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No Warmth in the North
Sara Valestein gritted her teeth tight as a flurry of shots sought her out. Instead of puncturing her flesh, they rained into the brickwork she was hunkered behind. The Bracer adjusted the grip on her sword and pistol, waiting patiently for the right moment to act.
The rata-tat-tat of sustained gunfire suddenly ceased.
She was already leaping from cover before she could judge whether or not the pause was to reload or a deliberate lull just to draw her out. Instinct moved Sara’s muscles for her, telling her body that this was a risk worth taking. She’d already fired the first bullet before the message had reached her brain that the soldiers opposing her were indeed reloading. Another three rounds immediately followed the first.
Two of the three bodies hit the floor with a dull thud.
Barrelling out of her roll, Sara swiftly pushed off into a run, charging forward. Her heels click clacked off the flagstones as rapid as the gunfire. She fired her pistol empty as she went, driving the last soldier to hide behind the wall he and his comrades had been using as cover.
Not waiting to reload, Sara pushed herself into the air off a piece of broken masonry. Sailing over the makeshift barricade, she twisted her body to face her opponent, not taking her predatory gaze off him for an instant.
Landing deftly on the other side of the wall with the soldier in the middle, Sara surged forward, blade first. There was a faint, strained gurgle as the soldier slumped his last, moving no more.
Sara pulled her blade free. It chinked off the wall where the tip had gouged into the brickwork, a bright crimson staining the sword’s length.
Throwing a cursory glance around to make sure she was clear for the time being, Sara heaved a heavy sigh and let her frame relax a little, though there was still the sound of gunfire echoing from other areas of the city. It seemed that the conflict was all around her by now. If she was any judge, Sara would have wagered that the Imperial Army had managed to encircle Haliask completely in their efforts to expunge the Northern Jaegers from the city.
While Sara could certainly understand that the Empire wanted justice for the Jaeger’s role in burning down Celdic, she couldn’t stomach the civilian cost the Empire seemed intent on making the Ambrians pay in pursuit of that justice. Though it was only to be expected she supposed. Erebonia wouldn’t want to look weak against any foreign aggressor, especially as they were continually at loggerheads with their great rivals Calvard.
If Haliask had to burn to prove Erebonia’s might to the world, then it seemed that it would most definitely burn.
The sound of a round pinging off a wall nearby pulled Sara from her thoughts. She quickly hopped back over the wall out of the immediate danger zone, before casually striding back to where she’d been taking cover. She grabbed a discarded rag from the ground to wipe the gore from her sword as she walked.
A pair of small faces peered out from behind a wall further up ahead, more curious than afraid. A pair of hands swiftly reached out to pull them back behind the relative safety of the stonework.
“You guys ok back there?” Sara called out, forcing a smile onto her face for the little one’s sakes as much as her own.
Another pair of faces slowly appeared from round the corner, these ones older and more wary than the little ones. Sara didn’t know them, not really, but it wasn’t at all difficult to see the genes passing from father to son and mother to daughter in their faces.
“Y- Yes, I think so.” The father replied nervously.
“Is it safe?” The mother asked, picking up her daughter into her arms while clinging onto her son’s hand for dear life.
Sara was dearly tempted to lie, but it served no one any good. “Safer, though it’s getting dicey here. We need to get you guys to the town hall pretty soon.”
The defenders had been using the hall to shelter those civilians who hadn’t already fled the city. It was safer than having everyone stay shut up in their homes, with no easy access to food or water. Haliask’s residents had concentrated their aid and supplies there, rationing everything essential. The town hall was also a distance away from the parliament building, where the Jaeger’s had encamped themselves for what increasingly seemed like their last stand. Sara hoped that would draw the Erebonian forces away from the civilians at least.
“Right.” The father nodded, swallowing thickly. “Let’s get going then.”
Sara spared another glance at the kids. Though too young to really understand what was going on around them, she could tell that they were picking up on the nervous tension shared by the adults.
“Don’t worry kids, your old aunty Sara will get you out of this.” She smirked at them with a playful wink.
Without further ado, Sara led the family through the streets deeper into the city. Thankfully it was mostly deserted, the few Imperial soldiers and Jaeger archaisms they stumbled upon were avoided fairly easily as Sara kept the family hushed and hunkered behind various forms of cover while the danger passed by. While she knew the archaisms should have been deployed solely to keep the city and its inhabitant’s safe, Sara had witnessed first-hand how they’d regarded anyone wandering too close as a potential threat. She wasn’t keen on potentially provoking a combat response by surprising one, so she kept her group at a slow, careful pace.
Eventually, Sara had led her charges to just within a few streets of the city centre. The sounds of battle were far enough away that she felt confident in letting her guard down just a little.
“Right, if you just head up here you should be home and dry.” Sara pointed the way up a street with a bit of a relieved sigh. “It’s not that far now.”
“Thank you.” The mother enthused. She still clung to her children dearly. “Really, we don’t know what we would have done without you.”
“No need to thank me, just a friendly neighbourhood Bracer, doing her job.” Sara smirked a smile. Normally she would have been quite happy to stand there and accept a bit of praise, but not when she knew that enemy Panzer Soldats could trundle up the street at any minute. “Go on, the town hall’s just up here.”
Before anyone could move, there was a loud, shuddering slam. The bricks and rubble all around shook and vibrated from their resting places, kicking up dust and debris. The children cried out in alarm and clung to their mother all the tighter.
Sara threw her gaze back up the streets they’d just fled down. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of an all too familiar grey giant.
Valimar, the Ashen Knight himself was there, standing tall and proud above the buildings of North Ambria’s capital. The giant was not that far off in the distance, Sara could even just hear the shouts of surprise and panic in as Jaeger’s surely ran for cover before Valimar’s might.
Rean, Sara realised.
“Is- Is that one of the baddies?” The young boy asked nervously as he stared up at the giant robot.
“No, he’s one of the good guys.” Sara murmured with a slight smile. She turned back to the family. “You don’t need to worry about him, he won’t hurt you, I swear.”
“Alright …” The mother mumbled, clearly not all sure.
“Come on, get yourselves to safety.” Sara prompted them to move on.
“Thank you.” The father moved forward to shake Sara’s hand vigorously. “We can’t possibly thank you enough for what you’ve done for us.”
“No need.” Sara smiled. “Now go on, get your family out of here.”
The father shook her hand for a moment more before nodding his thanks. He moved off to follow his family up the road.
Sara allowed herself a little sigh of relief. She turned back to gaze up at Valimar in the distance. The Divine Knight was always such a striking sight, even at a distance and through a bit of a hazy fog. He looked to be fighting off a score of archaisms singlehandedly. She bit her lip slightly as she watched the battle from a distance. Though she couldn’t be sure, it seemed that Rean had been forced to employ Valimar because of the sheer number of archaisms.
Stay safe Rean, Sara thought near forlornly, feeling her chest tighten a little.
“Miss Valestein.”
The sound drew Sara’s attention. It was the father again. He was paused a little way up the road, his wife and children huddled together at his side. Sara looked at them curiously, wondering why they weren’t running right now.
“Your father would be proud of you.”
Sara blinked. She swallowed thickly, not expecting that comment of all the possible things that could be said in a warzone. Had this man known her father? She would have asked him that and a million other questions had the family not taken her moment’s hesitation to turn and flee to a greater safety than the abandoned streets of the Ambrian capital.
Sara turned back to gaze at Valimar. The Ashen Knight had already won whatever bought he had been fighting and was moving away. Soon enough, he had disappeared out of sight behind another set of buildings.
Taking a deep breath, Sara readied her weapons once more before diving back into the increasingly dangerous streets of Haliask.
xxx
Rean Schwarzer strode through the throng of excited soldiers and engineers with as much gusto as he could muster. He could barely bring himself to smile as wide as all those grateful faces around him. He received all those pats on the back, the ruffles of the hair and the punches on the arm with a strange numbness.
None of those around him seemed to notice.
“Well done lad!” One older soldier laughed loud. “You did great out there.”
“That was amazing!” A younger boy enthused, barely older than Rean. “We’ll have them begging for mercy now!”
“You showed ‘em what for!” Yelled another in glee. “Really saved our hides you did!”
“Damn, it’s one thing hearing about him, it’s something else seeing the Ashen Chevalier in action for yourself.” A mechanic shook his head in near disbelief.
“Wonder if he’s still single …” One lady barely whispered to her friend.
The adoration came in waves, yet it all washed over Rean. After what felt like an age, the soldiers began to disperse and return to their duties, letting Rean carry on alone. He made his way directly to the collection of tents that made up the command structure of the army. Though he was not assigned any leadership responsibilities himself, Rean had been granted a tent of his own alongside those of the upper echelons of the military, separate from the regular forces. Perhaps it was just to keep him out of the pawing grip of the rank and file. Perhaps it was just to keep a better eye on him. He wasn’t sure, but all that mattered to Rean was that it gave him a chance for some privacy.
He walked on through the tent flaps to the blissful solitude of his own tent. He could still hear the general commotion of the army outside, but there was now a physical shield from him and their stares.
Rean sighed heavily as he plonked down on the threadbare cot he’d been sleeping on for the past few days, head immediately in hands. He sighed again for good measure. He knew he shouldn’t be so downcast, he’d mostly been fighting archaisms so far. He hadn’t been forced to take a life yet, though that prospect wasn’t what bothered him most.
When he’d been forced to summon Valimar into the fray, when his unit had been on the brink of being overwhelmed, Rean hadn’t hesitated. He’d acted to defend his comrades. He knew he’d done the right thing, the only thing he could have done. Yet it still troubled him.
When he’d cleared the street of archaisms, leaving their smoking, ripped bodies strewn across the road, he’d caught sight of a pair of figures hunkering in one of the upper floors of an adjacent apartment building, a mother and her child from the look of it. They’d peered up at Rean with wide, fearful eyes. They had been terrified of him, and who could blame them? A giant robot built for war had been stomping through their neighbourhoods, destroying the constructs that had been deployed to defend them.
There was no disguising it, no denying it. Rean was an invader.
He was the stuff of nightmares.
All Rean had been able to do was to wave off a search of the apartment building and persuade his unit to move up the street with him. It was just a little thing, a small reparation at most and it was far from enough.
Rean leaned his head back as he sat on his cot. He closed his eyes, listening to the general commotion of an army preparing for another bought of war. It was little like how he’d imagined when he’d first enrolled at Thors. Then again, he’d never imagined that he’d ever actually be part of an invading army, even though a part of him had always been aware of Erebonia’s often belligerent stance towards her neighbours. He supposed he needed to rid himself of his childish, naïve beliefs at some point. He just wished that it didn’t have to be like this.
“I thought it was you.” A voice murmured into the quiet.
Rean opened his eyes wide at the noise, spinning his head round to the entryway. An all too familiar figure was stood there: Sara Valestein, his former instructor. She was deftly stepping through the flap of his tent, casting her gaze back outside for a moment to see if she was being followed presumably.
“Instructor Sara?” Rean stood in alarm. “What are you doing here?” He demanded in a whisper.
“What, don’t you often sneak into the enemy camp to have a look around?” Sara winked with a playful smirk. She gazed about the tent in frank perusal. “Gotta say, you Erebonians don’t really travel around in style, do you?”
Rean shook his head with a slight scowl. “Instructor, if you get caught, they’ll-”
“Please, Rean.” Sara put a hand up, stopping him with a smile. “I can handle myself you know.”
“I know that, but this is a warzone, Sara. You shouldn’t be here, in an Erebonian camp of all places.”
“Well, it was simple enough getting here. You haven’t exactly hidden your encampments very well. It was easy enough to track you down, even easier to sneak past your guards.” Sara smirked before her gaze fell with a sigh. “I may have caught a glimpse of a ferocious, seven arge tall sword wielding robot prowling the battlefield. I had to come and see if my eyes weren’t deceiving me.”
Now it was Rean’s turn to drop his gaze. “They aren’t. Though I wish they were.”
Sara stepped her way right up to Rean.
He reluctantly raised his gaze to meet hers. Rean didn’t find any hate or even any judgment there, only concern and what could have been pity as she regarded him for a long moment.
“I know you never wanted this, Rean.” Sara murmured softly as she took his hands in hers. “Aidios, none of us wanted this, but I know you’re doing the right thing.”
Rean almost scoffed. “The right thing? How is any of this right?” He snatched his hand back from her hold, gesturing frustratingly to the outside of the tent, to the nearby invading army, to all the destruction that they had wrought and to all that which had yet to come.
“Because, I know you will do everything in your power to stop the worst things from happening.” The look in Sara’s eyes was resolute. “I know you’ll do everything you can to stop these soldiers from laying waste to North Ambria, or from killing people senselessly.”
Rean pushed away from his former Instructor, pacing to the far corner of the tent, feeling unwanted tears in his eyes. “I’m just one man, Sara. I mean, I’m not even that. I’m still just a dumb kid, playing at being a soldier. I’ve only just come out of Thors, remember? Hell, I’ve still got to fully graduate.” He shook his head with a ragged sigh. “And I’m one of the invaders too here. How am I supposed to stop a disaster from taking place?”
Rean heard footsteps as Sara followed him. She strode right up to him and he was turned around to face her. The Bracer had summoned steel to her eyes over her smile. “You’re the Ashen Chevalier, remember? You’re a hero to your people. They’d do anything for you, and they’ll listen to you. And you’re not just some dumb kid. You’re a hell of a lot more than that. You’re Rean Schwarzer, leader of Class VII and the pride of Thors Academy.” Sara’s lips quirked into a proud smile. “Think of everything that you’ve already done, that doesn’t count for nothing, you know.”
“This isn’t the same, Sara.” Rean grabbed her gently by the arms as though it would help make her understand somehow, she did not resist. “This is war. This isn’t a field trip like at the Academy. I don’t have the luxury of failing here. What’s more I’m on my own out here. I don’t have anyone else from Class VII with me.” A long pause, Rean lowered his gaze to the ground. “I could really use someone right now.”
“I’m here, Rean.” Sara murmured, lifting his face once more with a soft hand on his cheek. “You have me.”
“I can’t put you at risk like that.” Rean shook his head. “You’re an Ambrian, Instructor. If anyone out there knew you were even here talking to me, they’d …” He broke off, swallowing thickly as he thought of the unthinkable. “You’re already taking too much of a risk just by being here. You should leave before someone finds out.”
“You know, you should never tell a lady what to do, Rean.” Sara teased. “It’s bad manners. Besides, like you say I’m technically your enemy right now. Last I checked, I didn’t take orders from a ‘filthy Erebonian’.” She winked playfully.
“This isn’t a game, Sara!” Rean almost shouted but caught himself. “We’re at war here!”
“You really think I don’t know that, Rean?” Sara demanded, eyes deadly serious all of a sudden, glowering into him. “You think I don’t realise that my homeland is being trampled and burned to the ground as we speak? I’ve just come from the city you know. I’ve seen the fruits of this war first hand. Trust me Rean, I hate this damn war. I hate that we’re being forced to fight each other and I hate that it’s come to all this.”
“So why the jokes?” Rean asked, genuinely confused. “Why make light of everything?”
“Because I know you, Rean. I know that you’re going to be feeling this just as much as I do, if not more.” Sara raised both her hands to hold his face, imploring him to look at and hear her. “You’ll be taking the burden of this war all on your shoulders, like you do with everything, you silly boy.” She chuckled in spite of herself. “I came to remind you that it’s not your fault. None of this is your fault, Rean.”
Rean sighed, a ragged breath escaping him. “How can you be so sure? I could have refused to join the army. I could have done more to stop this war from happening even.”
“Oh Rean, there’s nothing you could have done to stop this.” Sara muttered with exasperation, her thumbs stroking at his cheeks gently, somehow soothingly. “If the powers that be wanted to go to war, it was always going to happen. No one person can stop a whole army, Rean, not even you. You’re already doing more than anyone possibly could.”
“If that’s true, then it doesn’t seem like much.” Rean sighed, forlorn.
“I know it can feel that way, but it’s true.” Sara smiled a little sadly. “And I know it sounds crazy, but I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad you’re in this army and it’s not just a bunch of gung-ho idiots.”
“I don’t know how you can even say that.” Rean shook his head with a perplexed sigh. “I’m taking part in the invasion of your home.”
“I’m glad, because I know that you’re going to do everything in your power to keep people safe.” Sara gazed into his eyes seriously. “I know you’re going to try to help everyone you can. I know you’re not going to go out there and use Valimar to smash your way through the city. And like I said, these people listen to you, Rean. You’re their hero. If there’s anyone who can keep this from becoming a complete bloodbath, it’s you.”
The image of the mother and child in the apartment building sprang back into mind. He wondered where they were now? He hoped they were safe. Rean lowered his gaze with a sigh.
“I can tell I’m not helping much, am I?” Sara smiled a little bit.
“You’re certainly not lifting the pressure at all.” Rean’s lips twitched slightly.
Now it was Sara’s turn to sigh. “I’m sorry. I’m being completely stupid here, aren’t I? Here I am, telling you not to worry about it all one minute, and then asking you to look after everyone the next. Damn it, I don’t mean to put this all on you, make it seem like it’s all your responsibility.” She sighed once more. “I just … I want you to know that I’m here for you, Rean, and that I believe in you. I know you’ll do the right thing, no matter what happens.”
Rean wasn’t at all sure what to say. His thoughts and emotions were still warring inside his head and chest. All at once, he was still horrified and furious with himself yet he was also elated to see his Instructor once more, to hear that she still believed in him, even after all that he’d done and had failed to do.
“I … Thank you.” Was all Rean could murmur.
Sara smiled. “Come here, Rean.” She opened her arms out wide, beckoning him in for a hug.
Rean accepted the embrace before he even thought to get embarrassed, make an excuse and object. He didn’t realise just how much he needed that warm, soft touch until Sara’s arms were wrapped around him. It felt like it had been years since the last time he’d held anyone so close, since he’d been held. What’s more, the embrace just felt right somehow, like a home he never knew he’d been missing.
They eased apart after a long, blissful moment. Rean gazed into her eyes. Hers were glistening bright.
Wordlessly, silently, Sara leaned forward, easing her eyes shut as she pressed her lips to Rean’s. Rean’s eyes widened slightly at her touch. The action shocked him, but the strangest thing was that it didn’t feel wrong where it probably should have. He hesitantly raised a hand to caress her cheek.
Sara sighed against him, a forlorn, depleted sound.
Then it ended as unceremoniously as it had begun, the slight sound of their lips separating was the only noise in the tent.
Sara opened her eyes and offered Rean a small smile. All sorts of thoughts and feelings danced in her eyes, yet the one overriding them all was an almost overbearing tenderness.
Rean had a million questions running rampant in his mind, why and what and how chief among them. He wanted to know if that spark in Sara’s eyes was just teasing or if it was something more. He wanted to know why he didn’t feel perturbed by his former teacher kissing him so. He wanted to know these and many more things.
A cold wind suddenly broke through the tent and scattered the moment as the flap was pushed open once more.
Rean and Sara broke their eye contact instantly, swivelling their heads to find a familiar figure entering the tent.
“Ah, Sara Valestein.” Captain Claire Rieveldt paused on the threshold as she caught sight of the former Instructor. She deftly stepped in through the tent flap, the tarpaulin whipping about her ever pristine RMP uniform. “I should have known you’d be here, in North Ambria.”
“Captain Claire Rieveldt, the Icy Maiden herself.” Sara folded her arms with a glare aimed squarely at the Ironblood. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
“You know you shouldn’t be here, Sara.” Claire declared but kept her voice low.
“Funny, I was just about to say the same thing to you, Erebonian.” Sara shot back with a hint of a smirk.
The Captain glanced over to Rean. Rean answered her cautious look with a stare of his own, bordering on a glare. A part of him despaired at the hint of hurt he saw in Claire’s eyes, but then the anger of just who and what the Ironblood worked for overcame any regret he felt.
“She’s with me.” Rean declared, jerking his head to Sara softly.
Claire turned her sharp gaze to Sara for a moment, before looking back to Rean. “Is that so?”
Rean held his ground under the Icy Maiden’s piercing gaze, almost a silent battle playing out in the air between them. Rean did his best to ignore the whirlwind of emotions he thought he read in the Ironblood’s eyes.
“General Le Guin wants you on the front lines, Schwarzer.” Claire informed Rean, all of a sudden the impeccable RMP officer, all business. “You’re to work with Orion and myself on clearing out the enemy.”
“Oh? The Golden Rakshasa herself is here?” Sara murmured, seemingly impressed.
Claire levelled a pointed look at Sara. “I can inform you of the rest of the particulars, in private.” She addressed Rean even as she stared at the Bracer icily.
“Sara’s with me.” Rean reiterated sternly. “Anything you can say to me, you can say to her.”
Sara flashed Rean a look, one that was a mixture of amusement and curiosity, but she said nothing.
Claire met Rean’s glare for a long moment. She glanced once more at Sara, then back to Rean. She sighed, though perhaps it was more of a huff. “Fine, meet me outside in five then.”
With that, the Icy Maiden turned on her heel sharply and marched out of the tent. A fresh, cold breeze wafted through in her wake.
“Ouch.” Sara chuckled softly. “Warm welcome.”
“I’m sorry. I’m not trying to get you involved in this.” Rean grimaced.
“Hey, it’s a damn sight better than getting locked up as a prisoner of war I reckon.” Sara winked playfully. “Besides, it was worth it just to see that look on her face.”
Rean frowned. “I thought she’d at least explain what the mission is here.”
“Well, she probably just doesn’t want to let you have it all your own way.” Sara smirked lightly. “She’s got to retain that image of being your superior officer somehow.”
“You’re probably right.” Rean sighed, glaring faintly at the flap to the outside camp still.
Sara regarded him for a long moment. “Don’t blame her, Rean. It’s not her fault her boss is intent on conquering the whole world.”
“I just … I don’t know.” Rean sighed.
Her eyes a little sad, Sara moved a hand to interlink her fingers with Rean’s again. She gave him a squeeze. Rean somehow drew great comfort from that simple contact. “You’ve got enough to worry about without having to hate her as well.”
Rean eyed his former Instructor a little warily. “Don’t you hate her? Shouldn’t you hate everyone in this camp?”
Sara looked at him with something of a sad smile. “No Rean, I don’t hate her or anyone else here. This war isn’t any of their doing. Now, if a certain Chancellor was in the area, you can be pretty damn sure I’d have a few choice words to say to him.”
Rean’s lips quirked a little in a vague smile. “I’ll be next in line.”
“You’re in a tough enough situation as it is.” Sara continued. “Take my advice: Don’t dwell too much on the things that drive you crazy, Rean. Focus on the things you love. Think of what you’ve got to go back to when all this is over and done with.” She gave his hand another squeeze. “Because I know you’re going to get through this just fine.”
Rean raised his gaze almost hesitantly to look up into hers. Those large, amber eyes of hers gazed back into him. There was something there that gave him pause: Faith, a resolute and steadfast determination in her former student. It was how she looked at him back when they were back in Thors, when he’d almost given up hope and needed dragging back to his feet once more. Looking at her now, Rean could feel in all his being that she believed in him.
Then, Sara smirked. “Maybe focus on the battles to come a little bit as well. You know, how to pull off those fancy sword techniques of yours, the importance of dodging bullets, that sort of thing.”
Rean couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’ll do my best.”
“I know you will, Rean.” Sara smiled and winked playfully. “After all, you are my prize student. You wouldn’t want to let me down and give me a bad name now, do you?”
“Aidios forbid.” Rean rolled his eyes good naturedly. He sighed. “Well, I suppose we’d better go, the Captain will be waiting.”
xxx
Outside the tent, Sara stuck close to Rean’s side. If any of the soldiers were curious as to why a beautiful, cerise haired woman, armed with sword and pistol, had suddenly appeared in their camp they kept such questions out of her earshot. Perhaps her proximity to Rean had given her a pass of sorts.
She’d dropped her former student’s hand as they’d left the tent. Though she wanted to hold on to provide him with some small comfort, Sara wasn’t at all sure what Rean would make of such prolonged contact. Little touches here and there were pretty much par for the course for them. It was how she told him when everything was alright, or when he needed to trust himself more. She wasn’t sure if she was already straying over the line with that. She was even less sure where the line was anymore.
As they received the briefing from Claire, Sara’s mind kept drifting back to the kiss. She cursed herself a perverted fool. She hadn’t meant to accost Rean like that, it had just … happened.
Yeah, that’ll hold up well in court. Sara chastised herself bitterly.
Sara turned a surreptitious gaze to Rean every now and then as they listened to Claire lay out her plan. He didn’t seem perturbed by his former Instructor at least, but Sara knew that his mind was likely a whirlwind right now. It wasn’t fair of her to lay something like that on him at such a time, not when there was so much at stake.
Although, as she peered up at him, she realised that Rean had grown a lot since they’d last met. He was no longer that kind hearted young teenager, always eager to please and always ready to lend a hand to anyone, regardless of the impact it had on himself. Though he was still always eager to help anyone out, he was clearly a young man now.
Looking at him in that moment, Sara just knew that he was capable of dealing with anything the world could throw at him. Though he might not seem overly confident, she knew that he didn’t need to be coddled. He worried about the troubles of the war – the troubles of the world even – because he could shoulder them as well as his own. Though Sara knew he’d still need a helping hand here and there. She was determined to always be there to lend it to him when he needed it most.
Wait, he’s taller than me as well now. Sara mused silently, eye gaze roving up and down his form in intrigued perusal. When did that happen?
“There are plenty of archaisms roaming the city still.” Claire was saying. “We need to eliminate as many as we can. There are several large archaisms that pose the most threat that will be our primary targets. Our scouts have identified their most likely positions here, here and here.” She indicated on the map before her on the table. “Once we’ve dealt with them, the way will be clear for our troops to move in, and we can lead the citizens to safety.”
Sara had been pleasantly surprised to learn that Claire’s mission was one of evacuation. From what she’d gleaned, it seemed that General Le Guin had given the Jaeger’s a deadline to negotiate or else be destroyed. As the Jaeger’s had yet to respond to the demands, the mission Claire was briefing them on was a contingency measure to ensure as many civilians as possible could escape the increasingly likely escalation in warfare.
“Understood, Captain Claire.” Altina nodded her understanding. The young girl was seemingly an anomaly among the capable adults around her, but Sara knew better than to doubt the Black Rabbit’s capabilities.
“Where exactly are we looking to lead the civilians to?” Sara wanted to know.
Claire turned her piercing gaze the Bracer’s way. It may have been an intimidating look, but Sara had lived through more than enough to let it wash over her easily. “We have a refugee camp established a ways out of the city to the West. Once we’ve led the people to safety there, we can see to their needs. With any luck, the fighting here will be over in time for them to return to their homes in a week or two.”
“And if we’re not lucky?” Sara raised an eyebrow.
“Then we see about redistributing people to the other settlements in the region.” Claire supplied. “Not a perfect solution, I’m aware, but this is war. We make do with what we have. Whichever way it goes, we won’t abandon the people to chance.”
Sara nodded silently, satisfied for the time being at least. She was most concerned with the plight of the people in all of this madness. It was not an ideal solution, to uproot a city’s worth of people and send them away from their homes, but it was far better than having them caught in the cross fire between Jaegers and Panzer Soldats. Of course, that was all assuming they could get all the people out to safety of their own free will. Sara had already seen first-hand how many people had clung to their homes even as gunfire raged just outside the windows.
“Remember, we’re just clearing the way so our people can see to the civilian’s needs. This is a combat mission first and foremost, so I want everyone on their guard.” Claire looked to each of them in turn. “Any other questions?”
No one spoke up.
“Very good.” The Captain murmured as she reached into a pocket to retrieve a military grade model ARCUS. “We’ll sync our combat links now, better to do it the safety of the camp rather than out in the open.”
Sara and the others similarly drew out their own ARCUS units. She smirked a little seeing that Rean still had his old Thors model. The burgundy cover was scuffed slightly, but otherwise in good condition.
“Orion, you’ll be linking with Valestein.” Claire declared as she tapped at her device. “Schwarzer, you’ll be with me.”
“Actually.” Sara found herself saying before she could think twice about pushing her luck. “Perhaps I should be linked with Rean. I was his class tutor after all. Our link would surely be a hell of a lot stronger than any I’d have with either of you. No offence.” She added with a smile.
“None taken.” Altina responded in her seemingly typical monotone way.
Claire beheld Sara with a long, icy look for a moment before glancing over towards Rean.
“It does make sense.” Rean offered with a slight smile. “And I’m sure you know Altina more than I do, and are more familiar linking with her.”
The Captain switched her gaze to the white haired girl. “Is that ok with you, Altina?”
“Of course, Captain, whatever the mission requires.” The girl responded disinterestedly.
“Very well then.” Claire murmured, rekeying the command into her ARCUS. A moment later, a small shine emanated from both Claire and Altina as their link was established.
Sara offered Rean a quick wink as they tapped at their own ARCUS units. Theirs’ too glowed in a brief shimmer as an all too familiar sensation pinged off of Sara’s senses. It wasn’t anything she could put to words exactly, yet whenever it happened she could almost feel her linked partner’s presence. Typically it was just a faint sensation that would only make itself known when her partner was in imminent danger or if they were about to strike at an enemy with great force.
Her bond with Rean was far stronger however, forged in the fires of all the battles and the trials they had shared together. The link was always a little stronger when first made, but Sara rarely ever felt it as strong as she did in that moment. She could just about feel the tautness and the anticipation of the impending battle that surely ran through his body. It was almost like reading his thoughts.
Sara reached a couple of fingers out to curl around a couple of his. The tension faded as he looked to her with a smile.
“Alright, now that that’s sorted, I want you all to remember: Rean’s our ace in the hole here.” Claire stressed the point. “If we get into trouble, if we’re overrun at any point, we’ll need to buy enough time for Rean to summon Valimar.” Claire glared pointedly at both Sara and Altina. “Understood?”
“Affirmative, Captain Claire.” Altina murmured in that monotone voice of hers.
“Absolutely.” Sara nodded, resolute. She glanced back over at Rean. For his part, the Ashen Chevalier looked a tad uncomfortable, no doubt disliking the idea of his friends and comrades putting their own lives at risk for his.
“Very good, let’s get to it then.” Claire nodded stoutly.
As they moved off to begin their mission, Sara pondered. The plan was a sound one and the Icy Maiden certainly knew her stuff, yet she couldn’t help but worry. There was plenty at risk here, not least because of the high chances of civilian casualties. Though she’d been in Haliask not that long ago, Sara had no idea how many citizens were still hunkered down in the city: a few thousand, tens of thousands?
She felt a hand gently slide in against her palm through the combat link before the action had even occurred. She spun her gaze around, already knowing that it was Rean.
He gave her a vague smile. “Walk with me?”
Sara nodded back, feeling the need to clear her throat all of a sudden.
Rean led her over to stand over by a collection of crates at the edge of the compound, out of the way of the camps busy foot traffic and out of earshot.
“Sorry. I just wanted to ask you something away from the others.”
“That’s ok. What is it?” Sara didn’t have to be tuned into her former student’s psyche to see that he was troubled. She glanced over her shoulder, there were a few soldiers walking around about their business.
Claire hung about a little way away with Altina. The Icy Maiden had her gaze pinned to Sara and Rean for a moment but she made no movement towards them at all. The blue haired woman turned away again and walked away with Altina at her side.
“Are you really ok with all this? Going against the Northern Jaeger’s like this?” Rean murmured, biting his lip in concern.
Sara blinked at him. “Yes, of course I am, Rean. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I just- They used to be your family, didn’t they? I know we’re not fighting them directly, at least I hope we don’t, but we’re still going against them, aren’t we?”
Sara sighed. “I know that, but … Rean, I left that life behind because I’d had enough of spilling innocent blood. North Ambria’s never been rich, but what wealth we did have was earned mostly through its Jaegers and their wars, through blood money. I just got sick of it all. If we can stop more blood from being spilled here, even if it’s just later down the line, then I’m more than happy with that. If the Jaegers are still something like a family to me, then I’m sure they’d understand that.”
Sara wasn’t sure if she was trying to reassure herself or Rean more.
Rean swallowed softly. “Alright.” He nodded. “And … just know that I’m here for you, Sara.”
“Oh, what for?” Sara quirked her head and gave a small smile.
Rean gave a half shrug and a bit of a smile of his own. It was strangely endearing. “For, well, anything really.”
Sara chuckled. It was just like him, always thinking of other people before himself and his own problems. She knew she should probably chastise him for such, tell him to focus on staying alive first and foremost, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it and risk dimming that sweet glimmer of affection in his eyes.
“I’ll keep that in mind, Rean. Come on. Let’s get going before the Captain marches over here to drag us off by the ear.”
xxx
Haliask was rapidly turning into a smoking ruin. Rean had known that before this latest excursion into the city, but it seemed to be in an even worse state now. As the fighting had escalated, so too had the damage to the city. The streets were strewn with broken masonry and rubble.
Rean glanced about at his comrades. Claire was leading the way, handgun drawn and at the ready. Altina hovered up on her puppet, Claiomh Solais, just above the ground to the side of the group. Sara was close by Rean. Like Claire, the Bracer had her weapons at the ready and her gaze roving over the city streets for threats.
Those initial vestiges of their combat link had pretty much faded once they’d entered the city proper. Rean couldn’t instinctively feel his Instructor as clearly as he could when the link was first made, yet her presence was still there, on the periphery of his awareness as a source of comfort. He wondered if she found his presence more of a help like he did with hers, or if he was more of a hindrance.
As they pushed deeper into Haliask, they gradually encountered more and more resistance. It soon became evident that nearly each and every street would be a battle in and of itself. The archaisms roamed the streets seemingly at will. In one instance, they happened to stumble upon groups of archaisms just as the constructs were bearing down on a terrified looking young man. Rean and the others were quick to put the robots down before they could act. The man scampered away to safety, shouting his thanks over his shoulder.
The group moved on, mostly in silence aside from the frenetic skirmishes they engaged in at semi regular intervals.
“Are you familiar with this place?” Rean asked Sara quietly after a while.
Sara was quiet for a few moments. “A little, though I didn’t grow up here.” She eyed him with a hint of a smirk. “So you don’t have to worry about tiptoeing around the subject, we’re not going to stumble upon some bittersweet memory from my childhood or something.”
Rean wasn’t sure what to say to that. He tried to think how he’d feel if he saw Heimdallr in such a state. “It’s still your homeland.”
“Aye, it is.” Sara sighed. “But it’s the people that matter right now. Bricks and mortar can always be replaced.”
“We’ll get them to safety, I swear it, Sara.” Rean pledged.
“Thank you.” Sara smiled a little. “But you should know I’m a big girl now, Rean. You don’t need to worry about me. I can take whatever crap this world can throw at us.”
Rean didn’t doubt it, but still, he couldn’t help but worry for his former Instructor. He kept a surreptitious eye on her as they forged a path through the Ambrian capital – both his physical and subliminal attention – though Sara was doing an admirable job of alleviating his fears.
As they cut their way through the numerous archaisms and occasional group of Jaegers that stood in their path, the A ranked Bracer fought with all the speed of blade and strength of will that had won her the title of Purple Lightning. There were times where Sara had sprung into action and had cut down the foe before Rean had even drawn his sword. She was a force of nature, utterly unmatched and unconquerable.
Though he too fought hard to offer a good account of himself, Rean knew full well that he still had a mountain to climb to match up to his former Instructor. As if to exemplify the point, there were numerous times on the streets of Haliask when he found himself relying on Sara, Claire and Altina too. He cursed himself each time it happened, feeling more and more the burden every time Altina manoeuvred Claiomh Solais to block a strike meant for him instead of taking that killing blow, or when Claire fired a volley to provide Rean with covering fire into instead of disabling the archaism bearing down on her. Still, he couldn’t help but return that mischievous smirk Sara sent his way after her blade had burrowed its way deep into an archaism that had managed to creep up behind him unawares.
He only broke eye contact reluctantly after Claire had snapped at them both to keep moving.
He knew his focus should be fully on the situation at hand, on the battles to come or the lives that were at risk by this damn war, yet Rean’s mind couldn’t help but flicker back to that moment between himself and Sara in the tent earlier. The more he dwelled on it, the less sure he was that it had even happened. It was as though someone had taken one of his most private dreams and had flaunted them before his unsuspecting eyes, just to taunt him. It wasn’t something he could serious ever have, was it?
Rean shook himself free of such thoughts as best he could. They were in a tricky enough situation as it was without him being distracted. He needed to be focussed and ready for anything.
Finally, they came upon one of the larger archaisms that threatened the whole city. It sat sentry in one of the open squares of the city. It was surrounded by many smaller models of its kind, gliding about the square in strict, robotic patterns. They patrolled the area well, ensuring that nothing and no one could approach without being detected well in advance. To top it all off, a squadron of Jaegers loitered about near the centre of the plaza, though they weren’t immediately aware of Rean’s and others’ presence.
“Alright, let’s get to it.” Claire nodded to the others, icy focus personified.
“Right!” Rean and Sara responded. Altina merely nodded in silent resolution.
The squad fanned out near instinctively. Claire and Altina moved left, Rean and Sara swept right. Each pair rushed to engage with the packs of archaisms that rapidly became aware of their presence in waves.
It was relentless work. As soon as one group of archaisms were defeated, another two had rushed in to replace them.
The Jaegers quickly caught on to the sounds of combat and rushed forward to interfere. Waves of bullets rained down upon the group as they battled and blocked and dodged. A few of them had swords or daggers and rushed in under the cover of their colleagues’ fire to engage Rean and the others in melee.
Rean gritted his teeth hard as he blocked a wicked looking blade en route to his jugular. He only had time to mutter a choice swear word under his breath before another attack came in from the opposite side. He was soon put under a constant battering from the Jaeger and found himself wheeling backwards just to keep his footing under the assault.
His back collided with something, and only the familiar thrum of something just beneath his consciousness kept him from throwing his sword around in a desperate lunge.
“Switch?” Sara’s voice came out as barely a pant.
“Switch.” Rean agreed with a nod, readjusting the grip on his sword in expectation.
Rean swung back to his left as he felt Sara do the same. Student and Instructor swivelled on the spot, sliding past each other and trading places and foes in an instant. Rean used the little momentum stored in the manoeuvre to lash out at his new opponents. The tip of his tachi lashed across two archaisms and sent them clattering to the ground in defeat.
The quick slices, a gasping cry and the heavy thud that followed reached Rean’s ears as confirmation of Sara’s success as well.
“Not bad, that might just get you an A rank.” Sara teased with a chuckle.
Rean found himself smirking a little, even in spite of their situation. He glanced about, seeing yet more challengers approaching. Aidios, there were still so many archaisms. He spotted Claire and Altina in amidst a small horde nearby, though both were making a good account of themselves. Claire fired three quick shots at a nearby Jaeger to send him scampering behind cover to safety.
“We’re not done yet though, Instructor.” Rean narrowed his eyes as he analysed the battlefield for the most imminent threat.
“What else is new?” Sara half chuckled, half sighed as she moved to stand side by side with her former student. “Come on then, bet I can beat more than you.” She followed up the challenge with a quick double tap on Rean’s shoulder with the butt of her pistol.
Rean shook his head at her foolishness but picked his blade’s tip up again, ready to dive into the fray.
Sara moved with him as he charged. When Rean broke the guard of one archaism, Sara was quick to follow up with the killing blow. When a Jaeger seized upon the opportunity to strike at his Instructor’s exposed back, Rean swept in to intercept. Then, they were moving once more, not a word needed to be said between them, they just understood each other implicitly.
Student and Instructor were in perfect sync. Perhaps it was simply a result of combat link they shared, or even from all the experiences of the battles they’d shared at Thors and around all of Erebonia. Though Rean felt in his gut that there was more to it than that, something that exceeded whatever he could bring to the fore. No, it had to be Sara herself that was making the difference. The Purple Lightning was showing the world just why she held the lofty title of an A Ranked Bracer. She dashed back and forth across the enemy lines in a haze of cerise and sparks. Had she clearly not been trying to stay close to her student, she could have left Rean in the dust easily.
Rean could barely keep a track of her movements at times, she was that fast. In fact, the only time he got a good look at her was when he was just about to deliver a vicious stab to an archaism’s heart when he felt something telling him to stop, something urgent and dire. He’d only just pulled the breaks on his attack, sword tip mere inches from the archaism’s chest when he realised the message had come from the combat link. Before he could even blink, the foe he’d been fighting was obliterated from the side and an all too familiar, cerise haired figure had taken its place.
“That one’s mine.” Sara smirked with a jaunty wink before speeding off once more.
Rean chuckled as he swung his sword around to bear on his next opponent.
They’d cut down so many that the square was gradually filling up with warped metal and torn circuits.
As the hordes were thinned out, the oncoming groups became less of an all-encompassing onslaught and were more scattered waves of patrols. The few Jaegers who had been stationed in the square had either been cut down or had presumably fled to fight another day. In amidst the chaos of the melee, Claire and Altina had seen to the large archaism that had loomed over the battlefield themselves, leaving them with only the hordes of smaller ones to clean up.
Rean soon found himself separated from Sara as they each dove to tackle a separate threat at the same time. Unlike the Jaegers, the few remaining archaisms were determined to fight to the last it seemed.
Heavy rumbles suddenly shook the entire square.
Rean looked up and his heart sank as two massive archaisms rolled on into the square. Each of the monstrosities was larger than the one Claire and Altina had slain, and each looked more deadly. They were a mass of dull, battle scarred metal, and their alien, featureless faces promised only a murderous intent.
The giant archaisms moved in to intercept the humans destroying their fellows. Rean swore as he spotted the oncoming threat, but was forced to parry another archaism’s attack and four more before he could do anything about it.
“Look out!” Rean yelled out, hoping that would be enough to alert everyone if they hadn’t already caught onto the new danger.
Rean battled hard to give himself enough space to ready himself for the oncoming giant, but the massive archaism moved by him, seemingly content to leave the Ashen Chevalier to the smaller ones.
In a staunched moment he stole from his foes, Rean looked over his shoulder, something in his soul demanded he do it in that instant.
Sara was there, a grimace on her face, sword and pistol held tight in hand as she stared up at the gigantic form of a mighty archaism. The robotic monstrosity loomed over her like a skyscraper.
The beast reared back a mighty fist and launched it forward at lightning speed, before either he or even Sara had time to react. Though she raised her blade to block the blow in time, she didn’t get the chance to properly set herself in a defensive stance. The blow caught Sara clean and heavily, sending her flying across the square. She landed with a thick crunch amidst the many corpses of slain archaisms.
“Sara!” Rean cried.
He let out the breath he’d been unconsciously holding onto when he saw Sara rise from the ground. She shook herself off a little shakily but got back to her feet.
Rean was keenly aware of the mighty archaism bearing down on her, just as much as she was. Sara raised her sword once more at the ready, but he could see that the tip faltered unsteadily.
Claire and Altina were fighting the other giant archaism themselves, along with a host of the smaller ones further up the street.
Rean knew he couldn’t make it in time, even as he started to run.
Valimar was too far away, back at camp. Even if he called, his knight couldn’t reach them in time.
He only had one option, even as he knew it wouldn’t work.
He reached inside, deeper than he dared into the heart that he feared.
“Rargh!” The blood thundering in Rean’s ears was deafening. He could see the archaisms through his red tinged gaze as they martialled against him, trying to block his path, but he could not hear them above the cacophony of his rage.
Tachi swung left and right as he cleared a path. Rean burst through the enemy lines like a thunderbolt, like the lightning he so longed to catch.
Sara’s eyes turned wide towards him as he hurtled her way.
Rean felt the power growing and escalating from within, already threatening to boil over. Yet he needed it. He needed all of it. Every scrap he could take if he was to save her. The only thing keeping him sane in that moment was his one task, his one mission to achieve, his one soul to protect.
He was only dimly aware of the shattering of metal reaching his ears as Rean’s blade cut up in a wide arc, severing the giant archaism’s fist from its arm, just as it was about to deliver its blow. The limb was sent flying and crashed into the front of a store. The sound of shattering glass rained over the moment.
“Rean?” Sara’s quiet question somehow reached him through all the anger, the hate, the power.
“Aaargh!” All eyes turned his way as Rean let out an ungodly cry. Without wasting a moment more, he surged into the giant archaism. He was only dimly aware of the little ones throwing themselves at him in a vain attempt to stop the ogre’s mighty power. Cuts and blows bounced off of Rean’s consciousness like foam darts. Whatever damage they did to his body didn’t matter.
All that mattered was killing this thing, nothing else.
This one had threatened Sara. This one had hurt her. It had to die.
Rean growled viciously as he cut deeper and deeper into the archaisms body. Metal and circuitry spilled from its bloated form as he carved the beast into ribbons. He was dimly aware of sounds that weren’t of battle, nipping at the increasing fraying edges of his consciousness. Voices they sounded like, though who they were and what they were saying didn’t register. None of it mattered. The only imperative was this monster’s destruction.
He wasn’t sure how long it had been, but Rean gradually became aware that the opponent’s before him were smaller now: the regular constructs that had plagued the streets before.
Had he slain the giant one? Had he won? Those questions quickly fell by the wayside as soon as they arose.
The little ones were still throwing everything they had at him, threatening to overwhelm him. Yet Rean pressed on, his blade was guiding him more than he was guiding it. Or perhaps it was his blood, or the deafening urge to kill, to destroy. He didn’t have the wherewithal to analysis it, or even understand it. All he knew was there were still threats to put down. So put them down he did. Each slash of his blade tore them into shrapnel.
“Rean!” A voice finally pierced the malaise, though foggy and indistinct. “Rean, stop!”
I can’t stop. I’ve got to kill them all!
Was that Rean’s voice or the power that was holding his sword? He didn’t know anymore.
“Rean! It’s alright!”
A moment of clarity. Rean spun around, sword ready to strike, when he caught sight of a familiar cerise haired woman. She was running up to him across a sea of jagged metal, blood and dirt smeared all over her face, but it did nothing to blemish her beauty. The scene around her was a sea of destruction, but all else was still.
She was safe. Sara was safe. That was all that mattered.
That was Rean’s last thought before he passed out.
xxx
Sara remembered running but little else.
She remembered running after Rean when he went on his rampage.
She remembered running to him once her prized student had slain all his foes.
She remembered running in panic to catch him when her Rean had collapsed before her eyes.
Now, she was running back through the desolate streets of Haliask.
Rean was hanging off of her left shoulder, head lolling and body a mess of cuts and scratches. The Ashen Chevalier had taken a lot of damage in his rampage. Sara wasn’t sure how he’d managed to hold out and fight for as long as he did.
Captain Claire had taken up the burden of the Ashen Chevalier’s other side. Sara felt a pang of guilt for needing the Icy Maiden to share the burden with her. After all, Rean had put himself at risk for Sara’s sake. It was only right that she be the one to take care of him now. She could carry Rean herself of course, but the going would be much slower and put both her and Rean at greater risk if they came under attack. Between two of them however, they could still keep up a decent pace. Claire shouldered her side without complaint and kept her keen eyes on the roads around them. Altina was flying up on her puppet a short ways ahead, scouting the path for any obstacle barring their retreat.
“Come on Rean.” Sara found herself mumbling.
Rean hadn’t woken since he’d passed out. As worried as Sara was for him, she was somewhat comforted that the frightening aura that had gripped him had vanished. When he’d succumbed to his ogre power, Rean had been surrounded by a brackish red mist, as though under the control of some sort of demonic entity. His hair had turned a shock of bright white and his voice distorted into an unnerving tone. Thankfully, the aesthetic changes had subsided now and he looked just like his usual self, barring all the cuts and bruises he’d earned in his frenzy. Sara just hoped that meant that her prized student was back to normal now.
“He’ll be fine.” Claire muttered as they carried him together. “This wasn’t a completely unforeseen outcome after all.”
Sara rounded a growl on the Captain immediately. “You mean you knew this would happen?”
Claire answered the glare with a stern look of her own. “Don’t be stupid, Sara. I had no idea Rean would actively choose to use his ogre power, but you know as well as I do that this has happened before. You should have known that this was a possibility.”
Sara scowled some more but held her tongue. She couldn’t deny Claire’s words after all. She’d seen Rean’s unnatural abilities several times before. She had hoped that the four of them would have had more than enough strength to win their battles without Rean needing to resort to his most dangerous of trump cards. It hadn’t turned out that way, and there was no point taking that frustration with herself out on Claire.
Eventually, they managed to sneak through to the outskirts of the city, just in time to cross paths with a large wave of soldiers and panzer soldats. Sara’s blood froze in her veins, before realising that they were Erebonian troops of the camp she’d infiltrated not a few hours earlier. They weren’t out for their blood.
Sara, Claire and Altina ducked to the side of the road to let the soldiers and soldats pass by. A few soldiers ran up to help provide aid. Even as she smiled her thanks, Sara couldn’t help but feel the unease in her stomach grow at the mere sight of foreign troops marching through her homeland in force. There could have been enough men and armaments in this single column to take on all of North Ambria’s forces at once, and the Golden Rakshasa had surely deployed multiple attacks at the same time. She was not known to leave anything to chance after all.
The sight confirmed what she already knew: There was no way that North Ambria would have been able to resist a full invasion from their southern neighbour.
“They’ll be en route to the parliament building.” Claire murmured an answer to the unasked question from Sara’s side. The Icy Maiden’s gaze followed the soldats as they rumbled through the city streets. “General Le Guinn will be looking to secure all the key locations of the city.”
“Let’s hope they don’t destroy them all first.” Sara muttered bitterly.
Claire didn’t respond.
The medics saw to Rean first and had got him on a stretcher to carry him back to camp before they turned to Sara and the others. Sara brushed them all off and doggedly stuck close to Rean. Her wounds were superficial after all. She was far more concerned about Rean.
“Sara …” The voice from the stretcher startled Sara and she blinked rapidly, not quite believing that Rean would up just yet. Yet he was only barely conscious, his eyes so very weakly open and not really seeing anything.
“I’m here.” Sara soothed with what little of a smile she could muster. She reached out to squeeze his hand. “You’re gonna be ok, Rean. Just get some rest, ok?”
Rean said no more, his head dropped to the side and he passed into unconsciousness again.
Sara gritted her teeth and held tight onto his hand, as much for her own comfort as it was for his.
Soon enough, they were taken the final distance back to the camp. Though the camp was empty of any fighting men and women, there was still a flurry of uniforms whizzing about. Medics and engineers rushed to work as the first of the wounded and the damaged were being brought back from the front lines. Adjutants were in a hurry as well, carrying messages between the different tents that made up the army’s various regiments and divisions.
Claire and Altina peeled off to head to the central group of tents that served as the command nerve centre of the campaign.
Rean was carried straight back to his private tent, where he was given a quick examination by a pair of army medics. Sara never left his side, even when urged to do so. At most she backed off a little to let the doctor’s do their work. The medics soon gave in and wisely let her stay. Once their tests had been done, they assured her that he would be ok once he had recovered from all his exertions.
Sara gave her thanks to the medics before they left to go deal with other casualties as they trickled back into the camp. She was dimly aware of all the commotion that rose and fell intermittently outside the tent, but it was otherwise quiet inside, just her and an unconscious Rean. She found a simple stool to sit on while she kept her vigil over him. Though the battle for her homeland raged on in the streets beyond those four walls, she couldn’t bring herself to care too much. All that mattered to Sara in that moment was that she remained by Rean’s side.
“What were you doing Rean?” Sara asked with a forlorn shake of her head, her hand gripped his tightly, almost terrified to loosen and risk letting him go. “You shouldn’t have put yourself in harm’s way like that, not for me.”
Rean didn’t as much as murmur. He lay there still, just breathing softly. It was just as if he were sleeping.
“You stupid boy.” Sara remonstrated with him quietly, feeling an unwanted tear glide down her cheek. “You should have let it take me instead.”
Unanswered, Sara let out a ragged sigh before leaning over to deliver a soft kiss to Rean’s cheek. Whatever hope she had that the act might reach him in some way died quickly when he did not stir.
A soft rustle from behind brought Sara spinning around, one hand on her pistol before belatedly realising that it was Captain Claire.
“Easy there, Purple Lightning.” The Icy Maiden soothed, she held her hands up to show peaceful intent as she entered the tent. “It’s only me.”
Sara let herself relax a little, though she still couldn’t bring herself to let her guard down fully. Not in the camp of her country’s enemies. Not with Rean unconscious and helpless on the cot beside her.
“Captain, how goes the war?” Sara jerked her head in the vague direction of the city.
Claire’s eyes flickered to Rean’s form for a moment before answering. “About as well as can be expected. General Le Guinn is making good progress. In fact, she’s already reached the Parliament with her men.”
Sara let out a short bark of a chuckle, unable to keep that shade of bitterness out of her voice. “Oh, so the Golden Rakshasa is leading the charge herself is she?” She hadn’t expected the push to break through the last lines of defence to be so soon. Had she and Rean simply been used to expedite her homeland’s defeat?
“I doubt she’d have it any other way.” Claire smiled a little.
Sara shook of her head, she folded her arms. “Shouldn’t you be out there, helping the glorious charge to victory yourself?” She said the words with a healthy dollop of disdain.
“That role’s for the General. My job was simply to clear the way for the civilians to escape. Thanks to Rean, and yourself, my work is done here.” Once again, Claire’s eyes flickered to Rean. “How is he?”
Sara sighed, dropping her gaze to him. “They say he’s alright, all things considered. Aidios knows how long he’ll be out for, but the doctors don’t think that they’ll be any lasting damage.”
“That’s good to hear.” Claire murmured before cocking her head. “I’d have thought you’d be happier about that though?”
“He shouldn’t be in this position in the first place.” Sara all but spat. She sat back down by Rean’s side, absently brushing a couple of his locks out of his closed eyes. “He shouldn’t have to put himself at risk for your wars.”
A heavy sigh. “This war isn’t any of my doing.”
“I know that.” Sara shook her head ruefully. “I’m sorry, it’s not fair of me to put this all on you, but your Blood and Iron Chancellor isn’t here, so …”
“It’s alright, I understand.” Claire murmured with an almost smile.
“I could go out and find the General to shout at.” Sara smirked a little at the thought. “Aidios, I could use a punching bag to vent on.”
“I wouldn’t recommend it, unless you want to find yourself in a military prison.”
Sara chuckled under her breath. Then she sighed once more. “Aidios, I’m so sorry Rean.”
“Don’t blame yourself.” Claire murmured. “None of us saw this coming.”
“But I should have.” Sara shook her head with a grimace. “Like you said before, I’ve seen what Rean’s power can do. I’m his Instructor. I should be the one looking out for him. I should be the one keeping him safe, not the other way round.”
“Well, you know how Rean is. He’d do anything at all to keep everyone safe if he could.” Claire smiled. “No matter the cost to himself.”
Sara chuckled softly. “Yeah, that’s Rean alright.”
The Captain gave out a heavy sigh. The sort that Sara knew could only come before bad news.
“Listen, I hate to be the one to say this, but you really shouldn’t be here much longer.”
“I’m not leaving him.” Sara scowled dangerously. “Not until I know he’s alright.”
“If the General finds you here, I won’t be able to vouch for you.” Claire held her ground, though there was a measure of understanding in her expression. “You’re a North Ambrian after all. You’d only get yourself locked up, and that’s a best case scenario. You’d be considered a spy or a saboteur.”
“Your General’s out leading the war, you said so yourself. She’s got bigger things than me to worry about right now.” Sara turned a pointed look to the Captain. “Besides, I just helped you win your war. Are you really going to have me arrested now?”
There was a long pause as Claire stared coolly back at Sara. Then, she sighed. “No, I’m not going to do that.”
Sara nodded stoutly before turning back to Rean. “Then I’m not leaving.”
An exasperated sigh. “Sara, just because I-”
“Sara …” Rean’s quiet murmur broke into the conversation.
“Rean!” Sara’s heart leapt into her mouth. She reached for his hand urgently. “I’m here. I’m here. Talk to me Rean.”
Rean’s closed eyes scrunched up a little as he shook his head, as though trying to rid himself of a bad migraine. “Sara, is that … are you safe?”
“Yes. Yes, I’m fine.” Sara chuckled in spite of herself. She felt a tear glide down her cheek as the heavy weight evaporated from her stomach. “How are you feeling?”
“I- I’ve been better.” Rean let out a weak smile. His eyes slowly opened, revealing his kind, natural lilac eyes, not the demented red ones she’d seen last and the ones she’d feared she would find.
Sara shook her head with a weary chuckle. “You’ve got to stop doing that you know, Rean. Scare me like that again and I’ll have you in detention every day for the rest of your life.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry about me.” Rean offered a weak smile. Sara felt him squeeze her hand a little. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”
“Well, that was thanks to you really, so I suppose I could let you off from detention on weekends.” Sara smirked. “Maybe bank holidays too if you’re a good boy.”
Rean smiled. “Thanks, Instructor. I-” He broke off into a small coughing fit.
Though Sara was overjoyed to see him awake again, she silently lamented at seeing him so frail. She reached forward to gently hold him by the shoulder. “Easy, Rean. You need to rest.”
Slowly, Rean’s coughs calmed and he turned his eyes about to gaze at the tent around them. “What happened? The last thing I remember, those giant archaisms were just rolling into the square.”
“Well, you did it Rean, you won the battle.” Sara smirked. “You may have gone a little bit psycho to do it, but you won the day.”
“I … Everyone made it? No one was hurt?”
Sara was tempted to roll her eyes. Of course he would be most concerned with anyone but himself. “Nearly, the only one who got banged up was you, you fool.” She smiled.
“That’s good.” Rean’s head relaxed into the thin pillow in relief.
“What do you mean ‘that’s good’?” Sara began with a scowl. “You shouldn’t be getting hurt yourself you know, mister!” She sighed. “You’re always doing this, never worrying about yourself one bit. You always leave that job to me.” She finished with a hint of a smile.
Rean blinked, abashed and even a little ashamed. “I- I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worried about me.”
“Well, you did. So I’ll have to knock a few marks off your final score for that, you know.” Sara smirked. “You can forget about enjoying your time off on those weekends as well.”
It made Sara’s whole year to hear him chuckle again, even if it was weak.
“Ok, I think that’s fair.” Rean smiled. His hand reached out towards her a little and Sara met him halfway, their fingers interlocking so easily, so familiarly, so comfortably. “I’m glad you’re safe.”
“And I’m glad you’re safe, Rean.” Sara smiled. She couldn’t help herself from leaning in and hugging him tight. It was a little awkward, what with Rean being too weak to really return the gesture in kind or even pick himself up from the cot properly, but that didn’t matter. “Don’t scare me like that again, ok?” She whispered pleadingly.
“Ok … I’ll try.”
That was good enough for Sara, at least for now.
“Sara?”
The Instructor pulled back to smile at her favourite student. “Yeah?”
“Sara, I … did you …” Then Rean’s head lolled to the side, falling into a deep slumber once more.
Sara sighed. She was half tempted to try and shake him awake again, just to get the last of whatever question he wanted to ask, but thought better of it. He needed his rest. That was more important.
“He’ll be fine, Sara.” Claire murmured into the quiet. Sara had forgotten that the Icy Maiden was even there. “Our people will take good care of him.”
“You’d better.” The Purple Lightning spun a warning glare to the other woman. “He’s been through more than enough.”
“I know that.” Claire’s gaze moved over towards Rean’s sleeping form once more, a somewhat sad look on her face. She sighed. “For whatever worth my word is to you, I promise you that we’ll get him back to full health. We owe him that much at least.”
A part of Sara wanted to remonstrate further, it was Claire’s and her army’s demands that had put Rean in this state in the first place. Yet she saw the look in the Captain’s eyes and felt in her heart that Claire was being sincere.
“Alright, thank you Claire.”
“It’s the least we can do.” Claire smiled a little.
Sara turned back to Rean. She still didn’t like the idea of leaving him much, but she knew that he’d be safe enough here. What’s more, the medics and doctors and hand could provide whatever aid he needed. Rean would be fine, she knew. There wasn’t much she could do for him in that instant besides hanging onto his bedside.
Yet there was still something she could do for the people of Haliask. How many were being displaced even now? Someone had to make sure they were all safe. Who better to do that than one of North Ambria’s own daughters?
“I’ll go.” Sara murmured, turning a glinting smirk back to Claire. “Before the General comes back to get her arse handed to her.” The idea of testing her mettle against the famous Golden Rakshasa was certainly an enticing one, but Sara knew that there would be a better time and place to satisfy her curiosity.
Claire even chuckled a little. “Thank you.”
Sara turned back to Rean’s unconscious form again. She considered for a long moment before deciding that she just had to do it, even if Claire was there to see. She moved back over to Rean’s side and leant in to press a soft kiss to his forehead.
“I’ll see you again soon, Rean. I promise.” Sara whispered her pledge.
Then, Sara turned and walked right by Claire out of the tent and into the cold winds of North Ambria, determined that not even Aidios herself could stop her from keeping her promise.