AN: I am back! Hope that you enjoyed the previous chapters.
I make a startled gasp, jumping behind Lon'qu. Lon'qu's hand immediately flies to his sword, not yet unsheathing his blade.
"How... do you know who I am?" I ask, my voice laced with fear.
The Robin clone only stares at me.
"You aren't supposed to be living." he says with a strange sense of calmness.
But I am.
"Hush." King Validar puts a hand on the clone's shoulder. "Ke'ri, I deeply apologize for his strange actions."
He didn't sound so sorry.
I see Lon'qu glare at the man, and the clone glare back before returning his gaze to me.
"Who are you...?" I whisper. "How do you know me?"
I never got those answers as the man is led away by guards. Robin and Chrom talk quietly, and the King of Plegia looks at the two with more suspicion on his face than before.
"We will be going now." Chrom says. "Thank you for your support."
With a slight wave of his hand, all Shepherds turn to follow him. I feel someone's hands on my shoulder, and I turn to see Validar looking down at me.
"You..." he said with an unsettling grin on his face. "Just wait..."
Do I listen to royalty or my instincts?
"If I may ask, King Validar, what are you doing?" asks Chrom suddenly.
"Nothing. Ke'ri and I will have a little talk."
A talk? Does he know about who I am, like that Robin clone does?
"Then I will stay with her." I hear Lon'qu say.
"No, boy. You go with your fellow Shepherds," King Validar gives him a sharp look that Lon'qu doesn't flinch from. Without another word, Validar leads me down the dim hallways.
"I've known that you have been resurrected... But what if I said that with my help, I revived you?"
That can't be true!
"You owe me, Ke'ri. I revived you from the dead. And now, you shall do me a favor."
"I would, but I refuse." My voice trembles.
Memories suddenly flash through my head. I realize that what I see is through Validar's eyes. My body lies on some strange altar, as Validar chants something, dark aura surrounding me. I see my own eyes flicker open, staring at the sky in confusion. My eyes closed as Validar puts my body on the ground in the center of a field far away, before he disappears without a trace.
"Think about. I am the one who revived you. You must return a favor now. You shall carry this medallion with you. You shall show nobody. If you do, you will be punished."
"H-how...?" I feel a cold, metal medallion press into my hand.
"Just hold it up." the King encourages. I hold the medallion up in the air so it catches a glint of light, and my head fills with pain. I try throwing it down to the ground, but it won't leave my hand. I gasp.
"What did you do?" I murmur.
"You will hold this responsibility. Do not tell anyone. Now, go. If you break the rules, you will never see your loved swordsman ever again."
I run back, fear making my vision blurred. Slowing my pace to a walk, I realize my head feels heavy and nauseous.
What do I do, Lena?
I hear nothing. Has this medallion done something to block off Lena's words? What could it do to me?
You are by yourself now...
The doors opened on the command of the guards, where I meet up with the other Shepherds.
"What did the King say?" Chrom asked me.
I should show that medallion. After all, it did have some strange, familiar mark... The same one on Robin's hand.
I reach up to show the medallion that I had put in my pocket, but my head suddenly pulsed with indescribable pain. I would never be able to show what I had in my pocket.
"...ri...Ke'ri... are... okay?"
The pain fades as I take my hand away from my pocket.
"I'm okay. Nothing happened." My mouth moves on its own. "King V-Validar only wondering about why that clone knew w-who I was."
I'm possessed! I want to say the truth! I wanted to cry out, but I couldn't. I just couldn't. My mouth wouldn't speak any more.
I tear my gaze from Lon'qu, who has a strange look on his face, to Chrom and Robin.
"Let's go, then." Chrom states, leading the group on. He did not suspect a thing.
As we march on, I close my eyes for a short while. The solitude doesn't last long; someone puts their hand on my shoulder. I flinch slightly as I glance at whoever was there next to me.
"Something's wrong." Lon'qu says.
I shake my head. "Nothing is wrong. King Validar was just telling me about why that Robin clone even exists."
"Then why?" the swordsman asks suspiciously.
"B-because..." I stutter. "Well, it's because that Robin clone is linked to Robin in some way. Something like the clone having all the memories that Robin doesn't." Guilt bites at me for fibbing, but I couldn't resist the force in my mind that controlled and restricted what I said.
"You didn't really answer the question." he says.
"Listen!" I grit my teeth. "It's just confusing. I don't know how to explain it without sounding insane."
He tilted his head before stopping the conversation, but he still walked close by.
Suppressing a sigh, I trudge on through the forsaken sand, wondering how I would ever get the truth out.
What happens if someone takes off my glove and sees the truth? What happens if I'm stuck with this tattoo forever?
Damn that King Validar! I don't care if he can hear my thoughts, but if it ruins my life... I'll make sure I'll see the blood drain out of him with my sword!
After a trip almost twice as long as the trip to Plegia, as it seemed for me, we arrived back at the Barracks. Without a word, I scurried to the back of the Barracks and glanced around to see if anyone was there. Seeing no one, I took a deep breath and took off my right glove. The eye stared at me endlessly, making me feel unnerved.
Tracing the image on my wrist, I see it suddenly blink- the ink moves on my hand, alarming me. My heart lurches as I yelp. Pain fills my head as someone else grabs my wrist.
"Aggh!" I hear myself cry out. The pain gradually gets stronger, and I feel nauseated within each passing second.
"Ke...ri... hap...g...?" Through the pain, I could barely hear anything. I slumped against whoever stood next to me. Their arm wraps around me to make sure I don't fall, but I barely take note of that as I shut my eyes, trying to fight the pain.
And all of a sudden, it fades as quickly as it had come. Confused, I tilt my head back to lean against the person's shoulder.
"Ke'ri... Are you alright? I'm sorry if I caused you harm... you looked as if you were in pain as I came to you." Lon'qu immediately said as I gave a pained sigh of relief after the pain subsided.
Exhaustion overwhelmed me. Lon'qu sits down, cross-legged, and my head rests in his lap.
"I don't even know why the tattoo causes me pain..." I breathe. "I had to keep it a secret, or it would cause more pain."
He nods in understanding. "So that's what he gave you."
"What should I do...?"
"I don't know... It kind of looks like one of the eyes on Robin's mark... maybe it has something to do with Robin. But tell me if anything happens regarding that mark of yours."
Suddenly feeling slightly better, I sit up. Lon'qu stops holding my hand, seemingly embarrassed. Realizing that Lon'qu was holding my hand all along, I felt my face flush red as I glance away for the slightest moment to redeem myself.
"Uh... I'm... s-sorry..." Lon'qu tries to apologize.
"Eh. Don't worry. It's not like we never held hands before. Remember, all those years ago?"
"Hey, Lon'qu!" I spot Lon'qu at once and run towards him. Running towards the boy who's a year older than me, I run into his open arms. "Thank you so much for the gift. It's the best birthday present ever!"
My new bracelet shone brightly in the sun. Each bead has a different design, all contributing to its beauty.
Lon'qu made a bashful smile. "You're welcome, Ke'ri."
I make a high-pitched laugh before holding Lon'qu's hand. "You're the best! C'mon, I wanted to show you something!"
Running while dragging the boy along, I eventually arrive at my destination: a flowery meadow with a grand tree in the center of the large area.
Slowing to a stop at the tree, I sit down, and Lon'qu takes a seat next to me. Our sides touch as I lean against him.
"Your birthday's in four weeks! I have to think about what I should give you."
"No, to be exact, it's two in a half weeks." Lon'qu chuckles as he corrects me. "Today's September 16th."
"Aren't you excited to turn twelve?" I asked.
"Kinda." Lon'qu responded. "How do you feel being eleven now?"
"I feel much older than before!" I say honestly. "A new year in my life!"
"Much older?"
"Well, a little bit older." I corrected myself. "What do you think you'll do when you become twenty?"
"I want to train to be the greatest swordsman alive, and I'll probably travel to see different countries and challenge many different people."
"Can I go with you? Maybe we can both be the greatest swords people alive!"
Lon'qu takes my hand. "Of course."
I smile at the distant thought. "Remember when we sat under that tree, even through the winter?"
Lon'qu made a chuckle, his deep voice filling the silence.
"I guess you kind of fulfilled that goal. You were Regna Ferox's champion for the West Khan for a while, as you told me."
"Was. That masked swordswoman beat me. She's better."
"Well, she has a legendary sword on her side, as Chrom told me during the battle between the Khan's champions. You only lost to that swords-woman because of your fear. You would do a lot better if you challenged her again."
"...True."
"And now, we can both be the greatest swords people alive. Right?"
"Of course, Ke'ri." Lon'qu says, hesitating before taking my hand. Just like that memory...
AN: And that's Chapter six to you! Hope you enjoyed it, where we see the bond between Ke'ri and Lon'qu grow stronger! Thank you for reading!