Chrom's POV.
It had been thirty minutes, my men were throwing on their heavy weaponry from our convoy and preparing for battle. My thoughts reeled at the assumptions that it made about our friends, and worry was mixed with anger at myself for allowing my daughter and closest companion embark on a road leading to their capture, or worse.
"My Lord the preparations are rea-" a high pitch, eerie and incredibly loud.. Bird call? It interrupts Frederick's speech and I raise my hand to silence him further.
How strange, what kind of bird would..
No wait.
A memory comes to mind of years ago after a terrible accident.
(FLASHBACK)
She lays on an infirmary type of medical bed, she'd been healing for two days now, and could barely lift herself out of bed from a stab wound to the stomach. It was a wonder she still was alive.
It was chaos out on the battlefield, we were ill prepared and surprised. We all were fighting for our lives in a way many of us had never had to before. She was still new, fresh to battle.. Inexperienced to the unfairness of war, no matter how smart she was that was nothing compared to the strength you needed to survive and fend of brutal attackers intent on killing.
I shouldn't have let her go by herself, I shouldn't have left her side.
She was always so over confident and head-strong, those were her faults. She had lost her memories of ever been hurt, and she believed herself invincible, which was her folly.
Maelys opens her eyes and meets mine, it sent such a rush through me that I felt refreshed, even for being awake, worried.
"Chrom.. Tell me you haven't been here this entire time." Her patronizing self came out even when wounded.
"Well I haven't been here necessarily." I had replied, fingering the little whistle in my enclosed hand.
She let out a sigh, and winced. I could only imagine how much it hurt, I'd been hit in the stomach sparring all the time and it had left bruises that halted all physical activity for days just because I could barely breathe even. Getting stabbed must be ten times worse.
"What do you have?" she notices my fidgeting hands.
Busted, I was called out. I had no choice but to give her this now.
I uncurl my clenched hand, and place the whistle next to her hand, she peers down at it, questioningly.
"It's um.." I clear my throat, "It's in case you find yourself unable to handle the fight anymore.. I'll be there."
She was the only person I could stand to be around when they cried. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude, or of pain. I like to think it was former. "Oh, Chrom. I'm sorry for slowing you down, thank you." she weakly reached her own hand out to me.
I clasped it with my own, squeezing it gently. "You'll never slow me down. I will always watch your back, no matter how great the distance."
The whistle, that's the sound it was created to make, I had forgotten! The merchant really was true to his word when saying that it could be heard from far off.
"My Lord?"
"We move.. Now!" I command, she's never used it before. She's always been able to handle it.
She always had me there.
My heart beats faster and my palms get sweaty. I am geninuely taken over by worry. "Frederick!" I call, he's on his horse and gallops over to my side, "We must be prepared for the worst, if they have taken down five of us already.." I pause, but he catches on.
"My Lord, we will be there swiftly, everyone is ready to mobilize."
I send a prayer to Naga for safety and well being, "Well then, we march."
Maelys's POV.
"Quick! Fair ladies are bleeding!"
"I can't touch them!"
"You both are imbeciles, Maelys is getting blood all over my candy."
"My hands are tied,"
"Mine are as well."
"Well.. Damn."
"NOT MY CANDY!"
"Shut up, Gaius. You'll get us killed."
"Your obsession with candy is almost as bad as my art of entitled grand weapons!"
"Oh ho ho, so you admit you have a problem?"
"Now listen here you sugary thief!"
"Is that all the best entitler in the army can come up with? Sugary thief?"
"What else am I supposed to call you? The Masked Confectioner?"
"I don't make the candy, I only consume it."
"WOULD YOU TWO JUST SHUT UP."
I groan, their loud and obnoxious fighting stirs me from my sleep. "For Naga's sake.." I moan, and they all gasp.
"Maelys!" Gaius is the first to address, "You're alive!"
My body is slung over onto my left side, my hands tied behind me. At least they had the decency to throw me down on the hip that wasn't slashed open, I knew that cause the crusty feeling of dried blood when I moved to try and sit up made a crunched sound. "Hate to break your heart but your candy isn't."
"No.. No. What have you done to it?!"
If I had the ability, I would have slapped him. "Obviously it got ground into tiny pieces as I got pummeled by these jacka-"
"Mmhpprr," a muffled sound comes from behind me, I force myself to turn over, even with my bad hip to catch a glimpse of the state she was in.
"Lucina!" I exclaim and she comes to, she's leaned up against the fencing of the prison, I only see a few small cuts on her face and nothing else that looked to be damaged. At least on the outside.
I let out a relieved sigh, then set on the task of sitting up using only my stomach muscles, and clasped hands. I can feel the guys staring at me, my temper has already been pushed to the limit, so I lash out. "What is so Gods forsaken interesting?"
Owain shuffles his way over to me on his butt and gently helps me sit up with.. Unbound hands.
"HOW THE HE-"
"Quiet, madam!" he squeals, I blink once in shock, he clears his throat, blushing and tries again, "I beg your pardon, but this is in secret, Gaius has a hidden blade inside a candy wrapper located in his coat pocket. When time is convenient, we shall unbind you and my lovely cousin as well to make our grand escape!"
"It sounds all fine and dandy, but.." I glance at my hip, it's bleeding again and I can feel the uncomfortable unease coming from the candy-lover sees it making a clear and direct pathway to the pack at my side.
I was surprised that I even had it still.. If these were thugs, wouldn't they want everything we own? That's when I notice everyone else still had the majority of the things they departed with, save for a few obvious pieces of jewelry and accessories.
My whistle was gone.
"But you fear you cannot run, correct? Don't worry. Owain the mighty will carry you!"
Gods. Being taken prisoner was bad, but being stuck with this lot might just kill me before our captors do.
Chrom's POV.
The blood was still fresh.
I straighten up from the previously crouched position I was in, rubbing the not yet coagulated blood between my fingers before wiping it off on my rough pants. There was plenty of the red thick liquid pooled up in various spots, seeping into the ground. Bodies had been slain here, or at least severely damaged.. But where were they now?
And who was so wounded? Hopefully none of our own. But that was just wishful thinking by the clear skirmish that left all this destruction to the otherwise undisturbed forest undergrowth.
I force myself to think positively, to be niavely hopeful for the best.
"Sir, we've located the emcampment." I nod to the simple foot soldier in reply,
"And?" I urge.
"They outnumber us heavily, sir. It's an entire community."
Just what I needed, to face a huge force of people. At least it was not the Valmese mercenaries that Maelys' expertly had us avoid. But I wasn't too sure if this was any better, the way they took down two great swordsmen and a shealthy theif. Not to mention my own daughter and quick thinking tactician.
"Spread the word that we move now and attack as soon as possible."
Frederick intervenes, "Sir, is that such a good idea?"
I cross my arms, "What else can we do? They have our friends and we must get them back," I take a breath, "dead or alive. I will not let their bodies be left out here, if it has come to that."
"They deserve more," Frederick states, and I nod. "Exactly. Ready the troops, Frederick. These scoundrels are going to meet a grim end today."
Maelys's POV.
My hands are free, gloriously free from that rubbing course rope around my wrists. The men had come up with an escape plan, which I logically shot down as a suicide mission and refused to go. Honestly, we had one weapon and that was an incredibly small knife that wouldn't cut deep enough to stop a person in their tracks. Not to mention..
This was a pretty large base. There were tents everywhere, and people walking.. Women and children, I took time to study the surroundings and it was clear that this was not the Valmese we wanted to avoid, these were just.. Very well trained fighters and their families, living off in the middle of the woods and doing a fine job of it in my opinion.
But that did not explain why we were now hostages and so roughly treated, they barely took any of our things, only the expensive items. This didn't make any sense.
"Pst. Someone's coming," Gaius whispers harshly, so we quickly get into slouched positions and hide our hands behind our backs yet again.
A young man kicks and flails around infront of the gate, fighting with another older man. "Why are you doing this?!" He exclaims, crashing into the solid metal fencing. It looks like a regular flimsy kennel you would put your pet animals in, but what my companions and I found out was quite the opposite. Somehow it was specialized to keep humans in, stronger and thicker materials must have been used.
The boy is captured, being pushed harshly into the gate and looses his balance, he falls on his shoulder and whimpers, "But I helped you!" he cries out, his hands are not shackled, though, I notice.
"Yeah, well. When you're hungry.. Things gotta happen. Sorry kid, tough luck. Hope you've got some meat on your bones so your death's not an entire waste." the man sighs, like he really wasn't into this at all.
"But we had a deal! You'd protect me if I feed your family!' the young man sits up on his knees, pleading with the man and completely oblivious to us, watching the entire scene.
"Well you will be, just not in the way you intended to."
Umm...
"I need to find my mother! I can't become some little kid's next meal!"
The hairs on my neck stand straight up and I glance over at Lucina to ask if she heard properly.. Next meal? But she's staring straight at the young man with wide eyes. I have never seen her look so shocked before!
I glance over at him to see what was so shocking as he gets up on his feet and starts shaking the fencing. "Dammit! Come back here you coward! Have you no honor?!"
His hair.. It resembles Lucina's, just lighter, instead of a midnight blue sky, it was a pale blue, but not dull. It resembled the blue that the sky turns right after a storm during the day. Bright and refreshing.
Were they..?
"Morgan?"
I expected it to be Lucina who spoke, the way she was staring, but no it was Owain's voice that said the boy's name, and for some reason I felt something tugging at my insides, and churning my stomach. But that could just be the effects of the cut at my side, which finally stopped bleeding. (Apparently it wasn't as bad as I thought.)
He stumbles in surprise as he turns around and his eyes..
Oh. Those are very similar to mine. The minty green shade of my eyes were the only thing I liked about my physical appearance, I was too thin and delicate, which made great for evading and quickness, but gave me a lack in strength, my hair was this strange shade between yellow and orange, with no shine or brightness to it. It was dulled, as if turning grey already. Or maybe from stress, and my face had too many creases from my over-thinking and pondering attitude.
But my eyes, those were my pride. They held so much, so deep and beautiful. They were unique, and yet, this.. Boy had them as well.
"Cousin?"
Cousins.. So that means..
"Little brother.." Lucina says slowly.
Morgan's mint eyes open wide as he looks over just an inch to the young woman. "Lucy!" he stumbles over, with tears welling up in his eyes, "I was looking everywhere for you and mother! My Gods, look at you, what happened?"
She erupts, "I told you not to follow me!"
"As if it was safer there?" he replies snappily.
"My dearest cousins, doth thy really need to squabble so? This is a joyous reunion.."
I am left sharing a very confused look with the only two others who had no idea what was going on, Gaius looks stressed and Lon'qu looks ready to stab something.
I clear my throat, hoping to bring order back, "If you'd excuse me.. I don't think this is the time for fighting, as Owain just.. Colorfully said. We need to focus on getting ourselves out of here because if I'm not mistaken I just hear-"
The way Morgan snaps his head in my direction and looks at me causes me to stop my sentence, he stands up slowly, walking towards me and tilt my head over to Lucina who looks just as confused as I do.
He crouches down in front of me, and gives a big grin. "Lucy, why didn't you tell me that mother was here already?" and then launches his body at mine.
I swear, Lucina and I both yell. "Mother?!" at the same exact time.