A Disaster of Fugitives - an MCYT D&D AU fanfiction

8: Grian

The smell of smoke is the first thing that tells me we're there. Even after all this time, you can still smell it... I return to the front of the wagon, jumping off before it even stops.

The half-fallen wood manor is as familiar as ever, sunk in ash from when Cleo tried to burn it down... There's still a few brave stalks of our wheat farm, and supplies I couldn't take with me litter the ground.

'Is this it?' Martyn frowns. 'I expected a lot more.'

'Welcome to Bad Boy Manor!' I repeat, hands raised to show off my old home. 'Only one Bad Boy, I'm afraid, but my encounter with the other earlier wasn't exactly the best so...' My injuries from earlier still hurt, but there's plenty of healing supplies here.

Doc looks around, clearly slightly distrustful of the place, but climbs from the wagon anyway. Ren's tied up the horse Fernando to an old fence post already.

'We can put Scar inside. There's beds and supplies there.' I call.

'There's an inside?!'

'Yes, Martyn. There's an inside... Come on.' I head off for inside the mansion, leading Doc and Cub over. The former's carrying Scar again, towards the bundle of blankets where me, Joel and Jimmy created a makeshift medical area... Over the burnt remains of a wall, across the charred planks and burnt carpet we created a floor from. I sink into the 'seat' next to the blanket bed, glancing over as Scar's laid down... He doesn't look good, clothes covered in blood, injuries only hastily covered.

'How many of you were there?' Ren asks, still just looking around.

'3. Me, Joel and... Jimmy.' I fiddle with the yellow canary feather on my necklace again. Jimmy necklace. Should be Tango's necklace but... I never could stomach the idea of telling him. Even now.

'Joel... That was the guard from earlier?'

'Yep... We argued and he left.' I ignore the twinges of pain from Martyn trying to cover my injuries. 'I couldn't stay at the mansion... I walked all the way to Dryadalis.'

'Why would he do something like that?!'

'Blamed me for... Stuff.'

'HOW COULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS?!'

'I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! IT WAS HIS FAULT!'

'FINE! GO BACK TO ETHO! I DON'T NEED YOU! I NEVER SHOULD'VE JOINED YOU!'

'FINE!'

'Dude...' Ren's come over, frowning 'That's horrible. Couldn't you even find a wagon to get back to Dryadalis?'

'No... no... no one was going past. But he was right. It was my fault.' I mumble. I know everyone's focussing on me, growing uncomfortable under the weight of their stares.

'I WISH I'D NEVER MET YOU!'

'I... Need sleep. See you lot whenever I wake up.'

I don't. I'm not even that tired. All I know is that I need time for myself as I stand, walking away into the depths of the mansion and beyond.

I don't even know which way I'm going until too late, stopping suddenly at the sight of a tree, the half-hidden stone laid at its foot. I fall next to it

'Jimmy... I'm so sorry.' The words come out in choked sobs as I wipe the dust and weeds off the stone, revealing the roughly carved text.

Jimmy Solidarity

The truest of bad boys

He died as he lived

Being bad

Tears blur my vision as I remember him. Meeting him and Joel on top of the roof. Joining them. The stupid quests we went on. The petty thievery.

The final mission.

'Shhhhh!' Joel repeats. I roll my eyes.

'We are shhhhed! You're the only one of us who isn't! Now, focus, we need to get this right or... Well it'll go very badly for at least one of us.'

'We know! Just get a bloody move on!'

'Jimmy, you're on distraction.' I glance back to where he's already  preparing to drop rocks down from our position high on the famous clocktower of Cleo's city... 'Me and Joel will get inside, find the most valuable thing we can and get a lot of money from it.'

'Yep... You two try to be quick, ok?'

'We will. Don't worry...' Below, Cleo appears on the clocktower balcony. Jimmy starts throwing down rocks.

One hits, very close to Cleo. The guards jump to attention.

'Joel, let's go... Jimmy you just stay there... I'll go past and then Joel...' I creep over to get past Jimmy and...

'I thought you were going to sleep.'

I jump, turning to see Doc standing behind me.

'Oh... Well... I lied. I just wanted to get away from everyone.'

'Me too... Who's this?'

I glance back at the grave.

'My friend. Jimmy. He died on a mission. That was why we broke up.'

For a moment he's just silent, but sits next to me, staring at the grave. I watch him as he sighs, and begins.

'Beef died on our last mission. Against a dragon. I was... Badly hurt too. Lost my arm and face. And I know they didn't but it's like they chose to save me over him. Like I was somehow better... Bdubs returned to his place in court. Etho joined him, becoming a guard. I was just left to return to the blacksmith and get back into normal life.'

'That sounds... Really bad.' I want to take back how weak that sounded, but Doc's already talking.

'And now I've betrayed my old allies and run away with a group of criminal strangers... All to save someone I didn't even know.'

Guilt fills me. Doc... Ren... Martyn... None of them asked to be involved. None of them wanted to help. We just forced them to come. And Cub didn't want to be part of it either. He's just here for his friend... Who nearly died.

'Thank you.'

'What?'

'You didn't have to save Scar. No one forced you to do anything and... You saved his life. You completely saved his life... And gave up everything you'd been working for...'

'I wasn't going to let him get shot to death by Cleo's guard. Nor his friend. Cub. I didn't want to see anyone else die.'

Silence again. I stare back at Jimmy's grave.

'Do you blame yourself?'

'What?'

'For Beef's death. Do you blame yourself?'

A sad laugh.

'Every day of my life.'

'Come on Jimmy, let us past... There's not enough room.'

'I can't move forwards any more, Grian!' He insists, standing, blocking my way past him on the ledge even more.

'I know it was my fault Jimmy... Died...' I find myself saying. 'Joel was right to blame me.'

'Come on Tim! You don't even need to move that far!'

I push him. Not much. Just a small, friendly shove.

'I pushed him off.'

Jimmy let out a scream as he stumbled backwards.

Stumbled off the edge.

'I tried to grab his hand, do anything... Nothing worked.'

His scream cuts off into a sickening crack. I don't need to look down to know.

'Jimmy was dead.'