Chapter 2: Short Reunions
"Fie! It is you...you have returned to us!" Say'ri suddenly started to cry in front of Mikel.
"My apologies lady, but I'm afraid you have me confused with another." Mikel looked at her a bit confused.
"What source of foolishness is this? If you are not him, then why do you resemble him?! Your clothes, your face, your voice...Am I being tricked?"
"I wish I could answer that myself. You may be right, but my mind draws a blank." He scratched his head. "The only thing I have is this book marked with places."
"That book...it looks familiar to my eyes..." Say'ri could not stop staring at the book. "Come, we must put out this fire right away, there is much to be done!"
"But what about-"
"There is no time!" Say'ri jumped over Mikel and slashed at the fountain behind him, shattering it to pieces. The water flew in multiple directions, dousing the ring of fire. However it didn't put out the fire completely, it was low enough to get by without getting harmed. Say'ri then took ahold of the young boy's hand and pulled him along to her soldiers. "Quick, retrieve some rice and raw fish for this man, it is of utter importance!" Say'ri told the units. "Clean up this mess I have made while I discuss business with this man. Do not disturb us until I give my word."
"But Milady-" One began.
"Fie! Do not question me right now!" She turned to walk away, but turned back for a moment. "And send word of this incident to Exalt Chrom of the Ylissean League. Tell him that I need to speak with him right away!" With that, Say'ri walked off into the castle, dragging the poor man with her.
Back in Ylisse...
"This is your last chance Frederick! Either join me in my search or stay here and defend the castle!" Chrom yelled as he stood across the field from Frederick.
"I am sorry Milord, but after this, my decision shall be neither, and the same goes for you!" Frederick called back as he mounted his horse.
The two were in the middle of the training grounds, an open field with no real hazards. On the sidelines were Lissa and Morgan, both serving as spectators to the match. Lissa kept her staff held close, while Morgan flipped through the pages of the roster to find her father's notes.
"Okay boys, first one to be knocked down loses!" Lissa called. "No foul play is to be allowed during this match, and no overboard attacks! I can only heal you guys so many times." She sighed as she pulled out a sucker from her coin pouch. She tapped Morgan on the shoulder with it. "Hey Morgan, want a piece of candy while you study?" She asked, getting the girl's attention.
Morgan took the sucker and unwrapped it with a smile. "Thanks mom, I was just thinking about getting a snack while I sit and read! But then I had to think of what kind of snack I wanted, and I'm still in the mood for a few! But a sucker will gladly do!" She then popped the sucker in her mouth and continued to flip through the pages.
"You remind me of your father in so many ways." Lissa smiled. "You both overwork yourselves, always thinking brightly, wicked smart..."
"Come on mom, you're making me blush!" Morgan blushed as she focused on the book.
"Okay, okay, I'll just watch your Uncle fight for now." Lissa giggled.
As Lissa turned to watch the fight, she saw Chrom and Frederick charging for each other. Chrom had decided to use his Exalted Falchion while Frederick decided to use an iron lance. Chrom jumped up as Frederick lunged at him, managing to jump over the man's horse. He turned around and slashed from the back, but Frederick countered with his lance. He managed to push Chrom away, and followed up with a forward attack. The Great Lord took the attack, but shook it off and followed up with an upward thrust from his sword. He managed to hit Frederick, but the man did not seem phased by this. Instead Frederick managed to attack Chrom again, causing Chrom to grunt in pain. Chrom dashed forward to attack, but Frederick dodged the attack. However Chrom followed up the attack with a jump attack. This caught Frederick off guard, but he managed to guard against it with his shield. He then struck with his lance, but Chrom blocked it with his sword. Chrom then struck with a sideway slash that hit Frederick off his horse. Frederick fell to the ground, meeting the edge of Chrom's blade as soon as he sat up.
"...I yield." Frederick sighed, not wanting to admit it. "Always impressive, as usual Milord."
"The same goes for you Frederick the Wary." Chrom smiled.
"Yay Chrom!" Lissa cheered from the sidelines. Morgan was clapping alongside her mother, she even had the book closed. "Way to show Frederick that nothing changes your mind! Although that isn't always a good thing."
"Frederick, have you decided?" Chrom asked, ignoring Lissa's remark. "Shall you join us in our search?" Chrom put away his sword and extended his hand.
"Of course Milord. It is my duty to keep both you and the princess safe." Frederick said as he took Chrom's hand. As he pulled him up Lissa and Morgan walked over to them. Morgan had put her nose back within the roster.
"Hey, there's a whole map of Ylisse and Valm in here." Morgan remarked. "There's also little side notes about people dad has met!"
"Really?" Lissa peaked over her shoulder. "Any side notes about me in there? Or better yet...what about Chrom or Frederick?" A smirk appeared across the girl's face.
"Wha-" Chrom looked over and saw the two looking in the book.
"I hope these side notes aren't degrading." Frederick laughed nervously.
"Aha! Here's one about mom." Morgan noticed. She read it quickly. "...aww. That's father all right."
"What? What did it say?" Lissa asked.
"It said, "She's the cutest when she snorts, and very clever when it comes to pranks. I look forward to having a prank day with her." That sounds just like father, don't you think?" Morgan chuckled.
"It does sound like him. I don't believed he ever told a lie to anyone." Frederick smiled.
"..." Lissa stood there with a bit of a shocked expression, yet she was blushing.
"All right, I think that's enough for one-" Chrom began.
"Wait, here's one about Uncle Chrom!" Morgan excitedly cried. "...oh, this one's interesting. "I once overhead Chrom and his fiancée in their tent. I know you're supposed to practice before marriage, but this may be overkill." Sounds like someone couldn't keep it in their pants!" Morgan teased.
Chrom was furiously blushing as he remembered that night. "I-I didn't know he overheard us..."
"Milord, I remember that night too." Frederick remarked. "You were definitely in a good mood the next day."
"I heard it as well, but I don't think he was that loud." Lissa thought out loud. "Even though I was on the other side of the camp...maybe I just have good hearing..."
"Okay, let's stop with the remarks." Chrom asked.
Back in Chon'sin...
Within the dining hall of Chon'sin say Say'ri and her dear friend with no memory. He sat there, eating his rice and raw fish, and he enjoyed it greatly. He was already on his third bowl. Yet Say'ri ate at a calm pace as she sat next to him. She kept her eyes on him most of the time, wondering what could have caused him to lose his memory and why he had a blank book with nothing but a map inside and his name. After a few moments of silence and his fourth bowl, Say'ri tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to look up.
"If I may, can I look at this book of yours?" She asked him. Without a response, he nodded and continued eating. He was more focused on the food for the moment. Say'ri took the book and examined it. The book wasn't very appealing by its' cover. As she turned the pages, she noticed that all were empty except for the back. The back had a map of Ylisse and Valm, with many places marked. Say'ri suddenly understood why he was so confused. The book was just as much of an enigma as Mikel himself. She placed the book down and looked at him. "Do you really remember nothing of the time we shared? The battles, the conversations...all of it is no longer in your head?"
The man stopped eating and looked at her. "I can't remember anything...I woke up in a field with that book. It was blank, but it had that name in it. Is it my name?" He asked softly, as if he was scared.
"Aye, 'tis what we would all called you. Although on rare occasions, I have heard others call you other things...both good and bad." Say'ri chuckled as she watched his bewilderment.
"So my name is Mikel...I like it." The man said. "If you know me, maybe you could tell me about myself. Perhaps I could get some of my memories back."
"Of course, I shall strive to tell you all that I know." Say'ri smiled. "You are well known for your gift of tactics. You were apart of an army called the shepherds, who tried to keep order between the countries in Ylisse. Yet when war broke out, very few casualties were met thanks to you. I always wanted to meet you personally...hearing much of your tales have even reached Chon'sin. When you and the shepherds came to Valm and out paths crossed, I felt overjoyed that someone of your talents would help me restore glory to my home."
"Did I succeed?" Mikel asked with a hint of wonder in his eye.
"Aye, very greatly, I might add. Alas, more of your past came to take you away, and you sacrificed yourself to give us a bright future...all this happened five years ago." A tear came to her eye. "We all hoped that one day you would come home, but we had to move on with our lives. I can't say for the others, but I almost lost hope of your return. You made a promise to me and I always wanted you to keep it."
"A promise?" He asked.
"Not so much as YOU promised, it is more of something I promised myself to do. We once had many conversations on how Chon'sin differed from Ylisse. One of those conversations came to be about a tree called the cherry. You were so interested in seeing one in person, I wanted to bring you to Chon'sin to show you...If you would like to see one yourself, then you may look out the window behind us."
After excusing himself from the table, Mikel got up and looked out the window behind him as Say'ri told him. He saw a small garden filled with flowering plants. There was a tree that was lined with pink blossoms branching out. It stood out from the rest, seeming to be the only one in the entire garden. It seemed to make the garden shine within the sunlight.
"That tree..." Mikel muttered to himself. "I've..."
"It is a wonderful sight, is it not?" Say'ri smiled, standing behind him. " 'Twas lucky that you returned when they blossomed."
"Nrgh...my head.." Mikel suddenly grabbed onto his head and leaned on the windowsill. Say'ri put her hands on his shoulder, pulling him back up.
"Mikel! What is wrong?!" She asked in a panic. "Are you in need of a healer?"
"...wha..." Mikel suddenly stopped moving. He stared forward.
"What is it?" Say'ri asked, more worried.
"I...I remember seeing this tree..." He muttered. "It was in your painting!"
-flashback-
"What a lovely tree... But why are the leaves that color?" Mikel asked, examining the painting.
" 'Tis a tree called the cherry." Say'ri answered. "The pink you call out are its blossoms, not its leaves."
"Woah, interesting." Mikel stared at the painting. "I've never seen one like it."
"Aye, it's unique to Chon'sin and blooms but briefly once a year." Say'ri told him, putting down the paintbrush."
"It must be quite a sight." The tactician muttered.
"It is a dearly-beloved symbol of my people." Say'ri sighed. "The river near my childhood home was lined with these trees. When in full bloom, 'twas a spectacle fit to steal one's breath away. I think of it often, of late..."
"Oh...Say'ri?"
"Ah, apologies! I lost myself in nostalgia, it seems." Say'ri chuckled slightly. "I don't know what came over me."
"No, not at all. I enjoy listening to your stories." Mikel smiled at her gleefully.
"Saying so is the greatest reward you could offer." Say'ri was now blushing. "My thanks."
-end of flashback-
"You...you remember my painting?!" Say'ri was suddenly filled with joy.
"Not only your painting, but also you!" He smiled. "The princess of Chon'sin!"
Say'ri hugged him as tight as she could, wrapping her hands around his neck by accident. Mikel hugged back even though the swordmaster was slowly squeezing the air out of him. She even picked him up off the ground and tossed him in the air. However, he was glad to have remembered one person out of his life.
"To think you have remembered so quickly, it is a miracle!" She finally let go of him and he gasped for air. "But do you remember anyone else? You have a wide variety of friends and family to remember."
"Hmm...I don't...I can't...not right now..." Mikel held his head in pain and grunted. Say'ri placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Fie, rest for a while. I know some friends of ours who would be glad to help you out. I shall make the necessary preparations. You may stay in the room next to mine if you wish." She smiled softly at her friend.
"...Wait, wasn't the room next to yours Yen'fey's?" Mikel asked. "You two were so close...I can only imagine..."
"Nay, for he stayed across from my room." She chuckled. "The one next to mine is for guest. Now begone; go get some rest right now!"
"Yes ma'am." Mikel chuckled and walked out of the hall. Say'ri could hear him asking where he could find the guest room. Say'ri walked out of the dining hall the same way he did, and approached one of the guards.
"Milady, what I can do for you today?" The guard asked.
"I need you to contact a few people immediately, starting with the closest." Say'ri asked. "Two reside in Rosanne, two in Wyvern Valley, one on the Garden of Giants, and one in the Mila tree. Tell each one of these people that I wish to speak to them immediately."
"And these people are?"
"Virion and Cherche of Rosanne, Gerome and Nah of Wyvern Valley, Priam of the Garden of Giants, and Lady Tiki of the Mila tree."
"Yes Milady!"
My flashback is apart of my A support with Say'ri. Her promise is based off her S support. ^-^
And my my, Morgan may have gotten her hands on some dirt of the Army xD
Anyways, the next few chapters will have The last 6 names mentioned. Along with a 7th secret member. Also, Chrom and the gang will finally get Say'ri's message, but how will they get to Chon'sin? Another character has the answer x3
Again, more hints in here of some things. Did you find them?