Interlude

Pride of the Bulls

Part 1

It had been late that night when she crawled out of bed unable to sleep, her bare feet pattering on the cold stone as the new year's winds left a chill in the air. She was scared, the memory of the nightmare that woke her quickly turning into a loose, foggy memory that disappeared altogether. It wasn't the nightmare that scared her anymore, it was being alone, she had to find him.

The halls were quiet and lonely, she remembered how Simon would tell her tales of how lively they used to be years ago, before she had been born. Yet now even when the sun was out and people woke up to do their chores the halls still seemed so empty and sad, much like the people who walked them.

The young girl followed the grunts and clanging of metal that intertwined with it to find him there in the yard, a young man fiercely training against one of the armored dummies kept there. This wasn't the first night he had done this, and she knew it wouldn't be the last.

Sully watched as her brother unrelentingly attacked the dummy, the makeshift armor it wore denting and breaking apart from each attack he landed on it. It didn't make sense to her, the person she watched wasn't like the Sullivan she knew. Why was he acting like this?

Sullivan suddenly stopped and stood there staring at the dummy. It was almost like he was trying to see right through it. She shivered in the cold air and quietly moved toward the warmth of the nearby torches, the crackling alongside her brother's panting being the only things that dared to disturb the strange silence. That was until she heard him mutter something under his breath.

"Weak... weak... too weak!" There was a harshness in her brother's last words, almost like it was someone else speaking them.

A deep and growing growl came from her brother that turned into a vicious snarl causing her to flinch. Sullivan's anger erupted fully as he violently drove the axe through the dummy's head splitting it from head to chest. The young man's breathing grew ragged, and his body visibly shook as he stared at the dummy once more. Hesitantly Sullivan leaned forward and pressed his hand against the dummy, a small sniffle coming from him.

Sully stood there for a while, her brother burying his face in the dummy's chest as he... as he started to quietly cry. She should've returned to her bed, but her legs refused to listen to her and she stood there watching her brother. Sullivan eventually turned, his body freezing up as he spotted her. He seemed scared, like he had been caught doing something he shouldn't have. With a quick wipe of his face, he spoke to her.

"Why are you still awake?" Again, there was that harshness in his words. She cast her eyes downward afraid she had upset him.

"I... can't sleep, I'm sorry Sul." It took a moment, but Sullivan let out a deep and shaky breath before he grabbed a nearby cloth and wiped his face more thoroughly as he walked up to her and knelt.

"I'm guessing you were afraid the others would make fun of you, so you came to me, right?" She nodded to him as her brother reached over and stroked her hair, the torchlight illuminating a set of familial red eyes that mirrored her own. "You should've put slippers on at least, you're likely to cut up your feet or catch a cold in this weather."

It was then that her brother wrapped his arms around legs and scooped her up. She'd never admit it, but she liked it when her brother carried her like this, there was this vague feeling someone else used to do this, but she couldn't remember who no matter how hard she tried.

There was this sort of a sinking feeling inside her tummy as she tried to remember, she felt sick but in a way she couldn't understand. As her brother carried her down the hallways, she asked him the same question that she had asked him so many times before.

"When is mom and dad coming back?" The grip her brother had on her tightened and his jaw clenched hard enough for her to hear it. The grip he had on her almost hurt, but he soon relented and adjusted how he carried her.

"They're not coming back, Sully. I've told you this before."

"B-but what if you're wrong? What if they need our help? What if they're stuck somewhere and can't get to us?" Sullivan stopped, his lip doing this strange dance until he bit down on it.

"Sully... please believe me when I say they're not coming back. They're gone and there is nothing we can do. I'm sorry."

The girl buried herself in the crook of her brother's neck, her thoughts drifted towards how things had been different before she had been born, how they had been better. There was a stinging in the girl's eyes as she fought back the tears welling up in them at the sudden realization coming to her.

"Why... why did they leave though? Sul, d-did I, am I why they-?" She was torn from her brother's shoulder, his eyes staring into hers.

"Sully, never blame yourself for any of this. You are... if our parents could see the person you're growing so quickly into, they'd have stayed."

"I don't understand, why aren't they here then? Whose fault is it if it's not ours or theirs?" Sullivan returned her to his shoulder as they walked on in silence, she could feel the thrumming of her brother's heart as it sped up. There was only silence as her brother started to grind his teeth.

"I'm sorry, but you're still too young to understand. I promise to tell you when you're older," he finally said, opening the cracked door to her room, her brother sat her down on the bed where she glared at him and frowned.

"That's pretty hippo- hypa- argh!"

"Are you trying to say hypocritical?" Sully nodded still glaring at him, she wasn't too young to understand this. "Really and why is that?" A little laugh came from her brother that made it hard to keep the glare up. Crossing her arms, she refused to answer.

"Well? I'm curious why I'm a hypocrite Sulle-"

"Sully! My name is Sully!" She tried her best to growl at her brother who only seemed to grow more amused.

"Fine, why am I a hypocrite Sully?"

"Simon says you keep taking more and more duties despite not being full-grown." A scowl came over Sullivan as he crossed his arms and scoffed.

"Simon keeps gossiping like that and he'll find himself in the Furnace more often, we're lacking in smiths." Sully grabbed at her brother's shirt and tugged it; she wasn't going to let him punish her friend. "Calm down it was just a joke sis. That said I'm grown enough, both to run the county and take care of us." Her brother's hand once more found itself on top of her head, but it was different this time, like he was looking for something.

"What are you doing?" Sullivan chuckled as he smoothed out her hair.

"Checking for your horns. They're little now but they'll be bigger than even Sir Rory's once you grow up."

It wasn't much longer until her brother tucked her and was about ready to leave when she asked if he'd stay till she fell asleep. A small smile shined out in the darkness as he pulled up a chair near her bedside and waited for her to fall asleep. It wouldn't be until the morning she discovered that Sullivan had vigilantly watched over her all night.

Sully's eyes open and the woman let out a weary groan at the old memory. It had been years since she dreamed of her family, of home. Rolling onto her side, she thought back on the memory she had dreamed of. She had just turned five at the time, just short of two years since the war took their parents and the burdens that should've been theirs was thrust upon Sul. They had been thrust upon him.

A strange anger came over Sully and it made her sick to her stomach, the memory of her brother's brazen words at being grown enough repeated in her head. Damn liar, he was younger than Ricken when he said that and what came of it in the end? Sulland and Sullain died, and their family was ripped apart and left broken yet again!

The anger soon faded away leaving only guilt in its place. The woman gripped the sheets tightly as she thought on what the other choice had been. Should he have sent them to the four corners of the halidom to be raised by complete strangers only to return to each other as little more than just that? No, Sul kept them all together so no matter what they would always have each other. Sul endured all of it so they could even have a family.

Throwing the sheets off her with a growl the knight sat up and gave her face a firm clap and shook her head, that was enough mopping around damn it! Setting about her morning stretches she knew they'd be leaving the Arena today, shame too, she admired quite a bit about the Feroxi. Chief being that man, woman it didn't matter so long as you could throw a mean left hook. Thinking more about it, she wasn't too surprised that she enjoyed her time amongst the Feroxi.

For all the war and fighting there had been between Gran and Regna Ferox the two had their similarities. Both were an incredibly proud people who valued strength of will and skill at arms, granted the Feroxi tended to have more fun with the latter than they did. Life in the two lands was largely defined by what one could do as opposed to what they were born as. Be it in either Gran or Regna Ferox, she was a warrior and a knight and there was no reason to disparage that.

In the rest of Ylisse though, she had discovered there had been "expectations" for her, certain roles that were "approved" for her. Want to be a mage fine, want to be a pegasus knight and wear those frilly skirts, go for it. Want to ride a regular damn horse and charge down your foes, not without a cock you don't! It had been one of the many things she found unsettling about the greater world around her.

Still, cock or no she pissed all over those expectations and managed to finally become a true knight completely of her own making, she had proved those damn naysayers shites both new and old wrong. And yet now it all felt so... hollow as if what she had ventured out to do didn't even matter.

Pushing herself through her morning exercises was always easier when she was angry. It had been a technique passed down through her family, channeling one's anger to attain greater focus and clarity. But this strange new anger coupled with her frustration only distracted her and caused her stomach to churn. It was only through sheer stubbornness she managed to push forward.

Finally completing her last set of crunches, the knight sat there exhausted and sweating. She knew they'd be going to Gran. Soon as she heard messengers were being sent through the Deepfort there was little doubt the Captain would stop by there. With a deep breath she sprung to her feet and hoped a warm soak would take her mind off of things if exercising couldn't.

While there might've not been a feast that wasn't going to stop the Feroxi from having an excuse to party. The day of their departure they were sent off with a damn fine farewell parade. You'd have thought they were returning heroes from some conquest with all the food, drink, music and banners flinging they were doing. She got a bit of a chuckle when the Feroxi spirit was on display by a couple of drunken fools shimmying across the banners.

Several hours after leaving the city they broke for a break, she might've liked the Feroxi, but she hated all their damn mud. It was little wonder they relied on mercenaries for cavalry with this crap all over the place. Still, they managed to find a nice that hadn't thawed completely. Atris cleared the remaining snow from the area with one of those wind spells. Useful skill, shame he had to whinge about losing his stupid thunder tome during the tournament.

Sully had been rummaging through her pack when that thought had caused her to pause. What was going on with her? First, she started snapping at Stahl and now these ill thoughts of Atris? Stahl was a good man and a right fine mate of hers, and while she hadn't really gotten to know Atris he had been a great asset to the team and fought damn well to win that match and secure the alliance with the Feroxi.

Looking up she tossed an apple to Kellam who nodded appreciatively, Stahl meanwhile was tending to his horse, Carbuncle. Apparently, the horse was named after some old story from the days of Archanea about a gem that brought good fortune or something. While she didn't really care much for legends and myths, she did care enough to grab a second apple for her preoccupied pal. Gods above she knew he'd give those blasted begging eyes if she didn't.

"Y'know I think this is the fourth time this has happened." An irritable snort had come from Rory at the sound of Vaike's voice. Sully had no idea why her horse disliked the man, but she could've hazard a few guesses.

"Whatcha on about?" was her reply as she tossed an apple Stahl's way and tried to ignore the noisy carnage that was him eating it.

"I swear every time we leave somewhere you got this gaggle of ladies crowdin' ya and givin' you gifts. Like that time back at Ouldstead."

"That was the one involving those sea raiders, right? Yea, I remember that one baker woman with the best damn bogsberry pie and treacle that side of East Ylisse. What's your point though? You better not be hittin' me up for pick-up lines or somethin'."

"Pfft, the Vaike doesn't need help pickin' up the ladies! All he needs to do is show em' the prides of Ylisse." Vaike flexed his biceps to emphasize his point as Sully covered her face. The muscle-bound knucklehead was such an oddity to her. There were times he reminded her so much of Sullain that it startled her, but when "the Vaike" came out his more pigheaded traits only amplified.

"With muscles like those it's no wonder I'm the charmer between the two of us." She heard Stahl let out a snort followed by a choking sound. It wasn't long before a loud smack sounded out, most likely from Kellam. The man panickily gave Stahl another thwack to dislodge the fruit.

"Thanks, Kells!" Stahl gasped out needily. That was strange, where was the rest of his apple?

"Yea, no problem, Stahl. Er, with that said Vaike if you're looking for advice-"

"Tips! Ya know, maybe a few tricks of the trade. That said I'm a bit surprised you're the one offerin'." That was a surprise. Sully smirked at the normally quiet man and focused her attention on him.

"Well, there's really no trick per se. Back in my hometown there was a girl I began to um, fancy. I tried to make her feel wanted or appreciated, I'd do things like make sure she always had a dance partner at the local festivals even if I wasn't good at it. Eventually I mustered up the courage to ask her out and we did for a time." Vaike simply stared at Kellam.

"What?"

"I-I was just kind and thoughtful, that was all." Vaike stared at the man before he started howling in laughter.

Kellam looked onward in confusion as he simply shrugged to Stahl and gave the man the rest of his apple. Covering her mouth and trying to hide her own laughter, Sully knew exactly why Vaike was losing it. She didn't know how Kellam got his spears so crossed to think Vaike was asking for actual dating advice instead of the shortcut to a quick toss in the sheets.

"Wow, I knew it!" Suddenly the man wrapped his arm around her neck still laughing. "I knew deep down inside that ya just wanted flowery poetry and frilly gifts!" Kellam's face lit up as did her own soon after.

"H-hey now, I-I didn't say anything about-. Stahl! What are you doing!? You're not supposed to eat the core!"

The soldier lunged at the cavalier knocking both of them to the ground. The two tussled about slinging more than a little mud about as Kellam tried to wrestle the apple from Stahl. Sully planted her face into both her hands as she started to walk a fine line between dying of embarrassment or laughter. Vaike meanwhile gave her a playful tug as he kept talking.

"C'mon no shame admittin' it. You want to wake up to sweet written words under your pillow don'tcha, perhaps a song to go with it?" With a light growl she gave the man a good smack to the chest with the back of her hand.

"Oi, shut it, you arse. Last thing I want is you givin' Virion new ideas on where plant his nonsense." She knew that blonde nitwit was only playing around, but a part of it did strike a nerve with her.

There had been a time she hadn't been so averse to the notions of poetry or the more "romantic" things in life. That was until she had to endure years of young squires coming up to her, their legs shaking as they basically pissed themselves to read their drivel to her. It hadn't been the lack of confidence or even the attempts that irritated her, it was that she was forced to hear them spew up the same trash repeatedly.

None of those little love letters or poems had ever actually been about her, or Naga forbid the things she actually took pride in. No, they had always been the same shallow attractions that only a stranger would think she valued in herself. That's not to say she didn't appreciate being called... well, pretty or something like that, but it always felt she was being reduced to nothing but just that during those days.

"Jeez, go easy, will ya? I was just jokin' around." Vaike said, rubbing his chest. Kellam rose from the ground triumphant with the apple core grasped tightly in his hand.

"Phew. So, um, what about you Sully?" she arched her brow at Kellam. "Well, we uh were t-talking about. Just w-wondering what you thought." Sully did her best not to stare at Kellam, it certainly wasn't something she expected to be asked today, let alone by him.

Resting her forehead on her knuckles she pondered what she would even seek in a partner when an awkward realization came to her, she had never really given much thought to the matter before. The closest she ever came was when she had that crush on Chrom, or well at least she thought she did. It had simply been admiration she felt at the time, admiration for a good friend and for someone with the makings of something truly great.

Thinking about it more, there of course would have to be a mutual respect between the two, they'd have to be her equal in arms as well. Was that all it took though, someone with a capable sword arm that respected her? If so, then why hadn't those feelings ever come up before? The woman's head started to hurt as she continued to grow ever-more frustrated at the question.

"A-are you okay?" She felt Kellam's hand on her shoulder as the other two looked a bit worried.

"Y-yea, why do you ask?"

"You just been quiet for a while, Sulls," Stahl answered her. How long had she been thinking about this for?

"H-hey, if I said something that upset you-"

"You didn't upset me! I just, I uh, I really don't know how to answer it is all." There was an awkward silence between the four before she finally spoke up again. "I guess they'd have do somethin' that'd make me notice them."

"Welp, so that means Kellam's out," Vaike joked with a playful smirk.

She heard a slightly annoyed growl and following it an apple core that bounced off Vaike's head. The laughter from earlier came back with force and it stormed right through her as she lost it, the others joining her soon after. Even if she didn't have some parts of life figured out yet, she was glad to have these knuckleheads around her while she did so.

The girl wiped sweat from her brow, her breathing labored as she sat down on the nice cool stone. Looking up, she smiled eagerly at her instructor, a woman around Sul's age with auburn hair and almond eyes who ruffled her hair warmly. She was split between yearning for the woman's approval and being disgusted that someone would tangle themselves in her sweaty hair. A warm laugh came from her instructor as she gagged and swatted their hand away.

It had been three years since she met Lyra, the daughter of old man Lyonel, a battle-master from Valm who roamed the world before settling down in Bastion at Sullivan's request. Sully had caught the young woman training in the yard when she first arrived, she had been drawn, almost entranced by the swift, yet precise movements of the young woman's swings. Noticing the girl, Lyra invited her over where the two started to talk.

Sully scampered through the halls looking for her brother, the image of her holding the woman's sword aloft was still stuck in her head. The excitement in her in her built as she thought of the possibility to wield a sword with such skill as Lyra, or perhaps she'd learn the ways of axe and lance from Sul. The girl's heart was pumping nearly as fast as her feet when she threw open the doors to where her brother was.

Standing before him she boldly declared she wanted to learn how to fight! It took a moment before she realized he was in attendance with Simon and several other senior knights. It was funny, their faces had gone from annoyed at her intrusion to what seemed to be curiosity. Simon looked on in amusement at the situation and nodded in approval before turning to Sul who had an almost sheepish look on his face. Pride soon shined from her brother's eyes as he stood tall and accepted her request with the same boldness she had displayed.

"That's an awfully big grin you got there, what are you thinking about, kiddo?" Lyra asked as she knelt before Sully and offered her their waterskin.

"Just about when we met, when I started trainin' with you and Sul."

"Trainin'? Someone's beginning to pick up on Sullain's bad habits I see." There was a teasing smirk on the woman's face as Sully huffed.

"It sounds tough!" Sully retorted and took a long gulp of the waterskin as a familiar voice called out to her.

"It makes you sound like you became acquainted with the hooves of a mule."

"Ah, whadda ya know? Better she picks up my type of talk than soundin' like she ate a freakin' thesaurus for dinner." Sully spit out the water as she nearly choked on her laughter.

Looking back towards the voices she saw her older twin brothers. Sulland was rather lean, his hair always neatly trimmed and parted down the center. He had this odd way of walking, his eyes shifting downward occasionally as if to preplan his steps. Sulland was always the bookish type, the one to fret about being always punctual and making sure there were never any surprises he wasn't aware of.

To his right stood Sullain, the younger of the two twins, although they never really knew if that was the case. Sullain was almost the polar opposite of his older brother, heavily muscled and incredibly daring, although he definitely stirred up more than his fair share of trouble. The younger twin wore his hair wild and long, the left side of his face regularly covered entirely by it. The way it would bounce about at times reminded her of a horse's mane.

"How's the practice comin' along?" Sullain yawned and stretched his arms.

"You caught the end of that did you not? Her instruction and growth have been nothing but spectacular. I believe it's only a matter of time till she surpasses you." Sulland nodded to her as the younger twin narrowed his eyes and smacked the older one on the chest.

"The Pipsqueak beat me? Get real, if she kicks anyone's arse here first it's yours!" Sulland let out a scoff at his brother's words as the two stared each other down.

"Preposterous, or have you forgotten how badly I beat the last time we crossed swords!?"

"All I remember is knockin' you off Scribbler and sendin' you right into the ground after I whipped you in our last bout!"

"His name is Scribe, and it's far better than that bunch of bluster and bravado you came up with!"

"Oi! You keep Thunderer's name out of your mouth!" The two were almost forehead to forehead now nearly growling at each other.

The twins always had this weird competitiveness about them, Sullain had once explained it to her as a kind of game the two had been playing as long as they could remember. Game or not though the two tended to blow things out of proportion when they got like this. She still recalled the scolding Sul gave the twins after the "Great Boar Joust". An irritated sigh came from behind her as Lyra marched up to the two squabbling brothers and butted their heads together.

"I swear you both are little more than the two children I met all those years ago," Lyra said shaking her head as the twins nursed their own. A small smirk crept on Sullain that turned into a shameless grin.

"Heh, that's the plan. See, when you and Sullivan get all old and wrinkled from taking everythin' so seriously, I'll be rollin' around in youth!" Sullain wrapped his arm around his brother's neck and pulled him. "I just gotta get this one to lighten up and join me before he frets himself in an early grave." Sulland simply rolled his eyes and groaned, but she spotted the small smile on his face.

Even as she laughed at the two there was a small pang in her chest. The twins had this unique relationship and energy that everybody around them could feel. It reminded her of the relationship she used to have with Sullivan, the two once inseparable now rarely saw each other except for-. Sully's eyes shot downward when she finally realized it, he was late again. Lyra knelt beside her taking her hand into one of her own.

"What's wrong Sully?"

"Sul's late again..." She saw the twins exchange an awkward glance between one another before finally Sulland spoke up.

"He's simply busy, Sully. Sullivan formally assumed rule of the county barely a year ago. He has... he has quite the arduous task ahead of him given the state father left Gran in." Sulland said, mumbling something under his breath soon after as Sullain rubbed the back of their head nodding at the older twin's unknown words.

"Don't worry on it, Pipsqueak. There's little doubt who here is Sullivan's favorite, he'll be along here soon, promise!" Sully felt Lyra squeeze her hand but still there was this lingering bitterness in her mouth.

The sounds of panting trailed behind Sullain's words as her eldest brother ran up the stairs clutching a pair of staves in hand. Finally reaching the top Sullivan doubled over as he tried to catch his breath.

Sully stared at the man as he gave a short and raspy cough, was this really Sul? The sunken, bloodshot eyes and bags that dragged beneath them, the rough and unshaven parts of his face, his skin even seemed paler, almost sickly. Her brother looked... old, far older than he really was.

"S-sorry I'm late... I meant to take a brief nap, but it appears I overslept," Sullivan gasped out as he straightened himself.

Upon seeing Lyra his body seized up briefly, the woman letting go of her hand as she marched towards Sul. If the two spoke she couldn't hear them, all she could see was her brother's eyes continuously darting around as they refused to meet Lyra's. Soon a frustrated growl came from her instructor as she threw her hands up and shortly after stormed off.

"W-what was that about?"

"I just made a mess of things, Sullain." Sul sighed as he watched the woman walk away from them and turned to see the younger twin's look of concern. "It's nothing, I'll straighten things out with her tonight. In the meantime..." Her eldest brother turned to her with a weary half smile and threw a staff her way.

Reflexively she caught it, but she didn't assume her normal stance. Instead, Sully simply stared at her brother, examining his face of these features she had never noticed before. Was something wrong? Sullivan shifted about uncomfortably as she continued to stare at him, eventually he asked her if something was wrong. It took a moment before she finally spoke the words.

"You're late again..." Her chest was a flurry of emotions at those words, anger, guilt, disappointment not in Sul, but in herself and she didn't know why. Sullivan deflated slightly as he approached her.

"Sully, I'm sorry I just...-"

"It's fine! Just... don't worry about it!" She huffed and crossed her arms, the staff pressing into her chest. Why was she acting like this? The frustration only grew when she saw her brother purse his lips and sigh with disappointment. She should've apologized, should've done something, she was being childish, and she knew it.

That was when the attack came, her instincts kicking up just in time to block her brother's strike. There was a small smile on Sullivan's face as he launched another attack that she deflected. Catching the next strike, the smile on her brother's face was now a smirk as the two were locked in a bind.

"T-that was a cheap shot!"

"Yea, and what are you going to do about it Sulle-?"

"My name is Sully!" She couldn't help but roar as she somehow managed to push her brother back, if only barely.

As the two continued their duel she felt the ill feelings of before leaving her, lost in the flow of combat. It was odd, but there were times she felt she understood a person more when they fought than when they spoke. With each strike a wordless story was told between the two. It was all still there, the same desire to push her, the same want to see her become the best she could be.

But there was something else. Even though her brother's strikes were as fierce as ever there was this rigidness to them, as if he was forcing himself. She tried to read further into her brother's movements and attacks in the hope she could understand this oddity in him she had discovered. It left her distracted though as her body hung in the air before it raced downward to meet the ground.

Sullivan had landed a sweeping blow on her legs, while she had expected to lose, she wasn't particularly prepared for the dull ache in her head. Slowly she sat up, a low groan involuntarily coming from her as Sullivan looked on in concern. Sully answered those concerns with a cocky grin, her brother's eyes closed slightly as the smile he wore seemed to banish her worries away.

Getting up, Sully sprinted forward to take the fight to her brother when a fractured image painfully tore through her mind, the smell of smoke and a quiet, pleading sobbing followed it. Her breath hitched as she stumbled forward, the anticipated strike from her brother never came as her face smashed into the stone.

Except it felt nothing like stone, looked nothing like it either. Getting up she saw everything around her cast into darkness, the familiar sights and sounds of her home were simply gone. This wasn't right, what was going on? Looking at her shaking hands she saw they weren't those of a child in her dream, but the adult she really was.

A bell sharply rang in the distance, a mournful dirge following it. Fear and anxiety welled up in her chest as she stared out into the darkness, and from the darkness they appeared. A dozen and a half people, their backs turned to her. Even though they were turned away from her, Sully knew them. Family, friends, both from her past and her present. Alongside them a set of illuminated and familial red eyes hung suspended in the air, its gaze cast upon her, burning, piercing.

Again, the bell rang, the sharpness intensifying as the people turned to her. Slowly they raised their hands, a single finger extended towards her. The eyes started to ascend growing until they hung in the sky like two crimson moons casting both shadow and judgement on her. From the darkness a great chaos of noise blasted forth assaulting her. As she struggled to fight against the deafening pain, a single word was made known to her.

"Burden".

Sully shot up from her sleep, her body drenched in a cold sweat and her breath coming in ragged bouts. She clenched her teeth and slammed her fist into the ground. Slowly she brought her fist up to her forehead, again, the knight smashed her fist into the ground hoping the pain would steady her. Was that really what she was? The only thing she knew was that there would be no rest for her, not anymore.

Her hands trembled as she gripped the blunted blade and delivered the first strike upon the training dummy. With each attack there was no relief, only an increasing guilt that gripped her heart like a vice. The images of her brother, of Sul slowly succumbing to everything that had been thrust upon him, of him trying to provide the things that should've been their parents' responsibility, she had been holding him back, dragging him down!

Letting loose a savage overhead slash, she parried away the imagined counterattack and retaliated. Too slow, too sloppy, too uncoordinated! Damn it, she was better than this! She... she had to be. This was all she had; all she could offer, if she couldn't even do this how could she ever prove she wasn't what she had always known herself to be, a burden.

Sully's strikes grew wilder, and her eyes burned from her unwavering focus on the target before her. What followed was a cycle that slowly grew to consume the woman, her failure made known in each flawed strike. It wasn't long before any technique or skill had simply vanished; she was just senselessly beating the dummy by this point, and to her shame she knew it.

"I think he's dead Sully, you're whacking a corpse at this point." She paused mid-strike and shifted her eyes over to and issued a short grunt to acknowledge the man's joke.

"Gotta make sure sometimes. Givin' we've been fightin' those rot chumps." There was an odd curtness in her words, like someone else had spoken them. It gave her pause, a strange haziness following as if she had just woken up.

"Sully, I'm just going to come out and say it. You've been acting strange, what's wrong?" The knight stood there in silence as she pondered the man's question. Eventually she relented and turned to face him.

"You want to help, Atris?"

"Yes."

"Then pick up a training blade".

Sully never sparred nor dueled with Atris before, but there was this odd familiarity with the man that bordered on nostalgic as they fought. Rushing forward to keep the offensive the man reached into his coat and a fierce wind shook her as he blasted himself away from her incoming strike. Lunging forward, the tactician knocked her blade to the aside as the knight struggled to guard against his next attack.

"Oi, I don't remember sayin' spells were on the table!" The two were deadlocked, both struggling to get the upper hand over the other before she was driven back.

"Yea, but I figured you'd want a little challenge. I promise not to zap you though." Sully couldn't help but stare at him.

She could feel the smile spreading across her face as she charged, their blunted blades crashing against the other. Sully had never really talked to Atris before, the two had made conversation in the past, but hardly anything more. In truth she was hesitant to call him a friend, more of a comrade really. Yet as she parried away the tactician's blade and retaliated she knew that this fight would forever change that.

The knight lay exhausted on the cool and inviting ground, the pride of a hard-fought victory surging through her. Sully looked over to Atris his labored breathing matching her own. Her eyes shifted from the man to the sky above them as the feelings that had gripped her so viciously weakened. There was also a clearness of thought, as if a spell had been finally lifted from her.

The rest of the morning had not gone as she expected. The two soon exchanged words, Atris confiding in her a recent memory, or perhaps some kind of foresight into their future. The truth was she didn't know what to make of either one. Sully almost considered involving Miriel, but she could already feel the headache that would come by involving the mage in something more "mystical".

There was a part of her that felt... honored, she certainly felt more than a little flustered at being confided in before anyone else, especially given how close the man was to Chrom. It stirred something in her, and for the first time in many years she let her own guard down and shared a moment of weakness with the man. She hadn't told him everything, not for lack of trust or trying, she just wasn't the best at sorting out her own feelings.

Still, she couldn't deny that by the end of it that she in some way felt better, perhaps a bit steadier in her resolve about what lay around the corner. It wasn't so much the talk itself that inspired this new bout of confidence, but the fact that if Atris could understand her, then maybe the others could as well.

Author's Note

Phew, I'm still alive and I'm sorry it took me so long to update. After the last chapter I got into a creative rut that just wouldn't go away, no matter how hard I tried just nothing would come out. So now onto the other thing, I REALLY underestimated how much story there was to tell with Sully's interlude and after agonizing over it decided to split it up into two parts. In addition to my own stuff, there's just certain parts of Sully's story/ character that if I didn't write about would be a disservice to her, so sorry if this being split into two parts disappoints anyone. All that said part 2 should be up next week and Chapter 11 shortly following it. Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed part 1 can't wait to upload the next one.