same army."
Oh, he's real good. I thought they'd just ignore this and deal with 'more pressing matters.'
"But I suppose since Chrom found me completely out of nowhere and asked me to be his strategist, that me saying this is like calling the kettle black," he added. "Since you are someone I can trust, I won't pry information out of you."
"Wait, why do you trust just me?" I asked incredulously.
"Well, someone willing to get hurt to save someone they barely know is all right in my book. Also, not to sound like an insult, but you seem to be the most level headed out of the group." Robin
Whew, dodged a bullet on that one.
"Let me just ask one final question. How are you friends with these kinds of people?"
At this I begin my recollection of a certain day. A day where I gained sense of feeling of belonging. A day when I really felt I had the longest time, I was a person who pretty much took to himself. I mean I talked to people, just not really anyone I ever felt comfortable around. Most people only kept me around only to use me to solve their problems then discard me. I really felt lonely for quite a while, at least until I met them. These colorful bunch of idiots.
I bump into them by chance, literally, and they invited me to join them. At first they seemed kind of odd, especially how diverse they were personally.
Zaine Krieger was the first one I got to know. He always looked on the positive of things, even when problems were very frequent and very guy has a fascination of fictional stories, especially the ones involving long time ago and galaxies far away. But it was that sort of demeanor and interests that helped me become part of the group.
Walt Marsden, though, is the one who had me interested in the first place. He was the one who brought the fun to the party. Sure, he can't control himself from flirting with the female gender his age and up, be a tad abrasive, but put him in the right situation, the fireworks are just so fantastic. Plus, he practices with the multitude of swords he had procured over the years.
Karl Hennis with his narcolepsy and spitfire wyvern aside, is one of the most level-headed people I know, able to resolve any problem that we had. If he stayed awake long enough that is.
Underneath his dark mage cloak and showoff tendencies, Victor Coleson(or Cole as we know him), occasionally surprises his friends with a humble side almost no one else had ever seen. Usually it's only when someone takes him down a peg, but still.
And finally the omnipresent omni-annoying master of the blade, Tristan. You never see him with anything less than a smile, which usually ends up in some kind of convoluted prank to just a quickshot pun.
And if given the choice, I would not trade any of them away.
So after I tell the tactician all of that, he gets up from his desk, his hand extended to me.
"Alright then, thanks for enlightening me on something," he said.
"No problem," I reply as I shake the hand. " I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."
As I get up to leave the tent, Robin answers back.
"By the way, where did you get that scarf?"
Oh Fantastic.
"Because it looks like the one that I saw yesterday on Li-"
"G-gotta go, sorry!" I stammer nervously I immediately leave the tent.
Note to self: keep Robin away from the guys, or you'll never hear the end of it.
A/N: So very sorry this chapter came WAY later than I expected it to come out. Finals and the infernal weeks leading up to the holidays kept me from getting time to work on this. Now that I'm free for quite a few weeks, expect the next chapter soon. Also sorry if no action took place in this one. I wanted to have some time to flesh out some of the characters. Next chapter will be about the arduous three days of physical examination. Who will claim the limited spots to join the fray? Find out next time on Fire Emblem: Seven Stars.