ThatCharacter

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

---

A Counselor Consoles

"I didn't throw them in. They volunteered."

“An admirable sentiment, were they not children,” Lysander sighed to himself.

The meeting had left him pensive for the better part of the day and had carried over to even now. He felt like his body moved on its own will, administering lessons without too much thought. Few people approached him, more excited for the arrival of Lady Arianthe, and for that he was grateful. It left him ample time to think, after all.

He poured over Michail’s notes for what had to be the dozenth time. They were a lot more detailed than he had expected, especially since he didn’t know Michail to take paperwork seriously. Aside from Lienna and Veronica, Michail managed to aptly describe each student’s strength and weakness with suggested lessons going forward to improve them. While Lysander initially felt the evaluations were somewhat blunt, it was obvious he knew what he was doing. Well, he was a Knight of Seiros, so it shouldn’t have been that surprising.

Stopping on the last Blue Lion, he frowned down at Michail’s suggestion. He had chastised Michail for leading them to battle too soon, but it seemed he had agreed. A few students had been marked with a similar sentence on seeing Lysander for counseling. But did Michail write this because he knew he would read it or because this was something he genuinely thought was best?

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Lysander put everything away. He supposed that he should check in on one of the students Michail recommended. He waited for the bells to signal the end of the after-class meeting, and then decided to leave his office with one paper in hand. He walked through the dorms until he reached the room he was looking for, knocking twice sharply.

“Kellen Fraldarius? Are you there?” He asked.

It was muffled, but Lysander could hear a muffled “Oh Goddess…” from the other side of the door, followed by the sound of shuffling footsteps and the soft click of a lock turning. As the door swung open, Kellen Fraldarius peered out, keeping himself a safe distance from the doorway and whoever might be waiting. As he recognized Lysander, his shoulders sunk ever so slightly.

Kellen had rushed to his room the moment his professor’s assessment and Auberon’s anxiety-inducing request for a meeting had been heard. Kellen hadn’t had much cause to interact with Professor Roland, but he remembered a few key things about the man. The first was that he had been supposed to join on the ill-fated training expedition. Secondly, he remembered that Professor Roland had admitted to being responsible for the creation of the Rose Unit. Last of all, he was the Academy’s counselor. What exactly that meant at a place like Garreg Mach, Kellen was afraid he would soon find out.

“Umm… Hi there Professor." It was difficult to read the expression on Kellen’s face. There was the usual sense of dread that overtook his features whenever he was forced into a conversation, but it wasn’t nearly as blatant as it might have once been. Indeed, he appeared… preoccupied. “Did I miss something, were there more lessons?” A higher power willing, there would be a banal explanation to the professor’s purposeful appearance at his door.

Lysander brightened up considerably, giving Kellen a small wave and an apologetic smile. “Sorry to disturb you, but I was wondering if you had a moment to talk?” He asked. “It won’t take long."

The regular haunted expression displayed itself in full force over Kellen’s face. Whatever had been previously distracting him was relegated to the back of his mind as the professor’s small talk set off alarm bells. It was clear Lysander had a reason for coming here, and as Kellen tried to assess what it may be, his eyes took in the paper in the professor’s hand. That had to be it.

“Oh. Of course." The Fraldarius boy stood there for half a moment before he realized he was still blocking the door. He took a step backwards, lightly kicking a crumpled shirt under the bed. Beyond the odd piece of clothing, and his sword leaning against wall in the corner of the room, Kellen’s quarters were quite barren. He interjected before Lysander would have a chance to really take things in. “Is it something from home?”

The professor stepped into the room and gave him a slight bow of gratitude, though he was a little confused by the question. “No, nothing like that, I can assure you,” He replied, choosing a spot close to the door to stand in so as to not intrude too much. “Has something happened that you’re worried about? I could always send word if need be."

Kellen let out a breath as he realized Lysander wasn’t trying to inspect his room. It was a good thing too. Tucked away in a drawer where Kellen had left it, an envelope with his father’s seal sat unopened. The last time Kellen had received such a letter, it had carried the news he would be attending Garreg Mach. This one would contain worse news, Kellen imagined. “No, it’s -- I’m alright." Some part of him had assumed Lysander would be following up on whatever dread omen this message contained, but that didn’t appear to be the case. “No need, I’m sure they’re being kept apprised of things. I just thought..." He let his hand rise slightly as he trailed off, pointing at the paper in the professor’s hands.

Lysander followed Kellen's gaze, finally understanding. Maybe he should have taken a moment to memorize it and leave it. Still, Kellen's anxiety was practically radiating off of him, and Lysander figured the best approach was to take things as slow as possible.

"My apologies, this is Professor Michail's report on the battle in Luin," He explained, wanting to be as transparent as possible. "After reading through everything, I thought it prudent if I checked in on everyone to see how they were doing. It was entirely unplanned and was a hastily made decision--" He cut himself off, not wanting to get back into blaming Michail again.

"I just wanted to see how you're holding up," He finished.

“Oh. Oh.” Kellen’s face seemed to sink a bit. Michail’s assessment of the Kellen’s performance had been fair, but Kellen was fixated on the mild critique that had been proffered. Proper grip of a sword, managing the reach of an opponent’s weapon, those were things he could work on. Fear? He was capable of identifying the many sources of it, but solutions were few and far between. That thought stuck with him as the professor followed up. Kellen looked down towards the ground, feigning interest in a nondescript stone. “I’m okay." He looked up, offering a small smile that stopped somewhere past his nose but before his eyes.

Lysander tried not to frown but failed as Kellen met his eyes. He let out a hesitant sigh as he leaned back against the wall, finding himself holding back a lot of his initial thoughts. What was important was Kellen’s wellbeing, as Michail had already been reprimanded. He’d be lying if he wasn’t tempted to sneak in at least one ‘I told you so’, however.

“Are you sure?”He asked softly, wanting to focus more on the student than the professor.“It was...sudden. I’d understand if you felt some need to express yourself without having anyone to talk to. That is my job here, after all--a counselor consoles. Well, counsels, but we can pretend they’re the same thing." He threw in a light hearted joke.

Any remnant of a smile faded from Kellen’s face as Lysander pressed him. This was what he had feared. Kellen couldn’t hold it against the professor, it was a fair question. But he wasn’t prepared to talk about the trip to Luin. The joke would have normally earned a smile, but Kellen was afraid it would be taken as an invitation to press further. He let it hang for half a moment as he considered how to navigate the situation he found himself in. Without much thought, his eyes were drawn back to the report. What had his professor written about him that had caused the Academy’s counselor to come knocking on his door? In a rare moment of forthrightness, the question found its way from his brain to his mouth. “What does it say? About me?” His face was set as he looked at Lysander directly.

An expected response, even if it wasn’t what Lysander had hoped for. He looked back down at the page, clearing his throat. “Professor Michail commended you for your skill, there isn’t any room for doubt there. A few pointers on your form that he’ll likely go over in the next combat class,” He skimmed Michail’s writing before looking back up at Kellen. “He also mentioned that you were shaken by the bloodshed."

There it was.

He could still taste the bile in his mouth from the retching and remember the stinging feeling of tears after the scene of the battle had finally been secured. On the way back, beyond a perfunctory thanks to the other students, he had made himself scarce and spent most of his time in his room, pacing about and trying not to jump at every unexpected sound -- an activity that had finally been interrupted by the teacher’s briefing and Lysander’s appearance. He might have considered these distractions helpful if he weren’t so concerned about the possible appearance of bandits or axes just outside of his sightline.

Kellen’s lips pursed, his face betraying no other reaction to Lysander’s words. He had no concrete reason to personally doubt Lysander’s sincerity. But what the professor would do with the information, he couldn’t say. “I think I... “ He swallowed audibly. “I think we all were." He shouldn’t have been, though. Out of all of these students, he was one of the few who had actually seen a battlefield. “I’m fine now, I just - I just wasn’t prepared."

“I’d be more surprised if it had been any other way. You aren’t being singled out, either; after this I’ll be speaking with a few others as well,” Lysander admitted. “But still, I don’t want you to think that you have to put on a brave face for anyone."

The fact others were being approached put Kellen a bit more at ease. He had been nervous that he had been singled out in some way, though any amount of attention was still… unwelcome. “Clearly this report shows I’m not much good at it, if I were trying." A small smirk came unbidden to his face. “I think Professor Kalonic might have been, ah, overly concerned. You should do the rounds for the others."

Lysander stared at Kellen for a moment, albeit he relented. “I see,” Was all he had to say to that, but even if he tried to push it, he supposed he wouldn’t get very far even if he tried. Still, leaving things like this felt wrong, so he thought he would at the very least make sure that Kellen knew he was around.

“If anything changes, do let me know. As I said, it’s part of my job to make sure every student is alright regardless of their situation,” Lysander told him cheerfully.“I’ll leave you be, then. Thank you for your time."

Kellen remained standing there until the professor closed the door. He walked over to lock it again, before sliding back on his sheath and sword. He put his hand back on the hilt, but it didn’t give him much comfort as he began his small circuit across the room once more.

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

_{@Hero [@ScribeOfThoth]}

---

Kellen did all he could to keep the air circulating through his lungs. He could feel the invisible hand tensed around his ribcage, ready to grip and force the air out the moment he let it. His eyes were darting about madly as he tried to maintain this discipline, and they landed up Imogen throwing her blade and proceeding to tackle one of the robed figures. The strength behind her punches made Kellen wince, and he was relieved when he saw arrows fly into the other standing mage, courtesy of Jorah and Kaira. As the final standing figure beat hasty retreat via a spell that almost made Kellen regret his lack of aptitude with the arcane, he recognized in a detached way that the tide was turning.

"Hold it together a little bit longer," Auberon said, facing the bandit. "I'll watch your back, but you have to calm down and watch your front too."

It wasn’t much, as far as comforting words went. But Kellen wasn’t used to much in the best of times, nor from the devout Galatea who, based on the sparse impression Kellen had formed of him, seemed more focused on heaven than earth. Kellen’s brow softened for a moment, and he let out a long shaky sigh.

“I’ll, umm. I can make it.” A bit of colour returned to his cheeks as his eyes set on their final obstacle. The Kalonic siblings struck the large bandit, one after the other. Kellen felt hope begin to grow as he realized that they might be able to take the bandit down on their own. But it was after Euphemia’s successful strike that the world seemed to tilt. As the bandit wrapped the fingers of one hand around the Golden Deer Professor’s neck, Kellen felt a familiar sense of warmth and weightlessness as the edges of objects began to blur. The cry of fear from Michail, who had otherwise seemed above the danger, only reinforced the sudden softness in Kellen’s knees. He could feel himself begin to buckle when he saw a rounded line of metal rise above Euphemia’s hand, and plunge itself into the arm of the bandit.

Not softly, she fell to the ground. Wounded, but not dead. Kellen felt his knees solidify. In the next 15 seconds, Kellen knew someone would die. He could almost guarantee it wouldn’t be him, if he stayed back. But it also raised the chances that it would be one of his classmates. He thumped his chest with a small fist, trying to regain some sense of warmth in his torso. With what remained of his willpower, he would keep himself together - for those 15 seconds.

As Auberon charged in, Kellen followed. His first thought was to try and extricate Euphemia, but he saw Clarissa had had the same thought and was far better equipped to tend to the professor. While the others sought to bring the brute down, looking for weak points in his admittedly failing armour, Kellen’s eyes never left the axe that had nearly bisected him. If allowed time to fully swing, Kellen wasn’t sure anyone, beyond the professors, would be able to parry the blow. As Auberon wound up to bring the man down, Kellen yelled out a curse and thrust his sword towards the uninjured arm of the bandit and the weapon he was wielding.

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

_{@Hero @Scribe Of Thoth}

---

Kellen kept one leg in front of the other as he continued to sprint in the direction of the mages. Kellen had a passing dislike of magic. All of his brothers did too, though that may have been more thanks to their sister’s aptitude with it – and tendency to showcase said aptitude when she was first learning. While it was rare to see Srengese raiders properly trained, some had a natural affinity for it, as the odd poor soul had discovered after seemingly disarming a bandit. Even then, he had never seen anything like that cloud, or the destruction it had portended. These were not some dilettantes who could tepidly light a flame in their hands, they were trained. But they were distracted, gathering around the cart to try and recreate the earlier explosion. Kellen tucked his chin in as he heard the ping of an arrow colliding with the rough metal of the bandit’s helm.

Kellen’s head instinctively pivoted in the direction of the sound where his eyes took in two pieces of information. The first was that Imogen was faster than him. He could see the dash of pink hair was nearer to the mages than he was, and he was thankful to see that she had been unimpeded in her journey. The second observation was less so the presence of a figure, but the absence of one. Where in hell had the bandit gone? Kellen’s eyes darted, and they registered the axe before clocked the monster wielding Time seemed to slow for half a moment Kellen saw the axe coming down towards his shoulder. A blow like this would take Kellen’s arm, if he was lucky, or the upper half of his body if he wasn’t. Skidding as he began to turn himself to meet his opponent, Kellen’s arm tried to raise his blade to catch the blade, but he knew he was too slow and the axe was too quick.

Will I even feel it?

Michail’s lance left the question unanswered. Kellen hadn’t spotted his professor approaching, but he appeared to move with an alacrity that nearly matched the brutish bandit. As Michail fended off blow after blow, Kellen felt his previously sure grip on his blade melt, as it dangled loosely from his hand. He knew his professor needed help. But he looked back down at the blood covering his ruined uniform, and he couldn’t say with certainty that it wasn’t his. Kellen felt his feet taking two shaky steps backwards, along his original path towards the mages, but more crucially, away from that bandit. His eyes were trained on his axe, every blow Michail managed to parry causing Kellen to shake. He only registered Auberon once he spoke.

“I, umm… I don’t think so.” There was no breath in Kellen’s words. His whole body was shaking like when his brothers had locked him outside the keep in his nightclothes during a particularly cold night. If he was given the opportunity to run off the field right now, and never see anyone again, he might take it. But here his House Leader was, mere seconds after his professor had stepped in to save him. Kellen couldn’t stop himself from shaking, but he could stop himself from shrinking away, at least for a few moments. Even if he were able to run, those mages were planning something drastic, and Kellen was doubtful even at a full paced sprint that he’d get away before the rest of the village and those sorry souls who had entered it would be blasted away. Those sorry souls included his classmates, and his professors.

Kellen couldn’t assume a ready stance, not with his body trembling and his mind whirring away. But his stance widened ever so slightly as he took his first real breath since he had lost track of the bandit. He spared a glance at the mages, who were still focused on their task. He could see Imogen was nearly on top of them, and he hoped that the others were prepared to support her with the mages. He wouldn’t turn his back on the bandit again, not while he was still standing.

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

_@Hero

---

As Kellen drew in a steadying breath, he heard two arrows whistle by. He felt his sides squeeze, but managed to relax when he saw the arrows lodge themselves in the bandits to his side. He could do this. He just needed to keep his head, and keep breathing.

“Asshole!” Kellen felt a lump settle in his throat as he turned to see Jorah shout an obscenity in his direction. That might be enough to set him back. But before he could spiral, he realized that the Deer’s ire wasn’t directed towards him, but towards the Adrestian Prince who was beginning to glow with a strange light. He hadn’t been paying enough attention to what had got the Prince in the altercation in the first place, and whether or not Jorah’s curses were warranted he could not say.

As he thought about this, he saw Kayden pulled by Tomai and offered a healing concoction. For half a moment, there was calm. He looked at Imogen and Clarissa, who were standing over the dead bandits. He nodded towards the both of them as Imogen offered praise. “Thanks. ” His voice was trembling, but his hands were steady.

A wave of powerful magic radiated from the top of the carriage, where Kellen saw Kaira standing. He could feel it diffuse through him, and noted with a bit of relief that it didn’t come accompanied with the odd and not-pleasant feeling that came when wounds closed themselves. Or maybe he wouldn’t feel that either, were his crest to kick in? He shook his head, banishing the thought half-successfully.

He moved up to get closer to the group, his head whipping to check behind every few seconds. He witnessed Euphemia hurtle through the air, and felt his heart quicken as her assailant shot forward. He was a giant. And worse than that, he was quick. Kellen's eyes shut on instinct as Derec moved in, only to be saved by Isolde. He felt the pressure set in his ears as they were sent flying, and as much as he wanted to see if his classmates were alright, his head refused to turn witness their prone figures. The fragile equilibrium he had managed to set in himself would have surely collapsed. In this way, perhaps, Kellen’s well-honed but involuntary aversion to that which might harm him was useful.

He heard Michail and Euphemia’s instructions. There were mages behind. They had been source of the first explosion, and would be the source of another if they weren’t stopped. Kellen could hardly bring himself to look at the monstrous bandit without a cold chill running over him. Of course, his House Leader, a fire burning in his eyes that Kellen had only seen in the pious or the crazed, called out a challenge as he launched a spear in the bandits direction. For half a moment, Kellen felt obliged to stand by him, but he realized quickly that Auberon was trying to create an opening.

Kellen wouldn’t forsake the opportunity. As Imogen cut off to one side, Kellen went in the opposite direction. There was no way, he hoped, that the bandit could keep them all away from the mages he was trying to protect.

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

_{@Eleven @Achronum @POOHEAD189}

---

Kellen was nearly as shocked as the bandit when he heard Imogen cry out. As Imogen closed the distance between herself and his assailant, Kellen had enough of a mind to take one final swipe at the man. The strike had hardly any weight behind it, but achieved its purpose as the bandit lost the half-second he needed to properly ready himself for Imogen’s assault. The man’s lack of armour made it easy for the blade to stab straight through, and Kellen was greeted by a fresh spray of blood as he saw the metal tip of the sword peek out from somewhere below the man’s ribs. As the body (and Imogen) tumbled to the ground, Kellen found it in himself to take a half step to the side to avoid being brought down in the heap of bodies. He was relieved when Imogen got back up, a bit slower than she might have normally. He couldn’t muster up the words to say thanks, so he nodded quickly before looking back down at the body of the brute she had just felled. Arms aching, he kept the grip on his blade firm, waiting for any sign that he might have survived the blow. "Kel, are you alright?"

Oh Goddess. Was he? A quick look at his hands and count of his fingers confirmed that there wasn’t anything obviously missing, but the blood from the bandit made it hard to tell. Urgently and with a touch of panic, he started patting himself down. He didn’t hear Imogen trail off, the blood pumping in his ears cutting out almost all sound. There was not much rhyme or reason to this process. Every time he pulled his hand away, there was blood. It was as he was checking his left arm for the fourth time that he heard Jorah yelling in their direction. He turned to look at the Deer’s House Leader, not registering his words but able to understand the expression on his face.

He turned to see another body lying a few feet from the house the first bandit had emerged from, an arrow planted in its chest. Another one of his compatriots seemed to be weighing his odds against the group of students who had proved to be surprisingly competent. Before he had the chance to make his final decision, a bolt of dark magic struck him, only to be followed by a more powerful one that struck him down. Nearby, Kayden has successfully dispatched another. The four bodies brought Kellen little relief. He couldn’t stop himself from looking in the horror at the state of them, or more particularly, their injuries. Without thinking, he began to try and wipe the blood from his uniform. “Please…” It was a quiet, sad sound that fell out of his lips as his efforts grew more frantic. He should have known this would happen. He should have known that he would be useless the moment danger was presented. Lienna had been right to stay. She hadn’t got any stupid ideas in her head about duty or responsibility or heroism. The dull rumble in the earth only confirmed his fears. There was something greater at work here, and he had been foolish to think he would escape a situation such as this unscathed.

It was then that he saw the quintet of vagabonds approaching from the rear. He knew he needed to move. But his head hurt. He felt like he could count the ribs in his chest. And this damned blood wouldn’t go away. He didn’t notice Clarissa approaching until she had yanked him down into a crouch. He trusted that it was for a reason, but this only caused him to seize up further. Had he been hit? There was a whirring sound in his ears that made it difficult to hear what anyone was saying, but her voice managed to break through the pressure in his ears. "You’re okay." Kellen wasn’t sure if he could trust this Deer, but even in the throes of paranoia and panic, he couldn’t fathom up a reason she would lie to him. His hand stopped its frantic running over his body. It might have been the panic, but a small piece of him thought about telling her about his crest right then and there. "You’ll overcome this challenge." He felt like she meant it.

Kellen stood up slowly as Clarissa set off. His left hand, its white sleeve now dotted with crimson, gently reached over to his right wrist to clasp it steady. It was only after a few seconds that his sword stopped shaking. Kayden had seemed to have kept the bandits at bay, but a bandit with a chipped axe was pushing faster than her allies to try and cut off Kayden’s backpedalling. As Clarissa called for magic from the Goddess, Kellen dashed forward, his sword flashing as it clanged against the axe of the flanker. There was a new strength behind Kellen’s swing that nearly knocked the axe clean out of the bandit’s hands, but the boy gave him no time to recover. As his sword drew a wicked deep streak across the bandit’s chest, Kellen took two steps forward to stand in line with the prince.

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

---

There was a grove on the wall of the carriage. It was a small indent, barely an inch-long mark that was roughly the width of a fingernail. It was lighter in shade than the wall, the innards of the wood tree exposed after a brush with an errant student’s blade or some other piece of iron. Not that the mark, or its origin, mattered much to Kellen. There were plenty like it along the wall of the carriage, beat up as it was.

But if he stopped looking at the grove, he’d look at the wall. And then he’d remember he was in a carriage. And that this carriage was hurtling towards a group of bandits who had just set off an explosion far beyond the grade of a regular group of brigands. And they’d be armed. And they’d see the banners of the Knights of Seiros to be greeted by a bunch of children in school uniforms. And pick out the one in the ill-fitting garbs whose hands were rattling as he tried to lift his sword but he’d be too slow.

Kellen brought his eyes back to the wall and the small mark on it. Faintly, he realized he could Michail’s voice from outside of the carriage. He was quite keen on tuning it out for as long as he could, but when he heard his name, instinct kicked in. He was hopeful that Kayden had some experience, based on the way he carried himself, but he had no idea what sort of training or practical combat experience Imogen had. It made some sense then, that’d they be put on backup.
As the carriage drew to a halt, Kellen kept his eyes trained on that same spot of the carriage. He at the front, and knew it would take a few seconds before he could exit. He could hear screams, and the general commotion that came with panic and a raid such as this. He had heard it before when Gautier troops had been deployed to end Srengese raids in villages much like this. He couldn’t hear the sound of steel on steel or anything that would indicate resistance. That would change shortly.

Kellen crouched as he found his way out of the carriage, realizing quickly that bandits had already been prepared to welcome the group. His sides seized as his eyes registered the weapons in their hands. Most appeared well-worn. An axe with a chip in it there, a rusty sword in another glove. A spearhead that was still pointing towards the sky. If the group standing there was all there was, Kellen was sure his classmates and teachers could handle them. And Kellen could stay back, keep his sword in its sheath and his body away from anything sharp. His eyes started to scan over the immediate terrain, but he was distracted when he noticed the bandits start moving forward, with Auberon being the first to step out and engage them.

While the situation had changed, Kellen had to assume the plan hadn’t. He kept his eyes peeled for anyone who might try to flank the haphazard assembly of students and faculty, counting his breaths as he did so. One. The satisfying crack from the haft of Auberon’s axe. Two. A villager gathering a young one who had fallen on the ground before he kept running. Three. A man armed with the faintest smile on his face and a blood-stained Hand-and-a-Half sword stepping out from a building behind the group. Unlike some of the bandits, his eyes appeared to light up as he saw the small group of students.

“Please don’t…” Kellen murmured to himself as his hand moved to the pommel of his sword. His stance didn’t shift, his knees locking as he watched in horror as the man started to move towards them. He hadn’t yet noticed the small Fraldarius eyeing him. Kellen wanted to move, but he found himself stuck in place. He opened his mouth to call for help, but again that word came out, barely a whisper.

“Please.” Kellen couldn’t take his eyes off of the large sword and its wielder. If anyone else had spotted him, they weren’t moving to engage. He glanced back to see that combat had begun in earnest between the students and their faculty. It appeared this bandit had realized it too, as the smirk turned into a grin and he broke into a full run.

It was then that something unforeseen occurred. First, Kellen heard a voice shout “Stop!”. He briefly glanced to try and locate the source of it, but couldn’t find anyone nearby who seemed to be prepared to enforce the order. The bandit heard it too, and turned in its direction to see a student who had yet to draw his blade and looked more scared than many of the villagers. For the first time, Kellen and the bandit made eye contact. While Kellen’s inner voice screamed at him to flee, he felt his left leg take a half-step forward, leaving most of his weight on the back foot. He heard the sound of a sword sliding out of its sheath before he realized it was his hand, a hemmed sleeve sitting an inch above his wrist, holding his blade steadily.

The boy’s new stance did nothing to change the man’s pace, but Kellen noticed his smile falter ever-so-slightly. The smile returned he closed the gap, raising his sword to bring it crashing down on Kellen’s head. As the sword came down, Kellen did just as he had been instructed, raising his blade and providing an angle to guide the momentum towards the ground.

He had miscalculated the strength behind the man’s swing, though. As the blades connected, Kellen was nearly brought to his knees. There was no opportunity to counter as Kellen did a rapid assessment of his body. The aching in his arms confirmed that his crest hadn’t set in. But he wasn’t sure he could sustain another hit of that ferocity. The bandit realized it too, readjusting his grip to bring his blade back up, planning to take advantage of the leverage he had over the boy.

Kellen didn’t give him the chance. With a yell bordering on bewilderment as much as anger, and a look on his face that indicated he was just as surprised as his opponent, he shot forward from his lowered position with his sword outstretched and pointed squarely at the man’s gut. It was a minor miracle – or curse – that the man was able to bring down his sword to swipe it away, but it wasn’t quick enough to stop it from connecting with his side and drawing blood. The man’s shout of rage didn’t deter Kellen from pressing his advantage It was unlikely, without the element of surprise, that he would be able to score another hit like that. But as long he kept in close and his opponent blocking, he’d prevent a similar strike from coming his way, at least until aid (or more opponents) arrived.

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

_{@Eleven @Scribe of Thoth @Obscene Symphony}

---

Kellen winced as he heard Lienna eject the contents of her stomach into a nearby bush. It wasn’t enough to distract him from his surveillance of the road, but he frowned at his classmate’s predicament. Fortunately, the bout of illness didn’t keep her from spitting venom about carriages as she returned to the group. It was as sure a sign as any that she was alright.

It didn’t appear as if anyone was coming from behind, but Kellen eyes wouldn’t stop darting about until he knew with certainty what situation they were in. It was perhaps because of this that he almost felt relieved to see Auberon, followed shortly by Jorah. They didn’t appear to be in a rush, but Kellen nodded robotically as Auberon voiced his support to arm themselves, though he seemed nonplussed. As did Jorah. His House Leader, in garments befitting his station, seemed prepared for combat, if his earlier stretching and bravado was any indication. “Okay.” He muttered, though he didn’t follow them towards their weapons, keeping his eyes focused on his surroundings.

It was only as he heard the riders approach that he turned around to take a closer look at them, remarking with surprise that Kayden, Imogen and Jorah had somehow managed to strike out ahead, though it appeared as though the Kalonic siblings had gone ahead to meet with the riders. From this distance, Kellen was quite certain they weren’t a threat. His eyes immediately searched for weapons, which he didn’t spot, though he noticed the dash of crimson on the one’s hand that indicated some sort of wound. From this distance, he couldn’t make out the conversation between his professors and these villagers. He saw Imogen respond excitedly to the news but had no idea how to react when she started barreling in his direction, a look on her face that seemed to portend ill omen. He quickly turned around, scouring the road to see what she saw that was bringing her so rapidly towards him, but was altogether more shocked when he felt a pair of small hands place themselves -- not gently -- over his ears. He whipped back around to look at his assailant. “Goddess above Imogen! What’s—”

The explosion that followed both interrupted and answered his question. He slowly looked down at Imogen, his face as quizzical as it was relieved. The explosion hadn’t been too loud, and he wasn’t sure if the scare from the sound would have been worse than that of her accosting him suddenly. But how had she known to do so in the first place? He knew lightning could be seen before it was heard, had something similar happened here? “Thanks.” The word fell out of his mouth. Realizing it wasn’t much of a show of appreciation, he looked at her, not quite smiling but managing to wipe away the aggrieved look on his face for half a second. Then his gaze returned to the sky, his previously strategic watch was replaced by a thousand-yard stare.

Even as Michail started to explain the situation to the students, Kellen couldn’t pull his gaze from the long plume of smoke on the horizon. That smoke, and the explosion that had preceded it, made the abstract concept of a village under attack into one that was real, and close. He knew mages capable of such things, but his mind had a hard time figuring out why bandits, who from what he knew were concerned with enriching themselves, would do something this destructive. The question of motive sat with him as he stared out and Michail finished his speech.

Dully, Kellen realized he had sixty seconds to make a choice.

Michail had made it clear that’s what it was. A choice. But Kellen had felt ill at the prospect of a training exercise. And the thought of genuine combat made his stomach somersault. He was quite certain the bandits wouldn’t come out this far – they hadn’t seemed interested in pursuing these villagers, and Kellen’s anxious surveillance had revealed little to be concerned with. So how was it even a question that he would stay here, where it was safe?

The feeling of his sword pressing against his chest brought Kellen back to the world. His House Leader didn’t stop long before he entered the carriage. On instinct, his hand had grabbed on to the base of the sheath, which was now hovering lightly over his stomach. It sat there for half a moment, somewhat awkwardly. Auberon hadn’t even questioned whether he would follow. Imogen, after quickly patting his head, also followed in Auberon’s path, her usual enthusiasm by no means diminished by the prospect of combat.

At some point, Kellen’s other hand, on instinct, had gently placed itself on the pommel of his sword. He could feel his right leg starting to twitch, but worse than that was the chill that ran up his spine. He had not at all relished the prospect of going to Garreg Mach, but at the very least he had hoped it would mean an escape from this feeling. He wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to sustain it, if he even were to last long enough to each that breaking point. Far more likely some opponent's strike would make that decision for him. He had hoped the Academy would be an escape. An escape from the call to arms, and the investable bloodshed that followed. But here they were, and the call had gone out. Just like then, Kellen slipped his sheath and blade into a loop on his belt, and dutifully set off after his commander.

He stopped along the way though, looking to his fellow Lions. He couldn’t tell how Derec would react to this news, whether or not he’d come along. But he had a better read on Lienna. He remembered how she had reacted when the vagabond had burst into the dining room a few days prior. As he passed her, he paused for half a moment. “You, uh. You shouldn’t do anything you don’t want to.”He said quietly. He knew uttering anything too loudly would invite her ire. “But if you do come I’ll, um — I’ll have your back.” With a quick nod, he set off to clamber in the carriage behind Auberon and Imogen, his face set. As much as he tried to project a sense of calm, the moment he was seated, his right leg started to bounce up and down. He knew better than to try and stop it.

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

_{@Hero @Eleven}

---

They were only halfway there? Michail’s announcement had easily carried to the second carriage. Not that he was in much of a rush to get there, but this carriage ride almost changed his mind. He had never much appreciated the Fraldarius horses, but they had been far less jerky and generally prone to making their vehicle a bouncing box of bruised backs and achy knees. Between the turbulence of the carriage and the fact he was crammed in with a bunch of classmates he still hadn’t taken great strides to acquaint himself with, he was ready almost ready to engage in whatever exercise the faculty had prepared for the Rose Unit.

Almost.

Even if the carriage ride had been smoother, Kellen wasn’t sure if the knots in gut would have untied. Those were just as much due to the jarring motions of the carriage as it was by the thought that it would stop and Kellen would have to engage in the Rose Unit’s first “combat exercise”. Whatever that meant. Despite Kellen’s many attempts to cross-examine his teachers for information, he knew very little about what was to come.

For the past two days of class, Kellen had been successful in avoiding the training ground. While the students had had some introductory history courses – material Kellen had learned and forgotten before – he had yet to be coerced by any of the faculty into combat. That lucky streak had seemingly come to an end early in the morning, when Auberon had shown up at his door, eyes ablaze as he told Kellen to grab his blade and meet him at gates. Ever since he had hung his blade and its scabbard on the wall, he had hadn’t touched it. Even wearing it on his hip for the short walk to the caravan made him feel a bit queasy, and he had been grateful to leave it in the cart now trudging along behind them.

Anxiously, he looked down to his hands that had subconsciously curled into small balls. He gently tapped the left one on his leg, only for his sleeve to slide comfortably past the end of his hand. This would be another issue. Kellen had finally stirred himself sufficiently to bring his jacket to the Garreg Mach’s tailor, a middle-aged man who had instructed Kellen to add it to the pile of similarly ill-fitting garbs from other students. After Auberon’s appearance, Kellen had been quick to rush over to the tailor’s and relieved to find a hemmed sleeve laying atop his folded jacket. It wasn’t until he had sat down in the cart that he had realized that the tailor hadn’t finished his work. The left sleeve still remained unhemmed, and somehow appeared longer, perhaps due to the right. The cursed starboard sleeve had been hemmed certainly, but somehow the blasted tailor had gone too far. It now, despite Kellen’s many subtle attempts to stretch it out, sat about two-thirds of the way down his forearm. He had tried to compensate by rolling up the left farther, but even with his experience from the past few days, he found himself unable to keep it up for more than five minutes. With a sigh, he tried again to roll the boulder back up a hill that he knew it would come sliding down on.

“Sorry – I’m sorry!” The moment the cart had stopped and the door had opened, Kellen clambered over Imogen to spring out of the carriage. The moment his boots touched solid ground, he took a few deep breaths, squatting down to stretch his legs and calm himself. His momentary vertigo subsiding, his eyes were quick to dart over the immediate area. Any new locale prompted this reaction in Kellen, though when his gaze ended at the weapons cart, it stayed there for a few seconds too long. Satisfied, he looked back to the group of students who were emerging. Absently, he noted that the Gloucester girl and her House Leader were back together. She looked every part of the advisor to an unruly duke, and it reminded Kellen of the stories of the many Fraldarius’ who had counselled Blaiddyds through the ages. Looking at himself, he supposed he could understand why many had long lost track of the notion that Kellen might be like them, particularly with a sister as capable as Rhiannon.

While the stop had seemed natural enough, Kellen was quick to pick up on the faculty all staring further down the road. His anxiety peaked as Michail armed himself, but Kellen did his best to remain calm. He knew intuitively where his sword sat in the carriage, and even if it had been jostled around on the ride he was sure he’d be able to find it quickly. Trying to remain calm, he took a few steps to the side to get a better view of whatever was causing the consternation amongst his teachers. It was a single rider -- No. Two. Was this part of the exercise? Without thinking, he took a few steps closer to the adults to hear what they were discussing. “Should we, um, arm ourselves? ” He said, though it was barely louder than the sound of the river. He looked back to his fellow students, his body remaining still but his eyes darting about behind to see if anyone else might be coming up the road.

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

---

Now that Kellen was seated again, he found that his legs couldn’t remain still. The failure of his plan had an unintended consequence that he was coming to regret – his plate was empty, and that meant he had nothing to occupy himself, beyond his classmates. Instinctively, his eyes wandered around the hall. Not too far from him were Clarissa and Jorah, the two Deer. Jorah appeared to be wearing some sort of… make-up? Kellen had never seen something like it, besides a far more garish mask his great aunt had sported whenever she arrived at the keep. For half a second, he could swear the two were looking at him. What were they saying? Was it his empty plate? Or were they looking at his classmates?

It was only after a moment that he tuned back in to realize Auberon was speaking to said classmates. It wasn’t the words that caught his attention, but the tone. For the first time, he almost sounded… approving? It was this thought that cause him to sit up slightly and pay attention. He smiled feverishly as Auberon gave him a nod while mentioning future sparring sessions. “Wonderful.” He said, though it was more of a whisper. He looked down towards his plate, remembering sadly that there was nothing there to occupy him. “I’d, um, prefer not to do anything in the stables. Or get stuck on a Pegasus. Actually, if you could keep me inside that’s likely for the best.” He stopped himself short of saying he’d help Auberon with is paperwork. For one, Kellen found it difficult to work productively at the best of times, and had little interest in administrative matters. Worse than that though, Kellen knew time spent with Auberon would lead to discussions, discussions would lead to questions, and questions would lead to more displays of incompetence and anxiety.

Kellen knew better than to whip his head to the side to gauge Lienna’s reaction to Auberon’s overt comment about her table manners. He did his best to contain a smile at her quick jab back. As much as he was aware of his position, he too had trade insults about the nobility whenever his sister had started to behave too haughtily. Not that they had ever had the same bite that Lienna’s verbal barbs did. For half a moment, he felt at home, sitting around the table with a plate he had cleared too quickly and watching his siblings bicker. Nevermind if the conflict was a bit more serious. The soft smile on his face remained even as Auberon made mention of his attire. He looked down at his messy sleeves. [color=63a2e4]“I really hope they aren't all like this. I think my parents used my old measurements.”

That warm feeling in his chest turned to ice as he saw a blur whip through the door to the dining hall. Normally he would have subconsciously had his eyes trained on the entrances and exits to the large room, but he had let his guard down. All he noticed was a fuzzy bit of movement before he saw several guards give chase. A green-haired man was brought down to his knees as the Golden Deer’s professor stepped forward with a bow. As his eyes took in the scene, his body remained stock still. He immediately recognized the feeling of his chest tightening and his breath getting shorter. Were there more of them? Was he armed?

His thinking was interrupted by Lienna, who he noticed had knocked over her own chair and bumped into his. This was enough to spur him to action, as he shot up quickly and his hand instinctively went to his hip. Of course, there was nothing there. Kellen had left his blade in his room. But that instinctual motion brought him a slight bit of comfort. The rogue appeared to be subdued, and with the large number of guards in the room, Kellen realized they were in no real danger. It was only after had made that assessment that he could take in what the man was saying. Something about the Mark? Kellen had to assume that meant crests. His time out west had quickly exposed him to the way some felt about crests. But he wasn’t sure what he meant when he said when she comes… Who was he referring to? And what did he mean by bringing the world to its knees? He looked to his fellow students to see if they showed any sign of recognition.

It was as he examined his classmates reactions that he noticed Lienna was still quite upset. Looking down at his own hands, he was surprised to note that they were quite still. It was only after he took a deep breath that they resumed their customary fidgeting. He had half a mind to try and comfort her, but realized that the last thing she wanted was for her reaction to draw any more attention. He sat down slowly, turning his head towards Lienna. “It doesn’t seem as though they’re very discerning in who they let through the gate. Not that we paid much attention either, but the keep wasn’t as accessible as the facilities here.”He tried his best to muster up a smile. The speed with which the intruder had been dealt with gave him a small shred of comfort, but it wasn’t much.

He was surprised when he saw the Crown Prince of the Adrestian Empire – was it alright to call him Kayden? – approach their table. He titled his head downwards as an approximation of a bow, though his neck straightened back up far too quick to sell the façade of nonchalance. “Of course! I’m – erm -- finished, so you can grab my seat if you’d like.” Of course, there was plenty of space at the table, but Kellen wasn’t sure what level of deference he was expected to show to the future ruler of the Adrestian Empire.

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

_{@Hero @Scribe of Thoth @Obscene Symphony}

---

“De-fi-ni-te-ly.”The word slipped out Kellen’s mouth like molasses and his head bobbed up and down nearly as slow as silence claimed the table once more. Derec seemed quite kind and not at all pretentious, which set Kellen at ease. He noted that the boy had avoided his prior question, though whether it was the fault of Kellen’s meek delivery or an active attempt to evade he couldn’t tell. If the latter was true, it was fair enough, Kellen thought. He could hardly say his own name without getting chills and spiralling into disarray. He’d leave it be.

He couldn’t help himself from turning rapidly and wincing as he heard his formal title announced by his approaching House Leader. The fact Auberon was in a position of authority naturally put Kellen on edge, but worse than that was how well he fit into the role. He did his best to reciprocate the nod, the look of barely-contained panic on his face melting away a few seconds too late. He felt a pang of guilt as Auberon mentioned his classmates’ elusiveness, but chose to look up at the ceiling rather than offer any commentary. It seemed as though Auberon wasn’t going to press him on his appearance and retreat at the cathedral, at least in front of everyone. Maybe something was wrong? The blond was raising his fork incredibly sluggishly, perhaps he was more affected by his classmates’ slipperiness than he let on. Kellen's hope to extract himself and spend the evening in his dorm was dwindling quickly, though he remained standing with the unrealistic hope that someone might dismiss him.

That tension returned in short order as Lienna fired a retort to Auberon to explain her elusiveness. Of course she had been put in a common dorm, Kellen thought, but he knew better than to say anything. While he couldn’t see her face from where he stood, he could see the way she tore off a piece of desert and infer the look in her eyes based on that. He still didn’t have a great read of the girl, but it was clear she wouldn’t need to learn how to throw a conversational dagger while maintaining an air of decorum. It was something his sister had been good at too. Thankfully, Derec interjected to try and break the tension. “It is, ah, nice.” He winced as he heard a plate slam down on a table a few seats down from him. “Loud, though.” The faint smile on his face faded as Derec mentioned the sermon. His mouth started to move before his mind could catch up. “It was really, um, illuminating. When the Archbishop spoke about-“

Lienna’s instruction to sit came at the perfect time, even if it came across as less of a kindness and more of an expression of frustration. He pulled back a chair, throwing his jacket over the back and placing the empty plate back in front of him. Somewhere along the way it appeared he had lost a fork. For half a moment, he thought he spotted it with Lienna’s place setting but the fork there was still clean. He looked back up to the group after Lienna finished her question. “I am, too. Curious, I mean.” His sister had told the odd story about her time as House Leader, but from what little he recalled, back then there had been no special international unit. Nor had he listened enough to gleam many details. ”And did he mention when er, physical training might start?” This was a more important question. With any luck, the first few days of classes might be more orientation-oriented and keep him away from the training grounds.