The Hurt Reality (Fire Emblem: Awakening Story)

This Is A Hostage Situation.

Chrom's POV.

It had been thirty minutes, my men were throwing on their heavy weaponry from our convoy and preparing for battle. My thoughts reeled at the assumptions that it made about our friends, and worry was mixed with anger at myself for allowing my daughter and closest companion embark on a road leading to their capture, or worse.

"My Lord the preparations are rea-" a high pitch, eerie and incredibly loud.. Bird call? It interrupts Frederick's speech and I raise my hand to silence him further.

How strange, what kind of bird would..

No wait.

A memory comes to mind of years ago after a terrible accident.

(FLASHBACK)

She lays on an infirmary type of medical bed, she'd been healing for two days now, and could barely lift herself out of bed from a stab wound to the stomach. It was a wonder she still was alive.

It was chaos out on the battlefield, we were ill prepared and surprised. We all were fighting for our lives in a way many of us had never had to before. She was still new, fresh to battle.. Inexperienced to the unfairness of war, no matter how smart she was that was nothing compared to the strength you needed to survive and fend of brutal attackers intent on killing.

I shouldn't have let her go by herself, I shouldn't have left her side.

She was always so over confident and head-strong, those were her faults. She had lost her memories of ever been hurt, and she believed herself invincible, which was her folly.

Maelys opens her eyes and meets mine, it sent such a rush through me that I felt refreshed, even for being awake, worried.

"Chrom.. Tell me you haven't been here this entire time." Her  patronizing self came out even when wounded.

"Well I haven't been here necessarily." I had replied, fingering the little whistle in my enclosed hand.

She let out a sigh, and winced. I could only imagine how much it hurt, I'd been hit in the stomach sparring all the time and it had left bruises that halted all physical activity for days just because I could barely breathe even. Getting stabbed must be ten times worse.

"What do you have?" she notices my fidgeting hands.

Busted, I was called out. I had no choice but to give her this now.

I uncurl my clenched hand, and place the whistle next to her hand, she peers down at it, questioningly.

"It's um.." I clear my throat, "It's in case you find yourself unable to handle the fight anymore.. I'll be there."

She was the only person I could stand to be around when they cried. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude, or of pain. I like to think it was former. "Oh, Chrom. I'm sorry for slowing you down, thank you." she weakly reached her own hand out to me.

I clasped it with my own, squeezing it gently. "You'll never slow me down. I will always watch your back, no matter how great the distance."

The whistle, that's the sound it was created to make, I had forgotten! The merchant really was true to his word when saying that it could be heard from far off.