Fire Emblem: The Great Divide

It was night when Judah heard the carriage pull up near the forest. The beorc guardsmen had closed the gates; the gates closing with a shrill screech. Bandits would find no entrance tonight. The first thing Judah noticed was the pale pallor of Fleura's face, and the way she seemed to sweat and nearly stumbled.

Zelle and Iscah were helping her into the carriage. Their voices were muffled inside, and Judah went to the front; he had already seen the frown on Relda's face, so he knew something was wrong.

"What happened?" He asked coolly, glancing in the back. Relda's was quite for a few moments, and then she spoke, "She started throwing up in the middle of the dance. We had a few priests check her out. I'm sure she'll tell the rest of us on her own time," The elderly woman said.

"In the meantime, she needs to rest...that's what the priest said. It looks like she won't be dancing after all..." She trailed off.

Judah turned his gaze back to Relda. The woman loved all of these women like they were her grandchildren...that was what he knew. Once again he was reminded of the family that he had left behind, and came to a startling realization that these beorc almost mirrored their dynamics.

Judah looked at the moon as they rode on. Relda had started the horses moving, and the man could only stare at the sky and wonder what Lannis was trying to teach him. He let out a wry chuckle at that thought. Deities didn't exist; deities were what people used to find a reason for their existence, and why they were what they were. In the more extreme cases, they were used to justify all manner of actions.

Judah didn't feel the need to justify his actions on some sort of higher power. His mistakes were his own, and he would accept them like that. The more he was on this journey, the more he learned about himself, and came closer to finding himself than he would have when he was back in his country. It was good to not be sheltered, and it was also good to see the world for what it was outside of tall walls and words fed to you by history books.

"I hope she's alright," He found himself saying, "We don't need to lose anyone."

Relda nodded in acknowledgement, and Judah knew there was something she wasn't telling him, or maybe he thought she wasn't. He didn't know. The old woman had a way of knowing almost anything...more than a Laguz, that is. He was certain she was wiser than even her own kind. He couldn't understand everything she said, but he did have respect for her.

Beorc weren't that bad, but there were some bad apples. Then again, there were both good and bad in the Laguz as well. He had learned that on his journey as well. Judah did his best to get comfortable. It was going to be a long ride. He heard Zelle zip the back of the carriage's flap up so that no one would roll over and fall out as they moved.

Then, the carriage except for Relda and Iscah went to sleep. Most of them. Kainé and Zelle stayed up...both worried about Fleura. Mayelle was fast asleep.

Barabas is lead by Farah to the horse's side, where he could see them both. He looks back at Farah and unpretentiously bows his head, making eye contact with Barabas. Not unfamiliar with the wordless communication of other creatures, Barabas cups his hands and holds them out for the horse to familiarise itself with him, continuing to meet its calming glance. The horse leans in and closes his eyes, deeply huffing Barabas' hands and leaving moisture on them. Perhaps experiencing sensory overload from the complex scent of soaps, herbs, poison and iron he snaps to attention and trots back a few paces, holding his head high and defiantly at the butler.

"His name is Shadow, and yes, I am very fond of him. He saved my life once, in a way..."

Sensing another pair of eyes on him, Barabas realises that Farah too was now appraising him. Deciding it fit to let her judge, he continues communicating with Shadow, leading the horse's and his attention for just a second to the wolf queen. Seeing his master's firm gaze, the horse bows once again and follow's Barabas' eyes to a faint mountainrange in the distance. Barabas takes hold of Shadow's reigns, and the horse comes to unserstand his task, bowing his head to let Barabas pet him.

"But letting you ride him is a show of trust, no? I believe a show of trust is important when meeting someone for the first time. Gives us the chance to start off on the right foot." Farah says as Barabas and she turn to look at other. She stretches out her hand with a knowing grin. "My name is Farah Dune. It's a pleasure to meet you, Barabas Levitt."

"...The pleasure is all mine." Barabas replies after a moment, wiping his hand with a cloth before taking hers. "Yet, I have no trust to show you in return... this places me at a disadvantage. If I might step beyond the bounds of my teaching and be blunt, I find your trust curious... but if my lady wishes it, then I shall do what I can to show her my trust as well."

"I don't think we could die of a cold." Cairbre was a little hurt by Hal's bluntness, but stepped in anyways. "But I did bring something that I found this morning."

He smiled at her a little bit as he somewhat presente the bundle in his arms.

"I don't know if I could take care of it, since it's a long way back home." Cairbre sighed as he looked at the kitten. "He broke into my tent during the night, ate all of my jerky, and passed out next to my bedroll. He was really dirty too, but I washed him off. I don't have a name for him though..."

He's kind of a pain in the butt...

The last part of his thought trailed on before he spoke up.

"How about Butterscotch?" Cairbre suggested.

"Oh, it's mostly because he's so fluffy." Cairbre joked as he took the kitten out of its wrap and held it aloft. "Though I didn't check if he's actually a guy. It's hard to tell under the fur."

"Well, I stopped by here, so what do you think?" Cairbre gave Hal a silly look before handing her the now awake kitty.

"Well, since you're the Keeper, I thought you'd be the best person to 'keep' this cat." Cairbre joked again. "I'll be staying here for five or so more days just as a safety precaution, so if you need me to help take care of him, I'll be available."

Wait, what do Herons eat anyways...?

"Uh, but first, do you have anything to feed him with?" He asked as he poked Butterscotch on the head.

"That sounds fine." Cairbre answered, but he didn't have any idea what to talk about next. "So, what do you do for fun? Do you read books? Sing songs?"

"Neither do I." Cairbre responded as he took a step closer to Halcyon. "In fact, I don't know how. No one in my town can, except for my lady and her adviser. Though I can sing, a little."