Chapter 7

Land was a distant line on the horizon, only visible because the sun was currently going down behind it. We'd been out at sea for a few days now, the sun and the fresh sea air doing much for my mood.

The fact that I was away from all the old problems in Ylisse now might have helped, too.

This was a chance for a new start. A blank slate, something most people don't even get the chance for once in their lifetime, let alone twice. Still, it felt a little hollow.

I couldn't help but snort, reasoning that at least I didn't have to deal with Frederick out here. The thought brought a small smile to my face.

As much as I'd respected Frederick, I hadn't liked him. Not one bit.

Leaning with my elbows against the port-side railing, I gave a long sigh, a small smile plastered onto my face. Shit always had a way of feeling so far away while you were at sea. It was calming for me, the feeling of separation from land, from society. A ship was a society all of its own, a city in a microcosm. It was small enough to be deal-with-able. I often found myself thinking that I might have been a sailor or a fisherman or something in a past life. It was easy, it was uncomplicated, it had clearly defined rules and expectations, and a simple goal. I found myself warming up to the idea the more I thought about it.

Of course, not everyone shared my love of the sea.

Such as my travelling companion who hadn't crawled out of the small, hard bed in our cabin in the entire time we had been out at sea.

Grima was seasick. Which was the main reason I was up on deck, basking in the salt and sun and breeze.

She was a royal pain in the arse while seasick.

Just like Robin had been…

I sighed and shook my head, running a hand over the top of my fuzzy pate. The usually smooth skin had sprouted hair again, something I would need to rectify and soon. Of course, I'd thrown my old daggers away, so now I had nothing to shave with.

"Maybe Anna has one…" I muttered to the sea.

I still felt naked, honestly. This was the longest I'd gone in years without having a weapon of some sort strapped to me. It was weird. It had been a spur of the moment decision, one that I didn't regret. For the most part, anyway. If anything, I missed having the damn daggers around as a helpful tool, as opposed to a weapon. Fortunately, I wouldn't have to open any cans any time soon, but still…

"You rang?" Anna chirped, the merchant appearing at my side while I was lost in thought.

She looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to jump. Unfortunately for her, I was used to listening for assassins, and unlike her cousin, this Anna wasn't quite as light on her feet.

"Nice try, Red," I smirked.

Anna pouted and clicked her fingers in mock disappointment, the expression passing like a cloud before the sun before as her usual Cheshire grin was came back in full force.

"You got any daggers for sale?" I asked

As I went back to watching the waves, Anna shifted, turning to lean her back against the railing next to me as she let the wind blow through her hair. A mistake on her part; getting salt out of long hair like hers is a bitch.

"My good man," Anna chortled. "I have everything for sale. I'm an Anna."

"Touché," I smirked.

"But if you're asking if I have any sharp enough to shave with, I might have to disappoint you," she said with an awkward cough.

"A blunt dagger and a whetstone will suffice," I sighed. "I need to get this shit off my head before everyone realizes I'm prematurely balding."

"I dunno, it still looks pretty thick from here," Anna commented, craning to inspect the top of my head.

"Flattery won't get me to take a higher price," I warned with a crooked grin. "Nice try, though."

"Drat, foiled again," Anna laughed.

We stood in silence for a time, and I took the chance to study Anna out of the corner of my eye. Unlike her cousin, already a seasoned merchant and actually a lot older than she had let on when she'd joined up with us, this Anna was surprisingly young. I'd put her at maybe sixteen or seventeen at a glance, but I was always bad at guessing ages.

She still wore the simple green tunic atop simple pants and boots, her usual brown coat stowed in her wagon while we sailed. Her chest and hips were smaller than Anna's had been, too, but that could have been genetics rather than age. Still, though, she looked almost shockingly young to be wandering around the world alone.

"Like what you see?" Anna asked coyly.

"What?" I asked, turning properly now.

Anna just grinned, fluttering her lashes at me.

"You were staring," she said, her voice almost sickly sweet. "I may have to start charging you."

"Just admiring the family resemblance," I scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself, kid."

"Hey, I'm not a kid!" she huffed, the flirty air she'd been projecting evaporating instantly. "I'm nineteen! It's not my fault you're so old!"

"Hey, I'm only… uh…" I trailed off, racking my brains.

Shit, how old was I when I first got to Ylisse!? I thought frantically.

"… twenty-three? I think?" I finished.

"Wow, how long have you been on the road that you forgot your own age?" Anna asked.

"A long, long time," I said, going back to watching the waves and the horizon.

There was an awkward pause, in which Anna shifted uncomfortably. Tentatively, as if waiting for me to bite her, she lay a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it," she said softly. "I know you and Raven must have some pretty… unhappy circumstances. What with her marks and all."

I snickered a little, before letting out a long breath.

"Ancient history now," I declared with my best approximation of a roguish grin.

"That's what I like to hear!" Anna cheered. "So! When are you gonna start teaching me my cousin's tricks?"

I frowned, leaning back against the railing with one hip.

"You know, it's a little late now, but I may not be the best person to ask," I admitted. "A lot of what she did was situational. Things you can only learn by doing. Sure, I can tell you about them, but that doesn't really feel like you'd be getting your money's worth for smuggling us into Plegia."

"Please, it's hardly smuggling," Anna scoffed, before her face darkened. "And we had a deal."

"Hey, whoa, easy there, Red, I ain't breaking no deal with an Anna," I said quickly. "Give me a little credit here, I'm not that stupid. I'm saying after everything your cousin did for me, I want to make sure you get your money's worth."

"I'm listening," Anna said slowly.

"How about we travel with you for a little while," I suggested. "I show you some of your cousin's little tricks so you can see them first hand. And I also teach you some self-defense."

"I can take care of myself," Anna scoffed. "I doubt you'd be able to teach me much."

I grinned, leaning forward a little.

"Look into my eyes," I told her.

Anna frowned, leaning forward, now, too. My grin dropped.

"Anna, I could kill everyone on this ship bar Raven with my bare hands, and not even break a sweat. I have killed more men than you will ever make deals with, and that's with full knowledge that you're an Anna factored in. I have trained scores of men to be the meanest, toughest bastards on any battlefield, anywhere."

I leaned back, smiling brightly now.

"That enough of a resume?"

Anna swallowed heavily and nodded, leaning back again. I'd just turned the 'General Ben' vibes up to eleven to get my point across. Clearly, it had worked.

"Right, okay, deal," she said quickly.

"Consider that one of your cousin's lessons," I smirked. "Intimidation, plied much more subtly than that, is a powerful factor for negotiations. Usually, visibly and comfortably wearing a weapon is enough. I don't think I ever saw Anna go anywhere without her dagger."

Anna nodded, smirking shakily.

"Okay, so what's my next lesson?" she asked putting on a brave front.

I'd obviously shaken her up a little. So I'd need to lighten the mood here.

"Okay, pay attention, this one's important," I said with a slight grin, holding my hand up with my fingers splayed.

I put my index finger of my opposite hand on it's twin on my splayed hand, looked Anna dead in the eye, and…

"One."

I moved my index finger to the next.

"Two."

"I know how to count, you jackass!" Anna burst out laughing.

"Just making sure," I chuckled. "You'll have to give me time to think of what I can teach you."

"Okay, well until then teach me how to fight like a big scary… uh… you," Anna grinned.

"Fine, sure, we can do that," I nodded, turning to face her. "Punch me."

"What?" Anna laughed.

"Nah, c'mon, I'm serious," I told her. "Punch me, hard as you can. I gotta see what I'm working with here."

Anna gave me a weird grin, reluctantly making a fist. With her thumb tucked on the inside…

Clearly I was gonna have my work cut out for me here.

"Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there," I sighed. "Didn't you say your family taught you self-defense?"

"Sure, with a lance," Anna huffed. "What's the problem."

I reached out, grabbing her wrist and uncurling her fingers. Then, I curled her fingers back into a fist. With the thumb on the outside this time.

"Tucking your thumb into the fist is a good way to get a broken thumb, and not much else," I told her. "Now c'mon. Hit me."

Anna fidgeted, holding her fist up.

"I'll really do it," she warned.

"I'm waiting," I scoffed. "Hard as you can."

The redhead swallowed, before throwing the most heavily telegraphed punch I'd ever seen. I took the hit on my jaw, turning my head with the blow.

Robin used to hit me harder than that when I'd sassed her during planning sessions.

"How was that?" she asked hesitantly.

"Pretty piss poor, honestly," I admitted.

"Geez, don't hold back any," Anna pouted.

"Holding back will get you killed," I warned her. "As a merchant, you're going to be fighting bandits at some point in your life, probably soon if you're planning to wander around Plegia. You take the target down hard, you take it down fast, you don't fuck around."

"Sir, yes sir," Anna said with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes, taking a step back from her and adopting a simple stance.

"Okay, so here's why your punch had no power," I explained. "You punched with your arm and shoulder. You gotta put your whole body into it. Come up on your toes, twist from your waist."

As I spoke, I showed her a few slow jabs.

"The trick is to not over-commit, though," I warned. "You throw yourself too far forward and you'll stumble and fall. Rule number one is don't fall down on the battlefield. Ever."

I stopped, turning to face Anna, who was watching me with a curious expression. I held up a hand, palm flat.

"Now, I want you to punch my hand like I showed you," I told her.

"Not your face?" she asked cheekily.

"Hey, I'm already ugly enough, thanks," I pointed out. "I'm not gonna teach you how to make it worse. Shut up and punch my hand. And remember not to over-commit."

Anna grinned and nodded, pulling her fist back past her head and dropping her other hand down almost to her stomach.

I rolled my eyes. I couldn't help it.

Faster than she could move, my hand flashed out and I poked her in the middle of the forehead.

"Boop."

"Agh! What was that!?" Anna yelped, jumping back.

"Don't drop your guard," I said, lightly slapping her forward hand as I drew my own back.

"Well how was I supposed to know that?" Anna huffed.

"And now you know," I said. "That's why we're learning. Don't draw your fist so far back, either. If you lean in and follow through, you shouldn't have to draw it back at all."

Anna frowned, stepping forward again much more warily this time.

Which was good. A step in the right direction, anyway.

"Any day now," I drawled.

"Were you as big a jerk when you trained your own troops?" Anna asked blandly.

"Oh so much bigger!" I scoffed. "I haven't hit you back yet, have I?"

Anna blanched a little, her lips thinning as her eyes widened slightly.

"Obviously we still need to work on your poker face, too," I smirked. "Now hit me, dammit!"

She sighed and delivered an actually decent right straight to my waiting hand, and I nodded.

"Good! Again!" I said. "Follow through this time, put your weight into it!"

By the time we finished Anna was sweating and gasping for breath, leaning against the ship's railing to keep herself standing. My palms were throbbing a little, but it was nothing worse than I used to get when Lon'qu would repeatedly knock the practice swords out of my hands. At least I didn't have the accompanying migraine I used to get after training with Lon'qu.

At the thought I was suddenly overcome with the urge to beat the shit out of the swordsman with my new skill level. But that could wait.

"How ya feelin'?" I asked lightly.

"I think I'm gonna puke," Anna gasped.

"Really? After that? Wait til we have the space for me to start making you run!" I warned with an evil little chuckle.

"Can… can I back out of our agreement now please?" Anna muttered, shaking her head as she struggled to catch her breath.

"I thought you said you had training?" I pointed out.

I wasn't being a superior jerk about this, I swear.

"With a lance!" Anna snapped. "And… and… ugh…"

"And no stamina, and no strength," I finished for her. "You'll end up very, very dead if you don't start working on those things. I'd suggest walking instead of riding on your carriage."

"I'd suggest you jumping off this boat," Anna grumbled.

"I'm being serious," I told her, frowning a little. "I was the same way when I first got to Ylisse. It takes a little doing, but once you get your stamina up it's easy to improve everything else."

Anna just gave another long groan, standing up straight and stretching her back.

"I think I need a bath," she grumbled. "This is not what I paid for."

"I'll tell you what I told everyone else," I said, leaning my hip against the railing again. "You may not like me, but this training will ensure you're alive to hate me. It's tried and tested."

"On who!?" Anna seethed.

"Me," I shrugged. "Raven."

And about a thousand men who will never actually receive my particular brand of hell this time, I added sourly in my head.

"Oh, you mean the Raven currently curled up over a bucket?" Anna asked pointedly.

I smirked again, shaking my head and leaning back to look up at the evening sky above us.

"Out of everyone in this world, Raven is the only person that still intimidates me," I admitted softly. "Khans Basilio and Flavia, nope. Walhart the Conqueror, nope. Priam the descendant of the Radiant hero… eh, maybe a little; he's pretty intense. But Raven? She fucking terrifies me."

"Well, remind me not to irritate her, then," Anna sighed, leaning back against the railing next to me.

The young merchant made a sound a lot like a balloon deflating, relaxing against the rough wood.

"I really do need a bath," she repeated with a sigh.

"Well, I wasn't gonna say anything, but…" I shrugged.

"Oh, like you're any better," she scoffed.

"I'm a man, I'm supposed to stink," I shot back.

We stayed like that, leaning on the railing, laughing and trading insults until the sun set and the ship's cook sounded the bell for dinner. I felt a little guilty that I'd spent so long away from Grima, but getting some feelers out in this new version of the world was important.

Plus, it's never a bad idea to have an Anna in your corner.

As we shuffled along the deck to the galley, I put thoughts of Grima from my mind. I'd bring her some gruel or something else easy to digest after we ate.

I mean, really, how mad could she be?

"I will end you. Violently. In fact, I would kill you and everyone else on this ship if it meant that I could be back on land."

I rolled my eyes, setting the bowl of gruel down on the desk. Grima peeked out from beneath the blanket she had covered her head with, letting out a groan as she spotted the rough wooden bowl.

"Ugh… no…" she moaned piteously. "Don't put that thing anywhere near me, even thinking about food is making me… ugh…"

The once-mighty 'god of destruction' was in a pitiful state. She had spent the last two days curled up on her side under the blanket on the bed, groaning and moaning like a wraith, when she wasn't curled over a bucket puking her newly-human guts out. Anna and I had been taking it in alternate shifts to spend time with her or watch over the merchant's wagon full of merchandise, which was why I'd been on deck earlier. But dinner time was the shift change, and now Anna would spend the night on her wagon while I spent the night here, listening to Grima gag. And not in the fun way. At least the bucket she'd been puking in for the last few days was currently empty.

The room was musty, and smelled of sick. Not of puke, but of the stale, rancid sweat smell that one got when they were ill and couldn't wash properly. It really didn't do anything for my own stomach, but Grima really had copped the worst of it.

I let out a breath, shrugging off the simple jacket I'd gotten from the innkeeper in Webrook and hanging it on the hook next to the door with Robin's old coat. Then, as gently as I could, I perched on the edge of the bed.

"Let me see," I said.

Grima gave a low groan, more like something one would hear from her Risen servants than the sound a living creature would make.

"Grima. Let me see," I said again, a little sterner this time.

She relented, tugging the blankets off her head but keeping her eyes clenched tightly closed. She was pale, her cheeks drawn and her hair a mess. Fully clothed, she was laying on her side, curled up in a ball.

With another sigh, I gently started rubbing comforting circles on her back.

"You look like shit," I said softly.

Grima let out a contented sound, shifting to allow me easier access to the expanse of her smooth back.

"Why is it that out of everything, you rubbing me like some common hound is what makes me feel better?" she asked after a few minutes.

"I got magic hands," I smirked. "Besides, it's an intrinsically human trait to take comfort from physical contact."

Well, for most people. I still didn't like being touched.

"Dogs do that, too," Grima pouted, her eyes still closed.

"And I don't see no tail or ears, so I guess you're human, huh?" I chuckled.

"Why are you not sick?" Grima groaned. "Why is no one else?"

"I'd put it up to Robin having an inner-ear problem thanks to the generations of inbreeding it would have taken your followers to create you the perfect vessel, resulting in a higher likelihood of suffering from motion sickness," I said glibly. "Or the universe balancing you out, making sure you're not too totally over-powered. It's nice to feel superior in this relationship for a change."

"I hate you, and once I am again in control of my faculties, I will punish you for that 'inbreeding' crack," Grima pouted weakly.

"Should I stop rubbing your back, then?" I asked, my hand pausing.

"If you stop, I will blow your face off with magic," she warned without skipping a beat. "I promise you, I have at least recovered enough energy for that much."

I scoffed little chuckle, beginning to rub Grima's back again. We sat like this for some time, in the quiet darkness of the cabin, the only sound the rustle of cloth as I continued the slow, calming motion of my hand against Grima's back. I don't know how long we stayed like that, but by the time I started paying attention again my hand was warm and tingling from the constant stimulus of rubbing the warm blanket. After a time Grima's breathing steadied, her hunched posture relaxing a little as she drifted off to sleep. I rolled my eyes and sighed, shaking my head as I realized that, once more, she hadn't eaten anything.

"You best start eating, because I am not in the mood to give up more blood," I muttered, pulling away from her.

Grima muttered and shifted, curling up a little tighter with her blankets.

Gently, I pulled the blanket off her face so she didn't suffocate. That would be the last thing I needed, ending up back in Southtown with all my progress undone because Grima managed to strangle herself in her sleep with her own blanket.

If that was even how it worked.

I frowned, realizing that we never actually had figured out what the fuck that was all about.

Questions for later, though.

I slid off the edge of the bed, settling on the ground, resting my back against the side of the bed so my head was level with Grima's stomach.

"Swear to god, next time I get the bed," I grumbled, mashing my ass around until I was comfortable.

With thoughts of trepidation about how sore my ass was going to be in the morning from sleeping like this, I nodded off.

It was only a little less than a week to get to the city of Misayl, one of the larger coastal trading ports in Plegia's southern edge, but it felt like we had been on this boat for an eternity. Such was the power of boredom.

Anna, Grima and I had all crowded into our little cabin to escape some light rain that particular day, the redheaded merchant satisfied that her goods were protected and wouldn't get damaged by the precipitation.

She'd given up sleeping on the wagon after the third day.

"I'm bored," I moaned, letting my head fall backwards against Grima's bed.

"It's hot," Anna added, holding her collar out and fanning down her shirt.

"I really wish… the room would stop moving…" Grima groaned piteously from beneath her blanket.

"But you're so cute when you're all submissive like this!" I smirked, looking back at Grima upside down.

"… end you… painfully… slowly…" she muttered.

The only visible part of her face in the shadows of her blanket were her piercing red eyes. This, coupled with her threat, would have been enough to cow most people, but I knew it was empty and just smirked wider in response. Grima huffed, nudging the back of my head with her knee.

"Wipe that smile off your face you fool, or I'll find you a jester's motley when we arrive in Plegia," she hissed weakly.

"Whatever turns you on, babe," I shot back.

Grima gave a low, pained groan as Anna burst into a fit of giggles from her position across from me, leaning against the wall.

"You two are so cute together," she cooed.

I opened my mouth to respond, but Grima beat me to it, shooting into a sitting position to glare at me.

"He is merely a flirt," she said accusatorily.

"It's true, I am," I shrugged. "Considering how repressed so many people in this world are, it's the easiest way to get a rise sometimes. Throws people off balance, gives you the advantage."

I lifted my head to look pointedly at Anna.

"Keep that in mind. Sex sells, which is why your sisters and cousins all wear such low-cut tops. Gotta show off 'the girls' a little, ya know?"

"Gotta have some 'girls' to show off first," Anna scoffed self-depreciatingly.

As she spoke, she pointedly patted at her flat chest, far smaller than those of the other Annas I'd met.

"You still got time to grow," I shrugged again. "Start drinking more milk."

Grima nudged me in the back of the head again, and I glanced up at her.

"Stop flirting right in front of me," she huffed.

"I'm not flirting, I'm paying for our ride by 'instructing'," I grinned. "Hotness is a weapon much easier for women to wield than men. No shame in taking advantage of it."

"Any more sage advice?" Anna chuckled.

"Never eat the yellow snow," I said instantly. "No matter how much your friends offer to pay you."

Grima started cackling as Anna rolled her eyes, but thought better of it after a few seconds when she realized that the movements involved with such loud laughter were adding to her motion sickness.

"I meant economic advice," Anna said, clearly trying not to grin. "As in, what I'm paying you for."

"Hey, I said not to do it for money," I shrugged.

"It's true, he did," Grima said, her voice much more subdued this time.

Anna just crossed her arms under her practically non-existent bust, glaring slightly at me until I rolled my eyes again.

"Okay, how about… uh… shit… the concept of credit?" I said.

"Go on," Anna prompted.

"Basically, you sell shit for imaginary money," I simplified.

"You lost me," Anna said.

"Think a bar tab, but for other things," I explained patiently. "I'm not really the best at economics, like I said, but that's the best way to explain it."

"Okay, I think I'm following," Anna said slowly. "My Aunt once mentioned something like this. So it's like a loan, but with goods instead of coin?"

"Yeah, pretty much," I nodded. "Each party signs a contract, you take goods from party a, sell said goods, pay party a what you owe, keep the profits. Of course, party a can charge interest, or even sell your contract to a third party or all kinds of other shit, so it's not foolproof. But it's a good way to make a start if you're dealing with low-risk kind of shit. Am I making any sense at all? I feel like I'm rambling."

"I stopped listening around 'signs a contract'," Grima groaned from the bed.

"If nothing else, you're making me think," Anna said, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Also, if you're gonna sell furs, dump some apples in them to make them smell pretty," I added. "Makes it easier to move them."

"Where did that come from?" Grima asked.

"Spice and Wolf," I grinned.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she deadpanned.

"Now that's some practical advice, I can use that," Anna laughed.

"Good," I nodded. "Next time you load up your wagon let me know, I'll teach you some better knots."

"You know how to tie knots?" Grima asked slowly.

"I worked furniture moving for a few years before I ended up in Ylisse," I shrugged. "It's a useful skill to have, especially when it comes to getting kinky in the bedroom."

Anna blinked, utterly clueless at what I meant, but Grima just chuckled knowingly.

"Yes, you did teach Robin a couple of those, didn't you?" she said wistfully.

"Now I'm the one that's lost," Anna admitted.

"I'd be happy-" I started, cutting off when Grima's knee smacked me in the back of the head, much harder this time.

"-to make you some diagrams," I finished lamely.

I turned, glaring a little at Grima. My glare softened, though, when I saw the warning expression on her face. It was a mixture of anger and hurt, and I rolled my eyes.

"Aren't we the possessive one?" I muttered, reaching up to take her hand.

"You're all I have," Grima mumbled back.

"Okay, someone pass me the bucket, I think I'm gonna hurl this time," Anna groaned.

Grima groaned and blushed, retreating under the blankets again but not releasing my hand. It was cute, but I was beginning to get a little worried about how attached she was getting.

"Jealous much?" I asked.

"Hardly," Anna scoffed. "Just worried about how much sugar I'm going to be subjected to if we're travelling together."

"We're traveling together where now?" Grima piped up from under her blankets, gripping my hand just a little tighter. "Nice of you to ask my opinion on the matter."

"You got any better travel plans?" I quipped. "She has a wagon and I don't feel like walking across Plegia."

"Hey! What happened to walking for stamina?" Anna asked.

"I got stamina, it's you that needs the exercise," I deadpanned.

"I am not averse to the idea," Grima said, her eyes appearing again beneath the folds of her blanket. "But I would have liked to have been asked."

I rolled my eyes. "Hey Raven, wanna travel with Anna for a little while when we get to Plegia?"

"Why yes, Ben, I quite like that idea," Grima said back without skipping a beat.

Anna just sat there, watching us for a moment. We both looked over at her, my brow quirking with the unasked question.

"You two are so weird," Anna said, shaking her head.

"And you don't even know the half of it," I heard Grima mutter, the smile clear in her voice.

AN: I actually remembered this time! Yay! Do I actually have anything to say about the chapter? No, not really. In fact, this was one of the ones I pretty much forgot about. I think I wanted to use this as a chance to introduce Anna a little, add her to the dynamic, see how she fit and if she would make a good addition to the crew. As I'm sure my patrons will know, she turned out to be a very good addition to the crew.

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