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“Lon’qu, is something amiss?” A concerned voice brought a young swordsman’s attention to the girl walking alongside him. Ke’ri was accompanying him to the armory on the other side of town that day, and Lon’qu couldn’t say that he disliked the company. Still, he was feeling on edge and couldn’t place where the anxiety was coming from. He chose to brush it off instead.
“No.”
Ke’ri’s brows furrowed. “Hmm,” she shrugged dismissively, “Sounds suspicious, but I won’t pry, since that would bother you anyway.”
Lon’qu hummed in affirmation. His friend was used to his brevity, and he silently thanked the Gods she changed the subject. Ke’ri stopped to pull on Lon’qu’s wrist just as they were about to turn the corner into the crowded main street. A mischievous look was in her eyes when she smiled at him. Lon’qu’s expression turned wary, and he shook his head knowing what she was about to say.
His friend scoffed, “Oh, come now, Lon’qu. If we take this other way, it’s shorter and less crowded with people. I know you don’t like crowds, so it’s a perfect solution! Right?” Her smile was usually enough to ease his worries, but this time his anxieties increased.
Reluctant to give in, his eyes were drawn to the alleyway in question. “…Ke’ri. You’ve heard of the thieves in this place; it’s not safe.” An unsettling silence followed until Ke’ri spoke again.
“…Then why didn’t you stop me?”
Lon’qu turned to face her. “Ke’ri, what are you-” He froze before finishing his question, horrified by what he saw looking back at him.
Ke’ri—no, this Ke’ri imposter had eyes that were glazed over, blood slipping from their mouth as they spoke. The fake Ke’ri’s hand continued to grip his wrist, but it was no longer a playful gesture. It was a shackle, and Lon’qu could not force himself to look away from the imposter’s dead eyes. He became increasingly panicked as the alleyway they were facing seemed to grow around them, encasing the two in a dark and foreboding cage. The clamor from the nearby street could no longer be heard.
No. No…This should’ve never happened!
“You couldn’t protect me,” the fake Ke’ri sneered, “All that talk of becoming a sword master, and you couldn’t even protect your only friend.” They suddenly went slack, as though they had used the last of their strength to mock Lon’qu, but their grip on his wrist never loosened. The imposter’s weight began to drag him down. Desperate, he tried to pull the body upright only to discover a fatal dagger wound in their back that had not been there earlier.
“Please, don’t die…don’t…” Tears pricked Lon’qu’s eyes as he struggled to handle Ke’ri’s weight.
I couldn’t save you then. Let me save you now!
Ominous laughter and shrouded black figures gradually surrounded them from all sides. Lon’qu’s agitation only grew as he saw the large number of predatory eyes peering from the blackness, but he couldn’t move due to the fake Ke’ri’s iron grip. He didn’t want to believe that his Ke’ri was gone. He knew in his heart it was too late, but he tried one last time to bring her back.
“Ke’ri, please, look at me. We can escape from this, I swear!”
She seemed to hear him because her head slowly rose. Before he could see her face, Ke’ri swiftly pulled him toward her and whispered into his ear.
“No woman is safe with you around.”
—
“Ghh—!” Lon’qu’s eyes shot open, and he was met with an erratic heartbeat that made it difficult to breathe upon waking up. Sitting up quickly in his makeshift bed, he felt cold sweat on his body that made his sheets uncomfortable to touch. Closing his eyes, he leaned forward and covered his head underneath clasped arms as he spoke harshly, trying not to shout his words in frustration.
“It should’ve never been you, Ke’ri… Damn it!” Only after feeling a wetness on his eyelashes, Lon’qu opened his eyes. He noticed his vision was blurred, and whatever composure he had left broke.
Lon’qu clenched his teeth fiercely to keep himself from making too much noise as he cried. He forced his eyes closed once again to try and stop the flow of tears, loathing the whole ordeal. Soon, he managed to control his breathing, and only scattered tears followed the dried tracks on his face. He breathed in deeply and exhaled, calm and composed for the time being. He already felt a hundred times more exhausted than he’d felt before falling asleep. He rubbed roughly at his face to wipe the damp streaks left on his cheeks. He sank back to lie down once again, but he already knew sleep would not come any time soon.
It’s been awhile since the last one.
Nightmares were not new to him. The main reason that this one had startled him so much was the unexpected timing. After he’d ran away from Chon’sin, there were nights in Regna Ferox that had left him in a similar—or worse—state, but he’d eventually gotten used to them. Before getting somewhat closer to Khan Basilio, the loneliness and guilt had eaten at him, and his night terrors had plagued him almost every night.
When he was sent away to join the Shepherds, it hadn’t seriously crossed his mind that being around more women would be a drawback to his stability. He wasn’t one to question the decisions that the Khan made, so it didn’t matter that much anyway. Regardless, it turned out that his concerns were met with relative normalcy. This didn’t include his old reflexive habits of being too harsh when the right buttons were pushed, but he was getting used to it. Of course, there’s still no way he’d want to spend an excessive amount of time with any of the women in the camp. They were good people, but he didn’t want to get too close with any of them or…anyone, really. However, their resident twin tacticians seemed to know everyone like the back of their hands and encouraged people, like Lon’qu, to do more activities with others. Eventually, Lon’qu found himself in a place he could—just maybe—call home.
Not that he’d ever tell anyone this.
He closed his eyes. The only temporary solution he had always found during these times was to train. Unfortunately, he’d already been scolded for training after dark before.
Gathering himself, Lon’qu grabbed his sword and opened the flap to his tent to peek out. He felt a little ridiculous acting so secretive, but it was better to be safe than sorry. He really didn’t want to risk getting cleaning duty for a week as punishment. Seeing an opening in the patrols, he snuck out of the tent and quietly made his way into the nearby woods. Lon’qu wasn’t even sure where he meant to go. Ideally, it would just be a place with some room to swing a sword. He didn’t even think to assess what time of night it was, but he assumed it wasn’t that close to morning considering how high and bright the moon was in the dark, starlit sky. The trees shrouded most of the view from him, but the moonlight that streamed through the branches allowed him to see enough to navigate through the woods.
He froze when he heard something in the distance. Was that…someone talking? The steadily increasing clarity of two voices made him realize he could be caught if he didn’t hide himself. Easily finding a dark spot between the cover of some trees, he waited as the voices grew nearer.
“It was fine, Inigo. You’re stressing over nothing.”
“No, no. Gods, I can’t believe I messed up that one step so many times in front of you. I’m supposed to be good at dancing.”
“…You are.”
As the voices faded further away, Lon’qu assumed the protests he could hear came from Inigo. He frowned, vaguely remembering how opposite his own habits around women were compared to the mercenary. He didn’t mull on it though. It wasn’t his business to worry about others’ habits.
Continuing his trek, he noticed that there was a slightly used path where leaves and dirt had obviously been trussed up. It must have been the one Inigo and his companion had been following, and Lon’qu decided there must have been somewhere where Inigo could have been practicing his…step. Perhaps they’d had a sparring session.
Hoping his assumption was correct, the swordsman began to follow the path he’d discovered. He suddenly became conscious of the time he may have already spent walking in the woods, but decided it wasn’t really worth worrying over. Going back to camp before even accomplishing what he’d set out to do would’ve just been silly. Instead, his thoughts momentarily returned to the nightmare. He thought that maybe walking had helped distance it from his immediate memory, but it was a fool’s wish. Feeling pain in his palms, he realized he had subconsciously clenched his fists.
Lon’qu stopped walking for a moment to gather himself and loosen his hands, shaking them out a bit. He closed his eyes and took in a slow breath, letting himself calm down as he exhaled. To ground himself, he held on to the hilt of his sheathed sword and continued on his way. Not even three steps later, he found himself losing his footing and falling onto the dirt path, courtesy of a stray tree root.
“Ahaha—!”
Startled by the sudden laughter, but still half on the ground, Lon’qu reflexively reached for his sword. He heard a small voice go ‘oops!’ and looked in the direction of the sound. A glimpse of white and purple was noticed from behind a tree, and Lon’qu sighed.
“Did you follow me all the way out here, Henry?”
“Aww…and I was doing so well too.” Henry peeked from his hiding spot. With a hop in his step, he walked over to Lon’qu. The mage was smiling cryptically as usual. Picking himself up, Lon’qu turned away from him and continued following the path he’d found.
“Go back.”
Henry took quick steps to catch up with the escaping swordsman. “Nope! Didn’t Robin and Reflet tell everyone to not go out alone anymore? I’m just doing the right thing looking out for you.” Lon’qu gave him a withering look before facing forward again.
“Fine. Just don’t bother me.”
Henry’s eyes lingered on Lon’qu even after he’d turned away. “…You must be really tired! Normally I’d expect you to kick me right back to camp for following you.” Lon’qu’s response was a simple tch. Henry giggled. “So, what has you so worked up? There’s gotta be something if you’re so eager to break the rules ‘n stuff.”
“It’s not your business to know.”
“Aw. And here I thought we were bonding…” Lon’qu looked at Henry for a moment before turning back and shaking his head at the mage’s odd train of thought. The two were quiet as they continued along the forest path. They soon approached a small clearing where the thick tree canopy broke. At the further end of the clearing, a round pond reflected the image of a full moon. It made for an eerily beautiful sight, but Lon’qu wasn’t there to view the scenery. Choosing to further ignore his companion, he chose a spot where he could safely unsheathe his sword.
“Oh, I didn’t realize I’d pissed you off that much!” Henry’s quip made the swordsman’s brow twitch.
“I’m going to train. Be silent or go back on your own.”
The mage sat down against a tree. “Neither of those options sound fun, so how’s this for a suggestion! How about I talk, and you train so you can focus on fighting even if there’s distractions around? That’s something soldiers are good at, right? I dunno, it’s not my expertise. Magic is pretty distracting so I guess I’m used to it naturally!” Henry crossed his arms, proud of himself. “Ooh and look at that. You’re already doing so good at ignoring me, ahaha.”
Lon’qu was indeed ignoring Henry, already fully focused on the invisible enemies around him. Satisfied that he was not being thrown back to camp for talking, Henry relaxed against the tree behind him. He wasn’t sure what pushed him to accompany the disgruntled myrmidon that night. Most of the time Lon’qu seemed like he was really composed, as long as one of the female soldiers didn’t catch him off guard or potatoes weren’t on the menu for camp dinners. This time though, he seemed vulnerable. Henry didn’t like the sudden change. It reminded him a little of his days at the orphanage, where people he saw as stable would change suddenly and then…disappear. As far as he knew, Lon’qu was a decent guy and wouldn’t break a rule if it was a direct order, so he just had to follow him that night. Yeah, he was totally justified!
“Henry.” The sudden mention of his name pulled Henry out of his thoughts.
“You called?”
The swordsman had paused his training, and his posture was composed as if waving a sword around was no effort to him at all. “…It’s almost unnerving for you to be silent.”
Henry almost wheezed. “Sorry! I got a little distracted myself. I can do better this time. Do you want me to make various bird calls? I specialize in corvid calls specifically, but I can try my hand at various types! Like the great tit, or chickadee, for ex—”
“No!” Lon’qu looked a bit incredulous. “…No. You don’t have to resort to that.”
Henry gasped in a sudden revelation. “Hey, why don’t I try summoning some targets for you? That way I don’t get distracted again, and you can fight something you can see better.” He got to his feet, stepping further into the clearing and opening his spell-book. “Oh, and don’t worry. It’s completely necromancy-free! But…You have to tell me first if something negative is on your mind right now.”
Lon’qu looked slightly wary. He knew mages could do more than just summon the elements in battle, but he wasn’t familiar at all with anything Henry was speaking of. However, tonight was a night of impulsive decisions, so he readied his blade. He had nothing to be afraid of, he was already over his nightmare.
“There is nothing. I’m ready.”
“…Mmkay!”
As the mage concentrated, the aura around his book turned dark. Shadowy beings with long limbs poured out from the pages, and Lon’qu’s eyes narrowed. The sparring session turned intense as he ran his sword through every last shadow creature. The barrage went on for another few minutes, before Lon’qu felt something that made his skin crawl. A shadowy creature had grabbed his wrist, and what he saw in the shadow’s form horrified him too much for him to care how it happened.
It was the Ke’ri from his nightmare. The fake Ke’ri.
Eyes widened in fear, he quickly remembered the sword in his hands and broke his form to swipe at the shadow with his sword in one hand. He dropped his weapon instantly. In his panic, he hadn’t noticed that Henry had stopped his incantation already, getting rid of the few lingering shadows before closing his book.
“Um.” He waited for a reaction from Lon’qu. There was none. “…So, you lied, huh. That’s understandable!” The silence continued. He walked over to the myrmidon, unsure of how to handle this. He didn’t like feeling guilty on top of it.
“What did you see?” Lon’qu’s voice was careful, but it sounded strained.
Henry shrugged. “Nothing, specific? You panicked and dropped your sword. That’s not usually how you react around stuff like the undead, so I’m guessing you saw something related to an inner turmoil of sorts?”
Only then did Lon’qu turn his face to look at Henry. He was pained, but looked mildly confused at the same time. “Maybe. It’s a personal problem. Not your fault that I let it show.” He retrieved his sword from where he dropped it, sheathing it as Henry watched him.
“Yeah, well… It was a spell that could cause someone’s inner fears to manifest if not careful. Maybe I should’ve tacked on a better warning. My bad.” Henry still felt a lingering dissatisfaction. Maybe Ricken drilled in a little too much how important it was to say what’s really on your mind. He got Lon’qu’s attention back before the subject could change. “Look, I hate getting into other people’s business, but don’t you think coping with bad stuff by wandering out in the dark alone, in the middle of a war, is a little stupid? Don’t give me that look! I just don’t think anyone here would like to lose our resident grumpy sword guy. We might not be friends, but you’re pretty cool so…”
Lon’qu gave the mage a long look before looking away. “I wasn’t planning on dying in the woods. If you’re so concerned you can join me the next time—” He caught himself before finishing that thought. “Forget I said that, actually. Let’s go back to camp.”
“Woah! Woah, woah! I can’t forget an invitation to sneak out of camp at night again, let’s try tomorrow! Ah wait, I have crow training with Ricken, how about in two days, then?” Henry’s sudden eagerness caught Lon’qu off guard. He was somehow relaxed at the thought of spending another night in the clearing with the mage, of all people. It would at least be more peaceful with no nightmares involved. They clearly weren’t friends, but there was something reassuring about someone seeing him vulnerable and not making a big deal of it. He shook his head at his own train of thought, and began walking out of the clearing.
“Hey!” Henry trotted after him. “You never gave me an answer, but I’m gonna be optimistic and say it was ‘yes’. Oh, and don’t worry, I’m pretty much a night owl so you won’t have to wake me up or anything.”
Lon’qu came to a stop on the path they were following back to camp and turned to look at his companion. “If there is a next time, I’m tempted to make you try sparring with a sword. I don’t think I wish to target practice with something from your spell-book again.” His suggestion was rewarded with a look of confusion mixed with glee.
“Me? With a sword? You…” Henry burst into a small fit of giggles. “You’re weird, Lon’qu! I like it. On the bright side, if I do suck at waving around a sword maybe I’ll accidentally cut something off and get to laugh about it. Just uh…don’t pick a big one! I’m kind of on the short side compared to you.”
“Hmph.” Lon’qu seemed satisfied with Henry’s response, smiling minutely as he turned to the path and continued to camp. The two of them walked the rest of the way, the silence only being broken by Henry’s faint and random bird calls he’d decided would be fun to practice.
When the forest opened up to the field where the Shepherd’s camp was stationed, Henry waved a goodbye to Lon’qu before heading off towards his tent. As the myrmidon entered his own tent and stripped down to sleep, he was reassured that he would not have a night terror again for at least that night.