Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.
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Two days later…
"Given that we're in a more stable environment, we can reduce the amount of supplies we give out to make them last longer once the conflict inevitably begins anew," Soren said. He, along with Ike, Titania, the three Gallian lions, the heron prince Reyson, Tibarn, Ranulf and Khimari were all in the throne room discussing current plans and whatnot. Tibarn's scouts had returned simply moments prior with the news that Begnion's Central Army seemed to be uncoordinated and static, unsure about what direction to take. With that news, a collective sigh of relief seemed to resonate within the army…or at least, most of it.
"Agreed. Goldoa's supplies show no sign of wearing thin anytime soon, so we should make the most of them," Ranulf added.
"Good. I believe that is the last topic of today's briefing, correct?" King Caineghis spoke, washing his gaze over everyone present.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Titania spoke. "That would be every pressing charge of today."
"This meeting is then adjourned. Take due care, everyone, and rest whenever able." After the lion king's blessing, Soren wasted no time in gathering the rest of his things and exiting the room. As the rest of the room broke off into small conversations, the tactician barely caught a blue-tailed Laguz disappearing into the hallways of Castle Gallia. Slightly curious, the sage let it linger in his mind for a moment as he went to return to the room that he shared with Ike.
After every encounter he had to attend with the others in the Laguz Alliance, the tactician always retreated into a solitary place devoid of noise, people and distractions. That way, he'd be able to navigate steadily between working out strategies, checking inventories, reading books or anything else he happened to be doing. As he got to the door, Soren let out a sigh of relief upon realizing that he didn't have to speak to anyone else for the moment.
That relief quickly turned into surprise when the mage saw a familiar blue-haired wolf sitting on a bed…his bed. "Ah, there you are," Khimari said with a small smile as soon as Soren closed the door. "Do you have any spare books?"
"Why do you need a book, Khimari?" the mage returned as he walked over to his bag to get one. In the years they had come to know each other, he found out that the wolf did not take "no" for a permanent answer.
"To read, of course!" The Branded grunted at the reply as he continued to look for a suitable book, which didn't take much longer considering that he was lightly packed as it were.
"Here, take this," Soren guided, stretching his arm to get the book closer to Khimari, who stood up and took it with both hands.
"Thanks, Soren. I'll have it back by tomorrow night, probably." With a nod, the sage went to see the Laguz out until the door started to open by itself. Khimari quietly cursed as the door revealed Ike, who had presumably returned from the meeting's aftermath.
"Hey, Khimari. I was wondering if we could ta-"
"Sorry, but I'm not really in the mood for a talk right now," the wolf interrupted, gripping the book a little tighter. "Another time, maybe."
"But I thought-"
"Thanks again, Soren," Khimari said, completely ignoring Ike as he skillfully weaved his way out of the room. Confused by the display that took place seconds ago, Soren gave Ike a quizzical look that only intensified after his commander gave a heavy sigh of frustration.
"I really wish he would stop that."
"What reason does he have for avoiding you? Another spat?" the tactician asked, knowing that these moments occurred at times before the Mad King's War (and even during the ordeal, he noted in Daein).
"At this point, I'm not sure what's wrong with him. Ever since we got here, he's been avoiding everyone like a plague and has become like an emotionless scarecrow. Both Ranulf and Nailah know it has nothing to do with Tibarn, but besides that, they're drawing blanks as well."
"...Tibarn? What happened between those two?" At that moment, Soren noted that Ike's eyes widened in a face that was easily characteristic of a person who slipped something that should have never been said aloud.
"Let's just say that things are a little rocky between Tibarn and the wolves. But that aside, I'll just let him sulk for now. He'll come around eventually."
"That may very well be a long time." The two both knew that statement was nothing less than true, especially considering that they witnessed first hand the wolf's mood swings and how wild they can potentially get.
"It is what it is at this point. He'll figure it out himself." The tone Ike used told Soren indirectly that the Beorc was definitely fed up with the situation and threw it on a metaphorical shelf to check back on later. Although the mage let the conversation die and went into his own bubble once again, the thought of the wolf managed to linger on his mind for quite a long time afterwards.
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"Great, now Soren's probably suspicious. Stupid Ike, you want to tell everyone that my head's messed up," Khimari complained as he turned open the cover of the book Soren lent him. After leaving the room, the wolf prince made a beeline to a quiet spot away from the castle where he could read the book in peace.
After the talk with Tibarn two days ago, Khimari's emotions had been getting more and more unstable. To compensate, he took to shutting himself out from everyone else, knowing that he was due to blow at any given moment. In response to his approach, his mom gave him some encouragement and space, his dad gave him another semi-stern discussion about the risks of bottling everything up, and Ike…
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The evening before yesterday…
"Khimari, you're doing this again?"
"I'm not doing anything, Ike," the wolf denied with an annoyed sigh. "What's wrong with wanting to be alone sometimes?"
"If your definition of that means disappearing without a trace and wandering by yourself without recovering, then I could definitely think of a few things wrong with that!"
"Why do you even care? You have no idea about what's going on."
"No one does because you refuse to tell everyone. You can't keep acting like we're all ghosts, Khimari. This involves all of us."
"No it doesn't!" the wolf hissed, slitting his eyes. "Why can't you get that through your thick head?"
"Are you sure that feral drug isn't still messing with your head? You're not making any sense! We're all fighting to survive against Begnion." Ike, in the heat of the moment, did not notice the way Khimari's body tensed up at the dig involving the feral drug. "If you want space, fine, but don't resort to acting like an angry child because people actually care!"
"I don't want people to care! My mess should stay my mess and I should be the one to fix it."
"You really do have a death wish, don't you? Khimari, you can't do everything by yourself."
"As long as I have to live it by myself, then I'll do it by myself, and that's that."
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That wonderful conversation had been interrupted by Titania's arrival, where the two mutually agreed to speak later to avoid the red-haired woman's intercession. Ever since then, Khimari actively avoided talking to Ike or anyone else for that matter because the only topic that would be discussed would be his relapse at the meeting the night they returned to Gallia.
The wolf found no positive outcome in talking to someone about his problems; besides the fact that no one truly knew the hell he went through, he would have to spill even more secrets to fully explain why he had taken on such a dejected attitude. He apologized to Akiza yesterday about knocking her out during his first escape from Gallia and to Nephenee about not being so open with her, but the depression only served to compound itself the more he reached out.
He just had to get caught up juggling so many things; and after what happened with Volug and Izuka he absolutely refused to put anyone in harm's way for his sake again. The thought of anyone getting hurt or killed for him honestly scared him just as much as the thought of ending up back in Izuka's clutches.
But even then…"Let me just start reading," Khimari huffed, trying to get his mind off of his current line of thought. After a deep breath, he opened the book to the first page where a small summary embedded itself in the somewhat aged pages of the book. "Wait a minute…" the wolf paused before going back to the cover, which read "A Long Way Home."
"...How fitting…" the wolf snorted; it was his favorite book. He remembered it extremely well, as well as its connection with him and Soren. "He looked for a hot second, too…That sneaky one could be a good prankster." Without opening the book, Khimari recounted the plot and the story as he sat in silence. This novel was about a kid accidentally taken away from his homeland and brought to a new place that he never knew, and living life with the undying goal of finding his native land once again.
Not sure about why Soren gave him this book, Khimari sat by himself for quite a while scrambling in his head for any plausible set of reasons. By the time the evening started to set in, he found himself out of ideas and resolved to get the answer from the mage himself. Jumping down from the tree he climbed up, the wolf ran back to the castle, quickly wading through the recovering soldiers with skillful agility until he reached the entrance where Ike and Tibarn were talking to each other while Reyson stayed off to the side.
Khimari paid no mind to the two, running inside and immediately switching to his nose to seek out Soren's scent. Unfortunately, he found out that the trail led outside the castle, back into…the forest? Now thoroughly confused, the wolf transformed, carefully placing the book into his jaws and ran out from the way he came, bounding past the group and going directly south. A little while later, he found the sage on the ground with a small stockpile of materials; specifically, books, writing utensils and maps. "Soren!" At once, the pale magic user looked up with a start, surprised to hear a bark. Untransforming, Khimari sat down next to him. "What are you doing outside?"
"There was too much commotion in the castle today," Soren answered simply, going back to his maps. "What can I help you with, Khimari?"
"Why did you give me this book?" Instantly, the boy stopped writing and looked at the wolf dead in his eyes.
"...It's just a book. Don't be silly," he replied, putting down his tools.
"True, but…why do you have it? It has nothing to do with war."
"...It's a precious momento," the Branded answered. "I recovered this book a long time ago in Crimea."
"..." Khimari's mind went back to the time many years ago that led to the two meeting and becoming eventual friends with each other. "Precious?"
"Yes. You do remember the library in Crimea, right?"
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Twelve years ago…
"Please, Greil!" Khimari begged at the small compound. "Let me go to the library! I'll act right, I promise!"
"No, Khimari," the older man denied once again in a bored tone, as if he were used to this specific request. "Titania is out on a mission and I will not allow you to go by yourself." For the last couple of months since the wolf learned about what a library was, he incessantly asked to go there and find books. Apparently, they didn't have these kinds of places from where the blue Laguz came from, which was some 'huge desert kingdom' as he put it. Strangely enough, the wolf could never tell him any more than that or the name of his homeland, which was called Hatari. It was like he suffered from amnesia from the time when he was brought over to him by one of his former soldiers.
"But why!? I can never go anywhere, but Ike can go to the local market by himself, and even the local churches and into the forests! It's not fair!"
"Khimari, I-" Greil stopped when he processed everything that the wolf had said. In the two years that they lived in Crimea so far, Khimari had only been outside of the compound where he started his mercenary company a handful of times, and he had always been under heavy supervision of both him and Titania at once. This was because Greil didn't want anyone to know about him being a Laguz, knowing that the common citizenry would detest and revile his very existence.
On the other hand, he didn't want the young wolf to grow resentful and feel like an outcast among society, which may have already begun to set in. Khimari was simply nine-years old, but his two differently-colored eyes held a large amount of understanding and intelligence in them. Maybe…
"...Alright, I'll allow you to go," Greil ceded. "However, you must stay covered up at all times, and you mustn't talk to anyone while you are out. The library is a place where people are expected to remain quiet at all times. And you can only go to the library and back. Nowhere else."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" the Laguz yowled, jumping up to give the man a big hug. "I won't make you regret it, I promise!" Khimari then bounded out to the compound room, changing into his cloak that covered up all of his Laguz features and running out so quickly it seemed as though he simply materialized at the snap of a finger.
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"Here it is! The library!" Khimari said with an ear-splitting smile. As soon as he found out that this place had a place like he knew back home, he wanted to go. Finally, he could read and find something about his home. Literally shaking with excitement, the wolf did everything to contain himself as he entered the building.
Instantly, he found himself amazed by the large collection of books that adorned the many shelves of the place. Without any thought whatsoever, he went to the closest wall that was there and started looking at every title that he could.
"Hello, little one," a voice said, making him turn in surprise. "You look very excited. Is it your first time here?" Afraid to speak, the wolf simply nodded in affirmation to the old woman. "Ah. Are you afraid to speak? Don't worry, you can speak very quietly if you have a question."
Although the woman said he could, Khimari still was frightened of speaking because he didn't want anyone to be angry with him. After a heavy gulp, the wolf finally found the courage to open his mouth. "Do you have…geography?" he said in a heavy accent, still working on the word that Titania taught him a little while ago. "Many places I want to see."
"Ah, geography? Why yes, every book in that section is about history and geography," the woman said, pointing to the back left part of the library. "But here, take this one. I was planning to get rid of it, but you seem like you'd like it," the woman added, holding out a book. Hesitantly, the wolf took it and read the cover, which said "A Long Way Home."
"...T-Thank you," Khimari shyly said before retreating to the interior of the library where it seemed empty, save for the many many pages of books all around him. With the one book in hand already, Khimari searched and searched the shelves, not finding a single book about Hatari despite his time searching. Sighing in dejection, the wolf almost felt like crying until a sound alerted him to another presence in this section of the library. Looking to the left, he found a small child with a few books in hand and grabbing a geography book with a large map on the cover.
At first, Khimari didn't know what to think until a distinct smell hit his nose. He smelled like…some of the people from his homeland! 'He may know Hatari!' he thought, though he still doubted it.
At least, until the kid sat down and the wolf could see the mark on his forehead. 'He IS from Hatari!' Khimari instantly thought, remembering people from his home with that mark. Now sure that he found someone from his country, the wolf quietly came over and began speaking to him.
"Anyeomeirjo, Hatarieseo Arsabayo? Me sawo vivella.(Hello, do you know where Hatari is? My mom lives there.)" he asked in his native language, finally happy that he could speak something besides this…modern tongue, he thought it was called.
Khimari's happiness quickly turned into confusion when the boy gave him a strange look. "I don't understand you," the stranger said before returning to read.
"Kunde marcafrente tuya…Hatarieseo anvinisteyo? (but your mark…You're not from Hatari?)" When the kid continued to look at him and blink blankly, he felt like screaming, but held it together and took a deep breath. "I look for geography…I am from Hatari. I am looking for home."
"Hatari? What is that?" the kid asked.
"It is a desert country."
"...Maybe in this book," the kid voiced, shifting through the small stack until he pulled out the book with a map on it. For a moment, the two looked through the map but couldn't find a place on it that said Hatari. "I can't find it."
"Ah…" Just then, Khimari saw a green book that had the letters of his homeland on it. "Maybe it's in here!" he pointed, making the other kid tip his head.
"This is for magic."
"But it is my language," the wolf denied, making the other kid's eyes go wide. "That is the tongue mother in Hatari."
"...The mother tongue?" the kid corrected, making Khimari's face feel hot as he realized he made a mistake, which he hated doing in this new language.
"Yes. That…Sorry." Khimari quickly left in embarrassment, leaving the other kid to stare, intrigued by the cloaked Laguz.
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The next week…
Ever since that day, Khimari had been back to the library four more times with a resolve to read every book in the geography section. The young Laguz had an insatiable desire to learn everything he could to find hints of his homeland, and even remembered of a place called Gallia his mom said to him before.
He then began to read about all of Tellius, the name of the place he was, and the countries in it. Khimari knew then he lived in Crimea, and Gallia had other Laguz. But there were no wolves and the land was grass and trees, so he knew he had no family there.
Even with the many books he read at the library, he never stopped carrying the book the old woman gave him on the first day and read it through and through, at least two times. Although he didn't understand every word in the book, he knew enough to know that the kid in it was just like him. Lost without a way home. He treasured it and took it with him wherever he went, which was just around the compound and the library.
This day, in the midst of returning another geography book to the shelf, Khimari saw the same kid from before walking over to him. With a small smile, he waved at the kid, who merely nodded at him. After that small interaction, the wolf grabbed another book about Tellius before plopping down at a small table in the corner, digging into it. He stopped, however, when he saw that he couldn't read the name of the first chapter and gulped. Scared of what to do, he quickly remembered that the other kid was still in the library, on the other corner of the quiet place.
Gathering up courage, the wolf took the book and walked up to the kid, who stopped reading when he noticed the presence of another one next to him. "Do you…know this word? I don't understand…" With a lot of internal worry, the wolf turned the book around and pointed to it.
"...Anthology," the quiet kid said to him. "That is a collection or compilation of writings."
"Antology…Antology," Khimari repeated quietly, trying to reproduce the word's pronunciation.
"No. Anthology. It has an 'h' right here," he corrected, pointing to the letter.
"...An…thology," the wolf said again, gaining a nod from the other child. Happy that he pronounced something right, he smiled at his peer with joy that he could understand more words. "Thank you!"
"...You're welcome," the kid replied. Khimari then realized he didn't do something very important that Greil taught him.
"I'm sorry," the wolf suddenly said, before reaching his hand out. "My name is Khimari. What is yours?"
For a moment, he thought he messed up when the kid looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. Thankfully, the kid slowly returned his handshake and said, "I am Soren. Nice to…meet you."
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"It was the first time I had talked extensively with another kid my age," Soren admitted, closing his eyes as he recounted the moment. "No one ever approached me without disdain or an ulterior motive, at least except Ike…Other kids saw me as peculiar and avoided me on the rare occasion I would see them. Then, you came along and talked to me twice, without hate in your voice."
"Why would I hate you? We had just met," Khimari asked, confused about where the sage was going. "But you were the first kid I talked to much besides Ike and Mist…You reminded me of home a lot, and helped me learn even more about Tellius. You also never judged me for having an accent back then, even when everyone would stare at me strangely." The topic of him learning his second-language was one that always proved to be a sensitive spot. Ike and the others never cared because they assumed it was something that came from being a foreigner, but it always made him nervous when talking to other people.
"For the first time, against all odds and my instincts, I felt like I made a friend I could talk to…"
"I did that for you back then?" Khimari asked incredulously. "But then…I had to stop coming…I'm sorry for leaving you, Soren," the wolf apologized as he realized that the mage was likely hurt by him.
"No, you misunderstand," Soren denied, which confused Khimari. "I know why you never came back."
"Wait…" Khimari breathed, finding himself choked up as he remembered the events that led to him never coming back to the library ever again.
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After their second meeting, Khimari and Soren would occasionally come to meet each other at the library over the next two months. The young mage greatly appreciated the company, as the two would study various things about Tellius together. It shocked him that he would be so social with another person, but he felt…wanted by the wolf.
Also, he found out that the wolf was extraordinarily intelligent. The biggest problem Khimari had with the books in the library was a language barrier. Whenever the magic user found a concept that proved difficult to understand in the ancient language, the wolf instantly understood it and was able to explain it with an astonishing amount of clarity. In fact, they had come to help each other learn their native tongues, and truly enjoyed doing it as…friends.
One particular day, Soren once again arrived at the library in the middle of the day and went directly into the back with two magic books. He didn't know if Khimari would come today, but he brought an extra book that was exclusively in the ancient language for him to read. It proved exceedingly difficult to find such a novel, and though Soren knew it was about the goddess Ashera, he couldn't figure much else out about the text.
The mage quickly became engrossed in his books of wind magic as he sat in the building, until a loud scream from outside caught his attention. Looking up, he wondered if he should go investigate before he heard another chorus of yells that served to be impossible to ignore. Grabbing his tomes, Soren quietly went outside of the building to see a small but growing crowd of people surrounding something, and could now make out what was being said.
"Get out of here, you nasty sub-human!" one middle-aged man said.
"You don't belong here!"
"Someone, kill him!" Investigating further, Soren was able to find a gap in between the crowd of people and was shocked beyond measure to see that the one being surrounded was none other than Khimari, who was uncloaked and had a blue tail, as well as blue claw marks on his face that the mage never saw before. Even then, the two distinctly colored eyes on his friend's face were unmistakable.
"Wait! I mean no trouble!" the wolf yelled out, sliding away on the ground with tears streaming down his face. The mage could see bruises on the Laguz's arms and a small stream of blood coming out of his nose.
"He dropped that," a man saw, pointing at the book Soren recognized as the one that Khimari always brought with him. "He was stealing!"
"No! I already-"
"Where's the sub-human?" another voice broke in, drawing away the mage's attention. It belonged to another middle-aged man, who arrived with a metal pitchfork along with two other men that both had axes. "I'm gonna kill him!"
"Ande! Khom sawo hiera! (NO! Please don't hurt me!)" the wolf cried out desperately in another language, forgetting that no one understood him in this place.
"You cursing at me, you beast? You're gonna get it!" the armed man screamed before catching Khimari in the leg with the pitchfork. Soren shook, frightened for his friend's wellbeing. But even then, the hateful looks that his friend received, he knew them all too well from his time in Gallia when Beorc villagers would throw stones at him. He was too scared to help. Too scared to try.
Too scared to say anything.
"STOOOP!" Khimari yelled after getting stabbed in the side by the pitchfork. Now, the Laguz's clothes were torn and he had blood coming out of his side and leg.
"Kill it! Kill it!" a woman yowled, being joined by the other villagers in her screaming. As one of the axemen came closer to the frightened wolf, a blue flash startled everyone there.
When it dissipated, Soren saw that in place of his friend, was a snarling blue wolf. "I-It transformed!" the woman hollered in fright.
"Hurry up and get it!" an old man yelled.
"We got it, we got it!" one of the three armed men yelled, cautiously closing in on the wolf. But they forgot a crucial lesson in their moment of hatred.
Never underestimate a cornered animal.
As the man with the pitchfork charged, Khimari jumped at him, biting him on his neck before jumping back. Soren saw the villagers collectively stagger back in horror while the two axemen immediately went to help the injured man. Looking over, he saw that Khimari had looked in horror at what he had done before turning around and running into the neighboring forests.
"It's gone…Damn animal," the old man next to him muttered.
"Get out of the way! He's not breathing!" someone yelled. Soren then watched the villagers make a path and allow for the other two men to carry away the wounded one, with some of the women scrambling to find things to help save his life.
Through all the commotion, the mage noticed that Khimari's book was still on the ground, amazingly unharmed with the exception of a little dirt. When he saw that everyone dispersed, the mage picked up the book and went back to the church where the clergy allowed him refuge.
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"You…were there?" Khimari asked in shock when Soren finished retelling that part of their childhood. "You saw…everything?" The wolf had never told a single soul about that event; even Greil and Titania were unaware of his beating because Khimari snuck into the compound and drank one of the man's elixirs to heal himself. It was that event that taught him the depths of Beorc hatred and started his mistrust of the race.
"I was confused," Soren continued. "Every Laguz I met before then treated me like I didn't exist, but you came to me and treated me with kindness. Then…You were treated exactly like I was, but I didn't lift a finger to help in fear of retaliation." The sage stopped for a moment to look at Khimari, who was staring in disbelief at Soren. "I kept the book with the hope of one day returning it to you…But I couldn't bring myself to do it because I felt…ashamed for not helping that day."
"Soren…"
"When I found Greil's company some years later, I was beyond elated to see Ike once again. But when I discovered that you lived with them…It was one of the most relieving moments of my life."
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Five years later…
"Ike, Boyd, Oscar, Shinon, this is Soren," Greil introduced. "He's a mage that was recommended to me by Titania after she saw his work in a joint mission with another company. Treat him well."
"Thank you for accepting my request to join," the mage quietly said, though he could not get Ike out of his mind. Finally, he had found the boy who fed him in Gallia all those years ago. He could never forget those eyes or hair. "I will prove the value of my skills."
"I look forward to your work," Greil replied, nodding with a straight face. "For now, get acquainted with everyone else. We take care of each other here." The mercenary leader then left to talk with Titania and Gatrie, leaving the mage to get to know the rest of the company.
"Hello," Ike started, coming forward with a hand extended. "My name is Ike. Soren, right? Nice to meet you." With a warm feeling, Soren found himself quickly extending his hand to return the gesture.
"Likewise."
"Heya! I'm Boyd!" the green-haired teen jumped up, getting right in Soren's face. The young man staggered back, not expecting such an…exuberant display.
"I apologize for him…I am Oscar, his brother. I look forward to working with you," an older green-haired man greeted, slightly pulling back Boyd with his hand. "We also have two kids here, but they're out right now," he added. "I have another younger brother named Rolf, and Ike has a younger sister, Mist. We all look out for them, so don't be shy."
"Speaking of those two, sundown will be soon," Ike noted. "Should we go get them?"
"Nah, then the mutt would be back stinkin' up the whole room," Shinon rejected casually as he worked on a bow. "I'd rather not hear that thing's yapping for a while longer." When no one replied to the apparent archer, Soren's face took on a confused expression, which went noticed by Oscar.
"We have a…pet living with us," the older brother informed him. "Does that make you nervous?"
"A mere pet? It is of no concern to me," the mage buffed, though he wondered why everyone began to act so strange at the mention of a simple animal.
"Ike!" Greil called from down a hallway. Looking back, everyone saw the man, followed by Titania and Gatrie, approaching them. "Tonight, Soren will sleep in your quarters while we prepare some for him. Go change the bedding for him while I get Mist and the others for dinner."
"Yes, father!" the blue-haired teen responded, before motioning for Soren to follow him. Nodding lightly, the mage quietly walked behind Ike until they entered a room, presumably his quarters, where there were two beds. "You'll be using the bed by the window, if that's okay with you," he informed. Looking at the bed, Soren couldn't help but notice a mass of blue fur as Ike ripped the sheets from the bed. "He must be shedding again…Great."
"The dog sleeps in the bed?" Soren asked with a raised eyebrow. He didn't have much experience with animals in his lifetime, but he knew it wasn't often that they received their own bed.
"Well…yeah. But sometimes he sleeps outside a lot during the colder seasons. His fur gets thick when he does that."
"..." Soren said nothing, simply blinking as he processed everything he heard. He found his thinking process ignored as the knob behind them started to turn by itself.
To the mage's amazement, a blue canine revealed itself as the one who opened the door. The beast walked in slowly before setting his eyes on Soren with an abundance of caution, which made the teenager wary.
"Khimari, this is Soren," Ike answered. "He just joined the company today, so don't worry about him." The wolf continued to stare at Soren though, before slowly making his way up to the robed magic user. Unsure of what to think, the mage stood as still as possible to avoid showing any signs of aggression. The last thing he needed was to get attacked by a beast that was over half his size.
To his surprise; however, a blue flash erupted in front of him, revealing a Laguz with blue hair, a blue tail and two eyes, one green and one blue. He wore a simple outfit consisting of a dark green shirt and blue pants and had a mysterious shining pendant hanging around his neck. Soren's surprise turned into utter shock when he recognized the person in front of him.
"Hello, I'm Khimari," the Laguz greeted with a soft smile. "Nice to meet you, Soren." For a moment, Soren thought that the wolf forgot who he was, until he caught a wink that was sent his way and saw an unmistakable knowing look in Khimari's eye.
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After everything that the sage revealed to him, Khimari couldn't help but be slightly surprised that Soren remembered it all. "So…This book is the same one from that long ago?"
"The very same. I never let go of it after that day."
"...I'm sorry," Khimari suddenly said, confusing Soren. "I wish you never saw what happened that day."
"Eh?"
"I hate it when others see me weak, you know that," the wolf admitted, shaking his head with a small smirk. "But you should never have felt guilty about not stepping in. I'm glad you saved yourself."
"How can you say something like that?" the mage said, getting the slightest bit flustered. "You were nearly killed-"
"But I wasn't. Besides, you were able to hide among Beorc better than I ever could and actually managed to find a place for yourself. It was good no one knew you were friends with a sub-human like me." Ike's tactician was literally speechless as he heard the wolf degrade himself with that term. "I've survived much worse than what those Crimeans did to me, so don't sweat it. But still…thank you for everything."
"W-Why thank me? I did nothing," the mage denied, feeling hot in the face.
"We both know I'm not that stupid, Soren," Khimari said with a roll of his eyes as he sat down next to the mge. "All those random books that started showing up at the compound after you came were when you went to different libraries. Your scent was all over it. You also were the one to step in when I lost my head against Bertram, and again even after I almost ripped you apart at Gritnea Tower." To say that Soren was shocked Khimari knew all of that was an understatement. "You've done more than enough to pay me back."
"...Khimari…"
"The sun's almost down," the wolf noted looking at the rapidly reddening sky. "Will you be going back to the castle? I'm going to see Kurthnaga tonight, if you want to talk with him." The mention of his apparent uncle made Soren's head once again flip into an endless oblivion of thoughts that had no direction of where to start or finish. "Still need to think about it? It's okay." Getting up, the wolf had a quick stretch before helping the mage with all of his things. "Tell Ike that I'll talk with him tomorrow, for sure. It's not fair for you guys to always worry about me."
"I will, Khimari." With all of his things together, Soren went straight for Castle Gallia as Khimari took off in a different direction. Even on their separate tracks; however, the two couldn't stop thinking of the amazing twist of fate that led them to become as close as family.
XXXXX
Later that night…
"Hey, Kurthnaga," Khimari greeted as he saw the black dragon entering through a tunnel pathway that extended to Goldoa. "How are you doing?"
"Hmm…You took the words right out of my mouth," his friend replied, sighing lightly. 'You seemed heavily burdened when we last talked. Has the situation improved?"
"...A little, I guess?" the wolf gauged as he scratched his head. "We have a small break, but Begnion isn't going to stay still. We'll probably have to be planning for battle again tomorrow, if I don't get tied down to a bed. Or some chains."
"Would they really do that?"
"No…Maybe…It's definitely a possibility," Khimari ceded. The more he thought about it, the more realistic the outcome seemed. The wolf chuckled at the thought of Ike and Tibarn holding him down while Ranulf and a few tigers tried to subdue him with rope as he snapped his teeth at all of them. "As depressing as this may sound, I would probably love to see that event happen. It would be nothing but chaotic, for sure."
"...If you need help, I can come with you to-"
"No, Kurthnaga," the wolf denied, immediately recognizing where this was going. "Goldoa needs to stay neutral. That means that you can't get involved…Sorry, but there's too much at stake here."
"Ah…Forgive my moment of brashness," the dragon said. "It pains me to do nothing as you and Almedha have to suffer so much…"
"Don't worry about it. We're tough, and Almedha will come around eventually," he reassured. "Speaking of which, I wonder how Pelleas is working around that issue…"
"Hm? What issue?" Kurthnaga asked.
"Nothing much," the wolf waved off, not wanting the black dragon to get any more worried than he already was. "Just a little favor I asked him."
"...How is Soren?" Goldoa's prince suddenly asked. "He seemed shaken by our conversation."
"He's doing better," Khimari sighed. "He's been alone for most of his life, and then now he finds out he has a family and his uncle comes to his tent in the middle of the night the same day his grandfather mean-mugged him. I'd be messed up if I found my family like that, too. Soren needs time to reconcile with things."
"I understand. It is very difficult indeed," Kurthnaga agreed. "Still…I yearn for my father to find happiness and solace in knowing that his family isn't completely lost."
"Yeah…I feel bad for him, too. He's been through a lot…" In the short time Khimari had known the dragon king, he had been told a decent number of secrets and other things that the dragon king had hidden for CENTURIES, keeping himself and his emotions in check and denying himself even the joy of his children to maintain order.
Although the wolf scoffed at Goldoa's ruler in disagreement with his actions and philosophy (many times), his respect for the old lizard's strength and willpower had reached heights that no one else could come close to. That's why…
"Hey, Kurthnaga," the wolf suddenly called, catching the dragon's attention. "Want to fight?"
"W-What?" the dragon stammered, completely taken off-guard. "Why do you want to fight?"
"We need to relax a bit. What better way to release the tension than with a fight?" The dragon stammered trying to find a sufficient answer to deter his debatably psychotic friend.
"Uh-Erm…"
"Come on! Your father approved it already!"
"That was two years ago and it was only for training purposes!"
"Consider this as training purposes!" Khimari spun around. "I'll help you practice some techniques. How about it?"
"..." Knowing that there was no way to get out of it, the black dragon sighed in defeat, both in the argument and in the upcoming battle he'd have to endure. "If you insist, Khimari."
"Cool! Hop on and I'll carry you to Goldoa's exit," the wolf added, motioning to his back. "If we're lucky, we can get in three rounds before Gareth and Aenir try to kill me again."
"..."
XXXXX
The next morning…
"Ugh…I'm gonna be sore for a couple of days," Khimari quietly complained as he stretched himself out in his room. After last night's escapade, the wolf went through a full stash of vulneraries and he still felt like crap. Go figure that he'd be the one to come out this time and chase him off of Goldoan land. That was seriously unfair…But at least he was able to get in more than one hit this time. That was a personal best in his book.
Before he could continue his internal monologue, a knock came to his door. Before he could reply, the door opened to reveal Ranulf, Tibarn and Reyson all looking in the room. "There you are! I was wondering when you'd turn up again," his dad mentioned with a small smile. "Feeling better now? We're on our way to the throne room. Simple updates while the scouts are doing their surveys."
"Yup! Much better!" Khimari said exuberantly, his eyes jumping with a fire that none of them had seen in a while. "Let's go."
"I'll be…Going by what I heard, I would never believe that you would be back on your feet so quickly, Khimari," Tibarn mentioned bluntly. "That was quite a funk you were in."
"Well…I had a talk and a good fight. They work wonders for the soul," Khimari answered.
"A fight? You went back to the tavern?" Ranulf asked, curious about what his son meant. Although many of the fighters over there had been enlisted into the army, some of them stayed back to keep up the fights at the place that Khimari had become acquainted with three years ago during his first time in Gallia.
"Of course, not! Scar and Tetleo and go screw themselves," Khimari said with a roll of his eyes. "I went to Goldoa last night." The three all turned to him with surprise all over their faces.
"Goldoa? You went to give King Deghinsea another report?" Reyson asked.
"Nope. I went to go talk with Kurthnaga. I told you we were friends," the wolf reminded as he put his arms behind his head in a completely carefree manner. "We chatted for a while, then we trained together. Unfortunately, Deghinsea decided to bust up the fun and chased me out."
"...You talk so casually for having taken on the Goldoan Royal Family," Ranulf said.
"It's not my first time fighting Deghinsea. Besides, I get closer to beating him every time. I made him bleed in three places yesterday! And I didn't completely keel over and die after getting hit by his blast…But I'm done fighting for another day or three, for sure."
"...Ranulf, I don't mean to offend you or Queen Nailah, but do you realize the soul you gave birth to? This kid is undoubtedly the craziest person on Tellius," Tibarn remarked with an incredulous expression after hearing that the wolf fought both the prince and the king of dragons and returned relatively fine.
"We ask ourselves the same thing, King Tibarn," Ranulf sighed. "Maybe it was something in Hatari's water supply."
"Nope, it's just me," Khimari rejected. "Our water supply was from an oasis supposedly blessed by a dying dragon. It can't be that." Not quite sure how to respond to that, the Gallian and Phoenician stayed silent while Reyson snorted in disbelief and exasperation. The heron nonetheless was happy considering that he felt that the wolf's anguish and pain, which was nearly unbearable a few days ago and could be felt from anywhere in the castle, had significantly lessened, though it still remained. The white heron had felt it before on a few occasions during the three years following the Mad King's War, but he always brushed it off as possible homesickness or memories of his mother. The Serenes prince was nothing short of dumbfounded when he found the source to be traumatic relivings of Gritnea Tower.
Before the White Prince could continue his inner musings about Khimari, he found himself in the throne room with King Gallia and his shadow. "Ah, there you are…Pardon my early morning call, but there was a topic of discussion I wanted to clear before Ike and company arrived," Caineghis explained, putting his eyes directly on Khimari. "Prince Khimari, I heard of your misfortunes at length from Ranulf, and I truly apologize for your horrid experiences at the hands of Daein."
"No need. It was all my fault, Your Majesty," Khimari said with a small smile. Instantly, the negative energy Reyson felt from the wolf started to surface, only to be suppressed as quickly as it leaked. "I apologize for not divulging all of the details, but there is no culprit for what I did except myself. I take all responsibility and will accept any punishment you see fit."
"You will receive none of the sort." Shock registered on the wolf's face after hearing the lion's verdict. "For reasons both known and unknown, you and King Goldoa have worked to limit the spread of conflict on Tellius. For those same reasons, you single-handedly tried to establish relations with Begnion and Daein in addition to Crimea on behalf of all Laguz over the last three years. With that said, I will not stop believing in your convictions yet."
"I…Wow, did not see that coming," Khimari bluntly replied after a deep breath. "So, what now? When Ike arrives, are we going to be getting another briefing on the army's status?"
"Correct. Our joint scout mission will not return for another three days as they track the Central Army's movements, so in the meantime, we will focus our attention on fortifying our defenses," the red lion explained.
"Understood." At that moment, Lethe came into the room and bowed to King Caineghis.
"Your Majesty. Ike and the Greil Mercenary core have arrived," the fiery cat informed.
"Let them through at once!" With an affirmation, Lethe complied with the king's demand, bringing Ike, Titania and Soren into the room before taking her post at the door once again. "Ah, Ike, Titania and Soren. I hope you have been recovering well?"
"Yes, Lord Caineghis. Most of us, as well as the soldiers, are nearly completely healed and recovered from the first war campaign," Titania said. "Soren's estimate from this morning suggested that we will be at our initial strength in about two days, with a surplus of supplies that will benefit our next battles."
"I am pleased to hear that. Ike, do you have anything to add?"
"Since we're all here, we thought it best to ask how you'd want to go about deployment plans for defensive maneuvers," the mercenary commander said. "My men are all ready for whatever you need from us."
"From what we experienced, the passage through the Ertz mountains is harsh and inhospitable," Tibarn put in, thinking of the trip they took through the wolves' ancestral homeland. "Although our report has yet to return from the scouts, we should defend all of the borders equally."
"Actually-" Khimari and Soren stopped after realizing that they spoke at the same time. With a small pause in the room, the two worked out a silent conversation before the wolf began to speak. "It'd be wiser to put more emphasis on the northern flank of the country, near Crimea's border," he said. "I have no doubt that they will try to go through them to come here in addition to going through the mountains. But the terrain proves more favorable for their strongest battalions of horsemen, generals and wyverns. That, and the Senate would hold no hesitation in threatening Crimea to comply with their demands or push to violence to get their way."
"My sentiments exactly," Soren agreed, nodding at the analysis.
"So we should fortify our northern border further? …Giffca, see to it that all preparations are made."
"At once, Your Majesty!" the black lion saluted before exiting the room. "Is there anything else to be added?"
"That's all. I'll work with Giffca to make sure the hawks are in position with the beast tribes," King Tibarn informed, before the two exchanged in another conversation.
"Ranulf, we can do another check of the army's status before the evening sets in," Titania mentioned as the lion king slightly retreated to talk with Tibarn.
"No problem! Khimari, you want to come?"
"Ranulf, if it's fine with you, we actually thought about letting Khimari help Soren plan out some things for the next coming days," Ike brought in.
"Hm? No problem with me!" the cat agreed, though the notion slightly surprised him. "Alright, let's get going!"
XXXXX
Two days later…
"Hey, Nephee," Khimari said. He was currently in the heart of camp with the Crimean soldier as evening time passed through in the form of the orange sky. "How have you been?"
"I've been alright. Nothing been too rowdy 'round here, yet," she replied. "How about yourself? I saw your Ma yesterday. She told me to check on ya."
"Ah, I was having another one of my funks. The usual," Khimari shrugged. "I'm over it now, though…Did you ever get that note I sent to Crimea? Around the time the war started?"
"Hm? Oh…Yeah…So she wants me to visit this…Hatari?" Nephenee asked, speaking slowly to pronounce the name right.
"I'm just as worried about going back, honestly," he admitted. "Still, it would be something great for you to see. But…"
"But what?"
"I don't want to take you away from Ohma. That's your home," Khimari said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
"Well…I…a trip wouldn't hurt, I guess. After harvesting season would probably be best, though. Then the triplets can get trained up better with the townfolk. Then Ma will have less to deal with."
"...If you say so…I won't fight you on anything but I just want to make sure that you're sure about it."
"It ain't no sweat off my back, Khimari. You know that by now, I know full well." In response, Khimari gave the halberdier a warm smile and a small cuddle. "You wanna go get somethin' to eat? I bet you'd have quite an appetite worked up."
"Hmm…No thanks," Khimari declined. "I like hunting rabbits, but I'm not feeling too hungry right now. You want one?"
"Nah…" the girl deadpanned, shaking her head while snickering lightly. "I'll be goin' on then. Take care of yourself, hear?"
"You too, Nephee," the wolf returned. The two embraced each other again before they went their own separate ways. Khimari went in the direction of the castle, wondering what he would do to kill the time today. Unfortunately or maybe not, it seemed that someone would have plans involving him.
"Khimari! Hold right there!" Looking back, the wolf found Skrimir walking towards him. "Fight me!"
"...Now, Skrimir?" the wolf breathed out. He already completely recovered from fighting the black dragons a few days prior, but he wasn't exactly in a fighting mood at the moment. "Maybe tomorrow."
"Wha-You refuse a challenge!? How could you do such a cowardly act?"
"Look…Training is fine. I encourage it, too. But I'm not ready to fight right now. We'll go tomorrow morning, if you're still up for it."
"...Hmph. Fine. Meet me at the clearing outside of the castle at dawn." As the hot-headed lion walked away, Khimari sighed and threw his hands up in the air, completely over what just happened a few seconds ago.
"Screw it, I'll just go to sleep," he decided, not even wanting to find an activity to do anymore. When he turned to enter the many hallways of the structure, yet ANOTHER voice called out for him.
"Khimari, a moment, please." Recognizing the voice, Khimari mentally chilled himself out before turning to walk over to the one who called him. "Do you have any time for extra inventory?" Soren asked.
"Yeah, no problem," the wolf replied, though he was irritated as all hell. "So, what are we checking? Weapons? Funds? Food?"
"The former option. Specifically for the mercenary company. The larger army has already been sorted out by Ranulf and Tibarn." Nodding, the two went over to the room where the convoy stayed. Khimari stepped back slightly to let the sage knock on the door and only went ahead after they heard "enter" from what was most likely Muston.
"Well, look who it is! How can we help you today?"
"We're looking to see if there are any leftover silver swords and poleaxes available in the convoy. Mia, Brom and Boyd both are short on their weapons. In addition, we'd like a supply of four vulneraries and three concoctions for the Greil Mercenaries."
"Hmph. Ain't no customer like one who knows what he wants," the large man gruffed out. "It's coming right up!" Retreating back, the caravan went through the Crimean mercenary group's stocks while the wolf and mage stood there expectantly.
"So, you need me to carry this over to them?" Khimari asked while the others did their work.
"Not quite. I saw that Skrimir was bothering you and wanted to ask about the situation."
"Ah…A routine challenge on his part again," the wolf answered, while being inwardly impressed at Soren's use of an ulterior motive. "He does that every now and again, but I haven't fought him since before the war began."
"How often does he win?"
"Never. I'm undefeated when it comes to Skrimir," Khimari said with a smirk. "Giffca's beaten me a few times, and King Caineghis and I mostly ended it at a draw. He's the only one in Gallia I haven't beaten yet."
"...So the fight is at dawn? Do you need an officiant?"
"You want to? Well, I'll be darned. If you want to, we'll be at the first clearing by the castle after you turn right. It's pretty big and hard to miss, too."
"Here ya go!" Muston said as he returned to the scene with the necessary weapons. "We have two silver swords and three silver poleaxes ready and ripe in storage. Also, here's your healing supplies. That'll be 4200 gold."
"Done," the tactician said, handing the man the requested amount seamlesslessly. "Thank you for your services."
"Ain't no skin off my back when I get paid!" the Beorc bellowed with a great laugh to follow. After Khimari grabbed all the materials, the two started walking through the castle once again.
"We can leave those in my room. I'll distribute them in the morning during breakfast," the sage mentioned.
"Hm? Alright. That saves me the trip at least," Khimari shrugged, following Soren's direction. "Oh yeah…Do you want the book back? You picked it up…"
"No, you are its owner, Khimari. I only request that you never forget about our past." the sage rejected, shaking his head.
"...It really means that much to you? The short time we knew each other back in Crimea?"
"More than you could ever know." At this point, the two were at the door to his and Soren's room.
"In that case, you know I won't, Soren…But ya know…" the wolf suddenly started again, leaning in and throwing his arm around the mage's shoulder. "You still tried to set me on fire with those spells back at the Ribahn. You know that means I have to get you back, right?"
"...What are you implying? You know I wouldn't last in a true fight against you," the Branded replied. Although he tried to appear stoic, the tactician's rapidly multiplying fear scent began to make its way to Khimari's nose, causing said wolf to make a devious smile.
"I'd never try to kill you, Soren," Khimari eased, though Soren felt anything but. "But…I'm quite a famous prankster among some people. I wonder what I can come up with…It'll be amazing, that's for sure."
"..." Khimari took a devious delight in seeing an even paler version of Soren's complexion and laughed.
"Don't be scared, Soren! You won't know what it'll be…or when it'll be. Even how it'll be. But I'll make sure that it's a prank for the history books!" Afraid of his mouth, Soren kept quiet as Khimari opened the door and haphazardly threw the sharp weapons onto Ike's bed, who fortunately wasn't in the room. "Welp, I'll see you bright and early, Soren! Make sure to eat and get a good night's rest!"
Khimari then left Soren paralyzed with fear as he walked down the hallway humming the galdr of rebirth, which somehow made the sage even more terrified of what was inevitably coming to him.
XXXXX
A/N: And that's another one done! Not much to report beside college stuff, so I'll try to bust out another chapter next month during our small break season. Anyways, remember to fave, follow and review and I'll see y'all next time!
Blizzard, out~!