You, Me, and the World Between Us (Dragon Quest)

XII - Scottish Soldier

Maxim and Inessa stared up at the soldier, awestruck by his presence. They had only ever heard of the famed Ragnar McRyan through their mother's stories; he was one of the eight that were chosen to defeat Psaro, just like their parents had been. However, he didn't quite live up to what they had expected - age caught up to the soldier quite quickly, and he bore an everyday man's clothes, rather than the rosy armor he was said to don. Even still, meeting the man was remarkable. "Yes, we are quite alright. What those men would have done if you had not come along, yoy, that is something I would not like to learn. Thank you," Inessa said, grabbing the edges of her skirt and curtseying, "you are Ragnar McRyan, are you not?" she questioned.

The moustached man laughed heartily, throwing his head back as he clapped a firm hand on Inessa's shoulder. "Why, yes, lassie, that would be me indeed! Tae be entirely honest with ye, I'm surprised ye'd be able to recognize me. For starters, I'm not what I used tae be, that's for sure," Ragnar chuckled, shaking his head from side to side, "and from the looks of ye, ye wouldn't have even been born during my prime! I take it yer mother or father must've been a fan of what I've done, right?" he questioned with a smirk.

"Nyet, not fans. You were closer than that, you were friends with them," Maxim stated with a nod and a smile. He pulled Inessa closer to his side, gesturing to their faces in the hopes that the man would recognize their features. Ragnar raised a bushy brow, glancing between the siblings. The red haired boy sighed and shook his head before sticking out his hand for the soldier to shake. "Tsarevich Maxim and Tsarevna Inessa, of Tsarina Alena and Kiryl," he introduced him and his sister.

Ragnar gasped, his jaw dropping at Maxim's statement. "Blimey! I knew I'd seen faces like yer own somewhere, but I just couldn't put my finger on it! My, the both of ye are growing intae their faces. Handsome and strong like yer father, yes ye are. And you, little lassie, still strong like your mother, but beautiful, too," he said, a wide smile growing beneath his moustache. The old soldier paused for a moment, furrowing his brows together and glancing between the two for a moment. "Say, Zamoksva's quite a way's west from here, isn't it? Wot on earth are ye two bairns doing here in Casabranca? Oh, never mind that, ye must be tired from yer travels. Let's head tae my home, we'll speak there."

The Zamoksvan siblings followed Ragnar over the cobblestone streets of Casabranca. After a short while of silence, Maxim finally spoke up again. "If you do not mind my asking, Sir Ragnar, but what brings you here? Whenever mother or father spoke of you, they mentioned that you hailed from the city of Burland, up north over the mountains. Why the change in setting?" he questioned, tilting his head to the side.

"No bother, lad. I continued tae serve the King of Burland for a few years after Psaro had been bested. But like I said, I'm not what I used tae be. The King demanded my retirement from his forces, as he was worried about my physical condition as an aging man. Probably thought I'd break a hip on the battlefield, he did. Of course, that'd never happen tae me," Ragnar chuckled before sighing, "ah, but I respected my King's opinions and decisions, I did, and I retired from his army. After that though, the city of Burland only served tae remind me of all my soldiering days. Couldn't quite handle that, really. So, I moved down here tae Casabranca. Real nice town once ye get used to her. Here we are," he said, staggering up the steps of a nearby house.

Inessa dashed up the steps after Ragner, holding out her arm to offer him support. He took her hand graciously, proceeding up the stairs at a steadier rate. Once at the top, he pulled a key ring from his pocket and inserted one into the lock. It clicked, and he held the door open for the Zamoksvan siblings to enter. He followed the duo, closing the door behind them. The old soldier opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by muffled shouting from the front door. Inessa gasped and dashed forward, throwing the door open and revealing Thorn at the top step. She scooped him up into her arms, cooing to him as Maxim scoffed under his breath. "Our apologies to you, Ragnar, this is Thorn, our..." he paused, searching for the right term, "companion."