Fates Entwined (A TodoBaku ff) ✔

XXI

Bakugou's words rang in his head for the remainder of the day, taunting and hurtful as he spent hours in the library pouring through history books in hopes of finding any sort of past events or connections that would convince the recipients of his letters to alliance with them. They made him feel weak, like his father's words and cruel eyes whenever Shoto made the slightest mistake, and he knew, in this state of uncertainty and fear he was drowning in right now, that he needed to snap out of it lest the war be over before the first clang of swords echoed on the battlefield. 

He wrote his letters late into the evening, allowing bright pale moonlight to flood his room, his eyes squinting under the lamplight as he wrote and wrote until he was satisfied. He awoke with an aching neck resting uncomfortably against the table, but all of his letters were sealed and ready to be sent off. At first light he headed to the small cabin where he often saw people from the castle come and go with letters and parcels. He wasn't sure how the mailing system worked in the Tribes, but when he arrived a young woman was more than helpful, receiving his letters and promising them a messenger would deliver them as soon as possible. 

A small weight off of his shoulders was lifted, and he attended breakfast with his best attempt at a clear and calm composure. His nightmares, his discoveries, his troubles, everything had to be under his control if he was to help save Bakugou's people. He owed it to them after all, they had saved and healed and taught him so much it would be wrong not to put his best efforts into a cause he could have only imagined in his wildest and farthest fantasies, ones he rarely divulged in due to their near impossibility of coming to life in the cold walls of his father's castle.

He met Sero, Denki, Midoriya, Mina, Kirishima, and Bakugou for breakfast; he listened to their conversations attentively in case they were discussing any strategies or information that would help them, eating his fill so he would have energy for the day. Accidentally falling asleep on his desk was not ideal, even if he had managed to finish all of his letters, and he decided after finishing breakfast he would head to the training room. Bakugou didn't speak to him once during the meal, didn't speak much at all besides throwing a piece of chicken at Kirishima who caught it with a grin between his sharp teeth. 

Sero asked if he had visited Kita recently, and that he had received the final supply of strawberries before the winter weather caused the crops to begin dying out. Accepting the invitation, he told Sero he would visit in the evening as he intended to spend the day training. The man asked if he could join, wanting to learn some of the skills Shoto displayed during his fight at the winter tournament. It would be unusual, having someone whose intentions weren't to hurt him to train alongside him, but he agreed and the pair headed down to the lowest level of the castle underground. It was a single floor with mainly rooms for storage, but a large training room full of weapons and equipment, huge torches lining the walls providing more than enough light, took up most of the level. There was enough space for a small group of knights to train together, or for a squadron to practice military formation.

Shoto had been here only once or twice, one time to see Denki's power in action which resulted in the blond man being both exceedingly energetic and slower in thought for the rest of the day, and the other was when Midoriya was showing him around the castle. He took a moment to scan the room, noticing target boards and model humans, knives and spears and swords stacked in boxes, and the dusted sandy floor that covered the whole room. It was nowhere near as advanced as what the guards and knights had at their disposal in Endeavour, but it would be enough.

"I don't know too much about fighting." Sero stated, following Shoto in his stretches so as to not cause injury when training. "But I'm pretty smart, flexible too."

"I see. You're from Tapsken, yes?"

"Yeah, I kinda have a knack for making things. That'll probably come in handy for the war."