ThatCharacter

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.

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

---

Five minutes from now, Kellen wouldn’t be able to tell you what he had just consumed. The plate in front of him had some sort of fish on it, which in the moment Kellen could acknowledge tasted good enough. Well-seasoned and light without being under-cooked, he could intellectually acknowledge it was better than anything he had ate in the past year. But he hardly savoured it.

He could blame it on first-day nerves, but this had been on ongoing issue over the past year. He had hoped it could be blamed on the bland fare they had been served in camp, but the rapidly-dissapearing fish on his plate confirmed it wasn’t the food that was the problem. It was him. Eager not to fully consider the implications of this, he let his mind wander.

After he had departed from the trainings grounds, Kellen had made a speedy exit to the church. Standing at the entrance, he had made sure to make eye-contact with Auberon and give a quick nod and a wave. Auberon was standing with Clarissa, the pious Deer who had seemed the most grounded and capable of her house. The two seemed a logical duo. But as his house leader began to move towards him, he felt an ache in his stomach that he had long grown familiar with. This was silly. This whole charade was a silly, stupid idea, and the only thing that could make it worse would be to try and justify it. Besides, he had already achieved his objective. Auberon had seen him at the Cathedral. That was all he wanted. As a student walked by, Kellen made a show of recognizing him, giving another wave towards Auberon before turning to walk with the strange. He apologized profusely to the confused Adrestian he had accosted the moment he was out of vision.

After that, he had come up a simple plan. Lurk near the dining hall, eat as quickly as possible, and lock himself in his dorm room for the night. He would figure out a plan for tomorrow, tomorrow. As soon as the doors to the dining hall had opened (and a few minutes before the bell had even rang), Kellen entered and asked the irritated staff for whatever they had a plate of.

Said plate had once held fish, and was now empty. The only evidence there had ever been food there the not-minute amount of sauce that had stained the cuffs of his baggy shirt. Kellen’s manners had deteriorated since he had been with his family in the castle. Still, he was halfway done his plan. Now to make it – Oh.

As Kellen looked up from the plate, he realized only a few seats down from him that both Lienna and Derec – Kellen commended himself for his memory – were enjoying their meal. He had had his head down and there were a few students who were between them, so it wasn’t a surprise that neither had spotted him. But this presented a challenge to his clean exit. From his seat, Derec would have been unlikely to spot Kellen’s exit, but Lienna had a good view. And she had told the group that she would see them at dinner. He owed them at least a brief introduction, and they would be unlikely to prod him about his attendance at the church. Speaking of… He gave a quick scan of the dining hall, trying to spot the shock of blonde hair that adorned his House Leader’s head. His quick survey revealing nothing, Kellen stood up, taking his empty plate in one hand and his jacket in the other. He walked over to the two.

“Err…” Wonderful. Just how he had wanted to start. “Hello Lienna. And hi Derec. We haven’t really talked yet, but it appears we’ll be working together more. I’m –“ He stopped himself from starting off on the same cycle of horror that was trying to say his name. “You know.” He pointedly kept his attention on the boy, afraid Lienna’s expression would send him into another spiral of babbling. “Ballard, right? Where’s that from?” Some part of his brain reacted as he said the name out loud, though for what reason Kellen could not say. He frowned slight, standing stock still with the plate is his hand perfectly level with the ground. After a moment, the frown faded. “Food’s good, huh?” He looked down at his plate, letting it waver slightly.

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

---

Kellen thought he had made a clean break, but there was that Golden Deer who had invited them all to party. He paused for a moment, shooting a look behind himself to make sure Auberon was out of view. “Oh. Of course, it should be…” He paused for a moment to consider his words. “Interesting.” Honestly, Kellen could understand the excitement over such a duel, but found it difficult to dismiss his irritation long enough to admire the gumption of his classmate. He adjusted a sleeve, trying to draw the Deer’s name to mind. “You’re Raimund, right? Could you, ah-” Kellen stumbled over requesting something from someone he hardly knew. ”Auberon – our house leader, though of course you know that, because we’re all in the same class – might not look favourably at my, er, absence.” He tried to raise his eyes to Raimund’s level, but lost the nerve somewhere around his chin. ”Just - If you could not mention seeing me, that’d be helpful.” Without waiting for a response, he continued on his path towards the arena, his shoulders raised higher than they normally would be.

By the time he arrived, his professor had already begun laying down rules. Perfect. Kellen could stick near the entrance and watch while keeping up his ruse of attending the sermon. He did not notice his Golden Deer classmates as he settled in, getting comfortable as Valerian fired another quip and Michail raised his weapon.

Valerian went on the aggressive almost immediately, throwing a heavy blow that was redirected quickly by Michail. Kellen winced, but was surprised when the Aegir boy fired off a bolt of lightning that struck Michail in the shoulder. He knew magic? Kellen unconsciously leaned forward in his seat. Valerian unleased a cavalcade of attacks at Michail, and actually seemed to gain ground on the former Knight of Seiros. He could scarcely believe it. Despite himself, Kellen felt a cheer began to rise in his throat, but it was cut off as he saw Michail’s face shift. He recognized that look from his own sparring sessions.

Before he could think anything further, Valerian was on the ground. Kellen’s breath hitched as he heard the dull thud of the landing, and one observing the boy would have seen his face go pale. Intellectually, he understood that there was no serious risk from a fall like that. But he could have fallen on his blade, or hit his head hard, and he might not even know until—

The sound of the Golden Deer’s House Leader cheering forced Kellen to look up. His fists clenched as his breathing returned to normal. Was this going to be a problem? Since he had departed for Garreg Mach, he hadn’t felt this tightness that wrapped around his chest. He had been hopeful that it could be attributed to the locale and the stress of the Srengese front, but he was away from that now. He shook his head slowly. It had been a long day. Everyone was adjusting to the new environment, and he needed to give himself time to do so.

The thought was enough to help him stand back up. He could still feel the slightest bit of waviness in his legs, but it dissipated when he grit his teeth. He looked over at the Deer. He wasn’t sure he could deal with the Heckler and the House Leader. And when he looked at Valerian, he still felt a tinge of whatever had previously come over him. He wanted to get away from this training ground, and hoped to keep his distance from it for as long as he could. His position by the entrance proved to be a boon, as he set off to retrace his steps back to the church. He wasn’t sure how long the Archbishop’s sermon would go, but at the very least he hoped he might be able to verify his supposed piety with Auberon. And get away from that stupid training ground.

Fire Emblem: The Slumbering Goddess

---

Kellen wasn’t able to focus for the few seconds following his introduction. He registered Auberon standing up, but it wasn’t until he had sat back down and thrown Kellen a glance and a well-meaning shrug that things seemed to return back to focus. He nodded back briefly, and noted with relief that Lienna was the next to rise. She offered an introduction, which was a bit novel considering her early departure from the class previously. The kindness of his classmate’s timing was not lost on him, and he felt a fragile sense of calm settle on him.

Other members of the special class rose and introduced themselves. The Crown Prince of the Adrestian Empire managed to walk the line between royalty and student handily. Kayden Von Hresvelg. Kellen’s lips moved without any conscious effort as every new student as they introduced themselves. Derec Ballard was next, and Kellen recognized him as a fellow member of his house. His introduction wasn’t accompanied by any titles, though the name Ballard certainly wasn’t associated with any of the major Houses in Faerghus. His ruminations were interrupted by the introduction from Imogen, who had already spoken up several times, and who he vaguely remembered heckling him after his introduction, seemed kind and quite outspoken. Isolde was next, and Kellen recognized a kindred spirit immediately. But rather than feeling comforted, Kellen felt a sense of dread following her intro. Had he sounded like that? Had he looked like that?

The Aegir siblings were next. Saskia seemed thoughtful and erudite. Whereas Valerian was… challenging his professor? To a duel? Were Kellen not such a ball of nerves, he likely would have scoffed. Valerian was confident, and for all Kellen knew may have studied swordplay since birth, but to believe it was near the level of a former knight of Seiros seemed arrogant beyond belief. A small part of Kellen admired the confidence, but a greater part recalled seeing that sort of confidence on the face of many common soldiers whose bodies had been carted back to their villages after taking a Srengese spear to the gut. It was possible the boy had reason for his confidence, but the only way Kellen would know that would be by seeing the fight. Kellen’s face stayed stone still. He didn’t need to repeat Valerian’s name to remember it.

---

Class was dismissed, and Kellen proffered a slight smile as Lienna excused herself and approached the crest-researching professor of the Black Eagles. The two seemed to possess a similar energy, based on his rough assessments. He could intuit easily that Auberon would expect his classmates to attend the sermon, and it was clear Lienna had done the same, which he realised with a touch of dismay as he also wanted to avoid the sermon. If he wanted to see his professor in action, he’d have to try something a bit more crude.

Dawdling towards the cathedral, Kellen let himself fall towards the back of the pack. By the time they reached the bridge he was sure no one he knew was behind him. He muttered a small curse to himself and made a show of fiddling with one of his sleeves. To no one in particular, he rolled his eyes before turning back, heading towards the training hill with a spring in his step for the first time since his arrival to Garreg Mach.